ANNE SWEARMAN ARPS (Published Sep 1996)
Anne has been involved with photography in some form for most of her life. As a young girl she had an old encyclopaedia, dating back to around 1902, which included items about photography. One article inspired her to try contact printing through leaves on to photographic paper. She had to get a note from her Mother before the local chemist would sell the Hypo she needed to develop the pictures.
This early pioneering work was followed by rather more conventional photography using her Father's plate camera. At first her Father tried to discourage her, but soon realised that she had a real interest in the subject and started to give tuition in printing techniques. Together they made an enlarger using items such as a spiral taken from a dinning table to provide a means of adjustment and two metal basins clamped together to form a lamp housing. The purchase of a "Purma Special" camera provided fresh impetus to Anne's interest. She went on to win a photo contest in the school magazine and also used photographs to illustrate some of her college work.
In the 1950's Anne joined Newcastle Photographic Society but found that she did not really fit in and soon drifted away. Then she got married and found that there was no spare cash to finance her hobby so it had to take a back seat for a while. When her family came on the scene, husband Morrice took care of the baby pictures.
Eventually Anne again found the time and cash to return to photography. She was keen on fell walking and this provided a source of picture material. However, Anne soon found that walking with groups meant that shots had to be rushed and she could not spend the amount of time she wanted to get the right image. As a result organised walks were soon dropped in favour of personal outings where photographic needs could dictate the pace.
Around this time Anne's main outlet for her photography was giving slide talks to Women's Institute meetings. The talks gradually developed into slide/sound sequences, the first step along the road that would eventually take her into full Audio Visual productions. One slide/sound sequence was chosen to represent the area W.I. in a national competition. She was very successful at getting pictures accepted for use on W.I. Calendars.
Anne's other interests include Northumbrian history, particularly the Pre-Norman period, and also Saxon Architecture. These both provide material for pictures and later in her career would be used as subjects for her Audio Visual presentations. Another interest is writing and this has also been used in conjunction with her photography. It has provided scripts for A-V shows, ranging from historic documentaries to comedy sequences. Her writing talent has also been seen in newspaper articles and during her time as Editor of this magazine.
By the start of the eighties Anne was well known for her photography but had not thought of returning to the club scene. Indeed she could not see what benefit club membership could offer her. However in 1981 all this was to change. Son Andrew decided that he had an interest in photography and wanted to join Whitley Bay Photographic Society.
Anne joined the club, simply to support Andrew in his new hobby. She soon decided that since she was a member she might as well take part in the competitions. The first contest resulted in a 3rd place in the Beginners Section. By the end of the season the Beginners Championship was secured. Andrew's interest in club photography was short lived, but fortunately for us Anne was by this time hooked on it and found that the competitions and particularly listening to the judges comments was improving her images. The next seasons work was rewarded with the runner up spot in the Intermediate Section followed the season after by the championship. Then to emphasise her ability she took the Advanced crown the following year. This was the first of five Advanced championships to date, with three consecutive victories starting in 1991. In addition, five Colour Print Championships have been added to the tally along with numerous wins in other club events.
During her early days in the club she was taught Cibachrome printing by Edmund Atkinson and this has led to some superb pictures being produced over the years, just one example of how club life helped to progress her photography. Another early club experience was a visit to the Society's public show "Adventure in Colour". There she saw a dual projection sequence shown by John Goddard, it fascinated her and provided the inspiration for a move into A-V. With the guidance of the then Club Secretary, Norman Rushton, she was soon producing outstanding sequences and was to become one of the leading A-V lights in the club.
Anne has always been a good supporter of club competitions and also happy to provide pictures for the club to use in Inter-Club and Federation events. She is well known for her atmospheric images of St. Mary's Island and is often teased about the number of pictures of this subject that she has produced. However these superb images are only one aspect of Anne's wide range of subjects. She was one of the earliest workers in the area to produce the now often seen dreamy flower images. Her work has been successful both for the club and on an individual basis. Highlights include winning the "Head Trophy" for the best slide in the North Tyne Inter-Club competition in 1992 and again in 1993, also victory in the Pinkney Cigarette Box in 1991 and runner up in the Weir Trophy this year. In 1989 Anne made a successful submission to the Royal Photographic Society for an LRPS. The following year she achieved an ARPS.
Although being very active in producing pictures, Anne is also a very hard worker on the administration side. She has been involved with the club committee for many years and was President from 1987 to 1989. She is still a much valued member of the committee. Within the Northern Counties Federation she worked at Area level before becoming Social Secretary and then Editor of "Northern Focus". The magazine took great strides forward under her leadership. She somewhat reluctantly relinquished the editorship in 1994 to take on the task of Vice President.
In March of this year she took over the Presidency, a job at which she will surely be a success, as with all her previous posts. Anne is the sort of person who will always put herself totally into any task she undertakes, never satisfied to merely muddle through, she always wants to do things properly. She has been involved with the N.C.P.F. International Exhibition for many years and is a hard working and valued member of the team.
Many evenings are given up to her work as a Federation judge, where her meticulous approach and friendly attitude make her very popular. Not content with all this Anne is also a hard working member of the R.P.S. Area Committee. Somehow she appears able to fit 36 hours into every day. One might think that photography is Anne's total life, but she still finds time to spend with her family who are very important to her.
Never afraid of change, Anne is always willing to give new ideas a chance. Digital Imaging, which causes cries of horror from some people at its mere mention, holds no fears for her. Right from the start she was interested to find out what it was all about, before jumping to conclusions. As a result she has found it enjoyable and indeed fascinating. Although still describing her digital images as learning exercises she is now producing some exquisite pictures by manipulating scanned images of her colour slides. Working in conjunction with Joan Rooker, and with background help from national digital ace Barrie Thomas, they have been instrumental in the formation of a digital imaging group in the local area. As a result of this the people involved will be prepared for the future electronic direction which photography will almost certainly take.
Anne is a rarity in this modern age, someone who is prepared to give a great deal of time to helping others. She is a perfectionist but above all an enthusiast for photography in any form. We are lucky to have such a leader.
Alan Porrett