little man winter 2012-13

The official journal of theUnited Photographic Postfolios of Great Britain

The Little Man

Winter 2012-13Issue 140

The Little Man Winter 2013

Notes for ContributorsSubmissions are welcomed that would be of interest to members of the UPP and thesecan be forwarded to me as text/disk by post or you can email as an attachment. If yourequire anything returning please ask. Articles are preferred in a Word doc and picturesshould be separately available to be scanned or as jpegs at 250dpi on the CD.

David R Neal AFIAP, DPAGB, BPE4*, LRPSLluest Fach, Llwyn y Groes, Tregaron, Ceredigion. SY25 6PY

01974 [email protected]

ContentsThe President’s AddressDear EditorYork Rally50 Shades of BlackHere lies a failure2012 Annual Awards2012 Certificate & Highly CommendedsUPP Exhibition JudgingOn my High HorseElements 11Using “Blend If”Odds and EndsCircle TypesCircle Secretaries 20132012 DVD

Page45578

101421232526282930

Back

The LittleMan

Cover Picture“White Grapes”.

Richard LansdownCircle 73 Large Print

Printed byY Lolfa Cyf

Talybont, Ceredigionwww.ylolfa.com


The President’sAddress

Hello everyone When I passed the office of Presidentover to Liz in 2007 I never thought that Iwould be sitting in that seat again. As usualI was wrong and it does give me greatpleasure to be elected for a second termand I do hope that I will serve you all well.I was very sorry that I had to leave thisyear’s convention very early on the Sun-day morning due to a family problem andso I was sorry that I could not say good-byes to you and also enjoy the Sundayouting. Next year’s lecturers are already bookedthey are Irene Froy MPAGB, Hon PAGB,EFIAP who is well known for her atmos-pheric images and Guy Brown FRPS,

DPAGB from Dronfield who givesexcellent talks on digital techniques. Please put the date of Saturday the 14thSeptember in your diary as I would like tosee numbers increasing again, as they havefallen in recent years although it hasremained more or less constant over thelast three. It is an excellent weekend andit is always so good to meet up with othermembers of UPP and not least other circlemembers who are mainly just names in thefolio. Membership of UPP also has been fallingover the last few years with membersmainly at the upper age limit leaving usand not so many coming in at the bottomend. We have to look and see how we canencourage our members to spread the wordand get new members into our club as,whilst advertising and other publicity isimportant, most new members areintroduced into UPP by word of mouthfrom existing members. This year let ussee if we all could get one new memberand that would increase the number ofcircles and give everyone more enjoymentas they would be viewing and commentingon more images. Another opportunity arethe internet circles (and these are expand-ing) but it is a way of attracting the morecomputer-literate members. However, we do have a lot of compe-tition here with such sites as Flikr and wehave to offer just that little bit extra, andin this respect I do feel that we do so withour Gold Label system and, obviously, ourAnnual Convention. The best to you all inphotography.

Brian Davis

www.uppofgb.com


Dear Editor May I respond to Ken Payne’s article

“Printing by SimLab” in The Little Manissue 139? This was where Ken recom-mended we change to a commercial printhouse to avoid what he considers are thefrustrations and costs of printing at home. But surely the crucial point of homeprinting is that it’s an integral and funda-mental part of the total image-making ex-perience, and part & parcel of amateurdiscipline; our hobby would be very signif-icantly lacking without this important fac-tor: where’s the fun and satisfaction –indeed, where’s the skill – in getting one’sprints made commercially? Nor do I consider modern amateur print-ers to be too difficult to use; and as for thecosts involved, although they can be signif-icant, I have doubts whether getting every-thing produced by a print lab would savemuch in the way of money or time. Modern Canon and Epson printers pro-duce truly excellent prints with relativelylittle effort, both in colour and B&W(though, unlike Ken, I don’t expect them tolook exactly the same as on a monitor ascreen; that’s really not possible owing tothe different colorimetric principles in-volved). And my own personal experienceis that glossy professional wedding photosthat I’ve seen haven’t been technicallysuperior to ones that I’ve made myself.And as for matte surfaces, well, SimLabdon’t offer those anyway.

