THE RPS JOURNAL / OCTOBER 2018 / VOL 158 No 10
EARTHRISE AT 50 The images that changed our world view
Me, my tattoo and life after breast cancer
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JOURNAL OCTOBER 2018 / VOLUME 158 / NUMBER 10
CHRIS JACKSON / BREAST CANCER PHOTOGRAPHY / EARTHRISE
GAME OF THRONES
Life as a royal photographer
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OPENING SHOT The heat is on for recent graduates
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November’s Journal celebrates the recipients of the Royal Photographic Society’s annual awards. Discover the work of renowned and up-and-coming photographers, and find out who has been recognised from the worlds of science, curation, film, education and more
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INNOVATION AND EMERGING talent are celebrated each year in the annual International Photography Exhibition – a highlight of the Society calendar. In this issue of the Journal we celebrate the work of four exciting photographic artists who have excelled in the IPE 161 competition. Each is a graduate of university or college, including gold-award winner Catherine Hyland, who gained her master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in 2011. The role of education in the world of photography is significant – the Society recognises this and cultivates strong links with the sector. It can be challenging, though, to emerge from college or university with a qualification in photography and little idea of how your talent is ever going to be recognised. This was apparent a few weeks ago when I was invited to be part of a panel of industry professionals giving advice to recent graduates during a pitching session. In a room sticky with summer heat and a sense of anticipation, seven photographers each told us of their hopes for a portfolio of work they had produced during a six-month course with the New Photographers Guild in Glasgow. The session was the climax of a mentored photography programme preparing graduates for life after education. The mood was good humoured and the students were eager for feedback. How do you
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE RPS
Class of 2018: New Photographers Guild
transform an art school or college portfolio into hard cash, a photobook, a future? How do you retain your integrity and make a living? The work was impressive. Katy Hundertmark’s installation straddled the worlds of theatre and photography. Arthur Montgomery, a former worker in the engineering and construction industry, focused on the consumption of natural resources to sustain modern lifestyles. Sexual identity and representation were explored by Joel Dixon, who photographed his own naked body for a series that challenged our assumptions. The pitching session was almost three hours’ long – and one of the most rewarding evenings I have spent in a long while. I wish the Guild photographers – and those featured in IPE 161 – all the very best.
KATHLEEN MORGAN Editor
Or contact the editor with your views rpsjournal@thinkpublishing.co.uk
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THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Fenton House, 122 Wells Road Bath BA2 3AH, UK www.rps.org reception@rps.org +44 (0)1225 325733 Incorporated by Royal Charter Patron Her Majesty the Queen President Robert Albright HonFRPS Vice President Del Barrett ARPS Treasurer Derek Trendell ARPS Chief Operating Officer Mike Taylor Director of Education and Public Affairs Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS Published on behalf of The Royal Photographic Society by Think Red Tree Business Suites 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA thinkpublishing.co.uk EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Editor Kathleen Morgan rpsjournal@thinkpublishing.co.uk 0141 375 0509 Contributing editors Rachel Segal Hamilton, Gavin Stoker Design Matthew Ball, John Pender, Andrew Bell Sub-editors Sam Bartlett, Kirsty Fortune News writer Sean Guthrie Advertising sales Olivia Donoghue olivia.donoghue @thinkpublishing.co.uk 0203 771 7260
Group account director John Innes © 2018 The Royal Photographic Society. All rights reserved. Every reasonable endeavour has been made to find and contact the copyright owners of the works included in this newspaper. However, if you believe a copyright work has been included without your permission, please contact the publishers. Views of contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Royal Photographic Society or those of the publishers. All material correct at time of going to press.
708 The collaboration focusing on women whose tattoos help them face the effects of breast cancer
Circulation 11,181 (Jan-Dec 2017) ABC ISSN: 1468-8670
Cover The Duchess of Cambridge by Chris Jackson
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724 Earthrise – five decades on
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716 The winners of IPE 161 tell the stories behind their submissions
KATE PETERS & GEM FLETCHER; CHRISTOPHER BETHELL; GETTY IMAGES
Editor-in-chief Clare Harris clare.harris@thinkpublishing.co.uk
CONTENTS
OCTOBER 2018
CONTRIBUTORS
EVERY MONTH
Rachel Segal Hamilton (PAGE 679)
A photography and visual arts writer, Segal Hamilton is contributing editor to the Journal. She has contributed to titles including Vice, The Telegraph, and the British Journal of Photography
676 | BIG PICTURE The Defender by BPOTY winner Pedro Jarque Krebs
692 | DISTINCTIONS Tessa Traeger FRPS and Terri Weifenbach FRPS
679 | IN FOCUS Society views, news and more
732 | BOOKS Titles reviewed include Magnum China and Niagara
690 | WHAT TO SEE THIS MONTH Our pick of the best displays of photography around the UK
744 | THE COLLECTION The eternal allure of the sea
730
The volunteer project focusing on homelessness
Del Barrett ARPS (PAGE 692)
Vice president of the Society, Barrett has been a member since 2009. Her photographic interests are thoroughly urban and she enjoys tramping the streets of London in search of inspiration and subjects
Gemma Padley
TERRI WEIFENBACH FRPS
(PAGE 708)
692 Meet two direct Fellows
Padley is an editor and journalist who specialises in photography. She has worked with a wide variety of clients including Getty Images, Magnum Photos, the BBC, Adobe, Photoworks and LensCulture
FEATURES
THE GUIDE
700 | BEST SHOTS The royal photographer Chris Jackson tells the inside story of watching the evolution of the monarchy in the 21st century
729 | OBJECT OF DESIRE Gavin Stoker gets a pleasant surprise as Nikon unveils its full-frame mirrorless system
708 | BODY OF WORK How a photography collaboration is helping women reclaim their bodies and embrace the future following breast cancer 716 | LIFE STORIES The winning images from the Society’s International Photography Exhibition 161 724 | A NEW DAWN Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS looks back on a giant leap in how we see our planet
730 | VOLUNTEER STORIES Mo Greig ARPS shares how a photography mentoring project has empowered people affected by homelessness 735 | TEST BED & GEAR SPY Tom Soper LRPS takes to the skies on his first foray into the world of drones 736 | EVENTS Our guide to gatherings and get-togethers over the next three months, organised by the Society’s regions and groups
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BIG PICTURE
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The Defender By Pedro Jarque Krebs These exceptional American flamingoes’ fiery plumage proved a great subject for Pedro Jarque Krebs, the newly crowned Bird Photographer of the Year 2018. The Peruvian’s image of Phoenicopterus ruber, captured on a Canon 5D, also took top spot in the creative imagery category. Krebs’ work features with the other winning and shortlisted photographs in a 256-page book. Bird Photographer of the Year 2019, with a judging panel headed by Chris Packham, is open for entries until 30 November. The top prize is £5,000. Bird Photographer of the Year: Collection 3 is published by William Collins, priced £25. Visit birdpoty.co.uk
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SOCIETY UNVEILS NEW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP
MAKE YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR THE RPS AWARDS 2019
OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST IMAGES ON SHOW
IN•FOCUS News, views, exhibitions and competitions
UPWARDLY MOBILE The staircase of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, by Peter Dazeley FRPS (pictured below)
‘Dyslexia is something to glory in’ PETER DAZELEY FRPS
Peter Dazeley FRPS says the condition is an asset in his work
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HAVING PLIED HIS trade for 55 years Peter Dazeley FRPS has created a canon of photography spanning advertising and fine art that few can match. It is the result of creative thinking and persistence rather than educational prowess – the London-born photographer’s sole qualification is his Fellowship. Ironically, the
LEVITATION PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
source of his poor academic performance, says Dazeley, became one of the pillars of his professional success. After years of ‘blundering’ through school in Holland Park he left for a job as an assistant photographer in a Fleet Street advertising agency aged 15. More than a decade on the penny dropped: he was dyslexic. ‘It’s a put-down to consider it a disability,’ he says.
Why not hit new heights with this Society workshop on Friday 26 October? For more details see page 739
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Art Wolfe HonFRPS
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and 60s dyslexic children were regarded as ‘dumb, stupid kids’, says Dazeley, dramatic progress has been made. His 17-year-old daughter, Tiger, diagnosed with dyslexia two years ago, is going to study at university next year. Whether a photographer is dyslexic or not, Dazeley believes perseverance is the foundation of accomplishment. ‘I used to say it’s not about being in the right place at the right time. It’s about being in the right place for a long time.’ World Dyslexia Awareness Day is on 4 October. London Uncovered by Peter Dazeley is published by White Lion
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The man with the golden blood by Greg White, from the 2014 competition
Prize to celebrate images of health ONE OF THE defining features of photography is that it is both a science and an art. Imagerecording technology lets us see beyond the eye, and the immediacy of a powerful shot sparks discussion more than facts and figures alone. A relaunched prize run by the Wellcome Trust is on the hunt for pictures that do exactly that. The awards span four categories: social perspectives, hidden
worlds, medicine in focus and outbreaks. Judges take a broad definition of the medium to encompass medical imaging and artistic media, as well as microscopy, close-up and conventional photography. Above all, they are looking for ‘entries that can captivate people with stories of science and medicine’. Entries should be submitted by 17 December. Visit wellcome.ac.uk
PETER DAZELEY FRPS; GREG WHITE / WELLCOME 2014
‘Dyslexia should be seen as something to glory in. Dyslexics are great at problem solving and looking at things in a different way. Creatively, that’s an asset.’ The British Dyslexia Association estimates about 15 per cent of the global population – including nine million people in the UK – have dyslexia. In recent years Dazeley, 70, has co-authored books including London Uncovered and Unseen London, which feature his images of hard-to-access locations in the capital, including 10 Downing Street and Henry VIII’s wine cellar in Whitehall Palace beneath the Ministry of Defence. He partly credits dyslexia for fostering the creative thinking that can open otherwise locked doors. ‘In some ways being a photographer is about winging it,’ he says. ‘Part of the work required for these books is the dyslexic way of thinking how I can blag my way in and, when I get turned down, reverse that and try to blag again.’ Whereas in the 1950s
LONDON UNCOVERED The Virgin Active Repton Park swimming pool; 10 Downing Street; Henry VIII wine cellar beneath the Ministry of Defence
IN FOCUS
PLAN AHEAD Fisheating Creek Backwaters by Paul Marcellini
INTERNATIONAL GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Winners will feature in a touring exhibition that starts at Kew. There are prizes of up to £7,500 and a gold medal from the Society for the winner of the Portfolio category. Enter by 31 October. igpoty.com
1
INTERNATIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Categories include images taken from above, and weddings with an epic location. The top prize includes £2,281.50 and a Nikon D850. Apply before 26 October. iwpoty.com
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REBECCA VASSIE AWARD For early-to-mid-career photographers in the UK, this bursary was set up to ‘fund new work documenting lesser-known peoples and communities’. In addition to a £2,000 grant the winner receives support to print and promote their work. The deadline is 19 October. rebeccavassietrust.org
ANNIE CAVANAGH. CC BY-NC; PAUL MARCELLINI
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PHILIP JONES GRIFFITH AWARD The winner of this documentary photography accolade, which closes on 20 October, will receive £10,000 towards completing a body of work ‘related to issues of social and political importance’. philipjonesgriffiths.org
4 Zebrafish embryo by Annie Cavanagh, Wellcome Image Awards winner 2014
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IN FOCUS
Society 365 competition winners Enjoy the most popular online entries from August’s heat theme
CHILLING ON THE LAKE
By Jo Monro SANTA MONICA SURFER
By Valerie Mather LRPS
This was taken in the early morning. I had set off in the dark in order to capture the sunrise over Santa Monica beach. I was photographing 682
the famous pier when I spotted the lone surfer walking along the beach. As I was some distance away I had to run flat out in order to capture his silhouette in front of the art deco building and still keep the
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lifeguard station in the shot. Timing was so tight that I only managed to take one image. I added a little vibrance in Lightroom and cropped some of the foreground. I used my Nikon D3300 with a Tamron 18-270mm lens.
This image was taken in Spain at sunset and I was amused to see some people had actually taken chairs to the salt lake to relax and enjoy the lighting, with the orange glow from the sun reflected in the shallow water surrounding them.
TIDE’S OUT (LEFT)
By Stephen Pearson ARPS I’d been told of the ‘boat graveyard’ at Lower Heswall on the Wirral. My wife and I visited one morning during the heatwave to walk our dog and appease my interest. I took images at various locations but this struck me because of the impact of the main boat on the marsh together with the wisp of cloud touching the mast of the smaller boat. I took the picture with my Nikon D7200 and Sigma 18-250mm set at 18mm with a polariser; f/16, 1/125, ISO400.
Jeff Vickers HonFRPS and Chris Jackson
ENTER NOW Inspired by these images? Then vote for your favourites and submit your photographs for the next monthly Society competition at rps-365.org
The atmosphere was magic and rich in colour, and their reflections added to the interest. I used no special lighting effects but the image was taken with a Panasonic GX8 camera and a 14-140mm lens. In post-processing I used Photoshop to slightly enhance the already vibrant colour.
By royal appointment Photographer thanks the Society for support An award-winning photographer whose work reveals an intimate side of British royalty has paid tribute to the Society for its support. Chris Jackson, royal photographer for Getty Images, publishes his first book, Modern Monarchy, this month. Jackson, who selects his favourite images in this issue of the Journal, offered ‘a profound thank you’ to the Society for its support. ‘It is an honour to be associated with an organisation with such history and pedigree,’ he said. Michael Pritchard FRPS, who has written the foreword for the book,
described Jackson’s work as being ‘distinguished by its relaxed intimacy’. He added: ‘His photographs are respectful, but continue to engage and present new perspectives on a muchphotographed family.’ Pritchard wrote: ‘Looking
STAY INFORMED Every year the Society publishes an annual report detailing our activities and finances over the past 12 months. You can find a digest of the latest report inside this issue of the Journal.
back over the past 170 years there is continuity that binds royalty with photography – through their own photography, to their engagement with those who photograph them, and with The Royal Photographic Society, which brings all three together.’ Jackson acknowledged the help of Jeff Vickers HonFRPS, ambassador for the Society and a Fenton Medal recipient, who inspired the book. ‘Jeff sparked the idea and offered up his deep wisdom and experience through the process,’ he said. See page 700 for Chris Jackson’s Best Shots
IN FOCUS
NEWS IN BRIEF
WOMEN IN PHOTOGRAPHY l The Society has launched a group to redress the gender imbalance among its membership. The Women in Photography Group, open to all members, holds an inaugural lecture on 3 October delivered by honorary chair Karen Knorr FRPS, above. Del Barrett ARPS, the Society’s vice president, said: ‘I’m overjoyed that in the Year of the Woman the RPS has established the special interest group with a spotlight on female photographers past, present and future.’ rps.org.wip LAST CALL FOR PAPERS l The National Trust for Scotland has invited papers for the first Morton Photography Symposium on 9 April 2019 at Broughton House and Garden, Kirkcudbright. The theme is ‘The camera, social networks and the inaccessible, from the 19th century to the present day’. Contact Ben Reiss at breiss@nts.org.uk. The deadline is 12 October MASTERS SHOWCASED BY THE MACALLAN l The Macallan has commissioned Magnum photographers including Honorary Fellows Steve McCurry and Mark Power to document the construction of its new distillery and visitor experience. The resulting Magnum Masters of Photography Edition is available as a set of prints, a photo book and a limited-release whisky. themacallan.com 684
Portrait of Strong Joe Smart by Joey Lawrence
Society award winner makes Taylor Wessing shortlist Recognition for Joan Wakelin Bursary recipient A Society bursary winner is among four photographers in the running for the National Portrait Gallery’s prestigious annual prize. The work of Alice Mann, recipient of the 2017 Joan Wakelin Bursary, features
young ‘drummies’ or majorettes in her native South Africa. Photographs by her fellow finalists – Max Barstow, Enda Bowe and Joey Lawrence – show London shoppers, a mother holding her baby on an east end estate and a child in a
remote Sierra Leonean village respectively. The portraits are on display from 18 October until 27 January 2019, along with a selection of the best entries to this year’s competition. Also on show is new work by Japanese photographer
MY PLACE By Paul Hart
The Fens
Northlands by Paul Hart
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What drew you to the Fens? My early years were spent in the east of England, so I’ve always been fairly familiar with the area. The use of the land in the Fens is what interests me the most. Human impact on this land has defined the landscape. Here the land hasn’t been
IN FOCUS
Cybil McAddy with daughter Lulu by Edna Bowe
Images from Stuart Bridewell’s project Elemental (right and below)
ONE TO WATCH
Rinko Kawauchi HonFRPS, as part of ‘In Focus’, a commission for an internationally renowned image maker that runs alongside the prize. Of the four shortlisted photographers, one overall winner will receive £15,000, with £3,000 and £2,000 for those in second and third place. The results of the prize, sponsored by Taylor Wessing, will be announced at an awards ceremony on 16 October.
