RPS DI ONLINE July 2023

DIONLINE

COVERIMAGE

ABOUTTHECOVERIMAGE

ThePhotographer: PaulBatherARPS

TheImageTitle: PaperShapes

AbouttheImage: WhyItookit!

Lights,camera,paperarealltheessentialsIneedtowileawayanafternoonof enjoyableandimaginativephotography.

Avarietyofinterestingresultscanbeachieved usingminimalequipment.Therangeofeffects areendlessandcanintroduceawholenew worldofimpressionistandabstractimagery. Ihavebeentakingpictureslikethisfora numberofyearsnow,andwhilenotevery singleonehitsthespot,Ifinditacheap, resourceful–andrewardingwaytounderstand lightandtexturewithalimited‘toolbox’ofjust paperandalightsource.Ifyougiveitago yourselfyoumaydiscoverasIdid,thatitgives youdifferentideasabouthowtotackleother concepts–suchasphotographingflowers,car partsorpeople.Takingpicturesofpaperhas givenmeawholenewappreciationoflight andcolourhues.Formeit’scertainlyopened upanewarenaofabstractandimpressionist photography–anditshighlightedhowmuchI canachievefromusingA4colouredpaper.

PaulBatherARPS

EditorDIONLINE: MelanieChalk

Contact: dignews@rps.org

CHAIR’SCHAT

THOUGHTSFROMTHECHAIR…

IthinkitgoeswithoutsayingthatDI havethemostamazingcommitteewho, together,workhardonyourbehalfto deliverastrongandexcitingprogramme forourmembers.Withanotherfull monthofactivitiescominguptheremust surelybesomethingforeveryoneto enjoyandbeinspiredby.

TheprogrammeofstimulatingSaturday webinarscontinueswiththehighly popularPaulSanders‘GoYourOwn Way’onSaturday29Julyat16.00BST. Ifyouhavenotyetbookedyourplace then thisisthelinkyouneed.

IfthetopicofAIfascinatesyoudon’t missour ‘BlendMode:HardMix–recognisingAItokeeptraditional photographyalive’ webinaronThursday 27Julyat19.30BST.Weguaranteeyou areallyinterestingsessionwhereyou personallygettodecidehowyoufeel aboutAI.Don’tmissout- bookHERE

Therewillalsoachancetoshowusyour ownAIgeneratedillustrationsinourDI AIExperiment.Youwillsoonbeableto findmoreinformationonourwebsite aboutthis,includingupdatesasweget tothepointofinvitingyoutoupload yourworksofArtandImagination.

WorkingwithLandscape,DIhavejust announcedthelaunchoftheTALKWALK-TALKCoastalPhotography project.Thereare30+walksaroundthe UKtochoosefrom.Hopeyouhaveread alltheinformationandwehaveaspecial websiteforthisat

https://talkwalktalk.org

Anotherannouncementcomingyour wayshortly,willbethelaunchofthenew DIProjectedImagecompetition.This newlookcomphasbeendesignedto engageyouthroughouttheyear, encouragingyoutocreatenewimages andtoengagewiththeselection process.

GivenDIOnlinetakesawellearned breakinAugustweshouldalsoget aheadofourselvesalittleanddraw yourattentiontotheSaturdaywebinar on2SeptemberwithSimonStreet FRPS‘HowtoCreateBetterPeople Images’.ThismultiawardedRPS FellowandDImemberisgoingtogive ushands-onguidancehowtoshoot, select,processandprintbetterpeople images.Notimetowasteforbooking yourplace HERE

Finallythankyoutoallofyouwhotook thetimetocompleteourWorkshop survey.Wereallyappreciateitasitwill helpustoplanandworkonourfuture DIWorkshoptobestfitourmembers’ requirements.Laterinthispublication, pages12/13 wewillshareafewofthe keyfindingswithyou.

EnjoyyourAugust–atimetokickback andhavefunwithfamilyandfriends perhaps?.

Regards Janet digchair@rps.org

DIGITALIMAGINGEGM 26JULY2023

TobooktoattendtheEGMclickimage below.

IfyouareunabletoattendtheEGMin personandwishtorecordavote,youwill needtocompleteaproxyvotingform.

PleasegototheEmail,announcingthis publication,andfollowthelinkshown there,asthisisonlyforDigitalImaging Membersandcannotbeaccessedbythe generalpublic.

TheProxyvotingwillcloseat7amon 25July.

AlthoughitisaGoogleformyouDONOT needaGoogleaccounttousetheform!

MONTHLYCOMPETITION

THEMEMBERSCHOICEOFTHEIRFAVOURITEIMAGE

ThewinnerofourJunemonthlyonlinecompetitionwas ‘BoyontheStairs’byGlynisHarrisonwhichisfeatured here.Glynistellsusaboutherwinningimage.

