News

Last week’s meeting: Uwe Ackermann and a show and tell from our last Oxford photo walk. Uwe started his talk by explaining what he had to do while working at Oxford University’s medical school. Besides the teaching and the training, he also did research. Research meant asking new questions and adding something new. This is ‘find something new’ approach he uses in his photography. Uwe said that everything that can be photographed has been photographed and he needs to create things that have not existed. He quoted a line from Ansel Adams: “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” He also had a quote from Helen Webb when we had an evening discussing our images in groups: “Uwe, I love your work. But I wouldn’t want to live in your head”. Uwe then used a few of his images, plus a toy skeleton that glows in the dark, to explain what is going on in his head when he makes photographs.

Congratulations to Keith for winning this year’s Shelagh Roberts Award at the opening of our Annual Exhibition on Saturday. Please do visit the exhibition at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. More details here: https://www.artweeks.org/v/oxford-photographic-society We are back at the City of Oxford Silverband Hall on Tuesday 7 May Do start preparing for our final Print Competition on 14 May and Panel Competition on 21 May

Last week’s meeting: Print Critique evening with David Lowe David gave some excellent advice regarding the prints that were presented for this critique evening. He described the construction of the images very well, how and where the image worked well, and gave good pointers to areas that he thought could be improved. He had very good advice on choice of paper and how much the impact of the print could be improved with a change to a ‘fine art’ paper, particularly a textured paper. This advice echoed the recommendations we had from Colin Hurley of Permajet who gave us a talk on the Art of Paper Selection back in February.

Annual Exhibition at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum starts 4 May. Please send your details regarding your entries to Sandra as per her email of Wednesday 3 April. Members, family and friends are invited to the private viewing at 15.00-17.00 Saturday 4 May. Adrian Arbib will be opening the exhibition and selecting the winner of the Shelagh Roberts Award. Adrian has contributed to all the UK newspapers and many international ones. He was a staff photographer for La Repubblica in London for over 6 years and has travelled extensively covering human rights stories; including Rwanda, the Horn of Africa, West Papua and India.

This Tuesday we will be taking photos around Oxford. Meet at the Swan and Castle pub, Castle St, Oxford OX1 1AY and we start off at 7.30. Do start selecting your prints for our 23 April: Print Critique Annual Exhibition at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum starts 4 May. Please send your details regarding your entries to Sandra as per her email of Wednesday 3 April. Adrian Arbib will be opening the exhibition and selecting the winner of the Shelagh Roberts Award. Adrian has contributed to all the UK newspapers and many international ones. He was a staff photographer for La Repubblica in London for over 6 years and has travelled extensively covering human rights stories; including Rwanda, the Horn of Africa, West Papua and India.

Last week’s meeting Confessions of a Landscape Photographer with Paul Mitchell FRPS MCSD Paul worked as a graphic designer for many years before he eventually became a professional photographer and given more freedom to expressive himself. His talk was a mix of planned and found photographs and be began by sharing tips on how to plan your landscape photography whether inland or coastal. Planning: Books, such as the FotoVue Guides, and magazines, he finds Outdoor Photography very useful for discovering good ideas. He warned against tick box exercises and not to put your tripod legs in the same indents on the ground of past photographers. These guides helps you find an area and the opportunities close by. He also uses google images and Flikr to research locations. Then it is looking at google maps, checking the weather – he thinks BBC Weather is pretty useless and uses the Met Office tool, also Clear Outside. Photo Ephemeris is very good to understand where sun and moon will be.  An analogue sun compass is very useful. For places to park his car Google Earth is very good. Time is important too. Allow time to walk to your location, give yourself a good half an hour arrival at the spot before sunrise/sunset and avoid peak times. If possible scout the location before the day of shooting.

Next week’s meeting Tuesday 2 April: Confessions of a Landscape Photographer Note: the meeting will be held at Old School House, Hertford Street, East Oxford, OX4 3AJ. Paul Mitchell FRPS MCSD : Born in East Yorkshire, Paul’s interest for photography began at school. He then studied graphic design at art college and soon after began his design career in London working for many well known FMCG companies and brands. He now lives in East Dorset as a professional landscape photographer and specialist book designer. Paul has had numerous exhibitions in London and the South East and has had articles and images published in many photographic magazines. He is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and is the current Chair of the Landscape Distinctions panel. He also serves on the Visual Art and PhotoBook panels. A member of the prestigious Arena group of photographers and a founder member of The Landscape Collective UK (LCUK). Paul is also a well respected photographic judge and lecturer.

Last meeting – Best Use of Light with Phil Joyce judging Phil started the evening explaining the history of the Best Use of Light competition. It was set up to commemorate Peter Upton who, back in the day, was a leading member of the club and had a very distinctive style, powerful use of colour and light.Phil then went on to explain what he will be looking for: Is it a good photograph? Does it use light appropriate to the subject? Has the light been exploited to make the image standout? Phil then ran through all the images, which were of a very high standard, commenting on each one, and holding back quite a number. His aim was to whittle the list the images down to five and make the order in which they stand. Which were, in reverse order: 5th: Sandra Devaney – Mosque Eyes 4th: Linda Wride – White Light 3rd: Ian Bray Daisies in Vase 2nd: Dave MacKay – Rakher Upobash Festival 1st : Keith Worthington – Kingfisher with Catch (back curtain flash)

1. Last meeting – ZOOM Presentation – Phil Savoie with his talk “The Principles of Photography talk” Zooming into the hall is always a technical challenge and many thanks to Jill, Keith and Dave B for all their skills, patience and perseverance they displayed as they sorted out all the technical issues we faced. Phil was zooming in from close to the Irish Sea in west Wales, and it was great to see Ron, all the way from Swanage on the zoom. Phil has not lost his American accent even though he has been working on BBC Bristol wildlife films for many decades. As a young 20-year-old he worked in a New York photo agency, commuting two and a half hours to and from his home. Though he enjoyed the work it was untenable, and he went on to university to study tropical biology. Eventually he ended up in Belize for 11 years being a wildlife tour guide and encountered David Attenborough and the BBC Wildlife team. He ended up working on the groundbreaking Life on Earth TV series. To survive in that environment, you not only had to be technically competent but also be highly creative. He showed short extracts of some of his films from that era: a macro film travelling through amber that ended up with a close up of an ant, a film of Mandrills marching across the countryside of Gabon, also a film about the partnership between the Heliconia plant and hummingbirds. A selection of his films can be seen here.

1. Last meeting – Print Competition No. 2 judged by Kevin Day The results of the evening were: Monochrome First place Pete Warrington Under Boscombe Pier Second place Keith Worthington After Prey Third place Pete Warrington Slurry Tank, Berkshire Downs H Commended Les Gordon The Cube, London H Commended John Boteler Winter Wonderland, Savernake Forest H Commended Dave Atkinson Black Backed Jackel Commended Dave Belcher Peaky Blinders Commended Helen Webb Black Rhino and Oxpecker Commended Helen Webb Tribal Woman Commended Dave Atkinson Vintage Owl in Motion