Meeting Tonight

The 3rd meeting is this evening and I am looking forward to it. Fingers crossed more of the members will be able to attend. 


I had promised to explain certain things about manual settings on SRLS.


Aperture

What does 'aperture' mean?

The term 'aperture' refers to the opening in the lens that lets light into the camera. Adjusting the aperture value changes the size (diameter) of the aperture, which will affect the amount of light that reaches the imaging sensor in the camera (the digital camera equivalent of film). Obviously, if you set a wide aperture a lot of light will be allowed to reach the sensor, whilst setting a small aperture reduces the amount of light that reaches the sensor.

You can change the aperture value in the following advanced modes:

1. Av (Aperture-priority AE) Mode - aperture can be changed and the camera will attempt to set the appropriate shutter speed to correctly expose the photo
2. P (Program AE) - turning the dial changes the shutter speed and aperture setting combination (as part of a program)
3. M (Manual Exposure) - where both shutter speed and aperture values can be set as desired

Measuring Aperture Size

Aperture size is represented using f-stops. A large f-stop represents a small aperture - the lens will have a small opening and not let much light through to the imaging sensor. A small f-stop represents a wide aperture - the lens will have a large opening and therefore let a lot of light through to the imaging sensor.

This is the case because f-stops represent the ratio between the diameter of the aperture and the focal length of the lens. As an example:

• if the aperture value is shown as f/4 this means that the aperture's diameter is 1/4 (25%) of the focal length of the lens
• if the aperture value is f/32, the aperture's diameter will be 1/32th of the focal length of the lens - a much smallerdiameter than the 1/4 size.
  
  
  Clearly if you set a wide aperture a lot of light will be allowed to reach the sensor, which in turn means that the camera can use a faster shutter speed in order to obtain the correct exposure. This is because the sensor only needs to be exposed for a shorter period of time before it will have received enough light to expose the photograph.
  Conversely, setting a smaller aperture reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor and means that a slower shutter speed must be used if the camera is to properly expose the picture - more time is needed to ensure enough light reaches the sensor.
  Therefore if you are in a dark environment and want to take a properly exposed photograph without using a flash and with the shortest possible shutter speed (to minimise/avoid camera shake) you should:
  1. Set the widest possible aperture (bearing in mind the affect on depth of field discussed below) and
  2. Select a higher ISO speed (bearing in mind the potential affect on quality discussed in the previous article).
  • I will blog soon about shutter speeds and ISO's, promise :)
  
  
  D

First Meeting

Well last week the first meeting went very well! We have 9 members that will be attending the meetings, and there may be a couple of people that do not attend the meetings but are doing the projects in their own time. 


The first meeting was to discuss the first project, Pathways. Project ‘Pathways’ is to be past and present pathway and walkways around and to the structure, whether that be through streets, tree lined path ways and so on.


Within the brief there was some information about Victor Pasmore, the artist who created the Apolo Pavilion. 

Victor Pasmore,1908 - 1998, was a British artist and architect.

Brief Personal Information

Ÿ  Born in Chelsam, Surry, studied in Harrow.

Ÿ  1927 moved to London after his father died and was forced to take an administrative job at London County Council.

Ÿ  Pasmore was a conscientious objector, he was called for military service in 1942. He refused and was sentenced to 123 days of imprisonment.

Brief Work History

Ÿ  1932 was elected to be a member of the Local Artists Association and exhibited at the Zwemmer Gallery.

Ÿ  His paintings were mostly influenced by Turner and Whistler with landscapes and portraits.

Ÿ  He studied part - time in London at the Central School of Art where he was associated experimenting with abstraction.

Ÿ  Pasmore worked for a while in a lyrical figurative style, painting the views of the purely abstract style.

Ÿ  Pasmore’s work was often associated with collages and construction of relief’s and used large architectural scales.

Ÿ  1950 Pasmore was commissioned to design an abstract mural for a bus depot in Kingston Upon Thames.

Ÿ  1952 he was the leader of the arts course at Kings College Durham at Newcastle. Pasmore then developed general art and design course inspired by the ‘basic course’ of Bauhaus, this became the model for higher arts education across the UK.

Ÿ  Passmore was appointed the Consulting Director of Architectural Design for Peterlee development from 1955. Peterlee was being design by an architect Lubetkin. Pasmore was spotted while working in Durham University. He was given this title and eventually a plot of land with the sole purpose of designing a new dynamic in the form of housing and road layout.

Ÿ  The Apolo Pavilion was designed in 1970.

