VIEWS OF THE YEAR HOW THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY WILL REMEMBER 2014
FABULOUS FAMILY SHOTS CREATE GREAT MEMORIES THIS CHRISTMAS
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TALES FROM MY TRAVELS NICK DANZIGER ON PICTURING THE WORLD
THE
DECEMBER 2014 / VOLUME 154 / NUMBER 11 / WWW.RPS.ORG
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OPENING SHOT
TREASURE THE OLD, RING IN THE NEW
I COMING UP
IN FUTURE ISSUES We check out some of the best destinations for travel photography, plus your chance to see the latest Fellowship successes as well as images from the Society’s Members’ Biennial Exhibition 2015
was very envious of our deputy editor Andrew recently, when he made a special trip to the National Media Museum in Bradford. His mission was to get a sneak preview of Drawn by Light, a major new exhibition featuring images and items from the wonderful Royal Photographic Society Collection. The collection of more than 250,000 images and artefacts has been held in Bradford since 2003, and encompasses the history of photography from the days of William Fox Talbot all the way up to modern times. Andrew had a great day at the museum, thanks to the insight and generosity of its staff. He tells us about his guided tour, and about the exhibition, on page 778. Interestingly, I’ve just discovered that Bradford is not just home to a plethora of astounding images, it was also the first designated UNESCO City of Film – appropriate for this issue, perhaps, as we feature an interview with Tim Webber HonFRPS, the film special-effects maestro who is the recipient of this year’s Progress Medal. Read more on page 766.
December, of course, means the end of the year. In our review of 2014, we’ve asked each department of the Society to tell us about the image they loved most from the last 12 months. The selection is diverse, as are the stories behind them. Our cover image is one of my favourites from this year’s International Print Exhibition. Photographer Henry Iddon took the poignant image of Ben Nevis shortly after a tragic climbing accident. To me, it speaks of the beauty and might of mother nature. Find out what the Society’s staff chose on page 774. In the Craft section, member Stewart Wall ARPS talks us through how to get great family portraits – perfect timing for the festive break. So here’s wishing you a peaceful end to 2014, and we’ll see you in January.
CLARE HARRIS Editor
MIKE WILKINSON
PATRON AND SPONSORS
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WWW.RPS.ORG
FABULOUS FAMILY SHOTS CREATE GREAT MEMORIES THIS CHRISTMAS
TALES FROM MY TRAVELS NICK DANZIGER ON PICTURING THE WORLD
DECEMBER 2014 / VOLUME 154 / NUMBER 11 / WWW.RPS.ORG
REVIEW OF THE YEAR FAMILY PORTRAITS NICK DANZIGER HONFRPS
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
THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154 NO 11
IN THIS ISSUE
VIEWS OF THE YEAR HOW THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY WILL REMEMBER 2014
THE
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Nick Danziger HonFRPS takes us on a Transnistrian trip
Patron Her Majesty the Queen President Derek Birch ASIS HonFRPS Vice-President Walter Benzie ARPS Treasurer Geoff Blackwell ARPS Director-General Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS Published on behalf of The Royal Photographic Society by Think Suite 2.3, Red Tree Business Suites, 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA thinkpublishing.co.uk EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Editor Clare Harris rpsjournal@thinkpublishing.co.uk 0141 375 0504 Deputy editor Andrew Cattanach andrew@thinkpublishing.co.uk Contributing editors Gavin Stoker, Geoff Harris LRPS Design Matthew Ball, Alistair McGown Sub-editor Sam Bartlett
020 8962 1257 Publisher John Innes john.innes@thinkpublishing.co.uk
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A sporting highlight from Marc Aspland HonFRPS
Š 2014 The Royal Photographic Society. All rights reserved.
EVERY MONTH
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 policy of The RPS or those of the publishers. All material correct at time of going to press.
740 | BIG PICTURE Dominique Dubied's seasonal landscape, Winter Solitude 743 | IN FOCUS News, awards, exhibitions, talks, and how Sally Mann HonFRPS inspired Laura Pannack
ISSN: 1468-8670
Cover The Castle Area, Ben Nevis, Scotland, 30 December 2013, by Henry Iddon
760 Newcastle Grey by Ken Bingham LRPS
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753 | BOOKS Photographers' Sketchbooks, and other reviews
754 | DISTINCTIONS Emma Delves-Broughton ARPS Professional & Applied and Ken Bingham LRPS 807 | MEMBER GUIDE Workshops, events, Advisory Days and more around the UK 816 | TIMES PAST Gordon Crocker's Couple Pictured in Piccadilly Circus
KEN BINGHAM LRPS; NICK DANZIGER HONFRPS
Advertising Sales Daniel Haynes daniel.haynes@thinkpublishing.co.uk
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Tim Webber HonFRPS on his stellar career in film special effects
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Vanessa Herring's Concentration, a Digital Imaging Group print selection
778
Investigating the Society's Collection at the National Media Museum in Bradford
OSCAR GUSTAVE REJLANDER/THE RPS COLLECTION; WARNER BROS PICTURES/FRAMESTORE; VANESSA HERRING ARPS
FEATURES
766 | TIM WEBBER The special effects guru discusses his award-winning methods 772 | WRITE ALL ABOUT IT Get a REAP Distinction for an essay, website or academic paper 774 | REVIEW OF THE YEAR Society staff explain what's special about their favourite photographs of the year
THE CRAFT
778 | INSIDE THE RPS ARCHIVE Andrew Cattanach visits the Society's Collection ahead of the exhibition Drawn by Light
797 | MUST TRY + LATEST KIT Canon's newest video camera is examined in close-up 801 | MASTERCLASS Take the perfect family portrait
784 | BEST SHOTS Nick Danziger HonFRPS travels to Transnistria and North Korea 790 | MEMBER SHOWCASE Digital Imaging Group's prints go on show at Fenton House
802 | IN DEPTH Thermal imaging explored
797 The Canon EOS C100 MkII
805 | MY FAVOURITE CAMERA Joe Cornish HonFRPS VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 739
740 | BIG PICTURE |
Winter Solitude
By Dominique Dubied
740 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
THE ASSIGNMENT
I took this picture in my neighbourhood in winter. It was selected for the Society’s International Print Exhibition 157. EQUIPMENT I use a Canon
EOS 5D MkII, with a Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 L IS, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L and Canon EF 70300mm f/4-5.6 L IS. I use Lee filters, Gitzo tripods and process my
RAW files using Lightroom and Photoshop. TECHNIQUE There is no special processing trick or technique here; the light was uniform and therefore the contrast was low. I
have overexposed by one stop to compensate for the brightness of the scene. The most difficult part was to find such a nice place. TIPS For stunning winter landscapes, listen to the
weather forecast and plan on going out shooting just after a snowfall, so that the snow is fresh, without footprints. Play with the fog, it helps to isolate subjects and create
stunning minimal shots. Look for simple and clean subjects. Less is more. TRAINING I am self-taught. I started loving photography when I was a teenager, trying to master
the basics. I have read many books, ranging from composition to processing and printing, which helped me to create a workflow that now lets me manage the whole process from the
shooting to the printing. Experimenting and learning from your mistakes is an obligatory step to become a better photographer. MORE INFORMATION
domdubied.ch
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NOW WITH UP TO * £800 CASHBACK
www.canon.co.uk/pathtoprofit Find out how Canon’s range of large format printers and software solutions can help you enhance your work and expand your business.
743
CRACKING CALENDARS Find out how to publish yours 746
FAMILY LIFE IN FOCUS November’s 365 winners 747
LIGHT FANTASTIC Must-see exhibitions and shows 748
INFOCUS NE W S, V IE W S, E X HIBITIONS A ND MEMBER INSIGHT
Nicole Ottawa’s image of the fungus beauveria bassiana
SEND US YOUR AMAZING IMAGES FOR SCIENCE The Society’s major sciencephoto show open for entries
NICOLE OTTAWA
ENTRIES are now being invited for the 2015 International Images for Science exhibition, the Society’s showcase of the extraordinary variety of scientific photography. The exhibition, which has recently won sponsorship
NOMINATE
from electronics giant Siemens, was the brainchild of Medical Group chair Dr Afzal Ansary ASIS FRPS who co-ordinated the 2011 and 2013 shows. ‘The idea is to raise public awareness of scientific images from as many fields as possible,’ he said. ‘Scientific images have tended to be confined within scientific institutions and TELL US ABOUT YOUR WINNERS
between scientists, so it has been great to get them displayed in public places.’ Claire Reece, International Images for Science Coordinator for the 2015 exhibition, added: ‘The competition has three age categories (17 and under, 18-25 and 26 and over), as we hope to develop curiosity in young people, students
and photographers of all ages. Support from Siemens plc has enabled the exhibition to be held every year for the next three years, with prizes for category winners.’ The 2013 exhibition has so far visited the USA, Italy and the UK and continues to tour into 2015. For more, visit bit.ly/rpsscience
NOW THAT 2014 IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE IT’S TIME TO NOMINATE YOUR PICKS FOR NEXT YEAR’S ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY AWARDS. SEE PAGE 750 VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 743
744 | IN FOCUS |
HISTORICAL FINDS CAUSE A STIR Images from Abbey Road to the frozen lands of the Antarctic OLD photographs turn up all the time, but a couple of recent finds have really excited historians and collectors. Firstly are the six iconic images from the Beatles’ Abbey Road albumcover shoot, taken by Iain Macmillan while perched on a ladder on the North London street on 8 August 1969. ‘I think the reason the shot became so popular is its simplicity,’ Macmillan said before his death in 2006. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions auctioned the images at the end of November. Meanwhile, the Antarctic Heritage Trust has discovered a photography notebook left behind a century ago by George Murray Levick (1876-1956) at Captain Scott’s last expedition base. Levick was a part of Scott’s 1910-1913 expedition and the notebook details the dates, subjects and exposure details for the photographs he
George Murray Levick with a theodolite, above, and his notebook, left
took during 1911. ‘It’s an exciting find. The notebook is a missing part of the official expedition record,’ said the trust’s Nigel Watson.
Society Honorary Fellow is latest Macallan ‘master’
Mario Testino focuses on ideas of celebration
include Annie Leibovitz and Elliott Erwitt, both Honorary Fellows. The Journal featured the series in its July issue, when news of Testino’s collaboration was still under wraps. The Testino edition
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is titled The Six Pillars, after the six aspects that make up the character of The Macallan. The photographer said: ‘When I was approached by The Macallan to take part in the Masters of Photography Series I decided to capture the moment when people get together to celebrate, in the atmosphere of a whisky environment – a whisky club.’ Ken Grier, director of The Macallan, added: ‘Not only is Mario Testino a historically important giant in contemporary photography, his elegance, charm and gentlemanly approach to creating this ultimate party has made him both a joy and an inspiration to work with.’ See more at themastersofphotography.com
THE MACALLAN/MARIO TESTINO; FUTUREFLASH/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
See bit.ly/levickbook
TESTINO TAPS THE JOY OF SIX
Mario Testino OBE HonFRPS has become the latest photographic great to work with global whisky brand The Macallan. Testino, who was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Society in 2011, and the OBE earlier this year, is the fifth in a roll call of iconic photographers to collaborate with the malt whisky house on its Masters of Photography series. Others
A right-to-left Iain Macmillan image of Abbey Road
DECEMBER 2014
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
A SUPERLATIVE SELECTION BOX
We have much to celebrate, and anticipate
T WISE WORDS
LONG’S LIFE MEMBERSHIP
BARRY SENIOR FRPS; CORBIS
John Long ARPS has been awarded the first-ever life membership of the Society’s Digital Imaging Group. A member since the Group began in 1996 John was recognised at a meeting of the DI Group by its current chair Janet Haines ARPS. Janet said: ‘John has always been at hand to guide, support and work alongside others. He has given tirelessly of his time and knowledge to so many.’
To me, photography is the recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event HENRI CARTIER!BRESSON
he Royal Photographic Society Collection is recognised as one of the finest and most significant in the world, with more than a quarter of a million photographs as well as many pieces of historic technology, plus books, manuscripts and journals gathered over the past 160 years. To ensure its survival, the Society transferred the collection to the nation in 2003, passing it to the highly regarded National Media Museum (NMeM) in Bradford. The link between us is strong, with Society volunteers helping with documentation and working on joint projects. Every year the Society’s main award recipients are invited to contribute to the collection. This month there is a splendid development, with the opening of Drawn by Light: The Royal Photographic Society Collection exhibition at the Media Space in the Science Museum in London. It has been curated by the staff of the NMeM, led by Colin Harding, supported by the director, Jo QuintonTulloch. It is a fascinating display, with some of the earliest images by pioneers such as Roger Fenton,
William Henry Fox Talbot and Julia Margaret Cameron, as well as contemporary works by influential photographers such as Don McCullin, Terry O’Neill, Martin Parr and our latest Centenary Award winner, Steve McCurry. The exhibition is at Media Space until 1 March and will then move to the NMeM at Bradford. With my background in the science of photography, I am also pleased that our scientific image exhibitions have been very successful in supporting educational interests at many venues. Next year we have two more opportunities, participating in the UNESCO-supported International Year of Light and opening our new International Images of Science exhibition at the British Science Festival in September. If any of you or your friends would be keen on contributing scientific images, please go to rps-science.org As we head to the end of this year, many thanks to all who’ve helped promote so many Society activities – Distinctions, exhibitions, awards, workshops, education, website, social media, regions, groups, chapters – and Journal. Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year – and, as noted in the last Journal, good luck hunting down stunning gifts in the Society online shop!
DEREK BIRCH ASIS HonFRPS President of The Royal Photographic Society
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Dr Michael Pritchard meets new Chongqing members
A GREAT LEAP FORWARD Chongqing and Beijing welcome Society stalwarts in October
One of the self-published products made using the Calvendo site
CREATE A CALENDAR German self-publishing platform opens for British photographers Calvendo, a self-publishing platform that allows photographers and artists to print and sell their own work has launched in the UK. The service enables people to create calendars and posterbooks online and print the results on demand, via orders placed on Amazon, other retail sites or in highstreet shops. An ISBN number is assigned and all rights remain with the self-publisher. Barbara Geier, Calvendo’s UK
manager, said: ‘Photographers in Germany like the platform as it provides them with an additional outlet for their existing images, at no extra cost. We believe it will also allow UK photographers the chance to break into a market that was previously difficult to enter.’ Find out more at calvendo.co.uk
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THE Society’s DirectorGeneral Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS was invited to Chongqing in south-west China at the end of October to meet 39 new members. The recruits were the result of an initiative between Dr Pritchard, cultural marketing company Euronline, and Chongqing-based Doisneau, a photographic organisation with some 3,000 members. Doisneau is headed by Mr Jiale Liu and Mrs Ling Li and offers a large range of facilities and events. After speeches of introduction, certificates were presented to the new Society members. Two presentations about the Society were given, describing its activities and the Distinctions process. In the future, Doisneau aims to host some Society exhibitions and encourage members to work on Distinction portfolios, while the Society would like to show work
from Chongqing members and welcome them to the UK. Also in October, past president Roy Robertson HonFRPS exhibited at the Beijing Photography Festival. During the visit, at which he represented the Society, he gave a well-received presentation titled Perceptions of Photography and Art. The Society will continue to work with Euronline to expand membership across China, where there is a passion for photography – and a high level of work being produced.
Roy Robertson’s presentation
DECEMBER 2014
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365 WINNERS
FAMILY LIFE November’s online competition winners
BUCKETS, SPADES AND LEGS Linda Wride ARPS I was at Southwold beach during a half-term break in Sussex. Families were sheltering from a breeze
TWO RED BALLOONS Martin Burrage LRPS This image was taken in Seville in the low, setting sun of early December 2013.
under the promenade, making the most of their day at the seaside. The colourful buckets and spades caught my eye from a distance. Drawing level, I leaned over the
The timing, vantage point and camera set-up had all been selected specifically after I identified the possibilities. The family
promenade railings and saw the two pairs of legs completing the composition. I grabbed a shot quickly, and a few seconds later the boy was off and away.
group wasn’t stagemanaged but I had been waiting for such a group to come along. The image was selected as a winner in the Mervyn
Peake Awards 2014, organised by Parkinson’s UK for people, like myself, with Parkinson’s disease. I donated the mounted print to Parkinson’s UK.
A GRAND DAY OUT Philip Joyce ARPS This was taken at Stow Gypsy Horse Fair. I am a regular visitor and enjoy documenting the people and activities. Here, I used an 18mm focal length and ‘shot from the hip’ as I walked through the fair,
relying on multipoint autofocus and aperturepriority exposure to record the scene. I look ahead for develop ing situations and with a wide angle and wide aperture (to maximise shutter speed), I take pictures on the move.
