RPS Landscape Group Newsletter, October 2022

Submissions

The copy date for submissions to the next newsletter (November) is Friday 28 October 2022. Please note that it may be necessary to hold some submissions for a future newsletter.

If you have an idea for an article, please send a brief synopsis (up to 50 words) of the purpose and content of the piece.

Please submit your images as jpeg attachments, sized to 1200 pixels along the longest edge and borderless. Do not embed images in an email.

Please send all submissions to: landscapenews@rps.org

Moored by Steven Balwin

RPS Landscape SIG Committee

Richard Ellis ARPS (Chair)

Mark Reeves ARPS (Vice Chair)

Mark Edwards (Treasurer)

Andy McLaughlin (Secretary)

Chris McIntosh (Pro Events Manager)

Dave Glenn (Member Led Events Manager)

Sue Wright (Web Editor)

Peter Fortune (Newsletter Editor)

Robert Brittle ARPS (Magazine Editor)

Fiona McCowan FRPS (Member without Portfolio)

Colin Balfour (Member without Portfolio)

Chair

Themed

Articles by Members

Committee

EDITORIAL

By Peter Fortune, Newsletter Editor

The nights are getting longer and the daytime temperatures cooler. These changes together with the rich autumnal colours offer a new range of opportunities to the landscape photographer. Because of the lower light levels those with cameras offering stabilisation either in the lens or in the camera body (or both) allow camera shake-fee images at speeds, ISO levels and apertures that would have generated useless images only 15 or so years ago. Such is progress! If only we could have clothes that kept us warm while we are taking pictures in the cooler and darker months.

Photography can be a very frustrating hobby especially Landscape Photography. I used to think that Landscape Photography was good because landscapes did not move. While this was to some extent true, it was naive in the extreme, and that was before intentional camera movement began to be used as a creative force in landscape photography. Today we are able to exercise creativity in ways the Great Photographers could only have dreamed of, which tells us how amazing the photographers of yore were. The great Ansel Adams was supposed to have said that if a photographer made 20 great images a year that was as much as they could expect. However he was using a large, heavy plate camera and a very weighty tripod, not to mention limited and fixed ISO and shutter speeds as well as a fixed focal length lens. Compared to the tools available today it is perhaps surprising (and an illustration of his greatness) that he felt able to make as many as 20 good images a year!

Thinking about the current day it is amazing how many editorial packages there are for removing blemishes from images, correcting the white and colour balance, improving the impact the image makes and so much more. It is hard to know which packages to choose. Many who like me started with the young Adobe Photoshop in the 1990’s, have stuck with it even through to today, I started using Adobe Lightroom as a cataloging software to manage my rather large sized catalog I had developed, and gradually began to use the image development tools. Then I realised one could drop an image from the Lightroom Library into Photoshop and take the edited image back into Lightroom, and I may have settled for that if I had not gone to the Photo Show in 2017. There I saw a demonstration of a software tool called Luminar which seemed to do every thing that Photoshop did but more simply. I have been following Luminar since and it now has a catalog capability and recently an AI capability. And that’s as far as I have got! I use Lightroom for Cataloging and some editing as well as Photoshop for supplementary editing. In addition I use Luminar for odds and ends when it is easier than either of the Adobe products. I occasionally look at other suites but rarely find any advantage in the software.

I suspect many photographers have a similar experience although not necessarily with the same software packages. Those of you that have spent the summer capturing lots of images, I wish you a good Autumn/Winter editing your pictures.

In this edition we have 3 interesting articles from photographers who really think outside the box - take a look , you will see what I mean. Also we have a profile of the new Landscape Group Treasurer Mark Edwards. Naturally all the regular features will also be there.

Peter Fortune Editor

Fortune

All

Chair Chat

Richard Ellis ARPS, Chair

The editor sent me a reminder that he needed my chair chat and a day later he sent a storm confining me to the hotel so I am writing this watching the rain lash against Hartland Quay and hoping for a break in the weather.

For the last couple of months the group’s agenda has been overshadowed by the failed implementation of CRM in RPS HQ. We have received a number of emails about it so I thought it was worthwhile to try and answer some of the issues in the Q and A below

What is the CRM system and why is it a problem?

RPS HQ needed to change computer systems for their customer relationship management software (CRM) and so put together a project to implement a new system. As a result of delays in the project plan the testing phase of the project was not implemented and the experts told HQ it would be fine and to implement the system anyway. It has not been fine and consequently most of the base systems that HQ provide to the groups have not worked correctly.

What has been the impact on the Landscape group?

