RPS Landscape Group Newsletter, September 2019

NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2019/vol 4/ No 6

Snaefellesnes Peninsula by Eddie Hyde ARPS (see page 4)

CONTENTS 2 3 4/6 7 8-12 13 14-16 17-22 23 24 25-26 27

Editorial Committee News Between the Honeypots—Eddie Hyde ARPS Committee Secretary—role description Anglesey,N Wales workshops—Leigh Foster Events Booking Procedures—Mark Reeves Devil’s Dyke— Brian Connolly Creating a signature Logo—Richard Ellis Critique and Processing Circles What’s on Landscape Group Events Events and bookings details

Submissions The deadline for submissions to the next newsletter is Friday 18th October,2019. Please note that it may be necessary to hold some submissions for a future newsletter.

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

Please submit your images as jpeg attachments, sized to 72 dpi with 1200 pixels along the longest edge and borderless. Do not embed the images in the email.

Please send all submissions by email to: landscapenews@rps.org

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NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

Editorial Welcome to the September edition of the Newsletter.

You will have realised that the August edition did not appear—due to the lack of material. In June I referred to the dearth of material for June, and this ‘content’ problem was discussed by Committee at our recent meeting. (See Landscape Committee precis on Page 3. Instead of me writing to all participants of a workshop/field trip asking if you can help with an article, we are going to try something a little different. In future I will be contacting a particular person on a workshop and, hopefully, persuading them to either write an article or at least to co-ordinate one.

The thinking behind this is that personal contact can help with the explanation of how easy it is to write a brief description of the event, and to add a few images to show other members the enjoyable day. It really is that simple!

I’m pleased that we have some member reports of events this month, some of these events only occurred very recently.

The Committee have also decided that future editions should not be cancelled because of lack of articles. We will still publish—to advertise all the events on offer for landscape members. There is clear evidence that bookings increase immediately after a Newsletter, which suggests that many members do not get their primary information of events from the RPS website, but from the newsletter and that the Newsletter is a timely reminder of bookings arrangements.

That’s good, and makes regular publication worthwhile.

You may remember Mark Reeves technical article, in October 18, about making a border around an image. Continuing the ‘technical’ theme, this month a detailed description of how to produce a signature logo from Richard Ellis (see page 17) Richard is also inviting you to submit some examples for the next edition. Who’s volunteering?

We all want to photograph somewhere outside our local area. Some get information from books or social media.

However, it is better with other Landscape group members with a knowledge of the area.

I should add that Dave Glenn, who organises the member-led events, is always on the look out for members who are prepared to lead a field trip. As active landscape photographers you have a wealth of knowledge of your local or favourite area, and it is this knowledge which is the foundation of a good field trip. Why not give it some thought and contact Dave for more information? landscapememberevents@rps.org There are still plenty of field trips/workshops with vacancies—so please have a read. These pages change with every edition.

Keep sending me your reports and images. All contributions are appreciated. landscapenews@rps.org

Finally, I’m sure you appreciate the committee work that goes on behind the scenes in order to provide the services. As a committee there is a lot of worksharing—to ease the load, and to share resources. However some roles are obligatory, by charity law, and these are Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. Unfortunately, we still have a vacancy for a Secretary—so have a read of Richard’s piece on page 7 and give it a thought. Help us to provide an even better service next year!

Mick Rawcliffe,

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Newsletter Editor

landscapenews@rps.org

NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

Committee News These committee notes are published to members with the understanding that the full minutes can only be accepted at the next meeting in November. Any queries to landscapenews@rps.org Committee meeting 8/9/19 The Chair reported that the Secretary post was still vacant, following the previous nominee having to stand down for personal reasons.. (Please see the Role Description on Page 7) The Chair welcomed Fiona McCowan (Member without portfolio) and Diana Wynn (Treasurer) to their first full meeting..

He also confirmed that Mark Reeves was elected Vice-Chair following in internal election. Agreed that Mark would continue until the AGM 2021, unless there were major changes at next year’s AGM (This is an internal committee election to provide support to the Chair—not to be seen as a forerunner to automatic succession) AGM 2020. A final programme was agreed together with a pricing structure. (Details to be issued in due course) Safety issues. Discussion of recent tragic accidents involving landscape photographers required the issuing of safety advice for coastal, Lymes desease, and Mountain safety—via the Newsletter.

Noted that we now operate print, e-critique and processing circles and coordination was required.

