RPS Benelux Chapter eJounal Volume 19 Summer 2020

VOLUME 19 / SUMMER 2020

WWW.RPS.ORG

2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

VIEW FROM THE RPS BENELUX CHAPTER ORGANISERS

Various online activities The Benelux Chapter eJournal goes from strength to strength with Armando Jongejan getting some amazing articles from top line photographers for us. Well done Armando. Our eJournal is getting a good reputation in the RPS and is enjoyed by many The Royal Photographic Society Benelux Chapter

around the world.

In these strange times the Chapter team have had to adapt, as has the RPS. Both have been doing more meetings,

Copyright The copyright of photographs and text in this eJournal belong to the author of the article of which they form part, unless otherwise indicated

presentations and workshops online. For us, and all international RPS members this has been great as suddenly what is available for UK members is the same for us. HQ staff

are to be commended for the hard work and swift response to getting this online world working. Even when talks go out at a time that is not convenient to some in far flung countries they are later able to watch the recordings of the meetings at their leisure. If you wish to engage with all the various online activities you need to watch your eRPS, the RPS web site and other emails that are coming out regularly. Some meetings get

booked up really quickly, so don’t delay pressing that ‘book now’ button or you might lose out.

Guest assessors join our meetings Cover photo © Bieke Depoorter - Ou Menya

Even the Benelux Chapter has gone online. I gave the first online presentation for especially for International RPS members and our study group meetings are working really well

online. It has even enabled us to have guest assessors join our meetings and that has added value to our members as they Editor eJournal Armando Jongejan Proof reading Dawn Black Webmaster André Meyer-Vitali Liability Disclaimer The author of an article is responsible and liable for all content, text and images provided by them.

Neither the RPS Benelux Chapter nor the editor is responsible or liable for any content therein Photo Requirements 2000 pix long side and quality 8 no watermark or text in the photo and no borders around the photo

either work towards their Distinctions, or to those of us who simply observe we learn by hearing what is said. We also have non-members join us, which is very encouraging. Do remember that as a photographic educational charity all RPS meetings must be open to everyone, so if you have club members or

others you know who may enjoy being part of our meetings then do invite them along.

Stay safe everyone. And remember there is plenty to photograph all around you, everywhere. Having to stay at home is no excuse not to get the camera out or print your photos. We even have a special offer for papers on page 48!

Janet Haines ARPS and Didier Verriest ARPS RPS Benelux Chapter joint organisers

12

4

IN THIS ISSUE - SUMMER 2020

24

34

16

2

VIEW FROM THE RPS BENELUX CHAPTER ORGANISERS Janet Haines FIPF ARPS and Didier Verriest ARPS

3

IN THIS ISSUE

4

BIEKE DEPOORTER AN EXTRAORDINARY PHOTOGRAPHER Armando Jongejan FRPS

16 DAMAGED RETINAS Katherine Maguire LRPS 24 KATIE WAGGETT - SUNDAY BEST Armando Jongejan FRPS

32 WORKSHOP NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY Patrick van Dijk 34 MY FIRST CUSTOMER - DIDIER VERRIEST Armando Jongejan FRPS 46 RPS DISTINCTIONS FACEBOOK GROUP Peter Hayes FRPS 48 SPECIAL OFFER PermaJet

46 48

4

The RPS Benelux Chapter

MAGNUM PHOTOGRAPHER

Bieke Depoorter “Photography guides me into the routes where I can stay amazed”

5

Š Bieke Depoorter - Ou Menya

6

BIEKE DEPOORTER - AN EXTRAORDINARY PHOTOGRAPHER, ONE OF A KIND! text by Armando Jongejan FRPS and photos with permission of Bieke Depoorter A full member of Magnum Photos Bieke Depoorter (1986, Kortrijk - Belgium) received a master’s degree in photography at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent in 2009. Three years later aged just 25 years old, she was made a nominee of the photo cooperative Magnum Photos, where she was named a full member in 2016.

“Photography guides me into the routes where I can stay amazed” Bieke Depoorter Several years ago I met Bieke Depoorter briefly during a presentation of her work in Amsterdam.

