DI ONLINE
COVER IMAGE
ALL ABOUT THE COVER IMAGE
ThePhotographer: Neil Milne ARPS
TheImageTitle: ‘Rust 4 Life’
AbouttheImage:
The title ‘Rust for Life’ is a bit of a play on an Iggy Pop album, he’s a bit grungy so I thought it fitted.
I shot about 50 images on a dull day walking around a nearby industrial estate. I deliberately set out to photograph textured surfaces so I was looking at skips, fences, peeling paint on brick walls, wooden siding on buildings that was rotting, etc.
I wanted to capture the images as true and straight as I can so I used a 50mm equivalent prime lens and my Fuji XT5 to avoid distortion. Everything was shot handheld and I varied my iso to suit the light levels. I wanted the images to be sharp but wasn’t worried about grain as I was fully intent on a fair bit of post processing.
I create abstracts using layers in Photoshop. This image combines about 11 separate images which are overlaid in such a way as to try and get a 3D look. To that end I use the bevel and drop shadow feature in photoshop.I colour each layer in Lightroom beforehand to mix up the colours in such a way that they are way more abstract than the original. Once I’ve got the layers balanced to my taste I give them a final burst of clarity and texture in Lightroom to make them even more grungy. Great fun to try.
Editor DI ONLINE: Melanie
Chalk
Contact: dionline@rps.org
CHAIR’S CHAT
We’re thrilled with the response and feedback from members on the many volunteer activities taking place this month.
We have announced two new workshop Projects which start in early 2025. Having tested out some ideas in the DI Survey whilst we knew the Mono Project would be popular, we were taken aback by how quickly members were booking. This, and the ‘Alternative View’ project certainly looks to be extremely popular.
Another overwhelming number of bookings flooded in for the new LRPS Support Group. So much so that we have had to rethink how to work with so many DI members all at different stages of the Distinctions journey.
Following on from an initial meeting and a short questionnaire to help with our planning, this week sees the start of the meetings, including a special session from Fotospeed on monitor calibration. With the L Assessments now being digital submissions this is obviously vital if what you see is to match what assessors will ultimately judge you on. For now we have to close taking any new members into the group, but if you are interested in joining in the future then do email DISupportGroup@rps.org and ask to be added to the waiting list.
Earlier this month we also announced the 2025 DI Competitions. By popular demand we are restarting the DI monthly competition and have modified the annual Digital Imaging competition format. For full information go to https://rps.org/groups/digital-imaging/di-competitions
The 2025 DI Print Portfolio is now fast approaching with submissions opening on 1st January. So do start to consider which 3 prints you need to prepare – you have to be in it to win it. 30 prints will be selected for the Portfolio and these represent a cross section of work from our members to become our portfolio exhibition. The same link as above takes you to the competitions web page.
With so much going on and getting booked up we hope that you find something to appeal to you.
Regards Janet
EDITOR’S WORDS FROM THE COMPUTER CHAIR
This autumn, the weather has been a mixed bag, with warmer-than-usual days and sporadic rainfall, the timing and vibrancy of leaf changes seems to have been more unpredictable this year. Down here in the south the leaves seem to have held onto their green hues longer than usual but we are now enjoying an extended Autumn with vibrant bursts of colour and piles of leaves everywhere. But I still think there have been some very successful T-W-T Woodland walks, with enough colour to capture the real essence of Autumn and it will interesting to see the Zine, bringing together all the images from around the country.
We have three UK members and an International member showcasing their photography this month. Simon Newlyn details and illustrates the very individual and expressive processes he brings to his photography, very much a personal art form. Patricia Tutt tells us about, how, her photography project, undertaken in her locality, has now become a Zine, a great way to display and share one’s images. Patricia aims to continue with more projects and more Zines, as she records the area where she lives and the beautiful and intimate landscapes she finds in nature. John Porter, a new Committee member, and part of the new LRPS Support Team, contributes his personal photographic story this month. It’s so interesting to read of other’s busy lives, their travels and how they spend their leisure time. How often we find that these photographic journeys started with a box Brownie!
I was pleased to receive feedback on my previous contribution, specifically Clive Haynes' article on Snapchat in the October issue. Martin’s response thoughtfully extends the discussion on AI and the editing tools commonly used in photography, exploring the potential for these technologies to alter reality. He raises important questions regarding transparency, ethics, and integrity in image manipulation. In essence, we’re presented with two contrasting perspectives: Simon’s viewpoint, which emphasizes a personal, self-directed approach to photography, and Martin’s, which introduces the broader, more complex concerns surrounding AI’s role in shaping how images are manipulated and perceived. Both viewpoints continue dialogue on the future of photography, we need to all to consider both the creative possibilities and ethical responsibilities that come with advanced editing technologies.
There is also the usual roundup of news and future happenings, lots for you to get involved in with, several competitions planned for you to prepare for and more workshops being confirmed over the coming weeks. There is lots for you to read and absorb in this issue. I am always happy to receive and read other opinions, articles, photographers journeys and exciting cover images.
