RPS South East eJournal No.2

E-Journal No. 2 / April 2017

Letter from Committee

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ince our last eJournal in February we had the following events in the South East region: On 4 March, the South East region held an LRPS Advisory day at the Kings Centre in Eastbourne - coordinated by Paul Connor - with expert advice provided by Rosemary Wilman, Hon FRPS and Cathy Roberts FRPS.

The Royal Photographic Society South East Region Surrey Area Representative Martin Gandy LRPS E: martingandy@btinternet.com Sussex Area Representative Paul Connor LRPS E: rps.sussexarearep@gmail.com Kent Area Representative Colin Smith LRPS E: colinsmith118@btinternet.com Committee Members Bruce Broughton E: bruce-broughton@hotmail.co.uk Gordon Roots ARPS E: groots@btinternet.com

The event was attended by 6 participants seeking guidance on their prospective panels and 19 spectators, in addition to special guests Bill Wisden Hon FRPS and Trevor Gellard FRPS. The South East team were also very pleased to welcome the RPS Volunteer Coordinator, Nicola Young who was taking the opportunity to meet committee members and volunteers running the event, especially as this was the first Advisory Day that she had attended.

Rosemary and Cathy set the scene by explaining the distinctions process and discussing the attributes of two successful L Panels, provided by the RPS Distinctions Department, as examples of the required standard. They then reviewed participants’ panels with an expert eye, identifying potential technical problems and suggesting ways to avoid them. It was interesting to see how a few changes to the panel layout and sequence of images can have a profound effect on the cohesion of the overall panel - sometimes referred to as the ‘11th image’. As always, it was fascinating to see the variety of styles and subject matter photographed by participants and a pleasure to meet those attending.

For anyone considering a distinction, there is no doubt that Advisory days are a great opportunity to gain expert advice and guidance towards eventual success.

Chelín Miller ARPS Webmaster E: southeastweb@rps.org Published by the South East Region of the Royal Photographic Society April 2017 rps.org/regions-and-chapters/regions/south-east

Copyright in all text and photographs is held by the credited authors, or as otherwise stated. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher.

Editor Chelin Miller Cover photo: Richard Corkrey LRPS (see p 9)

On Monday 27 March we had a joint outing with the Archaeology & Heritage group to Bodiam Castle a group of 10 photographers got together and explored the castle and grounds. Afterwards, we had lunch at the coffee shop and discussed gear, techniques, distinctions, inspiration, other outings and all things photography. More joint outings and advisory days are planned for the future.

The Regional Committee is an enthusiastic group and fully committed to supporting the Region and its members with a full program of events for 2017.

If you would like to volunteer in any way, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The South East Region Committee

South East Region eJournal The South East Region E-Journal is published by the RPS South East Region six times a year: All contrbutions should be submitted to the Editor. Items covering any aspect of photography are welcome, including inspirational stories, technique, reviews of equipment, exhibitions, books, etc. Copy should be sent as .txt or .doc files by email. Digital images (portrait or landscape orientation) should be supplied by email or through a file sharing platform (such as Dropbox, wetransfer or similar). Please rename your photos: YournameSurname_PHOTONAME, web resolution (72dpi) jpgs or tifs, file size approx 1MB. For more information, please contact the Editor at southeastweb@rps.org.

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April 2017

FORTHCOMING EVENTS see RPS website for more details

Archaeology and Heritage Group AGM and Annual Print Day Saturday 6 May 2017 - Leatherhead, Surrey

South East Region Advisory Day LRPS and ARPS (all five categories) - Detling Sunday 7 May 2017

Remote Photowalk and Social Gathering Joint event - A & H Group and SE Region Monday 15 May 2017 - Appledore

Hastings Old Town photowalk and competition Sunday 11 June 2017- Hastings

Joint London Region and SE Region Event Photography Day in Brighton Saturday 5 August 2017

South East Region Advisory Day LRPS and ARPS (all five categories) Crawley, Sunday 3 September 2017

A Walk Between the two Piers With Trevor Gellard FRPS Sunday 8 October 2017 - Brighton

Introduction to Distinctions Sunday 12 November 2017 - Cobham

RPS South East Region

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In Conversation with Robert Canis Chelin Miller interviews award-winning wildlife and landscape photographer based in Kent CM: How did you get into photography, when did you first pick up a camera?

