RPS DI ONLINE February 2024

DI ONLINE FEBRUARY 2024

2 | COVER IMAGE

COVER IMAGE About the cover image Lines and Tiles Taken at a beach resort in Goa, India. The steps to the pool were partly underwater and in the sunlight reflected the small tiles framed by the black markers to indicate the steps.

1/1800 at f4.5 at ISO 200. Taken on a Fuji X Pro1 using the 10~24mm Fuji lens.

Photographer Bio Retired company executive with a passion for Travel, landscape and portraits.

A dedicated Nikon user from the early 70s. Now gone mirrorless with two fuji XE3 bodies and four lenses. Still shoot film, mainly FP4 and HP5 on my Rolleflex and Hasselblad 500 CM systems.

Long time exhibitor several awards and considerable published work in print and on the web. Also interested in Alternative techniques of Cyanotypes, Bromoil, Van Dyke etc. using large format internegatives.

Ashok Viswanathan Chennai, India www.pbase.com/chubbix

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Editor: Melanie Chalk ARPS dignews@rps.org Typesetter: Mark Stothard MA ARPS dionline@rps.org

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CONTENTS Cover Image About cover image ................................................ 2 Contents ................................................................ 3 Chair’s Chat ........................................................... 4 Digital Image Comp .............................................. 6 AGM....................................................................... 12 DI Print Portfolio..................................................... 16 The Hemsted Forest............................................... 17 International........................................................... 24 DI Member............................................................. 30 AI Snapchat............................................................. 34 DI Workshops.......................................................... 38 Distinctions.............................................................. 40 Region Events......................................................... 42 DI Workshops.......................................................... 43 Editors Words......................................................... 44 DI Website ............................................................. 45

February 2024

4 | CHAIR’S CHAT

CHAIR’S CHAT Janet Haines ARPS You also need to be registered to get the Zoom link for the meeting. It you don’t do that it causes you and Melanie more work. So please register.

TALK-WALK-TALK has seen bumper bookings this time for Architecture and the Built Environment.

There are a few walks still open for bookings.

If you have missed out this time and want to be sure to join the TWT Woodlands programme in the autumn then might you consider being a walk leader? You don’t need to be an expert on the topic, just willing to organise up to 10 people somewhere at a location near you. If you want to lead then do contact digmem@rps.org and Jean will add you to our list.

Things are going well – snowdrops are out and here in Torquay we even have the early daffodils in bloom. The promise of spring; I like this feeling.

DI also has a spring in its step. The team have worked so hard and members seem to be engaging with what is on offer.

Workshops: Melanie tells me that the workshops are filling up really quickly. The benefit of being registered on our Billetto workshop booking system is that when a new workshop goes up online you automatically get a notification, so you can get in quickly before it is sold out.

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Books & Zines: WOW this programme has proven to be a huge success if the numbers registering is anything to go on. This project has been designed to be both inspirational but modular, so that you can pick up the sessions that work for you. For DI members it is heavily subsidised so a great way to get more value from your annual membership.

There are still a few days left to book if you haven’t already done so https://rps.org/groups/digitalimaging/books-zines-project-2024/ Digital Imaging Competition: We are now about half way through with submissions coming in for the Round 3 ‘People’ theme and Round d 4 ‘Scapes’ having been announced on 1st Feb. If you haven’t shot any people then go out today and find yourselves some great characters or people based activity and get shooting. You have till 28 Feb to post your 3 images. With ‘Scapes’ be as imaginative as you wish. Think outside the box of the more conventional land/sea/city/body scapes and see what you can come up with.

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Digital Imaging Competition: We are now about half way through with submissions coming in for the Round 3 ‘People’ theme and Round d 4 ‘Scapes’ having been announced on 1st Feb. If you haven’t shot any people then go out today and find yourselves some great characters or people based activity and get shooting. You have till 28 Feb to post your 3 images. With ‘Scapes’ be as imaginative as you wish. Think outside the box of the more conventional land/sea/city/body scapes and see what you can come up with.

DIGIT 100: Oh I’m so excited about this issue. We have some really interesting articles coming in and are working with the printers to make it ‘special’. If you are a DI Online member who normally reads our publication online we are making an exception for DIGIT 100, so if you are keen to receive a ‘keep sake’ printed copy then please register at https://bit.ly/RPS-DIO-DIGIT This is ONLY relevant to online members as full DIG members get a copy automatically.