Dave DingleyCircle 12

The weather in 2012 has been a veryunpredictable, but Circle 71 managed tohold their rally on what must have beenone of the best spells of perfect weather. The venue was York, chosen so thatmembers would have a variety of possibleactivities in the event of poor weather, anda choice of coastal and country venuesalso available. The hotel proved to be comfortable, andbeside a bus stop that gave quick access tothe town centre without any car parkingproblems. Also useful was an open topcircular bus that offered ideal “hop on hopoff” tickets for the day, and made easytravel to York’s many places of interest. The “open top”, combined with the ex-ceptional weather made it an amazinglyuseful viewpoint for photographers! The hotel had several lounges and bars,so there was no problem with eveningentertainment. Members took both printsand Audio-Visuals for projection, andwere able to enjoy conversation and pic-tures without bothering other guests. Thelovely weather continued, so most mem-bers were able to make the journey homeequally enjoyable.

Anne Swearman

York RallyCircle 71

Aberystwyth Bay(Geoffrey Taylor Circle 3)

Budget Actual Budget Actual Budget

2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 2011-12 2012-13

AGM 2100 1911 2100 1709 2000The Little Man(2 Issues) 2200 1134 1200 518 1100

Stationery 750 886 1000 729 850Circle Secs'Exps 250 138 200 115 150

Officers' Exps 350 153 200 208 150CouncilMeetings 1500 1406 1000 800 1000

Advertising 200 0 200 0 200Sundries 200 256 250 228 250

Total forExpenses 7550 5884 6150 4305 5700

Sales 500 430 400 508 450other income 0 56 0 39 0Subs 6850 5908 6000 5813 5500

Total forIncome 7350 6594 6400 6360 5950

Surplus or(Deficit -) -200 510 250 2055 250

MembershipNumbers 310 278 310 265 250

United Photographic Postfolios of Great BritainYear Ending 30th June, 2012



David R Neal

2012 Annual General MeetingHillscourt Conference Centre

Delegates (Photo by Vince Booker ARPS, EFIAP, DPAGB, APAGB)

50 Shades of BlackI have to admit that I hadn’t expected

a surplus of over £2000 in 2011-12. Three years ago I reported a surplus of£200. That increased the following year to£700, and last year the surplus was £500. With no increase in the subscription rateand membership falling I had budgeted fora £250 surplus this year. The biggest budg-et variation this year was that the publica-tion of the Summer Little Man wasdelayed until July. The financial year endson 30th June, and that expense – around£600 – I had expected to have included inthe 2011-12 accounts. That would havemade the surplus around £1500. That ex-pense itself has come down, since DavidNeal took over, from £1000 an issue tobetween £500 and £600. But that’s not the only area where we’vemanaged to save money. The net cost ofthe AGM, stationery, Circle Secretaries’expenses and Council meetings all came insubstantially less than budget – and lessthan last year, Meanwhile total income wasabout level with last year and with the

budget. The last four “good years” have followed2 years of (not unplanned) deficit totalling£2500. So the overall picture is that 6 yearsago we had just over £7000 in the bank –now we have just over £8000: take off the£600 for the magazine and we’ve endedup with around £400 more than we had in2006.

Subscription rate – the same again? Two years ago I suggested, somewhattongue in cheek, that if we produced alarge surplus we could reduce thesubscription. So of the three options put tothe AGM: Option 1 Was to decrease the subscription by £1 to £20.00 Option 2 Was to have a modest increase in the subscription of say £1.00 allowing for inflation Option 3 Was to keep the subscription at the same rate of £21.00 (plus £4.00 for each extra Circle)The vote, by an overwhelming majority,

was to keep the rate unchanged.Francis OuvryUPP Treasurer


Here lies a failure the old town in damp and clinging mistand walk through ancient cobbled streetshearing shrieking gulls then you begin towonder if such fables are fiction. Are suchtales only within the realms of fantasy? Of course if you visit Whitby in summer,it's a different place. A typical Britishseaside resort, the fun fair, candy floss,Kiss-Me-Quick hats, buckets and spades.But you don't have to look too far to seethe modern veneer is superficial. Whitbyis old, reeking of character, Whitby retainsits heritage of Victoriana. Look atSutcliffe's photographs and it's not too hardto find where the photographer stood totake them. The son of an artist, Frank MeadowSutcliffe was born in 1853 at Leeds and in1870 the family moved to Whitby whereFrank decided to become a professionalphotographer the following year. Likemany other Victorian photographers FMSearned his living taking those stiff studiophotographs so loved and demanded bythat generation. Whilst this provided anincome it provided little satisfaction so hetook to photographing pictorial scenesand people in and around Whitby. A Sut-cliffe print always illustrates the use oflight, either early morning or late evening.FMS is credited with a number of sayingsregarding lighting: “before the sun drivesaway the mist” – “late when the shadowsare long” and “twilight is the time forpictures”. All of which are still so verytrue for pictorial photographers today. And the reason for these sayings andwhy his pictures all have that certain some-thing?, because FMS would be off beforedawn and again after work, for his dayswere spent in studio and darkroom produc-ing the pictures that supported him and hisfamily. Another point to remember is FMS andTom Langlands

