DIG News - July 2017
‘The Design Museum’ by Rex Waygood
Winner of the forum competition this past month.
DI EXPO 2017 We have a major announcement to make in reference to the DI Expo programme. Regrettably Glyn Dewis has had to pull out of being one of our keynote speakers. He apologises to us all – his reasons were very valid. It is always a risk when we book speakers that someone will need to pull out, but we are sorry to lose Glyn from DI Expo 2017. However we are also pleased to be able to announce that Tim Flach HonFRPS has agreed to join us on the day and will take Glyn’s slot in the programme (12.00 – 13.00). Tim is an extremely good presenter and a talented photographer who is famous for his stylized portraits of animals. His talk title is ‘Fostering a connection with the natural world through photography’. You may be familiar with his books as he has produced five since 2008. His latest one ‘Endangered’ will be released in October and is already proving a talking point within the industry. I am sure we will all be delighted to have him present to us. Whether you are into photographing animals or not, some of the techniques he will talk about will be transferable to other areas. For full information about DI Expo, the programme, venue etc can all be found on our page www.rps.org/DIGexpo There is a link to ordering your tickets online and then you can follow up by reserving a place in one of the two studios if you wish to have some hands on experience on the day. Exceptional value for DIG Members at only £25 for the day. Here is a reminder of the programme.
PROJECTED IMAGE COMPETITION Since we opened the competition in early June some of you early birds have already submitted your images – well done to you. However one thing not to forget is to ‘finalise’ your submission. If you think you might want to swap an image before the closing date then it is fine to leave your submission ‘open’ but if and when you are happy with your entry then do make sure you go through to the very end of the process and ‘finalise’. You then get an email confirmation, so if you haven’t had that then go back on line and finish off the process. You can enter 4 images, either all in one section or across both ‘Open’ and ‘Altered Reality’ (Creative). We are using the same competition system as last year. This is not an RPS system but is outsourced, so you have to register for access to that site if you did not do so last year.
https://photoexhib.co.uk/rps/login.php We encourage all DIG members to enter this free ‘members only’ competition. The submission software is easy to use and we have downloadable instructions on the web page HERE to help you. The acceptance rate is about 22-25% and all accepted images get printed in the competition catalogue, which will come out with DIGIT later in year. Choose images that are high impact. Judging is very quick so work that is intricate or subtle, that needs a longer viewing for full appreciation, is less likely to gain a high mark. We hope that we will have a bumper entry and lots of good work to select from.
NEW DIG DISTINCTIONS Having not had the lists through in time for last months DIG News this month sees a bumper list of successful candidates getting their RPS Distinctions. There are some happy people out there all giving themselves little hugs as they enjoy the rewards of their efforts. Well done to all of you. Congratulations go to… Jeff Johnson LRPS Moira Chalmers LRPS Glynis Harrison LRPS Holly Stranks LRPS Stephen Wright LRPS Lowie Bingham LRPS
- Hampshire - West Sussex - West Mids - Suffolk - West Yorkshire - Essex
Martin Farrow ARPS Lynda Mudle-Small ARPS
- Cornwall - Northants
Suzanne Trower FRPS
- Channel Islands
Particular mention should go to Suzanne for her amazing work and gaining her Fellowship. As luck would have it only just last month in DIG News we showcased Suzanne’s work, little knowing that she was about to get her Fellowship. You will spot one of her June DIG News images in her layout but we thought you would like to see the layout and one other larger image – so thanks Suzanne for sharing this with us. Her panel is titled ‘Silver Lining’ and I bet they looked fab as prints.
Plemont <<<<<>>>>> Each month we select one recent Distinctions panel to showcase and this month it is the turn of Derwood Pamphilon ARPS. This was an Applied panel of work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; well done again Derwood for some beautiful work. Derwood Pamphilon ARPS Photography has become a strong driving force in my life following retirement from a career in medicine five years ago. I love photographing people and have always had a passion for dance so my choice of subject for the Associateship was always straightforward. I have worked with dancers in the studio, on location and have also been fortunate enough to photograph top dance companies in London and elsewhere. The techniques for studio and theatre are different so that the correct approach is needed to obtain good results.
