Meets monthly, October to May, usually on the first Thursday. See the Programme for the dates & venue of the Beyond Group meetings.
Meetings start at 8pm. No prior notice is required – just come along. Visitors welcome.
This sub-group of APS has evolved to concentrate exclusively on creative photography and photo-based art. This covers anything that requires the photographer to do more than be in the right place, wait for the right moment, and release the shutter.
The techniques can include, but are not limited to:
• creation of composite images from layers of other images
• digital editing using Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Affinity Photo and similar software
• exploration of the vast array of available creative software tools and techniques
• in-camera techniques involving staging prior to the shoot, intentional camera movement, multiple exposures, etc.
The group aims to go beyond traditional photography, beyond the viewfinder, and beyond development software such as Lightroom. If this is on your agenda the Amersham Beyond Group may be just right for you.
Monthly challenges
Every month photographic Challenges are set to encourage members to explore new creative techniques. These may be achieved by means of software or in-camera. Although not compulsory I would like all attendees to share something new on a regular basis.
Members’ images from past challenges can be seen at the Amersham Beyond Group on Flickr
Skills
Photo editing skills can take us to a whole different level beyond the captured image. Adobe Photoshop Elements is recommended but Adobe Photoshop CC and Serif Affinity Photo are equally popular.
We no longer offer Photoshop tuition within the Society although the society’s advanced members and I are always willing to offer our experience to solve problems and offer tips both by email or on the APS Members-Only Facebook site.
Adobe Photoshop Elements distilled:
The following documents are an attempt to distil just the key points on each topic. They are not intended to be comprehensive, but to provide just the essential skills necessary to manipulate and present photographs. A recent version of Elements is assumed but the principles will apply generally to older versions and to Photoshop CC. (The PDFs will open in a new window).
- Viewing and Saving Files
2. Image Resolution, Size and Quality
3. Photo Printing
4. Tone and Colour Correction
5. Using Tools
6. Making Selections
7. Using layers in Photoshop Elements
8. Filters and Sharpening
9. Photoshop Elements Distilled (contains all of the above)
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom:
Lightroom is a great tool to both organise and adjust images. It suits those who aim to capture their images entirely in the camera and require no more than basic adjustments to crop and tweak the image for print or projection. Lightroom also suits those who consider themselves to be less technical or who have large quantities of images to manage. However, Lightroom provides only limited control. By contrast photo editors give absolute and total creative control over the image. There is a more detailed discussion of Adobe software on the APS Digital Group Notes December 2016. See link below. The Beyond Group assumes familiarity with a photo editor.
Colour Management:
The following two documents explain how to achieve print and screen matching and how to achieve consistent colour between different systems and with the club projector:
Print to Screen Matching – PDF
Achieving Consistent Colour – PDF
The club owns a X-Rite ‘ColorMunki Photo’ which enables profiling of monitors, printers and projectors.
If you wish to borrow it (free of charge to members), send a request to the ‘ColorMunki Keeper’ email address on the ‘Contact Us‘ page
A test image (614KB – right click and Save target as…) can help you to assess your system.
Further Information:
Notes of our meetings and an FAQ can be found on the APS Forum Beyond Group topic
The Beyond Group was preceded by the Digital Group which met for many years. Notes about a vast range of topics are listed on the APS Forum Digital Group topic.
For more information please contact Steve Brabner. See ‘Beyond Group Leader’ on the ‘Contact Us‘ page.