RPS Digital Imaging Newsletter January 2023

CHAIRMANSCHAT

Howlongdoesonegoonsaying‘HappyNew Yearandallthebestfor2023’?–Iamnever sureofwhentostop.Whatevertheetiquette Idostillfeelitisappropriateforustowishall ourDImembersjustthat.Especiallythe2023 wishesinrespecttowhateveryourhopesare foryourphotographythiscomingyear.

YourDIcommitteeareworkinghardandall doingtheirupmosttodeliverareallystrong programmeofworkshops,presentations, publicationsetcforyoualltoengagewith. Withinthefollowingpagesisareminderto getyour3xprintssubmittedtotheannualDI PrintExhibition2023aswellasfullinformation aboutourAGMandthegreatprogrammewe arewrappingroundthatmakeitanenjoyable dayforeveryone.

WereallyneedtothankDeborahforfindingsomegreatSaturdayafternoon presentersforusoverthepastyearandforthoseshehaslinedupfor2023.She keepssurprisinguswithherabilitytofindandbooksomeamazingindividualsto inspire,educateandenthralus.

Asindividualswegetoutofanythingwearepartofasmuchasweputin.Thisis nevermoreevidentthanifyoutalktoourDIvolunteers.Theyenjoywhatthey aredoing,theinvolvementandcontributiontheymake:beingpartoftheteam. Weareahappybunch,eachwithourowndiscreteroleandresponsibility. HoweverwewouldlovetoinviteYOUtoconsiderjoiningus;everyonebrings newideasandhasacontributiontomake.Pleasedon’tthinkyouhavenopart toplay/noskills,becauseyouhave.Lifegivesusskills,valuableskillsevenifwe don’talwaysrecognisethis.Sodon’tjustflickonpastthisbutPLEASEstopand considerjoiningus.Ifyouareunsurethenwhynotjustsitinonacommittee meetingandtakeacloserlookatwhatwedoandtheindividualsyouwould possiblybeworkingwith.There’snoobligationifyoudon’tlikeus!Oryou couldtalktoanyoneofus.OurcontactdetailsareBELOW,Igenuinelyhope youwillgivethisfullconsiderationandgetincontact.

JanetHaines Co-Chair

MONTHLYONLINECOMPETITION

ThewinnerofourSeptembermonthlyonlinecompetitionwas‘TheLoneTree’ byKennethNess,whichisfeaturedonthecover.(Formoreinformationabout thisfriendlymonthlycompetition,includinghowtoenter,visit https://rps.org/di/ monthly-comp/. Keepaneyeoutforvideoslideshowsofmonthlycompetition entriesonour YouTubechannel.)

"TakeninSeptember2012justbeforemovingfrom MatlockbackhometoScotland,Iattemptedto cycletheTheHighPeakTrail,a17.5-miletrailfrom HighPeakJunction,nearCromfordtoDowlownear Buxton.

Notbeingthefittestofpeople,andhavingsetoff fromMiddletonTopwherethewindingengineis located,IgotasfarasHoptonInclinewhenIhadto stopforabreather.Thescenewasthere,infrontof meand,withonlyaCanonG10compacttohand,I tookthisphotograph(f/5.6@1/160ISO200)-then forgotaboutitforyears.Finallyon2021Icame acrossthefile,and,withsomeadjustment,thisimageemerged.Tomeitsums upeverythingIloved(andstilldo)aboutthePeakDistrict.Andyes,evenasa Scot,Iwouldstillmovebackthere!

TheHighPeakTrailfollowstherouteoftheformerCromfordandHighPeak Railway.Thiswasoneoftheworld'sfirstlong-distancerailwaylines,built between1825and1830.

Manyimportantrailwaybuildingsandfeaturescanstillbeseen,includingHigh PeakJunctionWorkshops,MiddletonTopEngineHouse,HoptonTunneland HoptonIncline."

LoneTreebyKennethNessARPS

SecondPlacewas‘AutumnintheForest’byValWalkerARPS

TheRPShaslauncheditsnewexhibitionopen-callforRPSmembersRPS SummerExhibition2023.Thenewopen-callinvitesyoutoenteryourimagesfor anopportunitytoexhibitatRPSGallery,inJuly2023,aspartofasummerseries ofeventsnextyear.Theexhibitionwillbeacelebrationofphotography,across interests,approaches,andexperience.

Fromdigitaltoanalogue,includingalternativeprocesses,phonephotography, scientificworkandnewtechniques,thisexhibitionencouragesentriesacrossthe broadspectrumofimage-making,andweareexcitedtoseethediversityof workourmembersarecreating.Weareespeciallylookingforwardtoseeingthe photographytheSpecialInterestGroups(SIG)areproducing.

ThereisapromotionalcodeformembersoftheDigitalImagingGroupwhich canbeusedduringtheonlineentryprocess.Thefollowingcodewilldeduct10% fromyourpaymentwhenmakingyouronlineentry.DISE680

ThedetailedlistofFAQsandanentryguideisavailableonlinehere.

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorfurtherenquiriespleasedoemailexhibitions @rps.organdwewouldbehappytoadvise.

ItwouldbegoodtoseeastrongentryfromDigitalImagingMembers, rememberdousethe10%DiscountCodeDISE680

DIGIT95

Despitetheeditorialteamdoingtheir besttogetDIGIT+PDICatalogueto youpreChristmaswefailed.

