On Thursday 4th June Smethwick Photographic Society will be welcoming back one of Britian’s most poetic and prolific photographers – Aleks Gjika.
Aleks is a freelance photographer based in Gloucestershire. Over the years he has gained his EFIAP/b, DPAGB and BPE1* distinctions. Commercially Aleks is involved in selling prints, books and tutoring.
It is almost a cliché that most photographers like me prefer to say that they are “self taught”! Personally I find it a bit difficult to make the “self teaching” claim when I have read so many photography books, magazines, have attended numerous lectures by great photographers, have participated in countless competitions locally, nationally and internationally and received feedback through these events for over 10 years. To me photography is not a profession or a job – to me photography is an art, a passion to work with light and to produce works of art that we enjoy seeing again and again. There are many types of photography, such as journalistic, creative, wildlife, still photography and so on, but to me they all have an artistic dimension which reflects the human input and emotions. Whilst most people with the right equipment and a bit of training can capture technically “perfect” images, being able to work in the artistic dimension has more to do with talent and artistry. Whether it is a photo of a misty forest, landscape or even a butterfly, I try to capture it with the full intention of turning it into a work of art! A colleague of mine once said that it is as if “I love to add a bit of poetry to my images!” – I was flattered of course!
China is one of those countries that everyone knows about. Just mention the name China conjures a plethora of images, people, conceptions and misconceptions, assumptions and stereotypes. Yet, if you ask your friends and family you might find that not many have ever visited the country. This might not be great for the Chinese tourism industry and those who wish to visit China but that makes it even more attractive to photographers!
I had the honour and the privilege to be invited by FIAP (Luxembourg) in cooperation with FIAP China Office, to join a group of international photographers to do what all we photographers like to do, take pictures! And pictures we took, from the morning to the evening, we went from city to city, from festival to festival, from old towns to new villages, from museums to shows, factories, ports, climbed towers and mountains, you name it!
Through my PDI presentation of some 100 images, this talk is a bit like a travelogue but that most of the images come with a pictorial intent. And of course after every image there is a story but the stories behind these images are perhaps more interesting because they are “Made in China”!
Hopefully at the end of the talk you will know that bit more about Shandong and China of today as well as enjoy viewing some good images. I will also do my best to answer any questions about how to get there and offer other travel- related advice. Because we all know all photographers would love to go and photograph in China!
Here’s a selection of what we can expect from Aleks:
This week’s talk is part of a series of FREE ‘taster’ sessions for local Sandwell community residents and workers (non SPS members or regular guests). If interested do login or better still come along to the live presentation at the clubhouse. Full details below.
For information go to our Streaming page HERE