RPS The Decisive Moment - Edition 27 - September 2023

THE DECISIVE MOMENT

September 2023 Edition 27

ISSN 2634-8225

Photo: Alicia Bruce

On the Bookshelf: Alicia Bruce, I Burn But I Am Not Consumed p62

Maria Tomas Rodriguez, The Canary Route p28

Mike Longhurst FRPS, Is Brutalist Architecture Brutal? p46

In Focus: Joanne Coates, Lie of the Land p8

From Our Chair

As I write this I am preparing to head down to Books on Photography (BOP) in Bristol at the weekend. I know many of you attend, so by the time you read this, I may well have met you in person (on the Photobook Club Collective stand).

This issue of DM again contains a mix of contemporary documentary workers and members projects, showcasing work that shines a light (or a new perspective) on topics and stories, bringing a greater awareness to the public.

The work in this issue is mainly rooted in local community, but also touches on global issues.

In the tradition of many documentary photographers of 20th and early 21st century, especially those of the Amber Collective, Joanne Coates Lie of the Land is socially engaged and embedded in community. The work explores themes of power, identity, poverty and wealth in a subtle or ‘quiet’ way, allowing the viewer time and space to explore. Being embedded in the community and working locally brings an authenticity to the work. We do not need to travel far to find stories.

Taking another ‘quiet’ approach and focussing on the ephemera, the artefacts and possessions left behind, The Canary Route by Maria Tomas Rodriguez provides a poignant reminder of the stark contrast between expectations and reality for many migrants.

Mike Longhurst’s long term project looks widely at Brutalist architecture, something we can either love or hate. But it is part of our environment and has been for more than half a century. Mike challenges us to consider that despite perceptions of ‘brutal’ and massive structures, the reality is that many people go about their daily lives and so the structures themselves are just part of the local environment.

Alicia Bruce’s new book I Burn But I am Not Consumed also explores themes of power, wealth, and identity resulting from the Trump golf course imposed on a community at Menie. Using documentary and staged imagery (inspired by artists such as Bretton and Renoir) it depicts and explores ‘brutal’ changes with aggressive legal tactics, pollution, and more and how that impact people’s lives.

It begs the question where the real brutality is?

The RPS Documentary Photography Awards are close to being shortlisted. We had entries with over 3000 images from across the globe. This is echoed in our membership spanning over 30 countries. We would love to hear more local stories.

The themes that emerge in this issue are important, they can touch us all.

Best wishes

Mark Mark A Phillips FRPS Chair, Documentary Group

The Documentary Group Team

Documentary Group Committee:

Chair: Mark A Phillips FRPS doc@rps.org

Secretary: Nick Linnett LRPS docsecretary@rps.org

Treasurer: Andrew Ripley doctreasurer@rps.org

Members: Harry Hall FRPS, Chris Martinka, Valerie Mather ARPS, Wayne Richards, Dave Thorp, Nick Hodgson FRPS

Sub-Group Organisers:

East Midlands: Volunteer Required docem@rps.org

South East: Jeff Owen ARPS docse@rps.org

Northern: Peter Dixon ARPS docnorthern@rps.org

Southern: Christopher Morris ARPS docsouthern@rps.org

Thames Valley: Philip Joyce FRPS doctv@rps.org

East Anglia: Malcolm English ARPS docea@rps.org

Yorkshire: Carol Hudson LRPS docyork@rps.org

Central (w/Contemporary): Steff Hutchinson ARPS

The Decisive Moment:

Editor: Nick Hodgson FRPS decisive@rps.org

Sub-Editors: Lyn Newton LRPS, Rachael Hill

Editorial: Mike Longhurst FRPS, Gerry Phillipson ARPS

Publishing Dave Thorp docpublishing@rps.org

And the Rest of the Team:

Bi-Monthly Competition: Volunteer Required dgcompetitions@rps.org

Social Media: Wayne Richards docweb@rps.org

Flickr: Volunteer Required

The Documentary Group Plans for 2021-2024

Overall Objective

To support the RPS Strategic Plan Photography for Everyone and to enhance the relevance for Documentary Photography by engaging more diverse audiences and ensuring our activities self-fund. We have focussed our goals and 2021-2024 targets under the RPS Mission of inspiration, creativity, and connection: Inspire – showcase inspiring photography and to shed new light on subjects of importance

