RPS Digital Imaging News September 2022

NOTESFROMTHECHAIR

ThesadnewsofQueenElizabeth’sdeathon8Septemberwillhaveaffectedus allindifferentways.Therearefewmomentsinone’slifewhenyoureallyknow it’stheendofanera.Everyone,fromroyalisttorepublican,needstimeto processthis.

TheRoyalPhotographicSocietyhasenjoyedroyalpatronageeversinceitwas foundedin1853.QueenElizabethwasourpatronfor67years,duringwhich timeshegrantedtotheSocietyaRoyalCharterrecognisingourpre-eminenceas aLearnedSocietyinthefieldofphotography.Ourpeer-assesseddistinctions commandsuchenormousrespectandstandingthroughouttheworlddueinno smallmeasuretoourstatusasa‘Royalsociety’whichcontinuestoenjoyRoyal Patronage.

Holdthedate–DigitalImagingAGM

RPSDigitalImagingwillholditsAnnualGeneralMeetingonSunday26February 2023atSmethwickPhotographicSociety’smeetingsroomsinOldham.The businessofthemeetingwillbefollowedbytheselectionofimagesforour annualprintexhibitionandakeynotetalkbyRossMcKelvey.Itwillallbe broadcastliveonZoomforthoseunabletoattendinperson.

Moredatesforyourdiary

Ournextonlineeventis‘ThePhotographyofGameofThrones’byHelenSloan, thesetphotographerfortheentireserieson15October.Registerat bit.ly/RPSDIGOnline037.

TheRPSAGMisonSaturday24Septemberonlineandinperson.Inadditionto theformalAGM,RPSisrunningaseriesoffreetalks.For more detailsandto book: rps.org/about/agm-2022-the-photographer-s-journey/agm-2022/.

Plentytokeepyoubusy!

Deborah

RexWaygood DigitalImagingCo-Chair digchair@rps.org

DeborahLoth DigitalImagingCo-Chair digchair2@rps.org

JanetHaines DigitalImagingCo-Chair digchair3@rps.org

DIGITALIMAGINGWORKSHOPS

ItseemsthatIhavebeenanticipatingthereleaseoftheWorkshopsallthrough thesummer.Withamajorlearningcurveandmanyvolunteerhourslater,Iam finallyinapositiontopublishalltheplannedworkshopsonthewebsite,foryou tobookthroughthenewportal.

Fromaweakposition,withlittlepowertodetermineupdates,wecontinueto askforimprovementsandadditions,primarilytotheshoppingbasketand payments.Theseimprovementsmightcomethroughfutureupdatesand upgrades,Iamforeverhopeful!Untiltheneachworkshophastobebookedand paidforindividually.YouwillseeIhavecompiledsometipsonnavigatingthe Portal,hopefullythesewillaidyouwhenbooking.

Gotopages22-23ofthisNewsletterandyouwillseethattheworkshop categoriesarealllinkedandpressinganimagewilltakeyoueithertoan individualworkshop,forexampleStreetorTopaz,ortoaselectionofworkshops, forexampleProjects.Eacheducatorisalsoshownwiththeirfullrangeavailable atpresent.Makeyourchoicessoonassomewillselloutquickly,butifthe demandistherewewillrepeatthem.

Icontinuetoinvestigatemoreworkshopsbutammorethanhappytoreceiveany ideasofwhatwecouldcover,sopleaseletmeknow.

MelanieChalk digworkshops@rps.org

NEWSFLASH:‘MyEvents’and‘ViewmyTicket’arenowavailableonyourPortal

MelanieChalk

DINewsEditor dignews@rps.org

(ManythankstoRobinClaydonandLoisWakeman fortheirassistancecompilingthisnewsletter.)

FloralTribute

SimonArmitagePoetLaureate

Eveningwillcome,howeverdeterminedthelateafternoon,

Limesandoaksintheirlastgreenflush,pearledinSeptembermist.

I haveconjuredalilytolightthesehours,atokenofthanks,

Zonesandaurasofsoftglareframingthebrilliantglobes.

A promisemadeandkeptforlife–thatwasyourgift–

Becauseofwhich,hereisagiftinreturn,gloveworttosome,

Eachshiningbonnetguardedbysternlance-likeleaves.

Thecountryloadeditswholeselfintoyourslenderhands, Handsthatcanrest,now,relievedofacentury’sweight.

Eveninghascome.RainontheblacklochsanddarkMunros.

