Conwy Camera Club has paid tribute to one of its earliest members, E Emrys Jones, a former president.<\/p>\n
Emrys (pictured) joined the club, formerly known as North Wales Photographic Society, soon after its formation in 1945.<\/p>\n
He gave crucial guidance to renowned war photographer Philip Jones Griffiths who later went on to take some of the most iconic images of the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n
\u2018Many younger photographers benefited from Emrys’s advice on both the technical and artistic aspects of photography,’ said club chairman Gareth Williams.<\/p>\n
Emrys was \u2018our final link to the club’s earliest years’, he added.<\/p>\n
It was a talk given by Emrys on photographic technique that was to have a significant influence on the early career of fellow Welshman Philip Jones Griffiths.<\/p>\n
Two years after taking up photography, Jones Griffiths listened to Emrys speak at a local club about the work of French legend Henri Cartier-Bresson.<\/p>\n
\u2018The first picture of his [Cartier-Bresson’s] I ever saw was during a lecture at the Rhyl camera club when I was 16…,’ Jones Griffiths once recalled.<\/p>\n
\u2018Emrys projected the picture upside down – deliberately, to disregard the subject matter and reveal the composition. It’s a lesson I’ve never forgotten.’<\/p>\n
Jones Griffiths was Emrys’ best-known prot\u00e9g\u00e9, the pair embarking on \u2018photography days out’, said fellow club members. <\/p>\n
Jones Griffiths went on to become president of the famed agency Magnum Photos.<\/p>\n
Emrys first took up photography around 1930 after training as a chemist, before joining the photographic corps of the RAF during the war.<\/p>\n
\u2018During his postings to North Africa, Corsica and Italy he took aerial reconnaissance photos and recorded significant events and sights, including the body of Mussolini hanging above a street,’ said a club spokesman.<\/p>\n
\u2018He also took photos of visits by General Montgomery and portraits of agents who were about to go behind enemy lines.’<\/p>\n
After the war, Emrys trained as a teacher and married his \u2018pen pal’ Gwyneth who, like Emrys, came from Caernarfon.<\/p>\n
Both joined the North Wales Photographic Society – later renamed Conwy Camera Club – where Emrys was made president.<\/p>\n
\u2018He rarely missed a meeting for more than 50 years and continued to take an interest in the club’s resurgence after ill health forced him to stop attending,’ added the club.<\/p>\n
\u2018He never lost interest in the club and enjoyed visits from members telling him of the latest happenings. <\/p>\n
\u2018Older members will cherish fond memories of him, especially his generosity in helping others who showed an interest in photography.<\/p>\n
Emrys’ funeral was held in Colwyn Bay on 1 May, followed by a reception where examples of his photography went on show.<\/p>\n
In February, the club presented Emrys with a copy of its 2011 Yearbook, featuring the best images taken by members that year.<\/p>\n
Philip Jones Griffiths died in 2008, aged 72. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Welsh photographer who acted as mentor to renowned photojournalist Philip Jones Griffiths \u2013 and took pictures of secret agents during WWII \u2013 has died aged 97.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":13039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"product-category":[],"class_list":["post-13038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photo-news"],"yoast_head":"\n