FOCUS CERPS WINNERS 2018 AND 2019
Edenvale Photo Club Newsletter - AUGUST 2020
Sharing Visual Art since 1950
02 / August 2020 COVER IMAGE BY LINDA CARTER..... and the story behind the shot
Shot with 105mm Sigma macro lens, f14, 1/50s hand held in natural light. Exposed to the left so that the tips of the flower petals didn’t get over exposed. Boosted the contrast and clarity, white sliders up, black down, a little bit of vibrance in post processing.
Two weeks ago I wandered around shooting lichen on rocks, specifically for “Textures” but didn’t feel like I had anything that grabbed the attention. Dave said we should try to “use textures in our shots, and not just shoot texture”, and I knew straight awaywhat I wanted to do. Some weeks ago during lockdown I discovered that my outside patio table had a lot of texture, which was quite visible if you crouch down to eye level. The little green flower came from a bunch that my hubby surprised me with about a week earlier. So Monday afternoon I checked if the flowers were still in an acceptable state to shoot, and went outside with my camera to look for a good angle. I enjoy the contrast of the bright green against the wood, so I looked for a section where I felt the patterns in the wood gave a reasonable composition with the round flower. In fact, the little green ball is sitting right on top of a knot in the wood, so it seemed natural to place it there with the wood grain curving around it.
CONTRIBUTE TO FUTURE ISSUES ANY MEMBER CAN SUBMIT MATERIAL FOR CONSIDERATION IN FUTURE PUBLICATIONS PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IMAGES HAVE A MINIMUM RESOLUTION OF 1080 x 1925 pixels. Of course, we also have to adhere to the regulations for data protection and the rights of use according to the copyright law, therefore, we ask you to supply a declaration of consent of the person or website that you extracted your submission from. Please use the following email address to send contributions and consent letters hanlis54@gmail.com Proof reading of this magazine Kindly done by Heidi Broschk
EDENVALE PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA
03 /August 2020
DEAR MEMBERS
Chairman: David Wolstencroft 083 229 8066 davewol@gmail.com
This year has surely flown by. Less than 3 months to Christmas. Where has it all gone? It has been a year unlike any other. Apart from COVID, social media is a buzz with alien sightings, impending asteroid hits and multiple natural disasters around the globe. Hopefully sanity will prevail and life will return to some semblance of normal. The ancient Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times” most definitely applies to 2020. I’m almost to scared to say, “What else can go wrong?”. With that being said, this year as affected everyone differently; some really being hard hit and struggling to make ends meet. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you affected by this. With the country opening up now, I know I will be getting out more. As positivity and optimism slowly returns, may this be the start of a new phase, some form of normality. I am really looking forward to having regular club meetings again. Some, like me, have not used this time to spend more time on their photography. Maybe it was a coincidental slump, I am not sure. I know that I am now paying the price for not “keeping my hand in”.
Now that the bug is starting to bite again, I find myself taking longer to get the results that used to come a lot easier. I can see the same in the club evenings. I can see members who have really grown and progressed. There are also those who have not progressed as much. I am not complaining or pointing fingers. We all work at our own pace and we all have our personal battles and issues the no one else is aware of. Keep in mind that our annual competition is closing at the end of September. Details can be found in this newsletter. For those members who need more information, please reach out to any committee member. The results of this competition are usually announced at our annual year end function. Whether that will take place this year will remain to be seen. As we start to travel more, please keep safe and look after yourselves. Wherever the opportunity, apply yourselves, photograph what makes your heart happy and above all,
love, live and have fun. Warmest regards, Dave
04 / August 2020
Committee Members Chairman:
MEETING TIME AND PLACE 2ND AND 4TH WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT 18H30 FOR 19H00 EDENVALE COMMUNITY CENTRE COR. VAN RIEBEECK & 2ND STREET, EDENVALE
David Wolstencroft 083 229 8066 davewol@gmail.com
Salons, Judges and Outings: John Coumbias 079 1732 825 jcoumbias@telkomsa.net
Marketing and Secretary: Natasha Bird 082 920 8898 mnktrad@mweb.co.za
Newsletter Editor & Graphic Design: Hanli Smit 083 253 1034 hanlis54@gmail.com
Treasurer: Ted Kinsman 083 461 2350 tkinsman@global.co.za
Certificates & Awards Des Alexander 083 226 1452 neoncomp@webmail. co.za
New Members, Social Media & Website Clare Appleyard 083 234 0247 clare.appleyard@gmail.com
ALL CLUB MEETINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED VIA ZOOM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Training: Robbie Aspeling 082 309 7470 rob@raphoto.co.za
05 /August 2020
IN THIS ISSUE CECIL BEATON PAST MASTERS Page 6
MEMBER FOCUS PETER FINE Page26
ANNUAL COMPETITION GUIDLINES Page 48
SET SUBJECT TIPS ON PHOTOGRAPHING TOOLS AND PEOPLE AT WORK Page 46
12 AUGUST Winners Page 16
PAST MEMBER FOCUS TERRY CAREW Page 42
COMMON SALON ERRORS Page 55 PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION
26 AUGUST WINNERS Page 30
Page 58
06 / August 2020 PAST MASTERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
CECIL BEATON Early life and education (Extracted from Wikipedia)
Beaton was born on 14 January 1904 in Hampstead, north London, the son of Ernest Walter Hardy Beaton (1867–1936), a prosperous timber merchant, and his wife, Esther “Etty” Sisson (1872–1962). His grandfather, Walter Hardy Beaton (1841–1904), had founded the family business of “Beaton Brothers Timber Merchants and Agents”, and his father followed into the business. Ernest Beaton was an amateur actor and met his wife, Cecil’s mother Esther (“Etty”), when playing the lead in a play. She was the daughter of a Cumbrian blacksmith named Joseph Sisson and had come to London to visit her married sister. Ernest and Etty Beaton had four children – Cecil; two daughters, Nancy Elizabeth Louise Hardy Beaton (1909–99, who married Sir Hugh Smiley) and Barbara Jessica Hardy Beaton (1912–73, known as Baba, who married Alec Hambro); and son Reginald Ernest Hardy Beaton (1905–33). Cecil Beaton was educated at Heath Mount School (where he was bullied by Evelyn Waugh) and St Cyprian’s School, Eastbourne, where his artistic talent was quickly recognised. Both Cyril Connolly and Henry Longhurst report in their autobiographies being overwhelmed by the beauty of Beaton’s singing at the St Cyprian’s school concerts.
