DI News January 2022
‘Leaf Curves’ by Val Walker ARPS Winner of the Digital Imaging monthly competition for December
NOTES FROM THE EDITOR The time is never right for this, but the Digital Imaging Co-Chairs, Rex Waygood and I, would like to thank the members of the Digital Imaging Committee for being such a great group of people. We really enjoy your company and appreciate everything you bring to our common efforts. Having said that, we’d also like to encourage others to join us. There are some important roles which need to be filled: • Print Exhibition Secretary • Print Publication Production Editor • Online Event Programme Secretary • Social Media Manager But if you’d be happy just to get involved, there are smaller ways to help. Contact digsecretary@rps.org for more information. Speakers’ Day, AGM & Print Exhibition Preview Mark 20 February in your diary or, better still, register for our Speakers’ Day. There will be talks by Charlie Waite, Paul Sanders and Roger Crocombe ARPS; a preview of the images selected for the print exhibition with some comments from the selectors; and our AGM. Print Exhibition Selection You have until the end of this month - not time at all! - to enter three prints for our Annual Members’ Print Exhibition, one of which will be selected. After the Survey: What Next? Jump ahead to page 14 to find out more about our plans for initiatives to help Digital Imaging members develop their photography. Don’t miss out on our online event in February: Paul Gallagher Paul Gallagher will be describing his approach to infrared photography in ‘Working in Another Light’ on 5 February. You can still sign up. Maarten Rots Interview If you enjoyed the DIGIT article on Maarten Rots’ environmental abstracts (page 13), you can still watch the original interview online. Deborah Loth DI News Editor dignews@rps.org (Many thanks to Robin Claydon and Lois Wakeman for their assistance compiling this newsletter.) 2
DI News January 2022
MONTHLY ONLINE COMPETITION The winner of our December monthly online competition was ‘Leaf Curves’ by Val Walker ARPS, featured on the cover. (For more information about the friendly monthly competition, including how to enter, visit www.rps.org/DIGMonComp. Keep an eye out for video slideshows of monthly competition entries on our YouTube channel.) Val Walker ARPS I took the original of this image when on holiday in Costa Rica just before travel restrictions became the norm in 2020. We were lucky to be staying at a Biological Station with wonderful gardens. I was wandering around with my macro lens looking for what I call plant abstracts, when I spotted this plant. I love the shape and texture of many of the leaves of tropical plants and this was the ideal opportunity to experiment. The plant had very wavy edges to the leaves but they were just green. However, I liked the shapes and decided that I could do something with it later. To create this image I played around with blending modes and changing the colours until I was happy with the composition. The next step was to apply the distort filter using “wave”. I varied the amplitude and the wavelength until I was pleased with the result. The idea was to exaggerate the wavy appearance of the leaves without making them unrecognizable. A final sharpening using the high pass filter and the image was complete. I am pleased that many of the other DI members enjoyed it.
To view the gallery and not the ads, click where it says ‘VIEW 38 IMAGES’ in the upper righthand corner of the first image. DI News January 2022
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Second place was ‘Ball of Fire’ by William Wilson LRPS.
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Third place was ‘Ballet’ by Paul Bather ARPS.
SUPPORT THE RPS WHILE SHOPPING ON AMAZON The RPS has registered with Amazon Smile. If you’re buying anything on Amazon, please do so through Amazon Smile and nominate the Royal Photographic Society - it will receive a donation of 0.5% of your net purchase price every time, and it won’t cost you anything! Details here. DI News January 2022
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2021 MONTHLY COMPETITION WINNERS
Let’s start the year with a review of last year’s monthly competition winners, not forgetting
‘Shades of Morning’ by Lin Collins LRPS (February) ‘Handrail’ by David Pearson ARPS (April)
‘Três Garrafas d Frades’ by Jona LRPS (January)
‘Fallen Tree’ by Peter Stickler ARPS (June)
‘Flamingo-a-go-go Dancer’ by Me Sharp (July-August)
‘Up the Wall’ by Lynda Piper (September) 6
DI News January 2022
g our December winner on the cover.