The most visible impact is that we cannot reliably offer events to be booked through the RPS website portal.

What have you done about this?

Although the issues have been out side the groups control we have proactively implemented a number of solutions. We have implemented a system so talks can be booked via EventBrite and used the telephone booking system at HQ for residential courses and workshops. This is far from ideal as it means we have two systems working together and so increases the opportunity for errors.

The website has also been much less stable so we have implemented PollUnit for the monthly competition. This has reduced committee workload to allow people to focus their time elsewhere to fixing other issues with the website. As the website is not stable we find that links which previously were working suddenly stop and so we have to go in and recreate them.

I am a regular member and am having difficulties with the website - what should I do?

Please take a screenshot of the pages where you had your problem and send it to us at landscape@rps.org together with a description of what you were trying to do and we will take a look at the problem and try and sort it out.

We do test all changes with the committee, friends and family but given the huge range of devices and configurations we cannot test everything exhaustively. It is worth noting that even Apple have software issues and they have far greater resources than are available to us.

Is there anything I should not do?

Please do not write to us with a vitriolic email dripping with sarcasm - it really does not help. It is important that we maintain perspective, we have not cut off your energy supply, invaded your country, devalued your currency or denied you access to a vaccine. The website not working properly is mildly irritating but that is all it is.

What are you doing with HQ to fix the issues?

We have met with the CEO Evan Dawson to try and get our issues resolved, I have also met with the treasurer to ensure trustees are aware of the issues and we have raised the problems through the MemCom.

Are there any other issues?

Yes, regrettably it is difficult to generate up to date membership lists so we cannot welcome new members to the group.

If you are a new member and have not received a welcome pack please email landscape@rps.org and we will send you one.

When will it be fixed?

That really is the big question and currently one that we cannot answer but given the scale of the problems personally I think it will be into 2023 before the system works reliably enough that we are willing to remove all the patches we have implemented. Please remember the committee are all volunteers with many other commitments and we are working hard to maintain a good level of service despite the challenges presented above.

I hope this answers most of your questions but if not please send me an email at landscape@rps.org. I would also like to thank the committee for all their hard workwe have been running to stand still for a couple of months but they have tackled it with their usual good humour, professionalism and team work.

Moving to matters photographic our conference planning is well underway and we are looking forward to seeing you in Harrogate in March. If you encounter any problems booking a ticket please email Dave Glenn landscapememberevents@rps.org and he will be pleased to help you.

With the leaves about to turn I hope we get some wonderful colours and look forward to seeing your autumn images for the new competition.

Best wishes Richard

RPS Landscape Group

Advancing the Art of Landscape Photography

Glen Etive-rainbow by Mike Lloyd ARPS

Quick Links to the RPS Landscape Group’s Website

The Landscape group website features photography submitted to the Landscape group’s monthly competitions. Member’s images are proudly displayed throughout the RPS Landscape Group website.

Click on the image links below to open pages on the RPS Landscape Group’s homepage or go straight to the homepage from here, www.rps.org/groups/ landscape/.

You will find information on how to take part in the Landscape group’s Events, Circles, Competitions, Projects, read informative articles written by Landscape Members and more!

Landscape Group’s Themed Competitions Autunm

Submission period- 23 September - 23 December 22 12:00 pm Voting period - 24 December 22 09:00 am - 30/12/2022 12:00 pm

Open for submissions

The autumn is a colourful time to enjoy the great outdoors with the camera and so we have chosen the broad subject title AUTUMN.

Landscape Group members may enter up to three images at anytime during the competition time period as you never know exactly when we will see the peak of Autumn colours.

Before submitting, please resize your image to no more than 2000px wide.

Members will be able to add their own images to this competition by clicking on ‘Add Photo’

located on the Autunm theme competition webpage. After loading the image you will be able to add the image title and your name, don’t forget to include your RPS distinction.

The winners announcement will be made on the 1st January 2023. The 1st place prize is a choice of one of the fotovue photography books.

Find out more and view images already submitted on the landscape group website

Photo by Johannes Plenio

My Love Letter to New York

By Honey J Walker ARPS

Skyscrapers & Hotdogs

New York, New York, what a wonderful town! A city I used to know very well having visited annually, for either work or pleasure since my early teens. Then Covid hit and an interlude of over four years before I visited this chaotic, frenetic and exciting city again was inevitable. As with most large cities, New York is made up of a series of boroughs and as you walk from one to another, the atmosphere, architecture and local inhabitants change. Sometimes subtly, more often it is like a slap in the face.