Fiona McCowan agreed to coordinate, in addition to her role involving the membership survey.

Committee approved final draft of survey for distribution later in the year.

The Treasurer reported an anomaly with the cash position.This is driven by a number of factors and it was agreed to do a cashflow model to determine the extent of the problem. The priority for subsidies will be Newsletter and Magazine > Conference > Events.. There will be a budget review in November—so estimates from budget holders required by 30/9/19.

Continual problem of shortage of material for the newsletter. Agreed changes to procedure for procurement (see Editorial on Page 2) Also agreed that publications would go out as per schedule to publicise events, even if no articles are received.

The Web Editor reported that migration to the new site was underway. Committee members to check their bio’s and there would be research of technical issues to be retained. Also agreed to delete non-members from the Facebook group, with a review annually.

AGM 2021. (residential) update received of hotel and outline plans. Members further suggestions to Dave Glenn by March 2020.

Discussion of apparent lack of consistency by National Trust regarding rights of photography. The Chair will raise at Special Interest Group (SIG) Chairs’ meeting to establish extent of problem and whether to approach NT. During review of events bookings it was highlighted that some events were booking up extremely quickly due to prior knowledge of certain events, and to the exclusion of the wider membership.

Agreed to early adverts about events but bookings to open only four months before the event. date. (see page 13) Ed.

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NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

Between the Honeypots by Eddie Hyde ARPS It is rather a coincidence that the Spring issue had a very good article by Morton Gillespie that dealt with the difficulties of photographing the hotspots in the Scottish Highlands. My offering has much the same.

Snaefellesnes Peninsula I have been to Iceland 3 times now and intend to go again. Before either my first or second trip a good friend from my camera club who had already been said that I would most likely find that the real draw in Iceland would be the views one can see from the road when travelling and not at the iconic viewpoints we are all accustomed with. Now whilst I did indeed visit many of the tourist magnets to see for myself and produce images of my own, my friend’s observation was spot on. Iceland is a remarkable country that has a very landscape photography friendly feature that distinguishes itself from many other areas in that there is rarely anything in the way to stop you seeing the view.The only challenge is in finding a suitable place to stop whilst driving. The Icelanders do not take kindly to you just parking on the road which is virtually always a simple 2 way highway – especially route 1 that circumnavigates the island. This is despite the fact that there is usually very little traffic.

One needs to find a proper pull in or solid ground off the side of the road. This is not always easy but because the vistas are so big they do not change so quickly as to lose the view you have been drawn to and usually you can find somewhere to stop and walk back.

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Across the Sea NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

Fire in the Sky

Aurora Borealis

Route One Page 5

NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

There is also rarely any barrier to just walking straight into the landscape. Obviously, if it is fenced and therefore private one respects this and shoots from the fence.

One feature of the main landscape attractions is that they are free, both to park and visit. That’s not to say visiting Iceland is cheap. It’s not that expensive to fly to, not too bad with regard to the cost of accommodation but eating and drinking is very expensive indeed.

So, to the landscape itself and when to go: I have been in both the summer and the winter and on balance prefer the winter when there is the prospect of snow coverage. It does not snow in Iceland as much as one might think.

Also, the intrinsic air temperature is not that low in winter. In January and February, the coldest months, the temperature varies between -3 and 2 deg. C. However, the deciding factor is the wind chill that can be vicious at times.

Glacier Surface I have experienced a big overnight snowfall that resulted in a fabulous carpet of snow from the mountains down to the coast which was washed away a day later by rain. Only the mountain passes hung onto the snow.

Another draw of Iceland in winter is the prospect of the Northern Lights. On my 2 winter trips, each of which was about 9 days, I saw the lights on one night only each time. An amazing spectacle but it has to be regarded as a bonus. One feature of the lights that took me a little by surprise was that to the naked eye there is not much in the way of colour to be seen but the camera shows the colour straight away. This is because the sensitivity of our eyes to colour in low light is poor but it makes no difference to the camera.

The other attraction of Iceland is it’s volcanic geography that gives black sand beaches and inland lava fields plus vast glaciers. And finally there is the weather of which the Icelanders have a saying: “If you don’t like the weather now then wait 5 minutes”. I’m not sure I fully go along with this, having had one or 2 days of being rained in but the weather is an integral part of the landscape imagery of Iceland. All in all, an otherworldly landscape experience.

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Above Fjallsarlon

A view from the petrol station forecourt.

