Viewfinders Newsletter January 2022 by Viewfinders Photography Club of Brussels

www.viewfinders.be newsletter@viewfinders.be ©PeterTulp Newsle�er284, January 2022 Next meeting:12January Since 1994

Anotheryeargoneby.Lookingback,manyareeither ruefullyhopefulthatnextyearcanonlybebe�er, coun�ngtheblessingsthatthislastonebrought,or(most likely)amixtureofboth.

Forourclub,Ifeelwedidquitewellunders�llquite difficultcircumstances,andI’dliketothankthecommi�ee membersfortheircon�nuedefforttobringsomeuseful andvaluableexperiencesforallourpar�cipants,the amazingspeakersandjudgeswholenttheir�metous, andallthememberswhotookpartandmadeallthe effortreallyworth-while.Weevenmanagedtoholdthree mee�ngs“enpresence”withlive-streamingforremote a�endees,learningbydoingaboutthetechnologyto makethiswork.

ComejoinusatourfirstViewfindersclubmee�ngof 2022ontheeveningofWednesday,12January,star�ng at20:00.Itisunknownatthis�meifthemee�ngcanbe heldatthechurchduetothepandemic,butinanycase, theZoomlogininforma�onwillbesenttoallmembers bye-mailseveraldayspriortotheclubmee�ng. A�erAlun’sannouncementsandashorttutorialon DoubleExposurebyEndreSebok,themaineventofthe eveningwillbeourexternalspeaker,EricWeytens.

Lookingforwardtoseeingyouattheclubmee�ngon12 January. Staysafe.

Alternatelypressphotographer,portrai�st,nude specialist,landscapeandcommercialphotographer,Eric isfirstofallatruecra�smanwithadeeppassionforfine imagery.Heisaninterna�onallyrecognisedawardwinningar�stwithseveralexhibi�onsinBelgiumand Germanybehindhim. Formoreinforma�onaboutEric,seehis website, Facebookprofile,on Instagram or lensculture

PreviewoftheJanuaryMee�ng

RichardSylvester ByAlunFoster INTRODUCTION 2 © AlunFoster

Thebiglessonisthatperseveranceprevails/de aanhouderwint/lapersévérancel'emporte/Ausdauer wirdbelohnt,andinthatspiritwecanlookforwardtothe best2022wecanmake.Sameistrueforwhatever photographyprojectswesetforourselves,andofcourse we’dlovetoseetheresultsofthose,atmee�ngsorinthis newsle�er!

ThemaineventoftheeveningwasoneofoursemiannualChallenges,this�meonthesubjectof “Fragile”,withMichaelChiaandYannBertrandas judges.14memberssubmi�edatotalof26images. Thejudgeshadtheirworkcutoutforthem,asthere wasabroadinterpreta�onof“Fragile”.

A�erthebreak,duringwhich�methepar�cipants couldvotefortheirPeople’sChoice,Michaelprovided commentsonmostoftheimages.Hethenpresented anddiscussedthejudges’top3images:thirdplace wenttoDavidMarshforhis“KnifepiercingaFragile Grape”photo,secondplacewenttoNicolas

U nfortunately,welearnedthedaybeforeour Decembermee�ngthatwecouldnotholditat theSwedishchurchduetoa�ghteningin pandemicrestric�ons.Wethusswitchedtoanonline onlyZoommee�ngwhichwasa�endedbysome36 par�cipants.

3 VIEWFINDERSMEETINGDecember8

Jouveneauxforhisimageshowingthefragilityof brokenandthawingice,andfirstplacewenttoSabine Posdziechforherphotoshowingacatplayingwitha fragileegg. ThePeople’sChoiceawardwenttoBobTaylorwith HonorableMen�onsgoingtoDavidMarshandSabine Posdziech. Finally,thejudgeswerethankedfortheirexcellent commentsonthephotosandforalltheworkthat theydidinpreparingtheChallenge.Alunthenclosed themee�ngthankingeveryonefortheirpar�cipa�on.

MiguelAngelthenpresentedanoverviewofBlack andWhitephotographyasanintroduc�ontoour BlackandWhiteprojectinFebruary.Hediscussed whyyoumights�llwanttodoblackandwhite photographyintoday’sworldofcolor.Hestressedthe needtothinkinblackandwhite,takingintoaccount shadow,contrast,tones(darkandlight),shapes, texture,composi�on,andemo�on.Hethenpresented thetechniquesandstylesofblackandwhite,andhow toachieveblackandwhitebothincameraandwith postprocessing.

