SEPTEMBER 2018
HERITAGE PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTENTS HERITAGE PHOTOGRAPHY
EDITORIAL
Journal of the Archaeology and Heritage Group
3 Perspective
Autumn 2018
What is heritage photography?
Editor David Bryson heritage.editor@rps.org
INTERVIEW
Advisory Editors Chelín Miller ARPS Eric Houlder LRPS Advertising enquiries David Bryson heritage.editor@rps.org Archaeology & Heritage Group Committee Members Gwil Owen ARPS Chair heritagechair@rps.org George Backshall LRPS Secretary heritagesec@rps.org Garry Bisshopp ARPS Treasurer David Bryson Heritage Photography editor heritage.editor@rps.org Ken Keen FRPS Rodney Thring LRPS Jim Tonks ARPS Chelín Miller ARPS Eric Houlder LRPS Published by the Archaeology and Heritage Group of the Royal Photographic Society, September 2018. Copyright in all text and photographs is held by the credited authors, or as otherwise stated. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher. Cover photograph All Saints Church Tudeley, a Chagall Window Clive Tanner FRPS MPAGB Printed by Lakeside Printing, Tonbridge, Kent, UK.
DAVID BRYSON
4-5 In conversation with . . . GWIL OWEN ARPS
FEATURES
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6-11 Divine Light revisited CLIVE TANNER FRPS MPAGB
Work from Clive’s recent exhibition in Rochester Cathedral and memories of the A&H Group.
12-15 Building stones in England. MIKE SASSE
As well as reflecting history and architectural styles, the built heritage of England owes much to the variety of local building stones, which create a sense of regional distinctiveness.’
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16-21 Venice to Rome: The long way round GEORGE BACKSHALL
Photographs from a cruise around Italy with excursions to places of archaeological, historic or artistic interest in Italy, Croatia, Greece, Albania and Sicily.
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EVENT REPORT 22-23 Getty’s Hulton Archives GARETH PHILLIPS Report with photographs of the A&H member’s recent visit to the archives in London.
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EDITORIAL
Perspective What is heritage photography? DAVID BRYSON
W
elcome everyone to my first issue of Heritage Photography as editor. Firstly I have borrowed the title for this editorial from previous issues of the Journal. It seemed a great title and a good one to continue.
There is no one definition that is better than any other but they show the breadth of what is considered heritage like Cultural heritage “The legacy of physical artefacts and intangible attributes of a group or society: man-made heritage”.
In thinking about what to write and I suspect not just for this issue but several to come I have set myself the question “What is heritage photography?”.
What we see as heritage is in essence what we have inherited from our forebears and equally what we will bequeath those who follow us. It is often at the same time rooted in the landscape and ephemeral, here today and gone tomorrow. What was a passing fad or a children’s game is now our heritage passed down through the years; from nursery rhymes about the Black death, like “Ring a ring a roses”, to the Rubic’s cube invented in 1974 the same year as the founding of the A&H Group.
As the group ‘about us’ page on the Royal Photographic Society website says; “Founded in 1974 as the RPS Archaeology Group, the Archaeology & Heritage Group has since expanded to include a wide variety of heritage interests and activities. These cover all aspects of history, and range from archaeological discoveries to the present century, including the photography of buildings, artefacts, transport, militaria and industrial heritage.” Or looking at wikipedia which covers a list of features (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage): Heritage “refers to events or processes that have a special meaning in group memory”. The A&H Group has its own heritage as do families and this increasing interest is seen in the popularity of programmes like the BBC’s “Who do you think you are?”. Wikipedia also links words to heritage including national heritage site, cultural heritage, world heritage site, natural heritage, virtual and digital heritage and more.