07 / August 2020 When Beaton was growing up his nanny had a Kodak 3A Camera, a popular model which was renowned for being an ideal piece of equipment to learn on. Beaton’s nanny began teaching him the basics of photography and developing film. He would often get his sisters and mother to sit for him. When he was sufficiently proficient, he would send the photos off to London society magazines, often writing under a pen name and ‘recommending’ the work of Beaton. Beaton attended Harrow School, and then, despite having little or no interest in academia, moved on to St John’s College, Cambridge, and studied history, art and architecture. Beaton continued his photography, and through his university contacts managed to get a portrait depicting the Duchess of Malfi published in Vogue. Beaton left Cambridge without a degree in 1925 Career After a short time in the family timber business, he worked with a cement merchant in Holborn. This resulted in ‘an orgy of photography at weekends’ so he decided to strike out on his own. Under the patronage of Osbert Sitwell he put on his first exhibition in the Cooling Gallery, London. It caused quite a stir. Believing that he would meet with greater success on the other side of the Atlantic, he left for New York and slowly built up a reputation there. By the time he left, he had “a contract with Condé Nast Publications to take photographs exclusively for them for several thousand pounds a year for several years to come.” From 1930 to 1945, Beaton leased Ashcombe House in Wiltshire, where he entertained many notable figures. In 1947, he bought Reddish House, set in 2.5 acres of gardens, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) to the east in Broad Chalke. Here he transformed the interior, adding rooms on the eastern side, extending the parlour southwards, and introducing many new fittings. Greta Garbo was a visitor. He remained at the house until his death in 1980 and is buried in the churchyard. Beaton designed book jackets (see Catherine Ives), and costumes for charity matinees, learning the craft of photography at the studio of Paul Tanqueray, until Vogue took him on regularly in 1927. He set up his own studio, and one of his earliest clients and, later, best friends was Stephen Tennant. Beaton’s photographs of Tennant and his circle are considered some of the best representations of the Bright Young People of the twenties and thirties. Beaton’s first camera was a Kodak 3A folding camera. Over the course of his career, he employed both large format cameras, and smaller Rolleiflex cameras. Beaton was never known as a highly skilled technical photographer, and instead focused on staging a compelling model or scene and looking for the perfect shutter-release moment. He was a photographer for the British edition of Vogue in 1931 when George Hoyningen-Huene, photographer for the French Vogue travelled to England with his new friend Horst. Horst himself would begin to work for French Vogue in November of that year. The exchange and cross pollination of ideas between this collegial circle of artists across the Channel and the Atlantic gave rise to the look of style and sophistication for which the 1930s are known. Beaton is known for his fashion photographs and society portraits. He worked as a staff photographer for Vanity Fair and Vogue in addition to photographing celebrities in Hollywood. In 1938, he inserted some tiny-but-still-legible anti-Semitic phrases (including the word ‘kike’) into American Vogue at the side of an illustration about New York society
08 / August 2020 The issue was recalled and reprinted, and Beaton was fired. Beaton returned to England, where the Queen recommended him to the Ministry of Information (MoI). He became a leading war photographer, best known for his images of the damage done by the German Blitz. His style sharpened and his range broadened, Beaton’s career was restored by the war. Beaton often photographed the Royal Family for official publication. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was his favourite royal sitter, and he once pocketed her scented hankie as a keepsake from a highly successful shoot. Beaton took the famous wedding pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (wearing an haute couture ensemble by the noted American fashion designer Mainbocher). During the Second World War, Beaton was first posted to the Ministry of Information and given the task of recording images from the home front. During this assignment he captured one of the most enduring images of British suffering during the war, that of 3-year-old Blitz victim Eileen Dunne recovering in hospital, clutching her beloved teddy bear. When the image was published, America had not yet officially joined the war, but images such as Beaton’s helped push the Americans to put pressure on their government to help Britain in its hour of need. Beaton had a major influence on and relationship with Angus McBean and David Bailey. McBean was a well-known portrait photographer of his era. Later in his career, his work is influenced by Beaton. Bailey was influenced by Beaton when they met while working for British Vogue in the early 1960s. Bailey’s use of square format (6x6) images is similar to Beaton’s own working patterns.