(Frank Meadow Sutcliffe Hon. FRPS)

Frank Meadow Sutcliffe Hon. FRPS andWhitby are synonymous. Sutcliffe was oneof the Victorian photographers who, inaddition to making their mark on contem-porary society, are still famous today.Those evocative pictures capturing aglimpse of Victorian life in this corner ofNorth Yorkshire are as interesting today asin Sutcliffe's own time. I wonder if youhave considered why. Whitby, North Yorkshire (or for thosewho live locally, the North Riding) is aplace you go to. No one passes throughWhitby, you have to go there. And, to getto Whitby you travel over moorland, un-changed over centuries. They say BramStoker visited Whitby and wrote the storyof Dracula. Go to Whitby in winter, feelthe wind which started at the North Pole,crossed the North Sea, to strike you withicy force. Experience a sea fret cloaking


those early photographers, it was not just acase of tossing a gadget bag into the car.FMS walked, and it is recorded his camera,tripod and equipment weighed some 2stone 5 pounds! He is also reported to havebeen uninterested in what the cameralooked like provided it was light tight andworked. Between the years of 1880 and1894 Frank Sutcliffe's photographs result-ed in him being awarded over 60 medalsfrom exhibitions in this country and abroad.He retired from professional photographyin 1922 and in 1935 was made an Honor-ary Fellow of the RPS. Frank MeadowSutcliffe died peacefully in 1941. On his retirement a pupil took over thebusiness and in 1950 the business waspurchased by another photographer, BillShaw, who, in addition to his own work,produced and sold prints from Sutcliffe's

collection of 1,600 whole plate glass nega-tives. Popular rumour has it that the Sut-cliffe's negatives were discovered bychance, hidden or discarded in a numberof locations. The truth is he presented thecollection to the Whitby Literary & Philo-sophical Society. FMS is quoted as saying

“Photographs, unlike pictures, do not im-prove with age.” In the case of his master-pieces the number of people buying themtoday would surely suggest he was mistak-en.

“Here lies a failure” An epitaph suggested by FMS for hisheadstone. How wrong could he be!

Further details www.sutcliffe-gallery.co.uk

Alan Crosskill

Steam Tug in Lower Harbour(Frank Meadow Sutcliffe Hon. FRPS)


United Photographic Postfolios of Great Britain2012 Annual Competition

JUDGESJohn Gould FRPS

Pete McCloskey FRPS APAGBDerek Dorset FRPS

AV Judge – Paul Keene FRPS MPAGB EFIAP/p

LEIGHTON HERDSON PRINT TROPHY & PLAQUELeon Kreel ARPSDunes, Skeleton Coast c29 Small Print

LEIGHTON HERDSON PROJECTED IMAGE TROPHY & PLAQUEAnn McDonald ARPS DPAGBHigh Plateau, Ladakh c60 Projected Image

ROLAND JONAS LANDSCAPE TROPHY & PLAQUEAnn McDonald ARPS DPAGBHigh Plateau, Ladakh c60 Projected Image

AQS NATURAL HISTORY PRINT TROPHY & PLAQUESteve Weidegar CPAGBWhite Ibis Landing c74 Large Print

GLENN VASE NATURAL HISTORY TROPHY & PLAQUEIan Whiston BPE3* CPAGBYellow Billed Oxpecker c60 Projected Image

RALPH COUCHMAN CREATIVE TROPHY & PLAQUEGraham Coldrick ARPS DPAGBThe Coffee Shop c73 Large Print

LIZ BOUD AUDIO VISUAL ROSE BOWLMelanie Chalk CPAGBDefinitive Dungeness c52 Audio Visual

BEST LARGE PRINT - PLAQUERay Grace ARPS DPAGBA Quiet Corner c19 Large Print

GOLD STAR CIRCLE – PRINTSSecretary - Colin Westgate FRPS MFIAP DPAGB APAGB c29 Small Print

GOLD STAR CIRCLE – PROJECTED IMAGESecretary – Peter Chadd c45 Projected Image


2012 Annual CompetitionAward Winners

Leighton Herdson Dunes, Skeleton CoastPrint Trophy and Plaque Leon Kreel ARPS (Circle 29)

