IT'S A KINDA MAGIC
THEY SAY THE CAMERA NEVER LIES, BUT IN VIV BUCKLEY’S HANDS THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE OFTEN MADE INTO MAGIC
FOR Kanturk native Viv Buckley photography is a both a passion and an adventure. After capturing her subject on camera she proceeds to add her own unique magic and artistry to the image.
Viv’s talents have not gone unnoticed and she is regularly featured on the prestigious online international publication ‘Photo Artistic Life Magazine’. Viv spoke to The Corkman about her latest creation which can be seen in the current issue.
“Last month in Issue 63 my image entitled ‘ The Stranger’ was featured. It is a composited image, which means it was made from more than one single photograph,” Viv said. “I took the studio image of David Lynam, whose grandparents Colis and Eileen Thornton are from Kanturk. I then matched the image with a street image I photographed in Italy.
“With a bit of Photoshop magic I blended the two images together for the final result,” Viv explained.
‘ The Stranger’ is one of 40 of Viv’s works soon to be published in ‘ The Night of the Big Wind and other Stories’ a collaboration of short stories and illustrations with local writer Mary Angland.
Viv began her photography journey when she joined Mallow Camera Club in 2006.
“Normally, our club meets every Monday evening from September to May at the Mercy Centre; currently, we have online meetings via Zoom so that we can still remained involved and active,” she said.
“There are so many benefits to joining a club, not only will you receive valuable information and assistance on how to use a digital camera, take good photos and discover how to process your images but you will also form great friendships with like minded people who are passionate about photography,” Viv explained.
Mallow Camera Club also collaborates with the local community and has partnered with Cork County Council through the Arts Grant Scheme facilitating permanent photography exhibitions in Mallow, Kanturk and Mount Alvernia Hospitals. “Hopefully, by early of 2021 there will be a permanent exhibition in Millstreet Community Hospital as well,” Viv said.
She explained how being involved in the club has taught her all she knows about cameras and lenses, editing software and printing images. “I really enjoy taking photographs and would be as happy taking images at dawn on a January morning or on a beach Dingle, as I would in a studio setting shooting portraits,” Viv said with a smile.
To further improve her skills she embarked on a pathway of distinctions with the Irish Photographic Federation and achieved her Licentiate and Associate distinctions, as well as an International distinction with the Artist Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique.
In addition, Viv has won National and International Awards for her images, she has hosted a number of solo exhibitions over the last 12 months and has been a featured artist at Kanturk Arts Festival and the Newmarket Áit Arts Festival.
“Photographs are such a precious part of our lives. They document memories of places we have visited, capture the beauty of nature and loved ones while preserving forever the images of those who have passed on,” Viv said.
“During the time of the pandemic, while restricted to home, there is nothing more satisfying than to look through printed and online albums and reflect on how life was before Covid19.
“Our lives are so different at this point in time. Photography is going to be so important to document life during the pandemic for our grandchildren and great grandchildren.”
(See page 2 for details of The Corkman’s ‘Capturing Covid’ photo competition)