These activities are focussed around showcasing and celebrating high quality photographic work and thinking, which is fundamental to the RPS’s purpose:

Engagement Talks

The Decisive Moment

RPS Documentary Photography Awards (DPA)

DPA Exhibitions

Create – encouraging a deeper understanding of photography and providing resources for photographic education

To develop the range and reach of our educational activities. We want to help photographers develop their practice, and also educate non-photographers about what is current in documentary photography:

‘Telling Stories’ Workshops

Distinction Advisory Engage University courses

Support individual development

Connect – promote belonging and inclusivity, by supporting and engaging widely

To engage with more people and connect with other communities, including those who are not photographers, to appreciate the value of documentary photography, so that it is enjoyed and accessible to as many people as possible:

Work with groups outside RPS

Regional and international activities

Website and social media

Documentary Group Bi-Monthly Competition

Monthly Newsletter

rps.org/groups/documentary/about-us

In Focus

Joanne Coates discusses her latest work, Lie of the Land, with Nick Hodgson

Joanne Coates is a working-class visual artist working with the medium of photography. She lives and works across the North East of England. Her work explores rurality, hidden histories and inequalities relating to low income, through photography, installations, and audio. She uses photography to question stories around power, identity, wealth, and poverty. Participation with and working within communities are an important aspect of her work. She has a BA in Photography from the London College of Communication.

In 2022 Coates was the winner of the fourth Jerwood/ Photoworks award. In recent years she has achieved recognition from Magenta Flash Forward, British Journal of Photography, The British Council, Arts Council England, Women Photograph, and Firecracker. In 2021 Joanne was a recipient of Shutterstock ‘Females in Focus’ Award. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including shows at The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, Middlesbrough Museum of Modern Art, Belfast Exposed, Somerset House, Royal Albert Hall, Format Photography Festival in Derby, and the Cork Photo Festival.

All images ©Joanne Coates 2023

instagram.com/joannecoates_

linktr.ee/joannecoates

You are no stranger to Decisive Moment as you were in the May 2020 issue. Since then you seem busier than ever with your project Lie of the Land. What’s happened?

Well, I juggle my life between photography and visual arts, and I am also a farm worker milking dairy herds in my native North Yorkshire, so my life is certainly busy! But photography is my main job. In 2022 I won the fourth Jerwood/Photoworks award which allowed me to make The Lie of the Land, and that has really changed things for me. It gave me the funding, and mentoring from the highly respected David Campany, which has all been invaluable.

What was the driving force behind the Lie of the Land project?

When looking at photography, I think the North East of England, which is my home region, lacks the voice of working-class women. So I really wanted an alternative perspective. I know I’m not the only voice, and it’s also more interesting when it’s a group of voices. I wanted to take risks, so I applied for the Jerwood/Photoworks award, which I didn’t think I’d get, and I was honest and open with my proposal which I was really pleased with – so much so that I was going to make the work anyway. And then of course my submission won. I had this concrete idea and structure and had talked it through with contacts of mine, and with the award bursary I was able to make the work without financial pressures.

The project is about me collaborating with women who identify as working-class, who live and work in rural or agricultural settings, developing with them a series of portraits, landscapes, still images and soundscapes that enable them to reflect on their lived experiences.

Researching and thinking about the subject-matter has been important to me. I was really influenced by two books – Nathalie Olah’s 2019 book Steal As Much As You Can, and Cynthia Cruz’s 2021 book The Melancholia of Class: A Manifesto for the Working Class. Cruz in particular wrote about the detached view that writers, who are not themselves from a working-class background, have when they are commenting on the subject - standing outside the experience that they are depicting or writing about. This can lead to a stereotypical view of the working-class, viewing people fixed in place – and I wanted to tackle the difficult thing of portraying these persons in a nonstereotypical way.

