RPS-Benelux Chapter eJounal - Volume 21 - Winter 2020 by Royal Photographic Society

VOLUME 21 / WINTER 2020

WWW.RPS.ORG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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

Cover photo © Alessia Peviani - Erasmusbrug

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

VIEW FROM THE RPS BENELUX CHAPTER ORGANISERS

ONLINE MEETINGS Even during Lockdown 2, we are experiencing exciting times! Connectivity online is huge! The RPS organizes so many Talks and Workshops that I have had to make a list to remind me of what I am listening to and when. The same applies with our own Chapter’s Online Study Groups via Zoom sessions. Many of our members and non-members have found their way to us and we share our photos and discuss our work together. Photographers are working on their panels for Distinctions, or short series, Statements of Intents are discussed and generally we connect in this manner. For how long still, is unsure, so we will continue with this method onwards into 2021. We have some successes too! FENTON MEDAL Armando Jongejan FRPS has received one of the three Fenton Medal Awards 2020 handed out, in recognition of his extraordinary support and contributions to the Society. These awards carry with them Honorary Life Memberships. This is fantastic news, we congratulate him and we in the Benelux Chapter are very proud of Armando. We are continually grateful for his excellent work in producing the eJournal, collecting articles from world renowned photographers as well as local. These stories and articles are very interesting to read. We get inspired and who knows what tips and tricks you can use in your own photography journey. Check the articles about all the awards in the newest Journal or on the RPS website. ASSOCIATE DISTINCTION Secondly, we congratulate Hector P. Epelbaum, he was successful with his Associate Distinction in the Fine Arts genre. His work is in our next eJournal! Hector worked on his panel during Covid-19 times and he shared his progress with us in the Zoom Study Group sessions, where we gave our feed-back and suggestions. Well done Hector! SAVE THE DATE - PELT PHOTO FESTIVAL 2021 Behind the scenes the Benelux Chapter Committee has been working hard with the preliminary programme of events for our weekend of 19th & 20th June 2021. We are an Official Partner of the Festival. The best 30 photos have been selected by our judges, Jan Ros ARPS, Didier Verriest ARPS and Carol Olerud ARPS, from our 1st Summer Challenge, ‘People at Work’. Fantastic news is that we have a sponsor, Supercolor from Gent, who will print our photos 40x50cm. Save the date for the workshop and events weekend! 19-20 June. The official opening will be 6th June. The theme of the 2nd Summer Challenge is ‘Man in times of the Corona pandemic’. If you are lucky enough to get selected, your work will be displayed in the streets of the town for the entire Pelt Photo Festival. For more details see their website. Closing date is 7th February 2021. We hope many of you will enter your best work! There will be prizes as well. NEXT ZOOM STUDY GROUP SESSIONS On 1st December, 12th January 2021, 2nd February, 2nd March and 23rd March. If we are allowed to resume physical meetings we will do so but until then it’s virtual. We look forward to seeing you there, to join see information on the RPS website, under Benelux Chapter Events. Enjoy this eJournal! Stay well everyone. Carol Olerud ARPS and Didier Verriest ARPS

IN THIS ISSUE - WINTER 2020

28 38 46

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

IN THIS ISSUE

THE EUROPEANS Arnold van Bruggen and Rob Hornstra

16 WORKSHOP NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY André Bergmans 28 TIPS & TRICKS - NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY André Bergmans 32 VISIT A PHOTO FESTIVAL - BREDAPHOTO Armando Jongejan FRPS 38 PAUL TREVOR - IN YOUR FACE Stephen McLaren 46 A SMALL EXHIBITION André Bergmans 52 PUBLIC TOILETS Mary Ros

ÂŠ Arnold van Bruggen and Rob Hornstra - Kestutis in his shed full of national history

The RPS Benelux Chapter PHOTOGRAPHERS of

The Europeans A continent in a state of flux. The financial and migrant crisis seems to have been averted, but the political aftermath is only now becoming apparent

THE EUROPEANS - A MULTI-YEAR PROJECT

introduction by Armando Jongejan, article and photos by Arnold van Bruggen and Rob Hornstra In 2019 we had a RPS Benelux Chapter

sprawling empires and great civilisations is a

meeting at the Royal Academy of Art in The

small city. From the sloping green banks, the

Hague - NL (Koninklijke Academie voor

church towers and city walls seem to rise almost

Beeldende Kunsten / KABK). We were welcomed

straight out of the water. Impressive bridges

by Rob Hornstra, photographer and co-head of

span the rivers; steep, overgrown banks on the

the Photography department and we had a

far side give way to endless forests.

guided tour with graduates where we were shown the end work of different Bachelor

