RPS-Benelux Chapter eJounal - Volume 20 - Autumn 2020 by Royal Photographic Society

VOLUME 20 / AUTUMN 2020

WWW.RPS.ORG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

VIEW FROM THE RPS BENELUX CHAPTER ORGANISERS

You are looking at Volume 20 of our EJournal and what an edition it is! Our editor Armando has outdone himself once again. The thickest volume to date and also for the first time it is almost entirely in Monochrome. Many thanks to Armando and all contributors. The Royal Photographic Society Benelux Chapter Copyright The copyright of photographs and text in this eJournal belong to the author of the article of which they form part, unless otherwise indicated

After our Extraordinary General Meeting on the 9th of June, at which Carol Olerud was elected as joint organiser, we also said farewell to Janet Haines. You will find a little recap of that farewell in this edition. Janet was kind enough to lead a few more of our monthly Zoom meetings and she helped and supported our current committee get up to speed quickly. Thanks very much Janet! We (Carol and Didier) have now taken over fully from Janet. It is going to be quite the challenge to follow in her foot steps, but we look forward to it! We are continuing to monitor the Corona Covid-19 situation carefully and would like to return to face to face meetings and events as soon as possible. But of course, we can not and will not compromise the safety of our members. In the mean time, the RPS has gone virtual big time. If you haven’t done so yet, we encourage you to check the RPS.org website. Every week you can participate in virtual meetings on various topics. They have been hugely interesting and are mostly free for RPS members! Have a look and give it a try! Stay tuned for more updates on when we will change from virtual to ‘F2F’ monthly meetings in Rotterdam, hopefully soon!

Cover photo © Stanko Abadžić - Zagreb,2016

Editor & Designer eJournal Armando Jongejan Proof reading Dawn Black Webmaster André Meyer-Vitali Liability Disclaimer The author of an article is responsible and liable for all content, text and images provided by them. Neither the RPS Benelux Chapter nor the editor is responsible or liable for any content therein

Photo Requirements 2000 pix long side and quality 8 no watermark or text in the photo and no borders around the photo

Currently our next two major events, Night photography workshop and Documentary photography workshop are planned as regular events. We will take all the necessary precautions where relevant and have managed to secure a very large meeting room for our Documentary workshop so we can socially distance. More information further on in this issue and on our website. Please also note that we have changed our event enrolment policy to a very simple and pragmatic approach: Payment equals enrolment.

Janet initiated contact with the Pelt Photography event in Belgium late last year and last month Jeroen and I (Didier) had a meeting in Pelt with the organisers to discuss our Chapter contribution in some more detail. We were very impressed with the whole event. It was meticulously organised with some really impressive photography beautifully printed/mounted on Dibond. Our summer challenge is the prelude to next year's Pelt event so we encourage you to read the details carefully as published in this volume and submit your photographs to Didier by 12th of September latest. Carol Olerud ARPS and Didier Verriest ARPS RPS Benelux Chapter joint organisers

IN THIS ISSUE - AUTUMN 2020

18 24 42

VIEW FROM THE RPS BENELUX CHAPTER ORGANISERS Carol Olerud ARPS and Didier Verriest ARPS

IN THIS ISSUE

A SENSE OF NOSTALGIA AND TIMES GONE BY Stanko Abadžić

18 WORKSHOP DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY Carol Olerud ARPS 22 SUCCESSFUL ONLINE MEETINGS Carol Olerud ARPS 24 MADE IN CHINA Armando Jongejan FRPS

38 SUMMER CHALLENGE 2020 Janet Haines ARPS 40 SQUARE MAGAZINE Christophe Dillinger

42 ANNA ATKINS (1799-1871) André Bergmans 50 WELCOME & FAREWELL Jeroen Dorrestein

54 BLACK & WHITE NEGATIVES EDITED Ton van der Laan LRPS

The RPS Benelux Chapter PHOTOGRAPHER

Stanko Abadžić The warmth of the sun symbolized for Stanko the city’s positive energy

STANKO ABADŽIĆ - A SENSE OF NOSTALGIA AND TIMES GONE BY by Stanko Abadžić and Dean Brierly, photos by Stanko Abadžić Stanko Abadžić (1952 - Vukovar - Croatia) is a

of rebirth, he began exploring Prague with his

member of the Croatian Association of Artists.

medium-format camera, leaving behind the

He lives and works in Zagreb.

photojournalist and discovering the artist

When he was 15 years old his father gave

within.

