Last night's talk was from Andrew Davis who lives in Blagdon Hill.

Subtitled 'Revealed by the Light' this was a deeply-felt presentation from a photographer who really became immersed in the landscapes by using his senses to the full. Often philosophical, Andrew mixed introspection with practical advice and the occasional dispensing of a chocolate to those knowledgeable enough to identify where some shots had been taken. His talk was peppered with quotes and musings on the difference between 'seeing' and 'looking', taking his inspiration from a photography journal by Guy Tal 'More than a Rock' (see https://guytal.com/wordpress/tag/more-than-a-rock/).

Taking us on a photographic journey from the USA through to Cumbria, Cornwall, Somerset and finally his back garden, we were shown once again how landscape photographers plan their shoots to maximise the possibility of getting the lighting right, finding the best place for their images and being patient. At the heart of this was Andrew's aim to find the different view of the commonplace and this even went as far as attempting an unusual image of Burnham lighthouse! This seemingly impossible task was, he admitted, not completely achieved having failed to understand that a high tide in Burnham is often equivalent to a low tide somewhere else! So he plans to go back to get the shot he wants.

Above all, here was a photographer who enjoyed looking at his own pictures and who was prepared to share his pleasure of what they meant to him.

This was an evening of many memorable statements as well as excellent images. Here are just a few of them...
'Depth of feeling is more important than depth of field'
'Look for ways of celebrating the landscape'
'Pre-occupation is the enemy of composition'
'Open your eyes and take your time'
'Always look behind you'
and finally 'I've learned a lot from my mistakes - I'm off to make some more'

If you want to view more of Andrew's images, here is his website address https://www.andrewdavis-photography.com/curves/