Countless rulers have occupied this

students of KABK. Trevor Simson ARPS wrote

area. Strategic marriages created great empires

about this meeting “the visit to the KABK is

while ground wars gradually conquered the

amazing and mind boggling, food for thought.”

land. Like the annual growth rings of a tree,

After our meeting Rob Hornstra started

churches and buildings from all those periods

together with writer/filmmaker Arnold van

show precisely what happened here over the

Bruggen a multi-year project: The Europeans a

years.

portrait of modern Europe. They travel from region to region and from theme to theme to

GET IN LINE! THERE IS NO PASTA

create a contemporary snapshot of the

One such period makes the former capital

European heartland. The project’s first chapter:

particularly proud. Imposing statues of knights

The Former Capital.

recall the time that this nation controlled large parts of Europe, in a tolerant, multicultural

WELCOME TO EUROPE

empire with unprecedented freedoms for that

HOME OF THE EUROPEANS

time. The empire’s borders stretched from sea

Soldiers march in the woods. Countless

to sea. It was a glorious episode that all patriots

soldiers. They are young. It is wet and cold. The

are familiar with and is proclaimed again and

seniors march ahead of the children, leading

again: once we were great. Once we were

the way. “We’re preparing for life,” says a boy

powerful. No one knows what the next growth

wearing a pin from the local brigade. Marching,

rings will look like.

learning discipline, followed by a cup of soup and a speech from a respected veteran: life is

A peculiar array of people is gathered outside a

not a game. We’re in The Former Capital. Here

former warehouse: drug users, housewives, a

they have enough experience with

few confused men. Some have bicycles laden

neighbouring superpowers and occupying

with all their worldly possessions. Others are

forces to know these paramilitaries have to be

dressed in their Sunday best and quietly line up

ready at any time. They have to be able to

against the wall. Then the door opens to reveal

survive in the wild, just like their ancestors did.

a government employee. “Get in line! There is no

At the back of the group, a heavily tattooed man

pasta, we haven’t received anything. There isn’t

in combat gear drives the support vehicle. A few

enough sausage and milk, so you have to

years ago, he pelted a gay singer with an egg.

choose,” she announces. One by one the people

The fight against the enemy must be fought on

shuffle past. “We live like monkeys,” says one

all fronts.

woman. “We’re given some money, given some help and we scrape together everything we can

On this spot, where two rivers meet, on

get our hands on. Thanks to the food bank, we

centuries-old trade routes surrounded by

can keep our pride.” Stanislava, who runs the

©Rob Hornstra and Arnold van Bruggen March of the National Riflemen’s Union (top) and Laurynas Baltrūnas, who drives the support vehicle (below). A few years ago, he pelted a gay singer with an egg. The fight against the enemy must be fought on all fronts.

food bank, deals briskly with her customers. “Our problem is that we don’t have a middle class,” she says. “People either earn well and are part of the global economy, or they earn nothing and make up the underclass of Europe. But it’s even worse for our neighbours. They do the work of our underclass. And our underclass heads west.” LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT Just a generation ago, which some regard as ancient history, the former capital was part of another empire. It took 30 years for the imperial decorations to be taken off the bridge over the river, like a thief in the night. In other countries, historians, sentimentalists and minorities from the former imperial motherland fiercely opposed the destruction of history. That’s why it was done here at night, to avoid months of debate and provocation back and forth. The decorations symbolise the most gruesome war crimes committed by the former regime. You should not bargain with such a past. Although it was so recent, there are few reminders of those days – until you reach the suburbs. In row upon row of factories and apartment buildings, the architectural style betrays a time when people across thousands of kilometres of empire were intended to live in almost identical buildings, in unity and brotherhood. At least, that is what was said. The local history, littered with exiles, executions, incarcerations and a protracted guerrilla war, tells a different story. This is Europe. A continent in a state of flux. The financial and migrant crisis seems to have been averted, but the political aftermath is only now becoming apparent. Where some political forces are seeking refuge in a united Europe, others are vociferously turning away from it.

© Arnold van Bruggen and Rob Hornstra Monika, born and raised in the former capital, has been a dancer with the local show orchestra Ąžuolynas for fifteen years. "When you are born here, you will always carry the city in your heart. Not only the people make it special, but also the large city parks and plenty of possibilities to go out or visit cultural events. And our famous basketball club of course. Actually, this city has everything.”

©Rob Hornstra and Arnold van Bruggen Half an hour's drive from the former capital, deep in the region's vast forests at the end of a muddy path you can find Samsonas meat factory. The director guides us with pride and enthusiasm through all the departments of the company. The place where the carcasses enter, where especially strong men with freshly sharpened knives tackle the dead animals, to the large buckets of meat porridge for sausages and wooden drying rooms for hams. "Within 50 years' time, I expect major changes in meat industry, I think we will eat more insects and worms to get our protein. Nowadays we are not that far yet. Our people want to eat ‘normal’ food. But you never know how fast things can change."

