Speaker: John McVie DPAGB EFIAP on Street Photography
2016-09-29 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
As well as talking on Street Photography as an introduction to our next theme, John will also judge our end of theme competition for the Food theme. John is a member of Dumfries Camera Club and you can find some of his work on the Dumfries website.

Introduction to Street Photography
2016-10-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Our next theme, Street Photography will be introduced by Alex McSorley, and we’ll follow this up with a practical session.
Alex has kindly written up some notes on how to go about Street Photography, and on the law relating to taking photographs in public:
Street Photography 101
I will not even attempt to define what street photography is or is not but I will say that it should have an “urban” feel to it. The viewer should be aware that the photo was taken in a town or city and should include some aspect of the life that inhabits it. With that in mind I have defined the types as follows.
There are 4 main categories of street photography:
Candid
These shots cover most of the commonly known street photographs of people going about their everyday business and the subjects are usually unaware of the photographers presence. Sometimes known as documentary photography these photos are intended to be a snapshot of the time and place it was taken.
Close up portraiture
When you stop and ask someone if you can take their picture or just get right in close to snap a person going about a random task. These photos are taken with the viewer being in no doubt that the subject was aware of the photographer at the time it was taken.
Classic (or compositional)
Usually a scene that has a pleasing composition and added to by the presence of a living thing (human or animal) that punctuates the composition. For example you may compose a shot looking up a set of stairs but wait for a person to start walking towards you to give a central focus point
Modern
Modern street photography is more about capturing an unusual or amusing juxtaposition such as a person’s placement in relation to a billboard or advert where they have inadvertently positioned themselves to look unusual.
Some photographers stick to the main candid style believing that, to be real street photography, anything posed or not including people or animals is not real street photography. I disagree with this personally but, as I said before, there is no real correct answer.
Approaching people in the street
Often the biggest hurdle in any persons attempts at street photography is the human interaction aspect. Here is a list of situations and how I would recommend you deal with them.
Stopping and asking a person to take their photograph
There is no universally correct way to do this. If you see an interesting person in the street make a quick decision on whether you would be happy to be stopped yourself for the reasons you stopped them. Facial deformities, missing limbs or just people in distress are not good subject matters.
Unusual hats, big beards, interesting or colourful clothing are all good reasons to stop a person and nicely ask if you can photograph them. Try to judge the situation quickly but if you have any doubts try to avoid approaching them.
Be polite, respectful and take no for an answer with a smile and a thank you. Try to avoid angry looking people or someone in a hurry. Put yourself in their position and ask yourself whether you would be happy to stop and have a picture taken. Let the subject know why you stopped them.
Candid shots
You will often want to take pictures before people become aware of you and your camera. There are many techniques that will help you here which I will go over today. A smile and a nod go a long way to relaxing a situation as acknowledging a person is preferred to pretending you were doing something else instead.
Hidden Photography
There are many techniques for hiding the fact you are photographing a person in the street. Shooting from the hip takes practice. Hiding in the bushes is not recommended. Pretending, to photograph the whole street instead of one person works very well too.
The easiest form of this style is to use a telephoto lens and stay at some distance to the subject but any photographer will recognize that you used a long lens however it has its merits and benefits too.
Black and white or colour?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. It is definitely a personal preference.
Some photographers only shoot in color, others prefer black and white for all their work. For my part, I let the subject dictate the choice but that choice is made in post processing unless I am shooting high contrast subjects or abstracts that I know will become monochrome. Black and white images have the benefit of making them look sharper and are more forgiving of any movement or blur.
Camera settings
Simply put, there are no correct settings on the camera for street photography. As long as you captured a moment or scene and it tells a story or causes the viewer to feel some emotion you have done your job. This is referred to as “the decisive moment”.
Many top street photographers set their camera to fully automatic so that the camera does not become an obstacle to the photograph. I prefer aperture priority so I can control the depth of field and use the ISO to allow me to adjust my shutter speed. Find what works for you and experiment. The most famous street photograph ever taken is out of focus and blurry but captures a man in motion jumping over a puddle.
In an age of digital photography I would recommend taking multiple shots in a burst to improve your chances of the right composition, decisive moment and expression.
Things to be aware of

