Recorder photographers to stage exhibition

Recorder photographers to stage exhibition

THE public face of the Down Recorder — photographers Raphael Mason and Philip Kelly nip from job to job covering large swathes of Down and beyond in any one day.

Blink, and you might miss them. But here's now a chance to get more up close and personal — and discover their hidden artistic side.

It turns out that when they do get time off they just can't put their cameras down, and the end result is 'The Photographers' — a joint exhibition by the pair opening at Down Arts Centre this weekend.

Away from the daily routine of press work Raphael has an obsession for landscape photography and has an extensive library of images from across Ireland featuring colourful coastal sunrises and sunsets as well as more traditional landscape images.

By the time the rest of the staff roll in in the morning, he has usually put in a few hours chasing first light at the Mourne Mountains or Lecale coastline.

Philip, also a part-time lecturer in photography at the Southern Regional College, uses the much heralded Fuji X100s to capture his eye-catching images but loves whipping his iphone out just as much. And it is some of these spur of the moment photo opportunities that he will be showcasing at the Down Arts Centre exhibition.

Explaining what inspires him the most, Raphael said: "I love looking at the view across Dundrum Bay towards the Mournes —the same place depending on the weather can look so different.

"During the summer I would get up at 3.45am and sometimes I just take the decision about where I'm going when I get to the bottom of the driveway. Right, I'm heading to Murlough and Dundrum. Left to Minerstown, Ballyhornan direction."

Using his Canon 5D Mark II camera Raphael also goes on longer photo trips, with Antrim, Kerry, Dublin and Donegal among his recent targets.<\n>"I prefer coastal seascapes over landscapes," he said. "I also have photos from the Titanic Quarter in this exhibition.

"I have stood out in the worst weather you could imagine waiting on the light to develop to get the shot I want. Sometimes you strike gold and the shot appears as you look on which is a feeling I can barely put into words — when you get the photo it's just magic."

Raphael, who recently became a member of the acclaimed Catchlight Camera Club, said making time to enjoy his photography out of hours had had a big impact on the quality of his life.

"A few years back I had high blood pressure and just needed to make time for myself to get away from things," he said. "To get out there for a few hours is the best medicine ever.

"I am dedicating this exhibition to the memory of my mum who passed away earlier in the year — she gave me the encouragement to take up photography."

Philip is also no stranger to using photography for its therapeutic benefits.

"It certainly helped me when I had an illness," he said. "I had ME and that gave me a focus to get through it. That was 14 years ago when I was 18 and I'm happy now to have made photography my career.

"Denise Griffith at Down Arts Centre approached us about doing this exhibition last year and we would like to thank her for the opportunity. She was interested in what we did personally, what interests us, and showcasing that."

But it is not just what an expensive camera can produce which interests Philip. While he uses his Fuji X1005 for some of the shots in the Down Arts Centre exhibition, most are produced on his iphone.

"The best camera you have is the one you have on you," said Philip. "With an iphone you have a fixed lens, you have to look for the image in a different way.

"I hope to show what the phone can do. Using the various apps I love to see how creative you can be with it. You are pushing the boundaries of what is photography."<\n>But Philip doesn't fear the impact of high quality mobile cameras on professional photographers.

"It is not always about the equipment," he said. "It is about choosing the moment, seeing an image, seeing all the elements come together in composition and light. By using a fixed lens you are certainly confronted by that challenge.

"The danger is that everyone sees themselves as a photographer, but on the other hand it makes photographers work harder to stand out from the crowd. Digital is a fantastic medium."

Philip has captured various landscape images for the Down Arts Centre exhibition, with local landmarks such at St. John's Point featuring. He also has more unusual shots, such as the pair of hands belonging to an unnamed elderly lady.

"The lady lives in the Hamilton Fold in Ballynahinch where my mum works," Phillp explained.

"She was happy for me to take the photo but she was shocked when I showed her it. It was magnified and I suppose she didn't like the wrinkles but I think hands are beautiful. I am fascinated by hands. I think they tell you a lot about a person.

"I thought it showed a woman who had worked during her life, was still healthy — a life well lived."

The Photographers runs at Down Arts Centre until November 8. Half of the proceeds from sales are going towards Cancer Focus and the Donard Fundraising Group.