Keisha Ncube, Cape Town, by Alice Mann
Visit npg.org.uk/photoprize
shaped by nature very much. By contrast, human involvement with this land is everywhere. How does this landscape appeal to you visually? It has an apparent visual simplicity but there’s usually much more going on than you notice at first glance. The geometry at play – with roads, dykes, fields and cables – and the huge expanse of sky give it an otherworldly feel. How has your relationship with the place evolved? The area is relatively unknown
to people who aren’t from there, or don’t need to visit. This, coupled with the fact it’s quite a difficult place visually – large expanses of nearly nothing except flatness – has helped to keep it hidden. This makes it equally challenging and intriguing. I’ve made two in a series of three books on the Fens, with the third ongoing.
Stuart Bridewell
A late start is no barrier to brilliance Six years ago Stuart Bridewell, 54, signed up to some evening courses that would set him on a new path. Working as a research engineer but a passionate photographer since the 1980s, he took classes in digital photography and portfolio building at Wiltshire College in Salisbury. Fast forward to 2018 and he has a first-class
degree in photography from Wiltshire College in partnership with Bournemouth University, and top prize in the BIPP Student Open Awards, as well as being a finalist in the AOP Student Awards for Elemental, a personal project on Iceland. Now intent on building a career in photography, Bridewell proves it is never too late to turn pro. Visit stuartbridewell.net
DRAINED and FARMED are published by Dewi Lewis. Paul Hart will sign copies of both at The Photographers’ Gallery Bookshop, London, on 11 October VOL 158 / OCTOBER 2018 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 685
IN FOCUS
Congratulations to these Society members ASSOCIATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND APPLICATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY 2018 Marion Sidebottom, Essex ASSOCIATE EXEMPTIONS AUGUST 2018 Siobhan BrennanRaymond, South Yorkshire Debra Jayne Burgess-Lim, London Alexandra Gelu Modoi, Chester Nicola Morley, London Peter Smith, Australia ASSOCIATE EXEMPTIONS SEPTEMBER 2018 Jodie Hogarth, Grimsby James O’Rourke, Middlesex Gareth Sell, London Tim Stewart, North Yorkshire Lilian Webb, Co Kildare ASSOCIATE NATURAL HISTORY SEPTEMBER 2018 John Boyd, Leeds David Brown, Newcastle upon Tyne Maggie Bullock, Cheshire Pamela Carter, Lincolnshire Julie Claydon, Dorset Richard Hadfield, Kent Marston Hart, East Sussex Stewart Haynes, Lincolnshire Simon Jenkins, Hertfordshire Sam Kaye, Hertfordshire David Keep, Chesterfield Ian Nicol, West Sussex Mark Perkins, Berkshire Alan Wilson, Tyne and Wear GRADUATE IMAGING SCIENTIST AND ARPS SEPTEMBER 2018 Rachel Cruickshank, Nottingham
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Nominate now for the RPS Awards 2019 Who do you think deserves recognition for their contribution to photography? IN 1878 THE astronomer, chemist and photographic pioneer Captain William de Wiveleslie Abney became the first person to receive an award from the Society. Later recipients of The Progress Medal would include Man Ray and Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Now, 150 years on, nominations are open for across 18 categories for the 2019 RPS International Awards. Michael Pritchard FRPS, director of education and public affairs, said: ‘The Society’s awards have continually evolved to reflect the breadth of
Cover image of the Journal awards special 2016 by David Stewart
photography and its wider impact. Today’s awards recognise the importance of publishing, curatorship and public benefit, alongside photographic science and art.’ While other prizes celebrate single images or
powerful projects, the RPS Awards are unique in their focus on the individuals who have made a contribution to the medium. They are also one of few contests to ask the public for nominations, which then go before a selection committee from the Society. ‘Consider what makes a nominee distinctive and separates them from their peers,’ Pritchard advises, adding: ‘We encourage nominations from under-represented groups, but ultimately everyone is considered on their merits.’ Visit rps.org/about/awards
ESSENTIALS
Pen display graphics tablet BRIAN BEANY FRPS The piece of equipment I consider absolutely essential for a photo artist – apart from computers, cameras and lighting – is the Wacom Cintig 24 HD Touch Display. I give my work creativity, composition and atmosphere using Photoshop tools such as the liquify filter, warp tool, clone tool and brushes. But using the Wacom is like sitting in front of my easel, painting
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New Dawn at Felixstowe Ferry
directly on to the screen with a brush, except with greater comfort of posture while at work. A retrospective exhibition of Brian Beany’s work is on show at Wingfield Barns, Suffolk, until 7 October. Visit rps.org/events
THIS PAGE: DAVID STEWART; BRIAN BEANY FRPS; FACING PAGE: SIMON FREDERICK
Distinctions successes
TOP SHOT
Roll call of talent ‘I would visit the National Portrait Gallery as a child with my mum and it astounded me that it was so white, this family album of national achievers,’ recalls Simon Frederick. The photographer’s portrait
series featuring exceptional black Britons has been acquired by the gallery, where it is on display until 27 January 2019. Although produced while making a 2016 BBC2 documentary, the idea for the project, Black is the New Black, was originally
photographic. In choosing his subjects he considered the acquisition criteria: ‘Portraits of men and women who have contributed, or are contributing to, British history and culture.’ A roll call of talent, sitters include singer Laura Mvula,
pictured above, and journalist Sir Trevor McDonald. ‘I decided to focus only on their eyes because that’s the way we see,’ Frederick explains. ‘I wanted to convey their emotions, their humanity.’ Visit npg.org.uk
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Advert
IN FOCUS
MEMBER OPINION
Colourful debate
A dog’s life
MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY / THOMAS FALL; JOEL MEYEROWITZ HonFRPS; TONY WU / WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Fellow’s canine archive celebrated AN EXHIBITION dedicated to the renowned dog photographer Thomas Fall FRPS has opened in London. Promoting the Pedigree through Photography: Thomas Fall will run at the Kennel Club Art Gallery until 29 March 2019 in partnership with the Mary Evans Picture Library. The exhibition charts the visual progression of British pedigree dogs through the Thomas Fall photographic archive – the largest of its kind in the world. Among the items on
display are trademark stamps and handwritten notes relating to books, photographs and antique cameras. The exhibition will include two personal photographic items (circa 1890) by Fall loaned by Her Majesty the Queen from the Royal Collection. The Kennel Art Gallery is open to all and free to visit by appointment. To arrange a visit contact the Kennel Club Art Gallery on 020 7518 1064 or email artgallery@ thekennelclub.org.uk
Images from Thomas Fall’s collection of dog imagery
INES LABUNSKI ROBERTS FRPS
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Tony Wu’s highly commended image The Look of Love
I CANNOT agree with Joel Meyerowitz HonFRPS’s statement: ‘The world is colour. Black and white is unnatural.’ (The Journal, August 2018.) Yes, our world presents itself in colour, but it can change and disappear, especially in nature. Is a snowy scene unnatural? A photograph in colour is unnatural. It is not what was seen – it only portrays a moment. And what is natural? Is it how we see something with our eyes or how the camera lens portrays it? I often wonder why war scenes, often shown in colour in films to convey reality, lack the impact of real scenes in black and white. For a documentary photographer colour may be the most suitable way to see and record reality, but it is of little concern in more creative work, which not only speaks of personal sensitivity but also evokes involvement and thoughts in the viewer.
Highly commended images for the 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, selected from more than 45,000 entries, have been released. The winners will be revealed on 16 October and an exhibition of shortlisted images opens at the Natural History Museum in London on 19 October. The 2019 contest opens on 22 October.
New York City, 1978, by Joel Meyerowitz HonFRPS
Visit nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy
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IN FOCUS
WHAT TO SEE THIS MONTH
BRIGHTON PHOTO BIENNIAL Various venues, Brighton UNTIL 28 OCTOBER
‘A New Europe’ is
1 the title of this
eighth edition of the month-long festival. Curated by Photoworks, it includes solo work by Harley Weir on Calais refugee camps and Tereza Červeňová on life postBrexit referendum, plus a cross-Channel group show and other events. bpb.org.uk
March, Holloway Road, London by Tereza Červeňová
ZANELE MUHOLI: FACES AND PHASES Charleston, Lewes
Feed Me (2013) by Rachel Maclean
UNTIL 6 JANUARY 2019
This black-and-
MODERN NATURE: BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE HYMAN COLLECTION Hepworth Wakefield UNTIL 22 APRIL 2019
Half of all people
2 in the world live
in cities. This show includes work by Martin Parr HonFRPS, Tony Ray-Jones and Anna Fox, and explores urbanisation’s effect on the UK since WW2. hepworthwakefield.org
SHOWING
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series earned a 2015 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize nomination for the South African ‘visual activist’. Ongoing, it portrays LGBTQ+ people, many of whom still face persecution. charleston.org.uk
IN YOUR FACE BY PAUL TREVOR Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol UNTIL 22 DECEMBER
These extreme
4 close-ups were
taken around two very different marketplaces – Brick Lane and the City – from the late 1970s to early 90s, unbeknown to their subjects. They offer a telling glimpse into recent history. martinparrfoundation.org
HOOKED The Science Gallery, London UNTIL 6 JANUARY 2019
What makes humans susceptible to
5 addiction? The views of experts in the field
from King’s College London are presented alongside photography, video and installations at this group show in the college’s exhibition space. london.sciencegallery.com
Chloe Dewe Mathews: In Search of Frankenstein Impressions Gallery, until 5 January 2019 // Photomonth Various venues, London, until 30 November // London Nights Museum of London, until 11 November // The Eye Festival Aberystwyth Arts Centre, 5-7 October // Helen Sear: Prospect Refuge Hazard 2 Hestercombe Gallery, until 28 October
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TEREZA ČERVEŇOVÁ; RACHEL MACLEAN; PAUL TREVOR; ZANELE MUHOLI; PETER MITCHELL; CHLOE DEWE MATHEWS
3 white portrait
Take your inspiration from these stories of recent successes
WHO DARES WINS
Photographic innovators Tessa Traeger and Terri Weifenbach, both direct Fellows of the Society, tell vice-president Del Barrett ARPS how they broke the mould 692
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Start your journey What are Society Distinctions? These are standards of achievement offered at three levels. For information visit rps.org/distinctions
Licentiate (LRPS) Applicants must show photographic competence in approach and techniques. There are no restrictions in subject matter at this level
Associate (ARPS) Evidence of a creative ability and personal style, plus complete control of the technical aspects of photography
Fellowship (FRPS) The highest Distinction is given for excellence and a distinguished ability in photography. It is open to Associates of the Society
Tessa Traeger
This artist and master of still-life photography has been leading the field for 60 years
FRPS LEFT
Pasta collage advertisement for a Dutch company, 1988 ABOVE
Jasper Conran advertisement for Harvey Nichols – print held in MMA in New York, 1992
TRAEGER IS ACCREDITED with elevating food photography into an art form. She produced the photographs for the Vogue food series for 16 years and worked regularly for American House and Garden magazine. Her books include A Gardener’s Labyrinth, for the National Portrait Gallery, with husband Patrick Kinmonth, A Visual Feast with Arabella Boxer, I Am Almost Always Hungry with Lora Zarubin, and Fern Verrow with Jane Scotter and Harry Astley. Most recently she published Wild is the Wind with poet Mark Haworth-Booth about her home in North Devon. She now devotes most of her energy to her own work,
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DISTINCTIONS
rather than commissions, while continuing to push the boundaries of photography. She became a direct Fellow of the Society earlier this year. When did you realise you wanted to be a photographer?
In the summer of 1951, when I was 13, I was walking with my family on the beach near Newhaven when the conversation turned to my future. I come from a family of many painters and my sister was at Guildford School of Art. She had many friends in the photography school there and said: ‘Why not be a photographer? You are so good at science and maths, but also good at art, which is an unusual combination.’ And so my future was decided there and then as far as they were concerned. I felt, too, that something was absolutely right about what she had said. I remember that moment vividly, staring
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down at a chalky rock pool with bright green seaweed in it. It was as if I took a photograph of that pool, which has remained with me ever since as the ‘decisive moment’. How did you follow your ambition?
At 16, I took a one-year foundation course in general studies then moved on to three years at the photography school, headed by Ifor Thomas – the most inspiring teacher I could have had. He had been at the Reimann School in London – before it was bombed – and he and a group of others re-formed to create the school in Guildford after the war. The Reimann School was a branch of the Bauhaus in Berlin and some of our teachers had come from the
RIGHT
Chemistry of Light No 20 – from the exhibition at Purdy Hicks Gallery 2013 BELOW
Beech Tree from the book and exhibition Wild is the Wind, 2017 BELOW RIGHT
Homage to Monet, 1989
‘We had to learn to show the world who we were through our work’
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Berlin school, such as Fred Lammer, who was Swiss. Since that day on the beach, I have taken photographs every day. Regardless of what cameras I have used, I have had lifelong training in learning to see the world around me. Following the tradition of the Bauhaus, we were taught that photography was a serious art form equal to any other, a diverse medium of expression of the same impulses, yet with its own significance, differing in the way that painting differs from sculpture. In the right hands, with craft and a trained eye, photography could stand proudly beside the more traditional forms of expression. We were told there was no need for fancy new ideas – each person was the new idea and we had to learn to show the world who we were through our work. This we did and came up with the most extremely artistic portfolios … which were of no
earthly use or application in the commercial world of photography we were soon to join. After I left art school, I was lucky. I became the assistant to John Hedgecoe (ex-Guildford student) on The Queen magazine and learnt the basic arts of fulfilling a magazine assignment. The job at The Queen lasted for a year and was the only fulltime job I have ever had. I had always known, growing up, that when I was 21 I would receive a small inheritance from my great-grandfather, who was a distinguished engineer and built the Cataract Dam in Egypt. In 1959 it was enough to buy me a set of cameras and a small blue Mini-Minor car. From that day on, I have been a freelance photographer. Photography is often seen as the poor relative in the arts. Is this perception changing?