RC: My love for the natural world started before my interest in photography. I was given a camera by my parents when I was 10 years of age but it wasn’t until a couple of years later when I was introduced to a local well known naturalist and photographer that it really took off. His sheer enthusiasm and love for nature and photography soon rubbed off on me and it wasn’t long before I found myself photographing alongside him. From the very beginning he instilled a strict “code” that has remained with me ever since that no matter how hard you have worked to obtain images of a creature, its well-being always comes first. We spent a great deal of time together and I owe him an awful lot. Sadly he passed away twelve years ago. So, I guess you could say that from the age of around 12 I was taking it very seriously. By then I certainly understood apertures and shutter speeds, ASAs (as it was then known) and depth of field. You had to.

Everything was manual. There were no second chances!

CM: When did you realise that photography was what you wanted to do for a living?

RC: I know this sounds silly, but right from that moment I started to take it seriously, from 12. I remember at primary school having to give a talk in front of the class about our chosen project and mine was on photography.

I guess from then on, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else. Every waking moment was spent visiting my local park, woods and Downs with my camera, making black and white prints in my bedroom and obtaining good enough grades to get me into Paddington College School of Photography which I went on to attend from 87 to 89. It never dawned on me for one moment that I would ever do anything else other than photograph nature.

CM: Your images of flowers, woodlands and birds are very artistic, they are not your typical nature photographs. Have you always seen nature like in such an artistic way or has this aspect developed over time?

RC: I guess you could say I have always had an artistic

Redshank

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April 2017

Elmley in Winter

streak but it’s really only over the last 5 years or so that it has really become strongly evident in my work. I have never been entirely satisfied or fulfilled with producing stock images of the natural world, always feeling there was something missing. That there should be more. The internet is awash with outstanding imagery and you only have to type in something like “Robin” into Google to see many thousands of images of just this bird and so I feel it’s now more important than ever to create something that stands out from the crowd. Ultimately, if I can draw the viewer in closer, to look deeper into the image and perhaps, as a result, care a little more about the environment, then I am happy with that.

RPS South East Region

CM: The light and composition in your images are striking, what do you look for when you are scouting an area for photographs, what makes you decide where to stop for photographs?

RC: My number one priority when scouting an area for images is the quality of the light. If the play of light is interesting (say, morning or late afternoon) I will then look for a subject to utilise that light. In my images I am looking for more than capturing a mere record and so I have to pay close attention to what the light is doing. I know this sounds obvious but this is almost the complete opposite way of working in more conventional nature photography where priority is on locating the subject.

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CM: What is your creative process when you go out on your own, not when you are teaching workshops: do you normally have an idea in mind or do you simply take it as it comes and let yourself be surprised by what happens?

RC: It really depends on the season, weather and if I am working on a project. I have quite a list of nearby locations that I can visit within 15 or so minutes and so if it’s autumn and there is a heavy mist, I know of several nearby woodlands that would work well and similarly in spring for bluebells and orchids. There are other times, however, when I just see what happens and this can very often lead to a few surprises both in terms of exceptional light and wildlife encounters. I like to move very slowly and quietly and it’s important that I clear my mind as much as possible. I like to work small areas for a long period and by small I mean, sometimes, as little as a couple of square metres. Last spring, for example, I spent over two hours in an area similar to this shooting wood anemones. I just sat and experimented with different focal lengths and apertures. It’s a really nice way to work as you become part of the woodland and wildlife quickly accepts you.

CM: You have many personal projects? Why are they important to you?

