RPS - Benelux Chapter eJournal - Volume 14 Spring 2019 by Royal Photographic Society

VOLUME 14 / SPRING 2019

WWW.RPS.ORG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

VIEW FROM THE RPS BENELUX CHAPTER ORGANISERS

AGM and first print exhibition in 2019 RPS Benelux Chapter’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 9 February 2019 at Het Palet, in Rotterdam, with 23 attendees. Chapter membership remains steady with 61 members across the Benelux, France and Morocco, with The Netherlands being the most active country. 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

Chapter activities in 2018 included 4 general meetings, 10 study group meetings, the summer challenge, and the preparation of a new exhibition. Several chapter members obtained their LRPS or their ARPS in 2018 while other members are working towards that goal. The chapter’s website, which is regularly updated by our webmaster, André Meyer-Vitali, remains an important source of information about the chapter and its activities. All 13 issues of our chapter eJournal, which is published 4 times a year by our Journal Editor, Armando Jongejan, can be directly viewed or downloaded from the website. Janet and Richard (joint Organisers), Jeroen (Treasurer), Andre (webmaster) and Armando (eJournal editor) will all continue in their current roles in 2019. The first showing of the 2019 chapter travelling print exhibition with 29 images was held in Zoetermeer from 14 January to 11 February. Next Chapter Exhibition is at the Dirksland Hospital, Goeree-Overflakkee (both NL), from May 2nd to June 27th.

Cover photo Gareth Goldthorpe Editor 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

Chapter meetings in 2019 A number of Chapter meetings have been organized in 2019 that we hope you will find to be interesting and will want to attend: 4&5 May: Zierikzee. This will be a really great ‘Creative in Camera’ weekend with Martin Addison, FRPS, www.martinanddoreen.co.uk, however the number of places will be limited. Further details are available elsewhere in this eJournal. 6 October: We will have another super photographer over from the UK - Leigh Preston FRPS for a mono workshop www.leighpreston.co.uk. Please support our activities and book these dates in your agenda, so you don’t double book yourself and miss out on some great meetings. Remember that this is your eJournal, 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 - SPRING 2019

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING by André Bergmans

38 OPENING PHOTO EXHIBITION IN FORUM Jan Ros ARPS

AND MORE 2

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

IN THIS ISSUE

40 RPS BENELUX CHAPTER GALLERY 41 CREATIVE IN CAMERA WEEKEND with Martin Addison FRPS MANCHESTER’S NORTHERN QUARTER Peter Barlett ARPS

NEW STYLE HIGH KEY

Frank Geraedts ARPS

44 DUTCH MASTERS - PHOTO FESTIVAL WITH ARMANDO JONGEJAN FRPS

28 24

WHEN ICELAND AND FRANCE COME TOGETHER Gareth Goldthorpe

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - 9TH FEBRUARY 2019 text by André Bergmans

A healthy growth in membership The Benelux Chapter Annual General Meeting was held on 9th February at our usual venue in Rotterdam. Doors opened at 10:00 and within half an hour we had a well filled meeting room. Many of us had not seen each other for a while so our Chair, Janet Haines, had to cut the socializing, to start the official business related part of the program which was all about evaluating the past season and looking forward to the next. The Chapter has seen a healthy growth in membership with some 61 members now. General meetings and ten study groups have been completed over the year with good attendance. We have a good production of L’s and

A’s and are enjoying the journey of those members that are aiming at a F-panel. The geographical spread is still a challenge and we are looking for means to engage the more distant members even more. The website is picking up very well and we will devote an article in the next newsletter on how to use the gallery features even better. Newsletters have improved in number of pages, layout and richness of content. The template is heading towards becoming an international best practice across the RPS and is shared with other chapters. Again you are all invited to contribute and share your knowledge and experience with the other members. Our Chair reminded the members to confirm their participation for any event at an early stage to help facilitate our planning and commitment to third parties. Our financial position

shows a slight and sufficient growing buffer to deal with any financial disappointments. The exhibition in Zoetermeer showed good attendance but finding new locations continues to be a challenge; member are invited to search around and come with suggestions. Re-appointment of officers was a no-brainer The re-appointment of officers was a no-brainer and was done by applause. Janet, Richard and Jeroen will continue their activities and André MV and Armando will continue driving the website and eJournal. All members are invited to continue their soul-searching on how they can contribute and support our fixed ‘staff’. © André Bergmans - Jeroen Dorrestein

