RPS Landscape Group Newsletter, December 2016

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

Chairman's Chat

CONTENTS

As some of you may be aware, Tim Parish stepped down as Chair of the Landscape Group on Saturday. As a committee, we would like to acknowledge his contribution to the Landscape Group and to the success of our first year.

I have agreed to take on the chairmanship and lead the group up to the AGM, when we will have formal elections. We are planning for this AGM to take place at our autumn weekend away. More details will be given in the March newsletter.

Our first year has delivered some notable successes in workshops run, field trips undertaken and weekends away. However, there remains much to be done. We have set up an exciting series of events for the first half of 2017 and will be adding more. More details can be found later in the newsletter.

A Special Interest Group runs on the efforts of its members. I am delighted that we have already had several volunteers step forward with indications of where they would like to contribute. The committee is in the process of contacting those who indicated their willingness to volunteer through the member survey. There are however a couple of areas where we need specific contributions.

The first area is to fill vacancies on the committee. We need to appoint a treasurer and two members without portfolio. The treasurer role is not arduous and so I hope someone with a good eye for detail will step forward. We would also like to appoint two members without portfolio to help with the general running of activities. If you would like to join the committee, please contact me at landscapef16@gmail.com

01 Chairman's Chat

by Richard Ellis 02 Editorial 03 News Round Up 04 Event Reports Coastal Exploration by Richard Ellis and Aira Force and Borrowdale by Jim Souper 06 My Favourite Place Loch Eck by David Fiddes LRPS 07 What's On A selection of exhibitions and events, including both photography and other forms of art, of possible interest to group members.

08 Events Details of group events 09 Members' Images More Featured Images

Submissions

The second is our newsletter. Our publications manager is always looking for articles and would welcome photographs accompanied by a short text about why a location inspires you. If you are able to do this and wish to share your material with a wide audience, please contact Jim Souper at landscapenews@rps.org

The next newsletter will be out in at the beginning of February 2017. The deadline for submissions is Sunday 29th January.

If you could do any of these then please step forward – it can be daunting but we are a friendly committee and would really value your contributions.

If you have an idea for article, please send a brief synopsis of the purpose and content of the piece.

We have had an exciting initial year and can, with your help, make 2017 even more memorable. I hope that some of you will feel able to contribute to our future success. In conclusion, may I take this opportunity of wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2017.

Please submit your images as jpegs, sized to 72 dpi and with 1200 pixels along the longest edge.

Richard Ellis December 2016

All submissions should be sent by email to: landscapenews@rps.org NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

Editorial As we come to the end of our first year as a group, there are a number of changes to announce. You will be aware from Richard's column that we now have a new Chair. The resignations reported last month have required other changes, which are at the foot of this column.

Photo Sharing and Critique

We are also now in a position to announce the launch of a new initiative, our sharing and critique group.

Thanks to Mark Reeves for the huge amount of work behind the scenes to get this off the ground.

Elsewhere in the newsletter, David Fiddes shares his favourite place, Loch Eck. We have two event reports.

First, Richard Ellis has found time to report on the coastal exploration trip earlier this month, the success of which has prompted him to lead a similar event.

Congratulations to Roger Marks, who attended the trip, on his success in the recent RPS Night Photography. Second is my report on Ken Rennie's excellent trip to Aira Force and Borrowdale - wet and windy but well worth the effort of getting there.

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to the first year of the newsletter, whether by an event report, favourite place or individual image. I look forward to developing the content of the newsletter further in the coming months.

Finally, my own good wishes to all for a very happy Christmas and a successful New Year.

Jim Souper

Committee Changes Chair - Richard Ellis Treasurer - Richard will continue until a replacement steps forward Secretary - Pauline Benbrook Events Manager - Mark Reeves Publications Manager - Jim Souper Member without portfolio - Peter Douglas-Jones will continue, but as Richard said in his piece, we are looking for two more to join the committee.

In response to the members' survey that we conducted earlier this year, I am now pleased to announce the launch of the landscape group's sharing and critiquing group on Facebook.

After considering various options (including flickr, 500px, Google Photos and others) we decided to go with Facebook because of its ease of use and because it provides the best range of functionality; making it easy to comment, to add different versions, to hold discussions on relevant topics and to opt in or out of notifications of when new images are posted. Yes, you will have to have a Facebook account to use the page but this is also true of the other sharing sites too.

There are some rules for using the page - as few as we consider necessary to ensure that the page is used properly and adds real value for our members. Please take a look and please contribute - you asked for it and it is your page! You will find it at https://www.facebook.com/groups/RPSLandscapeG roup/ Mark Reeves LRPS Landscape Group Events Manager

The former Web Editor role has been split between Mark Reeves and me. I will look after general maintenance of the web pages and the blog while, as Events Manager, Mark will look after the Events pages.

Visit the Group web page for member profiles.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

NEWS ROUND UP A Meeting of Minds 180 landscape photographers, including speakers, volunteers and exhibitors, gathered at the Rheged Centre in Cumbria for the second Meeting of Minds conference organised by the online magazine On Landscape over the weekend of 19th - 20th November.

