NEWSLETTER JUNE 2019/vol 4/ No 5
Galapagos Sunrise © Steve Hartley
CONTENTS 2 3 4/8 9 10 12 13/15 21
Editorial Committee News (Chair Chat) Equador & Galapagos - Steve Hartley DIG event— Guy Edwardes Monochrome Workshop - Steve Hartley What’s on Landscape Group Events Events and bookings details
Submissions The deadline for submissions to the next newsletter is Friday 2nd August, 2019. Please note that it may be necessary to hold some submissions for a future newsletter. If you have an idea for an article, please send a brief synopsis of the purpose and content of the piece. Please submit your images as jpeg attachments, sized to 72 dpi with 1200 pixels along the longest edge and borderless. Do not embed the images in the email. Please send all submissions by email to: landscapenews@rps.org
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NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
Editorial Welcome to the June edition of the Newsletter. I’m afraid there’s a dearth of articles for this month, and only one report from a workshop or field trip. With this in mind, I’m starting to write to those booked onto RPS events, asking if they will consider writing about their experience and containing some images of the day(s). Alternatively, I’m suggesting that the group may wish to share their memories— with one person writing a short report and others supplying an image or two. I’m hoping that event leaders will also make the suggestion at the event briefing. These are only suggestions and if you don’t want to that’s fine. However, your description of , say, a field trip, can stimulate others to attend future events. Some of our members travel to interesting places and I love it when they share their experiences with us. This month we are fortunate to read of Steve Hartley’s trip to Equador and The Galapagos Islands. Read about the Amazon Rainforest and the animals of Galapagos on page 4. Steve has also given us his thoughts on a monochrome workshop he attended with Andy Page. See page 9. There are still plenty of field trips/workshops with vacancies—so please have a read. These pages change with every edition.
Keep sending me your reports and images. All contributions are appreciated.
Mick Rawcliffe,
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Newsletter Editor
NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
Committee News Chair Chat Richard Ellis Summer can be a quiet time for a landscape photographer. Dawn is at silly o’clock and many chose to put away their cameras and focus on other activities. To provide some stimulation over the summer we have arranged two courses about Lightroom, one focussed on the programme itself and the other on how to use it whilst on the road. These are both professionally led courses with excellent tutors so if you feel you need to brush up your Lightroom skills please take a look on the website. The RPS distinctions programme is very correctly a key plank of the RPS offering. However we are very conscious of the fact that many members have no interest in taking part in this process. To provide stimulation and new insights for your work we have arranged reviews with professionals both in an individual and group setting. These reviews will not be linked to the distinctions process but will focus on artistic and technical directions for your work. I have used these in the past and found them to be really stimulating and gave a fresh impetus to my photography. If you feel you would benefit then there are sessions in Northallerton and Ascot. A member of my camera club has been having a clear out and brought a pile of old magazines for us to take and read. I was struck by a number of things. The price of a memory card in 2005 was over £60 for a 4GB SD card, now you can buy 64GB for £14. A how-to article encouraged the reader to share their images on Picasa – younger readers may well be saying “Who?” and Lightroom was available as a stand-alone product. Despite the many changes around the periphery of the photographic process, the fundamentals of composition and use of light remain the same and these articles are still relevant today. It was these articles I enjoyed the most as a cracking image has a timeless quality about it. I hope that you are all able to get out with your cameras and wish you all successful image making. Best wishes Richard
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Landscape Photography on a Trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Steve Hartley LRPS I had harboured a desire to go to the Galapagos since I was about eight years old, having seen David Attenborough on the old black and white tele. Mum said it was a pipe dream that would never happen so when I had a bit of a windfall, some fifty years later, I decided to make the dream come true. Having done the research I decided that a two-week photo trip sailing around the islands might actually be too much of a good thing but going all that way for one week seemed a bit of a waste. Then I found a package holiday that included a tour of Ecuador and the Galapagos, which included visits to volcanos, the Amazon rainforest, hot springs and a couple of cities. The proposal got the approval of my tolerant partner Jane and that was it, all booked. We knew nothing about Ecuador so started reading up and the more we read the more excited we became. It is a most varied country with a very agreeable climate and an interesting history. Our trip got off to a bumpy start with one of our bags not making the plane transfer in Bogota so we arrived in Guayaquil with only half of our packed luggage. The camera and associated gear travels with me as hand luggage and we always split our clothes into two bags so were not too worried; we managed 10 days in Botswana with only one bag when the same thing happened. However, following an afternoon of rather difficult phone calls from the hotel and a return to the airport at midnight we had our second bag again. This was not a landscape photography tour and the first couple of days were more travel/street photography but once we left Guayaquil and headed for the Andes, the landscape opportunities started to present themselves. The first stop was the Devil’s Nose railway which was part of a railway that zig-zags its way across the Andes. Thousands of lives were lost in constructing the railway which is now nothing more than a tourist attraction. The journey down and up the deep valley was spectacular. We ended the day at a hacienda nearly three thousand metres above sea level where we were woken the next morning by an earthquake, which was, er, interesting.