Our sister Chapter from India Looking forward revealed that as a group we always have more creative ideas for new activities than time, resources and money. We are looking forward to the ‘Creative in Camera’ event in Zierikzee with Martin Addison FRPS. Without doubt this will be an eye-opener and will make us think about doing things right in camera in the first place instead of relying on postprocessing too much. Another similar event that is in the pipeline is a weekend in October, possibly in Ghent again. The focus will be on monochrome and Leigh Preston FRPS will be the facilitator. It was suggested that we could use the Summer Challenge as a warming-up opportunity to be

fully prepared (with questions) for this weekend. To get us into the mood to look forward even more, Richard did a presentation on close-up and macro photography. Different venues like Breda and Antwerp were suggested for next year. No specific gear needed! A lively discussion on further options started but members are invited to give more direction to the overall program with suggestions of any kind. For flexibility reasons we swapped two topics on the agenda and continued with the evaluation of the images of our sister Chapter from India. We observed a total portfolio of what we would expect from a photo club: a wide diversity. We did not clearly perceive the

differences in culture in perception and use of color for example. What was clearly visible was the different position on the learning curve of the various participants On page 7 - 9 some great photographs from our sister Chapter members. A full evaluation will be prepared as feedback. After all this hard work, we were “saved by the bell” with a coffee break and sharing pizza. All this was well arranged by Sue and Ton and as a result socializing picked up again easily though some of us were secretly evaluating their photo series in another room and were actually working! © André Bergmans - thanks at the end of the venue to Ton van der Laan and Susan Goldberg

Â© India Chapter - the Afghan girl - Suman Bhattacharyya ARPS, MPSA, EFIAP/b

Â© India Chapter - Loader - T Srinivasa Reddi ARPS, Hon. Excellence IUSF, Hon.PSI, Hon. FICS, Hon. EUSPA, Hon. EFMPA, Hon PESGSPC, Hon. FSWAN, Hon. FUPHK, Hon. M.ARGUS, Hon. FPSBP, Hon.FSPAS, FIIPC, FFIP, FSOF, FPSS, FAPS , GM.ICS, MSWAN, MARGUS, EUSPS, EFMPA, ABPPA, AWPF

Monksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; life Armando Jongejan got us back into full swing after lunch taking us by the hand on his journey into monastic life. The journey actually started twenty-four years ago when he first made a book about life in a nunnery. Key messages were: know your subject in and out, photographing people is really about building trust and most importantly: What are you trying to say? Who are you as a storyteller? Armando underpinned his statements by showing that he often used a wide angle lens to photograph amidst the monks and still be a fly on the wall. To top it off, sharing in print and on paper finishes the presentation perfectly (see also eJournal 11 - Summer 2018).

ÂŠ Armando Jongejan FRPS

Â© Armando Jongejan FRPS

A very personal journey Fernanda Cotelessa had the audience’s rapt attention with her frank explanation of a very personal journey. Making use of photography to overcome emotional distress is not new. However, Fernanda Cotelessa went further on her journey facing depression. She managed to translate her deep and personal development process into a strong visual body of work with the help of David Alan Harvey as her mentor. During her talk she showcased her images in relation to her development "phases". Her talk was ultimately an invitation to connect to your own emotions to evolve as a photographer and as a storyteller. ‘Une des meilleures tables, vaut le voyage’ The gathering ended on the dot as we had to evacuate the room. As some work really never stops and they had arranged an after-session with Armando Jongejan FRPS to have their F-series evaluated. Janet closed the meeting thanking all those that contributed to organizing it. I can say for myself, to express it in Michelin terms that this venue/event was ‘Une des meilleures tables, vaut le voyage’ i.e. ‘One of the best tables, worth the travel’. Special offer For our RPS Benelux Chapter members Armando arranged an interesting 20% discount off PermaJet Paper through the Website and would be valid untill May 31st 2019. See the leaflet for more details.