RC: I think it’s important both for myself and workshop participants that I am a “working” photographer and by setting myself projects it gives me focus. I am much more productive when undertaking projects since I have a specific goal in mind as opposed to simply going out and seeing what turns up though I often do that anyway in between project work. When all said and done, I’m a photographer and I continually strive to improve my work both from a technical and, more importantly, a creative aspect.

CM: Tell us a little bit about your gear. Is there any particular gadget that you can’t be without?

RC: Aside from my first camera (Cosina) I have always used Nikon. I use a combination of full-frame and crop-sensor bodies depending on what I am shooting.

The one item I wouldn’t leave home without is a right-angle viewing attachment. I would rather forget a lens!

Cameras: Nikon D7200 and D810. Lenses: 14mm, 15mm fisheye, 20mm, 28-105mm, 105mm Micro, 200mm micro; extension tubes and Nikon 5T and 6T close-up filters, 70-200mm, 200-400mm, 1.4x tele-converter. SB800 flash-

Marbled White

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April 2017

Saffrondrop Mushroom

unit, Lee ND and ND grads, polarising filters, Manfrotto 055 CX3 carbon fibre tripod with Markins B1 ball head, Think Tank Airport Accelerator (overseas travel) and Lowepro Trekker Classic and Lowepro Pro AW backpacks.

CM: What is your workflow? Do you tend to achieve most of your image in camera and then work very little in post, or do you spend a long time enhancing the image afterwards?

RC: Having spent the first 20 years using film it’s ingrained to get as much done as possible in camera. I’m not a great lover of post-processing, much preferring to be outdoors than stuck inside(!) but it’s a necessity that comes with digital photography and therefore plays an integral part in the image making process. I strongly believe that It’s essential to know how to process an image well, otherwise how on earth can you translate what you saw and felt into the finished article?! I use Lightroom for the vast majority of my work (especially its Library) and

RPS South East Region

Photoshop for ‘tweaks’ such as sharpening, layers and the like. One thing I do religiously is back up my images on a regular (monthly) basis. I am amazed at how many photographers don’t! I use a Raid 1 system which automatically copies images onto another drive and then, once a month, I back these up onto another drive which is kept off-site.

CM: Your photography is renowned for being local to the area where you live, what advice would you give to people who want to explore their own area?

RC: Choose somewhere, anywhere, very near to your home which you can visit on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to immediately blow you away, it could be a small patch of woodland, meadow or shore. The fact that it’s close will enable you to visit in all seasons and weathers at different times of the day. This way, you will build up a picture of when and where to shoot at any given time and your images will be stronger for it.

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Sunrise Rabbit

CM: In photography terms, what are your plans for the next year or two?

RC: My workshop and tour business has grown significantly over the last 2-3 years and so much of my time is spent tutoring and leading groups to various European destinations. I’m very lucky and enjoy it immensely. I visit beautiful places and meet lots of new, interesting people that all have a common interest - photography.

However, I still make time to photograph my local patch and always have some kind of project on the go at any one time. One thing I’ve organised and will be doing

in December is holding a fundraising lecture for the International Fund for Animal Welfare - IFAW. They do a tremendous amount in conserving species and habitat and it’s just my way of putting a little something back. It’s going to be a brand new presentation on my nature photography and I’m very excited about it. Tickets are selling well and a representative from the organisation will be in attendance. For those interested, booking is essential and tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fundraising-lecture-for-ifaw-tickets-32354490151

DOCUMENTARY GROUP MEETINGS Discussion about Street Photography, followed by a review of members work - prints or DPI 25 June 2017 - 10am 1pm Tangmere Village Hall Malcolm Road Tangmere PO20 2HS Following dates: 17 September and 19 November

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April 2017

LRPS Panel and Beyond

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Photos and article by Alan Cork

s photographers we are driven by a desire to capture images that we find aesthetically pleasing, or at least elements of an image we can then further develop in post-production. The latter extending the creative possibilities in photography.

