A month by month summary of the Society activities.
December 2019: ‘A Personal Wander Through The Technology Used In My Photography’ by Peter Greenway
In December, we welcomed Peter Greenway for his enlightening talk, ‘A Personal Wander Through the Technology Used in My Photography’. Peter’s love of photography started as a child when his mother gave him an old Box Brownie. His career as a software developer coupled with a technical background has led him towards a passion for the hardware and software involved with photography.
Peter practices night, historical, landscape and quirky photography but avoids anything to do with fur or feathers. He is a CACC judge, and holds PAGB and RPS Licentiate; he also works as a volunteer photographer for the National Trust, and contributes to the Archangel Image Library for fiction books.
Tonight’s theme was ‘get the technology right for your area of interest’ and Peter’s presentation offered insights into the fantastic opportunities that have been opened up by the development of smartphone apps, software packages and hardware technology for digital photography. He demonstrated techniques and recommended apps that enable improvements to every step of digital photography, from preparing for a shoot to publication of images in social, or other, media. He described the ‘end-to-end’ procedure that he follows from selection of equipment to publication of images.
For example, Peter demonstrated the equipment and software needed to improve sunrise, sunset and night photography using apps developed for photographers that provide detailed and accurate information on weather, the ‘golden hour’ and the ephemeris. He explained how he makes extensive use of GPS logging and geo-tagging; his use of backup hard drives and the Map Module on Lightroom during location shoots; and showed a short video demonstrating his use of drones and the MIOPS trigger.
Peter’s passion for the opportunities that have opened up as a result of the fusion of software and photographic technologies was very evident. He showed how he has applied his extensive experience of photography to develop novel and striking results. He gave insights into other aspects of his techniques using Lightroom and plug-ins such as Nik, Topaz and On One. In addition, he explained his approach to the use of hardware and software on photoshoots which balance the issues of cost, portability, supporting apps. Peter’s presentation was well received and we look forward to seeing more of his work on www.flickr.com/peterdgreenway
This month’s ‘Odd One Out’ photo topic was facilitated by Miggy Wild.
Please note that the January 2020 Club Night will be held on the second Wednesday of the month (8th not 1st). Member Andreas Klatt ARPS will talk on the RPS distinctions process. The January photo topic is: your three favourite images of 2019. There will also be a table-top sale, to donate any old/unwanted camera gear, books, etc., with the proceeds going to Kathrine House Hospice in memory of John Prentice.
Diana Saville ADDPS
November 2019: ‘Achieving an Associateship of the AFIAP’ by Bob Bracher
Our November presentation, ‘Achieving an Associateship of the AFIAP (Artiste Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique), was given by Robert Bracher ARPS AFIAP. Bob’s love of photography started when he was a boy. He joined the RAF and the early 80s found him in Chepstow, where he joined their photographic club. After achieving his LRPS he moved to Solihull, in the Midlands. There he joined the Knowle Camera Club, but drifted away as his growing family took up more of his time. Bob developed a passion for making photobooks – family albums – using his images to share amongst family and friends – he’s now reached No. 75. The digital age is upon us, he says, there are more photos in the Cloud than there are stars!
After achieving his ARPS in 2009, Bob thought he would try for the AFIAP. He amusingly told us he found it harder to fill in the form than to take the photo. He explained the prescribed requirements: FIAP (based in France) is the world governing body of International Photography Exhibitions, referred to as Salons. You must have at least 40 acceptances into international exhibitions with at least 15 different images; these acceptances must have come from at least 15 different Salons with FIAP Patronage in at least 8 different countries; at least 4 of the 15 images must each have gained at least one acceptance as a print; your first acceptance must be received at least 12 months before you can be awarded your AFIAP certificate. A tall order, but Bob was awarded his Associateship.
Bob showed us a host of stunning images, including those of his ARPS panel. What we are doing in Visual Art, he explained, is creating images by adding or taking away. With Bob’s enthusiasm, humour and beautiful photography, this was a wonderful presentation, culminating in a well-deserved round of applause.
There followed the monthly photo topic, Shadows, which was kindly critiqued by Bob. Next month’s topic will be Odd One Out.