ÂŠ Fernanda Cotelessa - The first steps: recognizing emotions in others

ÂŠ Fernanda Cotelessa - Intermediate stage: connecting to the beauty of her own life

ÂŠ Fernanda Cotelessa - The Now: going deep and embracing her own emotions

MANCHESTER’S NORTHERN QUARTER - A SUCCESFULL ‘TRAVEL’ A-PANEL text and photos by Peter Barlett ARPS To photograph somewhere close I joined the RPS in 2008 and gained my LRPS in March 2010. Following an unsuccessful ARPS application a couple of years later, I put the idea of an ARPS distinction out of my mind until towards the end of 2014 I started to give some thought to another attempt and into which category my style of street photography would fit. After some research, I decided that a Travel panel was a viable option. When thinking of a distinction in Travel, an exotic or distant country or city in another part of the world comes to mind. However, another option is to photograph somewhere close to home that is easy to regularly return to and build up a portfolio of images over a period of time.

I live in West Yorkshire, so I first considered the nearby cities of Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, but I quickly discounted these and started to think about Manchester which I can reach by train within an hour. Why Manchester? Well, I was brought up in Greater Manchester and both started and ended my working career in the city. I know and understand the city, its history and people well and following the city’s regeneration over the past twenty years or so it has developed into a significant tourist destination with almost 1.4 million international visitors in 2017.

I bought furnishings for our first home A panel of fifteen images cannot do justice to such a diverse city as Manchester and I decided to concentrate on an area located very close to the city centre now known as The Northern Quarter. It’s an area that I knew fairly well although apart from a brief visit a couple of years earlier I had not been there for many years. My recollections of the area stretched back to my childhood in the late 1950s when my mother, an accomplished dressmaker, tailor and milliner would take me shopping with her to Affleck & Browns department store on Oldham Street to buy fabrics, dressmaking patterns and other drapery items. Although that business closed long ago, the building is still there and now known as Affleck’s Palace and describes itself as “An Emporium Of Eclecticism, A Totem Of Indie Commerce In Manchester’s Northern Quarter”. Affleck’s Palace now houses a large number of independent businesses from which it’s possible to buy anything from a tattoo or piercing to bubble bath or vintage clothing to a Thai massage! (The rear of Affleck’s Palace is depicted in image no. 4 of my panel). I also recall that in 1971 my wife and I bought furnishings for our first home from a business on Newton Street and I have fond memories of the high quality service provided to us as a young couple starting out on our married life. A city within a city By the late 1980s the area had fallen into a state of decline with empty and dilapidated buildings and evidence of dereliction creeping in. The Northern Quarter did not exist as a specific entity until the mid 1990s when a group of interested parties came together to identify the boundaries, create the name and brand the area. Over the following years it has developed into a hub for the creative industries with fashion design, clothing wholesalers and shops, coffee houses, restaurants, music venues, clubs and commercial art galleries occupying the re-purposed 18th and 19th century buildings and street art decorating the buildings. Over the years that followed, The Northern Quarter evolved into a vibrant cultural centre with its combination of old and new. Located so close to the city centre its bars and restaurants attract both the working class and white collared workers to its old industrial streets and buildings many of which are now populated by creative and entrepreneurial businesses. I once saw The Northern Quarter described as “a city within a city” - this is a very apt description of this “edgy” area that has a constantly changing streetscape and offers visitors to Manchester a unique experience. Before I started shooting images, I wrote the first draft of my Statement of Intent Before I started shooting images, I wrote the first draft of my Statement of Intent and obtained a map to ensure all my images were within its boundaries. I also pulled several images from my hard drive that I made in 2013 that had I yet to process.