Throughout my life as a freelance photographer I have nurtured the fine-art aspect of my work – by which I mean consciously making photographs as objects to hang on a wall – and had many exhibitions, starting with the
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Photographers’ Gallery in 1978. But it is only really over the last decade, since I have worked with Purdy Hicks Gallery, that I have been able to give that side of my work free rein. Their attitude is that they do not care which medium their artists are working in … only that the work is worth exhibiting. This is now the general attitude of most gallerists, as so many contemporary artists use some form or aspect of photography, video or film as part of their practice. And now it has been normal to have keepers of photography in contemporary art museums – latterly at Tate Modern – the idea of dismissing photography as an inferior art form, which has been a background noise to my career, is finally a thing of the past. Let’s face it, many of the most iconic images of the 20th century are either photographs or paintings that refer or specifically use photography, from Warhol to Kiefer and Richter and beyond. What are you working on now?
An extended series of images called Chemistry of Light. In 1971 I inherited a collection of 19th-century glass-plate negatives by a little-known photographer called Francis Smart. These large glass plates have in some cases degenerated and grown fungi of beautiful shapes and colours. I have used these decaying images as an historical clay from which to discover new photographs in which the passage of time and transitory techniques are strongly present. There is something at once poignant and optimistic about bringing these images back and to contrast the possibilities in the advent of digital photography with the materials and practices of the past. What advice would you give aspiring photographers?
To collect and study photographic books and inform their work with the achievements of our wonderful predecessors. In some ways, I feel that books provide the best way to look at photographs and 696
our medium’s history, which is so rich in magnificent editions.
Wedding Sheaf from the book Voices of the Vivarais, 2010
What does being a Fellow of the Society mean to you?
When I was a student I made a huge effort to become a member of the Society and photographed English cathedral interiors on my plate camera, then toiled in the darkroom to make beautiful prints. For some reason I never submitted these pictures. That is why, at this late stage in my career, it is particularly gratifying to be made a Fellow. It has always been a lurking ambition.
‘Many of the iconic images of the 20th century are photographs’
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If you could host a dinner party with five other photographers, who would you choose?
Berenice Abbott, Julia Margaret Cameron, Eve Arnold HonFRPS, Evelyn Hofer and Lee Miller. Has a single photograph or painting had a significant impact on your practice?
The paintings that have influenced me are many … but I have been inspired by Monet’s Bridge at Giverny and made a collage out of vegetables of it in homage, which is currently on show at Purdy Hicks Gallery in London. See more by Tessa Traeger FRPS at tessatraeger.com or @tessatraeger
Terri Weifenbach
CHAN CHAO
The work of this prolific maker of books is showcased in many international collections
FRPS
ABOVE RIGHT
From Cloud Physics (work in progress), 2014 BELOW
From Something Simpler (work in progress), 2017
AWARDED A GUGGENHEIM Fellowship in 2015, Terri Weifenbach is one of America’s most acclaimed female photographers. Bookmaking is at the core of her artistic practice and since her first title, In Your Dreams, was published in 1997 she has authored 17 more. In Your Dreams was included in The Photobook: A History Volume II by Martin Parr HonFRPS and Gerry Badger. As well as having had numerous international solo and group exhibitions, Weifenbach’s work has been widely published and can be found in a number of international collections. She is also renowned as a teacher. In addition to national and international
workshops, she has taught at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design and Georgetown University, and is a lecturer at American University. What prompted the transition from painter to photographer?
I can’t say I was ever a painter, as I was in college studying when I made the decision. I loved painting, the gesture of working on large canvases, the way it was a physical experience. Photography, before any art classes, had a
recording and illuminating purpose only for me, using the subject matter in the image as the purpose for the image. So painting allowed for translation of the world while photography did not. As I learned more about photographers such as Lee Friedlander and William Eggleston, I realised photography had this same capacity to translate. The magic of the idea that the world as a reality perceived can also convey internal perceptions
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ABOVE
From Notes, 2015 BELOW
From Woods II, 2010
caught me and has intrigued me ever since. In the UK in particular, photography still doesn’t enjoy the status of other art forms. Why?
Photography has historically portrayed the world as subject matter while the other media have in general translated it. Painters, performance artists etc tend to develop a unique personal vocabulary system.
This takes time, and careers tend to be long as a result. Photography can do the same thing, but because the medium can be used in so many different ways, the lines become blurred. There is a new tendency to make distinct projects that destroy a sense of continuity of thought over time, a lifetime and career. Or maybe it’s that the covers of a book seem to close the continuity … although in truth they do not, or at least don’t have to. Your latest work, Cloud Physics, is topical in the light of current climate behaviours. What was the inspiration behind it?
The natural world, its beauty and man’s interaction with it have always been my main interest – neighbourhoods, the inhabited and tamed Italian Alps, dried flowers, gardens etc. At a party, I found myself in discussion with a scientist who knew about a site in Oklahoma, 698
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deep in the heartland of the US, where clouds are studied. The site extends over many acres and they have been gathering data since the 1980s. I loved the idea of photographing their instruments, very much man’s interaction with nature, and this study of clouds that produces open data for any purpose is a particularly rich storehouse for those studying climate change. Although I believe strongly our planet is in trouble, what is the measure of what we love, and the measure of what we are losing? Where do we see it in everyday life? Where are the clues? What does being a Fellow of the Society mean for you?
It’s a wonderful surprise and an honour to be recognised by the oldest photographic society in existence. I hope to be very much a part of it as time goes on. Looking forward to the future as well.
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If you could go back in time and meet any photographer, who would it be and why?
TOP LEFT
From Notes, 2015 TOP RIGHT
From Notes, 2015 RIGHT
From Cloud Physics (work in progress), 2014
There are two and I can’t make up my mind … Saul Leiter, although that’s not too far back. He has a simple, inspiring way of thinking that belies a great intelligence. The other is Gustave Le Gray for all the impossibles he made possible in his work … He was at the forêt de Fontainebleau with the plein air painters and that fascinates me. Is there any one photograph or painting that has had a significant impact on your practice?
Yes, probably because it was in my house as a child – Thomas Hart Benton’s lithograph Shallow Creek. I would stare at it for hours, imagining everything in its lines and shadows. There is a tension between animation and reality I could not resolve. Later, I learned in art history about Kazimir Malevich and in photography about Lee Friedlander. This is when the light went on about photography being able to translate the real world. See more by Terri Weifenbach FRPS at terriweifenbach.com or @terriweifenbach
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THE FAMILY ALBUM Royal photographer Chris Jackson has seen the birth of a more modern monarchy from a unique perspective. He gives Alan Brodie an insight into his world
DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE ON THEIR WEDDING DAY, 2011 LEFT ‘Before the day I did a couple of recces to the position I was assigned – at the base of the Crimean War Memorial in front of Westminster Abbey. I wanted to capture their first
moment as a married couple coming out into the light. On the day, I was in a small group of photographers and TV cameras, and was quite lucky as they looked straight towards me. This image was whizzing its way around the world within minutes of me taking it.’
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HE ROYAL FAMILY HAS modernised over time, adapting to stay relevant in the days of social media, Instagram and Twitter,’ says Chris Jackson. ‘They understand the importance of image for communicating their message to the world at large.’ Jackson has seen the transition of the world’s most famous family at close range. During the past 14 years the photographer who heads up the royal coverage for Getty Images has established himself as one of the best in his field. His pictures, captured at everything from major state occasions VOL 158 / OCTOBER 2018 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 701
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ENGAGEMENT, NOVEMBER 27, 2017 PREVIOUS PAGE ‘It was a pretty drab, chilly Monday morning when Kensington Palace announced the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by Twitter and official statement. Suddenly things seemed to brighten up. After months of speculation following the Invictus Games
appearance, it seemed to catch everyone by surprise. ‘Poignantly, they held the engagement photo-call in Kensington Palace Gardens, somewhere that meant so much to Princess Diana. It was lovely to capture these first moments of a very happy couple in such a special place.’
to one-on-one shoots, emphasise the warmth and humanity of an institution evolving with the times. ‘While the backbone of what they do will always be made up of tradition and ceremony, the way they communicate their messages has changed,’ says Jackson, 38. ‘As new blood enters the royal family, young and passionate characters add a new and exciting dynamic.’ Jackson has travelled to around 100 countries as part of his work with Getty. He has won the Picture Editors’ Guild Royal Photographer of the Year Award three times (2010, 2015 and 2016) and was the Guild’s News Photographer of the Year in 2005. He also works with organisations that
have royal patrons, including Tusk Trust, an African conservation charity, and Sentebale, which supports young people affected by HIV in Lesotho and Botswana. Yet while Jackson was a student at Cardiff University in the early 2000s, the prospect of becoming a professional photographer seemed remote. ‘I was quite artistic as a child but I’d done science A levels followed by a degree in physiology,’ he says. ‘The best thing about going to Cardiff was that we had a great student newspaper and I started taking photos for it. I found this was something I really enjoyed doing.’ After university he did work
‘There’s nothing worse than missing a picture; it can be incredibly frustrating’
THE QUEEN AT THE TOWER OF LONDON, 2014 LEFT
‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red was an art installation that commemorated 100 years since the start of World War I.
As the pool photographer for a visit by the Queen, I found it poignant to document. There are usually people around her, but this time she was on her own as she walked among more than 800,000
ceramic poppies, each representing a British or colonial fatality. I was able to take a low perspective, which was a good angle to capture her expression as she moved among them.’
THE QUEEN AND DUKE OF EDINBURGH WITH BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA, 2011 ABOVE
‘This was taken in the music room at Buckingham Palace during
President Obama’s state visit, just before a banquet. It was a lovely moment as the Duke of Edinburgh was just cracking a joke with Michelle Obama. From a photographic point of view it was also
a high-pressure situation, as you literally only get seconds to capture these pictures; the doors open, they pose very briefly, then they’re gone. For me, it was very exciting to be part of a state visit.’
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experience at picture agencies before being offered a job as an account executive at Getty Images. Seeing a wealth of great images coming in from around the world only strengthened his desire to be a photographer. He took out a graduate loan to buy all the gear he needed, then started shooting for the agency in his spare time. Jackson’s big break came when he was sent to cover David Blunkett’s resignation as home secretary in 2004. His photograph of Blunkett in tears won him a News Photographer of the Year award and ultimately helped him land his dream job as a staff photographer for Getty. Royal engagements quickly became his favourite part of the job. ‘I loved the idea of building up knowledge and relationships in one field of photography,’ he says. ‘I did a lot of work with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at the beginning of my career and I found it fascinating. I
gradually developed a specific role as a royal photographer.’ Jackson’s work covers a broad spectrum of royal photography. It involves shooting a range of regular and special events in the UK and royal trips overseas, plus occasions such as state visits, and royal marriages and births. ‘The very success of a royal tour can hinge on the strength of the images coming from it,’ says Jackson. ‘Colourful and interesting pictures are picked up by the media and often communicate a more serious message reinforcing the theme of that trip and showcasing the royal family as ambassadors for the UK. ‘I’ve always not only captured the ceremonial side of life in the royal family, but also the humanity and fleeting moments that create a much stronger reaction in the viewer.’ The interest in the monarchy and the rising prominence of its younger generation bring challenges. ‘The royals are seriously busy these days,’ Jackson
‘The very success of a royal tour can hinge on the strength of the images coming from it’
PROFILE CHRISTOPHER JACKSON Royal photographer for Getty Images, Jackson, pictured with Prince Harry, is the author of Modern Monarchy
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THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE, PARIS, 2017 ABOVE ‘During the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s official two-day visit to Paris, I documented their visit to the Musée d’Orsay. It’s a former railway station and you can look out through the face of the station clock
over the Seine. I knew they would be in that position, but I didn’t think a silhouette would work – I thought it would be a bit too complicated. In the event, I managed to position them between the hands of the clock. The Duchess has just turned away from the Duke, giving that slight profile of her face.’
THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, 2009 LEFT
‘This was taken while the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall walked on the beach on North Seymour Island in the Galápagos Islands on the last day of their South American tour in 2009. It’s rare to see the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in such a pristine environment, so in this picture I was trying to capture an element of that stunningly beautiful landscape.’
THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE WITH PRINCE HARRY, 2017 BELOW ‘I took this at an event to promote the Heads Together campaign for mental-health awareness. As part of the event, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry did a 100-metre sprint. It’s always great to get a shot of them interacting and I managed to capture this moment where they all have good expressions. It’s another fun picture of the royals, with the race playing to their competitive natures.’
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says. ‘Attending one event means you miss another, so sometimes you’ve got to make difficult decisions. There’s nothing worse than missing a picture; it can be incredibly frustrating. You’ve also got to make sure you have time at home and a social life. It’s hard to strike a balance.’ He is about to publish his first book, Modern Monarchy, which features the best of his royal work. In the book’s foreword, Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS describes Jackson’s photographs as having ‘a relaxed intimacy’, which he says is exactly what he wants to achieve. ‘Royal events can be very formal and quite stiff, but I like to show some of the quieter, more unexpected moments around the pomp and ceremony,’ says Jackson. ‘The special thing about the royal story is that the whole world is interested in seeing pictures of them. It’s an honour to document this important part of royal history from such a privileged position.’ See more of Chris Jackson’s work at chrisjacksonphotographer.com THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AT WHIPSNADE WILD ANIMAL PARK, 2017 RIGHT ‘The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were opening a new elephant enclosure at Whipsnade Wild
PRINCE HARRY WITH AN ORPHAN BOY, LESOTHO, 2014 ABOVE ‘Prince Harry founded the charity Sentebale in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of the Bathoso royal 706
Animal Park, but I really didn’t expect to photograph the Queen actually interacting with an elephant. The picture makes people smile, and if I’ve generated some emotion in people I feel I’ve done my job.’
family to support the country’s HIV-positive and vulnerable children. This was taken on a 2014 visit to see the ongoing work at the Phelisanong Children Centre. Prince Harry feels
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relaxed there, and he has amazing relationships with all these people, especially the children. This is a prime example of the kind of relaxed, fun image you get with him.’
PRINCE GEORGE WITH BUBBLES, 2016 ABOVE ‘I always come away from photographing Prince George with a big smile on my face. This was shot during a children’s
party for military families, held at Government House in Victoria, Canada. The Duke of Cambridge was blowing the bubbles and I anticipated the picture before it
happened. I shot it on a 500mm lens, which pulls you in and gives a sense of intimacy. It’s one of my favourite pictures and sums up why I like photographing the royal children.’
PRINCE HARRY, NEPAL, 2016 LEFT ‘In 2016 I photographed Prince Harry on his first official tour of Nepal. He had been part of Team Rubicon, which had helped rebuild parts of the country devastated by an earthquake the previous year. We trekked up to the village of Leorani
for two hours. When we arrived he was given an amazing greeting and the honorary title of chief of the village. We stayed there overnight and this image was taken at sunrise the next morning. It was a poignant, thoughtful moment and a very special one for me to capture.’
RPS MEMBER OFFER Modern Monarchy by Christopher Jackson is published by Rizzoli priced at £35. Readers of the Journal can buy the book for £30 including P+P by calling 01235 465577 and quoting the code MM/RPS.