High Plateau, Ladakh Leighton HerdsonAnn McDonald ARPS, DPAGB (Circle 60) Projected Image Trophy and Plaque



AQS Natural HistoryTrophy and Plaque

White Ibis LandingSteve Weidegar CPAGB

Circle 74

Best Large PrintPlaque

A Quiet CornerRay Grace ARPS, DPAGB

Circle 19



Ralph Couchman Creative The Coffee ShopTrophy and Plaque Graham Coldrick ARPS, DPAGB (Circle 73)

Glenn VaseNatural History

Trophy and Plaque

Yellow-Billed OxpeckerIan Whiston BPE3*, CPAGB

Circle 60


2012 Annual CompetitionCertificates and Highly Commended

Maurice Booth ARPSSitting Alone c2/25 LP Certificate

Dennis DurackFalling Leaf c3 LP Certificate

Philip Davis AFIAP EFIAP Hon.FWPHMemories c4 LP Certificate

Colin Westgate FRPS MFIAP DPAGBIn The Eruption c5 LP Certificate

Fay PalmerApproaching Storm c7 SP Certificate

Angela Rixon ARPS DPAGBJuvenile Yellow-billed Stork Fishing c9 SP Certificate

Tony Broom CPAGBClaire With The Fair Hair c10 LP Certificate

Clive Haynes FRPSWild Horses c11 LP Certificate

Gordon DunfordCall Me Jim c12 LP Certificate

Roy Jones ARPSLost Property c14 LP Certificate

John Long ARPS DPAGB Hon.PAGBHank c17/21 SP Certificate

Ray Grace ARPS DPAGBClematis c19 LP Highly Commended

Gayle KirtonTap Dance c26 LP Certificate

Martin StephensonThe Cellarium, Fountains Abbey c29 SP Highly Commended

John Bulpitt FRPSRinglets c29 SP Highly Commended

Ken Dickenson DPAGB BPE3*Getting Down To It c31/33/35 PI Certificate


2012 Annual CompetitionCertificates and Highly Commended

Neil HumphriesThe Fallen c32 PI Certificate

Dave Coates ARPS EFIAP/g MPAGB APAGBFlowing Rock, White Pocket c36 PI Certificate

Keith SeidelMorning Light c41 LP Certificate

Karen Berry ARPSSawfly Larva c45 PI Certificate

Bob CrickBroad-bodied Chaser c45 PI Highly Commended

Hilary CrickWasp With Spider Prey c45 PI Highly Commended

Pamela Jackson ARPSEmerging Grisette c46 PI NH Certificate

Philip Mugridge ARPSGreat Crested Grebe Feeding Chick c46 PI NH Highly Commended

Philip Mugridge ARPSGreat Northern Diver and Chick c46 PI NH Highly Commended

John Bebbington FRPSMale Mountain Clouded Yellow c46 PI NH Highly Commended

Geoff Burdis DPAGBRemembrance c52 AV Highly Commended

Paula Davies FRPS EFIAP PPSA CPAGBClosed for-the-Winter c62 PI Certificate

Ken PayneBedouins c63 PI Certificate

Malcolm BurnsEarly Morning – Prague c71 LP Certificate

Jean Ashton ARPSA Room With a View c72 LP Certificate


2012 Annual CompetitionCertificate Prints

Call me JimGordon Dunford

Circle 12

Room with a ViewJean Ashton ARPS

Circle 72

Lost PropertyRoy Jones ARPS

Circle 14



Falling LeafDennis Durack

Circle 3

Approaching StormFay Palmer

Circle 7

Juvenile yellow-billedStork fishing

Angela Rixon ARPS, DPAGBCircle 9



Early Morning - Prague Malcolm BurnsCircle 71

Tap Dancer Gayle KirtonCircle 26



Sitting AloneMaurice Booth

Circle 2

In the EruptionColin Westgate FRPS, MFIAP, DPAGB

Circle 5

Claire with the fair HairTony Broom CPAGB

Circle 10



Wild HorsesClive Haynes FRPS

Circle 11

HankJohn Long ARPS, DPAGB, Hon PAGB

Circle 17 MemoriesPhilip Davis EFIAP, Hon FWPH

Circle 4


The method currently adopted by theUPP to judge our annual exhibition is thesame as that used for many, although byno means all, exhibitions. This methodwas in place when I took over as SlidesCompetition Secretary five years ago andI have been responsible for booking thejudging panel for the last three years.