Stage and film design. A Cecil Beaton design for Audrey Hepburn in the film My Fair Lady (1964), for which he won an Academy Award. After the war, Beaton tackled the Broadway stage, designing sets, costumes, and lighting for a 1946 revival of Lady Windermere’s Fan, in which he also acted. His costumes for Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady (1956) were highly praised. This led to two Lerner and Loewe film musicals, Gigi (1958) and My Fair Lady (1964), each of which earned Beaton the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. He also designed the period costumes for the 1970 film On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Additional Broadway credits include The Grass Harp (1952), The Chalk Garden (1955), Saratoga (1959), Tenderloin (1960), and Coco (1969). He is the recipient of four Tony Awards. He designed the sets and costumes for a production of Puccini’s last opera Turandot, first used at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and then at Covent Garden. Beaton designed the academic dress of the University of East Anglia.
09 / August 2020
Diaries Cecil Beaton was a published and well-known diarist. In his lifetime, six volumes of diaries were published, spanning the years 1922–1974. Recently some unexpurgated material has been published. “In the published diaries, opinions are softened, celebrated figures are hailed as wonders and triumphs, whereas in the originals, Cecil can be as venomous as anyone I have ever read or heard in the most shocking of conversation” wrote their editor, Hugo Vickers.
10 / August 2020
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, CBE was a British fashion, portrait, and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre.
11 / August 2020
12 / August 2020
In New York, February 22, 1956, Cecil Beaton was commissioned to photograph Hollywood star, Marilyn Monroe, in a room at The Ambassador Hotel. The room, designed by Beaton himself, was to be the setting for a typically flirtatious and energetic photo shoot with the actress. Having booked the shoot three months in advance, Beaton waited over an hour for Monroe to turn up, and was eventually greeted by what he described in his diaries as “an artless, impromptu, high-spirited, infectiously gay performance”, as she leapt and squealed around the hotel room. He added, “it will probably end in tears.”
13 / August 2020
ICONIC IMAGE: AUDREY HEPBURN BY CECIL BEATON Cecil Beaton’s images of Audrey Hepburn are certainly some of his most iconic and recognizable. Beaton - who was a staff photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair and a well-known costume and set designer for films such as Gigi and My Fair Lady - was particularly well known for his fashion and celebrity portraits, and here he captures the essence of Hepburn’s elegance and personality. All three photographs appeared in Vogue throughout the mid 1960’s when Beaton worked with Hepburn on My Fair Lady.
14 / August 2020
Cecil Beaton was a British photographer and designer best known for his elegant photographs of high society. Working within a cinematic approach, his black-and-white images are characterized by their staged poses and imaginative sets. Beaton’s costume and stage designs won him three Academy Awards, including one for My Fair Lady (1964). Born on January 14, 1904 in London, United Kingdom to a wealthy family, he went on to study at St. John’s College in Cambridge, however he left before finishing his degree.
15 /August 2020 Fashion photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904 – 1980) launched his career as a ‘society’ photographer in 1926 with an exhibition in London that won him an immediate contract with Vogue, where he worked for the next 30 years. Beaton’s fascination with glamour and high society prevailed throughout his life and in 1937 he became court photographer to the British Royal Family. He also became a successful set and costume designer for stage and film productions, most notably My Fair Lady (1956) and Gigi (1958). A premier portrait photographer,Cecil Beaton, began to pursue photography at a very early age. As a teenager he spent many hours attempting to recreate the look of glamorous society portraits using his sisters, Nancy and Baba, as models. Candid snapshots and studio portraits of Beaton by his contemporaries display his sense of style, his charm, vanity and vivacious personality. Photograph of Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II (b.1926), gazing at the one-month old Prince Charles, later Prince of Wales (b.1948), lying in a cradle. Prince Charles looks towards the direction of the camera. The photographer Beaton recorded in his diary that the Prince ‘interrupted a long, contented sleep to do my bidding and open his blue eyes to stare long and wonderingly into the camera lens, the beginning of a lifetime in the glare of public duty’.
16 / August 2020
ONE STAR WINNER 12 Aug
Cheetah with prey
Gavin
Duffy
17 / August 2020
ONE STAR WINNER 12 Aug
Florence
Tahlita Verster
18/ August 2020
TWO STAR WINNER 12 Aug
Spoonbill
Tony Wilson
19 / August 2020 COMPOSITION 101
TWO STAR WINNER 12 Aug
Drop collision
Tony Wilson
20/ August 2020
THREE STAR WINNER 12 Aug
Buffalo Portrate
Brian Kleinwort
21/ August 2020
THREE STAR WINNER 12 Aug
Portrait of the soul
Kenneth Kubheka
22 / August 2020
FOUR STAR WINNER 12 Aug
Start of flower season
Clare Appleyard
23 / August 2020
FOUR STAR WINNER 12 Aug
Peek a boo
Clare Appleyard
24 / August 2020
FIVE & 5 STAR HONOURS WINNER
12 Aug
Forward thrust
Dino Bottega
25 / August 2020
FIVE & 5 STAR HONOURS WINNER
12 Aug
Gerbrant Van Mooikloof Vicki Street
26 / August2020 MEMBER FOCUS PETER FINE
Member FOCUS
PETER FINE
Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? I grew up on an apple farm in Elgin in the Western Cape and did my schooling and university in Cape Town and then came and studied at Wits Business School. After the army and working on the Mossgas project I went to England where I did my Masters degree in Industrial Relations. I lived in Israel for almost a year and then got married in Johannesburg and went to join my father run the family farm. In 2007 I brought my family (wife, son and 3 daughters) to come and live in Johannesburg. My mother was a firm believer in continually trying to learn (she did her Masters in Philosophy aged 65!) and so I went to UJ aged 42 to do a Post-graduate Diploma in Labour Law. I currently am a Labour Relationship Consultant and I also work part-time as a Commissioner at the CCMA or as I like to put it “I am in labour…. how can I help you!”
