LIP Central August 2023 meeting – LIP Satellite Groups

The theme for the August meeting was “Journeys” and seven people showed work on topic and two others showed a personal project. As ever there was a wide variety of styles and interpretations – some people showing scenes from different actual journeys taken, some a whole journey to one place and others taking a more metaphysical approach to idea of a journey.

The meeting began with Janet Nabney’s work. Janet showed images from various trips to Hong Kong, China, the Antarctic, Libya – and on the 113 bus. Her Hong Kong trip was displayed as a pop up made from printed layers of photographs the same size– this gave a 3D look to the cityscape. Her picture taken from the 113 bus showed reflections and odd angles.

Sally Lyall Grant was also on public transport with a trip on the new tram from Edinburgh to Leith. Her images included a candid shot of a couple kissing on the tram, a view of Leith Walk and a fine portrait of a mechanic who hadpaused from mending a car.

Tony Nicholls showed pictures of things one can use to make a journey long or short. These included the Ribblehead Viaduct on the Carlisle to Settle railway, a large bicycle park in Rotterdam surrounded by modern, brightly coloured architecture and a stunning spiral staircase in the Hague.

Mark Friend showed a journey to Great Yarmouth which is part of a wider project on UK coastal towns. His images showed a resort that had seen better days but which was still richly atmospheric. As well as resort staples such as the seafront and the sightseeing wheel he had also captured aportrait of a member of the large Portuguese community in the town.

Austin Guest showed images taken on the 80 mile walk from Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire – which he did in stages. His route took him past the three thousand year old Uffington White Horse, along part of the Icknield Way and through the picturesque villages of North and South Stoke. He also passed Chequers which he managed to photograph from a discrete distance.

Rashida Mangera’s journey was of a different kind. Hers was a journey of contemplation and mindfulness as she watched sun rise from the east facing window of her flat. Taken at different times of the year and in different weather, the images displayed a remarkable and changing range of colours, the only constant being two trees framed in the window.

Hady Bayoumi’s journey was also more metaphorical – his photographic journey through Covid. Like many at that time he found solace in nature and started off taking fairly straight pictures of trees and flower. However, he then moved on using multiple exposures and constructing complex images in post- production. The results were multi-layered jewel-like images.

Two personal projects were shown next. Sue Czapska showed abstract images of corrugated iron which was slowly decaying. In her shots the iron took on a very different look, sometimes looking like bones and sometimes like torn skin. There was a range of tones from the warm red of iron oxide to the cold grey of the part which had not rusted.

Edey Templeton’s monochrome images were of adream garden or a garden half remembered. The dreaminess was heightened by the shallow depth of field used and the deep blue tone she had given to her pictures.