FormoreimagesfromtheFragilechallenge,seepg14. By RichardSylvester

©BobTaylor(People’sChoice)

Inhisannouncementsatthestartofthemee�ng, Alunsummarizedfutureclubac�vi�eswhichinclude theAprilChallenge(UrbanLife)andphotoprojectsin February(BlackandWhile)andinJune(Water).Apoll wastakentodeterminethedateofapossibleVFCafé inDecember.Morephotowalkswillbeorganizedand announcedinthenearfuture.Alunalsoreminded memberstosendintheirholidayphotostothe Newsle�erandtopaytheirannualmembership subscrip�on.

Yourflawsandfailuresareavitalpartofthenever-ending learningprocessandtheyarekeycomponentsthatdefine yourpersonality.Wearenotheretojudgeandpunishthe shortcomingsofthewaysyouapproachthearts,photography inthiscase,buttodefinethemasmilestones,whichhelpreshapeyourselfasamatureandwiseindividualintheworldof ar�s�cexpression.

BySebas�anBoatca MinimalisminPhotography 4

ome�mesIthinkabouthowtoimplementtheminimalist philosophyinmystyleofphotography,followingthe“less ismore”principle.ButIdon’twanttofollowthispath justbecauseIhavereadaboutit,oritmightbeafashionin almosteverythingwewanttocreatetoday.Itis“cool”,yes,but that’snotthepoint.Ihavecometothisconclusion,pushedby theneedofchange.Iguesswealwaysneedtochange,get ourselvesonthepathofexperimenta�on.Evenifwefinda coherentstyleinphotographywithconsistentapproachesin thewayweperceivetheworldandrecorditwiththehelpof thecamera,thereiss�llacalltodiscovernewterritories,cross theexis�ngboundariesandtouchthenew,tastewhatis beyondourpersonalboundaryof“theKnown”.

Inordertochange,tobecomebe�eratwhatyoudo,youneed toevaluateyourworkchronologically,tryingtoseethe evolu�onthroughtrialanderror,themistakesinyourpath thathelpedyoubuildastrongerself-confidenceandamore definedstyle.

Backtophotography,mytheoryisthat photographyshouldbe foryourself,unlesstransformedintoaprofession,where somebodyelse(theclient)willhaveasay,atleastpar�ally,in theoutcomeofthephotographicproject.Itisamarvellous waytodiscoveryourselfandespeciallytheplaceandtherole youhaveinthisworld,asbothobserverandpar�cipant.Itisa greatmeansofexpressingthefeelingsthatsynthesizethe rela�onshipbetweenfacts,realityandyou,asanindividual withanar�s�cdimension.

Thesearchfororiginality,fordeepercrea�vity,forwaysto expressmoreofourinspira�on,inamuchmoreconsistent manner,some�mesleadsustotheneedtoinnovate.Someof usreallymustallowaninnerrevolu�ontotakeplace,inorder tofindmoresolidgroundsintheuniverseofcrea�vity.WhenI hearaboutpeoplewhocompletelyclosedtheirpersonallife chapteronthearts,onlytoreopenanothercompletelynew one,Itellmyselfthatthosemustbehappypeople;theyhad thepowerandthemo�va�ontore-inventthemselves, discoverthemselvesinanewlightthatwillservetheirar�s�c purposesofexpressingtheirspirits.

Minimalisminphotographyissomehowrelatedto theMiddle Path thatIwastalkingaboutbefore,onmyblog,butit focusesonthebasicfounda�onthatinitselfcansufficiently createastorywithamessagethatisworthspreading, throughphotography.Arts,especiallyvisualartscanbe

Butwhenit’sless,whenit’snothingmorethatonlyone subject,oneno�on,themessageofthephotographcanbeas fluidasastreamoffreshwaterinthemountains.No distrac�ons,noconfusions,nootherelementsthatmightmix upthemessage–justoneno�on,stayingthereasaconstant sound,likeawavethatkeepscomingtoyou,un�lyouare

en�relyabsorbedbyit.

