Royal Photographic Society - Update

Marc

Marc

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There is a thread going in the Business section but I wanted to start one in here as my interest is entirely personal.

I am seriously thinking about joining the RPS and working towards the
Licentiateship. I would love to hear peoples' experiences (good and bad), what I should expect, whether you thought it was worthwhile, what you got out of it.

I've been through the website and downloaded the various guides, but I'd really ike to know peoples' thought here.
 
I've been for the ARPS. Failed first time, got it second. I saw it as a personal challenge and would like to try for a Fellowship in time.

Paul
 
Sorry I've made 2 posts on this so I am going to copy and paste a quote and a link.

Freester said:
I recently did the LRPS thing. It was an experience I enjoyed.

Does it help from a business point of view? :shrug: A press release in the local rag saying you got the qualification might! Does it help you stick out from the crowd. Not sure. Don't want to get involved in that discussion.

For me the LRPS was a little about learning to pass a driving test. Learning to pass the test or board, but not how to drive on the road. IFSWIM.

It felt a little constraining. Images must be well exposed (detail in shadows, very little blown highlights), sharp where they must be and good composition. Not bad skills to learn but no room for 'breaking the rules'. Maybe that's what they want to see in the 'A' or 'F'?

If you are serious about this go to an assessment day as an observer, and one of the training days. Take at least 30 images. This is not about your 10 best images but how 10 good images are presented as the whole board.

HTH. Give me a shout if you want any more help.

Freester (LRPS ;) )
Click to expand...

This is what I posted when I got it:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=233510

If you think it's going to change your life and/or your business then don't bother.

If you like a personal challenge, letters after your name, and a big :razz: to all the naysayers who say 'qualifications don't mean squat' then do it.

One big problem. Being a society you are only entitled to keep the certificate and put the letters after your name if you pay the annual subscription (look at the website to see how much).

Hopefully a warts and all experience from me :)
 
fabs said:
purely for ME. ;)
Click to expand...

Then do it.

My final words of advice:

Go to an LRPS assesment day as an observer (promise it ain't boring).
Go to an LRPS advisory day (and take at least 30 potential images including your proposed 10).
Learn how to window mount (it ain't hard and I am trying to write a tutorial for this forum).
 
Freester said:
Then do it.

My final words of advice:

Go to an LRPS assesment day as an observer (promise it ain't boring).
Go to an LRPS advisory day.
Learn how to window mount (it ain't hard and I am trying to write a tutorial for this forum).
Click to expand...

Cheers Mark, will look out for the tutorial. :thumbs:
 
Freester said:
Then do it.

My final words of advice:

Go to an LRPS assesment day as an observer (promise it ain't boring).
Go to an LRPS advisory day (and take at least 30 potential images including your proposed 10).
Learn how to window mount (it ain't hard and I am trying to write a tutorial for this forum).
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree with the first two Mark but I'll differ on the mounting. It cost me £30 to have mine professionally mounted and my framer uses a laser cutting device and they were perfect. Worth every penny to me and saved me hours of messing around with mount cutters (which were more expensive to buy than having the job done professionally) and the time and frustrations and wasted material getting it right myself.

I get clients pictures professionally mounted so why not my own? :)
 
I'm seriously considering taking a week off in August and taking off in the camper and just doing a photographic expedition. OK, so I'm not going to make India or even Scandanavia but I could take off to the Highlands and just see what I can shoot in a week and if I can make a panel out of it. Think Oban instead of India ;)
 
Very interesting thread as its something I may consider doing in the future. Again it would just be for me as I have no plans to turn pro, however I may use photography as a way of finishing work earlier and boosting the old pension. :thumbs:

Andy

Oh, just noticed 4500 posts. Note to self 'get out more'.
 
AliB said:
Absolutely agree with the first two Mark but I'll differ on the mounting. It cost me £30 to have mine professionally mounted and my framer uses a laser cutting device and they were perfect.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. If you have someone local who can do a good job.

One of my college colleagues paid a local gallery to mount his images. They were seriously SHOCKING.

If you are OK with a ruler and a pencil then I would recommend mounting yourself. I invested £45 on the bottom of the range Logan cutter and have my money back by now.
 
I got my LRPS about three weeks ago so it's still fresh in my memory.
I went to an advisory / workshop day, learnt a few do's and dont's. The main thing they were trying to get across to people was to make your panel 'bullet proof' so it couldn't possibly fail.
However what you are told on this day is down to personal opinion of the people looking at your work - it doesn't mean to say that the ten photographs they say are fine will be up to standard in front of the judging panel.

I actually learnt more at the assessment day than the workshop and although I passed, if I had to enter again I would probably use a different set of images.

The people at the RPS are great, they want you to pass and the juding is done as fairly as is at all possible. You can if required get a mentor to help you.

As for mounts, I asked my local framing shop to produce me the mounts at the size I specified and I mounted them prior to going down to Bath. This was the night before as I was still sat on the studio floor with a pile of prints and could not decide out of the twenty I had in front of me which ones I was going to use.

As to whether it's improved my photography, yes I think it has.
It has certainly made me more critical of what I see as a good or bad image.