All images © Eddie Hyde ARPS NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

September 19

Vacancy - Secretary of the Landscape Special Interest Group (SIG)

The committee are looking to recruit a secretary to join our friendly and dynamic committee.

The role is primarily administrative rather than photographic and the key duties are to Arrange an annual schedule of SIG committee meetings and ensure that all committee members are informed of the schedule Make suitable arrangements for the holding of all SIG committee meetings – whether these are online or face-to-face Compile agendas for all committee meetings and circulate these approx. one week in advance of each meeting Ensure effective minutes are recorded at all meetings and distribute draft minutes to all committee members within one week of each meeting Arrange an annual general meeting in accordance with the group’s constitution and relevant society procedures in conjunction with the Chair Organise nominations and elections to the committee in accordance with the group’s constitution and relevant society procedures If you feel that you are able to take on this role then please contact Richard (SIG Chair) to have a discussion about what the role entails.

Richard Ellis - landscapef16@gmail.com

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NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

Lighthouses of Anglesey and The Mountains and Waterfalls of North Wales Workshop 7th/8th September 2019

By Leigh Foster LRPS It should have been a good start for me, to go to the Lighthouses of Anglesey workshop held on Saturday, 7 September.

It was dry, reasonable cloud cover prevailed with some sunshine. Having met the group and travelled from Beaumaris on Anglesey to Penmon Point lighthouse all was looking good. Then it happened – as I picked up my filter adapter ring, it sprang from my fingers bounced off the rocks, landed in a deep trench full of seawater with large waves and lots of seaweed. Disaster, it was impossible to find, and I had no spare. After fishing in the trench, getting soaked, and eventually recognising that it was an impossible task, I was resigned to the fact that my long awaited hopes for some decent captures on this Anglesey workshop, and the following day’s mountains and waterfalls workshop were thwarted.

© Colin Jarvis I had not, of course, anticipated the support from other group members who I had only just met! Within a couple of minutes of my disaster Bill Rigby had loaned me his 77mm Lee filter adapter, and Roger Marks then realised that he had a spare which I could borrow for the whole weekend. Problem solved.

I was finally able to take some shots, though at this stage I was a little shaken and stirred – at least that’s my excuse for the somewhat poor composition of many of my Penmon Lighthouse shots. I was keen to try out my new polarising filter, and to experiment with my big and little stopper.

with polarising filter© Leigh Foster Page 8

© Bill Rigby NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

I had met Colin Jarvis in October 2018 when I spent a week on a Skye workshop with him, so I was determined to attend this workshop as I knew that his approach would enable me to learn more and to experiment with different techniques. I was not disappointed and I not surprised therefore when he suggested a few adjustments to my composition and thinking, as a small yacht sailed between Puffin Island and the Lighthouse. (see previous page) After an hour or so at Penmon Lighthouse, it was time to move on.

We arrived at South Stack Lighthouse at around 3pm in bright sunlight, and tried to make the best of the harsh direct light. The climb down the narrow steep steps was somewhat challenging, balancing kit and looking for the best vantage point, and we managed to capture shots more easily on the way back up. We then moved around the hillside to take a more panoramic perspective, and to play with long exposure.

© Nicola Robley

© Nicola Robley

We were conscious of the time because we wanted to arrive at Llanddwyn Island Lighthouse in time for the sunset, so we travelled to Newborough Warren arriving around 6:30 PM, to hike the mile or so along the beach to take up position with a number of other photographers and await sunset.

Our practice at South Stack, in requesting people to move, paid dividends when requesting other photographers to “temporarily move” to enable us to take shots – Colin proved to be very diplomatic and successful in this endeavour. As sunset approached various compositions were explored with good lighting, long exposure, and my ND filter technique was pushed to my limits!

All good experience, and extremely useful to have the expertise of others to bounce ideas off as part of the creative process. My most successful shot (I think) was the last one I took that evening, very quickly as we were packing up—of the moon reflected in the sea between the lighthouse and the cross.

We left the beach around 9:30 PM after a long but worthwhile day, looking forward to Sunday and the mountains and waterfalls workshop.

© Leigh Foster

The group on Saturday evening at Llandwyn Island Lighthouse © Colin Jarvis

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Sunday arrived and an early start to Llanberis at the western end of Llyn Padarn for the lone tree looking east – directly into the rising sun, which unfortunately for us was quite strong albeit with some cloud cover! We decided to return to the tree later in the day and move on to the disused slate quarry at Dinorwig.