Stanko his first camera, a Russian made Smena 8. Abadžić taught himself the technical basics

“OLD-FASHIONED” AESTHETIC

while refining his vision by attending exhibitions, studying photography books and

“I slowly peeked behind the curtain, entered old

watching television and films. He joined a photo

backyards overgrown with ivy where time had

club, exhibited his early work, and earned

stopped. I met people who remained original

money taking pictures of weddings and soccer

and authentic, people in no hurry, people who

clubs. Abadžić subsequently joined the staff of

refused to take part in the extremes of

the newspaper Vjesnik as a photojournalist,

globalization. The more I unveiled Prague, the

married and started a family. This tranquil

more I began to experience photography as an

existence, however, was brutally interrupted by

art form. The sensation was intense, like a

the outbreak of Croatia’s war of independence

volcanic eruption.”

in 1991. During that period he had a number of joint and RARELY ABLE TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS

solo exhibitions. The largest one was organized in Prague, in the JOSEF SUDEK Gallery, named

“I moved my family to Germany thinking things

after the famous Czech photographer. With the

would soon settle down and that we could

help of the Croatian Embassy in Prague, he

move back to Vukovar, but it did not happen. It

published his first book of photographs, In The

was a very difficult period. We did not have any

Mirror of Life. Abadžić moved back to his

means; we left everything in Vukovar and ran

homeland in 2002, settling in the capital city of

for our lives. I accepted any job I could find:

Zagreb, but retained his Czech residence permit

shipping agent, waiter, teacher. The hardest

and returns periodically to Prague.

thing was going to the immigration police every

One of the great ironies of globalization is that

three months to extend our visas. Our motto

as people become more connected to

was: think of today, only now exists. After four

technology - email, cell phones, Ipods - they

years we had to leave; they did not want us to

often become less connected to one

get any nearer to the five years required for

another. This growing rift in the social fabric has

German citizenship. Because of all that

been duly noted by Abadžić, whose deeply

pressure I was rarely able to take photographs.”

humanistic photographs resonate with wistful regard for a time when people were in tune with

FEELING A SENSE OF REBIRTH

each other spiritually and emotionally rather than electronically. This accounts for the

The dark years of physical and creative

seemingly “old-fashioned” aesthetic of his

displacement ended when Slako moved to

images, many of which, with their

Prague (Czech Republlic) on a sunny August day

geometric composition and telling detail, look as

in 1995. The warmth of the sun symbolized for

if they could have been made in the 1940s or

Slako the city’s positive energy. Feeling a sense

earlier.

“The faster we live, the less emotion is left in the world. The slower we live, the deeper we feel the world around us,” he says. “I am not against globalization in general, but I am against the physical and spiritual uniformity of cities and towns dominated by multinational corporations. Globalization turns us into passive consumers. It is not interested in our creativity or our individuality. We lose our happiness when we lose our sense of identity. The mass media bombard us with images of blood and tears. It’s high time we show interest in beauty and aesthetics, not just in wars and catastrophes. I still believe photography can touch people emotionally. I believe a photograph can be a testimony and a document of its time, and that it can inspire us to talk to each other and make a better world.” His recent published book Cities shows what Stanko is talking about. It is a sense of nostalgia and a time gone by. His book is now available.

The RPS Benelux Chapter PRACTICAL WORKSHOP

Documentary Photography His speaking is meant to be inspirational

Â© Tom Meerman

RPS BENELUX CHAPTER - DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY WITH TOM MEERMAN text by Carol Olerud ARPS and photos by Tom Meerman In this workshop we will investigate the different natures of documentary photography and seek to find connections between your personal goals and interests and the world

Date

Saturday 17th October 2020

Time

10:30 – 16:00

Location

HF Witte Centrum Henri Dunantplein 4

around you. You will find out that your way is

3731 CL De Bilt (near Utrecht)

the way to bridge the gap of understanding between event and audience. Subjects can be found on every doorstep and you will learn to discover and explore them. Although we have

Parking

Transport Bus 77 from Utrecht Central Station to Bilthoven Station

only one day, you will bring stories home.