ENTER NOW
SUBMIT PHOTOS FOR THE NEXT COMPETITION AT RPS'365.ORG
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748 | IN FOCUS | WHAT NOT TO MISS ASSASSINATED BEAUTY Proud Camden, London UNTIL 11 JANUARY 2015
Iconic photographs of the Manic Street Preachers taken by Kevin Cummins. Cummins met the Welsh rockers on an NME shoot in 1992, and went on to photograph their first cover for the magazine and rise to fame. The exhibition documents 1992 to 1994, and includes some images never shown before. proud.co.uk
DETERMINED LIVES: SUSAN MEISELAS Magnum Print Room, London UNTIL 15 JANUARY 2015
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Natural History Museum UNTIL 30 AUGUST 2015
If you haven’t already caught this annual blockbuster, now is the time to do
so. Marking 50 years of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, the show is presented on backlit panels, allowing the stunning images of wildlife from across the world to really sing out. To celebrate the
50th anniversary, tablets are also provided with winning images from the past five decades. A film tells the story of nature photography and how it has changed over time, too. nhm.ac.uk
This solo exhibition of Magnum photographer Susan Meiselas includes images from two seminal works; Carnival Strippers (1972-76) and Nicaragua (1978-present). Since the insurrection in 1978, she continues to work on her Nicaragua project. magnumphotos.com
ALSO SHOWING
JOAN FONTCUBERTA: STRANGER THAN FICTION National Media Museum, Bradford UNTIL 5 FEBRUARY 2015
The first UK retrospective for the Catalan photographer gathers more than 30 years’ work. Fontcuberta’s convincing yet subversive and deadpan works are an investigation into photography’s authority and our inclination to believe what we see. nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
CONFLICT, TIME, PHOTOGRAPHY Tate Modern, London UNTIL 15 MARCH 2015
As an alternative to familiar notions of war photojournalism and reportage, this focuses on the passing of time and how artists have used the camera to reflect on events. Featured photographers include Don McCullin, Stephen Shore HonFRPS and Roger Fenton. tate.org.uk
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HOME TRUTHS: PHOTOGRAPHY, MOTHERHOOD AND IDENTITY Belfast Exposed, Belfast UNTIL 20 DECEMBER 2014
Eight international artists explore the complex and demanding experience of motherhood. They draw on influences including fashion magazines, fiction, painting and iconography to vernacular photography, and everyday life. belfastexposed.org
Nomads of India Through the Lens The Link Gallery, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford Until 15 December The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize National Portrait Gallery, London. Until 22 February Images of East Anglia, Boat House Gallery, Flatford, Suffolk. Until 22 February This Is Me Impressions Gallery, Bradford Until 7 February The Modern Lens Tate St Ives, Cornwall Until 10 May
OWLETS UNITED, SITARA KARTHIKEYAN; KEVIN CUMMINS; SUSAN MEISELAS/MAGNUM; THE FIRST WEEK, ELINOR CARUCCI; STEEL HELMET WITH SKULL BONE FUSED BY ATOMIC BOMB, NAGASAKI 1963 © SHOMEI TOMATSU; CERCOPHITECUS ICAROCORNU, JOAN FONTCUBERTA AND PERE FORMIGUERA
DECEMBER ONWARDS
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NS O I OT M RO P / .UK O M.C L I JIF U F . W W W
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SUCCESSFUL SYMPOSIUM THE Medical Group’s Images in Medicine for Producers and Users symposium was a great success, attracting around 50 delegates to hear presentations from a range of speakers at the University of Westminster. The symposium took place on 18 October and was opened by Derek Birch ASIS HonFRPS, with chairing duties shared by Dr Efthimia Bilissi and Dr Afzal Ansary ASIS FRPS. Kulwant Sehmi and Becky MacPhee (Moorfields Eye Hospital) presented on ophthalmic imaging, along with Gabriella De Salvo (University Hospital Southampton), who discussed, among other topics, the interpretation of
retinal photography. David Bishop and Dr Edward Seaton (UCL, Royal Free Hospital) presented on photography in dermatology, while Marie Jones and John Volcano (Great Ormond Street Hospital) and Victoria Beale (Manchester Royal Infirmary) spoke about the use of images in maxillofacial surgery. Carly Dakin from the Wellcome Trust, which supported the event, spoke of the role of images in medical education and Professor Owen Epstein (UCL Royal Free Hospital) discussed imagery in gastroenterology. Thanks go to all those who took part. DR AFZAL ANSARY ASIS FRPS
You can read the full report online at tinyurl.com/pzbzno3
SOCIETY NEWS
IMAGES FOR SCREEN Society President Derek Birch ASIS HonFRPS presented medals to two award winners at the opening of the International Images for Screen Exhibition in Edinburgh on 25 October. The winners were Lyndsay Roberts, gold medal in the Creative section and ribbon for a highly commended
image, and Subrata Bysack, silver medal in the Traditional section. 2015 AWARDS Nominations are now open for the Society’s 2015 Awards. Go to rps.org/awards NEW MOVING IMAGE GROUP At a Council meeting the Society’s trustees chose to close the Film and Video Group. There is
Third time proves lucky for victorious photowalker IN the August issue we covered his year’s Science & Technology Facilities Council Photowalk competition. The winners of the Societysponsored competition have now been announced, with John Willoughby taking top honours for his colourful and striking image of the Polref instrument at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), near Oxford. He said: ‘This is the third time I have visited
Chilbolton Observatory (Mervyn Edwards)
LETTERS
It all adds up … Congratulations on the cover photo and associated article in your November issue. The topic of how concerned photographers are dealing with the overwhelming numbers of photographs and digital manipulations created daily is
BEYOND THE DECISIVE MOME THE ARTISTS WHO NT OUR VIEW OF ARE CHANGING PHOTOGRAPHY
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RAL for a Photowalk. I thought the lines and colours of the pipework would make for an interesting shot.’ Meanwhile, Paul Worpole took a different approach for his Highly Commended image taken at Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire. ‘I noticed everyone going for wide-angle lenses so thought I would go very close with a macro lens. Shallow depth of field sold the sizzle rather than the sausage.’ See bit.ly/stfcwinners
Daresbury Laboratory (Paul Worpole)
WRITE TO: The RPS Journal, Think, Suite 2.3, Red Tree Business Suites, 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA or email rpsjournal@thinkpublishing.co.uk
/ NOVEMBER
JOHN TYLER ARPS John Tyler, who died on 31 July, was a Society Life Member. He received his ARPS in 1995 with a set of images of athletes. He will be remembered as someone always willing to help, share his knowledge and encourage everyone to reach their goals.
SCIENCE WALK WINNERS
THE RPS JOURNAL
Derek Birch with the Edinburgh medal winners
now a chance to establish a new ‘Moving Image Group’ to support people interested and working in these areas. To find out more, email michael@ rps.org or call the Society on 01225 325730.
John Willoughby’s image of the Polref instrument, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
NOVEMBER 2014
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an important issue that possibly passes by many readers. Brian Steptoe FRPS In November’s issue we incorrectly stated that Robert Albright FRPS was chair of the Multimedia Distinctions Panel. The chair is in fact Peter Hayes FRPS.
SPORT
HOW MARC ASPLAND SCORES HIS PERFECT SHOT
PHOTOBOOKS
SEE THE SOCIETY’S BEST WORK ON A PAGE
STFC/JOHN WILLOUGHBY; STFC/MERVYN EDWARDS; STFC/PAUL WORPOLE; BOB GATES ARPS
Experts discuss wide range of topics at Medical Group event
POST&PHOTOG RAPHY MARC ASPLAND HONFR
DECEMBER 2014
| IN FOCUS | 751
I WISH I’D TAKEN
LAURA PANNACK BLACK EYE BY SALLY MANN
What can other photographers learn from it? For me, it’s a lesson in the importance in keeping things simple. There is not too much
information but at the same time it is quite engaging. I think it also shows that if you know somebody and have full access to them you have more range to be creative. This is a portrait of one of Sally’s daughters, and if somebody else had taken the image there would be quite a different context.
DISTINCTION SUCCESSES
BLACK EYES © SALLY MANN, COURTESY GAGOSIAN GALLERY; LAURA PANNACK
Well done to all the Members on their achievements in recent months ARPS EXEMPTION 10/14 Kym Cox, Dorset James Alisdair Finlay, London Debbie Sears, Middlesex Morten Watkins, Sussex LRPS EXEMPTION 10/14 Ivor Hunt, Northamptonshire James Nessim, London Adrian John Sweeney, Warwickshire
ARPS VISUAL ART 10/14 Jill Adams, West Sussex Chris Barbara, East Sussex Wirianto Birin, Jakarta Utara Thomas John Davies, West Glamorgan Rob De Ruiter, West Sussex Brian Dicks, Staffordshire Colleen Donaldson, Worcestershire André Du Plessis, Surrey John Goff, Mid Glamorgan Brian Horrobin, Suffolk
Mann has attracted criticism for photographing her children in such a way. What’s your take on this? For me it’s quite an innocent shot and shows a simple love of photography. As a reader of the image, I find it quite beautiful. Laura Pannack will be the Society’s Regional lecturer for 2015
PROFILE LAURA PANNACK Awarded the Society’s Vic Odden prize in 2013, she won the John Kobal New Work Award in this year’s Taylor Wessing prize
IN NUMBERS
Daniel Alfred James Horton-Szar, Kent Barry Jones, Devon Ilonamarja Laine, Finland Caroline Mann, Worcestershire Cheryl Meek, Middlesex David Sadler, Angus Peter Spring, Buckinghamshire Anna Stevenson, Devon Kam Wah Tang, Hong Kong Stephen Thomas, West Glamorgan John Timbrell, Bedfordshire Parulian Tjua, Indonesia Stella Kwong Wai Ying, Hong Kong Andrew Webster, Surrey Beverley Anne Williams, Worcestershire Clifford Williams, Worcestershire
LRPS EXEMPTION 11/14 Jamie Bayliss, Wiltshire, , Linda Taylor, County Durham, LRPS 09/14 Richard Connolly, Warrington ARPS EXEMPTION 11/14 Anna Bridson, Yorkshire Charlotte Eades-Willis, Lincolnshire Kate Christina NeillGriffin, Hampshire Ed Smith, Glasgow +ASIS , FRPSACCREDITED SENIOR IMAGING SCIENTIST Dr John Allen, Tyne and Wear
£175,300
Why did you choose this image? I’ve been a fan of the work of Sally Mann HonFRPS for years and I think I first saw this image when I was studying photography at the University of Brighton. This image haunts me, it evokes emotion, it enables me to connect with the subject, to engage with them, and I’m a sucker for wet-plate collodion images. There are other projects from photographers that I adore but this image stands alone. There are no gimmicks. It was taken out of love and curiosity, and there is still room for a mysterious interpretation.
The amount the first Hasselblad camera ever to be used in space sold for at auction in last month – more than twice the anticipated sum
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timeless beauty
Photograph © John Baikie
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BOOK REVIEWS
Alec Soth’s Broken Manual
MIXED MEDIA
Curate’s egg fuses great insight with less enlightening doodlings
ALEC SOTH, BROKEN MANUAL © YUMIKO CHIBA ASSOCIATES
PHOTOGRAPHERS’ SKETCHBOOKS Stephen McLaren and Bryan Formhals Thames and Hudson (£29.95) How do you get inside the mind of a top creative photographer? Photographers’ Sketchbooks tries to give an insight into the modus operandi of some big names in photography today, offering a behindthe-scenes look at the working methods of nearly 50 photographers from around the world. Before going any further, we need to clarify that Photographers’ Sketchbooks is not a “how to” guide to getting the same results as your favourite photographer. Neither does it cover in great depth what gear they took along to a shoot, and why. The book is more about trying to understand the artists’ thought processes and planning, giving context to their work while also talking about a specific project. At times, however, this can feel a little loose and vague, depending on the artist. There are some great insights, though. The section on Magnum photographer Trent Parke is particularly interesting. Parke describes how he took a 35mm scanner and small postcard printer
around Australia for his epic Minutes to Midnight project. He’d print out the pictures every day, and explains why it was important that he could see them. For other photographers, you have to make do with some rather cryptic comments, and the images of their notebooks and doodlings are only so interesting. It’s a relief to come across somebody such as Kiana Hayeri, for example, who actually discusses the specifics of how she works and shares some practical tips, rather than another double-page spread of esoteric sketches and philosophical musings. The choice of photographers is very much skewed to the fine-art, experimental and documentary end, too. And at times I wished the book was a bit more down to earth. As long as you are aware of its limitations, Photographers’ Sketchbooks gives you a fascinating window into the creative process, and it’s great to see exciting young photographers such as Laura Pannack featured as well as more established names. As you’d expect of Thames and Hudson the presentation, design and print quality are second to none. GEOFF HARRIS LRPS
| IN FOCUS | 753
I WRITE TO TELL YOU OF A BABY BOY BORN ONLY YESTERDAY ... David Eustace Clearview (£60) Portrait photographer David Eustace takes his work very personally. The title is borrowed from the opening line of a letter sent to Eustace’s parents telling them that a baby was up for adoption – young David himself. There is a warmth and intimacy to this book that is reflected in the unaffected poses of his sitters, many of whom are famous faces. All captions, however, are to the rear, so readers have to continually flick back to find out who or what they are looking at. CAIRO DIARY Peter Bialobrzeski Velvet Cell (£18) Velvet Cell specialises in short runs of small-scale photography books – the photobook world’s equivalent to a short story. Cairo Diary is its latest offering. It is a picture essay about Egypt’s capital in the upheaval of the period between the overthrow of presidents Mubarak and Morsi. Bialobrzeski ekes out the moments of beauty among the urban chaos. A portrait of a city, this book is less about the people and more about the jumble of urban sprawl and the anonymity of the crowd. A PLACE IN THE COUNTRY Chris Steele-Perkins Dewi Lewis Publishing (£25) Magnum photographer Chris Steele-Perkins HonFRPS turns his attention to the English country estate in a book that aims to discredit commonly held assumptions about manor life. Documenting the 23,000acre Holkham Hall in Norfolk over a 12-month period, Steele-Perkins shows all the workings of the estate, including hunting, wedding bookings and the multitude of dedicated staff. VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 753
754 | DECEMBER WHAT ARE DISTINCTIONS?
Distinctions are standards of achievement recognised throughout the world
LRPS Applicants need to show good photographic competence in five key areas
Ava Koska
Emma DelvesBroughton
ARPS Professional & Applied ‘For some time I had lots of A5 prints all over my floor in the loft’ I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN inspired to photograph strong, beautiful, interesting people. For my ARPS submission, I wanted to show a variety of my work over the past decade, with at least one image from each book I have had, and a mixture of images taken on colour and black and white negative, transparency and digital. I find it natural working with women, and would hope the work I have chosen shows they feel comfortable shooting with me. It’s important to know what you are doing and to work fairly quickly when shooting outdoors in particular, otherwise the model can become uncomfortable and it will show. I like to feel there is an air of mystery in these images, and that you can make up your own story about each one. Choosing and printing the images for my ARPS panel took a few months. For some time I had lots of A5 prints all over 754 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
ARPS Evidence of a creative ability and personal style, plus complete control of the technical aspects of photography
FRPS Our highest Distinction is given for excellence and a distinguished ability in photography
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| DISTINCTIONS | 755 FEATURE SPONSORED BY
FIND OUT MORE rps.org/distinctions
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DELVES!BROUGHTON 756 | DISTINCTIONS | EMMA ARPS
my floor in the loft, and was staring at them, changing them, looking at them again. Once I had finalised the panel, I printed them myself. I wanted all the pictures to match, so printed them all on the same printer and paper. I used various cameras for these images, from a Mamiya RB67 to a Canon EOS 5 MkII. Most of the outdoor images use natural light with a reflector, although Anita De Bauch has a fill-in flash with a small softbox. The four indoor ones on the bottom row of my hanging plan are Bowens flash, using small softboxes. I had the colour negative and black and white print scanned. All the others were processed with Capture One. Photoshop was then used to enhance the colour and get rid of any blemishes if needed.