The Current Method A panel of three judges (selected inrotation from the PAGB Handbook) looksat each image in turn. Each judge scoresthe image from 2 to 5 using an electronicmarking device. The scores from the threejudges are added to produce a score foreach image out of 15. The highest scoringimage from each Circle is then awardedthe Circle Certificate. In the event that twoor several images from the same Circlereceive the same score, the judges areasked to determine which should receivethe Circle Certificate. The highest scoring images from acrossthe Circles are kept aside and reconsideredlater in order to allocate the trophies.The print Circle with the highest totalscore is awarded the Gold Star Print CircleCertificate; the slide/DPI Circle with thehighest score is awarded the Gold StarProjected Image Circle Certificate.

Concerns with the Current Method Although this method of judging is wellestablished, my colleague, Ken Payne, andI have both been dissatisfied with it. On anumber of occasions across the five yearsthat I have been involved with the judgingday, we have witnessed situations where-by two judges have awarded an image 5marks (the highest possible score) whilethe third judge has given a 2 (the lowest

possible score). Whilst differences in scor-ing are inevitable in any subjective field,such extremes sit uncomfortably, not justwith Ken and I, but also among the judg-ing panel, two-thirds of whom may end upallocating trophies to images they may nothave preferred. Having briefly researchedthis issue, it has been discovered that thistype of scoring situation is not unusual andoccurs quite frequently at many exhibi-tions. Another issue with regard to the scoringis that the images are marked one at a time,so that the judges have no idea how goodthe subsequent images are going to be.This has led to some concern as to whetherthe judges are more restrained with theirscores early on, in order to ‘hold some-thing back for later.’ We have no evidencethat this has actually happened, but it isobviously of concern when we are tryingto judge the Gold Star Circles. Given that the judges change each year,and that no breakdown of the judges’ indi-vidual marks is given for each image, theissue of what a score actually means alsoneeds to be considered. An image thatreceives a score of 12 one year with moregenerous judges may not be of the samequality as another image that scores 12 thefollowing year with harsher judges. Inaddition, an author may quite mistakenlybelieve that an image scoring 12 receiveda mark of 4 from each judge when it mayhave received two scores of 5 and one of 2.What can such a score possibly tell usabout the quality of the image, and are weattaching too much importance to anumber? After much thought over the past two orthree years, and particularly in light of themost recent exhibition judging day, Kenand I have come to the conclusion that thecurrent judging method is unsatisfactory

UPPExhibition Judging


and that it is time to try out a new system –one which, we feel, reflects more closelythe way our Circles operate and whichleaves us, and hopefully the judges, feelingmore satisfied with the final results.

The New Method As mentioned above, the images arecurrently looked at, and scored, in isola-tion – there is no comparison with theother images from the same Circle. Wefeel that this goes against the method weall use to judge the folios we receive. Ingeneral (with a small number of excep-tions), each image in a Circle’s exhibitionsubmission is the Gold Star image from aparticular folio. Each one competed withall the others in that folio to be selected. Itfollows that the best image in a particularCircle’s exhibition entry should be chosenby the same method: comparison with allthe other images in that Circle’s entry. Thejudges will be shown all of the entries foreach Circle simultaneously and will beasked to select the ‘Gold Star image’. Thisimage will be awarded the Circle Certifi-cate. Should the judges consider any otherimage within a particular Circle’s entry tobe of particular merit, then a Highly Com-mended or ‘Silver Star’ award will begiven. All of the Circle Certificate winningprints will then be viewed simultaneouslyin order that the judges may choose thewinner of the Leighton Herdson print tro-phy. If this is a small print, the judges willbe asked to choose the best large printfrom among the remaining prints on thetable, and vice versa. A similar processwill take place for the projected imageCircle Certificate winners to allocate theLeighton Herdson projected image trophy.The subject-specific trophies (Natural His-tory, Creative, Landscape, etc.) will beallocated to eligible images from the Cir

cle Certificate winners. In the event thatthere is no eligible image for, say, thecreative trophy among the CircleCertificate winners, the Silver Star/HighlyCommended images will be recalled andthe trophy/trophies allocated to eligibleimages from that set. The final issue is the award of the GoldStar Circles. We propose that, in future,these should also be decided by a processof comparison. As the judging is takingplace for the Circle Certificates, eachCircle’s complete entry will be assessed bythe judges in comparison to the previousCircle’s entry and the best will go forwardin a repeated process of elimination untilthe best print Circle is left on the table andthe best projected image Circle is left onthe screen. These Circles will be awardedthe Gold Star Circle titles.

