The RPS Journal May 2016

MARTIN PARR

WHY I’M SERIOUSLY ENTERTAINING

MAY 2016 / VOLUME 156 / NUMBER 5 / WWW.RPS.ORG

MASTERCLASS

BEST SHOTS

HOW TO TAKE BETTER IMAGES UNDERWATER

IN THE FAST LANE WITH F1 SPECIALIST DARREN HEATH

© Sandra Åberg

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OPENING SHOT

| MAY 2016 | 321

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE …

M COMING UP

IN FUTURE ISSUES To celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday, we showcase an impressive collection of images of Her Majesty by members and Honorary Fellows; and this year’s graduating photography students display their work

artin Parr HonFRPS was one the first artists to make a real impact on my younger self. I intuitively knew what he was trying to do with his images.

They made me think about British identity, class structure, leisure and globalisation. They also made me laugh.

But Parr’s humour is complex. He doesn’t invite us to laugh at his subjects – the images wouldn’t work if that was the case. Parr instead encourages us to laugh at ourselves. Despite our cultural mores – and whatever our wealth or social class – from some perspective or other, we are all really quite ridiculous.

It’s great to have him adorning the cover of the Journal with this portrait by Harry Borden HonFRPS taken earlier in the year.

As a street photographer, Joel Meyerowitz HonFRPS also has an eye for absurd moments.

He manages to capture the eccentricities of life in the city, and those serendipitous occasions that reveal real humanity.

It must have felt like a huge risk when he changed format and subject matter to create his seminal collection, Cape Light, in 1979. In a series that is largely devoid of humans, he still manages to capture a real sense of drama, as though something is forever bubbling under the

surface. With a new edition of the Cape Light photobook now available from Aperture, we take the opportunity to speak to Meyerowitz about the project.

Another architect of drama is Darren Heath HonFRPS. As a Formula 1 photographer, Heath manages to find the unconventional images that tell a story beyond what is depicted. He has an exceptional eye for eking out the images that show not only the subject, but what’s at stake for these drivers. We take a look at his best shots on page 370.

Last but not least, Paul Hill MBE and Maria Falconer FRPS report back on their five-week trip to Lesvos in which they helped hundreds of refugees arriving daily on the island. They explore new ways of representing people who have sought sanctuary – without objectifying them, as they too often are in the press.

ANDREW CATTANACH Acting editor

PATRON AND SPONSORS

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322 | MAY 2016

IN THIS ISSUE The Royal Photographic Society Fenton House, 122 Wells Road Bath BA2 3AH, UK www.rps.org reception@rps.org +44 (0)1225 325733 Incorporated by Royal Charter Patron Her Majesty the Queen President Walter Benzie HonFRPS Vice-President Robert Albright FRPS Treasurer Geoff Blackwell ARPS Director-General Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS Published on behalf of The Royal Photographic Society by Think Red Tree Business Suites 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA thinkpublishing.co.uk

358 A interior shot from the new edition of Cape Light by Joel Meyerowitz HonFRPS

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Acting editor Andrew Cattanach andrew@thinkpublishing.co.uk 0141 375 0481 Contributing editors Gavin Stoker, Geoff Harris LRPS, Fiona McKinlay, Kathleen Morgan, Jonathan McIntosh Design Matthew Ball, John Pender Sub-editor Sam Bartlett FEATURES

Advertising sales Daniel Haynes daniel.haynes@thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7200 Account director Helen Cassidy helen.cassidy@thinkpublishing.co.uk Group account director John Innes

358 | LIGHT FANTASTIC As a new edition of Cape Light goes on sale, Honorary Fellow Joel Meyerowitz discusses his seminal large-format work

© 2016 The Royal Photographic Society.

All rights reserved.

Every reasonable endeavour has been made to find and contact the copyright owners of the works included in this newspaper. However, if you believe a copyright work has been included without your permission, please contact the publishers. Views of contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Royal Photographic Society or those of the publishers. All material correct at time of going to press.

364 | REALITY CHECK Why did Maria Falconer FRPS and Paul Hill MBE spend five weeks volunteering in a refugee camp?

ISSN: 1468-8670

Cover Martin Parr HonFRPS

by Harry Borden HonFRPS

386 Pools winner: Guy Schotte lifts the veil on his underwater work

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370 | VA VA VOOM Darren Heath HonFRPS, one of the world's top F1 photographers, talks us through his best shots

© GUY SCHOTTE; © JOEL MEYEROWITZ; © DARREN HEATH

350 | RHUBARB, RHUBARB …

With one of his current exhibitions inspired by the light-deprived vegetable, we hear from the singular Martin Parr HonFRPS

370

Mercedes testing in Barcelona by Darren Heath HonFRPS

THE CRAFT

381 | MUST TRY ) LATEST KIT The pros and cons of the Pentax K-1, plus member test and a range of new equipment 385 | MASTERCLASS/IN DEPTH Two underwater photography specialists share their hints and tips for capturing breathtaking shots

EVERY MONTH

324 | BIG PICTURE Orchid Cuckoo Bee by Levon Biss 327 | IN FOCUS ) BOOKS Competitions, exhibitions, Society news, views and more, plus four new publications 338 | DISTINCTIONS Michael Palmer, ARPS Pictorial, and Ilya Fisher LRPS 378 | SHOWCASE Sam Weller FRPS's bromoil work

Š ILYA FISHER

389 | MEMBER GUIDE Our round-up of Society events

344 Off the wall: one of Ilya Fisher LRPS's successful Distinctions panel images

400 | TIMES PAST Vortograph (2)

by Alvin Langdon Coburn VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 323

324 | BIG PICTURE |

Orchid Cuckoo Bee

By Levon Biss

BACKGROUND Commercially I shoot sport and portraits – the insect photography is a personal project. I started shooting a few bits and pieces using a microscope and designed and built the rig I now use.

PROCESS I use a 36-megapixel camera with a 200mm tube lens and a 10-times microscope objective.

The camera is mounted on a rail that is automated to move the camera forward by 10 microns between each shot. That way I have all the images I need to stack in post-production.

I photograph the insect, which is mounted on a pin, in about 30 or so different sections.

324 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

This image took up to six days to shoot and up to five days to process. I took around 10,000 photos to build this image.

EXHIBITION The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is exhibiting my photographs of 24 species from its collection, some of which have been printed three metres in length. They will be displayed next to the actual specimens. microsculpture.net Society member Levon Biss is a professional photographer.

His Oxford show runs from 27 May–30 October

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327

PHOTOBOOK COMPETITION July deadline for entries 329

FRAME ACADEMY This month’s top exhibitions 332

OUR SURVEY SAYS …

Digital data at risk, finds Society 334

INFOCUS NEWS, VIEWS, EXHIBITIONS AND MEMBER INSIGHT

Face to face with one of Longleat’s tigers

CLOSER THAN CLOSE

Simon King HonFRPS takes intimate photographs of safari park residents

© SIMON KING

Honorary Fellow Simon King was invited by Longleat Safari Park to help celebrate its 50th anniversary – by capturing some of the park’s most popular, and potentially dangerous, residents.

To achieve the intimate shots of lions, tigers, rhinos and lemurs, King attached a cage to his Land Rover

BOOK NOW!

which could be hydraulically lowered on to the ground.

‘Getting inside their world in a way the general public wouldn’t experience was very attractive,’ says King.

‘If they were about to get in a bad mood I’d get out of the way but, generally, their first reaction was curiosity and, after that, indifference.’

Simon King HonFRPS’s exhibition is at Longleat Safari Park until 30 October CLOSE!UP AND MACRO

King uses the lowerable cage attached to the side of his Land Rover

Join a one-day Society workshop on close-up and macro photography on Wednesday 25 May in Buckinghamshire. For more information turn to page 392 VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 327

328 | IN FOCUS |

MARKET VALUE Competition winners each awarded $1,500 in prizes plus medals and books from The Royal Photographic Society The winners of the World Union of Wholesale Markets Photographer (WUWM) of the Year 2016 competition, promoted by the Society’s Italian chapter, have been announced.

The theme of the competition is ‘I love my food market,’ and it draws attention to the role that markets play in improving the availability of healthy and nutritious food, as well as enhancing food security and revitalising communities.

Ben Chung Kim-pan’s image of a Hong Kong indoor market was named overall winner by the judges, which included Journal editor Clare Harris (currently on maternity leave), while Eetu Ahanen from Helsinki was named the WUWM Young Photographer of the Year.

See bit.ly/marketrps

Hong Kong indoor market

by Ben Chung Kim-pan

COMPETITION SUCCESS Geoff Harris LRPS, freelance contributing editor of the Journal, has reached the finals of the 2016 Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition.

His image of Buddhist monks delivering fresh bread for Tibetan new year was shortlisted in the Food for Celebration category. See pinkladyfoodphotographer oftheyear.com for the full list of winners and details of the subsequent exhibition.

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GEOFF HARRIS LRPS; EETU AHANEN; BEN CHUNG KIM!PAN

Contributing editor in the frame for food photography prize

| IN FOCUS | 329 FROM DEL BARRETT ARPS

HAVE YOU GOT IT COVERED? Time to commit those images to paper

T

DEL BARRETT ARPS

IN THE DIARY

PHOTOGRAPHICA CLASSIC CAMERA FAIR RETURNS LONDON EVENT TO BE HELD ON 22 MAY Organised by the Photographic Collectors Club of Great Britain, this year’s show has around 135 tables for buying, selling and swapping classic and antique cameras. The event is at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Hall. See more at pccgb.net

he Society’s photobook competition promises to be bigger and better this year, and a great excuse to get some of those images off the hard drive and into print.

Despite the advent of e-readers, my library continues to grow through the regular procurement of photobooks. There is something sublime about the process; the anticipation while ripping off the cellophane, the flicking through the pages to release the scent of a new book and then the wonderfully tactile experience of stroking the shiny pages. And if that’s not enough, there are the pictures themselves.

Technology has given us access to millions of photographs – search online for any iconic photographer and their best-known images will appear. But the more electronic we get, the greater our desire to go retro and display our images in paper form. And they are not always ‘books’ in the conventional sense – check out Thomas Sauvin’s Until Death Do Us Part.

Artist books, where the volume is a work of art itself, are becoming increasingly popular. They seem to be getting more

creative in structure and appearance – ranging from a relatively simple collection of cards in a knitted pouch to complex origami-like constructions, presented in elegant handmade boxes.

I was lucky enough to attend a course with the wonderful Clare Bryan and was surprised how easy it was to make a book – although I use the term ‘easy’ with caution.

You need certain co-ordination skills (which I lack), namely, the ability to fold and cut paper correctly. Once these have been mastered, the world is your photobook and the results can be stunning.

I need a lot more practice, though, if I’m going to be ready for 31 July – the closing date of the Society’s competition.

Del Barrett ARPS is a council member of The Royal Photographic Society

One she made earlier: Barrett’s boustrophedon

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330 | IN FOCUS |

RECOGNISING VOLUNTEERS Well done to members who have given their service to the Society FOUR!EIGHT YEARS’ SERVICE Walter Benzie HonFRPS Michael Sasse David Fletcher EIGHT!TWELVE YEARS’ SERVICE Maureen Albright ARPS

SPRINGBOARD TO SUCCESS Inspiration aplenty at the Travel Group’s April symposium

PHOTO CREDIT: CLIVE R. HAYNES FRPS WWW.CRHFOTO.CO.UK CAMERA MODEL: ACS CONVERTED NIKON D70IR 720NM

Runnymede, near London, is famous for its Magna Carta connections, but the main draw on 16 April was the Travel Group’s Springboard to Success symposium, which attracted more than 100 attendees.

Tony Smith ARPS gave a talk about his increasing reliance on smartphones for travel photography. He shared some great tips on image capture, editing and storage, while showing how smartphones enabled him to get shots in places where conventional cameras were discouraged.

The main speaker was renowned travel and

Qrt hoz.indd 1

landscape photographer David Noton, who took us around the world with his interactive Chasing the Light roadshow. Noton also chose the print of the day, as submitted by group members, before handing over to Society president Walter Benzie HonFRPS.

Walter Benzie HonFRPS with Andrew Gasson ARPS

The president outlined his vision for the Society and revealed the winners of the Travel Group’s annual projected image competition – congratulations to overall winner Alison Morris for her wonderful shot of Indian siblings. ‘It was good to see so many members and, in view of their positive comments, we plan to heed their requests and put on similar events in the future,’ said organiser John Curgenven LRPS. With more than 700 members, the Travel Group is one of the fastest growing in the Society.

See rps.org/special-interestgroups/travel

TWELVE YEARS’ AND OVER SERVICE Vanessa Slawson FRPS Rod Wainwright ARPS Eric Houlder LRPS Kenneth Keen FRPS James F Tonks ARPS Robert Albright FRPS Jane Black ARPS Brian Pearson ARPS SIGN UP FOR ONE OF THE SOCIETY’S WORKSHOPS The Society offers a wide range of workshops for those looking to improve their photography skills or learn a new process.

Get ahead of the curve and book up for courses coming up later this year, including workshops on landscape and wildlife photography, as well as wet collodion and ambrotype processes.

Visit bit.ly/rpsworkshops

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24/11/2015 15:11

ALISON MORRIS

Alison Morris’s image was a winner on the day

365

TAJ MAHAL 1979/2015

By Nina Reistad This photo was taken in Oslo in 1979, but I decided to revive it in 2015 when I scanned a lot of my old negatives and reprocessed them in Photoshop for a show.

The photo stems from my time working for the

music papers in Norway. At the time I had a Nikon F2, and the film used was Kodak Tri-X pushed to 1,600 ASA (ISO).

I can’t quite remember the lens I used, but I have a feeling that it could have been a 135mm fixed lens on f/2.8. I didn’t have a zoom lens at the time.

MARCH’S ONLINE COMPETITION WINNERS

MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

GET INVOLVED Submit photographs for the next competition at rps-365.org RICHARD BONA

By Alex Goh Chun Seong ARPS Taken at the Penang Island Jazz Festival 2015 with a Fujifilm X-T1 56mm f/1.2, Bona had the crowd in a frenzy.

His movements, coupled with his intense expression, made for a great opportunity.

However, it was not easy getting that perfect shot with all that movement.

I converted the image to black and white to minimise the blurry spots and applied photo sharpening to touch up certain aspects.

BARRON

By Samuel Andrew Fenton I love working with musicians because there is so much character in song and performance.

We were at the studio to do some generic promo shots but chose to experiment a little and see what props were lying around.

Of everything we

found, the broom seemed to gain unanimous approval. Shot with a Canon 5D MkIII, and 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, to me this embodies the

fun and enjoyable atmosphere of the entire shoot. The drummer decided to have a go at the vocals, much to the dismay of the rest of the band.

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332 | IN FOCUS |

PASSION: MAUD SULTER Impressions Gallery, Bradford UNTIL 4 JUNE

Impressions Gallery presents the multilayered work of Scottish-Ghanaian photographic artist, poet and curator Maud Sulter (1960– 2008). This is the first time a major survey of her work has been shown outside Scotland. bit.ly/sulter

PAINTING WITH LIGHT: ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE PRE&RAPHAELITES TO THE MODERN AGE Tate Britain, London 11 MAY(25 SEPTEMBER

This exhibition at the Linbury Galleries reveals the spirited

conversation between British painters and photographers, from the very beginning of the medium. It brings together photographs and paintings, including Pre-Raphaelite, aesthetic and British impressionist works.

