THE DECISIVE MOMENT
Quarterly journal from the Documentary Group
May 2021 Edition 22 ISSN 2634-8225 Photo: Mark Phillips FRPS
Have you a story that needs telling? Is there a documentary project you want to share with the world? Entering the Documentary Photographer of the Year 2021 could be your first step. DPOTY is now bigger than ever and is open to everyone. A great opportunity to have your project judged by a professional international panel. Winning and commended entries will be shown in an exhibition at Fujifilm House of Photography, London and be part of a UK Touring Exhibition. You will also have an opportunity to give a talk as part of the RPS Engagement series to showcase your work. Our biennial Documentary Photographer of the Year competition will be running again this year. DPOTY2021 promises to be bigger and better than ever, with additional categories including Open and Student, as well as a Members’ Competition. Our intent is to create an international open competition for photographers and image-makers, of all ages, focused on documentary and visual storytelling. Submissions are encouraged from new, emerging and established photographers from anywhere, on any story or topic, from global issues to personal experiences. The competition is looking for work that is technically excellent, impactful and offers a fresh perspective. This is a unique opportunity to take part in a group exhibition in London and a UK touring exhibition, to present work to an international judging panel, and a worldwide audience through a complementary series of online talks and media. We will be looking for project series of between 12 and 15 images with a title and project statement, to be submitted via an online process. Submissions opened on 6 May 2021 and close on 5 August 2021. Our Competition categories include: Open
open to anyone, anywhere (fee £10 per project)
Student
for anyone enrolled in full-time or part-time photographic education (fee £5 per project)
Member
for all RPS members (free to members)
Discounts and concessions will also be available on request to encourage inclusivity.
from the series ‘Breadwinners’ by Lina Geoushy - DPOTY2019 Winner
Judging will be by an International Panel of Judges: Mimi Mollica (Photographer/ Director Offspring Photo Meet), Roy Mehta (Photographer), Lekgetho Makola (Director Javett Art Centre, Pretoria), Bindi Vora (Photographer/curator Autograph), Marie Sumalla (Le Monde, Paris), Tanvi Mishra (Caravan, India) and Rosy Santella (Internazionale, Rome). Our prizes this year include the opportunity to be part of an exhibition at Fujifilm House of Photography, London, and a UK Touring Exhibition. The RPS Member winner will receive a Fujifilm camera X100V (courtesy of our sponsors Fujifilm). The Student winner will have development support from leading photographer Simon Roberts HonFRPS. The Open winner prize is a bursary to create new work, with development support from the Martin Parr Foundation. In each category there will be two commended entries, each will be included in the exhibition as digital projections and will win one-year free membership of the RPS. All winners and those commended will also have opportunities to give Engagement Talks. Watch out for our adverts in The RPS Journal and RPS Newsletter. See our website more details rps.org/groups/documentary/dpoty-2021
Contents
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DPOTY2021 Overview
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The Competition
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Documentary Photographer of the Year
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Competition Categories
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The Judges
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Bindi Vora, Lekgetho Makola
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Marie Sumalla, Mimi Mollica
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Rosy Santella, Roy Mehta
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Tanvi Mishra
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The Judging Process
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The Prizes
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FUJIFILM House of Photography
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Martin Parr Foundation
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Simon Roberts HonFRPS
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The Royal Photographic Society
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Previous DPOTY Finalists
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The RPS Documentary Group
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Team and Goals
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Online Resources
52 Events
Documentary Photographer of the Year 2021 Overview p2/3
The Judging Process p19
Learn more about the RPS Documentary Group p46
DPOTY2021 Website rps.org/groups/documentary/dpoty-2021 Image: Graham Land ARPS
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The Competition
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DPOTY 2021 Competition