One minute China Town, the next Little Italy and only a street between the two. The neon signs and bright lights of Times Square, the brownstones and river views of Brooklyn, skyscrapers jostling with hotdog stands. The homeless on street corners, the fashionistas on Spring Street, acres of glass soar into the sky jutting either side of the nodding daisies and wafting grasses of the Highline. I have always found NY to be a city of contradictions, dirty and dilapidated, always noisy with the wail of sirens and the honking of horns and the traffic always gridlocked. Yet always reinventing itself too, with refashioned quarters and new and innovative architecture which very quickly becomes part of the fabric.

On this trip I ended up staying in three completely different areas, the Lower East Side, Times Square and Brooklyn, I divided my time, almost equally. As such I gained a unique perspective of the different energies that I encountered, from one borough to another as they were all part of the same trip and so the differences were more marked. In many ways each time I moved it felt like a different city, the only continuous links being the infamous yellow taxis and the graffeti.

Glass Boxes

Pink Affair

Fizzy Pop Summer In The City

When I looked back on the images I created in each area, I felt that what I was looking at was a pictorial love letter. The energy and exuberance of the city shines through with hope and affection. The colour pallets and images I create always seem to find me. I rarely set out with a specific image in mind to be captured. I like to wander, absorb the energy of a place and listen to what it is saying to me. So perhaps it is a not so much a love letter as a conversation between two very good friends, filled with affection and the excitement of meeting up after a long separation.

Either way I feel the images have a hopeful, uplifting quality that speaks to me of the essence of NY. I work creating multiple exposure images, primarily in camera, using a Canon R5. Creating these layers is similar to exploring the multi-faceted essence of a place. Nowhere and no one is one dimensional, everything in life is made of layers and this way of making images helps me to reveal the subtleties and complexities of a place and of my response to it.

From images taken in Times Square of the skyscrapers and neon lights to the image taken at the Oculus at Ground Zero, I feel the strong link across all the photographs is the affection and excitement I have for this city.

I hope that this conversation with my love letter to New York is obvious and heartfelt.

Ghosts

Imagined Landscapes

By John Foster

I am tired of landscape photography!

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a well photographed and atmospheric image of our beautiful planet but I grow tired of the cliches - the endless recurrence of Durdle Door, Assynt, Luskentyre beach or Lofoten, trotted out at every camera club competition

I also feel that mainstream landscapes are bound by pretty restrictive rules of compositionthe Joe Cornish boulder has a lot to answer for. How often I have cursed that my boulder is not in the right place, that the main elements are not quite aligned or that the light on the background would be so much better if I had arrived two hours earlier?

I’m also aware that it’s pretty difficult to come up with anything new these days, either in terms of subject matter or treatment.

I do admire those who have the skills, the imagination, the dedication and drive to produce traditional landscape images of great note but it’s no longer for me.

On a practical front I lack the discipline to plan ahead and the energy to get up at 4am, drive for hours and sit in an icy puddle waiting for the light. Now in my 70s, climbing Scafell Pike at first light with a tripod is a pleasurable but distant memory. Also, I live in London, far away from hills, beaches and lochs. You have to be there to get the shot, and far too often, I am not.

To address all the above issues, for the past year I have been working on a series of Landscapes that exist mainly in my head, using my large back catalogue of outdoor shots.

DOWN

RAIN COMING LOTHERSDALE

THE BIG LAWN

Called Imagined Landscapes, this uses a technique akin to painting where I construct a composite image, starting with a photographic background and adding various elements. I can combine scenes from other photographs, add interesting skies, add textures and control the light or I can paint directly onto a layer to get the desired effect.

THE PROMISED LAND

For example, in The Promised Land (above), I used three disparate elements The bridge which I used as a framing device is from Cardiff, the background and sky are from North Yorkshire and the road, surprisingly, is in urban East London.The three donor photographs were disappointing in their own right but combining the three elements gives a balanced and interesting result.

ILKLEY MOOR

I spend a lot of time making home made texture screens formed by multi exposures, overlays and blend modes in Photoshop.This is a continuation of a process I started in the darkroom in the 1970’s, using acetate, bits of glass, textiles and sellotape. It’s a lot easier and quicker these days in the digital world. Often, using these screens I produce images which veer towards the abstract while still being recognisably landscapes. On Ilkley Moor is an example of this approach. Occasionally I will simply doctor a straight landscape shot to make a more balanced or satisfying composition by moving a couple of rocks or reversing a sky. On other occasions I may create a view from scratch which can result in something between a photograph and a drawn image. (See Heat and Dust, Lincolnshire)

YORKSHIRE WATER

I often have a longing to see a place again or to reconstruct a visual memory. Imagined Landscapes enables me to do this without leaving the house or travelling great distances. With these techniques I can create landscapes or cityscapes which, although outside the mainstream genre, have a measure of originality and which I find artistically satisfying ……and I don’t have to get up at some unearthly hour!