Iamreallychuffedtolearnthatmyimage, ‘TheBoyontheStairs’wonthetopspotin theDIGmonthlycompetitionforJune, especiallyasitisoneofmyfavourite imagesthankstothelittleboyappearing atthelastminute.

IwasattheMuseumofLiverpoolafew yearsagohopingtogetagoodimageof theirbeautifulstaircasewhenthelittleboy appearedinexactlytherightplaceforthe shaftoflighttoshinedownuponhim.I usuallyprefercolouroverblackandwhite butthemonoimageevokedsomuch moreemotionthatithadtobemychoice image.I’mjustgladandhopethatothers enjoyittoo.

ThankyousomuchtoDIGforlikingmy image.

Glynis

FIRSTPLACE‘BOYONTHESTAIRS’BYGLYNISHARRISONLRPS

ECIRCLES

e-Processingcircles. Inthesegroups membersallworkona RAWfilevolunteeredby onememberanddiscuss differentapproachesto processingtoachieve thevolunteer’s visualisation.

e-Projectscircle. Agroupwhich discussesprojects thatmembersare workingon.

e-Critiquecircles. Inthesegroups memberssharean imagefordetailed discussion

Oure-Circlesaregroupsofbetween6and10photographerswhomeetmonthlyon Zoom.Ifyouwanttoimprovesomeaspectofyourphotographyandarepreparedto meetupwithcolleaguesforconstructive,honestgivingandreceivingoffeedback whynotconsiderjoiningoneofoure-Circles?

Tofindoutmorecontact digmem@rps.org

EveryotheryearthelittletownofPeltin Belgiumholdaninternational photographiccompetition–Lensopde Mens.Theyalwaysmakethesubject ‘man’,oftenwithasecondcategoryand for2023thisis‘humour’.Fromthe thousandsofsubmittedimagestheyselect thosethatgointotheirsummerexhibition. Thisisdisplayedonpillarsandwallsall aroundthetown.Itisadelightanda greatexperiencetowanderthestreetsof Peltenjoyingallthevariedworkson display.

ThisyearMartinParrhasaspecialdisplay ofhisworksandon23Septemberwillbe givingalecture.

OurRPSBeneluxChapterarefully involvedwiththissuperbexhibition,with theChapterOrganiserCarolOlerudFRPS beingoneoftheselectors.AsaChapter theyhaveasub-exhibitionof23images hangingonthewallsoftheoldcemetery. Thetitleissomewhathumorousgiven wheretheyare;‘DailyLifeofUs’.Plusa Chapterweekendon24Septemberwitha greatspeakeronMindfulness–details

IfyouaregoingtobeinBelgiumbefore theendofSeptemberIwouldhighly recommendadiversionandhalfadayin Pelt.Formoreinformationhereisthe Chapterwebpagelink.

RPSBeneluxChapterflyingtheflag

DISURVEY

EARLYRESULTSFROMTHERECENTSURVEYONWORKSHOPS

JULY2023

Thankyoutothoseofyouwhotookthetimetogiveusthefeedbackweneedabout yourworkshoprequirementsandexperiences.Thisreallydoeshelpusasweplan futureprogrammes.

Judgingbysomeofthewrittencommentswecanseethatthereisalittleconfusion betweenDIWorkshops,RPSHouse(HQ)WorkshopsandevenourDISaturday afternoonWebinars.WhilstwehopethattheWebinarsmightinspireyou,andeven showyousometechniquesinthecaseofsomepresenters,wedonotactually considerthesetobeworkshopsassuch.

Let’slookatsomeofthekeygraphs,factsandcomments.

Ofthosethatrespondedtothesurvey63%ofyoutellusyouhaveattendedaDI Workshop.Howeverwemustn’tbefooledbythatstatastherecouldbesomebiasin thereaslikelythoseengagedwithDIWorkshopsfeltmoreinclinedtorespondtothe survey.

GivenDIWorkshops,inthemain,fallintotheyellowandredareaswefeelwehave gotthataboutrightforyouandsomethingwewillpayextraattentiontoowhen planningnewprojects.

Obviouslytherewastoomuchtoincludeeverythinginthisoverview,butwehave genuinelygainedsomereallygoodinsightsthatwillbetakenintoconsiderationin thefuture.

Let’sfinishwithsomeofyourlovelycomments…..

• Keepupthesortofvarietyofworkshopsyouhavebeenoffering.

• Pleasecontinuetoprovidethese.Theyareinvaluableforthoseofuswhocan'tattendinpersonworkshops.

• IhaveenjoyedalltheonlineworkshopsIhaveattendedandlearntsomethingnewineachofthem.Pleasekeep upthegoodwork.

• KeepaddingnewZoomworkshop,theyareverygood.