...

Three specific images were criticised I made my first trip to Manchester in April 2015 and after several more visits I had sufficient work to put together a draft panel and around a dozen spares so I booked a slot at an Advisory Day in Wakefield in June 2016. James Frost FRPS was the advisor on the day and his comments were very supportive of the panelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concept in relation to a Travel Associateship bit it was clear that I needed to do more work. By late spring 2017 I thought I had sufficient images for the panel and prepared for an assessment in Bath in September. I attended on the day and it quickly became clear that I would be unsuccessful.

ÂŠ Peter Barlett ARPS

Three specific images were criticised and there were too many images that looked as though they had been taken from across the street and of street corners, with insufficient engagement with the subjects. The view was expressed that technically the images and print quality was excellent and that with more work the panel could succeed. Attending the assessment had been useful as when the written feedback arrived two weeks later the reason for the disappointing outcome was confirmed although only one of the three criticised images was mentioned. It was suggested that more use of a wide-angle lens would help and I was invited to re-submit after taking on board the feedback.

I embarked on two or three more expeditions to Manchester I booked a resubmission for September 2018 giving me plenty of time to get it right. I quickly decided which images to discard â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the three criticised at the Assessment in September were the first to go along with three (possibly four) others. A review of my existing images produced one that would fit in, so I knew that I would need to find five or six more images (plus spares) to fill the gaps. I then embarked on two or three more expeditions to Manchester carrying only wide angle prime lenses in my bag and by late April I had more than enough images to start thinking about image selection and panelling.

ÂŠ Peter Barlett ARPS

The second Assessment Day in September seemed like a breeze compared with the first â&#x20AC;&#x201C; It was hard to believe from the comments that the core of the panel was the same as had been presented a year earlier. The one comment that sticks in my mind was when David Noton FRPS observed that if the prints were put in a box and not opened for 30 years the panel would show just how we live today.

Â© Peter Barlett ARPS

So what did I learn from the process? •

Researching the area in advance and writing the first draft of my Statement of Intent before shooting any images paid dividends and helped me keep the project on track

•

Choosing a location within easy travelling distance enabled to return regularly – A travel panel doesn’t need to be of a place on the other side of the world

•

Attending an Advisory Day is highly recommended as is discussing the advisors comments with him/her

•

It is well worth attending the Assessment – if you are successful, then great, but if not, whilst the written feedback is excellent, there is no substitute for actually hearing the assessors comments

•

Seek the opinions and advice of others on image selection and panelling, but remember it is your panel and make your own decisions on which images to include and which to discard

•

Don’t give up!

STATEMENT OF INTENT With a history rooted in the Industrial Revolution, Manchester’s Northern Quarter has a unique character. Yet, until the mid-1990s when it was defined and named, it did not exist as a distinct area. Now, it is a vibrant centre of alternative and bohemian culture, characterised by its street art, offbeat atmosphere and 19th century buildings, occupied by a wide range of independently owned businesses. In this collection, I have sought to capture the essence of this half square mile area adjacent to central Manchester as residents, workers and visitors pass through its narrow back streets.

...

NEW STYLE HIGH KEY text and photos by Frank Geraedts ARPS Classic High Key I really love the coast. Any coast. In any weather, at any time of the day and any place is fine. There is always something interesting to see, something interesting to photograph. In my work I meet many photographers. Often they are put off by the light or even by the location. Then it is time to help them to get out of the box and make sure they return home with some photos they are happy with. One of the techniques I use is New Style High Key. High Key originates in the film industry. In the past, film and screens had a low contrast. To show structure and detail in the dark tones, the image was made lighter. The step to photography is then

ÂŠ Frank Geraedts ARPS - An example of a classic high key landscape photo: dark shadows and bright highlights. Location: Hartland Quay, Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

quickly made. But what exactly is a high key picture? The technical purpose of a high key picture is to place the majority of the light tones on the right side of the histogram. The photographer deliberately lightens a photo. The result is that the shadows are lighter, without the highlights being completely white and without structure. The end result is a light photo, with structure in the details. The creative goal is to create a calm, pure, serene and atmospheric images. In the finishing process you often see that high key photos are converted to black and white. The technique is often used in model and portrait photography. I use high key to create artistic seascape photographs.