Technical note: All images were shot either using a Sony A7R2 with an ancient manual focus Pentax A 20mm lens or with my ever-present Sony RX100 M3 . Texture screens mainly made on iPad Pro with Photoshop Express

All Images © John Foster

BLUE CANAL 5AM

Trieste

By Gabrielle Dellanave

My wife and I have always wanted to visit Trieste, a city that has fascinated us for its glorious history and complicated past. Finally, in mid-June, shortly before returning to this side of the Atlantic we decided to give it a go. If at all possible it’s a good idea to avoid crowded coastal cities in July and August.

The weather was perfect with summer temperatures that made for light packing so we were able to be on the Adriatic Highway heading north east in no time. After about five hours on the road and a couple of pit stops we arrived at our destination. Parking was extremely convenient on Molo 4 providing easy access to the centre of town and safe parking for as long as needed.

We found our accommodations at a previously booked B&B (ViaNdante) and were pleased by the quality and elegance of the restored palace right in the centre of town. We left our bags, were given some tips by the host for restaurants and bars and set out to explore the Julian city

Trieste lies on a narrow strip of land between the Adriatic and the Slovenian coasts. It has an approximate area of 32 square miles. The port itself is one of the largest and most productive in the Mediterranean thanks to its depth and location, serving as a terminal for many countries in Europe. An interesting and relevant fact is that, in addition, to all of the other goods in and out of the port, 40% of Italy’s coffee enters through the port of Trieste.

The population estimate in 2022 is 230,000 but it feels like a much smaller city due to its walkability. The city is a technology and research hub housing the International Centre for Science and Technology and is aptly referred to as the Silicon Valley of Europe. In addition, Trieste is home to two Fortune Global Insurance Companies, Illy coffee and several mega shipbuilding companies.

City view from the Basilica Bel Tower

View of the Turist Port

Busiest terminal container in Souther Europe

Two aspects of the city immediately strike the tourist-visitor: the number of bars and cafes with outdoor tables and the number of people of every age and gender who smoke. Bars and cafes are busy from 7am to 7 or 8pm and then the city seems to quieten down relatively early for casual strolling. Throughout the day there is a lot of activity and delicious food everywhere. We enjoyed one bar in particular for small bites and panini called cicchetti at Al Barcollo where these snacks are served with fresh cod spread, ham, mortadella, salami and many other creative combinations on fresh bread. We dined there for lunch, happy hour or even at dinner if we were looking for something light. They offered cocktails and a variety of local wines all served by friendly waiters who were in no rush to free the table.

The cuisine of the city is influenced by the more than 500 years of Hapsburg rule so naturally the pastries are exquisite and inviting for breakfast. La Bomboniera was a perfect stop for coffee and pastries both for its Austrian ambiance and the quality of its selections. Dinner at Bistrot PiGreco was an experience because the Greek chef and owner is a one-man show who knows how to prepare fish with flair. Not to be missed is the famous Buffet experience at one of the many restaurants available.

We chose Da Pepi where we ate the most extraordinary pink ham, kraut, and potatoes with obligatory horseradish only available where the Hapsburgs once ruled. It was delicious and very inexpensive. All Sorgente was our last stop for fisha tiny restaurant where reservations are required. The most notable items there were the antipasti and the pasta dishes, everything fresh and well prepared. Note that dinner reservations are required in nearly all restaurants.

Canagre Grande Entrance

A scrumpyous shop window

Finally, in just four days, we were able to visit the Miramare Castle and gardens by local bus near the train station, the Castello and Cathedral of San Giusto built on a former Roman settlement located walking distance from our B&B (a lot of stairs) passing the Roman Amphitheater on our way back to the centre of town, the fishing town of Muggia by ferry from the port, the Canal Grande multiple times on foot (notice the bronze statue of James Joyce on the bridge along the canal), Piazza Unita’ d’Italia and a myriad of narrow streets with wonderful photo opportunities. Note that unfortunately the Alinari Image Museum is permanently closed which was a disappointment.

Our host suggested leaving the car on Molo 4 and using public transport or walking rather than the car due to traffic congestion both day and night, and he was right. We feel like we made better use of our time by walking and using public transport.

