Club Meeting, My Landscapes with Dave Dixon - Tuesday 8th January 2019.
For our first meeting of 2019, Morpeth Camera Club welcomed guest speaker Dave Dixon, LRPS, a member of Alnwick
& District Camera Club who gave a presentation entitled My Landscapes. Landscape photography, is considered by many
to be easy, he said, so he decided in 2018 to concentrate on both rural and urban landscapes with a difference. But how
can one make a landscape more interesting; with the addition of mist maybe, sunbeams, or receding hills.
It is a given that lead in lines such as fencing and meandering pathways could be included together with big skies with
good cloud formations which could also add drama. Dave questioned the audience whether versions in colour or mono
would have more impact or make it different. We saw great examples of both in his photographs taken at Windy Gyle,
Davidson’s and Routing Linn, wispy cloud formations over Holy Island and reflective rock pools at Howick Rocks. Adding
figures to a scene would make it different and although he doesn’t like to include people in his pictures, there are times
when it helps to add scale to natural features. Over time he has grown to appreciate minimalistic scenes, such as a lone
wind turbine on the horizon, a skeletal tree or an isolated standing stone under big skies. Eerie monochrome images of
towers and ruins under storm clouds taken in the Borders together with industrial scenes of Lynemouth contrasted with
serene coastal scenes of Beadnell and Boulmer. The audience enjoyed many lovely landscapes in the Highlands and the
Cheviots and with the addition of the unexpected, a gibbet, folly, hill fort, wild goats or low flying aircraft, all gave added
interest to his rural shots.
Feeling in a bit of a rut with rural photography it was suggested to him that he took a look at urban landscapes. He then
continued his presentation showing the varied architecture in Berwick, of alleyways, stone steps, bridges and quay walls.
Urban landscape photography, he said, doesn’t mean simply taking record shots, it enables one to get the feel of a place
and it then becomes a photographic challenge. We saw angular patterns of car parks, curves of Newcastle’s motorway and
its flyovers, and especially with no traffic, they had an almost graphic quality. Dave went on to explain his methods when
using a wide angle lens and the difficulties which can arise such as converging verticals. His sparing use of HDR effects in
post processing,(high dynamic range), enables him to make urban scenes more gritty without looking artificial. A selection
of moody images followed taken in underpasses and subways together with leaves, detritus and graffiti. With Dave’s use
of a wide angle lens the tunnels and passageways appear elongated, together with shafts of light, water stains and moss,
his photographs are full of atmosphere. Included in his presentation were images taken while out walking around the area
of Forth Banks, damp steps and gloomy car park entrances, abandoned motorway offshoots, ramps and the many support
pillars below which no one gets to see, and interestingly the juxtaposition of lovely old 12th century buildings and their
1970’s appendages. Following a lengthy and complex application process to take photographs on the Metro system, the
resulting shots of gleaming escalators, tunnel entrances, with long lead in lines formed by tile work and platforms, were
well worth the effort. Taken in early morning it was an ideal time without pedestrians present. Also in the early hours on
a deserted Northumberland Street, was a wonderful opportunity to look up and capture, lovely architecture, statues and
beautiful stained glass panels which usually go unnoticed because of the modern ground floor facades.
Newcastle’s Grainger Market, monuments, war memorials and iconic shots of the riverside concluded his presentation, with
the speaker adding that there are always opportunities to find unusual angles of everyday life in our rural surroundings. Club
Chairman, Mark Harrison, thanked Dave for his very interesting and entertaining presentation on rural and urban landscapes,
after which coffee was served.
Steph.
& District Camera Club who gave a presentation entitled My Landscapes. Landscape photography, is considered by many
to be easy, he said, so he decided in 2018 to concentrate on both rural and urban landscapes with a difference. But how
can one make a landscape more interesting; with the addition of mist maybe, sunbeams, or receding hills.
It is a given that lead in lines such as fencing and meandering pathways could be included together with big skies with
good cloud formations which could also add drama. Dave questioned the audience whether versions in colour or mono
would have more impact or make it different. We saw great examples of both in his photographs taken at Windy Gyle,
Davidson’s and Routing Linn, wispy cloud formations over Holy Island and reflective rock pools at Howick Rocks. Adding
figures to a scene would make it different and although he doesn’t like to include people in his pictures, there are times
when it helps to add scale to natural features. Over time he has grown to appreciate minimalistic scenes, such as a lone
wind turbine on the horizon, a skeletal tree or an isolated standing stone under big skies. Eerie monochrome images of
towers and ruins under storm clouds taken in the Borders together with industrial scenes of Lynemouth contrasted with
serene coastal scenes of Beadnell and Boulmer. The audience enjoyed many lovely landscapes in the Highlands and the
Cheviots and with the addition of the unexpected, a gibbet, folly, hill fort, wild goats or low flying aircraft, all gave added
interest to his rural shots.
Feeling in a bit of a rut with rural photography it was suggested to him that he took a look at urban landscapes. He then
continued his presentation showing the varied architecture in Berwick, of alleyways, stone steps, bridges and quay walls.
Urban landscape photography, he said, doesn’t mean simply taking record shots, it enables one to get the feel of a place
and it then becomes a photographic challenge. We saw angular patterns of car parks, curves of Newcastle’s motorway and
its flyovers, and especially with no traffic, they had an almost graphic quality. Dave went on to explain his methods when
using a wide angle lens and the difficulties which can arise such as converging verticals. His sparing use of HDR effects in
post processing,(high dynamic range), enables him to make urban scenes more gritty without looking artificial. A selection
of moody images followed taken in underpasses and subways together with leaves, detritus and graffiti. With Dave’s use
of a wide angle lens the tunnels and passageways appear elongated, together with shafts of light, water stains and moss,
his photographs are full of atmosphere. Included in his presentation were images taken while out walking around the area
of Forth Banks, damp steps and gloomy car park entrances, abandoned motorway offshoots, ramps and the many support
pillars below which no one gets to see, and interestingly the juxtaposition of lovely old 12th century buildings and their
1970’s appendages. Following a lengthy and complex application process to take photographs on the Metro system, the
resulting shots of gleaming escalators, tunnel entrances, with long lead in lines formed by tile work and platforms, were
well worth the effort. Taken in early morning it was an ideal time without pedestrians present. Also in the early hours on
a deserted Northumberland Street, was a wonderful opportunity to look up and capture, lovely architecture, statues and
beautiful stained glass panels which usually go unnoticed because of the modern ground floor facades.
Newcastle’s Grainger Market, monuments, war memorials and iconic shots of the riverside concluded his presentation, with
the speaker adding that there are always opportunities to find unusual angles of everyday life in our rural surroundings. Club
Chairman, Mark Harrison, thanked Dave for his very interesting and entertaining presentation on rural and urban landscapes,
after which coffee was served.
Steph.