Seminar Update
Most importantly, the Seminar is rapidly approaching. The response this year has been amazing and we would like to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all those who have booked early. The Seminar takes an enormous amount of planning and hard work so it’s hugely encouraging to know that it will all be worth the effort.
As previous Seminar attendees will know, the ‘Print Walk’ on Saturday afternoon is a standout highlight of the event. Where else can you showcase your printed work to so many fellow photographers? Engaging in meaningful discussions and sharing ideas face-to-face with others is an experience that simply can’t be matched. Compare this to the fleeting half-second someone you’ve never met might spend ‘liking’ (or ignoring) your image before an algorithm moves their attention to the next one.
Only a few spaces remain, so if you’re still undecided about booking, don’t hesitate! You’ll be thrilled to have taken part and will leave buzzing with ideas to take home and develop.
Please follow the links below to book and make sure that you check the ‘Saturday Print Walk’ box to avoid disappointment.
A full list of Seminar speakers can be found below and here.
and now to some other news:
Hugh Milsom: Impressions of Iceland
Most of you will be familiar with the exquisite, instantly recognizable images that are the hallmark of Hugh Milsom’s work (a former Arena member).
After many visits to Iceland, Hugh has spent much of the past year curating and sequencing images from these trips into a book titled Impressions of Iceland.
For anyone who has visited this amazing country, or plans to visit anytime soon, this book is an absolute must. From the bleakest of landscapes, Hugh consistently captures simplicity and delicacy, beautifully presented page after page.
Many of you are avid photobook collectors, so please note that the print run was extremely limited, and only a few copies remain. Please contact Leigh Preston (lcl.preston@blueyonder.co.uk) for more information and to purchase a copy. (To avoid disappointment, please don’t wait for the Seminar.)
Arena Editions
Work continues apace to ensure that a new set of ‘Editions’ will be available for the Seminar.
Each Arena member will use their own ‘Edition’ to showcase a portfolio of work that best represents their photographic passions. Each book will be available separately, with the overall design reflecting the concept of a cohesive ‘set.’
As before, print runs will be very limited, with copies available for purchase at the 2025 Seminar. Any unsold copies will be available directly from individual Arena members after the Seminar concludes.
Sue Brown: Palace Theatre, Plymouth
There will be more on this project in newsletters to come but just to whet your appetite…
The Palace Theatre Plymouth is a Grade II listed building, built in 1898 as a music hall, it was damaged by fire 3 months later and re opened in 1899 as The New Palace Theatre of Varieties; In 1961 it became a Bingo Hall and then a Dance Academy in 1963. It was closed after class A drugs were found, then further fire damage closed it once and for all. There are now planes to renovate it.
After 6 months of trying, Sue managed to get permission to go in there for 2 days to record the theatre in its current state. The fire devastation was apparent but there were many signs of its former glory. Sue has been collaborating with The Palace Theatre to create an online exhibition showcasing her images which will be live in the next few months (date to be announced).
Seminar 2025: List of Speakers
If you’re still undecided about attending the Seminar this coming March, please take a look at this list of speakers. There’s always something for everyone over the two days, so join us and enjoy immersing yourself in the amazing photographic world we are privileged to be part of.
A self-taught fine art photographer, Rohan runs his own gallery in Kinsale, County Cork. Previously in the record business, music remains an important catalyst for his landscape photography.
His images reflect the control of a composer who creates uncluttered compositions and since visiting Japan his images have become increasingly more abstract and minimal.
Justin has lived all his life in East Anglia from where he has derived much of his photographic inspiration and influence.
As a workshop leader he has travelled to many exciting and dramatic locations around the world but he continues to be drawn back to the gentle and atmospheric landscapes of his home patch.
Simon is one of the leading documentary landscape photographers of our time. Much of his work focuses on conflict zones and battlefields and he has photographed in some of the world’s most hostile war-zones and refugee crises.
His work is regularly featured in National Geographic, the New York Times and the Guardian. He is also a prolific exhibitor around the world and his work was one of the first solo photographic shows to be hung at Tate Modern..
Born in New York but based in London since 1970, Janine is an internationally important documentary photographer. She was tutored by, among others, Ansel Adams, and has mainly been engaged in long-term projects covering issues of social concern. These largely concentrate on groups struggling to survive on the edges of mainstream society, including the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, Irish Travellers and most notably the industry of the West Midlands in the late 1970s.
The latter was exhibited at the Photographers’ Gallery and is now the subject of a beautiful 250-page monograph called Vulcan’s Forge.
Based in East Sussex, Jan is known for her innovative and abstract approach to photography. Inspired by the diverse landscapes which surround her, Jan’s work leans towards abstraction, using the camera as a creative tool to go beyond traditional representation.
Her intuitive work reflects her fascination with natural and built environments, while also exploring emotional and physical connections to these spaces.
Linda’s approach to photography varies from representational to abstract, and moves continually between the two. Every image is part of the journey to discover her creative voice and each has its own story to tell.
Striving to connect with the visual chaos she is drawn to tones, shapes, colour and rhythm. Her goal is to pull the viewer out of a recognisable world into a space which she feels is more alive and joyful.
