RPS Yorkshire Newsletter June 2017

Yorkshire News

Newsletter for Photographers in the Yorkshire Region June 2017 YORKSHIRE

Notes from your RO..

After many years of ‘going to’, I finally scaled the 369 steps of the Wainhouse Tower in Halifax. I felt every step, but iIt was certainly worth it for the views - see the images in our on-line ISSUU version.

For those who attended our recent Yorkshire Members’ Day (see P2) I hope you found it as interesting as I did, because as with any new venture or event, you never know exactly what will happen. We had some very interesting speakers, including David Burgess; Steve Wood sharing his experiences of drone photography (an alternative to climbing 369 steps) and enthusiasts from many regional photographic groups - all showing work. All in all there was something different at every turn in the day, and the format was very well received, so watch out for next year’s continuation of this theme.

I hope you have a good summer and many of you get along to Hull to see our Photography Exhibition along with the range of events for their City of Culture Celebrations. regards Mary

in this issue

Contacts - who’s who in Yorkshire: P.1 Notes from your RO P.1 Sheffield PS Exhibition P.1 Got any news? P.2 RPS Yorkshire Region Photography Days Out P.2 Yorkshire Region AGM with a difference … … and Members’ Day P.2 Dave Burgess MA (Phot) ARPS… …Members’ Day lecture P3 Showcasing Yorkshire - Exhibition P3 New members and successes P.4 What not to miss in Yorkshire P.4 Dave Whenham LRPS: details of another postal.. …and n-line photography groups - P.4 37th Frame, Hull City of Culture - P.4

Yorkshire Region contacts Regional Organiser: Mary P Crowther ARPS E: photobox50@gmail.com T: 07921 237962 Regional Treasurer: Robert Helliwell ARPS E: bobhelliwell@clara.co.uk T: 07802 413570 Newsletter Editor: Brian Crossland LRPS E: RPS.Yorkshire.News@gmail.com T: 07540 824112 Website: E: T:

SHEFFIELD PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION The Annual Exhibition of Sheffield Photographic Society was opened in Sheffield Cathedral on 21st April at 12 noon. The opening ceremony was performed by the Very Reverend Peter Bradley DL Dean of Sheffield. He is seen below with Anne Turner, SPS President, preparing to open the event and making no secret of the fact that he is exactly 100 years younger than the Sheffield Photographic Society.

To the right is a photograph of part of one display, created by Ray Brightman FRPS AFIAP DPAGB Hon BPE3. The display contained photographs of Sheffield Half a Century Ago and was attracting tremendous interest from cathedral visitors allowing them to travel down memory lane. One woman said she could remember every scene, but as long as she couldn’t remember them being built, she didn’t feel too old. Although the reproduction, here, is small, the originals contain much detail for better viewing.

Many of the images on display, and included in the illustrated catalogue, are by winners of a range of the Society’s competitions and although space is limited in this Newsletter, John Scholey (SPS Exhibition Coordinator) has sent me several images to include in the www.issuu.com version which has no limits.

Go to WWW.ISSUU.COM search for “rps+yorkshire+news” or “rps+yorkshire” to see more.

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Got any news?

Many RPS members and other readers of this Newsletter, are also members of a range of Photographic Societies and Clubs, so why not use this Newsletter to share your news of members’ activities and achievements, visits, history, problems, developments, etc. If we can squeeze it in, we will.

Got something interesting happening?

Please let us know and we’ll try to include it in a future Newsletter, or write your own report and email it in.

Know of any photography exhibitions near you?

Please let us have venues, dates, websites, contact details, etc and we’ll try to visit and report back in the Newsletter.

RPS YORKSHIRE REGION PHOTOGRAPHY DAYS OUT. We have some plans for one or two photography days out with a theme of ‘Abandoned Spaces’, and as with all SUCH organised visits we are just waiting for confirmation and details. Do keep an eye on the RPS website as they will appear there quite last minute and they do tend to rapidly get fully booked.