FACTFILE
Emma Delves-Broughton lives in Bath and works in portraiture, lingerie, alternative fashion and art nude. She has published three books, Kinky Couture (2003), Kinky Nature (2010) and Curves (2014)
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| DISTINCTIONS | 757 FEATURE SPONSORED BY
Clockwise from left: Anita De Bauch; Kittie; Hella Walkington; What’s Good for the Goose
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DELVES!BROUGHTON 758 | DISTINCTIONS | EMMA ARPS
ASSESSOR’S VIEW
DAVID PENPRASE FRPS Professional & Applied panel THE PROFESSIONAL AND Applied panel sees a great and varied cross section of work. Occasionally that includes figure studies or the nude. It is a big
mistake to think that beauty or a beautiful body can disguise bad photography. With Emma’s panel it was immediately obvious to all that this was a considered work by someone who understood her subject. The panel held together as a solid body of work that had style and consistency throughout
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and, importantly, each image stood on its own merit. Although appearing simple in terms of composition, they were very well-thought-out poses that conveyed the eroticism the photographer required and not, as has been seen many times before, being portrayed and dictated by
the model. Figure studies and the nude in particular are extremely difficult and this is where it is so important that the photographer takes control; this is hugely evident in these images. The locations and models are perfect. Postproduction has been extremely well executed, with skin
FEATURE SPONSORED BY
HANGING PLAN
‘The panel had style and consistency and, importantly, each image stood on its own merit’
tones that look “normal”, not excessively smoothed out. Mood had been added where necessary but not overdone. As with any given subject, very little if anything has not been done before. The vital thing is that Emma has implanted her own style. It is a very worthy Associate panel.
Above: Grace Top right: October Noire in Black Dress
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760 | DISTINCTIONS |
Ken Bingham
LRPS
‘The selection process took about 18 months of thought and experimentation’
FACTFILE
A former senior technical officer at the University of Cambridge, Ken Bingham took up photography seriously after his retirement in 2009. He joined Cambridge Camera Club and from there began work on his ‘L’ portfolio
TAKE THAT! A Wimbledon picture. The subject, racquet and ball are as taken, not moved or added later. However, I did use Photoshop to simplify and reduce the impact of the background including a vignette and darkening of highlights. Nikon D600 with 70-300mm at 230mm, 1/1,000 @ f/5.3, ISO 800.
I WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED in photographing landscapes and the natural world, but since my retirement I have begun to try other genres such as sport and architectural work, and to expand my software skills into Photoshop manipulation and monochrome conversion. I wanted this range of styles and abilities to be reflected in the panel. The selection process took about 18 months of thought and experimentation. Firstly, I presented about 30 images to my local camera club’s Distinctions group. A few were judged as worthy of inclusion, some were labelled just okay and quite a few as boring – including some of those I really liked. This is all valuable advice, but it’s also good to have a thick skin on these evenings. After a second presentation a year later, I had a better idea of the sort of images that would work and could begin to put the collection together. I was very interested in the “panelling” of prints, balancing shapes, colours and graphic elements to achieve that harmonious “11th image”, so I chose individual prints only if they fitted into that idea. However, individual quality is also important and when it came to printing, my club mentor helped me to understand the effect different surface textures had on the appearance of the finished print. He also spotted a couple of pictures that were not quite as sharp as I thought and needed to be replaced. I made all my prints on an Epson Pro 3880 using PermaJet Fibre Base Gloss 295 paper.
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BRANDLEHOW WOODS A particularly wet and nasty November morning by Derwentwater. I loved the colours and detail but initially struggled to find “the picture”. Looking at the collection again after several weeks, I decided that I wanted to impose a linear blur on one of the shots to reduce some of its complexity but not lose all the detail. So in Photoshop I overlaid an unblurred layer and selectively brushed in detail where I wanted it. Nikon D600 with 70-300mm f/4.5 at 180mm. 1/30 @ f/8, ISO 1,600, tripod.
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AL FRESCO London’s South Bank. I didn’t have a monochrome image in mind but saw potential in the textures of the paving and bench. I took care to retain shadow and highlight detail, cloned out some unwanted feet and moved the pigeon to a more photogenic position. Finished in Nik Silver Efex. Nikon D80 with 18-70mm at 46mm, 1/200 @ f/7.1, ISO 400.
| DISTINCTIONS | 761 FEATURE SPONSORED BY
EARLY MORNING, RYDAL WATER This was also in the Lakes, but on a better morning. I just managed to catch the last of the early mist giving depth to the picture, as I particularly wanted to show the recession of the distant hills. Nikon D600 with 24-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, 1/10 @ f/8, ISO 100, tripod. VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 761
BINGHAM 762 | DISTINCTIONS | KEN LRPS
ASSESSOR’S VIEW
ROBERT GATES ARPS WITH THIS SET OF IMAGES, Ken has demonstrated that he can successfully photograph a wide range of subjects using a variety of techniques. The layout of the panel was carefully constructed, using the shapes of the prints to produce a pleasing appearance for the viewer. Simple images are sometimes the best and Ken has shown some very careful selection in images one, Jersey Blue, and five, Blue and Brass, along the top row of the panel. In addition to the simple nature of the compositions, the similarity of colour holds the panel together. The choice of the panoramic format for images two and four in the panel is a good one. The two vertical images are quite different but both very strong. Ken has positioned them in the centre of the panel for maximum effect. The top image of the trees, Brandlehow Wood, has a dream-like effect and the bottom one is closely cropped but instantly recognisable as The Umpire. Ken’s simple composition of the winter landscape, Five Below, shows a good appreciation of light, essential for any landscape photographer. The technical quality of all the images was excellent. Ken showed the panel members that he has a high visual awareness and showed some evidence of creativity and personal input in his work, resulting in a unanimous recommendation that he be awarded the Distinction.
HANGING PLAN:
‘Ken showed the panel members that he has a high visual awareness and showed some evidence of creativity’
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| DISTINCTIONS | 763 FEATURE SPONSORED BY
NEWCASTLE GREY This is a teaching block at Newcastle University and I knew as I took it that the metalwork on this side of the building would make an interesting monochrome. This is another Nik Silver Efex conversion. Ensuring good contrast and sharpness while retaining sufficient highlight and shadow detail was a challenge. Nikon D80 with 10-24mm at 12mm, 1/640 @ f/7.1, ISO 250.
FIVE BELOW A simple shot on a frosty morning. Care was taken with cropping, composition and colour temperature – I didn’t want it to look too “cold”, despite the weather. Nikon D80 with 18-70mm at 34mm, 1/250 @ f/13, ISO 250. THE UMPIRE Wimbledon Centre Court. I had no previous experience here, and was advised to look for details. I did some cloning to lose background distractions, plus selective lightening and sharpening to the soles of the umpire’s feet. Nikon D600 with 70-300mm at 250mm, 1/160 @ f/5.6, ISO 1,600.
JERSEY BLUE I’m often asked if this was taken on Santorini in the Greek isles but actually it’s at the Jersey Swimming Club in St Helier. It’s more or less as taken, apart from the removal of some rust stains from the paintwork and some desaturation of the sky (having overdone the polarising a little). I took care to keep detail in the white wall. Nikon D80 plus 18-70mm lens with polarising filter, 1/800 @ f/14, ISO 200. VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 763
764 | DISTINCTIONS |
Get your LRPS or ARPS with the Exemption scheme
Ed Smith recently achieved his ARPS through the Society’s Exemptions. Here he explains how
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www.permajet.com 01789 739200 info@permajet.com 764 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC Society’s Exemptions allow those who are already qualified in photography to achieve a Licentiate or Associate Distinction without having to submit a new portfolio of work. Ed Smith, a 28-year-old photographer from Glasgow, was recently awarded his ARPS through the scheme. In 2011 he graduated with first class honours from the Press and Editorial Photography course at University College Falmouth. This year he decided to apply for a Distinction through the Society’s Exemptions scheme. ‘I joined the Society first, then filled out the Exemption form,’ says Ed. ‘I provided a reference from my tutor and a link to my website, which shows my final body of work from the course. It was a really easy process.
‘I see the ARPS as the next step in my career. When you get your degree it seems quite final, and as a freelance photographer you can feel as if you’re out there by yourself. But being part of the Society and having my Distinction means I feel part of something that’s ongoing.’ Although he only recently received his ARPS, Ed has already seen a positive effect. ‘It’s been really nice to tell potential clients. My Distinction has certainly lifted up some heads and I think it’ll help in securing future work.’ A full list of qualifications that are eligible for Exemption can be found on the Society’s website, but the course award must be no older than 10 years from the year of applying for Exemption. Fellowships are not eligible. See more at rps.org.uk/ distinctions/exemptions
ATTEND A DISTINCTIONS ASSESSMENT DAY For the latest dates for Distinctions Assessment Days, please visit rps.org/events or distinctions@rps.org or call 01225 325733 EXPERT ADVICE Turn to our member guide on page 807 to find dates for Advisory Days, where you can gain expert advice on your portfolio
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WEBBER 766 | INTERVIEW | TIMHonFRPS
MASTER OF THE IMPOSSIBLE Tim Webber HonFRPS was awarded the Society’s Progress Medal this year for his work in film special effects. He talks to Lucy Davies about how he makes dreams come true PORTRAIT BY TIM WHITE
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TIM WEBBER HonFRPS
| INTERVIEW | 767
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WEBBER 768 | INTERVIEW | TIMHonFRPS 1
I
n 1988, when Tim Webber arrived for his interview at the visual-effects house Framestore, he took with him an art portfolio, a portfolio of photographs, a short film he’d made and a degree from Oxford. ‘I had two very long, very gruelling interviews’, he says, wryly, ‘and I finally managed to get a job making coffee.’ Today, with Emmys, an Oscar and a Bafta under his belt, the 49-year-old “VFX” supervisor and company partner has tea brought to him on a tray, by a duo of breathless assistants. Last night, he says a little sheepishly, he even went to a reception in Downing Street. Talking in a tucked-away boardroom at Framestore’s Soho offices, Webber sits with his back to a wall of stills from some of his creative feats. Where the Wild Things Are, The Dark Knight, 768 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
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Children of Men – each was in some respect a first in the ever-expanding field of visual effects. None of them, though, compares to his leap into terra incognita for Alfonso Cuarón’s space adventure Gravity. ‘We were expecting film lovers to appreciate and admire it,’ he says, ‘but to have the broad appeal that it did was slightly surprising. Amazing too.’ This year, Webber was awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s Progress Medal. Instituted in 1878, the prize is given in recognition of advances in the development of imaging. Previous winners include Antoine Lumière, alongside his sons Auguste and Louis, as well as Alfred Stieglitz, Bill Brandt and Man Ray, company Webber says he feels ‘immensely pleased’ to be part of. ‘I was very excited when I heard I’d won,’ he says. ‘Photography has been part of my life since I was a child. The Society’s emphasis on the science and
art of imagery is at the heart of what I do. Both are important in their own right, but when you bring them together it creates something greater than the sum of its parts.’ Man Ray, with his darkroom trickery and fanciful outlook, is a particular hero. Growing up just outside London and for a time in Paris, where his father worked for IBM, Webber was very taken by Ray’s favoured technique of solarisation – when an image recorded on a negative or photographic print is reversed in tone so that dark appears light or light appears dark – and would spend hours in his school darkroom. ‘I used to enjoy experimenting,’ he says.
IMAGES COURTESY OF WARNER BROS PICTURES/FRAMESTORE; UNIVERSAL PICTURES/FRAMESTORE; WARNER BROS PICTURES/FRAMESTORE X 2; TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILMS/FRAMESTORE
5
TIM WEBBER HonFRPS
| INTERVIEW | 769 5 KEY TRICKS
2
The special effects you didn’t spot
GRAVITY 2013 1 For one of the scenes, a book Sandra Bullock was holding had to float across the space capsule. She would let it go, a guy would grab it, and move it across the screen very slowly. We just painted out the hand afterwards. CHILDREN OF MEN 2006 2 In the birth scene we needed to get the actress to walk into the room in the first half of the shot but to be strapped into prosthetic legs for the second half. We joined two shots filmed hours apart.
3
THE SCIENCE AND ART OF IMAGERY IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT I DO When he joined Framestore, the firm employed 12 people and the visualeffects industry was a different playing field. Framestore was known chiefly for its music videos – Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing, for example, which featured one of the first computeranimated characters, and a-ha’s pencil-sketched Take On Me, one of the first animated videos to air on MTV. ‘In those days it was all about TV,’ says Webber. ‘Computers were unable to deal with the higher resolution needed for films and it was very hard to get the digital image off and back on to celluloid. Most of what we did was commercials, animation. I used a
machine called a Harry; an incredibly expensive and at the time an incredibly advanced piece of kit. It couldn’t do anything close to what you could do on your mobile phone today.’ Developments, he says, were gradual rather than Damascene. Although computer animation had been used in films such as Superman (1978) and Tron (1982), it wasn’t until Terminator 2 (1991) and Jurassic Park (1993) that sustained computer-generated imagery became feasible. Framestore joined forces with a computer company in the early nineties, and Webber began work on the BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs (1999) which ‘constituted a
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE 2005 3 There was one shot where a few characters were to appear to be walking up a hillside. It was done in the studio but I swear there is no way that anyone wouldn’t think they were taken out onto location. THE DARK KNIGHT 2008 4 When Harvey Two-Face takes a drink after his face has been half destroyed, a little of the whisky dribbles out through the gaps in his cheeks. The computergenerated whisky is a touch that adds to the scene’s full believability. AVATAR 2006 5 In the scene where Sam Worthington’s character, Jake, is disembarking from the transporter, every single element in the shot is CGI – apart from Jake.
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WEBBER 770 | INTERVIEW | TIMHonFRPS
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Tim Webber and his team at work on the set of Gravity
done? He smiles. ‘It’s not that something can’t be achieved, it’s that it can’t be achieved in the time, for the money. But being asked to do impossible things is what forces us to be creative. Whenever there’s a newish technology people discover what works and what doesn’t. Then you go through a phase where everyone thinks that these are the rules. But actually, as with anything, it’s important to understand the rules, but also to break them.’ One senses the problem-solving is
what really floats Webber’s boat. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention. Often, if I can’t see a way out, I look back to see how people solved things pre-computers. They had to be much more inventive and sometimes we can use old techniques in new ways.’ His team on Gravity – almost 300 strong – ‘used some very basic, low-fi techniques alongside the high-tech stuff. When a book Sandra [Bullock] was holding had to float across the capsule, she would let it go, a guy would grab it, move it across the screen very slowly. We just painted out the hand afterwards. There are things on bits of string - you can’t use it everywhere but there are times when it works.’ There were many challenging elements, but one of the hardest was the scene in which Sandra Bullock removes her spacesuit in the airlock and curls into the foetal position. ‘Because it was one long shot, there was nowhere to hide how we were supporting her, and no fast action to distract the viewer. The light was bouncing all around, which made the
OFTEN, IF I CAN’T SEE A WAY OUT, I LOOK BACK TO SEE HOW PEOPLE SOLVED THINGS PRE!COMPUTERS
IMAGES COURTESY FRAMESTORE; TONY FRENCH
big breakthrough. Suddenly you could suspend your disbelief, and that had never been achieved before.’ These days, the pace of change is much faster. ‘Eventually people crack what was considered impossible and you move on. It can be overwhelming – you’re always running to keep at the front of your game. It can make me long for the time when you had your paintbrush and it was largely the same from one day to the next. It’s not the same from one month to the next now.’ In the mid-2000s, when he began work on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the techniques involved for Aaron Eckhart’s character Two-Face were his ‘biggest challenge yet … To be able to stick work like that on to an actor’s face and make sure it moved in the right way, that it sat into the lighting in the right way, was a really tricky thing to do. Now? It would be considered quite easy.’ Before he made the computergenerated baby for Children of Men, again for Alfonso Cuarón, nobody believed it was possible. ‘But we did it. Now, the only challenge left is a completely believable human. We’re very close, but years of evolution have gone into our ability to look at a face and tell in a millisecond whether it’s friendly, nasty, sick or healthy. Get the tiniest thing wrong and it will not feel right.’ Why would we want a computergenerated human when we could use a real one? ‘It’s useful in stunt scenes’ he says. ‘There are moments in Gravity where we used one, but the body tended to be small or flying through the frame. To get one that is close-up, consistently in shot, that’s the Holy Grail.’ Not so long ago, VFX specialists were only looped into the filmmaking process during its later stages. Now it’s nearer the beginning, so what can and can’t be done is established before the script is even written. Gravity was a special case, ‘because we weren’t putting visual effects into a movie, we were creating a movie made of visual effects. It was planned in the computer to the micro-movement of almost every frame before we even started shooting.’ Has he ever said something can’t be
TIM WEBBER HonFRPS
rendering very difficult, and on top of everything else, the scene had to evoke a really, really powerful emotion. Everything about it had to be immaculate to sustain that level of observation from the audience.’ Webber’s solution was to use different techniques at different points. ‘Hoping people don’t notice what you’re doing before you make the shift to a different technique was a useful trick. Just as you start to see the wires, suddenly the wires aren’t there any more. At one point Sandra was just sitting on a bicycle seat, one leg strapped in to support her, and we were doing some very complicated stuff around her to make it look as if she was floating. I say “just’” but everything had to be minutely synchronised and choreographed and she did that immaculately. It was stunning to watch her pull it off.’ He used the same technique of moving the background when Bullock and Clooney are spinning through space. “As soon as you put someone on their side or upside down you can really see the effect of gravity – the blood goes to their head, the face looks different, so we found we were better keeping them as upright as possible. “But inverting the motion means the camera has to move in quite fast
‘A REAL HONOUR’
Tim Webber on his Progress Medal Tim Webber HonFRPS won the Society’s 2014 Progress Medal, awarded in recognition of any invention, research, publication or other contribution which has resulted in an important advance in the scientific or technological development of photography or imaging in the widest sense. ‘It is a real honour to be awarded the Progress Medal that
has previously been awarded to true greats,’ said Webber at the awards ceremony in September. ‘Being on the same list as Man Ray had particular resonance as I remember, when I was a child, his photographs were a large part of what inspired me to get into photography in the first place. I have always been driven by the bringing together of innovation and artistic expression that is clear in many of his images.’