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Devils Nose Railway
NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
Chimborazo Country The journey to the Chimborazo volcano took us past herds of alpacas and groups of vicunas to the cafe at four thousand five hundred metres. The altitude really took its toll when I tried to walk up to a higher viewpoint. We were still a long way from the summit and the collection of memorial headstones for all the mountaineers who had lost their lives on the volcano brought it home that this was a serious landscape. The glacier on top of the volcano was recently featured on the BBC Earth from Space series. Much respect to the ice man! The Andes were spectacular and seeing the indigenous people farming, mostly by hand, was quite humbling; crop rotation and all year growing is the way of life in the Andes. A visit to a local market was a real eyeopener and a great opportunity for some street photography. Chimborazo Path Page 5
NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
Cloud Forest above Banos
Equator Valley
Devils Cauldron Falls Page 6
Antisana Condor Reserve Next stop was the Amazon rainforest, a very different but equally amazing landscape. The hotel was top notch but the humidity of the jungle made it impossible to ‘dress for dinner’. The misty mornings were ideal landscape photo material but being so close to the equator, dawn and dusk are over before you know it. We saw some amazing birds and monkeys in the trees with caiman and tropical fish in the river. A really wild place and sad to think we are losing acres and acres of this every day. From the jungle we headed back into the high ground and more volcanos. On the way there we stopped at the amazing Devil’s Cauldron waterfalls and a hummingbird garden that was totally captivating. The next hotel was a spa resort and our tour group had its own private hot spring pools. The view of the glacier capped volcano in the morning was breath-taking, made all the better with the offer of an additional visit to the Condor Reserve on a slopes of Antisana, another or the many volcanos in the area. We did see the condors and I could have stayed in the reserve all day as the landscape just kept getting better and better. One of the downsides of being on a ‘general interest’ holiday is the limited opportunity to ‘do photography’ but if you see it as a ‘scouting mission’ it is not so bad. NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
Our next stop was the capital city of Quito. This is a real mix of old and modern, all sitting just about on the equator and surrounded by volcanos. The views of the city from the surrounding hills were great and the churches and the skyline in the old part of the city were as good as you might find in mainland Europe; very Spanish. Another place I could have spent much more time exploring, but the Galapagos were calling.
Quito New City
Quito Old City Skyline
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NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
The time on the boat sailing around the islands was every bit as exciting as I had imagined. The wildlife was incredible and the landscapes surprisingly varied; every island had its own unique geology, flora and fauna. What shocked me was the total lack of fear in the wildlife, indeed you had to be careful not to trip over the iguanas and baby birds. It was just like the TV programmes but with the sights, sounds and smells, all around you. I managed a few sunset and sunrise landscape shoots but this was not a trip for Giant Cactus Landscape - Galapagos spending time setting up the tripod and all of my shots were made handheld with the Nikon D600. The Nikon 80400mm f4.5 VR was the main lens used when on the islands, 2424-85mm f3.5 VR elsewhere.
Galapagos Sunset
The final day found us anchored off Baltra and one of the most spectacular sunrises I have every seen. It was quite short lived but I managed to capture a series of images that were later stitched in Lightroom; one of those were you have to de-saturate a little or people will accuse you of overcooking it, but it really was that colourful! After a visit to the giant tortoise sanctuary we had to head back to Guayaquil, a farewell dinner at a local restaurant and then the plane home; the journey was exactly 24 hours from leaving the hotel to arriving home. Was it worth it? Oh yes! Did it live up to expectations? Oh yes! Is Ecuador somewhere to consider for a landscape photo adventure? You bet! Will we return? I hope so. If you would like to see more of what the country has to offer as a photo location, check out Jonas Purnell’s You Tube channel, especially the ones from the Cotapaxi National Park.