Melanie Chalk Editor DI ONLINE dioline@rps.org
NEW MEMBERS
Each month we welcome and list all new members, here are those who have joined in November. Let me take the opportunity to welcome all those listed here.
There is lots of information within these pages about future events, forthcoming workshops, competition results, as well as links to the DI Webpage. This is where you will find more detail as well as contact information.
John Birch
Ted Burchnall LRPS
Judy Cochand
Ian Dring
Colin Flatters
Emma Hall LRPS
John Horner
Colin Houston
Ilan Jacobson
Andrew Jones
Melissa Magnuson ARPS
Peter Owen
Julia Tantram
Andrew Tye
James Weeks LRPS
Janine Williams
Peter Wilson
Adrian Wilson
Diane Wolverson
North Yorkshire
Alberta
Hampshire
Devon
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
North Yorkshire
North Ayrshire
Hertfordshire
Oxfordshire
London
Staffordshire
Surrey
South Ayrshire
London
Dorset
West Sussex
Aberdeenshire
Dorset
FROM A MEMBER
SIMON NEWLYN – IN MY OWN LENS
At the start of November two things, in a photographic context, happened to me.
The first is that a fellow photographer suggested that I was being “a little pretentious” and the second is that your Editor rang to say that she had selected some of my images and would I discuss how they came about. Well, the top line answer to your Editors request is due to my unintentional pretentiousness!
To explain, my late brother-in-law, unbeknown to us as a family, was a studious logophile and when clearing up his estate we came across a notebook in which he had recorded the results of anagrams based on family names.
So in shock, surprise and delight, in equal measure, I found the entry beside my name to read ‘In My Own Lens’
Therefore I am in no way trying to be pretentious when I say the basis for the majority of my pictures comes out of a spirit of attempting to develop or adopt an initial idea, theme or subject and then - and only then - making and creating a photograph: in short, from initial composition to final performance all ….in my own lens
This, I know, makes me a ‘marmite’ photographer but I enjoy it - fiddling away in my own world, free of rules, regulations and other constraints, while setting myself a challenge, so that I can do, what I always do first - start scribbling!
By scribbling I’m trying to create/establish a basic storyline for the picture under development. I call this my creative storytelling work and the extract from my notebook -of some years ago- shows my initial concept thinking for the Captain Marvel shot.
The original inspiration for this ( a series of 5 shots ) came from the release of the Captain Marvel film - a film that portrayed the life and adventures of Carol Danvers a character who becomes a superhero known as Captain Marvel.
Without a Hollywood budget I needed to create both a look and location for my Captain Marvel to be played by Ayla, a model who I had chosen for her ability to recreate athletic and dynamic movements in action poses.
Developed over a period of three months my Captain Marvel look included a protective motorcycle jacket and leggings forming a ‘bodysuit’; a giant dice plus a multicoloured broom handle, (her weapon of choice) both found in a ScrapStore*; a unicorn headpiece from a German milliner; boots from eBay and a wig from a hairdressing website formed the basis of her outfit.
And so equipped with a concept brief, pictures - stills from the film and other action drawings I was able to direct Ayla, in the studio, who took on and executed the character of Captain Marvel like the superhero model she is.
Following the shoot I needed to create the location and final composition on the computer. For me, crafting a photograph has three deliberate and distinct (but linked) elements namely pre visualisation
and shot preparation, the actual taking of the picture and the final development of the shot, in post, on a computer.
I do not hold to the ‘straight out of camera’ mantra in a digital age when software engineers regard phones as ‘computing’ your pictures and DSLR cameras do more with AI, inside the camera, than we fully appreciate.
Leaving aside that ‘hot potato’ in post I selected shots, from my library, of the Avebury stones plus sky and crashing waves from my Isle of Wight pictures to craft the images together. Again, working slowly and deliberately I created a series of Captain Marvel images of which ‘Captain Marvel: Storm Dicer’ is the key image.
Let me, for a moment, turn to a bit of reality. It strikes me that the world, for a variety of reasons, war, politics and the environment, to name three problems could be in a better place right now. As I’m not in a position to really document any of these subjects I’m driven to create my own distractions and unashamedly produce work that, I hope, at the very least entertains.
So an image without any deep significant meaning follows. Falling out of my Christmas stocking, one year, was a little book entitled: ‘How to drink wine out of fish heads while cooking lobster in a Volkswagen hub cap’ ……and so, for the rest of Christmas I entered a kind of photographic dream state wondering if I knew anyone who owned a Volkswagen. It turned out that I did and ‘The Lobster’s Last Tale’ was created.
Finally, in this creative storytelling section, I include the image ‘1940: Broadcasting Carries On’.
Friday 8 May 2020 marked 75 years since Germany surrendered at the end of the second world war. At the time, in 2020, there was a considerable amount of media coverage about activities planned to remember this important date.
Now I do have a habit of buying odd bits and pieces on the understanding ( with myself ) “that I could do something with that photographically”. I had, in my travels, spotted and bought a modern reproduction of a broadcasting studio sign which lit up to state ‘ON AIR’ in large letters. With this prop in mind I started to scribble to create ideas for a 1940s period styled picture that portrayed a singer with a big headed microphone (excuse technical description) on a stand broadcasting from a studio set in a secret location to convey the concept of broadcasting never stopping during the war years.
