Newsletter

Events Art Fairs and other events

The show season is nearly over for another year. Just 2 to go. We have quite a few new prints plus some ever popular ones at both. There will also be offers on posters and books, if you are looking for Christmas presents it could be good!

This weekend we have a stand (number 10, in the marquee closest to the main entrance) at the Craft in Focus Christmas Contemporary Craft and Design Fair at RHS Garden Wisley. This is just off the M25 motorway near Guildford in Surrey.

Entry is free to RHS members and £7 to everyone else, free parking. What's even better is that the marquees have heat and a solid floor, luxury! To find it with satnav use GU23 6QB.
Opening hours:
9am to 8pm Thursday 24th and Friday 25th,
9am to 5pm Saturday 26th to Monday 28th November.

For more information visit the Craft in Focus web site (www.craftinfocus.com).

There are 3 marquees with about 150 top quality exhibitors. Jan is doing this one on her own to save my bad back, which has been a bit painful recently. As usual I have been doing too much and it soon lets me know that I've overdone it. The following weekend we are doing a show locally in Buxton as it's the Artist and Designer Fair in Pavilion gardens. We should both be at this one with our usual black stand and around 400 photographs in browsers and framed.

We are starting to think about which 2012 shows we will do. The first one to be confirmed is Focus on Imaging at the Birmingham NEC. Ilford Photo / Harman Technology have invited Jan and I back onto their stand in Hall 9 at this big show. Usually, getting on for 40,000 visitors come to the show each year making it the largest annual photo show in Europe.

There will be the usual Buxton shows (2 in July, including the Great Dome Art Fair, 1 in September, 1 in October (Great Peak District Fair - confirmed) and probably 2 in December).

We expect to return to Stonor Park near Henley on Thames (August Bank Holiday), as well as the Christmas shows with ICHF at the Glasgow SECC (October) and Birmingham NEC (November). In addition, we are planning to do 2 shows at Penshurst Place in Kent (May and September). There is also a chance of a show at Haddon Hall (between Bakewell and Matlock) in March with Peak District Artisans but this has yet to be confirmed. At the moment that's it but another 2 or 3 may be added later.

No trade shows next year, we are trying a different route for trade sales using Lisa in America and Antje in Germany, who are both very experienced agents, to find licensing business (calendars, cards, stationery, etc.), and so far this is working well.

Galleries

My work is exhibited at 2 galleries in the Peak District.

Gallery in the Gardens, in Buxton Pavilion Gardens.

This is actually the gallery for a group of local artists and craft workers called High Peak Artists, of which I am a member. There are 39 of us and we rent the space from High Peak Council and run it ourselves. I change my display completely 3 or 4 times a year and replace items as they sell with different photographs to keep the display fresh. There is space for up to 15 framed photographs on the wall as well as 3 browsers on the table displaying a further 200 small photographs. The display was changed today, 24th November and it looks great! Pop in to see it if you are passing.

Jarva Gallery, in Whaley Bridge.

This is just a couple of miles from my home and Lindsey, who owns and runs it, has started taking some of my city photography.

Landscape Photography Courses

Lake District, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales Locations

Our courses were pretty well booked up this year so we have decided to expand the programme in 2012. The only course left for me to do in 2011 is a 1 day darkroom masterclass at Leicester College, for the 4th consecutive year.

Landscape photography courses start again in March with 1 day courses in the Peak District (near Hathersage) and Lake District (Eskdale). New locations include Northumberland (based in Berwick-upon-Tweed in April) and Glen Coe (based in Glencoe and Ballachulish in September). We will also be returning to the Yorkshire Dales (Grassington in May) and the Lake District in October (based in Eskdale but using Wasdale and the coast between Ravenglass and St Bees Head). The format for booking has changed slightly. Not everyone wants or can afford a 2 or 3 day course so we have split these into 2 separate but consecutive courses. This gives a lot more flexibility on course length as there are now 1, 2 or 3 day courses all running at the same time, the only difference is that you will need to book two modules to do the longest course. However, if you want a 1 day course in the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland or Glen Coe then you can now book it.

It's no longer just the Peak District that has 1 day courses! There is more information on the web, or call me for a chat or email me if you are interested. There remain just 5 places with 2 tutors for every landscape photography course. None of the courses include accommodation so that you can choose how much or how little you spend on this. We provide lists of accommodation providers and there are hotlinks to them on my web site to speed up the process.

The Peak District courses always book up first and there are 1 and 2 day courses again this year. If you would like more attention than is possible in a group, or you have your own group then talk to me about what we can do for you. Rates for 1-to-1 start at just £300 a day with 1 tutor and £500 a day with 2 tutors.

Darkroom Printing Courses

The darkroom printing courses have remained popular and have run through the year from February to November.

The cost remains at £150 per place and includes all paper and chemicals generously supplied free of charge by Ilford Photo. The maximum number on any course is just 2 people so you are assured of lots of attention during the day. I am one of only 7 Ilford Master Printers and will help you quickly improve your printing.

If you would like to progress faster than is possible in a group, or you have a friend to combine with then talk to me about arranging a day specially for you on a date to suit you. Rates for 1-to-1 are £300 a day, maximum of 2 people.

New Photographs

New images added to www.davebutcher.co.uk/gallery/recent

The new images of London have been going well and I have more that I haven't scanned yet. Another trip has been pencilled in for springtime to take the shots that weren't possible in March, mainly because London bore more than a passing resemblance to a building site; preparing for the Olympics seemed to be the main excuse offered. I'm hoping that a few weeks before the Olympics next year all will be finished and it will be in pristine condition for my pictures!

