Virtual Meeting, 'Photographic Opportunity' - Tuesday 15th June 2021.

 

At its final Zoom meeting of the season on Tuesday June 15th, Morpeth Camera Club members viewed a recorded
lecture entitled ‘Photographic Opportunity’ by Leigh Preston FRPS, EFIAP, MPAGB. A distinguished semi-professional
photographer, Leigh is a member of the London Salon of photography and the Arena Photographic Group.

He started his presentation by explaining that a lot of what he photographs emanates from his background and the
environment in which he grew up in, capturing images that portray ordinary, everyday reality, often with a sense of
nostalgia. He also explained that when taking a photographic opportunity he makes plans and tries to take his images
in the most advantageous light within the best situation. He then makes his images personal by processing them, in
a similar way to a record producer modifying musical recordings before they are published. While he probably best
known for his images of urban and wild landscapes, he also produces images of people and abstracts, preferring to
produce prints rather than images for projection.

Leigh then went on to show several small collections of images covering many genres of photography, all being taken
with some purpose in mind. He explained that his overriding thought is that every image should convey something for
example emotion, drama, design or a sense of 'place’. As he showed his images Leigh stated why he had taken many
of the photos and how he had achieved the results he desired by choosing how and when to capture them as well as
briefly indicating what he had done when editing them.

He started by showing a series landscape images mainly from many locations in the UK, commenting that in landscape
photography the photographer is often photographing the weather conditions at the time as much as the actual landscape.
While some of these images featured dramatic landscapes (often in monochrome), others were simple and minimalistic
in their composition. Some of his pictures were also more intimate focusing on aspects of the landscape and some
demonstrated how he had exploited the use of muted colours very effectively.

Leigh then went on to show several other collections of his images including:

· Photos of trees, showing that he liked to photograph trees, often without the sky and with an emphasis on the tree
  trunks. In these images he also showed the importance of using mist and skilful image processing to control the
  contrast in monochrome images and to give subdued colours in others.

· Portrait images, stating that he was happier photographing people he knew using natural light rather than just
  photographing models using studio lighting.

· A collection of six images that comprised of blocks of nine square photos on themes that were linked to show
  different aspects of a subject with similar tonal ranges and colours.

· Images featuring live performances by rock musicians, showing their commitment to their performances.

· Architectural images that often featured strong abstract patterns.

· Urban and industrial landscape images landscape images, frequently aimed at conveying a sense of nostalgia.
  Many of these featured subject matter which is now disappearing, such as old steel works, streets including terraces
  of Victorian houses, coal fired power stations, dock quaysides and steam trains. When showing these images he
  explained that he often planned to capture the images under conditions that would give him he effect that he wanted,
  for example images of steelworks taken in cold, cloudy weather conditions to maximise the appearance of the steam
  generated by the works.

   

After Leigh’s presentation, a number of members stated that they had enjoyed looking at his images and listening
to his comments before John Barnes, the club chairman, closed the meeting.

The club will now be having its usual summer break from Tuesday evening meetings but it is planned to organise some
photographic walks and trips over the next few weeks before the new season starts on Tuesday 7th September.