RPS - Benelux Chapter eJournal - Volume 13 Winter 2018 by Royal Photographic Society

VOLUME 13 / WINTER 2018

WWW.RPS.ORG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

VIEW FROM THE RPS BENELUX CHAPTER ORGANISERS

Activities: don’t double book yourself Membership in the Benelux Chapter has grown slowly over the past several years. At the end of September, we had 60 members: 38 from The Netherlands, 12 from Belgium, 2 from Luxembourg, 6 from France, 1 from Germany and 1 from 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

Morocco. The Netherlands remains the most active country, thanks in large part to the monthly Study Group meetings that Janet has organized in Rotterdam. Whilst the aim of this group is for members and non-members to work towards RPS Distinctions, you can bring along other work for discussion and feedback or simply come to see and hear about others work. A number of Chapter meetings have been organized in 2019 that we hope you will find to be interesting and will want to attend: February 9: Het Palet, Rotterdam, from 10.00 to 15.30: Chapter AGM with a presentation from Armando Jongejan, FRPS. In the afternoon, we will view and critique images from the Indian Chapter. Members should have already received practical details for this meeting. May 11-12: Zierikzee. This will be a really great ‘Creative in

Cover photo Jana Teneva Editor eJournal Armando Jongejan Proof reading Dawn Black Webmaster André Meyer-Vitali

Camera’ weekend with Martin Addison FRPS, www.martinanddoreen.co.uk, however the number of places will be limited. Further details will be provided in the new year. October 6: We will have another super photographer over from the UK - Leigh Preston FRPS. www.leighpreston.co.uk. The venue and other details will be provided next year. Please support our activities and book these dates in your agendas so you don’t double book yourself and miss out on some great meetings.

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

Remember that this is your Journal, so please provide articles and photos that are of interest to chapter members along with information about upcoming events in the Benelux. If you have any questions, please do come back to us.

Janet Haines and Richard Sylvester RPS Benelux Chapter joint organisers

IN THIS ISSUE - WINTER 2018

THE ISLE OF DOGS BEFORE THE BIG MONEY An interview with Mike Seaborne by Armando Jongejan FRPS

6 18

HOTZ COLOUR MANAGEMENT DAY Janet Haines ARPS

AND MORE 2

VIEW FROM THE RPS BENELUX CHAPTER ORGANISERS Janet Haines ARPS and Richard Sylvester LRPS

IN THIS ISSUE

OUR EJOURNALS IN ONE STACK Armando Jongejan FRPS and AndrÃ© Meyer-Vitali ARPS

30 MEMBERS PRINT EXHIBITION 2019 Janet Haines ARPS 31 PHOTOKINA 2018 Rajen Nandwana 46 PARISPHOTO Jana Teneva FALSE TWINS Eddie Maes LRPS

BULGARIAN MOUNTAINS TOUR

Jana Teneva

48 RPS Benelux Chapter Meeting Janet Haines ARPS

THEME PARK KINDERDIJK Jan Ros ARPS

OUR EJOURNALS IN ONE STACK

text by Armando Jongejan FRPS and André Meyer-Vitali ARPS

It is growing Since Autumn 2015 our Benelux Chapter has published 12 eJournals. This is volume 13. We started in 2015 and wanted to make an eNewsletter or eJournal. We were not sure yetbut we knew it needed a publication for and from our RPS Benelux Chapter members, including some articles that could inspire us. We regularly get very interesting articles from our members and also from well-known photographers from all over Europe. In just a few years, the quality of our eJournal has improved. Richard shares our eJournal with the chapters of Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE Dubai and the USA. The reactions from some of the members from these chapters has been good and encouraging. Our eJournal even inspired in England the South East Region to use the same layout of the first editions of our publication, with some modifications. The chapter from India published in November 2018 their first eJournal with our new layout. All our members receive our quarterly eJournal of the RPS - Benelux Chapter. This includes illustrated articles on a wide range of activities and interests represented by our chapter. The publication is the collaborative effort of André as our webmaster and Armando as editor.