27 / August 2020 MEMBER FOCUS PETER FINE When did you become interested in photography? Having grown up in the country I was at boarding school from age 9. At aged 10 I discovered that the headmaster was keen on photography. I worked out that the best way to try and stay out of trouble was to show an interest in what he was interested in! He taught me all about developing black-and-white photographs in the darkroom and this motivated me to try and take better photographs. When I got to university, I earned some extra money through taking the official photographs at the various residence and society balls. For the one year I was even appointed as one of the RAG charity organisation’s designated photographers. This was great as I had as many sponsored photographic films with free developing as I wanted to. This allowed me the opportunity to play around with different styles and techniques. I then went travelling and therefore started enjoying taking travel photographs. After getting married and having children then all my photographic exposure (!) was limited to taking pictures of the kids and family holidays. Now that my kids are older (and no longer cute) I have more time to continue to practice and hopefully to learn how to improve my hobby.
What is your preferred style of photography? I really enjoy taking wildlife photographs because of the unpredictability of it all. The excitement of suddenly coming across an unexpected scene in nature and trying to best capture the moment so that it can become a permanent memory. Even if the photograph is not technically so great, I am nevertheless happy if it captures the moment. Of all the different genres of photography I think that wildlife photography generates the most excitement and emotion in the photographer – the skill that I aim for is to invoke the same feelings in the person who sees it. I am nevertheless keen to learn new styles of photography and have dabbled in landscape, model, sport and have unofficially photographed a few weddings and other celebrations as freebies to try to diversify and better my skills.
Who inspires you dead or alive as a photographer? During lockdown I did an online course with the award-winning wildlife photographer, Tin Man Lee, and in the process I have been fortunate enough to develop a close friendship with him. Besides his live online training he has a weekly “Coaching Call” during which he answers questions and teaches through analysing members’ submissions. There are however two downsides with his course. Firstly, his photographs are mainly taken in America where the conditions are not quite the same as in South Africa – foxes, bears and puffins and a non-distracting background are a lot easier to find there. Secondly, because he lives on the West coast his classes are often in the very early hours of the morning! He introduced me to the work of his photographic idol, Federico Veronesi, whose images I now too find truly inspiring.
Why did you join the Edenvale photo club, and do you think it is worth it? Last year I joined a Facebook group called the “52-week photo challenge” which is run by professional photographers. They gave you a new topic to go and photograph every Friday and the related image needed to be submitted to the Facebook group by the following Sunday. While I enjoyed the challenge of being pushed into new areas of photography through trying to conceptualise and take the appropriate photographs, I was disappointed that there was not any feedback from the professionals.
28 / August 2020 MEMBER FOCUS PETER FINE The only feedback was the amount of likes that one’s photo got and comments from some of the other members of the group. I felt that my creativity was being challenged through making me take photographs that were out of my usual comfort zone, however without proper feedback there could not be any real growth. My friend Stephen Kangisser told me about the Edenvale photo club, and I attended one of the zoom meetings. Here I could see that not only would my own submissions be criticised, but that I could learn from the comments made about other people’s submissions (who were much better than mine) as well. I therefore realised that this could be a forum in which my photography could improve and hopefully get recognised to allow me someday to progress through the star ratings. So far, I have found the meetings to be extremely well run and am impressed by the passion and effort put in by Dave Wolstencroft. I really look forward to meeting all the other members of the club in person as soon as it is safe for us to meet again.
Where do you see yourself go with your photography? I would like to keep on improving my skills and hopefully at some stage have sufficient skill and self-confidence that I would feel comfortable to charge for my services and to sell my photographs. My intention is to emigrate to Israel in the next 2 years and without much opportunity for wildlife photography there I will need to look at other opportunities. Hopefully, something that I can make some income from. I am totally overwhelmed by the prospect of Photoshop and despite having done online and one-to-one courses on it I still find it scary and have a total mental block towards the program. I hope someday to be able to overcome this because I have seen what a great difference to the quality of one’s photographs it can make. Maybe the club or someone at the club could offer a beginners Photoshop course….
What and where is on your bucket list of photographic destinations? I would love to go and take photographs at the Okavango Delta and of course to photograph the Great Migration would be an amazing experience.
It is difficult to select favourite images as some of my favourites are not that great technically but bring me back to the moment and emotion that I felt when I captured the image. I could have chosen 5 of my wildlife pictures but decided to add some non-wildlife images for some diversity.