| INTERVIEW | 771
and complicated ways. At the same time, the actors have to reach for things like handles and they need to grab in the right direction, because the handle won’t be there until we generate the environment later. It was all kinds of craziness.’ At what point did he realise he’d made something extraordinary? ‘Honestly? Not until it went in front of an audience,’ he says. ‘I mean, I felt like there was something potentially special. But we had to invent a lot of techniques and I didn’t know until very near the end that we were going to pull it off.’ Webber has also tried his hand at second-unit directing. In the 1998 mini-series Merlin, which starred Sam Neill and Sir John Gielgud, ‘I even got to direct Sir John in one scene. I didn’t deign to say anything though; I just let him do it. He was very old at that time, you had to take the chair away just before he did a scene and then put it back immediately afterwards, but when he stood up and gave his performance, it was a transformation,’ Webber says. So we should look out for his director credit? ‘It’s a transition I’m trying to make, yes,’ he adds. ‘It isn’t easy because everyone wants to be a director. I can say I have a few projects I’m trying to get going. For now, though, I’ll have to keep the day job.’ VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 771
772 | KNOWLEDGE |
Paul Colley researched underwater composition
Dr Giles Hudson wrote about Sarah Angelina Acland
Put words to your passion Do you want to write about images? Then a REAP Distinction could be for you. Panel chair David Bruce FRPS explains
FAQs What is a REAP Distinction? The full title is Research, Education and Applications of Photography. A REAP Distinction gives the applicant the chance to develop and share knowledge about aspects of photography. How does it work? You submit written, not photographic, work for a REAP Distinction. You can use images to illustrate it and the submission could be a website, an essay or an academic paper. Do I need to be an expert? No. At Licentiate level you can write about any aspect of photography you are enthusiastic about. Submissions should meet certain standards (see main text), but if you have got something you want us to hear about, a REAP Distinction could well be for you.
OUR ROYAL CHARTER states: ‘The objects of The Society are to educate members of the public by increasing their knowledge and understanding of Photography and in doing so to promote the highest standards of achievement in Photography in order to encourage public appreciation of Photography.’ The fact that ‘educate’ is in the first line gives the main clue as to what REAP is about. Of course, for most members the principal reason for being part of the Society is to enable them to improve their picture making to ‘the highest standards’. But there is a great deal more for the Society to do if it is properly to fulfil its ‘educational’ function. It has to promote the appreciation and understanding of the medium both within and
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beyond its membership, and the charter also talks about the means by which it must pursue its objectives, including ‘promoting and carrying out research’ and ‘publishing and distributing information’. So, as its name indicates, REAP is interested in how photography is considered, how its history is recorded and preserved; how photography is taught; and how it is understood in its own terms and as part of a wider visual and artistic culture. REAP provides a route to a Distinction that is unlike any other within the Society. A Distinction gained through REAP may well add to a member’s credentials and also to the greater sum of knowledge about photography. It could be a biography, a history, an account of a certain
technique or aesthetic, or almost anything across the range of the medium. Although there are no fixed themes for REAP submissions, the areas which the REAP panel would most expect to see covered are: research on an individual photographer, school or genre; photographic education; aspects of the history of photography; the conservation and restoration of photographs and photographic material; curatorial accomplishments, or new thinking about photography and photographic theory. In terms of presentation, there are naturally different criteria to be applied according to the level of Distinction that is being sought, with those for Licentiate being not especially difficult to meet.
| KNOWLEDGE | 773 A WIDE RANGE: SUCCESSES IN THE REAP CATEGORY Dr Terry Speake FRPS What is Wrong With Disability Imagery? Towards a New Praxis of Social Documentary Photography Dr Giles Hudson FRPS Sarah Angelina Acland – First Lady of Colour Photography Dr Robert Willingham FRPS Judo: The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat Dr Howard Oliver researched Airborne Cloud Photography in WW1
PAUL COLLEY ARPS; MISS ACLAND WITH HER PORTUGUESE GUITAR, SARAH ANGELINA ACLAND; COURTESY HOWARD OLIVER; SU FLOYD
THE REAP PANEL SEEKS TO PERSUADE AS MANY MEMBERS AS POSSIBLE TO PUT IDEAS TO THEM The applicant will have to display evidence of original research, good writing, presentation and arguments, and an awareness of current thinking, but if they have enthusiasm for a subject – such as the work of a particular photographer, process, technique or application – and can match the criteria, there is no reason why he or she cannot apply at Licentiate level. An Associateship will only be gained by a higher standard in all of the skills required for Licentiate level, plus a clear point of view. It is at Fellowship level
that the criteria necessarily become very exacting and at this level submissions are expected to be equivalent to a very high academic standard and clearly making a significant contribution to the understanding of photography. While the panel has necessarily to be rigorous in its assessments, whether a submission is at Licentiate, Associate or Fellowship level, it is determined to encourage every approach that is made to it. Its members have a broad range of experience of photography, its history and applications (see panel, right), and when a submission goes beyond its collective expertise the panel will draw in other experts to help. It therefore seeks to persuade as many members as possible to offer ideas
Russell Young FRPS Art history on soft-focus lenses
that might develop into full submissions. To make the process as easy as possible, there is a free “pre-application” system which allows members to outline an idea for a project that might be considered appropriate for a full application. A 500-word paper may be enough to outline a potential submission, but so too might a paper accompanied by an existing piece of work, a publication, a website, or something else. Therefore, if, as a member, you would like to contribute to the sum of knowledge about photography as a means of gaining a Distinction, please do get in touch. Contact distinctions@rps.org or to download an application form and guidelines please visit rps.org/distinctions/downloads
Dr Howard Oliver LRPS Airborne Cloud Photography in WW1 Philip Harris FRPS Photographing Landscape Wendy Allard ARPS Ethnography of Photography Nick RobertsonBrown FRPS Underwater Photography Paul Colley ARPS Advanced composition and techniques in underwater photography
REAP panel members David Bruce FRPS (chair) Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS (deputy chair) Ralph Jacobson ASIS HonFRPS Ray Spence FRPS External advisors Dr Alison Morrison-Low Professor Andrea Liggins Professor Elizabeth Edwards
ABOUT THE AUTHOR DAVID BRUCE FRPS David has been chair of the REAP panel since 2012, and has a Fellowship on the history of photography. He has been director of the Scottish Film Council and the Edinburgh International Film Festival. His writings include Sun Pictures – The Hill-Adamson Calotypes, and Scotland the Movie.
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774 | IN PICTURES |
2014 IN REVIEW Staff from some of the Society’s departments pick their favourite images of the last 12 months
ANDY MOORE LRPS Distinctions Manager
UNTITLED by Yap Kok Hing FRPS ABOVE
JO MACDONALD Awards Manager
MORGAN FREEMAN by Harry Borden HonFRPS
Ever since I watched the Academy Awardnominated film The Shawshank Redemption in 1994, I have been a fan of Morgan Freeman. Portrait photographer Harry
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Borden, who received an Honorary Fellowship at this year’s Society Awards, took the image. The portrait was one of many of Harry’s images shown during the
presentations and I was drawn to it particularly because Harry shot Freeman with his eyes shut. The black and white image is gritty but also curiously peaceful.
I first saw this photograph in a portfolio submission. All the images were outstanding, but this one really stood out for me. It is the strength in the girl’s face as she scrutinises her observer as steadily as we scrutinise her. The hair blowing
across her face brings movement and accentuates her beauty. The hunched figures and the sea of rubbish highlights her composure and expression of determination. They work against the grain of our expectations. By confronting us with these extremes of beauty and courage, Yap Kok Hing provides us with an arresting portrait of the strength of the human spirit embodied by this beautiful girl in circumstances we can hardly imagine.
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LIZ WILLIAMS Education Manager
RED CHAIR by Marcus Doyle LEFT
Marcus submitted this image as part of his application for the TPA/RPS Environmental Bursary. It is one in a series of photos looking at water management in California’s ongoing water shortage and is
incredibly beautiful, despite addressing a serious environmental concern. I was drawn to Marcus’s photos because of their haunting depth and warmth. They made me want to discover more about the story behind them. In this particular shot, with the inclusion of the abandoned chair, we are being reminded of the people affected by water shortage, as well as how it alters landscape.
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776 | IN PICTURES |
EMILY MATHISEN Web Content Manager
LESLEY GOODE Exhibitions Manager
HAT SELLER by Chelin Miller LRPS
SCHERZO, 2011 FROM THE SERIES COME AND PLAY by Jacqueline Roberts
ABOVE
One of my duties is to change the rotating images on the website. This came to me via the Travel Group and I loved it straight away. I find the man enormously charismatic. I feel like he is staring directly at me, bypassing the camera, and that I could reach out and shake his hand. The composition is also fantastic – the perspective of the hats lead the eye to the square in which he is centred and the golds and lighter colours of the hats surround him like a frame and push him forward towards us. 776 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
LEFT
I was struck by the beauty of this image, even before it was selected for the 157th International Print Exhibition. It has a painterly quality and, for me, the imperfections from the collodion wet-plate process enhance its beauty, giving it an integrity, reminiscent of a historical print. The story is intriguing – the eye draws you in and the palette sets you on a journey round the softness and shadows of the image.
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SALLY SMART ARPS Exhibitions Assistant
SWISS HUNTER by Henry Meyer
I received an email from Henry a few months ago enquiring if he could submit his photographs for an online competition. They were taken from 1946 onwards
on ex-RAF film. The images were captivating and instantly took me back in time. They had a certain quality to them reminiscent of a still from a classic film and really
stood out next to more familiar images. The details or clues that can be gleaned from the man’s appearance hint at the era the photo was taken, and without any written
information to hand, I’m encouraged to interpret the image in my own way. It’s this sense of the unknown coupled with the depiction of times passed that really appeals to me.
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RPS 778 | INSIDE STORY | THECOLLECTION
250,000 images, 8,000 cameras and 31,000 books, periodicals and documents
INSIDE THE SOCIETY’S ARCHIVES Words Andrew Cattanach Photographs Jonathan Jacob
Colin Harding, the curator of photography and photographic technology at the National Media Museum, shows Andrew Cattanach John Benjamin Dancer’s binocular stereo camera from 1856
T
he curved glass façade of the National Media Museum in Bradford is a statement of modernity. Founded in 1983, it is not what you might consider a conventional museum. For a start, it houses the UK’s first ever IMAX theatre which was, at five storeys high, the biggest cinema screen in Britain when first opened. It is also home to a further two cinemas, several gallery spaces, a café and a collection of some 3.5 million historically significant items from the fields of photography, cinema, television and new media. But I’ve come here for one thing. Held in the museum’s vaults is The Royal Photographic Society Collection, a massive treasure trove of 250,000 images and artefacts from the early days
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of photography right up to the current century. Acquired by the National Media Museum in 2003, the collection embodies the Society’s heritage, and will be celebrated with a major new exhibition opening this month in London. Drawn by Light, in which items from The Royal Photographic Society Collection are gathered in the capital for the first time, opens this month at the Science Museum, before travelling back to Bradford in March 2015 and then on to Mannheim, Germany, in 2017. Ahead of the show, I asked Colin Harding, curator of photography and photographic technology at the National Media Museum, to talk me through what the Society’s collection holds. ‘The Royal Photographic Society Collection is one of the greatest resources for the study and appreciation of photography anywhere in the world,’ he says. ‘Working with it is daunting, but it is also an incredible privilege. It reveals how photography has fundamentally shaped our perception of the world and illustrates photography’s enduring power, richness and variety over nearly 200 years.’ Colin and I are standing in the Gandolfi Room, named after the well-known family of camera manufacturers. It’s here that visitors to the National Media Museum can examine the items they have requested, be it a camera, a print, a journal or a postcard, and on the day of my visit there are individuals dotted around quietly peering into archive boxes. ‘The only proviso,’ adds Colin, ‘is that we can’t show things if getting them out puts them at physical risk. Some of what we have is so old and so fragile that if we were to get it out on demand there would be nothing left for anyone to enjoy.’ A better host I’m unlikely to find: Colin has been working at the museum since 1985, gives regular tours and in 2004 received the Society’s John Dudley Johnston Award for his contributions to photographic history.
THE RPS COLLECTION
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Clockwise, from left: books on stereographs; The Two Ways of Life by Oscar Rejlander; The Heart of the Empire by Alfred George Buckham; Rudolf Koppitz’s Movement Study; zoetrope reels; Soldiers of the Sky by Nickolas Murray; containers of Society archive material
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RPS 780 | INSIDE STORY | THECOLLECTION
We enter the Kraszna-Krausz room, named after Andor Kraszna-Krausz, who was the founder of one of the world’s leading publishers of photography and moving-image books, Focal Press. It’s here that members of the public can get to grips with the collection, and is regularly visited by, among others, a creative writing group, a reminiscences group and, of course, the Society’s Special Interest Groups, such as the Historical Group, which used its facilities to meet in. The timing of my visit could not be more fortuitous. Along the walls of the Kraszna-Krausz room are several large prints from The Royal Photographic Society Collection, hung to help curators select images for Drawn by Light. In one cabinet, Julia Margaret Cameron’s dewy-eyed vision of Thomas Carlyle looms out of the darkness. On the opposite wall the Duke and Duchess of Windsor are captured suspended in one of Philippe Halsman’s signature, mid-jump poses. Also adorning the walls are Rudolf Koppitz’s majestic Movement Study, Oscar Rejlander’s The Juggler, Peter Henry Emerson’s Gathering Water-Lilies; Life and Landscape on the Norfolk Broads, Robert Demachy’s painterly
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Vitesse and Edward Steichen’s portrait of Isadora Duncan at the gates of the Parthenon. In a world in thrall to digital imagery, where any one of these pictures can be called up on a computer screen at the mere click of a mouse, it is indeed a luxury to be in a room full of so many exceptional prints. Real, material, physical prints. However, it’s not until Colin starts opening drawers full of carefully wrapped daguerreotypes that I start to appreciate the sheer size of the collection. Almost at random, he pulls out a rectangular package. ‘This is a hand-coloured stereo daguerreotype by T R Williams,’ he explains, delicately holding a plate that shows two nearidentical images of a proud young soldier from the Crimean War period. A luxurious item at the time, it would have cost the buyer the equivalent of hundreds of pounds when it was first bought. I find the image strangely moving. Perhaps it’s the pathos of a long-dead man posturing at me from more than 150 years ago. Getting just a taste of the full extent of the archive I’m fascinated to hear that it’s still growing. Aware of the finite space that the museum has available, Colin tells me that they do not necessarily encourage donations from anyone, but every year request a print from each of the Society’s award winners. As we move further through the collection Colin points out where The Royal Photographic Society’s library is stored. Here they hold all the books and
Clockwise, from top left: Portrait of Christina by Mervyn O’ Gorman; Edward Weston’s Nude on Sand - Oceano, California; some of the wealth of index material in the archive; a boxed Vivex repeating back camera; the Spirit of Photography by Anne Brigman
THE RPS COLLECTION
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ARCHIVE ADVENTURES
TONY FRENCH
Patricia Ruddle ARPS volunteers to work with the Collection
Peter Henry Emerson’s Gathering Water-Lilies, top, and some of the archive
I’m one of five volunteers, and since early 2013 we’ve been working with The Royal Photographic Society Collection (I joined them at the beginning of this year). In time, the information that we gather will be available online. We began with Roger Fenton and have since logged Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, Alvin Langdon Coburn, and made a start on Samuel Bourne. For each print we have to log the title, dimensions, the photographer’s
name, the place photographed, process used and its condition. Sometimes we can spend a whole morning on just one print, trying to figure out which process was used. Sutcliffe, for instance, never left any notes, and although there has since been a lot of ethnographic details recorded about his
images – what kind of dress a subject might be wearing, for instance – there has been little written about his process. Inspired by the collection, we volunteers have begun a project where we visit some of the places Fenton photographed and record how they look now. Some places look like they haven’t changed, while others have disappeared. We aim to have an exhibition and a book about the project in the new year.