Comments or write an article? Do you have any ideas or comments? Please, feel free to contact our organisers, editor or webmaster. It is your eJournal! Do you want to write an article? Please contact Armando Jongejan FRPS. See page 2 of for information about photo requirements.

It is now easy to find your eJournal From this volume our issues are also embedded on the RPS site. You can click on the icon

‘fullscreen’ to see the pages full screen.

If you want to download the PDF-version, just click on the icon “download”.

THE ISLE OF DOGS - BEFORE THE BIG MONEY

text by Hoxton Mini Press, an interview with Mike Seaborne by Armando Jongejan FRPS and photos by Mike Seaborne

Just before Canary Wharf’s development transformed the area forever Mike Seaborne has been photographing London since 1979. He was Senior Curator of Photographs at the Museum of London until 2011 and now focuses on personal photographic projects. On 11 October 2018 Hoxton Mini Press published a very attractive photobook by Mike Seaborne The Isle of Dogs. It is a rare documentation of London’s docklands at a time just before Canary Wharf’s development transformed the area forever.

Now home to financial heavyweights and epic skyscapers, the Isle of Dogs was once the beating heart of industrial East London. In the early 1980s Mike Seaborne began documenting the area’s social fabric, taking his camera around the streets and inside remaining working factories and businesses. These photographs, taken between 1982 and 1987, show the island on the cusp of huge development. We see first sightings of the Docklands Light Railway construction from Tower Gateway to Island Gardens, workers in (now demolished) factories on their tea breaks as well as young men paddling in the Thames. Seaborne captured the spirit of a close-knit community, one that soon changed forever when the big money moved in. This was a good reason for Armando to contact Mike Seaborne and ask him about this project and undertaking the making of a series.

You have been photographing London since 1979, what was the trigger to photograph London? “I began photographing in London as soon as I was appointed to the Museum of London in September 1979. Prior to that I had been working and photographing in South Wales. I quickly became interested in documenting what was left of London's traditional industries. I later made a lot of photographs about London's public housing for various Museum of London projects.” Photography Mike Seaborne Publisher Hoxton Mini Press, 2018 Price GBP 17,95 + shipping Binding Hardcover ISBN 978-1-910566-39-8 Extent 192 pages Trim 156 x 196 mm Design: Friederike Huber

Your work has different subjects: urban landscapes, people, inside or outside. In your book The Isle of Dogs you show a wide range of photographic subjects, for example the urban landscape with the sheep in the foreground and also the photo Reduced to clear. What makes the relation for you? “The Isle of Dogs project involved photographing a wide range of subject-matter in order to document life on the Island as well as the landscape. I gave the designer a free hand to look through all of my pictures and to come up with ideas about how to select the images for the book. She suggested the concept of 'a day in the life of the Isle of Dogs' and made image pairings based on visual correspondences between the images rather than on similar subject-matter. I think this approach works really well and allows scope to show a variety of different subjects. I think that too many photo books contain basically only a few images, variations of which are then repeated over and over.”

As a Senior Curator of Photographs at the Museum of London you must have seen many series. What makes a good series in your opinion? “I have indeed seen many series of photographs taken over the past 170 years. The most successful, in my view, are those that are based on a real documentary concern rather than relying solely on a conceptual approach. I just think that photography, as opposed to Art, is best suited to this purpose.”

Since you left the museum (2011) you continued with your personal projects. Has your personal style changed or do we still see the same signature? And if so, how do we recognise it? “I don't think my style has changed since I left the Museum of London and my personal projects since then have continued with similar themes and subjects. Apart from adopting a literal approach to subjectmatter, I have always been concerned with composition and trying to establish meaningful relationships between the various subject elements within the frame. The Isle of Dogs project was far more directly about people than any other I have done, either before or since, and I tend to concentrate instead on the various ways in which people have impacted on the environment.”