During the presentation I was impressed by the way she made her series of her journey across Russia. She captured strangers at their homes as she traveled alone across Russia for her project 'Ou Menya'. She spent three periods of one month following the route of the Trans Siberian Express stopping at the forgotten villages along the way. She took a piece of paper with some Russian words and that was her introduction to visit local families. Once she reached a village, she would ask residents if she could stay with them, moving from living room to living room each night. For a brief moment, she experienced a transient, but very powerful, shared moment.

The men had arranged a small party for Bieke For example, she spoke about a meeting with two men on the train. They had a talk and the men invited her to stay in the next village the following day. She said that she was a bit uncertain, but the next day she arrived in the Russian village and both men took her in their car to their home. What I can remember from her presentation is that she felt a bit uncomfortable when they drove outside the village in the direction of a big barn but when she entered the barn, she was even more surprised, as the men had arranged a small party for Bieke. She had not expected this but it was the way she captured daily life along the Trans Siberian Express.

Photobook Ou Menya She is not just a fly on the wall observer but completely involved and accepted in the communities to create her images. The result of this journey is an impressive photobook Ou Menya, for which she received the HP Magnum Expression Award.

Depoorter has won several awards and honours, including The Larry Sultan Award and the Prix Levallois as well as publishing four books: Ou Menya, I am About to Call it a Day, As it May Be, and Sète #15.

Bieke Depoorter is unique as a storyteller and the way she tells the story of her subjects. Her series based in Egypt and the USA are made with the same intensity and involvement. Bieke Depoorter is an extraordinary photographer, one of a kind!

For more information about Bieke and her books, visit: www.biekedepoorter.com www.magnumphotos.com

7

Š Bieke Depoorter - Ou Menya (the men had arranged a small party for Bieke)

8

Š Bieke Depoorter - As it May Be

9

Š Bieke Depoorter - As it May Be

10

Š Bieke Depoorter - Ou Menya

11

12

Š Bieke Depoorter - Ou Menya

13

© Bieke Depoorter - I Am About to Call It a Day

14

© Bieke Depoorter - I Am About to Call It a Day

15

16

The RPS Benelux-Chapter MEMBER

Katherine Maguire I suffer from a rare eye condition called Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome

BI-MONTHLY COMPETITION WINNER: DAMAGED RETINAS text and photos by Katherine Maguire LRPS

My whole vision becomes blurred Katherine was the winner of the February 2020 BI monthly competition, with her photo(s) ’damaged retinas’, organised by the RPS Documentary Group. It is a great result for her and her body of work.

“This image is part of my work towards a ARPS panel. I suffer from a disease that can cause blood vessels to form on my retinas, which in turn cause damage and leave behind scars. The scarred areas of the retinas are no longer able to process light correctly. The scars have developed on the edge of the macular of each eye. This has resulted in my central vision being blurred, as the brain uses this vision to focus the light that falls on the rest of the retina, my whole vision becomes blurred.

By combining two images taken at the same time, I am attempting to illustrate what it is like to live with damaged retinas. Using a 50 focal length lens, an aperture of f2.2 at a focus distance 5m on half of the image is produced to represent how I see the world, with only within 10 metres being in focus. The second half is then taken by changing the focus distance to infinity and changing the aperture to f11 and then combined to create one image.”

© Katherina Maguire LRPS - EXIF Data 1st haft :1/1600. f2.2, ISO 400, 26 Jan 2020 15:07:59 2nd haft: 1/60, f11, ISO 400 26 Jan 2020 15:08:08

Facebook page of the RPS Documentary Group

17

18

working towards my A panel I am currently working towards my A-panel which is all about my sight with damaged retinas and these images were taken for that panel.

This condition cannot be corrected by eye glasses.

I suffer from a rare eye condition called Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome that was first diagnosed in 2013. The condition causes small white spots to form on the retinas, which by themselves do not cause any loss of vision. However they can cause abnormal blood vessels to develop and when they heal they leave behind scars on retinas. If the cells responsible for central vision (the macular) are damaged then your brain has difficultly focusing. I now have scars located on the edge of the macular and other parts of the retina. So my distance vision is now always

blurred and I have lost some of my peripheral vision on my left hand side. This condition cannot be corrected by eye glasses.

With my panel I am trying to show what it is like to view the world with damaged retinas. I have split the view with what I see and what everyone else sees. The image is in fact two images that have been combined using photoshop, my way of working is to first take the blurry image, setting the lens to 5m and the aperture to f2.2, I will then use the autofocus of the lens to refocus the lens, selecting

which focus point that should be used. This normally results in the lens being focused at infinity, then reseting the aperture to f11 and then capture the second image.