Wendy Meagher, ADDPS
October 2019: ‘Large Format Photography’ by Laura Walker
October’s presentation, entitled ‘Large Format Photography’, was given by Adderbury’s Laura Walker. We could see straight away by the cameras and equipment Laura brought, that her photography – large format and mirrorless – is quite different from what most of us are used to. She classes herself as a heritage and rural life photographer, and is greatly influenced by James Ravilious, an English landscape photographer.
For composition and perspective, Laura’s cameras of choice are the Seagull Medium Format, the Horseman and the Wista 45. Large format cameras consist simply of a back plate (an area where the film is placed), a front plate (an area where to place the lens) and the bellows (to catch the light between lens and film) which connect the two. Rather than SD cards or film, these cameras are loaded with individual plates, using 4×5” sheet film which gives approximately 100 MP resolution.
The Seagull is compact and lightweight compared to the other cameras, and has twin lens. The Horseman 4×5” L-series view camera is heavy and supported on a monorail, and is good for a studio environment. There is no mirror, therefore the images appear upside down. The Wista 45 camera is collapsible, supported on a baseboard and portable. Again, it is mirrorless and so the composition is shown upside down. It is less flexible as there is no monorail, but is good to carry for landscape and portrait photography.
Equipment needed for this type of photography is a sturdy tripod, cable release, magnifying glass, loupe, heavy blackout cloth, loaded film cassettes, additional lenses, tape measure, light meter like Sekonic, notebook and pen to record settings, and of course the camera. And a backpack for all this kit.
Ansel Adams, Gregory Crewdson, Sally Mann, Edward Burtynsky are some of the photographers who use large format photography to great effect. To see more of Laura’s work, go to her website: www.boffinphotography.co.uk
A round of applause was a perfect end to Laura’s talk – some may well be inspired to explore large format photography in the future.
The monthly photo topic, Strange Signs, did indeed produce a variety of effective and amusing images from the membership. Next month’s topic will be Shadows.
Wendy Meagher, ADDPS
September 2019: ‘Image Organisation’ by Rod Bird
On 4th September, Society members gathered to pay their respects to John Prentice, who sadly died suddenly and unexpectedly at his home on 2nd September. Very active in the Adderbury community, John was a Society founder member in 2006, and had been Chairman for the last two years. More details are posted on the Society website, including a tribute to him written by John Branton, friend and fellow founder member. JohnP, as he was fondly known, will be remembered for his wit, decisiveness and humour.
Following a minute’s respectful silence, presenter Rod Bird was warmly welcomed back to the Society to speak on ‘Image Organisation’. Hailing from South Wales, Rod now lives in the Thames Valley and provides tuition to fellow photographers. This evening’s talk, aimed at non-professional photographers, came about because people that he met wanted help with the organisation of their images. For instance, the more images you take, the more necessary it is to be able to know how to store these safely on the computer, and how to go about it. He talked about transferring images from the camera to the computer, grouping and labelling them, and how to export, share and email them. Managing disc space is very important to prevent the computer from becoming too full. Lightroom is a secure system to manage and store files. Rod emphasised the importance of constantly backing up all images. He suggested a lasting and beneficial way to store images – great for the family, for example – is by making photobooks, a fairly recent development. Rod’s talk was peppered with amusing anecdotes and it was agreed that the methods he described would be of immense use to those needing to sharpen up their organisational skills. A round of applause expressed everyone’s appreciation.
Wendy Meagher, ADDPS
August 2019: ‘A Photographers Perspective: My Life through a Lens’ by Viveca Koh
At our August Club Night, we welcomed back Viveca Koh FRPS, whose presentation was entitled ‘A Photographer’s Perspective: My Life Through A Lens’.
A self taught fine art photographer, Viveca started taking photographs at the age of 7. Combining this with her love of drawing and painting led to the style which she continues to explore today. She bought her first iPhone in April 2012 and from then on developed a passion for iPhoneography, preferring even to use her iPhone over her Nikon – Viveca went on to achieve her RPS Fellowship (FRPS) in 2014.
Viveca is particularly skilled in using texture layers and overlays and experimenting with digital double exposure, giving her images an added visual and sometimes haunting dimension. This was perfectly illustrated with photos of an abandoned asylum and with a set of postcards overlain with textures (peeling paint, raindrops) and images (a sunset, angels). She likes to set herself little projects using the Hipstamatic app on her iPhone. For instance, capturing the impressionist-like views through a bus window on a rainy day; the cherubs and angels at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol; Dartmoor Tor; shop mannequins; window reflections.