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Kerry, from the series Reclaim by Kate Peters and Gem Fletcher
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BODY OF WORK Collaboration is at the heart of a photography project in which women who have had breast cancer use tattoos to reassert their identities, discovers Gemma Padley
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F
LICK THROUGH THE quality weekend supplements and you are likely to find the work of photographer Kate Peters. The recipient of the 2013 Vic Odden Award has captured actors and dancers, musicians and athletes, playwrights and more for the likes of the FT Weekend, Guardian Weekend and The Telegraph Magazine. Her latest project is rather different – and, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, especially poignant. Reclaim, on which Peters collaborated with art director Gem Fletcher, is a series of quiet, thought-provoking portraits of breast cancer survivors who have used tattoos as a way to recover something of themselves, their bodies and their female identity. For these women, some of whom have had reconstructive surgery, the process of getting a mastectomy tattoo has been a way of overcoming trauma by turning it into something positive. The tattoos – often intricate, colourful and highly personal – become symbols of resilience. Peters and Fletcher, who are based in London, began the project in spring 2017 after they came across the phenomenon on Instagram. 710
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‘Gem and I often work on stories related to the body,’ says Peters. ‘I do a lot of work around women’s issues, empowering and changing perceptions of the body. I’d seen mastectomy tattoos on Instagram, which I thought were amazing, but what you tend to have is an image of a boob with a tattoo. ‘I wondered if anyone had made a photography project, but I couldn’t really find anything – it would just be a picture of a woman standing there with a tattoo. ‘I wanted to show the women behind [the tattoos] and to tell their stories in more detail. To say “this is me, this is my body, this has happened to me …”.’ Peters and Fletcher posted calls on social media for women who might like to be photographed and contacted tattoo parlours directly who would sound out their clients. Their research also led them to P.ink, short for Personal Ink, a platform founded in 2012 that links breast cancer survivors with tattooists. ‘Finding the women took ages,’ says Peters. ‘It was a real process. The reason why tattooed boobs are usually shown is because people want to protect their identity and it’s quite private, so to get people to [agree] to be photographed and to say to them “the work’s going to be published” was [not easy].’ Although this particular aspect of
PHOTOGRAPHY: KATE PETERS; ART DIRECTION: GEM FLETCHER
Sarah, Reclaim, above, and Diane, Reclaim, right
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PHOTOGRAPHY: KATE PETERS; ART DIRECTION: GEM FLETCHER
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JILL’S STORY
When someone says: ‘You have cancer’, the world rocks for a minute. But once that was absorbed, I feel like I got away quite lightly. My diagnosis was extremely fortuitous. I went to the doctor after noticing a change on one breast, which turned out to be nothing. During the mammogram they discovered that the other breast had a deep tumour, which I would have never been able to locate. I felt incredibly lucky that it had come to the surface.
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They did the op, and essentially it was all sorted. They later found an area of spread in my chest so I decided to have a full mastectomy. That was a fairly straightforward decision. I can’t pretend the whole thing was devastating – because it really wasn’t. It was painless, there was no chemo and it hadn’t spread elsewhere. The whole thing was very streamlined. I wasn’t interested in reconstruction so I thought I would have a tattoo. It was the perfect
pretext to get something I had always secretly wanted. My tattooist, recommended by my daughter, has a very good reputation. It was important to me to have a female tattoo artist. I had it in one sitting, and I got through a lot of Minstrels to try to take my mind off the pain. After my procedure I had been left with a blank space, so to have something decorative and quite lovely was definitely an improvement, and made me feel much more confident.
PHOTOGRAPHY: KATE PETERS; ART DIRECTION: GEM FLETCHER
‘SOMETHING DECORATIVE MADE ME FEEL MORE CONFIDENT’
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PHOTOGRAPHY: KATE PETERS; ART DIRECTION: GEM FLETCHER
Facing page: Jill, Reclaim. Above: Sarah, Reclaim
tattooing is becoming more widespread, few artists have done it, adds Peters. ‘Working on scar tissue is different to working on skin and not everyone wants to take it on or is that experienced in doing it,’ she says. ‘Each case is unique.’ It is unusual for it to be discussed, or offered as part of the treatment or recovery process when, says Peters, ‘the women we met thought it should be an option’. Peters and Fletcher photographed eight women from across the UK and Ireland in Peters’ east London home, the front room of which became a convenient temporary studio. Fletcher
‘They spoke about reclaiming their bodies from cancer – it doesn’t own them any more’ interviewed each woman about her experience and wrote captions to go alongside the images, which form an integral part of the project’s narrative. ‘The women’s stories are incredible,’ says Peters. ‘Kerry’s partner, for example, had left her and she was doing this to say “eff you” and to get her confidence back. We wanted to include
the stories because they give real context and [a sense of] what these women have been through, rather than “here’s a beautiful picture”. The stories and the images work together.’ ‘All of the women said having the tattoos had transformed how they felt about their bodies,’ Peters adds. ‘We called the project Reclaim because they spoke about reclaiming their bodies from cancer – it doesn’t own them any more.’ Standing in front of a camera is not easy at the best of times, let alone when you’ve been through what these women have, so it was especially important to create a comfortable and relaxed VOL 158 / OCTOBER 2018 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 713
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Elaine, Reclaim
Kate Peters, left, and Gem Fletcher
How I made the portraits By Kate Peters I used a Hasselblad camera and lit the images with an HMI (hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide) light rather than using flash. Lighting is of course always a consideration, but in this case there was a particular reason for using an HMI. None of the women had had experience of being photographed professionally and I thought that if the flash was going off all the time it might be [off-putting]. I used reflectors to bounce the light off the ceiling. Using continuous lighting and shooting on film in my front room made for a very relaxed environment. It’s great [working with Fletcher] because we share similar interests in terms of what we like to shoot. We tend to be on the same page when trying out ideas – it’s very natural.
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environment, Peters explains. This involved establishing a sense of trust between sitter and photographer. Shooting on film, Peters’ preferred medium, was particularly appropriate on this occasion, she says. ‘It felt like it would be a more sensitive way of approaching [the project] because you weren’t looking at a screen and people could hopefully be less selfconscious. We looked at Polaroids throughout, but it wasn’t the same as constantly scrolling through images.’ Peters and Fletcher worked with each sitter to ensure they found poses the women were happy with. Generally, the women who had had a double mastectomy were more comfortable being ‘on show’, says Peters, whereas those who had had one breast removed were often more wary of showing their remaining breast, meaning ‘we had to look at and work with different poses’. They asked their subjects to sit at a table to begin with so ‘they were kind of covered’, says Peters. ‘We wanted the women to feel comfortable and most people’s [body] anxiety is around their stomach area. Some people wanted to stay seated but others were happy to do different things. It was mostly a case of seeing what they were prepared to do and then working with them.’ For Peters, making the photographs was humbling. ‘Before Gem and I started the project, we might have known people who’d had experience of
breast cancer, but neither of us had been directly affected,’ she says. ‘Hearing the women talk about their experiences was much more powerful than either of us had anticipated. Their strength and resilience were incredible.’ Although the project is in one sense complete, Peters and Fletcher are hoping to find women of different ethnicity to photograph to make the work more representative and inclusive. ‘All of the women we photographed are white,’ says Peters. ‘We’ve been struggling to find anyone who is Asian or black. In the States, there are some black women who have had mastectomy tattoos, but in the UK we haven’t found a single person.’ She hopes, in any case, that the project will help raise awareness of how tattooing can be transformative with regard to self-image for women who have fought and come through breast cancer. ‘All of the women said they were [being photographed] because they wanted to inspire other women,’ says Peters. ‘The tattoos had changed their lives and they wanted people to see this could be an option. Ultimately, the work is about inspiring positive change. If just one person sees the images and gets a tattoo which revolutionises their life that’s a brilliant thing.’ Visit katepeters.co.uk, gemfletcher. com and breastcancercare.org.uk/ breast-cancer-awareness
PHOTOGRAPHY: KATE PETERS; ART DIRECTION: GEM FLETCHER
‘Working on scar tissue is different to working on skin and not everyone wants to take it on’
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PHOTOGRAPHY: KATE PETERS; ART DIRECTION: GEM FLETCHER
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The Gardener FACING PAGE
Maddens Wind Farm
LIFE STORIES
Meet the winners in the Society’s International Photography Exhibition 161 WINNER
GOLD AWARD
CATHERINE HYLAND Catherine Hyland’s series entitled Wait-and-See Pudding with Patience Sauce documents inhabitants of the Caribbean island of Nevis, a small place with grand ambitions. Hyland’s portraits appear simple at first glance. One shows a man standing in front of a timber house holding a petrol-powered strimmer. He is wearing grey work clothes, a rough-cut plastic apron, shin guards and work boots. This is a man who labours. Such subjects are not portrayed in isolation; rather Hyland sets them in the context
of the land on which they live. The world she captures is one of semi-rural settlements that date back to the slave villages that dotted Nevis. But there is modernity too. While the picture of the outdoor worker references the use of carbon fuels, others point to the geothermal energy beneath the soil. While Nevis is rich in history – sugar plantations, piracy, Lord Horatio Nelson – as well as hurricanes and earthquakes, it is aiming to go from the back of the queue to the very front. Its goal is to become the world’s first carbon-neutral island, entirely powered by its own resources. The key to Nevis’s energy targets is the exploitation of its geothermal reserves, but the engineering work is proving difficult.
Instead of the rhetoric of economic growth and development, Hyland gives us real people living real lives on a real island. Nevis is not the greenest island on earth. It is not a paradise. It is simply human and all the more beautiful because of it. Biography Catherine Hyland is a photographer who lives and works in London. Her work is primarily landscape based, rooted in notions of fabricated memory, grids, enclosures and national identity. She graduated from Chelsea College of Art with a first-class BA (Hons) in fine art and completed her master’s degree at the Royal College of Art in 2011. catherinehyland.co.uk
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IPE 161
UNDER-30s WINNER
GOLD AWARD
BELOW
Motel FACING PAGE, TOP
Coney Island
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CHRISTOPHER BETHELL
‘I am a dual national – a citizen of both the United Kingdom and the United States of America,’ explains Christopher Bethell. ‘For most of my life I believed an elaborate fiction about my family’s history on the other side of the Atlantic.’ Determined to unravel the mythology, Bethell travelled to America for the first time in 2015, following in his grandfather’s path from east to west, and taking images for what would become his series The Duke of Earl.
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‘What resulted from this is a multi-layered project that at first glance functions as a document of contemporary, pre-Trump America,’ he says. ‘Secondly, it is an exploration of the myths, clichés and values I believed about the States throughout my life. ‘Finally, and perhaps most crucially, it functions as a metaphorical retelling of my grandfather’s actual life through photographs of the strangers and landscapes I encountered.’
Biography Christopher Bethell is a photographer, journalist and occasional picture editor. He graduated in 2015 from London College of Communication with an MA in photojournalism and documentary photography. Bethell was nominated for the Magnum Graduate Award and the MACK First Book Award, won gold at Offspring Photo Meet’s Portfolio Awards and came first in theprintspace’s Trajectory competition. christopherbethell.com
VISIT IPE161 The IPE is the Society’s celebration of photography, offering an insight into current trends and subjects, as well as a platform for emerging photographers. IPE 161 will tour the UK in 2019, opening at the new Society HQ building in Bristol in February. For more details, go to rps.org/ipe161
RIGHT
The Grand Canyon
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IPE 161
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WINNER SILVER AWARD
ALYS TOMLINSON
A handwritten note neatly folded and hidden in the crevice of a rock; crosses etched on to stone; ribbon carefully wrapped around piles of twigs. These are all offerings of religious devotion found at Christian pilgrimage sites worldwide and the subject of Alys Tomlinson’s project and forthcoming book Ex-Voto. Taken at the pilgrimage sites of Lourdes in France, the Irish village of Ballyvourney and Holy Mount Grabarka in Poland, Tomlinson’s photographs encompass formal portraiture, large-format landscape and small, detailed still-life images of the objects and markers left behind. Using large format film, the four-featured pictures – taken at and around Holy Mount Grabarka – evoke a stillness and reflect the timeless quality present at sites of contemplation. People and landscape merge as place, memory and history entwine. Biography Alys Tomlinson studied English literature and communications at the University of Leeds, and photography at Central Saint Martins in London. She recently completed an MA (Distinction) in anthropology at SOAS, University of London. Tomlinson is interested in the relationship between people and place, exploring themes of environment, belonging and identity. She lives in London and was named Sony World Photographer of the Year 2018. alystomlinson.co.uk
FACING PAGE
Daria ABOVE
Sister Agnes LEFT
Grabarka
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IPE 161
WINNER BRONZE AWARD
ABOVE
Cross Road Blues (Hubbard Street, Chicago) RIGHT
Cross Road Blues (Louisiana Street, Houston) 722
OLI KELLETT
‘According to legend, delta blues musician Robert Johnson met the devil at a crossroads outside Memphis and sold his soul in exchange for his musical talents,’ says Oli Kellett. ‘He was forever plagued despite his success.’ The photographer, who has spent months travelling back and forth across the USA documenting urban life, says Faustian tales are more popular at times of moral crisis. ‘We live in an era of fake news, political polarisation and echo chambers. Our experience of the world is fractured as we live out multiple identities on and offline. ‘Crossroads are a democratic place. We all have to wait. Being held at a Don’t Walk sign allows us a few seconds, and occasionally minutes, to be with ourselves and remember who we are. ‘At this time of uncertainty and change in America’s history, I’m looking for a moment where individuals are dwarfed by what
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surrounds them, appearing lost but searching for something. They then go on their way, whichever direction that may be.’ Biography Oli Kellett is a British photographer based in Hastings, East Sussex. After graduating from Central Saint Martins in London he spent
four years writing scripts for TV advertisements before focusing full time on photography in 2008. In 2018 he received the Royal Academy Arts Club Award (awarded to an artist aged 35 or under for a work in any medium) and the Royal Academy Rose Award for Photography. olikellett.com
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EARTHRISE An image from the Earthrise series made on 24 December 1968
It is 50 years since Earth was photographed from Apollo 8, changing forever the way humanity saw itself, says Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS FROM THE MOMENT OF ITS invention, photography transformed the way people saw themselves and the world. Its ability to record reality contrasted with the interpretation of an artist, paints and imprecise methods of reproduction. Photography allowed people to see the world without travelling. For all that, it only showed the world from – or close to – its surface. Few photographs are truly transformative, changing how people view themselves, and few are catalysts for wider change. Earthrise, taken on 24 December 1968, was both. Humankind 724
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THIS PAGE: GETTY IMAGES; FACING PAGE: HUM IMAGES / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
A NEW DAWN
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EARTHRISE
was for the first time able to look at the Earth in its entirety and see it set within the enormity of space: fragile, isolated, a rare spot of colour against a black backdrop. As the USA fell behind the USSR in the cold-war space race, President John F Kennedy, in a 1962 speech, committed the United States to a manned mission to the moon by the end of the decade. This gave a focus to the Apollo programme and NASA’s efforts were directed to putting an astronaut on the moon, then bringing them safely back to Earth. The launch of Apollo 8 on 21 December 1968 was designed to take its crew – commander Frank Borman, command module pilot James A Lovell and lunar module pilot William A Anders – out of the Earth’s orbit and in to that of the moon. The mission was accomplished, with the crew completing 10 orbits and coming within 60 miles of the moon’s surface. Earthrise was taken during the fourth orbit. Anders was taking photographs with a modified Hasselblad 500EL camera fitted with an electric driver and a 70mm magazine loaded with black and white film. The transcripts of the onboard conversation between the three men reveal something of the sense that they had witnessed something special. Seeing the Earth, Borman exclaims: ‘Oh, my God. Look at that picture over there. Here’s the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty!’ Anders asked for a magazine loaded with colour film and, with the spacecraft slowly rotating, moves to another window and takes two further frames in colour. Anders had shot three images, at 1/250 second at f/11, one in black and white and two in colour. NASA image 726
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Saturn V, which carried Apollo 8, blasts off on 21 December 1968
‘Oh, my God. Look at that picture over there. Here’s the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty!’ AS08-14-2383 became better known as Earthrise. It was not the first such view, as the unmanned Lunar Orbiter 1 had taken a similar black and white image on 23 August 1966 which had been transmitted back to Earth. However, Earthrise was in colour and on film, meaning it could be reproduced at a higher quality. NASA released the colour image and it was featured on the cover of Life magazine, bearing the line ‘’68: The incredible year’. Earthrise, widely reproduced, was in the words of author Dr Robert Poole the ‘spiritual nascence of the environmental movement’. Friends of the Earth was founded in 1969 and Greenpeace in 1971. In 1970 the United States established the Environmental Protection Agency, the UK its Department of the Environment, and the first Earth Day was held. Earthrise gave meaning to the concept of ‘spaceship Earth’,
expounded by Adlai Stevenson in a 1965 speech to the United Nations. ‘We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its vulnerable reserve of air and soil; all committed, for our safety, to its security and peace; preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work and the love that we give to our fragile craft.’ The British scientist James Lovelock extended this idea in 1979 when he described the planet as an interrelated, self-regulating system in his book Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth. Back on Apollo 8, orbiting above the moon on Christmas Eve, 1968, Borman, Lovell and Anders made a live broadcast to Earth which became the then most-watched television programme. They read from the start of the Book of Genesis: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth …’ Today, looking at Earthrise with the knowledge of all that has occurred since 1968, this has become even more powerful. On Christmas Day the poet Archibald MacLeish wrote in the New York Times: ‘To see the Earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the Earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold – brothers who know now they are truly brothers.’ The following year, Apollo 11 blasted off and on 20 July 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon. New images of the Earth were captured, along with moving footage from the surface of its satellite. Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS is director of education and public affairs for the Society. Turn to page 732 for a review of Hasselblad and the Moon Landing
THIS PAGE: GETTY IMAGES; FACING PAGE: HUM IMAGES / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
The first image of the Earth from the distance of the moon, 23 August 1966, taken by the unmanned Lunar Orbiter 1
The Apollo 8 crew, left to right: James A Lovell, command module pilot; William A Anders, lunar module pilot; and Frank Borman, commander
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EQUIPMENT. ACTIVITIES. WORKSHOPS
OCTOBER
Member stories Test bed Books Event listings
OBJECT of DESIRE BY GAVIN STOKER
Nikon Z6 and Z7
The Japanese maker launches its full-frame mirrorless system with not one but two cameras RUMOURS HAVE surrounded the launch of Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless ‘Z’ system. Few, though, saw the arrival of two cameras – the 45.7-megapixel Z7 and the 24.5 MP Z6 – or for them to feature a new mount that requires owners of existing F-mount DSLR lenses to
purchase a £250 adapter to continue to use them. That said, the adapter does provide full access to 93 Nikon optics, plus the three new Nikkor ‘S’ lenses – a 35mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8 and 24-70mm kit zoom – directly compatible with the ‘Z’ cameras. So from the off, this system is well supported.