A secret location? No photoshop for this as I found and persuaded a film location company to let me hire - at a reasonable rate on a day of their choosing - a dilapidated house in south-east London, normally used for tv and film work, known, ironically, as the Safe House.
So on a very cold day , in a very draughty building, the gorgeously named Miss Deadly Red donned her chanteuse dress and gave her rendition of ‘When The Lights Go On Again (All Over The World) ’ for my camera.
Post shoot and taking the shot into the computer I sepia toned and puppet warped ( I so love the puppet warp tool ) the front cover of a wartime copy of the Radio Times. Like the Windmill Theatre which never closed during the war the Radio Times never stopped publishing - and radio never stopped broadcasting. This, I hope, is acknowledged symbolically by the floating magazine covers taking the news, about programmes carrying on, out of the studio to the people.
While the above are some examples that I refer to as my creative storytelling work the next set of pictures, chosen by Melanie, I regard as contemporary storytelling shots.
One of the things that perhaps camera clubland is not so hot on is what I call photographic modernity or accepting the less traditional image both in subject and composition. In such environments you often hear about classic and historical photographers being suggested as, what we might now call, influencers. Nothing wrong in this per se but what about some of the great photographers working today in both commercial and fine art genres?
Yes some of the photographers, now working in advertising and product promotion produce really interesting commissioned and non-commissioned work . Let me share with you some of my contemporary photographic influencers who you might like to ponder, love or hate but don’t forget to marvel at their imaginative creations.
In no particular order these include Julia Fullerton-Batten, Joseph Ford, Patty Carroll, Eric Johansson and Tim Walker.
Now back to my humble offerings and looking at my contemporary shots what gives me particular pleasure is that I have been able to, I believe, create a simple theme which is maintained in the final photograph. In short, I’ve kept it simple -from initial composition to final performance - and not over complicated the work.
The Lobster Pool
My lobster shot! What do you do when the weather is not quite as bright and hot as you expected it to be? While others decide where to go and what to do I took shot, after shot, after shot just to get the lobster to face the right way as opposed to spinning away out of shot. Adjusted the angle of the stairs on the computer.
The Negotiator
I’m often inspired by current events - but beware, the relevance of a picture can date as soon as the event is out of the news leaving your viewer ‘reference less’ . This shot was actually inspired by the BREXIT negotiations when both sides claimed that they had a set of red lines beyond which they would not negotiate.
The Scurrying Mouse
A surreal studio shot created in (after) the moment. During a break in our photoshoot, taking coffee outside the studio, both model and I suddenly heard a scurrying sound. Then, in an instance, we both jumped as a rat ran towards us across the little courtyard! Returning to the studio I asked my model, Anita to throw her skirt into the air as though she were reacting to the rat running towards us! A few shots later the disappearing rat had become a mouse. The black hand?…a latex finger glove!
Tranquility
Again another shot with Ayla and very much inspired by the work of Patty Carroll. I found this material in Dunelm and bought 5 metres of which I tore off 2 metres to create a dress with. The design of material and the final pose suggested peace and quiet ,which I call ‘Tranquility’. In post I just adjusted the bird above her head to give separation and made some curve adjustments.
Now I diid say that I had a habit of buying things that I think ‘I could do something with photographically.’ And so I have to admit that I have a wardrobe full of dresses! - some bought to ‘dress’ a particular topic or theme and others….well…on the whim that, one day, it will work in a picture.
That day came when a French model known as BOo, wearing this extravagant dressbought very much on a whim, just started dancing and from a series of shots High Kick was created. Shot in the studio I then created the background in Photoshop and, with a brush, created the coloured ‘streamers’ in a program called ParticleShop
and finally……Eternal Damnation
Ahhhh inspired by AI. To be clear this is both a studio shot and AI. The AI bit came by inserting a picture of butterflies ( actually taken by Melanie ) into Midjourneythe AI image generator - and giving it a free hand to generate a new image. This it did by producing a dystopian/ devil like character.
I then worked on this character and produced over 20 different versions. By this time the concept of an underworld or hell full of nasty ghouls emerged in my imagination and subsequently on my computer. The insertion of a studio shot of a veiled model gave the composition a judgemental direction set in Armageddon.
If you find this uncomfortable then I suggest you reflect on the title and ask if it actually refers to the judgement being implied by the three characters or to the advent and future development of AI!
To conclude my photographic adventure, is not so much a journey, as I have purposely not taken any one photographic discipline onwards and upwards but stuck to the challenge of starting from scratch in the form of writing my own script to create a variety of new photographic projects.
Personally I find as much enjoyment in both the pre-planning and post-processing sections of my photography as well as the enormous satisfaction I get from taking the actual shot. For me, the ultimate reward is knowing that I have created and assembled the sum of all the parts into each of my final photographs.
