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This week Keswick Photographic Society’s members were entertained by one of their own members.  Ade Gidney who has a considerable reputation for, and much success with, landscape photography presented a series of wonderfully printed landscape images in the first half of the evening.

 

These prints were panels of 10 and then 21, which had won Ade his LRPS (Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society) and then his Landscape Fellowship (FRPS) respectively.

 

A Fellowship is the highest RPS distinction and requires a detailed statement of intent to accompany and explain the rationale for the series of images, which, in Ade’s case concentrated on the effect of changing light on mountain-scape compositions through the seasons.

 

In order to achieve these Ade regularly camped out on the fells to get the best light from sunset and sunrise vistas.

 

The second half of the evening was devoted to projected landscape images, all of which were taken within the British Isles and which focused of the impact of light on the land.  This was a very accomplished presentation of some quite inspirational photographs.

Our meeting on the 30^th November was a presentation via Zoom by Colleen Slater who is based in Brighton. Colleen is a macrophotography specialist and she took us through the development of her interest which first started when she began to photograph flowers deliberately placed under water. These flowers continue to photosynthesise and as a result produce bubbles of oxygen which when photographed close up with varied backgrounds produce some beautiful unique images.

 

She then moved on to macrophotography of flowers and was able to give us various tips and tricks used when out in the field. Whilst photographing flowers Colleen began to be aware of a fascinating variety of insects which sparked her interest in imaging them close up.

 

In contrast, as part of a project with a local photographic group Colleen began to take macro images along Brighton promenade and beach. This resulted in a completely different set of macro photographs of objects in this urban environment

 

as well as a fascinating series of the textures that can be seen when you take the time to look.

 

We were joined for this Zoom meeting by members of Kendal Photography and all found this a fascinating and inspiring evening.

Richard Jakobson

On the 16^th November we were given an exhilarating presentation by James Rushworth on The Dolomites and Iceland. James is an experienced rock climber and mountain skier now based in Kendal. He described how working as a ski guide in the Dolomites in Italy led to a further career in photography and the production of climbing and photography guides.

 

He showed us several vertigo inducing photographs of his climbs in the Dolomites including the famous Via Ferrata.

 

There were also images of off-piste skiing down terrifyingly steep couloirs high in the mountains.

 

Interspersed with these very active representations of the Dolomites were landscapes demonstrating their beauty both during the day and also at night.

 

The second half of the evening was based primarily in Iceland, where James now also runs photographic tours and where he tries to get away from the more popular photo locations as much as possible. These include trips into the centre of Iceland in 4-wheel drive vehicles

 

and into ice caves beneath the glaciers.

 

He has been able to capture the many stunning landscapes in Iceland which of course include photographs of the Aurora Borealis.

 

James also uses a drone for photography at times. He was able to show us how the drone can offer a completely different perspective even when only a few metres off the ground.

 

His audience was captivated throughout the evening by James’ extraordinary images and the narrative that accompanied them.

If you would like to become a ‘virtual’ member or attend one of our Zoom meetings as a guest please email us (contactkeswickPS@gmail.com)

Richard Jakobson

Our first set subject competition of the season was on the theme “Gold” and was judged by Richard Speirs DPAGB, APAGB, BPE2, from Morton Photographic Society. There were 62 images entered into the competition from a wide variety of genres. As ever Richard judged the images with a keen eye, helpful critical comment and his entertaining dry wit. The images were not scored but best nature image was “Gold-3” by Ade Gidney:

 

Best creative image was “Golden Tree” by Ann Healey:

 

Best landscape was “Gold-1” by Ade Gidney:

 

Best portrait was “Shasta” by Bob Given:

 

10 images were highly commended: “The Guardian of the Gold” by Alan Walker, “Highly Polished” by Wendy Gordan, “Goldfinches” by Tony Marsh, “Golden Light” by Tony Melling, “Anna Rose” by Bob Given, “Gold Rose Bowl” by Jo Knight,  “Golden Retriever” by David Woodthorpe, “Golden Sun Voyager” by Richard Jakobson, “Golden Hour over Derwentwater” by David Woodthorpe and “Gold Leaf” by Tony Melling.

All the images can be viewed on the gallery page: “Gold” Set Subject

 

 

 

This was our first open competition of the season. This meeting was well attended, with the majority attending in the meeting room, the highest attendance in person since the start of the covid pandemic, and others attending on Zoom.  The judge, Jack Bamford, a past member of Keswick Photographic Society,  is an experienced judge and gave his detailed critique of all the images which was full of positive comments and helpful tips.

The evening was divided in to two halves;  prints and digital images. There was a wide range of subjects in the images including Landscape, Portrait, Wildlife, Creative and Street photography.

