Club Meeting - Report
Report - The Royal Photographic Society - An Introduction by Peter Yeo FRPS
27/10/07 09:40
Camera Club Meeting Tuesday 23rd October 2007
The Royal Photographic Society - An Introduction by Peter Yeo FRPS
Brief report by Simon Knight.
I have decided to publish a short report on our web site in the hope that it may stimulate some other members to add their comments. As such the opinions expressed here are all my own and do not represent the views of the committee.
Mr. Peter Yeo has spoken at our club many times before and never fails to both entertain and educate. The evening started with Peter judging member's pictures presented in panels of four photographs. Peter used the second half of the evening to talk about the Royal Photographic Society and it's awards process. Peter explained the key requirements of an entry of a panel of pictures while he judged the members' entries. In the second part of the evening Peter talked about the RPS and how their awards operate using his successful ARPS and FRPS pictures as examples.
A panel of pictures should include photographs that relate to each other in some way, the submission should be well presented in standard mounts and printed with similar densities and on the same paper. Consistency and synergy are key attributes, there is every probability that a collection of individually outstanding pictures will fail as a panel as the individual elements will probably fight for attention and fail to work as a group. The composition of the group and picture dynamics should lead and contain the viewers eye within the group of pictures much as it should in a single print entry strong eye leading lines steer the viewers eye and darker prints placed on the ends of rows hold the viewer in the panel. Lastly the pictures should not be so similar as to be nearly copies of one another; a panel of pictures should be interesting. The winning panel submitted by Kevin was four photographs taken in the Lake District one from each of the four seasons. Three of the group were of mountains the forth a lakeside shot, it was clear that the shots were of the same region (the Lake District) and the four seasons theme were indicated by daffodils, strong greens and blue skies, golden leaves and finally snow in the individual photographs.
Personally I found the creation of a panel an interesting challenge and I would like to do more. I think panels of three or five might be manageable for club competitions, four being a poor number as there is no middle picture.
Before Peter's talk I had read of "problems" at the RPS, many of these had stemmed from a controversial move from London to Bath which led to some members resigning etc etc. Membership of the RPS gains a member access to the RPS magazine which is published ten times a year as well as access to special interest groups such as the "pictorial" group. Basic membership is a whopping £90 pounds per year with extra charges for membership of the special interest groups. Members of the RPS may enter panels of photographs in an attempt to gain one of three levels of award (LRPS, ARPS, FRPS) with applications attracting further fees. Peter explained how and where the submissions are judged and how the awards are managed. He mentioned that the room where the awards are judged at HQ is so narrow that it is not possible to display ten full size pictures without overlapping them. Once an award has been gained the annual membership fee is increased and the award is only valid for as long as the member remains a member of the society. Non-members may submit entries for LRPS but must join the RPS if they wish to use LRPS after their name and retain the award certificate.
Perhaps I have led a sheltered life but all the awards I have gained so far such as my Amateur Swimming Association 25 yard swimming award and cycling proficiency have been mine to keep once awarded even after I have ceased to have any association with the awards body. Secondly, given that the presentation of the pictures is an important aspect of the panel submissions I do think that the society should set aside a room where ten full size mounts may be displayed without overlap. While I have respect for those who have gained RPS awards and can afford to maintain them I can't quite get the feeling out of my mind that the RPS is the establishment keen on maintaining the status quo and black balling anything to new or radical.
I enjoyed Peter's talk and I enjoyed the challenge of assembling a panel and I hope that the club runs some more competitions that include panels. However, I don't think that I will be joining the RPS or attempting any of its awards.
The Royal Photographic Society - An Introduction by Peter Yeo FRPS
Brief report by Simon Knight.
I have decided to publish a short report on our web site in the hope that it may stimulate some other members to add their comments. As such the opinions expressed here are all my own and do not represent the views of the committee.
Mr. Peter Yeo has spoken at our club many times before and never fails to both entertain and educate. The evening started with Peter judging member's pictures presented in panels of four photographs. Peter used the second half of the evening to talk about the Royal Photographic Society and it's awards process. Peter explained the key requirements of an entry of a panel of pictures while he judged the members' entries. In the second part of the evening Peter talked about the RPS and how their awards operate using his successful ARPS and FRPS pictures as examples.
A panel of pictures should include photographs that relate to each other in some way, the submission should be well presented in standard mounts and printed with similar densities and on the same paper. Consistency and synergy are key attributes, there is every probability that a collection of individually outstanding pictures will fail as a panel as the individual elements will probably fight for attention and fail to work as a group. The composition of the group and picture dynamics should lead and contain the viewers eye within the group of pictures much as it should in a single print entry strong eye leading lines steer the viewers eye and darker prints placed on the ends of rows hold the viewer in the panel. Lastly the pictures should not be so similar as to be nearly copies of one another; a panel of pictures should be interesting. The winning panel submitted by Kevin was four photographs taken in the Lake District one from each of the four seasons. Three of the group were of mountains the forth a lakeside shot, it was clear that the shots were of the same region (the Lake District) and the four seasons theme were indicated by daffodils, strong greens and blue skies, golden leaves and finally snow in the individual photographs.
Personally I found the creation of a panel an interesting challenge and I would like to do more. I think panels of three or five might be manageable for club competitions, four being a poor number as there is no middle picture.
Before Peter's talk I had read of "problems" at the RPS, many of these had stemmed from a controversial move from London to Bath which led to some members resigning etc etc. Membership of the RPS gains a member access to the RPS magazine which is published ten times a year as well as access to special interest groups such as the "pictorial" group. Basic membership is a whopping £90 pounds per year with extra charges for membership of the special interest groups. Members of the RPS may enter panels of photographs in an attempt to gain one of three levels of award (LRPS, ARPS, FRPS) with applications attracting further fees. Peter explained how and where the submissions are judged and how the awards are managed. He mentioned that the room where the awards are judged at HQ is so narrow that it is not possible to display ten full size pictures without overlapping them. Once an award has been gained the annual membership fee is increased and the award is only valid for as long as the member remains a member of the society. Non-members may submit entries for LRPS but must join the RPS if they wish to use LRPS after their name and retain the award certificate.
Perhaps I have led a sheltered life but all the awards I have gained so far such as my Amateur Swimming Association 25 yard swimming award and cycling proficiency have been mine to keep once awarded even after I have ceased to have any association with the awards body. Secondly, given that the presentation of the pictures is an important aspect of the panel submissions I do think that the society should set aside a room where ten full size mounts may be displayed without overlap. While I have respect for those who have gained RPS awards and can afford to maintain them I can't quite get the feeling out of my mind that the RPS is the establishment keen on maintaining the status quo and black balling anything to new or radical.
I enjoyed Peter's talk and I enjoyed the challenge of assembling a panel and I hope that the club runs some more competitions that include panels. However, I don't think that I will be joining the RPS or attempting any of its awards.
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