Documentary Photographer of the Year The Documentary Photographer of the Year (DPOTY) competition is organised by the Royal Photographic Society, Documentary Group. It has been running every two years since 2012 and provides an opportunity to showcase documentary work and storytelling. Anyone of any age can submit their images to DPOTY - this includes student, amateur and professional photographers and story-telling image-makers worldwide. There is no theme or topic, so the choice of subject matter is yours. There is also no limit on when the images were taken. Just show us your best work, that has not been submitted to DPOTY before. Entry is made online using our submission platform. After the closing date, the online selection is made and final judging will take place in September and October. Entrants remain anonymous throughout the selection process. This year we have significantly expanded our competition. In line with the RPS Strategic aims, we want to engage with the wider contemporary documentary community and also support photographers’ development. We have therefore expanded the competition categories and broadened the competition entry requirements. We have also expanded the judging panel and have seven internationally recognised judges with broad interest in contemporary documentary photography. We are keen to see varied and in-depth documentary work, so have increased the number of images required to enter. Previous competitions required only 5 or 6 images; feedback from previous years indicated that this was quite restrictive, even for a basic photo essay. Considering input from experts, comparison with similar competitions and in-line with submissions for RPS distinctions we increased the number of images required. We believe 12 to 15 allows a significant body of work to be submitted and offers entrants more flexibility without making the judging process overly complicated. There is no limit on the subject matter or when the images were taken, giving entrants the maximum opportunity to submit their work. The entry process uses the same submission software that the RPS use for their International Photography Exhibition (IPE163). The competition is staffed by volunteers, who give their time for free, but there are other fixed costs incurred in running the competition. We have tried to keep the costs to a minimum and make the entry charges small. We are not seeking to make a profit. We recognise that even these small charges may inhibit some entrants, particularly in the ‘global south’. So, we have concessions available on request to help make this as inclusive as possible; please contact dpoty@rps.org 8
DPOTY 2021 Competition
Categories The Open Category is a new category for our competition and is literally open to anyone, anywhere. We are keen to see new stories, whether that be important global or local issues, or personal projects. They could be dealing with current topics, or exploring a subject over a number of years. To that end we have no limit of when the images were taken. What is important is the story and the vision. We are also keen to help photographers develop, so our prize reflects that, with a bursary and development support from the Martin Parr Foundation. The Student Category is open to anyone enrolled on a full-time or part-time programme with a formalised photography course or credit or module or foundation which is taught at higher education level, within a diploma, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (entrants will need to submit academic institution information). We are keen to see work whether that be personal projects or course work that meets the competition requirements. The prize is also aimed at helping new photographers develop, with a bursary and support from Simon Roberts. RPS Members’ Category. Like previous years, the competition is free to enter for all RPS Members (not just documentary group members). The only real change is the requirement for more images (now 12-15 images, so comparable with a distinction panel) and that there is no limitation on when the images were taken. The prize this year is a FujiFilm X100V, courtesy of FujiFilm UK. All category winners and two commended entries per category will get one year’s free RPS Membership. We will also include these photographers in our DPOTY exhibition. “Documentary photography invites the viewer to engage both visually and intellectually with a relevant topic. The beauty of it is that there are infinite combinations and possibilities between the creator’s perspective and the chosen topics. I’m excited when I see innovative approaches to the medium that challenge pre-existing formulas and offer new visions.” “Young and experienced photographers, established and emerging talents have all one thing in common: the urge to share their stories. It’s usually new-comers, who introduce new visions and push the boundaries of the medium. Equally exciting is to see how, more experienced artists develop their ideas and practice over the years. I look forward to seeing a good variety of subjects covered with innovative approaches.” “The photographic community thrives in its diversity, it feeds itself by different visions that together contribute to fulfil our inquisitive nature.”
DPOTY2021 Judge Mimi Mollica
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The Judges
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The Judges
Bindi Vora
Image Credit: Laura Hensser
Curatorial Projects Manager at Autograph, London Bindi Vora is the Curatorial Projects Manager at Autograph, London. Her recent curatorial project Poulomi Basu: Centralia was jointly awarded the Rencontres d’Arles - Louis Roederer Discovery Award jury prize 2020. Since joining Autograph Vora has co-curated solo exhibitions including Lola Flash: [sur]passing and Maxine Walker: Untitled. Her writing has appeared in Foam Magazine, Loose Associations and Lee Bul: Crashing; most recently initiating a new series of artists-in-conversation which have featured Monica Alcazar Duarte, Maryam Wahid and Tobi Falade Alexandra amongst others. Vora has contributed to public programmes at London Art Fair, GRAIN Photography Hub and The Photographers’ Gallery. She previously held positions at the Hayward Gallery and The Photographers’ Gallery. Instagram: @Bindi_Vora www.bindivora.co.uk
