Distinction Advice February

We welcomed two new members to the group - Sue and Jonathan Vaines who presented possible prints for their LRPS. There were some very good images form both of them. The main criticisms were of the processing, in particular sharpening techniques. Prints that do well in the club scene may not hold up under the close scrutiny for the LRPS but the faults are correctable so there should be no problem for Sue and Jonathan to produce excellent panels for the June Advisory Session.

Alan Clarke, Bob Coote, Mark Farrington and Terry Hanby all asked for opinions on the suitability of their images for LRPS/CPAGB.DPAGB sumbission. Screen grabs of the suitable images are in the February Gallery

Street Photography

Our topic for February was People Photography, including Street and sports Photography but also wider into documentary and Environmental Portraits

First Street Photography: A Brief Definition form the Web

It is a branch of realistic fine-art photography that records unposed scenes in public places (e.g. streets, parks, train, bus etc.) The primary subject is people, at rest or in motion, alone or with others, going about the every-day activities of life. 

The emphasis is not on the subject’s personal identity, as in portraiture. And unlike photojournalism, there is no news although the line between photojournalism and street photography is often blurry. Many of the best street photographers were photojournalists. Unlike travel photography, that aims to entice the viewer to visit a certain place or to fondly remember it, location is relatively unimportant, though busy cities with interesting architecture are commonly seen in these works. 

The primary objective is to capture a fleeting composition, a temporary arrangement of lines, forms, textures, and tones balanced within a rigid frame. While such photographs often document clothing styles or automobile design, these details are subordinate to the artistic elements; whereas, in strict documentary photography, content is more important than artistry. In street photography, the image can be sharp or blurred and impressionistic. 

A few examples from the web showing the range of subjects and emotions provoked.

Members' Street Photographs 1

Paul Ashley showed us some excellent street photography from Bologna - very much in the genre

Mark Farrington's images also displayed the strong pictorial aspect of traditional street photographs. 

Members' Street Photographs 2

More examples of street photography - observed scenes where humour and/or pictorial aspects play a part in the success of the image. These are from Sue.

Street photographs in the wider environment from Keith Douglas

 And some from Bob