“Our heritage is what we have inherited from our forebears and equally what we will leave those who follow us.” So where does photography come in? Photography, though accompanied by other digital tools like video, 3D recording, virtual and augmented reality, is still a valuable recording tool but can also communicate how we feel and what we think about our heritage. This issue exemplifies the range of photography and how we view heritage from our new Chair Gwil Owen’s thoughts on his role and the future of the group, through to classic A&H territory of Clive Tanner’s photographs and vision of the churches and cathedrals as the “Divine light” that shines through the buildings. On the way we look at the materials that were used to construct buildings and reflect the local availability of stone and architectural styles with Mike Sasse’s article on “Building stones in England”, George Backshall’s photographs from his cruise “Venice to Rome: The long way round” alongside the struggle to photograph with the increased numbers of tourist that heritage sites inevitably attract and the A&H Group’s visit to what could be described as a heritage treasure “Getty’s Hulton Archives” with works going back to the early days of photography with Daguerrotypes of family and places long since vanished from memory reported by Gareth Phillips.
DAVID BRYSON heritage.editor@rps.org Art Deco lights, Cardiff Railway Station 3
INTERVIEW
In conversation with . . . Gwil Owen the new Chair of the Archaeology and Heritage Group in conversation with the editor, David Bryson. GWIL OWEN ARPS. David: It is good to talk about photography and your aims for the Archaeology and Heritage Group. First it would be good to know how you ended up with a career as a photographer? Gwil: I started when I was 10 when I got a little 127 Kodak Brownie and then I had an Agfa Isolette when I was 13 by which time I’d already been given an enlarger - and use of the kitchen. Then I joined the school’s photographic society which of course was an adjunct of the chemistry department, and had a darkroom. I ended up taking some shots for the school magazine when I was 14 or 15 - my first published photos, and I still have them upstairs somewhere. David: As photographers we do tend to enjoy being published. Gwil: Yes, there is pride in it, and a touch of vanity. The funny thing is I’m looking back now and thinking that in actual fact the pictures I took then are absolutely typical of the pictures I’ve been taking all my life in terms of timing and viewpoint and shape that sort of thing. David: So your style hasn’t changed but the subjects have? Gwil: I certainly didn’t have any sense of my own style until I was well into my professional life. I think that intrinsically I was OK at taking pictures, and being able have an idea of how the world around is ordered. I remember the schoolboy pictures; one was of the school cadets being inspected.. The other was a school rugby match. There is pattern in both - something happening as well as interesting shapes within the frame. So, broadly speaking my “style” is mostly based on shape and space within a frame. David: In terms of education and training what did you do? Gwil: After school I became a singularly unsuccessful student I did a London external degree at what is now Anglia Ruskin - in fact I still have a piece of paper which gives me free access to the student bar! After that I thought well, okay I can take pictures, so I might as well get a job taking pictures. So I signed up for one term of an adult evening class run by a chap who had a photographic business in Cambridge. So, once I had been on that I was able then to apply as a “trained photographer”. The first job I got was with 4
Cambridge University’s aerial photography unit. Funnily enough I was interviewed by the chap who had taught the evening class, and he became my boss and my mentor. A few years later he said “I’m about to give up the adult education and I have told the college that you will take it over”. Oh dear, I thought. But then why not. So I did that too. Next I had a job, still in the University, in the anatomy department as number 2 to the photographer there. That lasted for about three years. By then my earlier mentor had become the chief photographer at the Fitzwilliam Museum. He and I had decided long before that there were only two jobs worth having around the University - his, and the photographer’s post in the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology, both of which wanted accurate images of “things” as well as an interpretation of what the “things” meant. So I ended up as the Faculty Photographer in Archaeology, not, I think for any outstanding ability - just being the right age and at the right stage in my career. The work turned out to be an odd mixture of photographing beautiful cultural objects in the studio and grubbing around in wet, dirty trenches trying to make sense of what had gone on long ago. David: What kind of work or projects particularly stand out over that period? Gwil: In Anatomy we did quite a lot of microscopy and macro-photography; also I remember we were filming animal locomotion for the veterinary anatomists - they were interested in joint mobility - and bits of bodies for the medical students. Much later, when I was in Archaeology, I happened to meet Chuck Jones - he of Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner - who confessed a passion for animal locomotion. If, he reasoned, you get the body language right the cartoon animal becomes real, and the viewer believes this and is drawn into the story. This has been my main mantra for just about all my pictures. Find the essence of the “thing” (or of your own opinion of it) and the viewer will believe and get the message. In archaeology there is little room for cartoonery, but the jobs have been equally varied and fun. I remember scrambling round inside a huge plaster cast of a Mayan stone sculpture, recording the graffiti of the team that made the casts. Then there was the dubious pleasure of taking pictures sitting