My old photoshop work flow In photoshop I remove the left half of the in focus image, and then copy the left half of the out of focus image and paste that into the in focus image. I will take one half and move it until both images are aligned. I will then crop the image to remove any extra white space. Then I will calculated the

white space needed so that the divider is always constant size on the printed image and increase the canvas by this amount. Finally I will move one half so that the divider is now in the middle of the combined image.

New photoshop work flow Since creating this image I have now changed my workflow, I have decided that both images should be out of alignment, and in the out of alignment being emphasised. Instead of increasing the canvas

size, I add the divider as extra layer with a white filled rectangle on top of the cropped combined image, thus keeping the original ratio of the image.

We wish Katherine a lot of success to succeed in her ARPS.

19

© Katherina Maguire LRPS

20

© Katherina Maguire LRPS

21

© Katherina Maguire LRPS

22

© Katherina Maguire LRPS

23

© Katherina Maguire LRPS

25

The RPS Benelux Chapter PHOTOBOOK

Katie Waggett Sunday Best A celebration of diversity

26

KATIE WAGGETT - SUNDAY BEST

Armando Jongejan, text and photos with permission of Hoxton Mini Press - text and photos Katie Waggett As written before in another of our eJournals, I like the Hoxton Mini Press publications. This publisher makes collectable photography books. I bought this small book even before it was published. Read about the reasons why documentary photographer Katie Waggett made this body of work.

Mix of cultural identities that make London home In 2017, following a summer of terrorist attacks in London and a year after the EU referendum, divisive political rhetoric and antimulticulturalism dominated the news. I found myself anxious and pessimistic about the future of living in Britain. It seemed bleak.

In response, I began making portraits, photographing the kaleidoscopic mix of cultural identities that make London home, all living and interacting side-by-side in this densely populated space. Such experiences ran counter to the widely shared belief that people from different nationalities, religions and races cannot coexist peacefully. The more I spoke with people, the more I came to realise that so many of the problems we see today are driven by a fear of the unknown. Responses from minority groups to questions of Britishness were surprisingly positive, with people overwhelmingly identifying as British and proud to be so. People don’t claim a national identity unless they feel valued within it. The pride that I witnessed gave me a renewed sense of optimism that acted as the springboard for this project.

I wanted to capture people in clothing true to that particular Sunday The portraits were made using the street as my studio. I approached strangers after a service and, in that immediate moment and surroundings, I negotiated an image. I wanted to respond to the rhythm of the street and capture people in clothing true to that particular Sunday, without any embellishment that might have been contrived in the more constructed environment of a studio. It is these diverse fashions, often distinct with visual markers signifying nationality and religion, that

create a language of cultural pride. This pride is a symbol of the freedom of expression so alive in Londoners today, a dedication to their roots and personal identities.

Builds upon the values and customs of its many communities It is echoed by the various places of worship where the portraits were made, each unique in aesthetic. Ultimately, this body of work recognises London as a city that acknowledges and builds upon the values and customs of its many communities. If our neighbouring European cities have

taught us anything, it is that the restriction of a person’s means of expressing their sense of self and cultural heritage results in exclusion, and eventually breeds resentment, suspicion, and even hatred.

The London that I observed through visiting its many religious sites is a city where difference is not just tolerated, but celebrated. A city that accommodates the practice of multiple religious beliefs and cultural traditions is a city that provides its citizens with a sense of being at home, as well as of belonging to the collective identity that is Britishness. I believe this accommodating attitude is a great testament to the capital. It is a success story that illustrates how far we have come, as a result of post-war immigration, in learning to respect one another’s differences and in fostering an intercultural dialogue which serves to emphasise a common ground on which to build a future. © Katie Waggett - page 4 - Sikhism | Park Avenue Gurdwara, Southall

27

Š Katie Waggett - Islam | East London Mosque, Whitechapel

28

Š Katie Waggett - from the book Sunday Best

29

Stories to draw hope from the success of multiculturalism in London During this period of intense national transition, we are at risk of being consumed by cynicism and fear. In such a moment, it is especially important to look to the freedom of lifestyles, religions and cultures that surround us as examples of the qualities that make London special. The last 75 years have produced a new, more inclusive narrative, one which we need to recognise if we are to avoid repeating the destructive dynamics of our past. It is now more important than ever to tell these stories and to draw hope from the success of multiculturalism in London. Through this series of portraits, I aim to do just that.