Within all my work I have this gentle approach where I try to avoid the stereotype but I’m also aware of the challenge. Can my photography achieve this? I hope it does, but I’m not able to answer that. But I do

hope that my work has greater authenticity as a result of my background. There is a certain personal knowledge about the local lives and their stories - the regionality of it gives me a deeper understanding as I feel I know how these communities work. I did study in London for five years, so I’ve spent time away, and then I’ve returned to the local area, which has given me the privilege of being able to look inwards but from a slightly more detached, outwards perspective. It’s certainly helped me to better understand the place that I’m from – but I had to leave it to do this.

There’s a definite regionality and understanding to ‘the North’. Up here we are brought up with unspoken rules about the countryside and the rural way of life. Some rules are right, others less so. But it does explain communities. And this helped me to photograph them in a different way, with perfect access. It’s a unique position to be in. But it’s important to be critical, and not just romantic or rose-tinted. I want to see the problems as well as the beauty.

How is the project evolving?

Lie of the Land is an active project and I’m continuing to work on it. I see it is a long-term piece of work because it’s all local to me. I can easily spend just a few hours a day on it as the travel is minimal. The countryside as a place can be seen as a playground, and the working aspects, the life behind the tourism and second homes, is often overlooked. I’m responding to what I see and following a thread of what I interpret. The work I’ve done so far has a set ‘look’, but the challenge is that it is collaborative with the women and because they chose the portrait locations, the ideas are quite free-flowing, playful and at times spontaneous. Whilst I’m usually research-intensive, I think this approach makes for more interesting work, even if I don’t necessarily always have my camera out and ready. I tend to wait, and then I always ask if they have time for me to shoot a portrait. Only then will we both set up the shot.

It feels like you have been working at the intersection of sociallyengaged practice and traditional British documentary photography. What’s the reaction been like?

Very positive, I’m glad to say, although some of the women found it strange to see their images as they’d not been into a photography gallery before - a gallery visit was a new concept to some of them. A few of them wanted to be part of the project but not part of the physical space on the gallery walls. Perhaps it’s because the subject matter is

partly about the quiet act of resistance. One said how much she enjoyed witnessing the reaction of her son seeing her picture on a gallery wall, describing it as a special moment. There’s so much in the images that is hidden - in the portraiture stories, in the landscape history. To some of the women it was really interesting, to others less so. But in all cases I was getting a response.

Initially I did an open-call and then some of my friends asked me why I hadn’t asked them directly to participate! So we had some really interesting conversations, including about the role photography might play, as well as discussing the audio soundscapes I was creating. Sharing the images with them, showing them in a gallery space, led to some in-depth discussions that I’m sure some of them had never had before - but they’ve all been good conversations!

Why the use of both colour and monochrome?

It was a conscious decision. The idea behind shooting the landscapes in colour was me thinking about weaving in the past and the present, how class identity in the area is cyclical, happening and repeating again and again. That’s hard to present online, but so much stronger in a gallery space printed up at a decent size. And they are intentionally ‘big’ landscapes.

As already mentioned, the women’s portraits were collaborative, so we agreed location and perspective, and monochrome works best for me for this type of work. For the still lives I’d ask the women to think about an object that they feel defines their identity. All the objects chosen speak of work, and also of the past – the bugles, for example, are from the former colliery brass bands.

And I gave the women a diary each to write as and when they wanted to, as I was interested in their thoughts about their experiences and challenges. Some wrote a little, others quite a lot. It gave an interesting additional layer to the project for me to think about.

Is this body of work still being exhibited?

The first exhibition was at the Jerwood space in London and then it went to Belfast Exposed Gallery earlier this year. There are lots of plans for a tour in 2024 but I can’t say anything more on this at the moment until it’s 100% confirmed – but I’m very hopeful, so watch this space!

Maria Tomas Rodriguez The Canary Route

Since 2020, a combination of political, economic and COVID pandemic factors has triggered a new migration crisis, resulting in over 50,000 people departing by boat from West Africa and arriving on the beaches and at the ports of Spain’s Canary Islands. The objective of these perilous journeys is to reach European soil and seek a new beginning.

