Capital Interest May 2015 by Royal Photographic Society

CA PITA L INTEREST MAY 2 0 1 5 / VOLUME 1 / NUMBER 5 / W W W .RPS.ORG

IM A GE - BA RRY HOFFM A N LRPS

W ELCOM E TO THIS M ONTH?S CAPITAL INTEREST which is something of a distinction special as so many of our members have gained a distinction in the last month. Many congratulations to you all! For space reasons, we can?t publish all the images from all the panels, but we have twelve pages of personal journeys and some wonderful images to admire. If you want to see any of the panels in more detail, check out our distinctions page on the RPS website ? we?ll be adding pdfs of the successes throughout the month. We also have a report of Norman?s excellent recent London, Street workshop and a work-in-progress report of Dave Allen?s fascinating London, Urban project. Although many of us don?t have access to the right places to take advantage of this week?s national events, for our photo-journalist members and colleagues, it?s going to be a busy week with a new member of the royal family and new members of the House of Commons. And if the UK is a darker place on Friday morning? Perfect excuse to buy those faster lenses ?

ON M Y BOOKSHELF We asked members of RPS London?s Facebook group to share the title(s) of photographic books on their bookshelves. Taken together, the results would make a wonderful line-up to grace any bookshelf. Geoff Dyer - The Ongoing Moment. It?s a flow of consciousness through the photo classics and more. (Joe Jacobs). Cesar Ordonez ? Tokyo Blur. Subtitled Rain. Night. Life. Japan. An eclectic mix of images from Japan all mono, capturing night life and giving a sense of the pace of life. Bruce Gilden - Moscow Terminus. Classic Gilden - in your face images of Moscovites (Mark Phillips ARPS). Craig Semetko - India Unposed. A superb view of India in monochrome which for a colourful country is an unusual choice, but very powerful. (Cheryl Meek ARPS) John Maloof (Ed) - Vivian Maier, Street Photographer. Monochrome street photography at its best. (Roger Towell ARPS). Nick Brandt - On this earth, A shadow falls, Across the ravaged land. Mono images of Africa and its beautiful animals. Absolutely stunning, is all I can say. (Steve Harrington LRPS) William Mortensen - The Command to Look and Larry Lyle and Michael Moynihan (eds) - " American Grotesque: the Life and Art of William Mortensen. Once immensely popular but now almost totally forgotten, Mortensen had some very interesting views on composition and editing that were rejected at the time but predated Photoshop by 50 years. (John Kilby)

CONTENTS

Hans-Peter Feldmann ? Smoke. One of his wonderful books of sets showing sets as they should be it and smokin? good pictures as well. (Del Barrett ARPS).

LONDON DISTINCTIONS : ARPS

3 -5

Michael Chopra-Gant ARPS

Cyril Deretz ARPS

George Parapadakis ARPS

LONDON DISTINCTIONS : LRPS

6 -1 2

Ania Dudzinska-Taylor LRPS

David Harris LRPS

Steve Harrington LRPS

Judith Hicks LRPS

Barry Hoffman LRPS

Gary Margetts LRPS

Kyle Tallet LRPS

LONDON, STREET : W ESTM INSTER W A LKA BOUT By Norman Smith

1 3 -1 4

LONDON, URBA N : LONE INDIVIDUA L IN LONDON By David Allen

1 5 -1 6

SOCIA L M EDIA : Events, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Blog, Website

LONDON, DISTINCTIONS More than 50% of our members now hold a distinction and judging by the response to our advisory days, many are keen to progress from one level to the next. We?ve had a bumper crop of distinction successes this season (and there are still several assessment days to go) and so most of this month?s issue is dedicated to those successful panels. If you?re thinking about embarking on the distinctions route or looking to progress to the next level, why not come along to one of our advisory days? We have a number in the pipeline:

Thursday 18th June. More to be announced soon

20th May : Applied, Creative and Pictorial 25th July : Natural History 29th July : Travel and Contemporary & Conceptual