What’s blossoming? By the time the daffodils are in full bloom everywhere we will be announcing a super ‘Planets & Garden Photography’ programme. This will be a 10 month programme leading towards the RHS Annual competition. Another modular programme, so you can pick ‘n mix whatever suits you. My guess is it is going to be another popular project, so once announced places will go really quickly; don’t miss out by hanging around.

That’s it for the February round up – but we are already working on March so keep reading your emails.

Regards Janet Haines ARPS DI Chair digchair@rps.org February 2024

6 | DI COMPETITION 2ND ROUND

DIGITAL IMAGE COMPETITION Curling Wave by Jayne Sanderson - 15 votes I was delighted, and surprised to have to won the “Water” themed competition. What a nice start to the New Year.

I love taking photographs of water, and spend a lot of time walking along the banks of the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey at all times of the year. The constant changes of the movement and reflections in the water are a perpetual source of intrigue and fascination. My “Curling Wave” image was taken soon after heavy rain and the river was in spate. I was drawn to the detail of the curl with the sun reflecting on the water. I wanted to catch the movement of the water, so in Manual mode I set my Canon EOS 5D Mkiv camera to ISO 50, an f stop of 18 gave me a 1/3 sec shutter speed, just enough time for the water to move but still retain some detail in the wave. My zoom lens was set at 140mm to enable me to exclude too much distracting background. I spent some time trying different settings but decided that these were giving me the results I was looking for.

I rarely take a tripod with me, so I was pleased to have been able to keep the camera steady during the exposure time. I liked that the flow of the water has created a playful looking image and the golden reflection of the sun has added more detail.

Luckily I didn’t have too much post processing to do other than basic editing, remove a couple of sensor spots and crop to a square format.

Jayne Sanderson

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ROUND 2 WINNING IMAGE

© Jayne Sanderson

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8 | DI COMPETITION 2ND ROUND

DI COMPETITION EQUAL SECOND PLACE

© Water Wall by John Scott

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These images all scored 8 votes

Storm Wave by David Balcombe ARPS

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10 | DI COMPETITION 2ND ROUND

© Calm Water by Peter Stickler ARPS

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DIGITAL IMAGING COMPETITION 2024 With the winners of Round 1 ‘Flora & Fauna’ and Round 2 ‘Water’ now announced the Round 6 final is beginning to fill up. Remember you do not need to enter every round to be in the final.

The top 5 from each round go into the final round 6.

Round 3 ‘People’ is open for entries – closes 28 February. Go HERE to submit.

This should be a relatively easy one for even more of us to enter. You can take crowds of people, individuals doing things, portraits, baby shots, action sport, street people, costumed people, even a selfie. Don’t forget they need to have been taken within the last 6 months but given we are around people every day, even if it is only ourself, that should make this round easy to achieve.

Round 4 ‘Scapes’ was announced on 1st February.

Same rules as previous rounds – images should have been taken in the last 6 months, but nothing stopping you shooting in the next few weeks as submissions open on 1 April and don’t close till 30 April.

Be as creative as you like; think ‘scapes’ in the broadest of terms. Whether mono, colour, ICM, multi exposure, montage, whatever - every technique is acceptable.

Having difficulty? Then contact the competition secretary on digcompsec@rps.org February 2024

12 | AGM 2024

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2024

AGM 25th February 2024 – 10.00 to 16.00 via Zoom webinar We are holding an all-day online event to ensure as many members as possible can benefit from the great programme we have organised for you.

Session 1 (10.00 to 11.30) is DI members only.

Book HERE Session 2 (12.00 to 16.00) everyone is welcome. Book HERE

AGENDA 10.00 – 10.45 10.45 – 11.00 11.00 – 11.30

DI AGM Break Print Portfolio Awards*

Session 1 ends 12.00 – 13.00 Nicholas Vreeland* 13.00 – 14.00 lunch 14.00 – 14.45 Fun with AI* 14.45 – 15.00 Break 15.00 – 16.00 Brooke Shaden* 16.00 Close Session 2 ends *Denotes sessions that will be recorded.

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Session 1 DI Annual General Meeting Chair and Treasurer reports for 2023. Accepting the report and accounts. Voting for your new committee. This is your chance to question your committee in the Q&A section.

The business of the AGM is Session 1 for DI members only.

Members will receive the Chair and Treasurer reports which can be viewed and downloaded HERE. You may submit any questions you may have in advance by emailing digchair@rps.org There will also be an opportunity to ask question via messaging during the AGM. We are happy to answer any question you may wish to raise, as Digital Imaging is run for the members, by the volunteer members.