Yet how do we measure success in our chosen field of photography, even the least competitive among us is keen to show their work to others to validate what they are doing. The process of Distinctions developed by the RPS is one system that seeks to help us in this regard; by affirming our progress through acceptance in a series of visual inspections of our work. Formalised as a series of panels, the challenge then is to create images that work together to create an additional image beyond the sum of the individual images.

Taking advice from fellow club members and RPS representatives I soon realised that to stand any chance of success with a submission for a Licentiate I would have to bring together my best work, and by that I mean, technically sound work. I enjoy taking photographs with a relatively wide range of techniques which authors need to demonstrate in their submission. So, assuming the technical quality of those prints I selected was alright, it was just a matter of looking for harmony in a sequence of 10 photographs for my L panel, or so I thought.

Having decided which prints I felt worked best as a panel, I subjected them to scrutiny at an RPS Advisory Day and, as advised, I took a few additional prints for them to view. Within minutes of putting my panel up for inspection the reserves were being considered.

I had looked for a pleasing blend of images but it seemed that presenting technically more demanding images scored more highly than visual harmony. So it proved as I submitted the panel suggested by the advisor, Mr Richard Walton FRPS MPAGB EFIAP BPE3*, for which I am most grateful.

Choosing two lines of five prints, the task was then broken down into identifying end prints, that draw the viewer into the panel. Central images, that were symmetrical, leaving four prints that were relatively free, compositionally, but needed to work together either through colour, composition or subject.

Macro photography has always been a passion of mine, and so I chose strong images of colourful coreid bugs mating on aquilegia [2] and a female wasp spider with prey [8] to demonstrate the technique. I wanted to find a way to describe the movement in insect flight in an image rather than just present a single im-

Coreid bugs matting on aquilegia

RPS South East Region

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Hoverfly in final approach

age of a flying insect, so created a print with a series of images of a hoverfly as it approached and landed on a globe thistle. To do this I initially manually photo-staked a globe thistle by taking a series of images in which only the focal plane was changed and then took a series of images of hoverflies as they approached and subsequently landed on the same flower. Luckily, I was able to find a sequence of several images in which an insect was in sharp focus as it approached and then landed. Then by using layer masks a series of five images were combined into one photograph to show a fly in final approach [4]. Completing the four central macro images was a Schizostylis coccinea spike shaped by spiders’ gossamer threads [3]. The colour and form complimenting the other three prints.

I enjoy the challenge of taking images of birds and chose two to represent my work in the panel, a Ural owl [6] with large piercing eyes and a puffin, captured with sand-eels, but reluctant to move in the driving rain on a particularly wet day on the island of Skokholm [10]. I was also soaked during the encounter but felt the image really captured the atmosphere of the occasion and perhaps to some degree reflected the strong instincts that drives these birds to breed on such remote islands. The final prints consisted of white painted metalwork on the Great Conservatory at Syon Park [1] which acted as a foil to the Ural owl and a straight shot of a distressed city worker having a bad hair day being ‘observed’ by a horse statue [5] to complete the set.

Strong diagonals are important to lead the eye into a photograph. I had one image of a rainy day on London’s south bank [7] which had a large depth of field. The strong diagonal line helps to draw the viewer from The Scoop to the Shard in the distance, as it stood above a horizon created by the buildings in the mid-ground. To compliment this image, I chose a photograph with a similar colour pallet and composition, but a shallow depth of field, in which a strong diagonal was created by a bridge in Stokholm [9] and the object that cut through the horizon was now in the foreground in the form of a golden royal crow.

This was echoed by an out of focus tall ship towards which a young lady on the bridge was walking, which linked the two elements together.

I wanted to give members an idea of where my photography was going after doing the panel and showed two composites and a still life entitled ‘bitter harvest’.

One composite was pure fantasy and visualised the idea of ‘juggling between a rock and a hard place’ while the second image was inspired by political cartoons of the 19th century, entitled ‘allegory of the international banking crisis’. For many, these images are perhaps too busy but for the moment I am just enjoying using elements of photographs as building blocks to create new stories and hopefully stimulate debate.