The Canary Route is one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world. The estimated number of deaths is 4,000 but this figure only includes deaths where the body has been recovered or through shipwrecked survivor testimonies. It is not known how many boats have gone missing with all passengers on board, leaving no survivors to recount their story. There are numerous reports of debris drifting along the West African Atlantic coast or bodies being caught in the sweeping nets of fishing boats, additional indicators of these invisible shipwrecks. It is estimated that for every twenty migrants who reach the shores of the Canary Islands, one death occurs, a rate roughly double that of the mortality of the Mediterranean migrants’ crossings.

The boats used by the migrant smuggling mafias often become floating coffins, claiming countless lives on their treacherous journeys. Numerous people die due to dehydration, starvation, illness, adverse weather conditions, the precariousness of the boats, and poor navigation skills. The crossing of around 100 kms from southern Morocco and Western Sahara to the islands of Lanzarote or Fuerteventura (Eastern Canaries) takes around 24 hours. It can take more than two weeks, however, for those leaving from Senegal and heading the 1,700 kms to Tenerife o El Hierro (Western Canaries).

The boats used for these journeys vary in characteristics depending on their country of origin, but what they all have in common is that they are simple traditional fishing boats designed only for short trips on the ocean. Those departing from Morocco and Western Sahara are commonly referred to as pateras and are typically made of either wood or fibreglass. The boats that depart from Mauritania, The Gambia, or Senegal are known as cayucos, and are around 25 metres long, flatbottomed, made of wood and have brightly coloured hulls that can transport up to 200 people. As they are the sturdiest, they are safer for crossing the Atlantic, but they follow the longest journeys at sea and the riskiest paths. Sometimes to avoid being intercepted by the African coastguards they go further south then head back north again. During this lost time, they might not correctly calculate the fuel remaining and the cayuco could end up adrift heading towards the Caribbean.

Typically the boats are equipped with a spare engine in case one breaks down. The fuel to propel the boat is stored in blue plastic containers at the stern of the vessel. The mixture of gasoline and saltwater can trigger a chemical reaction that can cause severe burns upon contact with the skin. Individuals who become ill during the journey and lie down or faint at the bottom of the boat may be at risk of inhaling the vapours from this chemical reaction, which can result in death. The rudders are typically made of iron and are manually operated by the boat drivers. To navigate in the open ocean, they rely on GPS when it works. When it doesn’t, the boat drivers must use navigation by the stars to reach their destination. It is not uncommon for the pateras and cayucos to get lost on their way due to navigation difficulties and unfavourable weather conditions. Handmade oars crafted from cayuco crossbars and pieces of fuel containers can be used as a last resort when the motor breaks down or runs out of fuel.

Boats arrive either at ports, or popular beaches without the assistance of the Spanish Search and Rescue team. Arrivals on beaches are particularly perilous, as those who still have the strength to move when disembarking may fall on those who have fainted at the bottom of the boat or, unable to swim, drown just a few metres from shore. Survivors of these journeys, especially those who have been stranded at sea for weeks, often present, to a greater or lesser degree, symptoms of hypothermia, dehydration, and starvation. Skin burns often inflamed and sometimes infected by the mix of sunburn and salt water are not unusual. Some of the migrants show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder due to the experience of the sea crossing, witnessing fatalities at sea and having to throw the dead overboard.

On arrival, boat drivers are convicted of migrant smuggling offences and face prison sentences from four to eight years. If any of the passengers die during the crossing, one to four year imprisonment penalties for each person who perished will be added to the boat driver’s sentence. The individual who carries a GPS among their belongings is the main suspect, so boat drivers release the rudder and throw the GPS device overboard as soon as the boat is approached by the Search and Rescue Team.

Debris left inside the boats offers a glimpse into what might have transpired during the trip. If there are still unopened food bags or full water containers, it means that there was enough food and water onboard throughout the journey. The cayucos are equipped with gas

canisters for cooking, usually located in the central section, whilst in the pateras there is no cooking on board as the trip is expected to be shorter. Pots, glasses, and knives are intermingled with clothes, shoes, and personal belongings. To avoid confusion with fuel for the engine, water is carried in yellow containers. If food or water run out during the trip, the priority is to feed and keep alive the boat driver, followed by children and women.