What is the next project you are working on? The Isle of Dogs was until 2011, so what can we expect? “Most of my Isle of Dogs photographs were taken before 2000. Since then my personal projects have included 'London's Changing Riverscape' (published 2009), which compared panoramas of London's waterfront taken in 2004 with the same views previously taken in 1937; 'London Facades' (2004-8), which was about documenting 'traditional' retail and commercial buildings before the impact of gentrification

and corporate culture; 'Thames Estuary' (2009-11), which was mainly concerned with the remnants of former industrial and commercial uses of the river to the east of London; and 'Abandoned WW2 Airfields in Essex' (2012-3), which deals with how that county's landscape has been irrevocably altered as a result of being commandeered for wartime use. My principal current project is 'The Lea Valley', which explores the surviving industrial heritage of the River Lea and its environs between London and Luton. I am now involved with an industrial museum sited in the Lea Valley at Walthamstow.” For more information about the book and about Mike Seaborne: www.hoxtonminipress.com/products/the-isle-of-dogs mikeseaborne.co.uk 80sislandphotos.org.uk www.leavalleyheritagealliance.org.uk/lea-valley-landscapes/index.html

ÂŠ Mike Seaborne - Old entrance to Millwall outer Dock, West Ferry Road, 1982

ÂŠ Mike Seaborne - View north towards the Barkantine Estate from Montrose House, West Ferry Road,1985

ÂŠ Mike Seaborne = Chapel House Street, 1984

ÂŠ Mike Seaborne - Isle of Dogs foreshore looking across the river towards Deptford Creek and Power Station, 1983

FALSE TWINS

by Eddie Maes LRPS War compensation Alike as they may look, the two cameras pictured to the right are actually separated by a span of about fifteen years, including World War II. After 1945, as war compensation, Soviet Russian industry was able to receive production machinery and industrial stocks from Germany. Among them were factory equipment and stocks of materials (mostly optics) from the Zeiss Ikon company at Jena (then East-Germany).

The Super-Ikonta, introduced by Zeiss-Ikon of Dresden in 1934, was an improvement on the existing Ikonta folding camera, by the addition of a coupled rangefinder to the focusing mechanism. It was thus definitely a top-line camera in the folding rollfilm market of the time, with a Compur shutter and a Zeiss Tessar lens. The camera was actually assembled using components made in Munich (shutter) and Jena (optics). The 6x9cm negatives allowed for economic contact printing of reasonably sized positives, making it quite cheap to use and popular with amateur photographers. Many Zeiss lens types were imitated The almost identical camera, the Moskva-2, was produced from 1947 until the mid-1950s in the KMZ factory (Kraznagorsk, near Moscow). Obviously, machines moved from the Dresden factory made

possible the rapid production of a camera very much like the pre-war Super-Ikonta. Initially lenses from existing stocks of glass in the Zeiss Jena factory (maybe also shutters, much of it went undocumented) were mounted, but as not only equipment but also the designs of Zeiss lenses changed ownerschip, many Zeiss lens types (Tessar, Sonnar, Biogon) were imitated with russian brand names (Industar, Jupiter, Helios), mostly with very comparable optical quality. These cameras are actually so similar that it is easiest to briefly describe characteristics of both, and only then point out a number of differences.

The rangefinder system Both cameras take 8 exposures of 6x9 cm on the very common R120 rollfilm (the one used in Rolleiflex / Rolleicord TLR’s and the Hasselblad SLR). The film (spool, negative and paper backing) can be daylight loaded easlily, and the frames must be positioned by winding the film manually till the numbers on the backing paper appear in a small red window on the camera’s back. After every exposure the film must be wound on till the next number appears in the window, or till the end after the eighth exposure has been made. The full take-up spool can then simply be removed, and a new film can be loaded. No darkroom required, no need to rewind, the empty spool now becomes the new take-up spool for