The tomb of Tutu, Tell el Amarna, Egypt
half outside an Egyptian military helicopter 1000 feet up over the famous site of Tel el Amarna. In general I look back on the thrill of holding in my own hands objects of huge value and importance, not only to modern scholarship, but also to their originators. David: People sometimes forget that Walt Disney, Dégas and others used photographs or film so they could get their cartoons and paintings right. Gwil: Yes, what we’re talking about is the craft of the profession. If you get your craft right then people will believe what you are showing them. It will help people register that something is interesting. Often those who commission photographs don’t realise how important it is to communicate with viewers who are not expert in their subject. Photographers, too, can benefit from working out how other artists use their craft to get to the viewer or the listener. David: Coming back to the group. Members appear to be of two different types, those who photograph heritage because they enjoy photography and others who photograph heritage because they like to investigate. Gwil: Yes, and in the general photographic field, too, there is a very large third group which runs around taking pictures because it makes them feel happy. Neither interested in good photography nor heritage value. Perhaps that is the element that we as a group should be trying to communicate with. If you have a nice voice, singing in the bath is fun, but joining a choir is ultimately much more rewarding. David: What kind of photographs do you like? Gwil: I do enjoy the botanic type photograph because I like - worship indeed - the work of the early nature artists such as Audubon and Gould. Once I actually had in my hands an original Gould volume to photograph. I was allowed to carry it but was escorted all the time! David: Why did you decide to become Chair and what are your aims for the group?
Site photography, Tell el Amarna, Egypt
The group was at a point in time when the chairman’s job had to be passed on. Having been around, and sometimes on the committee, for a long time I suppose it was my responsibility to stand up and be counted. Having accepted that I had to do it, I believe it is my main function to make sure that the group functions properly. We are in the situation where I think, and it also suits my personality, that a certain amount of formal direction is required. It is important to have structure and organisation so everyone knows what they are doing. The general membership, too, should be aware of what their committee is doing on their behalf. This is separate from what I have been saying about my own beliefs and photographic philosophy. It’s not up to me as chairman to push those onto anybody else. Nevertheless I think that collectively, with the committee, we older and more experienced members are in a position of influence. In my case I think it is worthwhile pushing the excellence of the photograph above the importance of the subject. That comes back down to the craft of the photograph if the photograph is made well then it doesn’t matter what the subject is. If it is a good photograph it actually gets to people psychologically, which is how the image becomes liked, or even famous.
GWIL OWEN ARPS
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FEATURES
Bristol Cathedral, Eastern Lady Chapel detail
Divine Light revisited My chosen photographic subject was and still is cathedral and church architecture from the inside with emphasis on memorials, artefacts and fittings. CLIVE TANNER FRPS MPAGB
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joined the RPS in the late 70’s and the A & H Group soon after; that was in the days of Victor Hepplethwaite, a fine organiser of chaos. Over the following months several ‘events’ were attended, and I got to know many members who seemed to spend their waking hours working for the group or attending events. We visited local attractions with permission to take photographs, the resulting pictures showed a wide range of abilities but a great deal of enthusiasm. And of course, there was the ‘Annual Conference’: several times this was held at Crystal Palace where the various speakers who had volunteered or been coerced to attend spoke eloquently on their various specialist topics.
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There was also opportunity to mix with other groups using the sporting facilities, these were wonderful, and we met many interesting people including George Best’s wife running keep fit groups, an amateur boxing group and a grid iron football team who seemed quite good when doing something spontaneously but not so good if there was time to think about their next action. Successful conferences were organised in Durham, York and Cambridge. Sadly, many members who attended are no longer with us, but some are still around and might remember those great days. One particular speaker’s presentation still brings a chuckle; Dr. Michael Apted was about to give a presentation as a tape/slide audio visual, however
Canterbury Cathedral
Chester Cathedral
at the last moment he realised the all-important tape cassette had been forgotten so the audience was persuaded to sing the sound track with Michael ‘conducting the choir’ whilst giving the voice over and changing the slides. Quite a ‘tour de force’ My chosen photographic subject was and still is cathedral and church architecture from the inside with emphasis on memorials, artefacts and fittings. It has provided me with material for ARPS with 6 x 6 slides, FRPS with monochrome silver prints; more recently I have achieved DPAGB and MPAGB from the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain with monochrome and colour digital prints.
