Mike Davison ARPS, who was a member of our club for a number of years, returned this evening to give us a presentation about trying for an RPS distinction.
Whilst still a member with us, Mike was awarded his LRPS; but he was already a member of Chichester Camera Club, which is a much bigger club than ours and is stuffed full of photographers with RPS distictions, feeling that they offered him more, as he is an exceptional photographer himself.
Mike came to us to try and persuade some of our members to have a try for an RPS distinction as he is quite sure that we have several people in our club who are good enough to be successful.
He started his talk by putting up the prints which made up his LRPS panel (10 prints) not quite in the right order. By moving a few round to their correct positions he showed us how the whole panel held together. This panel did not have a theme (not required at LRPS level) but all the pictures were complementary to the whole. None stood out as being completely different in colouring or shape. The pictures themselves were about A4 size mounted on 50cm X 40cm boards all of which were the same colour.
Then Mike put up his ARPS panel in their right positions and this time there were 15 pictures all to a theme, which was accompanied by a written statement of intent. The theme was 'Features of the Urban Landscape' and was of a stunning series of studies of shapes of buildings or some shadows cast by a part of a building or reflections of other buildings in the windows of other buildings and so on. All the shots were brilliant in their own right and again the whole panel just made you go 'Wow'. Mike had desaturated several of the prints again so that there was an even colour 'feel' throughout. He left the panel up so that we could have a close look at tea break.
To get a handle on what was required by the RPS for their distinctions, Mike had attended several actual submission sessions at Bath (the RPS headquarters) and also their advisory days held around the country, where you can show your work and have advice and suggestions from people who actually are on the judging panels. He advised people to take at least five extra prints so that they can be used in place of pictures that are said to be lacking the required standard.
Advice on how to go about the whole business is available on the Royal Photographic Society website.
In the second half of the evening Mike showed us a selection of his other prints which he invited us to comment on and told us what judges had said about them in competitions. Very interesting.
Mike suggested that we perhaps form a group amongst ourselves if anyone is interested and said we were always welcome to attend the Chichester Camera Club group meeting once a month helping with advice for those going for distictions. He was very keen on some of us 'having a go'
I am one of those in the club with my LRPS and I have tried for and failed to get my ARPS! That day a man got his ARPS on his fifth attempt - so no disgrace in failing first time?
Thank you Mike for a most entertaining and informative evening which we all enjoyed.