Approx. 20 min ride. Hop off at Alfred Nobellaan bus stop

Can this make you happy? Be sure to know that

7 min walk

your viewers will be that too! Costs

and good shoes with you. Be curious. See you October 17th! ABOUT Tom Meerman is a teacher and photographer. He has a 40 year experience in photography and is eager to tell you all he knows. Be aware that his speaking is meant to be inspirational. A day with him is successful mostly if the next morning you still feel you grew. You can impress him with your motivation, not with your gear. His most important questions is “Why?” And most answers are okay.

€ 35 per person - members € 40 per person - non members

In front of the venue free of charge

Queries

Any questions please contact Carol

We will have a large room because of Corona, so

we can ensure the appropriate social distancing. Minimum of 20 people needed to go ahead or we will have to cancel. Fees paid will be reimbursed promptly. If we are back in lockdown due to COVID-19 the

workshop will be postponed (again!). Please transfer your payment to The RPS Benelux Chapter NL44 ABNA 0247 9242 02 Please mention Documentary Workshop, as well as your name.

The RPS Benelux Chapter COVID-19

Zoom Meetings Some interesting advisers were also invited to join in

RPS BENELUX CHAPTER STUDY GROUP MEETINGS – SUCCESSFUL ONLINE text and images by Carol Olerud ARPS

Since the lock-down and COVID-19 Times we have been in, it’s been impossible to meet up with our regular Study Group meetings in Rotterdam. A GREAT WAY TO STAY IN CONTACT Janet Haines organized that we use Zoom

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Meetings as an excellent alternative. We managed to ‘see’ each other, talk about our

The committee members have also used Zoom

photography and continue to develop our

to have quick consultations with each other

panels in preparation for distinctions. It’s been

about the organizing of our chapter.

a great way to stay in contact with each other. Some interesting advisers were also invited to join in, so we have been able to get some very good information as well, which has been helpful. We’ve been holding these meetings every two weeks and during summer we have moved it to once a month. I am sure our members and non-

Top L-R: André Meyer-Vitali - webmaster, Carol Olerud - new Chapter joint-organizer for NL, André Bergmans - Secretary,

members have enjoyed this as much as I have. Bottom L-R: Janet Haines- previous Chapter joint-organizer for NL

We will continue to do this, as the future is still very unclear.

Online meeting 28th July 2020

Jeroen Dorrestein - Treasurer, Didier Verreist - Chapter joint-organizer for Belgium.

Â© MADE IN CHINA by Armando Jongejan - 134 pages - 120 black & white photographs - hardback - 306mm x 306mm

The RPS Benelux Chapter PHOTOBOOK

Armando Jongejan “When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes But when you photograph people in Black and White, you photograph their souls!” Ted Grant

MADE IN CHINA

text and photos by Armando Jongejan FRPS In 2019, Armando Jongejan made a series

Today it is a matter of waiting between the line

about daily life in a number of large cities in

of visitors in Tiananmen Square, buying a ticket

China. It was a special experience for him.

and then admiring the many structures and

There are several similarities between the cities

temples in this complex from the fifteenth

but also contradictions. The results are

century.

published in his photo book, MADE IN CHINA published in a limited-edition in July 2020. In

It is interesting to see that young children do not

our eJournal we are able to see some of these

care about history. They look for fun on the

images and the story behind them.

stairs at one of the squares and use the stair's handrails as a slide. Would the last emperor

Many cheap consumer goods, such as

have done this too? I don't think so, maybe he

household items and clothing have been

would have liked it, to enjoy the wealth that the

coming from China for years. In recent times,

country offers.

increasingly high-tech products have also come from this Asian country, such as tablets, audio

In China there is a different scale of living and

equipment, smartphones, cameras and lenses,

working than we in the west are used to. The

all labelled: Made in China.