Rochester Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
In May of this year fifty digital prints were hung as an exhibition in the renovated crypt in Rochester Cathedral, some of them are shown in this article. In the early days I was fortunate to meet Dr. Richard Ingle, a committee member of this group, and together we explored cathedral and church photography; initially using large format cameras but then the digital bug bit so DSLRs became cameras of choice. We attended a very worthwhile course at North East Surrey College of Technology, Epsom on Photoshop and just explored all the opportunities that this new medium and software offered.
Wells Cathedral
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St. Mary’s Church Stowe in Lindsey 8
Southwell Minster
St. Augustine’s Brookland
St. Mary’s Church Patrixbourne 9
St. Thomas the Martyr Church, Winchelsea
Attractive and visually informative viewpoints were sought for the original exposures to be taken, there was a certain amount of manipulation and then the result had to be transferred to paper for a worthwhile print to be made. As you may imagine, each step of progress along the way only resulted from experiment so finally my scientific training was put to use. The search for the ultimate image leading to a fantastic print on the exhibition wall continues and it is indeed fortunate that my particular subject matter does not move, and vagaries of weather and light only serve to present more pictures to work with.
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St. Michael and All Angels Church, Withyham
Having captured the image file is the start of a process where a workflow is essential if many hours are not to be wasted, logical actions give more consistent and repeatable results. The pictures which accompany this article are of great cathedrals, small parish churches and churches in the care of Churches Conservation Trust (https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/); taking them, preparing them for exhibition and looking at them has given and continues to give me pleasure and the satisfaction of knowing I have done my best.
CLIVE TANNER FRPS MPAGB
All Saints Church Tudeley, a Chagall Window.
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FEATURES
Building Stones in England As well as reflecting history and architectural styles, the built heritage of England owes much to the variety of local building stones, which create a sense of regional distinctiveness. MIKE SASSE
Knole, Kent – a great stately home, built of local Kentish Ragstone.
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ngland’s built heritage is readily appreciated in terms of the country’s long history and local and national architectural styles. It is also enhanced by the wide variety of building stone employed, generating a sense of buildings belonging to a locality. In the past, building materials were usually of local origin. Where no suitable stone was available, or other materials were easy to obtain, buildings would be constructed from timber, brick, flint (in areas of chalk geology), even cobbles from the seashore in coastal areas. More important buildings might source quality materials from a distance, but most building in stone would use local quarries, since transport of stone by land was difficult and expensive. The use of Portland stone from Dorset for grand buildings in London in the 17th century was facilitated by its being quarried on the coast, so it could be transported by sea.
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The choice of Caen stone from northern France for the Norman cathedral at Canterbury can be looked at in a similar light, since there was no comparable building stone in Kent, and Canterbury was accessible by water. Nowadays, building materials are more ubiquitous, and planning regulations strive to maintain the local feel of villages and towns. Building stones can vary in many ways – in chemical composition, grain structure (size of the constituent particles), ease of working and resistance to weathering. The colours in sedimentary rocks are generally due to impurities (often iron compounds), and can vary subtly from place to place. Igneous rocks, formed by cooling of molten rock, can be non-crystalline (amorphous) or may contain large crystals. Colours can range from pale pink or grey through to dark green and black, variety more often experienced inside stately homes and churches than on exteriors.
Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland – sandstone building built on dolerite sill.
Deddington, Oxfordshire – at least three different limestones can be seen here, with the better quality cream stone having been used as a facing material only.
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Grevel’s House, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire – a fine Cotswold building.
Slate, a metamorphic rock, used for house walls in the Lake District – Elterwater, Cumbria.
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Variety in Somerset church towers – left to right Westonzoyland (grey limestone), Bishop’s Lydeard (red sandstone) and St. Cuthbert’s, Wells (cream limestone).
