It was a good meeting which generated some interesting discussions. We had three talks, followed by our usual Portfolio session.
Brian kicked off the talks telling us about his bronze medal success in the Portfolio section of the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY). The Exhibition was held in Kew Gardens with a plush reception and an award presentation by Simon Hill, the RPS president. Brian also told us much more about IGPOTY and particularly the many different categories available to enter. See https://igpoty.com/ for details of next years competition and also to view the winners of the current exhibition.
I then showed the work of a photographer I recently discovered, Chema Madoz. Google describes him as being '... acclaimed for his surrealistic photographs that nod equally to the ready mades of Marcel Duchamp and the dreamscapes of René Magritte.' He certainly see things very differently and combines together everyday objects to produce surprizing and unusual images. His web site doesn't display very well, but he appears in a number other sites and there are various YouTube videos, so he's easy to find.
Steve then showed us the work of Henri Prestes - see https://henriprestesp.com/. The images are of people within the landscape. They are obviously staged scenes but are dramatic, atmospheric, and mysterious. They are far from ordinary. This prompted an interesting discussion about whether people should appear in landscapes and if they do, are the images still landscapes. If we reached a conclusion it was that it depends on the role the people played in the image. If they are part of the main narrative then the image probably is not a landscape. But this is a debate that could go further.
This work reminded me of another photographer - Gregory Crewdson Here's an interview with him https://theamericanreader.com/interview-with-photographer-gregory-crewdson/, and here's more images https://www.google.com/search?q=gregory+crewdson+narrative+photography&rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB743GB743&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiY-MSR1sL9AhXKYcAKHTeoBZEQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1694&bih=1010&dpr=1.25
Crewdson's images are a major production, more like a film set, and sell for between $50k-$75k.
Our next meeting will be on WEDNESDAY (not Tuesday) 29th March.
Brian kicked off the talks telling us about his bronze medal success in the Portfolio section of the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY). The Exhibition was held in Kew Gardens with a plush reception and an award presentation by Simon Hill, the RPS president. Brian also told us much more about IGPOTY and particularly the many different categories available to enter. See https://igpoty.com/ for details of next years competition and also to view the winners of the current exhibition.
I then showed the work of a photographer I recently discovered, Chema Madoz. Google describes him as being '... acclaimed for his surrealistic photographs that nod equally to the ready mades of Marcel Duchamp and the dreamscapes of René Magritte.' He certainly see things very differently and combines together everyday objects to produce surprizing and unusual images. His web site doesn't display very well, but he appears in a number other sites and there are various YouTube videos, so he's easy to find.
Steve then showed us the work of Henri Prestes - see https://henriprestesp.com/. The images are of people within the landscape. They are obviously staged scenes but are dramatic, atmospheric, and mysterious. They are far from ordinary. This prompted an interesting discussion about whether people should appear in landscapes and if they do, are the images still landscapes. If we reached a conclusion it was that it depends on the role the people played in the image. If they are part of the main narrative then the image probably is not a landscape. But this is a debate that could go further.
This work reminded me of another photographer - Gregory Crewdson Here's an interview with him https://theamericanreader.com/interview-with-photographer-gregory-crewdson/, and here's more images https://www.google.com/search?q=gregory+crewdson+narrative+photography&rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB743GB743&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiY-MSR1sL9AhXKYcAKHTeoBZEQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1694&bih=1010&dpr=1.25
Crewdson's images are a major production, more like a film set, and sell for between $50k-$75k.
Our next meeting will be on WEDNESDAY (not Tuesday) 29th March.
