Photographic Society February 2024 Report

Jim Muller – Photography in the peak district.

Jim gave an inspiring illustrated overview of the photographic opportunities in the Peak District, which was Britain’s first National Park.

He started with a short discussion of the history and geology of the area, including the Kinder Scout mass trespass in 1932.

Mining, cotton mills and agriculture have shaped the landscape, which now bears witness through canals, rail tracks and industrial relics. These range from scenic viaducts to abandoned millstones. Reservoirs, although man-made, sometimes at the cost of submerging whole villages, provide an attractive setting.

Edges and Tors often have spectacular rock formations, complemented by moorlands and dales. Embedded in all of this are rivers, waterfalls and ancient woodlands, each providing photographic material, which was beautifully demonstrated by Jim’s images. The environment is populated by a range of wildlife, including a number of birds that were demonstrated.

Finally, he showed us images of a number of attractive buildings, especially in the Buxton area, that are worth a photographer’s attention. The area is so popular with visitors that it’s often necessary to be up at first light to obtain a photograph without people in it! The Peak District clearly has a huge range of material for photographers interested in landscape, nature and historical material.

Members’ submissions – topic: Black & White photography There was a good selection of creative images on this month’s topic. Most of us are so used to working with colour that we get out of the habit of restricting ourselves to monochrome. This forces us to focus on elements like shadow, shape, contrast, texture and balance. The appearance can be changed dramatically by adjusting the brightness of individual colour channels. Members produced fascinating photos of subjects such as urban and rural landscape, sculpture, animals, birds, people, flowers and trees. In fact, it seemed that no genre was a no-go area for B&W. A good reminder to consider whether an image would benefit from B&W conversion when composing or processing.

We welcome new members to our Society nights on the first Wednesday of each month. Website and contact: addphoto.co.uk for further information.

Photo credit: Maureen Tyrrell

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