Weekly Reports by Steve Wells
(Older reports in Archive)
2023-2024 Programme
13th May 2024
Amy Shore - Emotional Storytelling in the Automotive World
Amy is an automotive photographer who photographs vehicles both as subjects in their own right and taking part in motor-sport.
In her talk, Amy repeatedly emphasised keeping things simple: for most of her work she uses just three lenses and none are zooms. Above all, she wants an image to tell a story. A car is not just an object. It is an object used by people to do something. Those people, the drivers, passengers, mechanics and so on, are as important as the car. Between them they tell the story.
The story is also told in light. The word photography means “drawing with light”. Amy starts not with the car, nor even the people, but with the light. Where is the light coming from, how is it shaping the subject. In describing her pictures she often began by describing being first attracted to the light.
She spends much of her time looking for locations – places where, like a stage set, she can tell a story. We are lucky here in Gloucestershire being close to the Cotswolds where there are many picturesque villages – places which evoke dreams of an imagined idyllic past.
Amy Shore - Emotional Storytelling in the Automotive World
Amy is an automotive photographer who photographs vehicles both as subjects in their own right and taking part in motor-sport.
In her talk, Amy repeatedly emphasised keeping things simple: for most of her work she uses just three lenses and none are zooms. Above all, she wants an image to tell a story. A car is not just an object. It is an object used by people to do something. Those people, the drivers, passengers, mechanics and so on, are as important as the car. Between them they tell the story.
The story is also told in light. The word photography means “drawing with light”. Amy starts not with the car, nor even the people, but with the light. Where is the light coming from, how is it shaping the subject. In describing her pictures she often began by describing being first attracted to the light.
She spends much of her time looking for locations – places where, like a stage set, she can tell a story. We are lucky here in Gloucestershire being close to the Cotswolds where there are many picturesque villages – places which evoke dreams of an imagined idyllic past.
29th April 2024
Andrew Marker (FRPS) presented a selection of images from the Bristol International Salon of Photography. This is one of the UK’s leading International Exhibitions (https://bristolsalon.co.uk/). Andrew was a judge at the Salon.
Congratulations to Brian McBride and Peter Haworth, both members of Thornbury Camera Club, who had images selected for the Salon.
The range of image styles represented was as wide as is expected from such an exhibition: From Sport to Dance, from Portrait to Wildlife. While similar displays, such as NEMPF are purely local, being limited to just part of the UK, the Bristol Salon is international. It gives members of the camera club the opportunity to see images from round the world. I noticed several landscapes from Romania, and environmental portraits from the Far East.
As well as conventional images there was the selection of fantasy images which we have come to expect. Several contained costumed people alongside wolves. They were clearly not from this country! The danger with fantasy images of this kind is that the costumes can dominate the image – perhaps there should be awards not only for photography but also for costume and makeup design.
Overall, however, the selection of images was stimulating and must have left many members with ideas for images but, perhaps, without wolves!
Andrew Marker (FRPS) presented a selection of images from the Bristol International Salon of Photography. This is one of the UK’s leading International Exhibitions (https://bristolsalon.co.uk/). Andrew was a judge at the Salon.
Congratulations to Brian McBride and Peter Haworth, both members of Thornbury Camera Club, who had images selected for the Salon.
The range of image styles represented was as wide as is expected from such an exhibition: From Sport to Dance, from Portrait to Wildlife. While similar displays, such as NEMPF are purely local, being limited to just part of the UK, the Bristol Salon is international. It gives members of the camera club the opportunity to see images from round the world. I noticed several landscapes from Romania, and environmental portraits from the Far East.
As well as conventional images there was the selection of fantasy images which we have come to expect. Several contained costumed people alongside wolves. They were clearly not from this country! The danger with fantasy images of this kind is that the costumes can dominate the image – perhaps there should be awards not only for photography but also for costume and makeup design.
Overall, however, the selection of images was stimulating and must have left many members with ideas for images but, perhaps, without wolves!