Photobook ‘Sunday Best’ The book is published in April 2020 and you can find more information about this photobook and many others on the Hoxton Mini Press website.

Š 'Sunday Best: A celebration of diversity' by Katie Waggett, 176 pages, hardback,

151mm x 199mm

30

Š Katie Waggett - Christianity | House of Praise, Camberwell

31

© Katie Waggett - Christianity | Christ’s Chosen Church of God, Southwark

32

The RPS Benelux-Chapter WORKSHOP by Patrick van Dijk

Workshop Night Photography To see that there are so many people interested in my style of shooting and want to learn these skills from me gives me a very proud feeling and keeps me motivated to do better then before

WORKSHOP NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY | PATRICK VAN DIJK

33

text by Armando Jongejan FRPS and photo by Patrick van Dijk Workshops on 18th September 2020 We are organising a night photography workshop with Patrick for our Benelux Chapter on Friday 18th September 2020 at 20.00h in Rotterdam. We will use COVID-19 safety guidelines and if it is raining there is an alternative location. Meeting point is Stieltjesstraat next to the ‘Hef’ bridge in Rotterdam (near the Erasmusbrug).

The costs is Euro 20 pp and payment is in advance. Do you want to join? Please contact André Bergmans ASAP. See also the article about Patrick in eJournal volume 18.

© Patrick van Dijk

Meeting point

34

The RPS Benelux Chapter INTERVIEW by Armando Jongejan FRPS

Didier Verriest "80 atelierbeelden" a book about 80 visual artists in their workrooms

MY FIRST CUSTOMER WAS RINGING AT THE DOOR Interview by Armando Jongejan FRPS and photos by Didier Verriest ARPS Didier Verriest is specialised in art, industrial and architecture photography. His fully equipped studio is called Argus Photography and is situated near the ring of Ghent. Beside his commercial work Didier has different personal projects. For example he made "Belgicorum" a study about Federal Belgium’s Historic Buildings and "80 atelierbeelden" a book about 80 visual artists in their workrooms.

© Didier Verriest ARPS - Ronny Delrue

Didier, how did you get involved with photography?

Photography has always been present in my life. I always wanted to be involved with photography. I still have a picture, framed by my parents that I took when I was about seven. When my parents’ tenant left our home I got his small darkroom in the attic. I was twelve. I started professionally in 1976 just because my first customer was ringing at the door. It was a fashion firm from Paris. I could not resist but to get the job I needed to be able to write an invoice so I started my own business. As simple as that! The next step was taken in the early eighties starting with commercial photography.

This needed a staff, a 300 square meters photographic studio, a dark room and later on also a digital infrastructure. Following that period came 20 years of food photography, a good job in that period.

In 2003, after 30 years I switched to photographing pieces of art for galleries, museums, collectors and most of all, for artists. I can afford to do this on my own, which is a real relief.

35

36

You make diverse work, what kind of photography appeals to you the most and why?

Each kind of work; fashion, food, commercial, advertising represents a stage in my life. Today my career is dedicated to art. This last is by far the most interesting and the most challenging. Working for the art community demands a special frame of mind and excellence in mastering photographic tools. The reproduction of a painting needs the photographer to be perfectly transparent, to deliver a file as close as possible to the original. In contrast sculptures and other 3D creations you need to

© Didier Verriest ARPS - Emilio Lopez Menchero

choose a point of view and to setup a lightning scheme. The required skills in mastering colourspaces, optics and art knowledge are huge. My dull studies in Brussels are hardly needed today. The photographic challenge, together with the pleasure of working with some great artists now makes my photographic enjoyment.

You made a photobook “80 atelierbeelden”. How did you create this series?

A lot of portraits exist of artists and a lot of documentary photographs about artists workplaces but not much of the artists in their workplaces. So I started with some friends that are artists. That was 12 years ago. Today a lot of pictures and video exist on the same theme.

37

What kind of approach did you choose en how did you make your selection of artists?

How did you contact them?