Anotherquestiondemonstrateswhymembersengagewithourworkshops.

Thenwemovedontotrytofindouthowlongworkshopsshouldrun.

APHOTOGRAPHER’SSTORY

MEMBERGERALDPHILLIPSONPHDARPSTELLSHISSTORY PHOTOGRAPHY&ILLNESS

Thebenefitsofphotographyforsomeoneseriouslyillisnotanewdiscussionand therearemanywhohavetestifiedtothetherapeuticinfluencesofitscreative absorptionandhowitcanhelpthecuringprocessalongsidetheestablished treatments.

IwasdiagnosedwithHodgkin’sDiseasetwoandahalfyearsagoandsinceI’d formallyhadasimilarcancerIhadsomesenseofwhatwasinstalformeandhowto copewithit.MyenthusiasmforphotographywaswellestablishedinthatI’vebeen usingacamerasincemyearlyteensandhadrecentlyachievedaLicentiateshipofthe RoyalPhotographicSociety.

Foreighteenmonthsmylifebecamestructuredbythree-weeklychemotherapy treatments,followedbyradiotherapyandfinallybyimmunotherapy.Thesideeffects ofthetreatmentswerealmostimmediatelyapparent,especiallyasadebilitating fatigue;onagooddayIstruggledtowalkacoupleofkilometres.Allowingforthe limitationsoftimeandenergyIsearchedforaprojectthatwouldcompletelyabsorb me.Ididn’twanttheeasierstudio-basedproject,asbeingoutinthebeautiful countrysidethatwrapswhereIIivewas,Ifelt,essential.IdecidedtomaketheRPS Associateshipmyproject.

Mytwomainphotographyinterestsarestreetphotographywithcandidportraitsand landscape,specificallyintimatelandscape.FormanyyearsI’dvisitedand photographedtheMarais,awetlandareaaboutninekilometresfrommyhomeandI begantosetaboutputtingtogetheranAssociateshippanel.

IintendedtocontinuetakingstreetportraitsforthedayswhengettingtotheMarais felttoomuch;Iwasabletodriveintoourlocaltown,wanderthestreetsandsit outsidecafesphotographingtheworldasitpassedby.

Thecameradevelopedintomorethanameansoftakingphotographs,itbecamethe mediumbywhichIrelatedtotheworldandIbegantoseeeventhemostfamiliar things,liketheMarais’swatercourses,thetreesandplantsenclosingthemand peopleinthestreetsandcafesinanew,intensifiedway.

FormanyyearsI’dfollowedaBuddhistmeditationpracticefocusingonmybreathing, butintheMaraisandaroundGourdonwhatIsawthroughthecamerabecamemy focuspointandthephotographywasmoreconsideredandreflective.Italsohelped tomaintainapositiveapproachtoeverything.

SpecificallyIfoundthat-

•Photographyprojectsgavemetheincentivetogetoutofmychair whetherIfeltlikeitornot.

•Theneedtoselectthesubjectcarefully,todecidewhichlenstochoose, thebestexposurewhenworkingmanuallyandmanaginggoodcomposition,keptmy mindexercised.

•Workinginthestreetsofthetownandanticipatingthe“decisivemoment” helpmaintainmyinterestandmymindalert.

•Notleast,Ifoundeverythinginvolvedinpost-processing,workingdeeper intotheappsIusedandorderingthephotographsasIwantedthem,wasanother formofcreativeabsorptionthatkeptmymindoffmyillness.

•IwasfortunatetobeabletoworkfortheRPSDOCSigJournalputting togetherarticlesonDocumentarydistinctionstheeditorwantedtoinclude.Imust addtothistheconsiderableamountofreadingIdidaboutphotographyandthe photographerswhointerestedme.

•AllofthiswasheldtogetherbyworkingfortheAssociateship.ThismeantI satinonassessments,readaboutandlookedatsuccessfulsubmissionsandput togetherpanelsfortwoOne2Oneassessments.

I’mnotmakinganyspecialcaseformyself,therewillbemanywhohavefoundusing thecameraduringanillnesshashelpedtheprocessofhealing.Ionlyhopethisarticle willcatchtheeyeofsomeonewhoisillandencouragethemtowearacamera wherevertheyare.

I’dliketoexpressmythankstoallthosewhohelpedandencouragedme,thecontact withtheBeneluxChapter,RPSSIGsIwasattachedto,aLandscapecriticsgroupand theAssociateshipassessors.Thetreatmentofthecancerseemstohavebeen successfulaswastheAssociateshipsubmission.ButasI’mleftwithdebilitatingsideeffectsofthetreatmentIknowthatworkingforaRPSFellowshipwillhelpmeto managethem.

