The centre of a clematis flower was used to demonstrate depth of field in a close-up (photo by Angela Rixon)
There were two presentations at the December meeting of the Tuesday Photography group.
First, with projected images of butterflies and flowers Angela Rixon explained how to improve one’s close-up photography by careful focusing and by utilising the available depth of field. She encouraged members to take pictures of the same subject at different camera settings and from different positions before selecting the best.
Table-top photography using natural light, by Angela Rixon
Angela showed the group how table-top photos of fruit or glass items can be improved by adjusting the lighting. A particular problem she discussed was the difficulty of photographing white subjects, such as flowers, to show the texture and structure. Her advice was to avoid direct bright sunlight, use the camera’s white balance facility and experiment with underexposure.
The second presentation was less formal. Robert Edmondson used his projected images to illustrate titles of books or films. Some were literal interpretations: The Castle (Franz Kafka), The Mirror Crack’d (Agatha Christie) or the closed-down Pilgrim pub near Dorking West station to illustrate Bleak House. Others were more imaginative or surreal to illustrate science fiction or fantasy themes, for example, a gagged mask for George Orwell’s 1984. Montaged and manipulated photos were shown for Childhood’s End (Arthur C Clarke) and The Time Machine (HG Wells).
Robert Edmondson used photo montage and manipulation techniques to illustrate Childhood’s End and The Time Machine
These photographs are outstanding; what talented photographers who are constantly reaching out with new ideas and techniques. Though it seems a shame to single out just one, I thought’The Time Machine’ was amazing.