Seminal photographers on

display include David Octavius Hill, Robert Adamson and Julia Margaret Cameron, while the painters include John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Whistler, Sargent and many more. bit.ly/paintinglight

PAUL STRAND: PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM FOR THE 20TH CENTURY V&A Museum, London UNTIL 3 JULY

Paul Strand (18901976) helped define early American modernist photography and is rightly celebrated for his influential portraits and more abstract and experimental work. bit.ly/pstrand MAY ONWARDS

ALSO SHOWING

MADE IN HEAVEN: BOB CARLOS CLARKE The Little Black Gallery, London

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR The Rheged Centre, Penrith

UNSEEN: LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK, 1930s&60s Ben Uri Gallery, London

UNTIL 12 MAY

20 MAY(3 JULY

20 MAY(29 AUGUST

AT PHOTO LONDON FROM 19&22 MAY

Images from this major competition arrive in Cumbria. Among the finalists are local photographer Rosamund Macfarlane ARPS, one of only seven British photographers in the contest, and one of only seven women out of the 77 finalists. bit.ly/rosamundwpoty

Presented here are images of three very photogenic cities, taken by a trio of major 20th-century photographers – Wolfgang Suschitzky, Dorothy Bohm and Neil Libbert. The exhibition includes many works never previously exhibited in the UK. benuri.org.uk

To mark the 10th anniversary of Carlos Clarke’s death, this retrospective includes images from his influential books The Dark Summer, Shooting Sex and White Heat, plus pictures from the still life series Styx. thelittleblackgallery.com

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Off the Hook: The Rolling Stones by Gered Mankowitz Snap Galleries, 12 Piccadilly Arcade, London.

Until 28 May Performing for the Camera Tate Modern, London.

Until 12 June Tim Rudman: An Uneasy Calm The Lightbox, Woking.

Until 3 July Echoes of the Great War Weston Park Museum, Sheffield.

Until 4 September Peter Marlow’s Cathedrals Coventry Cathedral.

Until 5 September

DECORATIVE STUDY NO. 1, POMEGRANATES C. 1906, MINNA KEENE 1861(1943 © ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY/NATIONAL MEDIA MUSEUM/SCIENCE + SOCIETY PICTURE LIBRARY; © MAUD SULTER; THE FAMILY LUZZARA THE LUSETTIS 1953 © PAUL STRAND ARCHIVE, APERTURE FOUNDATION; © ROSAMUND MACFARLANE ARPS; © BOB CARLOS CLARKE

WHAT NOT TO MISS

334 | IN FOCUS |

WE NEED BACK!UP!

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Society survey reveals big risk of digital photo loss Photographers across Europe are losing irreplaceable work by failing to back up their digital images, according to an international survey by the Society and storage specialists Verbatim.

More than a quarter of the 1,800 people surveyed said they had lost data on their computer or smartphone, while one in five choose not to back up data frequently on computers because they are too ‘lazy’, or it takes too long. A third of respondents never backed up their mobile phones or tablets.

The average respondent estimates they store around 220,000 photos digitally – putting some 400 million images in danger of being lost unless they take action.

‘While it is crucial to do regular back-ups, also follow the “3-2-1 rule” – make at least three copies on two different types of media, with one of those devices kept in a different location to the others,’ said Verbatim’s Rüdiger Theobald.

Chair by Keith Houghton LRPS

See more at bit.ly/rpsdataloss

DISTINCTIONS SUCCESSES

1%

13%

THEFT

3

11%

SOFTWARE CORRUPTION

COMPUTER I CAN’T VIRUSES REMEMBER

7%

ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE

13% OTHER

52%

HARDWARE FAILURE

334 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

Well done to members on their recent achievements

03/16 ARPS PICTORIAL Christine Eltherington, Cumbria Joan Jordan, Norfolk Michael Palmer, Sussex Jill Stanley, Hampshire

John Credland, Buckinghamshire Robert Gibbons, London Catherine Jones, Fife Isabella Knight, Suffolk Nancy Laurie, Stirlingshire Michael Parmee, Warwickshire Michael Randle, Bedfordshire Sally Sallett, Yorkshire

03/16 ARPS CREATIVE Barry Badcock, Cambridgeshire Leonard Claydon, Cheshire

03/16 ARPS NATURAL HISTORY John Simpson, Inverness-shire

03/16 ARPS TRAVEL Paul Clarke, Somerset Moises Martinez, Spain

Anna Warrington, Staffordshire Cheryl Wilkes, Suffolk 03/16 ARPS EXEMPTION David Swidenbank, Mid Glamorgan 04/16 ARPS EXEMPTION Erich Caparas, Hillsborough Iona Fergusson, London Stephen Judson, Cheshire 04/16 ASICI FRPS Derek Schultz, Beverley

KEITH HOUGHTON LRPS; BRIAN GRIFFIN HonFRPS

WHY DOES DATA LOSS HAPPEN?

| IN FOCUS | 335

LONDON

We speak to regional organiser Del Barrett ARPS IN A NUTSHELL A team of volunteers who each have their own areas of responsibility help run the region. It now has more than 1,300 members and we’re lucky to boast so many good photographers. We have 45 Honorary Fellows, too many great names to list them all individually, but the membership list reads like a Who’s Who in photography.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE AREA? We hold regular events for Distinctions advice, photobook discussion, wildlife rambles, street photography, urban photography and more, but always have a high-profile event in the pipeline and a major project on the go. Our next key event, on 17 May, is a photography Question Time with a panel headed by Brian Griffin HonFRPS and including Bill Hunt, Mark Power and Lisa Barnard. Our major project is Breathing London, through which we plan to photograph the diversity of the green spaces in all the London boroughs. These massparticipation projects are hugely

BRIAN GRIFFIN HonFRPS; JÜRGEN SCHADEBERG; ANDY MARLAND ARPS

PHOTO LONDON GETS BIGGER AND BETTER

Talks by Honorary Fellows among 2016 highlights This year’s Photo London, a major international photography fair and conference, is at Somerset House from 18–22 May. As well as offering the chance to buy iconic photography from 80 galleries – 10 more than last year – there’s a stellar line-up of speakers, including three Honorary Fellows: Don McCullin, Martin Parr and Nadav Kander.

See photolondon.org

NEWS IN BRIEF

successful as everyone can take part and do it in their own time.

London Road fire station, Manchester

WHY IS THE REGION GREAT FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS? London is the best photography location in the UK because there’s something for everyone.

From urban detail, parks and iconic buildings to markets, the Thames and the melting pot of people – there’s so much to discover. Even if you don’t feel like taking photographs, there are hundreds of photographic talks and exhibitions to attend, with so many of them free.

CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF ORGANISING THE REGION? The most joyous part is meeting so many wonderful people and being immersed in all sorts of things photographic.

The main challenge is reminding members that we are all volunteers and only human, so we won’t get it right all the time, but we get it right as often as we can.

MEMBER GETS CALL FROM O2

Telecoms firm commissions work from Andy Marland ARPS

Brian Griffin HonFRPS

Handstand on Michel by Jürgen Schadeberg

Photographers need a good, easy-to-find website, as Andy Marland ARPS will testify.

After seeing Marland’s images online, O2’s PR agency asked him to do a paid-for shoot using the Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone.

Marland, who describes the camera in the S7 as ‘bloody amazing’ shot a variety of interesting urban sites for the O2 campaign, including the former London Road fire station in Manchester and the Crossness Pumping Station in London.

The fire station shots ran in the print and online edition of the Manchester Evening News and the online edition of the Independent, and he is waiting to hear where the others will be used.

‘It’s been an amazing opportunity for an amateur,’ says Marland, who is now working towards his FRPS. See theviewfromthenorth.org VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 335

BOOK NOW Until 11 September 2016

South Kensington sciencemuseum.org.uk

ScienceMuseum #FoxTalbot

William Henry Fox Talbot and Nicolaas Henneman at the Reading establishment, 1846 Š National Media Museum, Bradford/SSPL

BOOK REVIEWS

| IN FOCUS | 337

AVEDON/WARHOL Larry Gagosian, Michael Bracewell and Ara Merjian Abrams & Chronicle (£60) This sumptuously produced volume ties in with a fascinating exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery.

Richard Avedon and Andy Warhol came to define their era, and both had an unshakeable belief in the power of the image to influence, shock and seduce. Avedon/Warhol shows how they captured and interpreted the same sitter in different media.

GEOFF HARRIS LRPS

Tooms’ book is a comprehensive guide for experts and novices alike

ON THE SPECTRUM

SHUTTERSTOCK

A distinguished study that’s a go-to guide on colour reproduction

COLOUR REPRODUCTION IN ELECTRONIC IMAGING SYSTEMS MICHAEL S TOOMS John Wiley & Sons (£74.95) Author Michael Tooms’ career with colour has been long and distinguished: he’s worked for EMI, ABC Television and is a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He is therefore well placed to write a comprehensive book on colour reproduction in photography, television and cinematography.

Tooms set out to provide readers with all they need to know about colour, and his book serves as both a tutorial and a reference work, defining what we mean by colour and providing an explanation of the proper derivation of chromaticity charts. The result is a very wide-ranging work, encompassing 34 chapters and 10 appendices, plus a companion website (many of the detailed calculations and equations that underpin colour science have been sensibly incorporated into the appendices).

It’s always a difficult choice for an author to decide what to include and what to exclude in such a work. For example, ink-jet printing is dealt with very

comprehensively, but the opportunity to discuss dye sublimation and digital printing on to chromogenic colour papers wasn’t taken.

A key topic is how to obtain accurate colour reproduction through the adoption of cameras with appropriate spectral sensitivities. Given the choice of camera profiles that are available in software packages such as Adobe Photoshop, and what may be selected via a camera’s menu system, colour accuracy is not always what photographers want. Thus not to discuss the subject of preferred colour reproduction is perhaps a missed opportunity.

While there are a few inaccuracies and omissions in this book, they do not detract significantly from the overall work. Tooms’ book deserves to be regarded as a “go to” resource for those working in the field of colour reproduction, or those who have a strong interest in the subject.

It is well suited to the needs of engineers and scientists, while enthusiast photographers seeking the technical detail behind colour reproduction will also be satisfied.

DR A L KAYE ASIS FRPS

LESSONS IN LANDSCAPE Peter Watson Ammonite Press (£19.99) Subtitled ‘80 techniques for taking better photographs’, this is a comprehensive, if hardly earth-shattering, collection of tips for conventional landscape photography. It covers very popular approaches, such as long-exposure water with boulders in the foreground, as well as sweeping vistas and panoramas. While informative, some of the sections could have been written by the ministry of the bleedin’ obvious – eg ‘Appraise your Work’.

GEOFF HARRIS LRPS

CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES Wendy Watriss, Steven Evans, Frederick Baldwin Schilt Publishing (£35) Only the most determined climate change deniers could fail to be moved by this beautifully produced book, which looks at how photographers and other artists are responding to environmental change.

Photographers featured here include Edward Burtynsky, David Doubilet and Joel Sartore, alongside some thought-provoking essays on the subject.

GERRY BARNETT

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 337

338 | MAY WHAT ARE DISTINCTIONS?

Distinctions are standards of achievement recognised throughout the world

LRPS Applicants need to show good photographic competence in five key areas

338 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

ARPS Evidence of a creative ability and personal style, plus complete control of the technical aspects of photography

FRPS Our highest Distinction is given for excellence and a distinguished ability in photography

FEATURE SPONSORED BY

LONDON ABSTRACT #0063 LEFT

‘The centrepiece of my panel, and probably the most important. It is the only one with colour other than blue and cyan, which instantly makes it the focal point. An image that needs studying to fully understand as it is not instantly clear what it is’

Michael Palmer ARPS PICTORIAL

‘I wanted to portray London’s architecture in a way that most people do not see it’ LIKING most styles, but not being a specialist in any one genre, was a problem as I was not sure how to proceed with this new project. Having bought a Sony a7 I decided to spend time in central London working on street photography but found architectural shots – especially of modern metal and glass skyscrapers that are springing up on every corner – most satisfying, probably because I like symmetry, patterns, angles and lines.

I wanted to portray London’s architecture in a way that most people do not see it – a modern, contemporary and vibrant city as conveyed by its iconic commercial landmarks.

This was achieved by looking up at the skyline instead of whole buildings at ground level.

Some images, being quite abstract and sometimes mysterious, encouraged me VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 339

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FEATURE SPONSORED BY

LONDON ABSTRACT #9973 BOTTOM LEFT

Probably the most recognisable building in the panel. It’s a must-go place for photographers THE WALKIE)TALKIE TOP LEFT

F/4, ISO 100, 1/2,500sec GOTHAM ABOVE

This could be on the set of a Batman film set in the dark city of Gotham LONDON ABSTRACT #0066 TOP RIGHT

F/9, ISO 100, 1/100sec MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE BOTTOM RIGHT

This is a nod to the superb book, The Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe.

Taken on Canary Wharf, the angles, lines and clarity make this a striking image

to be creative in my choice of subjects and to try different techniques that I had not used before – a considerable move away from the landscapes and seascapes I was more used to doing.

My ‘work in progress’ panel was ready in November and, after a positive response at my club’s Distinction group, it was all systems go to fine tune it.

From conception to completion took approximately five to six months and, thankfully, I work better under pressure with a tight deadline.

The whole project was both exciting and stressful, so to make for a smoother, less anxious journey, my one essential tip to anyone trying to put a panel together is to attend an advisory day or an assessment day as a spectator.

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LONDON ABSTRACT #9961

LONDON ABSTRACT #9283

WATCHING

BELOW

BOTTOM

RIGHT

F/8, ISO 100, 1/80sec

F/10, ISO 100, 1/250sec

We can’t go far these days without being watched by a CCTV camera, and some, like this one, are not discreet

ASSESSOR’S VIEW

to good effect and creating an abstract view of the city’s tall buildings.

The use of the light and reflections within the individual images was also well handled. There were also a few of the images that used very simple composition and detail, which worked really well – for example, the end images on the top row.

The colour harmony worked well throughout the panel,

with the strongest in the middle.

Overall, this submission showed that Michael Palmer had set himself a project to photograph the high-rise buildings of London in a way not normally seen by the visitor, giving an abstract view.

The panel was really well presented and the print quality was of a high standard, worthy of an Associate of The Royal Photographic Society.

PETER PATERSON FRPS, PICTORIAL CHAIR The panel members felt that this submission was very well put together, with a good understanding of design and layout within the construction of the panel.

There was good visualisation and sense of design in the individual images, using the wide angle

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FACT FILE

Michael Palmer ARPS only used photography to record family holidays until his retirement. He joined a camera club in 2012 and got the bug. He embarked on his ARPS a year or so after achieving his LRPS

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HANGING PLAN

‘The colour harmony worked well throughout the panel’

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344 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

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LOST IN A SEA OF SAND ABOVE

The first photo I took with my wide-angle lens. I was very resistant to getting the lens as I really like details and am not so interested in landscape. I was wowed by this, though, completely surprised by how the lens made the rock so imposing. Olympus E-M5, 12mm lens PARSLEY ON A SHELF RIGHT

I was in Warsaw for a long weekend, and ate at a lovely modern restaurant. This perfectly balanced composition was begging to be photographed. Olympus E-M5, 25mm lens DORIT’S HAT LEFT

Parija, who works with me at Citizens Advice. She’s wearing a hat by my friend Dorit Young, who designs them for Muslim women. Olympus E-M5, 75mm lens

Ilya Fisher LRPS As the Licentiate is about demonstrating technical ability, my main aim was to show a variety of approaches and techniques. I included portrait, landscape, details, slow and long shutter speeds and short and long depth of field, while at the same time balancing the panel colours so they work together.

Most of the images use a 25mm (50mm equivalent) prime lens. When I bought my Olympus I was new to serious photography and I only knew how to point and shoot.

