My name is Graham Robb. I’m delighted, honoured, and not a little surprised to have been elected President of Perthshire Photographic Society for the next two years.
Whilst this is obviously a testing time for any group which normally meets face-to-face, it’s testament to the flexibility and resilience of the Society and it’s members that under the stewardship of my illustrious predecessor we have not merely continued, but have flourished!
I’m confident that we will build on this and continue to thrive, amicably harnessing the creative energies, photographic talent, and combined experience of both well established and new members.
We’ve re-named our Facebook Group, and added some notes on how we might best use it.
Perth Photo Forum provides an online place to learn from discussion of photography, by and for the people of Perth, Perthshire, Perth and Kinross, and surroundings. The Group’s privacy setting is Private, which means you have to apply or be invited to join, and posts are not visible to anyone other than its members. However, anyone with an interest in the subject and a connection to the area is welcome to join.
The Group is hosted by Perthshire Photographic Society (PPS), which also provides real-world meetings, activities and outings for its members (subject to covid) – keep an eye on this site and our FB Page Perthshire Photographic Society. Many, but not all, members of this group are also members of PPS – it’s optional.
Thank you all for your amazing images and your involvement in the group! Please show support in the form of likes and comments to our new members.
Last night we watched the Scottish Photographic Federation’s annual presentation of their awards for digital and printed images, both colour and monochrome.
Our member David gave a running commentary on the photos.
We were pleased to have Niall Benvie from near Brechin to talk to us this evening on methods for retaining viewers’ attention for more than 2 seconds – tricky in an era of flickr and instagram.
Niall showed a selection of his works – from wildlife and light-painted landscape presented as “chocolate bar” montages and colour transects to closeups of stones and pebbles; he showed behind-the-scenes of shooting grasshoppers in a light-box and flowers with flash-light in the field, and spoke knowledgeably about blending techniques in Photoshop and other applications as well.
Although it was my first time organising such a thing and I was therefore quite nervous, it was a pleasure for PPS to host this year’s fourway competition – the “Fourway Battle” – and to welcome our friends from St Andrews, Glenrothes and Dundee to an evening of friendly competition, excellent photography, fab food and instructive & constructive adjudication from our guest judge, Ian Tully ARPS, CPAGB.
The overall scores were:
St Andrews 347
Dundee 345
Perth 325
Glenrothes 307
St Andrews Photographic Society are to be congratulated for a well-deserved win and for retaining the title of winner. Perhaps we should discuss with the other clubs the notion of creating an actual trophy!
The standard of all of the clubs’ entries was high, with only two marks between the winners and the runners up, Dundee Photographic Society.
Ian Tully’s informed and constructive comments exceeded our hopes. His perceptive remarks encompassed not only the technical aspects of the photographs, but their composition, form, structure, light – especially light – and the opportunity presented to us all as photographers to tell a story as well as creating pleasing images.
Graham Robb, External Competition Secretary
Photos of the evening (thanks to David Stanghon):
Some of PPS’s entries for the competition:
Common Blue, by Connor McLaren, 2nd
Sunflowers, by Vicky McNamara, 1st
R34 Skyline GTR, by Connor McLaren, 2nd
Bush Tit, by Connor McLaren, 2nd
Sunset on Central Pier, Blackpool, by Vicky McNamara, 1st
Ian’s talk was entitled ‘Transient Light’ (like his book) and we were treated to some stunning examples of Ian’s skill and perseverance, visiting a location until he has captured it in stunning light. Photos by Roben Antoniewicz.
Helen was a natural communicator, funny but clearly seriously dedicated to her craft. She brought to life what it is like to operate on the set of a major TV production involving actors, extras, crew, horses, mud, rain, more mud … There was something for our photographer members and something for the Game of Thrones fans who joined us for a very special evening. Photos by Roben Antoniewicz.
Dave Hunt fascinated us with his range of photographic interests and expertise. We heard about how he uses the Snapseed and Procreate apps on an iPad to try out ideas for his fine art photographs, many of which start life as iPhone captures. He compared this to his Photoshop workflows which he finds more powerful but less creative. Finally he revealed his passion for the wet plate process which he uses to create uniquely timeless portraits of local people. What shone through was the haunting emotive messages he manages to convey through his prints, whatever photographic method he employs. Photos by Roben Antoniewicz.
Inspiring talk from Jo Cound last week covering all her varied photographic endeavours from sweety tin pinhole to professional work. Another member of the Silver Alchemy Collective, Dave Hunt is our speaker tonight (31st October). Photos by Roben Antoniewicz.