Simon Notes
The Scrapstore mentioned can be found here https://www.childrensscrapstore.co.uk
Links to other Scrapstores now called Reuseful uk can be found here https://www.reusefuluk.org
Links to the photographers mentioned in this article can be found here:
https://juliafullerton-batten.com
https://www.timwalkerphotography.com
https://josephford.net
https://www.erikjo.com
https://www.pattycarroll.com
BOOKS AND ZINES
A REGULAR FEATURE ON A NEWLY COMPLETED BOOK
FENELLA’S QUEENIES BY PATRICIA TUTT ARPS
In November 2023, I decided that I needed a new photo project – something easily accessible and within walking distance of home, and not biassed towards my usual inclination for architecture. As Peel has two beaches divided by a causeway linking the harbour and the adjoining islet with its ruined castle and cathedral, I chose the more intimate and interesting of the two – Fenella Beach. The name comes from Sir Walter Scott’s 1823 novel Peveril of the Peak, which was partially set in the locality.
This beach and its enclosing narrow cove are artificial constructs, formed by the building of the causeway. Initially a flimsy timber structure, it was rebuilt in stone with a roadway being added on the sheltered side some years later. In addition to linking the town with the islet, the causeway protects the main sweep of Peel Bay and the inner harbour, and provides access to the outer breakwater and lifeboat station, both of which are linked to the roadway bounding the landward side of the islet.
I have been photographing this beach intermittently for many years, and in March 2007 I got enough intimate landscapes on a single walk around the beach and the castle ramparts to consider using these as the basis for my associateship submission. In the end, I didn’t use them, successfully submitting an architecture panel instead, but they remained in my mind as prompts for the new project.
Once I got on the beach, I realised that there was enough material in the shellfish waste covering the beach for these to form the basis of my new challenge. The local shellfish processors had been tipping scallop shells over the nearby cliff for over forty years, and I didn’t learn until a couple of months later that this activity had been stopped for environmental reasons a few weeks earlier. The shells have accumulated in a vast, consolidating, sterilised area on the seabed which has been documented by divers, and the prevailing sea current and westerly storms sweep the mobile top layer into the cove we know as Fenella Beach.
The queen and king scallop shells, whether whole, or broken, are constantly being rearranged by the tide and storms, smashed against rocks and the wall, and gradually being ground down to form the main constituents of the dark ‘sand’ on the beach. They had also, as I realised when I couldn’t find the features that I had photographed in 2007, been raising the height of the beach, which has led to more frequent overtopping of the causeway with storm surges.
Recognising that I had the potential to record the changes in the beach as the in-wash of shells declined added to my belief in the significance of this project, and my compilation of these intimate landscapes will, hopefully, form part of a wider project documenting other aspects of the beach, including its history.
“ High tides smash the shells against the causeway, often piling them vertically “
The best intimate landscapes are usually found at the tide-line, especially at low tide as I stand there, walking stick dangling from a loop off one wrist and camera from a wrist strap on the other, letting the water wash over my Crocs. The supine crowd sitting in their hermetically-sealed cars in the overlooking car park must think I’m mad.
One day I could find the beach completely covered in a thick carpet of shells and shell fragments; a few days later, there could be an almost clear beach with hardly any evidence of shells at the water’s edge. Always, however, there is a deep layer of waste accumulated against the causeway, especially at the north end against the islet, driven there by the prevailing wind. The height of this fluctuates over the year, one storm piling it high, the next sweeping some of it away.
Some days, the beach is covered with thick drifts of dead seaweed and there is little that is attractive to photograph. At other times, wind has whipped the breakers into a photogenic white foam. On just one occasion there was the other kind – ugly, stiff brown sea foam, a product of surfactants and sewage. I was appalled to see ladies cooling off in the water, up to their necks after their session using the itinerant sauna parked beside the beach. It was too late to point out the state of the beach.
“ As the tide washes over the shells, they appear beneath the foam and glisten with colour or, rarely, are pellucid and silver. .
As the year continues, there are fewer complete shells on the beach. ”
I am working these mini beach scenes into this zine, which still needs polishing and ruthless pruning of my tendency toward overkill. I normally print my work, but a small book seems the best way to present this portfolio, and it enables me to include images that set the scene and have a descriptive component, but which I would not normally be turning into large prints.
Inevitably, as I continue to visit the beach, I photograph other things – life on the beach – notably human and canine – there is little for birds above the sterile shell waste; intimate landscapes of other aspects of the seashore, rocks and shell carpet; the sea, in all its moods; and the views beyond. More zines to form a set, I hope.
Patricia
T-W-T
TALK-WALK-TALK UPDATE
TWT Woodlands has been a success. Following the initial presentation from Paul Mitchell FRPS we have had 52 UK WALKs with over 350 persons enjoying meeting up with other photographers at a local woodlands near them. The number of international members engaging in TWT has also increased, but perhaps not as much as we had hoped.
All the WALKs are now over and many of the final feedback discussion TALKS too. By December we will be compiling the Woodlands Zine of the images chosen to represent each walk.
It is most encouraging that many Regions are now making the TWT programme part of their regional activities. We thank them for working with us to deliver more walks for members.
In spring 2025 we move on to TWT Parklands and Gardens with an initial TALK on 10 April at 19.30.