A friend recommended I start with a 50mm lens.

I loved this idea as it meant VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 345

346 | DISTINCTIONS |

I could get to know the camera and lens without the extra variable of different focal lengths.

Starting with the prime was invaluable in helping me appreciate the distortion you get with different lenses.

I now have several primes and one zoom.

I was a textile artist and think this comes across in my interest in texture, particularly my fascination with details of peeling paint and scraps of wall posters.

I also love an image to be taken from straight on and balance symmetrically although I am trying to make myself take images from more unusual angles.

The central image of the boats was burnt out until it was pointed out to me.

Bringing down the brightness in that area was the easy part – noticing the fault was harder.

I am not sure if I would have passed without the wonderful advice of Richard Walton FRPS who was at the advisory day I attended and kindly had a final look at my images shortly before the big day. I hope I learned from this to look more closely at the prints, not just images on screen.

FACT FILE

Ilya Fisher began taking photos during a trip to China with a borrowed compact camera.

Last year she took the Society’s Open University course – digital photography: creating and sharing better images 346 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

FEATURE SPONSORED BY

ASSESSOR’S VIEW

ROBERT GATES ARPS, CHAIRMAN OF THE LRPS PANEL

Ilya’s panel contains all the ingredients required for a successful submission.

We do see panels that are very specific in subject matter but Ilya has chosen to show us plenty of variety in both subject and technique.

From portrait to close-up and landscape to still life, Ilya has

shown that she can tackle a wide range of subjects.

It’s obvious that she knows her camera controls and has carefully chosen aperture and shutter speed to create the effects she wants to achieve.

The panel has been very carefully constructed, taking into account the colours and shapes together with the final image sizes.

The boat image, ideally positioned in the centre of

the top row, demonstrates a good eye for simple composition and colour. The portrait shows control of detail in the dark shadow areas, and in the bottom row the highlights have been well controlled in the last image.

The station picture is a good example of how to use a slower shutter speed and the panel members liked the inclusion of the union flag to create context. The

still life of the bottle is very minimalistic and shows good control of lighting.

Looking at the original print of the teasel, it was bitingly sharp with a very diffuse background free from annoying distractions.

All these features, coupled with excellent print quality and presentation, gave the panel members every reason to recommend that Ilya be awarded the Distinction.

CAMDEN POSTERS LEFT

Taken in 2014 during a workshop. I started to take shots of really interesting old walls with peeling paint and torn posters. Olympus E-M5, 25mm lens VICTORIAN MOVEMENT RIGHT

Victoria Station, as homework for the Society’s Open University course. The station is perfect for a slow shutter speed as some people are hardly moving and others are rushing. The colours make it striking. Olympus E-M5, 25mm lens, 1/5sec SHOREDITCH WALL BELOW

The image that started my ongoing obsession in looking closely at walls.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX300

HANGING PLAN

‘Ilya has chosen to show us plenty of variety in both subject and technique'

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A study in success

Ilya Fisher tells how the Society’s online Open University course helped her achieve her LRPS

Image: Fiona Alison

A panel image entitled Seven Bits of Cobweb

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348 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MONTH 2016 / VOL 156

How many images in your Licentiate panel were taken as part of the OU course?

Of the 10 images in the LRPS panel, four of them are from my EMA assessment panel at the end of the course.

On completing the course, what more did you have to do to get your Distinction ready for assessment?

I had to trawl through all my images to find 10 plus spares that I thought were good enough. Having the advisory day booked was a real push to get on with it, to prioritise.

Continuing to take photos gave me more choice.

Was achieving your Licentiate the logical next step?

Yes. I had already been encouraged to try but, since I had only been photographing seriously for seven months before the course started, I didn’t feel ready at all.

Were you encouraged to achieve your Licentiate once the course was finished?

I was encouraged by other Society members and also by friends in my camera club. The Facebook and Flickr groups we set up following the course are still going strong,

with the original members and new people who have since started the course.

They are very encouraging to those who want to do the Licentiate and we are all giving feedback, not only on the images and layout, but also on size, printing, mounting, advisory days and so on.

What was the most helpful thing you learned?

How to look at your own images. We were also taught how to look at and comment on other students’ images.

How confident do you now feel about taking things further?

I would like to try for the Associate at some point, but I’ll need a really good idea for that, something that means a lot to me.

We all wanted another course to pick up where this one left off. I’d really like another OU/Society course and would like to think of it as a next-level course, maybe intermediate rather than beginners’, and not just centred on achieving my Associate.

Ilya Fisher

To find out more about the online course, go to rps.org/ learning/ onlinecourses

350 | MARTIN PARR |

‘I’M A NOSY PERSON. THAT’S WHY I’M A PHOTOGRAPHER’ An abiding curiosity drives Martin Parr HonFRPS to continue exploring the nuances of human life and leisure, as he stages two solo exhibitions of work in his singular style.

By David Clark PHOTOGRAPHS BY HARRY BORDEN HonFRPS

ALL IMAGES © XXXXXXXXXX

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352 | MARTIN PARR |

M

artin Parr HonFRPS is one of today’s most famous and influential British photographers. His vividly coloured, sharp-eyed social documentary style is instantly recognisable, he has produced more than 40 solo photobooks and his work is exhibited frequently around the world. His awards include the Society’s Centenary Medal and the Eric Salomon Award for Photojournalism.

Yet those with long memories will recall that his journey to acceptance by the photographic establishment was far from smooth. When he applied to join Magnum in 1994, he polarised opinion among the members.

His most vocal opponent was veteran photojournalist Philip Jones Griffiths, who said, among other things: ‘His photographs titillate in some way, but the fact is that they are meaningless.’

Parr was elected to the agency by a one-vote margin. Fast forward 22 years and he is now Magnum’s president.

Parr’s detractors claimed his work was cynical, exploitative and voyeuristic. Books such as The Last Resort, which documented holidaymakers in the declining seaside town of New Brighton, were interpreted as sneering at working-class people.

His supporters countered that his work focused on all social groups, and if anything they were more critical of the middle classes. His pictures humorously commented on a whole range of contemporary issues, from class to consumerism, and, in the words of photohistorian Gerry Badger, they were ‘unsentimental yet ultimately affectionate’.

Now 63, Parr’s prodigious work rate continues unabated and he has two solo exhibitions currently on show. The first, The Rhubarb Triangle and Other Stories at the Hepworth Wakefield, is a combination of new work and earlier projects, mainly from the collection at Calderdale Libraries.

West Yorkshire is an area in which Parr feels at home. Although born and raised in Surrey, his grandfather, George Parr FRPS, lived near Bradford,

‘I WANTED TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON, WHAT THEY WERE DOING, TO EXPLORE THE PROCESS’ 352 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

MARTIN PARR/MAGNUM PHOTOS

| MARTIN PARR | 353

Top left: Lord Mayor’s Show, Guildhall, City of London, 2014 Bottom left: Election of the new Lord Mayor, Alan Yarrow, Guildhall, City of London, 2014

Top right: New Brighton, England from The Last Resort, 1983-85 Bottom right: Benidorm, Spain from Common Sense, 1997

and, as a child, Martin would often stay with him during holidays. George gave him his first camera, and here his passion for photography took root.

He developed a fondness for the region and its people, which he retains today. ‘I was really taken with the sense of community in Yorkshire that you didn’t really get in Epsom,’ he says.

In 1975 he moved to Hebden Bridge, where he spent five years documenting rural life.

Parr explains that the format of the Hepworth Wakefield show was his idea.

‘The gallery wanted to do a survey and I came up with the idea of doing a contemporary set of pictures around the local area,’ he says. ‘The rhubarb triangle was the obvious choice. The notion of it was very appealing.

‘I wanted to find out what was going on, what they were doing. I knew that they picked the rhubarb by candle light and I wanted to explore the whole process. I’m a nosy person. That’s why I’m a photographer.’

It’s an endearing subject and one that seems tailor-made for Parr’s enquiring VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 353

354 | MARTIN PARR |

Above: New Brighton, England, from The Last Resort, 1983-85; right: West Yorkshire, England, Martin Bramley, the Rhubarb Triangle, 2015

lens. The ‘rhubarb triangle’ refers to a compact nine-square mile area between the West Yorkshire towns of Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell. There, a dedicated group of producers specialise in growing forced winter rhubarb.

Rhubarb thrives there due to the region’s favourable microclimate. ‘It’s a frost pocket, and rhubarb needs frost to start its growth,’ Parr explains. ‘The area also has a plentiful supply of shoddy.’

Shoddy is a nitrogen-rich by-product of the area’s once-thriving woollen industry. These factors have aided the production of rhubarb that is highly prized for its texture and flavour.

At the height of its production, the rhubarb was transported to London markets on a special train quaintly known as the ‘rhubarb express’.

However, the vegetable’s popularity declined after the Second World War. ‘In the war years, it was one of the few fruity things people could get,’ says Parr, ‘but as it was usually unsweetened, people remembered the sourness.

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‘ONE REASON RHUBARB WENT DOWNHILL WAS DUE TO THE ASSOCIATION WITH RATIONED FOOD’ ‘One of the reasons it went downhill was because of the association with rationed food. That was before the delights of modern rhubarb were discovered.’

Currently, there are only around a dozen of these specialist rhubarb growers, but their work is increasingly in demand as the vegetable is now a popular ingredient in fashionable restaurants, particularly in London.

Parr photographed rhubarb-related subjects in the peak season for growing and harvesting, between December and February. One technical difficulty that he had to overcome was that the rhubarb is traditionally grown by candle

light, as if it is exposed to natural light, photosynthesis would turn the tender fuscia-pink stalks green. As a result, he shot the labour-intensive harvesting process using a mixture of flash and available light.

His pictures show workers diligently picking rhubarb, close-ups of rhubarbrelated produce and people dressed as rhubarb at Wakefield’s annual Festival of Food, Drink and Rhubarb.

A very different group of people, although just as idiosyncratically English, feature in Parr’s other current exhibition at London’s Guildhall Art Gallery. Commissioned by the City of London and titled Unseen City, it is billed as capturing ‘pomp, ceremony and unguarded moments.’ These images focus on people behind the scenes at the City’s processions, banquets and traditional ceremonies, many of which have remained unchanged for centuries.

‘The City of London is quite a remarkable set-up,’ Parr says. ‘It’s very traditional, with people dressing up in

MARTIN PARR/MAGNUM PHOTOS

| MARTIN PARR | 355

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 355

356 | MARTIN PARR | these different costumes, and very elusive for photographers. For example, you wouldn’t be able to get into a livery company unless you were a member.

‘It’s very difficult to get access to these events, which is why working with the Guildhall was a great advantage. The pictures will ultimately become part of a project I’m doing now about the establishment. Eventually I’ll do a book, maybe, around that subject.’

The tone in these pictures of people taking part in these seemingly anachronistic ceremonies is undoubtedly playful. However, while we’re smiling at the images it’s worth remembering one of Parr’s most often-repeated quotes: ‘I

make serious photographs disguised as entertainment.’

As well as continuing to expand his own photographic oeuvre, Parr – who was made an Honorary Fellow of the Society in 2005 – is keen to encourage the appreciation of other photographers’ work. As we speak, he is busy choosing the images for an exhibition at the Barbican Art Gallery titled Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers.

Parr’s own highly developed eye for social observation, aided by his collection of around 12,000 photobooks, made him the perfect choice as curator.

From the wealth of images available, how did he choose which ones to

West Yorkshire, England, Steep Lane Baptist Church buffet lunch, 1976 356 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

include? ‘I have a pretty encyclopaedic knowledge of photography,’ he says briskly. ‘I have the books that most people wouldn’t have seen, so I had a head start in terms of knowledge.

‘We’re including Cartier-Bresson, Bruce Davidson and Raymond Depardon, but also people who will be less familiar, such as the Japanese photographer Akihiko Okamura. There will be many pictures people don’t know. That’s what makes it interesting.’

In the press release to the Barbican show, Parr is described as an ‘iconic British photographer’. This one-time outsider, almost rejected by Magnum, is now firmly at the heart of the photographic establishment.

How does he feel about being described as ‘iconic’? Parr gives a brief bark of laughter at the question. ‘I didn’t write that,’ he says. ‘Press is all about puff and PR, isn’t it? I don’t take it that seriously. I just get on with the work.’

| MARTIN PARR | 357

EXHIBITIONS

MARTIN PARR/MAGNUM PHOTOS

The Rhubarb Triangle & Other Stories: Photographs

by Martin Parr is on show at the Hepworth Wakefield until 12 June.

Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr is at the Guildhall Art Gallery, London EC2, until 31 July.

Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers is at the Barbican Art Gallery until 19 June.

West Yorkshire, England, the Rhubarb Triangle, 2015 VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 357

MEYEROWITZ HonFRPS 358 | CAPE LIGHT | JOEL

Dairyland, Provincetown, Cape Cod, 1976

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Gold Column, Porch, Provincetown, 1977

SEEING THE LIGHT

Cape Light was a landmark in colour photography as an art form and a major turning point in the career of Joel Meyerowitz HonFRPS. He talks to David Clark VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 359

MEYEROWITZ HonFRPS 360 | CAPE LIGHT | JOEL

Top: Bay Sky, Provincetown, 1977 Left: Interior, Provincetown, 1977 Right: Roseville Cottages, Truro, Massachusetts, 1976

W

hen Joel Meyerowitz decided to spend the summer of 1976 at Cape Cod on the Massachusetts coast, he was looking for a new direction in his work. As a long-established street photographer, he had mainly focused on capturing fleeting situations in New York, shot with a 35mm camera. Now he aimed to do and say something different.

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‘I wanted to see if I could make a new kind of photograph,’ says Meyerowitz, now aged 78. ‘I kept on feeling that I needed a bigger negative, I need more quality, so I could make large prints. I wanted to work with a view camera, in a place where there was street life and somewhere for my kids to play.’

A friend of Meyerowitz’s suggested he would find what he wanted in the small seaside town of Provincetown, at the northern end of the peninsula. In preparation for the summer’s work,

Porch Lightning, Provincetown, 1977

Meyerowitz bought a 1938 Deardorff 10x8in view camera, made of mahogany and brass with a leather bellows. This choice of equipment was key to the images he produced.

Although he had embraced the use of colour in his street work, using the view camera demanded a completely different approach. ‘Walking the streets of any big city and shooting from 1/250sec to 1/1,000sec was about having an instantaneous and instinctive reaction to something barely recognised,’

© JOEL MEYEROWITZ

JOEL MEYEROWITZ HonFRPS

says Meyerowitz, who was named an Honorary Fellow in 2002. ‘Something’s happening in front of you, or about to happen, so like a jazz musician you do a riff on it in a very immediate way.

‘Once I picked up a view camera, it was like having a new language. I was no longer the jazz musician doing a quick riff, I was more like a classical musician making an étude. I was seeing what variations might come from looking at a subject a little bit longer, and enveloping myself in the space and the

moment. As a fast-moving physical street photographer, I now found myself in a slow dance with time and light.’

Meyerowitz began making photographs at a prolific rate. Inspired by the location, during that first summer he shot more than 400 large-format colour negatives. These pictures were contemplative studies which invited the viewer to absorb the location’s atmosphere and quality of light.

He photographed beach scenes, studies of sea and sky, building interiors

| CAPE LIGHT | 361

and exteriors, and sometimes people.

He often worked at dusk, using exposures of 10 or 20 seconds, which gave the resulting photographs a striking richness of colour and tone.

‘My first encounter with the place was thrilling,’ he recalls. ‘It was a lifechanging experience. Suddenly I was entering the world of Edward Hopper, who had lived and worked there.

The place was so unusual, and some of that silence and spaciousness rubbed off on me.’