Keep an eye on the website or email londondist@rps.org

Don?t forget, that there?s a lot of information on the RPS website about distinctions, including: Successful Panels http://www.rps.org/distinctions/distinction-successes Guidelines and Application Forms http://www.rps.org/distinctions/downloads Online Advice http://www.rps.org/distinctions/advice Assessment Dates http://www.rps.org/distinctions/events

LONDON, DISTINCTIONS - A RPS M IKE CHOPRA -GA NT A RPS (CONTEM PORA RY & CONCEPTUA L) I didn?t intend to attempt ?A?so soon after my LRPS in 2014. However, some promising themes emerged from my Bleeding London photographs and I was soon out photographing social housing in London. One false start (demolition of the estate I was working on) pushed me to find a different angle. The ?A?panel required much research and numerous repeat visits to get the shots. I took advice from as many people as possible. I have learned ruthlessness in selecting images, perfectionism in the production of prints, and the necessity to ensure that the panel and statement of intent genuinely ?speak?to each other. Statement of Intent Estates of Utopia The aim of this project is to capture a sense of the utopian spirit that inspired many of London?s post-WW2, modernist social housing projects. The panel concentrates particularly on the aesthetic aspects of these housing schemes ? particularly the geometric forms of key architectural features and more superficial, decorative characteristics of the buildings ? features that register a utopian modernist ambition to create a ?better? society by ?better? design of the lived environment. Today, the term ?social housing? commonly carries negative connotations; a result of its long association with poorly designed and mismanaged urban housing estates, which were often blighted by crime, gangs, public-drinking, drugs and other anti-social behaviours. However, this pessimistic view is at odds with original utopian ideals that underpinned the development of much early postwar social housing in London. These ideals produced buildings with higher aesthetic aspirations than are evident in more commonplace, purely functionalist, utilitarian designs. Some of the most notable modernist architects in Britain designed social housing in London. These architects were influenced by high modernist ideals such as Le Corbusier?s Ville Radieuse; the ?Radiant City?, an ideal that aspired to produce a harmonious interaction between city dwellers and the urban environment. This utopian spirit is evident in the work of Le Corbusier?s peers, whose designs have provided London with some of its most beautiful examples of mass housing design: exemplified in this panel by Lubetkin?s spiralling geometric stairwells and bold use of primary colours; Lasdun?s open geometric structures that allow light to flood into communal areas; painted murals and other features. Individually these features may only amount to small aesthetic touches. Taken together, however, they reveal an ambition to transcend the purely functional utilitarianism of mass housing: to create beautiful and inspiring urban environments for ordinary people.

A LL IM A GES - M ICHA EL CHOPRA -GA NT A RPS

CYRIL DERETZ A RPS (TRA VEL) I received my first camera as a birthday present when I was 10. It was a Russian camera called Zorki, not a reflex camera, with no autofocus (what else?) and very basic exposure control. If I think back, probably most of the photographic techniques I learned was from this time. I was already obsessed with taking pictures of everything around me like people, landscapes, insects, pets? I was shooting mostly in B&W since colour films were expensive and my father invested into some lab equipment that I could use to develop my own prints. I became much more serious about photography when I met the photographer Alexandre Deschaumes in 2011. I joined one of his workshops in Iceland. This was a true inspiration and I think my photography stepped to a whole new level from that time. When facing photographic opportunities, I often have this "urge" to capture the instant, especially in moments that stimulate all your senses. The difficulty is to remain as truthful as possible to one's personal experience knowing a photograph is only your interpretation of the reality, and finding the right composition and exposure time are key. Statement of Intent I discovered the RPS into an Outdoor Photography magazine ad in 2012 and thought that could be interesting to join and learn from other photographers. Whilst reading the RPS Journal, I found out about the distinctions. I initially thought that I could improve my photography by targeting LPRS but after various photographic trips to Iceland, Canada and Namibia, I thought I had potentially enough material to go for Associate. I went to a couple of advisory days and realised the challenge that it really meant. The quality of some panels was outstanding! I also had the chance to meet Chelin Miller from the Travel Group that I couldn?t thank enough. She liked my pictures and gave me plenty of useful advice. On my assessment day in Birmingham, when we heard the judges saying that I was recommended, my wife and I couldn?t believe it!

