Club Meeting "Small World, Big Pictures" - Tuesday 24th March 2026

                                                
At our meeting on the 24th March Mark Hunter from MAH Studios gave a presentation entitled “Small World, Big Pictures”. He began by giving an overview of his photography, describing his successes in magazines such as Digital Camera and Rebelde and in publishing books and You Tube videos. He showed examples of images from the commercial or charity photoshoots he organises, an example being urban ballet with models, and workshops such as Splash photography. His other photographic interests were creative, often involving a fish tank or moving liquids, and covert street captures.

Moving on to the main topic of the evening, Mark explained that Small World set ups were achieved most easily using a camera on a tripod, focussed manually on a line of subjects. The scenes included in his selection of images were tiny engineers working on dismantled technical instruments and computer parts, and other little people in a land of broccoli trees and coffee bean rocks or a city of mobile phone skyscrapers. Miniature climbers climbed cheese graters and walkers navigated on actual maps while skiers skied down slopes of loo paper. Special lighting, a fog machine, flash gun and reflectors were sometimes useful for extra effects.

The evening concluded with members setting up cardboard triangles with black or white paper sheets attached to make instant scene backcloths. They could then create small worlds using the vast array of props and mini people that Mark had brought along. For an hour or so removed from reality, Daleks could confront dinosaurs, posable art dolls push supermarket trolleys, engineers mend a broken down van, technicians construct circuit boards and spacemen board an electric toothbrush rocket.

Refreshments were served as members gradually withdrew back into the maxi world, leaving some still busy inventing, and with thanks to Mark for a very successful evening.
Sue Dawson