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MEYEROWITZ HonFRPS 362 | CAPE LIGHT | JOEL

Ballston Beach, Truro, 1976

The following summer, Meyerowitz returned to Cape Cod and completed his project. On that second visit, by chance he met a curator from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, who recognised the groundbreaking nature of the work.

He immediately offered to organise an exhibition at the gallery and to publish it in book form.

Cape Light appeared in 1978 and was an immediate success; the first edition of 5,000 copies sold out in a few months, reprints followed and Cape 362 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

Light posters became practically mandatory on student dorm walls.

To date, the book has sold more than 150,000 copies and was last year republished in a new edition.

It was the first of Meyerowitz’s 20 photography books and it established a new style and direction in his work.

The beauty and accessibility of the images in Cape Light also brought colour photography to a wider audience.

Meyerowitz says he’s surprised but delighted that Cape Light has

enjoyed such enduring popularity.

‘Its success was unusual, particularly for a book without a polemic attached.

It’s not about saving the world, or poverty, or working lives, it’s about light and space and time, very simple things.

People have regarded it as being like a book of poetry, which is something I’ve heard a lot. That makes me think, wow, this thing really did find a life of its own.’

Cape Light is published in hardback by Aperture, price £30

JOEL MEYEROWITZ HonFRPS

| CAPE LIGHT | 363

Wellfleet, Massachusetts, 1977

UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Two contemporary photographers reflect on how Cape Light has helped shape their work ALEC SOTH

© JOEL MEYEROWITZ; © JONATHAN SMITH © ALEC SOTH

‘I discovered Cape Light while in college.

I initially didn’t give the book as much attention as it deserved. I wrote it off as being too pretty.

But later, after I was out of college, I picked up a copy, studied it and became enchanted.

‘Once I spent time with the book, the thing I really responded to was the editing. I loved how

Limo by Jonathan Smith

Meyerowitz broke up the repetition of the beach pictures alongside punctuation images like the baseball game [plate 13] and Dairyland [plate 30]. This reminded me of Masahisa Fukase’s The Solitude of Ravens, another book I fell in love with at around the same time.

‘I primarily think of the book as a guide for editing.

But in addition to this,

Cemetery, Fountain City, Wisconsin by Alec Soth

Cape Light has been instructional for figuring out how to ride the fine line of making something beautiful and romantic without it becoming corny and cliché.’

JONATHAN SMITH

‘I had a chance encounter with Joel Meyerowitz on Broadway in 1999 and ended up interning at his studio about a year later. Seeing both the book and having the opportunity to see and hold the original prints from Cape Light opened my eyes for the first time to colour photography.

‘I had never considered shooting colour seriously at all until this point, but seeing its subtle nuance and the way

it had the power to transport you to a place or a “feeling”, I was immediately seduced by it. I changed my camera format soon afterwards and have been shooting colour exclusively since.

‘I personally love the way the book draws you in to a very specific place and time. It allows you to drift in and out of scenes in a contemplative manner.

Joel managed to capture the exquisite light of the cape in such a subtle yet highly detailed way that you almost feel like you can step into the pictures, smell the sea air and hear the waves in the distance.

It’s a very meditative book for me.’

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364 | REPORTAGE |

364 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

| REPORTAGE | 365

‘Daesh,’ he replied, as he ran his finger across his throat.

The gesture that says it all, whichever country you live in. We use it in the UK to tell a driver to turn the engine off. They use it to describe what is happening to their fellow Afghans back home.

INSIDE THE REFUGEE CAMP

Maria Falconer FRPS and Paul Hill MBE spent five weeks as volunteers on Lesvos and at the Greek/Macedonian border.

Here we present a selection of their images, alongside captions that give an account of what they saw and heard VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 365

366 | REPORTAGE |

‘S

how me pictures of coffins, show me bodies floating in water, play violins and show me skinny people looking sad. I still don’t care.’ So wrote a female columnist in a British national newspaper a year ago. She was referring to refugees and migrants, who she likened to cockroaches.

Although she was vilified for the comments, it does highlight how refugees are depersonalised and lumped together, whether they are from the Middle East, Africa or Asia, or whether they have been bombed, threatened with death, made homeless, or are starving. They become “the refugees” – anonymous, stereotyped, the “them” to our “us”.

We travelled to the Greek island of Lesvos to join voluntary groups already helping the hundreds of refugees arriving daily in rubber dinghies after a perilous journey over the Aegean Sea from Turkey. Later, we moved up to the Greek/Macedonian border just before it closed.

The media interest, and the disturbing images that have been published, alerted us all to the crisis. But we did not want to replicate those photographs.

Primarily, our role was as volunteers, not newspaper photographers. But that, we felt, would give us an insight that journalists in Greece would never get.

More than one million refugees have made that journey since January 2015.

This is the biggest issue that Europe has had to face so far in the 21st century.

BUY A PRINT You can buy a signed print for as little as £40 with all proceeds going to trusted voluntary groups in Greece.

For more details, visit mariafalconer.co.uk/ prints.html

‘My father sold two fields and gave me, my brother and my cousin $20,000 to get to Europe and a better life. There’s a network of smugglers who get you from the Pakistan border through Iran to Turkey, and a boat to the islands.

We started four weeks ago and walked most of the way here.

It was so cold in the desert that my bottle of water froze. I didn’t realise until I stopped for a drink, and nothing came out.’

‘My brother was at this camp 10 months ago when it was a jungle.

He’s now mending Porsche and Audi cars in Germany.

He will also be waiting for us at the border.’

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| REPORTAGE | 367

‘What’s this place?’ said the boy, clutching his thermal foil cape. ‘Lesvos,’ we replied. But all he wanted to do was stroke the cat.’

FURTHER READING During our five weeks in Greece, we compiled regular blogs: abraxarblog.wordpress.com and hillonphotography.tumblr.com

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 367

368 | REPORTAGE |

He pointed at the children by the border and said, ‘What have they done to deserve this? We don’t want much, just a small place to live, to bring up our families. But no-one wants us.

We are treated as if we weren’t human. Why don’t they just shoot us here now? We can’t go back, it’s certain death. Please help us. Please help us.’

| VISIT | WORKSHOP |

Falconer and Hill (with Nick Lockett) are running two Society workshops in the Peak District National Park.

For more information turn to page 389, or visit rps.org/workshops

CALL FOR ENTRIES

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOBOOK EXHIBITION 2016 Inviting submissions from professional, student and amateur photographers and artists TO ENTER SEE rps.org/photobook CLOSING DATE: 31 July 2016

Self-published, photobook dummies, handmade or artist’s books. One book per entrant. Book produced since 1 January 2014.

368 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

ENTRY FEE £25, £10 for 25 years or under.

Books returned where return postage supplied.

WINNING PRIZE £1,000.

Selected shortlisted entries exhibited in London, Plymouth and Bradford.

NICKY ROCHUSSEN

| INSIGHT | 283

LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES

INTERNATIONAL PRINT EXHIBITION © MELANIE ECLARE. WILD FIRE

rps.org/online-courses

CLOSING DATE: 31 May 2016 Cash prizes totalling £4,250 Reduced entry fee for Society members Exhibition tours 2016/17 rps.org/ipe159

VOL 156 / MARCH 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 283

HEATH HonFRPS 370 | BEST SHOTS | DARREN

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Darren Heath HonFRPS approaches every Formula 1 race as a creative challenge.

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DARREN HEATH HonFRPS

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He tells Damien Love how he strives to keep himself ahead of the competition VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 371

HEATH HonFRPS 372 | BEST SHOTS | DARREN

'THE PHOTOGRAPHERS I WAS DRAWN TO SHOT IN A VERY ARTISTIC WAY, USING LIGHT AND COLOUR TO CAPTURE THE IMPACT' 372 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

‘Then, when I bought the motorsport magazines, I'd cover up photographers’ names on the credit, so I could learn styles. I’d think, okay, he’s used light that way, or he’s used the attitude of the car, or a particular lens, and then I’d guess who the photographer was.

‘And I found that the photographers I was naturally drawn to shot in a very artistic way, using light and colour to capture the impact of the sport. My mother’s always been an artist, and my uncle is a superyacht designer, so there’s been an artistic bent in the family.’

While keeping one eye on the rivalries, politics, and controversies brewing on the road ahead, it is clear Heath is more stimulated by the creative challenges the sport presents.

‘Other photographers have said: “How can you just keep going back to the same

GRID PREVIOUS PAGE Barcelona test 2016 My style has slightly changed through influences from outside the sport, and this is shooting a very graphic way, using shadows and shapes.

The car has gone past, at close to 200 miles per hour; I’m trying to catch its shadow on the grid. This type of photography is something I want to do more – it sets you apart, it's something perhaps people wouldn’t generally look at. And everyone thinks black and white is artistic … don’t they?

VALTTERI BOTTAS Russian Grand Prix 2015 The pit lane, Friday practice, no idea what to shoot. Then I saw that sky, and thought … my god. My mother always taught me to keep an eye on the sky. It was perfect: the threatening sky, wet ground, harsh wire fences, the bizarre theme park, and the lights. I’m a big believer in the rule of thirds in composition: the green light on the left, the red in the middle, and the blue TV screen on the right – they just all work.

© DARREN HEATH HonFRPS

B

y his count, the 2016 Formula 1 season will be Darren Heath’s 28th year of shooting the championship as it unfolds. Speaking in early March, two weeks before the season begins with the Melbourne grand prix, he admits that, as the date nears, he still feels the same buzz he did as a young photographer at his first races in the late 1980s.

‘Totally the same. Apart from my family and West Ham, I think of little else. And the moment I don’t feel that way, I shouldn’t do it. My first real job in photography was as a teenage blackand-white printer with a motorsport agency in Fulham. Photographers would get back from races late on a Sunday night, and I’d be there in the darkroom, ready to develop their films and get printing – and they would moan about things like the wine wasn’t chilled enough on the flight home.

‘I remember, I vowed: if I’m ever fortunate enough to do this job, I will never moan about it. I’ll never say it’s a crap life getting paid to go to Abu Dhabi and shoot F1 cars. Because … it’s not.’

Heath has followed F1 for as long as he can remember. His earliest memories involve watching with his father in the era of James Hunt, but the family connection goes back further: his grandfather raced motorcycles at Brands Hatch, then still a grass track, before it was tarmacked over for cars in 1950.

It was ‘probably’ his passion for the sport that sparked a passion for photography: as a kid, he'd take a camera to document races. Soon, though, he’d started photographing the photographers he spotted, in order to study their gear.

© DARREN HEATH HonFRPS

DARREN HEATH HonFRPS

| BEST SHOTS | 373

FLY&PAST Abu Dhabi 2015 This was the last race last year. There’s a flypast every year, and I made sure I knew when it was coming.

It’s 15 minutes before the start. All around me is chaos – drivers, teams, press, guests, billionaires running around … But the light is stunning, it’s twilight. Normally, it’s a single plane, but this year the 380 came over with the Abu Dhabi display team.

I wasn’t thinking this was a picture people would really respond to. But they have.

DARREN HEATH’S BARE ESSENTIALS If I had to strip down my kit to the minimum, it would be a Canon EOS-1D X (I guess I should say the MkII, which I’m trying for Canon at the moment), and a 50mm f/1 lens. I have done shoots in the last year entirely on the 50mm. I think it’s liberating to force yourself just to take one lens. I don’t shoot with zooms, I force myself to move to pictures. It’s a good discipline: take one lens, then try to work it as much as you can.

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HEATH HONFRPS 374 | BEST SHOTS | DARREN

CREDIT SITS IN BOX 4MM DEEP

SERGIO PÉREZ Barcelona test 2016 Testing again. It’s a Force India car. I’m shooting into the light, I’ve underexposed heavily, and then, with levels of curve, basically, upped the contrast: made the blacks very dark, darkening down the empty grandstands in the background, then just having the highlights on the car visible, and the highlight of the track to give context. It could be an etching almost. It’s using light and shade to maximum effect, to give a sense of him being on his own – trying to bring something artistic out of … a car that’s about to turn into a corner.

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| BEST SHOTS | 375

CREDIT SITS IN BOX 4MM DEEP

DARREN HEATH HonFRPS

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HEATH HonFRPS 376 | BEST SHOTS | DARREN

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love of his subject, that makes Heath’s work stand out. As exemplified by his latest collection, Art of the Race, about the 2015 F1 season, his pictures don’t simply document the key players and surrounding spectacle. Capturing the speed and sensual assault of grands prix, Heath’s best pictures suggest the emotions stewing in the air, and resonate with a sense of place, moment, mood and drama verging on the abstract.

‘I’m interested in not just photographing “cars parked on corners”, where you can read every word on the tyres,’ he says. ‘Which, sadly, is so prevalent in this kind of photography.’

Art of the Race is available now and can be ordered from artofpublishing.net

SEBASTIAN VETTEL AND NICO ROSBERG Barcelona test 2016 There are two preseason tests, and at testing you’ve got the emptiness of the tracks, and you’re looking for something for preview features.

This is the kind of picture they might use, because it sums up what might happen in the season ahead. You’ve got Rosberg’s Mercedes passing Vettel’s Ferrari, and that’s kind of what will happen this season: Mercedes are dominant, Ferrari are trying to catch up. It’s five in the evening, beautiful light. I’m lying on the ground with a 600mm lens at a gap in the barrier – and, fortunately, he passed him as he went through my frame.

'DO I GET BORED? THAT’S THE CHALLENGE ! ALWAYS THINKING WHAT I CAN DO DIFFERENTLY'

© DARREN HEATH HonFRPS

places, the same cars, the same drivers, the same lighting – don’t you get bored?”

Well, that’s the challenge. I’m thinking about what I can do differently. So I might think: right, this year I’m going to use wider lenses, get more sense of place – that there are people watching this, that there are marshals, that there’s all this stuff around the cars.’

Indeed, when discussing photographers who inspire him, Heath – named an Honorary Fellow of the Society in 2005 – cites those such as William Eggleston, Joel Sternfeld, Alec Soth: ‘guys from outside the sport, who probably wouldn’t know a racing car if it hit them on the head’.

It’s perhaps this synthesis, of a love of the art of photography with a fan’s deep

LEWIS HAMILTON Russian grand prix 2015 Lewis has a fantastic silhouette – you immediately know it’s him: the hat, glasses, the earring as a highlight … I’ve upped the contrast, but there’s no colour taken out: it was a grey day, in a grey tunnel. In portraits, I’m always trying to isolate the subject – it’s almost an obsession – make it look like there’s no-one else there, like he’s having a moment.

Actually, around me, there are about 60 people cramming in: all the other drivers, photographers, noise, chaos … I basically pushed past another driver to get that shot. I’ve got the lens right against the wall, shooting on a Canon 50mm f/1.

image © Yiannis Roussakis

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WELLER 378 | SHOWCASE | SAM

Wayfarers

THE BRILLIANCE OF BROMOIL

Brian Iddon’s exhibition sheds light on the relatively unknown work of Society member Sam Weller FRPS following the experiments of EJ Wall and C Welbourne Piper, the bromoil process involves the silver image contained in an original black and white print being replaced by an ink image through several chemical treatments.

The process experienced its heyday in Europe during the pictorial period and was used by renowned photographers including Robert Demachy and GL Hawkins.

Weller was incredibly

| VISIT | SOCIETY HEADQUARTERS | 378 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

influential and remained president of the Bromoil Circle Postal Club for 32 years until ill health forced him to relinquish his post in November 1963.

Many of his prints remain in the circle’s permanent collection, with others held by the Society.

What was Weller’s connection to the Society?