Although it is impossible to calculate the precise number of migrant deaths, it is feared that the toll will continue to rise due to the lack of safety on the boats, and the intensification of border control by Spain and Northwest African coastal countries in co-operation with the EU. This is shifting the human trafficking mafias towards longer and riskier routes. The Canary Route is estimated to account for one out of every five deaths during migration processes worldwide, with currently little prospect of this changing.

This photographic project was made in the Canary Islands between 2020 and 2022. It intentionally refrains from taking pictures of the thousands of people who arrived on the islands. Instead, it focuses on the stark contrast between the migrants’ expectations and the deadly reality of the journey. These images document the remains of the items and empty boats used for these crossings, seeking to recognise and dignify the countless lives lost on this route.

Maria Tomas Rodriguez is a member of the RPS Documentary group. She is a London-based Spanish university senior lecturer, and in her spare time shoots documentary photography.

All Images ©Maria Tomas Rodriguez

Instagram @photomtr

Documentary Photography Awards 2023

Submissions

DPA 2023 submissions closed at the end of July. The total number of entries for was 235, with around 3000 images in total. Entries by category were RPS Members: 75, Students: 54 and Open: 106.

Selection

All entries have been reviewed and the process of Longlisting, Shortlisting is underway. We plan to publicise the Shortlist in October

Keep an eye on our social media channels from the end of September for news and examples of outstanding work form across the UK and worldwide.

Our international panel of experts and selectors includes:

Alejandro Chaskielberg, photographer and curator, Buenos Aires

Liz Hingley, photographer, curator and anthropologist, London

Roy Mehta, Photographer and Lecturer, London

Rosy Santella, picture editor, Internazionale, Rome

Roger Tooth, former head of photography, The Guardian

rps.org/groups/documentary/dpa-2023

Awards

All selected projects will also have opportunities for publication in the Decisive Moment and The RPS Journal and selected photographers will be invited to present at our Engagement Talk series. For each Category one photographer will additionally be awarded support from an Advisor, to help with the development of their project or practice.

Specifically for each category:

Open Category - in addition to the exhibition, one of the selected projects will be awarded a £500 bursary, and a selected photographer will receive development support from Mimi Mollica.

Student Category - in addition to the exhibition, one of the selected projects will be awarded a £300 bursary, and a selected photographer will receive development support from Laura Pannack.

RPS Member Category - in addition to the exhibition, one photographer will be offered professional development support from Liz Hingley.

We also have other prizes including free Supporter Membership of the Martin Parr Foundation and three one-year RPS memberships to award.

Exhibitions

The touring exhibition will take place in 2024, with a number of locations dates already confirmed and more planned:

May - The Nunnery Gallery, Bow, London

June - Edend Court, Inverness

September - Oriel Colwyn, North Wales

October - St. John’s College, Oxford

November - RPS House, Bristol

Mike Longhurst FRPS Is Brutalist Architecture

Brutal?

Barbican Foyer

Is Brutalist Architecture Brutal? - Mike Longhurst FRPS

There has been a revival of interest in “Brutalist” architecture of the 1960s and ‘70s over the past few years, stimulated by books and by controversy over ongoing demolition of many buildings, especially housing estates and the battles to get some listed before they are gone.

Brutalist architecture can be viewed as dehumanising, vertical slums, or alternatively seen as futuristic, inspiring wonders. With no personal conviction either way, I decided to look at the issues at a human level as they are today.

I researched over 40 primarily concrete-built locations in London, across public and private buildings, with residential and mixed uses, and was able to gain access to all but a few. Avoiding the skyline shots which entice photographers and fill photo libraries, I wanted to get to the parts that would actually come into proximity with people - at street level and in public areas of buildings.

What I found was hard to summarise across the different types, but the impression formed in most cases was certainly of something overbearing - of small figures and massive concrete. If that’s dehumanising to some, then so be it. But in general, I found humanity going about its daily round unaffected by the architecture looming above them. Lives and businesses went on, communities had formed vertically or horizontally, and if there were poor conditions anywhere, was that the fault of an architect sixty or more years ago, or to owners and housing departments far more recently?