Since the last newsletter in July we have been a bit busy so not too many new images. We spent 3 weeks in the Alps, ran several courses on our return, interspersed with big shows on 5 consecutive weekends (3 to 5 days each). The city images below are from a set I pulled together in August for a Cities of the World 2013 calendar for the USA and Canada. The Aspen Shadows one at the bottom is currently one of my favourites, especially at 1m x 0.5m! I have quite a few new shots of Glasgow, taken in October while we were exhibiting at the 4 day Crafts for Christmas show at the SECC. Jan looked after the stand while I nipped out when the sun shone, and I took some at night too. The negatives look quite interesting, looking forward to seeing them and adding to the web site.

Photo Trips In September

We drove down to the Alps via Frankfurt so I now have a set of Frankfurt images, day and night. Then it was down to Garmisch in Bavaria for a few days for photos of and from the Zugspitze, highest peak in Germany and a few other places). This was followed by a night in Innsbruck for photos in the old town before heading into Italy for shots around the pretty small town of Bressanone and the Dolomites around Misurina while staying with our friends Ulli and Fiorenza who own and run the Sport Hotel there (photos of Cortina at night while we stayed here too). Great light for photos while we were here and good walking too. Then it was down to Lake Garda, Staying in Malcesine for photos of the village as well as other lakeside villages of Sirmione, Bardolino and Torre del Benaco. While in Malcesine we drove the hour or so into Verona for the afternoon and evening for photographs. Then it was on to Lake Como, staying in Menaggio but visiting Varenna and Belaggio by boat as well for photos. This was as far south as we ventured and it was homeward bound from here. We made our way over the Alps into Switzerland to stay in Villars but it was bad weather so we went down by Lake Geneva for photos around Lausanne, eventually in the sunshine.

The following day we drove to Strasbourg for photos. I had only been here in the rain before so it was good to have nice weather as well as being able to take night shots. So, quite a lot of new images in the 94 rolls of film that I took (about 940 negatives) but nothing to show at the moment. Our next overseas trip will be in late December and January to Washington DC, Boulder in Colorado then a road trip through Montana for snowshoeing around the Grand Tetons in Wyoming and skiing at Jackson Hole and then down into Utah for some skiing near Park City (hopefully 6 different ski areas), returning to Boulder via Steamboat in Colorado for yet more skiing. I daresay we will find a few other days for snowshoeing in Colorado too. Skis and snowshoes are the best way to travel through the mountains in winter and in that part of the world there is usually loads of snow to give me Christmas card images and snowy landscapes.

Photo Tips

Seasonal Notes from Derbyshire

The weather has been a bit variable of late. Quite mild but with rain and low cloud. Not that good for big views unless you can drop what you are doing and go for the short periods when the sun is shining but great for atmospheric shots. The mist has been fantastic. The other day walking to Buxton I was walking towards to the sun with a bank of cloud rolling over the edge of the moors ahead of me, all rim-lit by the sun. Unusual conditions but 3 or 4 miles further on in Buxton it was dull all day. You needed to be in the right place at the right time! Last year at this time we had heavy snowfalls. No sign of a repeat yet, just heavy rain. If the temperature drops 5 or so degrees it could be a different story though. Then it will be time to rush around taking black and white photographs that work so well with snow. Keep your pictures simple though, avoid clutter and white patches at the edges or your eye will go straight to them (unless everything is white of course!).

Get those snow shovels and wellies ready so that you can get out of the house when it comes or you may miss the shot of a lifetime!

Photo Lectures

Lecture bookings

I'm still doing lots of lectures, usually 20 to 30 a year. Recently I visited Richmond and Twickenham Photo Society, Nottingham and Notts and Widnes and I will be re-visiting Bakewell and Accrington in December. I have quite a few bookings for next year too. I have 6 lectures so if you would like me to come to your club you have lots of choice. They are all a mix of cities and landscapes, with snow shots in every one of them. Every print is hand printed on traditional silver gelatine papers. The paper and chemicals for the last 2 lectures, Lake Light and Peak Light were kindly provided free of charge by Ilford Photo.

It takes about 250 sheets of 20 x 16 inch Ilford Multigrade FB Glossy paper to print the 85-odd photographs for a lecture. That is getting on for £700 just in paper costs so it is unlikely that I would do new lectures without their assistance, for which I am very grateful.

If you want to book me check my web diary first to see dates that are available.

Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Google+ Dave Butcher News and Keeping in Touch

If you want to keep in touch use one or more of these, don't be shy - just click add, follow or whatever, to add me to your network or circle. Yes, I've succumbed and joined Google+ but I don't do much with it at present as I don't know many people who use it in anger.

If you can help me out in this regard then please do. I use my blog as a diary and as the place to show new photos first because it is fast. The Recently Added page on my web site usually follows pretty quickly in displaying new work. My photos no longer appear on Facebook because of their terms covering their free use of any material posted there; I deleted old posts that contained them. Apologies if I deleted some of your comments. I don't put them on Twitter or Linkedin either. I haven't decided whether to put them on Google+ but I do use Google a lot with the business (all my emails are now handled by Gmail instead of Outlook, plus my calendar, documents, blog, Google web adverts, etc.) so I am more inclined to add photos to it than the other networks.

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My newsletters appear every now and then. This is third one to my main distribution list in 2011, the first since July. If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter then please pass it on using the button below and they can subscribe by signing up through my web site.