29 / August 2020 MEMBER FOCUS PETER FINE
Images by
Peter Fine
30 / August 2020
ONE STAR WINNER 26 Aug
I am so tired
Fabiola Geeven
31 / August 2020
ONE STAR WINNER 26 Aug
Mango Calla Lily
Tahlita Verster
32 / August2020
TWO STAR WINNER 26 Aug
Preening Coot
Andrew Mayes
33/ August 2020
TWO STAR WINNER 26 Aug
Waterdrop Umbrella
Andrew Mayes
34 / August 2020
THREE STAR WINNER 26 Aug
Bulbul looking for nectar Brian Kleinwort
35 / August 2020
THREE STAR WINNER 26 Aug
A book is a gift
Stephen
Kangisser
36 / August 2020
FOUR STAR WINNER 26 Aug
Higher than the clouds Clare Appleyard
37 / August 2020
FOUR STAR WINNER 26 Aug
Light at the end of the tunnel Clare Appleyard
38 / August 2020
5* & 5 Star Honours Winners 26 Aug
Central Kalahari sunset John Coumbias
39 / August 2020
5* & 5 Star Honours Winners 26 Aug
Hidden Poppy Jewels Natasha Bird
40 / August2020
SPECIAL SUBJECT “ Odd one out” Winner
Hear no evil see no evil - oh dear Natasha Bird
41 / August 2020
SPECIAL SUBJECT “Textures” Winner
Tactile
Linda Carter
42 / August 2020 FOCUS ON TERRY CAREW
TERRY CAREW as interviewed by Natasha Bird
In 1975, Terry joined the Jabula Camera Club. The following year he joined Germiston Camera Club. He recalls that Joan Ryder was the chairperson of the Germiston Camera Club at that time and it was a very competitive and strong photographic organisation. During the time, Dennis Gregory and George Allen were Edenvale Club members and an intense rivalry existed between Germiston and Edenvale Clubs. He later also became a member of the Johannesburg Photographic Society and thoroughly enjoyed his days at these clubs. The genres that appeal the most to Terry are birds, wildlife and landscapes. His favourite destinations are the Chobe, Savuti, Moremi, Kariba, Etosha as well as all the parks in South Africa.
In 1976, he submitted four slides to his first PSSA Salon. At the time he was unable to find the maximum allowed number of slides per category of six entries. When he received two acceptances he was thrilled, and a lifelong association with the PSSA started in earnest. Through his dedication to the art of photography he has amassed awards from many salons all over the world including Europe, Asia, the UK Argentina and USA. Entering salons, both local and international, created a body of works that became part of his PSSA Honour’s application. He applied for, and was successful in achieving a Master of Photography Honour in 2001. . Terry also achieved his Fellowship in colour prints. He goes on to explain that submitting a panel (a series of images for review) to the PSSA Honours Committee is a daunting task and one needs to approach it with great thought and consideration. The panel needs to show synergy between the images as well as a story or theme to bind them - should you wish to be succesful. Terry wondered whether he would achieve the PSSA Distinctions today were he to enter a digital panel, as the current standard and quality of images is of an extraordinary high standard. In the mid 1990’s, Terry and his wife, Daphne, joined the Edenvale Photographic Club (EPC). At first, Terry’s wife attended the monthly meetings and submitted both of their slides and gave him feedback on his imagery. He then later joined her at club meetings and they attended together.
43 / August 2020 FOCUS ON TERRY CAREW
Terry has lively memories of the many years he was a member of EPC and recalls with fondness, fellow members John Coumbias, Jack Weinberg, Eric Monty, Dennis Gregory (an EPC Committee member whose service to the club was outstanding) Monti Freeman (sadly deceased) Geoff and his wife (she did the Focus newsletter at the time) and our Honorary Life Chairman, Rob Ponte too. Despite Stephen Kangisser having joined EPC a little over a year ago, Terry speaks of the wonderful friendship and the business partnership they and their parents enjoyed for many years, starting in the 1960’s. Terry and Stephen remain firm friends to this day and share the same passion for photography. Over the years Terry has served on numerous committees and held various portfolios within the photographic community. He judged at club level from the mid-70’s to early 2000’s. While he is still active at club and salon level albeit on a much reduced level, he still interacts with fellow photographers in the field. He assigns 90% of what he has learnt from being active at club and PSSA level, and by engaging with all his clubs’ fellow members.
“I am extremely pro of the learning opportunities found within the photography club environment” He adds that Junior photographers from 1* to 2* are extremely eager and ready to experiment with new techniques and ideas and he always enjoyed learning from their them as well as from the seniors. He feels that from 3* onwards they are not indulged anymore and need to have attained a certain level of competenceTraditionally, this has been where most clubs lose several members as the judging criteria becomes tougher (it’s no longer just ensuring an image is in focus with the correct exposure - an element of storytelling and composition has been added).Some members opt to leave instead of staying on and really honing their skills by learning from the Senior club members. Clubs need to support and nurture these 3* members into the Senior membership of the club as they have a lot to offer. . Do all you can to retain them, is Terry’s advice. At 4* to 5* a salon standard is required and by the time you reach this level of photography you have put in the time and effort to expand your competency and technical knowledge too. Many newcomers to the club scene can be easily overwhelmed by the quality of imagery submitted by the Seniors at first, so it is critical to support and encourage them as we all started our creative journey at the same place, the beginning. Terry believes one of the faults with many photography clubs is that the “Senior / Top members” don’t mix down with the new and Junior members readily. This is a vital element of the success and sustainability of any club, whether it be EPC or any other sporting or social club. The essence of a club needs to be a welcoming and friendly environment that is conducive to sharing and learning opportunities in order for it to be successful.