In January will be looking for some RPS members to put their names forward as walk leaders. If this appeals to you then do get in touch via twt@rps.org - we need your name, email address and the location for the walk.
INTERNATIONALS
Each month we will feature an International Member and learn more about them and their photography. Here Janet Haines poses questions to Ian Brown now living in Australia.
Janet: I believe you are a new RPS member who lives in Australia. How did you get to hear about the RPS and what made you want to join?
Ian: I joined in June; I live in Ballarat, about 100km outside Melbourne. I’m English originally, I emigrated about thirty years ago. I’m studying photography, and one of my teachers recommended joining. I checked out the website and joined. I’m so busy with my studies and haven’t taken advantage of any of the resources yet, but I will. I wanted to join for the online talks and to learn from those with far more experience.
Janet: How long have you been interested in photography?
Ian: I’ve been interested in photography for a long time. As a child, I had a 110mm camera, and my birthday present from my parents was a SLR. It was film back then. I was a trainspotter, and my brother and I used to jump on trains and travel around the country. Eventually, I stopped writing numbers and only photographed the journey. I don’t have any examples from back then. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I did have an eye for composition and shooting things differently to my friends.
Janet: During your study to become a graphic designer, did it include Photography?
Ian: Not while I was studying design. I completed a Foundation Course in art & design that included photography. Back then, that included developing film as well as photographic techniques. I really enjoyed it, but I was pretty locked in that I wanted to be a designer. I did occasionally photograph my work and my process, but that wasn’t really for public consumption, just documenting the projects I was working on.
Janet: Do you use your photographic skills when working for clients? (I see your website shows some food - were these images you took?
Ian: The work on my website was photographed by professionals. I intend to photograph some new work myself. The kind of photography I currently shoot is often machinery and manufacturing equipment. The ones I’ve included are used for manufacturing electrical equipment.
Janet: Can you show us two images you have taken that you enjoyed taking and tell us why?
Ian: The first one was for an assessment. We had to demonstrate depth of field. I wanted to avoid the usual photographing a landscape. So, I chose a Lego model of a Saturn V rocket. I set it up on a plank of wood clamped to a ladder and added the teddy bear stuffing to simulate the exhaust fumes. I enjoy the challenge of thinking of an image and then creating it.
The second was by chance. On my way home from dinner one night, the sky was beautiful. Fortunately, I’ve started taking my camera with me almost everywhere I go now.
Ian
A MEMBER’S STORY
JOHN PORTER LRPS
I am proud to have been recently appointed to the Digital Imaging Group Committee. I studied for a media studies degree at Leeds University and I am a qualified trainer, facilitator and mentor having spent over 10 years doing that for a living. Because of my experience in mentoring and facilitating, I was asked if I would, together with another member of the committee, jointly facilitate in a support group to help prospective candidates towards their LRPS distinction. I enjoy mentoring and helping others in photography and so I accepted the role without hesitation.
Fly On A Poppy by John Poter LRPS
After Waiting For The Light On A Dull Day At Scaliber Foss
I have had a long journey in photography which started when I was about 7 years old with my first camera - a Kodak Brownie 127. My wife has been a source of support and encouragement during my early adult years as a photographer and later when the children came along they were of course a rich source of material. Holidays we took together as a family helped me realise that I wanted to do something more creative with my photography as well as taking holiday snaps. I joined my local photography club and met many like-minded people who gave me advice and helped my photography improve immeasurably. It also helped me appreciate the advice I received and I resolved to do the same for others when I felt confident enough to do so.
A Cheetah Cub and A Portrait Of A Lion by John Porter LRPS Both Taken In South Africa 2024
I moved into digital photography in the early days of digital around the millennium and have never regretted it. I also love film photography and accept there is still a place for analogue photography in the modern world. I have a film camera and process my own colour and black and white film using the facilities of my local photography club. Using film has made me remember how much more difficult it was back then, and the level of skill that was required to produce good quality images without the benefit of immediate feedback, faster shutter speeds and burst modes. My preferred genres are wildlife, travel and sport although I enjoy experimenting with genres outside my comfort zone such as architecture and street photography, both of which I have done recently.
‘I Never Touched Him Ref’ By John Porter LRPS Ashton Untied FC v South Shields FC. FA Cup 3rd October 2020
At Oulton Park in the British Super Bikes Event on 6th May 2019
I enjoy picking new subjects to work on, and choose new genres and tips from the RPS Digital Imaging Group workshops. I find some genres more challenging than others and this also contributes to my enjoyment of photography. The images I have included here all mean something special to me and have been a large part of my journey. I hope the titles convey the story without any additional explanation. When I retired, I decided that my retirement would be enriched by a deeper study of photography. With that in mind I joined the Royal Photographic Society in 2007 and with their support and help a Licentiate from the RPS followed in June 2010. I have been president of my local photography club and I am currently vice president. I was pleased during my term as president to have steered the club through the pandemic, coming out as a thriving club whilst many others were forced to close.
Ryan Vickers Racing by John Porter ARPS
I give talks on photography to other clubs and organisations and acquired a ‘C’ qualification from the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain in 2021.