Years ago the celebrated dance photographer Lois Greenfield revolutionised the world of dance photography by inviting dancers to her studio in Manhattan. Previously photographers had worked largely at the behest of theatres, documenting performances, often in poor lighting and with little or no control over conditions. By contrast, in the studio, we are able to capture images with complete control of lighting and background. After learning how to obtain consistently good dance images, I spent many hours in the studio and theatre and have taken a great many photographs, building on what I learned initially.
In preparation for the Associateship I showed my provisional panels to experienced photographers at the Bristol Photographic Society. I also attended an excellent Distinctions Advisory Day at Fenton House and sought on line advice from the RPS. The Society states that the Associateship is awarded for 'images of exceptional standard' and this certainly focused my mind on producing images of the highest quality. It was also important to create harmony within my panel; this meant that inevitably some of my favourite images had to be omitted due to lack of fit with the others.
This is my Statement of Intent 'Dance has been likened to creating a sculpture that exists only for a moment in time. Dance has been likened to creating a sculpture that exists only for a moment in time. It is elegant and dynamic, passionate and, at the same time, controlled, evoking strong emotional responses. Each artist challenges the photographer to capture the essence of their performance: energy, vitality and the purity of the lines that they create. My aim was to show the power and beauty of dance by photographing dancers in both studio and theatre settings, in most cases freezing motion. During performances rapid and unpredictable changes in movement and tempo, plus variable and often low levels of lighting presented challenges. My panel brings these frozen moments together into a harmonious whole'
FORUM Such a good selection of images were entered in to this months DIG Forum competition that it was tough to vote. However we ended up with ‘The Design Museum’ by Rex Waygood as first placed. Then just one point behind and joint second were the images you will see below. But first let us find out from Rex a little about his winning image…. ‘We had a family trip to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition and then walked through the back streets of London to the Design Museum. It is a good museum but for us photographers the building is a dream! I enjoyed both equally.’
‘Rail’ by Jack Bolton ARPS
‘Knights’ by Mike Bennett LRPS
STATISTICS STATISTICS ……… in this case have helped us to change the way we work. Producing DIG News every month is very labour intensive. First it all gets put together using Word. It then goes to our web editor volunteer who makes the live links work and produces a pdf to go on to the ISSUU web site. He then has to take the original content to put it on the RPS web page. This is highly frustrating and intensive work that often takes hours, such are the vagaries and peculiarities of the RPS web site which require specific sizing of images and layout demands. Looking at monthly statistics from both the RPS web pages and ISSUU we are able to see that 97% of you read DIG News using the ISSUU software, which is great news for us. For the other 3% of you that do not we do not want to lose you, but we are going to change the way that we make the content available to you. Rather than loading it on to the web page it is going to become a downloadable pdf file. That will go on the DIG News web page and all you will have to do is click on it, then it arrives on your computer for you to read. No security risk – easy to use. This will save at least 3 to 4 hours of precious volunteer time, but you our members still get to read DIG News each month in a format that is convenient for you.