We certainly didn’t exhaust all of the places to visit and cannot wait to return especially for the famous Barcolana, the world’s largest sailing regatta, held annually on the second Sunday in October.

All images © Gabrielle Dellanave

The Domes of the Ortodox Church

Piazza Unità d’Italia

Miramare Castle

View of the Basilica main Nave

When did you first become interested in photography and how?

I learned at school about photography but D&P was a difficulty in the pre digital days. I came back to Photography in about 1997 when digital photography was becoming the norm. It became an occasional hobby taking people pictures but when Landscape Photography stirred my interest that became a key focus, I knew I had found what I wanted to photograph and have not taken any people pictures since.

What does photography mean to you?

A hobby - because it can be different from work and a chance to get out and about into open spaces. Having lived and worked in London for most of my career and now living in Dorset getting out and about in open spaces is what I enjoy about photography.

Another in the series of articles about our committee members and their photographic journeys.

In this edition we feature Mark Edwards Treasurer

Val dOrcia

How do you approach a shooting? Do you choose the location/ subject in advance, or do you drive somewhere and start taking pictures?

Depends I do plan trips but sometimes I just look out of the window. I have a number of very specific locations that I plan to photograph. I like to see what I can make of a new location. I tend to avoid cliche sites like Durdle Dore. I am also thinking of planning a photographic trip to Scotland.

What is your favourite camera?

I have recently purchased a Sony A7R4 and 12-24, 24-70, and 70-200 lenses.I have sold all my Canon gear which I had used for many years. I am not sentimental about photographic equipment so my favourite camera is my most recently purchased one.

What are you working on now?

I am working on local shots and have a few projects in mind - am looking at collections probably not books. Small landscapes, Scotland. and 5 miles from the house.

All Images © Mark Edwards

What do you most like to shoot?

Landscapes and the things you find in the landscape, natural or manmade. I tend to avoid the big set piece sites in Dorset like Durdle Door as these days I am drawn more to the smaller intimate landscapes.

Are you a member of a camera club?

I have recently joined my local club and plan to see how it goes. I am not very interested in competitions so we will see how it works.

Lake Distict

Iceland Fish Heads IV Tinted

RPS Landscape Group Monthly Competition Winners Announcement

Members submitted another stunning collection of images to the Landscape Group competition during September

September 2022

1st Place

Moored by Steven Baldwin LRPS

Moored at Heybridge Basin on the Blackwater Estuary, Telegraph is an ex-fishing vessel known as a Boston Smack. She is on the national historic ships register and has been undergoing renovations for several years now and celebrated her centenary in 2006.

This photograph was taken at low tide just after sunrise when the sun had risen high enough to illuminate the reeds which are characteristic of this part of the Essex Saltings. The sky was awash with colour on this particular morning which made for an attractive backdrop.

I have been visiting Heybridge Basin with my camera for years. Being there early morning, often alone, with just the sounds of the wading birds for company is good for the soul.

The image was processed LR Classic principally to lift shadow detail.

The image was processed LR Classic principally to lift shadow detail.

You can see more of Steve's work on social media:

Instagram: stevebaldwinphoto Vero: stevebaldwinphoto Twitter: @stevestevebald1 Website www.stevebaldwinphotography.co.uk

2nd Place

3rd Place

Westminster at Dusk by Godfray Guilbert

The Maze3 by Mohammed Arfan Asif FRPS

How To Enter

The Landscape Group monthly competition webpage can be found here

Landscape Group members may submit one jpg image per month. Before submitting, please resize your jpg image to no more than 2000px wide.

Members are able to add their own image on the by clicking on ‘Add Photo’.

After loading the image please add the title and your name, don’t forget to include your RPS distinction.

All submissions will be displayed on the Landscape Group’s Monthly Competition webpage. Winners and runners up will have their images displayed in RPS Landscape publications, RPS Landscape Facebook and the RPS website.

All Landscape Group members will be invited to vote and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed winners will be announced on the RPS Landscape Group website and Facebook on the 1st of the month.

Open for entries 1st to 23rd. Voting takes place 24th to 28th.

The Prize is the superbly written and illustrated book by Robert Harvey, Britain’s Best Landscapes and How to Photograph Them.

Landscape Group Events

Listed below are the events coming up that are not sold out, cancelled or postponed at the time of writing. To view the events listed below and all RPS Landscape events go to the RPS Members Portal login here

To view all Landscape events go to the RPS Members Portal, login here

To view all Landscape events go to the RPS Members Portal, login here

Other RPS News

Click on the images to find out more