cities often have millions of inhabitants. In two

In China, comparable to Western countries,

years time a city like Shanghai will grow by the

smartphones are an integral part of the street

number of inhabitants of the city of Amsterdam!

scene but you also regularly see QR-codes

Shanghai has more than 25 million inhabitants

between the fruit or other goods, even at

and Beijing almost as many. Cities that we

market stalls. The Chinese often pay with their

usually haven't even heard of sometimes count

mobile phone by scanning the QR-codes. This is

10 million people or more.

also used in supermarkets. Our debit cards did not work there and usually there was only a

MILLIONS OF INHABITANTS

limited number of cash registers where you could pay with cash.

The walled city of Xi'an was China's capital around the year 900, when it had already one

FORBIDDEN CITY

million inhabitants and was the largest city in the world. The city is still surrounded by a large

China is a country that appeals to the

wall with a circumference of about fourteen

imagination. In films like The Last Emperor or

kilometres. There are large watchtowers and

Mulan, a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;closed worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is presented, full of

entrance gates at strategic points. Outside the

traditions. The Last Emperor is about the last

city walls, we see the high-rise projects in the

Chinese emperor who lived in the Forbidden

often-clouded environment. Xi'an was part of

City in Beijing. The Forbidden City is a large

the Silk Road, and its trade also gave it a Muslim

complex with various fortress walls, squares

community which is reflected in the street

and accommodations. The film starts with an

scene. Near the city is the Terracotta Army: the

emperor who is only three years old and he was

approximately eight thousand man-height clay

surrounded by the royal household.

figures were rediscovered by farmers in 1974.

Furthermore, it was forbidden for anyone to enter this part of the city.

Â© Armando Jongejan FRPS - Forbidden City | Beijing - China

SEEKING MARRIAGE Sometimes tradition and developments in China go hand in hand. In a park I saw thousands of plasticized A4 sheets with Chinese texts and a telephone number hanging on clotheslines or lying on bushes. Young people and old looked carefully at the texts. The young man I spoke to in English took out his smartphone and through his translation app he showed me that it was an important necessity of life: Seeking marriage - marriage partners were sought. At tables there were several stools where older women matched young people together, images that western youth may recognise from the film Mulan. A special notice, especially because a hundred meters away the children had fun and drove around on large "transformers", with a traditional temple in the background. Tradition and modern times go hand in hand here. Young women regularly wear traditional dress to stroll on the street. At weddings, one bridal couple may dress in Western style, while another dress up completely traditionally. The people are friendly, open, hospitable and accessible. As a photographer, I was able to make my intention reasonably clear with a friendly look, hands and footwork and a single word of Chinese. In the beautiful temple complexes, you will of course also encounter monks in addition to tourists, usually as residents and sometimes as visitors. On a hot day they drink just like everyone else. The plastic water bottle has also made its appearance there.

ÂŠ Armando Jongejan FRPS - Seeking Marriage | Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;an - China

Some things we are not used to in the western world: an employee who puts his head on the desk to sleep. Or someone who puts two chairs opposite each other and falls asleep in the store. During the evening you very occasionally see someone in his pyjamas on the street. A few years ago it was a normal street scene after dinner but slowly and surely that is changing. It is nice that nobody is bothered by it, which also tells you something about the Chinese; and about us, because we are surprised. TRANSFORMATION The transport infrastructure between the cities with the many high-speed train lines is good and there are several metro lines within the cities. To achieve this, older districts regularly have had to make way. They also make way for high-rise buildings, sometimes with residential towers of fifty floors or more. That too is the transformation from a traditional country to a modern global player. In addition to the rapid developments, China still exudes an atmosphere of tradition, peace and attention. Incidentally, my camera was not the only one with which pictures were taken. No back alley, street, bridge or any public space, or the doings of the people is free from being recorded with the many cameras of the government. That is also a side of Made in China. If you want to receive a signed copy of the book, contact Armando Jongejan FRPS for details.

