Tutors Gallery: Mr. Brian E Swinyard BA(Hons) MA ARPS EFIAP DPAGB PSA1* BPE2*

An occasional series of biographies and
images by tutors and staff

Biography

'Aspirational' Photographer with special interest in Creative, Travel and Portrait photography.

Born in 1943 in Bristol, England, Brian developed his first B&W photograph at the age of 13, although he did not begin a serious interest in photography until 1984.

Since then, he has been an active member of various Camera Clubs in UK (currently member of Cheltenham and Gloucester Camera Clubs) and overseas (founder member of Ayios Nikolaos Photographic Society, Cyprus).

Image 1: TORMENT

This is a composite of two images: an on-location portrait (Cropped, Desaturated, Posterized) combined with a picture of a tree in a corn field (Twirl Filter) in Cyprus. I wanted the tree to mirror the shape of the subject's head, as a metaphor for man and earth being one, and to illustrate the tensions between left and right sides of the brain.

Image 2: TWO BOATS: VENICE

This image was taken in one of the many canals in Venice and I was immediately attracted to the reflections in the still water. I placed the boats on the upper left third in a compositionally strong position to give context to the reflections. Subsequent digital manipulation included Radial Gradient centred on the two boats and Find Edges Filter. In this way I retained reality on the boats at the centre of the radial, which changed to an increasing line effect towards the edge of the frame.

Regarded in the UK Camera Club Circuit, not only as a prolific image-maker but also as an inspiration to others. His photography, which nowadays is almost exclusively digitally-based, is varied, shows a great deal of technical expertise, originality and enviable imagination. Many of his images have been accepted (some Medal winners) in National and International Exhibitions and Salons in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Caribbean, China, England, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine, USA and Wales. His work has been published in In-House Journals, Photography Magazines and Photographic Journals.

Image 3: TRANSPARENCIES FOR THE FUTURE

This is a sandwich of two images: a sample of my creative slides taken on a light box, and a zoomed version of the same. I was looking for an image that reflected my interest in photography and also a desire to expand my horizons and move my work forward artistically. In artistic terms, it opens up the appearance of a deep space whose imaginary recesses encourage a narrative and pictorial dialogue with the viewer.

Image 4: BLUEBELL WOOD: CRANHAM

I have always been fascinated with bluebells and this image provided an opportunity to experiment. The top two thirds were treated with the Motion Blur Filter, with a little judicious use of the Clone Tool to remove distracting branches. The bottom third was merely sharpened using Unsharp Mask. The image was completed using a white line Stroked into the image and a border Filled with a colour selected from the image applied over a Linear Gradient.

Brian has participated in Exhibitions in Cheltenham, Gloucester and various locations in Europe, Middle East, Far East and American continents. This included an Exhibition entitled Picturing The Modern which toured various galleries in UK. Some of Brian's images can be viewed on the Member's Gallery at the Royal Photographic Society website: http://www.rps.org.

He recently made the transition to digital with the purchase of a Canon EOS 20D, assorted lenses and accessories. Prior to this, whenever abroad on business or pleasure, his trusted Minolta SLR Dynax 7xi and 7000i cameras were his constant companions. His preference, with his wife Angela, is for the long-haul, off-the-beaten track, back-packing type of destinations. Recent expeditions have included Tasmania, Bolivia, Peru, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Image 5: ROCOCO GARDENS

This image was taken at Rococo Gardens, Painswick, Gloucestershire. I was intrigued by the formal structure of this gazebo and selected this particular image for further digital manipulation. This included application of Curves, Neon Glow and Plastic Wrap Filters. It featured as part of my successful panel of prints for Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society.

Image 6: GRANDE CANAL: VENICE

Venice is one of those locations beloved by photographers; find the tripod holes, set up your camera and shoot a winner! I was particularly interested in the contrast between the formal shapes of the buildings in the background and the informality of the gondolas bobbing up and down at their mooring posts. The effect was completed with Radial Gradient centred on the flags in the background and use of Find Edges Filter to give that pen and ink effect at the edges of the frame.

Brian is currently working towards the Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society (FRPS), Excellence of the International Federation of Photographic Art/Bronze (EFIAP/b), Master of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (MPAGB), Photographic Society of America (PSA) Two Star Award and British Photographic Exhibition (BPE) Three Crown Award.

He graduated Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology with The Open University, Master of Arts in Photography with De Montfort University, Leicester. The latter included critical surveys and analysis of: Moment Of Death photographs in war photography, Urban Landscapes viewed as monochrome negatives and Personal Identity: Transition from Camera Club to Fine Art Photographer.

Image 7: AND ALL THAT JAZZ

This shot was taken onboard a riverboat cruise on the River Severn in Gloucestershire. Not only was I enjoying the jazz band but I was intrigued by the reflections in the saxophone. So it was out with the Canon EOS 20D to see whether I could capture a half decent image. This is a straight in-camera shot with deliberate movement while the shutter was open to create the sense of movement. There has been no digital manipulation after the event. It was not until I saw the image the next day I realized that my movement of the camera had captured musical notes that appeared to be coming out of the saxophone horn.

Image 8: HOT LIPS

I've always been interested in photographing glass as table-top still-life. The glasses were arranged on the light box with a curved white paper screen acting as backdrop. Black card was placed to the left and right, to reflect black lines onto the edges of the glasses. I Cloned the red lips from a studio portrait session and Pasted them over the two upright glasses. The composition with two upright glasses and one on its side seemed to be a metaphor for the effects of excessive drinking. Therefore it seemed appropriate to reflect this by Pasting the third lips, not on the fallen glass but on the ground. The whole image was then Colourized with a green hue, perhaps the most suitable colour to reflect how we may feel afterwards?

Using the ways that photography can abstract and formalize reality, Brian has been encouraged to produce images that question the traditional concepts of what is and what reality means. The emotional content of his images has now become more important than hitherto.

Brian's photography no longer concentrates on events and behaviours in a clinical, detached and anonymous way but now attempts more to capture feelings, emotions, moods and interactions, which yields a far more complex, satisfying and richer palette, in an attempt to give meaning to those events and behaviours. The images initiate a dialogue with which the viewer can relate; an aesthetic dynamic of creative individualism

Brian tutors on both our Basic Photography Course and our Digital Photography Course

Image 9: CHIESA DI SAN GIORGIO: VENICE

Venice is one of those wonderful locations, so loved by photographers; a place where there are so many potential images waiting to be taken. All you have to do is find the tripod holes, point the camera and take the picture! I took this image of the Chiesa Di San Giorgio from the other side of the Grand Canal in Venice. I wanted to include the outline shapes not only of the Chiesa but also of the gondolas, mooring posts and lamp-post. The digital manipulation included Radial Gradient and Find Edges Filter, which gave me the effect I was after; true colour at the centre of the gradient centred on the Chiesa, going out to pen-and-ink effect at the bottom edge of the pavement

Image 10: WHISPERS

This image was taken in the garden of an Arts Centre in USA. The statues were full length and life-size but I was intrigued by the interaction at head and shoulders level. Having Cropped tightly onto that part of the image that interested me, I subsequently used a variety of digital techniques in the computer, including Desaturate, Add Noise, Gaussian Blur, Plastic Wrap and Neon Glow.

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