the next film. Being high-end cameras both were equiped with performant shutters with a wide range of exposure times (1 sec to 1/250 sec and B in both cases), a Compur for the Zeiss Ikon make and a russian almost undistinguisable copy labeled Moment-1. The lens on the Zeiss Ikon is a Carl Zeiss Tessar f:4.5 10.5 cm, on the Moskva-2 an Industar-23 f:4.5, 11 cm. In both cases the lens mount is fixed, focusing is therefor not done by moving the whole lens forward, away from the film plane, but by moving only the front element of the lens. This slightly reduces the actual focal length of the lens,

which results in objects closer to the camera then being in focus. This rotating of the lens front for focusing brings us to the rangefinder system. Subject distance is set by adjusting a split image in an accessory viewfinder with two small round windows on top of the camera (the effective subject framing viewfinder is located between these two, and larger). One line of sight is always straight, but the other is somewhat bent off (in the case of non-infinity focusing) by a rotating glass wedge in the path of the second line of sight. The rotation of that wedge is mechanically coupled to the rotation of the lens front element. The subject is in focus when both images in the rangefinder viewfinder overlap perfectly.

Prevention for double exposures Today even digital Leica rangefinder cameras still operate on the same principle, except the whole lens assembly is moved back and forth, and a mirror in the camera body diverts the line of sight. Last common feature of both is a prevention for double exposures. Loading the shutter and winding on the film are not coupled; for each exposure the shutter must be manually armed. However, the shutter release button on the body can not be pressed as long as the film has not been wound forward (a red mark in a small window indicates readyness). Yet, deliberate double exposures are possible: the shutter can also be released with a small lever situated in front, next to the lens assembly. Rearming the shutter after a first exposure without advancing the film, and pressing that lever results in a double exposure. What is left then that is actually different in these cameras? Hardly anythingâ&#x20AC;Ś

ÂŠ Eddie Maes - The 19th century choir of Saint Lambertus church

A major difference between these two cameras is the capacity of the Zeiss Ikon to make sixteen half-frame exposures (4.5x6 cm), by advancing the exposure number alternatively to one of two red windows in the camera back. That requires the installation, while loading the film, of a thin metal mask that is placed over the image window (but is missing in my camera). There seems to be no indication in the viewfinder of the field of view for half-frame. This feature is missing in the Moskva -2, however the later Moskva-4 and -5 models do have it, but for twelve 6x6 exposures. The viewfinder of both cameras, that opens on top of the body, is larger and easier to use in the older Zeiss Ikon camera, although both are of the Newton type (negative front lens and a small viewing window). The precision of this viewfinder is limited, and may require some experience in using the camera.

ÂŠ Eddie Maes - The Saint Lambertus church in Woluwe at night

And finally, the Compur shutter of the Zeiss Ikon has a selftimer, the Moskva-2 shutter does not. Probably this not much sought after feature was omitted in order to simplify production. Legends to photographs Page 20 The 19th century choir of Saint Lambertus church. A similar image taken with the Super-Ikonta camera has clearly less definition and contrast, probably due to the lens coating, which is non-existent on the pre-war Tessar lens. (Moskva-2, Ilford Delta100, 5 seconds, F:5.6). Page 20 The Saint Lambertus church in Woluwe at night. The massive square tower dates back to 12th century, the nave and other parts of the building are 18th and 19th century extensions. (Super-Ikonta, Ilford Delta100, 8 seconds, F:5.6).

Page 22

A triple exposure of Chateau Malou made with the

The Villa Montald in the same municipalty, built in

Moskva-2 camera. Three exposures were made hand-

Roodebeek Parc by the symbolist painter Constant Montald

held, positioning the building in shifted postions in the

living and working there in the first half of the 20th century. The building is now in use as a center for school and after

frame. Each exposure was made at minus one stop, to avoid overexposing the negative. Not the most spectacular result, meant as a technical test. This kind

school activities, and includes the local “Jeugdhuis De

of experiment would clearly require different and

Schakel” (Moskva-2, Ilford Delta100).

varied attempts with a number of subjects. (Moskva-2,

Page 23 The Chateau Malou, a late 18th century country house in the municiplaily of Saint-Lambrechts-Woluwe, now property of the municipality and used for official functions. The big parc surrounding it stretches along the Woluwe river that feeds the pond, and has protected status as a european Natura2000 area. (Super-Ikonta, Ilford Delta100).