I am also the match day and team photographer for my local football club Ashton United FC, who currently play in the Northern Premier League.
I hope that in some way I can encourage others to progress in a medium that has been such a large part of my life, and in doing so, hope that they will experience the enjoyment it has given to me.
John
On The Edge Of A Volcano by John Porter LRPS In Iceland 2016
BOOKS AND ZINES
BOOKS AND ZINES PEER SUPPORT E-CIRCLES
Our Books and Zines project participants have formed two e-Circles to allow them to go on discussing their projects. Groups will meet on Zoom (frequency to be decided, but less frequently than monthly), to discuss their work.
Participants are welcome to discuss printed books, electronic books, or handmade books.
One group meets on Tuesdays at 17.30 (UK time), and one on Wednesdays at 14.00. There are a couple of places available and any DI members interested in photo books would be welcome.
Anyone interested should contact DIcircles@rps.org
FROM SEED TO BLOOM
THE LAST DATES IN THIS SERIES
The Art of Flower Photography with Celia Henderson LRPS See the scene, take the photo and make the art.
The final events for early 2025 are now bookable, but selling fast.
9. JANUARY Late Winter in the Garden 10. JANUARY The Snowdrop
11. FEBRUARY Early Spring Flowers
12. MARCH The Magnolia
DI COMPETITIONS
ANNOUNCING MEMBERS COMPETITIONS FOR 2025
This competition replaces the previous Members Exhibition and the resulting high quality Portfolio represents the best of DI members’ work.
We select the top 30 images to go into the Portfolio. Each of the 30 winners get a copy of the beautifully printed and bound Portfolio. All who enter get a printed magazine of the same content.
Enter 3 unmounted prints (open class) – Rules can be found HERE Entries open 1 January 2025 – close on 6 February 2025 Winners will be announced at the AGM on 23 February 2025
SUPPORTING WEB PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION IS HERE
Responding to your feedback we have modified our annual digital image competition for 2025. There are now 3 classes – Open Mono, Open Colour and Altered Image. We will select 10 winners in each category who will go to the final, the winner of which will be awarded the Raymond Wallace Thompson Trophy.
Each class will roll throughout the year as follows:
Open Colour – submissions in February. Selection by end of May Altered Image – submissions in May. Selection by end of June
Open Mono – submissions in August. Selection by end of September The final will be held in November Rules and precise dates will be confirmed on the web page HERE
Many of you will be delighted to hear that the popular DI monthly Comp will start again from January 2025. There are a few minor changes to how you submit and vote, so do please read the web page
All information on our DI Monthly Competition can be found HERE.
All information on all our DI Competitions can be found on our web site.
DIGITAL IMAGING WEBSITE
The Minimalist Photography Awards
DISTINCTIONS
Find out how to start – or continue – your Distinctions journey:
Each of the pages below includes handy links to guidelines and genres for distinctions, assessment dates, and a “how to apply” document:
• Licentiate (LRPS) – the process for LRPS has changed – see below for more details.
• Associate (ARPS)
• Fellowship (FRPS)
Changes to LRPS
The LRPS application process has been changed and now uses an online application system for digital submissions – no more prints or books will be assessed.
There’s lots of supporting material and application forms on the RPS website now. Take time to look around and digest the information if you are interested. We also offer an LRPS Support Group to our members; see https://rps.org/groups/digital-imaging/ lrps-support-group/ for more details.
The Photobook genre has its own special guidelines and submission process (as opposed to an ARPS or FRPS submission in book form). You can find out more here: Photo books. You might also like to see a talk hosted by Stewart Wall which is both informative and inspiring.
Some genre-specific hybrid Advisory Days for both Associate and Fellowship levels at RPS House are bookable – limited spaces; book here.
To help you prepare, you can request a one2one portfolio review – an online session with a panel member appropriate to your genre/distinction. See this page for more information: How to book a one2one. Note: this programme is being paused until the New Year.
There has been some confusion over what happens next – someone from HQ will find you an advisor and put you both in touch to arrange a date and to send images/ presentation plan. This can take time depending on how many volunteer assessors in your genre or at your level are available, and you are advised to make your request at least 4 months before an assessment.
Some regions are offering Advisory Days online and in person. Look out on our Facebook group or for broadcasts from your regional group for details, or use this link https://portal.rps.org/s/ event-listing and click the ‘Advisory Day’ button at the top.
You can generally attend as an observer if you aren’t ready to step up yet (usually advertised a week beforehand on the Facebook group). In addition, some Chapters and Regions offer online Distinctions Study Groups. You can find these by searching the RPS website.
You can send your booking forms to distinctions@rps.org or by post to head office. As for advisory days, you can sign up to observe an Assessment Day (in person or online) tickets for assessments – currently free.
And don’t forget, as well as projected and printed images, you can also apply for a Film, Digital and Multimedia Distinction at any level, and also a written Research Distinction: Film And Research. The Research page on the website has been updated, and more changes are scheduled for other pages.