After a 30/45 minute steep climb on rough slate tracks we located a number of vantage points including disused slate workers housing looking out towards the Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir. Numerous compositions presented, and we spent an hour or so making use of the spectacular views and many compositional challenges.

After an equally strenuous descent, we then drove through the pass of Llanberis around Tryfan and the Glyders… to The Ogwen Valley and a 30 minute walk up to and part way around Llyn Idwal.

Framing the shot at Dinorwig © Colin Jarvis I had particularly wanted to attempt to photograph the Darwin Idwal Boulders – so named because of Charles Darwin visit to the area in 1831 and his discovery that the area was formed from a massive subterranean upheaval that saw the creation of all of Snowdonia’s mountains some 500million years ago. He noticed that the scattered rocks and boulders held tiny fossils of sea creatures and oceanic plant life, perfectly illustrating their previous incarnation as the rocky floor of the Iapetus Ocean, and 10 years later he revisited to establish that the landscape had been carved by gigantic glaciers. © Leigh Foster

© Leigh Foster I spent the majority of the time, around these iconic boulders and despite changing lens and tripod position, and using ND grads to good effect against the very strong sun within the clouds, I feel sure there is a better composition for my next visit.

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NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

© Roger Marks Time was pressing, it was now already 5PM, so we then made a rapid descent to Llyn Ogwen and a short drive east to the roadside parking area at the eastern end of the lake to follow a steep ascent of a stream – Cwm Lloer, to about 500m to shoot Tryfan looking south across Llyn Ogwen.

There are some spectacular views from this vantage point, but, unlike Rolf’s below, I chose not to take long exposure shots of the mountain stream with Tryfan in the background (why?)!

Clouds were moving in at this stage, so we then made a quick descent and a drove back to Llyn Padarn at Llanberis where finally the tree was lit by decent light, and a final few shots before heading home.

© Rolf Kraehenbuehl Page 11

© Leigh Foster NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

The weekend, for me, had proven a very successful learning experience, despite the shaky start. I learned how to better use my ND grads, experimented with long exposure and in particular the use of a big and little stopper immersed myself with other like-minded photographers to review composition in the field, and come away with a few images worthy of spending time in postproduction.

The downside was that I lost a filter adapter ring, and allowed myself to become absorbed by the technical aspects (filter settings/focus) rather than spending more time to determine better composition – despite the advice, but I now recognise where I need to focus my attention, given that I feel much more confident about my abilities with the technical aspects.

The most important positives of the weekend, were that I enjoyed the immersion and focus opportunity and I also learned the value of working collaboratively with a group of people, and enjoying the company of other like-minded photographers.

Can’t wait for the next one.

© Leigh Foster

© Leigh Foster

The group at Llandwyn Island © Leigh Foster

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NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

A change in events bookings procedures

As landscape group members know, all the group’s events are listed on the group’s page of the RPS website (http://rps.org/special-interest-groups/landscape/events) and bookings for events are made online by going to the individual event pages. Until now, members have been able to book places as soon as events have been published on the website.

As the events programme becomes increasingly more established, events are being organised further and further ahead of time so, for example, some of our events are now being organised more than a year in advance of their actual dates.

Whilst this approach gives members plenty of advance notice of events, it has led to the situation whereby many events become fully booked well in advance, thus excluding members who are unable, for whatever reason, to commit so far ahead. It has also led to an increase in last minute cancellations as people who have booked so far in advance find that their plans change.

For these reasons, we have decided to adopt a new approach whereby most events will be advertised as soon as their details are planned, but they won’t be opened for bookings until around four months before they are due to take place.

So, from now on, members will start to see events listed on our website which will feature a statement as to when bookings will open. These events will not feature a “Book online” button. As a general guide, events will open for bookings during the first week of the relevant month. For example, bookings for an event in November 2020 will open during the first week of July 2020. (Unfortunately it is not possible to arrange for bookings to always open on the first day of the month because opening the bookings currently requires input from the IT staff at RPS HQ and they have to be able to respond to whatever priorities arise for them at the time.)

There will be some exceptions to these arrangements and they will primarily be residential and longer events such as the group’s weekend conference for which most people will, quite reasonably, need to know much further in advance whether or not they have a place.

We (the landscape group committee) hope that this system will serve our members well but we will, of course, keep it under review and we welcome feedback on the new system once it is underway.