There were 28 prints for Jack to judge.  Five prints awarded the maximum 20 points.  ‘Harvest Time’:

 

and ‘I Wish I could fly away too’ by Julie Walker, the latter awarded Best Creative:

 

‘Hiding Away’ by Keith Snell, which was awarded Best People:

 

”Owl about to land’ by David Price, award Best Nature:

 

and ‘Listen very carefully I’ll say this only Once’ by Alan Walker:

 

Three prints were awarded 19 points, these being ‘Marsh Harrier’ and ‘Snowy Owl Landing’ by Ronnie Gilbert, ‘A Fishing Trip’ by Simon Roberts. Five prints were awarded 18 points. ‘White Tiled Sea Eagle Hunting’ by Carol Minks, ‘Hoopoes You can’t have it’ and ‘The Mittens Monument Valley’  by Tom Stenhouse, ‘A bit of Aggro’ by Keith Snell and  ‘It’s Mine’ by Marilyn Woodthorpe.

Fifty digital images were submitted for judging in the digital section. Three images achieved the maximum 20 points. ‘ White Stallion at Dawn’ by Alan Walker, which also achieved Best Landscape,

 

‘Sidecar Duo’ by David Price

 

and ‘Grey Wagtail with snack’  by Alan Walker.

 

Five image achieved 19 points. ‘Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower’ by David Woodthorpe, ‘Young Bears play fighting in the mist’ by Ronnie Gilbert, ‘ European Otter’ by Carol Minks, ‘ Grazing on Luskentyre Beach’ by Sue Rugg and ‘Great Northern Diver feeding chick’ by Julie Walker. Five images achieved 18 points. ‘Third Change’ by Bob Given, ‘Line Dance’ by Annie Given, ‘American Red Squirrel scratching’ by Julie Walker, ‘Black veined white Butterfly’ by Carol Minks and ‘Leopard resting’ by Graham Smith.

All the entered images can be viewed on the Gallery Page

Members of Keswick Photographic Society were both entertained and inspired last Wednesday by a talk given on Zoom by Tommy Hatwell, a commercial and humanitarian photographer based in Plymouth, entitled: “All around the world and back again”.

The first half consisted of a description of Tommy’s life as an adventurer travelling around the world, often to participate in dramatic kayaking challenges, with a variety of odd jobs in between trips taken to finance the next one. This exciting and rather enviable lifestyle was mirrored by a growing fascination in the ability of both stills photography and video to portray people, places and, increasingly, messages.

 

His first realization of the power of a photograph came when he was working on a whale watching boat in New Zealand photographing clients as well as the wildlife when he captured a staggering, once in a lifetime sequence of shots of a Killer Whale chasing and killing a Pseudorca, (a type of Dolphin), by ramming it and shooting it and its baby way up into the air. Travels to India, and Vietnam gave him the opportunity to develop relationships with a wide variety of people who after a period of time would agree to be photographed in a relaxed and cooperative manner.

 

One of his early trips, in 2008, was to go kayaking on the White Nile in Uganda and he chose to return there towards the end of a BA Hons degree course in Commercial Photography to create a portfolio for his final major project. Although his trip was rather frowned upon by his tutors, most of his fellow students were taking studio photographs of perfume products and the like, he ended up with a wonderful portfolio of the lifestyle, people and adventures in the small village where he was staying.

 

Many of the friends he made and subsequently photographed were boys he had known when kayaking ten years before, and it was this long-term relationship, together with immersion in village life that allowed him to gain the trust necessary to create a wealth of charming and relaxed portraits.

 

He has returned to Uganda on an annual basis since then, (pandemic allowing), and continues to deepen his relationships and amass a wonderful selection of images including a significant portfolio for Soul Foundation, an NGO working in Uganda that provides help with Maternal Health, Education, Food Security and Women’s Empowerment.

He especially created a striking image of teenagers in an open sided and solar powered school house which was chosen, out of many thousands of entrants, to be one of the fifty photographs in the prestigious Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery.

What was so striking about Tommy’s presentation was how deeply and empathetically he involved himself in the lives and surroundings of his subjects and how the trust so gained resulted in such moving and “true” portraits. All of his subjects appear both relaxed and dignified and there is a celebration of a way of life rather than an over exposure of poverty.

 

The adventure continues to evolve with the organisation Think People Think Story, set up by Tommy and local Ugandan friends and photographers to deliver life changing projects whilst educating photographers to share their community stories and use their cameras to make a small living.

 

The Sleepwell Project 2022, will once again deliver brand new healthy mattresses to families who need them most. You can learn more at: thinkpeoplethinkstory.com.  An excellent and thought-provoking evening.

Tony Marsh

Our first meeting of the 2022-2023 season was held on the evening of Wednesday September 7th. This was a “hybrid” meeting with members attending at the Friends Meeting House and also joining via Zoom. Unfortunately our intended speakers were unable to come but at short notice two KPS members put together a pair of very contrasting presentations.

Simon Roberts has recently returned from a trip to Alaska which was almost entirely devoted to brown bears.

He was able to give us a fascinating insight into the life and behaviour of brown bears which was illustrated by a series of fantastic wildlife images. Such is the quality of the images, several have appeared in national newspapers since his return.

