RPS Northern News September 2017

NORTHERN NEWS NORTHERN NEWS Issue 1

Issue 3

May 2017

September 2017

Northern Diary Sunday 10 September 2017 10:30 Steel Rigg Car Park, Henshaw, NE47 7AN (Parking Fee £4)

GUIDED WALK ALONG HADRIAN'S WALL Led by Geoff Chrisp, supported by Marj Baillie, this will be a guided walk along parts of Hadrian's Wall including Sycamore Gap, Steel Rigg and Crag Lough. A fairly strenuous five mile walk for good walkers. Steep ascents and descents along the path.

Sunday 17 September 2017, 10:30 - 16:00 Newton Community Hall, Newton, Stocksfield, NE43 7UL

DISTINCTIONS ADVISORY DAY

Attending this Advisory day will give you the opportunity to discuss your images with current panel members in a professional but friendly atmosphere. A day open to both members and non-members of the Society, this is intended to assist anyone considering an application to the Distinctions Panels. Full details on the website. Participants should carefully read the information on the website.

Booking essentail via the RPS Website - Northern Region Events Tea/coffee provided - bring packed lunch ADVICE SLOTS NOW FULL - SPECTATORS TICKETS ONLY Spectators £10

LRPS ASSESSMENT Sunday 8 October 2017, 10:30 to 16:30 The Grainger Room, Royal Station Hotel, Neville Street, Newcastle NE1 5DH The hotel is adjacent to Newcastle Central railway station.Tea/Coffee available A rare opportunity to have your Panel assessed in the North

Booking essentail via the RPS website Sunday 19 November, 10:30 to 16:00 Newton Community Hall, Newton, Stocksfield NE43 7UL

FOTOSPEED PRINTING WORKSHOP An in-depth instructive workshop demonstrating the importance of colour management and printing to ensure the best possible files as well as matching papers to images.

Tea/Coffee available but please bring packed lunch RPS Member £10, Non Member £15

Booking via the RPS website

All bookings should be made via the Northern Region Events page on the RPS website 2

Message from

NORTHERN NEWS Issue 3

Carol Palmer ARPS

September 2017

Regional Organiser Northern Region

THE NORTHERN TEAM Regional Organiser Carol Palmer ARPS northern@rps.org Deputy Regional Organiser Geoff Chrisp Treasurer Bob Turner ARPS Secretary Bob Gates ARPS northernweb@rps.org Cover Image © Malcolm Blenkey ARPS NORTHERN NEWS INFORMATION © 2017 All rights reserved on behalf of the authors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for such permission must be addressed to the Editor.

The Royal Photographic Society, Northern Region and the Editor accept no liability for any misuse or breach of copyright by a contributor.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the RPS or the Northern Region.

Editor: Bob Gates ARPS northernweb@rps.org

Many RPS members choose to join one or more of the Special Interest Groups (SIG) which concentrate more carefully on specialised areas of photography and members in Northern are no exception.

We have members in all 14 SIGs with the largest numbers in Visual Art, Digital Imaging, Documentary, Nature, Travel and Landscape. Historical, Audio Visual, Creative, Contemporary, Analogue, Medical, Image Science, Archaeology & Heritage are all well supported from our region but on a smaller scale.

Many Regions have sub SIGs and 2 years ago four Northern members founded the Northern Documentary Group which has now grown to a group of 18 who meet about 6 times a year, share their photography within the group and work on projects.

One of the many benefits of this sub group has been the forming of new and strong friendships.

There is also a North East Contemporary Group but as meetings are in Wakefield I don’t suppose many Northern members are able to attend.

SIGs are an excellent platform for sharing photography, ideas, events, exhibitions etc so why do we here in Northern not have more sub groups within our region?

If you are interested in being part of a sub group I can act as an information point, just let me know which SIG interests you and we can take it from there. If there is enough interest, we will need to contact the various Chairs of the SIGs to get the go ahead to form a Northern sub group, but that should be a formality.

Since I took over as RO in April I have got to know quite a number of our members and I can honestly say that we have some excellent talented workers out there and their contribution to any Group would be invaluable.

Carol 3

SIMPLY NATURE a successful ARPS submission in the Pictorial (now Fine Art) category

Christine Eltherington ARPS How did you choose your project?

How did you hear about the Society's Distinctions?