ÂŠ Armando Jongejan FRPS - Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;an - China

Â© Armando Jongejan FRPS - Suzhou - China

Â© Armando Jongejan FRPS - Hangzhou - China

Â© Armando Jongejan FRPS - Suzhou - China

Â© Armando Jongejan FRPS - Hangzhou - China

Â© Armando Jongejan FRPS - Fisherman| Wuzhen - China

The RPS Benelux Chapter SUMMER CHALLENGE 2020

Fotofestival Pelt (B) All around the town they hang the prints

RPS BENELUX CHAPTER - SUMMER CHALLENGE 2020 text and photo by Janet Haines ARPS

This year you have two options for

CHALLENGE 1

the summer challenge - you can do one or both as you wish. In 2021 the Chapter is planning to

Shoot images of ‘Man in times of the Corona

attend the Fotofestival Pelt in Belgium. We are

pandemic”. These images will be those that you

working with them and currently the plan is to

enter as individuals into the Pelt Fotofestival

have an indoors exhibition from Chapter

and, if you are lucky enough to get your work

members, but we hope as many of you as

selected, will be displayed in the streets of the

possible will also enter work into their street

town. Read the information on their website to

exhibition, which will require you to submit

make sure you understand their rules and

work yourselves as individuals with a theme

deadline for submission. You do this for

that is in keeping with the Festival, which is

yourself, not through the Chapter organisers.

always broadly about people. CHALLENGE 2 CHAPTER MEETING IN JUNE 2021 Shoot images to the theme ‘People at work’. In 2019 Janet visited the exhibition and it was

These images will be those that we will select for

fantastic. All around the town they hang the

the Chapter indoor exhibition at Pelt. Each

prints on special display stands. The images are

member will be able to submit up to 3 images

specially printed, the cost of which is included in

which must be sent to Didier Verriest by 12

the entry fee. Work is displayed for several

September 2020. Send your photos to Didier (he

months so you will get loads of viewings in that

is the organiser for this event) as small JPEG files

time. We are also going to try to arrange a

with the longest side no more than 1000px for

weekend Chapter meeting at Pelt on 19 and th

20 June 2021. On the Saturday we would hold

this submission. Mono or colour work is acceptable.

a Chapter workshop meeting then on the Sunday we will open up our meeting to the

The committee will then conduct a selection

public and put on presentations and even

process and decide which 30 images will be

demonstrations. Currently the thinking is to

framed and hung in the Chapter exhibition at

invite Chapter members to talk about their

Pelt. We aim to include one image from each

work. All the details are still to be decided. On

person. You will be contacted when your work is

the Sunday Chapter members would also have

selected and at that stage a higher resolution

plenty of time to walk around the town to enjoy

file of your selected image will be required.

the photos.

There will be a small charge to cover printing and mounting for the exhibition. Please try to make your ‘People at Work’ images as exciting as possible: choose unusual work situations, interesting shooting angles, e.g. perhaps not the entire person but just their hands. Think creatively about how to create a story in the composition. Good luck everyone. We look forward to all enjoying Pelt 2021 together and seeing your

work on display there!

The RPS Benelux Chapter PUBLICATIONS

SQUARE MAGAZINE Square Magazine only publishes square images

SQUARE MAGAZINE

text and photos by Christophe Dillinger Square Magazine has been running for over

In addition to publishing regular issues every

ten years now. It was started by a bunch of

three months, we also sometimes publish

Friends in the golden days of Flickr, as a way to

special themed issues, we have a remote

promote our favourite photographic format.

residency project, a student resource centre. We put together exhibitions too. Although this

A CIRCLE IS JUST A SQUARE

aspect of our activities had died down a bit because of lack of funding.

Square Magazine only publishes square images. Or round images too, sometimes (because a

MAY THE SQUARE BE WITH YOU!

circle is just a square that’s been inflated, like a balloon).

So, basically, if you want to see square images by great photographers, Square Magazine is for

In over ten years, we’ve published a few pretty

you. If you too are a square wizard, you can

famous people, such as Roger Ballen, Larry Fink

send us a series for possible publication, or

or Cristina de Middel, as well as less famous

apply to our residency project. It’s all free too.

photographers, polaroiders, students, pros,

If you wish to help, or if you need to work on a

instagramers, amateurs, pinhole lovers and

publishing project for your studies, we can help

emerging artists from everywhere in the world.

too.

