SOUTH WEST REGION
South West Region News From your Regionall Organiser, Sue Bishop When I joined the committee less than 9 months ago little did I think I would be sitting in this seat, but here I am, looking at a very steep learning curve and wondering why on earth I asked Janet for more Information about the role of the Regional Organiser. We have nearly all the main committee roles filled, with the exception of a Finance Officer. We should really have someone nominated in this role so if you feel you could spare a little time to add up the sums on what is really a very small budget to handle and sign off expenses requests then this could be for you. I am very aware that many of you have far more experience with RPS than I do and are far more distinguished and experienced photographers than myself. If you have any ideas that you would like your SW Region Committee to be considering, in terms of events or projects then either myself, Hon Secretary Michael Harris or Events Manager Bernie Henesy would be happy to hear them. In the meantime we have the conclusion of the Sense of Place project and the autumn TalkWalkTalk to look forward to. I hope to see you at our forthcoming events.
Credit Peter Fenech The Autumn TalkWalkTalk is themed around Urban photography. Our guest speaker, Peter Fenech, starts the project with a talk on zoom on 1st October 2026.
Bookings open on 1st September Bookings close 24th September 2026 Walks will take place during October. There are 9 walks planned in the SW Region Exeter (2 separate walks) Lostwithiel Lyme Regis (2 separate walks) Penzance Plymouth Totnes Truro Our SW Region follow up session will be on Tuesday 17 November at Saltash
A project designed for every SW Region member to be able to participate I’m sorry I was unable to join the Sense of Place zoom, however I have watched the recording. Huge thanks to Janet, yet again for stepping in. I hope the discussion on panels was useful, if you are still struggling please do not hesitate to ask for help. Quite a few people are using the Facebook page, ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/ rpsswsenseofplace ) although I appreciate that isn’t for everyone. When I make a panel I start by selecting more images than I need, and print them out on a contact sheet. I then cut out each individual image so that I can arrange them until I am happy with the final choice and layout. I hope that seeing the different panels was helpful, although we are not producing panels for distinction the basic principles remain the same. With 60 plus participants across the project there could be 60 different ways of showing your images, However there should be a uniformity and consistency across the presentation of your images within your panel. Janet, Robin and Nigel will discuss the intention of the final output, if there is to be a printed version there may need to be a specific layout and size, and this will be advised in due course.
Our next meeting is via Zoom on Wednesday 7 October at 10.00. Joe Houghton will be joining us again for this. Everyone registered for the project will be sent the Zoom link nearer the time.
A further zoom will be on Tuesday 10 November at 19.30. The final meeting will be on Wednesday 2 December, at Isambard House, Saltash. If you didn't register and now wished you had done so it isn’t too late. Contact janet.haines@me.com and we will get you registered and you can soon catch up.
Did you take part on 19 August Theme - People at Work Enjoy viewing the gallery Embrace your photography To view the gallery use the QR code or go to
www.rps.org/di/WPD
The next RPS SW Visual Art Event will be held on Saturday, 14 November 2026 at Woodbury Village Hall. The event will be dedicated to participants showing their work (digital & prints). One of the presentations will be by David Elford which is entitled "Using Collage and Photomontage in Our Photography". Ticket will be available online - Cost £5. Marija Lees RPS SW Visual Art Organiser
SW Visual Arts Group 14.11.26 Using collage and photomontage in our photography
From Victorian times to the 21st century. Differing genres – including landscape, portraiture, and the more abstract. My own work embracing history, art, and photography; and the creation of a photobook.