Mark Reeves Events Manager (Professional Events) Page 13

NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

THE DEVILS DYKE AND FULKING ESCARPMENT BY BRIAN CONNOLLY Our afternoon was blessed with wonderful weather as our group gathered by the Old Stone Bench outside the Devil’s Dyke pub in West Sussex. We had good views and light cloud being blown across at speed, all of which was hopefully going to allow our group to enjoy a late afternoon and evening capturing a variety of images in this scenic spot.

Most of our group of five had not travelled too far and our leader, Philp Bedford, told us he had already spent the sunrise here! We were fortunate to have a leader with excellent local knowledge and a selection of images to give us ideas and show us what is possible.

© Bill Coles Starting out at the Devil’s Dyke itself, we set ourselves along the western side looking across the valley. For someone unfamiliar with the place (me!), it is a surprise to find this spot so close to Brighton. The sunlight pouring into the valley floor was punctuated by shade from the clouds scuttling past above and creating many opportunities to take both wide angle and telephoto shots.

The school summer holidays were still in full swing and so our screens were often filled with families and children running past, jostling for space on the narrow footpaths and making sure that the many cyclists were given a clear track to speed past on.

© Bill Coles Page 14

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Fulking Escarpment in the evening sun

Philip gave us some compositional input and made sure we did not all stray too far. After an hour or so, we moved on to walk west on the South Downs Way between the Dyke and Edburton Hill. Here, we again were able to take advantage of many scenic spots but Philip wisely suggested we spot places for images on our walk west and then, on our return, we would know where to stop and set up. It was hard to keep to the plan as the light was changing so frequently and offering many opportunities for creation.

© Brian Connolly On top of Edburton Hill is a small collection of trees and these stood out well against the sky. Our group made it to the top of the hill and spread out to make the best of our location and the light with the bonus of the sheep herd across the hill offering us some alternatives to the landscape!

The hues of yellow and green in many of the fields spread out before us changed as sunlight moved across the land.

© Pauline Benbrook The group had taken up positions looking to all points of the compass and were rewarded with a multitude of image opportunities.

© Sue Daly Page 15

As we made our way back to the east, Philip guided us into place to make the best of the late afternoon light as it fell on the Fulking Escarpmemt. The colour on the hillside were perfect and I for one was grateful to have Philip’s advice about avoiding lens flare as we shot into the sun.

NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

After a welcome early supper and refreshment, we only had to head back across the car park to be able to set up our tripods in time for the main event of the day; the sunset.

Heeding Philip’s sound advice, we made sure we had put on warmer clothing as, by now, the wind was up and the temperature was dropping in this rather strong breeze.

Fulking Escarpment in the evening sun ©Brian Connolly Philip had stressed that the angle of the light would mean that it was not going to fall directly onto the escarpment and so we each found a spot to give ourselves the best chance of getting a shot in the right light.

As is so often the case, at the moment of sunset itself, there was no real variety of colour in the sky and we had to wait a little while before the sky took on a wonderful variety of hues.

© Pauline Benbrook All in all, it was a very enjoyable and worthwhile day. I. for one, will now be a frequent visitor to this area as one can find compositions and inspiration here across all seasons and times of day.

A huge thank you to Philip Bedford and all at the RPS for arranging this workshop.

Brian Connolly © Sue Daly Page 16

NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

Creating a signature logo

By Richard Ellis Introduction Many photographers like to brand their work with a signature logo. You can surf the net and there are plenty of companies who will create one for you at a price. However, if you are prepared to put a bit of work in using Photoshop you can easily create your own. There are tutorials about this on the web (e.g. colormelon.com) but here are a set of instructions for you to use.

In common with many things, logos have their strengths and weaknesses. On the plus side as a brand building tool they can be used to watermark your photos or to brand your slides in a talk.

On the downside, some see watermarks as a protection against image theft, but in reality, they are easily removed by a moderately competent photo-editor. Consequently, they are not a fail-safe against illegal use of your image. Most photography competitions ban anything on the image that links it to the author, so if you submit an image but forget to remove your logo the judge could refuse to judge it and will almost certainly comment adversely.

Used correctly, they will help to build your photography brand so if you are enthused to create a logo have a go.

Choose your style The current style in vogue seems to be your name in a script style font and the word photography in a conventional typescript and this is the style we will create here.

