Club Meeting "The Intimate Landscape" Tuesday 1st September

        
On Tuesday 1st September Morpeth Camera Club welcomed Guest Speaker David Southern who gave a presentation entitled ‘The Intimate Landscape.’ 
David is an award-winning full-time photographer, based in Northumberland. Originally from The Wirral David worked for the WWF, recording their conservation projects for 20 years, travelling around the world until he retired to enjoy his lifelong passion, photography. He went on to show the audience his amazing images taken in Scotland, the Northumberland Coast, his Strandline Project and Out in the Water.
His presentation, he said, was not a travelogue but an illustration of areas and subjects which had inspired him. His landscapes are devoid of highlights which attract attention, he enjoys seeking out bands of soft colour palettes, S shapes which create a lead in line, and looks for complimentary colours to create something which is aesthetically pleasing.


                         

From the Ardnamurchan peninsula we enjoyed the Narnia-like sense of exploration in hoare frosted woodland which contrasted with the warm colour of grasses in early morning sunlight. Details of ice tipped fronds of bracken, sun lit mountainsides with trees laden in snow in the foreground, patterns and textures of crackled ice on water and the textures of tree canopies illustrated Davids’s eye for detail.
We enjoyed seeing colours and patterns in geology; of gneiss rocks, linear patterns in caves and slate worn smooth creating organic shapes. In the Cairngorms we enjoyed lovely images of swollen rivers, ice patterns, reed bed reflections and linear ripples. In the Highlands the bad weather portrays bleakness, David said. The regressing mountains in grey mist and scudding clouds evoked remoteness and solitude. In Orkney & Shetland we enjoyed low key pastel shades and patterns of the ocean. Sand patterns, glasslike crystal blue waves, coastal stacks and cliffs in the mist. David showed examples of the use of negative space which, he said, adds to the aesthetic. He explained ‘small in the frame’; a bird in mist together with big backgrounds enhances scale and sense of distance, creating an almost Jurassic aura. The powerful backgrounds add context to set the scene.


                        

In Northumberland we saw vibrant sunrises, sand and rock patterns in rarely seen exposed sandstone creating aesthetic abstract shapes, near Spittal. A short video followed of seaweed; moving kelp with a metallic sheen and glistening sugar kelp, flowing on the tide. The Strandline came next with patterns formed from stranded shells, seaweed and weathered driftwood. The Weather gave us huge waves out of Amble, a snowstorm at Hauxley and broken ice on the shoreline. During his presentation, David said that he climbs to various heights to achieve a good composition; he loves to embrace the atmosphere. He never adds or takes away from his images, they are as he saw it. He explained that the most obvious is not always the most interesting. Always carry a camera of some description to capture sudden, ever changing weather conditions. His aim is to capture images that entice the viewer to unravel a mystery and to see a familiar subject in a new or fascinating light.
David provided a stunning, memorable evening of imaginative photography, interesting commentary and kindly provided the audience with information regarding techniques.
Club Chairman, Jeremy Cooper thanked David for his presentation after which refreshments were served.