The DI reports are a review and statement on the year 2023 January to December to align with the RPS year. The Chair will also give a brief overview of the vision for 2024. You will be asked to confirm the appointments of your committee. We would not expect the AGM business session to last longer than 45 minutes but hope that you will join us.

Following the AGM business we will enjoy a session looking at the short-listed DI Print Portfolio images; hearing from the three selectors and announcing the 30 images and photographers whose work will be printed in the DI Print Portfolio 2024.

Both sessions will be recorded and links sent to those who register. Please don’t forget to register HERE.

Session 2 At 12.00 we have Nicholas Vreeland – ‘Monk with a camera in his bag’.

Nicholas Vreeland is the Abbot of Rato Dratsang, one of a few important Tibetan Government monasteries under the patronage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Vreeland is also Director of The Tibet Center, the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Center in New York City. He is a Buddhist monk and holds a Geshe degree, the equivalent of a PhD.

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14 | AGM 2024

AGM Session 2 Hear his story and see his photos. We are beaming him in from which ever part of the world he is in on our date.

Nicholas will speak about how being a monk influences his photography. He will address the importance of working toward creating an image rather than capturing what is before him, and will try to share how the Buddhist view of emptiness and dependent arising help him accomplish this.

Read more about the man in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Vreeland There will be a Q&A session at the end of this talk.

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Fun with AI – we have had a few traditional images sent to Simon Newlyn and he has challenged AI image generating software to recreate them for us to see traditional v AI generated. Each photographer has submitted text with their image which is Simon’s starting point when he works with the AI illustration generators.

This session will be hosted by Joe Houghton as he talks to both Simon and the original author about their work.

This presentation will be recorded.

Brooke Shaden - American photographer who uses herself as her model in the various series she creates.

Brooke will show us how to create art that is both personally meaningful, but also resonates with a larger audience. https://brookeshaden.com/gallery/ There will be a Q&A session at the end of Brooke’s talk.

Individual sessions will be recorded but only those people who register will get the link(s) to view in their own time.

Session 1 DI Members only Session 2 free and open to all

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register HERE register HERE February 2024

16 | PRINT PORTFOLIO

PRINT PORTFOLIO

Entries are now closed and the work of the admin team and selectors begins.

Selections will be held at RPS House on 12 February when our three selectors will choose first the best from the 3 prints individual members have submitted. These go forward to the next round, which they will whittle down to 50 images. The final round produces the 30 prints that will go into the DI Print Portfolio 2024 At Session 1 of the AGM we will see the top 50 images and the final 30 winners, with our selectors giving us their thoughts and comments about the prints and choosing the winners.

You have to be at the AGM to know the results. So book your Session 1 ticket HERE

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RAY BRIDGES LRPS THE HEMSTED FOREST Seven Years and Counting

by Ray Bridges LRPS CPAGB ADPS BPE4* AFIAP I am fortunate to live in the rural town of Tenterden in Kent and within a few minutes drive of the wonders of the countryside. I was introduced to photography at an early age by my Grandfather and introduced to club photography in my early twenties. Forty five years have passed since I joined Maidstone Camera Club. In addition I am a founder member of Tenterden Camera Club and an Associate of the Disabled Photographers Society. I very much enjoy club life and have been fortunate in achieving many exhibition and competition successes over the years and making many friends. I was a KCPA Premier Judge and Lecturer for many years and enjoyed many years serving on various committees.

I think most photographers have a place that they can turn to locally if they have an hour or so to spare without having to travel too far from home. It took me some fourteen years to discover the Hemsted Forest. I had passed the forest entrances on my way to other places without giving it a second thought. Back then I just thought it was a plantation of conifers that would hold little inspiration for the photographer. This all changed in the late autumn of 2016. It was a misty, frosty morning and I had a hour or two to spare. I decided to take the fifteen minute car journey to the forest to attempt to make some meaningful images. This short trip has become a long journey and a long term, almost accidental project.

I have photographed the forest in all of its various guises and in all seasons. But my favourite times are the conditions I enjoyed on the day of my first encounter with it. Sometimes you just have to embrace the chaos that the forest gives you. On other times it is fun to try and make some order from the chaos. I encounter dog walkers, joggers, horse riders, mountain bikers and others, like me, who enjoy the solitude. I am somewhat restricted by mobility issues to the tracks that will take my mobility scooter, but this helps to concentrate the mind. So generally I just don’t let these physical restrictions interfere with my creativity and enjoyment.

