A NIGHT OF TWO HALVES!
15th September 2025
The second meeting of the season saw us welcome two speakers. The first, Paul Hill, spoke about his career from journalist to photographer.
He began is career with local papers and both wrote about events and later photographed them. He always liked to look for a different angle on a photo which would make it memorable. He illustrated the success of this by describing how some of his images have become sufficiently enduring that he has subsequently been interviewed about the, and the photo has become the story.
He covered a breadth of material and showed a shot of himself interviewing the Beatles early in both careers and a picture of Enoch Powell, his local MP, campaigning the way of the day with a megaphone from a vehicle cruising the streets.
This one featured a small boy blowing a bubble-gum bubble in the foreground. He was part of a movement which promoted the idea of photography as self-expression, and the work he did laid the groundwork for the new degrees in creative photography.
He moved into photography, although even then his knowledge of what makes a story helped. He was one of the first to have an exhibition in a gallery at a time when photographs had not yet been accorded this level of recognition. Later he broke new ground by running workshops, bringing together well-known photographers and those who wanted to earn from them.
Paul and a colleague put together a book, ‘Dialogues in Photography’, which featured
interviews with all of the well-known photographers of the day, including the likes of Ansell Adams. This remains in print, and is now a historical record as within two years of it first appearing in the 1980s, all but two of the interviewees were dead.
After a social break Paul’s partner, Maria Falconer gave her presentation. She told us that it had been years in the making and had only been finished the weekend before. When she began to speak the reason for the title became clear. ‘How Old Am I?’ was a phrase oft repeated by her aunt as she lived through the progression of dementia.
Maria’s presentation was a catalogue of her experiences as a long-distance carer. It proved a hard watch and distressing to those in the audience with personal experiences of this awful disease among their own loved ones.
The next meeting will have a much lighter tone when we meet to enjoy a session of practical tabletop photography. All members are invited to bring something to photograph which will be set up on a table. Everyone will be able to move among the items and take the photos they would like to capture. Any props, backgrounds, drapes, mini studios or lights would be welcome to add to the equipment available of the night.
This will be an opportunity to practice with the camera and to chat to others who use the same kit or who have experiences to share. Tripods, cameras and suitable lenses are required for you to participate.
You can find us in St Joseph’s Hall, Babworth Road, Retford at 7.30pm On Monday nights until 8th December 2025 when we break for Christmas.. Our web site: www.retford-photographic.co.uk is the place to look for more information about the club. Feel free to drop us a line if you would like us to look out for you when you arrive.
He began is career with local papers and both wrote about events and later photographed them. He always liked to look for a different angle on a photo which would make it memorable. He illustrated the success of this by describing how some of his images have become sufficiently enduring that he has subsequently been interviewed about the, and the photo has become the story.
He covered a breadth of material and showed a shot of himself interviewing the Beatles early in both careers and a picture of Enoch Powell, his local MP, campaigning the way of the day with a megaphone from a vehicle cruising the streets.
This one featured a small boy blowing a bubble-gum bubble in the foreground. He was part of a movement which promoted the idea of photography as self-expression, and the work he did laid the groundwork for the new degrees in creative photography.
He moved into photography, although even then his knowledge of what makes a story helped. He was one of the first to have an exhibition in a gallery at a time when photographs had not yet been accorded this level of recognition. Later he broke new ground by running workshops, bringing together well-known photographers and those who wanted to earn from them.
Paul and a colleague put together a book, ‘Dialogues in Photography’, which featured
interviews with all of the well-known photographers of the day, including the likes of Ansell Adams. This remains in print, and is now a historical record as within two years of it first appearing in the 1980s, all but two of the interviewees were dead.
After a social break Paul’s partner, Maria Falconer gave her presentation. She told us that it had been years in the making and had only been finished the weekend before. When she began to speak the reason for the title became clear. ‘How Old Am I?’ was a phrase oft repeated by her aunt as she lived through the progression of dementia.
Maria’s presentation was a catalogue of her experiences as a long-distance carer. It proved a hard watch and distressing to those in the audience with personal experiences of this awful disease among their own loved ones.
The next meeting will have a much lighter tone when we meet to enjoy a session of practical tabletop photography. All members are invited to bring something to photograph which will be set up on a table. Everyone will be able to move among the items and take the photos they would like to capture. Any props, backgrounds, drapes, mini studios or lights would be welcome to add to the equipment available of the night.
This will be an opportunity to practice with the camera and to chat to others who use the same kit or who have experiences to share. Tripods, cameras and suitable lenses are required for you to participate.
You can find us in St Joseph’s Hall, Babworth Road, Retford at 7.30pm On Monday nights until 8th December 2025 when we break for Christmas.. Our web site: www.retford-photographic.co.uk is the place to look for more information about the club. Feel free to drop us a line if you would like us to look out for you when you arrive.