Four issues a year, ten artists per issue for ten years, that’s, well, close to four hundred square

Simply visit the website, everything you need to

shooters. And all this for free. Yes, Square

know is there.

Magazine costs absolutely zilch to read. May the Square be with you!

The RPS Benelux Chapter HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Anna Atkins If we set the scene concerning the state of the art of photography around the year Anna Atkins was born, we observe that the photo camera had not yet been invented

Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program http://www.getty.edu/

ANNA ATKINS (1799-1871) article by André Bergmans

I first became aware of Anna Atkins when I

In 1839 she was elected as a member of the

was preparing a presentation on the history of

London Botanical Society. The birth of

photography, specifically the history before the

photography took place around the same year

official birth date of photography:1839. My

with the major breakthroughs of the likes of:

favourite 770-page book: ‘A new history of

Niepce, Talbot, Daguerre and Bayard.

photography’ only devotes a few lines to Anna Atkins and does not even show a single image!

CALOTYPE TECHNIQUES

So, I got curious and started a small research project into the life and work of Anna Atkins.

Anna Atkins learned directly from Talbot about two of his inventions related to photography:

There were some fortunate and less fortunate

the camera-less "photogenic drawing" technique

circumstances in Anna Atkins’ life that did put

and the calotype techniques. Anna would later

her in a position to pursue her interest in

make a choice to use the cyanotype process as

science (botany especially dried plants). First of

invented by Sir John Frederick William Herschel.

all, her mother Hester Anne Children didn't

It is known she had access to a camera by 1841

recover from the effects of childbirth and died

but did not use it much for her work as a

one year after Anna’s birth in 1800 and as a

botanist. Some sources do claim that Atkins was

result Anna was raised by her father, a scientist.

the first female photographer. Other sources name Constance Fox Talbot, but as no photos

UNUSUALLY SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION

have been left, we may never know.

If we set the scene concerning the state of the

ANNA’S CHOICE FOR CYANOTYPE

art of photography around the year Anna Atkins was born, we observe that the photo camera

To understand Anna’s way of working as a

had not yet been invented. Somewhere else in

botanist we must understand the technique of

England, Thomas Wedgewood (the son of Josiah

the cyanotype. The inventor of this technique,

Wedgewood, the potter) was experimenting to

Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871)

create permanent images using light-sensitive

made numerous other important contributions

material. However, Wedgwood was unable to

to photography. Apart from inventing the

"fix" his pictures to make them immune to the

cyanotype (blueprint) he coined the term

further effects of light.

photography, used the terms negative and positive and informed Talbot and Daguerre of

Getting back to Anna. Her father, John George

his discovery that "hyposulphite of

Children, gave her an unusually scientific

soda" ("hypo") could be used as a photographic

education for a woman of her time. In 1825 she

fixer to make images permanent.

married John Pelly Atkins but they did not have any children. Both her husband and her father

Anna Atkins made full use of the cyanotype

were friends with ….. William Henry Fox Talbot

process just one year after it’s invention. The

and Sir John Frederick William Herschel. Both

process itself was invented after the camera was

scientists would play a pivotal role in the history

invented and we can only guess why she would

of photography.

have used it instead of a camera. I guess because the cyanotype process itself is simple, only using two relatively harmless chemicals.