DIG CELEBRATES CAMERA PHONES On June 11th DIG held a one day Facebook competition in celebration of the first ever camera phone photo 20 years earlier. I am continually amazed at how good iPhone photography can now be. The entries in the competition, although disappointing in that not more of you got involved, was nevertheless inspiring. I doubt if I wasn’t telling
you that you would not know these were taken on a camera phone. So perhaps it is time more of us took advantage of that ‘phone in our pocket’ and stopped moaning about the weight of our equipment. First place went to Jo Cope with ‘Sunlight through the trees’
So we got in touch with the winner and asked Jo Cope for a few words….. I have been using my camera phone since I had the iPhone4. Having it with me all the time means I can capture those everyday moments. When I go out and about I will use a combination of iPhone, DSLR and analogue. I am a teacher and Photography is my main passion which began when my Dad - a keen amateur himself - bought me a Kodak Instamatic. I much prefer outdoor settings, landscapes both urban and rural, and living in London gives so many opportunities for street photography for which the cameraphone is ideal. The favourite apps that I use are ‘Hipstamatic’ as this has a very good macro setting and range of pre and post filters, which can help to make a consistent set of photos. ‘Re touch’ is simple to use for removing that odd annoying thing which I do not want in the photo but could not avoid! The photo here was taken using Slow Shutter, which does exactly what it says. Two simple sliders allow control of speed and light sensitivity. ‘Snapseed’ is my go to app. It has a set of instant filters, which I rarely use, but also a range of editing tools that work in layers which allow an editing that can rival PC based programmes. On this occasion I adjusted the brightness, contrast and saturation and added a slight vignette. That took about a minute. I like the immediacy of camera phone photography and how it can balance a more considered approach of 'big camera' work. Sent from my iPhone (of course – what else would we expect her to use)
Second placed was David Griffith with ‘Old Window’
And the third place went to Sue Hutton ‘ Profligate Profusion in a Farm Garden’
Three quite different images but each showing the versatility of the camera phone.
Having an email conversation with Jo made me realize that perhaps one of the things that stopped me using the iPhone more was my lack of knowledge. My guess is that many of you are the same. So starting from next month we have asked Jo to review an App a month. Her favourites. Then when she has completed her list perhaps other members might like to chip in with some reviews of their preferred Apps. But one month at a time – let’s see how it goes.
BRICKBATS AND BOUQUETS Chris Dixon ARPS who is featured in this month Gallery section… I am honoured to have been contacted by DIG News to contribute to the July edition, to share my recent photo trip to Tuscany, Italy – thank you DIG News! A screen grab from the DIG Facebook page…
MEMBERS GALLERIES Chris Dixon ARPS The inner workings of old trains are by their nature greasy, grimy and sooty environments. At the same time they are a testament to the creativity of man in working with steel and iron to harness the power of heat and water. This panel attempts to capture the characters of this workforce in their daily tasks and working environments whilst at the same time providing a detailed view of some of the old engine components that they work with and maintain. Landscapes of Tuscany by Tom Clarke Most of the images you see here were taken during what was an 18-hour day, setting off from my Siena campsite at 4am, returning after 10pm (key focus were the hours at/around sunrise and sunset). As arduous as it was, the length of the day is representative of the commitment I place into my passion photography and large format in-house photographic printing. Like many of our photography forefathers, I like to own the end-to-end process – from image capture, post-production through to printing my work. ‘Wild Boar Tunnel’ - I found myself in what was a potentially dangerous
situation – several wild boars twice passed very close to one particular shoot location. The ‘tunnel’ aspect of the image title comes from the tunnel-like shape the clouds created in the frame. Accordingly, I titled this particular image ‘Wild Boar Tunnel’ (the adult boar is known to attack humans when they feel their young are under threat. Weighing up to 175kg, they have a top speed of 48kph – not to be messed with!). Click on gallery images to go through to the web site to view.
KEN PAYNE ONLINE TUTORIALS Back to basics with our first Ken video this month. Some very basic adjustment to improve your image for club competition â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or perhaps the DIG PI Comp! Run time 20 minutes
A new video Ken has just made in May 2017 about On1 Filter Presets. Run time just 6 minutes.
As always click on the image to take you direct to the tutorial.
KEN PAYNE Given we have been featuring Ken’s tutorials for over a year now we thought perhaps it was time to find out more about the man and his own work ……. Greetings Members, I was asked by your editor to say a few words about myself. For those of you that have visited my web site the following paragraph will be familiar. My life in photography began several years ago at the age of 15 and since then many cameras have passed through my hands. Digital cameras came into my life in 1999 with a Coolpix 950 and from that day onwards I have never stopped upgrading to newer models. The experience of working with digital images is a very pleasurable experience. I'm an EAF Camera Club Judge and I Lecture on Photoshop. I am also President of UPP (United Photographic Postfolios of Great Britain).