He joined the Society in 1926. He obtained his ARPS in 1929 and became a Fellow in 1939. He was a prolific

Society member and held regular exhibitions, so he became well known around the London area.

What motivated you to tackle this project?

I’m the current secretary of the Bromoil Circle of Great Britain (as the Postal Club is now known). Our archives have held 38 of his images that have not been displayed throughout my time in the circle, so this exhibition will help bring Weller’s work to the public’s attention. The

Brian Iddon LRPS’s Sam Weller exhibition will be on show until 30 May at The Royal Photographic Society, Fenton House, 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH

SAM WELLER FRPS

T

his month at Fenton House, Brian Iddon LRPS presents his exhibition showcasing the remarkable work of Society member Sam Weller.

AC Weller, commonly known as Sam, founded the Bromoil Circle Postal Club in April 1931, where members exchanged technical information, best practice and critiqued one another’s work.

Originating in 1907

ABOVE Twins LEFT An Old Mill and Figure

SAM WELLER FRPS

photos are of exceptional quality so I think people will really take to them.

Not many people know about the bromoil process so it should be an interesting subject for visitors to learn about, both visually and technically.

Are there common themes running throughout Weller’s images?

The pictorial movement heavily influenced Weller.

These images had an artistic aesthetic and, to the untrained eye, looked like some sort of artwork. As a result, a lot of Weller’s images – and bromoil images in general –

are quite soft and painterly, and focus on the countryside and realities of rural life.

Knowing that some of these images had never been seen

before, did this make curating the exhibition at Fenton House more difficult?

Definitely. I’ve chosen 30 images that I think provide a strong representation of

Weller’s career. There are several themes running through this collection.

Some images focus on the old sailing barges and tugs of the River Thames whereas others capture scenic pastoral scenes.

Weller captured images that moved him, so this collection is extremely varied.

What next?

I’m currently writing a history of Weller but researching him has proven difficult. If anybody has information on his life and work, I would be really grateful if they would get in touch with me.

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 379

MUST TRY

MAY 2016

THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY, TECHNIQUES AND SKILLS

Pentax K-1

Gavin Stoker tries out the first full-frame 35mm DSLR to carry Pentax branding

W

ill the K-1 be what gets Pentax back in headlines and camera bags? Now wholly owned by Ricoh, Pentax’s first ever fullframe DSLR features a pro-type build housing a pro-style chip – a newly developed CMOS sensor measuring 35.9x24mm that offers approximately 36.4 effective megapixels of resolution – for an asking price of around £1,500 body only.

Video is full HD, with a stereo microphone and headphone jack built in,

although 4K clips can be captured at fixed intervals.

Unlike Canon and Nikon, the K-1 has image stabilisation built into the body; here of the fiveaxis variety (protecting against camera shake caused by horizontal and vertical shift, plus pitch and yaw, and roll), so in theory enabling sharper shots even when on the move. Light sensitivity reaches a respectable ISO 204,800 equivalent, while the body is a sturdily chunky 925g without lens/battery/card.

Another up-to-the-moment

Price: £1,599.99 body only Sensor: 36.77 megapixel full-frame CMOS Lens: Optional, via Pentax KAF2 bayonet mount LCD screen: 3.2-inch variangle, 1,037K dots Weight: 925g body only More: ricoh-imaging.co.uk In brief: The K-1 delivers a potential KO to rivals, thanks to keen pricing and a fully rounded feature set, but will that be enough to encourage semi-pros to switch?

feature is a tilting LCD screen at the rear – which can be angled vertically and horizontally, or pulled out from its base to view the on-screen image from above.

There is, of course, an eyelevel optical viewfinder with ‘nearly’ 100 per cent field of view, and an ‘anti-aliasing filter simulator’, said to provide the same level of moiré reduction as an optical AA filter but with the ability to turn it on or off.

It’s good to see the brand back with a new story to tell and, in the K-1, a substantial one at that.

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 381

382 | THE CRAFT | 2

LATEST KIT

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Canon EOS-1D X MkII £5,199.99

Sigma EF-630 electronic flash Price TBC

The chunky pro-grade MkII is all about the speed: namely 14 frames per second with full AF/AE tracking and 16fps in live view mode. Thanks in part to dual Digic 6+ processors, this DSLR can deliver unlimited sequential jpegs or up to 170 raw files.

It also comes with a new 20.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, 4K video capture up to 60P with the ability to extract an 8.8MP still frame, an ISO range expandable from 50 up to 409,600 equivalent for low-light work, plus a 61-point AF system with 41 cross-type points.

Flicker detection is also new here, as originally introduced on the EOS 7D MkII to prevent inconsistent results when shooting under artificial light.

Sigma has a new clip on-type electronic flash for DSLRs, and compatible with its own mirrorless cameras and lenses, in the multifunction EF-630. As is usual with Sigma, we get product details before any pricing or release date.

Among the features is TTL exposure control as standard, as well as high-speed sync, rearcurtain sync and wireless flash functions. It also boasts an auto zoom, a bounce-flash function and catch-light panel.

The rear LCD provides an intuitive user interface, claims Sigma, while the optional FD-11 flash USB dock enables future firmware upgrades, which lends a degree of futureproofing.

The flash head meanwhile can be tilted up by 90° and swivelled left or right by 180°.

Range-topping full-frame EOS DSLR for Canon ‘power users’ canon.co.uk 1

382 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

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Saramonic audio adapters From c. £40

Professional-quality audio when shooting video on your DSLR saramonicusa.com Journal readers may want to hunt for the limited ‘fox brown’ version of Olympus’s E-M10 MkII, arriving in the UK with an allocation of just 150 units, out of a total 3,500 worldwide.

It lands in tandem with a matching leather strap and silver lens cap, to go with the silver and brown camera fascia.

Sigma has firmware on the way that increases the autofocus speed of its 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘Sports’ class lens by 20 to 50 per cent during normal shooting. The lens can be self-updated via an optional Sigma USB dock, or by contacting the manufacturer direct.

It makes sense to explore possibilities for better sound capture when shooting video on a DSLR. Saramonic’s range runs from the entry-level SR-AX100 at c. £40 to the prograde SR-AX107 at around £150.

The SR-AX100 universal audio adaptor is attached via a standard hot shoe, and inputs include one stereo 3.5mm (1/8) mini-jack input to connect a stereo microphone, plus two mono 3.5mm (1/8) mini-jacks.

The SR-AX101 passive twochannel XLR audio adaptor has two balanced XLR inputs and one 3.5mm (1/8) auxiliary mini-jack input, plus one stereo 3.5mm (1/8) mini-jack output, while the SR-AX107 two-channel active XLR audio adaptor includes features such as preamplifiers and ‘phantom power’.

3

| THE CRAFT | 383 MEMBER TEST

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As the ‘Action Strap’ name suggests, safe and convenient carrying and fast and easy access for taking photos or video is the pitch here.

It boasts an ergonomic fit, and runs diagonally across the chest and back.

A wide padded shoulder rest features a non-slip layer and quick-release lock with a 120° swivel joint.

There is an additional tether strap to keep the main strap in position during fast moves, and a coupling piece to attach to the tripod thread of the camera itself. With the camera being freely rotatable, the strap length can be adjusted up to 61 inches.

Two sliding stops allow for placing the camera in any desired position, such as on the hip, back or chest.

The Boomerang is an option for photographers wanting to eliminate unflattering subject shadows in portrait or bounce-flash photography.

Made of ‘aircraft-quality aluminium’, this rotating system locks the flash at 90°, so it remains upright above the lens – whether the camera is in the landscape or portrait position.

The stand extends below the lens to keep the camera stable.

The bracket is lightweight (under 14 ounces), so the camera can be held comfortably in the right hand as if no bracket was attached. It is also height adjustable, so can be used whether or not a battery or grip is attached to the camera. Said to be virtually maintenance free, the bracket folds easily for storage or transportation.

4

BBX Boomerang flash bracket £244

5

n elegantly styled, solidly built, but rather large ‘compact’ – but it's easier to pocket than a compact system camera of similar body size.

Controls are intuitive and intelligently designed.

Once set up to my liking, the major settings were accessible via the touchscreen. I particularly like the ‘clicked’ lens ring, which allows the user to set and retain a particular focal length, even after the camera has been turned off: great for prime lens users.

With touchscreen and electronic viewfinder, the G5 X lends itself well to various shooting styles, and proved extremely responsive and suitable for street photography.

The G5 X delivers sharp, punchy images with a good dynamic range and control of highlights and shadows.

In aperture priority the metering is very accurate; I found myself using the exposure compensation dial less frequently than usual.

I was particularly impressed with low-light shots taken at higher ISOs, which retain plenty of fine detail. There is visible noise at higher ISO settings but it is controllable, fine-grained and not intrusive.

Overall I have been very impressed. It is fun to use, handles extremely well, and produces images of high quality.

And it’s a camera you can always have with you.

Oxford Street at Night (top), and Brent River Park, Hanwell, above AUTHOR PROFILE MIKE CHOPRA!GANT ARPS An academic and urban photographer whose work has appeared in Amateur Photographer, What Digital Camera and Advanced Photographer

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 383

| THE CRAFT | 385

Take underwater wildlife shots Author, underwater photographer and marine biologist Dr Alex Mustard offers some immersive advice

MASTER CLASS

I

t is difficult for light to pass through water: the light is scattered, which fogs detail.

Colour is also absorbed, leaving the world looking monochrome and blue. The golden rule is to take pictures through as little water as possible. This can mean using the widest possible lens and always getting as close as you can.

Clockwise, from below: some of the equipment required beneath the surface; Dr Mustard demonstrates how to get close to his subject; and a spectacular reef shot

GET IN POSITION Manoeuvring close to delicate marine life puts it and your expensive optics at risk. Work on your scuba or free-diving skills before taking a camera underwater. Be aware of your position – a camera is a big distraction and your feet are much bigger in fins.

1

HOLD YOUR BREATH You can’t use a hide, so you have to approach wildlife on its terms. Luckily, underwater life is generally accepting of our presence.

DR ALEX MUSTARD

2

Move slowly, without breathing, as smoothly as possible.

Breath out underwater and you create noisy bubbles. Play by the rules and the fish will keep posing for your pictures.

LIGHT COLOURS Flashes are essential for underwater photography to restore colours. Use two diffused underwater strobes to produce a soft, pleasing illumination on the subject when working at such small camera-to-subject distances.

Most underwater photos have a strobe-lit foreground 3

| SIGN UP | WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY |

balanced against a blue or green water background.

OPEN WIDE Most underwater pictures are taken within touching distance of the subject, so a wide-angle lens is essential for bigger subjects. These require a dome-shaped port to work properly underwater, but such ports cause the corners of the image to look smudged in soft focus. The solution is to keep your aperture’s f stop in double figures to overcome this optical effect unique to underwater photography.

4

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Alex Mustard has been taking underwater photographs for 30 years.

His new book, Underwater Photography Masterclass, is out now. £19.99, published by Ammonite Press

Join a practical one-day course in Devon led by tutor Nigel Hicks on Saturday 4 June. For more details turn to page 392 VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 385

TECHNIQUE IN DEPTH

Making a splash

Guy Schotte tells – and shows – Janet Haines his methods for working with models underwater ‘Thanks to the weightlessness in the water, every subject, fabric etc take shapes that you can hardly mimic in a studio. If you add to that the mirror effect of the surface, you have a description of my playground.’

A keen scuba diver, Schotte has spent hundreds of hours diving in exotic places and shooting underwater worlds.

He is also a professional photographer in the portrait arena. In a pool one day with his daughter he decided to try shooting her below the surface – and he was hooked.

386 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

Schotte is the first to admit it has been a steep learning curve, and a pretty expensive investment in equipment.

It all adds up Stop for a moment and think about the issues. You need lights above and below the water. You have to be able to trigger and adjust them while in the pool. The model needs to be comfortable – and able to control her breathing, open her eyes and give you good poses. Her make-up must be perfect and waterproof. The

water needs to be clear and clean. The safety of the model and photographer must be a priority. With such a complex set-up you need hours in the pool; this is no quick shoot-and-go.

Part of a team Schotte may be the creative force but by working with one of his favourite models, Naomi Faye, they have become a team.

‘Not many people are doing this,’ Faye says, ‘so this is a way to be different from the

GUY SCHOTTE

Y

ou have to be good to get decent shots when working underwater. So too do you need real talent to get the lighting perfect in a model shoot, and to get the emotion you want from the model. Combining the two, and you have a real challenge on your hands.

At a private pool in Belgium, I join Guy Schotte to find out how he does it, and what motivates him to take on such a challenge.

‘What drives me is the images that I get out of my shoots,’ Schotte explains.

| THE CRAFT | 387 MASTER CLASS

Clockwise, from above: a burst of shooting; getting the lights right; Naomi Faye takes to the pool; Faye with make-up artist Aurélie Delsaut; Faye and Schotte review their images

other models. Plus, thanks to water, you are free from gravity. You can fly.’

Some people believe modelling is easy work, but it’s a real challenge.

Underwater shoots are even more demanding.

The team includes makeup artist Aurélie Delsaut, who has the job of ensuring both make-up and hair work underwater. Cold, wet skin changes colour and texture rapidly, so make-up has to keep the model looking warm and natural. Wedding dresses are provided by bridal designer Digamesi.

GUY SCHOTTE; JANET HAINES

The set-up First the pool has to be set up, so Schotte gets to work on creating an underwater studio, with backdrops and often floating fabrics to soften the environment.

Normal studio softboxes and lighting are set up around the poolside. They have to be doubly secure and on sturdy booms that extend over the water. Underwater light strobes on tripods need to be positioned. Triggers and lighting values need careful adjustment and checking so that everything is working.

Schotte shoots with a Nikon D800E, using a 16-35mm lens, all within a secure waterproof Subal housing.

The set-up includes some additional lighting, such as Seacam strobes to spotlight the model.

The shoot Meanwhile, Faye and Delsaut prepare for the shoot of the wedding dresses. Then it’s time to enter the water.

Noticeably, both parties move slowly and carefully to cause the minimum of turbulence. Underwater exposures are checked and Faye finds where she needs to be in relationship to the lights. She will often arrange the fabric and herself a little ‘off stage’ from where she needs to end up. This allows her to float into her optimum shooting position with the fabrics, hopefully, streaming out to the desired position.

As Faye goes underwater she has to consider her breathing. To avoid distracting bubbles she has to exhale, then hold her breath and pose for the shots – no easy task to make it all look relaxed, beautiful and to make eye contact with the camera.

Schotte takes a few images before Faye has to surface for air; he wears a snorkel and mask as, obviously, it is vital for him to be able to see and respond to the underwater action. After each burst of

shooting the duo review the images on the rear of the camera, confer and discuss what went right and how to improve it for the next burst.

Where next?

Despite the cold and difficult working conditions their focus ensures that neither of them seems to notice either the temperatures or time slipping quickly by.

‘My ambition is to pursue my personal artistic work,’ Schotte says. ‘There is still so much to create in this playground, it seems endless, so I want to drive it as far as I can. Besides that I hope to get some interest in the world of fashion and publicity – designers, underwear, sportswear, perfumes etc.

Anything exclusive could benefit from an underwater aesthetic. My ultimate goal is to continue to enjoy my underwater shoots and if this can make other people happy, so much the better.’

PHOTOGRAPHER PROFILE GUY SCHOTTE Schotte first delved into the world of underwater photography 20 years ago, and says he has a particular passion for getting the lighting and emotion in his shots just right. guyschotte.be HIS KIT Schotte shoots with a Nikon D800E with Nikon 16-35mm f/4.0 lens, in Subal ND800 housing.