Whylessismore?It’snotalwaysthecase,butsome�mesitis. Whatisitallabout?Thisremindsmeofthemul�tasking

“interes�ng”,whencreatedwiththeminimalistprinciplein mind,indeed,butthat’snotthepoint.Thefinalpurposeinart shouldbetodeliveranemo�onal/intellectualmessageand throughminimalism,thear�stmightjustfindtheinstruments toofferacleancore,aspureasitcanbe.Whenyouthinkthe realityfragmentsyouaredealingwithinyourphotography maylacktheintensityofthemessageunity,itwouldbereally rewardingtoexperimentwithminimalisminphotographyand reallyfindforyourselfhow“lessismore”canbecomereal.

Andtherealitywearecapturingisverycomplex,mostofthe �mesitcanbeverydemanding.Thefactthattheframeof yourcameracanonlycaptureasmallpartofreality(inboth spaceand�me)canbeseenasaverycrea�veandlibera�ng aspect.Wecanchoosetocaptureonlyapartofthereality, theonethathasameaningtous,thatcarriesamessage behinditscapture,thatisrelevanttothewaywehavefelt towardsthatcornerofreality,atthemomentoftakingthe photograph.

conceptIhavetalkedaboutina previousar�cle,aboutthe waysweloseourpath,thewayweloseourselves.Knowing thephotographicframeisaverylimitedfragmentofthe world(andwecanplaywithitsdimensionbyusingdifferent lenses,fromultra-wide,tosupertelephotolenses,plusthe op�ontocropanimageinordertocreateamorecoherent composi�on),wecouldalsolimititevenmore,bydeliberately choosingtocaptureless.Becausewhenit’smore,each elementcarriesitsno�on,amessage,apartofanequa�on thatcaneasilygettoocomplexandtoohardtodigest(not necessarilyatamentallevel,butalsoatanemo�onallevel).

MaytheLightbewithyou!

Withtheprolifera�onofdigi�zeddataandthe Internetinthela�erpartofthelastcenturycame theneedforkeepingthebulkofthedatathat neededtobestored/transmi�edtowithinreasonablelimits, par�cularlyforimagesandvideoclips. TheJointPhotographicExpertsGroup(JPEG)establisheda standardforcompressingtheamountofdatainadigital imagefiletoaveryhighdegree:aJPEGcompressedfilecould be1/10ththesizeofitsuncompressedoriginwithoutany no�ceabledegrada�on(100-�mesreduc�oninsizeis possiblethoughdoesshowsomear�facts). Numericaltechniquesforcompressingthedatacanbeused, butarenotsoeffec�veonimages,thoughtheydohavethe advantageofbeing“lossless”–thedatacomingoutatthe endisanexactrepresenta�onofwhatwentinatthe beginning.Losslesscompressionisusedinimageformats suchasTIFF,andmostmanufacturer’suseitfortheirraw formats. Toachievemuchhighercompression,aprocessisusedwhich looksatthedataasanimageratherthanasjustastringof numbers)andactuallyeliminates“informa�onthatthe viewercannotseeanyway”–a“lossy”process(datais literallythrownaway).EnterJPEG. ByAlunFoster JPEGandfilesizes 6 JPEG101 ItisincorrecttothinkthatJPEGsomehowthrowsawaypixels fromanimage(whichisanotherpossiblewaytoreducethe databulk).Thenhowdoesitwork? JPEGusesthefactthathumanviewersaremuchless sensi�vetothesharpnessofthecolourinforma�onina picturethantheyaretoitsgeneralintensity.Sothefirstthing JEPGdoesistocreateapixel-for-pixelcopyoftheinput imageinB&W,representedin256levelsofgrey(8bits),and usethis“luminancechannel”toseparateoffthecolour informa�onintotwoseparatechannels,whichthenhave theirresolu�onreduced(usuallyto½or1/3oftheoriginal). Eachchannelisthenanalysedinsmallblocks–usually8 pixelsby8pixels–usingatechniquecalled“DiscreteCosine Transform”(DCT).Longstoryshort,itprovides,onthebasis ofafewquitesmallnumbers(coefficients),anindica�onof howtheimageinforma�onischangingwithinthegroupof pixels,ratherthanthevaluesofallthepixelsindividually.The coefficientsarescaledandroundedtoaprecisionsetbythe “quality”se�ng,whenmanyofthemrepresen�ngfast changesintheimagewillinfactroundto0socanbeignored, thenlosslesslycompressedandsenttotheoutputfile. Todecompressthefile,theopera�onscanbeperformedin reverse.However,becausesomeinforma�onwasthrown away,subtledifferencesmaybeseenoncloseinspec�on.If youzoomrightinonadecompressedJPEGimage,the “blocky”natureofthecompressioncansome�mesbecome no�ceable.Butgenerally,theseartefactsarenotvisibleat normalviewing.