Club judges under scrutiny: I asked Terry for his insight into club judging and he easily shared his experiences over the years: “Club judging will always be subjective. The judges have their preferred preferences e.g. landscapes, birding, macro genres etc. but they should always strive to be more objective and draw on their experience and instinct and aim to remain unbiased”
44 / August 2020 FOCUS ON TERRY CAREW “Within two seconds of looking at an image I know if it has the impact to make it a winner or not” “Encouraging and motivating beginners and Juniors is so important, if you are judging 1*-2*, so only touch on the good aspects of their imagery. Is the submission in focus and has the author achieved the correct exposure; is there good content or a nice story captured within the image? I do not believe in too much negative critique at this level and prefer to offer suggestions of improving the image, so that the author can go home and try them to see if they do enhance the image”. In the 1970’s, Terry recalls that obtaining a silver was an award to be proud of, just one step away from a gold. Bronze awards often indicated that the image on the screen was not up to expected standards. “We suffered many, many bronze awards and “no awards” while Certificates of Merit (Coms) were few and far between. How this has all changed in these times when an author is only satisfied with gold or Com awards at club meets…’ remembers Terry. In his opinion, 80% of an evening’s submissions are achieving silver and gold awards. In these times of digital photography there is far more scope, choice and creative options than they had in the days of darkroom prints and slides.
What are your thoughts of the PSSA JAPS (Judging Accreditation Programme) Some years ago, the PSSA embarked on a drive to offer training and accreditation for photographers interested in becoming judges. The programme comes under scrutiny every now and then, so the questions posed to Terry are: has it worked, is the methodology of image appreciation and critique successful, and are club photographers being trained to be proficient judges? Terry relates that his relationship with the PSSA spans back many years. He was asked to join the PSSA Executive, and later on was elected to the Board of Directors and subsequently rose up through the ranks until he was elected PSSA President, a term of office he served from 2000 – 2002. Johan Botha was the Vice-President at that time and they shared many experiences together, from attending club meets to the Annual Congresses. One of the highlights of my tenure as PSSA President was seeing in the first female into the position of Vice President: Jill Sneesby. She was fully committed to the society and had the honour of being the first woman president of the PSSA society. She continues to be a very accomplished photographer who has received countless awards and acknowledgement for her imagery. She also serves as Chairman of the Honours and Awards Division as well as being the FIAP and PSA liaison officer. Having enjoyed many good years at the Edenvale Photography Club, Terry felt it was time to move on and devote his time to sharpening his post processing and shooting skills. Thus he bade farewell at the start of this century and moved forward to explore different avenues during his retirement. One of them was becoming a member of the Vereeniging Photographic Society approximately 5-6 years ago, mainly due tothe fact that the introduction of the digital era meant he did not have to physically attend club meetings and was able to submit his images for review electronically. On occasion he will join the club for workshops, special occasions and outings and stay overnight. Terry prefers to avoid driving at night if at all possible.
45 / August 2020 FOCUS ON TERRY CAREW What are your thoughts about PSSA today: There are almost 100 photographic clubs in and around South Africa. Many are celebrating grand milestones like Krugersdorp’s 90th and Edenvale’s 70th anniversaries. I believe clubs should support and promote their members joining a national body that strives to promote and preserve the art of photography. Unfortunately many clubs don’t actively speak positively about or promote PSSA and more can be done in this regard as they are a rich source of members for PSSA to harvest from. Not every photographer is service-driven and committees are not for everyone but new members bring forth new dynamic and fresh ideas and every organization requires this to keep it relevant and sustainable. Terry shares that he is busy working on his entries for the 1st Bethal Salon, which closes Saturday 15th August 2020 and will enter three categories, Wildlife, Wild Birds and Scapes in this and upcoming Salons going forward. Despite his outstanding accolades and many years of service to the greater photographic community, Terry is a humble and interesting man and I find myself fascinated by his insights into the operations of PSSA and that of camera clubs a few decades ago. I also note that aside from the transition from slides and film to digital not much has changed at all and this, to me, is a good thing.
“I send my very best to everyone at Edenvale” Terry Carew Enjoy the examples of Terry’s inspiring imagery as below
Blue Wildebeest Chase by Terry Carew
Squacco Heron Flight by Terry Carew
46 / August 2020 FOCUS ON TERRY CAREW
Images by Terry Carew
47 / August 2020 FOCUS ON TERRY CAREW
Images by
Terry Carew
48 / August 2020
ANNUAL COMPETITION 2020 This competition is held once during the club year. (Usually at the end of the club year, September). It will be an open competition in digital, in the categories listed below. Only images which have been presented at a club evening since October last year are eligible for the Annual Competition. This includes Set Subject images. An image cannot be entered in more than one category. All images entered must be the author’s own work, from pressing the shutter, to final processing and editing. Any composite entries must comprise only elements belonging to the photo author and may not include purchased or downloaded elements. Any images not meeting these criteria will be disqualified. The deadline for submissions is midnight, Wednesday 30th Sept 2020. PhotoVault will close on this day at 23h59 and no further entries can be considered.