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RPS 782 | INSIDE STORY | THECOLLECTION
Clockwise, from top: a hand-coloured stereo daguerreotype by T R Williams of a Crimean War-era soldier; a detail of the world’s first twin-lens stereo camera, made by John Benjamin Dancer in 1856; Colin Harding and Andrew Cattanach examining Williams’ daguerreotype
publications collected over the last 161 years of the Society’s history, including complete runs of all the major photographic journals from around the world. And then there’s the hardware. The National Media Museum has an impressive collection of cameras – a lot of which are held offsite. Colin suggests I experience one of the items just as an ordinary visitor might, one that’s not in an archive box or a cabinet. He dashes off and tells me to meet him in the Kraszna-Krausz room in a couple of minutes. When I get there, he’s unpacking a beautifully crafted wooden box with two brass-plated holes an eye-width apart. This, he explains, is John Benjamin Dancer’s binocular stereo camera from 1856 – the first twin-lens stereo camera. It is one of several artefacts on show as part of the Drawn by Light exhibition. ‘The earliest stereoscopic photos were created by moving the camera,’ says Colin. ‘You’d set it up, take the shot, move it a couple of inches to the side, and then take the shot again.’ This technique only worked for static subjects, so the next step was to use two separate cameras a few inches apart, photographing the subject simultaneously. When Dancer invented his twin-lens camera it meant that photographers could expose two images on one device in quick succession. And it would have been on such a 782 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
device, explains Colin, that T R Williams would have photographed his youthful, slightly nervouslooking Crimean War-era soldier. As my tour comes to an end, it becomes clear that nearly every incremental shift in the technology and aesthetics of lens-based imagery is represented in The Royal Photographic Society Collection. In just a few hours I have seen some of the most extraordinary items I have ever encountered. And yet I feel that it’s only the tip of the iceberg. It’s therefore of little wonder that the Society has decided to display some of the collection’s treasures in the exhibition Drawn by Light, and I can hardly recommend it enough. But when you go, I suggest you see it as a kind of appetiser – albeit a very satisfying one – to a visit to the collection itself. The Royal Photographic Society Collection, Colin reminds me, belongs to the nation and should be enjoyed by everyone. Above all, he adds, it should be enjoyed by you – the Society’s members. Drawn by Light is at the Science Museum, London from 2 December – 1 March 2015; the National Media Museum, Bradford from 20 March – 21 June 2015 and the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Mannheim, Germany in 2017. Find out more at rps.org.dbl or to access the archive go to nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/Collection
SOCIETY SPECIAL OFFER To coincide with the opening of the Drawn by Light exhibition opening, the Society is able to offer members copies of the Drawn by Light exhibition catalogue at the reduced price of £12, including postage and packaging. To buy your copy, go to rps.org/dbl
From:
£1554.00
inc. VAT.
From:
£659.47
inc. VAT.
DANZIGER HonFRPS 784 | BEST SHOTS | NICK
CAPTURING SECRET STATES
Intrepid travel and documentary photographer Nick Danziger HonFRPS discusses his recent trips to the enigmatic states of Transnistria and North Korea with Geoff Harris LRPS
THE NISTRU RIVER AT TIRASPOL, 2012 ‘Ten days after the Russian Orthodox Christmas in January, thousands of Transnistrians plunge
into the River Nistru. It’s so cold they have to break the ice – kind of symbolic of how I also have to “break the ice” with the locals to get this
kind of more intimate image... We ended up here as we were following a local Dixie band, called Liberty, who decided to go for a dip.’
NICK DANZIGER HonFRPS NO!ONE COULD ACCUSE NICK DANZIGER
of going for the easy trips. From his early excursions along the old silk road routes (some of which required a disguise), to his haunting images of Aids orphans, to more recent work in North Korea and the eccentric Russian enclave of Transnistria, Danziger’s ability to dig out and document fascinating human stories is undiminished. He originally trained as a painter, but travel was
always a passion. He made his first solo trip to Paris at the tender age of 13, inspired by Tintin. ‘I didn’t have any travel tickets or even a passport, and sold sketches to make money,’ he explains. Danziger’s first book, Danziger’s Travels, was an international bestseller in 1987, and he became an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society in 2007. We spoke earlier this year just before
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the opening of Above the Line, an exhibition based on Danziger’s 2013 trip to North Korea with writer Rory MacLean. The trip, which took place under the auspices of the British Council and with the support of North Korea’s Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, enabled Danziger and MacLean to visit the capital, Pyongyang, as well as the cities of Nampo, Wonsan and Sariwon. ‘Originally we planned to
DANZIGER HonFRPS 786 | BEST SHOTS | NICK
run a workshop on creative photography and writing, with a cross section of North Korean society – from farmers and fishermen to undergraduates and dancers,’ Danziger explains. ‘Then, three weeks before we left, they realised that these people would need permission to come to Pyongyang. There wasn’t time to do the paperwork. So the authorities asked us if we would like to visit them, and of course we jumped at the chance.’ The North Korean authorities were fully aware of Danziger’s reputation as a hard-hitting documentary photographer, but none of his images was checked. ‘The only restriction was that we mustn’t crop any of the images of Kim Il-sung and his late son, Kim Jong-il. The train across the countryside was an eye opener, and you could see life was 786 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
ENTRANCE TO THE DNESTROVSKY COLLECTIVE FARM, 2012 ‘This is a good example of the scenery in Transnistria. In so many parts of the old Soviet Union these idealised statues of workers have gone, but they still survive here. There is definitely a contradiction between this nostalgia for the Soviet past and the
rampant capitalism of the oligarchs who run the country. It’s very bleak. The temperature was minus 20, which the locals said was mild. To me the winter is the best time to go, so I can see how the people live.’ GIRLS AT SCHOOL, 2012 ‘This was taken at a school for minorities – the girls are Moldovan, rather than ethnically
Russian, although they have to speak Russian. They are under a lot of pressure to learn the language, and indeed many in the country seem to want to rejoin Russia, as happened with Crimea. The conditions were tough, and there were no indoor toilets or canteen. The minorities in Transnistria are fearful, however, and don’t complain.’
PORTRAIT: CHARLES BEST
PARKHEAD, GLASGOW, 1995 ‘This is a favourite of mine and was taken in Parkhead, a tough area of Glasgow. I needed a chaperone. The kids were playing in a broken fire hydrant as it was a hot summer day, and every time the fire brigade arrived to cap the geyser, they would break it again so they could play in the water. I like the action in the shot.’
NICK DANZIGER HonFRPS
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NICK DANZIGER’S FIVE ESSENTIAL TIPS 1) BE PATIENT Whether portraits or landscapes, you need to be patient, either waiting for the right moment or the best light. A lot of my best work has come from simply hanging around.
information in the photograph is there. Try not to allow distractions and clutter to get in the way of telling the story. I never crop my black and white images; colour very, very rarely.
2) FOUR CORNERS Before you press the shutter button, examine all corners of the frame to make sure the essential and important
3) GO MANUAL I always shoot in manual mode, and although this means I sometimes miss a shot, I am in control of the exposure,
rather than allowing the camera to make the decisions. I use autofocus and automatic white balance, but otherwise I like to be in control. 4) AVOID FLASH For my kind of travel and documentary work I hardly ever use flash; it distracts my subjects and can look unnatural. I try to use natural light wherever possible,
pushing the ISO if necessary. I also try to avoid a tripod – it slows me down and gets in the way. 5) AVOID HEAVY PROCESSING I only use Photoshop sparingly and never add or remove anything from my portraits. If you frame the shot properly in the first place you shouldn’t have to spend time removing unwanted objects.
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DANZIGER HonFRPS 788 | BEST SHOTS | NICK
tough, but the North Koreans are proud people too, and wanted us to see the country at its best.’ If North Korea seems strange to outsiders, arguably an even odder stop on Danziger’s itinerary was Transnistria, a landlocked “breakaway” state sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine. Danziger and MacLean travelled there in 2012 to document this forgotten corner of central Europe, and have released a book documenting their travels. ‘It’s a fascinating place,’ Danziger explains. ‘It was the last country in Europe with political prisoners.’ 788 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
Getting access to Transnistria was just as difficult as getting permission to shoot in North Korea. ‘It took three ministries to sign off our visas,’ Danziger says. ‘Transnistria is a time warp, like something from the old Soviet Union, so being able to work there was a great experience. The people were very hospitable, and there was a lot of heavy drinking. We thought we’d have a day off from it when we visited a local monastery, but then the abbot insisted on showing us his wine cellar … ’ Back in the USSR, by Nick Danziger and Rory MacLean, is out now. Go to unbound.co.uk
HAIRDRESSING SALON, PYONGYANG, 2013 ‘This place was like a time warp. We were able to work with people in a very relaxed way and this scene was not set up at all. I like this image as the colour comes through. With North Korea there is an assumption that you should shoot it all in
black and white, but Pyongyang can be colourful too. You would think the customers here would be a bit shy about being photographed by a westerner, but it wasn’t the case at all. They just got on with their lives.’
NICK DANZIGER HonFRPS
TRAFFIC POLICEWOMAN, PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA, 2013 ‘Life in Pyongyang is pure theatre – it’s
2
that there isn’t that much traffic in Pyongyang to direct in the first place. The battle is trying to stop people from posing, so you get a
true glimpse of their lives. She was not happy that I had photographed her without her permission, hence the expression.’
IN THE BAG
4
1
very regimented and lots of people wear uniforms. All the traffic policewomen have an official ponytail, stapled to their hat. The irony is
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3
Nick Danziger HonFRPS is a long-time Olympus user and rather than bulky SLRs, he favours the discreet yet powerful Olympus OM-D compact-system camera. He also likes to use prime lenses, rather than zooms. ‘They get me closer to the subject
and get me moving more,’ he says. PICTURED 1 Olympus OM-D E-M1 x2 2 M.Zuiko Digital ED, 12mm, f/1:2.0 3 M.Zuiko Digital, 17mm, f/1:1.8 4 Passport, vaccination certificates
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790 | SHOWCASE |
Group effort
The Digital Imaging Group celebrates diversity in this year’s Members’ Print Exhibition at Fenton House From now until mid-January, the Digital Imaging Special Interest Group is showcasing its annual Members’ Print Exhibition at Fenton House. Having already visited Swindon and Smethwick, near Dudley, the exhibition is a celebration of the diversity of work being made by members of one of the largest and most active of the Society’s Special Interest Groups. Every year, DI Group members are invited to put forward three prints for consideration, one of which will be picked by the selectors to appear in the print exhibition. This year’s selectors were eminent photographers Walter Benzie ARPS, Guy Davies ARPS and Rikki O’Neill FRPS. As well as choosing one photograph by each of the 80 entrants, the selectors awarded the overall winner a Gold Medal and Chairman’s Cup, as well as presenting six other members with Ribbons. Here we find out a little about the processes behind the impressive images. RIBBON WINNER Selector Walter Benzie ARPS
THE LADY IN WHITE David F Cooke ARPS I was taking some candid shots of people skating at Bryant Park in New York on Christmas Day, 2012 when I noticed the woman in white. She stood out from the crowd and I just had to capture the scene. Post-processing consisted of cropping to a square format followed by a number of adjustments in Photoshop using both standard Photoshop filters and Nik Filters, notably Glamour Glow, Darken/Lighten Centre, Viveza, Dark Contrasts, and Colourise; all of which were used to produce the background I wanted and to make her stand out. 790 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
GOLD MEDAL AND CHAIRMAN’S CUP WINNER
VENICE SKETCH 2 Valentina Kulagina ARPS This photograph was taken in Venice on the Grand Canal embankment near St Mark’s Square. It was the end of January and during acqua alta, or high water, so the rain, fog and waves coming on to the pavement are quite real, as are the people hurrying along with umbrellas. I had this particular composition in my mind, so placed myself on the corner and kept photographing passers-by. Remarkably, the image is almost exactly as it was taken and post-processing was minimal. I did some cropping, a bit of soft focus and background texture overlay, but that was it.
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RIBBON WINNER Selector Walter Benzie ARPS
SWIMMING POOL IN BANGOR Geoff Lea ARPS The title is just another white lie. The image was in fact taken on a day of severe winter weather in Beaumaris (a name I could not recall when naming the image). The building is the lifeboat station and much of it has been altered, as I wanted cleaner lines than the
original image was offering me. There were many windows, signs and intrusive walls that had to be removed to achieve this. The lampposts have been straightened because the wind has bent them over and the water in the pool has been livened up.
RIBBON WINNER Selector Guy Davies ARPS
RIBBON WINNER Selector Rikki O’Neill FRPS
MOORED Baron Woods FRPS One of my early-morning walks takes me round Cockshott Point at Bowness on Lake Windermere. A considerable number of yachts are moored in that area. Generally, because of weather conditions and wind, the jumbled lie of the boats is not very photogenic. However, in late September, a misty atmospheric calm often settles on the lake, producing conditions that I consider to be the best for the style of photography I like. Contrast in the original image was increased to subdue the background trees and enhance the effect of the low morning light.
I’M IN TROUBLE Fiona Senior FRPS This image was one of many I shot when giving a week of studio workshops at a photographic college in China. It was delightful, but having to work with an interpreter and young children at the same time was quite a challenge. This little boy had been told to keep clean and tidy, so I made him messy with some mud make-up I had taken with me. I wrapped the clean shoes around his neck and couldn’t believe how lucky I was to get this fleeting expression – he was otherwise a very cheerful, mischievous and very mobile five-year-old.
VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 791
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| SHOWCASE | 793
RIBBON WINNER Selector Rikki O’Neill FRPS
THE SIRENS Janet Haines ARPS After a particularly good studio session with the beautiful Holly, I was looking at the series we shot of her in this fabulous sea-green dress and the story of the Sirens came to mind. Choosing three of
the poses, I selected a suitable background that swept round the image, giving the impression of a sunken boat beneath the sea. The colour was changed to the same colour palette, along with an additional layer of water from an azure swimming pool. The poses were blended, with each figure at different opacities.
RIBBON WINNER Selector Guy Davies ARPS
BEACH STROLLERS Dee Wareham My aim was to show the expanse of an almost deserted beach and I thought a high-key image would achieve this, which I made using levels and curves. I wanted the breakers and choppy
sea to emphasise the fact that the weather was was windy. The couple were the dominant feature, so I moved them to a stronger position. Finally, there was too much sky in the picture so it was cropped and a small area to the right was slightly stretched to give more of a letterbox shape.
VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 793
794 | SHOWCASE | OTHERS IN THE FRAME
The exhibition shows a range of styles from the Digital Imaging Group
Man in the Mirror, Brian Beaney FRPS
Two Frogs, Barry Senior HonFRPS
Rain, Steam and Speed, Brian Burrows
Two Frogs Barry Senior HonFRPS
Contemplation, Len Claydon LRPS
794 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
Twisting into the Light, Marilyn Taylor ARPS
IN SEARCH OF NEW LOCATIONS The DI Group is looking for other venues in which to hang the Members’ Print Exhibition, so if you know of a gallery accepting proposals, please email Marilyn Taylor at digexhibitions @rps.org Selections for next year’s exhibition will take place in February 2015. DIG members wishing to enter should visit rps.org/dig
NEW FROM PROFOTO: SMALL YET DEEP AND PARABOLIC UMBRELLAS Six new umbrellas have been added to the growing family of Profoto umbrellas. The new umbrellas are unique in that they are small and lightweight yet deep and parabolically shaped. Profoto umbrellas are now available in no less that 18 models, three fabrics and two shapes. See them all at www.profoto.com/umbrellas
© SANDRA ÅBERG
2014-09 RPS quarter page 87x135_1 12/05/2014 17:22 Page 1 10967_PhotoMonthly_Profoto_Dec_134x192mm.indd 1 Tenba Bags_RPS_Dec_14.indd 1
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THE L ATE S T TECHNOL OGY, TECHNIQUE S A ND SK ILL S
Canon EOS C100 II
This second-generation cine model is an attempt to extend the brand’s appeal, says Gavin Stoker
Video – and its marriage to a stills-taking capacity – is big as far as manufacturers are concerned and, whether they intended it or not, successive iterations of the Canon EOS 5D plus 7D are the de-facto standard among budgetconscious videographers, or photographers who also want to shoot video. Canon introduced its Cinema EOS range two years ago; now we have the secondgeneration, comprehensively upgraded EOS C100 Mk II. Available from January next
year, this hefty-looking, buttonfestooned workhorse may cost around £4,000 new, but for pros it offers an alternative to RED cameras, including a large Canon Super 35mm CMOS sensor at its heart. The other advantage is compatibility with a wide range of existing EF SLR lenses, as well as 4K EF cinema lenses. The Mk II integrates wi-fi for the first time, includes a Digic DV 4 processor and an extended ISO range of 320 to 102,400. It also comes with dual-pixel CMOS AF which enables focus
PRICE: £4, 282.80 SENSOR: 9.84 megapixel Super 35mm-type CMOS sensor (8.29MP effective) LENS: Optional (Canon EOS mount) SCREEN: Tilting 3.5-inch OLED display, 1.23 million dots WEIGHT: TBC MORE: canon.co.uk
IN BRIEF: No 4K capture, but this pro-grade film maker feels like the natural step up for photographers-turnedvideographers currently shooting on the 5D or 7D
to be easily switched between multiple subjects in the frame, plus face-detection AF. A choice of full HD, HD or SD footage can be captured – although oddly, not yet 4K resolution itself – with different formats written to separate SD memory cards if desired, a tilting electronic viewfinder has been improved this time round, while a new OLED display makes for highercontrast viewing. For solo shooters looking to up their game, the C100 Mk II will feel like a sensibly familiar set-up.
VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 797
798 | THE CRAFT |
2
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This premium-feel super tele sports zoom comes in Nikon, Canon and Sigma mounts sigma-imaging-uk.com
Premium-end compact joins the existing G1 X in Canon’s semi-pro compact camera line-up canon.co.uk
There’s no need to pack away the camera for the winter. Manfrotto has brought its Italian knowhow to protecting your camera plus accessories from the elements with four Pro Light Elements Covers to select from. Prices start at just under 50 quid for a cover suitable for a compact DSLR or CSC, courtesy of the E-690 PL option, but many will be eyeing the E-705 PL, which allows for full-size DSLR, flash and a 70-200mm lens combined. Wildlife photographers shooting with supertelephoto lenses are directed to an extension-sleeve E-704 PL kit – which needs to be used in conjunction with the E-705PL, or marginally smaller E-702 PL, thereby delivering the ability to cover an entire tripod-mounted set-up.
Canon, Nikon or Sigma DSLR users will want to check out this super telephoto ‘Sports’ f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM offering, which replaces Sigma’s 150500mm super telephoto zoom. Sony users will want to hang on for a lighter and more affordable ‘Contemporary’ option promised for spring (price TBC). The weightier ‘Sports’ version has a weather-sealed, oil and water-repellent construction and is bundled with a strap, lens hood and case. With a push-andpull operational action, the lens is quiet, fast and features what Sigma calls a “TSC” (thermally stable composite) design – a construction unaffected by changes in temperature, so there is no contraction or expansion of parts.
end premium compact is the biggest possible sensor in the smallest possible body. Arguably that’s what we have in the 20.2-megapixel G7 X. Apart from the solid-feeling construction the major draws of the metal-build G7 X are the one-inch sensor coupled with 4.2x optical zoom lens, which boasts a bright/fast f/1.8-2.8 aperture range for those wanting flexibility of framing and beautiful ‘bokeh’ effects. This goes some way to providing the complete package for all grades of user, but as it’s the most powerful pocket camera Canon has produced, it will have particular appeal for Society members seeking a truly portable back-up to a DSLR.
IN BRIEF Perhaps not the most stylish solution ever, but a well-made and practical option that is affordable with it THREE MORE TO TRY Storm Jacket SLR Pro, Camera Clean deluxe waterproof camera cover, Matin digital camera rain cape
IN BRIEF Pro-grade super telephoto lens at a high-end amateur price; a lower-budget version is to follow THREE MORE TO TRY Nikon AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM II
IN BRIEF Pocket powerhouse of a camera on which you might not be able to change the lens but arguably provides the complete package for enthusiasts THREE MORE TO TRY Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100, Fujifilm X30, Nikon Coolpix A
1
798 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
2 Full-frame or APS-C sensor
Canon PowerShot G7 X From £579.99
3 The technical goal for any high-
6 4
5
Fujinon XF50-140mm f/2.8R LM OIS WR £TBC
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 G ED From £679.99
HTC RE camera £169
Weather-resistant telephoto zoom as robust as its X-T1 semi-pro compact-system partner fujifilm.co.uk
Compact wide-angle prime lens pitched at Nikon full-frame DSLR owners nikon.co.uk
Oddly periscopic-action camera-style capture device from the smartphone giant recamera.com
4 If you’ve got a weather-resistant
5 Optimised for Nikon’s largest
6 HTC’s quirky ‘RE’ has a thumb-
(WR) X-T1 camera, it makes sense to get an equally robust WR zoom. This XF series zoom feels well up to the job. As far as compact-system camera accessories go, it’s a comparable beast of a lens running from a maximum f/2.8 aperture to f/22 at extreme telephoto, supported by image stabilisation equivalent to five stops. It features a lens mount made from brass, while the focus ring and aperture ring are also metal. Capable of being used in the rain, it’s also dust resistant and protected down to temperatures of minus 10°C. With a 35mm-equivalent focal range of a jackof-all-trades 75-210mm, it’s suitable for framing everything from portraits to wildlife and sporting events from afar.
sensor-incorporating FX-format DSLRs is this latest solid yet compact wide-angle lens that arguably arrives with an affordable price tag. As well as the 20mm ultra-wide view, the bright/ fast f/1.8 suggests the ability to achieve smooth, shallow depth-of-field effects, as well as enabling low-light work, handheld and without the use of fill flash. The boast is edge-to-edge sharpness with minimal distortion. Although it is designed for Nikon’s full-frame sensor cameras, if you were to use this lens on an APS-C DSLR you’re looking at a 30mm-equivalent focal range in 35mm terms. Nanocrystal coating to reduce ghosting and flare, and a minimum focus distance of 0.2m complete the package.
operated single-button control that is tapped for photos or pressed for videos. There is no viewfinder, so it’s a case of hope and pray, but with a 146° wide-angle lens there’s likely to be something of interest in your frame. While we’re not remotely suggesting this is the future of photography, it’s an interesting development. A bit of fun at present, the ultra-portable device allows for action camera-like underwater shooting without additional housing at a depth of one metre, or the ability to attach it to the handlebars of a bicycle via optional accessories. It features a 16-megapixel sensor with HD video capability, and sharing compatibility with Android phones and iOS.
IN BRIEF This whopper of a lens further extends the creative and practical options open to Fuji X system users THREE MORE TO TRY Fujinon XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR, Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro, Panasonic Lumix G X PZ 45-175mm f/4.0-5.6 ASPH
IN BRIEF Solid yet compact wide-angle lens optimised for use with Nikon’s full-frame cameras comes with the advantage of bright/fast f/1.8 aperture THREE MORE TO TRY Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM, Sony FE 28mm f/2, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G
IN BRIEF An unexpected twist for a company that has had widespread success with its camera phones to move into standalone photo-capture device territory THREE MORE TO TRY GoPro Hero, Kodak SP360, Ricoh Theta M15 VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 799
Photographica Auctions Express - 20 January Fine – 19 February
Fine lots in our recent and upcoming sales Our Fine and Express sales in September and October realised around £250,000, with exceptional prices realised for lenses by Dallmeyer, Ross and Hugo Meyer. We are currently taking in consignments for our upcoming auctions and are now the largest camera auction house in the United Kingdom. For our recent sales we have travelled all over the country collecting cameras and photographs of all types and values, which we sell to buyers around the world. Our next sales already include rarities such as a Redding & Gyles ‘Luzo’, a Leica 250GG Reporter, a Reid I, an Ultra-Micro-Nikkor 28mm lens, Dallmeyer Super Sixes and a host of Leica, Nikon and Canon.
For further information, or to get a valuation, please contact Jonathan Brown or Hugo Marsh on: + (0)1635 580595 or hugo@specialauctionservices.com 81 Greenham Business Park, Newbury RG19 6HW www.specialauctionservices.com
TECHNIQUE MASTERCLASS
| THE CRAFT | 801
The perfect family portrait
Stewart Wall ARPS on how to photograph your loved ones this Christmas
C
hristmas is a time of year you’re nearly guaranteed to have the whole family in the same place. Use the chance to take some photos of the special occasion. But instead of just snapping a few off-the-cuff images, take a little time, and with some planning you can turn mediocre mug shots into something you can be proud of, to hang on your wall and admire for many Christmasses to come.
What not to do
2 The typical family mug shot usually adheres to the following criteria: it’s miserable outside so we’ll take some snaps indoors using straight flash; pile everyone together into a huddle and get one or two exposures before the family are all bored and annoyed at your pestering them. You wind up with red eye – the result of the flash being too close to the camera lens and causing a
Setting up
1 Natural light is at its best
when the sun is diffused and bounced about a bit. So, try the same when you’re shooting with flashguns indoors. Before deciding where to set up the family group, first look at the walls around you to
reflection from the back of the eye – and no family dynamic, just a bunch of glum faces all staring directly at the camera. Loosen everyone up a bit, make them look like a family rather than an assortment of strangers. What’s more, by using low-cost off-camera flash equipment – and a little bit of technique and reposing – you could quite easily end up with something you can hang on your wall.
find a neutral-coloured corner off of which you can bounce the light. For extra light, you can introduce a second flashgun or, as I have done here, a reflector opposite the main light, which helps to further soften the final image.
The result
3 Pose your family so their
heights are a curve and turn them towards one another to show they are together. It’s often best to introduce something the youngest member will react to – such as play figures. In fact, ask them all to play with the figures so they look relaxed. I wanted to balance the outside daylight, seen through the patio door, with the artificial flash light indoors. Using the camera on
ABOUT THE AUTHOR STEWART WALL ARPS In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Stewart has been a general practice photographer for the past 25, with the last 10 majoring on the family portrait. He recently gained an ARPS with a set of images of a local stonemason and works with the Contemporary and DVJ Groups among others. He runs training courses
manual I set it to 200 ISO to give good grain. I decided to use f/5.6 and bounce the flash into the corner of the room to give lovely soft lighting. I then took a meter reading for outdoors at the above aperture, setting the shutter speed as the meter advises. This should give a good balance between the outdoor natural light and the flash light indoors.
VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 801
DEPTH: IMAGING 802 | THE CRAFT | INTHERMAL
Heat and light
Joseph Giacomin explains the science, and art, of thermal imaging
E
arly pioneer Henry Fox Talbot used the phrase “the pencil of nature” to describe photography’s ability to capture even the minutest details of a scene and to draw attention to them. Whether it is the haystack he photographed in 1844 or the rubble of Nagasaki photographed by Yosuke Yamahata in 1945, photography puts us in a place, at a point in time, and brings something to our attention. I feel that thermal photography shares this defining characteristic with all other forms of photography, differing only in the greater emphasis on matters of heat and energy. Thermal photography is the capturing of the thermal radiation emitted from objects in proportion to their temperature. Engineers use it to measure things such as the spread of temperature in a machine, or the loss of heat from a building, but it produces images that are becoming more familiar to us, all through advertising and the media. Thermal radiation occurs in
the region of the electromagnetic spectrum from approximately 900 to 14,000 nanometres of wavelength, while phenomena such as gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light and radio waves occur in the other regions. To capture these frequencies, each pixel in a thermal camera is a tiny electrical thermometer which measures the heat produced by the thermal radiation that hits it. Most thermal cameras incorporate a low-resolution optical sensor alongside the thermal sensor in order to permit simultaneous shots of the same object, which can be used individually, or combined as a “fusion” image. The colour we see in a thermal image is constructed differently too. Because thermal cameras measure temperature, which is not part of the visible light spectrum, what’s called a “pseudo-colour” is required. Perhaps the most psychologically intuitive pseudo-colour scheme is based on the use of redorange colour for the hottest
Window Shopping shows how thermal radiation can be reflected, like sunlight, off a shiny surface 802 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
temperature, and dark blue for the coolest. Unless specifically blocked by the photographer using the camera settings, a thermal camera automatically applies this pseudo-colour in real time. There is a lot of science involved in the capture of these images, and a lot of expense (a thermal camera can cost up to £40,000), but the results, I believe, can compare in an artistic sense to much of the photography we are more used to seeing. Like the X-rays of Nick Veasey or the scientific images collected by Jon Darius in Beyond Vision (1984), thermal photographs can also widen our understanding of the world. Susan Sontag famously stated that ‘in teaching us a new visual code, photographs alter and enlarge our notion of what is worth looking at’. Evidence of this trend is the recent creative use of thermal photography in areas as varied as music videos and F1 racing. Thermal images emphasise surface and texture. There is
In this image, Winter’s Day, a thermal camera captures temperature rather than colour, providing a glimpse into the wall to discover some of its internal structure
IN DEPTH: THERMAL IMAGING
| THE CRAFT | 803
In Danae, ‘form and gesture pop out of the page’
something physical about them. Form and gesture pop out of the page more strongly than with colour photographs, in a similar way to black and white photography. There are also parallels with some of the great works of night photography by names such as Georges Brassai and Volkmar Wentzel. Unlike the capturing of moon glow or the light of dawn, these individuals seemed repeatedly drawn to the aura of man-made sources and scenes – scenes that would probably have achieved a similar aesthetic and emotional impact if they had been shot using a thermal camera. As creatures of curiosity people always try to see more of their world, and the many, varied and wonderful forms of optical photography have facilitated uncountable discoveries and emotions. The attraction of thermal photography, which is still in its infancy, will almost certainly prove just as compelling. Seeing heat is another curiosity which people will probably not be able to resist. THERMAL IMAGING: QUICK QUESTIONS
Today’s commercial thermal cameras have a low-pixel resolution, resulting in ‘impressionistic’ images such as this one, Houses of Parliament
What is thermal imaging? The capturing of the thermal radiation emitted from objects in proportion to their temperature. Who uses it? Professionals including firefighters, to see through smoke; engineers, to measure heat loss; the military and police, for night vision, and medics for diagnostic screening. How does it work? A thermal camera’s sensor acts like a thermometer to measure temperature, translating it into an image we can understand visually.
Davide: a thermal/optical combination
VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 803
| THE CRAFT | 805 M Y FAV O U R I T E C A M E R A
Sony a7R
Joe Cornish HonFRPS goes for something of a new-school spin. But then again … Okay, let me get this out the way; I oppose favouritism. I can’t stand being asked where my favourite location is (I get asked that frequently). So I am reluctant to choose a favourite camera. If I must, my instinct would be to choose film. But a favourite digital camera? Don’t make me laugh … where is the romance, the poetry, in that? However, since everyone else writing this column has played the nostalgia card (and very well too), it is time to break the rules. Some digital cameras are really quite good, but most don’t have much “soul”. The Sony a7R
does. In part, this may be due to some infuriating quirks. Each exposure is made with an enormous kerlunk of the shutter; you could almost imagine yourself handling a Pentax 6x7, the impact is so great. Auto-focusing works, but cannot rival current DSLRs. The dedicated lens range is small, and somewhat overshadowed by rival systems … so far so not very good. Yet lenses are its wildcard, as it is able to accept hundreds, if not thousands, of legacy lenses from umpteen different camera systems going back decades, via a plethora of adapters. No
other compact-system camera encourages us to take such full advantage of this capability. Its phenomenal 36-megapixel resolution makes it unforgiving. It works best on a tripod, along with a cable release, manual settings and a traditional, methodical, dedicated, craftbased approach. I love that aspect of it. Best of all, the camera is tiny. With something this small and light I can see myself continuing to walk up hills longer than I thought might be possible. And for that, I might have to admit to a teeny bit of favouritism.
AUTHOR PROFILE JOE CORNISH HonFRPS A highly respected and prolific landscape photographer, Joe was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Society in 2008. See his images joecornishgallery.co.uk
MEMBER
| GUIDE | 807
GUIDE
YOUR RPS EVENTS ! COURSES PROGRAMME
DEC!JAN!FEB
GO TO
RPS.ORG/EVENTS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES
Paul Hill MBE FRPS to speak in York Celebrated photographer will discuss career and education at joint Group event
T
he Yorkshire Region, in conjunction with the Contemporary North East Group, will hold a one-day talk in York on 25 January with renowned photographer Paul Hill MBE FRPS. Hill started out as a press photographer before moving into the world of education. He has a long history with The Royal Photographic Society. After being invited by Secretary Kenneth R Warr to join the Society council, he set about creating the Contemporary Group in 1989. He was also involved in setting up the initial criteria for the Contemporary
Distinctions and the Exemption for graduates of BA courses. During his talk he will cover his long career in photography as well as speaking about education, curating and how a photographer can create a presence. Contemporary North East Group member Stewart Wall ARPS will also give a talk on NHS-65, a project by the group which gathers images charting the history of the NHS, the book of which will soon be published.