With refurbished apartments in the most notorious blocks like Balfron Tower in Tower Hamlets now fetching impressive sums, there even seems to be a chic to living in what are now icons of a bygone age. Or is it entirely bygone? When I walk through massive development areas like Nine Elms, I see remarkably similar structures, although in more modern materials. Can it be that the architects so reviled half a century ago were actually inspirational after all? I leave it to you to form your own opinion.

All Images ©Mike Longhurst

More of Mike’s work on Brutalism can be seen here:

www.blurb.co.uk/b/11658449-brutal

Blavatnik Building window, Tate Modern

Blavatnik Building, Tate Modern. A post Brutalist extension.

Interior of National Theatre space

Blavatnik Building, Tate Modern, main staircase

Blavatnik Building, Tate Modern

Under the Brunswick Centre, Bloomsbury Chartered Accountants Hall stairway and mural Royal College of Physicians, Regents Park Going Home, Alexandra Rd Estate, St John’s Wood

Alton Estate, Roehampton

The Odeon, Putney

National Theatre entrance, Southbank

Alexandra Rd Estate, St Johns Wood

On The Bookshelf Alicia Bruce I Burn But I Am Not Consumed

Susan Munro, Leyton Cottage, July 2010.

Reviewed by Nick Hodgson FRPS

It’s not difficult to describe former US president Donald J Trump as a ’marmite’ personality. Clearly he still enjoys a significant following within the United States’ electorate and, at the time of writing, despite assorted legal cases being brought against him, seems on course to gain the GOP nomination for the 2024 presidential election. But mention his name to the citizens of Menie in Aberdeenshire and you will almost certainly get a uniform response: disbelief and at times outright anger about his actions which have impacted this small corner of Scotland over the past sixteen years. These actions and their impact have been meticulously documented and interpreted by awardwinning photographer Alicia Bruce in her new book I Burn But I Am Not Consumed.

“When I first heard that Trump was going to build a golf course on what was an SSSI” says campaigner Rohan Beyts, “I thought it was an April Fools”. But this was no joke. The ancient shifting sand dunes along this stretch of the Aberdeenshire coast in northeast Scotland were designated as an SSSI – a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Despite this, in Trump’s eyes they made an ideal location for a links golf course, not only adding to his collection of courses but also playing into his Scottish heritage narrative - his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on the Isle of Lewis.

The (very brief) summary is that, lured by the idea of significant economic benefits to the local area, initial support in 2006 from the Scottish Government and Aberdeenshire Council in effect gave Trump the green light to start building his golf course at Menie in 2010. It opened two years later and despite ongoing protests, construction of a second course and exclusive housing started in March this year. Maps, and a very helpful timeline in the book, give the reader in-depth details including press cuttings and extracts of planning documents, notes of failed legal challenges and dates of protests. It’s worth reading all of this information to fully understand the struggles that this community has faced, as inevitably the real story is about the impact on the local people. And as Bruce hails from this part of Scotland and understands the psyche of this community, who better than her to document their plight?

The individual stories are at times heart-breaking. Families that are rooted and have lived in the area for decades, generally minding their own business and getting on with their lives, are suddenly subject to brutal changes, aggressive legal and security tactics, polluted water

supplies, unsympathetic legislators and, as it turned out, an initially conflicted local media. Throughout the book we see their proud, stoic and often understated determination to challenge and survive. The tragedy is that some of the local dramatis personae are no longer with us, in some cases suffering early deaths quite possibly due to the high levels of stress they suffered. This book has memorialised them.

Alicia Bruce describes her work as sitting between documentary and staged imagery, focusing on communities, environments and human rights. Her landscapes of the dunes are gracefully-composed reminders of both the fragile environment we all live in and mankind’s ability to quickly destroy what mother nature has spent millennia creating. However, what really works in the book is her approach to portraiture. Many of the compositions directly reference portraits by artists, deliberately giving due weight and attention to the Menie subjects. The artists include Jules Breton, Arthur Hughes, Auguste Renoir and Grant Wood. A middle section in the book by Dr Catriona McAra of the University of Aberdeen helpfully compares and contrasts these paintings alongside Bruce’s photographs. This book comprehensively illustrates the struggles of the Menie residents. It includes lyrics and an afterword by musician and storyteller Karine Polwart, with two informative essays by Scottish journalist Lesley Riddoch, and Louise Pearson, curator of photography at the National Galleries of Scotland.