New style High Key New Style High Key was created by Beterelandschapsfoto (Betterlandscapephoto). Yvonne and I find the technique suitable for seascape photography. But also because we wanted to give it our own twist and have developed our style in it. The features of New Style High Key are as follows. In these photos, the light tones dominate. If you look at the histogram, it is mainly on the righthand side. But there are no blown out highlights. You want to preserve color and structure. The photos are not monochrome because we think that color photos work well in combination with low contrast. The colors are less saturated.

ÂŠ Frank Geraedts ARPS - Normandy coast, France. Taken around midday in June. The sun was high in the sky and there was some water vapor. The sun was almost directly behind me which for most would not be the ideal time of the day. But what to do when you are there for the first time in your life? You work with what nature gives you. D850, 170mm, f8 at 20 sec (4 exposures combined), exposure compensation + 1,3, ISO 64, Benro C4770TN tripod, Benro filters: circular polarizer, 2 stop hard grad, 10 stop ND

The photo, or better, the histogram, shows low contrast. If there are dark parts, even the dark parts contain details. New Style High Key has a sense of purity and has a natural look. It leans towards minimalism. The photos do not contain too many subjects (in my opinion they never should) and not too many details. Slow shutter speeds work well. Longer exposures help to achieve a clean, sometimes minimalistic photo.

Technique New Style High Key photos do not just come out of the camera. Of course you want to make a photo ‘in camera’ technically as good as possible and make it fit your creative thought as good as possible. In general you can assume the following settings:  Work with a smaller aperture, usually from f11. A larger depth of field fits this style.  Select a lower ISO value. The basic ISO of the camera is a good starting point.  Work with a tripod. A low ISO value in combination with a relatively small aperture leads to slow shutter speeds. You will make the most high key photos from a tripod.

© Frank Geraedts ARPS - Bristol Channel, from Bossington Hill, Devon, England. Taken around midday on a rainy day in August. We climbed the hill and were ready for some stunning views. There were none, partly because of the weather. I opted for a wide angle, long exposure image that contains only water and sky. Nikon D810, 27mm, f20 at 30 sec (6 exposures combined), exposure compensation + 3, ISO 64, Benro C4770TN tripod, Benro 6 stop ND Filter

 Apply exposure compensation. For this technique, exposure compensation can be as high as three stops. Do not be distracted by the number. Adjust the setting until you take a picture with histogram that touches the bottom right corner of the histogram. This is also called Expose To The Right (ETTR).

 Work with (graduated) gray filter(s). You can apply them to darken light areas in the photo. This leads to a dynamic range that can be more easily captured by the camera and is more suitable for the high key technique.  Work in low contrast weather, if possible. It will be easier to create New Style High Key photo’s.

© Frank Geraedts ARPS - Beach at Godrevy Lighthouse, Cornwall, England. Taken just after sunset in August. All the other photographers were working with the waves in front of the lighthouse. After the sun had set they immediately went away. Behind me, there was this rock emerging from the sea. I spent at least half an hour working with the waves and rock. D850, 66mm, f5.6 at 30 sec, exposure compensation + 2,3, ISO 400, Benro C4770TN tripod, Benro circular polarizer

This is an example of a histogram that belongs to a New Style High Key photo. As you can see the histogram is on the right hand side of the dynamic range. There are no blown out highlights. If you are in doubt if your photo is a high key photo, just check the histogram. It should look something like this.