I would love to go for the ARPS and probably will do, once time allows in the business.

I have however now updated the website, got new business cards printed and got the certificate on the studio wall. Time will tell if this makes a difference to my bookings.
 
I actually think prints are easier than projected. You can control the flow and colours and work with patterns and rows to shape the panel. With projected, the images are sequential which makes it harder than prints to develop a flow in terms of colour, brightness, shape etc.
 
Same as Paul. When I did mine the success rate was much lower with DI's than it was with prints. They don't work so well as a panel that is cohesive and generally the standard of submission was actually lower. It made it more difficult to stand out from some of the less well executed panels although a couple were utterly outstanding. I'd have loved to see them as prints!

I think the prints make the judges job easier too, you can see detail in a print a lot easier. There is also the "problem" in that the RPS use very carefully controlled conditions for projection but it can give you a problem in praparing them at your end. You may have a calibrated screen but the luminosity also needs to be carefully considered. At least with prints, what you see is what they will see.
 
AliB said:
Same as Paul. When I did mine the success rate was much lower with DI's than it was with prints. They don't work so well as a panel that is cohesive and generally the standard of submission was actually lower. It made it more difficult to stand out from some of the less well executed panels although a couple were utterly outstanding. I'd have loved to see them as prints!

I think the prints make the judges job easier too, you can see detail in a print a lot easier. There is also the "problem" in that the RPS use very carefully controlled conditions for projection but it can give you a problem in praparing them at your end. You may have a calibrated screen but the luminosity also needs to be carefully considered. At least with prints, what you see is what they will see.
Click to expand...

Very true. The RPS even tell you how bright the room will be so you can examine and see just exactly how bright your prints will look. wh nthe panel is displayed.

Saying that about projected images, the first four panels displayed when I went to Bath were projected images and all four of them passed. They were however stunning!
 
i did LRPS in transparencies....and never went on as it gets harder and i didnt think i could cut it..
but from the trans i sent ....they were quite good and as shot

prints must be very much harder...you still get the letters...i dont think they discriminate...
 
I, like you fabs, am thinking about going for the LRPS purely for personal reasons.
I've downloaded the Mac application that's available which tells you what their scoring criteria is when assessing your images.

Wish you luck for your submission mate (in a well wishing sense, not in a "your photo's aren't good enough" kinda way)
 
AndyJ1980 said:
I, like you fabs, am thinking about going for the LRPS purely for personal reasons.
I've downloaded the Mac application that's available which tells you what their scoring criteria is when assessing your images.

Wish you luck for your submission mate (in a well wishing sense, not in a "your photo's aren't good enough" kinda way)
Click to expand...

:lol: I knew what you meant. :thumbs:

Actually, I know my photos aren't good enough. That's my main reason for doing it. ;)

Where did you download the Mac application? When I googled it, I got Rock, Paper, Scissors for the iphone! :D
 
I'll grab you the link mate

LINKY clicking link will automatically begin download
 
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Hi All,
A different veiw from me. I got my LRPS a few years ago, by the qualifications method. ie: no need to submit panel as already qualified through courses done. (NVQ Level 4 in digital photography and imaging).
I have since cancelled my membership as I didnt think I was getting anything worthwhile from it.
If you want to keep going and get the full set of letters, and are keen to attend area meetings, then it maybe worth your while. I found that for the (IIRC) £150/year membership, all I got was the use of letters after my name and a pretty crappy magazine. I'd rather spend that on a course - more use.
This is just my personal veiw having done it, and I'm a miserable old sod at the best of times so if its for you go for it and best of luck.
Webby
 
I joined recently for the same reason. Get a kick up the backside to get out and get taking some decent images.

The courses they do look good value but being in Bath they're a bit of a pain to get to for me.

Much cheaper than the Annabel Williams course which seems to produce award winners quite a lot - that's 9k for a year of tuition. Those that have done it seem to be very successful though.
 
did the link work fabs?
 
anytime mate, in the Documents for Download section there's a document called 'Distinctions and qualifications info' which is basically the requirements needed to pass
 
Good luck fabs. Sometimes you need something to push/challenge you.

Back to the DI v print argument, I've just had to submit my first assignment and my tutor wanted prints. A bit strange I thought in this digital world, it would be so much easier just emailing the files. Especially when trying to print them at home/work. A colour laser printer just didn't get the colours right, my inkjet left banding so I got them professionally printed at 12x8's.

WOW! what a difference, the colours popped. Actually having the prints there and putting them in order was surprising. I'm a convert.
 
If you are going to submit a panel Marc, I'd highly recommend going along at watching a judging day (which you can do) It will give you a good idea of exactly what to expect, how it all runs and how it is best to present your images. :)

I did prints for mine too :)

Any help I can give too, just shout.
 
i made a submission for LRPS a couple of months ago.
3 of my 10 photographs were not suitable for one reason each (on the debrief sheet).

Their debrief was very helpful and like others, i consider gaining LRPS a personal challenge. At leasti know that i now have 7 that meet the standard :)

I intend resubmitting, in print form again, next year.
 
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