The first thing you need to decide is the style of font you want for your name. You can find a selection of fonts at www.dafont.com Simply pick a font you like and download it. Take care that the font is free for use personally or commercially as appropriate. On the website for the fonts there is a box where you can trial your name and see if you like the appearance.

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NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

For the purpose of this article I have chosen “one signature�

Now you have your font downloaded set up your photoshop document.

Setting up the logo Click on File>New>Art and illustration, and create a workspace sized at 1960 by 600 with a white background.

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A white rectangle will appear. Unlock the layer by clicking on the padlock on the right-hand side.

You now need to install the font.

On a mac Go to your downloads folder and find the font Open the folder and double click on the .otf file This will open another window and then you can click install font.

If you are going to use a none standard typeface for the word “photography� repeat the process for that typeface On a PC Go to your downloads folder and locate the typeface.otf folder Double click on it to see the preview and then click on the install button You are now ready to create your logo.

Creating your logo Return to photoshop and select the type tool (T). This is about two-thirds of the way down the tool bar on the left. Set the alignment to centre and the font colour to black.

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Type your name with a font size of 60 pt

Switch to T again and set the font to Verdana and the size to 14pt. Type photography.

Move the cursor off the text and use the move icon to move the text under your name.

Hit “V” to switch to the move tool and set the tracking – type>panels>character panel>400 With both text layers highlighted click on the align horizontal centres.

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Exporting your logo Your logo is now ready and now just needs to have the white layer removed before exporting. This can be achieved by clicking on the eye on the white layers and then trimming away all the unnecessary pixels. This is achieved by Image>Trim>Transparent pixels.

You will now have a logo with no extraneous material.

You now need to save the logo by using File>save and save it as tiff file. You need this in case you wish to re-edit it.

Now to create the logo you will use File>Export>Export as.

Chose png and ensure transparency is ticked.

You now have your logo ready for use in Lightroom or in presentations

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I hope you enjoy this and get a logo you like. How about publishing some of your photos with logos in the next edition?

Richard Ellis ARPS

Thanks to the RPS South Wales Region for advising us of the following:Formatt Hitech in Aberdare has been offering discounts on their product range of lens filters and kits since the beginning of 2018. To obtain the benefit, please visit their website to choose products. The code RPSSW10 can then be used to obtain a 10% discount on purchases. The RPS South Wales Region also benefits by receiving commission as well on all sales made to members.

Visit the Format Hitech website here https://formatt-hitech.com

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An opportunity to join an e-critique circle Landscape photography can be a lonely pursuit. In particular, it’s not always easy to get constructive feedback on your images. A thumbs up on social media is all very well but comments rarely get beyond the superficial.

The Landscape Group set up e-critique circles to address this. An e-critique circle is an e-mail based discussion group. Each member of the circle submits one image per month and then provides a critique of the other images. There is at most 9 images to critique per month and all discussion takes place over email.

Joining a circle is a great way to find out how other people see your images. But it also serves as a crash course in analysing photography. Constructive criticism goes beyond saying what you like. You also need to articulate what’s wrong with an image and how to improve it. This includes composition, exposure, post-processing as well as judging overall impact.

Gerry Phillipson LRPS set up the first e-critique circle. This soon spawned a second group, managed by RPS member David Travis. David is now looking for more members to join his circle to bring the number up to 10. There are 2 places available. If more than 2 people ask to join, David will operate a waiting list until there are enough members for another circle.

To take part in the circle you must have up-to-date anti-virus software.

To join the circle please contact David at dtravisphd@gmail.com. David will then send you further details.

New Landscape Group Processing Circle After a successful trial run by a pilot group, we are now looking for members who would like to form a Landscape Group Processing Circle.

The aim of the Processing Circle would be to share each other’s approach to digital editing. Each member of the circle would in turn submit a raw file to the other members of the group who would then edit it and then circulate their own versions with editing notes as to why and how they had carried out each step.

The circle will be open to people of all abilities and be non-judgemental. By sharing processing techniques in this way, it is hoped that members will learn new skills. Membership of the circle will be on a first come first served basis.

All members of the pilot group enjoyed taking part, seeing each other’s approach to editing and felt that they had learnt something. It was interesting to see different interpretations of the same image.

If you are interested in joining the Processing Circle please email me at processingcircle@outlook.com for further details.