Hardcovered, and at 128 pages, this first edition is a must for collectors of outstanding British documentary photography work. And the title, ‘I Burn But I Am Not Consumed’ happens to be the family motto of the MacLeod clan, a direct apposite description of how the residents of Menie have been treated and responded. Their story is a real set of events that should never have been allowed to happen. ‘Fake news’ it is not.

All Images ©Alicia Bruce

I Burn But I Am Not Consumed by Alicia Bruce is published by Daylight Books.

£37.99 from beyondwords.co.uk/i-burn-but-i-am-not-consumed-signed

John Munro, Leyton Cottage, 20 November 2010.

Rohan Beyts, Tripping Up Trump campaigner, Todhead Lighthouse, 14 July 2022

David and Moira Milne, Hermit Point, 2022.

John Munro, Leyton Cottage, 23 July 2022.

Mike and Sheila Forbes, Mill of Menie, 15 August 2010.

Tractor shed at Mill of Menie, the home of Mike and Sheila Forbes. Artwork of Mike by artist Michael Forbes.

Ripped-up sand dunes destined Golf Links Scotland’s car park, construction visible behind a dune. Leyton Cottage, the formerly remote Munro; February 2011.

to become Trump International park, with temporary clubhouse dune. This area is at the edge of remote home of Susan and John

Construction and damming of Blairton Burn potentially causing course to collapse between third green and fourth tee, January 2013.

Saturday afternoon at Trump International Golf Links Scotland, July 2022

A black road resembling a scar on human flesh, laid during construction of Trump International Golf Links Scotland on the sand dunes at Menie, March–June 2011.

Birds migrate over a once-mobile dune system which has been stabilised by marram grass allegedly planted by local schoolchildren invited by Trump International Golf Links Scotland to a nature workshop in 2009; March 2011.

RPS Documentary Around the Globe

The Royal Photographic Society Documentary Group has members in around thirty different countries.

The Decisive Moment is sent directly to all group members and also made freely available on the RPS Website and the Issuu publishing platform.

The journal reaches a wide audience around the globe; in the last year articles from past publications have been read over 8,900 times.

RPS Documentary Events

All upcoming RPS Documentary Events can be found on our events page.

RPS Documentary East Anglia Exhibition @The Forum

15 October 2023 - 10:00 - 15:00, The Forum, Millennium Plain Norwich NR2 1TF

‘Not Just Bristol’ #3 - The third exhibition of 2023, being held at The Forum in Norwich on 15th October, documents the Countries, Regions, Towns and Cities members of the East Anglia Documentary Group have visited whilst on their photographic adventures during the current year.

events.rps.org/en/east-anglia-documentary-group-exhibition-not-just-bristol3a2NN2U9N/overview

RPS East Midlands Region - This Golden Mile Exhibition Visit and Meet the Photographer

Kavi Pujara

11 November 2023 - 13:45 - 16:00, Leicester Museum

If you are interested in creating projects, photobooks and exhibitions this is an opportunity to meet a photographer who has done just that. RPS East Midlands Regional Organiser Stewart Wall will be taking a group of members to the opening of ‘This Golden Mile. exhibition at the Leicester Museum and to meet the photographer Kavi Pujara.

events.rps.org/en/nicola-tree-civil-disobedients

This Golden Mile is on show Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, New Walk, Leicester from 9 September 2023 - 31 March 2024.

www.leicestermuseums.org/ThisGoldenMile

RPS Engagement Talk - Phil Penman

18 January 2024 - 18:00 - 19:30, online

Continuing our RPS Engagment series, British-born, New York-based photographer Phil Penman has documented the ever-changing scene of New York City’s streets for more than 25 years.

events.rps.org/en/engagement-talk-phil-penman-street-3a2NN2WO5/ overview

Books on Photography - BoP Bristol, 7-8 October 2023

BOP – Books on Photography – is the annual photobook festival from Martin Parr Foundation and The Royal Photographic Society, held in Bristol across the second weekend of October. The festival brings together a wide-ranging group of photobook publishers, artist talks, exhibitions, book signings, events, street food, coffee and beer.