Observing the bears for long periods of time at close quarters (sometimes very close quarters!) he was able to observe and learn a lot about their behaviour, feeding routines and family dynamics. Simon is meticulous in trying to capture the “perfectly composed” image and this was evident in the photographs we saw.

Following the break, with a welcome, post Covid return of tea coffee and cakes Richard Jakobson gave his presentation on Deep Sky Astrophotography. He described how he has become fascinated by the taking and processing of images of objects, mainly nebulae, deep in our night sky.

Following the successful deployment of NASA’s Hubble telescope and more recently the James Webb Space Telescope many of us have be able to see the amazing and beautiful images from deep in our cosmos. Richard described how the amateur astrophotographer can take similar photographs from their back gardens.

 

The facts and figures associated with such images are incredible. For example it took over 3,000 years for the light from the Garnet Star to travel and reach the sensor in Richard’s camera!

If you would like to become a ‘virtual’ member or attend one of our Zoom meetings as a guest please email us (contactkeswickPS@gmail.com)

 

 

On the 16th August a group of members again ventured to Drumburgh Moss, a nature reserve on the Solway run by Cumbria Wildlife Trust. The trip was organised by Tony Marsh, who as usual was on hand to give practical advice on macrphotoography and to identify the various fauna and flora we came across. The weather was cool with dull light so there was not much flight activity from the damselflies and dragonflies but those we found did remain still, posing for for longer than usual!

A selection of the images can be seen at: Drumburgh Moss

The scheduled meeting this week had to be postponed at short notice due to illness. As in the past our programme secretary stepped into the breach with “something I prepared earlier”. In truth Alan’s presentation “Inter-City Photography” had only just been completed. We need not have worried. Alan gave us an apparently effortless and fluent trip round the world viewing many superb images of cities he has visited.

He began his presentation giving detailed advice on how to take candid street photography and also detailed advice on the techniques and equipment he uses for his architectural photography. We then had a trip around a selection of the UK and the world’s cities starting in London

 

and moving to Tokyo, New York, Belfast, Berlin, Venice, Florence and finally Havana.

 

There was a wide range of images from stunning skylines and nightscapes to candid shots of people going about their daily lives such as a New York traffic policeman on a junction on 42^nd Street. In contrast there were several abstract images where Alan was able to capture a visual appearance which took his eye at the time. These included a polluted waterway in London where the interaction of a discarded plastic bottle floating on an oil slick created a paradoxically fascinating, attractive photograph.

 

With each image Alan was able to give advice on aspects of photography including composition techniques, depth of field, storytelling, the influence of light. He showed three images taken from a hotel bedroom window in Tokyo at different times of the day which demonstrated the huge difference on a scene that differing light conditions can make.

There were many stunning architectural shots where at times Alan made best use of adverse weather conditions. These included an image of the Oculus taken in the mist in New York.

 

His street photography captured the essence of the cities they were taken in: a woman striding through a colourful scene in Havana and a group of Japanese commuters “doing what they do on a Tokyo subway”.

 

Included in his presentation was a series of monochrome images from Alan’s youth in London in the 1970’s. These photographs demonstrated that even then Alan had the ability to capture the essence of a scene and its time.

After entertaining and engaging the audience yet again with one of his presentations Alan was thanked by our chairman David Woodthorpe for another “Stunning performance”

Richard Jakobson

Our final Open Competition of the season took place on the evening of Wednesday 9^th March. It was a “hybrid” meeting being held both at the Friend’s Meeting House and also streamed by Zoom to members unable to attend in person.  Our judge was Richard Spiers DPAG, BPE2*, APAGB. Richard has been judging our internal competitions regularly for many years. As usual his insightful and often helpful comments were liberally sprinkled with dry wit and humour. This always makes for a very enjoyable evening.

48 digital images were submitted for the competition and 22 print images. Richard commented on the overall high quality of the images and his pleasure in having the opportunity to view them

In the print category four images scored the maximum of 20 points: “Griffon Vulture in Flight” by Ronnie Gilbert which was also judged the best nature print,

 

“Sunlight and Shade” by Ken Rennie,

 

“Trees in Arctic Storm” by Keith Snell which was judged the best landscape print

 

and “Black Tailed Godwit” by Carol Minks.

 

The best people print was “Cambodian Fish Filleter Family” by David Woodthorpe

 

and the best creative print was “Lotus Blossom” also by David Woodthorpe.

 

Three images scored 20 in the digital projected category: “Crested Tit with Grub and Ants” by Tony Marsh which was the best nature digital image,

 

“Eagle in Snowstorm” by Simon Roberts

 

and “Kestrel with Mouse” by Ronnie Gilbert.

 

The best digital landscape image was “An Oak and Horseshoe” by Chris Burgess,

 

the best people digital image was “Waterfall Dreams” by Keith Snell

 

and the best creative digital image was “Old Crocks” by Marilyn Woodthorpe

 

All the submitted images can be viewed on our gallery page

If you would like to become a ‘virtual’ member or attend one of our Zoom meetings as a guest please email us (contactkeswickPS@gmail.com).

Richard Jakobson