You could say that the Hemsted Forest is my haven, my local happy place to be. But, above all it is my inspiration on days when I need a lift in my spirits and a place that I can return to, time and again and come home with something different, or sometimes, nothing at all, except the joy of being out in nature.

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February 2024

24 | INTERNATIONALS

INTERNATIONALS Interview with Gigi and Robin Williams of the Australian Chapter Gigi Williams spent her career as a medical photographer, and then Director of Educational Resources, at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. She achieved Associateship and Fellowship of the RPS in 1991.

Robin Williams was a medical photographer, then Director of Medical Illustration and Teaching Services in London before becoming Professor of Photography and Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and Communication at RMIT in Melbourne. He achieved Associateship and Fellowship of the RPS in 1976.

Describe your experiences as a husband and wife team of RPS Fellows?

Gigi: After we retired from professional practice we returned to our love of taking photographs purely for pleasure and started our journey into landscape photography. It is truly wonderful to go on an adventure with someone who understands photography and what it means to take a photograph in the landscape. Early starts and a great deal of patience, all in the name of getting the best interpretation you can; something not usually understood by married couples! Usually one is in the car saying ‘how long does it take to get a photograph?’

Robin: It’s fantastic having a shared interest. There’s nothing better than being out in the landscape, often alone, in some long-dreamed of location, standing next to the one you love, doing the thing you love. We are as passionate about our photography as we are about each other!

And yes, if you didn’t take the image using a camera, but created it using a text prompt then your image shouldn’t be in a competition against “real” photographs. Clearly we need new categories in our competition line-ups for AI images.

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INTERNATIONALS | 25 Do you compete; do you collaborate?

Robin: Both all the time. Occasionally we work together on truly collaborative projects – just one camera, often in the studio – where it would be impossible to say who created the image. Probably the best example of this would be our project called “Photo-synthetic” which is a collaborative body of work in four parts that explores notions of creation, and therefore creativity. Mostly we work independently, but often at the same location.

We are quite competitive in wanting to achieve the best photograph from any one assignment, but also very supportive of each other. In the field we will often remind each other about important techniques – both compositional and technical. We are often asked “Who’s the best photographer out of the two of you” – we always point at each other!

Gigi: The first thing to say is that we are hugely supportive of each other and we totally respect each others’ work. But that doesn’t stop us from returning from a shoot in the landscape and seeing who got ‘pic of the day’! Having travelled extensively for the last ten years we now are more inclined to ensure that someone has ‘got the shot’ – it doesn’t really matter who – because we very much work as a team. When we are in the landscape we might be at the same location, but we are both taking photographs individually and seeing with different eyes. Robin has already mentioned collaborative projects like “Photo-Synthetic” but there are many others where we work completely independently; for example, my infra-red work, “In a Different Light” and my Mindfulness work, “Impressions of Tuscany”; and Robin’s “Flights of Beauty….Flights of Sorrow” project, or his monochrome “On the Edge” project.

Do you have different distinctive styles?

Robin: I’m not sure I really have a style; I know it’s something that’s talked a lot about these days and every amateur photographer wants to develop a style in order to be famous. There are certainly many very famous photographers that have a clearly recognisable style: Martin Parr, Cecil Beaton, Diane Arbus, Walker Evans, Salgado, the list goes on; but for medical, scientific, forensic and police photographers, style is absolutely forbidden. The only thing that is permitted is a true and accurate record – without any hint of the photographer’s personality or agenda. Having trained and spent decades practicing in the field of evidentiary photography I find it incredibly difficult now that I work in creative photography to build a personal style.

Gigi: Our background in scientific photography is both an impediment and an enabler to our contemporary work: it really is a transition from standardisation to imagination. Whilst Robin and I see many of the same things, we often see things very differently and I have come to realise this is very much based on our personalities. Robin is a big picture strategist and he sees the complete view – hence his love for a wide-angle view. I on the other hand are much more comfortable with the details and I like to zoom in on the intimate landscape.

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26 | INTERNATIONALS AI image created to illustrate this article. Query: Create me a 1920x1080 pixel, photorealistic image of a photographer sitting at a computer creating an AI image for a camera club competition.

A modern looking mirrorless camera should be on the desk and the image should have a shallow depth of field and be toned to look like a film set.

What do each of you bring to the party from your different backgrounds that makes each stronger?

Gigi: Robin has been and still is my mentor. He is absolutely the master technically. I could never have gone into the Costa Rican jungle with the high-speed humming bird set-up and achieved those incredible results. He loves his different cameras, lenses, etc., and he loves using his tripod. I am not as concerned about the number on my camera. I just need something reliable and light so I can think more about the image. I hate using the tripod and will always ditch it just as soon as I can.