GeraldPhillipsonARPS

RPSDISTINCTIONS

AIINTHESPOTLIGHT

TherehavebeenvariousdiscussionsonsomeRPSFacebookgroupsabouttheroleof AIinphotography,notleast“howmuchistoomuch?”,giventhesophisticated algorithmsnowbuiltintomuchpost-processingsoftware.

HQhascomeoutwithapreliminarystatementthattriestodefinetheRPSview,viz: “ForDistinctions,ourstanceisthefollowing: ImagescreatedbyAI,includingthosemadefromtheapplicant’sownfiles,arenot acceptedinaDistinctionapplication.

Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleaseemail distinctions@rps.org”

Visitthe AIHUB formoreeventsandarticles.

FINDOUTMOREABOUTHOWTOSTARTYOURDISTINCTIONS JOURNEY:

Eachofthepagesbelowincludeshandylinkstoguidelinesandgenresfor distinctions,anda“howtoapply”document:thesearemostlylinksontheoriginal website,bytheway.

• Licentiate(LRPS)

• Associate(ARPS)

• Fellowship(FRPS)

ThePhotobookgenre,availableforalldistinctions,hasitsownspecialguidelinesand submissionprocess(asopposedtoanLRPS,ARPSorFRPSsubmissioninbookform)

Youcanfindoutmorehere: Photobooks.Youmightalsoliketoseea talk hostedby StewartWallwhichisbothinformativeandinspiring.NextassessmentdateOct‘23 There’salsoaspecialin-personeventatRPSHQwithSimonJGCiapparaFRPS, discussinghisFRPSbooksubmission: bookhere.

Tohelpyouprepare,youcanrequestaone2oneportfolioreview–anonlinesession withapanelmemberappropriatetoyourgenre/distinction.Seethispageformore information: Howtobookaone2one(rps.org

Therehasbeensomeconfusionoverwhathappensnext–someonefromHQwillfind youanadvisorandputyoubothintouchtoarrangeadateandtosendimages/ presentationplan.Thiscantaketimedependingonhowmanyvolunteerassessorsin yourgenreoratyourlevelareavailable,andyouareadvisedtomakeyourrequestat least4monthsbeforeanassessment.

SomeregionsareofferingAdvisoryDaysonlineand,increasingly,inperson,or use thislink https://portal.rps.org/s/event-listing andclickthe‘AdvisoryDay’buttonat thetop–besttodisregardthefiltersatthelefthandsidewhichoftenseemtofind nothingorhidesomeevents!Youcangenerallyattendasanobserverifyouaren’t readytostepupyet(usuallyadvertisedaweekbeforehandontheFacebookgroup). Inaddition,someChaptersandRegionsofferonlineDistinctionsStudyGroups.You canfindtheseby searchingtheRPSwebsite (theseareinrandomdateorder includingpastdates,soyoudoneedtobepatient).

Alltheassessmentdatesupuntiltheendof2023areonthewebsite.Youcansend yourbookingformsto distinctions@rps.org orbyposttoheadoffice.Asforadvisory days,youcansignupto observeanAssessmentDay (inpersonoronline)ticketsfor assessments–currentlyfree.

Anddon’tforget,aswellasprojectedandprintedimages,youcanalsoapplyfora Film,DigitalandMultimediaDistinctionatanylevel,andalsoawrittenResearch Distinction: Film And Research.TheResearchpageonthewebsitehasjustbeen updated,andmorechangesarescheduledforotherpages.

MOREAVENUESOFSUPPORT:

IfyoumissedanyoftheexcellentDistinctionsLivetalks,youcan catchup here.(Alsoaccessibleviathe RPSDistinctionschannel onYouTube.)

TheFacebookGroup RPSDistinctions**OfficialGroup**has recentlycelebratedits3rd birthdaywithmorethan4800 members,andincludesnewsfromHQ,linksforobserverplaces atassessments,andpostscelebratingdistinctionsuccessesto inspireyou.It’sacivilisedvenuetoaskquestions,shareyour successes–anddisappointments–andaskforcritiqueorexpert adviceonyourproposedportfolio.

Ifyouaren’tsurewhichgenreorleveltoapplyfor,youcanpost 6images(plusyourSOIifappropriate)andrequestmoderator advice.

Accolade,whichcelebratesDigitalImagingmembers’distinction successes,isusefulforinsightintotheprocessinmanydifferent genresandatalllevels IssueAccolade12 isavailableonIssuu(backnumbersalsoavailable).

NEILLTAYLOR

INTRODUCINGNEILLAHARDWORKINGDICOMMITTEEMEMBER

Melanieaskedmetowritealittleabout myselfinthe“Introducingthe Committee”series.SoIthoughtI’d highlightafewstagesinmy photographicjourney...