LilyoftheValley,anamesakealmost,afavouriteflower

Interlacedwithyourfamousbouquets,therestrained

Zealandforcefulgraceofitslanterns,eachinflorescence

A silentbelldisguisingasingularvoice.Ablurrednewday

Breaksuncrownedonremotepeaksandpublicparks,and

Everythingturnsontheseluminouspetalsanddeeproots,

Thislilythatthrivesbetweenspireandtree,whosebrightness

Holdsandglowsbeyondthelifeandborderofitsbloom.

MONTHLYONLINECOMPETITION

ThewinnerofourcombinedJulyandAugustmonthlyonlinecompetitionwas ‘Skogafoss’byMoragForbes,whichisfeaturedonthecover.(Formore informationaboutthisfriendlymonthlycompetition,includinghowtoenter,visit https://rps.org/di/monthly-comp/. Keepaneyeoutforvideoslideshowsof monthlycompetitionentriesonour YouTubechannel.)

Skogafoss’byMoragForbesLRPS

‘ItookthisimageinJuly,onmyfirstvisittoIceland. Likemanypeople,itwasmyfirsttriponaplanefor severalyears,soquitenervewracking,butthe thoughtofIcelandanditswaterfallsandchurches keptmefirmlyonthepathontotheplaneandintomy sisterinlawscaronarrival–theotherincentivewas meetingmybrotherandhisfamilyfromAmerica,who hadaskedmetojointhemthere,andseethemagain afterseveralyears.

IknewthatasitwouldbesummerinIceland,Iwasn’tgoingtogetthesnowy shotsIhaveadmiredfromafar,soinmymindIknewIwantedtocreatehigh contrastmonoconversions.SkogafosswasourfirststopandIwasimmediately mesmerisedbyitsbeauty,powerandvastness.Ilovephotographingwaterfalls buthadn’tphotographedonesohugebefore–onmyfirstvisitIusedmygo-to waterfallshutterspeedofaround1/5ofasecond.OnreviewingtheimagesI realisedforsuchalargebodyofwaterthiswasn’tgivingmetheeffectIwanted, usuallyIliketohavesomedetailinthewaterbutforthisimageIwantedsilky smooth.Afterdroppingandshatteringmysixstopfilter,(thankfullyIceland beingaphotographersparadisehasshopsforthingslikethat!),andonmythird visitandlastdayIgotacoupleofimagesthatIknewIwouldenjoyworkingon whenIgothome.

SeveralweekslaterIhadcreatedafewimages,thisonebeingmyfavourite. Iwasn’tsurehowitwouldbereceived,withitbeingsominimal,soI'mreally delightedthatmypeerswithintheRPSDIGgroupvotedforit,many,many thanks!’

MoragForbes

byWilliamWilsonLRPS

RPSAGM

APhotographersJourney

TheRPSAGM,isabitdifferentthisyear,andhasbeendesignedwithyou,the members,inmind.Theprogrammehasbeenputtogetherbyafantasticteamof volunteersandwilltakeyouthroughthemanydifferentareasoftheRPS,and demonstrateallwecandotohelptakeyourphotographyforwards.

Comealong,forfree,on24SeptemberandlistentotwoincrediblespeakersLucindaGrangeandAneesaDawoojee,hearmoreaboutourcoursesandyearroundopportunities,andofcourse,findoutmoreaboutourDistinctionsprocess andhowwecanhelpyoutakeyourphotographyforwards.Youwillalsolearn what’savailableviathevariousspecialinterestgroups.Therewillalsobe presentationsbyRPSstaffexplaininghowournewmembersportalsystemwill helpustodelivertoeveryMemberabespokeandhighlypersonalisedservice thatwillencourageandsupportyourownphotographicjourney.

Opentoeveryone,nomatterwhereyouarealongyourphotographyjourney.

TakingplaceonlineandatRPSBristol. Registerhere toeithercomeinpersonor attendvirtually

ForthRailBridgebyLucindaGrange

Ifirstgotinterestedinphotographyinmyteenageyears.Asciencegeek;Ihad notasingleartisticboneinmybody,andalthoughIcoulddrawastraightline andcurvesinengineeringdrawing,IcouldnotdrawfromlifenomatterhowI tried.Photographyseemedtoofferawayofgeneratingsomethingvisual,but hadtechnologybehinditwhichIfeltIcouldmaster.Ithadtheaddedadvantage onbeingabletoaskpeople(usuallygirls)tositforaportraitandthemnotbeing toocriticaloftheresults(photoswerealotlessubiquitousinthe60’sand70’s) andofcoursetherewerethecelebrityphotographersthateverybodyknew (Bailey,Duffy,Donovan).

Truthbetoldmyphotoswerelargelyholidayshotsorrecordshotsandlacked anyrealmerit.TrueIsoldaloadofB&WphotosofschoolplayswithKodakTri-X pushprocessedto1600ASA(ISO),andIsavedmyselfsomemoneyandgot extramarksforillustratinguniversityprojectsetc.Luckilyhowevermostofthese imagesnolongersurvive.