Why is Iceland attracting so many landscape photographers? Could it be the feeling of going back in geological times or maybe the scarcity of civilisation signs? Subtle northern lights projecting long shadows, eternal sunsets in Summer and auroras borealis in Winter are just enough for me to justify buying a flight ticket. This is without counting volcanic landscapes covered by mosses, waterfalls, lakes, ice lagoons, geysers, glaciers and black sand dunes. All these wonders are acting like magnets to worldwide photographers.

A LL IM A GES - CYRIL DERETZ A RPS

GEORGE PA RA PA DA KIS A RPS (CONTEM PORA RY A ND CONCEPTUA L) ?Paperclips are people too!? Back in 2012, along with a group of online photography friends, we decided to challenge ourselves with creating and sharing a single picture every week, for a whole year. We each chose our own ?theme? and the idea was to find creative ideas of photographing the same object in 52 different ways, one each week. The first object I saw in front of me on my desk was a paperclip. That?s when the ??Clips? family was born. I didn?t want to just take different pictures of a paperclip, so I decided to take the challenge a bit further to see if I could create human characters and stories with the paperclips. Over the weeks the ?clips told Statement of Intent many stories. Some were seasonal (e.g. summer ?Paperclips are people too!? is a surrealist study. postcards, Christmas nativity, The intent of the series (45 photographs in total) etc.), some reflected activities is to try and reflect human emotions ? boredom, my own children were competitiveness, youth, humour, sadness, participating in (e.g. scouts heritage, culture, despair, respect, fun ? through camping) and some were just an inanimate and faceless object such as a pure fiction trying to emulate human behaviour and tell a story. simple paperclip. It is an exercise in visual When I joined RPS last year, I also joined the Contemporary story-telling, where the humble paperclip group as most of my photography tends to work in sets of becomes the protagonist. pictures that create coherent entities and tell a story. I knew My aim is to portray a series of imaginary, that there were some stronger pictures in the ?Clips series anthropomorphic, daily-life events, in the ?life? of where I could draw a panel of 15, but I wasn?t sure if they the same, simple, common, everyday object. would be strong enough and interesting enough to submit for Little vignettes where each tells a human story. ARPS. Unfortunately I could not attend the Contemporary ARPS advisory day last July, so I asked the distinctions team The emphasis of the project was to create an for some support online and Monica Weller FRPS has been illusion using primarily photographic techniques ? instrumental in encouraging me, helping me select the final set lighting, focus, context, perspective, etc. ? and to of pictures on the panel and advising me on the hanging plan. keep the use of Photoshop to a bare minimum. Creating human-like visual context for the ARPS Contemporary assessment day was the perfect excuse to make a trip to Bath and visit Fenton House for the first time. paperclip settings meant that most of the pictures I was fortunate enough to have my panel assessed early but had to be constructed in a macro environment, which in turn created its own challenges in terms my wife and I watched all fifteen panels being assessed during of controlled lighting, props, perspective and the day, which was extremely insightful in understanding how depth of field. the panel judges think and assess an ARPS panel. CLICK HERE to view George?s panel on the RPS website.

A LL IM A GES - GEORGE PA RA PA DA KIS A RPS

LONDON, DISTINCTIONS - LRPS A NIA DUDZINSKA -TA YLOR LRPS I have always had an interest in photography and about three years ago I joined a photography club to further my interest. It was during a club competition that one of the visiting judges suggested I should go for my LRPS distinction. A friend had already booked an LRPS date and I decided to apply too. Having left it rather late and not being able to get a place on an advisory day, I asked fellow club members to pick their favourite ten images from a selection of thirty. Both a visiting judge and my husband (his skills extend beyond carrying my camera bag) helped further and I selected images with a three row layout. The aim was that each row ?flowed?based on colour, tone and the type of photograph. This allowed me to have a mixture of still life, urban and travel photography whilst maintaining a coherent panel. The end result was that I was awarded the LRPS! My next challenge is the ARPS when I hope to give myself more time to avoid any last minute traumas.

