FOCUS
 May 2000
 
Newsletter of North Cheshire Photographic Society
  
     
 

From the President's Office

Tempus Fugit's, as they say. It doesn't seem long since I stood before you as your new president asking you to participate in club activities in general, and in creating images in particular. I have been amply rewarded by the way in which you have all participated in club competitions, supported the battles, and generally supported the club's programme of events.

I am most grateful to the committee all of whom have put a tremendous effort into facilitating the continuing activities of the Society. Perhaps the down-side this year has been the small attendance at some of the meetings, and the lack of a sizeable entry into the L&CPU competition (though this latter was probably an organisational problem).

I am pleased to announce that Frank Hutchinson has accepted my invitation to be our President for the next Session, and I am sure that you will give him your full support.

The AGM is to be held on May 23rd and we will be looking for willing volunteers to fill some of the places on the committee. If you feel able to do a job, find a proposer and seconder and put your name forward.

I end on a sad note, reporting the death of Alan Adshead in a climbing accident at Easter. We knew Alan, in the Society, as a keen and dedicated photographer, though he was not able to attend meetings as often as he wished. As an enthusiast he had the ability to enthuse those around him. I remember with gratitude his participation, as one of the "Ilford Three" in my President's evening; and his "Evening of Mystery" earlier this year. Gerald and I were able to represent the Society at the funeral.

Colin Pickles

Poynton Millennium Arts and Crafts Exhibition, June 19th. - 25th.

The club is partaking in this event in the Civic Hall and your prints are needed for the display. As we need to attract new members I think we should aim to show the public how versatile we are in our image making and that we welcome anyone with an interest in photography. So let's put on a display showing a variety of images and hopefully we'll attract some attention! Please let me have your prints by or at the AGM.

Thanks Jill Hargreaves

P.S. We also need help in putting up the clubs Display Stands on the morning of June 16th. Please! I'm not tall enough!!

 

The 4th Quarterly Competition

The final Quarterly of the season was judged by Geoff Robinson.

Results

 

Question: Who said the following?

The Science of Photography is ever-changing, but the Art of Photography never changes!

Answer on back page

Results of Altrincham & Hale PS Centenary Knockout Competition 2000

 
    Postion Club Score
    1 South Manchester 21
    2 Southport 20
    3 Altrincham 18
    4 Wrexham 16
    5 Nantwich 15
    6 NCPS 14
    7 Davyhulme 11
    7 Maccesfield 11
    7 St Helens 11
    10 Sale 10
    11 Atherton 9
    11 Mid Cheshire 9
    11 Bebington 9
    11 Bury 9
    15 Bramhall 7
    15 Stockport 7
    15 Swinton 7
    15 North Manchester 7
    19 Northwich 6
    20 Chorlton 5
         
 

Martin Malies (S Manchester) won the Jessop's Prize for the best slide in the competition with "Peak Industry"

The NCPS results were as given below:
    Polar Bear S. Clack 4
    Tribal Life G. Robson 1
    White Rhino & Calf D. Clack 2
    In Trouble again T. Redford 2
    Riverside Artist G. Hallworth 5
    TOTAL     14
   
 

Inter-club Digital Print Competition at South Liverpool P S on 25th April

This competition, organised by the Digital Group of the South Liverpool PS, also included Southport PS. As the occasion clashed with Bob Dennis' visit to our club I was the only member to attend. The judge was Margaret Salisbury who was in excellent form - she started off by saying she did not care who she offended and that she knew 'b*gger all about digital photography.

The evening was filled with many classic remarks such as 'If you are going to muck about with it, muck about to good effect.'. She commented on all the images and paid particular attention to the monochromes looking to see if there was tone in the highlights or if the shadows had been blocked out.

The London Eye she liked but made the same comment as the selection committee about the positioning of the gondolas at the base of the picture. About Dorothy's Shipwreck and shrine she said it was over the top but liked the spray from the waves and 'it would be a good way of saving money for burials at sea'.

She had seen an almost identical picture to my Bring on the Clown previously and surprisingly there was another picture of Dubrovnik in the competition taken from a similar place to mine but with a different treatment.

She thought Sheila's Monsal Dale was dreamy and almost unreal but her Old Ruin had vibrant, hideous colours reminiscent of Colorvir and was taken too far. Of Tony's Eruption she said the tin horse was not convincing and she would not dream it even in a nightmare She found Brian's Dwarfed to be excellent but would be improved by cropping the top off.

Dorothy's Buffalo at Yellowstone was one of four prints that scored 20. The final result was South Liverpool 338, Southport and North Cheshire 337. Southport has offered to host a similar competition next year.

Jon Allanson

More Details on the Oldham CC Knockout Slide Competition 2000

The Judge was Chris Speak The Winners were South Manchester C.C.