Galapagos Sunrise All images Š Steve Hartley Page 8
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DIG Thames Valley: Guy Edwardes - Seeing the Light - 25 years of landscape and nature photography 15 September 2019
10:00 - 15:30
Wokingham, Berkshire Woosehill Community Hall Emmview Close Woosehill Wokingham
RG41 3DA
Guy has been a professional landscape, nature and travel photographer for over twenty years. His career began straight after graduating with a Degree in Photography from Salisbury College in England, following various courses studying nature conservation. His images are marketed by several leading photographic agencies including Getty Images and NaturePL. He also manages a library of over 250,000 images from his own office. Guy's work has been published worldwide with clients that include: Outdoor Photography, Practical Photography, Digital Camera, Photo Plus, Digital SLR, Photography Monthly, Dorset Magazine, Dorset Life, Devon Life and Somerset Life magazines, Telegraph, Guardian, The Reader's Digest, David and Charles, AA Publishing, Canon, The Ordnance Survey and many card and calendar publishers around the world. .BOOKING
TICKETS ADVANCE BOOKING ESSENTIAL TO BE SURE OF A PLACE. Please see Tickets for Events page for more ticket details and information on Season Tickets for Thames Valley Centre events. We don't yet use the online booking facility on this page, owing to the complexity of offering Season Tickets for Thames Valley Centre events. Note: the ticket price shown above against ‘Group Member’ is the rate that applies to members of the Digital Imaging Group only. It does not apply to RPS members who are not DI Group members. We meet at Woosehill Community Hall, in Wokingham, Berkshire. Alan Bousfield ARPS Email the event organiser Page 9
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RPS Landscape Group Monochrome Seascapes Workshop
May 2019 – Steve Hartley LRPS I have always been interested in monochrome photography, stemming from early attempts at developing and printing in the school darkroom. The idea of attending a mono workshop with the RPS Landscape group therefore had a definite appeal. It was only after I booked this workshop that I realised it was being run by Andy Page from Image Seen; I had attended a similar day in the Cotswold last year led by Sarah Howard from Image Seen so was very much looking forward to it. On the day we met up on a car park in South Wales. Andy was there to greet us and once all four attendees were present, he gave us a briefing on the day and asked about our experiences and expectations. A short walk took us down to Monks Nash beach and a very impressive set of cliffs. Unfortunately, the light was not falling on the cliffs so we had to search around for a suitable composition. A couple of us went for a wee cove where the tide was washing over some pebbles, the others took a wander along the beach. Andy was never far away to keep an eye on what we were doing and to offer advice.
Dunraven rocks and cliffs Page 10
NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
The allocated time soon passed and we returned to the cars for a quick coffee break and then transferred to location two, Dunraven Bay, a few miles up the coast. The bay has some amazing cliffs and this time the light was more co-operative. The tide was also dropping allowing more beach access. Being an unusually warm and sunny day (for the time of the year) there were a good number of sun worshipers on the beach but we all managed to find compositions to tune our monochrome eyes on. The bright light and surroundings allowed some excellent practice in the use of polarising filters and the mono picture profiles to give an indication of what the final image might look like.
Monks Nask cove
The afternoon session flew by and we all agreed that it had been a very useful and enjoyable day. My personal aim was to learn more about thinking in mono, rather than just trying to see if mono ‘works’ when the colour version doesn’t. I certainly came away better equipped to do that, but it will need more practice. After a packed lunch by the cars we headed off to a local Premier Inn meeting room where Andy reviewed what we had done and took us through some monochrome post processing tips in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro by DxO. After the workshop, Andy provided us all with copies of his presentation and the group exchanged two or three photos taken on the day; I always find it interesting to see how others saw the same subject matter at the same time. Thanks to the Landscape Group for arranging the day and to Andy Page from Image Seen for his sage advice and guidance. Highly recommended. My three photos from the day: 1 – Rocks & Cliffs (and a few mad sheep) at Dunraven Bay. 2 - Back wash in the cove at Monks Nash beach. 3 – Big Sky, Small Person at Dunraven Bay – not my normal style but I very much like it and I probably would not have considered it, had I not been on the workshop. All taken with Nikon D600 and Nikon 24-85mm lens on a Benro Travel Angel Tripod. Post processing in Lightroom only. © Steve Hartley Page 11
Big sky,small person NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
What's On Landscape Photographer of the Year 2018
A selection of exhibitions & events which may be of interest to landscape group members
10th Epson Pano Awards Open for entries
Amateur and professional photographers are invited to submit entries for a $50000 prize pool. Dedicated to the “Take a view” craft and art of panoramic photography, this competition is the largest of its kind. You can choose between Nature/ The Exhibition is on tour of major Rail Stations Landscapes or Built Environment/Architecture. There is still time to see the Landscape Photographer of the Open until July Year, but only two venues remaining. www.thepanoawards.com Freely accessible during station opening hours. Provisional timetable for Network Rail Stations 2019 Paddington - 25 June to 9 July Reading - 10 July to 27 July See here for details
National Trust seeks image for the Handbook. The National Trust is looking for a cover image for the Members’ Handbook 2020 Next year also marks its 125th Anniversary. Both amateurs and professionals can enter with the theme ‘places that make you feel good’. The competition runs until 1st September www.nationaltrust.org.uk Northern Light Landscape Photography Exhibition 3rd - 21st July 2018 (Private View: 2nd July)