Irene Stupples Page 23

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What's On Landscape Photographer of the Year 2020 Landscape Photographer of the Year have announced that they will be open for entries from the 15th January – 5th April 2020

A selection of exhibitions & events which may be of interest to landscape group members 5th ANNUAL PHOTOBOOK FAIR Venue: Impressions Gallery, Centenary Square, Bradford BD1 1SD Dates: Saturday 26 October 2019 Website: www.impressions-gallery.com Photobook event with publisher stalls, talks, workshops and more

Categories are:Classic View

===============================

Urban Life Your View Black and White Young Photographers Competition

Wildlife and Landscape Photography Exhibition

And, as in previous years, an exhibition of the winners will tour the main line stations sponsored by Network Rail.

A new website is in progress

https://www.lpoty.co.uk

Conferences, Fairs and Festivals None to report

06 October 2018 to 07 October 2018 10.00 to 16.00 RSPB Pulborough Brooks Located on the A283 between Pulborough and Storrington Rh20 2el https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/eventsdates-and-inspiration/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9249860

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Landscape Group EVENTS

Listed below are events with vacancies at the time of publication.

For details of all Landscape Group events and of additional workshops and events of interest to group members, please visit the Group’s events page

Cawdor Woods and Findhorn 10th November 2019

Moray Firth

This will be an informal outing arranged by the RPS Scottish Northern Group to which members of the Landscape Group are invited to join up with Highland based members with local knowledge.

See here for details

Grasmere autumn colours I (four days) Long exposures on the North Somerset coast II 10 October 2019

North Somerset

Long exposures have become increasingly popular in landscape photography over recent years since the introduction of extreme ND filters, such as the Big and Little Stopper, which allow for extended exposure times. With a little creativity, long exposures can change the way we look at moving objects and capture a real sense of time passing. The results can be highly effective, allowing the photographer to create some truly compelling images.

See here for full details

West Yorkshire waterfalls 19th October 2019

Settle

This field trip is ideal for long exposures, infrared, and compositional experimentation in challenging lighting conditions. You will visit Scaleber Force, Catrigg Force and Stainforth Force.

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Autumn landscape techniques in the Trossachs 24th October 2019 Aberfoyle This one day workshop in the stunning Trossachs National Park will take in some real gems of lesser known locations.

From the village of Aberfoyle you will cover the stunning Loch Ard, Loch Chon and finish at the very beautiful Loch Arklet.

11th-14th November 2019 Lake District This 4-day workshop will suit landscape photographers from beginner to advanced - with tuition provided by professional landscape photographer, Mark Banks throughout the workshop. Mark will also be assisted by Landscape Group Events Manager and landscape photographer, Mark Reeves who will be helping organise the event and providing transport to all locations.

See here for details

DIG Thames Valley: Capturing the Moment - landscape and sports photography 17th November 2019

Wokingham

Capturing the Moment - a day of landscape photography

by Hugh Milsom FRPS MFIAP EFIAP/D1 and Pat Broad ARPS EFIAP/B, and sports photography by Peter Milsom EFIAP/S BPE 3* See here for details

Coastal landscapes of East Fife 17th November 2019 East Fyfe

See here for details

A one day workshop in the stunning east coast of Fife. The focus of the workshop is to run through the compositions and techniques for shooting seascapes and coastal images.

Advice will be given by Stuart Sly on the use of long exposures, black and white photography and using filters to create effects and atmosphere with moving water etc..

A day on the Norfolk coast

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26th October 2019 East Norfolk

Winter on the Brighton and Hove seafront

Tuition and help from Stuart Sly will focus on key techniques including understanding exposure, composition and the use of filters for the best results.

Professional landscape photographer Jon Gibbs will be sharing his skills and knowledge during a day on the east Norfolk coast.

At Winterton we will explore the Winterton dunes NNR and then move to Happisburgh where we can shoot the inocic lighthouse.

See here for details Page 25

10th January 2020

Brighton

Photograph the landscapes of Brighton and Hove, with it’s iconic traditional seaside landmarks. We’ll tour the seafront searching out opportunities for landscape compositions using long exposures on the seafront features, the colourful seafront beach huts and the famous Palace Pier and West Pier structures of the Victorian era.

See here for details NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

Winter in the Peak District

Teesmouth long exposures workshop

16th February 2020 Leek

17th April 2020 Redcar

Professional photographer Mark Banks has been running workshops around the Tees Estuary for years as it is full of photographic potential. In this workshop, Mark will be providing tuition on achieving well-balanced long exposure images using nearby locations such as the small harbour of Paddy’s Hole (with its fishing boats), the pier with its lightWorkshop leader Wayne Brittle will cover the use of wide house and the wind farm tucked along the coast. The workangles through to large zoom lenses as well as the use of ND shop will finish at sunset (if there is one) and ideal for both Grad Filters in the landscape colour and black and white photography.