Firstlytherewasatechnicalissuewith thecatalogueandthenMixams(the printers)messedusaroundsomewhat. Thencametheshutdownoverthe holidayperiodofcourse.Jan6thI finallyhadconfirmationthatwehad gonetoprintbutafterthatitgoesto theirfulfilmenthouseformailingout. AsItypethisIknowsomemembers havereceivedtheirmagazines.

HopefullywewillallseeDIGITonour doormatsshortlybutwecanonly apologiestoyouallandassureyouwe aredoingourbest.Itisnowuponline andDIOnlinemembersshouldreceive anemailwiththelink.

Thegoodnewsisthatfor2023wearereturningtoLingsofDorchesterforour printingandtheywerealwaysfarmorereliableandresponsivetoworkwith. SoIamconfidentthatwewillgetbackontrackfortheendofMarchissue.

JanetHaines

pptheEditorialteam

SimonCiapparaFRPSa DIMemberisfeaturedin Digit95.Hehasletus know,thathehasbeen luckyenoughtowinthe chancetohaveayear longexhibition,curated bytheInfluxGalleryand shownonaVirtualGallery HERE Dotakealook.

2023MEMBERS’PRINTEXHIBITION

DearMembers, Ihopeyou’veallhadagreatFestivebreak.

TheentriesfortheMembers’PrintExhibitionhasbeenopensinceNewYear’s Day,andtodatetherehavebeen57members’entries.Forthosememberswho haven’tenteredthePrintExhibitionbefore,itissomewhatdifferentfromother competitions.Eachmembercansubmitthreeprints(thisyeartheyare unmountedA4orsquareprints)andoneisselected.Allselectedprintswillbe printedinthecatalogue.Fromthoseindividualprints,thetop30areselected, andtheneachselectorchoosestwoprintswhichwillgetaribboneach,andan overallwinner.Youcanseepreviousyears’winnersontheRPSDigitalImaging websiteat:

https://rps.org/groups/digital-imaging/new-di-competitions-exhibition/printexhibition/

Thereareonly11daysleft (closingdate23rdJanuary) foryoutouploadyour threejpgimages tothePrintExhibitionwebsite–at www.rps-dig.org

Youmustalsogetthe threeA4printstomebytheendofthemonth. Allthedetailsareat https://www.rps-dig.org/rules/printex23rules.pdf

Internationalmembersneedonlyuploadtheimages;wewillprintthemforyou, intheUK,afterthe23rd.Thereisnocharge.

Closingdateforonlinesubmissions: Tuesday23rdJanuary2023

Closingdateforreceiptofprints: Tuesday31stJanuary2023

Selectionwilltakeplace(incamera): 10thFebruary2023

SelectionAnnouncement:AttheDIAGM(online) Sunday26thFeb.2023

PleasenotethatIamemailingeveryonewhentheprintsarriveatmyhome.If youhaveNOThadsuchanemailfrommewithinabout5daysofposting,please letmeknow.

Ifyouwouldliketogetsomeideaofthekindofimagesthathavedonewellin previousyears,theDIHallofFamegallerysitewiththeimagesacceptedfor priorexhibitions(https://bit.ly/RPSDIHall)andtheYouTubechannelwithslide showsofacceptedimagesandcommentsbytheselectorsforrecentprint exhibitions(https://bit.ly/RPSDIYouTube).

Rightnowwehaven’tarrangedanyphysicalexhibitionlocations,butwewill.

Goodlucktoeveryone!MarilynTaylorDICompetitionsSecretary

UKMEMBERWRITINGFROMOVERSEAS

TheRPSSouthEastRegionROJohnGoughLRPSisonholidaybutIcouldn’tlethimleavethe RPSbehind!Iaskedhimtobrightenourgrey,rainyandwindyJanuarydayswithhisbrightand sunnyimagesandastoryofhistripsofar.Hereiswhathesentme…..

SomeonehastodoitbyJohnGoughLRPS

WhereamI?IfItellyouI’mwritingthisfromapositionof 21.4°N,158°W21.4°N, 158°W thenI’msureyouwillguessweareroughly250milesoffthecoastof Hawaii.

Whatamdoing?MywifeandIare4weeksintoaworldcruiseandnextstopis Honolulu.

I’veheardalltheclichéslikeholidayofalifetime,butitreallyistrue.We’veonly juststartedandbesidesescapingtheweatherbackintheUK,we’vealready beento3USports,2Mexican,Colombia,CostaRicaandPanama.

DidyouknowthePacifichastwicethevolumeofwateroftheAtlantic.Itdoes meancrossingittakesanawfullylongtime,butit’sjustnotboring.Besidesthe amazingfood,thereissomuchtodoandseeandtomorrowwedockfor2days inHonolulu.

Startingatthebeginning,wesetoffandflewtoMiamijustbeforeXmas.Istill findflyinglikethatsostrangeandalmostsurreal.Itwascold,wetandwindyin LondonandwesatdowntobreakfastinFortLauderdalethenextday,6hours behindLondonand20degreeswarmer,whichis30minutesupthecoastfrom Miami.JusttobeabletodothatisworththehassleofUSimmigration!