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The Judges
Lekgetho Makola
Image Credit: Gabi Ngcobo
CEO Javett Art Centre, Pretoria Lekgetho Makola is CEO of Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria, South Africa and was head of Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg for over five years. Makola has been part of a number of diverse visual storytelling platforms and curatorial committees including the Rencontres de Bamako in Mali, New York Times portfolio reviews, CatchLight, Thami Mnyele Arts Awards and he chaired the World Press Photo Contest General Jury 2020. He is an International Ford Foundation Fellow on Social Justice and his artistic philosophy is embedded in social justice and advocacy. He accumulated extensive strategic experience in arts administration and artistic programming in his over two decades of work for the Durban Art Museum, Robben Island Museum and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. As an MFA film student of Howard University in Washington DC, he co-founded Kali TV - 2012, an online media organisation communicating experiences of Africans in the diaspora. On his return to South Africa, Lekgetho founded Kgethi Images for the production of moving and still images with a focus on advocacy issues and the heritage memories of South Africans. Lekgetho was born in Ga-Sekhukhune, Limpopo and is a founding member of Centres of Learning for Photography in Africa. He is a proponent of diverse and inclusive visual storytelling practice and representation globally. He led the Market Photo Workshop to win the Principal Prince Claus Award in 2018. www.kgethiimages.co.za
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The Judges
Marie Sumalla
Image courtesy of Marie Sumalla
International Photo Editor Le Monde Marie Sumalla is the photo editor for the international and news pages of the French national daily, Le Monde. Major stories she has followed include the last chapter of the conflict in Libya, until the fall of Gaddafi, and the conflict in Syria. From 2008 to 2011, Sumalla was in charge of the editorial department responsible for press assignment, resale in Europe and editorial projects, at Magnum Photos in Paris. Prior to that, she was the PR in charge of events related to photography at the 2e Bureau press office. Marie is interested in all sorts of documentary work, in a concerned way, from artistic to journalistic perspective. She prefers not to review commercial photography. www.lemonde.fr/signataires/marie-sumalla
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The Judges
Mimi Mollica
Image Credit: Mimi Mollica
Photographer and Director of Offspring PhotoMeet Mimi Mollica is an award winning documentary photographer and multimedia artist whose work examines themes relating to identity, culture, environment, migration, and the impacts of social and political change upon communities. Mollica’s long-term projects are characterised by an immersive engagement with the themes he focuses on and reveal a distinctive dedication that goes beyond the professional aspect of being a photographer. In his words, photography flirts with immediate truths and feeds itself off visual deceptions and is ultimately an intelligent discrimination of reality. Mollica’s multi-awarded work has been widely featured in various prestigious publications ranging from The Guardian Weekend Magazine, Financial Times Weekend Magazine, The New York Times Lens, Newsweek Japan, Sunday Times Magazine, Internazionale, C Photo, Granta Magazine, among many others. Exhibition highlights include Somerset House, London 2013, The Rencontres D’Arles 2011, London Street Photography 2011, Contributed Gallery, Berlin 2010, Jerwood Space, London 2010, Milk Gallery, New York City and Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff 2010 and European Parliament, Strasbourg 2009 plus more. Mimi published two books Terra Nostra (Dewi Lewis Publishing, 2017) and East London Up Close (Hoxton Mini Press 2021). Mimi runs his innovative series of online and physical workshops on visual story-telling, focussing on developing the photographers ability to conceive, produce and package a photo essay of their choice. Mimi founded the Photo Meet (photomeet.org), an organisation aimed at celebrating photography through a series of events such as the Offspring Photo Meet which include portfolio reviews, lectures, networking, presentations and much more. www.mimimollica.com 15
The Judges
Rosy Santella
Image courtesy of Rosy Santella
Photo Editor Internazionale, Rome Rosy Santella is photo editor at Internazionale. She joined the weekly magazine in 2010, and since 2014 she has been working on the Portfolio section, where she selects and publishes reportages from all over the world. She also works on the website where she has been assigning photographers for several years. Since 2016 she has been teaching photo editing. She works as curator and consultant for editorial projects and international awards and grants. www.internazionale.it/tag/autori/rosy-santella Instagram: @san_rosy