Robin: We both have essentially the same background – professional photographers working in medicine, both running large and internationally recognized departments encompassing all media not just photography; so in many ways we are particularly myopic! We both strive to overcome the legacy of evidentiary photography. Where I think we differ is more about us as individuals; I’m a ‘bloke’ so I’m over interested in equipment, happy to carry a tripod and a bag full of gear. Gigi is much more about the narrative, she’s often my inspiration, sometimes my critic.

How has your RPS membership(s) influenced your current work?

Gigi: We love being part of the RPS community and very much enjoy sharing our images and knowledge through F2F and on-line presentations. There’s no doubt that having access to all the resources of the RPS special interest groups, especially the digital and landscape groups is absolutely invaluable as we travel our photographic journey. There is nothing more informative, or inspiring, than looking at great work.

© Robin Williams FRPS DI Online

INTERNATIONALS | 27 Robin: I’ve been a part of the RPS community now for fifty years. I used to love going to meetings and exhibitions at Princes Gate, South Audley Street and then The Octagon. When I moved to Australia I felt the ‘Tyranny of Distance’ acutely, but since Covid and the up-take of on-line technologies I again feel part of ‘The Royal.’ It’s terrific to be a part of a community of peers who all love their photography. Congratulations to the International working party for making all this happen.

© Gigi Williams FRPS To see more of Gigi and Robin’s images visit their website at: www.robinwilliamsphotography.com February 2024

© Gigi Williams FRPS

28 | INTERNATIONALS

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© Gigi Williams FRPS

© Robin Williams FRPS

© Robin Williams FRPS

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30 | DI MEMBER

CLIFF HARVEY Why Not Consider a Project..?!

As we become seasoned photographers, we can all be forgiven for getting a bit bored, losing enthusiasm, feeling like our work is just the same old, same old. It happens to all of us. But I’ve found the solution to getting rid of that feeling; a proper photo project!

A ‘project’ can be anything; from as small as a triptych panel of related images, to a decade or longer search for the true meaning of a particular subject or culture. Mine started as a small project which I felt would take just a few weeks to complete, but instead morphed into a 2+ year long journey which resulted in two exhibitions and a proper 160 page book! The project actually changed my life and put me on a path toward different but related journeys.

My enthusiasm has improved exponentially, and my curiosity about the different cultures in England is now off the scales! Let me take you through the process!

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I became acquainted with the Nritham Dance Academy by attending local community presentations of their techniques, and noticing their colourful costumes and overall demeanor and dedication. I introduced myself to the director of the academy and explained the project I had in mind; simply following the growth of her students as they worked through the early years of their lives. She was supportive of my efforts, and when I was introduced to the parents of the students, they too were excited and supported my efforts. Thus began a journey that developed a life of its own.

My project became a photographic record of the extraordinary dedication shown by British born children and young adults of Asian descent - embracing classical Indian storytelling through dance - while these same students were growing up in a completely different, western culture. I discovered that for these young people, it’s a journey through life guided by this art, while simultaneously growing up in a completely different daily culture. As it turned out, this effort has been an integral part of them becoming exceptional

human beings.

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to get the students used to my being around and making photographs as they practiced and related to each other, I attended every Sunday morning practice session for about two years.

Within a months time, their curiosity about me disappeared and they returned to concentrate on their practice, all but ignoring me. I would print many of the keepers during the following week and present them to the students and their parents, which made them happy and proud, as well as setting their minds at ease about what I was actually doing. Over that two year period I developed friendships with the students and their parents, which made my work that much easier and a pleasant experience for all concerned.

Two local, community-wide exhibitions of my finished work were a success, and by that time it seemed a no-brainer to turn it all into a book to share with people interested in the art form and to generally spread the word. I watched several videos by Joe Houghton, which explained how he had published his projects through the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing route, and took the same route. To a beginner like me, the process started out feeling daunting, but I quickly got the hang of it, and the resulting book has been a great success.

If you’re interested in seeing how it turned out, you can purchase a copy by searching the Amazon book section for “Growing Up and Thriving in Two Very Different Cultures”.

As stated earlier, my enthusiasm for photography had wained, so I went looking for inspiration and found this avenue for success. It was a life-changing event, and I’m already onto my next project! Stay tuned!

Cliff Harvey

32 | DI MEMBER

CLIFF HARVEY Why Not Consider a Project..?!

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February 2024

34 | AI SNAPCHAT

AI SNAPCHAT Awards, Answers & Artificial or Real Awards, Answers & Artificial or Real?