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE EUROPEAN

A great example of this is our meeting with

According to analyses, the political battle is no

Birute, a 90 year old lady. “I’ve lived under four

longer being fought over socio-economics but

different regimes,” she said. “I don’t care. I pay

over culture and identity: urban versus rural;

someone for my water and my wood, that’s

newcomers against the versus natives; tradition

about it.” What, we thought, would happen if

versus new norms and values; the globalised

you try to remove as much as possible of this

economy and culture versus the more orderly

histoire événementielle from our stories.

world of village, city and countryside. The call for strongmen and leaders is growing louder,

SKIP THE NAMES OF COUNTRIES

both in the political and cultural domain.

The first big intervention we made was to skip the names of countries. Try it for yourself: we

Against this backdrop, The Europeans

met this girl who’s a real experienced smuggler

Project set out to travel the periphery of

of cigarettes and medicine. She comes from a

Europe. Drawing on our earlier experiences for

family that has defied the rules of her

the long-term The Sochi Project, we spend

government, always, because they believe the

extended periods in places far from the daily

government doesn’t work for people like them.

news cycle. Documenting the direct causes of

The girl is from Italy. United Kingdom. Latvia.

tensions in Europe is not the main goal of this

Sweden. France. What different stories popped

project. Rather, The Europeans is a journey into

up in your head, putting the same, personal

contemporary Europe and an examination of

story in a different country? It’s incredible what

what it means to be European in the 2020s.

layers of biases a country name brings to a

How will we look back at this decade?

story. The second big intervention will be interchanging stories throughout Europe. It’s a

Our stories of the Europeans are for a large

cliché of course, but one that’s interesting to

part truly interchangeable. That’s because we

find out how it works in practice: the horizontal

love to focus on what historian Fernand Braudel

layers of society across borders have much

called le temps conjoncturel, the level of time in

more in common than the vertical layers within

history in which societal and cultural changes

one country.

take place, contrary to a focus on le histoire événementielle, the level of time in which

More information of the project:

politics, hypes and trends take place.

www.theeuropeans.fm

© Arnold van Bruggen and Rob Hornstra Birutė under a portrait of her younger self. When she was young, she moved to the city with her elder brother. Together they built the wooden house she still lives in. Birutė has fond memories of her working life as an accountant. But as it goes with age, her friends and family almost all died out. Her Soviet-era pension is not as much as promised. But Birutė doesn’t complain.

© Arnold van Bruggen and Rob Hornstra | Page 15 Vidas tells us that he worked in the Netherlands and Norway. His father is very ill. But on the horizon there is a better future. “Two more months, I'll have my green card for the US! And I want to go back to the Netherlands! My back is broken, but I want to work!”

The RPS Benelux Chapter WORKSHOP

Night Photography Everything in Rotterdam has a nickname and the Hefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official name is Koningshavenbrug

ÂŠ Alessia Peviani - Erasmusbrug

SHOOTING IN THE DARK: NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY IN ROTTERDAM article by André Bergmans On 18th and 19th September the Chapter

asymmetrical pylon. The tallest point is 150

enjoyed a night photography workshop in

meters high and dwarfs the nearby buildings.

Rotterdam facilitated by Patrick van Dijk. Some

Though a relatively new bridge it already is an

of his work was published in our Chapter

iconic landmark for Rotterdam city.

eJournal 20, Spring 2020 edition. We operated in two small groups because of Covid-19 conditions. WE ENJOYED THE GOLDEN HOUR We started at ‘de Hef’ (which means lever) at the boulevard which is part of the typical Rotterdam photogenic skyline fingerprint. Everything in Rotterdam has a nickname and the Hef’s official name is Koningshavenbrug. De Hef (1877), a steel railroad bridge, was Western Europe's first lift bridge. Nowadays it is a national monument and not in use anymore.

We enjoyed the golden hour right there around the bridge and after a short introduction by Patrick we started taking our first images.

In the background of these two bridges we could see another bridge: the Willemsbrug, nicknamed the ‘Red William’, which has a unique design that works well for photography. INTERMEZZO

We had a short intermezzo as Patrick arranged a session of steel wool photography, a fun thing to do. Some of us also brought a bottle of water as recommended by Patrick to create our own opportunity for puddle reflection photography. After a few hours of photography, we decided to call it an evening as some of us still had to travel a bit. It was good to get out of our comfort zone as some of us actually never do night photography. Besides that, it was good to catch

The next move was towards the Erasmus

up as Covid-19 really frustrates our regular face

Bridge, nicknamed ‘The Swan’ because of the

to face meetings.