You do not need a camera as you make direct contact photograms. It’s quick and cheap and above all it’s fit for purpose i.e. reproducing images of plants. Also, cyanotypes make it easy to combine images of plants with handwritten text and the results are rather permanent. We have to remember that Anna Atkins was an acknowledged botanist and she used photography just to support her scientific research in that area. PHOTOGRAPHS OF BRITISH ALGAE As she stated herself: “The difficulty making accurate drawings of objects as minute as many of the Algae and Conferva, has induced me to avail myself of Sir John Herschel’s beautiful process of Cyanotype to obtain impressions of the plants themselves, which I have much pleasure in offering to my botanical friends.” Her book: “Photographs of British Algae”, though privately published, in three volumes and a limited edition, between 1843 and 1853, is considered the first book illustrated with photographic images. In 1853 John Herschel received a copy of all three volumes. Between 1844 and 1846 William Henry Fox Talbot’s “The Pencil of Nature” was the first photographically illustrated book to be commercially published. It was a book about promoting the photographic process itself and had 24 calotype prints, each one pasted in by hand, illustrating some of the possible applications of the new technology. Around 1850 Anna Atkins worked closely with Anne Dixon, neé Austen, who was a close childhood friend, an "almost sister," and a second, distant cousin of the novelist Jane Austen. Photo historian Larry Schaaf suggests that it was during this stay or perhaps one the

Anna Atkins

Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program http://www.getty.edu/

next summer that Dixon began assisting Atkins and creating her own cyanotypes as well. Thus, it becomes difficult to know whether surviving works from this time period were created by Atkins, Dixon, or both. The first book and print on algae still looked very scientific and made for scientific study only. The images made after 1853, together with Anne Dixon, look more artistic. Apparently, the ladies had the process at their fingertips and were now discovering the artistic possibilities as well. FURTHER WORKS In the 1850s and in collaboration with Anne Dixon she produced at least three presentation albums of cyanotype photograms. - Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns (1853), now in the J. Paul Getty Museum. - Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Flowering Plants and Ferns (1854), disassembled pages of which are held by various museums and collectors. - An album inscribed to "Captain Henry Dixon," Anne Dixon's nephew (1861). In addition, she published books with nonphotographic work. Atkins retained the algae, ferns and other plants that she used in her work and in 1865 donated the collection to the British Museum. She died at Halstead Place in 1871 of "paralysis, rheumatism, and exhaustion" at the age of 72. SOURCES Frizot (Ed.), Michel (1998). A new history of photography. Kรถnemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Kรถln. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Atkins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanotype https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Herschel Larry Schaaf (2018), Sun Gardens: Cyanotypes by Anna Atkins, The New York Public Library, New York, p. 77. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Atkins http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/1507/anna-atkinsbritish-1799-1871/

Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program http://www.getty.edu/

The RPS Benelux Chapter ORGANISERS

Welcome & Farewell She has been the driving force behind many of our events and activities

RPS BENELUX CHAPTER - WELCOME CAROL & FAREWELL JANET text by Jeroen Dorrestein and presentation by André Bergmans On the 9th of June The RPS Benelux Chapter called for an EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting). as Janet Haines and her husband Mike will be moving back to the UK later this year. The purpose of the EGM was to nominate Carol Olerud as Joint Chapter Organiser and make her a co-signee of our RPS bank account. The 23 members on the Zoom Virtual EGM meeting were unanimous: Approved, with no abstentions. Congratulations Carol! Carol and Didier Verriest have now taken over the various activities from Janet going forward. Earlier this year during the regular Annual General Meeting Didier was already appointed as Organiser. A VIRTUAL FAREWELL Unbeknownst to Janet, we had asked all members to not only join the EGM, but also be present to give Janet a virtual Farewell. We would have loved to do something more personal and face to face with as many of us as possible, but under the circumstances we had to resort to a virtual “Thank You Janet”. There can be no doubt as to what Janet has meant to our RPS Benelux Chapter over the years. She has been the driving force behind many of our events and activities. and has been instrumental in putting the Benelux chapter on the map, so to speak. Over the years she has initiated and organised a large number of Events. Janet thought up many of the various topics covered, put the program together, found speakers, venues, caterers, wrote the announcements. She did all this with relentless energy, drive and eye for detail, ensuring all our events ran smoothly.