Conferences, Fairs and Festivals None to report
To coincide with this year’s Northern Light conference, Sheffield Hallam University are holding an exhibition of contemporary landscape photography, at Yorkshire Artspace Persistence Works Gallery, exploring critical issues arising from the photographic representation of the northern landscape. The exhibition features a wide range of work relating to the theme of Proximity and Distance, from artists who are principally concerned with landscape photography. Yorkshire Artspace, Persistence Works Gallery, 21 Brown Street, Sheffield S1 2BS See here for details
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NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
Landscape Group EVENTS See here for full details
Adobe Lightroom for landscape photographers 7th July 2019 West Midlands
The Cabrach and Dufftown 01 September 2019 Inverness This will be an informal outing arranged by the RPS Scottish Northern Group to which members of the Landscape Group are invited to join up with Highland based members with local knowledge. See here for details
Julian Rouse LRPS, an Adobe Lightroom expert who has delivered many successful courses for the RPS, will lead the South Pennines Moorland workshop. There will be a maximum of 8 delegates, to en- 06 September 2019 Littleborough FULLY BOOKED sure a good level of personal attention. see here for details
A day on a dramatic but easily accessible stretch of the Pennine Way on the moors between Littleborough, Lancashire, and Ripponden, West Yorkshire. There are two easy circular walks, either side of a pub lunch. How do you work on high resolution photos away from See here for details your home or office? How do you transfer high resolution Lighthouses of Anglesey photos from your camera to your phone or tablet? And then back to your main computer?
How to be a "road warrior" with Lightroom 10th July 2019 London
7th September 2019
North Wales
If you have ever asked any of these questions, then this the seminar for you! The day will incorporate using ND filters, (graduated and stoppers) for traditional landscapes and for long exposure See here for details photography, and Infrared photography. The tutor, Colin Jarvis will bring spare sets of Lee filters for participants to Portfolio review day use.
20th July 2019 Northallerton
See here for details This is an opportunity for you to have a selection of your landscape images reviewed by professional landscape photographer and Adobe Lightroom expert Mark Banks.
The Mountains and Waterfalls of North Wales 8th September 2019
FULLY BOOKED
see here for details
The workshop will begin with a visit to the iconic Llyn Padarn lone tree, then travel through the Pass of Llanberis to Llyn Gwynant,to Tryfan with expansive views over the Gly29 August 201 West Sussex FULLY BOOKED ders to Llyn Idwal and the Devil’s Kitchen. Then to the OgVisit the beautiful South Downs in an area protected by the wen falls,with tremendous views of the Llyn with Tryfan in the distance. It really is a magical view with lots of compoNational Trust. Capture light as it sculpts the shape of light sitions to choose from. over these magnificent hills and find plenty of new compositions as you pass over each individual hill along the South The day will end at around sunset. Downs way. See here for details
Devils Dyke and the Fulking Escarpment
See here for details
Dawn shoot in the South Downs
Heather moorland and big vistas
20th September 2019
Sussex
30 Aug and 6th Sept - FULLY BOOKED See here for details For details of all Landscape Group events listed above and of additional workshops and events of interest to group members, please visit the Group’s events page Page 13
A chance to capture the South Downs at dawn under the guidance of a professional tutor. The event will visit a nature reserve in the heart of the South Downs National Park, a stunning area of hills converging together between Lewes & Brighton. See here for details NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
Eskdale & Wasdale 28th September 2019
West Cornwall Coastal Exploration – Day 2 Lake District
This will be an informal group meet to photograph locations in and around Eskdale and Wasdale. Planned locations include Devoke Water, (and boathouse) Stanley Ghyll waterfall and Wasdale. There are iconic views towards Wasdale Head, including the lesser known boathouse. See here for details
West Cornwall has some of the most dramatic coastal scenery on Britain. We will be exploring different locations on each day photographing the dramatic cliffs, beautiful beaches and heritage architecture of the coast. See here for details
Autumn weekend in the Surrey Hills / North Downs
Long exposures on the North Somerset coast 9th October 2019- FULLY BOOKED See here for details
2/3rd November 2019
FULLY BOOKED
See here for details
Autumn colours and mist
Long exposures on the North Somerset coast II 10 October 2019 FULLY BOOKED See here for details
7th November 2019 FULLY BOOKED See here for details
Autumn Colour - Thorp Perrow Arboretum
West Yorkshire waterfalls 19th October 2019
3rd November 2019
Settle
08 November 2019 North Yorks FULLY BOOKED
Join Mark Banks for a day of sheer indulgence and learn This field trip is ideal for long exposures, infrared, and comhow to take the most exquisite autumnal images. positional experimentation in challenging lighting conditions. You will visit Scaleber Force, Catrigg Force and Stain- See here for details forth Force. See here for details Autumn colours and waterfalls of Wensleydale
West Cornwall Coastal Exploration – Day 1
9th November 2019 - FULLY BOOKED
2nd November 2019
See here for details
On day one we will be exploring some well-known locations Cawdor Woods and Findhorn such as St. Michael’s Mount and Land’s End, as well as lesser 10th November 2019 Moray Firth known beaches. There will be opportunities to shoot large vistas, use long exposure techniques (assistance available) This will be an informal outing arranged by the RPS Scotand to explore the intimate landscape. tish Northern Group to which members of the Landscape Group are invited to join up with Highland based members See here for details with local knowledge.