Solidly built, the outwardly identical Nikons don’t feel miles from Sony’s competing Alpha 7 series. But maybe that’s the point, as they ‘must haves’ such as five-axis in-camera stabilisation the equivalent of five stops, 3.6 million-dot EVF, 4K video, plus weather/dust resistance to match Nikon’s D850 DSLR.
Price: £3,399 body only (Z7), £2,099 body only (Z6) Sensor: 45.7 MP (Z7), 24.5MP (Z6) Lens mount: Nikon Z mount (F-mount lenses via adapter) Maximum frame rate: 9fps (Z7), 12fps (Z6) Display: 3.2-inch tilting touchsensitive LCD, 2,100K-dot resolution More: nikon.co.uk Summary: Nikon doesn’t view the Z6 and Z7 as DSLR killers, but rather a way to offer the best of both worlds
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THE GUIDE VOLUNTEER STORIES
Giving cameras to people with experience of homelessness is helping change lives. Mo Greig ARPS explains how Bubble Maker by Denise Allison
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from Society volunteers. Mo Greig ARPS, mentor and documentary photographer, tells us more.
THE JOURNEY ‘To begin with I assisted RPS member Neil Cordell but, after he moved to Wales this year, I took on more of the mentoring programmes role, along with Julian Rouse and John Kelly. ‘When I started helping Neil we used to mostly do photo walks but in late 2017 we decided to give the sessions greater structure and so came up with the idea of running a mini course. ‘Neil had created a number of PowerPoint presentations and we expanded on these to make them more substantial, with the idea of teaching creative and technical skills
JAMES ROBSON; DENISE ALLISON
Streets ahead
THROUGHOUT the history of photography, from Walker Evans to Garry Winogrand, rough sleepers have appeared as subjects. It is rare, though, that they are the ones clicking the shutter. MyLondon changed all that when it was launched in 2013. For five days each summer, the project run by the Society’s London Region in collaboration with social enterprise Cafe Art donates 100 disposable Fujifilm cameras to people affected by homelessness. The best photographs are featured in a calendar, which is sold to fund the following year’s project. More recently, a smaller group of past participants in the project have received in-depth follow-up mentoring
VOLUNTEER STORIES THE GUIDE
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Street Art Strut by James Robson; Thames Beach by Paul McGrail (bottom right); and Street Portrait in Camden Town by Stephanie Griffiths. All images feature in the 2019 MyLondon calendar
PAUL McGRAIL; STEPHANIE GRIFFITHS; PAUL RYAN
before then guiding the participants through making and editing a body of work, with the end result being an exhibition.’
POWER RETURNED ‘People affected by homelessness are too often perceived negatively. Cafe Art is different as it gives the power back to the individuals themselves to let them show us the world through their own eyes. ‘With the mentoring programme we aim to take it a step further by teaching skills in photography and supporting the participants through an entire project. This goes some way towards empowering these individuals, many of whom have had chaotic lives or have experienced events
‘This empowers individuals, many of whom have had chaotic lives’ that have taken their toll on their self-esteem.’
A NEW LEVEL ‘Art and photography can and do change people’s lives. Previous participants in the project have gone on to take their art to a new level. One, David Tovey, has exhibited at the Tate and earlier this year was invited to talk at an arts conference in Estonia. Another, Geraldine Crimmins, is now working full-time on her art. There was an article in the September issue of the Journal about participants exhibiting their work at the United Nations in Geneva.’
MY ROLE ‘We meet on Saturday afternoons once a fortnight. We do a presentation and then go out and the participants practise what we’ve just taught them. For example with aperture, we’d get them to take photos using different settings so they can understand what each does. We are now at the stage of the project where the participants are creating their own work. We will guide them through understanding how to put a body of work together and edit it for printing.’ The MyLondon mentoring group exhibition is from 1-10 November at Diorama Arts Centre, London. Visit cafeart.org.uk and www.diorama-arts.org.uk
THE PROJECT
MyLondon Run by the Society’s London Region in collaboration with social enterprise Cafe Art, MyLondon offers people affected by homelessness the chance to tell their story through photography. Each summer 100 Fujifilm disposable cameras are given out and a MyLondon calendar featuring some of the work is published
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BOOKS THE GUIDE
Hankou, China, March 1938. Boy soldier. By Robert Capa
HASSELBLAD AND THE MOON LANDING Deborah Ireland AMMONITE PRESS (£9.99)
For the astronauts of Apollo 11 the Hasselblad 500EL was primarily a scientific research tool but the images they took with it 50 years ago have reshaped our popular consciousness. This fascinating, comprehensive account of the camera that captured the moon landings is replete with technical and historical insights, thrilling transcripts and truly unforgettable images. Ireland is a former assistant curator of the Society and the foreword is by photographic historian Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS.
NIAGARA Alec Soth MACK (£40)
DEANA LAWSON: AN APERTURE MONOGRAPH Deana Lawson APERTURE (£58.50)
Over 10 years, Deana Lawson has developed a distinctive approach to portraiture. She photographs her subjects – all of whom are black, some from the USA, others Africa or the Caribbean – in their homes. In collaboration with her models, she carefully stages the shots, tweaking the domestic environment to produce something that feels unfamiliar and yet intimate. 732
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China in your hand
This book reveals a fascinating view of eight decades’ work
MAGNUM CHINA Magnum Photos THAMES AND HUDSON (£48)
Magnum China takes us on a journey through 80 years of Chinese history, as seen by international photographers from the renowned photo agency. The book is divided into chronological sections, each introduced with an enlightening historical overview from Jonathan Fenby, before editors Colin Pantall and Zheng Ziyu expand on the photographic context. Across more than 350 images we witness a breathtaking transformation. A plucky Robert Capa arrives in 1938 and spends eight months capturing the civil war between the Kuomintang and Communists, despite the best efforts of Soong
Mei-ling, Chiang Kai-shek’s wife. Nearly 30 years later René Burri HonFRPS documents daily life under Mao Zedong and the stark beauty of dead lotus flowers on Kunming Lake. As Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms take shape, new visions of China emerge in Patrick Zachmann’s gritty shots of gangsters or Honorary Fellow Eve Arnold’s lush colour portraits of residents of Mongolia. Throughout we see an everincreasing diversity of perspectives and approaches to visual storytelling, culminating in Carolyn Drake’s artistic photo-collages and Michael Christopher Brown’s cameraphone diary. The book reveals not just how much China, but also Magnum Photos, and photography in general, have changed, and is as Zheng Ziyu remarks in the introduction ‘creating new ways of seeing’.
ROBERT CAPA © INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY/MAGNUM PHOTOS
Alec Soth’s poetic study of America, Sleeping by the Mississippi, is hailed as a classic photobook. This new edition of his second book, Niagara, first published in 2006, is about desire as a flawed but irresistible natural force. Portraits of couples and love letters in childish handwriting alternate with drab motels and majestic shots of the falls, creating a potent visual rhythm.
Peek Retina is a low-cost, portable smartphone ophthalmoscope that enables capture of retinal images from a dilated eye in any location. It is being used here to capture images of a man’s eyes in Nakuru, Kenya
COMBINED ROYAL COLLEGES LECTURE 2018 THE VENUE Royal College of Physicians 11 St Andrews Place, London Thursday 15 November, 6.30-9pm MORE INFORMATION Entry is £3 for members and £5 for non-members Visit rps.org/CRC18 or email RPS awards manager Jo Macdonald at jo@rps.org
MAZDA / BRANDON ROOTS
Dr Andrew Bastawrous, recipient of the 2017 Combined Royal Colleges Medal, tells the story of Peek Vision, which has developed a smartphone eye camera and app to identify sight problems
TEST BED THE GUIDE
‘My maiden flight was terrific’ Tom Soper LRPS takes to the skies during his first foray into drone photography WITH THE RISE OF drone photography, I wondered whether it could add value to my work, so I decided to take a lesson at beautiful Kentwell Hall in Suffolk. This was clearly a serious business: the briefing included a long discussion about safety, punctuated with militaristic phrases such as ‘arming the drone’, ‘air users’ and ‘flight packs’. I listened carefully: I didn’t want to end up as yet another YouTube drone-crash star. After launching the drone and familiarising myself with the controls, I managed to fly and land it safely – and even take some photos. Thanks to some excellent instruction, my maiden flight was a success – and terrific fun. I flew two drones: the DJI Mavic Pro, targeted at high-end consumers; and the DJI Inspire 2, the more professional model. The Mavic, with integrated crop-sensor camera and fixed f/2.2 lens, has adjustable shutter speed and ISO. The Inspire, which has an external Zenmuse X5S crop-sensor camera and interchangeable lenses, lets you control the aperture, focus and bracketing, view blinkies and read histograms. Positioning the drone was simple: once I was happy with the composition, I released the controls and the drone hovered so I could concentrate on focusing, exposure and shooting. I experimented with composition: moving the drone, even a few feet, could really change the feel of a photo.
A bird’s eye view of Kentwell Hall
TOM SOPER LRPS A UK-based commercial photographer, Soper has contributed to National Geographic Traveller Magazine
Some images from the Mavic Pro were out of focus but most were pretty sharp. The photos from the Inspire 2 were better, presumably due to its higherquality camera and lenses. I found the raw files from the Inspire flexible in editing and great quality for online or print. After a great day out, I was won over. A good-quality drone, with interchangeable lenses, would certainly be a useful additional tool for my real estate and landscape photography. Tom Soper spent the day with Echo Alfa Ltd. Visit echoalfa.co.uk and tomsoperphotography.com
TOP TIPS
l Take a lesson, learn the Civil Aviation Authority’s drone code and understand UK drone-flight restrictions. Visit dronesafe.uk l Experiment with composition l To avoid images looking too ‘droney’ use different angles and lenses
TOM SOPER LRPS
GEAR SPY Gavin Stoker keeps his eye on forthcoming releases ●● With big European trade show Photokina about to begin at the time of writing, it is a busy period for camera releases, with much more to come. Catching the eye so far are the Leica M10-P rangefinder and the Panasonic Lumix LX100 II compact.
●● The Panasonic Lumix LX100 is a ‘stealth’ (red badge omitted) version of Leica’s M-10, which has newly adopted a touchscreen, with the
ability to access a spirit level/virtual horizon. The ‘P’ version also has an ultra-quiet shutter, making it ideal for street photographers – albeit ones with £6,500 to spend. ●● Also suitable for street photographers, and more affordable at £849, is Panasonic’s
LX100 II, a fixed-lens compact with a customisable lens ring, which can be used to
control exposure compensation, plus a switch that flicks between different image-aspect ratios. Despite being compact, it incorporates a large Four Thirds sensor, identical to the ones found in the same company’s compact system cameras.