Ilford Delta100).

ÂŠ Eddie Maes - The Villa Montald in the same municipalty, built in Roodebeek Parc

Â© Eddie Maes - The Chateau Malou, a late 18th century country house

BULGARIAN MOUNTAINS TOUR text and photos by Jana Teneva Home of the famous yoghurt Some of you may know or have heard of Bulgaria as the home of the famous yoghurt (and its “bacilicus bulgaricus”) or simply because you have been on vacation at the Black Sea coast. But my home country is more than just the famous 378km coastal line and its resorts. Bulgaria is blessed with a beautiful nature, which is a photogenic mix of stretches of long mountain chains, fruitful valleys full of roses, sunflowers and lavender or with orchards and vineyards, while the Black sea coast builds our watery Eastern border and the Danube river (the Northern one).

That is why I am going to take you on a tour to some less touristy corners of Bulgaria, the mountains. There you can breathe in fresh air smelling like pine trees and wildflowers, admire fifty shades of grey rocky silhouettes on the horizon and fill your eyes and soul with wonderful landscapes and views. In fact more than a third of the surface of my home country is covered by mountains. Each range has its own very specific and totally unique combination of relief, landscapes, climate and nature. Let us start the tour in the Balkan Mountains. This chain is known in Bulgarian also as “Stara planina” (meaning the Old Mountain). It crosses the whole country by stretching from the SerbianBulgarian border (in the north-west) to the Black sea (the east). It is about 550km long and between 30 - 60km wide in different parts. This range actually gives the name to the Balkan peninsula, home

to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro (and, to some extent, also a percentage of Croatia, Serbia, Greece and Romania). Green hills and different size waterfalls are waiting to be discovered and photographed here. There are several colourful monasteries, tucked well in-between, or architectural masterpieces on top of the hills. One of them for sure is the big stone monument Shipka, guarding the hill, where the most important battle in the fight for freedom against the Ottoman Empire took place. Another jewel is the abandoned communistic meeting building Buzludha, which looks like an alien spaceship has landed on top of the Balkans.

ÂŠ Jana Teneva - The Mighty Balkan Mountains -View to Shipka Monument

The Rila mountains are the sixth highest in Europe My second stop is the range Rila, meaning the well-watered. This is home to the highest mountain in Bulgaria, and on the whole Balkans, with Mount Mussala at 2925m high. Rila will charm you instantly with its mixture of glacial lakes and high peaks, colourful flora and peaceful vibes. The seven Rila lakes are a very beautiful but nowadays too famous an area for a weekend hike from Sofia. However if you take the time to discover the less known lakes you will be rewarded with same or even better views and calm hiking paths (sometimes only for you). Rila National Park is the biggest in the country and protects the colourful and unique flora and fauna. If you are wondering, the Rila mountains are the sixth highest in Europe after Caucasus, the Alps, the Pyrenees, Siera Nevada in Spain and Etna in Italy. One of the famous Bulgarian writers talks

in his work about the “great Rila desert” referring with this expression not to the landscape but to the feeling of infinity and loneliness while hiking amongst its endless summits. The closest neighbour of Rila is Pirin. There the dominant colours are white and grey, while the ridges shape is sharper. The hard work of the glaciers is visible in its deep cirques, valleys and dramatic landmarks. Pirin National Park is home of brown bears, wild boars and chamois. Its highest peak is mount Vihren (meaning the Windy One) at 2914m.

