October 31st The Idle Rich Returns

01/11/11

Monday 31st October The Idle Rich Returns:
An evening with Leo Rich ARPS,EFIAP/bDPAGB APAGB

Tuesday morning; 11a.m; sitting down to a coffee after having taken a leaf out of Leo Rich’s book by going out and taking pictures just because…. the time seemed right! The sun was shining, the autumn leaves were glowing and the attraction was too great to resist… being ‘time Rich’, (Read Retired!) and nothing in the diary for this morning I spent over two hours wandering the hills round Cerne! Wonderful!

Last night’s ‘The Idle Rich Returns’ was anything but idle and definitely inspirational. I realised it was going to be a good evening when the number of people coming in and buying raffle tickets was surpassing any of our previous evenings, as well as extra seating needed to accommodate everyone!

Leo’s presentation was a slide one… he did check everyone knew what slides were, as he had experienced some lack of knowledge in that direction at other such presentations! No one admitted to not knowing, so I guess most of us were old enough and long enough in photography to have worked with them in the ‘early days’!! The familiar clunk- click of the slide cartridge going through the projector was somewhat comforting!

The range of Leo’s images covered anything and everything – wildlife- ‘badly taken’ (his words); landscapes- ‘what’s that mark on the slide?’ (judge’s comment to a distant balloon floating in a gorgeous sunset sky!); portraits from his world wide travels, particularly India – ‘stunning; beautifully composed and exposed shots of adults and children in their natural settings’ (my words!); were presented with anecdotal stories, funny asides and empathetic social comment where relevant, as with the poorness of some of his subjects in India, and who, despite this, were always polite and generous with their time and possessions… (or lack of.)

There were plenty of gentle jibes at the judges who had liked/hadn’t liked; understood/not understood; approved/ not approved of the photographs he had entered in various competitions and salons.

Then of course there were the fillers, for example a door with a padlock….! Leo’s reminder as to what came next in his talk, whether reportage – the bride and groom in the middle of a photo shoot of which he became a part; the holiday reminiscence – the lavender fields of Provence ( I want to go there); or an photograph of a lion eating its prey with blood in evidence.. ‘this is the image to send to Germany!’

What a great evening it was! Leo’s approach to photography as an ‘jobbing amateur’ with a ‘pot pourri’ (had to check the spelling - miscellany is easier!!) of pictures is, I think, what many of us might aspire to. An attitude of taking what you like to take, not being hide-bound by the requirements of judges and enjoying what you do, is message that came through loud and clear.

Thank you Leo. ‘The sun is still shining…now where shall I go this afternoon?!

Jane Tearle