Photoedi�ngprogrammesallowyoutosavetheresultof yourworkinJPEGformat,witha“quality”se�ngtobe chosen.Thisse�ng–commonlyonascalefrom0to100representsacompromisebetweenquality(highvalues)and smallfilesize(lowvalues).Evenatase�ngof100,someloss ispresent,thoughasameremortalyou’dbeveryhard pressedindeedtoseeit,evenwhenmakinglargeprints. TheactualfilesizeyougetunderJPEGcompressiondepends alotontheamountofdetailintheimage.Largeareasof similarcolour(bigblueskies…)compressmorethanfine details(treesinwinter).ButtomakethechartbelowIused CaptureOneProandchoseanimagewhichwasfairlybusy butrepresenta�ve,first“upsizing”itto7000pxlongestside. Ascanbeseen,theamountofcompressiongetsveryhigh veryquickly,coun�ngdownfrom10(about32Mbytefile)to 8,whichyieldsa10Mbytefile,goingdownto4Mbytesat “0”quality. Fromthis,Iconcludethataqualityse�ngofbetween7and 9isaverygoodcompromise.Asaside-note,theJPEGimages savedbymyCanoncamerasseemtouse“8”asa compressionse�ngbydefault,whichcorroboratesthis conclusion. Thatsaid,Itriedtoseetheartefactsinthe“quality0”image. Evenbymixingtheimageinanotherphotoeditorwiththe onesavedas100%tosubtractthetwo,thedifferenceswere barelyvisible… 7

Ihadcalendarswithherphotosfortwoorthreeconsecu�veyears.Uponlookingatherwebsitelater,Idiscoveredthatshe hasmovedonfromthenudes,doingportraitsandshootsonloca�on.Herportraits–colouraswellasblackandwhite-are alsowellexecutedandbringoutthecharacterofthepersoninthephoto.Shealsoprovidescoursesandphotoshoots;one ofthemoreinteres�ngonesisacourseexplaininghowtoprepareforaphotoshootandwhattodotoavoidtensionand nervesduringtheshoot,whichiswhato�enspoilsitanddeliversunsa�sfactoryresults.Hercoursesandservicessuchas portraitsareavailabletothegeneralpublicaswellasbusinesses. Animmenselyinteres�ngaspectofherworkisaseriesofphotosmadeunder the�tle“Pro-Aging”.Theseareboldimagesofwomenagedoversixty,dressed witheleganceandpanache,somepicturedwearingjustunderwear,somenude, andallveryfarawayfromtheimageofan“oldlady”.Thesewomenarenot young–thisisclear–butneitheraretheyoldandfrumpy;inthephotosthey exudejoiedevivreandconfidence. Thereisnoimpressionofagedpeopledesperatelytryingtolookyoung.These imagesareveryarres�ngandthoughtprovoking,astheyflyinthefaceofthe long-standingobsessionwithyouththatweseeinmagazines,adver�singand themedia.

IsabellaWirth’swebsiteis: isabellawirth.de (onlyinGerman).

I sabellaWirthisaGermanphotographerwhoseworkcaughtmya�en�onsomeyearsago,whenIsawacalendarwith herphotographs.Theseweremalenudes,doneinblackandwhite,beau�fullyandtastefullyshot.

PhotographerinFocus:IsabellaWirth 8 ByDagmaraJakubowska

Thephotographers'collec�ve"BruxellesPixels",composed offiveresidentar�sts,wantstoshowBrusselsina somewhatan�-conformist,butposi�veway.

SchievenRegards-what’sthat?

SchievenRegardsistheyearlyexhibi�onorganisedby BruxellesPixels.Besidesthefiveresidentphotographers, threephotographersareinvitedtosharetheirvisionof Brussels.

