Southern Region Newsletter, December 2020

NEWSLETTER December 2020

Christmas Lights © Antony Topham

WELCOME Hello and welcome to the Southern Region newsletter for December 2020. In this newsletter we welcome our new Regional Organiser Bhupinder Ghatahora ARPS and set out our ideas for 2021.

You’ll see that we have compiled a list of events that we, as the regional organisation, are proposing for 2021. In line with RPS Head Office guide lines we want to bring a series of on-line events to the region, but remain very hopeful that we can get together in the early Autumn for our first physical meeting since 2019.

We will be holding a number of on-line Advisory Days, but plan to hold the first ‘normal’ Advisory Day meeting in September 2021.

On-line Photo-walks will be a feature for the coming year but, providing the area stays in Tier 2 (or lower) restrictions, we plan on scheduling a few ‘6 people only’ Meetup Photo-walks in 2021.

We are organising some exciting online workshops and one of the highlights of our year will be sponsored workshops from major manufacturers in the photography arena.

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CONTENTS 01 Brief Intro from Bhupinder Ghatahora ARPS Bhupinder introduces herself as the new Regional Organiser for the Southern Region 02 Events Planning for 2021 What we are planning for our events calendar in 2021 03 Your Society Representatives in the Southern Region Here are the contact details for the team of volunteers that represent the RPS in the Southern Region 04 Call for Volunteers The Southern Region needs more volunteers to be part of the Regions organisation 05 Special Interest Groups Representatives If you would like to join, or considering joining and would like more information, here’s a short list of contacts for Special Interest Groups who have a presence in the Southern Region 06 A Celebration of Distinctions Gained by Members in the Southern Region for 2020 Members in the Southern Region who have achieved distinctions this year 07 The Last Word Seasonal message from Bhupinder Ghatahora ARPS, Regional Organiser

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01 Brief Introduction from Bhupinder Ghatahora, our new Regional Organiser

Hello and welcome to my first newsletter. As you know I have taken on the role of Regional Organiser after Paul Cox ARPS stepped down at the October AGM. Thank you, Paul, for your enthusiasm and energy over the last 4 years.

I intend to hit the ground running with new and exciting initiatives for the region in 2021 and beyond.

We start the new year in a period of change for the RPS and uncertainty for society but, there is now a light at the end of the tunnel and we hope to get back to, what will be, the new normal soon.

We are organising a series of exciting online and face-to-face events for you to look out for in the coming months, and I hope you will be able to join us in one or more of those. There will be some new initiatives and a planned return to Advisory days at the end of the year, most, if not all, of which are set out below.

Most of you will not have me, so here’s a brief introduction: I am a professional freelance photographer with a BA Honours degree in Photography and Digital Imaging. I have been an active Associate Member of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) for 19 years and I have recently been appointed as a RPS Assessor for the Licentiate Panel by the Distinctions Committee.

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Over the years, in addition to using digital equipment, I have studied and used analogue cameras & equipment and film developing & printing techniques that are less used these days, but remain in vogue and are a niche practice I support the community in a voluntarily capacity as the Official Photographer for The Pink Place Basingstoke registered charity. I have been a Trustee of the Helping Hands registered charity and I have also run and managed a Basingstoke networking group as the Lead Ambassador.

I have been running a successful free photography club for several years where new and experienced members meet twice a month. I am keen to promote photography and ‘give back’ to new and seasoned photography enthusiasts with what I have learnt over the years.

I can be contacted through my RPS email address at: southern@rps.org or by phone using my mobile number: 07798 913218

02 Events Planning for 2021

Whisley December 20 © David Ashcroft LRPS

The following list does not necessarily represent all the events that are in the planning stages for 2021. Plans change and are amended in accordance with prevailing circumstances, so please keep an eye on our website; https://rps.org/regions/southern/ and our Events Page: https://rps.org/regions/southern/southern-region-events-page/

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Advisory Days Online Licentiate Advisory Day using Zoom.

Advisor: Stuart Wall Date: 27th March 2021 Event Organiser: Bhupinder Ghatahora Full details on the Sothern Region Events Page Licentiate Advisory Day at Old Basing Village Hall Advisor: To Be Advised Date: 12th September 2021 Event Organiser: David Ashcroft Note: This is being planned as our first physical advisory day meeting following the Covid-19 restrictions. We are planning this on the basis that it is possible that indoor meetings will be allowed by this stage.

Times and dates may change.

Photo-walks Virtual Photo-Walks Subject

Organiser

Date

Fog

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Mid/Late January 2021

Show us your prints

David Ashcroft

TBA

Winter

Bhupinder Ghatahora

TBA

Forest Woodlands

Bhupinder Ghatahora

TBA

Street

Bhupinder Ghatahora

TBA

Gardens

Bhupinder Ghatahora

TBA

Meet-Up Photo-Walks Subject

Organiser

Date

Yew Woods, Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve

David Ashcroft

Mid/Late February 2021

This walk will be conducted within current guidelines for Tier 2 restrictions – only 6 people meeting in a group. We will be conducting two groups of six, thereby maximising the meetup with 10 people led by one [volunteer team member] for each group.