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Email the Yorkshire Region Newsletter: RPS.YORKSHIRE.NEWS@GMAIL.COM

Members Day & Yorkshire Region AGM 8th April 2017 Around 60 photographers from across Yorkshire attended the 2017 AGM of the Yorkshire Region, followed by a day filled with a broad array of interesting talks and presentations.

The Members’ Day was the idea of Regional Organiser, Mary Crowther ARPS, who wanted to provide RPS members the opportunity to show everyone else some of the other photographic organisations they were part of.

The day included presentations by David Burgess MA (Phot) ARPS, Wakefield CC, Sue Leonard LRPS, Neil Wittmann ARPS and Robert Helliwell ARPS. Throughout the day, the displays which had been installed around the room allowed members and visitors to discuss their interests with representatives from the Yorkshire Photographic Union, Yorkshire Monochrome Group, Harrogate Photographic Society and the RPS. LEFT - the Yorkshire Monochrome Group were represented and later found a stand to display a collection of some first class black and white prints from their members.

BELOW - the Harrogate Photographic Society also had a display of members’ work and their Annual Exhibition is something not to miss - in October 2017.

(Apologies for the quality of reproduction of the images, but a busy room left little space for taking photographs. You’ll just have to go.)

Colour in a Mono World Members’ Day Lecture by David Burgess MA (Phot) ARPS. The guest lecture for the Members’ Day provided a fascinating summary of the history and development of photography, how it grew with, and away from, the art world; including the use of ‘modern’ scientific knowledge at the time to help the developments, usually personally funded and carried out at home by the enthusiastic entrepreneurs and experimenters.

Starting with an initial reminder of some of our current and recent photographers, the audience was transported back in time and provided with brief and very intriguing glimpses of the developments and work of a collection of our photographic pioneers.

Being far too many people and events to include in detail within a 90 minute talk, Dave provided a very captivating and entertaining snapshot which resulted in some listeners taking notes to allow them to carry out their own research and learn more.

For those who would like to find out more, here is a list of some of the people mentioned in Dave’s talk (apologies for any typo-errors, here - and difficulty reading my own scribblings from the day); Martin Parr who needs no introduction; William Eggleston and his recording of colours and textures; Ernst Hass who recorded some wonderful reflections and long exposure shots; Saul Leiter and others with an interest in street photography; Franco Fontana whose remarkable images comprised blocks of colour, including landscapes. The colouring of B&W photographs section contained mention of Boris Mikhailov, a conceptual artist and the ‘photogenic drawings’ of William Henry Fox Talbot. The results tended to be ‘whatever colour the chemicals wanted to give’ and included several different coloured images of Nelson’s Column, being built.

Another pioneer and another who made much his own materials was Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre. Our own Roger Fenton, sent by Queen Victoria to photograph the Crimean War. Scott Archer; Gustav Le Gray; Anna Aitkins and her cyanotypes of leaves, plants, etc; Edward Sheriff Curtis who crossed America to record the native tribes; Reagan, who produced gold-toned portraits; Felice Beato; Beatrice Johnson; Dorothy Wilding; Sergey Prokudin Gorsky was supported by the Tzar, in the early 1900s, to travel and record the tribes of inhabitants across Russia - completing this just before the Bolshevik take over following the Revolution. The images remained hidden in a cellar in Paris for years, and are now owned by the Library of Congress, USA. Finally, Dave’s talk covered the Lumière brothers’ autochrome process, and Humbert Dukeryl. Leon Gimpel presented many images of blimps and aerial photography, including early WWI photographs including kids playing at war games in 1917 - where some poor child had to play the enemy, who was eventually tried and executed (but let’s hope they only pretended with that last bit).

Many readers will have heard of some of these, and others may may be familiar with a large proportion of them. The interesting, but not surprising referencing which Dave Burgess gave was that all the images he used are available on-line. For more detail, and if you missed the talk, we hope the above details will provide some good starting points for your own research.

Showcasing Yorkshire Your Photography Exhibition about Yorkshire by Yorkshire Folk Friday 28th July at 6:30pm to 24th August at the HIP Gallery Hull.

