Welcome

I am Rod Wynne-Powell, and this is my way to pass on snippets either of a technical nature, or related to what I am currently doing or hope to be doing in the near future.

A third-person description follows:
Professional photographer, Lightroom and Photoshop Workflow trainer, Consultant, digital image retoucher, author, and tech-editor for Martin Evening's many 'Photoshop for Photographers' books.

For over twenty years, Rod has had a client list of large and small companies, which reads like the ‘who’s who’ of the imaging, advertising and software industries. He has a background in Commercial/Industrial Photography, was Sales Manager for a leading London-based colour laboratory and has trained many digital photographers on a one-to-one basis, in the UK and Europe.
Still a pre-release tester for Adobe in the US, for Photoshop, he is also very much involved in the taking of a wide range of photographs, as can be seen in the galleries.

See his broad range of training and creative services, available NOW. Take advantage of them and ensure an unfair advantage over your competitors…


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Wednesday 30 September 2009

Goodwood Revival Meeting 2009

There are several galleries from this visit,
Click the relevant link to view a particular series of images:
Fun
Brooklands
Richmond
My Guest, Toby Savage


It seems like a long time ago now, that fellow photographer, Toby Savage and I went to the Revival Meeting. Although not much of the last fortnight has been spent on paying work, I have been very far from idle, hence how ling it has taken to get these galleries up.

On the day we made very good time to arrive at the venue at around a quarter past eight, especially when Toby had driven down from Leicester. It was cloudy, but this did not dampen the spirits of those around us, everyone seemed happy to chat and before we had even entered fully we had already had several interesting conversations. We had also eyed up fascinating cars and admired the ladies and their costumes.

Once inside, we made a beeline for the Richmond lawn to say thank you to Lord March's Office girls who miraculously saved the day by sending the replacement tickets which I can only presume still lie in some Post Office Sorting Office gathering dust. The first aerial display began as we walked towards the Aircraft Display. The sun however was very reluctant to come out fully, and later due to time alterations the Vulcan appeared mid-race which coupled with low cloud was able to make less of an impact than it deserved.

Toby who modelled his outfit on a picture he had of his grandfather from the 1920s made a great show of being the Pukka Sahib and so I have devoted one whole gallery to some of his posing and a group of his son's friends.

In the Brooklands and Richmond Trophy races there was some splendid driving to watch with considerable excitement, and in another race; the RAC TT Race, Paul Drayson's E-Type Jaguar, car 20, performed a spectacular 360˚ spin directly in front of us, and was rewarded in that lap and the subsequent one, with rounds of appreciative applause from the crowd.

Lord March also introduced Buzz Aldrin and Stirling Moss, both were made very welcome by everyone, the Band of the Royal Marines also played and paraded.

Altogether, another thoroughly enjoyable day at Goodwood.

Brooklands Trophy,Goodwood Revival 2009,Richmond Trophy,Paul Drayson, E-type Jaguar,Toby Savage, Lord March, Buzz Aldrin, Stirling Moss

Thursday 24 September 2009

Anthony Gormley's One & Other – Kelly Amoss

Kelly Amoss, schoolfriend to my daughter and minister's wife takes to the Fourth Plinth to get across a more selfless message in her hour atop the plinth in London's Trafalgar Square.

Lizzy was coming to visit and mentioned this was due to take place at 6 o'clock, so we rushed through the various chores, grabbed a hasty lunch and later set off for London, making good time travelling against the traffic to arrive just a few minutes late.

Kelly used a flip chart to get across her message to the assembled crowd of interested bystanders and members of her family, every so often throwing down chocolates which were wrapped with further messages.

A lady from the RNLI, awaiting their protegé to appear in the following slot, came over to our group and said she had watched several displays from the plinth, but this was the best she had witnessed, in the main because it was not done out of vanity but was entirely selfless, she emphasised her opinion by reiterating her feelings directly to Kelly herself when she came down from her perch.

I have tried to capture the atmosphere of the hour. This means my galleries of images from Goodwood's Revival Meeting have been delayed.

Friday 18 September 2009

Walled Garden's Summer Coming to a Close

After my trip to the Garden this Wednesday, I had another meeting of the Design Network Association to attend, which gave little time to get a gallery of the images up, so I concentrated on the easy shots of the Bee Feeding.

Now I have had more time to work on the more general shots, here they are, and after bemoaning the fact I had failed to find any dragonflies, Chris, another volunteer with a far keener eye suddenly spotted one among the laurels.

We then walked around to the Dairy and found some more. I was really grateful to have such an observant spotter, so this gallery should really be called 'Chris' Selection!'

Without a doubt there is always something different to find in the Walled Garden; this time it was berries, chestnuts, rotting vegetables and fruit with butterflies and wasps.

