A new road begins with The Arcanum - upping my game with Jackie Ranken

Wakitipu

I am home in sunny suburbia. Winter has become summer and the days are long and warm.

The transition back into 'normal' life after 4 months in New Zealand has been relatively pain free.

No more travelogue. Back to photography proper.

OH ( other half) is at work, and I have time on my hands thanks to the early start that jet lag allows.

I am excited to have a new venture to help me ease back into the daily routine. To spur me on to reach new levels in my photography.

I have been accepted as a member of The Arcanum.

The Arcanum is a new way of learning using the old and traditional method of Master and apprentice. The academy is on line, and I am linked up with people all around the world. We have a library of videos to watch and get one to one Google 'hangouts' in which our work is critiqued by our master ( a bit like a skype call but one that can be observed live by other apprentices, and that is later saved to the Library for others to watch at their leisure).

I am a member of a group of 20 apprentices and have been lucky enough to be selected by the Canon Master Jackie Ranken, whose work I am in awe of. I am confident that she will help me to progress to a higher level in my work. The apprentices work together, give each other critiques and yet all can progress at their own pace.

Jackie Ranken lives in Queenstown, New Zealand, and my favourite work of hers is the series Kitchen Stories in which kitchen utensils find themselves in the landscape in beautiful monochrome images that are both clever and amusing. She is multi award winning, and I feel very privileged to be under her wing.

So far, we have introduced ourselves and said a bit about our 'genesis as a photographer' . We all have very different tales to tell and different interests and skills, which will help us all to grow and develop.

I have put forward some images for critique by my fellow apprentices. With their help I will select 5 to take in to my first critique session with Jackie.

'slippage' © caroline fraser

For this image it was suggested that I try upping the contrast, and try different crops.

Jackie has talked about the importance of borders, and I have added a white border to represent the paper. Immediately the image is lifted. I have also taken out a two week trial of Nik software Silver Efex Pro as used by Jackie to see whether I find it easier to create better monochrome images with this rather than Photoshop. I have yet to decide, but am pleased with the adjustments to the original image.

version 2

Next I had a discussion about the yellow leaf, bottom right in this image.

floating leaves © caroline fraser

The views in the group vary; some preferring to keep it, and others finding it distracting. Which just goes to show that you can't please all of the people all of the time, and in the end have to go with your own preference.

I find the square crop less satisfying, and as one fellow commented, the rectangular image is 'more about the reflections of the branches above' and the square is 'about the leaves'.

You take your pick. I'm going for the original.

square crop

All of this learning is about sharing and being willing to take the time to look at other's work. It demands more time in front of the computer screen.

But I have a feeling it is going to be time very well spent.

the art of living dangerously............advice from a Hasselblad master at sunset

Sunset over Camber Sands

Strange things happen when you least expect them.......

Last night after finally finding the sun at Camber Sands and escaping the grey clouds over London, I left dog sleeping quietly and popped out onto the dunes to watch the sunset with my smallest camera.

Other half was busy eating hog roast in Burnham on Crouch, and I was home alone.

As I stood on top of the dunes a man approached in the dusk, wearing a woolly hat. "You'll need a bigger camera than that to capture the sunset" said he. It seems he was a friendly sort, so I responded with a suitably inane comment, and we got chatting. He informed me that he was a photographer. I replied that I was keen as well. He told me he had just bought a house by the dunes and had fallen in love with the place. I explained that my tiny camera was OK for long exposures of waves at dusk, and that I got on just fine with it.

" Are you a professional photographer" he asked.

 "No", I replied

"Are you a psychologist?"  he asked.

"No" I replied. "What makes you says that?"

I was not in a hurry to give my true identity, as it can alter an easy conversation.

"Something about the way you talk", said he....." So what are you?"

It seems the truth would out.

"I am a doctor, but photography is my passion"

Ahh.............  as predicted everything changed, and he started telling me how healthy he was.

"Everyone says I don't look my age". He told me how old he was and I was not in the least surprised. He went on to detail his exercise programme and work schedule, and to tell me a lengthy
saga about a stye in his eye that all started when he went to a chemist and asked for a tube of the antibiotic ointment that defies gravity by expelling the entire contents of the tube when opened. I listened  and then, to my horror, he started taking off his jacket to display his physique as if to give proof.

"I hope you are not going to take any more clothes off" said I slightly nervously, thinking about what my other half would think of this conversation in the dark with no-one else around. Stranger danger was in the back of my mind as he assured me that he wouldn't.

Then I found out that he is a Hasselblad Master.

 If you don't already know, a Hassleblad master is a seriously good photographer. Only 12 people get this accolade each year. His camera cost around £26,000.


We are in completely different photographic leagues, and somehow everything changed again. This time I was in awe, and when he asked to see my pictures I felt totally inadequate and hurriedly showed him a Hipstamatic print from my phone.

Bins at Camber Sands

"Can I give you a tip" says he........... "use the rule of thirds" .................



I mumbled something and quickly showed him another.

Red zone at Camber Sands

"I like that" said he.

I felt relieved, and hurried off home before it got so dark that I couldn't see my way, and before anything more surprising could happen.

I looked him up on the internet and found a seriously professional fashion photographer who has photographed a number of famous individuals including Robbie Williams.

Strange things happen when you least expect them.