Selection of Judges As mentioned above, the judges areselected from the Regional listing in thePAGB Handbook. There have been sug-gestions that we should use only PAGBApproved Judges. There are two basicreasons why this is not done:Cost. Some of the judges listed wouldhave to travel great distances to reach theallocated venue and this would cost theUPP considerable expense.Availability. We would very soon run outof judges as the list is quite small. Finally, related to the same subject, webelieve there is no reason why we shouldconsistently use judges holding only thehighest distinctions (FRPS). A Fellow ofthe Society may well be an excellentjudge, particularly of high-end exhibitions,but we are, in essence, a camera club andit is possible that low marks are beingallocated because Fellows may not be ableto lower their acceptable threshold of qual-ity. This year, for example, all three of the


judges were Fellows and the situation out-lined in the Concerns with the CurrentMethod section above (whereby two judg-es awarded a 5 and one awarded a 2) arose.We believe there is no reason why anyoneon a Regional Judging ‘A’ listing wouldnot be able to do an admirable job.

Conclusion Ken Payne and I are charged with organ-izing all aspects of the annual exhibition,including the judging day. The way we dothat is solely at our discretion and we arenot required to justify our methods to themembership. However, in the interests oftransparency, we feel it only fair to makeyou aware of our proposals for change.We do know that there have been murmur-ings regarding previous exhibition resultsand the object here is to make you awarethat we share some of your concerns andare attempting to improve the process. We believe the current system isinefficient, which is why we propose tochange t. We do not know, until we try it,that this method will prove to be moresuccessful, although we believe it will.Should the case prove otherwise then, afternext year’s event, we will re-evaluate thesituation.

Ray Grace ARPS DPAGBCompetition Secretary

(Projected Images)

In a previous OMHH mention was madeof the influence of evolution in the primevalforest on our immediate reaction to a visualstimulus. Thin slicing, however, isn't theonly bequest of primeval evolution, and itis to the Gestalt school that we owepowerful insights into these other bequests.Action in the primeval forest was dominated

On myHigh Horse

by two needs, to attack prey to secure foodor to flee enemies. Instant reaction was ofthe essence. There was little time for lei-surely contemplation and an an analysis ofthe visual field. The quicker one couldmake sense of the fleeting visual informa-tion, the sooner one could decide to ad-vance or retreat ----and survive. Consequently, any development in avisual system which gave immediate rec-ognisable form to a confused impressionconferred a strong advantage. Thusevolved what we now know as the Gestaltlaws of visual perception. The first instantreaction is to resolve the visual contentinto figure and ground, what stands outand what retreats to a background. Thenthe figure is organised according to princi-ples of proximity, similarity, continuityand closure to give a 'good' result i.e.clarity or prägnanz. The operation of theseprinciples is no longer necessary for oursurvival today, but they continue to oper-ate every time we take a photograph orlook at one. It could be argued that aknowledge of these Gestalt laws is vital tothe photographer who is trying to makehis/her photographic message clear and toany judge who is trying to evaluate themeaning of a photograph. If you needconvincing of this, read Richard D. Za-kia's book Perception and Imaging (Fo-cal Press). It will transform your view ofphotography. Quite apart from its breadthand clarity, it is full of pithy and penetrat-ing quotations from artists and photogra-phers. Rather less well known, but perhapsequally important, is the Gestalt school'scontribution to the problem of problemsolving. What, you may ask, has problemsolving to do with photography? Surely,every time we take a photograph we areconfronted with the problem of how to e


encapsulate meaning in visual terms. Also,very time we look at a photograph we facethe problem of extracting and evaluating ameaning from it. The Gestalt school em-phasises the importance of the structure ofthe visual image which is presented. Eachimage has been pre-structured for us by theoperation of figure-ground, proximity ---etc. However, the pre-structuring that pro-vided survival in the primeval forest maynot be the best for securing a sensitive andinteresting photograph. Fortunately we canchange the initial structure which has beenproduced for us. Figure and ground can beinterchanged, new proximities can be or-ganised and so new meanings can be sug-gested. Reorganising in this wayconstitutes solving a problem, but toachieve this we have to change from onetype of thinking to another. We have toswitch from conventional, reproductivethinking to productive thinking. Perhaps Ican illustrate this with a story about thephysicist Carl Friedrich Gauss when hewas in primary school. Apparently Gausswas precocious and a bit of a nuisance tohis teacher. To keep Gauss quiet for awhile the teacher set him the problem ofadding up every number from 1 to 100. Tothe teacher's amazement Gauss producedthe correct answer within seconds. Theconventional approach to the problemthrough reproductive thinking, using theways we've always done it in the past, is toplod through 1+2=3, 3+3=6, 6+4=10 andso on. Adopting productive thinking, how-ever, the young Gauss re-structured theproblem, looking at it from a differentpoint of view. He argued 1+100=101,2+99=101, 3+98=101 and so on. There are50 of these pairs, each one adding up to101 so the total is 50 x 101=5050. Thissudden realisation of the inner structure ofa problem has been called insight. Unlike