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THE GUIDE EVENTS
Find details of Society activities over the next three months
REGIONS
Meet photographers and view work in your area CENTRAL Mike Sharples ARPS, 07884 657535 mikes.sharples@virgin.net
Event Thu 4 Oct, 7.30-9.30pm, £3
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Advisory day Sun 7 Oct, 10am-4.30pm, £20/£15/£10 spectators
LRPS and ARPS (all five categories) Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Event Thu 11 Oct, 7.30-9.30pm, £3 Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Nature near and far, with Trevor Davenport ARPS Thu 1 Nov, noon, £3
Landscape Group members’ day Sun 25 Nov, 10am-4.30pm £8/£6 Society members See Landscape Group for details
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Simon Palmer – ‘Rained in Namibia’ Thu 6 Dec, 7.30-9.30pm
Negative space and photographic chaos, with Leigh Preston FRPS Thu 15 Nov, 7.30-9.30pm, £3
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Nat Coalson ARPS – ‘Abstract photography as fine art’ Thu 13 Dec, 7.30-10pm
Journey to platinum, with Malcolm Cook Thu 22 Nov, 7.30-9.30pm, £3
Rollright Visual Art Group autumn meeting – hidden
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Colin Harrison FRPS – ‘Planning and surviving an American fly-drive holiday’ Thu 18 Oct, 7.30-9.30pm, £3
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Jon Baker and Sue Baker – ‘Not all who wander are lost’
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
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SAM BARTLETT
See Visual Art Group for details
Event Thu 8 Nov, 7.30-9.30pm, £3
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Leigh in Surrey being the venue. If none of that brightens your day, however, why not go over to the dark side – and join a night-shoot workshop in Bath on 24 November. Happy days – or nights – whichever you choose.
wonders of the night sky Sat 24 Nov, 10am-4pm
Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
Event Thu 18 Oct 7.30-9.30pm, £3
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the end of this month in Lacock, Wiltshire, led by Chris Burfoot ARPS. Or, if you’ve got some A-listers coming to tea and want to capture them in all their glory, a day learning the secrets of Hollywood lighting might be just the ticket on 10 November –
Man in the Mirror by Brian Beaney FRPS
Smethwick Photographic Society Clubrooms, The Old School House, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Judith Parry ARPS, 01214 274224, judith.parry@ blueyonder.co.uk See Creative Eye Group for details
EAST ANGLIA Mark Stimpson LRPS, 07854 144507 eastanglia@rps.org
Nature Group members’ 2018 print exhibition Until Sun 7 Oct, 11am-4pm (closed Mon/Tue)
See Nature Group for details
Brian Beaney FRPS retrospective exhibition Until Sun 7 Oct, 11am-4pm (closed Mondays and Tuesdays)
A collection of fine-art prints by retired reprographic specialist Brian Beaney FRPS Wingfield Barns, Church Road, Wingfield, Diss IP21 5RA Moira Ellice ARPS, moira. ellice2011@btinternet.com
Members’ 2018 exhibition Until Sun 7 Oct, 11am-4pm (closed Mon/Tue) Annual exhibition of prints and projected images Wingfield Barns, Church Road, Wingfield, Diss IP21 5RA Moira Ellice ARPS, 01473 720928, Moira.ellice2011@ btinternet.com
Creative Eye Group presents Leigh Preston FRPS Sat 6 Oct, 10am-4pm, £15/£10 Society members See Creative Eye Group for details
How do I get it right? – Norwich Sat 13 Oct, 10.30am-5.30pm, £60/ £50/£40 group members See Documentary Group for details
LRPS workshop and advisory day Sun 14 Oct, 10.30am-4.30pm, see website for costs
Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN Mark Stimpson LRPS, as above
BRIAN BEANEY FRPS CREDIT SITS IN BOX 4MM DEEP
Yes, yes, I’ll admit it – the nights really are drawing in. So, in the spirit of pretending darker days are merely imaginary, why not head inside where it’s light and hone your skills at the same time? One option is a two-day studio-portraiture workshop at
EVENTS THE GUIDE Old Warden Park photographic walk (fully booked) Sat 20 Oct, 10am-2.30pm
Abbey Church of St Leonard, Old Warden, Biggleswade SG18 9HD Jonathan Vaines, 01234 360339, jonathan.vaines@live.co.uk
ARPS Distinctions (all categories) advisory day Sun 4 Nov, 10.30am-4.30pm, £20/£15 Society members The Costessey Centre, 1 Longwater Lane, Costessey, Norwich NR8 5AH Mark Stimpson LRPS, 07854 144507, eastanglia@rps.org EAST MIDLANDS Stewart Wall ARPS, 07955 124000 stewartwall01@gmail.com
Talks from Jim Grainger and Geoff Blackwell ARPS Sun 21 Oct, 10.30am-noon Jim Grainger talks about the wet-collodion process and Geoff Blackwell ARPS reveals his research findings about photographers, photography and postage stamps Whatton Jubilee Hall, Church Street, Whatton in the Vale NG13 9EL Stewart Wall ARPS, as above
Documentary Group meeting Sat 27 Oct, 2-5pm
Methodist Church Hall, Selby Lane, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5AH Howard Fisher, 01159 372898, docem@rps.org
Advisory day – LRPS and ARPS (all five categories) Sun 18 Nov, 10am-4pm, see website for costs Print submissions. Discuss your images with panel members in a friendly,
professional atmosphere Whatton Jubilee Hall, Church Street, Whatton in the Vale NG13 9EL Stewart Wall ARPS, as above EIRE Michael O’Sullivan info@mosullivanphoto.com
LONDON Judy Hicks, 07768 923620 londonro2@rps.org
Celebrating London 2017-2018 Until Wed 31 Oct, noon-6pm, £7.50/£5 Society members
Sign up to take part in the region’s capital-wide project Celebrating London Team, celebratinglondon@rps.org
North London Group exhibition Until Wed 31 Oct, 7am-5pm Harris+Hoole, 10 Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 5PA Judy Hicks, as above
Women in Photography Group inaugural lecture Wed 3 Oct, 2-5pm
See Women in Photography Group for details
North London Group exhibition open morning and cafe session Sat 6 Oct, 10am-noon
Harris+Hoole, 10 Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 5PA Judy Hicks, as above
North London Group regular meeting Mon 8 Oct, 7-9pm,
Norman Smith LRPS will show some of his street photography, followed by the usual picture sharing Canonbury Tavern, 21 Canonbury Place, London N1 2NS Judy Hicks, as above
GO TO
rps.org/events for the latest event updates
SW London Group meeting Tue 9 Oct, 7-9pm Simon Street LRPS shows his ARPS portfolio, followed by the usual picture sharing The Prince of Wales, 138 Upper Richmond Road, Putney SW15 2SP London RO2, londonro2@rps.org
LRPS advisory day Tue 9 Oct, 10.30am-4.30pm
Nikon School of Excellence See the website for details
Street photography walk Sat 13 Oct, 9.45am-2pm Regular monthly walk London, TBC London Cave, londoncave@rps.org
Explore legal London Wed Oct 17, 10.30am-1.30pm
Mid-week walk and meet-up Meet in main foyer of Holborn Station, Kingsway WC2B 6AA Judy Hicks, as above
The Bookworm Club Wed 17 Oct, 6.30-9pm
The club will continue its discussions of ‘The Ongoing Moment’ by Geoff Dyer The Crusting Pipe, 27 The Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RD London Bookworms, LondonBookworms@rps.org
SE London Group regular monthly meeting Tue 23 Oct, 7-9pm, £5/£3 Society members Greenwich Gallery, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS London Cave, londoncave@rps.org
Creative Eye Group field trip to Kew Gardens Sat 27 Oct, 10am-6pm See Creative Eye Group for details
London Naturally Group Sunday-morning walk Sun 28 Oct, 10.30am-1pm The group will enjoy a stroll through Dulwich Wood and on to Sydenham Hill Woods London London Naturally, london-naturally@rps.org
Street photography walk Sat 10 Nov, 9.45am- 2pm Regular monthly walk London, TBC London Cave, londoncave@rps.org
North London Group regular meeting Mon 12 Nov, 7-9pm
London Canonbury Tavern, 21 Canonbury Place N1 2NS Judy Hicks, as above
SW London Group regular meeting Tue 13 Nov, 7-9pm
The Prince of Wales, 138 Upper Richmond Road, Putney SW15 2SP London RO2, londonro2@rps.org
Combined Royal Colleges Lecture 2018 Thu 15 Nov, 6.30-9pm, £5/£3 Society members See Medical Group for details
Members’ 2019 print exhibition – selection day Sat 17 Nov, 10.30am-4pm
Peter Dazeley FRPS’s Studios, 5 Heathmans Road, Parsons Green, London SW6 4TJ Judy Hicks, as above
The Bookworm Club regular meeting Wed 21 Nov, 6.30-9pm
The club will continue its discussions of ‘The Ongoing Moment’ by Geoff Dyer The Crusting Pipe, 27 The Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RD
LILIAN HOBBS LRPS
Star light, star bright Always wanted to photograph the night sky but need a boost to get your skills to the right level? This workshop with astrophotographer Lilian Hobbs LRPS on Wednesday 31 October, 3-5pm, takes participants through the first steps of capturing the moon and stars. Hobbs, who lives close to the light-polluted skies of Southampton, takes most of her images from her garden
observatory, which has been featured on BBC’s The Sky at Night. Held at the Lynmouth National Park Centre, Exmoor, this workshop covers the required techniques, including how to take star-trail images using an action camera, such as a GoPro. Photographers of all abilities are welcome to join this workshop – all you need is a camera, a tripod and some clear skies. l For more information see the Society website
VOL 158 / OCTOBER 2018 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 737
THE GUIDE EVENTS
LRPS and ARPS advisory day Sun 28 Oct, 10am-4pm, see website for costs
Newton Community Hall, Newton, Stocksfield NE43 7UL Carol Palmer ARPS, as above
Autumn colour – Thorp Perrow Arboretum Fri 9 Nov, 10am-4.30pm, £58/£47/£17 group members See Landscape Group for details
Fellowship advisory day Sun 18 Nov, 10am-4pm, £25 ARPS member
London Bookworms, LondonBookworms@rps.org
London Naturally Group Sunday-morning walk Sun 25 Nov, 10.30am-1pm All details TBC, but please put the date in your diaires London London Naturally, london-naturally@rps.org
Eastbourne Pier in rain by Tony Worobiec FPRS, who will share his expertise with the Northern Region on 25 November
North West members’ day Sun 7 Oct, 10.30am-4pm
Long exposures on the Wirral coast Sat 27 Oct, 9am-5pm, £10/ £8/free Society members
By invitation only The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG Jo Macdonald, 01225 325721, jo@rps.org
A long-exposures and seascapes shoot Marine Lake car park, Marine Promenade, New Brighton CH45 2JU Mick Rawcliffe, 07711 214701, mick@rawcliffe.me.uk
Street photography walk Sat 8 Dec, 9.45am-2pm Regular monthly walk London, TBC London Cave, londoncave@rps.org
NORTHERN Carol Palmer ARPS northern@rps.org
North London Group’s regular meeting Mon 10 Dec, 7-9pm
738
bsmethurst@hotmail.co.uk
Gordale Lane, Malham BD23 4DA Alan Hartley, 015242 61173, hartleyalmal@aol.com
The Royal Photographic Society Awards 2018 Thu 29 Nov, 6-10pm
The Prince of Wales, 138 Upper Richmond Road,
Brian Smethurst, 01942 719766
Gordale and Malham Cove outing Sat 20 Oct, 9.30am-5pm
Regular monthly meeting Greenwich Gallery, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS London Cave, londoncave@rps.org
SW London Group regular meeting Tue 11 Dec, 7-9pm
NORTH WEST
St Margaret’s Social Club, Brantingham Road, Manchester M21 0TT Roy Appleby, 07917 107388, members_day@outlook.com
SE London Group meeting Tue 27 Nov, 7-9pm, £5/£3 Society members
London Canonbury Tavern, 21 Canonbury Place N1 2NS Judy Hicks, as above
Putney SW15 2SP London RO2, londonro2@rps.org
Lake District autumn colours workshop Sun 21 Oct, 7am-3pm, £75/ £60/£30 group members
GO TO
rps.org/events for the latest event updates
/ THE RPS JOURNAL / OCTOBER 2018 / VOL 158
See Landscape Group for details
ICM workshop: Andy Grey Sun 21 Oct, 9.30am-4pm, £50/£40 Society members An intentional camera-
For Associates to gain advice on a potential FRPS application Newton Community Hall, Newton, Stocksfield NE43 7UL Carol Palmer ARPS, as above
Landscape: how to cope with challenging conditions with Tony Worobiec FRPS Sun 25 Nov, 10.30am-4pm, £55/£40 Society members
Capture the landscape, whatever the conditions Newton Community Hall, Newton, Stocksfield NE43 7LU Carol Palmer ARPS, as above
The water’s edge Tue 27 Nov, 7.30-9.30pm
Talk by fine-art photographer Tony Worobiec FRPS Morpeth Camera Club, Morpeth Methodist Church, Howard Tce, Morpeth NE61 1HU Carol Palmer ARPS, as above NORTHERN IRELAND Richard Corbett, 07805 381429 richard@richardcorbettphotography.com
SCOTLAND
Photo forum Dingwall Sun 21 Oct, 11am-4pm, £13/£10 Society members
Dingwall Camera Club, Eagle House, Dingwall IV15 9RY James Frost FRPS, as above
Glen Affric/Glen Cannich location shoot Sun 4 Nov, 8am-5pm
A chance for Landscape Group members to join local RPS members Vue Cinema car park, Eastfield Way, Inverness Retail Park, Inverness IV2 7GD Morton Gillespie, 07580 735409, mortong31@gmail.com
Photo forum Sun 4 Nov, 10.30am-4pm, £12/£10 Society members
Edinburgh PS, 68 Great King Street, Edinburgh EH3 6QU James Frost FRPS, as above
Scotland Region members’ print exhibition 2018/19 – Shambellie House Thu 15 – Fri 30 Nov, 10.30am-4pm Shambellie House, New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8HQ Laura Hudson Mackay LRPS, info@hudsonmackay.com
DIG Scotland meeting Sun 18 Nov, 1.30-4.15pm £5
Donald Stewart FRPS will talk about his ‘F’ portfolio ‘Coastal defences’, together with an insight into the work involved Parish Church, 12 Kier Street, Bridge of Allan FK9 4NW Ken Ness ARPS, 07791 485059, kness@btinternet.com
Celebration of Distinctions Sat 1 Dec, 10.30am-4pm
Bridge of Allan Church Hall, Keir Street, Bridge of Allan FK9 4NW James Frost FRPS, as above SOUTH EAST
James Frost FRPS, 01578 730466/07881
Bruce Broughton-Tompkins LRPS
856294, james.frost11@btinternet.com
southeast@rps.org
Scotland Region members’ print exhibition 2018/19 – Stow Sat 13 Sun – 28 Oct, 10.30am-4pm
A&H members’ showcase Sat 13 Oct, 10am-5pm
The Cloud House, 3 Townfoot, Stow TD1 2NQ Ian Oliver LRPS, ian@ ianoliverphoto.co.uk
Creative Eye Group and Edinburgh Photographic Society field trip to Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Wed 17 Oct, 10.30am-4pm
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Inverleith Row, Arboretum Place EH3 5LR Moira Ellice, moira. ellice2011@btinternet.com
This long-standing annual event, previously the group conference, welcomes all with an interest in the photography of archaeology and other aspects of heritage Leatherhead Institute, 67 High Street, Surrey, Leatherhead KT22 8AH Mike Sasse, 01892 531179, mike.sasse@btinternet.com
Introduction to Distinctions Sun 4 Nov, 10am-4pm, £20/£15 Society members Learn about successful portfolios and discuss
turn to page 740
TONY WOROBIEC FRPS
movement workshop The Village, Front Street, Bamburgh NE69 7BW Carol Palmer ARPS, as above
WORKSHOPS Hear from the experts and hone your skills
Portraiture photography and getting the most from your subject Thu 4 Oct, 9.30am-5pm
£115/Society members £86 Amersham
Introduction to your digital camera Sat 6 Oct, 10am-5pm
£85/Society members £63 Bath HQ
Introduction to Photoshop Sun 7 Oct, 10am-5pm
£95/Society members £71 Bath HQ
Running your own photographic business workshop (two days) Mon 8 – Tue 9 Oct, 10am-4pm
£190/Society members £142 Bath HQ
Introduction to making composite images Friday 12 Oct, 10am-5pm
£125/Society members £93 Surrey
Camera phone Sat 13 Oct, 10am-4.30pm
£55/Society members £41 Bath HQ
Photographing landscape whatever the weather, with Tony Worobiec FRPS Sun 14 Oct, 10.30am-4.30pm £55/Society members £41 Bath HQ
‘The art of creative living’ – a personal blueprint for success Tue 16 Oct, 10am-4.30pm
£120/Society members £90 Amersham
Architecture photography Sat 20 Oct, 10am-4.30pm £95/Society members £71 Liverpool
Shooting for stock Mon 22 Oct, 10.30am-4.30pm
£65/Society members £48 Bath HQ
Street photography Fri 26 Oct, 10am-4.30pm £115/Society members £86 London
Levitation photography Friday 26 Oct,
10am-5pm
£125/Society members £95 Surrey
Studio portraiture (two days) Sat 27 Oct – Sun 28 Oct, 10am-5pm
£170/Society members £127 Lacock
Night-sky photography Wed 31 Oct, 3-5pm £5/Society members £3 Lynmouth
Wedding photography (two days) Sat 3 – Sun 4 Nov, 10am-5pm
£170/Society members £127 Lacock
Hollywood lighting Sat 10 Nov, 10am-5pm
£125/Society members £93 Surrey
Beginners’ guide to Photoshop composites with Clinton Lofthouse Sun 11 Nov, 10am-4.30pm
Macro and art photography Fri 16 Nov, 10am-4.30pm
£55/Society members £41 Amersham
Single-space composites Fri 16 Nov, 10am-5pm
£125/Society members £93 Surrey
Photoshop (two days) Sat 17 – Sun 18 Nov, 10am-5pm
£165/Society members £123 Bath
Exhibition-quality digital printing Sat 17 Nov, 10am-4.30pm
£115/Society members £86 Chester
Developing personal projects and storytelling with Ben Cherry Wed 21 Nov, 10am-5pm
BEN CHERRY
SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS A proposal to support
detailed research and the publication of a history of The Royal Photographic Society was discussed. These proposals are at an early stage and further discussion will follow. However, the trustees agreed that work of this nature would be valuable in reinforcing the heritage and continuing contribution of the RPS to photography. Similarly, the trustees were supportive of a proposal from the Historical Group to produce a scholarly publication on an annual or biannual basis and this will also be followed up. INCOME GENERATION The trustees approved a proposal to undertake a piece of research into potential new sources of income. These might
Paint with light Fri 23 Nov, 10am-4pm
£95/Society members £71 Amersham
Art-nude photography Sat 24 Nov, 10am-5pm
£125/Society members £93 Lacock
Introduction to the creative eye Sat 24 Nov, 10am-4.30pm
£95/Society members £71 Bath
Night shoot Sat 24 Nov, 6-10pm
£35/Society members £26 Bath
Creative techniques in Photoshop Wed 28 Nov, 10am-4.30pm Amersham
£125/Society members £93 Amersham
Mindfulness, meditation and photography Wed 14 Nov, 10am-4.30pm
£105/Society members £78 Amersham
BOARD OF TRUSTEES’ REPORT – AUGUST 2018 EXHIBITIONS A draft programme for exhibitions at the new premises in Bristol was discussed. These exhibitions are intended to showcase photography of the highest standard and appeal to the public at large. The intention is to increase the public appreciation of photography in line with the purpose of the RPS and to demonstrate The Royal Photographic Society’s leading role in promoting the public appreciation of photography. The Science Exhibition was discussed and further steps are being investigated to secure its future with the RPS.
