Reviews of TPC weekly meetings prepared by Christine Ryske.
Thursday 27th November 2025 Martin Cooper LRPS - Mono Memories
For one week only, we found ourselves in a different venue, but that made no difference to the warm welcome that was given to speaker Martin Cooper LRPS, who visited to give his presentation ‘Mono Memories’. Martin started his talk by posing the question – Why mono? He then gave his personal answer, he believes colour can often be a distraction, whereas monochromatic images draw attention to composition and texture. Although he describes himself as a landscape photographer, Martin explained that his presentation of over one hundred images was made up of a variety of subjects, each one holding something personal to him and each one showing that his photography is an art form. Alongside his digital images, Martin also brought along several prints stating that having a physical print of your work provides a tangible result to admire at the end of your project.
The images Martin shared were rich with stories and whether it was the delightful little pony standing in a barn doorway taken near to where he used to live or the folk packed together on a London tube, each photograph was filled with nostalgia and detailed the memories and emotions they held.
It was clear to see that Martin loves the outdoors, no matter the weather, and the landscape images, whether projected or printed, always had something that ‘drew the eye’. For instance, the coastal seascape at Crosby Merseyside, featured the striking Antony Gormley sculptures, while the seascape captured at Montrose Scotland, showcased clothing elegantly draped over the washing lines of the cottages that backed onto the North Sea. His breathtaking photograph of The Cuillin, a rugged mountain range on the Isle of Skye, earned him a well deserved commendation in a recent Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.
He concluded the evening with a selection of images featuring abandoned buildings. Streets of terraced houses in Liverpool and Welsh Chapels in the valleys gave a sense of sadness, however, the haunting visuals of Oradour-sur-Glane, a village ravaged during the Nazi occupation in Central France, alongside the stark reality of Auschwitz concentration camp, definitely showed the devastating effect of war.
THURSDAY 20th November 2025 Competition - judged by Ralph Snook ARPS EFIAP/s DPAGB
Ralph Snook ARPS EFIAP/s DPAGB has been a familiar face at Tyndale Photography Club, having visited numerous times as both a speaker and a judge. In fact his first experience judging took place at Tyndale more years ago than he wishes to remember. With 18 prints and 28 projected images to view he wasted no time in getting down to the business of judging.
The evening kicked off with the open print competition, where Ralph took a moment to commend and congratulate all members who had entered for their splendid images, he highlighted the abundance of high-quality prints on display. This month, the projected digital images were competing for the Landscape Trophy, each entered image was to feature a landscape captured within the British Isles.
Ralph took his time over each image, both print and digital, commenting on the tonal ranges, composition, subject matter and technical aspects. His thorough critique gave valuable feedback to the photographer and he hoped that his personal thoughts and suggestions on areas for potential improvement would be seen as constructive rather than offensive and be useful for everyone present.
COMPETITION RESULTS
PRINTS 1st place – The View, 8 Bishopsgate – Steve Varman LRPS 2nd place – Owlpen – Steve White 3rd place – Genial Gent in Venice – Brian Wetton
PROJECTED DIGITAL IMAGES - LANDSCAPE 1st place – Loch Clair with Snowcapped Liachach - Elizabeth Restall ARPS 2nd place – Rock Crevice, Monknash - Steve Varman LRPS 3rd place – Anglesey View – Brian Wetton
Thursday 13th November 2025 Alastair Chalmers - 'Antarctica – A Brief Visit'
Alastair Chalmers, a retired radiologist, has shifted his focus from medical images and now views the images taken on his travels around the world. He recently made the journey from Bath to North Nibley to give his presentation ‘Antarctica – A Brief Visit’ to Tyndale Photography Club.
Alastair kicked off the evening by saying he had always been interested by polar expeditions and was eager to witness the grandeur of the ‘big ice’ firsthand. After a brief and unfortunate encounter in Buenos Aires, where he got mugged and robbed, he and his wife travelled down to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, from there they set sail on their voyage through Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsular.
From the bridge of the Russian crewed vessel, Alastair was able to capture images of the towering ice and snow-capped mountains that lay ahead and from the deck, he captured stunning images of the boldly marked Antarctic Petrels, commenting how effortless it was to photograph them as they accompanied the ship on its journey.
After crossing the Arctic Circle Alastair found that they were in permanent sunlight and were now given the opportunity to take inflatable boat excursions to numerous islands of the Antarctic archipelago. During these trips, he saw Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard seals, all of which are unique to Antarctica. He found that the smaller boat made it much easier to capture stunning photographs of these remarkable creatures. One of the islands they visited was Stonington Island, where he observed the huts that had once been used by the British Antarctic Survey. On Horseshoe Island, Alastair captured photographs of copper salts seeping from the rocks, which, due to the lack of rainfall in Antarctica, remain on the surface.
A trip to Antarctica wouldn’t be complete without capturing images of penguins. Despite the noise and smell of a penguin rookery, Alastair ventured in and managed to take photographs of Chinstrap, Adelie and Gentoo penguins alongside their chicks.
The stunning photos of the vast ice landscapes, unique wildlife and the challenges of navigating in such a remote environment were truly memorable and it was a privilege to glimpse a part of the world that few have the opportunity to see.