AboutSchievenRegardsIV(SRIV) SRIVwasthefourthedi�onoftheyearlyexhibi�onof BruxellesPixels.Westartedtheprojectfouryearsago knowingthatwewereembracingsomethingthatwouldlast forafewyears,butit’squiteimpressivetolookbackandto be,withoutfalsemodesty,especiallyproudofthe4th edi�on.Asoneofthephotographerwassta�ng:“Without anydoubt,SRIVisthebestedi�onofSchievenRegardsto date”. Todatewe’vepresented31projectsrealizedby14 photographers. This�mewewerenotalone,astheexhibi�onwaspartpart ofabroaderini�a�venamed“Zoom,laquinzainedela photographieàBruxelles”.Zoomisanini�a�veofP.Marchal, Artesio’sManager,thathastheambi�ontobecomeayearly “rendez-vous”forthepeopleinterestedinphotographyin Brussels.Wewereveryproudtobepartofthefirstedi�on ofitandverycurioustoseewhatitwillbecomeinthe comingyears. Despitethepandemicrules,we’vebeenluckytobeableto opentheexhibi�onandtowelcomemorethan800visitors.

Ourmo�ois“MakeBrusselsTofAgain!”(Tofmeansnice). SchievenRegardsononehandmeanstransversal/�ltedview andontheotherhandplayswith“SchievenArchitect,”which wasthenicknamegiventothearchitectinchargeofbuilding theBrusselsCourtHouse.Astheprojectwasdestroyingalot ofpopularstreetsyoucanimaginethatitwasthatnota posi�venickname.

©LoicOstermann

Fromlefttoright:HeleneCook,SophieVoituron,Philippe Clabots,PatriceNisetandEricOstermann.

Moreonour website Discoverashortvideoofthe exhibi�on SchievenRegards,FourthEdition 9

Wejusthavethreerules:ItmustbeaboutBrussels,bea qualityandcoherentseriesanditmustbeproducedforthe exhibi�on.

What’snext? Se�ngupanexhibi�onisnotaneasytask.Itneeds�me, convic�on,effort,youhavetofaceyourdoubtsandfears,... Attheendyouhavetoexhibityourwork. Butthereward,theinterac�onwiththevisitors,issohuge thatwearealreadyshapingthefi�hedi�on! Hopefullyitwillbepartofthe2ndedi�onofZoom,atthe sameplace,inthe4thquarterof2022. Staytuned… Conclusions ManythankstothemanyClubMemberswewelcomedfor theirvisits,itwassonicetoseeyou! Youdonotwanttomissournextexhibi�on? Followuson Facebook or subscribetoourmailinglist.Andofcoursewe willalsopublishindue�metheinforma�ononthe ViewfindersFacebookpageandintheViewfindersnewsle�er. Wearelookingforcandidatephotographersforthenext exhibi�on.DoyouwanttoshareyourvisionofBrussels?We willshortlypublishacallforprojectsonourwebsite.Don’tbe shyanddonothesitatetotakeyourchancetopar�cipateto thisproject. Justclickthe"Exhibi�ons"menuitemonthe BruxellesPixels website to(re)discoverthe31seriesby14photographers exhibitedduringthefouredi�ons. 10 ©HeleneCook

opera�onforaMul�na�onalcompany-thenwehad anotherson,andweares�llhere.DuetoBrexit,Inowhave takenBelgianNa�onality.

eye,to500mm.lenses,anda1,000mm.astronomical telescope. HavingmovedtoDSLRin2006,Iupgradeevery6years.

Mypreferredsubjectsarenature,macro,andtravel,with somescien�fic/technicalphotographytostretchmyskills.

Re�rementin2018wassupposedbethestartofloadsof travel,butCovidhasgotintheway-topofourlistisan

IconsidermyselftobeamodernEuropean,borninEngland, withaFrenchwife.Withtwoyoungboys,wemovedto Belgiumin1989-tohelpstartaCon�nentalEuropean

Africanphotosafari-itisnowmorethan40yearssincewe wenttoKenya,asitwasopeninguptotouristsonamodest budget,butourplansjustkeepmovingbackwards.

