Image © Alan Larsen

On-line Zoom meeting held 13 January 2021

For the first meeting of 2021, the topic was Calm. A few photographers chose to present images
based on their own projects.

Calm
For many calm is synonymous with large expanses of still water, typically in late evening or early
morning. In some the warm orange of the setting sun is reflected in the water, but most were in
muted blues, greys and turquoise. Benches, whether occupied or vacant, featured quite a lot and
locations varied from Margate to Myanmar, Shoeburyness to St Ives and Colwyn Bay to Canada.
Calm means peace and stillness, but can also be defined as lack of anxiety, noise or movement. For
some photographers they were seeking to create images which exuded a sense of ‘calm’ scene. For
others the stress and frustrations of lockdown meant they were taking photographs to help calm
themselves and restore inner peace. In some of the images, the horizon was indistinct, the sky and
water a continuum, while in others mountains and hills were clearly reflected in the smooth
waters. Tripod mounted cameras and long exposures were used by two photographers [Alan and Tony],
with the use neutral filters (including a so-called 10x “big stopper”!) and polarizing filters. These
created unworldly flat water, well defined reflections and sharp contrasts. Other photographers [Yas,
Alec, Austin, Edey and Astrid] used hand held cameras, sometimes with intentional camera
movement, to capture the calmness of the end of the day. Ingrid focussed on the drops of water on
her rain-spattered windows with the distant horizon blurred. Jim sought to illustrate spiritual calm
with photographs of a Quaker Meeting. In a similar vein, Dorota explored a more individual
reflection of calm be it in the eyes of a portrait, a Japanese garden or simply a pot of tea. Open
spaces such as Borough Market [Eve], usually seething with visitors, are uncharacteristically quiet:
as are the traffic-free, empty open spaces around Turnham Green [Frankie]. The abandoned mill
buildings of Yorkshire, which would have been a cacophony of noise in their day, are now silent
[Robin]. Simon’s daily practice of using camera movement created some gentle, soft-edged curves
evoking calmness, while other sharp-edged images perhaps less so.

Own Projects
Janet, inspired by Georgio Morandi, continues to use Photoshop to create still life silhouettes of
family artefacts. Heather’s images illustrated the cycle of plant-life from fresh green lichen to
decaying leaves and the roots of dead ivy. Nusse captured the “jolly” Christmas lights of Oxford
Street taken from a moving cab, the atmosphere enhanced with lots of UNintentional camera
movement.

Tony Nicholls

Austin Guest

Eve Milner

Janet Nabney

Yas Crawford

Alec Wylie

Astrid Zweynert

Alan Larsen

Ingrid Newton

Robin Barr

Jim Paterson

Frankie McAllister

Edith Templeton