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The Judges
Roy Mehta
Image Credit: Roy Mehta
Photographer and Lecturer Since he became a photographer, Mehta’s work has regularly engaged in different ways with cultural identity, through images presented in REVIVAL, LONDON 19891993 and his other books and projects such as ‘DISTANT RELATIONS’ and ‘COASTLINE’. He is drawn to seeing how photography can offer us an opportunity to reflect on our common histories and celebrate our respective identities. His work explores how different cultures and identities touch, engage and interweave around each other. As part of this process he has recently been making new work in Mumbai, India exploring a city that he could have gown up in had his family not moved to the UK. This new work examines second-generation immigration and the resulting cross-cultural fluidity. In a similar way his work also explores what we consider to be ‘nature’, as in his recent series LOCKDOWN where he uses image and text to interpret the current Pandemic. His work is in private collections and the permanent collections of Autograph, Historic England, The Library of Birmingham, The Harris Museum and Art Gallery and IKS Collection, Germany. www.roymehta.com Instagram: @roymehta
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The Judges
Tanvi Mishra
Image Credit: Aditya Kapoor
Photo Editor, Writer and Creative Director, The Caravan Tanvi Mishra is a Delhi-based photo editor, curator, and writer. Among her interests are South Asian histories and activisms, peoples’ movements as well as the notion of fiction in photography, particularly in the current political landscape. She currently works as the Creative Director of The Caravan, a journal of politics and culture published out of Delhi. She is part of the photo-editorial team of PIX, a South Asian publication and display practice. In 2013 and 2015, she was part of the Delhi Photo Festival team in India and was a guest curator at the second edition of Photo Kathmandu, held in Nepal in 2016. She occasionally writes on photography and her work has been published in FOAM Magazine, Transformations—Exploring Changes in an Around Photography, The Caravan, amongst others. She has served on various juries, including World Press Photo 2020 and the Hindu Photojournalism Awards 2019. She is a nominator and was on the jury panel of World Press Photo’s Joop Swart Masterclass. She was a curatorial collaborator for the Greenpeace Photo Award 2018 and is a mentor for the 2019-20 Women Photograph program. Instagram: @tanvimishra
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The Judges
Judging Process Anyone entering a photographic competition would like to think that the judging process is fair. Yet, even today, few competitions provide any insight into the judging process. To improve transparency, we have outlined the process we intend to use. The competition rules and entry process are available in the Terms and Conditions (available via rps.org/groups/documentary/dpoty-2021). All entries are reviewed, shortlisted and selected anonymously. The three categories are judged independently. During judging only the statement images, sequencing and any captions are available to the judges. The judging process is initially carried out online using our submission tool (Kyoso). Images will be initially long-listed by the RPS (essentially to ensure the competition entry criteria have been met). Then the process will depend on the number of entries, but it is expected that it will consist of several rounds - with an initial judging stage, followed by more in-depth assessment in which projects are scored (on a scale 1-10) independently by the judges. That will permit us to get to a shortlist for each category. If shortlisted, The RPS will endeavour to contact the entrant to notify them using the details provided by the entrant and to verify they meet the category requirements (eg a bona fide student). Once shortlisting is complete, we plan to hold an online meeting of judges (via Zoom) to review the shortlist before final judging to select the category winners and commended entries. Commended and winning entries will be announced at our Awards Event at the FUJIFILM House of Photography in London in November. The judging ‘criteria’ will be largely driven by the expertise and experience of our international panel of judges. But as a guide, the broad considerations for selection are: - Intent and Narrative - Is the photographer’s intent clear? Do the images and sequencing provide a compelling narrative, consistent with the project description and intent? - Engagement and Impact - Has the photographer created a compelling series of images that engage with the subject and the viewer? Has the photographer brought a new insight? - Technical and post-production - Are the images technically sound? Has postproduction been executed in a way that is ethically acceptable and complementary to the overall intent?
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The Prizes
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FUJIFILM House of Photography
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The category winners will feature in a London exhibition at the FUJIFILM House of Photography. This will be followed by a UK touring exhibition. All commended entries will have an opportunity to take part in a UK touring exhibition (digital projection). The winner of the RPS Member category will receive a Fujifilm X100V camera (donated by FUJIFILM) and one-year’s free RPS membership.