£120/Society members £90 Amersham
include sponsorship with other appropriate organisations, or donations. These forms of income take time to develop and require investment, so the research will ensure that any further work or time spent will be well focused and fully justified. Notwithstanding this, it was affirmed that members and volunteers are central to the work of the RPS and subscriptions vital in supporting this work. The new headquarters building presents immediate income potential in terms of sponsorship opportunities and the trustees agreed additional staff capacity to ensure these opportunities are maximised in the short term.
DATA PROTECTION In response to increased regulation of data protection, the trustees also approved the appointment of a specialist consultancy to review and assist in the implementation of proper data-protection measures across the organisation. The staff team will consult volunteers as a part of this project. WEBSITE Ongoing preparation for the renewal of the website was discussed in light of the new strategy. The trustees approved funding for website renewal, which will start with further consultation and testing before any substantive work is undertaken.
TRUSTEE RECRUITMENT The trustees approved a proposal to improve trustee recruitment through better communication, and assessment of the skills needed by the board. This will be taken forward and members will receive more information in due course. HUNDRED HEROINES The success of the Hundred Heroines campaign was noted, with national media coverage including the Radio 4 Today programme and The Guardian, and with an early-day motion in parliament in support of the campaign by Emma Lewell-Buck MP. More than 1,500 nominations were received to date, for over 700 nominees around the world.
VOL 158 / OCTOBER 2018 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 739
THE GUIDE EVENTS
SOUTH WEST Tim Sanders LRPS, 01237 422450 southwest@rps.org
A day of lectures by Matilda Temperley Sun 14 Oct, 10.30am-4pm, £20/£10 Society members The Dolphin Hotel, Dolphin Square, Station Road, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AL Tim Sanders LRPS, as above
A day on Exmoor Sat 20 Oct, 10am-5pm See Landscape Group for details
South East Documentary Group meeting Sun 18 Nov, 10am-1pm
Matilda Temperley speaks about work from series including The Somerset Levels on 14 October in Bovey Tracey
See Documentary Group for details SOUTH WALES
See website for details Gower Peninsula, National Trust car park, Rhossilli SA3 1PR Peter Douglas-Jones,
OVERSEAS CHAPTERS BENELUX
Janet Haines ARPS, Richard Sylvester LRPS, Benelux@rps.org
Study group meeting, Tue 23 Oct, 7.30-10pm
Het Palet, Duikerstraat 29, Rotterdam, Netherlands 3067CX Janet Haines ARPS, janet.haines@me.com
Colour-management and print workshop Sat 27 Oct, 10am-5pm Hotz, Boomsesteenweg 77, Aartselaar 2630 Janet Haines ARPS, janet.haines@me.com
Study group meeting Tue 27 Nov, 7.30-10pm
740
St Paul’s Community Centre, Gerald Street, Port Talbot SA12 6DQ David Paskin, 07450 693870, southwales@ rps.org
AGM followed by a talk and discussion with SW-based landscape photographer Mari Owen, and Nia Knott, owner and lead tour guide Real Wales Photography Tours St Paul’s Community Centre, Gerald Street, Port Talbot SA12 6DQ Rhys Jones, 07531 196435, southwalessecretary@rps.org
Gower Peninsula mini-break (fully booked) Tue 23 – Thu 25 Oct, 10.15am-2pm, £7/£5 Society members
Elaine Herbert ARPS, eherbert@alphalink.com.au
Annual general meeting Sun 18 Nov, 10.15-11am
Talk and discussion: Mari Owen and Real Wales Photography Tours Sun 18 Nov, 11am-4pm
southwales@rps.org
AUSTRALIA
07776 141409, peter@douglas-jones.biz
CANADA
John Riddick, johnmriddick@yahoo.ca
CHINA BEIJING
Yan Li, yanli88@yahoo.com
CHINA CHONGQING CHINA WESTERN
Wei Han (Richard), oolongcha@ hotmail.com
CHINA SHANGTUF
CHINA QUANZHOU Xiaoling Wang, hgudsh@163.com
/ THE RPS JOURNAL / OCTOBER 2018 / VOL 158
A day with Ann Cook Sat 3 Nov, 10.15am-4pm, £20/£10 Society members The Dolphin Hotel, Dolphin Square, Station Road, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AL Tim Sanders LRPS, as above
A day with Andy Small Sat 10 Nov, 10.30am-4pm, £13/£10/£5 group members See Visual Art Group for details
North Devon coastal exploration – day one Sat 17 Nov, 9am-4.30pm, £56/£45/£15 group members See Landscape Group for details
DI Group Western – Richard Sercombe ‘Urban and architectural night photography, and creative composites’ Sun 18 Nov, 10.30am-4pm See DI Group for details
Meeting of the West Cornwall Group Wed 21 Nov, 7-9pm
Bi-monthly group meeting The Copper Rooms, Heartlands, Robinson Shaft, Dundance Lane, Pool, Redruth TR15 3QY Vivien Howse ARPS, 01326 221939, vivien.k.howse@gmail.com
Distinctions advisory day Sat 24 Nov, 10.30am-4pm, £20/£15 Society members
LRPS and ARPS The Dolphin Hotel, Station Road, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AL Di Wilkins, 01392 469149, wilkinsdiana@gmail.com SOUTHERN Paul Cox ARPS, 07748 115057 southern@rps.org
Visual Art Group autumn weekend meeting Fri 5 – Mon 8 October Fully booked, see website for details Springfield Country Hotel, Grange Road, Wareham BH20 5AL
ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY MEMBERS AROUND THE WORLD
Het Palet, Duikerstraat 29, Rotterdam, Netherlands 3067CX Janet Haines ARPS, janet.haines@me.com
Guo Jing, shangtuf@ yahoo.com.cn
Lukesland Gardens, Harford, Ivybridge PL21 0JF Linda Wevill, linda.wevill@ btinternet.com
See Landscape Group for details
DUBAI
Mohammed Arfan Asif ARPS, dubai@rps.org
GERMANY
Chris Renk, germany@rps.org
Biannual chapter meeting Sat 10 Nov, 10am-1pm
Dortmunder U, Zentrum für Kunst und Kreativität, Leonie-Reygers-Terrasse, 44137 Dortmund
HONG KONG
Shan Sang Wan FRPS, shansangwan@yahoo. com.hk
INDIA
Rajen Nandwana, rajennandwana @gmail.com
INDONESIA
SRI LANKA
Agatha Bunanta ARPS, agathabunanta@gmail.com
Romesh de Silva, romesh@access.lk
Olivio Argenti FRPS, cirps@olivioargenti.it
Rob Kershaw ARPS Rob.Kershaw @bluewin.ch
ITALY
JAPAN TOKYO
Yoshio Miyake, yoshio-raps@nifty.com
MALAYSIA
Michael Chong ARPS, michaelcsc1985 @gmail.com
MALTA
Ruben Buhagiar, info@rubenbuhagiar.com
NEW ZEALAND
SWITZERLAND
A view from Switzerland Until Sat 6 Oct
Nidau Gallery, Haupstrasse 13, Nidau 2560 Rob Kershaw ARPS, rob.kershaw@bluewin.ch
TAIWAN
Mark Berger, rps@moothall.co.nz
Joanie Fan Hui Ling ARPS, djpassionfoto @gmail.com
Steven Yee Pui Chung FRPS, peacock@ sandvengroup.com
Jeff Barton, rps@vadis.net
SINGAPORE
USA ATLANTIC USA PACIFIC
MATILDA TEMPERLEY
any questions with the Distinctions team Weald of Kent Grammar School, Tudeley Lane, Tonbridge TN9 2JP Graham Ketley, rpsse@ btinternet.com
Lukesland Gardens field trip Sun 21 Oct, 10am-3pm
North Devon coastal exploration – day two Sun 18 Nov, 9am-4.30pm, £56/£45/£15 group members
Andreas Klatt ARPS, 01608 684848, rpsva@klatt.co.uk
Introduction to Portland Sun 7 Oct, 10am-7.30pm, £6/£5 Society members
See Travel Group for details
Annual general meeting Sun 21 Oct, 11am-noon
AGM, plus a presentation by COO Mike Taylor Fryern Pavilion, Greenways, Chandler’s Ford SO53 2LE Paul Cox ARPS, as above
Meet Mike Taylor: the new chief operating officer Sun 21 Oct, noon-1pm A chance for members to meet Mike Taylor Fryern Pavilion, Greenways, Chandler’s Ford SO53 2LE Paul Cox ARPS, as above
Distinctions advisory day – LRPS and ARPS Sun 4 Nov, 10am-4pm, £10 spectators
Discuss your images with panel members in a friendly, professional atmosphere Old Basing Village Hall, The Street, Basingstoke RG24 7DA David Ashcroft LRPS, 07710 302684, southernsecretary@rps.org THAMES VALLEY Mark Buckley-Sharp ARPS, 020 8907 5874 mark.buckley-sharp@tiscali.co.uk
DIG Thames Valley: Rachael Talibart – the limitless shore Sun 21 Oct, 10am-3.30pm, £15/£12/£8 group members See DI Group for details
How do I get it right? – Aylesbury Sat 27 Oct, 10.30am5.30pm, £60/£50/£40 group members
See Documentary Group for details
DIG Thames Valley: Tracy Willis – open your mind with composites Sun 18 Nov, 10am-3.30pm, £15/£12/£8 group members See DI Group for details WESTERN David Norfolk ARPS, 07771 515273 western@rps.org
NAT COALSON ARPS
Visit to Shape of light – 100 years of photography and abstract art exhibition at Tate Modern Sun 7 Oct, 8am-4pm, £20 Shape of light brings to life the innovation and originality of photographers over this period, and how they responded and contributed to abstraction’s development Tate Modern, Bankside,
London SE1 9TG Suzanne Johnson, smdjohnson@sky.com
Members’ monthly meeting: macro work Sun 14 Oct, 10am-12.30pm Venue TBC David Norfolk, Western@rps.org
Advisory day – spectators only Sat 27 Oct, 10am-4.30pm, £10
Fenton House, 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH Michelle Whitmore, michelle@michellewhitmore. co.uk
Christmas party Sun 9 Dec, 10am-12.30pm
Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Chippenham BA2 6AA John Law, 07814 993904, david.norfolk@gmail.com YORKSHIRE
Sheffield Hallam University, Howard Street, Sheffield S1 1WB Geoff Blackwell, 07912 227762, historicalresearch@rps.org
Self-help group Sat 3 Nov, 10.30am-noon
GO TO
rps.org/events for the latest event updates
Facebook: bit.ly/RPSYorkshire
Monochrome landscapes part one – capture (fully booked) Sat 6 Oct, 8am-4pm See Landscape Group for details
Self-help group Fri 12 Oct, 10.30am-12.30pm, £7/£5 Society members
Self-help group/cafe session Cafe at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Branton Lane, Branton, Doncaster DN4 6TB Robert Helliwell ARPS, 01904 500231
Self-help group/cafe session The Tetley, Hunslet Road, Leeds LS10 1JQ Robert Helliwell ARPS, 01904 500231
howard.bagshaw@ntlworld.com
CONTEMPORARY Peter Ellis LRPS, 07770 837977 wordsnpicsltd@gmail.com
Undercliffe Cemetery photo shoot Wed 7 Nov, 1.30pm-5pm
Contemporary Group AGM 2018 Sat 13 Oct, 10.30am-4pm
Undercliffe Cemetery, The Lodge, 127 Undercliffe Lane, Bradford BD3 0QD
Annual meeting of the group Regent’s University, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS Avril Harris, avrilrharris@ blueyonder.co.uk
Celebration of Distinctions Sat 17 Nov, 10.30am-4.30pm, £15/£10 Society members
CREATIVE EYE
New Brookhouse Club, 221 Barnsley Road, Sandal, Wakefield WF1 5NU Mary Crowther ARPS, as above
Moira Ellice ARPS, 01473 720928 creativechair@rps.org
Creative Eye Group presents Leigh Preston FRPS Sat 6 Oct, 10am-4pm, £15/£10 Society members
Self-help group Sat 13 Oct, 10.30am-noon, £7/£5 Society members
Self-help group/cafe session VJ’s Art Bar, 1A Finkle Street, York YO1 8RW Robert Helliwell ARPS, 01904 500231
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN Barry Collin LRPS, 01376 347004, creativeweb@rps.org
Creative Eye Group and Edinburgh Photographic Society field trip to Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Wed 17 Oct, 10.30am-4pm
Explore more aspects of photography and digital imaging ANALOGUE David Healey ARPS, 07968 746211 analogue@rps.org facebook.com/groups/rpsanalogue/
ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE George Backshall LRPS heritagesec@rps.org
A&H members’ showcase Sat 13 Oct, 10am-5pm
AUDIO VISUAL Howard Bagshaw ARPS, 01889 881503
Mary Crowther ARPS, 07921 237962 yorkshirechair@rps.org
Leatherhead Institute, 67 High Street, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8AH Mike Sasse, 01892 531179, mike.sasse@btinternet.com
In the flesh by Nat Coalson ARPS, who will talk about ‘Abstract photography as fine art’ on 13 December in Oldbury
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Inverleith Row, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh EH3 5LR Moira Ellice ARPS, 01473 720928, Creative.chair@rps.org
Creative Eye Group field trip to Kew Gardens Sat 27 Oct, 10am-6pm
Peak District in the autumn Thu 25 Oct, 7.15am-noon See Landscape Group for details
Advisory day Sat 27 Oct, 10.30am-4.30pm, £20/£15/£10 spectators
LRPS and ARPS (all categories) New Brookhouse Club, 221 Barnsley Road, Sandal, Wakefield WF1 5NU
Historical Group research day 2018 Sat 27 Oct 10.30am-4pm
VOL 158 / OCTOBER 2018 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 741
THE GUIDE EVENTS
DOCUMENTARY Mark A Phillips ARPS, 07792 134007 doc@rps.org
Developing personal documentary projects Thu 11 Oct, 2.30-8pm
A practical workshop on how to take personal projects to the next level Victoria Arms, Old Marston, Oxford Graham Wilson, 07785 222380, gw@grahamwilson.org
Led by David Jordan FRPS, a finalist in the International Garden Photographer of the Year in 2016 and 2018 Kew Gardens, Victoria Gate, Lichfield Road, Richmond TW9 3JR David Jordan FRPS, 01603 866475, daveandjoanjordan@yahoo. co.uk
Dr Andrew Bastawrous uses a smartphone to detect eyesight problems. He will deliver the Combined Royal Colleges lecture in London on 15 November