The purpose of my web site www.kp-digital.co.uk/ is to allow me to share techniques I have learned and continue to learn in Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom. Tutorials are added from time to time and are completely free to view. I would like to thank you for watching my videos from the links in this magazine. The following pictures are a small selection of my work. My picture called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Poppyâ&#x20AC;? won "The Best UPP Print" in the 1998 Exhibition. I have also been lucky with a few other awards along the way. Ken Payne
SIG LINK This is the section each month where we are happy to promote meetings and events which other SIGs (Special Interest Groups) are organising. We recognize that our members have a broad interest and that despite the RPS Events page often do not get to know about these meetings till it is too late. Often they are in locations that give DIG members, who cannot get along to our DIG Centre meetings, the opportunity to meet up with other RPS members in their area. This month seems especially busy so we have a few from the SIGs to offer youâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;Ś First the Visual Arts Group and a meeting in East Midlands. See information below and click HERE for full information.
The Landscape group have a meeting as below. Great for DIG Members in North Wales and the near areas. For full information go HERE
Contemporary group are inviting us to join them at their meeting HERE in Manchester but at the end of September
Finally the following one is from the ISG (Imaging Science Group) and although this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t till December you need to get your tickets early for this one as they quickly sell out.
SPOTLIGHT ON AN OVERSEAS MEMBER We spotted a new entry in the DIG membership list â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a lady who lives in Brazil and thought it might be interesting to find out more about Louise Knaresborough. It turned out to be a small world as she was a friend of one of my Benelux Chapter friends, so we will be keeping in touch as she works towards her LRPS. But let us find out moreâ&#x20AC;Ś..
Exciting, thrilling, interesting, and scary all rolled in to one; living in Rio de Janeiro has its ups and downs. My family and I, who are all British, moved to Rio for work 10 months ago. It was quite a culture shock after living in the USA for just over 2 years. We were however all very excited to be given the opportunity to live in a very vibrant yet slightly daunting city. Language is my main barrier here, so many of the local photography groups are inaccessible until my Portuguese improves. It was however important to me to feel part of the photographic community. Being a member of the RPS has helped me feel included in this community while I was finding my feet. I look forward to the publications popping through my letterbox, all be it several months out of date. Nevertheless I have eventually found a small community here of eager amateur photographers from around the globe and we get together on a regular basis to swap ideas and talk about all things photographic. There are also expositions and a flourishing photography scene in the city, with talks happening at venues such as the Instituto Moreira Salles about the importance of photography in Brazils recent History.
Sugar Loaf Mountain
Christ the Redeemer
Another major hurdle is the high level of crime in the city, muggings for possessions are an everyday occurrence. Taking out my DSLR is a challenge, the majority of my shots in Rio are taken with my phone. As I have become more confident with the language and surroundings I have taken out my smaller less conspicuous Canon M3, taking pictures at speed, I grab the shot I like, and tweak the image later on in post processing. Recently I have turned my focus from more commercial pursuits, mainly studio based to more artistic ones, I am now delving further in to more creative areas of photography, such as photo books. This in turn has spurred me on to try for my LRPS, but as you can imagine attending the advisory days is not that easy. Rio is a flamboyant city with a dark undercurrent it offers lots of inspiration for photographers if you are bold and brave enough.
Wall Art Lapa
Christ from Botanic Garden
One to ONE DISTINCTIONS ADVISORY at DI EXPO
We hope you all enjoyed your copy of DIGIT and the print catalogue that came out in June. Thanks to our Editorial team for all their hard work. This was an exceptional DIGIT as it is the DI Expo 2017 preview copy, with ads from our attending trade organisations and some articles from the presenters. So we hope that this will inspire you to attend DI Expo and enjoy the very varied and exciting programme we have put together for you all. For DIG Online members don’t forget you have to be signed in to read DIGIT. Then you can see the hidden page ‘DIGIT archive’.
DIG News has turned out to be an epic issue this month but we have made the photos larger and had a healthy contribution from the other SIGs. Hopefully there is plenty of interest for many of our members. And opportunities to get the overseas members involved and active with us. DIG News aims to cover many aspects of our group and the wider RPS community, we aim to inspire you to aspire! Regards
Janet
Janet Haines ARPS DIG Chair digchair@rps.org