Forest of Galtres Camera Club

Monday 23 February 2015

David Warner, one of the club’s most accomplished and respected photographers, presented Selection Box. This was a collection of images grouped thematically and accompanied by great music that added to the mood, atmosphere or sense of wonder evoked. To say that the quality of the photography throughout was worthy of the best professional is an understatement. David is a master of light, impressive skies and original perspectives in a variety of situations.

He opened with a series of images captured mostly at sunrise, a few at sunset. It was not just the drama of red skies but more often, the subtlety of early morning light just touching a mountain top or caught in the reflection of wet sands or the simplicity of an image highlighting a few scattered pebbles that impressed most. A Lakeland Weekend followed. There were familiar views but taken at David’s favourite time for photography - early morning - when mists gathered in the valleys or across the lakes and mingled with the particular quality of light only found at that time of day.

Blood Swept Lands proved to be such a moving tribute to the memories of those involved in the First World War. It began with black and white photographs of soldiers – the dead, the dying and the battle weary. There were shattered landscapes, horses struggling through thick mud to pull their loads, the rolls of barbed wire and shells exploding. Then, almost seamlessly, this theme moved to the placing of the last of the 888246 poppies at the Tower of London. Despite so many images of this remarkable sight having been seen, David found angles, locations, perspectives that brought a whole new insight to the display. The words of ‘Ode of Remembrance’ from ‘For the Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon as well as Elgar’s Nimrod added to the impact of this set of images.

A collection of monochrome landscapes followed: from lighthouses to fishermen casting a line from a pier, from dramatic skies over Bamburgh to abbeys, from waterfalls to the Giants Causeway – all had impact.

In recent years, David has become intrigued by the photographic opportunities presented by industrial landscape. A sequence of images capturing the drama of the Teeside area through dramatic lighting conditions, industrial smoke pouring out of huge chimneys, the structure of the Tees Transporter Bridge, wind turbines, oil platforms and shipping. He particularly likes to capture nature’s relationship with so many of these human constructions.

Three consecutive weekends away contributed to Winter Days in the Dales. The first had been very windy, the second produced snow and the third some sun. David visited Swaledale, Wensleydale and Ribblesdale. He captured everything that means Dales to anyone who knows them and more. There were the barns and the walls crossing the landscape but also the smaller detail of the Dales such as the frost covered rural gate, the isolated tree.

Flowers followed: some in their natural habitat, some artistically presented against a white background in a simple clear bottle, others were a macro image showing great detail.

In the smallest of light aircraft, David was taken on a flying trip from Dishforth airfield to the Lake District on a day when the land below him was snow covered. A selection of wonderful and largely unfamiliar views of well-known landmarks were seen. There was Castle Bolton, Windermere, Derwentwater, York, Ingleborough, Ampleforth, Fountains Abbey, Easingwold and the White Horse. There were unfamiliar areas too. In one image were three distinctive trees with their darker shadows breaking up the pristine undisturbed whiteness of the large field in which they stood.