Creative & Cultural Art Space2, Main Deck, Princes Quay, Hull, HU1 2PQ

as part of Hull’s City of Culture celebrations ALL IMAGES IN THIS NEWSLETTER ARE COPYRIGHT THE OWNERS PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT THE OWNER’S PERMISSION

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New Yorkshire Region members: Ray Duffill Celia Barnes David Borrill Ramon De Juan ARPS Mary Elizabeth Rogers Alan Peacock Louise Barwell Jill North Stuart Hetherington Peter Atkinson Rosie Pennycook David M H Oldridge ARPS Sarah L Cremer LRPS

Kenneth Wright Jeremy Gill David Wright Kevin Grant Mark Slater Robert Steemson James Reid ARPS Kevin Graham Grant Osborne Dr Richard Webber Lesley Peatfield Ben George Dr David Rippin

Distinction Congratulations: Richard Dennis LRPS David Warner LRPS Margaret Taylor ARPS (exemption)

What you should not miss - please check the venue and the RPS website before setting off • April 22nd to June 3rd. 159th Exhibition at The Civic, Barnsley.

• April 22nd to June 3rd. Members’ Biennial Exhibition at The Point, Doncaster.

• June 17th Advisory Day (inc ARPS Nature). New Brookhouse Club, 221 Barnsley Road, Sandal, Wakefield, WF1 5NU. • June 17th ‘Different Landscapes & Rural Life, Hartington, Nr Buxton.

• June 23rd. Archaeology Day at Towton Battlefield. Saxton, N Yorks.

• July 28th to Aug 24th - ‘Showcasing Yorkshire’ Exhibition, HIP Gallery, Hull.

• July 29th Self Help Group, Café Session - Creative & Culture Art Space2, Main Deck, Princes Quay, Hull, HU1 2QP. • October 14th (changed from 7th). VJ’s York. Cafe Session • October 21st - Advisory Day (inc ARPS Travel). New Brookhouse Club, Wakefield.

Dave Whenham LRPS, ‘PPC’ in response to the recent UPP article

Many of us struggle to find the time or opportunity to join a local photographic group, or find the social media sites, whilst initially good for the ego, are ultimately less helpful in developing our photography. The solution for me was joining the Postal Photographic Club in 2010. Through membership of one of their long established monochrome print Circles I received some meaningful feedback on my own photography. The benefit was multiplied by looking at other people's images and producing constructive feedback. Since then I have added other Circles to my membership and become more involved in the running of the club.

Founded in 1837, as the Half Plate Camera Club, the PPC continues with traditional print Circles and now provides online Circles.

Some darkroom members remain, but the majority of members print digitally, but may use film for the original capture. Colour and monochrome are catered for and we have specialised natural history and infrared Circles.

Many of our members also belong to other camera clubs and find that the PPC complements their other interests very well. For me, it provides an enjoyable way to see a range of other work and to both give and receive feedback, regardless of geography.

With the advent of online Circles we now have a handful of ex-pats able to join on the same footing as UK based members. We even had one member who recently emigrated but was able to continue his membership uninterrupted by transferring to an online Circle.

As someone who from necessity has, for over thirty years, had to develop (pun intended) as a photographer without the benefit of joining a local club I can heartily recommend postal clubs and of course I particularly endorse the PPC. It is a way of bringing the photographic community to you but can also complement membership of more traditional camera clubs. Dave has kindly submitted a couple of his own images, below.

The 37th Frame Many thanks to Dave Whenham for the above article on the PPC, which, incidentally, results in a broad range of websites when googled. Their webpage is www.postalphotographicclub.org.uk and readers may find it useful to visit, or consider joining at the very reasonable cost of membership, and follow in Dave’s footsteps.

Hull - the City of Culture. Although there will be many members who will not be visiting Hull, for a range of reasons, it is expected that many will. If members who live in, work in or will be visiting Hull could send in a photograph or two, and perhaps a few words of explanation, we will try to include some of them within future editions of this Newsletter and at www.issuu.com for the on-line version. It will be assumed that all permissions have been obtained by the senders.

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The last bit, squeezed in at the end. When using 36 exposure films, it was expected that a Yorkshireman would manage to get at least one more frame out of the film.