8th April 2024
The latest of Thornbury Camera Club’s internal competitions had the theme Action or Movement. This is something of a contradiction. After all, a single image is by its very nature static and photographers will go to great lengths to get sharp images. Yet, to represent movement, the best approach may be to throw caution to the winds and to permit, even to create, blurred images.
The judge charged with the task of judging these contradictions was Steve Field (LRPS AWPF AIPF EFIAP BPE2*) from Bristol Photographic Society. Unfortunately, an accident shortly before the judging prevented Steve from being with us. However, he provided the marks and his comments which were ably presented by the Internal Competition Secretary Brian McBride.
There were forty-two projected entries. George Collett came both first and second with “Head in a Spin” and “Hand Off My Ball”. “Driving Around the Clock” gave third place to Robert England. Other photographers noted by the judge were Mike Ashfield, Rodney Crabb, Garry Holden, Simon Meeds and Eirwyn Thomas.
Twenty prints went forward for judging. In first place was Dean Packer with “Yakatabune Light Trails”. George Collett took both second and third places with “Pelican Splash Landing” and “Fighting Red-Legged Honey Creepers”. Mike Ashfield and Simon Meeds were also mentioned.
The latest of Thornbury Camera Club’s internal competitions had the theme Action or Movement. This is something of a contradiction. After all, a single image is by its very nature static and photographers will go to great lengths to get sharp images. Yet, to represent movement, the best approach may be to throw caution to the winds and to permit, even to create, blurred images.
The judge charged with the task of judging these contradictions was Steve Field (LRPS AWPF AIPF EFIAP BPE2*) from Bristol Photographic Society. Unfortunately, an accident shortly before the judging prevented Steve from being with us. However, he provided the marks and his comments which were ably presented by the Internal Competition Secretary Brian McBride.
There were forty-two projected entries. George Collett came both first and second with “Head in a Spin” and “Hand Off My Ball”. “Driving Around the Clock” gave third place to Robert England. Other photographers noted by the judge were Mike Ashfield, Rodney Crabb, Garry Holden, Simon Meeds and Eirwyn Thomas.
Twenty prints went forward for judging. In first place was Dean Packer with “Yakatabune Light Trails”. George Collett took both second and third places with “Pelican Splash Landing” and “Fighting Red-Legged Honey Creepers”. Mike Ashfield and Simon Meeds were also mentioned.
25th March 2024
This was a magazine-style evening where Thornbury Camera Club included several topics rather than welcoming a single speaker. A couple of weeks ago the club viewed the first part of an audio visual presentation from the North and East Midlands Photographic Federation. This evening opened with the second part of that presentation. This offered images including dance, wildlife and sport. For me, the photographs of butterflies were outstanding.
For most of the remainder of the evening Barry Wilson, a member of the club, talked about studio photographs. This style of photography used to be popular but is rarely seen today. This is probably because the investment in setting up a studio is prohibitive for many people - not only the cost of the equipment but the availability of the space needed. The best approach today is to hire studio space by the hour. One studio Barry has used organises days and half days where the cost of the studio and model can be shared by several photographers.
The evening closed with a presentation of images from students on the club’s recent course for beginner photographers. Many of us were thinking how long ago it was since we started out learning the craft of photography and how much more we still have to learn.
This was a magazine-style evening where Thornbury Camera Club included several topics rather than welcoming a single speaker. A couple of weeks ago the club viewed the first part of an audio visual presentation from the North and East Midlands Photographic Federation. This evening opened with the second part of that presentation. This offered images including dance, wildlife and sport. For me, the photographs of butterflies were outstanding.
For most of the remainder of the evening Barry Wilson, a member of the club, talked about studio photographs. This style of photography used to be popular but is rarely seen today. This is probably because the investment in setting up a studio is prohibitive for many people - not only the cost of the equipment but the availability of the space needed. The best approach today is to hire studio space by the hour. One studio Barry has used organises days and half days where the cost of the studio and model can be shared by several photographers.
The evening closed with a presentation of images from students on the club’s recent course for beginner photographers. Many of us were thinking how long ago it was since we started out learning the craft of photography and how much more we still have to learn.