LBPC: Creative and experimental photography

John presumed that we all wanted to be creative. But he recognised this could be a struggle.

A NASA Creativity Test had shown that our original creativity as a child diminishes dramatically as we age. John’s aim was therefore to help us find new routes to creativity. And he offered a wealth of helpful ideas.

Using his own splendid images for illustration, John showed us how imaginative pictures could be created through a variety of experiments.

These included exploring everyday objects (such as cutlery, paper scraps, and glasses of water), playing with “displacement mapping” (where one image is shaped by another), trying “shrinking” (including the Droste effect where a picture repeatedly appears within itself), using double exposures (in camera or post-processing), tinkering with movement and/or blurring (again, in camera or post-processing), messing about with colour (by split-toning, colour-popping, etc), making “negatives” (flipping colours to their opposites), and abstraction (producing shapes and colours rather than visual reality).

There was much to inspire members in this hugely enjoyable talk and John encouraged everyone to explore their creativity.

We are always keen to share our passion for photography and provide a warm welcome for new members. We run a varied programme of activities for photographers of all levels. See our website at lbpc.org.uk and join us soon to unleash your creativity.