His lighting set-up here is a Bowens Gemini GM1000pro and Bowens Travelpak, Bowens softboxes, and Seacam and Subtronic underwater strobes

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 387

MEMBER

| GUIDE | 389

GUIDE

YOUR RPS EVENTS ! COURSES PROGRAMME

MAY!JUN!JUL

GO TO

RPS.ORG/EVENTS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES

Landscape workshop

Learn from three expert tutors in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside

J

oin tutors Paul Hill, Nick Lockett and Maria Falconer for this day discovering the natural and man-made landscape in the heart of the Peak District on Saturday 2 July.

The three vastly experienced tutors will cover a wide range of topics, including developing personal photographic projects that lead to a meaningful body of work; how to improve your digital capture; medium and large-format photography; and publishing your photography online and in books.

Held in Monyash, a short walk from Lathkill Dale, a national nature reserve, participants will also visit Magpie Mine, a lead mine that was worked until the

1950s. Its history spans more than 200 years of bonanzas and failures, of bitter disputes and fights resulting in the “murder” of three miners, and a widows’ curse that is said to remain to this day.

At the end of the day there will be an open feedback session in the seminar room, where the group will look at one another’s selection of images made during the day.

And participants can bring their work-in-progress portfolio along for a one-to-one feedback review session with one of the tutors.

Above and left images taken on Coney Island, New York

by Nick Lockett

Left: image by Maria Falconer

For more information turn to page 392 or go to rps.org/events VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 389

390 | GUIDE |

REGIONS

Meet photographers and view work in your area

GO TO

RPS.ORG/EVENTS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES

CENTRAL MIKE SHARPLES ARPS, 07884 657535

landscapes, insects, flowers and birds in Suffolk `` Lackford Lakes Centre, Bury St Edmunds IP28 6HX `` Ann Miles FRPS, 07710 383586, ann@pin-sharp.co.uk

Creative Group members’ day

MIKES.SHARPLES(VIRGIN.NET

Rollright Visual Art Group spring meeting

Sunday 26 June / 10:15–16:45

`` £6 `` Foxton Village Hall,

Saturday 21 May / 10:00–16:30

`` £13 and £5 ploughman’s

Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambs CB22 6RN `` David Jordan, 01603 866475, daveandjoanjordan@ yahoo.co.uk

lunch `` A day with James Reid ARPS `` The Village Hall, Main Street, Long Compton CV36 5JS `` Andreas Klatt ARPS, rpsva@klatt.co.uk

EAST MIDLANDS STEWART WALL ARPS, 07955 124000

EAST ANGLIA

STEWARTWALL(ICLOUD.COM

IAN WILSON ARPS, 07767 473594

First AGM with analogue workshop day

IAN(GREENMEN.ORG.UK

Exhibition selection and AGM

Saturday 7 May / 10:00–16:30

`` £22.50/£17.50 Society

members `` Includes a paper negative workshop with Andrew Sanderson and a colour film talk by Dr Tony Kaye FRPS `` University of Northampton, Newton Grand Hall, School of the Arts, St George’s Avenue, Northampton NN2 6JD `` Stephen Godfrey, 07812 605837, analogue@rps.org

Sunday 8 May / 10:30–16:30

`` £4 per section `` Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton CB22 6RN

`` Ian Wilson ARPS, as above Distinctions advisory day Sunday 12 June / 10:30–16:30

`` £20/£15/£10 observers `` LRPS and ARPS (Creative,

Pictorial and Travel), run

by Pete McCloskey FRPS, Cathy Roberts FRPS and Andy Wilson FRPS `` Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton CB22 6RN `` Ann Miles FRPS, ann@pin-sharp.co.uk

Nature Group & East Anglia Region joint field meeting to Lackford Lakes Saturday 18 June / 9:00–17:00

`` Opportunities to photograph

Fuji X photographer Chris Upton talks about social documentary and travel photography Sunday 22 May / 10:00–16:00

`` £10/£5 concessions/

Take in the scenery and wildlife at Lackford Lakes with East Anglia Image: Shutterstock

students `` Hear award-winning Chris Upton ARPS, a specialist in travel and landscape photography `` Whatton Jubilee Hall, Church Street, Whatton NG13 9EL `` Stewart Wall ARPS, as above

EM RPS photobook

project: street photography at the Ashbourne Streetfest Sat 18 June–Sun 19 June / 11:00–17:00

`` The Market Square, Ashbourne DE6 1ES

`` Stewart Wall ARPS, as above Andre du Plessis FRPS talks about his Fellowship social documentary panel

Adobe Lightroom-certified expert `` Whitechapel Idea Store, 321 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BU `` London Events, londonevents@rps.org

London, Naturally – walk

Sunday 26 June / 10:00–16:00

Sunday 5 June / 10:00–13:00

`` £10/£5 concessions/

Sunday 26 June / 10:00–13:00

students `` Learn how Andre du Plessis FRPS produces beautiful black and white imagery `` Whatton Jubilee Hall, Church Street, Whatton, Notts NG13 9EL `` Stewart Wall ARPS, as above EIRE LONDON DEL BARRETT ARPS

Sunday 31 July / 10:00–13:00

`` Regular monthly Sunday morning walk arranged by the London, Naturally micro-group `` TBC, London SE10 8RS `` London Naturally, london_naturally@rps.org

ARPS advisory day – travel, conceptual and contemporary Wednesday 8 June / 10:30–16:30

LONDONEVENTS(RPS.ORG

`` Participants £25/£20

First Tuesday

`` Observers £15/£10

Tuesday 3 May / 19:00–21:00 Tuesday 7 June / 19:00–21:00 Tuesday 5 July / 19:00–21:00

`` £5/£3 Society members `` Details to be confirmed `` Greenwich Gallery, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS

`` London Cave,

londoncave@rps.org

London Region street walk

Society members

Society members

`` Have your work reviewed by

Will Cheung FRPS for Travel, and Anne Cassidy FRPS for Conceptual and Contemporary `` The Nikon Centre, 63-64 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SW `` London Distinctions, londondist@rps.org

V&A Paul Strand talk

Saturday 14 May / 9:45–13:00

Friday 17 June / 18:00–19:00

Saturday 18 June / 9:45–13:00

`` See website for costs `` Please book place by 10 June `` South Kensington, Victoria

Saturday 16 July / 9:45–13:00

`` Numbers are limited so

please reserve your place

`` TBC, London SE10 8RS `` London Cave, londoncave@rps.org

Photography question time Tuesday 17 May / 19:00–21:00

`` £15/£10 Society members `` On the eve of Photo London, we have a star-studded panel event – the photographic equivalent of Question Time `` The Beaufort Room, Eight Moorgate, 1 Dysart Street, London EC2A 2BX `` London Events, londonevents@rps.org

The Bookworm Club Wednesday 18 May / 18:30– 21:00 Wednesday 15 June / 18:30–21:00

`` The Crusting Pipe, 27 The

Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RD `` London Events, londonevents@rps.org

Adobe Lightroom Develop workshop Saturday 21 May / 9:45–16:15

390 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

`` £55/£45 Society members `` Led by Julian Rouse LRPS,

and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL `` London Events, londonevents@rps.org

Breathing London project Until Thursday 30 June / 9:00–18:00

`` £15/£10 Society members `` Sign up to take part in

‘Breathing London’ – a project to photograph the diversity of London’s open spaces `` Over all the London boroughs `` Judy & Jen, greenlondon@rps.org

LRPS advisory day Wednesday 13 July / 10:30–16:30

`` £25/£20/£15 spectators `` With Cathy Roberts FRPS and Rosemary Wilman HonFRPS

`` Nikon Centre of Excellence,

63-64 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SW `` London Distinctions, londondist@rps.org

Handmade photobook workshop Saturday 23 July / 9:30–16:30

`` £55/£45 Society members

| GUIDE | 391 `` Spend the day with Malcolm

SOUTH WEST

Raggett, photographer and photobook artist. Bring along a selection of your images and Raggett will teach us to make these the pages of a beautiful, A4-sized hardback book with a smaller photograph inlaid on the cover `` The Idea Store, 321 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BU `` London Events, londonevents@rps.org

MICK MEDLEY, 01626824865/07980073808 MICHAEL.MEDLEY(BTINTERNET.COM

West Cornwall Group meeting Tuesday 17 May / 19:30–21:30

`` A nominal charge will be

made for the hire of the hall

`` The Village Hall, Church Hill, Chacewater, Truro TR4 8PZ

`` Vivien Howse ARPS,

01326 221939, vivien939@btinternet.com

A weekend with Leigh Preston FRPS

NORTH WALES MARTIN BROWN LRPS

Saturday 28 May / 10:30–16:00

MAIL(MARTINBROWN.CO.UK

`` £15/£10 Society members `` Fully booked, please contact

NORTH WEST

for waiting list

DR AFZAL ANSARY ASIS FRPS, 07970

`` The Dolphin Hotel, Station

403672

Road, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AL

AFZALANSARY(AOL.COM

DIG North West roadshow Sunday 1 May / 9:30–15:00

`` £15/£13 group members `` Paul Gallagher provides

practical advice on the photographic journey, from camera to finished print `` Lowton Church of England High School, car park via Clayhill Grove, Lowton, Warrington WA3 1FZ `` Malcolm Blackburn, 01298 812233, mblackburn@redseats.net

Annual portrait day Sunday 12 June / 11:00–13:30

`` £15/£12.50 Society members

`` This will be the most exciting portraiture day we have ever staged. There will be three studio set-ups available `` Welkin Mill, Welkin Road, Bredbury SK62BH `` Alan Angel, 0161 980 0106 aandjangel@btinternet.com NORTHERN GERRY ADCOCK ARPS, 01661 830882 GERRY(GERRYADCOCK.CO.UK

Contemporary Group North East meeting Saturday 21 May / 14:00–17:00

`` The Royal Oak, 18

Goodramgate, York YO1 7LG `` Patricia A Ruddle MA ARPS, 07572 124290, patriciaruddle@btinternet.com NORTHERN IRELAND SCOTLAND JAMES FROST FRPS 01578 730466/07881 856294 JAMES.FROST11(BTINTERNET.COM

Scottish members’ print exhibition 2016/17 Until Saturday 21 May / 10:30–16:00

`` Rothes Square,

Glenrothes KY7 5NX

`` Mick Medley, 01626 824865, Hear from a V&A senior curator on Paul Strand’s work Image: Young boy, © Paul Strand Archive, Aperture Foundation

`` Donald Stewart,

Donaldstewart@aol.com

LRPS advisory day in Detling Sunday 1 May / 10:30–17:00

Scottish members’ print exhibition 2016/17

`` £20/£15/£10 spectators `` LRPS advisory day in Detling `` Detling Village Hall,

`` Doug Berndt,

Pilgrims’ Way, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EY `` Terry McGhie ARPS, 01323 492584, southeast@rps.org

Travel advisory day

A&H AGM and annual print day

Sat 28 May–Sat 25 June / 10:30–16:00

`` Penicuik Community Arts

Association, Penicuik EH26 9DL

doggier@blueyonder.co.uk Saturday 4 June / 11:00–16:00

Saturday 7 May / 10:00–16:00

`` £18/£15/£12/£10 Society

`` Leatherhead Institute, 67

members

`` An opportunity to hear from

travel panel chair Leo Palmer FRPS about the Travel Distinction `` Bridge of Allan Church Hall, Keir Street, Bridge of Allan FK9 4NW `` James Frost FRPS, as above

Visit to the Johnson Collection Friday 10 June / 9:00–17:00

`` £10/£5 Society members `` Group visit to the

Johnson Collection `` Wick Heritage Centre, Bank Row, Wick, Caithness KW1 5EY `` Dr Donald Stewart, 01592 840277, donaldstewart42@aol.com

Photo forum Larkhall Saturday 23 July / 10:30–16:00

`` £10/£8 Society members `` An informal day to meet

members. Bring your photographs on the day for discussion and comment `` Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill Community Wing, Carlisle Road, Blackwood ML11 9SB `` James Frost FRPS, as above SOUTH EAST DAVID POWELL, 01273 251485 SOUTHEAST(RPS.ORG

High Street, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8AH `` Chelin Miller, 07804 776980 heritageweb@rps.org

South East Region Fellowship advisory day Sunday 5 June / 10:30–16:00

`` £25 Society members `` Location to be confirmed,

michael.medley@btinternet.com

South West Contemporary Group meeting Sunday 19 June / 10:30–15:30

`` A day to enjoy and take part in portfolio and project reviews of members’ work `` Carnon Downs Village Hall, Carnon Downs, Truro TR3 6GH `` Rod Fry, 01803 844721, rod@rodfry.eclipse.co.uk

SW Visual Art Group workshop on creative Photoshop Sunday 10 July / 10:30–16:00

`` £8/£5/£3 group members `` Learn creative Photoshop `` Dolphin Hotel, Station Road,

Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9NG

`` Linda Wevill FRPS,

linda.wevill@btinternet.com

West Cornwall Group meeting

Tunbridge Wells TN1 2EP `` Terry McGhie ARPS, 01323 492584 southeast@rps.org

`` The bi-monthly meeting of

Visit to Tudeley and Capel

`` The Village Hall, Church Hill,

Thursday 7 July / 10:30–14:00

`` Two ancient churches on the Pilgrims’ Way. More details to be confirmed `` All Saint’s Church, Tudeley, Tonbridge TN11 0NZ `` Chelin Miller, heritageweb@rps.org SOUTH WALES MIKE LEWIS, 07855 309667, 01446 710770 MIKEGLEWIS101(BTINTERNET.COM

Gower Peninsula weekend Saturday 4 June – Sunday 5 June

`` Fully booked, please

contact for waiting list £5 non-Society members `` SA3 1PR `` Peter Douglas-Jones, peter@douglas-jones.biz

Tuesday 19 July / 19:30–21:30

the West Cornwall Group

Chacewater, Truro TR4 8PZ

`` Vivien Howse ARPS,

01326 221939, vivien939@btinternet.com SOUTHERN PAUL GILMOUR LRPS, 07899 042372 SOUTHERN(RPS.ORG

Photograph a blacksmith at work Friday 13 May / 10:00–12:00

`` £15/£10 Society members `` Little Duck Forge, Eastney

Beam Engine House, Henderson Road, Portsmouth PO4 9JF `` Martin Silman, 07703 598303, msilman2000@yahoo.com

Castle Cameras Spring Shoot Show 2016

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 391

392 | GUIDE |

WORKSHOPS

‘Creative eye’ photography

Hear from the experts and hone your skills

Introduction to Lightroom

Sunday 1 May / 10:00–16:30

Saturday 11 June / 10:00–16:30

`` £95/£71 Society

`` This course provides an

members `` Learn how to see the photographic potential of the world, compose pictures with impact, and enhance your images using Photoshop `` Society HQ

introduction to Lightroom’s organisational, editing and printing tools and is suitable for a beginner `` Bath HQ

Two-day wedding workshop Saturday 11 June / 10:00–17:00

Shooting for stock Monday 9 May / 10:30–16:30

`` £65/£48 Society members

`` Society HQ Better digital printing Sat 14 – Sun 15 May / 10:00–16:30

`` £175/£150 Society members `` Society HQ

`` This introductory

workshop is for all those wanting to learn more about how to take great wedding photographs and the basics of starting a business `` Lacock, Wiltshire

Printing with Lightroom Sunday 12 June / 10:00–16:00

Studio portraiture Sat 21 – Sun 22 May / 10:00–17:00

`` £165/£140 Society

members `` A beginners’ workshop covering all you need to know about taking great images in a studio environment `` The Manger Barn, 1 High Street, Lacock, Wiltshire