Pages 20 and 21 | © André Bergmans - view with the Hef in the foreground and the Koninginnebrut and Erasmusbrug in the

ÂŠ Mary Ros - Wilhelminaplein

ÂŠ Armando Jongejan - the Hef, seen from the Wilhelminaplein

Â© Jan Ros - KPN Ventures building

The RPS Benelux Chapter WORKSHOP

Tips & Tricks The weatherman is the photographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best friend

TIPS & TRICKS FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY article by André Bergmans

I have made a list of some tips and tricks

way up in advance before the golden hour even

based on my own experience and mistakes so

starts. Check whether your tripod is levelled

far and browsing through some reading in

correctly. Use your tripod at different levels later

books and on the internet. So, I will present tips

on to avoid that you take the same shot, with

and tricks in a more or less logical order. I

the same angle, all the time. Taking different

warmheartedly invite you to disagree with my

perspectives is key and even if you are not using

findings. Honestly speaking I forgot quite a few

the tripod… the world is full of flat spaces.

tips on our evening in Rotterdam! REMOTE CONTROL/MIRROR/SHUTTER DELAY BE PREPARED

Tripods are to be combined with remote

You do not want to stroll around in a city at

control. I have two: battery and wire, because

night with no plan and typically for night

there will be a moment in time that your battery

photography you do not have to walk for miles.

runs out. While we are at it to avoid camera

This means prepare your destination, driving

shake….. mirror up avoids the last bit of risk.

route and parking place. Decide what you are

About the image stabiliser I can be blunt: OFF!

going to do upfront as you do not have that

(Unless your camera has tripod detection)

much time before it gets too dark.

Reason: when there’s not enough motion for the IS system to detect, some ‘feedback loop’ in the

THE WEATHER

IS lens group might still move and work against

The weatherman is the photographer’s best

you. A shutter delay of 2 seconds reduces the

friend. Check risk for rain, expected

last bit of camera shake risk.

temperature, possible mist, wind, sunset time, moon/stars and clouds. Identify conditions that

TEST SHOTS

enhance lens fog and last but not least: dress

You need test shots to balance your camera

for success and always bring gloves (with peel-

settings. The circumstances are different all the

back fingertips or the thumb and pointing

time and your camera might be fooling you.

finger cut off).

Find a standard setting first before getting creative. Night photography simply needs a

USE A GROUP

more systematic way of working and reminds us

You are in a dark city and carry a lot of gear.

that photography is also about getting in control

Your bag and tripod reveal what you are doing.

with your technique. This is also the opportunity

Cities hold strange creatures sometimes so you

to use the histogram to make an assessment of

either hide in an existing group which has its

correct exposure. Remember your live view

disadvantages or you bring your own group. A

screen shows a basic JPG image and cannot be

group enhances safety, camaraderie and

fully trusted.

commitment. Get group protection and let the home office know where you exactly are.

(HEAD) TORCH AND OTHER STUFF A small (head)torch might come in handy unless

TRIPOD

you practised to operate your camera in the

Sturdy is good. I use an old, four-kilogram,

dark. I often pressed the wrong button. There

studio tripod that I bought in a dump shop. You

might be other unexpected items that you might

will not walk for miles and the golden hour

want to bring along. Water for puddle reflection

sometimes is a golden quarter. Set your gear

photography, a lens hood to avoid unwanted

light coming in, an umbrella, a flash with

MANUAL MODE

coloured filters, steel wool for fun and more. Do

Manual Mode is a good option to find your

I need to mention the extra battery pack and

balance in camera settings. Personally, I used

insect repellent?

Aperture Mode letting the camera decide on shutter time. Combined with bracketing I felt

MANUAL FOCUS

comfortable. Aperture Priority is the quickest

Autofocus won’t always work correctly at night. I

way to take pictures at night especially when

sometimes use autofocus (back button focus)

possible moving subjects are not key for your

but then I reframe the images afterwards. This

image. If you want control in photographing

also gives me the opportunity to check focus

moving objects, then you need to switch to

using live view mode. Night photography is also

Manual Mode or Shutter Priority. So, it is the

an opportunity to come to grips with the

content of your image decides the preferred

concept of hyperfocal point.

mode you are working in. For example: you also want to avoid very long shutter speeds when

ISO

stars are a key element of your image (avoiding

The long exposure that you might use increases

star trails).

noise. To find out how your camera is performing is this respect try wide aperture/

BULB MODE

short exposure and small aperture/long

Bulb Mode comes in when you want a longer

exposure and look as the noise in both cases.

exposure than the maximum of 30 seconds that

Try different ISO settings though low ISO has

cameras normally provide. Bulb Mode allows

my preference I must say. The results will

you to experiment freely also with multiple

depend entirely on your camera model and

exposures and zooming, light painting and

sensor.

adding (coloured) flash lights or using torches. It also comes in handy when you want to make all

RAW

kind of pedestrians ‘disappear’ from your image.

