Phoenix Group of Photographers

JOHN Chamberlain took members on a world journey at Monday’s meeting. Landscapes being his love and speciality, the trip began with views taken in the West Country.

While John doesn’t believe in hard and fast rules in photography a few guidelines are a good start, one being the magic hours, as dawn is breaking or late evening into sunset when the light is at its softest.

John suggests always having a tripod to hand, clearer images and the ability to use exposure times longer than possible when hand holding the camera, allowing the use of medium density filters to reduce the light’s which lets moving water and clouds to obtain an ethereal appearance.

Stunning shots of colourful rock strata, patterns of cultivated fields with a straight line created by machine planting combined with a natural undulations and curves of the landscape. Italy being a prime location for many photos again making the use of early morning sun with its warming light.

This methodology was put to good use in the vast corn growing areas of Oregon in the United States. The long rugged coastline of the same state was also a rich source of John’s material. Particularly rare and beautiful pictures of sand dunes for ever moving and changing in the winds were evident.

Especially fascinating were images of an abandoned goldmine in the desert. The shifting sand had entered the houses and created their own shapes in the hallways and rooms of the buildings, quite surreal!
Having the right clothing and equipment for the conditions are paramount, from the 40C heat of the desert in Africa and the US to sub-zero to chill of South Georgia, was strongly advocated by John for personal survival and safety.

A short collection of images that had been converted to monochrome led to the conclusion of John’s presentation.

John does have a website if anyone is interested to see his work, put name into a search engine.

A warm round of applause and a vote of thanks by a member John finished a memorable evening. The club meets on Mondays at West Monkton Village Hall at 7.30pm.

Check out our web site pgop.org.uk.

On Monday, February 27, Brian Pettit a dedicated conservationist and expert wildlife photographer will be giving a presentation. All are welcome.