The word ‘Magnificent’ in the print lecture’s title ‘Magnificent Monochrome’ brought to us by Dave Butcher ARPS from Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire on 15^th October was not only accurate, we have, in fact, run out of superlatives as ‘stunning’, ‘amazing’ and ‘awesome’ all apply!

A past chairman of both the Ilford Photographic Club and Chapel-en-le-Frith Camera Club, Dave

gained his Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society in 1987. A chemist by profession, he ran a darkroom at Unilever Research in the 70’s and then worked for Ilford Imaging for 21 years until taking early retirement in 2002.

He published ‘High Light’, the first of his solo albums with Arem Publishing in 2005, exploring mountains all over Europe and the USA. This has already been reprinted. His next book, ‘Peak Light’ he published himself this year, covering his beloved Peak District where he has lived and worked since 1988. Both books give information and instructions to inspire other photographers; he also runs photographic workshops in his own darkroom in Whaley Bridge.

Dave uses three medium format cameras: the Mamiya 6 (giving 6 x 6cm negatives) the Mamiya 645 and Mamiya 7. He brought his equipment with him to demonstrate how he uses it, accompanied by a 508 spot meter. The films he uses are usually Ilford FP4 and FSX with a Hoya 720 filter looking for an infra red finish.

The Great Corries and Black Cuillin Ridge, Glens Shiel, Nevis and Etive and Rannoch Moor in Scotland offered Dave the drama he was looking for; as did the Eiger north face, the Matterhorn and Breithorn summit ridge, near Zermatt, Switzerland, Gran Paradiso, Italy, the Glacier des Fours, Vanois, France and nearer home, Mam Tor from Rushup Edge, Peak District and the Helvellyn Range in Cumbria.

In Switzerland, at the Allalinhorn south face, Saas Fee the skiers are shown like ants next to the mountain and leaving the Adler Pass (in close-up now) they tack or rather zig-zag across the snow to ease their climb.

In the Bernese Oberland at sunrise, the early morning sun provided chances to shoot ‘contra jour’ putting figures in silhouette with long shadows stretching diagonally across the snow. A ‘star-burst’ sun was achieved not from a filter but by a controlled aperture of f.22. With gold and selenium toning, and a touch more contrast, Dave’s figures fair jumped off the print! Magnificent, or what!?!

Kay Aldcroft LRPS

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