FortLauderdaleforbreakfast

FromFortLauderdalewecruisedsouth,viatheCaribbean,towardsthesouthern tipofMexicoandCozumel.Guesswhat!Itwaswet,windyandraining,butnot cold.Everywherelooksbetterinthesun,maybenotphotographically,butwe weren’tsadtogetawayandcarryontowardsColombiawheretheweatherwas onceagainwonderful.Iamnotgoingtoboreyouwitheveryport,butjustsome ofthehighlightssofarandtocome.

BearinginmindwewerestillontheEastcoastoftheAmericas,andweneeded togettotheWestcoastofMexico,thenextstopwasthePanamaCanal.Infact, wedockedinColon,thePanamaCanalAtlanticsideentrypointtothecanal.(A quickpersonalnotehere.MymiddlesonlivesinPanamaCity,sowearrangedto seehimandspentafantasticdayonthebeachnearColon).

ColonGrackles

Somebriefcanalfactsandaquestion:

ThecanallinkstheAtlanticandthePacific.

Q:TheNorthPacificisonlyaround15cmhigherthantheAtlantic,mainlydueto salinity,sowhyaretherelockswith47to82feetinheight?

A:BecausePanamahasasetofmountainsthemiddlewhichwerejusttoohigh tocutthrough.Thesolutionwastobringthewaterleveluptothemountainson onesideandthenbackdownagainontheother,ratherthancutthroughthe mountainscompletely.

ThecanaltookusintotheNorthPacificandafterCostaRica,backtoMexico, CaboStLucas.Thiswasaclimatetodiefor,andapparentlyitdoesn’tvarythat muchthroughouttheyear.

GatunLocks-Panamacanal

Colon-IslandParadise

Moreeducation:thistimeonwhales.TheyfeedinthesummerintheAntarctic, andthenjourneyupto5000milestothewarmerwatersofftheWestcoastof CentralAmericatobreed.Itwasquiteamazingtoseesuchbeautifullarge creaturessoclose.Infact,Ihavetosaythatsomeofthesmallerboatsgotfar tooclose,anddefinitelyupsetafemaleandherbaby.Youalsobeginto understandjusthowlongyouneedtocaptureanoutstandingpictureofthem. Theswellwasprettysevere,therewerelotsofpeopleanddespitetheartificial intelligenceaidedfocussingitwasastretchgettingadecentpicture!Ohwell, apparentlyNewZealandismeanttobegood,I’lltryagain.

Duringthecourseofthisshortarticle,wehavefinallyreachedlandafterashort visittoLosAngeleswherejustmissedaprettyviolentstormthatwasnotgood fortheinhabitantsofSantaBarbara,includingPrinceHarry!Thelandsare Hawaii,theislandisOahuandwearedockedinHonolulu.Ithasawonderful climatebutboy,itisexpensiveaseverythinghastobeimported.

ItisnowtimeforlunchafterahiketooneoftheirfamouspeakscalledDiamond Head,avastcrater300,000yearsoldwithstunningviewsnorthandsouth.

Ourfuturedestinationsinclude, BoraBora,Tahiti,NewZealand,Australiaand Indonesia,Iwillwritemore!

John

Touriststooclosetoawhale-Mexico

LandsEnd-CaboStLucas

Diamondheadvolcaniccrater-Oahu

ForanyoneinterestedinenteringtheRHSPortfolioCompetition,theentry deadlineforthisyearisfastapproaching.Seebelowforlinkstothedetail,that youneed,tosendinyourentry.Youmightnothaveyourpanelready,orneed inspirationandthereisinformationforyoutoointhelinksbelow,andhereare thedatesforyourdiaryfortheExhibitionattheSaatchi

16JUNE–9JULY2023

Friday–Sunday

10am–6pm(lastentry5.30pm)

RHSWEBSITEUPDATE

TheRHShaveinformedusthatthewebpagefortheBotanicalArtand Photographyshowisnowliveonline.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-london-shows/rhs-botanical-art-andphotography-show

Thewebpagecontainsthefollowinglinktoguideforphotographersonhowto enterthecompetition- https://www.rhs.org.uk/promotions/rhs-photocompetition/rhs-photocomp-portfolio-guide.pdf

Anotheroneofthewebpagesisdedicatedtoportfolio,specificallywithsome examplesofpastgoldmedalwinners..

https://www.rhs.org.uk/promotions/rhs-photo-competition/results/2022/ portfolios

WORDSFROMTHEEDITOR

ItwasbackinNovemberwhenIwastalkingwithJoe HoughtonaboutphotographythingsingeneralthatI suggestedhewritesomethingaboutAI,whichyoucan readnext.Butsincethentherehasbeensomany articlesanddiscussionsintheNews,onYouTube,and Socialmediapostsaboutthisverything.Thereisalsoan articleinDigitbyTonyHealyARPSaboutTopaz.Many ofyouenjoyedJoe’sTopaztalkrecently,wherewe marvelledatwhatisalreadypossible,notjustinTopaz butinLightroom,Photoshoptoo.Wejustnowneedto learntouseitwithsubtlety!

Asaselfconfessedimpatientphotographyprocessor,whointhepasthasbeen frustratedwhenthepentoolshotofthescreenasIreachedtheendgoalandI hadtostartagain,moreoftengivingup!IjustloveSelectObjectandSelect andMask,itspeedsmyworkflowtoconcentratemoreonsimplybeingcreative, whichIenjoy.