49 / August 2020
You can enter as the star rating you were on at 1 April 2020, or higher, but not both. Please pay attention to each category definition to avoid any of your images being disqualified. Categories Nature: Colour images only. Restricted to depict observations from all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well informed person will be able to identify the subject material and to certify to its honest presentation. Human elements shall not be present, except on the rare occasion where those human elements enhance the nature story. The presence of scientific bands on wild animals is acceptable. Photographs of artificially produced hybrid plants or animals, domestic and farm animals, mounted specimens or obviously set arrangements are ineligible as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement. Manipulation includes but is not limited to adding or removing any element by means other than cropping. Compositing, multiple exposures, sandwich/montage and double exposures are not permitted except for digital techniques such as HDR, focus stacking and stitching where the end result is a faithful representation of the original scene.
Altered Nature: Images may be colour or monochrome. As above except that compositing, multiple exposures and double exposures are allowed provided that the image remains realistic.
Scapes: Colour and mono images allowed. Any scape whether nature or pictorial may be entered in this category and the subject matter is not limited so may include city, sea, sky or landscapes. Manipulation is allowed but should be such as to enhance the scene and not change it. Manipulations which drastically alter the reality should be entered under pictorial.
Human Portrait: Images may be colour or monochrome. A likeness, personality and mood of a person, where that person is dominant in the image. Portraiture is not restricted to head and shoulders and may include just a part of the face, a back view or even a full length study. Animal Portraits: Images may be colour or monochrome. A likeness, personality and mood of an animal, where that animal is dominant in the image. Portraiture is not restricted to head and shoulders and may include just a part of the face, a back view or even a full length study.
50 / August 2020 Still Life: Colour and mono images allowed. An image depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, includes table top and floral arrangements.
Altered Reality: Images may be colour or monochrome. A creative, experimental, imaginative and/or a departure from realistic representation. An image created by altering reality in an obvious manner. It can be created digitally or in camera. The intention is the creation of a new image that conveys a feeling or message or tells a story. PLEASE NOTE No purchased backgrounds or textures may be used all the vectors and element must be the photographers own work.
Photojournalism: Images may be colour or monochrome. Newsworthy/story-telling pictures, includes sports. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography by the qualities of: Timeliness—the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events. Objectivity—the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict in both content and tone. Narrative—the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a cultural level. Manipulation is not allowed.
Open Colour: Colour photographs ONLY. All photographs not covered by the above sections. Images which should be in any of the other categories must not be entered in this category. Any image entered in this category which should be in any of the other categories will be disqualified. Manipulation is permitted.
Open Mono: Mono photographs ONLY. All photographs not covered by the above sections. Images which should be in any of the other categories must not be entered in this category. Any image entered in this category which should be in any of the other categories will be disqualified. Manipulation is permitted. The maximum number of entries will be 1 in each category, ie. each person may enter 10 digital images.
There are three categories: 1 + 2 star workers 3 + 4 star workers 5 and 6 star workers Certificates of Merit may be presented in any or all of the sections or categories listed above at the discretion of the judges. Awards or certificates of merit gained in this competition will not count towards the Log competition. Any image which is entered in the incorrect category will be disqualified as well as images entered that were not presented at club meetings during the period October 2019 to September 30th 2020
51 / August 2020 All images must be entered via PhotoVault in the correct competition that matches your star rating. PhotoVault will take care of the naming standard for you. All you need to supply is the image title, but remember, it must be an image that was submitted for a club evening or set subject during the current calendar year. The image Title may not be changed. Images used for Set Subject entries are permissible but NOT those that were entered into the CREATIVE CATEGORY if there was any collaboration with other photographers or any textures or backgrounds purchased or taken from the internet.
The category abbreviations are as follows:
na
•
Nature
•
Altered Nature
•
Scapes
•
Human Portrait
po
•
Animal Portrait
ap
•
Still life
•
Altered Reality
•
Photojournalism
•
Open Colour
op
•
Open Mono
mo
tn
sc
sl ar pj
52 / August 2020
IDEAS OF PHOTOGRAPHING TOOLS
47 / JULY 2020
SET SUBJECT CALENDAR
9Sept Tools
23 Sept
PEOPLE AT WORK
14 Oct
Candle light
28 Oct
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
11 Nov Ice
ANY MEMBER CAN SUBMIT MATERIAL FOR CONSIDERATION IN FUTURE PUBLICATIONS PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IMAGES HAVE A MINIMUM RESOLUTION OF 1080 x 1925 pixels. Of course, we also have to adhere to the regulations for data protection and the rights of use according to the copyright law, therefore, we ask you to supply a declaration of consent of the person or website that you extracted your submission from. Please use the following email address to send contributions and consent letters hanlis54@gmail.com
53 / August 2020
TIPS ON HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH PEOPLE AT WORK Gear Your standard lens will be fine for this project but if you have them, take along your wide angle to include the background and your telephoto for getting in close to people’s hands. A longer telephoto lens will also be useful if safety is an issue such as at a construction site where you may have to stand further back.
