CCC Forum

walterconquy wrote:......... it was such a surprise that I could get Sky Arts as I don’t get Sky usually.

Sky Arts switched to being freely available around a month ago. It is on on Freeview Channel 11. Most of the other Sky channels remain accessible only by subscription.

Repeat of episode 4 Master of Photography may well be on Friday 16 Oct 2:00pm

https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/f1e397e3-9c89-4232-9664-2d5b0005f950/master-of-photography/episodes/season-1/episode-4

Master of Photography on tonight at 7 pm followed ny Rankin at 8 pm on SKY Arts.

Thanks, Iggy, I managed to catch both last night. It seems to me that "Master of Photography" has much in common with "The Apprentice". In the name of entertainment, the candidates are given a difficult task to complete in a very short period and inevitably fail. It does mean that we are often being denied seeing the best that they can do, which is frustrating. I thought that last night's "Theatre Backstage" episode was particularly poor in this regard. A panel of three good images which relate to each other to be shot within two hours is a huge ask. Most photographers who undertake this type of subject often spend days or weeks with their subjects to get their results. No wonder none of the participants did particularly well.

Hi Mike,
I too watched both, but interjected them with the exciting football match, Man U v Paris SG, followed by catch up on Rankin. So a long evening of TV!
As you have said, MoP is first and foremost an entertainment show, although rather dull in this episode.
A tough task to capture a story as you have noted, in the allocated 2 hours.
Most contestants failed before they started as they were so downbeat from the beginning.

The closest I saw to a story came from the British soldier with an interesting stage shot of ballet dancers.
His second shot of stretching dancers should have been kept simpler to succeed.
His first shot was too dark and crowded to see what was happening.

The world renowned photographer appeared next to useless in offering any meaningful advice that seemed remotely helpful!

Landscapes next week should be better??

PS: Frank Edwards took the CCC on a similar assignment to Tower Bridge, The Day The Circus Came To Town, that I sadky missed as I was away on a weekend break.
http://forums.croydoncameraclub.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3099&p=14273&hilit=tower+bridge#p14273

Iggy wrote:Landscapes next week should be better??

If I recall correctly, one of the participants in that episode stripped off to include herself in her landscape image. I believe that she did the same in "The Body" episode and admitted she enjoyed being depicted nude when questioned about it. Assuming my recollection is accurate, I believe that the judges castigated her for it this time and chucked her off the show. The other issue is that they are going to Ireland, so the chances of encountering poor weather and uncooperative light during the limited time available are quite high.

The impression I got from last night's episode is that the contestants were expecting a glamorous West End production rather than those they actually got. Furthermore, a couple of the theatres did not seem that keen on having them there and restricted their access. I think that had an effect on the way they approached the task and it might have been misrepresented in the way the show was edited. I am frequently sceptical that the way clips are put together on "reality" shows ends up distorting that reality.

The problem for me is that the judges criticise the participants for failing when the odds were against them from the outset. This gives the impression that photography should easy; just press the shutter, right? Anyone who cannot even manage that simple task must be a complete nincompoop. The reality is that getting the shot, in many of the MoP scenarios especially, requires a great deal of aptitude, skill and, crucially, luck. It was noticeable that for "The Body" episode, when the contestants were in a studio and given more control, the judges remarked on the higher standard of photography.

While I have compared "Master of Photography" with "The Apprentice", viewing the latter can be instructive for setting up and running a business. While both shows lampoon contestants for their inevitable mistakes, in "The Apprentice" they also receive constructive advice about alternative approaches. That does not seem to happen on MoP. Just once I would like to see the judges put into a similar scenario to see if they can practice what they preach. Not to mention that Rut Blees Luxemburg has produced some of the most boring and overrated photography I have ever seen.

Mike said:
.... the judges criticise the participants for failing ....

The Italian judge, Oliviero Toscani, has been consistently nasty thorough all 4 series. He enjoys giving contestants a tongue lashing.
Some contestants did best in the Celebrity Portrait of Michael Madsen, which I think you haven't seen yet.
It is what it is!

On tonight at 7pm on SKY ARTS
Irish Landscape
In Ireland, the contestants attempt to capture the beauty of Kerry County's landscape with the help of renowned Italian photographer Franco Fontana.

Missed it. Again. Did catch the last few minutes of Rankin's 2020. Bit puzzled as to what many of the highlighted images had to do with the week's theme of "Nature".

I enjoyed visiting Kerry in Ireland with the 6 remaining contestants and seeing their perspectives of landscape photography.
Not all of them submitted their best single image but some how survived.
Based on the single images submitted on the night, I did not agree with the judges' dismissal.

Mike, you should be able to catch up on Master of Photography on Friday 30 Oct 2:00pm.