Post processing Post processing is an essential part of photography. It is needed to make use of the full potential of New Style High Key. And if you ask me, it is needed for every photo. The steps below are a good indication of what is needed to access the full potential of the photos. But always remember; edit the photo to your own taste. The photo should represent what you want to show. That is the only rule in photography. Ok, back to the steps. The steps below can be executed in Lightroom. Preferably you have taken a photo that is suitable for editing into a New Style High Key photo, the histogram is on the right. Make sure that the photo has no blown out highlights. Possibly you need

ÂŠ Frank Geraedts ARPS - Swanage - England

to lighten the mid tones of the photo. Then lighten the photo. Usually that is possible before blown out highlights appear. If needed, bring back the whites or highlights. Depending on the histogram and overall look of the photo, take a look at the shadows. You may want to darken them a little bit. Then sharpen the photo. Frank and Yvonne run Beterelandschapsfoto (translation: Betterlandscapephoto). They offer one day workshops, multi day photo tours, private tuition and coaching in the field of landscape and macro photography. More information on www.beterelandschapsfoto.nl. Frank has been a RPS member since 2013 and ARPS since 2015.

ÂŠ Frank Geraedts ARPS - Zoutelande - The Netherlands

Â© Frank Geraedts ARPS - Ouddorp - The Netherlands

ÂŠ Frank Geraedts ARPS - Westkapelle - The Netherlands

Â© Frank Geraedts ARPS - West Cornwall - England

OPENING PHOTO EXHIBITION IN FORUM text by Jan Ros ARPS To perform the opening act On Saturday, 19th January Mr. Paalvast, member of the municipality of Zoetermeer, opened the photo exhibition of the Royal Photography Society - Benelux Chapter. The exhibition is part of the Forum's first anniversary festive celebration. Jadwiga Zuraniewska's photo was chosen by the Forum to perform the opening act. In the presence of about 10 members of the RPS Benelux Chapter, Jeroen Dorrestein emphasised it's international character and the diversity of the associated photographers. He thanked the municipality of Zoetermeer who had given the opportunity to exhibit in the Forum.

ÂŠ ZoetermeerActief - from left to right: Jeroen Dorrestein, Jadwiga Zuraniewska and Mr. Paalvast

Janet Haines, as always, has done a lot of work behind the scenes. In addition to organizing the exhibition, Janet also put all 30 framed photos into place. The exhibition was seen until 10th February. The exhibition will move on to other locations, Janet Haines will inform us by a newsletter.

RPS BENELUX CHAPTER GALLERY

Upload your photos Galleries are a great way to show and share your images. The RPS provides members with space in which to do this and we would encourage you all to upload some of your work. To assist you we have included a step by step document so we hope to see some new additions to our Chapter galleries up there soon. Follow the steps below: For ‘log in’ go to My RPS (1) If you do not know how to log in, then email alan@rps.org and give your name, membership number and ask for ‘log in’ details. Click on the My Portfolio tab (2) Select Add an Album (3) This will take you to a page (as in the picture below) with the following information: Album Title (4) – try to keep this concise. Album Description (4) – this is where you can add other information about the gallery. Album Privacy (5) – this section is important as this is where you can set it so that only other members can see your work, nobody can see it, or everyone can. Just above the ‘Add Images’ button, you should see some tabs which reflect the Chapter (6) you are part of – you can select one of the tick boxes so that it will show up on your Chapter page. Add Images (7) – make sure you press this. You will be asked to find the file on your computer and then can choose one or click and drag over several (although the website will resize your images, it is recommended that you don’t add images bigger than about 800 pixels high or wide). Then press Submit (8). A new screen will appear where you can re-name your images and write about them - adding an image title is strongly advised otherwise just the jpeg name will show. You can also allow the image to be shared on things like Twitter (un-tick this box if you don’t want this) or allow comments by other users under the image (great for constructive criticism!). If you want to delete an image, click the red circle with the minus sign inside to delete it. You can also re-order the images by clicking and dragging the whole image box and then dropping it when you are happy with the new order. Then press Submit again. This will take you to a new screen where you can see your gallery. Here you can ‘Add/Remove/ Reorder’ images . You can also choose to ‘View Slideshow’ which will bring your images up for 5 seconds each before automatically loading another one. Find your album You can search albums at the home page: Member Search.

