For the second week running our club members were entertained with top class images from an expert. Geoff Reader DPAGB AFIAP BPE3 is a member of Alsager Camera Club in Cheshire and is well known to photographers west of the Pennines where he judges and gives lectures. Over the last 10 years he has developed an interest and expertise in portrait photography and the results demonstrate a wide range of human subjects and styles. Although some of the models were recognisable from the work of others, there was a refreshing variety of approaches with mood and story-telling to the fore. Geoff’s rapport with his subjects came over clearly, particularly when photographing local actors. It was good to share the evening with folks from Wakefield Camera Club and Bradford Photographic Society, showing there are definitive upsides to using internet conferencing such as Zoom.
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Huddersfield Photo-Imaging Club
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The latest news from our recent club evenings and events or any other items of interest.
Last night around 35 members of HPIC and a handful of honoured guests from other Yorkshire clubs were treated to a highly anticipated return visit from Les Forrester BA (Hons) Photo, ARPS, DPAGB, EFIAP, BPE3*. Many will already have been familiar with Les from his previous talk at our club or his widely acclaimed work in domestic and international competition. His striking and unique style already had a few fans amongst us and last night doubtless added a few more.
A whirlwhind tour of the globe through his work covered locations as diverse as London, Liege, Lisbon, Hamburg, Berlin, Venice, Singapore and Hong Kong. However, the talk was not merely a travelogue, but an insight into the artistic vision behind the shots. In addition to a varied selection of work, the presentation was liberally sprinkled with words of wisdom from famous names. These all give clues to the philosophy and thought process that goes into the work we saw. One nugget in particular that stood out was offered by the eminently quotable Ansel Adams:
"Photograph not only what you see but also what you feel."
Those of us hoping to learn new techniques were not left disappointed either. Whilst Les shared details of the in-depth research he does to plan his visits to interesting architecutral locations - even down to taking a cloth with him to wipe finger marks off glass when shooting through it - the second half of the talk was heavily focussed on Les' post-procesing techniques. We were given a step-by-step 'deep dive' into the work behind 4 of the shots we'd seen in the first half; two colour shots from Hamburg and two mono pieces, one from Liege and one from Berlin. It will be interesting to see how many put what they've learnt into practice in the coming months.
To see more of Les' work for yourself you're strongly encouraged to visit his website and follow his social media feeds:
A hand held mobile phone, positioned near a laptop’s embedded microphone enabled Alan Stopher to talk through the results of the 2020 photographic competition to 36 plus members of the club.
Many hours of effort, by the organisers of the annual competition, judges and those members who submitted work for assessment, enabled the club to mount its first ever digital Zoom based Oscars award night.
A different experience to the real thing: no nibbles, no white wine, chats and exchange of views, no live applause, no chance to linger by a particularly impressive print, no sense of theatre but still an entertaining evening and there were other bonuses: the winning authors could describe the when, where and how of their winning images and Alan gave the history of each of the trophies as they were awarded.
The evening was the culmination of creativity, team work and endeavour by all the contributing authors, organisers and judges. Judges, Andrew Rothery, Nigel Plant ARPS AFIAP DPAGB, Peter Wells ARPS CPAGB BPE3* EFIAP, Christine Hodgson BA(Photo) ARPS CPAGB, Erica Oram CPAGB AFIAP BPE3, and George Steele CPAGB LRPS BPE2, all deserve a special thank you for having persevered with their task despite the ever present Covid-19 restrictions.
A total of 20 trophies were awarded to 11 separate authors and in addition 30 members were awarded a total of 76 certificates.
A link to the recording of the award ceremony will be available shortly on the club’s website and that is really the best way to enjoy the event. To enjoy the images, both digital and in print, it is of course best to take time out and visit the exhibition itself. Open from 9th September in the Piazza Shopping Centre in Huddersfield, next door to Toyland in Princess Alexandra Walk.
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