A LL IM A GES - A NIA DUDZINSKA -TA YLOR LRPS

DA VID HA RRIS LRPS I started about 45 years ago with a Zenit SLR. Made in the USSR. Heavy but a good teacher. Many happy hours in the darkroom at the YMCA in Manchester, with FP4 and Acutol. That smell, that magic. Who wouldn't get hooked? Roll on to a new century. Darkroom to Lightroom; Acutol to Photoshop. Many years older and wiser, more time, more confidence. Time for my LRPS... I'd heard of the RPS, of course. Very prestigious. A number of our members had achieved the dizzy heights of accreditation. I spoke to them. I'd had good results with a number of my prints in club competitions. Surely I could pull out my best ten and knock up a panel? "It really is a lot of work and effort. You must get some advice.", they advised. I took 50 A4 prints to Jay and Monica (my heroes - impossible without them). 40 ended up on the floor, but 10 remained. Lots more post-production work and then on to an RPS Advisory day in Cambridge. More post-production work and then onto Bath for the big day. Nerves frayed, but success! It is a wonderful experience. The process, the advice, the assessment and the accreditation. As my kids would say, it's sooo worth it.

A LL IM A GES - DA VID HA RRIS LRPS

STEVE HA RRINGTON LRPS Hi I am Steve and I am a nervous photographer! So I chose an RPS London 1-2-1 assessment in January, to see if I was at ?L?level. Bob Gates agreed I was, so I then attended First Tuesday in Greenwich, featuring Richard Walton. In just two meetings, Bob and Richard had allayed my fears, given me constructive, honest critique AND a panel to present to an assessment panel. My camera club and the RPS London team tried to convince me of its value, but I was still unsure of obtaining my ?L?. I reprinted my images on my A4 all in one printer and mounted them in pre-cut mounts. On April 21st at NEC my panel was recommended and I received good critique and feedback on my work. I am now looking towards my ?A?, and receiving even more help and encouragement, this is the great thing about photography/photographers. In writing this I hope to encourage other nervous, unsure photographers. Enjoy your camera!

A LL IM A GES - STEVE HA RRINGTON LRPS

JUDITH HICKS LRPS Although this was a goal which I have had in the back of my mind for a year or so, my journey to ?eLLe? really started in January this year, when I took advantage of the 1:1 sessions arranged by Del at the Nikon Centre with Bob Gates. Until then I had no idea whether my images were anywhere near the required standard. Bob was complimentary about some of my pictures and camera work and suggested that five or six might be suitable ? rejecting some wildlife images of which I was rather proud! But I followed his advice to the letter and worked on shooting additional images for my panel. A later Advisory Day in Surrey, when I presented for review what I thought was my complete panel, was a real wake-up call, as the print quality of my images was called into question: back to the drawing board, recalibrate printer and screen, get the correct print drivers from the paper manufacturer and ? .. reprint! So, with pictures literally ?hot off the press?, I approached the Assessment Day in Bath with the attitude that I had a 50:50 chance, but that if I failed the written feedback from the Chairman of the Judging Panel would be very helpful and wold enable me to pass next time. Imagine my amazement when my name was called out. I don?t want to sound as if I have just won an Oscar (although it feels like it!), but I could not have done this without Bob's advice and guidance (I found the 1:1 format very helpful), all the practical advice and practice over the last year with Del and the Bleeding Londoners and with Norman and his Street Walkers and above all, without my husband David?s patience and encouragement, not to mention his wizardry with the mount cutter!!