The Apolo was a centrepiece of the towns design which became an abstract public sculpture of art. The structure became the focus of local criticism over the failures of the development co-operation but Pasmore remained a defender of his work and returned to the face of the town with its criticism of the Apolo at a public meeting in 1992.

Suggestions of the way the project can be developed.

Ÿ  Landscape images of the Apolo Pavilion, possibly to use the same colour pallet as the Pavilion.

Ÿ  Portraits of people that live around the Pavilion, maybe with use of text as to how they see the sculpture.

Ÿ  Staged photographs of a model in and around the Pavilion.

Ÿ  Documentary images of a pathway walk leading onto the Pavilion.

Ÿ  Objects taken from and around the Pavilion, possibly from a walkway to the sculpture and photographed in a neutral studio environment.

Ÿ  To create a photomontage of the Pavilion from walk ways to the sculpture, almost like a panoramic?

Ÿ  To find images of the pathways to the Pavilion and to use them in a unique way to show your own concept through other photographers images.

Ÿ  A possibility to use would be that your work could depict how the art work is used today. To see if the sculpture is still understood for connotations it was created for.

Ÿ  Night photography of the Pavilion and pathways from it to feed into the Peterlee area.                                                        

Well see you all tonight - hope to see all of your photographs or ideas on how to do the project.

D 

Hartlepool Mail

Well after pestering people I have managed to get a mention in to the Hartlepool Mail, with thanks to David Taylor Gooby, and Tracy Walker, the journalist that was so kind to put it in the paper.

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk:80/news/local/snappers_club_hopes_to_develop_1_3386476

There is at least a 3rd of a page taken up by the article too! So I am very happy to say that I have already been contacted today by one person, so fingers crossed there will be even more people wishing to come along to the first meeting tomorrow!

D

East Durham College Open Day

Well everything went very well today at the open day at East Durham College's Open Day. Met lots of very nice people as well as a couple of people that were very interested in the PPA so fingers crossed there will be a few more people that will be attending the first meeting.

There will be a second open day next weekend at another college, I do not know the full details yet but will blog about it when I do know something.

D

Update!

Hello all! Well things have progressed increadably since the last time I blogged.
The PPA had been mentioned, as promised, on SunFM on the "Good Time Guide" on Wednesday evening, it may have been mentioned again but I have not managed to hear the "Goid Time Guide" since.

I have also contacted North East Press, The Journal and the Hartlepool Mail. The Hartlepool Mail is going to have an article all about the PPA on the Tuesday's edition. This will also have a photo of me in so hopefully I won't have a bad hair day!

I will be at the open day for East Durham College, giving a help in hand to the photographer there, which should be lots of fun as I will be promoting the PPA there at every chance I get, as well as taking photographs.

I have been contacted by the Youth club, there are 3 members from there that have said they are coming along as well as several people from Twitter and Flikr. I am looking forward to meeting everyone and to see what other peoples passions are within photography.

D

Asda

Well, as mentioned in a previous blog, I was trying to organise a stall to be at the front of the store in Peterlee. I handed in a letter in mid February, I have now been told today that the letter has been lost and I will have to start the process again.

I do not feel as though this is good enough. I feel as though their lack of care and consideration is because of the subject, it is not a charity so they are not that interested. Utterly ridiculous and I am very angry at the way I have been treated.

I will be writing a letter of complaint to Asda's head office in order to complain about this situation and Karen Bell, the person who is meant to organise all of this.

On a happier note, the PPA will be mentioned on SunFM some point in the next two weeks or so, and I have a meeting with Paul Wheatcroft the Director of Creative Industries at East Durham College next Wednesday to discuss the PPA and how we may gain some members from the college with their new Photography courses.

Peterlee Arts Council Meeting

Dear all!

This evening has been a very productive! People have shown an interest about the PPA, who attended the meeting which is an excellent sign also there may be some media attention which would be a great step in the right direction.

After the meeting there was the opening of the Keith Pattison photography exhibition which opened last night at the Science College in Easington Village. There I met a couple of individuals who seemed very exited about the PPA. So fingers crossed there may soon be members of the PPA.

Sun FM have also emailed back in regard to doing a shout out, they said that they might put it it with in their 'Good time Guide' which is a feature on their radio station.

I hope that this evening has moved the Peterlee Photography Association a step further to having members and being a successful organisation of like minded people who enjoy a hobby together.


It has been decided that the first meeting of the PPA will be Wednesday 18th May at 6pm at the Pavilion Community Center, just off Helford Road in Peterlee.

D