Diversity describes our April meeting perfectly.

We began with a bang, well, a visual one at any rate, with Paul Mann’s opening salvo of fireworks and whilst Paul’s ‘frozen-in-an-instant-of-time’ sequence presented one aspect of reality, Ruth Bourne’s ‘Altered Reality’ interpretation of Hanbury Hall certainly illustrated another.  Our understanding of reality was again adjusted by Lucy Allum’s concept to interpret Birmingham Central Library as a ‘spaceship’. When you pause to think about it, every library is a sort of virtual spaceship – its diversity of contents taking us to billions of places, real and imagined. Thanks for reminding us Lucy.

A further exploration of reality was presented by Tessa Mills through her multiple-exposure images of Worcester after dark.  Multiple-exposure also informed Eric Williams with his impressionistic interpretation of Venice the Serene City.

Dr. Charles Ashton showed the various ways in which food is prepared and cooked on the streets of Delhi, whilst back home, Nigel Reader’s monochrome photos introduced us to the seaside out of season.  Reminiscence and nostalgia were fundamental ingredients for Stewart Bourne’s photo-essay which, presented in sombre monochrome, conjured the claustrophobic essence of how Sundays used to feel. 

Transporting us to somewhere completely different, Clive Haynes presented a of set of diptychs. They explored how the pattern of endlessly bifurcating branches of trees can be used as a visual metaphor, representing the complex structure of roots and interconnecting mycelia entangled beneath our feet.  In contrast, Gill Haynes, chose economy of line to appreciate the grace of tulips in their final days.

‘Look After Your Old Photos’ was the clarion call from Geoff Hicks who, relating to his own experience, explained the importance of preserving family portraits and personal histories for the benefit of future generations.

Finally, and importantly, Bob Oakley, through his carefully curated set of images, showed the effects of pollution in many of its forms.  They ranged from the tangible, such as particles in the atmosphere, damage to nature and water supplies, to the less tangible - the reduced quality of life through the degrading effects of visual and sound pollution.

We featured a single ‘Outside Source’ this time, a successful RPS Fellowship submission by Simon King FRPS.  Here’s the link: Rugby a Passion

As a bonus and following a recent ‘OS’ feature showcasing contemporary work by Danielle MacLeod, Maskmaker and photographer, here’s the link to her talk to the RPS Scotland Contemporary Group:Danielle MacLeod

All members’ work from our session are in our Viewpoint e-book for this month.  Click on the image below or this link:  Viewpoint and choose the April edition.  The same link provides access many previous issues of ‘Viewpoint’ -  a fascinating treasure trove waiting for you to explore!