MEETBobTaylor(Again) 11

I’veusedNikonSLRequipmentformorethan30yearslockedintothesystembyNikonfitlenses-from8mmfish

A gain-isinthe�tlesimplybecauseI’vebeena memberofViewfindersforsolong,thatthisisthe second�meI’vebeenaskedtocontributea“Meet Me”piece.

Myfatherintroducedmetothemagicofdevelopingblack andwhitephotographsattheageof8,and60yearslater, photographyiss�llmymainhobby.

HavingahouseinSWFrancewhichincludesa‘batcave’, givesussomewheretogothatisabigchangefromBelgium, withmanyphotographicopportuni�esandchallenges.

IjoinedViewfindersatitsthirdmee�ng,socannotquite claimtobeafoundermember-butverynearly.Ipar�cularly appreciatethechallenges,whichpushmetocreateimages thatIwouldn’tdootherwise.

Myphotographsarenearlyalwayssharp-atleast somewhere-andexposedtominimiseburnedout,orfull blackareas.Inmyopinioncameraperformancetodayisso goodthatnearlyallimagesshouldbeofadecenttechnical quality-ifnot,keepshoo�ng,unlikewithusingfilm,extra digitalshotscostnothing.

Ar�cHeroes byRagnarAxelsson Arc�cHeroes:ATributetotheSledDogsof Greenland,isthelatestbookbyIcelandic photographerRagnarAxelsson,a.k.a.RAX,has beenchosenthebestphotographybookofthe yearbyLeMondedelaPhoto. RAXfocuseshislensontheGreenlandsleddog, whichhasbeenthecompanionandsaviorof huntersthroughouthistoryinthiscold environment.Thebookcontains138images fromGreenland,aswellasthehunters’ personalstories. Seealso ar�cleinIcelandmonitor. TIME’sTop100Photosof2021 unranked,selectedbyTIMEeditors Website 12 DISCOVERY

Exhibi�on Micheld'Oultremont:Wild AbbeyVillers-la-Ville 13November2021to13February2022 Micheld'OultremontisaBelgiananimaland wildlifephotographer. Website Photographyproject Viewfinders:PhotoProject“Blackandwhite” Youwillreceivesoonanemailremindingyou aboutourFebruaryphotoproject. Inthemean�me,havealookat Miguel’s presenta�onaboutBlackandWhite photography madeduringtheDecember2021 clubmee�ng. Submi�edpictureswillbeshowcasedduring theFebruary2022clubmee�ng. 13 WHAT’SUP?February2022

DecemberChallenge-Fragile

@NicolasJouveneaux(runnerup) 14

@SabinePosdziech(winner)

Photoediting/Guestspeaker Challenge:Urbanlife Guestspeaker Club Meeting 08December 09March Club Meeting Club Meeting Club Meeting Club Meeting Club Meeting Club Meeting Speaker:DamienMaguire Speaker:BillFunk Guestspeaker:EricWeytens AGMMemberportfolios Membersphotos Challenge:Fragile Project:Water/Guestspeaker 22September 20October 10November 12January 09February 11May 06April 08June DATE EVENT DETAILS Club Meeting Club Meeting Club Meeting VIEWFINDERS CALENDAR2021-2022 Project:Black&White If you are onFacebook,connect tothe Viewfinders Group!It’san informalgroupforsharing newson events,‘forsale’items,interestingwebsites andnewsstories,orjust tosharesome ofyour recent photos. Bankaccount: BE133101 2440 newsletter@viewfinders.be7539 President AlunFoster VicePresident MiguelAngelVilar Secretary RichardSylvester Treasurer Caroline Hendry MembershipCoordinator DagmaraJakubowska NewsletterPublisher TineStausholm NewsletterEditor SabinePosdziech ITSupportCoordinator MiguelAngelVilar PublicityCoordinator MartinSchmid AssociateCommittee members: HectorEpelbaum KathyMoran MiguelRichardSabineMartinPhilippeKathy Angel Alun CarolineTine COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2021-2022 Anyitems frommembersforpublication are welcome.Images are particularlywelcome.Pleasesendtheminasseparate attachments (not embedded inemails ordocuments) inJPEG format, withno less than 2000px onthe longsideand minimalcompression. Please beaware that, inaccordancewiththelayout, somecropping mayoccur. Pleasesendsubmissions tonewsletter@viewfinders.be. PhilippeClabots AnneChristineBrouwers NicolasJouveneaux