Dress like you belong
Long lenses and big cameras attract attention
Know the law and be respectful
Technically great shots don’t make the best street images
Getting the decisive moment is the most important thing
don’t cause an obstruction
Look up, look down and look around. You are not out for a stroll.
Find a nice composition or angle and wait for shot to come to you

Some useful links
http://www.sirimo.co.uk/2009/05/14/uk-photographers-rights-v2/
http://petapixel.com/2016/07/19/best-lens-street-photography/
https://fstoppers.com/education/23-street-photography-tips-your-next-photo-walk-132218
http://petapixel.com/2015/12/22/10-tips-for-successful-street-photography/
Association of Photographers – Rights reference card

The Law and your Rights
People
If you’re on a public right of way – such as a public pavement, footpath or public highway – you’re free to take photographs for personal and commercial use so long as you’re not causing an obstruction to other users or falling foul of anti-Terrorism laws or even the Official Secrets Act (frankly, this one is unlikely).
DPP -v- Jones (1999): The Court recognised that the public may enjoy a public highway for any reasonable purpose, provided it does not amount to public or private nuisance or obstruct the highway “by unreasonably impeding the primary right of the public to pass and re-pass: within these qualifications there is a public right of peaceful assembly on the highway.”
There’s nothing stopping you taking pictures of people in public places within reason, but if you start shoving your zoom lens up their nostrils or taking action shots of their every step, there’s a chance you might get a clip around the ear from your aggrieved subject or possibly face a legal charge of harassment or breach of the peace.
Harassment is defined as a ‘course of conduct’ (so it has to happen at least twice) that causes another person ‘alarm or distress’. The key seems to be whether the subject would have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
There’s also a remote chance that photographs of people in public places may be subject to the Data Protection Act, but that’s pretty unlikely if there’s no other identifying information accompanying the image.
There are no laws against taking photos of children, but someone taking an unhealthy interest can rightly expect to attract unwelcome attention from the authorities (and quite probably passers by) pretty quickly.
Also, be aware, that if you’re taking pictures in areas where dodgy folks, drug dealers and ne’er do wells may be in view, they’re unlikely to be pleased with the attention and probably won’t be bothered about the niceties of the law in their response.
If someone asks you to stop take pictures of them, it’s generally a good idea to do so.
There is no legal restriction on photography in public places, and there is no presumption of privacy for individuals in a public place.
Property
Property owners have no right to stop people taking photos of their buildings, so long as the photographer is standing in a public place (e.g. the road outside).
It is also not an infringement of copyright to “take photographs of buildings, sculptures and works of artistic craftsmanship that are permanently situated in a public place or in premises that are open to the public”. [Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988]
Section 62 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 expressly permits certain copying in relation to buildings, and also to sculptures and works of artistic craftsmanship that are permanently situated in a public place or in premises open to the public, although the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints when photographs of private residences have been used in advertising without the owner’s permission.
Certain uses of a photograph of a building could amount to passing off, or may infringe a trademark, but as yet there has been no such cases in the UK.
Train Stations
Network Rail’s official line is that enthusiasts are very welcome and can be beneficial to security by providing extra ‘eyes and ears.’ All they ask is that people notify station staff and don’t do anything silly like hanging over platform edges as trains are approaching, which isn’t unreasonable.
Network Rail say:
“Taking photographs on stations is permitted providing it is for personal use. For any commercial photography, prior permission must be sought from the appropriate train operator or, from Network Rail at their 17 major stations. On busy stations the use of a tripod may cause a dangerous obstruction to passengers and you may be asked not to use one.
In addition, tripod legs must also be kept away from platform edges and behind the yellow lines. Flash photography on platforms is not allowed as it may distract the attention of train drivers and train despatch staff and is therefore a potential safety hazard. You are also not allowed to take photographs of security related equipment such as CCTV cameras.”
Deleting Images and your Equipment
Security guards do not have stop and search powers or the right to seize your equipment or delete images or confiscate film under any circumstances.
In some circumstances, the police may grab your film or memory cards but they are still not authorised to delete any images.
Neither security guards nor the police may require you to delete any images yourself.
After all, if you’ve committed an offence the images would act as evidence, and if you haven’t broken the law, the images are innocent.

Holiday
2016-10-13

Critqiue Night
2016-10-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom

Informal Trip to the Kelpies
2016-10-22
Meet at Abbey Row. Details to be announced nearer the time.

