Norton Radstock Photographic Society’s Speaker, Jeremy Richards, did not disappoint when leading our regular Thursday Zoom session on 12th November. Several members of Warminster CC again joined us for what was a fascinating historical, geographical and geological tour of Chile, from its misty coastline, climbing through plains to the Atacama Desert and the lakes and volcanoes of the Plata region beyond.

Jeremy’s stated aim to “capture the world as it truly is,” was ably represented in his photography. He transported us to a world of sweeping, barren terrain, covered in coarse grass and soft rock formations, weathered by melting snows. Inhabited by numerous varieties of Alpaca or Llama-like camelids and rabbit like Vizcacha.

These landscapes, to those of us at home on the Mendips, were unfamiliar in the extreme. The sheer scale of the desert landscape topped by snow-capped volcanoes was awesome, as was the extent of the dereliction and decay of the abandoned mining areas and railways of a bygone mining era captured in his images.

These contrasted starkly with the modern Observatories and Radio Telescopes of the Paranal region, dominated as it is by the domes and paraphernalia that are controlled by satellite and computer from afar. Only in the cities were there signs of anything but sparse populations, and only in the lower valleys, or after a rare downpour, was it possible to observe the beauty of the flowering desert, or the vineyards, irrigated as they are by melt waters from on high.

Jeremy skilfully captured the colours and the moods of the indigenous people celebrating their festivals in the coastal ports and cities where they mostly live. There was so much detail in their traditions and costume finery!

He finished his talk with a glorious collection of graffiti and more formal artworks adorning the buildings of Valparaiso, the Jewel of the Pacific. It was a wonderful tale of contrasts, decline and change in a country far removed from the experience of most of us. We hope Jeremy will return in 2021 with part two of this fascinating journey.

Open Competition judge, Beryl Heaton, knows the NRPS well, and her judging on Thursday, 19th November ran true to form with her love of simple images, nature in colour and a well-considered crop shining through the commentary. She gave good advice based on common sense and her deep knowledge of a range of genre. Feedback was clear and encouraging, and showed her appreciation of points of interest that were captured, or techniques attempted in all the photos, including the less successful.

The colour section was won by Jill Toman’s ‘Early Morning at Belvedere, Tuscany’, and Graham Nicholls was a worthy winner of the Monochrome section with his portrait, ‘Canal Boatman’ taken on a recent, supportive, group walk near Limpley Stoke and the canal basin. Full results of both competitions can be found, together with a gallery of all the placed images on the Norton Radstock Photographic Society website which is updated weekly. Our next meeting will feature An Evening with Graham Nicholls that we anticipate with much pleasure.

Jenny Short