Club Meeting, ‘Not Much to Look At’ - Tuesday 2nd December 2025.
On Tuesday 2nd December 2025, Morpeth Camera Club welcomed Guest Speaker Mark Bradshaw who gave a
presentation entitled ‘Not Much to Look At.’ On his first visit to the club, he explained he is an avid fan of Frank
Sinatra and the title of his talk tonight paid homage to the singer. He has been a driving instructor for many
years and during his work he gets to capture many unusual subjects taken in fleeting moments, some of which
we enjoyed this evening.
He began taking photographs when he was just seven years old but only began to take photography seriously in
2006. Always looking for the alternative, there are classic images of local landmarks to be photographed but he
likes to look for other aspects which other people would maybe disregard and walk right past. Where most would
concentrate on making the subject the focus of their photograph, Mark prefers to make the subject secondary to
the massive skies and beaches in which the subject is set.
We saw examples of this with Blyth’s beach huts, rows of cottages, Lindisfarne Causeway refuge, all under huge
skies with lots of space above and below. Towels on a washing line, symmetrically spaced street lamps and street
furniture, a lone fisherman in the fog, and sweeping curves of block paving were all included in his presentation.
He loves to look down from high places and we saw examples of people below casting long shadows, cut marks
on the surface of an ice-skating rink, a winding hosepipe on the grass and library books on shelves.
Pensive gallery visitors, minimalistic black benches on snow, rim-lit theatre seats, blocks of colour under a deep
blue sky, solitary bus shelters glowing at night and very minimalist scaffold poles with a ladder were also included
in this eclectic mix of images. Throughout the evening Mark provided us with anecdotes and generously provided
us with the camera settings which he had used.
We enjoyed seeing Marks style; his use of parts of subject rather than the whole, capturing small subjects set in
the vastness of sky, snow and open spaces, sharp monochrome shadows and lines with a graphic quality. He then
concluded his presentation by saying that there are pictures everywhere, ‘look both ways,’ choose the alternative
and avoid the obvious.
Club Chairman Jeremy Cooper, thanked Mark for his excellent presentation, using subjects which were not blindingly
obvious and for his clever use of space. Refreshments were then enjoyed at an inspirational evening at the club.
Steph.
presentation entitled ‘Not Much to Look At.’ On his first visit to the club, he explained he is an avid fan of Frank
Sinatra and the title of his talk tonight paid homage to the singer. He has been a driving instructor for many
years and during his work he gets to capture many unusual subjects taken in fleeting moments, some of which
we enjoyed this evening.
He began taking photographs when he was just seven years old but only began to take photography seriously in
2006. Always looking for the alternative, there are classic images of local landmarks to be photographed but he
likes to look for other aspects which other people would maybe disregard and walk right past. Where most would
concentrate on making the subject the focus of their photograph, Mark prefers to make the subject secondary to
the massive skies and beaches in which the subject is set.
We saw examples of this with Blyth’s beach huts, rows of cottages, Lindisfarne Causeway refuge, all under huge
skies with lots of space above and below. Towels on a washing line, symmetrically spaced street lamps and street
furniture, a lone fisherman in the fog, and sweeping curves of block paving were all included in his presentation.
He loves to look down from high places and we saw examples of people below casting long shadows, cut marks
on the surface of an ice-skating rink, a winding hosepipe on the grass and library books on shelves.
Pensive gallery visitors, minimalistic black benches on snow, rim-lit theatre seats, blocks of colour under a deep
blue sky, solitary bus shelters glowing at night and very minimalist scaffold poles with a ladder were also included
in this eclectic mix of images. Throughout the evening Mark provided us with anecdotes and generously provided
us with the camera settings which he had used.
We enjoyed seeing Marks style; his use of parts of subject rather than the whole, capturing small subjects set in
the vastness of sky, snow and open spaces, sharp monochrome shadows and lines with a graphic quality. He then
concluded his presentation by saying that there are pictures everywhere, ‘look both ways,’ choose the alternative
and avoid the obvious.
Club Chairman Jeremy Cooper, thanked Mark for his excellent presentation, using subjects which were not blindingly
obvious and for his clever use of space. Refreshments were then enjoyed at an inspirational evening at the club.
Steph.