Thursday 17 September 2009

Bee-feeding Time at Luton Hoo

The bee season is all but over, and it was only last weekend that I learned that the Walled Garden at Luton Hoo had many more hives than the the lone one seen in my earlier photos.
On Wednesday afternoon I learnt that the bees were due their last feed before the New Year, and I was very privileged to be allowed to don a suit and take photographs of the process.
The bees are fed a sugar solution to keep their energy up, and the amount they need is calculated from the weight of the frames, as far as I could tell.
What I was witnessing was one expert explaining to the other two the procedure as he took out the old feed container and filled it and replaced it in the hive. It was also found necessary to carefully move two hives into a sunnier spot. Notes were taken to record the operation and these were carefully placed in a plastic sleeve that was kept within the hive.
Christine had implied there was little to see, but I found the whole time quite enthralling, and I hope I have captured what occurred with some of the same fascination.

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Mike Halycz, Graphic Designer – 1948 - 2009

Monday was the funeral of a friend and work colleague, Mike Halycz. I have worked with Mike over several years and shared numerous telephone conversations discussing a wide variety of varied shared interests. Though primarily a Graphic Designer, he was also a good photographer and because he could see his old town of Baldock rapidly disappearing, he was often out early on Sunday mornings with his camera and tripod, determined to capture the scenes before they were destroyed.

I used to send him images that I thought he might enjoy via email, and invariably this would prompt return responses or telephone chats as he would wonder how close I had got to hoverflies in flight, or how wonderful were the internal structures of plants and flowers. I shall miss our lunchtime or early evening chats.

Even though it was the first time that I met some of those business colleagues of his with whom I had conversed over the years, and members of his Norwich College friends, it was good to put faces to names. I felt very sad for his mother because, I knew how close they were, but was most impressed by how well she coped after the service, with all those who came over to have a few quiet words.

Cool September Sunday in the Walled Garden

After two really warm days on the Friday and Saturday when the Luton Hoo Walled Garden had a Research Day followed by an Artists Day, Sunday turned out cool, but that did not deter the crowds.

Sunday was well-attended, and I was able to meet up with my daughter and her twin girls, so they could savour the freedom of this venue. They very soon found themselves at a handicraft stall where they could colour up some cutouts and make flowers.

They got to see a jigsaw and lathe at work, and buy a few pieces for Christmas decorations. They also got to see some bees and a honeycomb.

They enjoyed jacket potatoes, beans and cheese with cold drinks, and we even managed to get them to run in opposite directions around the perimeter of the garden to give them some exercise!

Altogether it was a very relaxing way to spend an afternoon. My only regret was that I had been too tied up to visit on the Friday and Saturday.

Sunday 6 September 2009

Late Visit to Open Day

The Walled Garden hosted an Open Day in aid of two local charities – Keech Hospice and Grove House, but I was only able to arrive once the clouds had rolled in and many were considering leaving, though I did manage to capture some of the enjoyment being had by children jumping from bale to bale to the sounds of the Casino Royale Steel Band.

The music was not over loud yet carried well, allowing easy conversation amongst the groups in the marquee. Steel Band music is a very happy sound and seemed well-received, and the singer I heard had a very good voice, blending well with the tunes.

The two shots at the start of the gallery were actually taken the evening before when the sun broke through to the derelict building that can be seen along the tree-lined avenue to the Walled Garden, I have no idea what purpose it served, but I describe it as a bothy (sometime I must remember to ask just what it was!)

The flowers are largely coming to the end of their life this season, but I still managed to capture the beauty and colour of some, before I left the grounds.

Some August Luton Hoo shots…

It has been a busy time for various reasons and I somehow managed to miss a few shots on a card, but rather than lose them from the galleries, I have just put them up today, they were taken on the 19th August and showed just how much grew after the rains and a few warm nights.

Sadly, it has also been a time for deaths and funerals. My mother in law's much-loved half-brother, Derick Holden, known to all in the family as Deck, died after several year's of dementia and life in a Nursing Home. Uncle Deck was very talented before his illness, putting his hand to anything with great skill and diligence. Despite no upholstery training, he took on the restoration of a Chesterfield sofa, which is still in use today. He sang in various groups in the Southport area, and played the ukelele-banjo and piano. The family travelled from all points of the compass to celebrate his life, as well as lament the tragedy of his last years. My niece and nephew were back from India and the Mediterranean, so all was not gloom.

However I also learnt that a long-time friend and erstwhile client, Nick Zoller had taken his life, we presume due to depression caused by rejection of his novels and plays by publishers. Once again, here was a very talented man with whom I had a longstanding working relationship and friendship over thirty years.

Last week I also lost another designer friend to a massive heart attack, probably brought on by stress. I had known and worked with him for over twenty years, so the loss has come as a blow, especially since I had spoken to him after what he described as a possible heart attack on the Friday, and then when his phone was answered by his sister, I learnt he had succumbed a second attack on the Monday. Mike Halycz was one of those for whom work was his life, and he took it very seriously. Even though I have not worked for him for some time, hardly a week would go by without our having a chat.

In Mike's case, there was so much he intended doing which I had suggested he start on, and now he it will never happen, that fills me with great sorrow.