In case you missed it….

Dictionary publisher Collins nominated ‘AI’ as the Collins’ 2023 Word of the Year.

According to the publishers “Language Lovers blog” Collins state: ’The revolutionary AI-powered language model burst into the public consciousness in late 2022, wowing us with its ability to mimic natural human speech. While people were understandably fascinated, they also started to get a bit anxious. If computers were suddenly experts in that most human of domains, language, what next? Cue an explosion of debate, scrutiny, and prediction, and more than enough justification for Collins’ 2023 Word of the Year: AI. Collins defines artificial intelligence, for which AI is the now-familiar abbreviation, as “the modelling of human mental functions by computer programs”. This rather captures the profound nature of challenge facing us. Can machines really become human-like? And how will that pan out for our species? ….to answer those questions…

AI SNAPCHAT | 35 If you would like to discover ( in a digestible format ) more about AI ( and not just text to image generation ) then can I recommend you watch three programmes broadcast from the Royal Institution, as part of the Royal Institution Christmas 2023 lectures, covering the truth about Artificial Intelligence.

The programmes are presented by Professor Mike Wooldridge an academic and author specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

He is professor of AI at the University of Oxford, where he served as Head of Department of Computer Science from 2014 to 2021; he is also Director for AI at The Alan Turing Institute in London. In 2020, he was awarded the Lovelace Medal from the British Computer Society and in 2021 the Outstanding Educator Award from the Association for the Advancement of AI (AAAI).

From 2014-16, he was President of the European Association for AI, and from 2015-17 he was President of the International Joint Conference on AI (IJCAI). He is currently Editor-in-Chief of Artificial Intelligence, the leading journal for AI, established more than 50 years ago and has been invited to give evidence on matters relating to AI to multiple government committees.

As an author, he has written nine books about AI. So, yes, you are correct the RI Christmas Lectures are aimed at children but don’t let that you put you off. Its a great way to discover more about AI and how it will be (is being) used across a range of applications and services.

To view all three programmes on BBC Iplayer go here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/ b00pmbqq/royal-institution-christmas-lectures and finally a chance to…

More games for children! Well, presented on the BBC Bitesize website is a monthly test-yourself competition to spot the difference between fake AI and real image /video. Try it. I defy any of you to get 100% right ! To view the test go here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zg2d6rd

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36 | AI SNAPCHAT

AI SNAPCHAT Mathew Lodge, RPS Trustee Should generative AI companies be able to use your photos without permission or payment? The AI company would be making money, but you would definitely not be paid or credited for your work when parts of it were reproduced in generated images.

I believe most RPS members would be at least uncomfortable with this, and professional photographers who earn their living from selling their work would likely be appalled. But this is not a thought experiment: it is the urging of OpenAI in written submissions to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee.

It’s an all-or-nothing argument: either they get to train on copyright images without restriction, or they can’t survive. As one wag on Twitter/X put it, this is a bit like a sandwich shop complaining that it can’t operate unless it gets sandwich ingredients for free – and have you seen the price of cheese?

My day job is CEO of a generative AI software company in Oxford called Diffblue (we make software that writes software), so I spend a lot of my time keeping up with the space. I’m also an RPS member and have served on the RPS Board of Trustees since 2022 and serve as Deputy Chair.

AI SNAPCHAT | 37 I’ve also been licensing my photos as stock images since 2003, but what’s going on in the world of generative AI has important implications for all RPS members, whether or not you license/sell your work. A key concept of British and European copyright law is that authors have moral rights, regardless of whether images are sold for monetary gain: 1. Right to attribution: to be identified as the author when the work is copied or communicated 2. Right to object to false attribution 3. Right to control the form of the work (AKA right to integrity, and to object to derogatory treatment) Generative AI is trampling all over (1) and (3).

AI image generation requires that the underlying machine learning model be trained on many millions of images – the more the better. The most common algorithm in use today for image generative AI is called “diffusion”, which assembles a generated image piece-by-piece from labelled fragments that it has learned during training. This is what leads to violation of copyright and the first moral right (identification).

To understand just how vital training images are, consider “The one banana problem”: the Midjourney image generator (circa June 2023) was incapable of generating an image containing a single banana when prompted to do so. Even today, if I prompt Midjourney with “a chimp with a banana” I get three (somewhat surreal) images of chimps with multiple bananas, or yellow things meant to be bananas, and one image of what appears to be a yellow orange: If you only train Midjourney on images containing bunches of bananas, you can never generate just one banana. That’s how important the training data is to the model’s performance -- and therefore monetary value to its owner.