My passion is nature photography. I spend a great deal of day out in the reserves and countryside around where I live. This is where I wanted my panel to be based.

I discovered the RPS and its distinctions when I was looking for some help and support to further my photography. I read up about the distinctions on the Society's website and decided to visit one of the advisory days

What advice would you give to others considering a distinction?

How did you approach doing your ARPS?

My advice for anyone thinking about trying for an ARPS distinction is to go to the advisory days and listen to the advice given. It is invaluable. To begin with I chose the wrong category for my panel. Choose your category well and make sure you understand what is required of each category.

From the outset, I had decided to achieve my LRPS first. I wanted to ensure I could work to the society's standard. It was after I had acquired this distinction that I felt free to explore my own style.

How did you approach the Statement of Intent and how many images did you have to choose from?

The Statement of Intent in my case came after I started putting my panel together. I did find the statement the hardest part. However, at one of the advisory days a panel member said keep it simple and this is what I did. I possibly had a choice of 18 images which I felt would work in my panel. I started to create my panel in Lightroom and then I printed them.

Arranging them initially on my dining room floor.

How did you go about panelling your portfolio?

Once you have an idea of which images you are going to use the sequencing is so important.

The panel needs to flow and work together through shapes, colours and orientation.

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What advice did you get before submitting your work?

My experience is that the RPS advisory days are invaluable. Especially now as you receive written feedback. I think the only change I had to make before submission was to rearrange two images.

Finally, can you describe how you felt when you learned that you had been successful?

On this occasion, I did not go to Bath for the assessment day. Waiting for the e-mail was the worst part, it was so nerve-racking. I was extremely proud of what I had achieved and thanks to the society I feel I am a much more confident photographer and person.

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Statement of Intent Simply Nature In our fast moving and technologically ruled lives it is nice to step away and return to the simple things – nature.

The simple pleasure I get from watching the dramatic plays of natural light. The diverse colour palette of the flowers and trees in the fields, meadows and woods. The clear shapes and strong colours, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet- never still, constantly changing.

All this is created for me by nature. I just need to wait and take the picture.

My intention with this panel is to take the viewer on a brief journey back to nature, capturing and enjoying its simple but perfect beauty.

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In Search of Henri Cartier-Bresson Marj Baillie LRPS

"Photography is not like painting," Cartier-Bresson told the Washington Post in 1957. "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative," he said. "Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever."

Handshake

In April 2016, I travelled to the Greek island of Sifnos for a photo workshop entitled, In Search of Henri Cartier-Bresson. I had seen copies of his images and had read a little about him previously, but this was a chance to be truly inspired by his ideas. There would also be the opportunity to see the very street where Cartier-Bresson captured his iconic photograph of Flora. This is the only image from his time in Sifnos that appears to be available on the internet.

On the first day, our small group watched a You Tube video, Henri Cartier-Bresson - The Decisive Moment 1973_ 2007*. This had me spell bound, because I was listening to the voice of the master himself. I was greatly enthused and could not wait to begin – but wondered if I would be able to capture any decisive moments! I was also keen to develop my skills in monochrome, looking for geometric shapes in the buildings and the shadows created by the bright sunlight.

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Girl and boys in street

Sifnos is a very quiet place before the Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations. There were very few tourists and the streets were quiet. The locals were friendly. When I mentioned Cartier-Bresson, there were smiles of recognition. One woman took me inside her house to see the copy of the famous image hanging on a wall.

When we visited the street, in Artemonas, a short walk from our base in Apolloni, we were disappointed to find a motor bike parked outside the famous door. No one who passed could help us find the owner (to move it). Two days later I walked there alone. I had injured my right hand due to a fall on an uneven pavement and could not lift my tripod, so I ducked out of a landscape session. I was gingerly holding the camera and hoping for the best. The owner of the bike was a young woman serving in a bar nearby. One of her friends arrived and proceeded to run up and down the street to try to replicate the famous image for me! We had great fun.

For me, this replication was not the most important part of the workshop by a long way. I wanted to have time to think about how I composed images; to be prepared to wait for the light to change or for people to walk along a street; to develop a much better eye for my work.

Sifnos is a small island (9 miles long by 4.7 miles wide). We used a minibus to travel around, enjoying the landscapes with olive groves and the rocky coastline. There are 365 churches on the island and they are certainly photogenic. The atmosphere in the quiet villages helped me to slow down and think before shooting.