THURSDAY 6th November 2025 Members Evening
First members’ evening of the season and we tried something different. It was something that could have gone well or could have been a disaster but it was decided we would give it a go. It turned out to be a great success!
At a previous meeting members were invited to send in three images which meant something to them and had an emotional tie, but most of all something they felt comfortable sharing with everyone else. The images were collected, a running order was published and it was so encouraging to see that seventeen members were going to take part.
One by one we took our turn at the microphone and chatted about our submissions. Why did we take them? How did we take them? What did they mean to us?
Whilst Dave Arkwell took us on a challenging uphill hike to the Briksdal Glacier near Olden in Norway, Steve Varman introduced us to the charming ‘tin tabernacle’ chapel St Mary the Virgin in Shepperdine. Closer to home, Barbara Gibbons walked us around Sharpness, one of her favorite spots to take photographs and Elizabeth Restall captured her delicate infra-red images around New Street and Swinhay Lane in Charfield.
The shrunken and withered leaves of a Fatsia Japonica garden plant were presented by David Brookes and Judy James told us about the numerous apple trees in her garden and her cider making escapades. Keeping on the garden theme Peter Whitfield shared the post processing techniques he performed on the chrysanthemum images he shared with us whilst Diana Baker experimented with in camera versus post processing double exposure images of a local woodland.
David Rayner’s photographs were taken during recent strolls around Standish Woods and the Frampton on Severn lakes. In contrast George Ryske’s images were taken while exploring Coaley Peak and Stinchcombe Hill ending up at The Old Spot.
Whilst Joan Scott entertained us with images of an abandoned, ivy covered, rusty, crook locked Land Rover, Steve Stone told of how he had enjoyed a birthday treat with his wife at Woodchester vineyard. Meanwhile, Mike Baxter revealed his longstanding admiration of Concorde with images taken at Bristol Aerospace Museum.
Other hobbies were the choice of two members, Bill Beere told how he records moths, showing images of both the moths and the kit he uses to take them and Christine Ryske showed images of local spots in the Dursley area where she has hidden geocaches.
It was lovely to see a some family photographs and while Don Grundell’s grandchildren happily posed for their grandad in the kitchen and outdoors as car mechanics, Steve White shared a family photograph and an image of Cam Peak which brought back fond childhood memories.
All in all it was a most enjoyable evening which I am sure will be repeated again next year.
THURSDAY 30th OCTOBER 2025 Competition - judged by Roger Matthews
Our first competition of this season was judged by Roger Matthews. As is tradition, the print competition took place first, but prior to that, Roger, a member of the Stroud Camera Club, shared his approach to judging and evaluating competition images. He tends to view the images multiple times over several days, reserving his scoring for the actual competition day. He spoke openly and honestly about each entered image and I’m sure his critiques will be beneficial for all of us looking to improve our photography skills. With judging over he said he that it had been a privilege to take part in the evening and had thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the 18 prints and 26 projected images and commented that was no shortage of talent in the club.
COMPETITION RESULTS
PRINTS 1st place – Harvest – Steve Varman LRPS 2nd place – Another World – Steve Varman LRPS 3rd place – Just Too Late – Steve Stone LRPS
PROJECTED DIGITAL IMAGES 1st place – Lancing College Chapel - Steve Stone LRPS 2nd place – Fennel - Steve Varman LRPS 3rd place – My Travels - Steve Stone LRPS
Thursday 23rd October 2025 Nick Hodgson MA FRPS - 'Free Mines Coal Faces'
Nick Hodgson MA FRPS, a photographer based in London, made his first visit to Tyndale Photography Club to give his talk ‘Free Mines Coal Faces’. Before diving into his presentation he took a moment to share a bit about his background, he explained that he is completely self taught in the art of photography. He committed to photography full-time in 2018 and completed a two-year online Photography MA (Master of Arts) course in 2020. Additionally, he earned his FRPS (Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society) in 2022. He stated that the presentation he was about to deliver formed part of his MA, was the panel he had submitted for his FRPS and also became an award winning book.
In the first part of his presentation, Nick provided a brief overview of the history of Freemining in the Forest of Dean. We discovered that freemining is a unique, longstanding tradition allowing registered individuals, referred to as freeminers, to extract coal from specific areas within the forest. He explained that there are currently eight operational mines, supported by a community of approximately fifty freeminers. When planning his project, Nick’s primary interest was to focus on this small community of ‘merry men’.
He then revealed why he had chosen this particular topic for a photographic project – his great grandfather was a freeminer. Nick shared with us an image of coalminers from 1884 captured by American photographer George M Bretz and followed it with several other historical photographs from coalmining photographers who have inspired his work.
The research for his project was gathered from various sources, including the internet, his family and the local heritage society. He also visited the mines and built up a friendship and trust with the working freeminers. Over a four year period Nick amassed a collection of images showcasing both the surface landscape and the underground mines.
The images displayed each conveyed a unique story, highlighting the strong bonds within the freemining community. Nick was taken into the mines multiple times, allowing him to capture stunning photographs of the freeminers at work. Monochrome images of freeminers wielding picks and shovels illustrated the cramped and challenging conditions they endure, whilst others, illuminated only by the glow of a headlamp, gave us a glimpse into the experience of extracting coal from the seam.
He explained his method for post-processing and outlined the steps he took to create the impeccable prints of his FRPS panel. By publishing his book he brought a sense of closure to the project.
He concluded the evening by dedicating his presentation to the memory of freeminer Mike Howell.
Nick’s presentation was truly unique – the visuals were breathtaking and the accompanying narrative was utterly captivating!
To purchase Nick’s book go to https://nicholashodgson.photoshelter.com/p/book
Thursday 16th October 2025 Aleks Gjika EFIAP/b DPAGB BPE1* - 'Shandong China 2025'
Gloucestershire based freelance photographer Aleks Gjika EFIAP/b DPAGB BPE1* has visited Tyndale Photography Club as a speaker and judge many times and it was good to welcome him back to deliver his engaging talk and travelog ‘Shandong China 2025’.
Despite its huge size, relatively few people have had the opportunity to visit China, so Aleks explained how privileged he felt to have been invited by the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), in cooperation with FIAP China, to be part of a group of international photographers on a trip to Jinan, the capital of the province of Shandong in East China, (and to quote Aleks) take pictures.
From the morning to night, the group were taken to a variety of places, including cities, festivals, museums and factories. The images Aleks shared alongside his commentary were a joy to behold, truly captivating, he skillfully captured the essence of the culture, history and architecture of each site the group were taken to.
Alongside the daytime images of the waterways within Jinan, Aleks skillfully captured night-time images showing how the city, with over nine million residents, is covered with high rise buildings. The variety of subjects in the presentation was immense, besides dancers and magicians in brightly coloured costumes entertaining the group in celebration to Confucius, there were images of huge bulldozers produced by robots. In contrast to these vibrant images, we were also shown people dressed in soft pastel costumes, their hair adorned with flowers. At a visit to a pottery, Aleks took stunning images of painters delicately applying paint to the ceramics, demonstrating the remarkable talent of these skilled workers.
Most of the architectural photographs taken by Aleks were in black and white. The indoor shots captured at the airport highlighted the sweeping curves of this incredible ultra-modern building, while the outdoor images of traditional Chinese buildings showcased the character of China’s heritage.
The members present had a most entertaining evening and felt they had attended a masterclass in travel photography.
Thursday 9th October 2025 Thomas Greetham - 'Pre-visualisation in monochrome photography'
Bristol based photographer, Thomas Greetham paid his first visit to Tyndale Photography Club to give his talk ‘Pre-visualisation in monochrome photography’. Thomas explained that he is entirely self-taught, it all began in his teenage years when his father gifted him a camera, this started his journey as an open-minded photographer who developed a deep love for black and white photography.
American landscape photographer Ansel Adams, known for his striking black and white images and German filmmaker and photographer Wim Wenders have both been a great influence on Thomas. He believes that by studying their work he has been able to develop his pre-visualisation skills enabling him to see his final monochrome image even before pressing the shutter button. He showed various images from Ansel, Wim and other street photographers giving us an insight into where he gets his inspiration from.
When Thomas plans an image, he focuses on the shapes rather than the colours and then pictures it in black and white. He contemplates what he can do with it in post-processing and then plans his photographic trip. When arriving at his chosen location, he takes initial shots to figure out the necessary camera settings, he feels that in doing this he can take a photograph in a split second when the perfect moment happens. He is willing to wait and bide his time until either a person or animal enters the frame just where he wants them. Images that Thomas shared with us included shots taken in London, Bristol and the Sycamore Gap.
Thomas’ work is very different to most speakers who visit our club in the fact that he only takes monochrome images. One piece of advice he gave was that even if you’ve carefully visualised and planned your shots, it’s important not to get discouraged if they don’t turn out as expected— there’s always another day to try again.
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Thursday 2nd October U-Judge Print Competition & Social
Where did those summer months go? I can hardly believe that October is here and that we are at the start of our 2025/2026 season.
The first meeting of this new season saw a good turnout of members and, as is tradition, we kicked things off with the ‘U-Judge’ print competition.
Chairperson Diana Baker opened the meeting by welcoming everyone back and then left us to browse the thirty six prints displayed around the room. Each club member had the opportunity to submit anonymously up to three images for this competition and those present at the meeting could cast their votes for what they believed to be the top three images.
As we wandered around, we could hear each other quietly muttering on how challenging it was to choose just three favorites, given the exceptional quality of all the images. The subject matter was varied and included both colour and monochrome photographs. With the first round of voting over the top seven were displayed at the front of the hall for a ‘show of hands’ vote to decide on an eventual winner. After the votes at this stage had been counted, two images ended up in a tiebreak, prompting a second ‘show of hands’ vote to break the deadlock.
Barbara Gibbons took home the U Judge Trophy for her image ‘Old Sanatorium’, while Steve Stone’s ‘Crisp Morning’ secured the runner-up position.
With the competition over, a light buffet supper and plenty of social chat finished off a most enjoyable evening.
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