CREATIVE IN CAMERA WEEKEND WORKSHOP WITH MARTIN ADDISON FRPS text by Janet Haines ARPS A two days event in Zierikzee Weekend of May 4 and 5 we will be holding a super ‘Creative in Camera’ workshop weekend with Martin Addison FRPS in Zierikzee, Netherlands. Martin is a very talented photographer and is also extremely good at sharing his knowledge with others. Days will run from 10.30 to 16.30h. The venue is in a cafe near the Zeelandbrug where the immediate surroundings are country and water, and the town of Zierikzee just 5 mins drive. There is free parking and attendees can order and pay for whatever food they want throughout both days. There is no train service to the island but there is a bus stop adjacent to the cafe. We are structuring the days so that we have 4 parts, with instruction/guidance on a specific

technique, a practical photo shooting time where Martin will accompany us and guide us as we shoot, then back to show us how to process the images in Lightroom and a little Photoshop where needed. Martin will provide handouts of notes to attendees. We are trying to build in a little time for attendees to show one image each and get feedback, but this might have to go if time runs out. Day 1

Day 2

Seeing Pictures

Multi exposure in and out of camera, including the Pep Ventosa technique

Camera Movement

Artistic focusing

Ticket price will be €40 for the weekend, but we will enable you to book for a single day if you prefer for €20. Information on how to book and pay for your place will come out to all members in mid March. Book quickly as we expect this to be a popular meeting. Saturday evening we will make a dinner reservation for any folks staying over so we all eat together. Martin and his wife will join us. We will also put together an information pack of places to stay and things for non Photographer partners to do in the area. Zierikzee is a lovely old town so some may choose for the partners to join them.

ÂŠ Martin Addison FRPS - confetti fields

DUTCH MASTERS & MARVELOUS MISFITS - WITH ARMANDO JONGEJAN FRPS source www.fotofestivalnaarden.nl and text by Armando Jongejan FRPS Brilliant outsiders The sixteenth edition of the Photo Festival Naarden (FotoFestival Naarden is a biennial exhibition) takes place from Saturday 25 May to Sunday 30 June 2019. The curators are photographer Koos Breukel and photo historian and author Hedy van Erp. Dutch Masters & Marvelous Misfits is made from the desire to include the outsider. The misfits shown here are bigger masters than what they are recognised for - they are brilliant outsiders. Locations and photographers In the fortified city, many previously unreleased photographic works in the Netherlands are presented at various historical locations, including some of Stephan Vanfleteren (portraits made during the Cannes Film Festival), Koos Breukel (Misfits), Robin de Puy and Ernst Coppejans (SOLD, recently awarded the Paul Peters Prize). Paul Kooiker and Helena van der Kraanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work can be seen in the Old City Hall (Oude Stadhuis), where there is also a tribute to Gerard Petrus Fieret and Eric Hamelink. Here, at the historic building of 1601, the design will be executed by Wim van Krimpen, former director of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, will take care of the design. There is also work to be seen in, among others, the Grote Kerk, the military underground Bastions, Bij Andreas and the Comenius Museum. These locations include work by Jitske Schols, Laura Cnossen, Dustin Thierry, Paul Blanca, Otto Snoek, Daya Cahen, Eddy van Wessel, Mark Nettenbreijers, Sandra Minten and Armando Jongejan FRPS. Inspiration first book It is very special for Armando to be invited along with the best of Dutch and Belgian photographers. Not least he got his inspiration for his first photo book Villagers of Egmond (Egmondse dorpsportretten) during a visit at the Photo Festival Naarden in 1991. His photographs can be seen in the Tuinzaal (Garden Room) of the Comenius Museum.