The second problem with many of today’s Generative AI algorithms is their casual plagiarism. They will represent original work as a new generative image without any attribution, even when the generated image is substantially similar to the original(s).

This is easy enough to demonstrate: here’s what I get when I prompt Midjourney for “Italian plumber brother”: Somewhat surreal as before, but also plainly Nintendo’s Mario videogame character – with zero attribution. The machine learning model was trained on images of Mario and quickly plagiarises them even though the prompt doesn’t mention Mario or Nintendo.

You may wonder why no-one has sued given this is the case, which brings me to the New York Times lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, filed on 27 December 2023.

The Times lawsuit alleges copyright violation of its archive of articles on a vast scale. The court documents demonstrate without doubt that GPT-4 has been trained on the NY Times archives by showing that it can plagiarise (without attribution) large chunks of NY Times article content with simple ChatGPT prompts. This is two separate violations: the unsanctioned copying when the model was trained, and then the copying when the GPT-4 model regurgitates verbatim NY Times articles.

It’s not clear where this is going, but now is the time for photographers to make their views known.

Its likely the NY Times lawsuit will result in a licensing deal which will set a precedent but won’t directly impact any other authors. The NY Times data is simply too valuable for training, and it will be able to cut a deal because it has a powerful organisation behind it.

February 2024

38 | FUTURE EVENTS

FUTURE EVENTS THAMES VALLEY REGION

Freeman Patterson is a Canadian Photographer and is presenting a talk for DI on Saturday March 9 at 4 pm, entitled ‘Art and Craft’ The talk is about an aspect of image-making that many photographers never consider. Freeman recounts that “Art is conceived in our Unconscious – in our dreams, our imagination, and our passions. We use craft to give it visible form, to deliver it. That’s what “how to do it” questions are all about. However, although learning craft (photographic tools and techniques and visual design) is important, contemplating “why I do it” is fundamental” Book HERE

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NEW WORKSHOPS

DI Online

40 | DISTINCTIONS

DISTINCTIONS Find out how to start – or continue – your Distinctions journey

Each of the pages below includes handy links to guidelines and genres for distinctions, assessment dates, and a “how to apply” document: • • •

Licentiate (LRPS) – the process for LRPS is changing – see below for more details.

Associate (ARPS) Fellowship (FRPS)

Changes from 1st February 2024: Applied and Portraiture genres will be merged into Applied for ARPS and FRPS. Book submissions (not photobooks) are in the process of changing, so make sure you include the correct number of images as specified. No way of identifying the author may be included in these books.

Changes to LRPS: The LRPS application process will be changed in 2024, to make the process easier to use for both applicants and panel members, quicker and more affordable for applicants. The RPS is developing an online application system to replace the current manual one, which is too labour-intensive to cope with any increase in number of applicants.

Whilst this means that print submissions will not be possible after April 2024, it’s hoped that the new process will provide feedback for all applicants, better support international members and the panel members, and reduce the number of assessment sessions that have to be cancelled or postponed for various reasons.

Workshops and talks to support would-be licentiates will be developed in tandem, for example addressing issues that commonly result in unsuccessful submissions.

ARPS and FRPS submissions will continue to support print-based assessments.

The Photobook genre, available for all distinctions, has its own special guidelines and submission process (as opposed to an LRPS, ARPS or FRPS submission in book form). You can find out more here: Photobooks. You might also like to see a talk hosted by Stewart Wall which is both informative and inspiring.

DI Online

DISTINCTIONS | 41 In-person introductory presentations for LRPS, ARPS and FRPS at HQ were successful and online versions are being planned in the next few months – watch out for announcements on the Facebook group (see below).

To help you prepare, you can request a one2one portfolio review – an online session with a panel member appropriate to your genre/distinction. See this page for more information: How to book a one2one.

There has been some confusion over what happens next – someone from HQ will find you an advisor and put you both in touch to arrange a date and to send images/ presentation plan. This can take time depending on how many volunteer assessors in your genre or at your level are available, and you are advised to make your request at least 4 months before an assessment.

Some regions are offering Advisory Days online and in person. Look out on our Facebook group (see below) or for broadcasts from your regional group for details, or use this link https://portal.rps. org/s/event-listing and click the ‘Advisory Day’ button at the top – best to disregard the filters at the left hand side which often seem to find nothing or hide some events! You can generally attend as an observer if you aren’t ready to step up yet (usually advertised a week beforehand on the Facebook group). In addition, some Chapters and Regions offer online Distinctions Study Groups.

