The IOM Photographic Society had the pleasure this week of welcoming Dorothy Flint to present a host of her travel images, and to comment on them during the showing. Dorothy is a member at the Western Society and an occasional and very welcome visitor at the IOMPS. Her photographic qualifications include ARPS AFIAP and BPE3* - so a very skilled and artistic worker with an excellent eye someone whose images will always stimulate and enthuse an audience, and this weeks presentation certainly did that. With travel difficult for the past year, and likely to remain so for some months yet, the opportunity to see a series of superb images of distant places is a breath of fresh air and almost as good as actually being there!
The evening split neatly into two halves the first with images from an expedition to Tuscany. Tuscany has long been a favoured destination for photographers and Dorothys images were stunning, justifying its reputation as a photographic hotspot over 150 images showcasing the landscape, its villas and its villages, all exquisitely captured in lovely detail and with carefully arranged and very pleasing compositions. The visit was to the Val DOrcia area close to the village ofMonticchiello and the town of Pienza an area famed for its hilly countryside, avenues of cypress trees and isolated villas making ideal subjects for photographers. Dorothy clearly doesnt mind an early start, her landscapes often seen in the early morning when the low sunlight glancing across the terrain creates shaded areas, enabling the eye to interpret every dip and hollow, whilst the sense of distance in the images was apparent from the recession. Her villa and villages images were similarly lovely the stonework and architecture of the buildings and alleys beautifully portrayed.
The second half of the evening comprised a visit to Lake Kerkini in northern Greece, 60 miles north of Thessalonika and close to the Bulgarian border where Dorothy's skills as a nature photographer also became clear. Lake Kerkini is on bird migration routes from north to south in the Balkans and is visited by some 300 different bird species every year, but it was for its pelicans that Dorothy had come to photograph on a brief, three day visit.
Pelicans are approximately the same size as a swan, so large enough to be relatively easy to photograph without needing a very long lens, whilst the assistance of a friendly boatman throwing chum (small fish as food) to attract the birds to come closer also helped... Pelicans are perhaps not the most beautiful of birds, their long beaks and pouches giving an ungainly impression, but make a spectacular and characterful subject for an image. Their spread-out wings and agility in flight, their take-offs and descents on the water were shown in lovely detail in an intriguing slideshow.
Club President Jeremy Broome-Smith gave the vote of thanks.
Our next meeting is on 24th February when John Keelan will be judging our second assignment competition, the theme being Book / Film / Song Title and commenting on just how successful the images are in fulfilling the set subject whilst providing our audience with lots of opportunity to add their thoughts too. Our meetings are held the St John Ambulance HQ on Glencrutchery Road, starting at 7:00 pm and are open to the public (non-members with a modest entry fee), and all will be given a very warm welcome. Please check our website www.iomps.com or our Facebook page for full details of our updated programme.
The Isle of Man Photographic Society is supported by the Arts Council
By Chris Blyth
CAPTIONS:
IMAGE 01: Tuscany Landscape by Dorothy Flint
IMAGE 02: Lake Kerkini Pelicans by Dorothy Flint
IMAGE 03: Tuscan Village by Dorothy Flint