Best Slide:- Far Eastern Poverty by Gordon Robson (NCPS)

Runner Up:- Peak Industry by Martin Malies (SMCC)

  Postion Club

Prelim (0)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Total
                     
  1 South Man. CC
1
3
3
2
1
1
1
  
30
  2 Oldham CC
1
5
2
2
1
 
24
  3 NCPS
2
4
4
1
1
23
  4 Rochdale CC
1
4
4
2
1
 
22
  5 Oldham PS
2
6
3
1
 
15
  6 Rochdale PS
1
10
1
 
13
                     
   
  Results of the Bredbury & Romiley CC Photoshow Trophy
  Interclub Knockout Slide Competition 7th April 2000
   
  Davyhulme CC won the Trophy.
   
       
  Position Club Score
  1 Davyhume CC 25
  2 South Manchester CC 25
  3 Bredbury & Romiley CC 22
  4 Bramhall PS 21
  4 Oldham PS 21
  6 Altrincham & Hale PS 20
  6 Prestwich Co-op CC 20
  6 85 Group Photography 20
  9 Hyde PS 19
  9 Oldham CC 19
  11 NCPS 17
  12 Ashton PS 15
  13 Heald Green PS 14
       
  NCPS's best slides were Gerald Hallworth's "Riverside Artist", and the Clack's "Night Heron" which both survived to the third round.
   
 

Extracts from L&CPU Competitions Sec Report to AGM 19 Feb 2000

LCPU won the PAGB Inter Federation Colour print competition in 1999, came 2nd in the Mono print competition, and 2nd in the Slide competition. Individually there was a silver medal for John West of Ribblesdale CC for his print "A walk on the quiet side" and PAGB ribbons for Dave Clack of NCPS for his print "Polar Bear" and Roger Nelson of 85 Group Photography for "Ebb Tide Art". In the PAGB Inter Federation Slide competition John Power of South Liverpool PS won the PAGB Gold medal for best slide "Cock Merlin on Plucking Post" and a PAGB Ribbon for Steph Clack of NCPS for her slide "Polar Bear".

A total of 2108 prints and 2112 slides were submitted by 60 clubs to the last L&CPU Print and Slide competition. The rule 5 (3 entries per worker in each section, and 80 prints and slides per club) was introduced to keep numbers manageable. Rule 9 was introduced to protect other people's prints. If you have tape/velcro etc on the back of your prints you are asked to cover it up with a sheet of thin card the same size as the overall mount; bearing in mind that the print must not exceed 4mm in thickness in the case of selection for PAGB (and subsequent use in the PAGB exhibition which is framed).

The Executive Committee has decided to institute a new section in the annual print and slide competitions starting this year, namely the "creative section", In the open print sections any print that has had no more than the normal dodging, burning and/or spotting done digitally or otherwise would still be entered in this open section. Any print that has been manipulated to a greater degree digitally or otherwise should be entered into the creative section. The same applies to slides and the benchmark (or buzzword) is "altered reality" We hope this will go some way to allaying the fears of those concerned about computer manipulated and generated images.

Thanks to all who entered competitions in the last year, to all members of the EC who willingly gave of their time to make the judging days work, to Birkenhead PA for hosting the KO competition in 1999, and we look forward to North Cheshire PS in 2000.

John Dougherty, (L&CPU Competitions Secretary)

Digital Imaging & Club Photography.

Let us first define photography, One definition which has been offered is that of light being recorded on a light sensitive material. Assuming that one accepts this as a working definition what follows should be easy to grasp, even if one does not agree with the points made.

When a photographer points a camera at a scene or subject and then presses the shutter button a record of a brief moment in time is acquired. When an artist sets up an easel and starts to record a scene or subject one expects the artist to use his or her imagination as well as their eyes, The resultant image is not and never could be an accurate record of the said scene or subject. Depending on the skill and imagination of the artist one could reasonably expect a recognisable image. However when one uses a camera it is expected that the result will be an accurate record of that brief moment in time, hence the various categories, namely: Record, Portrait, Photojournalism, Natural History and last but not least Pictorial. There are others but I think we have enough for this article.