House of Photography The FUJIFILM House of Photography is our first ever experience centre, based in the heart of London, between Covent Garden and Leicester Square. The store celebrates every element of taking, making and sharing photos using the instax, X Series and GFX system cameras and wide range of printers. The House of Photography app is designed to make sure your FUJIFILM experience is the best it can be, in-store and out. Offering the latest news, expert tips and product information, as well as direct access to equipment hire and event bookings, plus, you can also buy products through the app! There’s not much you can’t do with this app in your pocket. fujifilm-houseofphotography.com
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Martin Parr Foundation
The Martin Parr Foundation featured in the June 2019 Edition of the RPS Documentary Group journal, The Decisive Moment. issuu.com/documentarygrouproyalphotographicso/ docs/rps_the_decisive_moment_june_2019
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The winner of the Open category will receive a bursary, professional development support from Martin Parr Foundation and one-year’s free RPS membership. The Martin Parr Foundation The Martin Parr Foundation supports emerging, established and overlooked photographers who have made and continue to make work focused on the British Isles. We preserve a growing collection of significant photographic works and strive to make photography engaging and accessible for all. We are committed to making the Martin Parr Foundation a place for everyone and to reflect the diversity of British culture. MPF runs a wide range of events and workshops, exhibitions and provide photographic bursaries. MPF collection includes a growing collection of photographic material such as; prints, book dummies, portfolios as well the extensive archives of David Hurn, Val Williams, and Chris Killip, plus an expanding library specialising in British and Irish photo-books. The Martin Parr Foundation was originally launched by Martin Parr in 2017 as a space for British photography, with an emphasis on the legacy of Parr’s work and personal collection of photography. The collection continues to expand and we understand there are many omissions that we must actively seek to address. Such omissions will also be addressed within our programming. We need to work more collaboratively and engage a wider range of voices. Our aim is to create a fair, democratic and open space for British photography to flourish. www.martinparrfoundation.org/about Martin Parr Martin Parr is one of the best-known documentary photographers of his generation. With over 100 books of his own work, and another 30 that he has edited, his photographic legacy is well established. As well as being a photographer, Martin supports and collects the work of other photographers, particularly those who photograph within the UK. In order to preserve his archive and his collections, Martin established (and funded) the Martin Parr Foundation in 2017 as a home for British photography. Martin continues to work as a photographer as well as devoting time towards supporting the work and ambitions of the Foundation.
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Simon Roberts HonFRPS
Simon Roberts - from the project Merrie Albion
Simon Roberts was interviewed for the December 2018 Edition of the RPS Documentary Group journal, The Decisive Moment. issuu.com/documentarygrouproyalphotographicso/ docs/rps_the_decisive_moment_december_20/12
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The winner of the Student category will receive a bursary, professional development support from leading photographer Simon Roberts HonFRPS and one-year’s free RPS membership. “During our session I plan to offer an overview of my photographic practice, providing insights into my research framework, methodology, process of post-production and how I ultimately get the work out into the world. It will also be an opportunity for you to present some of your own photographs and seek advice about the foundations needed for building a sustainable career within the creative sector.“ Simon Roberts Simon Roberts (b.1974) is an acclaimed British contemporary photographic artist. His practice is principally photography based, but also encompasses video, text and installation work, which together, interrogate our notions of what landscape is and how it is depicted, utilised, commodified and interpreted. Roberts has exhibited widely and his photographs reside in major public and private collections, including the George Eastman House, Deutsche Börse Art Collection and V&A Museum. He has been recognised with numerous awards including an Honorary Fellowship to the Royal Photographic Society, the Vic Odden Award and grants from the John Kobal Foundation. In 2010 he was commissioned as the official British Election Artist by the House of Commons Works of Art Committee to produce a record of the General Election and in 2014 he represented Britain during the UK-Russia Year of Culture. He is the author of several monographs including Motherland (2007), We English (2009), Pierdom (2013) and Merrie Albion - Landscape Studies of a Small Island (2017), whilst his work has been profiled and published widely including in the New Yorker, Granta, National Geographic, ArtForum, Wallpaper, amongst others. www.simoncroberts.com
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Royal Photographic Society Winners and commended photographers will 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. Category winners will each receive one-year’s free RPS membership (rps.org/membership). The Royal Photographic Society is an educational charity committed to bringing photography to everyone. Founded when photography was in its infancy, today we are a world-leading photographic community (rps.org/about). This month the RPS has announced their Strategic Plan for the next five years: “Throughout our 168-year history, the Royal Photographic Society has grown and evolved alongside the practice of photography. This evolution has been driven by the ambitions of our members, by leaps in technology, and by changes in society. Today, we recognise there are many new challenges and opportunities, and that photography is as important now as it has ever been. We are therefore delighted to publish Photography for Everyone, our new strategic plan for the next five years. It has been created over many months in consultation with members, staff, trustees, and volunteers throughout the RPS.” (rps.org/about/strategy) DPOTY has been expanded this year to include new categories of Open and Student as well as retaining a Members category. By doing this we continue to encourage members to enter, but aligned with the RPS Strategy as well as raising the profile, we have widened the competition to enable anyone in the international photographic community to enter. Similarly, we have expanded our judging panel and made it much more diverse and inclusive. Although there is an admission fee for non-members, we have set this low and will offer concessions on application to increase opportunities for inclusion.