the plodding, run-of-the mill approach ofthe reproductive thinking response, thereis something clean and elegant about theinsight of productive thinking. It goesstraight to the core of the problem. It’s not difficult to see the relevance toour photography in this sort of thinking.How often have we confronted a scenewhich is full of potential, only to give itthe conventional treatment? How oftenhave we witnessed a judge trivialising afine photograph by plodding through thesame old stale sequence of “Is it sharp?”,

“Is there a full range of tones?” “Is themain subject on a third division?” and soon. Most subjects and most photographshave hidden structures behind the superfi-cial view (The world is far richer thanappears on a superficial view) but insightis required to come upon them. Insight,however, doesn't come easily ------- un-less you are a genius like the youngGauss!, but the Gestalt experimenters dis-covered a number of ways to make insighteasier. The first condition is a deep famili-arity with all the constituents of the prob-lem. Obviously you can't creativelyreorganise the structure of a scene or apicture unless you are at ease with every-thing in it to start with. This puts seriouscontemplation at a premium. Insight takestime. The instant response to a subject israrely the most insightful. How long doesthe average judge give to a print beforedelivering a verdict? Not long enough todevelop any insight, I bet. Immersion inthe content of a visual stimulus isn't suffi-cient on its own to produce insight. Thereneeds to be a period of rest, where theproblem is put aside. It is thought that thisallows the subconscious to entertain moreunusual combinations of the elements.Often this is followed by a sudden aware-ness of a novel outcome ----- a “eureka”


experience. There are lots of examples offamous discoveries being made in this way.Why can't its use illuminate our photogra-phy? It seems that the Gestalt view of problemsolving can contribute useful advice notonly to photographers but also to judges.To the photographer it suggests that theimmediate view of the subject may not bethe most valuable photographically. Topenetrate the deeper meaning of the sub-ject one needs to immerse oneself in itsqualities, to think actively about possibleways of restructuring its components andthen put its demands on one side for a briefperiod to encourage a creative responsefrom the subconscious. Some photogra-phers have used a variation of this ap-proach in which they record the obviousand trivial aspects of the subject straightaway in order to get them out of the way. This clears the field to reveal the moreunusual structuring of the subject whichwas previously obscured. To the judges,Gestalt’s theory suggests that the typicalprocess of print selection or evaluation inwhich there is 30 seconds of viewing fol-lowed by a minute of comment and then amark out of 20 can only result in banality.Doing justice to most prints requires time,serious thought and insight. Oddly enough, in writing this OMHHsnippet I have gone through this sameprocess of Gestalt problem solving andhave achieved a “eureka” experience at theend (for what it’s worth). I realise now thatthe conventionality and triviality of muchof our photography and the appalling su-perficiality of print comment in circles is adirect result of viewing as though we wereback in the primeval forest ---------- but wedon't have to be slaves to our primevalorigins.

Eric G Hall

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I would like to take this opportunity towish you all a Prosperous New Year andI hope that you have a good one with yourphotography.

Ken PayneUPP Print Competition Secretary

PhotoshopElements 11

Cycle Race(Bill Girvan Circle 41)


Using “Blend If” to introduce a New SkyBy

Ray Grace ARPS DPAGB There are occasions when pictures aretaken which are let down because the skyis a bland white or overcast grey and whichwould benefit from a replacement sky.There are many ways to add a new sky,some more successful than others and,quite often, different pictures required dif-ferent techniques. This procedure demon-strates a simple way to replace skies usingthe “Blend If” feature found within theLayer Styles palette. This function allowsyou to remove certain tones from one im-age to reveal the image underneath. Thus apale sky in one image can be removed toreveal a sky on a layer underneath. Open a picture that needs a new sky. Inthis example the image below (Fig 1) is ouroriginal and the replacement sky is Fig 2.

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 3Note: In CS5 & CS6 a quick way to dragone image into another. With the Movetool (V) active click on the image youwish to move, drag it up to the tab of theimage you want to move it to (keep themouse key depressed), the receivinglayer will become active, then dragdownwards into that image. Holdingdown the shift key whilst doing this willensure it is placed centrally.

