Last week we had a very special Guest Speaker in. Inaki Hernandes-Lasa. Inaki is a well-known Architectural photographer. Spanish by birth he has been living in Ireland for nearly 20 years now, originally in Dublin and for the last 10 years in Limerick. He is currently a member of Limerick Camera Club and was at one time a member of the Cork Camera Group. He is a multi-award winning photographer and while his family background is steeped in Architecture he himself is a linguist but his photographic interests reflect his own background and upbringing. He is the holder of a Fellowship from the IPF (2012) after which he took a break from photography for 4 years before pursuing a Fellowship from the RPS with a totally different panel and which he was recently awarded. Uniquely for us in Blarney he was able to present both his “F” panels in what was a stunning presentation interspersed with a unique insight into what drives him as a photographer. His earlier IPF panel was architectural and featured lots of blues and yellows and while not mono, as many Architectural panels are, was very much in the tradition of the genre. Inaki calls his treatment ‘Genius Loci’ the Roman religious  term for the protective spirit of a place.
His latest panel, however in which all the images were captured in the Guggenheim Museum in his native Bilbao, was a stunning piece of fine art photography and well worthy of the award. Inaki’s explanation of its origins and how he composed it made for a riveting presentation.  The large attendance showed their appreciation at its conclusion with loud and sustained applause.