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Autumn Light near Blea Tarn by Huw Alban
Digging Deep in Emotional Landscapes.
Huw Alban advises us to draw on our unique experiences of the world when seeking to create an image that works.
02/12/2022
We don’t all possess the skills in landscape photography for which our most recent speaker, Huw Alban, is best known, but in his excellent presentation to members last week, he urged all of us to call on our own emotional responses to better communicate through our images the beauty of the spaces in which we find ourselves. He gave very clear advice on how we might draw on our own very personal experiences of the world, which are by definition, unique; to quite simply “please ourselves” and learn more from the images we initially discard than from those we submit to competitions or social media that earn the accolades ( or otherwise) of the judges.
Huw’s own emotional reactions to the landscapes he photographs shine through his work, and he modelled well for us how to explore how the spaces we photograph reflect our mood at the time of taking, and the ways in which we react personally to that particular part of the world they represent. He ably illustrated the misconceptions that exist around the fact that great locations and expensive kit can guarantee a good image , explaining how easy it is to become lazy when languishing in much lauded locations. His own images of the Lake District are stunningly atmospheric, but he clearly works equally hard to open his mind and his senses to the possibilities of light and line in the lesser known areas of Minnis Bay, and applies the same philosophy to the magnificent intricacy to be found in the floral spaces within the gardens at Minterne Magna.
Declaring that “rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men”, Huw urged us to take notes of the things we doodle in unguarded moments, in order to discover our personal, spatial preferences, whether conscious or unconscious, and to then embrace the freedom we have to explore these shapes in our images, and importantly, to seek to learn from those we might initially reject.
Huw certainly gave me food for thought (my doodles are triangles and cubes!) and has inspired me to think well outside the proverbial box, as well as to possibly consider purchasing a geared tripod head and a white umbrella! I look forward in the new year to seeing a wide range of emotional responses that will undoubtedly emerge in members’ images after such an articulate and enthusiastic presentation from this “thinking man’s photographer”, who clearly prefers “camera over computer” and knows exactly when to “bend the guidelines.” Thank you Huw !
Members look forward to meeting face to face next week for Pamela Bruce Lockhart’s evening, and must remember to bring their prints for entry to Picture of the Year.
Jenny Short 02.12.2022
Huw’s own emotional reactions to the landscapes he photographs shine through his work, and he modelled well for us how to explore how the spaces we photograph reflect our mood at the time of taking, and the ways in which we react personally to that particular part of the world they represent. He ably illustrated the misconceptions that exist around the fact that great locations and expensive kit can guarantee a good image , explaining how easy it is to become lazy when languishing in much lauded locations. His own images of the Lake District are stunningly atmospheric, but he clearly works equally hard to open his mind and his senses to the possibilities of light and line in the lesser known areas of Minnis Bay, and applies the same philosophy to the magnificent intricacy to be found in the floral spaces within the gardens at Minterne Magna.
Declaring that “rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men”, Huw urged us to take notes of the things we doodle in unguarded moments, in order to discover our personal, spatial preferences, whether conscious or unconscious, and to then embrace the freedom we have to explore these shapes in our images, and importantly, to seek to learn from those we might initially reject.
Huw certainly gave me food for thought (my doodles are triangles and cubes!) and has inspired me to think well outside the proverbial box, as well as to possibly consider purchasing a geared tripod head and a white umbrella! I look forward in the new year to seeing a wide range of emotional responses that will undoubtedly emerge in members’ images after such an articulate and enthusiastic presentation from this “thinking man’s photographer”, who clearly prefers “camera over computer” and knows exactly when to “bend the guidelines.” Thank you Huw !
Members look forward to meeting face to face next week for Pamela Bruce Lockhart’s evening, and must remember to bring their prints for entry to Picture of the Year.
Jenny Short 02.12.2022