Some stones are visually attractive but soft and not resistant to the weather, others hard but visually unattractive and difficult to work. Bamburgh Castle, a stately home in Northumberland, sits prominently atop the Whin Sill (an outcrop of dolerite), but the tough dark nature of dolerite was not considered suitable for the building, which is of a local red sandstone. The best building stones resist weathering, are attractive in texture and colour, can be cut into regular squared-off blocks (ashlar), and have a fine-grained structure that permits detailed carving. Few stones fulfil all these requirements - for example, Kentish Ragstone is used widely in the south-east of England, but it is difficult to work and can only be roughly shaped. It can be seen on the Jacobean facade of the great house of Knole in Kent. More than one type of stone may be used externally – sometimes for decorative purposes, though often a better quality stone is used for dressings (window surrounds, lintels etc.). So in Northamptonshire the walls of cream or grey limestone houses can be seen banded with orange/brown ‘ironstone’. Churches often employ a finer-grained or better quality stone externally where detailed carving is required, for example window tracery. Ham Hill stone is a lovely golden-brown colour, and a common sight in the Somerset/Dorset border country, but is sometimes used for the window tracery of churches of a different stone.
Somerset is known for the beauty of its mediaeval church towers, which feature a rich variety of designs, often involving blind arcading. The enjoyment of these is enhanced by the building stones local to different parts of the county, for example the grey limestone of the Lower Lias formations at Westonzoyland, New Red Sandstone at Bishop’s Lydeard, and a cream coloured limestone at St. Cuthbert’s in Wells. The architectural merit and undoubted attraction of Cotswold villages is due partly to the wealth generated by the mediaeval woollen industry, which resulted in many fine buildings. Its distinctiveness, though, comes from the quality and hues of the local limestones, and the availability of a limestone that can be split into thin slabs and used as roofing material (most limestones cannot be split in this manner). This gives a Cotswold building, and whole settlements, a harmony of colour and texture not often seen elsewhere. The visual effect is very different in north Yorkshire, where many stone houses are roofed in red pantiles - such buildings tend to stand out from, rather than blend into, their surroundings. So, in all corners of the country, older buildings speak to us about the availability of local materials, and the many building stones used contribute much to the visual nature of settlements and a sense of regional individuality.
MIKE SASSE
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FEATURES
Venice to Rome: The long way round In May 2018 I joined the Aegean Odyssey cruise ship for their “Classical Italy and The Adriatic” cruise around Italy from Venice to Rome; with excursions to places of archaeological, historic or artistic interest in Italy, Croatia, Greece, Albania and Sicily. GEORGE BACKSHALL LRPS
Venice crowds outside Doges Palace and waterfront
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he first highlight of the two week cruise included a walking tour in Venice through the maze of small streets, to admire the usual sites of the Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal, St Mark’s Square, the façade of St. Mark’s Basilica and the exterior of the Doge’s Palace.
Firstly, a guided visit to the house where Raphael was born in 1483, where he lived his early life and the church of Chiesa San Francesco opposite; the first of many churches with sun bleached drab exteriors yet with simplicity in their beautiful interiors.
My first visit was 50 years ago yet although Venice does not change it is so crowded now with queues everywhere. Still like so many other places for travellers – “There is only one Venice”. In the early evening the cruise commenced with sailing along the Giudecca Canal with its view of Venice and to the first overnight destination to dock at Ancona on the Adriatic Sea. My first real taste of Renaissance Italy was a walk through the unspoilt walled city of Urbino, a World Heritage Site; it was also a treat to escape the crowds of Venice.
