A month by month summary of the Society activities.
December 2022: ‘Art of Plant Photography’ – Colin Lamb, LRPS
We were treated to an encyclopedic view of wildflowers, trees and fungi by Colin Lamb, LRPS in his talk about the Art of Plant Photography. Using depth of field to achieve separation between the subject and the background Colin showed a range of images exploring different aspects and directions to create an interesting image. Orchids look amazing when you get down to their level. When photographing trees, whilst the leaf litter can look untidy it does give texture and context for the time of year. Patience on a windy day is a virtue.
Black and white images can work well despite the temptation to show off the beautiful colours with all things wild. Nature is an amazing image maker if you look carefully and explore. Colin enjoys this genre, and it is clear from his wonderful images that he has mastered it as a subject.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
November 2022: ‘RPS Panels’ – John Cavana, ARPS
We enjoyed a relaxed but fun and informative evening with one of our own talking about gaining his Royal Photographic Society Licentiate (LRPS) and Associate (ARPS) distinctions. John Cavana, ARPS spent many months selecting the panel of ten images to submit for assessment to achieve his LRPS distinction having been encouraged by a fellow member in 2015. The images were not on a particular theme but did have a cohesive link. The aim was to show a variety of techniques and approaches such as macro, landscape, and long exposure. It was an interesting exercise for us to put the images in a presentation order and explain why. Surprisingly, it can make a huge difference to the way a panel is viewed and shown to its best potential.
The LRPS distinction was a panel of fifteen photographs which is more a body of work that is supported by a statement of intent. John chose to use a group of images taken at the Langa township in Cape Town. The group is so emotive and evocative that they can be viewed for a great length of time and there is still more to see. John spent over six years travelling to South Africa and was able to photograph the experience of life in the township with the help of a local photographer. These are honest images that show a harsh environment and obvious poverty. John’s RPS body of work can be seen on the ADDPS website under the Members Gallery section (RPS member panel). Do take a look.
Topic was a challenge this month as it was open to interpretation and therefore we had many different views of ‘A different perspective’ some lighthearted some very natural and others more serious. All can be seen on the website.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
October 2022: ‘New Zealand, North to South’ – Terry Pollard, ARPS
Terry Pollard was our speaker at our October meeting. He is a longstanding member of Kidlington Camera club and came to show us his collection of images from his trip to New Zealand.
He travelled in 2019 from the top of the North Island to the toe of the South Island of New Zealand.
His preference is Landscape photography and New Zealand offered extensive opportunities for him to capture the changing geography whilst incidentally collecting images of some wildlife, as well as antics of the human variety too.
He caught many landscape photographs ranging from Mud pots and geysers, gushing waterfalls, National Parks including volcanoes, interesting rock formations, lush forests and even a 90 mile beach.
He trekked the McKinnon Pass on the popular tourist trail on Milford Sound with his rucksack on his back climbing to an altitude of approximately 1150 m, taking in dramatic scenery whilst photographing his ascent and descent which would test many a walker.
His final collection of images were of sculptural shaped icebergs floating in the most beautiful blue waters and also petrified trees down on the Southern Island. These images were my favourites and were an advert for possible future holiday plans.
After a presentation by a speaker, we always have a slideshow of our own images based on a title selected beforehand. This month’s title was ‘Vibrant Colours’ and our member’s images were just that. The variety of images based on our member’s interpretation is always interesting to see.
From colourful cotton reels and garden flowers to Neon signed rides and technical studio work . They all demonstrated once again the talent of our current members.
Next month we will be taking images with the title ‘A Different Perspective’.
Miggy Wild, ADDPS
September 2022: ‘Trials and Tribulations of Book Cover Photography’ – Peter Greenway, LRPS
Peter talked about his journey into the world of image libraries and how this led to specialising in Book Cover work.
His loves are quirky, night photography and historical, being an official National Trust photographer, with a landscape background.
The question was posed, why take pictures which created quite a list, but for Peter it was memories and challenges. How many types of photography are there? Dozens was guessed at which was a good stab, as he went on to list well over 50 categories. The point about this was not to be bound by one type.
How Peter got into book cover photography was a chance meeting with a very well-known photographer, Tony Worobiec, who simply asked have you sold your images to an agency?
Peter started what is now a 5-year journey which has proven to be a hard and steep learning curve.
The agency business has several sections, “Stock photography” for the supply of specific images e.g. medical etc. Plethora of agencies, low payments. Next are the likes of Adobe and then the ‘big boys” Getty Images, Trevllian, Arcangel.
Peter has images mainly on the Arcangel library plus others such as Shutterstock and Getty.
With Blenheim Palace local to us he warned they have a total embargo, so never send identifiable images, they will sue!
Variety is key to image libraries so you could well have something to sell.
He first approached Trevillion and got an immediate rejection, why? because they only accept people images. So, on the advice of Tony Worobiec he tried Arcangel. This required sending 100 images to access the quality of his work, of which 76% were accepted, and the start of a 3-year contract.