ThefirstphotographIwashappywithduringmynewdigital,retirederawasofa childplyingaroundawaterfeatureinBristolMillenniumSquareentitledWater Play,Ilikedthefactthatnothingexceptthewaterwassharp,theambiguityand thattheimagehadapainterlyquality–itdidn’thurtthatitgotcommendedin myveryfirstcompetitionatmynewlyjoinedphotoclub(BathPhotographic Society)

TIPSFORUSINGTHENEWPORTAL

FORNOW……

Itwon’thaveescapedanyonesnoticethattherehavebeenproblemswiththe introductionofanewCRMsystematRPSHouse.Therearestillongoing difficulties,butitseemstheseareslowlybeingresolvedandmoreonlineevents willberevealedtoyoualloverthecomingweeks.

ItisimportanttopointoutthattheRPSnowhastwowebsites:itsoriginal websiteat www.rps.org wherealotofitsinformationresidesanditsnewportal websiteat portal.rps.org whichisintendedtoprovidecustomservicesfor members.Alleventsandworkshopsarenowhousedontheportalwebsite,but thesecanalsobeaccessedbyalinkfromthemainmenuontheoriginalwebsite pages.

Itisagreedthattherearefundamentalproblems,makingaccesstotheportal sitedifficultformembersandvolunteersandthestaffatRPSHouseandaTask Forcehasbeendeployedtoassistwith,whattheyhavenowdeclaredacrisis!

Theexperienceforyoutheuserisnowdifferent,andnotespeciallyintuitive,but toenableyoutobookticketsforourEventsandWorkshopsyouneedto navigatethenewPortal.Manyofyouwillhaveregisteredhavingreceivedan emailandarefamiliarwithlogginginandfindingthings.Ifnottrytofindtimeto investigate,andfamiliariseyourself.

YoucangodirectlytothePortalandsearchthrougheverythingonofferfromthe RPSledeventsandnowmoreareappearingfromtheVolunteerledevents postedbySIGSandRegionsandChapters,asWebEditorsaretrainedinthe intricaciesofcreatingEvents!.Thisviewcanbeoverwhelmingbutitiseasyto ticktheboxestohoneyoursearch.

OutsideofthePortalourown DigitalImaging newlookpagesareagreatplace tostartbutherearesometipstoguideyouandspeedtheprocess.Linkswithin DigitalImagingNewsletters,EmailsandBroadcastswilldirectyoutoparticular eventsoraworkshop

Atpresent,youcannotimmediatelyseehowtobuytickets,unlessyouare loggedintothePortal.TodosoquicklygotoREGISTERatthetopofthePage clickthis‘BigButton’toLogintothePortal.

ThenyouwillbeabletoseehowtoGetTickets.

Thisopensuptothechoiceoftickets,wheremoreconfusionawaits.

DON’T selectanumberoftickets, justclickaddticket thisautomaticallychangesittoone ticket,thencheckout.

Thetransactionwillbesuccessfulwhenyoureceiveaconfirmationemail,usuallywithinminutes.

OnlineEventBooking

Ifyoubookeda‘paidfor’onlineeventyoureceivetwoemails:areceiptanda confirmation.Ifyoubooka‘free’onlineeventyoujustreceiveaconfirmation. Theconfirmationcontainsalinktoyourticket,fortheeventorparticular workshopyouhavebooked.Ontheconfirmationemailyoucantakethe opportunitytoaddthedatetoanonlineCalendar,withseveralchoicesof calendars.Theadvantageofdoingthisisitalsosavesthemeetingdetailand ZoominvitetothechosenCalendar.InyourPortalyoucannowgotoEvents/ MyEventswhereyoucanseeallyouhavebookedandviewyourticket

Whenyouclick thebutton

‘Viewmyticket’

Thisiswhatyou see.

FacetoFaceEventBooking

WhenbookingaFacetofaceevent,theemailslookdifferent.Fora‘Paidfor’ eventyouwillreceiveareceiptandconfirmation.ForaFreeeventyoujust receiveaconfirmation.

Whenyouclickthe button

‘Viewmyticket’

Thisiswhatyousee, butjustignorethe QRCode.

It’sirrelevant..