bopbristol.org

RPS in Scotland - Edinburgh Day Oot...2023

RPS Members in Scotland from Contemporary, Creative Eye, Documentary and Landscape Special Interest Groups got together for a Day Oot in Edinburgh during the Fringe. The results can be seen in the e-zine that has just been published on Issuu.

issuu.com/royalphotographicsociety/docs/edinburgh_day_oot

The Documentary Group Online

The documentary group has a presence on the following platforms, come and join in the conversation. We understand that not everyone has a social media profile or wants to create one. That’s why all our profiles are public and can be viewed by everyone, no matter whether you have an account or not. This means you will be able to view all our posts and book on to ticketed events. Checking our RPS page and searching for events is still a good way to keep informed with all that is happening in the Documentary group. If you have any questions you can always e-mail us – all our contact details are listed there.

Facebook

Facebook Page - facebook.com/rpsdocumentary

Our public Facebook page is new, but it already highlights the successful projects that entered our Documentary Photographer of the Year competition. You can also find albums for the Bi-monthly Competition winners and short texts from our Journal The Decisive Moment (DM) there – these updates are designed to be easy to read on a phone screen that also provides you with the link to the full articles.

Facebook Group - facebook.com/groups/RPSDVJ

We also have a closed group Facebook page, exclusively for our members. If you want to join us there, you can share your pictures with us, ask for advice, and engage with our online community.

Instagram @rpsdoc

Instagram is an image-based social media platform, so think of our profile as of an online gallery. If you follow us there, you can see pictures from our competition winners, DM contributors and members along with invitations to events and images from these occasions. Instagram is the place where we want to promote the work of our group and our members to the wider public and encourage them to follow and engage with our projects.

Flickr

Royal Photographic Society - Documentary Group

Documentary Group members run an active group on Flickr with plenty of images and the opportunity to discuss them with the group.

rps.org/documentary

Contact: docweb@rps.org

Twitter @rpsdoc

Our Twitter page is for short important updates such as events, exhibitions, call for entries or other announcements. If you do not have much time for scrolling on social media but still want to be in on the action, we recommend you to follow us there. We promise we’ll be short and concise.

Issuu

Issuu.com

- Documentary Group, Royal Photographic Society

The Decisive Moment is published on the Issuu platform where you can read each edition online or download pdfs to read offline. Please follow the Documentary Group in Issuu and use the buttons to like and share your favourite editions or individual features - it really helps support the Documentary Group.

Website

rps.org/documentary

The Documentary Special Interest Group has a section on The Royal Photographic Society website. Here you can learn more about the group, hear about recent news and future events and access an increasing number of documentary photography resources. There are now nearly 100 recommend photobooks, nearly 20 reference books on approaches and issues in documentary and around 30 street-photo references/books, plus links to 24 online archives. All free and available to anyone.

Documentary photography as a practice spans a range of approaches, so makes precise definition difficult. Taken literally, all forms of photography can be described as documentary, in that they document someone, something or some place. As a working definition, the Documentary Group uses the following:

“Documentary photography communicates a clear narrative through visual literacy. It can be applied to the photographic documentation of social, cultural, historical and political events.

Documentary photographers’ work always has an intent; whether that is to represent daily life, explore a specific subject, deepen our thinking, or influence our opinions.”

rps.org/documentary

Facebook Flickr Instagram Twitter

Members form a dynamic and diverse group of photographers globally who share a common interest in documentary and street photography.

We welcome photographers of all skill levels and offer members a diverse programme of workshops, photoshoots, longer-term projects, exhibitions, an online journal and newsletter and the RPS Documentary Photography Award (DPA).

Some longer-term collaborative projects are in the pipeline for the future. We have a active membership who participate in regional meetings, regular competitions and exchange ideas online through our social media groups.

Overseas members pay £5 per annum for Group membership rather than the £10 paid by UK based members.

The Documentary Group is always keen to expand its activities and relies on ideas and volunteer input from its members.

If you’re not a member come and join us. Find us on the RPS website at: rps.org/documentary

From Lie of the Land ©Joanne Coates 2023