Online presentation during the EGM on 9th June 2020

We had the hugely successful Rockin’ Rotterdam project and exhibition. It was Janet who managed to get the enthusiastic backing of the Rotterdam council, including a substantial subsidy and the loan of exhibition space. The amount of energy, time and dedication Janet put into all the events is remarkable and admirable to say the least. Most of us will have met Janet on one of our monthly Study Meets in Rotterdam. With these meetings Janet has created a very pleasant monthly get together where members feel encouraged and safe to share and discuss their respective work. Janet has the ability to provide excellent feedback and suggestions for improvement; all done in a very constructive and respectful way. Many of us will have taken Janet’s comments to heart as we worked on our respective distinction submissions. Many of us will remember the Rotterdam meets and other Chapter events fondly. It has become part of how we enjoy our photography. How we become better photographers. Behind all of this, has been Janet’s endless drive and enthusiasm. So a BIG thank you to Janet! We will miss you! We wish you and Mike all the best. We know you are still part of our RPS community. We will stay in touch and look forward to seeing you in the not so distant future. On behalf of the RPS Benelux Chapter Members.

Online presentation during the EGM on 9th June 2020

ÂŠ Carol Olerud - Selfie of our new Joint Organiser and her daughter during Covid-19 Lockdown

The RPS Benelux Chapter TECHNIQUE

Ton van der Laan There were also negatives of beautiful images that were nearly impossible to print and do the image right

BLACK & WHITE NEGATIVES EDITED IN ADOBE CAMERA RAW text and photos by Ton van der Laan LRPS

When The Netherlands went into lockdown

nearly all pixels within the borders of the

during March 2020, I thought about how I could

histogram.

keep my photography going during that period. During the 90’s I had bought a Pentax 645

Because the scans produced files in TIFF format

medium format camera and made prints and

(without loss of information) and not in RAW

enlargements from the black & white negatives

format I first opened them in Photoshop to

I made. Those prints did not always have the

remove spots and blemishes. Content Aware Fill,

quality I aimed for. There were also negatives of

the Spot Healing Brush in content aware mode

beautiful images that were nearly impossible to

and the Clone stamp did miracles here.

print and do the image right. They were never

Transform, straighten lines and sharpening

printed. My goal became to scan in these

were other functions I used from time to time.

negatives and review them again. The

Checking if you haven’t forget anything is vital in

promising files I could edit in Adobe Camera

this stage.

Raw (ACR) and Photoshop in such a way that they could be printed optimally. Through this

In ACR I used the sliders for exposure, shadows,

process I could “re-live” the making of these

highlights, blacks, whites, etc. to tune the image

images and it could offer a critical view on my

to my liking. Most of the time I used the

earlier photography.

Adjustment Brush to locally improve the image to get the impact, atmosphere and tonal

16 BIT IMAGES AND STORED IN TIFF FORMAT

balance I wanted. I was applying the Ansel Adams Zone System after the fact.

I don’t have a medium format film scanner but I do own an Epson Perfection V750 Pro flatbed

FINE TUNE THE IMAGE

scanner. This scanner can scan medium format negatives and transparencies. It will do that

In most cases I was now ready to print. In case I

with 8 negatives in a holder in which 2 strips of

didn’t like some aspects of the print I still had all

4 negatives fit. My plan was to get all possible

my ACR settings available to fine tune the image

information out of these negatives, using the

with some of those settings. If I had edited the

native 4800 ppi resolution of the scanner.

images in Photoshop in the meantime and

Therefore, I chose for 16 bit images and stored

saved it under the same filename, I would have

them in TIFF format. With nearly 10000 pixels

lost all ACR settings.

for the longest side I produced files of 75 megapixels and 150 MB in size. And these were

Sometimes I had a look to see if the Nik

only grayscale scans. In colour the file would

software, as a Photoshop plugin, could offer a

have tripled in size!

better starting point for what I intended with my image. This only works if you convert your

Hopefully there would be enough “stretch” in

image to RGB colour before you are able to start

the images to be able to fine tune the highlights

Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. Maybe one of the 38

and shadows in ACR. With most images this was

options for grayscale conversion works for you.

the case, certainly with the optimally exposed

If so, flatten the result and convert it back to

shots. After a few tests I saw that a lot of the

grayscale to prevent it to become a huge file.

images could be edited optimally and printed.

Save it under a different name if you want to be

The scanner did a good job, delivering files with

able to access your ACR settings later.

ÂŠ Ton van der Laan LRPS - Carnisse Grienden - The Netherlands