We were shown many fascinating images – Venice in monochrome, where Viveca explored shape and pattern, horizontals and verticals, tonally perfect textures. She is fond of capturing people in different poses as they make interesting shapes. Viveca prefers to shoot in square format, and finds that black and white dispenses with the distractions of colour. Her black and white images are processed in Photoshop Silver Efex, but she shoots in colour before the conversion.
A warm round of applause showed Viveca our appreciation for a memorable and vivid presentation, with much to take home with us.
The monthly photographic topic was ‘Abandoned’ – many interesting images were shown and constructive comments were made by the audience.
Wendy Meagher, ADDPS
July 2019: ‘My Digital Work’ by Bob Brind-Surch
July saw the welcome return of wildlife photographer, Bob Brind-Surch, to our Club Night. This time his presentation topic was ‘My Digital Workflow’, aimed at digital photographers. Bob’s objective was to inform his audience how he goes about this and hoped it would be a good work strategy for those present.
Digital photography encourages more images, and therefore permits and encourages more post-processing, creating hundreds of images which in turn need sorting, cataloguing, post-processing and storing. A good workflow makes it easier to streamline your work, so it does not become a burden and stifle creativity. Bob tends to shoot in RAW, copies his images as soon as possible from the camera card to the computer, and backs them up. He then does a quick first review, removes his ‘failures’ and backs up again. There follows a second sifting to reduce the images further, another back-up and the unwanteds are deleted. The third sifting sees him through a final selection and adjustments are made, after which Bob processes and archives these remaining images. At some point he adds the bulk metadata, and then makes a final back-up. It is key to continually back-up – disasters can and do happen.
Advice was given on equipment: external hard-drives for back-up; good quality memory cards, like Sandisk and Lexar, the larger the size the better; waterproof carrying cases for the cards’ protection; a lightweight laptop or tablet. Bob recommends Adobe Lightroom for sorting, cataloguing and processing RAW files (also Photo Mechanic, Adobe Bridge and RawTherapee). Bob explained that he does not have a problem using jpegs if there is no time to work in RAW. He also takes advantage of the options digital photography provides to improve his final images, such as colour temperature, exposure and sharpness. To follow Bob’s golden rule for an efficient digital workflow, he again recommended the three stages of sift, reduce and back-up. Bob’s presentation is a valuable work tool for anyone wanting to know what to do after they have pressed the shutter, and appreciation was shown by all present.
The July Monthly Photo Topic, ‘Reflections in Water’, followed. As usual, a fine selection was shown accompanied by comments ranging from serious to humorous.
Wendy Meagher, ADDPS
June 2019: ‘Light on the Landscape: Explorations into Landscape Photography’ by Verity Milligan
In June, Birmingham-based and award-winning Verity Milligan gave a presentation entitled ‘Light On The Landscape’. Peppered with amusing anecdotes, she spoke of how she got into photography and her techniques. Picking up a camera when 25, she has since worked as a commercial photographer and taught digital storytelling to undergraduates. For the last 6 years or so, she vamped up her approach and concentrated on the urban landscapes of Birmingham which brought her national recognition due to her showcasing the beauty of the city. As she evolves, she tends to prefer the golden hour sunrises, illustrated by some beautiful shots. Verity also showed us stunning images of a variety of her favourite places to photograph, such as Birmingham, Lake District, Outer Hebrides, Isle of Harris, Peak District. She likes to use telephoto and wide angle lens and relies on her intuition to compose her photographs – ‘Is it the composition or the light that makes a photo?’ Often her first shots work best, and often from the car. Verity said she always falls back on her trusty Canon for reliability and keeps all her photos, so as to look back to earlier ones to see how to improve them. Her screened shots included the dawn blue hour in Buttermere, misty autumn golden colours on Derwentwater, the moodiness of Devoke Water using wide angle/telephoto lens, canal shots using a circular polariser, telephoto shots of Birmingham at night, and urban landscapes of Birmingham and Edinburgh. Verity continues to evolve her love of photography and travels widely to photograph whatever interests her, whether it be city architecture, landscapes or seascapes. She’s had several competition successes and her clients include BMW, Visit England/Visit Britain and Yorkshire Tea/Brewtopia. She uses social media, Twitter in particular, because it ‘allows you to connect as creatives’. Verity’s presentation was most interesting and informative, not to mention inspirational, and was much enjoyed by all, who showed their appreciation by a round of applause.
