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Tony Redford’s approach to the Digital Evening on 7th March was to concentrate on what makes a good picture. His different approach was to be as non-technical as possible and hope to enthuse his audience with a plethora of good images in the first half, with more detailed information of how he did it in the second half.

Tony’s first example was a dark, foreboding sky. The sky was worth recording, but by itself didn’t make a picture. So he positioned himself by a dead tree which would give foreground interest. But the image was still lifeless. He had to make a choice; Wait until a bird flew into view (but bird flu might be an inhibiting factor here!), or seek a suitable bird elsewhere in the vicinity ( and reason that, had he the time to wait, the bird would no doubt have settled on the tree in the appropriate place). PhotoShop encouraged the black bird to approach the tree and perch on the correct branch for a good composition. As Tony explained, the resultant image had done well in competitions.

Digital photography encouraged Tony to record a variety of snippets from nature that he would not have wasted film on. Statues, black horses, steam trains, shop models (and live ones!), and aspects of building architecture all figured in this new way of seeing the world. Software such as Photo-Shop allowed him to recover under-exposed images and build upon them. Though noise is generally thought of as a nuisance, to be avoided if possible, Tony demonstrated that it could be a boon in some situations. And the ability to nullify an over prevalent background with the blur tool, or simply remove some of it with the aid of the healing brush was an important part of the armoury. Clearly the digital photographer is more of an artist, interpreting the world, than was the photographer of an earlier generation.

Sadly the Healing brush was unable to quell the noise from a garrulous Dance Group, taking their interval refreshments at the back of the Hall. Despite this interference, the forty-strong audience was clearly appreciative of Tony’s concentration on good images, and how to produce them, and gave him a well-deserved round of applause at the end.

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		Tony Redford’s approach to the Digital Evening on 7th March was to concentrate on what makes a good picture. His different approach was to be as non-technical as possible and hope to enthuse his audience with a plethora of good images in the first half, with more detailed information of how he did it in the second half. Tony’s first example was a dark, foreboding sky. The sky was worth recording, but by itself didn’t make a picture. So he positioned himself by a dead tree which would give foreground interest. But the image was still lifeless. He had to make a choice; Wait until a bird flew into view (but bird flu might be an inhibiting factor here!), or seek a suitable bird elsewhere in the vicinity ( and reason that, had he the time to wait, the bird would no doubt have settled on the tree in the appropriate place). PhotoShop encouraged the black bird to approach the tree and perch on the correct branch for a good composition. As Tony explained, the resultant image had done well in competitions. Digital photography encouraged Tony to record a variety of snippets from nature that he would not have wasted film on. Statues, black horses, steam trains, shop models (and live ones!), and aspects of building architecture all figured in this new way of seeing the world. Software such as Photo-Shop allowed him to recover under-exposed images and build upon them. Though noise is generally thought of as a nuisance, to be avoided if possible, Tony demonstrated that it could be a boon in some situations. And the ability to nullify an over prevalent background with the blur tool, or simply remove some of it with the aid of the healing brush was an important part of the armoury. Clearly the digital photographer is more of an artist, interpreting the world, than was the photographer of an earlier generation. Sadly the Healing brush was unable to quell the noise from a garrulous Dance Group, taking their interval refreshments at the back of the Hall. Despite this interference, the forty-strong audience was clearly appreciative of Tony’s concentration on good images, and how to produce them, and gave him a well-deserved round of applause at the end. Bill Chadband
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