Software and Street Photography
2016-10-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Reviewing software techniques with Street Photography in mind.
This evening is also the deadline for images for the Street Photography Theme competition. Please bring your image on a memory stick.

Guest Speaker
2016-11-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Details to be announced.
We anticipate our speaker this evening will also judge the Street Photography Theme Competition.

Introduction to the Reflections Theme
2016-11-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Reflections photography is the art or technique of using reflective surfaces to capture beautiful and unique images. Common surfaces used are bodies of water, windows, mirrors and shiny metals.
Reflective surfaces can be a great way to create abstract images.
The reflection should be a significant part of the image.

Critique Night
2016-11-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Bring pictures on a memory stick to show to other members and for discussion. We’ll update you on how many to bring nearer the time.

Software and Reflections
2016-11-24 08:00 - 17:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Including a revision of the standard workflow introduced during the previous session.
Today is the deadline for submitting images for the Reflections end of theme competition.

Photoshop Battle
2016-12-01 07:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
A new event in the Club calendar: looking at how different people approach the creation of an image from the same start point.
Please also bring your selected image for the Food Theme end competition on a memory stick.

Speaker tbc
2016-12-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
The speaker for tonight’s session to be confirmed.
Te winner of the Food Theme end competition will be announced during this session.

Christmas Meal
2016-12-15 07:00 - 21:00 | tbc
Christmas Meal
Today is also the deadline for getting your images onto Google Drive for consideration for entry into the Three Way Competitions.

Introduction to the Four Legs Theme (and Quiz Night)
2017-01-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
We do not want to tie this theme down too much but could certainly be about quadrupeds, furniture, a duo etc

Intentions in Photography
2017-01-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom

Ask the Panel
2017-01-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
The return of Ask the Panel.
Have you a photography question? Either bring it with you on the night or even better to allow our panel members half a chance to come up with something sensible for once, how about sending in your question using this form:

Three Way Competition - Earlston, Galashiels, Kelso
2017-01-25 19:00 - 21:00
This year Earlston are hosting the evening.

Image preparation for the Club Exhibition
2017-01-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom

Three Way Competition - Hawick, Newcastleton, Kelso
2017-02-02 19:00 - 21:00
This year’s competition is hosted by Hawick Camera Club.

Speaker Curtis Welsh
2017-02-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
You can find out more about Curtis Welsh and his photography at http://www.curtiswelshphotography.co.uk
The images submitted for the Four Legs theme end competition will be judged tonight.
Today is also the deadline for getting images onto Google Drive for consideration for the Borders Digital Challenge.

Introduction to Creative Photography
2017-02-16 19:00 - 21:00 | tbc

Creative Photography - Practical
2017-02-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom

Critique Night
2017-03-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom

Image Preparation for Club Exhibition
2017-03-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Including assistance with resizing.
Tonight is also the deadline for submitting your picture for the Four Legs theme end competition

Speaker: Ron Bell
2017-03-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Ron visited Kelso last year to act as the judge for one of our three way competitions. Many of us were taken by his thoughtful and structure feedback and we thought it would be interesting to have him back to talk about how own photography.
Ron will also judge the Four Legs theme end competition.

Introduction to Sports Photography
2017-03-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Sports photography refers to the genre of photography that covers all types of sports – perhaps for our theme, best defined as a sport that is recognised by the International Olympic Committee either now or in the past.

Borders Digital Challenge (BDC)
2017-03-26 14:00 - 18:00 | Tower Mill cinema, 2 Kirkstile, Hawick, TD9 0AE, United Kingdom
Starting at 2pm in the Tower Mill Cinema (upstairs from what was Beanscene, at the far end of the High St.), Hawick

Sports Photography Practical
2017-03-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Tonight is also the deadline for submitting photographs for the Club Exhibition.

Software techniques for Sports Photography
2017-04-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Tonight is the dealine for submitting your photograph for the Sports Theme end competition. Bring your image on a memory stick.

Speaker Sandy Cleland, FRPS AFIAP
2017-04-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes,, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7BJ, United Kingdom
Sandy will present his talk on “Encounters with Wildlife“. You can see some of his work at http://www.edinburghphotographicsociety.co.uk/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=4
Sandy will also judge the Sports Theme end competition.