AIishere,andheretostay,butiscreatingadilemmaformanyinsociety,and radicalchangesneedtotobeconsidered.AwisequotefromJoe,“AItoolsare justthat-tools.Howtheyareused,forwhatandwhenisthekey.”

RegardingWorkshops,oneortwoneweventshavebeenpostedonthePortal, thelinksareshownlaterinthispublication here.

WeareworkingonplanstowidenourrangeandinvitemoreEducatorstooffer workshops,restassuredyouwillbekeptinformed.

MelanieChalk

DINewsEditor digworkshops@rps.org

(ManythankstoLoisWakemanforherassistancecompilingthisnewsletter.)

YoucansubscribetoouremailMailingListsheretohearnewannouncements: Garden&PlantPhotography Workshops Events

FullRangeofJoeHoughton’sStepbyStepWorkshops

FullRangeofCeliaHenderson’sByteSizeWorkshops

PhotographyinanAIworld...

Artificialintelligence(AI)issettorevolutionisethewayphotographerscaptureandedit images.AIcanhelpphotographerscreatemoredynamic,powerfulandengagingimages.AIpoweredphotographytoolscanallowphotographerstoidentify,analyseandeditimageswith unprecedentedaccuracyandcomplexity.

AI-enhancedimagerecognitiontechnologycanhelpphotographersidentifyandcategorise differentelementsofascene.Thistechnologycanbeusedtoidentifyspecificobjectsand coloursinaphotograph,enablingphotographerstocreatemoredramaticandbalanced compositions.AI-basedimagerecognitioncanalsobeusedtoidentifyandseparateelements inascene,allowingphotographerstocreatemoresophisticatedcompositions.

AIcanalsobeusedtoimproveimageediting.AI-driventoolscanbeusedtorecogniseand adjustelementsinascene,allowingphotographerstocreatemorepowerfulandrealistic images.Forexample,AI-driventoolscanbeusedtoidentifyandadjustshadowsand highlights,allowingphotographerstocreateimageswithgreaterdepthanddimension. Inadditiontoenhancingimageediting,AIcanbeusedtoimprovetheoverallqualityof images.AI-driventoolscanbeusedtoidentifyandcorrectimageartefacts,suchasnoiseand blur,allowingphotographerstoproducesharper,moredetailedimages.AIcanalsobeused tooptimiseimagecompression,allowingphotographerstoproducesmaller,moreefficient files.

AI-drivenphotographytoolsaresettorevolutionisethewayphotographerscaptureandedit images.AI-enhancedimagerecognitiontechnology,improvedimageeditingfeatures,and optimisedimagecompressionwillallhelpphotographersproducemorepowerfuland engagingimages.AI-drivenphotographytoolsaresettobeagame-changerforthe photographyindustry,allowingphotographerstotaketheircreativevisiontothenextlevel.

Ifyou'vereadthisfaryou'reclearlyinterestedinthistopic.I'vesomethingtoconfess. EverythinginthisarticlebeforethislinewascreatedbyanAItextgenerator.Andsowasthe headerimage.

Yes,that'sright,allIdidwasfireupthefreetoolCANVADoc(

https://www.canva.com/docs/ ) Pressingtheforwardslashandselecting"MagicWrite",Itypedin"Giveme200wordson howartificialintelligencewillchangephotographyinthefuture".

Ittookabout15seconds.Breakingthatsectiondown,thefirstparagraphisanintroduction, thenext3arethedifferentareasAIisaffectingphotography-imagerecognition,image editingandimagequality,followedbyasummary. Scarilygoodisn'tit?

ThisimagewasgeneratedbytheDall.E2AIimagegeneratorfromtheprompt"Anartificial intelligencephotographicscenewithdigitalcamerasandcomputers"

Thesearegoodsuggestions,andprettyspecifictoLightroomClassictoo.EvenifImightwant touseothertips,whatagreatjumpingoffpoint-nomoreblankpageblockers,justasktheAI togiveyousomeideasandthenusethesetojumpoffintoyourownthoughts.Orjustuse whatitgenerates-howmanyofournewsarticlestodaydoyouthinkareactuallywrittenby realhumansanymore?Shortformarticlewritingisnowabletobedonefarfasterthanany humancanwrite-CANVAtookabout15secondstogeneratethosefirst200words.Therest aremine-honest,buttheytookmeallafternoontocreate!Asaself-confessedgeekand tech-lover,thisisanareaIlove,solet'shavealookatwhat'shappening,surelyimagesare different?

ImageCreationusingAI

Dall.E2isanAIimagegenerator( https://openai.com/dall-e-2/ ).Allyoudoistypeina descriptionoftheimageyouwant,andwithinafewsecondsDall.Eoffersyou4choicesof thumbnail-youcanthengenerateahigh-resolutionversionofanyofthem.Itypedin"Photo ofcrashingwavesatsunsetbyabeachwithrockformationsandawreckedshipinthe foreground"andthisiswhatitcameupwithafterabout5seconds:

Whataboutpeople?Surelywearesafe there?Notanymore.Here'sawebsite( https://generated.photos/face-generator) thatwillgenerateafacefromafewsliders allowingyoutocreateacompletelylifelike "person"whohasneverexisted.