This is the premium end, and you hand over management rights to them, they exclusively market and promote and limit use to one per licence. 50/50 royalty split. There is a formula as to how much you get paid based on things like hardback, ebook and the image size on the cover. Entire page more money, territory/country etc.
Arcangel image review process require minimum 4800 pixels on the long edge together with model or property release forms. Two humans review, colour very important and creativity. Cost to submit is 0.75 euro. Judges look for technical quality, colour composition, perspective, lighting, mood!
Its a brutal process with an acceptance rate of only 13-15%
Peter finds he can sell rejected images to Getty on a non-exclusive basis and some have sold well. Also, Shutterstock low value but lots sold.
Example. A Fireworks image got the front page of the national press, but Peter only got paid 85p
His most successful image to date is this full-page image of St marks. You get paid for every county in which the book is published.
Peter’s cunning plan if you are thinking of submitting images is;
Visit a local attraction, take lots of part images
Request content from agencies. e.g. Pregnancy/New Born
Know the fashions/trends which change year on year. There is colour of the year that you need to know, it even has a Pantone reference. Plus, mood. This year it’s bright and colourful.
Peter on average submits 5 images per week and freely admits it’s a hard and at times challenging process.
Martyn Pearse, ADDPS
August 2022: ‘Journey to FRPS and beyond’ – Andrew Marker, FRPS
August gave us a wonderful look at prints by Andrew Marker, FRPS, who spoke about his route to becoming a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in the visual arts category. The work that goes into making a panel of images, adjudicated by the RPS, is a very interesting process. Andrew needed to show progression in his photography to be awarded the honour with the process taking years and many trips to a variety of continents to achieve a suitably challenging panel of images. Andrew eventually settled on a set of minimalist images of Santorini buildings, proving how many shades of white there are. Super stuff.
Andrew doesn’t have a dedicated website so it’s quite difficult to see his work but try Google and see what you can find (he’s a member of the Bristol Photographic Society.
Do have a look at the website for the topic images for Motion and Movement if you missed the meeting, once again a very diverse selection of photographs.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
July 2022: ‘I Shoot Animals…. and Sometimes Cut Their Heads Off!’ – Steve Galvin, LRPS
Steven Galvin, LRPS gave us a fascinating talk about one of his favourite photographic genres, natural history. As a member of Marlow Camera Club, he regularly judges competitions but focused on his photography and how he tries to enhance his composition to give a less formulaic image of the creatures he shoots. We saw flora and butterflies but very few birds, except an owl manipulated with software into a more pleasing background, a lovely misty morning landscape. By passing on his techniques Steven gave us ideas to improve our own images.
Steven uses focus stacking to ensure pin sharp images from front to back and some of the technical data showed as many as 100 images stacked into one. He also recommended any negative space in an image be composed on the left rather than the right as we tend to track left to right when looking at an image.
Tips on underwater photography, especially diving in the Red Sea, also were interesting for members. Steven saved the best shots until the end, a safari to Southern Africa, where shots of elephants were captured from a sunken hide by a waterhole. Stunning. Steven’s work can be viewed on his website www.stevengalvin.photography.
If you would like to join us our next meeting will be on Wednesday 3rd August at 7.30pm at The Adderbury Institute. Our speaker will be Andrew Marker about ‘The Journey to FRPS Panels and Beyond’. Do check out our website for further details.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
June 2022: ‘Artisitic Travel Photos’ – Bob Bracher, LRPS
Bob Bracher gave us a tour of the world with his “Artistic Travel Photos”. His travelogue gave us a glimpse of familiar tourist sites but with an Impressionistic slant. Bob uses art filters in the Topaz Studio programme to edit regular images and make them more interesting and inventive. Bob presented his famous sights as panels of three which, again gave an appealing presentation, his pictures of colourful Cuba were enhanced by the textures the programme gave. Bob’s favourite place to photograph is Iceland with its waterfalls and glaciers. He did point out that using painterly effects can helpfully cover camera shake and less interesting compositions. Bob had so many prints to show the members and he encouraged the use of matt and art paper when printing images for display to again enhance the more artistic effect.
Ten members have returned with full memory cards after a four-day tour photographing the of the secrets of Wiltshire. It was a truly inspiring trip with each morning beginning at 4.30am to catch the sunrise and ending with a stunning sunset. Exhausting but fantastic. Watch out for images on the website.
The theme of silhouettes for the topic gave a range of interpretations with shots of people, landscapes, windows, and wildlife. Do check the website for all the images.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
May 2022: ‘Sport’ – Steve Williams
Steve Williams gave us a whistle stop tour of photographing sport. He gave us ideas for panning as well as all the best stutter speeds for all the different sports, highlighted the problems of floodlighting. Steve tends to photograph without permits so attends sports events that might be amateur meetings so that he can get up close. Official experiences often need a more formal arrangement to access the action. Steve showed us so many sports from wrestling, and yes, it is staged, speedway, weightlifting, superbikes at Silverstone to polo and rugby. An outstanding set of images was of jet ski racing. The shots of the Moto GP at Silverstone really evoked the extremes of the sport and bravery of the riders. Do visit www.stevewilliamsphotography.co.uk to see his work.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
April 2022: ADDPS AGM
It has been a few months since we have been meeting at The Adderbury Institute, so it was great to hold an AGM that wasn’t on Zoom. The usual formalities were observed, and the Committee were voted in for another year. The minutes are being distributed for those who couldn’t attend.