Above: Enoch Powell Electioneering, Wolverhampton, 1970 Image: Paul Hill
Below: Too Much Time to Think Image: Paul Hill
Paul Hill at York takes place on 25 January at the York Hotel. For details, see page 813 VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 807
GROUPS 808 | GUIDE | REGIONAL
REGIONS
Meet photographers and view work in your area
Hear from Danny Green in London on 7 January Image: Red deer stag by Danny Green
CENTRAL
DI GROUP: AGM 2015
DEL BARRETT ARPS
Smethwick Photographic Society club rooms, The Old Schoolhouse, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Janet Davies, digsecretary@rps.org For details see Digital Imaging Group
LONDONEVENTS(RPS.ORG
SUNDAY 25 JANUARY / 09:30& 17:00
£19.50 Speakers include members of the Society, the London Salon of Photography and other prestigious UK photography groups Smethwick Photographic Society, The Old Schoolhouse, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Mike Sharples ARPS, as above
RPS AND SMETHWICK PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY FRIDAY FOCUS GROUP JOINT EVENT FRIDAY 20 FEBRUARY / 19:30& 22:00
£3.50/£2.50 RPS member Photography with a Difference by Glyn Dewis Smethwick Photographic Society, The Old Schoolhouse, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2AS Ray Dowding, 0121 550 5594, raydowding@btinternet.com
YOUR EVENTS To ensure inclusion of your events in The RPS Journal please post them on the RPS website six weeks prior to publication. For a list of deadlines, cancellations or lastminute amendments please contact Emma Wilson on 0141 375 0504 or email emma.wilson@ thinkpublishing.co.uk These listings are correct at time of going to print
808 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
MONDAY 1 DECEMBER / 18:30&21:00
IAN(GREENMEN.ORG.UK
CREATIVE GROUP, ANNUAL EXHIBITION
FIRST TUESDAY % FESTIVE SPECIAL
SATURDAY 3 JANUARY & SATURDAY 31 JANUARY
TUESDAY 2 DECEMBER / 19:00&21:00
Woodbridge Library, New Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1DT Moira Ellice ARPS, 01473 720928 For details see Creative Group
First Tuesday meeting at Greenwich The Greenwich Gallery, Linear House, London SE10 8RS Del Barrett ARPS, as above
EAST ANGLIA IAN WILSON ARPS, 07767 473594
FOTOSPEED LECTURERS DAY
LONDON, URBAN III Third meeting of our informal micro-group. Open to members and non-members Covent Garden, London (TBC) Del Barrett ARPS, as above
MIKE SHARPLES ARPS, 07884 657535 MIKES.SHARPLES(VIRGIN.NET
LONDON
SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY / 10:00& 16:00
RALPH BENNETT ARPS, 01636 651277
GOOD PICTURE 2014: IMAGING FEATURES
RALPH.EMRPS(GMAIL.COM
SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER / 10:00&16:00
EAST MIDLANDS
CELEBRATION OF DISTINCTIONS SUNDAY 8 FEBRUARY / 10:30&16:00
£10 We will be showing successful print Licentiates, Associates and Fellowships Park Inn by Radisson Nottingham, Mansfield Road, Nottingham NG5 2BT Ralph Bennett ARPS, as above EIRE DES CLINTON FRPS, 0035 341 983 7824 DESCLINTON(EIRCOM.NET
£70/£39 concessions Latest annual symposium University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW Mike Christianson, 01753 890 480, pandm@christianson.freeserve.co.uk For details see Imaging Science Group
LOW LIGHT CHRISTMAS IN LONDON SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER / 15:00&20:00
£99 We’ve teamed up with Nikon School to
| GUIDE | 809 bring London Group members a discount for selected training courses, the third being Low Light Christmas London W1, The Nikon School, 63-64 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SW Del Barrett ARPS, as above
DATE FOR THE DIARY
For those working towards a Distinction in Professional & Applied and Visual Art Bridge of Allan Church Hall, Keir Street, Bridge of Allan FK9 4NW James Frost FRPS, as above
THURSDAY 11 DECEMBER / 09:00&17:00
GO TO RPS.ORG/EVENTS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES
St Oswald’s CC, Sunderland THURSDAY 11 DECEMBER / 19:30&22:00
St Aidan’s Parish, Ashington
ADOBE LIGHTROOM WORKSHOP WITH DAVID MALLOWS
SOUTH EAST TERRY MCGHIE ARPS, 01323 492584
WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY / 19:00&21:00
SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY / 10:30&16:00
Danny Green will show images from his collection The Best of Britain Central London, TBC Del Barrett ARPS, as above
£20/£15 RPS members Backworth Hall, Backworth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE27 0AH Brian Pearson ARPS, 0191 257 5051, brianpearson41@btinternet.com For details see Digital Imaging Group
NORTH WALES
SOUTHEAST(RPS.ORG
DON LANGFORD LRPS, 01758 713572
NETHERWOOD HOTEL WEEKEND
DONCHRISLANGFORD(BTINTERNET.COM
£225 Netherwood Hotel, Lindale Road, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria LA11 6ET Price includes two nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast and lecture programme Brian Pearson ARPS, 0191 257 5051, brianpearson41@btinternet.com
DR AFZAL ANSARY ASIS FRPS, 07970 403672 AFZALANSARY(AOL.COM
CHRISTMAS LUNCH SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER / 10:30&16:00
£16.50 A three-course lunch, guest speaker Keith Moss and a quiz Hough End Centre, Mauldeth Road West, Manchester M21 7SX Dr Afzal Ansary ASIS FRPS, as above
£5/£3 RPS members John Barton will demonstrate different techniques of converting from colour to monochrome in Photoshop Wilmslow Guild, Bourne Street, Wilmslow SK9 5HD Alan Angel FRPS, 0161 980 0106
SCOTLAND JAMES FROST FRPS, 01578 730466 JAMES.FROST11(BTINTERNET.COM
Enjoy a Christmas get-together with various Regional Groups Image: Shutterstock
DISTINCTIONS ADVISORY DAY SATURDAY 17 JANUARY / 11:00&16:00
£20/£15/£10 spectators
£3.50/£3 RPS members Heath Citizens Community Centre, Cardiff CF14 4EP Edgar Gibbs FRPS, 02920 564850, edgar.gibbs@ntlworld.com For details see Audio Visual Group
SOUTH WALES AUDIO VISUAL GROUP: LINDA GIBBS AND EDGAR GIBBS FRPS £3.50/£3 RPS members Heath Citizens Community Centre, Cardiff CF14 4EP Edgar Gibbs FRPS, 02920 564850, edgar.gibbs@ntlworld.com For details see Audio Visual Group
DAMIANMCDONALD(OUTLOOK.COM
SUNDAY 18 JANUARY / 11:00&13:30
SOUTH WALES AUDIO VISUAL GROUP: CHRISTMAS PARTY
MONDAY 12 JANUARY / 19:00&21:30
NORTHERN IRELAND DAMIAN MCDONALD ARPS, 07902 481691
MONOCHROME TECHNIQUES IN PHOTOSHOP
01225 325720, RECEPTION(RPS.ORG
MONDAY 8 DECEMBER / 19:00 &21:30
FRIDAY 13 & SUNDAY 15 MARCH
NORTH WEST
SOUTH WALES CONTACT RPS HEADQUARTERS
SOUTH WEST MARTIN HOWSE ARPS, 01326 221939 MGHVKH(BTINTERNET.COM
AFTER CHRISTMAS BLOW THE COBWEBS AWAY SATURDAY 3 JANUARY / 10:30&16:00
PHOTOBOOK MASTERCLASS SUNDAY 8 FEBRUARY / 10:30& 16:30
£20/£15 RPS members Run by Brian Steptoe FRPS Hough End Centre, Mauldeth Road West, Manchester M21 7SX Dr Afzal Ansary ASIS FRPS, as above NORTHERN
Start the new year with an exploration of Hayle and its surroundings Graham and Carols’ chalet, Philack, Hayle TR27 5AE Graham Hodgson, graham.hodgson@artslive.org.uk
A DAY WITH ADRIAN LANGDON ARPS
JANE BLACK ARPS, 0191 252 2870
SUNDAY 25 JANUARY / 10:30 &16:00
J.BLACK70(BTINTERNET.COM
£12/£8 RPS members Two talks by Adrian Langdon ARPS entitled Wild Cornwall and Scandinavia The Dolphin Hotel, Station Road, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AL Martin Howse ARPS, as above
RPS INTERNATIONAL IMAGES FOR SCREEN EXHIBITION 2014 For details on all venues see online or contact Jane Black ARPS, as above MONDAY 1 DECEMBER /19:30& 21:30
Methodist Church Hall, Brompton TUESDAY 2 DECEMBER / 17:30&22:00
The Millstone, South Gosforth WEDNESDAY 3 DECEMBER / 19:30 &22:00
Quaker Meeting House, Penrith THURSDAY 4 DECEMBER / 09:00 &17:00
St Oswald’s Institute, Durham
WEEKEND AWAY IN PORTLAND FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY & SUNDAY 1 MARCH
Field trips and presentations of work Portland Heights Hotel, Yeates Road, Isle of Portland DT5 2EN Martin Howse ARPS, as above
FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER / 19:30&22:00
Shiney Row Community Association MONDAY 8 DECEMBER / 17:30 &21:30
Lightfoot Centre, Bishop Auckland TUESDAY 9 DECEMBER / 09:00 &17:00
Methodist Church, Morpeth
WEST CORNWALL GROUP MEETING TUESDAY 20 JANUARY / 19:30&21:30
£2.50 Chacewater Village Hall, Church Hill, VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 809
| GUIDE | 811
Chacewater, Truro TR4 8PZ Vivien Howse ARPS, 01326 221939, vivien939@btinternet.com
Learn about Photoshop for mood and expression on 11 January (Thames Valley) Image: Clive Haynes
REGIONAL AGM
For details see Digital Imaging Group
DISTINCTIONS ADVISORY DAY SUNDAY 18 JANUARY / 10:00& 16:00
£20/£15/£10 spectators This will cover LRPS and ARPS Amersham Community Centre, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham HP6 5AH Mark Buckley-Sharp ARPS, as above
SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY / 10:30&16:00
South West Region AGM and viewing successful local panels in addition to some other panels The Dolphin Hotel, Station Road, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AL Martin Howse ARPS, as above
TONY COOPER ARPS, 01225 421097 TONY(PHOTOSCOOP.CO.UK
SOUTHERN
CHRISTMAS PARTY
SOUTHERN(RPS.ORG
SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER / 10:00&12:30
£2 Western Region members can present their finished prints and ask advice Claverton Down Community Hall, Claverton Down Road, Bath BA2 6DT Tony Cooper ARPS, as above
DISTINCTIONS ADVISORY DAY VISUAL ART ' TRAVEL SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY / 10:30& 14:30
£20/£15/£10 spectators Advisory days are popular so please make sure you book in advance Kinson Community Centre, Millhams Road, Kinson, Bournemouth, BH10 7LH Peter Hartland ARPS, as above
WESTERN REGION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND SPEAKER PRESENTATION
THAMES VALLEY MARK BUCKLEY,SHARP ARPS, 020 8907 5874 MARK.BUCKLEY,SHARP(TISCALI.CO.UK
PHOTOSHOP FOR MOOD AND EXPRESSION SUNDAY 11 JANUARY / 10:00&15:30
£12/£8 group members Wooshill Community Hall, Emmview Close, Wokingham, RG41 3DA Laurie Pate, digthamesvalley@rps.org
GO TO RPS.ORG/EVENTS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES
WESTERN REGION MEMBERS’ MEETING IN BATH SUNDAY 8 FEBRUARY / 10:00 & 12:30
£2 Members’ own digital work. Digitally projected images, panoramas, AVs Bath, RPS HQ, Fenton House, 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH Tony Cooper ARPS, as above
WESTERN
PETER HARTLAND ARPS, 07774 184120
Photoshop techniques Ilton, Merryfield Hall, Copse Lane, Ilton TA19 9HG Mick Humphries, 01823 443 955, mick@somersite.co.uk
DI GROUP WESTERN: DISTINCTION APPRECIATION SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY / 10:00&16:00
£8/£7/£5 group members Ilton, Nr Taunton, Merryfield Village Hall, Ilton TA19 9HG Glenda Colquhoun, digwestern@rps.org For details see Digital Imaging Group YORKSHIRE
SUNDAY 11 JANUARY / 10:00&12:30
MARY CROWTHER LRPS, 07921 237962
£7 AGM plus election of the Western Region committee for 2015 Bath, RPS HQ, Fenton House, 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH Tony Cooper ARPS, as above
PHOTOBOX50(GMAIL.COM
CONTEMPORARY NORTH EAST: PAUL HILL AT YORK SUNDAY 25 JANUARY / 10:30&16:30
MEMBERS’ MEETING IN ILTON SUNDAY 18 JANUARY / 10:00&13:00
£5 Charlotte Nadin LRPS on Adobe
£20/£15 group members Crown Room, The York Hotel, Station Road, York YO24 1AA Robert Helliwell, 07802 413570, bobhelliwell@clara.co.uk For details see Contemporary Group
VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 811
812 | GUIDE | WORKSHOPS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
WORKSHOPS
Hear from the experts and hone your skills
Workshops take place at The Royal Photographic Society’s headquarters and other venues around the country The Royal Photographic Society, Fenton House, 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH For further information, go to rps.org/events and search under ‘Workshops’ or call 01225 325733 or email reception@rps.org
ONE(DAY INTRODUCTION TO YOUR DIGITAL SLR SATURDAY 6 DECEMBER / 10:00&17:00
£85/£63 members
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH CHILDREN AND BABIES SATURDAY 6 DECEMBER / 10:00&17:00
£95/£71 members Lacock, Wiltshire
STUDIO PORTRAITURE SAT 24 JANUARY 10:00 & SUN 25 JANUARY 16:30
PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS SUNDAY 7 DECEMBER / 10:00&17:00
£95/£71 members
ONE(DAY INTRODUCTION TO YOUR DIGITAL SLR SATURDAY 17 JANUARY / 10:00&17:00
£85/£63 members
£160/£135 members A beginners’ workshop for taking great images in a studio Lacock, Wiltshire
Designed to give you an insight into how to photograph birds and mammals
ONE(DAY INTRODUCTION TO YOUR DIGITAL SLR SATURDAY 7 FEBRUARY / 10:00&17:00
£85/£63 members
INTRODUCTION TO THE CREATIVE EYE
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
SATURDAY 24 JANUARY / 10:00 & 16:30
SATURDAY 8 FEBRUARY & SUNDAY 9 FEBRUARY
£95/£71 members
INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOSHOP
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
SUNDAY 18 JANUARY / 10:00&17:00
SATURDAY 31 JANUARY / 10:00 & 16:30
£95/£71 members
Art Nude Photography, 21 February, Wiltshire Image: Chris Burfoot ARPS
£45/£33 RPS member
Wildlife photography workshop, 31 January Image: Great grey owl by Mike Lane FRPS
£160/£135 members How to take great wedding images and the basics of starting a business
ART NUDE PHOTOGRAPHY SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY / 10:00& 16:30
£115/£90 members Lighting a nude and producing high-quality photographs Lacock, Wiltshire
LIGHTROOM SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY / 10:00& 16:00
£95/£71 members Provides a simple way to create an archive of your growing image library
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH CHILDREN AND BABIES SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY / 10:00&17:00
£95/£71 members Lacock, Wiltshire
CREATE YOUR OWN PHOTOBOOK SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY/ 10:00&17:00
£85/£63 members How to make your own with Blurb
PHOTOSHOP )TWO DAYS* SAT 28 FEBRUARY&SUN 1 MARCH / 10:00&17:00
£165/£140 members Following on from the one-day introduction to Photoshop workshop
812 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
| GUIDE | 813 AND EXPRESSION SUNDAY 11 JANUARY / 10:00&15:30
£12/£8 group members Led by Clive Haynes FRPS & Martin Addison FRPS. Advance booking essential Wooshill Community Hall, Emmview Close, Wokingham, RG41 3DA Laurie Pate, digthamesvalley@rps.org
ADOBE LIGHTROOM WORKSHOP WITH DAVID MALLOWS SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY / 10:30&16:00
£20/£15 RPS members Backworth Hall, Backworth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE27 0AH Brian Pearson ARPS, 01912575051, brianpearson41@btinternet.com
DI GROUP WESTERN: DISTINCTION APPRECIATION SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY / 10:00&16:00
£8/£7/£5 group members Ilton, Nr Taunton, Merryfield Village Hall, Ilton TA19 9HG Glenda Colquhoun, digwestern@rps.org
DI GROUP: AGM 2015 SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY / 10:00& 16:00
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Creative Group annual exhibition, 3 January Image: Tri-Chromatic Shadows – Hands by Sir George Pollock HonFRPS
A presentation of the speakers’ Digital Magic Lantern Show – a miscellany of digital stories, images and sounds Heath Citizens Community Centre, opposite 183 King George V Drive East, Heath, Cardiff CF14 4EP Edgar Gibbs FRPS, as above
AGM plus print selection, with guest speaker Adrian Lines Smethwick Photographic Society club rooms, The Old School House, Churchbridge, Oldbury B69 2AS Janet Davies, digsecretary@rps.org DOCUMENTARY AND VISUAL JOURNALISM MO CONNELLY LRPS, 01590 641849 DVJ(RPS.ORG
CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL
PETER ELLIS LRPS, 07770 837977
