Leighton Buzzard Photographic Club: Photographic skills sharing

On Wednesday November 11, members of Leighton Buzzard Photographic Club enjoyed a double bill of “skills” presentations from fellow members Dale Rockell MA and Wendy Taylor LRPS.

We all want to improve our expertise and proficiency.  So it is always very helpful when the more experienced share their skills with other members.

First up was Dale, who set out to inspire and educate us by explaining how he goes about his street and event photography.  As well as street/candid photography, he shoots all sorts of events in Leighton Buzzard (eg, the Big Lunch, LB Pride, and the Remembrance Sunday Parade), in London (eg, Chinese New Year, Day of the Dead), and elsewhere (eg, Harpenden Classic Car Show).

He told us what to look out for, gave us many useful practical tips, and encouraged us to practice by joining the club’s “photo days out”.

Then Wendy showed us how she is processing some of her South African wildlife photographs into high-key black and white images.  She demonstrated, stage-by-stage, the process she uses in Photoshop to create her lovely “fine art” style pictures.  Steps included replacing distracting backgrounds with pure white and some delicate “dodging and burning”.  The “before and after” views showed how this makes the pictures “pop”.

We are always keen to share our passion for photography and we provide a warm welcome for new members at our weekly meetings at Greenleas School on Derwent Road.  We run a varied programme of activities for photographers of all levels.  See our website at lbpc.org.uk for details and join us soon to unleash your own creativity.