We will not repeat the JPG/ISO discussion but in night photography RAW might be the best

LENS

option as extensive adjustments and post-

There is no specific preference for wide-angle or

processing might be needed. Remember you

tele though most night photos show that they

are shooting scenes with high dynamic range,

are made with a wide-angle lens. One more

especially when the golden hour is over

reason to use a tele lens for a change. A prime lens might have a better optical quality

BRACKETING

compared to the same zoom lens but the large

During the whole evening I took three shots

aperture that most prime lenses bring might not

every time (-2/3, 0, +2/3). This allows me to post

be needed. I used both - a 10-19mm and a 15-

-process the best shot looking at the histogram.

85mm on a crop camera and totally forgot to

Achieving the best exposure can be challenging

experiment with a 50mm 1.8 lens using the

at night, even when you use manual mode. So,

widest aperture. Using a zoom lens gives more

an extra safety net comes in handy. Apart from

flexibility to use the complete frame of your

giving you a selection of exposures in-camera,

camera and achieve best quality as it does not

you can also use the bracketed pictures to

make sense to use a full frame camera and

create High Dynamic Range (HDR) images.

‘throw away’ most of your pixels afterwards.

LENS HOOD

WHITE BALANCE

Using a lens hood in the dark? Yes. Any UV filter

With the variety of light sources at night it might

or any other filter to protect your lens increases

prove impossible to choose the correct white

the risk of flare and should be removed. Instead

balance. Reason enough to use RAW for more

use the lens hood to protect your lens and

options in post-processing. If you want to make

avoid all kinds of unwanted light reaching your

a wild guess Tungsten could be the second-best

sensor. Using live view and covering the

option combined with a bit of underexposure to

viewfinder is another tip that I found useful.

avoid blown out highlights.

ÂŠ Davy Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hollander - Wilhelminakade

The RPS Benelux Chapter PHOTO FESTIVAL

Breda Photo Shows stories that are inspiring, moving, confrontational, that raise new questions and demonstrate that photography is the artistic medium that stands at the heart of society

ÂŠ Armando Jongejan - Big Church

VISIT A PHOTO FESTIVAL. THIS YEAR: BREDAPHOTO

introduction by Armando Jongejan FRPS and text with permission of BredaPhoto The 9th edition of BredaPhoto was held from

against your own photographic style and this is

9th September to 25th October 2020. Our

very important for me. This year the Festival was

Chapter was unable to take a trip to this Photo

smaller than in former years with just seven

Festival as a group because of the COVID-19

locations.

outbreak but it was possible to visit the festival individually. I visited the exhibitions and

SOME HIGHLIGHTS

it took me two days to see and feel

To write about seven different locations is too

the contemporary photography, which was

much for our eJournal. For that reason I will just

based on an internationally relevant social

highlight some work exhibited in The Big Church

theme. It was current, stimulating and

(Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk). It is a space that lends

presented in an original way.

itself to doing something special with it. This has certainly been achieved with the ‘China

THE BEST OF TIMES / THE WORST OF TIMES

Imagined’ exhibition. The exhibition, curated by

The title of the festival this year was inspired by

He Yining and Ruben Lundgren, gives an insight

the opening paragraph of the book “A Tale of

into contemporary Chinese photography. In

Two Cities” by Charles Dickens, first published

China today, people enjoy the conveniences

in 1859.

provided by science and technology for their personal lives: intelligent payment, the share

BredaPhoto is the largest photo exhibition in

economy and artificial intelligence has created a

the Benelux and is held every two years in

growing middle class and a booming economy.