Explore more about aspects of photography and imaging
WORDSNPICSLTD(GMAIL.COM
JENNIFER FORD ARPS, 01234 881459 JENNYFORD2000(YAHOO.CO.UK
CONTEMPORARY NORTH EAST: PAUL HILL AT YORK
3D IMAGING ( HOLOGRAPHY
IMAGING SCIENCE
PETER FREEMAN LRPS, 01462 893633
SUNDAY 25 JANUARY / 10:30& 16:30
DR TONY KAYE ASIS FRPS, 020 8420 6557
3D(RPS.ORG
£20/£15 group members Paul Hill MBE will discuss his work and how to approach galleries and publishers Crown Room, The York Hotel, Station Road, York YO24 1AA Robert Helliwell, 07802 413570, bobhelliwell@clara.co.uk
TONYKAYE(HOTMAIL.CO.UK
ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE RODNEY BERNARD THRING LRPS, 01276 20725 RODNEY.THRING(NTLWORLD.COM AUDIO VISUAL EDGAR GIBBS FRPS, 02920 564850
CREATIVE
EDGAR.GIBBS(NTLWORLD.COM
BARRY COLLIN LRPS
SOUTH WALES AV GROUP: CHRISTMAS PARTY
CREATIVECHAIR(RPS.ORG
CREATIVE GROUP, ANNUAL EXHIBITION
MONDAY 8 DECEMBER / 19:00& 21:30
£3.50/£3 RPS members Please bring a sequence and food to share. Non-RPS members welcome Cardiff, Heath Citizens Community Centre, Heath, Cardiff CF14 4EP Edgar Gibbs FRPS, as above
SOUTH WALES AV GROUP: LINDA GIBBS AND EDGAR GIBBS FRPS MONDAY 12 JANUARY / 19:00&21:30
£3.50/£3 RPS members
SATURDAY 3 JANUARY & SATURDAY 31 JANUARY
GO TO RPS.ORG/EVENTS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES
Woodbridge Library, New Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1DT Open during library hours Moira Ellice ARPS, 01473 720928
GOOD PICTURE 2014: IMAGING FEATURES SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER / 10:00& 16:00
£70/£39 concession Tutorials on selected technical aspects of digital imaging, open to all University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW Mike Christianson, 01753 890 480, pandm@christianson.freeserve.co.uk MEDICAL DR AFZAL ANSARY ASIS FRPS, 07970 403672 AFZALANSARY(AOL.COM
MEDICAL GROUP AGM FRIDAY 16 JANUARY / 18:30&20:30
DIGITAL IMAGING JANET HAINES ARPS, 01308 428219 DIGCHAIR(RPS.ORG
PHOTOSHOP FOR MOOD
Our speakers will be Catherine Draycott and Carly Dakin Moorfields Eye Hospital, 162 City Road, London EC1V 2PD Dr Afzal Ansary ASIS FRPS, as above VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 813
INTEREST GROUPS 814 | GUIDE | SPECIAL NATURE MARGARET JOHNSON LRPS, 01159 265893 M.JOS(BTINTERNET.COM TRAVEL KEITH POINTON LRPS, 01588 640592 BAGPOINT(AOL.COM
PILGRIMAGE TO JEREZ TUESDAY 31 MARCH & MONDAY 6 APRIL
£1,795 A visit to southern Spain during Holy Week 2015 Hotel Casa Grande, Plaza las Angustias, 3, Jerez de la Frontera Colin Howard, colin.howard@me.com
IMAGES OF MYANMAR TUESDAY 26 MAY & THURSDAY 4 JUNE
£1,750 An escorted photo visit to Myanmar Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan Keith Pointon, as above
TRIP TO ZAMBIA AND MALAWI FRIDAY 3 JULY & SUNDAY 19 JULY
£3,479 Opportunity to photograph wildlife, rural and fishing life, and to contribute to the Book Bus literary project Liz Rhodes, lizrh@tiscali.co.uk
WESTERN CANADA % 2015 SATURDAY 29 AUGUST , SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
£2,169 From Calgary to Vancouver, through some of the west’s remarkable scenery, this tour will include Banff National Park, the Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, the Athabasca Glacier and falls, Clearwater, Whistler, and Vancouver Island. Optional excursions include a snowcoach tour, canoeing, whale watching, kayaking, bear watching, tramway and cable car trips. Aline Hopkins, alinehopkins@btinternet.com VISUAL ART
PATRONAGE
Society patronage has been granted to the following exhibitions and salons
MAITLAND INTERNATIONAL SALON OF PHOTOGRAPHY Closing date: 19 January 2015 maitlandsalon.org
AUSTRALIA Elaine Herbert ARPS, eherbert@ alphalink.com.au BENELUX Stephen Johns, Steve_johns@me.com CANADA John Bradford, jb.rps@cogeco.ca CHINA BEIJING Yan Li, yanli88@yahoo.com CHINA SHANGTUF
GO TO RPS.ORG/EVENTS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES
BRISTOL SALON OF
OVERSEAS CHAPTERS
Guo Jing, shangtuf@ yahoo.com.cn CHINA QUANZHOU Xiaoling Wang, hgudsh@163.com GERMANY Tony Cutler LRPS, aec.flynn@t-online.de HONG KONG Shan Sang Wan FRPS, shansangwan@ yahoo.com.hk INDIA
814 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
PHOTOGRAPHY Closing date: 24 January 2015 bristolphoto.org.uk 102ND SOUTHAMPTON INTERNATIONAL Closing date: 8 February 2015 southamptoninternational exhibition.co.uk
2ND PHOTOVIVO SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD 2014 Closing date: 5 December 2014 pipa.sg
VIVECA KOH FRPS, 07956 517524 VIVECA.KOH(GMAIL.COM
See photographs from the Southern Spain Chapter Image: Waiting Room by Mike Naylor ARPS
STROM Closing date: 8 February 2015 fotostrom.eu PCA SALON 2015 Closing date: 21 February 2015 pca-exhibition.com/corsica
Royal Photographic Society members around the world Rajen Nandwana, rajennandwana@ gmail.com INDONESIA Agatha Bunanta ARPS, agathabunanta@ gmail.com ITALY Olivio Argenti FRPS, info@rps-italy.org JAPAN TOKYO Yoshio Miyake, yoshio-raps@nifty.com MALAYSIA Nick Ng,
nickng6208@ gmail.com MALTA Ruben Buhagiar, info@rubenbuhagiar. com NEW ZEALAND Mark Berger rps@moothall.co.nz SINGAPORE Steven Yee Pui Chung FRPS, peacock@ sandvengroup.com SOUTHERN
SPAIN Mike Naylor, mike@mikenaylor.es EXHIBITION IN LA CALA DE MIJAS FRI 19 DECEMBER & THUR 8 JANUARY / 09:00 & 14:00
Centro Cultural de La Cala de Mijas, Boulevard de la Cala, La Cala de Mijas, Malaga 29649 SWISS CHAPTER Richard Tucker ARPS,
tucker42@bluewin.ch TAIWAN Joanie Fan Hui Ling ARPS, djpassionfoto@ gmail.com USA ATLANTIC CHAPTER Carl Lindgren, lindgren.carl@ gmail.com USA PACIFIC CHAPTER Jeff Barton, rps@vadis.net
| GUIDE | 815 ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE ONE WORLD Closing date: 22 February 2015 photoclubkragujevac.com PERN IMAGES 1ST INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION ' EXHIBITION 2015 Closing date: 25 February 2015 bspabd.com
EXHIBITIONS
LESLEY GOODE, EXHIBITIONS MANAGER 01225 325720, LESLEY(RPS.ORG
INTERNATIONAL IMAGES FOR SCREEN 2014 For details see Northern Region INTERNATIONAL IMAGES FOR SCIENCE EXHIBITION 2013 SATURDAY 20 DECEMBER , SATURDAY 7 FEBRUARY
The Civic, Barnsley S70 2HZ
INTERNATIONAL PRINT EXHIBITION AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL FRIDAY 16 JANUARY , SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2014
The Society’s annual general meeting was held in Birmingham on Saturday 27 September. Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS, the Director-General, read the notice convening the meeting. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 28 September 2013 were accepted as a true record of the proceedings. The annual report and accounts had been circulated and Derek Birch ASIS HonFRPS, President, summarised the main points. The Treasurer, Geoff Blackwell ARPS, provided a commentary on the financial accounts, in particular noting the introduction of a new accounting system. The trustees’ annual report and accounts for 2013 were unanimously approved. Council was authorised to appoint and agree a fee for The Society auditors for the ensuing year. There being no further business the President declared the meeting closed.
COUNCIL REPORT SEPTEMBER 2014
SOCIETY FINANCE Geoff Blackwell reported that The Society accounts were satisfactory. The third-quarter management accounts would be available at the October meeting. He proposed a slight raising of the Society subscriptions for 2015 which Council confirmed. Council members chairing committees were asked to present all proposals for expenditure for the 2015 budget. SOCIETY PREMISES The Director-General’s analysis paper and Geoff Blackwell’s paper were discussed. A brief of a new building would be developed. MEMBERSHIP Membership stood at 11,056. Vanessa Slawson proposed challenging Regions to increase membership with support from the Society. Geoff Blackwell expressed a view that The Society needed to develop a focused approach to the camera clubs and presentations would be developed which would be made available via the PAGB. The DirectorGeneral reported that a mailing would be going out to UK members not currently gift aiding their membership within the next two weeks. An exercise was being undertaken with recently lapsed members who would be sent a free copy of the October Journal with an incentive to rejoin. GROUPS/REGIONS/ OVERSEAS CHAPTERS A report from John Bradford of the Canadian Chapter was circulated and discussed. The Film and Video Group was discussed and Walter Benzie was asked to talk to John Tarby at the Advisory Board meeting about the Group’s programme. Council asked that the implementation of the Ubicast unit be actioned. If there were difficulties in implementation it would consider additional resource to ensure it was made available. AWARDS Derek Birch reported that The Society’s awards evening had generally gone very well. The Awards Committee had met and minutes of the debrief meeting would be circulated to Council. STAFF AND MANAGEMENT MATTERS The Director-General reported that the Travel Group had used Fenton House for a weekend meeting. The Western Region had also booked Fenton House for a
series of meetings from October to December and for its regular monthly meetings in 2015. The Society had been visited by Mr Wu, the Quanzhou Chapter Organiser. Barry and Fiona Senior had supported this and Mr Wu had been complimentary about his welcome. He had indicated that he wanted to work more closely to support Society activities in Quanzhou and would consider taking Society exhibitions. The Director-General had attended Photokina on behalf of The Society along with a representative from Think Publishing. He would be proposing that the 2016 budget included a sum for a small stand. He had taken part in a BBC television programme to talk about John Dillwyn Llewelyn, an early Council member, and had provided information and quotes for a BBC science feature on space photography. DISTINCTIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS Derek Birch advised that the Distinctions Advisory Board might bring back a new proposal to Council concerning Fellowship applicants. Council noted a letter from Barry Collin, Chair of the Creative Group, concerning the naming of the former Visual Art panel and its possible impact on the Group. Walter Benzie reported that Mike Hallett had been active in promoting The Society’s Creative Industries Qualification and a meeting was scheduled for November to progress it. EXHIBITIONS Robert Gates provided an update on the status of The Society’s current exhibitions. The International Print Exhibition was still without a sponsor. Claire Reece had been appointed the Coordinator of the Science exhibition. She would be attending a meeting with Siemens together with the DirectorGeneral on 30 September. EDUCATION, WORKSHOPS AND TRADE SHOWS David Cooke reported that the DepicT! Short Film festival had been a very worthwhile exercise and had raised interest in The Society. There was the opportunity to have a small stand at the next event in 2015. The online courses were progressing and a business case
had been developed. The meeting with universities interested in affiliation would now take place in early November. RPS JOURNAL Council was joined by John Innes, publisher, and Clare Harris, editor, from Think Publishing who presented a review of the Journal since June. Five issues had been published and the aims from The Society’s brief had been realised. Advertising had increased from nine to 14 pages per issue and editorial content from 670 to 840 pages annually. The Journal design would continue to evolve with content linked to Society members and their activities. More Society news would be brought in to the ‘In Focus’ section. The readership survey showed a marked improvement from the 2013 survey and 96 per cent of members now opened and read every issue. Advertising revenue had doubled. WEBSITE The site statistics had been circulated. Council noted the very strong Facebook, Twitter and social media presence that The Society now had. ADVISORY BOARD The agenda, papers and previous minutes had been circulated. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Council considered a request from the Nature Group that individuals appearing on the FIAP red list should also be banned from Society competitions. Council agreed that The Society should endorse FIAP’s policy and ban those appearing on the red list from RPS competitions and exhibitions. Walter Benzie asked that Council consider co-opting additional Council members with the aim that they might stand for election in 2015 and a number of names were discussed. Vanessa Slawson noted that she had been asked about the possibility of reducing membership fees for members receiving only a digital Journal. Council had previously considered the matter as part of the Journal review and the all-member survey had indicated a significant demand for the printed Journal. It had been felt appropriate to maintain printed Journals for all members. The matter would be kept under review.
VOL 154 / DECEMBER 2014 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 815
THE RPS COLLECTION 816 | TIMES PAST | FROM
A night on the town
The story behind Gordon Crocker’s colourful Couple Pictured in Piccadilly Circus
P
hotographer Gordon Crocker specialised in commercial colour photography. He later became a popular fashion photographer, with a studio in Kensington photographing film stars, top models and
outfits for the exclusive Harrods catalogues. Crocker was a vanguard photographer. Like the irrepressible Madame Yevonde, he used the Vivex process, which was invented in 1928, but came to prominence in the 1930s. Through the Colour
816 / THE RPS JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2014 / VOL 154
Photographs (British & Foreign) Ltd company, Vivex offered a professional three-colour printing process that exposed the three-colour separated plates simultaneously. The system liberated colour photographers through improved exposure times,
BEHIND THE CAMERA Gordon Crocker (1907-1981)
and bypassed challenging printing processes. As a commercial fashion photographer, Crocker also led the way. He entered the profession in its infancy as it was developing its own distinct disciplines. The fashion magazine Vogue had printed its first cover photograph, by Edward Steichen in 1932, just four years before Crocker took Couple in Piccadilly Circus. This image was taken in Crocker’s studio, with the models staged in front of a backdrop of the London area, allowing him to control the lighting, and predetermine colour levels and composition. The three-quarter length shot emphasises the lady’s luxurious ensemble in what was a fashionable location. Studio lighting draws attention to her coiffured hair, white fur coat, designer bag and gold watch. The sharp black suit of her companion acts as a graphic foil; Crocker separates the dark backdrop by highlighting the sleeve of his coat. His management of the extreme contrasts in both the setting and the subjects illustrates his skill as a photographer with an understanding of his craft, creativity and objectives. Signing the photograph ‘Crocker G’ asserted his workmanship. It is plausible that Crocker’s choice of signature and location may also have been referencing a film that made its debut that year. Based on a story by PG Wodehouse it featured one Jim Crocker as the main character. It was titled Piccadilly Jim. JANINE FREESTON
Read more about the RPS Collection on page 778
ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY COLLECTION/NATIONAL MEDIA MUSEUM/SSPL; MARTI FRIEDLANDER
COUPLE PICTURED IN PICCADILLY CIRCUS, LONDON, 1936 An early highlight of fashion photography
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