Winners Announced The winners of the USA Landscape Photographer of the Year and the Travel Photographer of the Year have been announced.

For more about the USA Landscape Photographer of the Year, won by Alex Noriega, see Mark Reeves' blog post.

Joel Santos became the first Portuguese photographer to win Travel Photographer of the Year. His work can be viewed on the 2016 Winners' Gallery.

'Our World is Beautiful' CEWE Photoworld has launched its 'Our World is Beautiful competition. Categories include landscapes and nature.

For more details, visit the competition website.

The closing date is 30th June 2017.

The conference offered 18 speakers, a mix of in depth one-hour talks and ten-minute lightning talks. In addition, attendees were offered the opportunity to contribute an image to a Conference Exhibition where their prints, courtesy of Fotospeed, were on show alongside those of some of the best-known names in landscape photography.

Speaking after the conference On Landscape editor Tim Parkin said, "It was an absolute pleasure to get people together and help them to talk about their passion. The almost universal opinion was that the audience liked the talks and work that stretched them a little, which was one of our goals in creating the conference. The biggest win though was the sense of community, with nearly everyone contributing a print to the exhibition and also some of our community giving lightning talks during the lunch periods".

Asked about the next conference, planned for 2018, Tim replied, "Our feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we're looking at expanding on the exhibition and community aspects, to include more lightning talks and question and answer sessions. We've got some cracking speakers lined up too - more about that later!"

Footage from the conference is being edited for release in the New Year.

*MEMBERS NEWS* Do you have any landscape photography news that may be of interest to members?

If so, please email landscapenews@rps.org.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

EVENT REPORT Coastal Exploration Shoreham & Brighton

by Roger Marks

by Richard Ellis This trip was a real example of Janice Dickinson’s quote ‘I find the light and work it, work it, work it’. The group started the day in Shoreham harbour under cloudless blue skies. Not the easiest conditions for a long exposure workshop. The challenge of the conditions was embraced by the group and by the time we left Shoreham port everyone had made an image with which they were pleased.

Our next stop was the east side of Shoreham port and the conditions were still challenging. Still the images kept on coming. The weather gods rewarded us with a spectacular sunset in Brighton with views of the old pier – our last stop of the day. A selection of the images taken on the day out is shown below.

Sea wall detail by Liz Akers

If you know a place where we could run a similar workshop, please contact landscapenews@rps.org.

Forthaven by Dennis Jeffrey

by Paul Graber West Pier by Nick Akers

Shoreham Pier by Steve Cheetham

by Stewart Gregory

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

EVENT REPORT Aira Force & Borrowdale

by Jim Souper Ten hardy souls led by Ken Rennie braved a wet and windy day in the Lake District - a great turn out given the conditions.

The day started with a climb to Yew Crag, giving views of Ullswater. We then descended to Aira Force, which provided at least some protection from the wind and rain.

After a warming break for lunch at the Sportsman's Inn, most of the group moved on to Borrowdale. Despite heavy rain on the drive there, it did ease slightly and we were rewarded with some fleeting moments of light.

Thanks to Ken for a well-led trip and an excellent introduction to locations well worth a return visit in better weather. Thanks also to those who have contributed images from a challenging day.

From the path to Yew Crag by Janet Turnbull

Hail, Rain or Shine by Ken Rennie

To view Ken's gallery of images from the day, please click here.

Aira Beck by George Nasmyth

Derwentwater from Grange Crags by Wing Tam

View from Grange Crags by Jim Souper

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

MY FAVOURITE PLACE Loch Eck

by David Fiddes LRPS Loch Eck from the Larach

Loch Eck is a hidden gem on the western edge of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. It is orientated north to south with high hills on either side so it gets no “golden hour” light.

As someone who never learned to “do dawn”, that is not a problem. The benefit of the hills is that, when winds are light, one has a good chance of mist and mirror-like reflections, particularly in autumn. Winter snow on the tops is also transformational.

Images © David Fiddes Clach Bheinn

Autumn Reflections

Dornoch Point

Jubilee Point

Lock Eck from Beinn Laggan

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

What's On

A selection of exhibitions & events which may be of interest to landscape group members

Exhibitions Joe Cornish Gallery Northallerton A tribute to Ansel Adams: 100 years of photographing Yosemite by Charles Cramer, Joe Cornish and Dave Chalmers is showing from until 23rd December 2016 The On Landscape Room is currently showing work

by Colin Bell, Nigel Morton, Paul Mitchell, Peter Hyde and Stephen Barnett.

Liza Dracup: Landmarks Harrogate New work by Yorkshire photographer Liza Dracup inspired by the visualisation of the landscape of northern England found in the work of early photographers in the Mercer's photographer collection. At the Mercer Gallery, Harrogate, until 8th January 2017.

Landscape Photographer of the Year London Winning entries from the 2016 competition are on display on the balcony of Waterloo Station until 5th February.

When Frost was Spectre-Grey London A group exhibition of winter landscapes at the Photographers' Gallery is showing until 15th January. Contributing photographers include Paul Hart and Simon Roberts.