A LL IM A GES - JUDITH HICKS LRPS

BA RRY HOFFM A N LRPS I'm not one usually for New Year's resolutions, but back in December 2013 I resolved to have a go at the LRPS. I'd been taking photos since about the age of 16, first film, then digital and now, on the wrong side of 40, I thought this endeavour would be cheaper than a mid-life crisis and probably more satisfying long term. So I joined the RPS and signed up as an observer on an advisory day with the local region. I went, I watched, I was demoralised. To be honest, the region I affiliated to wasn't particularly welcoming or helpful and the images I saw looked like nothing I was doing. Undeterred however, I went to a London region event which couldn't have been more different. The people were friendly and welcoming and the advice was useful and the standard looked attainable. So I began selecting about 15-20 images to make a panel and some spares. I printed. I mounted. I selected. I reprinted, I remounted and I deselected. And then I selected again. And then I pestered my wife, friends and neighbours for opinions before selecting again. In the end I felt I had something promising and almost a year later to the day I got a slot for actual feedback, this time at a London advisory day. The advice was brilliant. Half of my selected images stayed in the panel and the other half was made up from spares. The observers gave some thoughts and the advisor on the day was really encouraging and supportive, suggesting an overall panel from my images that really worked. So I went home, did some more printing and mounting and filled in the form for a slot in Birmingham when the photography show was running. I put my prints away and didn't look at them again until a couple of weeks later - the day before the assessment (gulp!). I decided that I was doomed. But nonetheless it would be good practice and I could easily start again. I turned up for the assessment. The two panels before mine didn't meet the standard. They looked so professional - I felt I hadn't got a hope. Mine then went up - my prints that I printed at home (10x8 -ish) in mounts that I cut myself (A3 size -ish) all packed in a plastic portfolio I got from WH Smiths (cheap-ish). But my feedback was glowing and my name was called. I passed. It was one 'L' of a ride!! This year I might go for the A or I might aim a little lower and just go for that mid life crisis!!

A LL IM A GES - BA RRY HOFFM A N LRPS

GA RY M A RGETTS LRPS M o t i v at i o n Monica Weller FRPS gave me the encouragement , guidance and support to go for a LRPS . A close friend Graham Raine seconded the belief my images were good enough as did other Bookham Camera Club members , especially Eddie Hyde LRPS who was a great help. The Club made available the projector and screen for critical selection of images during the selection process ? what more could one ask for ? Ti m e Tak en I threw myself into my photography after news in July 2014 that I had contracted a serious illness which meant giving up full time work. The assessment day in January 2015 had to be hastily re-arranged for April 2015 after hospitalisation over Christmas set me back in my preparations. The panel of images are a combination of old and new with the Hare being a last minute edition. In sp i r at i o n Images in our Club are of a very high standard and my peers have inspired me , particularly people like Steve Kingswell who has recently gained his ARPS. Graham introduced me to Wildlife Photography which has also helped me with ongoing health problems by involving a lot of walking to keep me active. My family are very supportive and appreciative of my efforts. W h at ?s Nex t At a recent Club Competition I received very complimentary remarks for my wildlife image of the Dragonfly from the FRPS Judge for the evening. This has given me the impetus to go for an ARPS although I need to re-charge my batteries first. A d v i ce Listen to your peers ? if they think you are good enough then you are good enough ! Believe in yourself and your ability , be your own person and don?t give up.

A LL IM A GES - GA RY M A RGETTS LRPS

KYLE TA LLET LRPS I first looked at LRPS in 1985 during a previous Society membership. I was a student in London and was recording the disappearing London docklands as my theme. I then qualified and returned to my native Kent and other priorities took over. My interest in LRPS was re awakened when my daughter obtained her LRPS though the A-level exemption. I am not a camera club member and am unused to producing work for critics. I found that the S.E.Branch of the society was not active, and it was practically impossible to get onto an advisory day. I attended the travelling honours exhibition at Canterbury where I saw really stunning L panels that were miles better than the A panels!!!. So I decided to learn by mistake. I threw together a panel of mixed work and submitted it, hoping I could learn from the criticism. It failed, and the panel chairman?s points were helpful but I did not understand some of the points. I felt that I needed an advisory to go through my panel more thoroughly. A friend suggested that I contact the London Branch, which I had noted appeared to be active. Del fitted me into the break in an advisory day, and Bob went through my panel and my spares and much to my surprise informed me that I had a panel that had a chance, I wasn?t convinced!! Sadly I failed again. I resolved to go back to the drawing board. Remembering a comment at the roadshow, that was play to your strengths, I had just been awarded my LSWPP for portraiture, I decided to enter a panel of figure photography. I drew up a list of variations of approach and scoured my archive. I came up with a shortlist of images. What I was missing was a critic. I got some opinions off of friends, and we came up with a panel of images that worked, not necessarily my best or my favourite. Two weeks before my assessment, Del arranged a one to one advisory which I attended. It was helpful as I had a dominant image that was off to the side. I was left with two options, and made my choice. SO my third assessment ? I had the dreaded sorry email, but the panel liked 9 of my images and so I was referred on one. The image they didn?t like was the dominant image that caused me a last minute shuffle. I had a ready replacement. So I submitted the replacement and was successful!!. For me, having help and support made the difference. My learning points are play to your strengths and get an honest critic.