Ensure your sky is suitable to the image.For instance a bright blue sky with a fewfluffy clouds would not be appropriate inthis image. The conditions are not sunnyso a cloudy sky with some character ismore appropriate. Drag (or copy and paste) the sky pictureinto the original picture and arrange it sothat it fully covers the sky area of theoriginal picture. The Layers panel shouldlook like Fig 3


Double-click the ‘Background’ layer toconvert it to a layer and drag it above thesky layer. At this point it bear in mind that all lighttones will be removed from the originalpicture. “Blend If” will remove tones inother areas as well as the sky if they arewithin the range that you select. If that islikely to be a possibility, duplicate thepicture layer (Ctrl(PC)/Cmd(Mac) + J) thenclick the eye icon to switch it off. Activatethe lower picture layer. The Layers panelshould look like Fig 4. To apply “Blend If” (or any other LayerStyle), click the fx icon at the bottom of thelayers panel (outlined in red) or double-click the layer thumbnail. Either action willopen the Layer Styles dialog box.

and the layer underneath will show through.Notice that the white triangle has a verticalblack line running vertically through thecentre of it. Hold down the Alt/Option keyand drag either the right side of the triangleto the right or the left side of the triangle tothe left. The triangle will separate. Adjustthese separated triangles to get the blendyou require. With the triangle set as one solid item thetransition of the blend will be very harsh.Splitting it softens the blend transition.The effect is that everything to the right ofthe triangles is fully blended and every-thing to the left of the triangles is un-touched. The gap between the triangles isthe transition area. The wider the gap is thesofter the transition will be.

Fig 4

Click the ‘Blending Options’ at the topof the menu list. The dialog box shown inFig 5 will open. The “Blend If” options areat the bottom and the one to be adjusted isoutlined in red. Drag the white trianglefrom the right-hand side inwards; the skyand light tones of the active layer will fade

Fig 5

Now, if there are light tones in the imagethat have been affected but you do not wishto blend, you should now activate theupper (duplicated) layer. Apply a layermask to this layer (second icon on the leftat the bottom of the Layers panel) and fillit with black to hide the layer. (See nextpage for a quick way to apply a black-filledlayer mask). Switch your Foregroundcolour to white (shortcut X) and, with thelayer mask active, paint on the areas thathave been affected. Where you paint, the


pixels on the top layer will be revealed. Thepainted effect is shown in Fig 6.

Original with a new sky

Original Image

In this image the white building to theright of the big house was affected as wellas some highlight areas in the foregroundwater. These areas have been painted backin using a layer mask on the duplicatedimage layer. The final image is shownbelow.

Fig 6

Note: To apply a black-filled Layer Mask.By default, clicking the Layer Mask iconwill show a layer mask filled with white,revealing the layer contents. Holding downthe Alt/Option key will fill it with black,concealing the layer contents. Paintingwith white will reveal the layer contentswhere you paint.

Odds and Ends2013 AGM (Hillscourt) Plans are under

way for this event to be held over the“weekend” of 13-15th September 2013.Guest speakers are Irene Froy EFIAP,MPAGB, Hon PAGB, BPE4* and GuyBrown FRPS, DPAGB. Judges to beannounced later. Emails The 2012-13 Subscription Re-newals were sent out to members withrecipients being shown under c.c. Councilwishes to apologise about this and in thefuture only b.c.c will be used for suchmatters. If your would prefer not to be

contacted this way then please let theTreasurer know.

The Little Man Since I took over asEditor I have not been pleased with thequality of pictures that have been printed. Despite all representations to ourprevious printers things have notimproved,,,,that is, not until I enquiredafter another printing company in thesummer. They said that the images were RGB(OK for digital printers) but should beCMYK for conventional four-colourprinting. We have changed printers and Ihope you like the end result.

David R. Neal


Circle TypesCircle

No

23579

101112141926294171727374

24

233132364546

60616263

52

4488

Image Size/Type

A4A416 x 12” or A3A5 max7 x 5”16 x 12” or A310 x 8”16 x 12”A316 x 12” or A3A4 or A312 Sq Inches16 x 12” or A3A4A4A4A4

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Mounted

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No

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This DVD is the best one I have ever produced and so much fun in the compilation ofit. The price is still only £10 plus £1 for post and packing. It can be played on any PCor Mac and even an iPad. Below is the menu

The WinnersAll Circles Non Stop

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All The Trophy Winners from 1947 – 2012Ian Platt Gold Showcase Special

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