Breda. During this seven-week photo exhibition,

In these times of strong polarisation it seems

national and international top photographers –

harder to accept that progress and

together with new talent – exhibit their work at

backwardness sometimes co-exist.

indoor and outdoor locations in Breda. It took me two days to visit the locations and to try to

CLOSE A GAP

understand the different view angels of the

In total He Yining and Ruben Lundgren

curator and the photographers.

commissioned twenty photographers for the exhibition with the selected final works being

BredaPhoto shows stories that are inspiring,

very diverse. Feng Li is a photographer who

moving, confrontational, that raise new

captures strange, almost surreal scenes that he

questions and demonstrate that photography is

comes across on the street. Zhang Kechun takes

the artistic medium that stands at the heart of

photos of classical Chinese landscapes. These

society. I must say this is true. Some of the

are in stark contrast to the very personal,

exhibitions do not fit in with a lot of other

intimate portraits of Chinese girls by the

presentations you may have seen before.

photographer Luo Yang. With this exhibition, He

Sometimes it was about a person, not the

Yining and Ruben Lundgren want to provide

creative work from a photographer, such as the

more insight into today’s China. In other words,

presentations of several influencers in the

as they themselves say, “ close a gap between

Stedelijk Museum Breda. This presentation was

Western and Chinese society”.

about their business and the people they met or how they expose their daily life or even their body, which is different. Is different better? I’m not certain. It makes you think about their work

BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS AND WATER -

For his new series Between the Mountains and

by Zhang Kechun

Water he traveled extensively dwelling on the significance of the landscape in modern Chinese

In a recent interview with Daphne Milner he

national identity. It features grand landscape

explains: “After completing this project [award

shots of large, expansive mountain ranges and

winning project ‘The Yellow River’, 2014], I

immense, concrete bridges taken with a large

decided to continue looking for remarkable

format camera. The calm and pale tinted

settings. Instead of shooting the river shore like

photographs with an occasional coloured

I did in Yellow River, I ventured inland to look

element breath a sense of silentness into an

for impressive natural phenomena and man-

environment of constant change.

built structures. […]. It feels as though a strong, destructive and unstoppable force is spreading across our natural landscapes. Under the circumstances, I consider myself to be very insignificant in comparison.”

WATERING MY HORSE

survived? She discovered that the villages at the

by Xu Xiaoxiao

foot of the Great Wall are some of the last places where people still live according to old

For Watering My Horse, Xu Xiaoxiao followed

traditions, but here too, these are gradually

the lives of the people along the foot of the

disappearing. Her work focuses on the visual

Great Wall of China, a road trip of 25,000

transformation of this process. From place to

kilometres. Contrary to what many people

place she tries to catch a glimpse of the past.

think, the Chinese wall is not a single

Just like in her previous work “Aeronautics in the

continuous construction, but rather a collection

Backyards” where Xu photographed farmers

of walls and towers built during various Chinese

striving to build their own aircraft, she proves to

dynasties. Xu follows the section of the wall

be a master storyteller.

from the Ming dynasty and takes us to the ruins of the older parts. Despite the decline, there is a

NEXT TIME IN PELT

lively relationship with the wall among the local

The other exhibitions were worth visiting too.

population that honour and protect the wall.

And as written before, if an exhibition you visit is not your cup of tea. No problem. It makes you

Xu tried to discover the impact of fast-growing

think and it helps you to develop your own style

China on this historic site. What does the wall

and images!

reflect today? Which elements have

See you during the International

disappeared and which remnants have

PhotoFestival in Pelt - Belgium.

ÂŠ Paul Trevor - from the book In Your face

The RPS Benelux Chapter PHOTOBOOK

Paul Trevor â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This series is a new twist on the street photo, but totally unlike anything I have seen before or since.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Martin Parr

PAUL TREVOR - IN YOUR FACE

introduction by Armando Jongejan, text and photos with permission of Hoxton Mini Press The Hoxton Mini Press publications are a bit

If our faces are the greatest signifiers of our

different and this one is a way of capturing daily

individuality then the individuals Paul Trevor

street life in a very personal way. These

dodged and weaved around in the 1980s are

extreme close-ups of people in Brick Lane and

seen here in full relief. Pores, wrinkles,

the nearby City, made spontaneously on the

eyelashes, lips, hair products and jewellery tell

streets of east London (in the 80s and early

us much of the people he encountered. Pick a

90s), capture Britain’s perennial social divide.

face and look, and look again and try to imagine

Stephen McLaren wrote the book's

the stories that lie behind the images. Are they

introduction. He was enthralled by the energy

locals or just passing through, immigrants or

and the emotions he sensed in these close-up

Cockneys, late for work or early for a date, just

impromptu portraits.

getting by or living large? So much detail to look at, so many questions with answers hinted at

SIMON IN HIS INTRODUCTION

but never delivered.