Autumn weekend in the Surrey Hills / North Downs 02 - 03 Nov 2019 Guildford FULLY BOOKED See here for details
See here for details
Grasmere autumn colours I (four days) 11th-14th November 2019 Lake District
Autumn colours and waterfalls of Wensleydale This 4-day workshop will suit landscape photographers 2nd and 9th November 2019- FULLY BOOKED See here for details Could you host an event? If you know of a promising and photogenic location in your area, and you would be willing to organise an informal session for other members of the Group, please email to rps.landscape.events@gmail.com.
from beginner to advanced - with tuition provided by professional landscape photographer, Mark Banks throughout the workshop. Mark will also be assisted by Landscape Group Events Manager and landscape photographer, Mark Reeves who will be helping organise the event and providing transport to all locations. See here for details
We welcome all volunteers and would very much like to hear from members in all parts of the UK. Page 14
NEWSLETTER June 2019 / VOL. 4 / NO. 5
Grasmere autumn colours II (one day) Lake District 15TH November 2019
FULLY BOOKED
See here for details
Grasmere autumn colours II (one day) Lake District 16TH November 2019
FULLY BOOKED
See here for details
Nightshoot
Introduction to Night Photography
16 November 2019 Bath Explore the wonders of nighttime photography during this creative, hands-on and revealing evening photography workshop. See here for details
DIG Thames Valley: Capturing the Moment - landscape and sports photography 17th November 2019
Wokingham
Capturing the Moment - a day of landscape photography by Hugh Milsom FRPS MFIAP EFIAP/D1 and Pat Broad ARPS EFIAP/B, and sports photography by Peter Milsom EFIAP/S BPE 3* See here for details
Cuckmere Haven and the Seven Sisters 07 December 2019 East Sussex FULLY BOOKED See here for details
Winter in Glencoe 12 January 2020 - 18 January 2020 A tutored week capturing glorious Glencoe in winter. See here for details
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Event categories The categories below aim to help members understand what is on offer at any particular landscape group event. They are also a guide for potential event leaders who might be worried that their photographic skills are not sufficiently strong for them to lead an event. Group A – Field trips where the guide has a good knowledge of the location (e.g. good viewpoints, good subjects, good times of day, tides if relevant etc.) and will have ideas about what to do in case of unhelpful weather or light conditions, but does not wish to offer any advice on photography skills or techniques. Group B - Field trips where the trip leader has a good knowledge of the location (as in Group A) but is also willing to offer general technical support and advice to inexperienced photographers. The leader is NOT expected to be an expert in anything but should be sufficiently experienced to pass on knowledge of the basics. Group C - Field trips that focus on a particular technique – such as long exposures or photographing at night. The leaders of these events will primarily offer advice about technique and location knowledge will be sufficient to enable participants to learn and practice the technique(s) concerned. Group D - Workshops that primarily focus on skills or technique and where location is irrelevant or is a secondary consideration. These may take place indoors or outdoors. The workshop leader may have limited knowledge of the location but will be experienced and skilled in the topic of the workshop.
Booking Confirmations A few members have contacted us because they were unsure as to whether or not they were booked on an event. Here is a brief guide to how you can check this for yourselves. When you book a landscape event through the RPS website, the system should send you a confirmation email. If you have not received it and want to check if you are booked on an event, then login to your account on the RPS website, select the tab labeled events and tick the box for events you are booked on. Any events you have booked will show up in orange.
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