Then, we followed the narrow streets to the wonderful Renaissance Palazzo Ducale to admire the building, it’s decor and paintings from the masters including Raphael and Titian. Outside in the large square the is The Duomo built in 1789 of brick with ornate marble frontage. It is surreal to wake in a new anchorage and have breakfast on the sun terrace with the classic view of the old town of Dubrovnik and the church of St Ignatius standing clear of the roofs.
carved coloured stone. I am always amazed at the ornate, lavish interiors and altar pieces of such places hiding behind their drab exterior and sheltered from the strong summer sun. A brief stop on the south east corner of Sicily allowed a walk through the old town of Taormina complete with expensive looking shops, bars, ice cream parlours and many churches leading to the Greco-Roman amphitheatre. It is largely intact with more modern restorations and still in use as a theatre. They knew where to site these places with fine views of the Sicilian landscape and cloudcapped Mt Etna. The archaeological site Pasteum lies south of Salerno on the west side of Italy and completely unknown to me. What can I say, I was quite unprepared for the site next to a road and small town, you can see most of the ruins from the street and over the low railings. It holds three largely intact Greek temples built between 530BC and 400BC, rediscovered in the 17th century, and sitting in the ruins of a Roman town.
Urbino city Gate
After a walking tour I had time for an independent look around and climbed many steps to St Ignatius. This Jesuit Baroque Church is set high overlooking the harbour yet seems hemmed in facing a small square with its drab looking yet ornate Baroque
It is quite an experience to walk through the temples and the stones without fenced off areas and guard rails. When I walk around such sites I wonder; just how did they build them when moving the stone to site and erect them yet 21st Man takes modern cranes for granted. How did they survive two millennia of earthquakes and the potential for people to reuse the stones for other building projects? Sure, the roofs have collapsed but they were probably wooden anyway.
Dubrovnik, Church of St Ignatius, exterior and interior views. 17
Taormina amphitheatre
Greek temples inside a Roman town at Pasteum
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Fountains of the Villa d’Este in the hills at Tivoli outside Rome, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Whilst at anchor off Sorrento I visited Herculaneum which was devastated and buried together with nearby Pompeii in AD79 with the eruption of nearby Mt Vesuvius. It is fascinating to walk the Roman streets and pavements, walk into the rooms, on Roman floors and look at the walls decorated with fresco scenes. I was surprised how relatively small the excavated site actually is and completely surrounded by a modern town yet left wondering how much more is still buried nearby. The final destination was two-nights in a hotel in the Eternal City – Rome, my first visit yet so many familiar views. So much to see in such a short time, I need to return as an independent traveller to places such as: The Villa d’Este is in the hills at Tivoli outside of Rome and once the resort of Roman Emperors. Its impressive décor of frescos are overshadowed by the gardens which are UNESCO World Heritage site featuring many fountains.
Frescos at Herculaneum
Rome naturally was very crowded around the Colosseum yet the nearby church of St Peter In Chains was much quieter. In a beautiful golden reliquary by the altar are the chains that held St. Peter whilst a prisoner in Jerusalem and also later in Rome.
Fountains of the the Villa d’Este in the hills at Tivoli outside Rome, a UNESCO World Heritage site. 20
Michelangelo’s statue of Moses part of the Tomb of Julius II
Much more visually impressive is Michelangelo’s statute of Moses part of the tomb of Julius II in the Church of St Peter in Chains. Here you get close and in good light to admire it; unlike Michelangelo’s statute - The Pieta in St Peters. I thought other places were busy, but the Vatican Museum was heaving with people, and a long queue to get into the entrance. The walk through the museum was a procession of the crowd from one room the next with little opportunity to study and admire the art and place; interesting but worth it? In comparison the highlight has to be the Sistine Chapel with its Michelangelo’s magnificent decorations. In spite of “No Photography” being a Chapel with constant requests for quiet there was a hubbub of noise and constant use of Smartphone cameras. The grandeur of the adjacent St Peter’s Basilica was dignified, and to admire the interior including Michelangelo’s magnificent statute - The Pieta. This depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion, it is now behind bullet proof glass following damage in an attack in the 1970’s and also in subdued light.
The Basilica of St Peter, Vatican shafts of light like rays from heaven.
Finally the Pantheon which fits tightly into a maze of side streets in Rome and another place I’ve often wanted to visit. It is a round brick-built structure which has still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome plus hole in its centre, with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns under a pediment. Initially a pagan Temple and now a Christian Church with much marble in its interior décor. This is also the end of my journey; from Venice to Urbino with a visit to Raphael’s home where he was born in 1483, finally to Rome with his tomb in the Pantheon, he died in 1520 and where he was immediately buried. Photography Notes: I mostly used a µ4/3 Olympus Pen with Olympus Pro f 2.8 12 – 40mm zoom lens (24 – 80mm, 35mm equivalent), ISO setting varied between 200 and 3200. It is not a burden to carry, compact, easy to use and unobtrusive on a walkabout.