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Prof. Alan Cork April 2017

Schizostylis coccinea spike

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Bad hair day

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Ural owl

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Rainy day on London’s south bank

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Female wasp spider with prey

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Puffin with sand-eels

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April 2017

Allegory of the international banking crisis

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Bitter harvest

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April 2017

Stokholm

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Juggling between a rock and a hard place

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April 2017

Photography in the Age of Social Media

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From the latest digital trends to the origins of photography Chelin Miller ARPS

n 2015-2016, I attended a course in documentary photography at the University of the Arts London (UAL).

For the collaborative unit, I teamed up with another student, Rashi Arora, and we carried out a participatory project with external partners. We organised a workshop with a group of young teenagers to teach them traditional printing methods – the cyanotype process.

Conceptualisation and Realisation We gave the children a task: to go out on a photo-walk in town and take photos with their mobile phones. We converted the digital files to large contact negatives using a mobile app. During the workshop we demonstrated the production of a contact print using chemicals, a negative of their photos and ultraviolet light (sun or lamp). We produced a photo essay in the form of a book and e-book, and a blog article. We introduced the participants to the history of photography and explained what we were actually going to achieve. Our research involved finding out about the teenagers’ reaction to the process, and how they felt about learning an old technique and apply it to new technologies. From previous experience working

RPS South East Region

with school children, we had learnt that traditional teaching methods are not very successful in creative projects.

We were able to use this knowledge to develop the structure of the workshop in a more effective way, to suit the teenagers’ concentration span and interest capabilities.

For that purpose, we kept to informal locations, allowing them access to activities of their interest between stages and constant source of refreshments.

Research stage - Digital natives The expression ‘digital natives’ or the ‘Net generation’ refers to young people who are said to have been immersed in technology all their lives, of having sophisticated technical skills and learning preferences for which traditional education is unprepared. It is obvious that there is a huge generational change, showing different approaches to technology, photography and learning. It was out of a desire to build a bridge between generations, teaching approaches and learning methods that we embarked on this small project, the creation of a book, trying to close the gap between old and new, analogue and digital, traditional and virtual.

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Change and Continuity Photography has been subject to constant change since first invented. But there is continuity of content: we are always taking holiday pictures and making family albums.

We still archive images and use some for purpose of memory and representation. Photography can have two sides: on one hand it can possess exclusivity and value attributed to the work of art; and on the other hand it is viewed as a tool of democratisation of the image. Nowadays it belongs to a global mass population that creates billions of images per day through their mobile phones.

Permanence and ephemerality We asked the teenage girls some questions to explore their use and views of photography.

How often do you take photos and how do you take them?

Every day, with my phone. Sometimes, if I’m on a school trip, I borrow my mum’s camera, but it’s too heavy and complicated so now I just prefer to use my phone.

What do you do with your photos?

I post them on instagram or make my Snapchat story.

Sometimes I post them on Facebook too, but my mum and aunties keep liking them and it gets embarrassing, so if the photos are for my friends only, then I use instagram or snapchat. The photos on Facebook are there forever, but snapchat is just for fun with me and my friends.

I know they will disappear - unless the take a screengrab, but that’s ok, I know what to post and what will be embarrassing one day. On snapchat I post ‘sillies’ and ‘uglies’, it’s just for fun, it doesn’t matter if I don’t look good. But I am more careful when I post on facebook – I only put

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photos there where I look good, or where I’m doing cool stuff with my friends.

What did you think of this workshop?

It was fun! I like to make things with my hands, and I never thought you could actually make a photo like this, it was like … Magic! But it takes a long time to prepare everything. Luckily we didn’t have to get all the stuff ready ourselves. It was really cool that I could just take photo with my phone and make it into a negative just with an app. Then we printed it on special transparency paper and it was really easy. But you have to be careful with the way you move the blue liquid around … it can be tricky.

Why did you choose this photo of a swan?

I really like it. It’s my mum’s favourite photo too. I think it looks really lovely like this, all blue … I took it with my phone in Tonbridge, near the castle by the river Medway.

