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Barbie Lindsay, AFIAP, MPAGB, BPE5* Being a photographic obsessive, I live and thrive on the photographic medium. My world is seen through the eye of the lens and my life totally revolves around my complete love of photography. Born in Ipswich, I acquired my first camera at the age of 11, an Ilford sprite 127. I had always hankered after a career as an artist, but sadly never fulfilled this dream. Instead turning my artist talent to photography in 1982 upon joining Felixstowe Camera Club. Currently working as a lab manager, specialising in digital imaging, for a large national Schools Photography Company, despite my immense dislike of kids. I lecture across the country on photography, judge nationally, as well as participating in national and international exhibitions myself. After many years of judging for the EAF, I have recently been appointed a PAGB judge, and am now looking forward to this new challenge. My biggest achievement to date must be, being part of the Gold medal winning team, representing Britain in the worldwide FIAP biennial print competition. In the same competition I also won an individual silver medal. I have had numerous photographs published in books and newspapers, including one image that was used as a phone card for BT. My photography can be rather controversial at times, as I am often pushing at the boundaries, hence my reputation of being a bit of a maverick. I don't mean to offend but sometimes it happens! I will not photograph things to please others but only to please myself. If they are then appreciated for what I think they're worth, then it's all an added bonus. My pictures are not always pretty pictures, but instead I hope they will make people stop and think about their content. I also like to create humour in my work, another area that is seldom appreciated in photography, or indeed within the art world as a whole. I also love photographing people, with or without their clothes on, male or female. I started out using colour film and trade processing, but it wasn't long before I acquired a Black & White darkroom. Some time later progressing to doing my own darkroom colour printing too, but I have now been totally 'digital' for the last 5 years. Using the Fuji S2 camera and the Epson 1270 printer.
RUSSELL LINDSAY, ARPS, MPAGB, BPE5* I have been interested in photography for about 17 years. In the early days, I produced both Mono and Colour prints in the darkroom. In 1997 however, I started scanning my negatives and slides and producing my prints digitally. Indeed for the last 5 years, I have been totally 'digital' in the sense that I now use digital SLR's to capture my images. Starting out with the 'FujiS1' and now using the 'FujiS3'. I am a digital imaging specialist by profession, and work with my wife Barbie in the imaging lab, for a National Schools Photography Company. I also judge and lecture around the photographic circuit as well as exhibiting work nationally and internationally. Picking up numerous awards along the way. I will photograph anything and everything if I think it might make a good image. I am often asked whilst lecturing or judging why I create many of my images by using composites. Why I combine several images together to produce the final picture. Well, the answer is quite simple, when it comes to my photography, in 90% of the cases, the picture starts off as an idea, which then has to be transferred to whichever photographic medium I have chosen to use. I cannot leave it to chance, that I may stumble upon such a vision. More still, I need to be in total control and therefore have to create the picture myself. It may simply be by setting up the scene beforehand, or by photographing each element separately and then bringing all the components together to create my final image. Digital manipulation obviously lends itself to this type of work, far more so than the darkroom ever did. However, in some people's eyes, this is not considered 'real' photography and I do open myself up to a lot of criticism because of it. But to those that feel like this, I think they should research the likes of 'Henry Peach-Robinson' and 'Oscar Rejlander', they may well then take a different view. I consider myself to be a photographic artist rather than a photographic reporter. I like an added element of humour in my pictures but alongside everything else that I produce, quality is of paramount importance.
BEYOND GROUP The 'Beyond Group' consists of like-minded photographic enthusiasts. Of which Barbie and Rusty are both proud to be founder members. The aims of which are to encourage all its' members to take their photography to another level, and not merely be entertained for the evening. Potential new members will need to demonstrate this like-minded enthusiasm for photography, and membership is not automatic. The group aims to actively encourage members to enter national and international exhibitions by entering as a group, and thus sharing the normal high cost of postage. It encourages its' members to participate in all the 'Beyond Group' activities, much of which is geared towards image discussions. It has high hopes that in the future many of its members will take up judging, lecturing and achieving photographic merits and distinctions, if they have not already done so. If they have, then we aim to encourage them to move up to yet another gear. News of forthcoming exhibitions and competitions are regularly emailed to all the members. Potentially useful new products and/or techniques are demonstrated and reviewed by all.
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