Close-up and macro photography Wednesday 25 May / 10:00-16:30

`` £95/£71 Society

`` This course provides an

introduction to Lightroom’s organisational, editing and printing tools and is suitable for a beginner `` Bath HQ

`` A beginners’ photography

professionalism to boost your business `` Lacock, Wiltshire

Ambrotypes `` £120/£95 Society

From shutter to print: colour management training

`` Learn how to make your

`` £45/£33 Society

course `` Bath HQ

Sunday 19 June / 9:30–17:00

members

own ambrotype, direct positives on glass, which you can take home. No experience is needed for you to enjoy this course `` Lacock, Wiltshire

Art nude photography Saturday 25 June / 10:00–17:00

`` The course is suitable

for all photographers wishing to learn about lighting a nude and producing high-quality photographs. The lighting techniques are also suitable for pregnancy and maternity photography `` Lacock, Wiltshire

How to photograph children and babies Sunday 26 June / 10:00–17:00

One-day introduction to your digital camera (DSLR) Saturday 18 June / 10:00–17:00

Learn more about wedding photography with this two-day workshop Image: Shutterstock

members

`` Buckinghamshire Different landscapes and rural life Saturday 28 May / 9:00–18:00

`` £155/£130 Society members

`` Improve your

photography in the ancient village of Harrington – an ideal centre for photographing rural life and exploring the natural and man-made landscape `` YHA Hartington Hall, Hall Bank, Hartington, Nr Buxton

Practical wildlife photography Saturday 4 June / 10:30–16:30

`` £105/£80 Society members

`` A chance to photograph the wildlife at the Westcountry Wildlife Photography Centre with tutor Nigel Hicks `` Devon

392 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

`` This is a stand-alone

course, which will give you the skills that will enhance your images and

Wednesday 29 June / 10:00–15:00

members

`` Perfect for digital

photographers who want to get accurate colour results and a more successful colour workflow, or those just converting to digital expecting to see what is on their screen come out of their printer `` Bath HQ

The natural and man-made landscape Saturday 2 July / 9:00–18:00

`` Another great location for this opportunity to work alongside three excellent tutors who are there to help you get the most from the beautiful landscapes in and around the village of Monyash `` Derbyshire, Monyash

Introduction to Photoshop

Saturday 2 July / 10:00–17:00

`` Bath HQ Two-day wedding workshop Sat 23 – Sun 24 July / 10:00–17:00

`` A workshop for beginners that covers all you need to know about taking great images in a studio `` Lacock, Wiltshire

Creative dance lighting photography Saturday 30 July / 10:00–17:00

`` Learn how to create

multi-image and strobe effects as well as getting the opportunity to work alongside a top model and professional ballet dancer `` Surrey, Leigh

Wet collodion (two days) Fri 17 – Sat 18 June / 9:30–17:00

`` £195/£170 Society members

`` Photographic artist

Michael Schaaf will show you how to make your own wet collodion negative. No photographic knowledge or experience is needed `` The Manger Barn, 1 High Street, Lacock, Wiltshire

| GUIDE | 393 annual print day Saturday 7 May / 10:00–16:00

`` A good chance for new

members, or those interested in joining, to meet members and find out about the group’s interests and photography `` Leatherhead Institute, 67 High Street, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8AH `` Chelin Miller, 07804 776980, heritageweb@rps.org

Visit to Tudeley and Capel Thursday 7 July / 10:30–14:00

`` Two ancient churches on the Tuesday 17 May / 10:00–16:00

`` Meet The Royal Photographic

Society at this year’s spring shoot `` Hamworthy Club, Magna Road, Nr Wimbourne, Dorset BH21 3AP `` Dave Peckham, 07434 170644, davepeckham@mac.com

Ashley Border will discuss automotive photography with the Western Group Image by Ashley Border

`` £5 `` With Brian Hutchings `` Merryfield Village Hall, Ilton,

`` Robert Helliwell,

01904 500231, bobhelliwell@clara.co.uk

Pilgrims’ Way. More details to be confirmed `` All Saint’s Church, Tudeley, Tonbridge TN11 0NZ `` Chelin Miller, heritageweb@rps.org

`` Mick Humphreys LRPS,

Distinctions advisory day, Wakefield

HOWARD BAGSHAW ARPS, 01889 881503

Saturday 18 June / 10:30–16:30

HOWARD.BAGSHAW(NTLWORLD.COM

Quarterly meeting Sunday 15 May / 10:00–13:00

near Ilminster, Somerset mick@somersite.co.uk

DI Group Western – Adrian Davies: close-up, macro, design and pattern in nature

THAMES VALLEY MARK BUCKLEY,SHARP ARPS, 020 8907 5874 MARK.BUCKLEY,SHARP(TISCALI.CO.UK

Sunday 22 May / 10:00–16:00

DIG Thames Valley: Bernie Raffe AMPA – off-camera flash practical workshop plus our PDI competition

`` £8/£7/£5 group members `` Merryfield Village Hall, Ilton, near Taunton TA19 9HG

`` Dennis Knowles,

dennisknowles123 @btinternet.com

Sunday 15 May / 10:00–15:30

`` £12/£8 group members `` Woosehill Community Hall,

Western Region monthly meeting

Emmview Close, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 3DA `` Laurie Pate, digthamesvalley@rps.org

Sunday 5 June / 10:00–12:30

`` £5 `` Prints for discussion `` 122 Wells Road, Bath

Thames Valley Distinctions advisory day

BA2 3AH

`` Kevin Schwaerzler, as above

Sunday 26 June / 10:00–16:00

`` Fully booked, contact for

Western Region field trip

`` Millennium Hall, Main Road,

`` £35 `` Brooklands Motor Museum `` Brooklands Museum,

waiting list

Lacey Green HP27 0QN

`` Mark Buckley-Sharp, as above WESTERN KEVIN SCHWAERZLER, 07710 172203 WESTERN(RPS.ORG

Ashley Border – automotive photographer Sunday 8 May / 10:00–12:30

`` £5 `` The talk will focus on the

qualities and challenges of lighting on location, plus logistics, as well as a discussion on approach and techniques `` 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH `` Kevin Schwaerzler, as above

Highnam show-and-tell session and Annie Blick Sunday 8 May / 10:00–13:00

`` £5 `` Parish Room Highnam, Newent Road, Highnam GL2 8DG `` Bob Train

Sunday 10 July / 9:00–17:00

Your events

To ensure inclusion of your events in The RPS Journal please post them on the RPS website six weeks prior to publication. For a list of deadlines, cancellations or last-minute amendments, please contact Emma Wilson on 0141 375 0504 or email emma.wilson@ thinkpublishing. co.uk. These listings are correct at time of going to print

Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0SL

`` Kevin Schwaerzler, as above Western Region LRPS and ARPS advisory day Sunday 17 July / 10:30–16:30

`` £20/£15/£10 spectators `` Fenton House, 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH

`` Michelle Whitmore,

michelle@ michellewhitmore.co.uk YORKSHIRE MARY CROWTHER ARPS, 07921 237962 PHOTOBOX50(GMAIL.COM

Self-help group – café session

`` VJs Art Bar, Finkle Street, York YO1 8RW

`` £20/£15/£10 spectator `` Advice for Licentiate

Distinctions, plus Associate Distinctions in Travel `` New Brookhouse Club, 221 Barnsley Road, Wakefield WF1 5NU `` Robert Helliwell, 01904 500231, bobhelliwell@clara.co.uk

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

Explore more aspects of photography and digital imaging ANALOGUE DAVID HEALEY ARPS, 07968 746211 ANALOGUE(RPS.ORG

AGM and analogue workshop

welcome, but generally it is a catch-up with old and new friends

CONTEMPORARY PETER ELLIS LRPS, 07770 837977 WORDSNPICSLTD(GMAIL.COM

Photography question time Tuesday 17 May / 19:00–21:00

`` Our moderator and question

master will be Professor Brian Griffin HonFRPS and our panel line-up is Bill Hunt, Lisa Barnard and Mark Power `` The Beaufort Room, London, Eight Moorgate, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX `` londonevents@rps.org

Contemporary Group North East meeting Saturday 21 May / 14:00–17:00

`` The Royal Oak, 18

Goodramgate, York YO1 7LG

`` Patricia A Ruddle MA ARPS,

07572 124290, patriciaruddle@btinternet.com

South West Contemporary Group meeting

Saturday 7 May / 10:00–16:30

Sunday 19 June / 10:30–15:30

`` £22.50/£17.50 Society

`` A day to enjoy and take part in

members

`` Our first AGM, with an

portfolio and project reviews of members’ work `` Carnon Downs Village Hall, Carnon Downs, Truro TR3 6GH `` Rod Fry, 01803 844721, rod@rodfry.eclipse.co.uk

analogue workshop day including paper negatives with Andrew Sanderson and a colour film talk by Dr Tony Kaye FRPS `` University of Northampton, Newton Grand Hall, School of the Arts, St George’s Avenue, Northampton NN2 6JD `` Stephen Godfrey, 07812 605837, analogue@rps.org

`` SouthBank Club, Dean Lane,

ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE

`` photobook.bristol@gmail.com

Saturday 21 May / 10:30–12:30

`` £7/£3 Society members `` Photographic images are

AUDIO VISUAL

Bristol Photobook Festival 2016 Friday 10 June–Sunday 12 June

`` Join Brian Steptoe at this year’s photobook festival

Bristol BS3 1DB

RODNEY BERNARD THRING LRPS, 01276 20725 RODNEY.THRING(NTLWORLD.COM

A&H AGM and

CREATIVE BARRY COLLIN LRPS CREATIVECHAIR(RPS.ORG

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 393

394 | GUIDE |

COUNCIL REPORT ! FEBRUARY 2016 MATTERS ARISING

`` Vanessa Slawson

proposed that council minutes carry a separate ‘actions sheet’ to record all actions, noting their ownership and completion date. She asked that Distinction and qualification ratifications which were dealt with by email should be recorded in the minutes. `` Rosemary Wilman had raised a number of issues with the financial procedures that had been previously circulated and approved. Geoff Blackwell would supply corrected versions for uploading to the website. `` Vanessa Slawson asked what controls were in place for electronic payments for amounts where two signatories would normally be required. The treasurer said that the practice was similar with groups and regions able to authorise amounts below £250, and amounts over this needing officer approval.

SOCIETY FINANCE

`` Council approved a

proposal from Geoff Blackwell for the Society’s capitation amount for 2016 to be increased to £1.45 per head with a minimum of £350 per region. The discount vouchers made available to non-members at advisory says had seen no uptake and council agreed to withdraw them. `` It was agreed to update MP003 to include the statement that: [regional] treasurers who fail to deliver timely reports to the Society’s finance manager, or fail to comply with the requirements of the Society’s financial procedures, may be brought to the attention of council and may be removed from office without notice. `` The Society’s audit had been arranged for 4-8 April.

FINANCIAL IMPASSE

`` Geoff Blackwell reported

that the Society appeared to be in a financial impasse, lacking the immediate funds to realise projects due to internal constraints.

He proposed that some of the Society’s operational income be released to the director-general so that projects which would bring direct benefit to the Society could be realised.

Walter Benzie noted that a consequence would be that the Society would run at a deficit. Council supported the proposal and asked that Geoff Blackwell discuss it with the investment committee.

SOCIETY PREMISES

`` Geoff Blackwell

summarised the situation with The Meeting House, Bristol. A mezzanine floor was very unlikely to receive listed building consent; as a consequence the agents had been advised that the Society would not be pursuing the building on the basis that it lacked sufficient space. `` Walter Benzie reminded council of the original need for more office space and an exhibition space and that Fenton House was acting as a constraint on Society activities. A wider discussion ensued with different viewpoints expressed ranging from remaining at Fenton House, to securing additional office space, through to exploring separate administration and exhibition spaces and continuing the search for a building based on the current brief. Council agreed to continue to look at all options.

MEMBERSHIP

`` The Society’s

membership stood at 11,368. Del Barrett reported that she and Simon Bibb had met and a report had been circulated.

GROUPS, REGIONS AND CHAPTERS `` Del Barrett reported on a breakfast meeting arranged by the London Region for Society Honorary Fellows in the region. The meeting had been well attended and had provided useful feedback on their perception of the Society. This had been circulated. Council

394 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

considered the exercise to have been valuable and discussed whether there was an opportunity to review how the Society used the HonFRPSs. The director-general reported that Jeff Vickers MBE FRPS had been working with respected photographers and a number had joined the Society and were promoting the value of Society membership more widely. He had already realised benefits for the Society in terms of publicity and relationships with other organisations, such as Hasselblad. `` Del Barrett expressed the view that the Society needed to take a different approach to make it an organisation that people wanted to join for more than just the Distinctions.

The Society could not do everything, but it should strive to be the best at what it did. She made two proposals regarding researching a new Society publication and using an exhibition space at Charing Cross underground station which would be used to exhibit photography curated by the HonFRPSs through an open call.

Council agreed to support both suggestions. `` Council approved Mick Medley as the South West and David Powell as the South East regional organisers.

STRATEGIC REVIEW

`` Council agreed to use its next meeting on 18 March to complete the strategic review. The directorgeneral was asked to update and reissue the strategic aims document.

AWARDS

`` The awards nomination

form would be simplified for the next call that would be issued in September 2016. Council agreed the members’ awards and approved the four Fenton Medal nominees. `` There was a need to recognise members who performed service to the Society outside the formal awards. It agreed that a president’s commendation certificate would be awarded as required and presented at group, region or chapter meetings. `` Vanessa Slawson asked that volunteers recognised with service certificates be reported in the RPS Journal.

DOCUMENTATION

`` Walter Benzie agreed to

circulate the management procedural documents before the next meeting.

STAFF AND HQ MANAGEMENT `` Further to the directorgeneral’s written report he advised that an offer had been made to Alan Hitch for the role of IT support manager. He would start on 29 March.

DISTINCTIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS `` Distinction and qualification recommendations circulated by email had been approved. `` Robert Albright updated the meeting on the Distinctions review. More than 100 responses had been received to date. The review group would meet shortly after this to collate and categorise the responses and to prepare a

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

summary report with any recommendations for review by the DAB and council.

EXHIBITIONS

`` Lesley Goode was congratulated on the content of her monthly report.

EDUCATION

`` Council observed that the

Society’s workshops were mainly focused on training rather than on creative photography. It expressed the view that more courses outside of Fenton House would be desirable even though this meant finding venues and tutors in other parts of the country. `` Liz Williams was asked to collate the 2015 workshop feedback forms and provide a summary of the responses. In future, Survey Monkey would be used to gain attendee feedback to facilitate this process. `` The Society’s presence at The Photography Show was all in hand.

RPS JOURNAL

`` Think Publishing would

be meeting the directorgeneral and staff on 19 February to review various Journal matters and to forward plan.

WEBSITE

`` The director-general

was asked to circulate the website review terms of reference.

NATIONAL MEDIA MUSEUM `` Walter Benzie summarised a meeting he had held with John Page HonFRPS and discussions with other Society members regarding the RPS Collection and its move from Bradford to the V&A Museum, London. The Society’s position was discussed. Del Barrett noted that it was important that the Society made it clear that it did not own the collection despite it retaining the Society’s name. Geoff Blackwell noted the £1.6m investment being made by the Science Museum Group

| GUIDE | 395 Members’ meeting Sunday 26 June / 10:30–11:00

`` £6 `` Foxton Village Hall,

in to STEM at the museum.

Council supported the move of the collection to the V&A and reiterated that any public communication should be made through the director-general. `` Council asked that the director-general write to Jo Quinton-Tulloch and Martin Barnes restating the Society’s objectives and emphasising its wish to work constructively with the V&A. It would like to see a meeting with the V&A at the earliest opportunity.