Kurt Schwitters, 1923
David Hockney, 1985
Late 19th. Century, unknown
Hannah Hoch, 1919
David Elford, 2026
2026-27 South West Programme Dates – v9
SW Regional Admin. dates Competitions DATE 2026/27 17 February 5 March 6
SIGs Advisory Day
Photo exhibitions Presentation
SW Regional Project Workshops
EVENT/TIME
LOCATION/ZOOM/CONTACT
RPS SW AGM Tuesday Landscape SIG walk 09.30-13.00 Godrevy Cornwall RPS SW Advisory Day – Du Buisson Room 09.30 – 16.00
Bovey Tracey Contact Landscape SIG Woodbury Hall, Flower Street, Woodbury, Devon EX5 1LX Marija Lees VA Organiser at visualartssw@rps.org Woodbury Zoom Contact Nature SIG Zoom. Contact WiP SIG Zoom Zoom Contact Documentary SIG Haldon Forest Park, Deveon On-line entry via CPA Zoom 19.30 Contact Contemporary or Documentary SIGs Woodbury Hall, Nr Topsham
7
Viveca Koh FRPS FIPF ‘ A Collection of Moments’
7 10 11 18 19 19
Nature SIG John Bupitt – Macro Nature 16.30 Women in Photography SIG – Show and Tell 10.30 TWT Walks leaders meeting 16.00 Documentary SIG Engagement Talk Jesse Alexander 18.45 Earth Photo Exhibition Deadline for CPA (Cornwall Photographic Alliance) Annual Competition
19
Contemporary & Documentary SIGs – Book Night
11
WCPF (Western Counties Photographic Federation) Judging Seminar Digital Imaging SIG – What are we going to do about AI? Christine Widdall 16.00-17.30 RPS SW Committee Mtg 19.00 Harry Penhaul – Life in West Cornwall in the 1950s Landscape SIG walk 10.00-16.00 Topsham and the Exe estauary AV SIG Western Counties PF AV Competition Sense of Place Launch with Joe Houghton 10.00-12.00 TWT Bookings - Sites of Religious Significance Open for on-line bookings TWT – Talk – Julian Elliott 19.30 1 – Buckfast Abbey - Thursday 2 – St. Pancras Church, Widecombe in the Moor 3 – Loughwood meeting House & Wolford Chapel, 4 – Killerton House, Broadclyst, Exeter 5 – St.Just-in-Roseland Parish Church, St. Mawes, 6 – Gwennap Pit, Bosveal, Redruth, Cornwall Digital Imaging SIG – Conception to Crumpets - Janey Devine 16.00-17.30 AV SIG Jurassic Coast AV Salon UK Landscape SIG TWT Bath Railway Station AV SIG Jurassic Coast AV Salon International Sense of Place session 19.30 RPS SW Committee Meeting 1 day small-group Insect Workshop – Andrew McCarthy FRPS – Nr. Chard Interim RPS SW Committee Meeting 1 day small-group Insect Workshop – Andrew McCarthy FRPS – Nr. Chard TWT – Talk (final) and selection of images– 10.30am Sense of Place session 14.00-16.00 World Photography Day - RPS AV SIG World Photography Day – RPS SW Region TWT – Urban Photography – Bookings open RPS SW Committee Meeting TWT – Urban Photography – Bookings closed Deadline for CPA (Cornwall Photographic Alliance) Nature & Wildlife comp. Live studio portrait session with three models. 1000 – 1700. Paignton TWT – Urban Photography – Talk by Peter Fenech TWT – Urban Photography – Walks begin! Sense of Place Joe Houghton talk 10.00-12.00 Landscape SIG Teign Gorge Drewsteignton 09.00/13.00 TWT – Urban Photography – Last day for walks Sense of Place session 19.30-21.30 Visual Arts Meeting at Woodbury Hall Nr. Topsham TWT – Urban Photography – Discussions and image selection Sense of Place choosing images and completion –10.30
11 15 18 18 18 28 6 April 18 May
19 May - 30 June for walks
23 23-24 3 June 13 16 26 14 July 15 21 22 11 August 15 19 1 September 23 24 26 27 1 October 2 7 10 31 10 November 14 19 2 December 2027 13 January 17 February
Talk-Walk-Talk
RPS SW Committee Mtg 19.00 RPS SW AGM 10.30
Zoom contact DI SIG Zoom Penlee Gallery, Penzance Contact Landscape SIG Woodbury contact AV SIG Zoom Website talkwalktalk@rps.org Zoom 1 – Anne Whitley 18th June 2 – Janet Haines 4th June 3 – Lois Wakeman 4 – Nigel Dutt 5 – Steve Fairman 12th June 6 – Michael Harris 29th May Zoom contact DI SIG Zoom Contact AV SIG Contact Landscape SIG Woodbury contact AV SIG Zoom 1800 hrs Zoom info@andrewmccarthyphotography.co.uk
1830 via Zoom info@andrewmccarthyphotography.co.uk
Isambard House Saltash Rlwy Stn Zoom Book online at rps.org southwestsecretary@rps.org www.talkwalktalk.org 1830 via Zoom On-line entry via CPA southwestsecretary@rps.org www.talkwalktalk.org Zoom contact: Landscape SIG Zoom See RPS VA SIG for details Saltash Railway Station 1030 - 1600 Saltash Railway Station 1030 - 1600 Zoom Saltash Railway Station 1030 - 1600
Meeting Places Following our first meeting in Saltash your committee have decided to make more use of this location. The hall seemed to meet our needs, and had the added benefit of being accessible by either road or train. We will therefore be using this hall for our follow - up Sense of Place meeting and our follow- up TalkWalkTalk meeting, both of which are in November.
S W Region Committee Regional Officer Sue Bishop
southwest@rps.org
Hon Secretary Michael Harris
southwestsecretary@rps.org
Hon Treasurer vacant Events Manager Bernie Henesy Web Content Nigel Dutt
southwestweb@rps.org
Tony Berry, Kane Clements, Janet Haines, Sheila Haycox, Bill Pitcher, David Rayner
For further information please refer to our web pages where you will find information on what the Region has to offer. https://rps.org/regions/south-west/