Fox Talbot: Dawn of the Photograph Bradford An exhibition exploring the life and career of Henry Fox Talbot, 'the father of photography'. Showing at the National Media Museum, Bradford until 8th February 2017

The View from Here | Landscape Photography from the National Galleries of Scotland Edinburgh A selection of landscape photographs from the 1840s to the present day, drawn entirely from the permanent collection of photographs at the National Galleries of Scotland. At the Scottish National Portrait Gallery until 30th April 2017.

Landscapes of Britain Dorset An exhibition of work by Dorset based photographer Robin Goodlad, who has been commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year for three years running. At Moors Valley Country Park Visitor Centre from until 8th January 2017.

Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year London Winning and highly commended images from over 4,500 entries to the 2016 competition will be on show at the Royal Greenwich Observatory until 25th June 2017.

Conferences, Fairs and Festivals Adventure Travel Show London A mix of talks, exhibitors, seminars and a film evening. At Olympia on 21st - 22nd January 2017.

The Photography Show Birmingham The UK's largest photography show returns to the NEC, Birmingham from 18th to 21st March 2017.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Edinburgh The exhibition, on tour from the Natural History Museum, is on show at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, until 19th February 2017.

Cold Places: Pictures from the Poles Chester This exhibition showcases photographs from awardwinning photographer Sue Flood's visits to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, alongside Inuit pieces from her collection and a selection of her polar survival gear. At the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, until 22nd February 2017.

Do you have an exhibition of your own?

Do you know of a local exhibition which may interest members?

Please let us know at landscapenews@rps.org.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

For further details of all Landscape Group events please visit the group's event page at

EVENTS

http://www.rps.org/special-interest-groups/landscape/events

Long exposure day on the Sussex coast Sunday 29th January, 9:00 to 16:00

Nash Point and the Heritage Coast Saturday 8th April, 10:00 to 16:00

Rye This field trip will be a chance to learn about or practice long exposure photography on the Sussex coast. We will visit both Rye Harbour and Hastings, which will provide plenty of suitable subject matter.

See here for full details.

Nash Point, St Donas An informal photo-walk to photograph Nash Point Lighthouse and low tide rocks on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, with Peter Douglas-Jones, a member of the landscape group who knows the area.

See here for full details.

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Adobe Lightroom for Landscape Photographers Saturday 25 March, 9:45 to 16:15 Central London This workshop will cover a complete landscape photography workflow, using the library and develop modules. Julian Rouse LRPS, an Adobe Lightroom certified expert who has delivered many successful courses for the RPS, will lead the workshop. There will be a maximum of 8 delegates, to ensure a good level of personal attention.

See here for full details.

Springboard to Success Saturday 25th March, 9:30 to 17:00 Runnymeade-on-Thames Hotel, Egham The Travel Group are holding another special one-day event in the London area on 25th March 2017. This time the internationally renowned Travel and Landscape Photographer, Joe Cornish Hon. FRPS will be their main speaker.

See here for full details.

Bolton Abbey and the River Wharfe Wednesday 5th April, 9:30 to 16:30 Near Skipton Bolton Abbey offers a range of riverside and woodland walks. Highlights include the Strid and the ruins of the 12th Century priory. There are some trails accessible to wheelchair users, while others may wish to make their way up the Valley of Desolation to photograph Posforth Force.

See here for full details.

Could you host an event?

If you know of a promising and photogenic location in your area, and you would be willing to organise an informal session for other members of the Group, please email to markreeves59@gmail.com.

We welcome all volunteers and would very much like to hear from members in Scotland and the north of England.

West Brecon Beacons photography walk Saturday 22nd April, 10:00 to 14:00 Llanddeusant This will be an informal, but strenuous, photo- walk with Peter Douglas-Jones, a member of the landscape group who knows the area.

See here for full details.

Welsh Waterfall Walk Saturday 6 May 2017, 10:30 to 16:00 Glynneath This will be an informal walk to photograph some of the waterfalls along the rivers Nedd, Pyrddin, Mellte and Hepste, with Peter Douglas-Jones, a member of the landscape group who knows the area.

See here for full details.

Different Landscapes and Rural Life Saturday 17th June, 9:30 to 18:00 Nr Buxton Hartington is an ancient village that was granted a market charter in 1203, and is an ideal centre for photographing rural life and exploring the unique natural and man-made landscape that surrounds it with teachers Paul Hill, Nick Lockett and Maria Falconer.

This event is organised by RPS HQ - see here for details.

Norfolk coastal field trip Saturday 24th to Sunday 25th June Norfolk - exact location to be confirmed This event is in the early stages of being planned but will feature a guided trip to photograph some of the beautiful Norfolk coast. More details will be posted in due course but do get it in your diaries in the meantime!

See here for contact details.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11

MEMBERS' IMAGES

© Roger Marks New Forest Clearing

Hen Cloud

© John Stout ARPS

© Laura Hacking

© Stewart Gregory

Submission Guidelines Please send your Members' Images by email to landscapenews@rps.org.

Please submit your images as jpegs, sized to 72 dpi and with 1200 pixels along the longest edge. It would also be helpful if you would provide a caption and a note of any RPS distinction that should be added to your credit for the image.

The deadline for the next newsletter is Sunday 29th January 2017. Thank you!

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 11