A LL IM A GES - KYLE TA LLET LRPS

LONDON, STREET

W ESTM INSTER W ALKABOUT REPORT ON 3 SQUA RES A ND A CIRCUS HELD ON 1 8 TH A PRIL BY NORM A N SM ITH LRPS We met up outside the St. Stephens Tavern since I know from experience that the exit from Westminster Tube is one of the most crowded in London. The number of people who exit the station and then stand and gawp at the Queen Elizabeth Tower (can we still call it Big Ben please?) is legendary! After our customary coffee, registration and chat we set off round Parliament Square in the hope that the pre-election aura this close to the seat of power would spark some interest, but the atmosphere was as empty as the Houses of Parliament are at the present time in the run up to a fairly unexciting election. I consoled myself with a few shots of tourist and carried on regardless. We set off for Trafalgar Square via Whitehall and things started to spark up. Ceremonies for St. Georges Day around the Cenotaph, Changing of the Guard at Horse Guards parade, an Armenian demo marching down Whitehall then Trafalgar Square complete with Shaun the sheep! We met up outside the National Gallery for a quick review and took the opportunity to record street performers before walking to Leicester Square. Avoiding the football crowd we drifted through to Piccadilly Circus, circumnavigating the Hare Krishna along the way. We chanced upon a vintage cycle ride and then went on to the sign off meet, by the statue of Eros. The weather was kind, so we were a happy bunch having seen London at its most varied, enjoyed the sunshine and took away some great shots. Please see the link to the RPS London, Street ? Flickr site for the results and you may be inspired to come along to our next shoot along Oxford Street. Supported by Olympus cameras. See the current on-line Olympus magazine here.

A LL IM A GES - NORM A N SM ITH LRPS

LONDON, URBA N

LONE INDIVIDUAL IN LONDON Continuing our series of projects currently being undertaken by members of the London, Urban micro-group.

London has one of the most fascinating urban environments in the world with amazing architecture and structures. The City has millions of people living, working or visiting it every day. Yet individual figures can be seen in London who can appear to be vulnerable, fragile, lost or even lonely. I wanted to capture images of individuals, back dropped by a London setting, ideally easily identifiable by the viewer, that portrayed the above adjectives. For most of the images taken, I had spotted or chosen the backdrop and had a preconceived idea where I wanted the subject to be in the frame, and it was just about playing a waiting game. Location, time and date when the images were taken can be provided, but hopefully Londoners will be able to place the locations. The images were mainly taken at the weekends. And the challenge for me would be too undertake the exercise during the week. I intend to have this as an ongoing project. More of Dave?s project can be seen in his gallery on the RPS website. CLICK HERE TO VIEW

London, Urban i s su p p o r t ed b y t h e Ni k o n Sch o o l Cl i ck HERE t o si g n u p f o r t h e Ni k o n Sch o o l New sl et t er Det ai l s o f t r ai n i n g co u r ses can b e f o u n d HERE.

A LL IM A GES - DA VE A LLEN

IM A GE - DA VE A LLEN

LONDON GA LLERIES We?d like to feature more of our members?work in Capital Interest, but it?s not always easy to find with so many different platforms out there. There are some wonderful albums under the Galleries section of the website, but it?s disappointing to see that only 10% of our members have posted images. Why not post an album this month, drop us a line at london-news@rps.org and we?ll feature your work in a future issue.

Capital Interest is the monthly eZine from RPS London. If you have, or would like to write an article for inclusion, then we would love to hear from you: london-news@rps.org Previous Issues can be found on the RPS website CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

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