The best way to explore and collect memories is... of course, live! This is not all; we also have the Rhodope Mountains (the largest range measured by surface area), the Vitosha mountain with its Mount Black Peak (2290m) near the capital Sofia, and a few more smaller but charming ones. However the best way to explore and collect memories is... of course, live!

Page 24 | © Jana Teneva - The less known side of Rila, the Fish lake

HOTZ COLOUR MANAGEMENT DAY text Janet Haines ARPS Colour Management is vital Whether you print yourself or send work to labs, understanding Colour Management is vital to getting the results we all seek - an image that looks in print how it does on our monitors. The October RPS Benelux Chapter meeting saw 14 keen photographers at the showroom of Hotz, Aartselaar, Belgium for a talk from Jan Dieryck. Jan's knowledge about colour management is second to none. He walked us through how to set up all our work flow and profiles for the camera, monitor calibration and even which monitors give best results and why. Undoubtedly owning an EIZO monitor is perhaps the ultimate but maybe some of us have to make do with more ordinary

ÂŠ Images - Hotz use to show diffeent results

screens. Understanding optimum gamma and Kelvin settings along with how to position your monitor in the right location without a distracting background took it one step further than simply sitting a Spyder calibration device (or similar) on it once a month and assuming that was good enough. Even the lighting was considered and where some could fit day light tubes to their room (lucky them) others bought a simple desk lamp that enables us to examine a print under the daylight tube. Various colour spaces and the pros and cons of each were discussed as well as why you would choose one over another. We also covered what happens when we convert images from one device to another and received advice on how to set Adobe software to make sure it gives us the best results. Why you should choose particular papers Paper profiles and printing is in itself a major part of achieving the perfect output. Janet Haines showed some prints and explained why you should choose particular papers to add to the composition and final effect of the image. Jan went on to explain about paper profiles and how you get these, including showing attendees how the way the PermaJet paper profiles are named also tells you clearly which setting to use for your selected paper. Also highlighted was the consideration of printer settings and having custom profiles made.

It can also save us wasted paper and ink The final icing on the cake was Jan walking us through the various Epson printer settings, including the difference between the rendering intents, which often baffle many of us. Proofing is perhaps the final way to make sure what you are seeing on screen is that which will print out on your chosen paper. It can also save us wasted paper and ink, to say nothing of our sanity.

ÂŠ Jeroen Dorrestein LRPS

Extra hints and tips or deeper understanding To sum up I think that even those of us who had a reasonable understanding of colour management prior to the meeting came away with some extra hints and tips or deeper understanding. The feedback from the members was very positive and many returned home with some new papers to try and ideas to explore, so we can look forward to members feeling a lot happier with their printing from now on and achieving that ultimate goal of confidently getting their print to match their screen image first time out.

MEMBERS PRINT EXHIBITION 2019 text by Janet Haines ARPS There is a very wide variety of work Progress is being made on the preparation for the Chapters 2019 print exhibition. Some 25 members submitted work for selection with Jan Ros ARPS, Carol Olerud ARPS and Janet Haines ARPS each marking the individual images to get a result of which photos will be included in the exhibition. In some individual cases we had to go for a second round of marking to establish the print for that individual but in the end we had a good selection of 25 images. Four members have been offered the opportunity to show two prints as our exhibition allows for 30 works. But 25 plus 4 is only 29 we hear you say! True, but we need one frame in the exhibition as an informational panel to tell the viewers who we are and what the exhibition is all about. As you would expect there is a very wide variety of work and we are sure this is going to be another good exhibition. Print your selection by the end of December 2018 Members are now asked to print their selected image and get this to Janet Haines by the end of December. Janet will then mount all the images and, with Jeroen Dorrestein's help, frame them all ready for showing. Other members are currently exploring exhibition space opportunities. Ideally, we want them to be hung as many times as possible around the Benelux, so if you know of a location near you we would be grateful if you would get in touch and perhaps find out if it is possible in your proposed venue. Any questions? Email: janet.haines@me.com

PHOTOKINA 2018 text by betterphotography.in and photo by Rajen Nandwana - Coordinator RPS India Chapter Photokina 2018 - Coordinator from the RPS India Chapter was selected! Rajen Nandwana, the Indian head of The Royal Photographic Society, a businessman by profession and a hobbyist photographer, showcased his winning picture titled ‘Hampi India’ in the landscape category of Digigraphie competition conducted by Epson Europe at photokina 2018, Cologne Germany. Nandwana’s relation with Epson started seven years ago when they were a singularity in the market of digital printing.