You can find these by searching the RPS website (these are in random date order including past dates, so you do need to be patient).

Assessment dates for 2024 are on the website (apply from 3rd January), and the last print assessments for LRPS are 14/15th Feb, 12/13th and 26/27th March – to ensure anyone who would like to submit a print application for the Licentiate can do so before the final cut-off date for Licentiate print applications.

You can send your booking forms to distinctions@rps.org or by post to head office. As for advisory days, you can sign up to observe an Assessment Day (in person or online) tickets for assessments – currently free. And don’t forget, as well as projected and printed images, you can also apply for a Film, Digital and Multimedia Distinction at any level, and also a written Research Distinction: Film And Research. The Research page on the website has been updated, and more changes are scheduled for other pages.

More avenues of support: If you missed any of the Distinctions Live talks, you can catch up here.

(Also accessible via the RPS Distinctions channel on YouTube.) This talk from Stewart Wall gives advice on how to gain your Licentiate. The Facebook Group RPS Distinctions **Official Group** is still growing after 3 years, with 4986 members. It includes news from HQ, links for observer places at assessments, and posts celebrating distinction successes to inspire you. It’s a civilized venue to ask questions, share your successes – and disappointments – and ask for critique or expert advice on your proposed portfolio.

If you aren’t sure which genre or level to apply for, you can post 6 images (plus your SOI if appropriate) and request moderator advice.

Accolade, which celebrates Digital Imaging members’ distinction successes, is useful for insight into the process in many different genres and at all levels. Issue 12 of Accolade is available on Issuu (back numbers also available).

February 2024

42 | REGION EVENTS

REGION EVENTS Western Region - Lightroom Support Group Lightroom and Lightroom Classic is an extremely popular photo management, enhancement, and publishing program fully integrated with Adobe Creative Cloud.

For the past 8 years, our host has been assisting other photographers in their workflow of working within Lightroom and Lightroom Classic, sprinkled with a little bit of Photoshop know-how.

Lightroom Monday is a live Zoom event to help you understand and develop your Lightroom and Lightroom Classic skills.

This volunteer-led event is held most Monday evening from 7 pm on Zoom and your welcome to join in as the Region’s guest.

Programme THEME : Classic – Library Module 22nd January – 25th March THEME : Lightroom – Working away from Classic and your Computer 15th April – 20th May THEME : Classic – Book Module 3rd June – 10th June THEME : Classic – Print Module 17th June – 24th June THEME : Classic – Map Module 1st July THEME : Classic – Working with 3rd party apps 8th July More details https://rps.org/regions/western/2024/events/ DI Online

DI WORKSHOPS | 43

WORKSHOPS WITH SPACES STILL AVAILABLE

February 2024

44 | EDITOR WORDS

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR’S CHAIR The ‘Chair’s Chat’ is a great read this month. Upbeat and exciting plans are listed and it’s very rewarding that many of you are engaging and getting involved in what’s on offer.

As well as the Editor, I am the DI Workshop Coordinator, it’s really good to see your interest in the workshops continues. I am preparing to launch some fresh presenters with new talks and workshops offering different subjects including some using Smartphones and Apps and processing on the IPad or similar tablet.

This enables processing on the move, all from the comfort of your comfy chair, how times change and technology moves at a frightening pace, and not just in AI. It’s a method of making Creative images that I personally explore and very much enjoy the results.

As the dark days of February slowly fade away, and the promise of spring lurks just around the corner, I hope lots of you can get out and capture the essence of Spring as the burgeoning shoots break though the soggy soil. Flowers, Plants and Garden Photography will be featuring in a future programme we are planning!

The IGPOTY Results have been published, I will write a comprehensive report for March and share the success of several RPS members including some DI members.

Melanie Editor dignews@rps.org

Crocus whispering To my hungry ears today Spring will be here soon.

DIGITAL IMAGING WEBSITE

THE INTERACTIVE IMAGES BELOW REPLICATE THOSE ON THE WEBSITE Simply click the images below to open the link to take you to the various pages.

Our YouTube Channel

DI Facebook

The members-only link for the DIGIT Archive, is to be found in the email message announcing this newsletter.

The RPS Digital Imaging constitution can be downloaded HERE For everyone’s convenience, we include a list of shortcuts to the main Digital Imaging pages at the end of each Broadcast.

You can subscribe to our email Mailing Lists here to hear new announcements: Garden & Plant Photography

Workshops

Events