Isupposethatphotographyrunsinmy family.Mygrandfather,JohnPowrie Taylor,whoIneverknew,wasa professionalintheearlyyearsofthelast century.Hediedyoungin1926butnot beforepassingonaninterestin photographytomyfather,Eric,who becameaverykeenamateur.His enthusiasmrubbedoffonmeandI rememberspendinghourswithhimin hisdarkroomatatenderagefascinated asprintsappearedinthedeveloper bath,typicallyportraitsoffamilyand friendsposinginhismakeshifthome studio.Iwellrememberhisstudio

lightingsetup,withphotofloodbulbs thatlastedatbestafewhours.Hehada switchingarrangementthatranthemin series,andthusatlowpower,while settingup,andonlyswitchingtofull powertotaketheshot.Thiswasto preservetheirlife.

Likemanyofyoureadingthis,Istarted takingmyownpictureswithaBox Brownieattheageofeight,andthis startedalifetimeofexploringdifferent aspectsofphotography.Tocontinuethe familystory,Ipassedontheobsessionto myson,Ben,whoobtainedhisLRPSlast year,andinturnhehasenthusedhistwo daughtersaged12and16,whoeach havecapablemodernmirrorless cameras.I’mnotenvious,butIonlyhad aKodakInstamaticattheirage.

PoppiesbyNeillTaylorLRPS

FromthatInstamaticImovedonthrough manyothercameras,benefittingfrom beingabletoborrowsomeofmyfather’s gearfromtimetotime.Andtousehis darkroom,ofcourse,untilIlefthome, butthenIbecamethedarkroom managerofthephotographicsocietyat myuniversity,whichmeantIhada sizeablebudgettoequipandmaintain ourfinesetofequipment.

Beingabitofageek,Iwasquickto adoptdigitalimagingwhenitcame along.Istartedputtingphotographson mypersonalwebsitein1996.Atthat time,theearlyversionsofwebbrowsers MosaicandNetscapecouldnotdisplay jpegimages,onlygifs.Somyweb pageshadgifthumbnailsthatlinkedto largerjpegs,andusersneededa separateapp(LViewwaspopular)tosee them.AprincipalmotivationwaswhileI wasawayfromhomein1997/98;

Iwantedtoshowthefolksbackhome thesightsofSouthernCaliforniawhereI wasliving.Therewasnosocialmedia then!NoGoogleeither,althoughsome earlysearchenginesdidallowquitea fewpeopletofindmyimages,atatime whentherewerenoonlineimagesites likeFlickr,andnostockagencywebsites. Thisledtoastringofrequeststousemy photosforvariouspurposes,forexample myshotofHalfDomeinYosemite NationalParkwasusedforthecoverof theprospectusoftheUniversityof CaliforniaBerkely.Nearerhome,my aerialshotofthe3000-yearoldUffington WhiteHorseinOxfordshire,takenfroma flightinafriend’sprivatelightplane,was usedbyScientificAmericanmagazineto illustrateanarticleaboutagentleman whohadcreatedafull-sizereplicaofthe WhiteHorseonahillinMexico.Ican’t tellyouwhy.

ColonnadebyNeillTaylorLRPS

Ofcourse,backtheninthe nineties,digitalimageswere obtainedbyscanning negatives.Myfirstdigital cameracamein2001.It boasted2.1Megapixels.If thatsoundslimited,asetof imagesthatIshotonthe GreekIslandofKefalonia (whichhadrecentlybeen madepopularbyCaptain Corelli)wereboughtbya glossytravelmagazineand lookedeverybitasgoodin printas“normal”images from35mmfilm.A successionofDSLRsfollowed andthenamovetomirrorless in2014.Idostilloccasionally shootonfilm,andtreasure myfather’soldRolleiflex 2.8E2,builtin1960andstill goingstrong.Ilikeusingit forstreetphotography, althoughitishardlydiscrete, attracting“nicecamera” commentsfrompassers-by.

TheshotofthethreeAmerican touristswastakenwithit recentlyinOxford.Youmay saythisisnotdigitalimaging,butIsaythatitis,oncethenegativehasbeenscanned, andthisimagehasbenefittedfromPhotoshoptweakingandpassingthroughTopaz Denoise,whichseemstoeliminatefilmgrainaseffectivelyasitdoesdigitalnoise.

OvertheyearsI’vedabbledinvariousgenresofphotography,includingquiteabitof studioworkinrecentyears.IlaughwhenIcomparemystudiolightswiththoseofmy father;well,hewouldn’tbelievehowphotographictechnologyhasadvancedsincehe diedin1998.OnenichethatIgotintointhe2000swasphotographingelectronic equipmentbeingreviewedinPracticalWirelessmagazine.Ilovedtakingthingsto bitsandpicturingtheirinsides–infactIstilldo,seetherecentimageofrowsof toroidalinductors.MyphotoswereonthecoverofPWafewtimes,includingone shotofmydaughterseenusinganewfangledwalkie-talkie.Itwaswithsomepride thatIsawherfacelookingdownfromaWHSmithsshelf.