Conclusion The workshop was very successful and we all had a lot of fun. As we had anticipated, the children were very pleased with the results and were willing to do it again. From the practical point of view, this project needs to be done in the right facilities, and plenty of time must be allocated.

Although the chemicals used are relatively safe, health and safety precautions must be taken, using appropriate clothing and treating the tools and equipment with due care and respect. It was well received by everybody and we think there is scope to introduce this as co-curricular activities at schools or summer break/half-term workshops.

April 2017

EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

CAPTURING ON COLLODION

Using the collodion photographic process from the 1850s and an original camera and lens from the 1870s, Sean Hawkey captures portraits of people which have an intense, ethereal beauty to them.

For this exhibition, which runs until 20 May 2017, Hawkey has produced new portraits of people from Tunbridge Wells to add to his existing body of work.

He has also selected historic photographs, cameras and processing equipment from the collections at Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery to complement his work.

Images by pioneering Victorian photographer Thomas Sims, based in Tunbridge Wells from 1868 until 1910, together with Hawkey’s contemporary work, enable us to reimagine and reconnect with the people captured in these historic photographic portraits.

Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery Civic Centre, Mount Pleasant Road, TN1 1JN www.hawkey.co.uk

If you would like to have your exhibition featured in the next issue, contact the editor on southeastweb@rps.org RPS South East Region

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This exhibition is based on Ann’s and Richard’s successful Associateship and Fellowship panels respectively 24

April 2017

Cover photo by Richard Corkrey LRPS I came across this blossom display whilst walking on Chiseldown near East Dean in West Sussex. It was the only tree with blossom in the immediate area and stood out in stark relief against the dark, broken woodland which was immediately behind it. It stood out like a beacon of hope.

Enthusiastic volunteers wanted !

The Archaeology and Heritage Group are recruiting committee members.

This is a great opportunity to make new friends, visit amazing places while knowing that you’re helping a fantastic Special Interest Group.

As a committee member, you can contribute as much or as little as you are able. You will receive relevant training opportunities, appropriate resources and equipment to carry out your role, a full RPS induction, reimbursement of agreed expenses and opportunities to expand your skills

RPS South East Region

and experience in relation to your role. There is also recognition for volunteering (through RPS length-of-service certificates) and most of all, the satisfaction that you are helping a wonderful Group organise events and activities for the enjoyment of its members and beyond!

We cover a wide variety of heritage interests and activities, ranging from archaeological discoveries to the present century: the photography of buildings, artefacts, transport, militaria, industry and intangible heritage. http://www.rps.org/special-interest-groups/archaeology-and-heritage. For more information contact heritageweb@rps.org

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SPECTRUM PHOTO ART Exhibition at Stables Gallery Hall Place, Bexley Friday 21 April Sunday 21 May 2017

Nenne van Dijk FRPS DPAGB, Jay Charnock FRPS, Penny Anderson ARPS DPAGB, Rosemary Wilman HonFRPS AFIAP, Sandy White DPAGB and Lesley Rees. Please join us on Wednesday 26 April 12.00 noon to 2.00 pm or visit at any other time.

We are a group of photographers of diverse backgrounds, influences and interests, who share a passion for taking and making images. This diversity is evident in the variety of photographs on show, and demonstrates the differences of thought and versatility of approach, to the subjects of our choice. The Group has exhibited together for several years each photographer’s personal work is highlighted in small panels.

In each exhibition we have used a small space to show coherent selections of images. Following very positive comments a colour section has now become our signature feature, this year with Yellow, and, a small feature on ‘Eyes’.

Hall Place & Gardens, Bourne Road, Bexley, Kent DA5 1PQ House and Gardens open 10.00 am to 5.00 pm daily, including Bank Holidays Garden, Gallery and parking are free.

For more information please visit www.spectrumphotoart.co.uk or call 02083940581 www.bexleyheritagetrust.org.uk/hallplace

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April 2017