The Monthly Photo Topic was ‘Stairs & Inclines’ whereby an enthusiastic variety of images was submitted, from classic staircases in historic buildings, to steps in gardens, villages and towns. There was no doubt that the photographers enjoyed this subject!
Wendy Meagher. ADDPS.
May 2019: “Stumbling Around in The Dark” by Robert Harvey
This May, we welcomed back Robert Harvey, who gave a fascinating presentation entitled ’Stumbling Around In The Dark’ which focused on landscape astrophotography. Robert discussed how best to photograph the night sky with all its possibilities; he spoke of the differences in light provided by the various stages of the moon – from the gibbous moon, which gives a lot of shadows, to considering the time of year and where the moon appears in the sky. The closer to the horizon, the more interesting a composition can be achieved. Robert provided insight on how to use and incorporate light pollution within compositions. One useful tip he gave was that planning ahead and checking the times of the moonrise can pay off. This he demonstrated with a photo of the moon framed in the doorway of Glastonbury Tor. He also showed an effective photo that demonstrated that no matter how well you plan your composition, this can be changed by inadvertent interference by your fellow man.
Robert’s talk covered different needs depending on the effects wanted, such as limiting exposure to 20 seconds if you do not want star trails. He noted that there is only a short period of time after dusk when light from both the moon and sun are evenly balanced. Also covered were meteor showers, the taking of multiple shots and stacking, the arm of the Milky Way, the need for a large aperture and high ISO; photographing the planets which, although brighter than the stars, need a darker sky to really show up. Robert gave a thoroughly interesting and captivating presentation, which was enjoyed by all.
There then followed the Monthly Photo Topic, ‘Weather’ – the subjects were varied despite the lack of dramatic weather for the time of year. Members once again showed their ingenuity, imagination and skill. There was much merriment and enjoyment of one member’s offering of a uniformly blue/ grey photo with no features: as some would say, a depiction of very British weather!
Wendy Meagher. (contributing notes from Meriel Flux) ADDPS.
April 2019: AGM and “What Is It?”
On Wednesday the 3rd April The ADDPS held their 12th AGM in the Apricot Room of The Cartwright Hotel, Aynho. The meeting started at 7:30pm. and was well attended with about 35 members present. The Chairman, John Prentice opened the meeting, reporting that we have had a successful year, with the membership now standing at 56 with 12 new members. The minutes of the last meeting were presented and passed as correct with no matters arising. The committee then presented their reports on the previous years’ activities to the members. The Treasurer, Martyn Pearce, distributed copies of the Society’s audited accounts and bank balance, and reported that the Society is financially sound. He also stated that the annual subscription would continue be held at £30 as previously. John Cavana then gave a detailed report on the program of successful presentations and speakers the society had enjoyed during the year. He then outlined the proposed speakers for the program next year. Khatija Barday-Wood presented her report on the progress of the workshops and photoshoots. Workshops have been well attended, and very popular photoshoot visits to Slimbridge, Otmoor, and Stowe had taken place and proved very productive. The workshops run by our own members have been well attended, and experienced members were able to pass on their knowledge to others.
The election of committee members then took place. Three members, Gail Girvan, Paul Brewerton, and Khatija Barday-Wood had decided to step down from committee this year. Four new members, Diana Saville, Maureen Robinson, Lindsey Smith and Meriel Flux, were proposed, seconded, and elected to the committee. The chairman then declared the AGM meeting closed.
Following a short break Activities continued with our usual “What Is It” quiz. Members are invited to submit close-up photographs or pictures taken at confusingly odd angles. The audience then try to guess what they are. In the first pass fifty-three very imaginative pictures were displayed, ranging from domestic kitchen equipment, car parts, to the massive anchor on an aircraft carrier. The members noted their answers on the answer sheet. The larger full images of the puzzlers were then displayed. This enjoyable quiz provided lots of amusement, puzzlement and comment from the floor.
Paul Brewerton. ADDPS.
March 2019: Mindfulness through Photography, by Andrew Scriven (Cancelled)
It was all change for those attending Club Night on Wednesday, 6th March, as the booked presenter was unable to attend. After some quick thinking on the part of the Committee, a diverse programme was devised which ensured a lively evening.
