Graham Smith ARPS presented his retrospective “60 Years ofFollowing my Eyes” at our recent meeting. Graham has judged our competitions in the past but this is the first time he has given a talk to our club.
60 years is a long time to maintain a hobby and Graham is congratulated in so doing – the changes over that time are reflected in the methods used in giving such a presentation. Imagine a presentation to Storrington Camera Club in 1955. Would it be a magic lantern show or possibly 35mm (0r two and a quarter square) slides – with half of them the wrong way up ? Or would prints be handed round like we did in the presentation about the Monaco Grand Prix a few years ago?
It being 2015 Graham was able to come along with his presentation on just a memory stick to work on our laptop and digital projector– all surely devices beyond science fiction in 1955.
The first half of Graham’s talk showed photographs from his early life – I imagine they were scanned in from prints as they had that subtle sepia-ish shade which I find so hard to get right in Lightroom. Photos of his family reminded me, and I’m sure all of us, of family prints – ours are in shoe boxes upstairs awaiting cataloguing which, in my case, I’m sure will never get done.
Graham grew up hereabouts and many of the scenes were recognisably local albeit with major changes since of course. I’m sure they were even more evocative to those members who have lived in Sussex most of their lives than they were to me. And did everyone drive a classic car in the 1950s?
Graham was, and remains, an adventurous traveller and European travel shots were included. Graham admires Henri Cartier-Bresson and some of his shots were reminiscent of CB’s decisive moment photography. I’m pretty sure CB didn’t hitch hike though as Graham did – another great institution made impossible (or very unwise) over time.
In the second half Graham took us on a world photography tour on film and then digital, name-dropping cameras as he went! He has recently returned from Antarctica which he assured us was his last great trip – I wasn’t convinced but we shall see.
Graham embraced digital photography early in its development and showed us examples of all types of Photoshop filters etc., of which he must have been an early adopter. All in all it was a very varied and wide-ranging set of pictures. However I would like to have seen more of Graham’s ARPS panel – he only showed one picture. This was not only because I always like to see such panels but his subject was “Railways” – one of my favourites.
So a different and reflective evening and certainly no less enjoyable for that. Thank you Graham Smith.