More avenues of support
If you missed any of the Distinctions Live talks, you can catch up here. (Also accessible via the RPS Distinctions channel on YouTube.) This talk from Stewart Wall gives advice on how to gain your Licentiate.
The Facebook Group RPS Distinctions **Official Group** is still growing after 3 years, with almost 5250 members. It includes news from HQ, links for observer places at assessments, and posts celebrating distinction successes to inspire you. It’s a civilised venue to ask questions, share your successes – and disappointments – and ask for critique or expert advice on your proposed portfolio.
If you aren’t sure which genre or level to apply for, you can post 6 images (plus your Statement of Intent if appropriate) and request moderator advice.
Accolade, which celebrates Digital Imaging members’ distinction successes, is useful for insight into the process in many different genres and at all levels. The last Issue 14 of Accolade has been published and issue 14 is in the works. (back numbers also available on the DI Website).
AI SNAPCHAT
UNVEILING THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN AI-DRIVEN PHOTOGRAPHY
Did you read this article in the DI ONLINE October issue? If not here is the link. Page 38
The Rise of AI - Abracadabra or Integrity? By
Clive Haynes FRPS
Did it make you think,? Did it prompt discussion with your fellow photographers? Did it generate a reaction from you?
I did receive one email, offering some feedback and an alternative view, which I am publishing here.
Clive Haynes’ remarks in DI Online October 24 raise some interesting questions both around AI and image manipulation. They are particularly timely when the accompanying notes to the Digital Imaging Competition 2024 https://issuu.com/digweb/docs/ezine_jh_v2 mention some form of image manipulation in a significant proportion of the 25 round winners. I hasten to add that no rules were broken.
AI is just the latest iteration in computer-aided imagery: but its ease of use, combined with widespread use of image editing software, risks blurring the line between truth and fiction and puts the integrity of photography at serious risk.
This issue becomes especially critical when we ask people to sit in judgement on our photographs, and compare them with those of others.
My background is in news agency photography, where the accuracy of a photograph is of paramount importance, restrictions as to how an image can be processed are very tight, and altering a photograph can be grounds for instant dismissal.
Great photography is about using our knowledge and skills with light, timing, equipment, location and subject matter to show others something -
a person, a place, an event, an emotionthat the photographer saw, but as the viewer was not there, they could not otherwise have seen for themselves. Using a computer to add or remove something from that original capture means the result is no longer a photograph but digital art.
We are all members of the RPS - the world’s most prestigious photographic society - and with its visibility, I think that it’s vital that our photographs are honest and can be trusted. Viewers need to know that what’s in them is what was in front of the camera at the time that the image was made.
We all have ideas of great photographs we would like to take: sometimes everything comes together, but other times, the light, the subject, the timings, the location doesn’t work. That’s life: we have to go back another time and try again.
A photograph must be of what was there, rather than what the photographers either hoped would be there but wasn’t, or would prefer not to have been but unfortunately was.
It’s really very simple - and has its foundations in the analogue era. Cropping, toning, colour balance, dodging and burning, spotting-out dust is acceptable.
These refinements to the image, along with focus stacking or noise reduction, enhance its visual quality without altering the integrity of the scene captured. These techniques are about optimising the existing image, not changing the story it tells.
But adding or removing parts of the image should be a complete no-no. That’s altering the image.
Perhaps competition entrants should ask themselves: “Would I be willing to tell the judges when they look at my entry: ‘This is what I have done to the picture after I took it’?” And if they are not - then maybe they should not be entering the photograph.
Technology may help us. The Content Authenticity Initiative, supported by camera manufacturers, software companies, libraries
and publishing houses, enables the digital ‘signing’ of an image at every step from capture to publication. It is driving greater transparency over image manipulation to allow anyone to see the provenance and history of a particular photograph. But it will take time for the protocols to be widely adopted at all stages.
As AI and imaging software continue to evolve, it’s up to competition organisers to draft the rules more tightly, and for all of us to make sure that people can believe that our photographs really do show what was in front of the camera when the picture was taken. We must ensure that the boundary between reality and manipulation in part or creation in totality remains clear, so that the true essence of photography is never lost.
Martin Keene FRPS ASICI
DI FUTURE EVENTS
WORKSHOP NEWS
What is all this talk about Notion? What’s wrong with Google Drive?
Why are you introducing another thing to confuse us? How is Notion better?
Let me answer those questions and explain, some months ago we adopted a specific shared Google drive for each Workshop, as a place to store the recordings, resources and as a means of uploading and sharing images. But one needs to log in to access the shared Google Drive content, to review it and upload. Images. Otherwise you only have limited access. Therefore those choosing not have a Google account are disadvantaged.
So what alternatives are there? Recently, Joe Houghton, started to use Notion to prepare and share his comprehensive resources for the workshops he runs for RPS DI. I was very impressed and did some more research on Notion and , had a few sessions with him on how to navigate it and he shared some shortcuts. During my trialling of this software I found it intuitive, easy and instant to update, I tested it on others and the feedback was very positive.
My reasons for introducing new processes are focused on making things easier for you. I always prioritise ease of use for you, while also considering efficiency and time-saving benefits to my workload as a Volunteer.