The series is about the same subject but with very different people in very different places. My intent was to hold the pictures together with the same technique, to create a mood, a style, that was recognisable in all the pictures. I call it "my guidelines�; a list of technical requirements identical in all the pictures. That includes a risk because I have to start with the guidelines for the first picture and

Š Didier Verriest ARPS - Camiel Van Breedam

keep them in place for all the pictures. If I can't keep to the guidelines for the whole string of images the concept collapses. I create an empty box with the guidelines in place and let the artist fill it. I was very aware not to use artists to create my own art, so I avoid all kind of photographic style artefacts.

To create a list of artists I asked some curators to pass me a list. I quickly noticed that I never reached artists outside the curator inner circle. I had to find another way to work around that and found out that it was the artists themselves who decide who belongs to the circle. So I then asked the artists who should be the next one in the row. The series thus became much more exiting and varied. By the way, the photographs are chronologically laid out in "80 atelierbeelden".

38

© Didier Verriest ARPS - Koen Vanmechelen

39

40

Were you welcome everywhere, or did you sometimes have to make an effort?

The cascade system from one artist to the next made the introduction to the next artist easy.

Certainly some artists refused but always with a good reason, I never insisted. My goal was 80 and I reached it easily. The mail and number of phone calls was huge, the agenda often stalled. To reduce the selection to 80 was trickier.

Š Didier Verriest ARPS - Mario De Brabandere

Which artists have stayed with you the most and why?

Some of the artists were real showmen; the photoshoot was painstakingly organised, a precise appointment was made and they gave me strictly the allotted time. No more, no less.

As you can guess, some others almost forget the appointment and the whole shoot was pure improvisation. Some artists became instant friends while some others played an intense starring role. The former are still in my life today while the latter ones make souvenirs.

Is the photobook still available? If so, how can we order it?

The book is long since sold out but I still have a few books at home.

You are able to order the book by direct email: dv@didierverriest.com.

Hardcover, 168 pages, size 26x26cm, language Dutch.

41

© Didier Verriest ARPS - Luc Tuymans

© Didier Verriest ARPS - pages 42 and 43 - Michaël Borremans

44

© Didier Verriest ARPS - Arne Quinze

45

46

The RPS Benelux Chapter RPS Distinctions Committee by Peter Hayes FRPS

Distinctions Facebook Group “I often wondered why there was no official RPS Distinctions voice on Facebook”

INVITATION TO JOIN THE NEW RPS DISTINCTIONS FACEBOOK GROUP

by Peter Hayes FRPS, Chair - RPS Distinctions Committee Applies to non-members as well as members I often wondered why there was no official RPS Distinctions voice on Facebook, so I got together with Andy Moore LRPS, the Distinctions Manager, and together we planned a brand-new group for anyone in the world who is interested in Distinctions. This applies to non-members as well as members.

There are plenty of RPS Facebook groups: Digital Imaging, Landscape, Visual Art, Documentary and so on, but they are not the official voice of Distinctions HQ. What we wanted was somewhere for people to chat about the Distinctions process, keep them up to date with the latest news, post videos, and also to show and discuss their work. Above all, we wanted Andy and his Distinctions team, Ben Fox ARPS and Simon Vercoe ARPS, to be involved. We also lined up a large group of Moderators made up of panel members and panel chairs. Between us, we reckoned, we could

answer any question quickly.

The biggest RPS FB group in less than 48 hours In less than 48 hours we had become the biggest RPS FB group, with more than 600 members. Since May we have more than 1.500 members. This shows there is a need for this kind of interaction. The group was launched at a time when many people were in lockdown in their respective countries.

The most interesting aspect for many people was learning why people had NOT been successful!

Pleasing though it is to see bodies of work that have been recommended, it is a great learning process to see the reason for not being recommended. We used the opportunity to say that although presentation and technical aspects are important, content is paramount.

We have a new process in place for assessing Images for Screen; this means we will be able to continue assessments throughout the coronavirus crisis. One-to-one video advice sessions started.

We have also begun our series of Distinction Live Talks which are every Thursday at 18.00 (Joe Cornish, Will Cheung, David Noton et all), and virtual assessments began on May 27.

It is important that people know that we are working on their behalf, and that the RPS is not moribund because of the appalling virus. We hope that the new group, called RPS Distinctions **Official Group** will be particularly useful for overseas chapters.

47