This area of the Peak District which includes high vantage points often has snow and ice even when the surrounding area can miss out. The day will with a sunrise from a rocky vantage point then moving on to possibly capture an old barn, lone trees and other landscapes (depending on the weather conditions).

See here for details

See here for details

Colin & Chrissie Westgate at DIG Thames Valley

Firle Beacon and the Ouse Valley

22nd March 2020 Wokingham

20th April 2020

A print presentation which seeks to answer the question "what is an 'expressive' landscape"? Colin will outline how he endeavours to achieve this aim.

Followed by a presentation on India though the eyes of Chrissie Westgate

ight-time landscapes and astrophotography

A valley in the heart of the South Downs National Park, with Firle Beacon and Mount Caburn guiding the Ouse river down to the south coast. Experience the morning mists rising over the river in the early morning, with views across the beautiful rural countryside and the dynamic lines and contrast from the fall of sunlight across the downs. We’ll capture the sunrise from Firle Beacon and then tour a few viewpoints across the valley.

Workshop

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22nd—24th March 2020 Bamburgh

Swaledale wildflower meadows

A chance to join a two-evening night-landscape and astrophotography workshop on the Northumberland coast led by award winning Ollie Taylor. Ollie is considered one of the pioneers of nightscape photography within the UK, he is widely published and helped to take the genre mainstream towards the start of the current decade.

5th June 2020

See here for details

Lewes

Yorkshire Dales

The late, great Alfred Wainwright (fell walker and author) said Swaledale was the finest of all Dales and in early June each year its many meadows are covered in a carpet of lush and colourful wildflowers. The quaint village of Muker is the epiThe workshop will comprise two elements; an after-dark centre of this activity and where we shall meet for a full day of location shoot on day 1 (22 March) and an evening post- wildflower photography. Professional photographer Mark Banks will be on hand throughout the day to give practical production workshop on day 2 (23 March). advice, tips and tricks See here for details See here for details

NCoastal abstracts workshop 28th March 2020 North Cornwall

Based in Bude, North Cornwall, this workshop is for those looking to make less obvious and more personal abstract images instead of the bigger vista (although you may do this, too if you wish). At low tide we will explore the rocky outcrops around the mouth of the bay, discussing composition as well as techniques such as focus stacking where applicable. At high tide we will make abstract long exposure images of the outdoor pool as well as exploring other areas such as the nearby beach huts and canal.

See here for details Page 26

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 rps.landscape.events@gmail.com.

We welcome all volunteers and would very much like to hear from members in all parts of the UK. NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6

Event categories The categories below aim to help members understand what is on offer at any particular landscape group event. They are also a guide for potential event leaders who might be worried that their photographic skills are not sufficiently strong for them to lead an event.

Group A – Field trips where the guide has a good knowledge of the location (e.g. good viewpoints, good subjects, good times of day, tides if relevant etc.) and will have ideas about what to do in case of unhelpful weather or light conditions, but does not wish to offer any advice on photography skills or techniques.

Group B - Field trips where the trip leader has a good knowledge of the location (as in Group A) but is also willing to offer general technical support and advice to inexperienced photographers. The leader is NOT expected to be an expert in anything but should be sufficiently experienced to pass on knowledge of the basics.

Group C - Field trips that focus on a particular technique – such as long exposures or photographing at night. The leaders of these events will primarily offer advice about technique and location knowledge will be sufficient to enable participants to learn and practice the technique(s) concerned.

Group D - Workshops that primarily focus on skills or technique and where location is irrelevant or is a secondary consideration. These may take place indoors or outdoors. The workshop leader may have limited knowledge of the location but will be experienced and skilled in the topic of the workshop.

Booking Confirmations A few members have contacted us because they were unsure as to whether or not they were booked on an event. Here is a brief guide to how you can check this for yourselves.

When you book a landscape event through the RPS website, the system should send you a confirmation email.

If you have not received it and want to check if you are booked on an event, then login to your account on the RPS website, select the tab labeled events and tick the box for events you are booked on.

Any events you have booked will show up in orange.

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NEWSLETTER September 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 6