mac chivers

My passion for photography started in the 1960s. I saved my pocket money and bought a cheap 35mm camera (Boots Beirett). Since then I've been shooting, developing, printing, exhibiting, and deriving great pleasure from it. When people ask me what sort of photography I do my stock answer is "slow photography". This is meant in the same sense as 'slow cooking' as I believe that time is an essential ingredient when contemplating, preparing a shot or shoot, and considering its' post-processing.
I have never stopped learning whatever I think can help me. Ongoing regular practise seems to help me continue improving, though that may be hubris and is best judged by others. What I do enjoy is discovering the work of different photographers and trying to pass on my enthusiasm to inspire others to keep improving their own work.

As well as judging photographic competitions I also give talks and workshops mostly, for clubs in the south west of the UK. My details are listed on the Western Counties Photographic Federation website and in their printed guide. Competitions are judged at PAGB rates, talks and workshop costs vary depending on content and preparation required. You can use the form below to enquire about availability.

There was a profound change in the photography in the early part of the 20th century which began in Paris then spread around the world. This has now been called the 'Modern' period. During this time many new genres had their beginnings and subsequently many others followed. Before this the only recognised artistic genre was 'Pictorilism'. By looking at over a hundred images, this talk examines the change point in some detail then moves on chronologically through more recent genres into the present.

Professional photographers need to be sure that they rapidly achieve consistent results in their work and to aid this they develop their own methods of working particularly when it comes to post-processing image files. This talk steps through a systematic approach that will help any photographer achieve the best image quality possible from their equipment and their post-processing and editing work.

This is a quick paced inspirational talk that covers what anyone can do to improve their work and, at the same time, become more creative at it. It concentrates one everything apart from equipment

A short talk that explains why printing images is important and offers both; a simple methodology and, the alternative full end to end calibration option. The relative costa and pros and cons of using a bureau service versus your own printer are covered in detail.

I also have short talks on some specific items or subjects such as graphic tablets, and composition plus two workshops.
The workshops are intended for audience participation and a short slideshow introduction, is followed by a set of exercises to test their competence at basic photographic tasks. These require some time to set up and need a number of tables to be available. So far, they have been very well received.

Many think that the measure of a photographer is the number of acclaimed single images they produce. However, it is often the case that just as many find fame in the quality of sets of images they produce. Projects can help a photographer investigate something specific over an extended period of time. They can also be used to train the mind how to see images. If you are looking for something specific you will examine your environment more closely.