Although Paul’s project had been exhibited in London at the Royal Festival Hall in 1994, an

PAUL FOUND TWO SETS OF INHABITANTS

accompanying book had not been forthcoming

Paul Trevor never tells us what to think about

and so the work had failed to reach the

these people, why would he? But we do know

audience it deserved. I was pleased to be able

that he picked the neighbouring Brick Lane and

to include extracts from his dummies in the

City of London to alert us to a gulf that opened

anthology. Nevertheless, here at last we have

up between these ancient commercial districts

the proper vessel for viewing this seminal work

in the 1980s. On the eastern flank, Brick Lane,

of documentary photography in its entirety, as

historically a neighbourhood of immigrants,

conceived and edited by the photographer.

street-traders, breweries and bakeries. On the western edge, The City, an ancient metropolitan

GET CLOSE, AND CLOSER

quarter which worshipped Mammon. As a

Why is this body of work ‘seminal’? The answer

recession descended, the clickety-clacks of Brick

is that Paul Trevor placed his camera so

Lane’s sewing machines became muted, the

incredibly close up to passers-by on the street

breweries were moth-balled and many of the

that the results amount to a startling new

denizens of one of Britain’s most enervating

category of photographs. He did this with a

streets either left or fell into poverty. Meanwhile

35mm film camera, a bog-standard 50mm lens,

The City was cranking it up a gear, the banks

and used only available light. He had discovered

were unleashed and go-getters from Essex, the

this simple combination would offer images

Home Counties and the wider world started

with the depth and perspective that matched

rolling into Liverpool Street station with easy-

the optics of the human eye – thus creating a

wash suits and a trojan work ethic. On both

feeling of intimate space. Paul’s imaginative

neighbourhoods’ market forces were unleashed

leap was to get close, and closer still, and use

and Paul found two sets of inhabitants to focus

his lightning-fast reflexes to capture a sliver of

on, with rapidly diverging life chances and

time as it passed across a person’s face. The

ethical norms.

project demonstrates that with very simple tools the canniest photographer can find

AT 12 INCHES’ DISTANCE

unexpected ways of showing us something

As I turn each page I find myself looking for a

new.

trace of the man behind the lens, trying to work

ÂŠ Paul Trevor - from the book In Your face

out how he managed to carry out such an

Paul Trevor is circumspect about some of the

‘inside job ’at 12 inches’ distance. The young

specifics of his work for the project. He may be a

man in The City who spurts blood from his

spirit-like vapour behind that intrusive 50mm

nose, the young boy in Brick Lane whose face is

lens. But peering closely at the image of the

pulled until his gums bulge, the doll-like young

horse in The City it’s possible to see the

woman whose tongue pops out just at the right

photographer at work reflected in the animal’s

moment,

eye. Leaving aside the photographer and his art

how did Paul find and photograph these

for a moment, I hope you’ll savour all the kisses,

wonderful creatures and what was motivating

fag draws, punches, bloody noses and proper

him?

characters that career through this seminal piece of documentary photography and reflect

THAT WAS A NEW EXPERIENCE

on the market forces that drew Paul Trevor to

‘The work demanded that I photograph

them in the first instance.

strangers very close-up without engaging with them. It meant working surreptitiously. I found this approach created a tension in the photos between physical intimacy and emotional detachment. I was fascinated by the results – objective images that were subjective at the same time. That was a new experience.’

220mm x 160mm

ÂŠ Paul Trevor - from the book In Your face

The RPS Benelux Chapter EXHIBITION

AndrĂŠ Bergmans Preparing such a small exhibition is fun and again it extended my network and created new opportunities to photograph other topics

A SMALL EXHIBITION article by André Bergmans It must have been sometime in 2019 that I

the glue I chose allowed me to remove the

applied to have an exhibition in a local gallery

images later on and reuse both the images and

‘De Buitenkans’ in Heiloo, my home town. These

the boards, so nothing was wasted. Everything

galleries are always in demand and have a long

could be prepared at home: the hanging plan,

waiting list. To my joy, my work was accepted

the boards and fixing the photos. The printing

based on the ‘storyline’ as was mentioned.

was outsourced as my biggest images were 50cm x 50 cm. For one series of five I used three

The gallery is non-commercial. They are based

50cm x 50 cm frames that I got for a few Euros

in a converted pigsty on the premises of a big

from a charity shop. The hanging in the gallery

psychiatric institution. The objective is to

itself took less than an hour.

support reintegration of clients of the psychiatric institute. The policy is that at least

THE OPENING

one of the artists, out of the three, in any

Because of Covid-19, the opening of the

exhibition should be a client or ex-client of the

exhibition was restricted. Walking around with

institute. I fully support their efforts to

drinks and chatting with other people, the

reintegrate people into society, through art.

regular recipe for a vernissage, was out of the

People that have been seriously ill sometimes.

question but live music was possible. I decided

It helps to change the way we look at psychiatric

to invite an acquaintance that I have

diseases in general.

photographed several times previously. Maaike de Wijs, is a certified translator from Chinese