Chairman, John Prentice welcomed new and old members and, with the upcoming April AGM in mind, went on to briefly outline the roles and responsibilities of the Committee for the benefit of the newcomers.
The first quarter of the evening was taken up with the topic, ‘It’s your Society: Tell us what we can do more?’ Three groups were formed, with the object of brainstorming what improvements could be made, how to implement them, and how these would benefit the Society as a whole. This proved to be fruitful. Many thoughtful ideas and constructive suggestions were put forward and noted by each of the group leaders for further discussion.
Keeping to the same groups, the next quarter of the evening was to ‘Discuss a Print/Speed Meet’. Each committee member moved between the groups showing a print they had brought for discussion and exchange of comments and techniques – a good opportunity for newbies and oldies to interact with each other.
Two slideshows followed: one of glowing images taken by members at a sunrise photoshoot in Blenheim Park, led earlier this month by Jim Muller, and narrated by Khatija Barday-Wood, and the other was a YouTube video on Refraction Photography, accompanied by a pdf called ‘Globalise’, detailing Crystal Ball Photography, led by Miggy Wild.
The Monthly Photo Topic is always eagerly awaited, and tonight was no exception. The topic ‘Yellow’ proved to be a popular one, from flowers, fruit and vegetables to vehicles, clothing and machinery.
All in all, a fine evening brimming with ideas, lively interaction and – not a surprise – colourful images.
Wendy Meagher. ADDPS
February 2019: Fujifilm
The society meeting on the 6th February was held in The Cartwright Hotel Aynho, and was a presentation by Shanice Meddings from Fujifilm demonstrating their range of cameras. The meeting was very well attended with about forty members present, and we were pleased to welcome several new members. Shanice started with sharing experiences of her early days in photography, pointing out that she was an experienced enthusiastic photographer, and not simply interested in marketing the product. An extensive range of cameras and lenses was laid out for inspection and available for us to handle and assess. Shanice explained that in the past Fuji had produced compact and bridge cameras, they have now decided to leave that field behind and move into mirrorless, top quality camera models. Examples available for inspection were all mirrorless models with APC sensors, which were lighter and smaller than traditional DSLR type bodies.
Designed in the style of the film cameras of former days. Aperture settings were on the lens barrel, and speed settings were on the top plate, with an eyelevel viewfinder showing the exact image to be recorded. This enables setting to be made before the camera is turned on. An extensive range of lenses was available to try out, with models up to the latest 200mm lens, coming in at £5000.00! In addition two top of the range medium format cameras with much larger sensors were also available for members to handle. These cameras are capable of producing superb images with extremely fine definition. One portrait of a model had such fine definition it was able to discern the edges of her contact lens. Shanice displayed a series of images showing the capabilities of the cameras
Following a break, the meeting continued with our usual monthly challenge. This month the challenge was “patterns”. A discussion about the definition of a “pattern” concluded that patterns did not necessarily have to be manmade, but patterns in nature were also acceptable. The first round showed new images taken within the month. They ranged from closeup images showing patterns created by nature, to features of buildings and architectural patterns. The usual friendly banter and joking accompanied the images. Round two continued with second choice and reserve images. Some older shots and archive pictures were allowed on this section.
Paul Brewerton. ADDPS.
January 2019: Best 3 of 2018
The Adderbury Deddington & District Photographic Society held their first meeting of 2019 at 7:30pm on the second of January, in The Apricot Room of The Cartwright Arms Hotel, Aynho. It was a well attended meeting being so close to the festivities, with about forty people there.
The first meeting of the New Year followed our usual pattern and was a display of members own photographs titled “My Best Three of 2018”. Members are invited to show their best three pictures taken in the previous year. It became apparent that our members are prolific photographers and selecting only three can be a real problem. (Some of us interpreted this as favourite three). As can be expected there was a wide variation of subjects and photographic styles, ranging through portraits, architectural, landscapes, seascapes, wildlife and abstracts. A wide range of locations was also a feature of the evening, covering China, India, and Spain to Fenny Compton, Stowe, and our own back gardens. The result was a display of stunningly good, and highly imaginative pictures. The author of each picture was invited to speak about the subject or location, or motivation behind the shot. The audience then asked questions or commented on the photograph. This gave rise to helpful critique, useful advice, and as was expected, humorous friendly banter.
Paul Brewerton. ADDPS.