My favourite images are of two sorts. The first are the ones that could be defined as decisive moments; the second are the simple images of the shapes I saw in the streets and buildings. *Henri Cartier-Bresson - The Decisive Moment 1973_2007 produced by Scholastic Magazines Inc., and International Center of Photography. Edited by Sheila Turner.

Marj attended a workshop run by Peter Hendrie of Light and Land.

All images Š Marj Baillie LRPS

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Boy on railings

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Boy on bike

Girl running in street

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North Yorkshire Coast a successful Associateship panel in the Pictorial (now Fine Art) category by Saltburn member

Malcolm Blenkey ARPS Why and when did you first get into photography?

Like most parents my early photography was mainly centred around recording the development of our growing children, although prior to this my artistic interest was inclined to drawing and sketching. However, I have always enjoyed an outdoor life and as soon as our children were less demanding of my time, my interest in landscape photography began to emerge. I became a member of Saltburn Photographic Society, which resulted in me developing my skills over twenty years using the medium of 35 mm slide film. I eventually committed to the digital medium in 2008 as I became more impressed with the quality of equipment that became available.

Why did you consider going for an RPS distinction?

As I became a more experienced photographer and consequently more successful in club and inter-club competitions, I decided that I would like to put something back into the photographic community that had given me so much enjoyment. This resulted in me deciding to enter the world of lecturing and judging.

Partly because of this and also for my own personal satisfaction I decided that I ought to try to gain an RPS distinction in order to confirm that I was capable of attaining a recognised photographic qualification.

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How did you approach doing your ARPS? I had gained an LRPS distinction in 2013 as part of a plan to eventually work towards attempting to gain an ARPS distinction. As my main interest is in landscape photography the opportunity to work towards the higher level of distinction that allowed me to be assessed in my specialism, rather than the broad assessment of the general skills associated with the LRPS was something that motivated me.To be honest, I did little about this objective for about a year. I think this period of inactivity allowed me to eventually come to a view on a body of work that reflected what really interested me as a photographer. I then set about compiling a portfolio of work, some of which I already had but also producing some new work which allowed me to provide the cohesion that was missing for my chosen theme.

Is there anything you would have done differently?

I suspect that there are several ways to approach the task of obtaining an ARPS distinction, depending on your personal photographic experience and your access to feedback and advice from more experienced photographers whose comments you know truly reflect the RPS standards.

Did you write your Statement of Intent before, or after, taking the images for your portfolio?

What advice would you give to anyone considering working towards the distinction?

The advice I would give to others is :

Once I had decided what the theme of my portfolio was going to be, the next stage was to decide which category in which I should submit my images. It was at about this time that the category of “Pictorial” was added to the ARPS categories. This category seemed to fit the style and objective of the body of work that I had developed and to some extent influenced the wording of my statement of intent, even though I was still missing a few images that I that I knew I needed for a successful panel.

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Make sure you know and understand what the distinction requirements are by carefully following the advice given on the RPS website.

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Attend at least one advisory day to gain specific advice about your own submission and also general advice regarding others who attend the session.

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Study other successful panels but remain true to your own ideas, style and interest.

Did you attend the assessment day?

I attended the assessment day in Bath with some trepidation in a more hopeful, rather confident mood. My print panel was the first one up for assessment and I was very pleased with the supportive comments and appreciation of what I had set out to achieve. Four of the ten panels being assessed on the day were accepted and I feel that all of the comments and advice given was constructive and fair.

Sound advice was given for panels that were not successful in addition to the offer of further support if required.

What does the future hold for your photography?

Photography will remain to be a hobby for me and even after thirty years I feel that I still have things to learn. I intend to continue with my involvement in lecturing and judging at club and inter-club level as it is something I find rewarding and informative, especially when analysing other photographers work.

Maybe one day I might even have a go at trying to achieve an FRPS.

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Statement of Intent My objective with this set of images is to interpret the mood and feel of a selection of local coastal locations that I know well. The locations of these images are along a twenty mile stretch of the North Yorkshire coast between Redcar and Whitby, all of which are within a five to thirty minute drive from where I live. This close proximity allows me to visit them at times when the light and tidal conditions are likely to provide naturally photogenic opportunities.