Wantfullbodies-noproblem.Thesame websitecancreateyouanynumberoffull lengthhumans( https://generated.photos/ humans ).There'sevenafreely downloadablefileof100,000smallseparate imagesofthesegeneratedpeople,allon whitebackgroundsmakingitveryeasyto incorporatethemintoscenes.Runningthe suppliedlow-resimages(eachis256pxx 512px)throughTopazGigaPixelAIenabled metogenerate12xupscaledimagesthatlookedliketheyhadbeenshotinhigh-res.Atthe momentthey'reallyoung,beautifulandslimwithperfectskin-notawholelotofdiversity here,butwhenIemailedthecompanyonthatpointtheyrepliedtomesayingthatthiswasall coming-differentageoptions,differentposes,peopleinwheelchairs-soonwhateverwecan describewillbecapableofbeinggeneratedinsecondsasphotorealisticimages.

Detractorsofthistechnologypoint tothefactthatmanyoftheseAI engineshavebeentrainedon millionsofimagesusedwithoutthe consentoftheirauthors-bethese artistsorphotographers.Thisis probablytrue,yetsuchisthe ubiquityofaccesstoimageryviathe internetthesedaysthatthisissueis unlikelyevertoreallyaffectthe continueddevelopmentofthistech,asattributiontoanyspecificindividual'soriginalwork wouldbeimpossibletodetermine.

There'salsotheissue-raisedbymanyincludingthefilmstar MeganFox,abouttheimagescreatedbytheLensaapp (https://prisma-ai.com/lens a)thatappearoverlysexualised,even generatingnakedimageryfromjustfacesuploaded.PhotoAI modelsaretrainedonmassivenumbersofimages,andlikeitor not,manyoftheimagesavailableontheinternetandinbigdata storesareof"idealised"figures,sothecurrentstateofthe industryistogeneratesimilarlookingavatars.Thismaychange, butnotrightnow.

EditingimagesusingAI

Thesegeneratedpeopleareamazing,butIcanheartheportraitphotographerssaying,"Look atthatflatlighting-it'snotasgoodaswhatIcandointhestudio".OK,thenlet'sdropone ofthese"people"intoPortraitPro,orOn1PortraitAI.Nowwehavefullcontroloverthe lightingafterthefact-wecanaddshadows,changethecolourandintensity,add backgrounds.It'snotthesameasshootinginastudio,butit'smaybeeasierthansettingone up,orrentingoneout,andaccessibletoanyonewiththefundstobuythesoftware-anda computerpowerfulenoughtorunit.

Sinceversion12wasreleasedin2022, Lightroomnowhasintelligentselections ofSubject,SkyandBackground. SelectingapersonusingthePeople maskthenseesthesoftwareseparate faceskin,bodyskin,lips,eyesclera,eye iris&pupils,lips,eyebrows,teethand hair.Inthescreenshotherethebodyskin ofthemodelisshownhighlightedasthe selectedmask.Oh,andthatmodelisan AIgeneratedperson,notarealone.

CreatingnewimagesusingAI

Taking5ofthoseAIgeneratedpeopleIdroppedthenintoasinglecanvasandthenapplieda graduatedbackgroundtogivemethisoriginalimage:

PhotoShopandalltheotherediting suitesnowhaveskyreplacement tools,intelligentobjectautoselection-eventheiPhonenowhas theabilitytocutthesubjectout fromthebackgroundbyjustholding yourfingeronitinanimage.We aretrulyinaperiodwhereimaging andphotographyaswehaveknown itismorphingintoaspacewith almostlimitlesspossibilities.When AnselAdamssaidhe"madean image"hewastalkingabout cropping,dodging&burninginthe darkroom.Whatwehavenowareautomatedandcomputerdrivencapabilitiestocreate almostanykindofimage-stillormoving-thatwecanenvision.IntheweekIwritethis,Nikon announcedupdatestoit'sNXMobileAirsmartphoneappthataddsa"deeplearning algorithm"forimageanalysis.Thisfiltersimagesshotbysportsandphoto-journalists automaticallyforsubjectandothercriteriahelpingtospeedupworkflow.

Tryingonclothesusedtomean queuingintothechangingrooms withanarmfulofclothes-notany more.Nowwecanuploadan imageofourselvesandthensee howclotheswilllookonus.Check out( https://www.zyler.com/ )-a sitethatletsyouuploadaphotoof yourselfandthengenerates

representationsofyouwearingclothes-nomoredrivingtotheshoppingpark,payingfor parkingandsloggingthroughtheweekendcrowds.Thistechisbeingadoptedbymajor retailersveryquickly-andwillprobablyputalotofmodelsandphotographersoutofworkin ashorttimeastheirservicescanbeautogeneratedfasterandquickerthanusing"real" imagesshotwithacamera.

Assomeonewhoisshort-sighted,trying glassesonintheopticiansisalwaysan interestingexperience,withmynose pressedupagainstthemirrortryingtosee howasetofframeslookonme.AsIfocus about2inchesinfrontofmyfacewhenI'm notwearingmyownlenses,youcanseemy problem(nopunintended).Butusingtools likeLuna( https://luna.io/virtual-try-on/ ) thewebcamfeedofmyfaceisusedtoshowmewearinganystyleofframeIwanttotry-and asImovearound,theglassesmovewithmyface.Realtimeimagingofmecoupledwith virtualrealityglassesgivesaveryconvincingwayof"experiencing"theproductinawayIwas neverabletodopreviously.