Driving the machine himself, Nandwana explains that each print requires detailed discussion to achieve the ultimate output. And that the first print is never the final one. Spending a day or two in a year photographing, Nandwana express, “You want to do something for your own self, for your own space. Photography is like meditation for me.” His winning image ‘Hampi India’ was shot on his invitation to a 700-year-old temple where the intriguing vegetable pigment caught his eye. After spending a couple of hours photographing for himself, he unknowingly landed on this subject. Visit also the website of Rajen: http://rajennandwana.com

A WORLD HERITAGE SITE, BUT NOT DISNEYLAND text and photos by Jan Ros ARPS I always think back to the oasis of quietness The memory of my youth was the reason to make a documentary series about tourism of the UNESCO world heritage windmills of Kinderdijk, a famous area just southeast of Rotterdam with 19 wind-driven watermills. When I see the crowds of tourists on the mill embankment, I always think back to the oasis of quietness during my youth. The silence at my grandfather mill, the wind noise of the reed and the groans of the grinding wicks. Nowadays the mill area is being commercialised and flooded by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. It has become a “Disney Dike on the River Lek”. I observe this tourist spectacle with astonishment and a certain melancholy as I think back to my grandfather, whose life in this beautiful place so depended on nothing but the wind.

Source: Jan Ros ARPS - Historical photographs of Kinderdijk

I cycle past my grandfather’s mill My grandfather was the miller of the 8th windmill at Kinderdijk for more than 40 years. As a child I loved visiting his mill. Seagulls squawking, birds chirruping and the rustling of the bulrushes were the only sounds I could hear. It was a haven of peace and tranquillity. I frequently visit this area and am always enchanted by this typical Dutch landscape. Whenever I am there, I make sure I cycle past my grandfather’s mill and reflect on the wonderful times I had there during my childhood. My mother, her brother and two sisters all grew up there. My grandfather was a true nature-lover, living according to the seasons. The wind was both his friend and foe. He always stared into the sky before starting work, trying to predict how the day’s weather would turn out.

It really was a life of poverty My grandparents’ household was practically self-sufficient. They grew their own vegetables, picked fruit in their orchard, kept chickens for the eggs, raised pigs for meat and baked their own fresh bread daily. Once a month they went off together to Boon’s grocery situated at the end of the dike to buy the other necessities. In my childhood I often stayed with my grandparents during the school holidays. I slept in a traditional Dutch cupboard-bed and was often kept awake at night by the creaking of the wooden structure and the whooshing noise made by the turning sails.

My grandfather would get up at the crack of dawn and go off fishing, selling his catch to supplement the family income. In the autumn he was kept busy all day cutting reeds, which he then sold off to the local thatchers. Maintaining the windmill itself also took up an enormous amount of his time. As a child I was witness to this by-gone lifestyle. 60 years later, I romanticise this picture of a miller’s life in the 1950s. My mother frequently reminded us that living and working in a mill was very tough. It was continual hard work and the winters were cold and unpleasant. She often asserted “It really was a life of poverty”. Nowadays the Kinderdijk windmills have been designated a UNESCO world heritage site. An enormous amount of money is needed to preserve the mills and this typical 18thcentury Dutch

landscape. In recent years tourism has been strongly promoted, resulting in hordes of visitors from all around the world. More than 600,000 tourists come to visit Kinderdijk every year. Within 10 years, this amount is expected to be in excess of a million. The tourism here has already become a financial cash cow and is a burden to the area, similar to cities as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Venice. This commercialisation has already turned Kinderdijk into a souvenir museum village with a café, accommodation possibilities such as B&B’s and Airbnb’s. At this point there is already no turning back, commercialism has taken over.