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Workshops Subject

Organiser

Date

Photoshop (detail TBA)

Dave Peckham

TBA

Lightroom (detail TBA)

Dave Peckham

TBA

Documentary Photography

Paul Cox

Mid/Late March 2021

Composition for Beginners

Paul Cox

Mid/Late April 2021

How to achieve your Licentiate Distinction

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Several dates in 2021 – TBA

Other Workshops / Talks SONY A Sony virtual event online talk is being organised for week commencing 22nd February 2021. The talk features Glyn Dewis, a professional photographer, who will present his body of work called 39-45, which is a World War 2 based portfolio. Details of final date and time, cost and how to attend will be advertised through our RPS events page and email broadcasts closer to the date.

FOTOSPEED A joint Fotospeed/RPS Southern Region presented online workshop is being organised for March 2021 which will feature Fotospeed products and how to get the best out of them for your printing. This will be invaluable for those members who value the print medium as way of displaying their work and for those wanting to progress to an RPS distinction. Details of final date and time, cost and how to attend will be advertised through our RPS events page and email broadcasts closer to the date.

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Licentiate Portfolio Reviews Subject

Organiser

Date

1-1 Portfolio reviews

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Throughout 2021

These reviews will be by prior appointment with Bhupinder and will be conducted online through a Zoom meeting. Details are available on our RPS events page.

03 Your Society Representatives in the Southern Region Southern Region Officers Regional Organiser

Bhupinder Ghatahora ARPS

southern@rps.org

Southern Secretary

David Ashcroft LRPS

southersecretary@rps.org

Southern Treasurer

Trevor Judd

southerntreasurer@rps.org

Area Coordinators Basingstoke & Southern Region North Area

David Ashcroft & Bhupinder Ghatahora

(as above)

Bournemouth & Southern Region West Area

David Peckham ARPS

davepeckham@mac.com

Channel Islands

Eric Ferbrache ARPS

rpsciorganiser@gmx.com

Salisbury & South Wilts Area

Paul Rigg ARPS

paulrigg@outlook.com

Southampton & South and East Region Area

Paul Cox ARPS

southernevents@rps.org

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Specialist Volunteers Web Editor

Chris Tank

Publishing Editor

Position vacant

Social Media Editor

Position vacant

southernweb@rps.org

Volunteers Salisbury & South Wilts Area

Anthony Topham

atopham9@gmail.com

Southern Region West Area

Glyn Fonteneau ARPS

info@sabreswitch.co.uk

04 Call for Volunteers We are actively seeking volunteers to take up the specialist roles of Publishing Editor and Social Media Editor. If you think you would be suitable for the role and would like to find out more, please contact the Regional Organiser, Bhupinder Ghatahora, either by email (southern@rps.org) or mobile phone (07798 913218).

Have you ever considered volunteering with the RPS? We are currently looking to boost our volunteer group with members who would like to take an active part in the organisation of Southern Region events / advisory days and workshops. If you think you would like give some time to the RPS as a volunteer then please get in touch. We don’t expect volunteers to give up lots of time or effort, just help out with events and maybe idea generation, and to get a little more involved with the RPS organisation in the region.

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05 Special Interest Groups Representatives The Southern Region has three Special Interest Groups with a presence in the region.

Below are the contacts for those groups should you wish to join or need further information on the group and what is happening in the area.

You can also visit the main SIG page on the RPS website, here: https://rps.org/groups/ where you will find more information on these and all other Special Interest Groups in the RPS. Documentary Group (main)

Christopher Morris

Documentary Sub Group Jeff Owen (Chichester)

christopher.wmorris@btopenworld.com mrjeffowen@gmail.com

Digital Imaging Group

Barry Senior digsouthern@rps.org (Hon FRPS)

Landscape Group

Andy McLaughlin

landscapesecretary@rps.org

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06 Celebration of Distinctions LRPS

ARPS

Megan Wendy Hilary Will Martyn Bridget Linda Diana John Mike John Atul Keith

Carine Davies Dickson Dickson Elliston Fonteneau Gates Grant Griggs Hall Hayes Kshirsagar Palmer

Roger Philip Jennifer

Pendall Terry Warr

Davide Nigel Michael Alan Davide Glyn Paul Esme Remy Mick

Agnelli Bealey Berkeley Collins Fletcher Fonteneau Herbert Lloyd Lloyd Yates

Fine Art Applied Applied Fine Art Documentary Natural History Fine Art Applied Applied Associate Exemption

Townley Webber

Applied Contemporary

FRPS Sarah Alison

Many congratulations to all these Southern Region members who have achieved great things in their photography practice this year. 2020 has been an unprecedented and particularly difficult year for members wanting to pursue their ambitions of distinction with the RPS, so to have succeeded is an outstanding accomplishment.

Congratulations to you all.

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Salisbury Cathedral Š Antony Topham

07 The Last Word This year has been a strange and difficult year for many of us, and Christmas is the time of year when we will all feel the effects of the Pandemic the most. I hope that you will all stay safe over the Christmas period and emerge on the other side stronger and more prepared to face the new year with renewed confidence. The vaccine light at the end of the tunnel will soon allow us to get back to something resembling a new normality.

Our team of volunteers and me wish you all a very happy Christmas and hope to see you in the new year.

Bhupinder Ghatahora Regional Organiser, RPS Southern Region

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