de Mar de athan Vaines
‘Sea Railings’ by David Balcombe ARPS (October)
‘Pools’ by Joanne van Praag (March)
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‘Westcliffe Life and Trees’ by Cherry Larcombe ARPS (May) ‘Winter Tree’ by Lorraine Grey ARPS (November) DI News January 2022
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DI News January 2022
UK MEMBER Jon C Allanson LRPS shares some highlights of his photographic journey, which has taken him from analogue to digital and back, and from pursuing distinctions to producing photobooks. Jon C Allanson LRPS My interest in photography started at about 13, developing and printing films in a blacked-out bathroom. I continued on and off, until in the mid-80s I joined the North Cheshire Photographic Society and then the RPS, producing monochrome, colour print and slide work. My approach to photography has changed considerably over the years. I started off by making family photographs, travelogues and later short slide/sound sequences to show to family and friends. My introduction to digital photography came in 1996, with a copy of Adobe Photodelux, which was included with a replacement PC. I achieved my LRPS in
Books by Jon C Allanson LRPS DI News January 2022
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‘In the Nursery, Kerala’ by Jon C Allanson LRPS
‘Lady in Hoi An Market, Vietnam’ by Jon C Allanson LRPS
‘Line of Trees, Dead Viei, Namibia’ by Jon C Allanson LRPS
‘San Giorgio and Lamp’ by Jon C Allanson LRPS 10
DI News January 2022
‘Tree on Back Tor, Peak District’ by Jon C Allanson LRPS
1998 with a panel of digital prints, and the CPAGB in 1999 with a set of traditional prints. I enjoyed working in the darkroom, and being able to make digitally printed negatives allowed me to try printing using the old processes, like cyanotype and salt printing. I also experimented with hand colouring mono images using oil paints. I also started to enter exhibitions and salons. For many years I only entered in the UK, but in 2011 I started to enter internationally. I was awarded an AFIAP in 2013 and EFIAP in 2015, for mainly travel and wildlife images. In the early 80s I used Fuji film cameras, then until about three years ago, I used Pentax and some medium format, before I changed over completely to Fuji. I currently embrace a wide range of genres of photography, with the exception of sport, studio portraiture and digitally constructed images, but concentrate mainly on travel, wildlife and flora, combining all three activities whenever possible. I now plan and undertake small projects to produce sets of prints, or home printed books, rather than projected images, this gives me an opportunity to indulge in my love of monochrome prints. DI News January 2022
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OVERSEAS MEMBER Lia De Paoli writes from Italy to share her evident love of photography. Lia De Paoli Photography has always been part of my life. My dad was an amateur photographer with a a 35mm Voigtländer. He would capture, year after year, images of our holidays, friends and family as a proof of having properly celebrated the moment. Which fact I didn’t find particularly inspiring. Family groups, however, were not my father’s exclusive interest. Stained-glass windows were his cross and delight, photographically speaking. That’s when I learned about exposition and that cameras see light and colour differently from the human eye. It was the game changer for me. My very first camera, a Polaroid Land - a gift from my discerning grandmother boosted my interest further. Back in the 1970s, instant cameras didn’t have much adjustment to be made. The technical challenge and real fun were the selfdeveloping film, the shaking or the forced-drying of the print to obtain blurred, unusual effects.
Photo by Lia De Paoli 12
DI News January 2022
‘Miami Graffiti Manga’ by Lia De Paoli
‘Bourse de Commerce, Paris - Pinault Collection’ by Lia De Paoli ‘Green Fireworks’ by Lia De Paoli
From then onwards, I never looked back. Thanks to my husband, I am now the proud owner of a NIKON 750D (24-120 mm). Not the power of photography to capture memories, but colours, line geometry, vintage scratches, or the intentional blur are my field of amateur investigation. Photography makes me feel snug, in good company. Especially as a picture thinker: as such I couldn’t live without images. Photography and photos are always there, ready to comfort, inspire or intrigue. As Maurizio Cattelan once told Vogue Italia, “The images never sleep”. ‘Munich Frauenkirche’ by Lia De Paoli DI News January 2022
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WHAT NEXT? PEER TO PEER SUPPORT Digital Imaging Membership Secretary Jean Robson writes: Thanks to those of you who completed our recent member survey. We were gratified to find that the membership has appreciated and valued the on-line talks that we have provided for you over the last two years, and we are aiming to make these a permanent feature. We believe that Digital Imaging members are interested in developing their photography, and appreciate that however excellent on-line talks may be, they lack opportunities for interaction. We are investigating the level of member interest in joining small peer group support circles (with up to 10 members in each). Structures used by other peer groups include:• Peer critique meetings - where groups meet to share and discuss each other’s images. • Email critique groups - where group members share images, then submit email comments about the images. • Platform based critique - where members post images and other group members post responses visible to the whole small group. • Skill development meetings - where a skill such as post-processing is practiced by group members and the results discussed. If you might be interested in joining a peer support group please complete this very short questionnaire before 7 February 2022: bit.ly/RPSDIPeerSurvey
RPS AWARDS The nomination process for 2022 Awards and HonFRPS candidates is open until end of February 2022. For list of categories and information on how to nominate, see the AWARDS page on the website.