Morerecently,agradualslideinto retirementhasgivenmethetimetoget moreseriousaboutmyphotography.To givemesomemotivationtoimproveI joinedtheRPSin2015andstarted workingtowardstheLdistinction, eventuallyachievedin2016.Alongthe wayIdidtheOpenUniversityTG089 course,abigbenefitofwhichwasto meetotherslikemyselfatasimilarstage, alltryingtoimproveourphotography. I’vekeptintouchwithagroupofthese whostillgettogetheronceayearfora weekendofphotography.

Thenin2020,withlifeupturnedbythe pandemic,Irespondedtoacallfromthe DigitalImaginggroupforhelpwith onlineevents.Isoonbecameassistant toRexWaygoodastheDImonthly webinarswentfromstrengthtostrength.

RexandIhavedevelopedaroutinefor preparingandrunningtheseeventsover thelastthreeyearsandwehaveeach specificroles.Keepinganeyeoneach othertospoteachother’smistakeshelps tokeepthings–inthemostpart–runningsmoothly.Idoafewother thingsinDI,forexamplelookingafter theYouTubechannel.

BeingintheRPS,particularlyasaDigital Imagingmember,certainlyhelpsme enjoyphotographyinmanyways.It’sa pleasuretoseesuchgoodworkcreated byothermembers,andtogetinspiration thatmayonedayseemetryingto improveenoughforthenextlevelof distinction.Andthebunchofvolunteers whokeepDIrunningbehindthescenes areareallygreatgroupofpeopleto workwith.

NeillTaylorLRPS

ToroidalInductorsbyNeillTaylorLRPS

LiftPractisebyNeillTaylorLRPS

TheTunnelbyNeillTaylorLRPS

WORDSFROMTHEEDITOR

MUSINGSFROMTHECOMPUTER/GARDENCHAIR

ThemonthofJulycloseswithaplethoraofevents,whichIamsurewewillallfind interesting.

TheAIBlendMode:HardMixtalklooksespeciallyexcitingandanopportunityto havetheintricaciesexplainedandtoevaluatesomeoftheconcernsthatmanyofus haveaboutAI,inrelationtoPhotography.Dotellyourfriendsaboutit,everyoneis welcometojoinus.

ThenI’msuremanyofthecommitteewillwelcometheAugustbreak,amonthto recharge,relaxandreflect.

Howeverfyouhaveanyexcitingphotographicplansoverthesummer,athomeor abroadpleasethenshareyourexploitswithus,yourPhotographer’sStorycould featureinafutureissueofDIONLINE.Dosendarticles,newsofexhibitions, interestinglinksto dignews@rps.org

Enjoythesunshine,cooling,gentlebreezes,andwarmcalmseas,anyway,Iintendto! BackinSeptemberwithaBumperIssue!

Melanie DIONLINEEditor

‘Zeybeks’byHasanBaglar

Isawthisanditmademesmile!HasenwonanawardintheSonyWorldPhotographic Competitionwiththisimagein2014. Moreofhisimages

AISNAPSHOT

UNVEILINGTHELATESTINNOVATIONSINAI-DRIVENPHOTOGRAPHY WITHNEWS&VIEWSFROMOURROVINGREPORTERS!

SCRAPE&ANIMATE BY SIMON NEWLYN

Now,iflikeme, youarenotanAI softwareengineer youmightnot knowsomuch aboutimage scrapingand diffusion!Should youcare?

Wellyes,Ithink,itsimportanttohavea littleunderstandingastohowanAI generator-thecodethatturnsyour textintoimages,works.Notleast, becausehowanimagegeneratorgets itssourcedataisthecontroversialbitdoesitordoesitnotbreaksomeform ofcopyrightorethicalboundary. Inaword:it’scomplicated....sotohelp usalltryandunderstandwhatthispart oftheAIdebateisaboutit’sworth, whenyouhaveamoment,tolookat thefollowing(nottoolong)articles. Thefirst,isbytheblogwriterAndres Guadamuzwhosetsthescene(from 2022)withanoveralllookatthe problemof‘Copyrightinfringementin artificialintelligenceArt’ https://www.technollama.co.uk/ copyright-infringement-in-artificialintelligence-art

ThesecondarticlebyPhilSteele,the Americanphotographerandeducator, presentstheargumentforusing generativeAIaspartofphotographyin hisarticle‘IsAI-GeneratedArtEthical? https://www.quillandcamera.com/is-aigenerated-art-ethical/

Iholdnobrieffororconnectionwith eitherauthorbutpresentthelinksasa quickwaytotryanddigestvarious viewpointsonacomplextopic.