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The Decisive Moment The Decisive Moment is a quarterly journal that showcases the work of the Documentary Group members, shares insights and reviews about exhibitions related to the field of documentary photography and contains articles and interviews with prominent members of the photographic community. Previous editions of The Decisive Moment can be read online via the Issuu platform: issuu.com/documentarygrouproyalphotographicso Engagement Talks and Events The Documentary Group hosts a series of Engagement Talks by established and upcoming photographers working on documentary and long-term projects. The Engagement series has previously featured talks by DPOTY finalists Lina Geoushy (Breadwinners) and Andrew Wood (Punters), John Bulmer, Margaret Mitchel, Mik Critchlow, Jim Mortram, Arteh Odjidja, Alys Tomlinson, Daniel Meadows and KC Nwakalor. (Click here for details of future RPS Documentary Group Events). Regional Groups As well as centrally organised events, our Regional Groups put on local events. These include talks and presentations (currently online), local workshops or exhibitions (of members work), a group project, visits and photo walks, feedback and critique sessions and online Zoom meetings. We currently have Documentary Groups in: Northern, Yorkshire, East Anglia, Thames Valley, Southern, South East and joint groups with Contemporary in Central and North West.
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Previous DPOTY Finalists
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DPOTY 2019
DPOTY 2019
DPOTY 2019 Awards Evening - Dave Thorp
The Documentary Photographer of the Year (DPOTY) competition is organised by the Royal Photographic Society’s Documentary Group. The competition has been running since 2012 and provides an opportunity to showcase documentary work and storytelling by members. The 2019 competition was judged by Alys Tomlinson, Steve Kingswell and Mark Phillips. In January 2020 the Royal Photographic Society hosted the Documentary Photographer of the Year 2019 awards night at RPS HQ, Bristol. The shortlisted entries had been announced in November 2019 and all had been invited to the event where the five finalists and the overall winner were to be announced. The afternoon opened with a few words of welcome from the Documentary Group Chair, Mark Phillips, followed by a drinks reception in the foyer where all images from the ten shortlisted entries were being displayed on the main screen. The doors to the auditorium were opened to reveal the printed images from the five finalists. The attendees took their seats for the presentation of certificates to the shortlisted entrants, and the finalists (who also received a copy of Michelle Borge’s book Documentary Photography Reconsidered). Mark Phillips then announced Lina Geoushy as the overall winner. Mark and fellow judge Steve Kingswell discussed the judging process and the competition in more detail before bringing the formal part of the event to a close. Mark, Steve and Peter Haynes FRPS (Chair, Royal Photographic Society Distinctions Committee) were on hand to discuss the projects in more detail.
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DPOTY 2019
DPOTY 2019 Winner Lina Geoushy Breadwinners www.linageoushy.com DPOTY 2019 Finalists Robert Hughes LRPS
The Shoot
Hil Van Der Wall ARPS
Camel Ardha
A J Wood ARPS
Punters
Paul Lanigan FRPS
Pairc Life
DPOTY 2019 Shortlist Steve Reynolds ARPS
Manual labour working conditions in Bangladesh
Rachel Wallace ARPS
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Chris Jennings ARPS
A Day at the Dogs
Graham Land ARPS
Enterprising Croydon
Paul Sansome
The Last Generation
All ten shortlisted entries were featured in the January 2020 Edition of the RPS Documentary Group journal, The Decisive Moment. issuu.com/documentarygrouproyalphotographicso/ docs/rps_the_decisive_moment_january_2020
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DPOTY 2019
Lina Geoushy - Breadwinners
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DPOTY 2019
Lina Geoushy - Breadwinners
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DPOTY 2019
Robert Hughes LRPS - The Shoot
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DPOTY 2019
Hil Van Der Wall ARPS - Camel Ardha
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DPOTY 2019
A J Wood ARPS - Punters
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DPOTY 2019
Paul Lanigan FRPS - Pairc Life
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DPOTY 2019
Steve Reynolds ARPS - Manual labour working conditions in Bangladesh
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DPOTY 2019
Rachel Wallace ARPS - Nothing Gold Can Stay
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DPOTY 2019
Chris Jennings ARPS - A Day at the Dogs
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DPOTY 2019
Graham Land ARPS - Enterprising Croydon