Automatedproductphotographyis nowamainstreamnorminthe industry.ProductssuchastheOrbitVu rangehavesoftwarecontrolled photographyandlighting-allyou needtodoisplaceyourproductinthe boothandtherestisallautomated. Lighting,cuttingoutfromthe backgroundforperfectproductshots everytime.Addanautomated turntableandyoucangenerate360 degreeimagesaswell.

ForweddingphotographerswhoaretakinghighvolumesofphotosandwanttouseAIto reducetheirpost-processing,therearenowtoolslikeNeurapix( https://neurapix.com/ ).This learnsyoureditingstylebyanalysingafewthousandofyoureditedimages-youhaveto uploadtheseto"train"theAI.

Oncetrained,Neurapixcreatesasmartpresetthatappliesyoureditingstyletoimageswithin Lightroom.Imagescanthenbetweakedasyouwantbuttheclaimisadramaticreductionin overalleditingtime.AnotherplayerinthesamespaceisImagen- https://imagen-ai.com/.

Cheating,orjustacleveruseofmachinelearningtohelpyougettothesameresultsfaster? Wedon'tfrownontheuseofregularpresetsinLightroom,sowhere'sthelinenow?What's acceptableandwhatbecomesunacceptable?Andforwhom?Clubs,salons,clients?Asa commercialorweddingphotographer,maybesavingadayaweekprocessingimagestothe samelookcouldgiveyouhigherearningpower,oradayofftospendwithfamily.AItoolsare justthat-tools.Howtheyareused,forwhatandwhenisthekey.

Ihaveatalkon"ProcessinganatureshootwithLightroom&Topaz"

(https://www.houghtonphoto.com/processing-nature-shotsProcessingan-with-lightroomtopaz)thatshowshowIprocessasetofprettyhighISOimagesshotinNovember2021ata hideinIreland.Adarkday,ISO'sgettingupto10,000-afewyearsagothatwouldhave madeforunusableimages.

Notanymore.ThenewdenoiseandsharpentoolsavailabletoustodayfromTopaz,On1, DXOandothershaveprettymuchchangedtheneedtoworryaboutISOnoise,andthese toolscannowevenremovetheeffectsofcamerashakeormovementblurtoanextent. Knowingthis,Icanheadoutonadullday,crankupmyISOandstillgetimagesat1/2000th secthatIknowwillbecapableofprocessingintousableshots.AndTopazrecentlyreleased theircombinedappPhotoAI- https://www.topazlabs.com/topaz-photoai.Thisapplies denoise,sharpeningandenablesupscalingallinoneinterface,withmanyautomaticchanges madeasthephotoisloadedandanalysed-incredibleuseofthisrapidlydeveloping technology-changesdropalmosteveryweekasIwritethispieceinlate2022.

Likeitornot,AIiswithustostay.It'sbuiltintoourcameras,andmuchofthesoftwareweuse toprocessourimages.Andtheykeepaddingnewstuff-Skylum'sLuminarNeo- https:// skylum.com/luminar nowhasanautomateddustremovaltool.1clickanditusesAItolocate andremoveallthedustspotsintheimage!Imayneverneedtogetmysensorcleanedagain.

Soisphotographydead?

Bynomeans!Justbecausetechnologiesexistthatcangenerateimagerythatlooksreal, doesn'tinvalidatetheprocesswegothroughasphotographerstovision,captureandcreate imagesusingourcurrentworkflows.AndnoamountofAIisgoingtomatchthefeelingof gettingupat4aminthedark,drivingoutandsettingupyourcameratocapturethat sunrise.Thefeelofthewindinyourhair,thecoloursoftheskyastheyemergefromthe darknessandbringinanewday-experiencesarethestuffofphotography,asmuchasthe finalresultingimages.MaybethefrozentoesIcoulddowithout…

Yes,someaspectsofphotographywillbecomethepurviewofautomation,especiallywhere thisisdrivenbyeconomics,butthere'llalwaysbetheneedforthe"eye",wherethehuman decideswheretopointthecameraandcaptureafleetingmomentatawedding,oronthe street,oronasportsfield.

Itdoeshavesomeinterestingimplicationsforclubphotographythoughdoesn'tit?WillAI generatedimagescountasoriginalimageslikeonesyoushootwithyourcamerado?Can youuseAIimagesincomposites?

Ascamerasthemselvesbuildinmorecomputation,wecanseeatimewhenautomatic separationofsubjectandbackgroundwillbein-cameraforinstance,orcolourchanges,skin retouching,skyreplacement-almostanythingispossible.

IwasreadingthespecificationsforthelatestFujiX-T5cameraearliertoday-7stopsof in-bodyimagestabilisation!7stops!Thatmeansthatifonanoldun-stabilisedbodyI'm lookingforaslowestshutterspeedofsay1/30thsecbeforeIstarttogetcamerashake affectingmyimage,Icannowshoot7stopsslower.That's1/30th-1/15th-1/8th-¼-½-1 second-2seconds-4seconds.Ahand-held4secondexposurethat'sstillgoingto (potentially)besharp-andwillsuchimagesnotbeallowedbecausecomputertrickeryhas enabledthem?Clubsandthewideramateur&procompetitiveworldaregoingtoneedto bere-draftingtheirrulebooksonaregularbasisasthingskeepchanging.