The participating photographers of the FotoFestival Naarden 2019

Practical information in English https://www.fotofestivalnaarden.nl/en/bezoekersinfo/praktisch/

Locations of FotoFestival Naarden 2019

Grote Kerk

Stadhuis

DeMess

Utrechtse Poort: inside and outdoor exhibition

Gele Loods

Bastion Oranje

Comeniusmuseum

Bastion Nieuwe Molen

Bij Andreas

10) Vestingwallen

ÂŠ Armando Jongejan FRPS - one of the photographers in the Comenius Museum (7) during the FotoFestival Naarden 2019

WHEN ICELAND AND FRANCE COME TOGETHER text and photos by Gareth Goldthorpe A Benelux Chapter member in France Gareth Goldthorpe is one of our RPS Benelux Chapter members who lives outside the Benelux. Our eJournal and other activities makes it possible to share our stories. Gareth Goldthorpe is a British photographer currently living in France. Professionally, he is a conservation biologist and his work takes him all over the world. Gareth in “La Fabrik” Meaux - France

“It was inevitable that, at some point, I would pick up a camera. Now that I have, I don’t intend to put it down again.”

Iceland high on my list of locations Back in June of last year, I travelled to Iceland as part of a photographic workshop organised by UK landscape photographer (and YouTube sensation), Thomas Heaton and his local photographic partner and tour operator, Thorarinn Jonsson (Thor Photography). June / July is a special time of year for Iceland as it remains in almost perpetual daylight for the weeks surrounding the summer solstice, which occurs around June 21st. Photographically, this means that sunrise and sunset effectively merge into one and we can enjoy extended periods of golden light and colourful skies. For me, as for many, Iceland had been high on my list of locations to visit for many years; not just as a photographer, but also as someone attracted to extreme landscapes. It certainly did not disappoint; despite the sun being almost constantly hidden by thick clouds, Iceland is an impressive country; offering landscapes that tell of a (geologically) violent past and colours and tones that transport us to fantastical realms. As a biodiversity conservationist, my work has taken me to some incredible places in the world; Iceland stands out from them all in its alien beauty. When that electronic data is transformed into ink on paper Cleverly, the workshop had been designed to be as mobile and flexible as possible and so we were able to stay ahead of the worst weather whilst still visiting incredible sights. In this way, we were taken to some of the more well-known and iconic sites, such as the cliffs of Lóndrangar and the Vik sea-stacks, but also lesser-known spots such as Djúpalónssandur black-sand beach and the longextinct craters of Hnausapollur, in the highlands. All-in-all, it was an excellent trip and Iceland remains high on my list of country’s to (re-)visit. Ultimately, though, it’s all memories and digital data. The end of any journey comes, for me, when the images taken become translated into physical objects; when that electronic data is transformed into ink on paper.

Exhibition in a local restaurant The exhibition is in my current home-town of Meaux, in France (about 50km north-east of Paris). It’s on the walls of a local bar/restaurant called “La Fabrik” (a mis-spelling of the French word for Factory) and will be up for at least 2 months. They display some of my images from the trip (as well as a few taken more recently on the north coast of France), I was delighted to have an excuse to print some of my favourite Icelandic shots.

Although I have had a camera (or at least access to one) for as long as I can remember, it is only in the past few years that I have really begun to take photography seriously. As such, this is the first time I have had my photos on public display (outside of social media) and there is a definite satisfaction, beyond that simple, tactile fulfilment of printing images, in seeing my photos on the bare red-brick walls of a place frequented by strangers. Of course, if exhibiting my photographs leads to any print sales, that would be excellent, but just having them as part of the furnishings, for a time, is an end in itself.

ÂŠ Gareth Goldthorpe - Hnausapollur craters - Iceland

ÂŠ Gareth Goldthorpe - Vik sea-stacks - Iceland