This former haven of peace has been spoiled by noise, busy roads and traffic congestion. The roads and paths built early in the last century can no longer cope with the constant stream of tourists and their cars and buses. Tour guides enthusiastically share their knowledge about this historical site. Thousands of selfies are taken with the mills in the background and everyone poses wearing clogs for the inevitable photo. Plans for a large visitor centre are at an advanced stage, provoking protests and objections to the planning permissions by the locals and those who want to preserve something of the special atmosphere of the place.

Driven by financial necessity, this unique heritage will soon be spoiled and become a Unesco Amusement Parkâ&#x20AC;Ścalled "Disney Dike". When the tourists have gone home, the haven of peace and tranquillity returns again. Technical details All photos are taken with a Fuji X-pro2 + Fujinon XF 23MM F/1.4 R. I use a wide-angle fixed lens, so I have a consistent perspective. For the appropriate depth of field, I set my camera at F8-F11 with ISO at 200-400.

ÂŠ Jan Ros ARPS

I began this project in April 2017 and have photographed during all seasons. In the Wintertime there is little tourism. My last photos will be taken in October 2018 and I will have then visited 30 times in total. A certain number of photos have been taken from a viewpoint of 3 meters. For this I converted a lamp stand into a camera tripod. I can remotely control my camera through the Fuji app on my iPhone.

PARISPHOTO 2018

text and photos by Jana Teneva A special focus on female photography ParisPhoto 2018 reunited some 68.800 photography enthusiasts over the long weekend 8th to 11th November 2018. The 22nd edition of this international photography-art fair took place in the beautiful main hall of the Grand Palais in the heart of the French capital. Visitors were welcomed by an overwhelming and diverse walking labyrinth of prints, books stands by publishing houses and other photographic events like walks, talks or just 'Meet & Greet' the artist(s). There were 199 exhibitors from 38 countries present, the main sectors being the Main Gallery, Book sector, PRISMES, Curiosa and Film sector.

A special focus on female photography this year allowed more women's works to be presented. Each print by a female artist was marked with a red square next to the artist name, while a small guide book called “Elles X ParisPhoto” with female artworks was available. The fair facilitated an immersion into historic and contemporary photographic art. It was exciting to discover and observe, to talk with fellow photographers or photography-lovers while contemplating artworks and to realise the immense size of the international photographic community. Paris Photo proves that what brings us (artists, museums, galleries and viewers) all together is the power of the art of photography and how we capture our time and lives in images.

RPS BENELUX CHAPTER MEETING text by Janet Haines ARPS

9th February 2019 AGM, presentation and image review The RPS Benelux Chapter Annual General Meeting will be held on 9th February 2019. Location Het Palet Duikerstraat 26 3067 TK Rotterdam Program 10.00

Doors open â&#x20AC;&#x201C; drinks available

10.15

AGM

10.45

Coffee Break 1

11.00

Armando Jongejan FRPS

12.30

Lunch

13.15

Indian Chapter image review and discussion

15.30

Payment Lunch will be a Pizza delivery. Cost to include lunch and drinks â&#x201A;Ź10 Please register with Janet Haines janet.haines@me.com by Feb 6th. Please make your payment to our Chapter bank Account NL44 ABNA 0247 9242 02. Payments by Feb 6th and reference it with your name(s). Armando Jongejan FRPS A presentation on his latest series and photobook Monks' life (Monnikenleven).

Indian Chapter Images We are exchanging 20 images with our Indian colleagues and each group will provide feedback to the other. We will review and comment on their images. Location Parking and public transport are good. If you need details or have any further questions then please contact the organiser Benelux@rps.org