Whateverhappens,it'sgoingtobeafascinatingnextwhileasthesetechnologiesdevelop andbecomeevenmoremainstream.Thisisadiscussionthatwillgoonandon-Ihopeyou enjoyedmylookintojustafewofthecurrentaspectsoftheAIrevolutioninphotography.If youhaveenjoyedthisarticle,lookoutformynewtalkon"PhotographyinanAIworld..." availablethroughtheRPSinearly2023andthenongeneralreleasetoclubs!

JoeHoughton(withalittlehelpfromsomeAIfriends... https://www.houghtonphoto.com/

DIAGM2023

WehavehadtomovetoPlanBforourupcomingAGM.Thislaterearrangement hasmeantwewilldeliverthemeetingonlineviaZoomratherthanatSmethwick facetoface.TheadvantageofthischangemeansthatnomatterwhereDI memberslivearoundtheworldallhaveequalaccesstoourmeeting,withoutthe costandupheavaloftravel.

Thefocusforthedaywillbemonoworkbuttheprogrammewillincludethe businesspartoftheAGM,plusaviewingoftheselectedandwinningimages fromtheDIannualprintexhibition.Hereisanoverviewofthedaysprogramme

10.00Welcome

10.10LenMetcalf–whatmakesagoodmonoimage(+Q&A)

13.45AdrianBeasley–monotechniqueandpostprocessing(+Q&A)

15.05Break

15.15PaulMitchellFRPS–pinholecamerawork(+Q&A)

16.35Meetingcloses

ThisisafreemeetingforDIMembers.Tobookyourplacego HERE

MOREABOUTOURSPEAKERS

LenMetcalf

ForthoseofyouwhojoinedtheRPSAGMin2021 youmayrecallthismesmerisingAussie educationalistwowinguswithhisbeautifulwork. SowethoughtwewouldinviteLenbackforDI memberstolearnalittlemorefromLenabout howtopre-visualiseamonoimageandwhat makesagoodB&Wortonedwork.

BecauseLenispresentingtouslivefromAustralia itisnecessarytoputhimonearlyinthedayas thereisapproximatelya12hourtimedifference fromhimtous.

LenMetcalfDirectorLen'sSchool

DiplomaTAFENSW(outdoorrecreation)

BachelorofArts,NSWUCollegeofFineArts(visualarts,photography)

GraduateDiplomaofEducation,SydneyUniversity(arteducation)

MasterofEducationUniversityofTechnology,Sydney(adulteducation)

Email: len@lensschool.com

Website: http://lensschool.com

Address:12ThirdAvenueWilloughbyEastNSW2068Australia

AdrianBeasley

“HighImpactBlack&WhiteArchitectureWhyandHow”

AdrianisanAdobeCertifiedExpertworking extensivelywithdigitalimaging,Lightroomand Photoshop.Adrianhasbeeninvolvedinteaching Photographyforover20yearsandbecameafull timeprofessionalphotographerin2016.He providestraininginphotography,digitalpost processingandprintingtogroupsandindividuals intheUKandabroad.

Adrianlovestomakedark,highcontrast Black&Whiteimageswithmoodyskies. TheruggedNorthDevoncoastisthe perfectsubjectforAdriantoexperiment andexploreusingthemediumsof photographyandprinting.

Website: www.abeasley.org

Facebook- adrianbeasleyimaging Instagram– adrianbeasleyimaging, adesculpture,north_devon_coast

PaulMitchellFRPS

SpiritofLight

Apinholespecificillustratedtalkexplainingthe basicprinciplesofpinholephotographyand whyPaulstillusesone.Thetalkculminatesin theplanningandexecutionofhissuccessful Fellowshippanel,thefirstpersontoachievethis accoladewithpinholephotography.

BorninEastYorkshire,Paul’sinterestin photographystartedinhisteenswithasimple 35mmrangefindercamera,gainingamore formaleducationinphotographywhilst studyingGraphicDesignatArtCollege.His subsequentcareerinGraphicDesignhaslastedsome40yearsbutnever completelylosttouchwithphotography.Overthelasttwodecadeshis photographyhasgainedmomentum andnowdevotesmostofhistime lecturingandrunningphotography workshops.

Paulhashadnumerousexhibitionsin theUKandhashadarticlesandimages publishedinmanyphotography magazines.HeisaFellowoftheRoyal PhotographicSociety,thecurrentChair oftheVisualArtPanelandalsositson theLandscapePanel.

www.paulmitchellphotography.co.uk

RPSDISTINCTIONS

Arecentchangeforprojectedimageassessmentsandone2ones

Themaximumpixelsizeis3840(w)×2160(h),comparedto4096×2400 previously.Youarerecommendednottogobelow1920×1080,althoughthisis notarequirement.Ifyou’vealreadysubmittedimagesattheoldsize,theywill beacceptedfortherestoftheyear,oryoucansendresizedsubstitutesvia WeTransfer.Enquiriesto andy@rps.org.(Allthesesizesaredependentonthe aspectratioofyourimage;e.g.2160×2160forsquares,or1215×2160fora portraitimageatthesameratio.)

Youcan watchatalk explaininghowtoprepareyourimagesonYouTube. Thenewmemberwebsiteisslowlycomingtogether.