Now let us start to process the image that has been captured on the medium in the camera, When it is printed in the darkroom the photographer makes a number of decisions regarding the final image: how much of the negative area will be included: the tonal range of the finished print, and then decisions on the contrast either overall or on isolated portions of the print, (burning in and dodging). Finally if it is a colour print a decision on the overall colour balance is taken. Assuming all decisions are correct the resultant print will be an accurate record of whatever was taken. Whoa! I hear you all shout! What about lith prints and high key or low key portraiture? They are obviously not true records and are not meant to be, Please note the use of the word obviously. Now let us look at digital work, By digital let us mean any print produced on a printer linked to a computer or directly to a camera. If one scans a slide or negative into the computer with a view to doing no more than a darkroom worker by way of cropping and adjusting contrast and tonal range etc. then one is forfeiting final print quality for ease and speed in the production of the final image. In the case of Record, Portraiture, Photojournalism and Natural History it is up to the photographer to make this value judgement. But I suggest that we have a problem when the computer is used to significantly alter the image from what is on the negative or transparency. We have seen some very good examples of this in NCPS quite recently: excellent prints but none that actually recorded an event or subject accurately. In some cases the modification was obvious but in others not at all obvious.

Now I would propose that an image that has had elements added or removed cannot be classed as either Record, Photojournalism nor natural history, All three classes demand that what is presented is a true and accurate record, but any print or transparency that has had anything added or subtracted cannot be a true and accurate record. What is it then you may ask? in my humble opinion it is digital art not photography. Of course there is a place for it in NCPS but we should call it what it is. In competitions it should be judged in its own section as creative art or image. It is this fact that it is possible to pass off an outright fabrication as the visual truth that makes it necessary to segregate such images. Unlike previous controversies we are not talking about how one produces a true image but rather the ease with which a false image can be passed off as a true one. For example, we have seen a digitally altered street scene in competition where the judge has commented that having been there he did not remember it looking like that. That particular judge knew that something had been done to the image but was still not sure what.

How does someone who has not been there know that what is being passed off as a photograph is not accurate?

Does it matter?

To me, yes!

It does matter that I know whether or not I am looking at an accurate record or just a clever bit of creative imagery.

Well that is my view, so now let the letters to the editor fly. Signed- a demented publicity Secretary.

R. D. Simpson.

A Resolution for the next AGM

I have proposed the following as a resolution for the A.G.M:

"Noting that it is many years since the Competition and Exhibition Rules were formulated, and in the meantime there have been considerable changes in the photographic activities of members and the equipment/processes available to them, a full review of the Exhibition and Competition Rules should be undertaken."

I have deliberately kept this as an open resolution, so that all members will be able to consider the future organisation of our Competitions and Exhibition. Though it may appear at first a relatively simple matter to change some of the rules ( we have on occasion increased/decreased the number of entries allowed ) if we are to make fundamental changes to classes and categories, there are many other factors to consider. The club has a large selection of trophies. Are we going to continue to use them if so how are they to be awarded? Are the changes going to encourage / discourage members from entering competitions or the exhibition? Are the changes going to encourage/ disadvantage certain types of photography or processing? At what stage are we going to introduce the changes?

Probably the most important aim of changing the rules is to encourage more members to enter competitions and the Exhibition. It should also help to raise the quality of the work submitted in competitions and the Exhibition.

Many of you will know that for a number of years I have expressed concern about the size of entry in some categories and the fact that the Photojournalism and Applied sections in competitions and the exhibition are used to put in additional pictures to make up the maximum allowed because members have exceeded the maximum entry in the pictorial or other classes. On a number of occasions the judges have commented on this and personally when judging elsewhere I have found the same thing to happen. You will also be aware of the fact that when a proposal was made a couple of years ago to put digital prints into a separate category I strongly argued against it, Since then the situation has changed as more members are beginning to produce prints digitally rather than by conventional means. Personally I would suggest a system based on:

Intermediates: open print and slide classes

Advanced: an open slide class, open monochrome prints, open Colour prints, and the addition of Creative Print (and possibly slide) classes to accept pictures in which reality has been altered. (These would be probably largely dominated by digitally produced pictures, but digitally printed straight pictures would be accepted in the open classes.)

The present category trophies would be awarded by the judge from amongst the entries in the Open classes.

The whole process needs to be carefully thought through and as a result I would suggest that next seasons quarterly competitions are run using the present rules. I would also suggest that the first meeting in December is scheduled as an E.G.M. to discuss and confirm new Exhibition rules which could apply to the 2001 Exhibition.

Jon Allanson

Barmouth Weekend Sat 29th September-Sunday 1st October

The first meeting of the new season is presently scheduled for Tues 12th September. This does not give much time before the W/E itself. May I remind members that the booking list is already on the noticeboard, and a prompt response will make my job easier.

Gerald Hallworth

1st Quarterly Competition of next session

Please note that the first of the quarterly's is on 26th Sept 2000 and that the handing-in date, (12th September) corresponds to the proposed first club meeting!

 

Answer to Quiz

I did! Good isn't it!!! It came to me whilst I was listening to Dorothy and Jon's talks re Digital Imaging. It seemed to neatly sum up the discussions.

Bill Chadband

   
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