Club Reports
My Favourite Things!
03 February 2010
"Photoshop Twins"
Byron Carnell explained why his favourite photographic location was the Back Beach at Teignmouth. He illustrated the ever changing scene with images of boats, both large and small, the nature of the cluttered beach, the distant views of Shaldon Bridge and the Moors behind, and, most graphically, the affect of approaching storms which darkened the water whilst highlighting the boats on the water.
Shirley Boulton showed a number of her prints that illustrated her use of her favourite digital filter – Buzz. This can be added to the popular image enhancing software Photoshop to create surrealist effects in photos by removing fine details and some colours. This had given her success in a number of competitions.
Peter Sillifant used his interest in history and photography to give a talk on the history of photography. The main theme was that there had been a continuous debate about the overlap of art and photography. From the 1850s onwards, long before the digital age, art based photographers had used various techniques to render their subjects more aesthetic than they were in reality. On the other hand, many people believed the camera should not lie and should reveal the truth, both good and bad.
Richard Potts showed his personal record of a pilgrimage to Lourdes by means of his audio visual. This featured the pageantry, the atmosphere and some of the ‘tacky’ memento shops linked to this event all set to the background of the rock song ‘I believe in miracles.’
Chairman, Paul Lawson concluded the evening by giving a practical work shop on the use of ‘Photoshop,’ the digital enhancing software. He showed how there were many ways of doing the same thing, even the act of converting a colour image to a good black and white one. It depended on the subject and the personal preference of the photographer.
Next week members will be entertained at Holcombe Village Hall by Brian Swinyard, an ‘Aspirational Photographer’ from Gloucestershire.