AtlasttheFUNbit.Ihavetoadmit, thatwhateveryourviewsaboutAI, onceyoutrycreatingimageswith generativeAIitisfun.So,trythis. Go toPicsartandselecttheAIGIF Generator.You’llsoongettheideaand evensooner:‘Pigswillfly’. Enjoy.

FromtheEditor:Havingrecently enjoyedthe‘DaliImmersive Experience’inBrickLaneLondon,I decidedtotrytocreatea“Daliesque” “PigsMightFly”usingPicsart.

THOSE

PESKY PINE MARTENS!

BY JOE HOUGHTON

I’vespentafairbit oftimeoverthe pastmonthortwo discussingArtificial Intelligence(AI)with manypeople, includingvarious membersoftheRPS aswenavigate throughtryingto contributetothe conversationabouthowbestto incorporatethisintotheworldof photographyandtheRPS.

Itseemstomethatthereareanumber ofquitedistinct“camps”thatweneed toconsiderhere,andeachhasdifferent challengesandopportunities.The unifyingthreadconnectingallthecamps isimagery-andnotethewordIuseimagery,notphotography. Let’sstartwiththecampthatIsuspect mostofthereadersofthisarticlefallinto -amateurphotographers.Wehave joinedtheRPStoconnectwithother like-mindedfolkswhoenjoytakingouta cameraandcapturingphotographs.But evenhere,withintheRPS,there’sa numberofquitedifferentsub-camps. Oneofthesesub-campsarethosewho takepartincompetitions.Theseare perhapstheonesmostaffected (potentially)bythecurrentdebateon

howfarAIshouldbe“allowed”to contributetoimagessubmittedfor competition.Isay“allowed”becauseAI ISalreadycontributingtomanyifnotall competitionimages.Theprocessingin ourcamerasishugethesedays-eyedetection,imagestabilisation,andwhen phoneimagesarealsoused, computationalrenderingofmultiple shotstocreateasinglefinalimageall withinafractionofasecond.SOOC (straightoutofcamera)isnolongera termthatreallycarriesanymeaningasit usedto,giventheprocessingthatgoes onin-camerathesedays.

Onceourimagesareoutofcameraand intoLightroom,orwhateveryour processorofchoiceis,thingscontinue. Alltheseapplicationsnowroutinely employAItomask,remove,moveand enhanceimages.Someofthisisdoneso thatit’salmostimpossibletoseethat editinghasoccurred,butdoesthat meanthatit’sOK?

Thisistheissuehere.Where’stheline? Andforwhatcompetitions?

Clearly,ifthere’sanOpencategory whereanythinggoes,thenallbetsare off.Buthowwillnaturecompetitions handleprocessingimagesinanyofthe newSharpeningappssuchasTopazor DXO.

AISNAPSHOT

Theseappsaddindetailthatwasn’tin theoriginalimage-hairs,leaves, feathers.It’sveryrealisticbutit’snot whatwasrecordedbythecamerasensor, perhapsduetoshake,subject movementorjustlackofresolutionin theamateurlevelopticsofthelens.

Andif,asIheardaboutrecently,judges candisqualifyimagestheyseewere processedinsuchapplications,thenthis handsahugeadvantagetothosewho canaffordtopqualitygearandlensessomethingmostamateurscan’t.We wanttogooutandshootthatsquirrelor pinemartenandcreatethebest renditionwecan,andifthatmeans runningitthroughadenoiseand sharpenappbecauseitwasamiserable overcastdayandwehadtoshootat 12,000ISO,whyshouldthatbe penalised?

Noeasyanswersherefolks!TheRPS, andeveryotherphotographicbody,is lookingatallthisactively,andtryingto comeupwithrelevantandappropriate responses,butitis,andwillcontinueto be,amovingtarget-justlikethose peskypinemartens!

Joesentthislinkforyoutolookat:

BehindTatler’sfirstAIfashionshoot: Experimentingwithtextprompts, blendingrealitywiththevirtual,the collaborationbetweenhumansand machine.

https://www.tatlerasia.com/style/ fashion/ai-fashion-shoot

DISCLAIMER:TheinformationandrecommendationsprovidedbyRPSDigital Imagingonthesepages,mayincludereferences,links,orsuggestionstothird-party websites,onlineresources,orexternalsourcesfortheconvenienceofourusers. Thesereferencesareprovidedsolelyforinformationalpurposesanddonotimplyour endorsementorguaranteeoftheaccuracy,reliability,orappropriatenessofthe contentcontainedwithinthoseexternalsources.