So think of Notion as a giant, digital notebook, where I can add all kinds of pages, lists, notes, links and websites but it’s synced on my computer, phone and iPad and one can organise everything in a really flexible way. All Workshops from JAN 2025 will use Notion Links.
Notion provides a stable, real-time workspace for collaboration, making it ideal for sharing project or workshop information. Here’s how it works:
• One Link for Each Workshop or Project: One Notion link with everything you need.
• No Login Required: Access all resources directly—no login necessary.
• Continuously Updated: I update the page with recordings, resources, & new info.
• Downloadable Resources: All resources are available for easy download.
• Long-Term Access: The link stays active, so you can revisit it anytime.
This setup ensures you have streamlined, up-to-date access to all essential materials.
If you're attending multiple DI workshops, I’ll be sharing several Notion links with you. To keep them handy, here are my recommendations:
1. The Notion link is initially shared via Billetto: Viewable by clicking ‘Go to online Event Page’ on Billetto confirmation and reminder emails. Also through ‘MY TICKETS’ on your Billetto Account. Perhaps put these emails in a folder.
2. Bookmark Each Link: Bookmark each Notion link in your browser for quick access later. Create a dedicated folder (e.g., "Workshops" or "Projects") in your bookmarks for easy organisation.
3. Create a Document or Note: Create a single document or note where you paste all the links with clear labels, keeping everything in one place.
4. Use a Bookmarking App: For those who use bookmarking apps like Pocket or Evernote, saving the links there allows them to organise by tags or folders, making it easy to find specific projects or workshops.
5. Save Links on your Desktop or Phone: On mobile or desktop, you can save each link as a shortcut for quick access.
These tips will help you stay organised and ensure you don’t lose access to any workshop or project materials.
You might even like to start using the Free version of Notion for your own use?
NOTION WEBSITE
NEW WORKSHOP
Starts May 23 2025
Digital Time Travel: Modernising Vintage Family Images with Joe Houghton
DI WORKSHOPS
As a DI member, I'm sure you've been keeping a keen eye on the recent developments in AI and how they're impacting our hobby. All this discussion has been causing quite a stir in the photography world, especially when it comes to competition entries. So, let's look at what's acceptable and what's not when it comes to using AI in your competition submissions.
The Current Landscape
Do remember that the guidelines and rules for AI use in photography competitions are still evolving. The PAGB, RPS, and the FIAP have all been grappling with this issue, and their guidelines are being updated regularly.
Nature Category: Keep It Natural
When it comes to the Nature category, the rules are pretty straightforward. Both the PAGB and RPS are clear that AI-generated or AI-manipulated images are not allowed in Nature competitions. The goal here is to represent nature as it truly is, without any enhancements or alterations. But there are some AI-powered tools that are generally considered acceptable in Nature Images:
• Noise reduction software
• Sharpening tools
• Basic colour and contrast adjustments
The key is that these tools should be used to enhance the quality of your original capture, not to add or remove elements from the scene.
Open Category: A Bit More Relaxed
In the Open category, there's typically more flexibility. However, even here, fully AI-generated images are generally not accepted.The PAGB and RPS both emphasise that the photographer should be the primary creator of the image.
So, what's allowed? Well, you can use AI-powered tools for:
• Advanced editing techniques
• Style transfers
• Artistic effects
But remember, the core of the image should still be your original photograph. If you're using AI to dramatically alter your image or create entirely new elements, you're likely crossing a line.
Other Categories: Check the Specific Rules
For other categories, such as Portrait or Street Photography, it's crucial to check the specific rules of the competition you're entering. Some may allow more extensive use of AI tools, while others might be more restrictive.
The Grey Areas
Now, here's where it gets a bit tricky. Some AI tools, like content-aware fill or sky replacement features in Photoshop, fall into a grey area. While these tools use AI, they're often considered acceptable in Open categories as long as they're used judiciously and don't fundamentally change the nature of your original capture.
Best Practices
To stay on the safe side, here are a few best practices:
• Always start with a high-quality original capture.
• Use AI tools to enhance, not to create.
• Be transparent about your editing process.
• When in doubt, ask the competition organisers.
Looking Ahead
As AI technology continues to advance, we can expect the guidelines to evolve as well. The photography community is actively discussing how to balance the creative possibilities of AI with the integrity of traditional photography.
NEW TALK /DISCUSSION/DEMONSTRATION
DI MEMBERS FREE: FRIDAY JANUARY 24 at 10am— Do come along, Joe Houghton will demystify the tools in the Camera Raw Filter and show what’s allowed and what’s not allowed. Click image for details and register for a ticket.
DI WORKSHOPS PLACES AVAILABLE
DIGITAL IMAGING WEBSITE
The members-only link for the DIGIT Archive is to be found in the email message announcing this newsletter. The RPS Digital Imaging constitution can be downloaded HERE. For everyone’s convenience, we include a list of shortcuts to the main Digital Imaging pages at the end of each Broadcast.
You can subscribe to our email Mailing Lists here to hear new announcements: Garden & Plant Photography Workshops