These images are largely created using in-camera techniques with the aid of; Polarising, Neutral Density and graduated Neutral Density filters. Post processing is limited to the correction of colour balance and light levels to replicate the transient mood of the location at the time.

See more of Malcolm's work on his website: HERE

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Photo thoughts Past and Present Dave Hall ARPS There has been quite an extended period in my photographic career that all I was concerned about was winning competitions, acceptances and awards in International salons and distinctions.

All very nice at the time of course, but I lost sight of my favourite mode of work, namely working on projects and themes in a particular series.

Ellington

My earliest “body of work” happened with the Imprint Group, when I was exhibiting my “Industrial Landscape” series, a very creative and rewarding period. The six members of Imprint working and exhibiting together in a group show was very exciting. The diverse subjects leading to some interesting comments in the gallery visitor books.

With the digital revolution and total emphasis on technology, I started to feel completely out of it.

I even started to use my computer more in an effort to adjust myself to looking at a screen a lot more instead of looking at an enlarger base board or developing dish. It was to no avail, as I felt as uncomfortable as ever with the keyboard and computer.

So, I took a photography and darkroom sabbatical, but missed the hands-on activity in the darkroom, so I returned to film and the darkroom with a philosophical approach of simply enjoying it. I decided to embark on a series of experimental work and “alternative” processes, which coupled with my keen interest in early pictorialism and the work of the likes of Alvin Langdon Coburn with alchemy. The result, was that I regained my love of chemistry and darkroom as craft photography as opposed to digital and technological photography.

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The magic of chemistry, the brews and dilutions, glass containers reminiscent of school lab test tubes and my first chemistry set as a boy has never really left me.

The historical period that mostly interests me is after the birth of photography to the emergence of film and silver gelatine paper approximately 1860-1890. During this period dozens of patents were granted for differing version of picture making. Many of which I have had fun attempting.

Regarding digital imaging, in principle I am happy with it, but it has had an effect on my entering International salons and exhibitions as there are very few prints salons now – and the ones that do exist mainly require a digital entry or disk which is impossible for me without a scanner. So, in effect I am very disadvantaged.

Brulagig Photographers seem to have forgotten that exhibitions and catalogues were produced without digital input for over 150 years.

However, wearing my “judges” hat I have to readily admit that the current digital monochromes are quite stunning. I do find software to emulate polaroid, emulsions, tintype, collodion, wet/dry plate and not least those borders a little annoying. The current quality of digital monochrome is fine so there is no need to replicate the real thing. I suppose imitation is the highest tribute available.

Currently “alternative photography” silver and iron process, film and darkroom is very popular, but not to be found in camera clubs but in independent groups and commercial fine artists. I am pleased to have had work accepted (without a digital file) in the new RPS Analogue Group exhibition.

Magnifying the Past

Finally, I am aware that I secretly envy digital workers. They can shoot 360 plus images in a session rather than my 36. They can repeatedly print identical images once saved

instead of slogging it out with a negative, following printing notes and praying for the same clean image on paper. Do not have to rely on 'luck' with Lith printing. Can do Lightroom at any time of day, year or temperature and not restricted because of outside weather conditions.

Secret envy or not, it is no substitute for the emerging images in the developing tray and the changes in colour when toning. That 'eureka' moment when after fixing and washing it is a creation rather than a production.

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Selenium and Gold

Ledger paper series

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How I achieved my Licentiate Dave Purnell LRPS Since my early teenage years, I have had an interest in photography, using it as one of my chosen fields in my Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme challenge. I didn’t begin my digital photography until I retired when my family bought me a Canon D-SLR camera. I was a complete novice so joined Stokesley Photographic Society where I not only benefitted from the knowledge and expertise of visiting speakers but from the help given to me from expert individual members. They encouraged, cajoled and corrected me in the use of Photoshop and more recently Lightroom.

Their input was invaluable as were the Society’s courses and photoshoots. I cannot praise them enough.

Feeling well inspired and much more proficient I entered the club’s competitions where I progressed from the intermediate to the advance section. From there and several years later with the continued encouragement from club members I decided to attend an advisory day for the Licentiate. I took a panel of ten images plus ten spares. Most of these images were taken on club outings.

The assessors scrutinised them looking for ten good quality images which sit well together.

Most of my original ten were discarded but fortunately I had my ten spares from which the panel completed and ordered my display. At the end of this process they gave reasons for their choice which was much appreciated.