CHALLENGES AND PREPARATION

Mandarin into Dutch and also plays the

Because this year we celebrate 75 years of

guzheng, a Chinese zither. She is also able to

liberation after the second world war, I decided

recite Chinese poetry and sing Chinese songs. It

to show work related to war and peace. There

was a fascinating presentation and performance

were a few challenges. One challenge was that

and it fully took away the impact of the Covis-19

the facilities in the gallery were geared towards

limitations.

paintings or single images, while I am working in small panels or series. The other challenge

STOLPERSTEINE

was that no nails, glue, screws or whatever was

A ‘Stolperstein’ means ‘Stumbling Stone’ in

allowed; I had to use what was there and

German. These are ten-centimetre concrete

nothing else. I had two walls and three boards

cubes bearing a brass plate inscribed with the

assigned as the other boards and walls were

name and life dates of victims of Nazi

assigned to the other participants (paintings

extermination or persecution. The project was

and glass-ceramics).

started by the German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992. Today more than 75,000 Stolpersteine

To get around these challenges I designed and

have been laid in Europe, making the

made customised whiteboards that I could

Stolpersteine project the world's largest

hang in twins over the existing boards. This

decentralized memorial. In my village we have

caused no damage to the existing boards and I

about 26 Stolpersteine. I photographed them all,

could still use the lights that were already there.

but also made an extra round where I made

The whiteboards allowed me to arrange and

prints by using a brass rubbing technique with

glue my series and panels in almost any way I

different sort of coloured chalk. The biggest

desired. I tested several tapes and glues and

image was then produced by double printing

the photos and a chalk image. The panel was

material, including work instructions came out

completed by a panel of ten small images.

of a factory. I photographed the grey concrete bunker and processed the results in such a

REGELBAU 616 GROßSCHALTSTELLE

heavy way that the hidden colours were shown.

This bunker in the centre of Alkmaar was part

The gloomy building became a colourful

of the Atlantik Wall. ‘Regelbau’ indicates the

abstract. The bunker now holds a small

bunker was built according to certain rules i.e.

museum and I am in contact with the

the bunker could, literally, be ordered out of a

responsible people there. They will help me to

catalogue. Armour, doors and other necessary

photograph individual items in the museum.

IMPRESSIONS FROM WESTERBORK Camp Westerbork was a transit camp in Drenthe province, north-eastern Netherlands, during World War II. I visited the camp and made images that give an impression of both the premises and the museum. Three images (numbers 3, 4 and 5) were taken in the Jewish quarter in Amsterdam (Jewish Museum and Resistance Museum respectively) EXPERIENCE I learned a lot from preparing this exhibition and plan to continue to work on the subject matter of World War II. Many of the sites in the Netherlands are worthwhile visiting more than once and there are many sites that I even have not visited yet. Cultural heritage and history are some of my other fields of interest and this is driving me forward in my photography as well. Preparing such a small exhibition is fun and again it extended my network and created new opportunities to photograph other topics.

ÂŠ AndrĂŠ Bergmans - exhibition room and leaflet

ÂŠ AndrĂŠ Bergmans - Impressions from Westerbork

The RPS Benelux Chapter PHOTOGRAPHY

Mary Ros “Even if you are so rich, if you can't go to the toilet, you have nothing”

PUBLIC TOILETS article by Mary Ros

Armando has invited me to share my passion for photography with you. Now I consider myself an all-rounder when it comes to photography. I photograph what I find beautiful and fascinating. I do not force myself to specialise and choose a particular genre. This has to do with my broad interest in and curiosity for, the things around me and that is how my interest in public toilets was born. Where others look for the emergency exit when he or she enters a building, I always check where the toilets are. This has to do with my chronic bowel disease, sometimes it is very difficult to manage but I have learned to live with it. TO CREATE SOMETHING WORTHWHILE Throughout my life and my many travels I have had to visit the public toilet in the strangest of places. When I tell others that I also take pictures of these places, I see uncertainty in their eyes and raised eyebrows! Regardless of culture and circumstances, people worldwide use public toilets. I have noticed that culture and prosperity are linked to whether you can use a public toilet in comfort and style or in less pleasing surroundings. My mother consoled me as a child with the fact that my frequent toilet visits had its advantages. She had her own saying for this. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if you are so rich, if you can't go to the toilet, you have nothingâ&#x20AC;? - a kind of wisdom that applies to every person. In the meantime, I have photographed hundreds of toilets because of my necessary visits. At some point I am going to put it all into a photo book. In this way I can benefit from a need to create something worthwhile!

More information: www.rosfotografie.nl

ÂŠ Mary Ros - Amsterdam - the Netherlands

ÂŠ Mary Ros - Ouddorp - the Netherlands