It is always great to welcome visitors who might want to become members so if you have friends who are looking to enjoy a new hobby or might like to dust off the camera languishing in a bag in a cupboard do encourage them to come along for a taster.
The AGM gave us an opportunity to show our three favourite images from the last year. The variety of shots was impressive, and it was encouraging to see members submitting picture that were not necessary their usual style, but they all had a special meaning. I’m sure those who didn’t attend will want to look out for them on the Society website.
Finally, we pushed the boat out and had refreshments, like the good old days. Thank you to everyone who made a delicious selection of cakes and to Meriel for sourcing the tea and coffee. Here’s to normality returning in 2022.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
March 2022: ‘Composition for the Viewer – John Lewis LRPS
John Lewis, LRPS, the photographer not the shop, asked us to concentrate on composition in our photography, a huge complex topic. The subjective issue of taking an image for the viewer to emit emotion and communicate an idea has many facets. A better composed picture will be more effective and make a stronger impression. The example of a portrait of Igor Stravinsky by Arnold Newman demonstrated this idea; the sitter is in a corner, but the image is dominated by shapes created by the piano. Art can give many examples of composition that can be replicated by the photographer.
John felt that there must be an intense curiosity rather than a passing visual interest in a subject to ensure better composition. The subject matter can be shocking, sad, amusing, gentle or dramatic to get the viewer’s attention. Using diagonal lines, leading lines, and shapes especially in black and white can result in a satisfying image that gives a sense of movement. The idea of colour to create a mood generated lots of conversation. John highlighted the colour wheel as an effective tool to produce an experience that affects a mood, emotion or behaviour for example letting one colour dominate creates drama.
I would encourage you to look at John’s website, www.johnalewis.co.uk to see his images. We followed our talk with a look at members’ images based around the topic of ‘Shadows’. Our comments were more focused on the idea of composition after listening to John.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
February 2022: ‘British Wildlife Adventures’ – Will Gray
What an inspiring evening the club had listening to Will Gray talk about British Wildlife Adventures. Will has been an award-winning photographer for over 30 years who also leads workshops for any skill level.
The talk gave us a pictorial tour of Scotland, where we met Sammy the harbour seal with all the problems of dealing with salt spray on the camera and exposure issues to the Wood of Cree, set up with hides, to photograph red deer up close. Will emphasised that practise and taking considered images is the way to hone your craft. Firing off hundreds of shots without being patient and moving up, down and around to find that pleasing composition will prove fruitless especially when wildlife do not do what you expect. Will passed on lots of tips and did present some of his less successful shots to show how he worked to improve to find that ideal whilst out in the field.
There are so many nature reserves and wildlife areas in the UK that can be found just a few miles from a major motorway or city that any photographer should find time to try to capture these great native creatures. However, do remember to respect the animal or creature’s habitat.
Will has a fantastic website that I recommend you visit https://www.william-gray.co.uk where you will find not only his great images but also details of his book Family Wildlife Adventures which gives lots of ideas on where to stay and visit around the country for wildlife exploration.
Our topic of ‘Frozen’ was a wonderful set of images giving lots of variety; trying to stop time to lovely morning captures of cobwebs and garden plants. Frozen peas featured too. Do check the website for the latest topic gallery.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS
January 2022: ‘Celebrity Portraits’ – Chris Floyd
Our first speaker in 2022 was the very entertaining Chris Floyd who gave us an insight into ‘Celebrity Portraits’. Chris’s passion for photography began as a teenager at school, loving the darkroom processes, using a Pentax inherited from his father. David Bailey portraits, black and white shots of Michael Caine and The Beatles fuelled that desire to pursue a career in photography. Beginning as an assistant learning his craft, Chris’s first solo job was in Manchester meeting a Mr Noel Gallagher. The subsequent image of the ‘new band’ Oasis outside Main Road was printed in ‘Select’ magazine. The anecdotes behind all the images were so interesting. Chris has travelled the world photographing entertainers, actors, politicians and artists and it would be easier to list those people who have not been in front of his lens. However, preferring to photograph the world 100 metre record holder, Asafa Powell he passed on meeting and photographing the upcoming sprinter Usain Bolt. The one that got away, I think.
Chris is most pedantic about the light in his images, and he gave us details and tips to achieve those effects. Many of his portraits have a theme of blue and red, colours that are a signature for him. Do look at Chris’s website www.chrisfloyd.com to see a wealth of stunning images. My favourite images are David Hockney and David Attenborough.
The topic ‘People’ produced a range of images of close-up portraiture as well as a few reportage shots. These will be on the website shortly, so do take a look if you missed the meeting.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS