Undiscovered Essex by Justin Minns

Justin, a well-known photographer, long-time friend of NDPS and now a Society member, opened our 2023/24 season with a brand new presentation. Undiscovered Essex was based on his experiences gaining Licentiate and Fellow qualifications from the Royal Photographic Society.

Justin began with a short biography going back in time to when he began his career as a professional photographer. Interestingly he said that initially he wanted the qualifications only for him to be able to add letters after his name and thus gain not only kudos but an aura of professionalism which could, perhaps, further his career as a photographer. He described how ten years ago he put together his submission for a Licentiate qualification and how he achieved this through taking lots of advice. But now, with the qualification in the bag and the letters after his name, his view of the RPS qualifications changed. He found that the exercise had made him scrutinise his work more carefully. He saw that his photography was benefitting from his careful examination - there were added benefits to be had from those letters after his name!

Having achieved Licentiate he discovered that he could leapfrog the Associate level and go straight into Fellowship. And so he did. His Fellowship panel was entitled 'Undiscovered Essex'. The title of his presentation this evening.

Justin showed us his captures of his home county, Essex. What a wonderful collection of images! Justin's eye took in all the not so well known areas of Essex and included ports and industry, in the Thames Estuary, mills, churches, rivers, meadows and mist in the countryside. He also collected canals, barges and a viaduct. His pictures of villages, gardens and follies were sumptuous. He also showed infra-red pictures, some astro photography and several forest scenes. All a delight to the eye.

He explained how he used all these images to produce his final panel and 'Statement of Intent' - they both have to be inextricably linked. This process involved lots of re-thinking and discarding of images.

He brought his presentation to an end by showing some unusual landmarks, saltmarsh from a drone, Brightlingsea oyster pits, the Red Sand Forts in the Thames estuary and even the infamous Broomway Path.

As a final thought Justin mentioned how crucial it was to take advice from the RPS and how, at the end of the process, there was the joy of success.

Many thanks Justin for a wonderful evening of images and explanations.