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DPOTY 2019
Paul Sansome - The Last Generation
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DPOTY 2017
DPOTY 2017 Winner
David Fletcher LRPS - Losing a calf
The finalists of the DPOTY 2017 competition were featured in the December 2017 Edition of the RPS Documentary Group journal, The Decisive Moment. issuu.com/documentarygrouproyalphotographicso/ docs/rps_the_decisive_moment_dec_2017/8
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RPS Documentary Group
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The Documentary Group Team Documentary Group Committee: Chair:
Mark A Phillips FRPS
doc@rps.org
Secretary: David Barnes LRPS docsecretary@rps.org Treasurer: Andrew Ripley doctreasurer@rps.org Members:
Harry Hall FRPS, Patricia Hilbert,
Chris Martinka, Valerie Mather ARPS
Dave Thorp
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 ARPS
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: Dave Thorp decisive@rps.org Sub-Editors:
Dr Graham Wilson, Lyn Newton LRPS
Editorial:
Gerry Phillipson LRPS, Ian Wright ARPS,
Ray Hobbs ARPS
And the rest of the team: Bi-Monthly Competition: Patricia Hilbert
dgcompetitions@rps.org
Social Media:
docweb@rps.org
Patricia Hilbert
Flickr: Volunteer Required
The Documentary Group Goals for 2021 Overall Objective To help support the RPS Strategic Plan and specifically increase the relevance of the RPS for Documentary Photography (especially for younger photographers) and engage wider audiences. We have decided to focus our goals under the three headings of promote, educate, and encourage:
Promote - the highest standards of achievement in photography These activities are focussed around showcasing and celebrating high quality photographic work and thinking, which is fundamental to the RPS’s purpose.
Educate - members of the public by increasing their knowledge and understanding of photography As an educational charity, it is important we continue to develop the range and reach of our educational work. We want to help photographers develop their practice, and also educate nonphotographers about what is current in documentary photography.
Encourage - the public appreciation of photography We want to engage with more people, including those who are not photographers, to appreciate the value of documentary photography so that it is enjoyed by as many people as possible.
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
#rpsdoc
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.
RPS Documentary Events All upcoming RPS Documentary Events can be found on our events page. Our upcoming Telling Stories with your Camera Workshop series: Starting Out - 3 July - 10:00 to 15:00 (BST / UK time) rps.org/events/groups/documentary/2021/july/storytelling-starting-out The Shoot - 31 July 2021 - 10:00 to 15:00 (BST / UK time) rps.org/events/groups/documentary/2021/july/storytelling-the-shoot Editing and Sequencing - 25 September 2021 - 10:00 to 15:00 (UK time) rps.org/events/groups/documentary/2021/september/storytelling-editingsequencing
Our Engagement Talk series: Alys Tomlinson and opening of DPOTY2021 - 6 May 2021 -18:00 - 19:30 (BST / UK time) rps.org/events/groups/documentary/2021/may/engagement-talk-alystomlinson-and-dpoty-opening Daniel Meadows - 13 May 2021 18:00 - 19:30 (BST / UK time) rps.org/events/groups/documentary/2021/may/engagement-talk-danielmeadows KC Nwakalor - 27 May 2021 18:15-19:45 (BST / UK time) rps.org/events/groups/documentary/2021/may/engagement-kc-nwakalor More to follow from September 2021
rps.org - Documentary Events
What’s On: Online Events Talks, Workshops, Courses and Symposia Bristol Exhibitions, Talks, Workshops, Symposia and Festivals Group Events UK Regional Events International Events See the RPS website for details: rps.org/what-s-on
Workshop in Palermo with Mimi Mollica and Bruce Gilden 12 to 16 July 2021 Conducted by Mimi Mollica this hands-on and dynamic workshop will provide participant photographers with a unique chance to engage in a 5-day full immersion in photography, while surrounded by Palermo’s magnetic energy. Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden will join the workshop as a special guest tutor for two days, reviewing the work of the photographers and discussing options for what to develop during the course. Photographers will have the possibility to explore and engage with Palermo historical centre, shooting images, enjoying local life while improving their photography and confidence in shooting on the streets. www.mimimollica.com/palermo-workshop
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
Flickr
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, a prestigious Documentary Photographer of the Year (DPOTY) competition, exhibitions, and a quarterly online journal ‘The Decisive Moment’. 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
rps.org/documentary