Visit https://portal.rps.org toseewhat’sonoffer–thisisverymuchaworkin progressandyourprofile-specificinformationandupcomingeventswillbe addedgraduallyoverthecomingmonths.Ifyouoverlookedthememberemail inlateJuly,you’llneedtofindit(subjectis“AnUpdateforMembers:YourNew RPSMembersPortal”)soyoucanregisteranewlogintoseethecontent.

Atthetimeofwriting,mostdistinctionsarenowbookabledirectly,sokeepan eyeonRPSemailsandtheFacebookgroup(seebelow)forannouncementsof howtobook.However,afteryou’veloggedin, EventListing(rps.org) isagood placetostart–therearefiltercheckboxestonarrowdownyoursearch.

AlltheassessmentdatesupuntiltheendofJuly2023arenowonthewebsite. Youcansendyourbookingformsto distinctions@rps.org orbyposttohead office.

Findoutmore: Eachofthepagesbelowincludeshandylinkstoguidelines andgenresfordistinctions,anda“howtoapply”document:thesearemostly linksontheoriginalwebsite,bytheway.

Licentiate(LRPS)

Associate(ARPS)

Fellowship(FRPS)

ThePhotobookgenre,availableforalldistinctions,hasitsownspecialguidelines andsubmissionprocess(asopposedtoanLRPS,ARPSorFRPSsubmissionin bookform).Youcanfindoutmorehere: Photobooks Youmightalsoliketoseea talk hostedbyStewartWallwhichisbothinformativeandinspiring.

Tohelpyouprepare,youcanrequesta1:1portfolioreview–anonlinesession withapanelmember appropriate toyourgenre/distinction.Seethispagefor moreinformation: Howtobookaone2one(rps.org)

Therehasalsobeensomeconfusionovertheprocessforthis–someonefrom HQwillfindyouanadvisorandputyoubothintouchtoarrangeadateand sendimages/presentationplan.Thiscantakeaweekortwo,andyouare advisedtomakeyourrequestatleast4monthsbeforeanassessment.

SomeregionsareofferingAdvisoryDaysinpersonandonline.Usethislink https://portal.rps.org/s/event-listing andtickthe1:1oradvisoryfilteras appropriate.Youcangenerallyattendasanobserverifyouaren’treadytostep upyet.Inaddition,someChaptersandRegionsofferonlineDistinctionsStudy Groups.Youcanalsofindtheseby searchingtheRPSwebsite

Anddon’tforget,aswellasprojectedandprintedimages,youcanalsoapplyfor aFilm,DigitalandMultimediaDistinctionatanylevel,andalsoawritten ResearchDistinction: Film And Research.

IfyoumissedanyoftheexcellentDistinctionsLivetalks,youcan catchup here. (Alsoaccessibleviathe RPSDistinctionschannel onYouTube.)

TheFacebookGroup RPSDistinctions**OfficialGroup** hasover4200 members,andincludespostscelebratingdistinctionsuccessestoinspireyou.It’s acivilisedvenuetoaskquestions,shareyoursuccesses–anddisappointments–andaskforcritiqueorexpert adviceonyourproposed portfolio.Ifyouaren’tsure whichgenreorleveltoapply for,youcanpost6images (plusyourStatementof Intentifappropriate)and requestmoderatoradvice.

Accolade,whichcelebrates DigitalImagingmembers’ Distinctionssuccesses,is usefulforinsightintothe processinmanydifferent genresandatalllevels.

Issue11ofAccolade is availableonIssuu

Thislink takesyoutoview allpastcopiesofAccolade

ClickingonanyoftheseadswilltakeyoutotheRPSEventspagewhereyoucan findmoreinformationabouteventsfromotherSpecialInterestGroups(SIGs):

DIGITALIMAGINGEVENTS&LISTINGS

ShownbelowaretheDigitalImagingTalksplannedforthestartof2023. Therearemoreeventsinthepipelineandyoucansignuptoreceiveourevents listingemailat bit.ly/RPSDIEvents.

Andifyou’dliketolendahand,weneedvolunteerstohelpwithZoomevents, socontactJocelynEdwards(digsecretary@rps.org)togetinvolved.

Pleasecheckthatyouhaven’talreadyregisteredbeforeyoubooksoastoavoid duplicatebookings.

Clickonanyoftheseadstovisittheeventpage:

DIGITALIMAGINGWEBSITE

TheDigitalImagingwebsitehasbeenre-organisedandredesignedto accommodateourgrowingneeds.Thisiswhy,ifyouhavebookmarkedparticular pages,theymayhaverecentlydisappeared,soyouwillneedtoreinstatethem.

Wehopethatthereorganisedwebpageswillassistyouinfindingallthe informationyoumightneedinthefuture,allaboutourgroupandwhatis happeningandwhen.

Theinteractiveimagesbelowreplicatethoseonthewebsite,simplyclickthe imagetoopenthelink.

Themembers-onlylinkfortheDIGITArchive,istobefoundintheemail messageannouncingthisnewsletter.

TheRPSDigitalImagingconstitutioncanbedownloaded HERE.

Foreveryone’sconvenience,weincludealistofshortcutstothemainDigital ImagingpagesattheendofeachBroadcast.

YoucansubscribetoouremailMailingListsheretohearnewannouncements: Garden&PlantPhotography Workshops Events

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