Goodluckwithyourbookingexperience!Thereislotstobefoundandmorein thepipelinesokeeplooking.Wearestillencounteringproblems,outofour controlbutthingsdoseemtobesettlingdownnow,Isayveryoptimistically! MelanieChalk digworkshops@rps.org

RPSDISTINCTIONS

Achangeforprojectedimageassessmentsandone-to-ones

FromSeptember1st,themaximumpixelsizeis3840(w)×2160(h),compared to4096×2400previously.Youarerecommendednottogobelow1920×1080, althoughthisisnotarequirement.Ifyou’vealreadysubmittedimagesattheold size,theywillbeacceptedfortherestoftheyear,oryoucansendresized substitutesviaWeTransfer.Enquiriesto andy@rps.org.(Allthesesizesare dependentontheaspectratioofyourimage;e.g.2160×2160forsquares,or 1215×2160foraportraitimageatthesameratio.)

Arecordingofatalkexplaininghowtosizeyourimageswillbemadeavailable onthenewRPSportalinearlySeptember(linkunavailableatthetimeof writing).

Thenewmemberwebsiteisnow(partly)online

Visit https://portal.rps.org toseewhat’sonoffer–thisisverymuchaworkin progressandyourprofile-specificinformationandupcomingeventswillbe addedgraduallyoverthecomingmonths.Ifyouoverlookedthememberemail inlateJuly,you’llneedtofindit(subjectis“AnUpdateforMembers:YourNew RPSMembersPortal”)soyoucanregisteranewlogintoseethecontent.

Inthemeantime,notalldistinctions-relatedeventswillbebookabledirectly,so keepaneyeonRPSemailsandtheFacebookgroup(seebelow)for announcementsofhowtobook.

Findoutmore:

Eachofthepagesbelowincludeshandylinkstoguidelinesandgenresfor distinctions,anda“howtoapply”document:thesearemostlylinksontheold website,bytheway,sowehopethey’llstillworkbythetimeyoureadthis!

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ThePhotobookgenre,availableforalldistinctions,hasitsownspecialguidelines andsubmissionprocess(asopposedtoanLRPS,ARPSorFRPSsubmissionin bookform).Youcanfindoutmorehere: Photobooks. Assessmentsarenext offeredinOctober(submissionsby14thSeptember!).Youmightalsoliketosee a recordingofaZoomtalk hostedbyStewartWallwhichisbothinformativeand inspiring.

Tohelpyouprepare,youcanrequesta 1:1portfolioreview –anonlinesession withapanelmemberappropriatetoyourgenre/distinction,butbeawarethere isalongwaitinglist,andyouareadvisedtobookatleast4monthsbeforean assessment.Someregionsareoffering AdvisoryDays inpersonandonline–you cansearchfortheseonthewebsiteusingthelink.Youcangenerallyattendasan observerifyouaren’treadytostepupyet.Inaddition,someChaptersand RegionsofferonlineDistinctionsStudyGroups.Youcanalsofindtheseby searchingthewebsite.

Anddon’tforget,aswellasprojectedandprintedimages,youcanalsoapplyfor aFilm,DigitalandMultimediaDistinctionatanylevel,andalsoawritten ResearchDistinction: Film And Research.Ifyoumissedanyoftheexcellent DistinctionsLivetalks,youcan catchup here.(Alsoaccessibleviathe RPS Distinctionschannel onYouTube.)

TheFacebookGroup RPS Distinctions**OfficialGroup** hasover4200members,and includespostscelebrating distinctionsuccessesto inspireyou.It’sacivilised venuetoaskquestions,share yoursuccesses–and disappointments–andaskfor critiqueorexpertadviceon yourproposedportfolio.If youaren’tsurewhichgenreor leveltoapplyfor,youcan post6images(plusyour StatementofIntentif appropriate)andrequest moderatoradvice.

Accolade,whichcelebrates DigitalImagingmembers’ Distinctionssuccesses,is usefulforinsightintothe processinmanydifferent genresandatalllevels.

DIGITALIMAGINGWEBSITE

TheDigitalImagingwebsitehasbeenre-organisedandredesignedto accommodateourgrowingneeds.Thisiswhy,ifyouhavebookmarkedparticular pages,theymayhaverecentlydisappeared,soyouwillneedtoreinstatethem.

Wehopethatthereorganisedwebpageswillassistyouinfindingallthe informationyoumightneedinthefuture,allaboutourgroupandwhatis happeningandwhen.

Theinteractiveimagesbelowreplicatethoseonthewebsite,simplyclickthe imagetoopenthelink.

Themembers-onlylinkfortheDIGITArchive,istobefoundintheemail messageannouncingthisnewsletter.

TheRPSDigitalImagingconstitutioncanbedownloaded HERE.

Foreveryone’sconvenience,weincludealistofshortcutstothemainDigital ImagingpagesattheendofeachBroadcast.

YoucansubscribetoouremailMailingListsheretohearnewannouncements:

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