Several weeks later I attended the Assessment day. As I was number twenty on the list I had the opportunity to listen to the feedback given to all those before me, another really good informative experience I am delighted to say that my result was positive and I was awarded the LRPS. On reflection, I have many people to thank for this result, visiting speakers, the wonderful club members and the members of the advisory panel who made the all important selection.

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Double Take on our Travels Two Cumbrian members describe their photographic passion

Rosamund Macfarlane ARPS John Macfarlane LRPS It’s almost inevitable that if you are a couple, and one of your joint passions is fairly demanding travelling (admittedly trips are becoming less tough with increasing age and the vital necessity of getting enough sleep!), and another is photography (particularly wildlife and travel photography), that you will end up near one another, sometimes literally lying side by side, taking the same subject matter. Surprisingly, however, this does not often result in identical images. We do tend to have different objectives. Rosamund aims for top quality single images, and achieved this with her “Snow hare scrabbling for food” which became a finalist in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition 2015. John, although crouched beside her in the snow for over 4 hours waiting for the mountain hares to stir from their scrapes to stretch and search for food, came up with a number of very different images. He has had several acceptances for the Scottish WPOTY, as we both have for the British WPA. He includes a video and time-lapse in his armoury and likes telling a story. He tends to visualise monochrome images better than Rosamund, although perhaps she has a better eye for the aesthetic.

Like many other people, we have both taken pictures for the family album since we were married, nearly 50 years ago; a record of family members, and also a documentary of our lives together. But 18 years ago Rosamund decided to take ther photography more seriously (with a view to creating a

Snow hare scrabbling for food

shared interest and additional input into our future travels), and embarked on a City and Guilds photography diploma. Three days after John retired as a physician in 2008, we moved to the Lake District and great opportunities for landscape and wildlife photography were there, literally on our own doorstep. John grasped the nettle with enthusiasm and rapidly became a keen photographer.

It has been wonderful getting to know our local environment well, returning to the same place in different seasons, morning, noon and night, and in variable weather. However, we are also inspired in our photography by going somewhere new in the world and, in particular, seeing some of nature's spectacles. We are 'leaf peepers', for the Colorado autumn aspen spectacular, for example, and more recently travelled to Hokkaido to see Steller's sea eagles on pack ice off the Rausu peninsular, as well as dancing cranes, bathing snow monkeys and beautiful Whooper swans which have migrated from Siberia to spend the winter on geo-thermally heated lakes.

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Aggressive Steller's eagle

Going to far-flung places usually means travelling with a small group, being there for a limited time and spending more money, compared with the convenience of making pictures in this country, which can, in the right circumstances, be equally exciting - otters and puffins on the Shetlands for example, from where we have just returned.

Photography even as a hobby is, of course, very time-consuming, although that is less of a problem in retirement. However, for a couple this leads to doubling the cost of equipment (we share, with some difficulties, a 500mm lens) and a degree of competition as to who gets a new camera or lens next!

We have benefited greatly from being active members of photographic societies - latterly Keswick PS (Rosamund was Chair for a term and John served on the committee). As a result we have improved our photography, enlarged our personal archives and learnt from those more experienced than us. We have enjoyed the challenge of entering regional (NCPF), national and international competitions, and there is always considerable satisfaction to be got from obtaining an individual award. It has suited both our ambitions to work towards deistinctions in the RPS, PAGB, FIAP and PSA. Perhaps the best way we have benefited both the photographic community and the local community is to produce joint lavishly illustrated lectures - amongst other subjects about out travels in Zanskar, North and South America, Southern Africa, Ethiopia and Scotland. John has recently delivered a fascinating talk about WH Turner's travels in the Lakes and his paintings of rainbows.

It has been wonderfully rewarding to co-ordinate with the National Trust and our son, Robert, to produce, "The Word-Hoard Exhibition" at Wordsworth House in Cockermouth this year and perhaps that is the pinnacle in our photography so far together.

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Is there an element of competition? Yes! It has to be admitted there is. There is often quite a lot of 'manoeuvring and delicate negotiation' as to who will put a certain picture into a particular competition. We consulted our friends, the excellent professionals Steve and Ann Toon (www.toonphoto.com) as to how they resolved this issue, and although they admit to being very competitive, all their work photos are given joint, not individual, ownership! Ann also said, and I have complete empathy with her, how irritated she became when the assumption was that she was not part of the working partnership or the comment was made, "Oh, do you take pictures too".