GEORGE BACKSHALL LRPS
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EVENT REPORT
Getty’s Hulton Archives “The conservator showed us amazing examples of restoration recovering what one might think are irretrievably damaged images.” GARETH PHILLIPS
E16 Flats from Star Lane Station, Docklands Light Railway
THE RPS Archaeology and Heritage Group was made very welcome by Getty Images (https://www. gettyimages.co.uk/creative-images) who have a vast warehouse in London’s E16 district. The area is far from pretty and that was an attraction for Getty when they relocated from West London; they needed a huge amount of affordable space. In addition to the Heritage members a couple of RPS London Region members joined the visit. The group was welcomed by Matthew Butson FRPS (Vice President) who talked about the business of storing enormous quantities of fragile material and then being able to access it in order to license copyright. The monies involved are surprisingly large, an advertising campaign might pay £250,000 for rights to one image. On the other hand they do get sued once in a while. He told us about one image which they’d licensed but there was one person in the image for whom they did not have a signed model release. The person concerned sued Getty and was awarded £3.3 million damages. 22
Arrival at the archives
Matthew shared the thought that people used to hate Getty Images so they changed their approach: rather than chasing people for every little usage of Getty copyright, they have put their full catalogue on-line.
If a blogger wants to use an image then they can with no fee. However Getty have it set up that anyone then clicking on that image (within a blog for instance) will be brought back to Getty’s website. After the coffee and biscuits a lovely lady called Mel (Melanie Hough, Hulton Archive Curator) took over and led us into the archival area. Row after row of shelving apparently stretching to the horizon.
Hitler Motor Car Photographs next to Thora Hird
The order is largely alphabetic. So the box containing Hitler Motor Car Pics is right next to Thora Hird. We all enjoyed a quiet titter. Conservation is a major element in the business because these fragile photos, negatives and paper will deteriorate over time. Many items have already suffered. From time to time Getty acquires, or are given, other libraries. Often water damage from World War II still has to be addressed.
Mel showing us images in the vintage room
want printed, at just about any size. More often that not these prints are for people in the media spotlight so there is discussion about how exactly to print the image. We finished in the Vintage Room where they keep a wonderful collection of unique images. Large numbers of daguerreotypes in wonderful condition, prints carefully filed in acid free casings. Altogether a very interesting morning.
Worn copies of the London News from the 1880s
The conservator showed us amazing examples of restoration recovering what one might think are irretrievably damaged images. Getty also has an extensive darkroom for printing using all the traditional dodging and burning techniques. Getty Images have a showroom just north of Oxford Street in London’s West End (http://www. gettyimagesgallery.com/about-us.aspx). People can walk into the showroom and select the images they
Mel showing Pre-raphaelite photographs.
Photographs and story by GARETH
PHILLIPS.
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The Royal Photographic Society Archaeology and Heritage Group Members’ Showcase – 13th October 2018 Programme 10.00 a.m.
Coffee, followed by Introduction to the Showcase
10.30 a.m.
David Bryson Where family heritage becomes heritage for everyone
11.10 a.m.
Sara Rawlinson Illuminating Cambridge Libraries
11.45 a.m.
Gwil Owen ARPS Confusing Words – Art and Craft
12.20 p.m.
Roland Keates If Walls could talk
12.55 p.m.
Break for Lunch
2.25 p.m.
Clive Tanner FRPS Beyond Divine Light
3.10 p.m.
Keith Evans FRPS Home need not be a Castle
3.45 p.m.
Eric Houlder LRPS Memories are made of this
4.30 p.m.
Close of Showcase
We hope to see as many of you as possible at this event. The cost is £10 per person for group members (£15 for others, and free for the presenters). Please pay on the day, but contact the organiser Mike Sasse (mike.sasse@btinternet.com, 01892 531179) to register your interest. This event will take place at the Leatherhead Institute, 67 High Street, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8AH.
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