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DI News January 2022
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS Richard Clamp Amanda D'Arcy ARPS Rachel Dunsdon LRPS Susan Fletcher Sarah Healy LRPS Iñaki Hernández-Lasa FRPS Michael Huggan ARPS Tao Jiang Alan Jones Tricia Kennedy ARPS Marilyn Nimmo-Smith Margarita O'Byrne Helen Otton LRPS Johan Peijnenburg Luke Pickering Anne Rae Paul Raynor Nigel Smith Keith Surey LRPS Sue Thomas Martin Tomes LRPS William Watson John Watt
Warwickshire Shropshire Hertfordshire West Sussex Surrey Limerick Hampshire China Cheshire Channel Isles Worcestershire Surrey Hampshire Switzerland Oxford Stirling Hampshire Norfolk Kent Hampshire West Sussex Surrey Edinburgh
To view the gallery and not the ads, click where it says ‘VIEW 20 IMAGES’ in the upper righthand corner of the first image. DI News January 2022
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RPS DISTINCTIONS Will 2022 be the year you take your photography up a notch with a Distinction? The dates for assessments for the first half of 2022 are on the RPS website so if you intend to apply, don’t leave it till they are all booked up. RPS HQ has advised that unless government advice changes, assessments will be in person rather than online this year. FIND OUT MORE Each of the pages below includes handy links to guidelines and genres for distinctions, and a “how to apply” document: • Licentiate (LRPS) • Associate (ARPS) • Fellowship (FRPS) The Photobook genre, available for all distinctions, has its own special guidelines and submission process (as opposed to an LRPS, ARPS or FRPS submission in book form). You can find out more here: Photobooks. And don’t forget, as well as projected and printed images, you can also apply for a Film, Digital and Multimedia Distinction at any level, and also a written Research Distinction: Film and Research. To help you prepare, you can book a 1:1 portfolio review – an online session with a panel member appropriate to your genre/distinction – but be aware there can be a waiting list. Currently, 1:1 statement of intent reviews are not being advertised. Some Regions are now offering Advisory Days in person and online into next year. In addition, a number of Chapters and Regions have begun to offer online Distinctions Study Groups. You can find these by searching the RPS website. If you missed any of the excellent Distinctions Live talks, you can catch up here. The closed Facebook Group: RPS Distinctions **Official Group** now has over 3,900 members, and is a civilized venue to ask questions, share your successes – and disappointments – and ask for critique on your proposed portfolio. For Digital Imaging members, issue 9 of Accolade, which delves into members’ Distinctions successes, is now available. See the email message which announced this newsletter for a members-only link to issues of Accolade. 16
DI News January 2022
DIGITAL IMAGING EVENTS & LISTINGS Although some real-life (as opposed to online) events have been organised, they still may be disrupted by the COVID pandemic. So check on the events page or with the event organiser for the latest status of any event. There are more events in the pipeline. You can sign up to receive our events listing email at bit.ly/ RPSDIEvents. And if you’d like to lend a hand, Centres need volunteers to help with Zoom events, so contact Lyn Phillips (digsecretary@rps.org) to get involved. Please check that you haven’t already registered before you book so as to avoid duplicate bookings. Click on any of these ads to visit the event page:
DI News January 2022
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SIG-LINK Clicking on any of these ads will take you to the RPS Events page where you can find more information about events from other Special Interest Groups (SIGs):
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DI News January 2022
DI News January 2022
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DIGITAL IMAGING DISCUSSION GROUP If you’re feeling a bit isolated and would like to hang out and chat about photography, please drop by Digital Imaging on Facebook where you can also ask – and answer - questions. You’ll need to join it before you can participate, but the advantage is that it’s a closed group open only to Digital Imaging members. It’s especially useful if you are experiencing FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out - as a number of useful things often show up there first.
THE RPS WEBSITE For guidance from the RPS on its website basics, visit https://rps.org/newwebsite. For detailed information on setting up your profile and how to set up a gallery, visit https://rps.org/media/i3aaf51z/myrps-editing.pdf. The RPS maintains a page with updates to COVID-19 issues here: https://rps.org/ covid-19. For everyone’s convenience, we include this list of shortcuts to the main Digital Imaging pages at the end of each newsletter. Digital Imaging website shortcuts: Digital Imaging Home page www.rps.org/DIG Membership www.rps.org/DIMembership Committee www.rps.org/DIGCommittee News www.rps.org/DIGNews Monthly Competition www.rps.org/DIGMonComp Print Circle www.rps.org/DIGCircle AGM www.rps.org/DIGAGM Print Exhibition www.rps.org/DIGExhibition Projected Image Competition www.rps.org/DIGPDI Tutorials www.rps.org/DIGTutorials Publications www.rps.org/digpubs There are links to all the Centres from the Digital Imaging Home Page. The three members-only links (DIGIT Archive, Accolade and Welcome Page) are to be found in the email message announcing this newsletter. The RPS Digital Imaging constitution can be downloaded HERE. You can subscribe to our events listing email here: bit.ly/RPSDIEvents. 20
DI News January 2022