MY WAY TO THE LRPS Richard Dennis LRPS

Puffin backlit with Thrift

So what next? Certainly, we must maintain fitness and health so that we can continue to carry the burden of kit, or alternatively reduce the weight of our equipment. We have talked for too long about starting up a website, so perhaps that will be on the cards. And we should like to try our hand at more multimedia presentations and photographic books. Perhaps we shall rein back on distance and frequency of travel, but we do have two more remote places on the cards to visit in 2018 namely the Altai mountains in the far west of Mongolia, and the Falkland Islands later in the year with a stop half-way on Ascensiion Islands, that tiny dot in a vast ocean.

The environmental aspects of taking long flights certainly tug at our consciences, but in mitigation we hope that we raise awareness of, and some finance for, the places we visit through our talks.

And to maintain our enthusiasm there is always the unadulterated excitement of visiting new wilderness areas and encountering amazing wildlife, cameras in hand.

When I speak to friends about to retire, I tell them, "Try photography, there's a whole new world out there!".

Otter feeding off octopus

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Fast asleep

Red fox pair greeting

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My Favourite Place Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Sylvia Slavin ARPS How many people can say that their favourite place is the place where they have lived for nearly 40 years? Well I am one of those lucky people. Although I have lived and travelled all over the world, Swaledale and its sister dale Arkengarthdale (the two dales) hold that special place in my heart which I am proud to call home. As a child I Youth Hostelled here and in 1981 I met my husband and moved to Reeth.

For me Swaledale is home but also somewhere that is refreshing, healing and inspiring. For years I worked as a psychiatric nurse, driving home and going for dog walks helped keep my mind and body strong so that I could be there for those who needed me both at work and home. Within minutes you can be up on the moors enjoying the views or wandering footpaths and bridleways, and even on the busiest of days its easy to get away from the crowds and find your own space. I have brought up 7 children here so everywhere has memories that are interwoven with the landscape; from riverside picnics with the children and the dogs, to walks and adventures; both big and small. Following the death of my husband I took early retirement, and now with my new partner, also a keen photographer, we love nothing better than enjoying and photographing the area together.

All the Yorkshire Dales have their own unique character but arguably Swaledale is the most rugged and beautiful. The dales have always been popular with walkers and ramblers with the Pennine Way, Coast to Coast and also the Corpse Way crisscrossing the area. Books by Hannah Hauxwell and James Herriot as well as the series “All Creatures Great and Small” and more recently Ade Edmondson’s “The Dales” have enticed visitors to the area. The latter features the Swaledale Shepherdess (Amanda Owen) and her large family who have captured peoples hearts, whlie renowned photographer Joe Cornish has inspired other photographers to visit Swaledale's iconic locations.Parts of the landscape bear the scars of lead mining that have carved out rugged hillsides and valley floors. This landscape has attracted many major sporting events from trials riding (The Scott Trial) to mountain and road bike races with riders from around the world coming here to compete.

As the seasons change there is always something new to enjoy and photograph with the changing light offering up new compositions to capture. In late spring meadows come alive with wild flowers, both common and rare, followed by the heather on the moors in late summer. The moorland is home to numerous species of upland birds with the grouse season bringing in more visitors, but it is the winter months that are my favourite for photography. The low, golden light bringing out the textures in the landscape with colourful, brooding skies for much of the day. When the dale is bedecked in snow we are treated to more spectacular views. The sight of Swaledale sheep being fed amongst this amazing landscape which is the Yorkshire Dales is a sight to behold.

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See more of Sylvia's work HERE 27

A successful LRPS submission Newcastle based photographer

Alexandra Prescott LRPS describes her portfolio The majority of the images for my portfolio were selected from images that I have taken in Scotland – my original intention was to submit images taken in Scotland of native wildlife.

When I came to put the hanging plan together – some of the tones clashed, wildlife was in the wrong position, looking in the wrong direction etc. As W.C. Fields said, “Never work with Children or Animals”. So I had another review of my back collection and put together the 15 image collection for review – with a Scottish theme but in some cases taken this side of the border. I attended an advisory session at the NEC (2017) and bar a couple of processing elements, a selection of 10 was recommended for the distinction panel.