Technique Everyone, even photographers, get blinded by the ordinary but if you take the time to actually stand back and look around you, you’ll soon realise that there’s plenty of interesting moments to capture. You can walk round your town snapping candids of people in the street and you’ll get some great shots. A market’s a particularly good location as there’s plenty of stalls and vendors waiting to be photographed. Just don’t be too sneaky. If people notice you be polite, smile and tell them what you’re doing as most people will let you take their photograph without any problems. However, if you actually take the time to ask permission you’ll often end up with a better photograph. You need to build a relationship with your subject and what better way to break the ice than ask them about their work. Soon after they’ll be so wrapped up in what they’re doing they’ll soon forget about the camera you’re pointing at them.
As you’re taking photographs in their working environment they’ll also be built-in props, items they use every day, to keep their hands busy which will make them less self conscious. Try a few shots that isolate your subject then take out your wide angle lens and make a visual statement by including the workplace surroundings. Make sure you avoid clutter and if there’s an unwanted item such as a bin overflowing with paper in the background move it or frame your scene so it’s out of sight. Take the time to look at your subject’s hands as if they do a lot of manual work they’ll have plenty of scars and marks that can tell a story and if they do an unusual job such as weaving baskets try shooting some ‘work in progress’ shots.
54 / August 2020
55 / August 2020
Common Salon Errors It would appear that in the current digital age where everybody knows everything and works twice as fast as yesterday, the ability to read has deteriorated. We read more and faster but comprehend less. A typical consequence of this is that competition rules are not followed because they were not read to comprehend and ‘assumed’ to be ‘the usual’. Does this then explain why so many entries get disqualified because they were entered in the wrong category or were not allowed in terms of the salon category definition? Please take greater care when finalising your salon entry that you have met all criteria, perhaps draw up a checklist again. We need your cooperation specifically to comply with the following: • An image may only be used once in the salon irrespective of the category or of the image being in colour or monochrome. No similar images may be used. • Each image must have a unique name i.e. the name of an image must not be changed at any time as acceptances are based on the image name. • No images that were accepted by any of the past (name of salon) salons may be entered again. Please apply some system to your salon entries and keep track of what was entered where and when. The onus is on you and not on the salon or on the Society. An image cannot be entered in colour and in monochrome whether it is for an honours application or a salon. Please scrutinise your records and if this scenario applies to you, decide which of the two versions of that image will be retired. It will be helpful if you ensure that both the colour and monochrome version have the identical title except perhaps for a suffix ‘mono’ or ‘bw’ for the monochrome version.
56 /August 2020
51 / JULY 2020
Closing dates for upcoming Salons 2020 find the information brochures on the PSSA website
We want to encourage all our members to support these Salons in return for all the support we had with the EPC Salon
2020-09-05 5th Southern Suburbs National (Brochure available) 2020-09-12 9th AFO National (Brochure Available) 2020-09-26 PSSA Up and Coming Competition (18th) 2020-10-03 8th Swartland Intl (Brochure available) 2020-10-11 International-circuit Camera Obscura 2020 2020-10-17 1st Eden Photographic Society Salon (Brochure available) 2020-10-31 2nd SAVAS National 2020-11-07 Midlens 1st Nature National (Brochure Available) 2020-11-14 6th Centurion National (Brochure available)
57 / August 2020 INTERNATIONAL SALON
Photo club “DANUBE” from Donji Milanovac, Serbia is kindly inviting you to participate at the our 32th photo exhibition: 5th International Circuit Camera Obscura 2020 Serbia, Belarus, South Africa 500 Awards LAST DAY FOR UPLOAD October 11th 2020. THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSION OF CLOSING DATE!
Groups (10 or more authors) have a 20% discount. If you have already signed in, please ignore this message. Entry fee: 35 euros for all topics Sections: A. Open – (color) (FIAP, PSA PID Color, FSS), PID color PSA Recognition B. Open – (monochrome) (FIAP, PSA PID Mono, FSS) C. Nature (color or monochrome) (FIAP, PSA ND, FSS) D. Portrait (color or monochrome) (FIAP, PSA PID Color, FSS) PID color PSA Recognition (Monochrome images may be entered in PID Color sections but if accepted will only be eligible towards PID Color Star Ratings.) E. Man, Woman, Child (color or monochrome) (FIAP, PSA PID Color,FSS) PID color PSA Recognition (Monochrome images may be entered in PID Color sections but if accepted will only be eligible towards PID Color Star Ratings.) Salon Chairman Tel: +381 69 128 06 14 E-mail:photoclub.danube@gmail.com web: www.photoclub-danube.com
58 / August 2020
EXHIBITION
Gallery Times Mon - Fri: 09:00 - 17:30 Sat: 09:00 - 17:00 Sun: Closed Contact Details: Tel: 011 327 6376 Email: info@fotoza.co.za
ADDRESS: SHOP 101B, LEVEL 1, ROSEBANK MALL, 50 BATH AVENUE, JHB The photographs immediately become a custodian of the imagination and a mirror of the individual artist’s soul. Follow Siphiwe on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2OY3vFL
EXPRESSIONS September 2020 In this visionary photographic exhibition, legendary commercial photographer, Siphiwe Mhlambi, takes a bold and crucial look at jazz as a special art form. He blends his possessed soul with that of the artist’s into the instruments, the self-expression, ambience, mood, and the magical music. His images reveal how he too is possessed of the spirit of jazz and draws his audience into the life of the musician’s soul fire and into the music itself.