Nat Coalson ARPS – ‘Abstract photography as fine art’ Thu 13 Dec, 7.30-10pm
DIG Scotland – November meeting Sun 18 Nov, £5 group members
Creative Eye Group joint seminar with Smethwick Photographic Society Smethwick Photographic Society Clubrooms, The Old School House, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Judith Parry ARPS, 01214 274224, judith.parry@ blueyonder.co.uk
Details TBA Parish Church, 12 Kier Street, Bridge of Allan FK9 4NW
DIG Thames Valley: Tracy Willis – open your mind with composites Sun 18 Nov, 10am-3.30pm, £15/£12/£8 group members
DIGITAL IMAGING
A day with Tracy Willis, known for her fine-art images, portraits of children, adults and animals, and perhaps most of all for her complex composites Woosehill Community Hall, Emmview Close, Woosehill, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 3DA Alan Bousfield ARPS, digthamesvalley@rps.org
Janet Haines digchair@rps.org
DIG Eastern – ‘Camera alchemy with Gavin Hoey’ Sun 11 Nov, 10am-4pm, £15/ £12/£10 group members This action-packed live shooting and editing demo features a range of sciencethemed photo ideas Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN Mark Gillett, digeastern@rps.org
DIG Thames Valley: Rachael Talibart – the limitless shore Sun 21 Oct, 10am-3.30pm, £15/£12/£8 group members Talibart will share her 742
approach to coastal photography and how it has affected the scope of her image making, before judging the group’s annual competition for prints Fotospeed will be in attendance during the day Woosehill Community Hall, Emmview Close, Woosehill, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 3DA Alan Bousfield ARPS, digthamesvalley@rps.org
GO TO
rps.org/events for the latest event updates
/ THE RPS JOURNAL / OCTOBER 2018 / VOL 158
DI Group Western – Richard Sercombe: ‘Urban and architectural night photography, and creative composites’ Sun 18 Nov, 10.30am-4pm, £10/£8/£6 group members A look at the benefits of venturing out, away from another boring evening in
How do I get it right? – Norwich Sat 13 Oct, 10.30am-5.30pm, £60/£50/£40 group members
Joint Travel and Documentary Group workshop with Janey Devine FRPS on producing successful travel and documentary images Jerningham Room, Costessey Centre, Longwater Lane, Costessey, Norwich NR8 5AH Mark Stimpson, docea@rps.org
How do I get it right? – Aylesbury Sat 27 Oct, 10.30am-5.30pm, £60/£50/£40 group members
Joint Travel and Documentary Group workshop with Janey Devine FRPS on producing successful travel and documentary images Friends Meeting House, 9 Rickfords Hill, Aylesbury HP20 2RT Phil Joyce, doctv@rps.org
East Midlands Documentary Group meeting Sat 27 Oct, 2-5pm
Methodist Church Hall, Selby Lane, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5AH Howard Fisher, 01159 372898, docem@rps.org
How do I get it right? – Nottingham Sat 10 Nov, 10.30am-5.30pm, £60/£50/£40 group members
Joint Travel and Documentary Group workshop with Janey Devine FRPS on producing successful travel and documentary images Keyworth Methodist Church Hall, Selby Lane, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5AH
Howard Fisher, 01159 372898, docem@rps.org
South East Documentary Group meeting Sun 18 Nov, 10am-1pm
Guest speaker Mo Connelly – former chair of the RPS Documentary Group – will be talking about her project ‘Holy Dusters‘. Afterwards a review of members’ new work – prints or DPI Tangmere Village Hall, Malcolm Road, Tangmere PO20 2HS Janey Devine FRPS, docse@rps.org HISTORICAL Monica Thorp, 0141 956 1572 monicathorp@thorpmilngavie.plus.com
Talks from Jim Grainger and Geoff Blackwell ARPS Sun 21 Oct, 10.30am-noon For details see East Midlands Region
Research day 2018 Sat 27 Oct
Sheffield Hallam University For details, see the Historical Group website or contact Geoff Blackwell ARPS, historicalresearch@rps.org IMAGING SCIENCE Gary Evans gary@garysevans.com
Good Picture 2018 – imaging deconstructed Sat 8 Dec, 10am-4pm
Good Picture returns for its 16th year, bringing together a mix of scientists and photographers for a day of talks aimed as much at keen amateurs and students as at imaging professionals University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW Dr Mike Christianson, 01753 890480, pandm. christianson@gmail.com LANDSCAPE Mark Reeves LRPS, 07968 616551 rps.landscape.events@gmail.com
Monochrome landscapes part one – capture (fully booked) Sat 6 Oct, 8am-4pm, £185/ £148/£90 group members A two-part workshop on capturing and processing monochrome landscapes Peak District, Snake Road lay-by, Ladybower Reservoir S33 7ZH Mark Reeves LRPS, as above
Introduction to Portland Sun 7 Oct, 10am-7.30pm A guided location shoot on the Isle of Portland
ROLEX JOAN BARDELETTI
front of the telly Merryfield Village Hall, Copse Lane, Ilton, near Taunton TA19 9HG Dennis Knowles, 01392 468859, dennisknowles123@ btinternet.com
The Heights Hotel, Isle of Portland, Dorset DT5 2EN Diana Wyn, 07770 220657, dianamwynn@gmail.com
Monochrome landscapes part two – processing (fully booked) Sat 13 Oct, 10.30am-4pm Day two, as above Dunham Massey Hall, Woodhouse Lane, Altrincham WA14 4SJ Mark Reeves LRPS, as above
A day on Exmoor Sat 20 Oct, 10am-5pm
Capture the landscapes of Exmoor with a local Landscape Group member Valley of Rocks car park, near Mother Meldrum’s Tea Garden, Lynton, Devon EX35 6JL David Harper, 07779 885878, dddex@hotmail.co.uk
Lake District autumn colours workshop (fully booked) Sun 21 Oct, 7am-3pm, £75/ £60/£30 group members Derwentwater, Cumbria CA12 5DJ Mark Reeves LRPS, as above
Gower Peninsula minibreak (fully booked) Tue 23 – Thu 25 Oct, 10.15am-2pm, £7/£5 Society members
Gower Peninsula, National Trust car park Rhossilli SA3 1PR Peter Douglas-Jones, 07776 141409, peter@douglas-jones.biz
KAREN KNORR FRPS, COURTESY GALERIE LES FILLES DU CALVAIRE, PARIS
Long exposures on the Wirral coast (fully booked) Sat 27 Oct, 9am-5pm, £10/£8 Society members A long-exposures and seascapes shoot Marine Lake car park, Marine Promenade, New Brighton CH45 2JU Mick Rawcliffe, 07711 214701, mick@ rawcliffe.me.uk
Glen Affric/Glen Cannich location shoot Sun 4 Nov, 8am-5pm See Scotland Region for details
Autumn colour – Thorp Perrow Arboretum Fri 9 Nov, 10am-4.30pm
A tutored location shoot to capture trees in their autumnal colours Thorp Perrow Arboretum, Bedale, North Yorkshire DL8 2PS Mark Reeves LRPS, as above
North Devon coastal exploration – day one Sat 17 Nov, 9am-4.30pm, £56/£45/£15 group members
The first of two guided location shoots on the North Devon coast Mortehoe car park, Mortehoe, near Ilfracombe, EX34 7DT Richard Ellis, landscapef16@gmail.com
North Devon coastal exploration – day two Sun 18 Nov, 9am-4.30pm, £56/£45/£15 group members The second of two guided location shoots Around Hartland, National Trust car park, Bideford EX39 6AN Richard Ellis, landscapef16@gmail.com
Talk and discussion: Mari Owen and Real Wales Photography Tours Sun 18 Nov, 11am-4pm See South Wales Region for details
Landscape Group members’ day Sun 25 Nov, 10am-4.30pm £8/£6 Society members
Members can meet informally to discuss and present their photographs, and listen to a guest speaker Smethwick PS, Church Bridge, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Pauline Benbrook and Rob Brittle, 07876 787485 (Pauline), paulinebenbrook5@ gmail.com MEDICAL Dr Afzal Ansary ASIS FRPS, 07970
TRAVEL Keith Pointon LRPS, 01588 640592 bagpoint@aol.com
How do I get it right? – Norwich Sat 13 Oct, 10.30am-5.30pm, £60/£50/£40 group members
GO TO
rps.org/events for the latest event updates
See Documentary Group for details
How do I get it right? – Aylesbury Sat 27 Oct, 10.30am-5.30pm, £60/£50/£40 group members
Andreas Klatt ARPS, 01608 684848, rpsva@klatt.co.uk
A day with Andy Small Sat 10 Nov, 10.30am-4pm
Andy Small will show us his stunning work The Dolphin Hotel, Station Road, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9NG Linda Wevill FRPS, linda. wevill@btinternet.com
Rollright Visual Art Group autumn meeting – hidden wonders of the night sky Sat 24 Nov, 10am-4pm
Join astrophotographer Dr Lilian Hobbs LRPS in her garden observatory close to the light-polluted skies of Southampton to see sights hidden from the naked eye Village Hall, High Street, Long Compton, Shipston-onStour CV36 5JS Andreas Klatt ARPS, 01608 684848, rpsva@klatt.co.uk
See Documentary Group for details
How do I get it right? – Nottingham Sat 10 Nov, 10.30am-5.30pm, £60/£50/£40 group members
See Documentary Group for details VISUAL ART
WOMEN IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Andreas Klatt ARPS, 07973 217707
Thérèse Barry
visualart@rps.org
wipchair@rps.org
Visual Art Group autumn weekend meeting – fully booked Fri 5 – Mon 8 Oct, 9am-9pm
Women in Photography inaugural lecture Wed 3 Oct, 2-5pm
This year’s residential weekend on the Jurassic Coast features speakers including Robert Harvey ARPS, a scientist specialising in coastal photography, and Victoria Hillman, a biologist with an eye for ‘forgotten little creatures’ Springfield Country Hotel, Grange Road, Wareham BH20 5AL
Amrita’s Wish by Karen Knorr FRPS, who will give the Women in Photography Group’s inaugural lecture on 3 October in London
Honorary chair Karen Knorr FRPS gives the inaugural lecture for the Women in Photography Group, followed by a panel discussion London College of Communication, Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6SB For more information see the group’s webpage on rps.org or email Thérèse Barry as above
403672, afzalansary@aol.com
Combined Royal Colleges Lecture 2018 Thu 15 Nov, 6.30-9pm How the smartphone can provide eyecare for all Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, London NW1 4LE Jo Macdonald, 01225 325721, jo@rps.org NATURE Kevin Elsby FRPS wildlife@greenbee.net
Nature Group members’ 2018 print exhibition Until Sun 7 Oct, 11am-4pm (not Mon and Tue) Prints displaying a wide variety of species and subjects Studio 4, Wingfield Barns, Church Road, Wingfield, Diss IP21 5RA Moira Ellice ARPS, moira. ellice2011@btinternet.com
VOL 158 / OCTOBER 2018 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 743
THE COLLECTION
‘It appears wild and thrashing, as if testing the frame’s boundaries’
Wave for the camera
The sea has long enchanted photographers, says Catherine Troiano
TRYING TO capture the ocean’s varying moods has been practised for as long as there have been cameras. Gentle waves lapping the shore or softly twinkling in sunlight were favoured by practitioners such as Gustave Le Gray (1820-84) and Henry Peach Robinson (1830-1901).
Le Gray’s enchanting seascapes in particular are considered early masterworks of art photography, collected at the time by the likes of charismatic connoisseur Chauncy Hare Townshend (1798-1868). The sea continued to inspire photographers. In this picture by Francis James
IN THIS YEAR 1906
Mortimer HonFRPS (18741944) it appears wild and thrashing, as though testing the boundaries of the photographer’s frame. This seems at odds with the stylistic The new V&A Photography aesthetic of Centre opens on the image.
VISIT October 12
French artist André
1 Derain paints Charing
Cross Bridge, left, and The Pool of London during a visit to the British capital. London is selected to 2 host the 1908 Olympics after a volcano leaves Rome unable to host the Games. In San Francisco, an 3 earthquake and fire kill more than 3,000 people and destroy 75 per cent of the city.
Catherine Troiano is curator of photographs at the V&A
Captain Brassbound’s
4 Conversion and The
Doctor’s Dilemma, by George Bernard Shaw, below, are both staged for the first time.
THE RPS COLLECTION / V&A MUSEUM; ALAMY; GETTY IMAGES
Photograph by Francis James Mortimer HonFRPS
The emphatic force of oceanic nature contradicts the soft mist of sea spray that rises in an ephemeral column to dissolve into the clouds above; Mortimer’s image marrying the gravitas of art’s historical canons with a sense of delicate drama that fitted his pictorialist sensibilities. Mortimer himself was an important figure in the Linked Ring Brotherhood, a British group of photographers dedicated to the defence of art photography, who advocated the painterly, soft-focus style of pictorialism pioneered in America by Alfred Stieglitz HonFRPS (1864-1946). Mortimer, president of the Society between 1940-1942, was acquainted with leaders of the pictorialist movement, including Honorary Fellow Alvin Langdon Coburn (18821966), and photographed Coburn at the opening of his one-man exhibition at the Society in 1906.
CREDIT SITS IN BOX 4MM DEEP
MONTH 2018 / VOL 158 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 745
CREDIT SITS IN BOX 4MM DEEP
MONTH 2018 / VOL 158 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 746