The Little Grebe and the chick were taken at Loch Spiney. There was enough fishing going on that morning to try all sorts of combinations with settings – the wide aperture with the chick out of focus is a slightly different portrayal.

The Red Squirrel, almost lost in the grass, is in her summer coat and has kits.

The Seals were on the beach at Port Gordon and were anxiously eying a walker when I took the shot.

The Heron was fishing on Loch Milton, a small beautiful local loch. The triumph of the geese renewing their pair bond was also taken on this loch. The feral goats are from a herd in Findhorn Valley – I have only seen them this close once in The Great Crested Grebes, courting, was taken 3 years. And the Eagle owl was taken on a BOP day – nicely posed and fitting the portfolio style. locally and was one of a series of shots which, regretfully, did not culminate in the weed dance.

The Roe Deer and fawn was taken in the highlands. Driving down a track – I saw them through the trees, stopped the car and sneaked back. They saw me but seemed curious rather than frightened.

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The Scottish Wild Cat was taken at The British Wildlife Centre and is probably my favourite image, demonstrating the tiger spirit of this small predator.

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Don't forget to visit...

RPS Members' Biennial Exhibition 2017 Washington Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, Fatfield, Washington NE38 8AB Open most days 9.00 am - 5.00 pm until 21st September - check on 0191 561 3455

Image © Doug Berndt ARPS. Detail from the image, Vincent

The Biennial Exhibition is one of the many great ways we can help support our members’ passion for photography and is an important addition to The Society’s exhibition programme.

Members worldwide were invited to submit their images to an open call competition and the entries were carefully reviewed by a selection panel. The resulting exhibition celebrates the diversity of imagery being created by our community of members, at all levels of photographic practice.

The exhibition also includes work from some of The Society’s Honorary Fellows, which has provided the selected photographers the rare opportunity to exhibit their work alongside some of the most respected names in photography today.

The exhibition is sponsored by Digital Camera

Fotospeed

The Fine Art Print Room

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK RPS NORTHERN 30

From the RPS Collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum

Stereoscopic, or 3D, photography is the art of capturing and displaying two slightly offset photographs to create a three dimensional image.

I'm sure many of you will remember the 'ViewMaster', a popular toy first introduced in 1939. Each cardboard disc or 'reel' contained seven pairs of photographs.

Many happy hours were spent viewing the wonders of the world in 3D. This stereoscopic camera in the RPS Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum is by John Benjamin Dancer (1812 - 1887).

Dancer was born in London but moved to Liverpool and then in 1841 Manchester, where he set up his own optical business. As well as supplying conventional spectacles, he was an inventor and instrument maker.

In 1839, when he was still at Liverpool, Dancer pioneered the making of microphotographs mounted on slides for microscope viewing, but the system he first used, the Daguerro process, was not satisfactory as the photographs were on an opaque background and consequently the quality of the enlarged microphotograph under the microscope was poor and could not be viewed with magnifications exceeding x20. In 1851 Frederick Scott Archer of Manchester introduced the collodion process which involved a very fine grain image on glass with a sensitised covering of collodion and this process, by which images in very fine detail could be recorded, was used by Dancer to start producing vastly improved microphotograph slides and the skill he developed enabled him to make micrometer scales and graticules.

In 1853, the year the RPS was founded, he developed this twin-lens stereoscopic camera with the lenses set at what scientists considered the normal intra-ocular distance of 6.35 cm. This innovation simplified the production of stereographs. This stereo camera was also one of the first magazine cameras. Twelve dry collodion albumen plates stored in the magazine were lifted up into position by turning a handle on top of the camera.

Dancer took a daguerreotype image of Manchester from the roof of the Royal Exchange in 1842, the earliest known picture showing part of Manchester. In 1855 he co-founded the Manchester Photographic Society. At the age of 59 he developed diabetes and glaucoma and, after three unsuccessful eye operations, gave up his business in 1878 due to ill health and poor eyesight. He died in 1887, blind and in comparative obscurity.

The most well-known 3D photographer today is former Queen guitarist, Dr Brian May CBE. In 2014 he was presented with the RPS Saxby Award for outstanding contributions to three dimensional photography.

Bob Gates ARPS 31

Š Marj Baillie LRPS

www.rps.org/regions-and-chapters/regions/northern