AISNAPSHOT

OURAIEVENTCOMINGVERYSOON

NightBusBlurbyAlexStratis

LadyofStylebyCatherineChetwynd SummerattheSeasidebyLynNewton

“You'vebeen really,reallyhelpful withmy photographyand I'veenjoyedevery minuteofthis”

Barbers&ShearsbyChrisCumming

LeapofFaithbyTraceyRichards

IntotheLightbyLynPascoe

“Frommypointof view,I'mactually sadwe'refinishing now,becauseI foundthissharing reallysouseful.And IwishIcouldgoon anddoan advancedclassor somethinglikethat, sothatthiscould continue”

DeliverWho?byMarkHowarth

ThirdAgebySianJones

3’saCrowdbyJohnBartlett ReflectionbyAlastairPurcell

“Inlinewiththe titleofthe workshop.Igot outthereandIdid it.I'mthankfulfor that.Justgetting outthereand doingit,that'sthe bitthat’sthemost importantthing”

Thisbodyofworkincludesanimagefromeach participantonthesecond‘StreetPhotography’ workshop.Itwasagainverysuccessfulandenjoyed byallthe‘Students’

Watchoutfornewsaboutthe3rd Seriesofthis popularworkshop!

PhonetheDukebyJohnO’Neill

“It'sbeenveryenjoyable,lookingatother otherpeople'spicturesandhearingyour commentsandtheircomments.Andforme, it'sdoneexactlywhatIwantedittodo, whichis,toshowmethatstreet photographycanbeinteresting”

ThirdAgebySianJones

DIGITALIMAGINGWORKSHOPS

UPCOMINGWORKSHOPSI

ThesearesomeoftheWorkshopshappeningoverthecomingmonthswithplacesavailable.Hannah Carter-Ortonisdoinga newtalkonCynotypePrinting,anintroductionleadingtoworkshops, expandingonthesubject,FREEtoDIMembers,Saturday19August.

‘NEWTalkwithJoeHoughtononCanvathefree-to-use&verypowerfulgraphicdesigntoolSep15 Seethe DIWEBSITE forallthedetailsandfullrangevisit WORKSHOPS

DIGITALIMAGINGEVENTS

WHAT’SONINTHESUMMEROF23?

Continuingourgreatlineupofspeakers,herearethephotographer’sbookedto delightusovertheSummermonths!

GoYourOwnWaywithPaulSandersJuly29

PaulSanders'talk'GoYourOwnWay'isaboutfindingyourownstyle,senseof expressionandvisionwhilerisingabovetheneedforperfectionandvalidation.The presentationisastep-by-stepapproachtomovingforwardwithyourwork,while losingtheneedtocompareyourselfwithothersandfindingcreativebraveryfromthe vulnerabilityofbeingandseeinguniquelyinaworldthatwantsphotographythatis wallpaperandmeaningless.

HowtoCreateBetterPeopleImageswithSimonStreetSeptember2

Simonwillprovidehands-onguidancetoshoot,select,processandprintbetter peopleimagesinmonochrome.Hewilldiveintodifferentpeopledisciplinessuchas Street,Documentary,TravelandEnvironmentalPortraitstosharehisfresh‘How-To’ take-nostudiorequired.Withthedramasofthelast3years,hepromisestomakeus laugh,cryandbettercaptureourfascinationwithpeople‘decisivemoments’thatthe eyesooftenmisses.

Clicktheimagebelowtobookyourplace

SPECIALINTERESTGROUPLINKS

CLICKTOFINDINFORMATIONONOTHERSIGS

ClickingonanyoftheseadswilltakeyoutotheRPSEventspagewhereyoucanfind moreinformationabouteventsfromotherSpecialInterestGroups(SIGs):

RPSLANDSCAPEGROUP UPCOMINGEVENTS

InareciprocalarrangementwiththeLandscapeGroup,weareadvertisingtheir upcomingevents.Youmightbeinterestedinlookingatthem?Theyarealsoopen tonon-Landscapemembers.TheyhavejustlaunchedtheseMember-Ledevents,a fewofwhichareshownbelow,butforalltheinfoandmapoftheareas,visit HERE

ToviewalloftheLandscapeGroupeventsandtobookyourplace,please goto: https://billetto.co.uk/users/rps-landscape-group

DIGITALIMAGINGWEBSITE

THEINTERACTIVEIMAGESBELOWREPLICATETHOSEONTHEWEBSITE

Simplyclicktheimagesbelowtoopenthelinktotakeyoutothevariouspages.

OurYouTubeChannel

Themembers-onlylinkfortheDIGITArchive,istobefoundintheemailmessage announcingthisnewsletter.

TheRPSDigitalImagingconstitutioncanbedownloaded HERE

Foreveryone’sconvenience,weincludealistofshortcutstothemainDigitalImaging pagesattheendofeachBroadcast.

YoucansubscribetoouremailMailingListsheretohearnewannouncements: