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Capturing the Moment
Margaret Collis has an exhibition during November at the RPS in Bath. Below is an extract from the RPS website where Margaret gives some of the background behind the exhibition.
I have always enjoyed “capturing the moment” when I am out and about with my camera and hopefully sharing with others my pleasure in the environment around me.
My first love was and probably remains landscape photography where quality of light is all important here and composition is a close second. I am drawn to wide open spaces which have a timeless appeal - Norfolk beaches, moors and desserts. Mountain landscapes are another favourite, where the sheer scale dwarfs the human figure and leaves you lost in wonder and awe.
I am particularly attracted to stormy lighting when the sky broods but golden light illuminates foreground grasses adding that essential luminosity. Using a wide angle lens helps me create strong foregrounds and simple compositions.
I was fortunate to visit China when I served on the Directory Board of the International Federation of Photographic Art and have included just four images from this visit, which serve as a link between my landscape and my people photography.
However when I visited Indochina for the first time in 2008, I discovered friendly, cheerful people who were a delight to photograph and were equally pleased to be photographed - this despite the hardships of the Vietnamese war and the infamous Pol Pot regime in Cambodia. I was impressed too with their ingenuity in using local materials.
While I was there Bangkok airport was occupied so we were “evacuated” from Siem Riep over land.
This was a fascinating journey revealing the life alongside the so called “road that smokes”. On my return in 2010, the road was no longer sand but tarmac. I wanted to record the way of life I had witnessed before it disappeared in the name of progress.
Whichever path you decide to tread, photography should be first and foremost enjoyable.
The exhibition is being held at the RPS, Fenton House, 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH, from now until 28 November, Monday – Friday. 9.30 – 16.30. Entry is Free.
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