ADVISORY BOARD AND GOVERNANCE `` The report from the advisory board subcommittee was considered. Robert Albright reported that he had spoken to Mike Cullis. Council agreed to cancel the advisory board meeting scheduled for 12 March and to hold two separate meetings for groups and regions with directly elected members invited to both. `` The forthcoming review of the Society’s governance was discussed and a provisional review team of Douglas May (chair), Roy Robertson, Michael Pritchard, Mark BuckleySharp, Brian Pomeroy, Mo Connelly and Barry Hoffman was proposed. The group would report back by the annual general meeting.

Walter Benzie would circulate the terms of reference and consult with the proposed names.

EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS `` Robert Albright had attended the PAGB executive. There were no significant issues affecting the Society.

Cambridgeshire CB22 6RN `` David Jordan FRPS, daveandjoanjordan@ yahoo.co.uk DIGITAL IMAGING

Sunday 22 May / 10:00–16:00

`` £8/£7/£5 group members `` A look at the technical side of close-up and macro imaging, and their creative potential `` Merryfield Village Hall, Ilton, Nr Taunton TA19 9HG `` Dennis Knowles, dennisknowles123@ btinternet.com

JANET HAINES JANET.HAINES(BTOPENWORLD.COM

DIG North West roadshow Sunday 1 May / 9:30–15:00

`` £15/£13 group members `` Paul Gallagher provides

practical advice on the photographic journey, from camera to finished print `` Lowton Church of England High School, car park via Clayhill Grove, Lowton, Warrington WA3 1FZ `` Malcolm Blackburn, 01298 812233, mblackburn@redseats.net

DIG Thames Valley – Bernie Raffe AMPA: off-camera flash practical workshop plus our PDI competition Sunday 15 May / 10:00–15:30

`` £12/£8 group members `` Learn the fundamental

principles plus some advanced concepts of using off-camera flash to take stunning portraits `` Woosehill Community Hall, Emmview Close, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 3DA `` Laurie Pate, digthamesvalley@rps.org Attend a question panel in London this month Image: Shutterstock

DI Group Western – Adrian Davies: close-up, macro, design and pattern in nature

DOCUMENTARY MO CONNELLY LRPS, 01590 641849 DVJ(RPS.ORG HISTORICAL JENNIFER FORD ARPS, 01234 881459 JENNYFORD2000(YAHOO.CO.UK

Visit to the Johnson Collection Friday 10 June / 9:00–17:00

`` £10/£5 Society members `` Wick Heritage Centre, Bank Row, Wick KW1 5EY

`` Dr Donald Stewart,

01592 840277, donaldstewart42@aol.com IMAGING SCIENCE DR TONY KAYE ASIS FRPS, 020 8420 6557 TONYKAYE(HOTMAIL.CO.UK

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

notice of a significant legacy from the late Chloe Johnson which stipulated how it should be used to support lectures by ‘eminent photographers’. A paper from the director-general outlining a course of action was approved. Richard Tucker asked that the lecture series be used to provide video content.

Nature Group & East Anglia Region joint field meeting to Lackford Lakes Saturday 18 June / 9:00–17:00

`` Opportunities to photograph

landscapes, insects, flowers, and birds in Suffolk `` Lackford Lakes Centre, Bury St Edmunds IP28 6HX `` Ann Miles FRPS, 07710 383586, ann@pin-sharp.co.uk

Nature Group field meeting with Steve Race, director, Yorkshire Coast Nature Saturday 18 June – Sunday 19 June

`` Photograph diving and flying

gannets from a boat, from RSPB Bempton Cliffs `` Bridlington Harbour car park, Bridlington YO15 3AL `` James Foad LRPS, 01843 580295 or 07810 306365, jamesfoadlrps@inbox.com

Nature Group field meeting to the Ainsdale dunes Saturday 25 June / from 10:00

LANDSCAPE

`` Booking essential `` The Ainsdale Discovery

TIM PARISH LRPS LANDSCAPE(RPS.ORG

Using tilt/shift lenses in landscape photography Saturday 7 May / 9:30–16:30

`` Event full, contact for waiting list. See website for costs

`` Rutland Water, Anglian Water birdwatching centre, Egleton, Rutland LE15 8BT `` Tim Parish, timp.parish@gmail.com

Centre, The Promenade, Shore Road, Ainsdale-on-Sea, nr Southport PR8 2QB `` Trevor Davenport ARPS, 01704 870284 or 07831 643844, trevor43davenport@ gmail.com

Nature Group field meeting to Pepperfield Farm Sunday 3 July / 10:30–16:00

Gower Peninsula weekend

`` Wildlife reserve with lake/

Saturday 4 June – Sunday 5 June

`` Event full, contact for waiting list. £5 non-members

`` Gower Peninsula SA3 1PR `` Peter Douglas-Jones, peter@douglas-jones.biz MEDICAL DR AFZAL ANSARY ASIS FRPS, 07970 403672 AFZALANSARY(AOL.COM

woodland on a working rare breeds farm `` Pepperfield Farm, Dalton-on-Tees DL2 2NS `` Terence Laheney ARPS, 07849 026561 or 01325 720575, pepperfieldfarm@ hotmail.co.uk

Nature Group residential weekend Friday 15 July – Monday 18 July

`` £195 single/£185 shared

NATURE

`` The Society had received

821509 or 07989 494232, Duncan.locke@btinternet.com

RICHARD REVELS FRPS, 01767 313065 RICHARD.REVELS(TALKTALK.NET

Nature Group field meeting to Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve Wednesday 8 June / 9:30–16:00

`` Photograph meadow flowers, insects and birds along the Leigh Brook `` Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve, Bridges Stone, Alfrick WR6 5HR `` Duncan Locke, 01905

room

`` A residential weekend of

photography at Flatford Mill Field Centre, Suffolk `` Flatford Mill Field Centre, East Bergholt, Suffolk CO7 6UL `` James Foad LRPS, 01843 580295 or 07810 306365, jamesfoadlrps@inbox.com TRAVEL KEITH POINTON LRPS, 01588 640592 BAGPOINT(AOL.COM

Cambodia overland

VOL 156 / MAY 2016 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 395

396 | GUIDE | photo tours – May/ November

`` Andrew Barrow,

arb@andys-scribblings.co.uk

Saturday 21 May – Thursday 2 June Saturday 12 – Thursday 24 November

`` £950 group members `` Highlights include Phnom

VISUAL ARTS VIVECA KOH FRPS, 07956 517524 VIVECA.KAOH(GMAIL.COM

Penh, the temples of Angkor and Tonle Sap lake `` Keith Pointon, as above

Rollright Visual Art Group spring meeting

Travel advisory day

`` £13 and £5 ploughman’s

Saturday 21 May / 10:00–16:30 Saturday 4 June / 11:00–16:00

`` A chance to hear from travel panel chair Leo Palmer FRPS about the Travel Distinction `` Bridge of Allan Church Hall, Keir Street, Bridge of Allan FK9 4NW `` James Frost FRPS, 07881 856294, james.frost11@ btinternet.com

On my doorstep Sunday 3 July / 9:00–16:30

`` £35 group members `` The first of what we hope will

be a series of one-day training workshops held around the country and specifically aimed at new members of the Travel Group or those whose camera skills are still at a basic level and wish to improve `` Chichester Cathedral, The Royal Chantry, Cathedral Cloisters, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1PX `` Tony R S Ashford, 020 8767 1911, tonyashford@live.co.uk

lunch

`` A day with James Reid ARPS `` The Village Hall, Main Street, Long Compton CV36 5JS

`` Andreas Klatt ARPS, rpsva@klatt.co.uk

PATRONAGE

Creative Photoshop

The Travel Group’s first training day will begin at The following salons/ Chichester exhibitions have SocietyCathedral Image: Shutterstock approved patronage:

Sunday 10 July / 10:30 Sunday 10 July / 16:00

`` £8/£5/£3 group members `` Topics covered will include layers, masks, texture layers, white layers, softening etc `` Dolphin Hotel, Station Road, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9NG `` Linda Wevill FRPS, linda.wevill@btinternet.com

46th H.K.C.C. International Salon of Pictorial Photography Closing date: 1 May 2016

`` hongkongcameraclub.com `` RPS 2016/43

EXHIBITIONS

2nd International Photographic Art Exhibition – Lines

LESLEY GOODE, EXHIBITIONS MANAGER

Closing date: 1 May 2016

01225 325720, LESLEY(RPS.ORG

`` lines.photodivan.com `` RPS 2016/52

RPS International Print Exhibition – Co Dublin

2nd International Salon of Print and Digital Art Varna

Wed 11 May – Wed 22 June

Travel Group tour to Soria and Old Castile

`` Municipal Gallery, Library and Cultural Centre, DÏn Laoghaire (dlr LexIcon), Haigh Terrace, Moran Park, DÏn Laoghaire, Co Dublin `` Ciara King, cking@ DLRCOCO.IE

`` printsalonvarna.org `` RPS 2016/36

Wallingford wanderings

RPS International Print Exhibition 158 – Derby

`` focithane.com `` RPS 2016/39

Fri 7 – Sun 9 October/ 17:00–18:00

Thursday 30 June – Friday 19 August

`` £25/£15/£5 spectators `` Wallingford Town Hall, Market

`` University of Derby,

Tue 27 September – Mon 3 October

`` £1,875 group members `` Hotel Las Nieves, Salduero del Duero, Soria `` Colin Howard, colin.howard@mac.com

Place, Wallingford OX10 0EG

Kedleston Road, Derby DE22 1GB

32nd Malaysia International Salon of Photography 2016 Closing date: 8 June 2016

`` psmsalon.com `` RPS 2016/44 154th Edinburgh International Exhibition of Photography Closing date: 15 June 2016

`` edinburghphotosalon.org/ `` RPS 2016/32 9th International Photographic Salon Varna Closing date: 15 June 2016

`` fotosalonvarna.org `` RPS 2016/40 67th Midland Salon

GO TO

RPS.ORG/EVENTS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES

`` midland-salon.com `` RPS 2016/47 The South Devon Salon Closing date: 17 July 2016

PSA China Special Theme 2016 Closing date: 15 May 2016

`` newtonabbot-photoclub.org. uk

`` RPS 2016/42

Royal Photographic Society members around the world

oolongcha@hotmail.com `` CHINA SHANGTUF Guo Jing, shangtuf@yahoo.com.cn `` CHINA QUANZHOU Xiaoling Wang, hgudsh@163.com `` DUBAI Mohammed Arfan Asif ARPS, dubai@rps.org `` GERMANY

Exhibition: Colours

Sunday 22 May – Sunday 12 June

Gallery “Nuri Irak”, Hüttenplatz 64, Hagen, Germany, 58135 germany@rps.org

396 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

aspx

`` RPS 2016/41

Closing date: 27 June 2016

FOCI International Closing date: 3 May 2016

OVERSEAS CHAPTERS

`` AUSTRALIA Elaine Herbert ARPS, eherbert@ alphalink.com.au `` BENELUX Richard Sylvester richard.sylvester@ skynet.be `` CANADA John Bradford, jb.rps@cogeco.ca `` CHINA BEIJING Yan Li, yanli88@yahoo.com `` CHINA CHONGQING `` CHINA WESTERN Wei Han (Richard),

Closing date: 3 May 2016

`` salon.psachina.org/EIndex.

Exhibition: Reflection Thursday 19 May – Tuesday 12 July

Altes Stadtbad, Berliner Straße 115, Hagen germany@rps.org `` HONG KONG Shan Sang Wan FRPS, shansangwan@ yahoo.com.hk `` INDIA Rajen Nandwana, rajennandwana@gmail.com `` INDONESIA Agatha Bunanta ARPS, agathabunanta @gmail.com `` ITALY

Olivio Argenti FRPS, info@rps-italy.org `` JAPAN TOKYO Yoshio Miyake, yoshio-raps@nifty.com `` MALAYSIA Nick Ng, nickng6208@gmail.com `` MALTA Ruben Buhagiar, info@rubenbuhagiar.com `` NEW ZEALAND Mark Berger, rps@moothall.co.nz `` SINGAPORE Steven Yee Pui Chung FRPS, peacock@

sandvengroup.com `` SRI LANKA Romesh de Silva, romesh@access.lk `` SWISS CHAPTER Richard Tucker ARPS, tucker42@bluewin.ch `` TAIWAN Joanie Fan Hui Ling ARPS, djpassionfoto@gmail.com `` USA ATLANTIC CHAPTER Carl Lindgren, lindgren.carl@gmail.com `` USA PACIFIC CHAPTER Jeff Barton, rps@vadis.net

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delighted to see Fujifilm get behind the introduction of a new archival C-type paper. There is still both a demand for, and an appreciation of, archival photographic print media, and to have this stock added to the range is very encouraging.

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Fujifilm’s Project Team celebrates the launch of Professional Velvet

JOHN WELDON, director at CC Imaging Ltd, comments: ‘We printed the SUN Awards exhibitions images (winners below) using Professional Velvet and were suitably impressed. It’s easy to work with, shows no fingerprints, is easy to clean and is virtually reflection free. Additionally, it has a good depth of colour and an excellent black rendition. It was universally well received by the participating photographers and visitors to the awards event in Leeds in November. For fine art prints it’s an excellent alternative to our usual “watercolour” fine art paper and I think our “artistic” clients are going to really love it.’

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AoP’s SUN27 first showing for Fujifilm’s new Professional Velvet

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400 | TIMES PAST | FROM THE RPS COLLECTION

Alvin Langdon Coburn The Honorary Fellow’s Vortograph (2) from 1917

V

orticism, the shortlived but nonetheless influential British avant-garde movement proclaimed: ‘The New Vortex plunges into the heart of the Present – we produce a New Living Abstraction’.

Through his friendship with Ezra Pound, Alvin Langdon Coburn met the

vorticists’ founder Percy Wyndham Lewis in 1913.

Although perhaps more recognised for his delicate photogravures, Coburn was at this time showing a marked interest in more abstract forms and experimental photography.

In 1916 he began producing images with a vortoscope.

This involved the placing of

400 / THE RPS JOURNAL / MAY 2016 / VOL 156

three mirrors in front of the lens, and the resulting photographs were reminiscent of those seen through a kaleidoscope.

While the most well-known of his vortographs are of crystals, wood was also used, and he produced some portraits (including one of Ezra Pound).

In January 1917, Coburn

was invited to mount a one-man exhibition at the London Camera Club, a task he undertook on the condition that, in his own words, ‘… he could hang what he liked …’, a condition to which the organisers agreed.

Although vorticism was on its last legs by this time, he showed 18 vortographs, alongside 13 of his paintings.

Ezra Pound wrote the preface to the catalogue (anonymously) and said: ‘The Vortoscope freed photography from the material limitations of depicting recognisable physical objects.’ It is a sentiment that abstract artists of all genres would recognise.

Although born in Boston, Massachusetts, Coburn made many visits to the UK in his lifetime, moving here permanently in 1912 and becoming a British citizen in 1933, three years after he donated a large collection of prints to the Society.

As well as being elected to Stieglitz’s photo-secession in 1902, he was also voted in to the Brotherhood of the Linked Ring the year after.

He was made a Society Honorary Fellow in 1931, despite the irony that by this time his active interest in photography had waned and he had destroyed nearly all the negatives of his work.

Coburn described his life as a ‘quest for beauty’ and the most superficial glance at the variety of techniques and the subtle forms of many of his images attest to that.

PETER HARVEY ARPS

ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY COLLECTION/NATIONAL MEDIA MUSEUM/ SCIENCE ! SOCIETY PICTURE LIBRARY

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