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Cover photo
Camilla Rutaysire Gore
Views from the Benelux Chapter Organiser – eJournal Issue 9 Autumn 2025
We have a bumper issue for you to enjoy - Issue 9, Autumn Edition 2025.
Proudly we announce two new distinction holders in our Benelux Chapter, namely: Minke Groenewoud ARPS and Madeleine Lenagh FRPS. Congratulations to you both! Really well done. Both their submissions can be seen inside and are worth taking a really good look at. They worked hard and got their results! Who is next?!
Our Photography Workshop, Personal Stories led by Carla Kogelman will be on 21 September. You can still sign up for it by making your payment and sending an email, closing date is 1 September. (Info at Events) This is going to be a really good experience, so I hope many of you join in! We are also planning our ‘International Dinner’ on the Saturday 20 September. Let me know if you want to join us! So, think about coming a day early to have plenty of time to see all the hundreds of photos in the streets of Pelt.
A tip: do a guided walking tour on 20 September, sign up via the website: https://fotofestivalpelt.be/ nl/rondleidingen/ in the Dutch language page. The walk is five euros and starts at 1pm.
Furthermore, our participation in the Talk-Walk-Talk Parks and Gardens was a great success. See our photos inside!
The next T-W-T Inland Waters walk we do will be on Tuesday 30 September. Bookings to join this TWT will start on 25 August. (See Events) We will take a water bus from the Willemskade, near the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam and travel to Kinderdijk. This is going to be fun!
Thank you to our volunteers who work really hard for our Chapter, Katherine Maguire ARPS, our Editor and Webmaster and Sue Goldberg LRPS our English Editor. Your efforts are really appreciated! We still have space in our committee! If you want to help out with events planning or have further suggestions, drop an email! Our Treasurer Jeroen will be stepping down this year and our new Treasurer, Anne Oehlen is working her way in. So, our team is doing well together to make sure our Chapter continues to do its best for you, our members and our friends.
All article and photo contributions are also greatly appreciated! Keep them coming!
Enjoy the rest of summer and look forward to seeing you in our Zooms and Meetings and upcoming Events!
Carol Olerud FRPS Benelux Chapter Organiser
2025 Internationaal Fotofestival Pelt
RPS Benelux Chapter Benelux
Talk Walk Talk
Parks and Gardens Benelux
18
RPS Benelux Chapter
Talk Walk Talk Parks and Gardens Walk
Venice Beyond the Postcards
Artrid Preisz
68
A successful A panel Minke Groenewoud-ARPS
A successful Fellowship
88
Introducing our newest members
98
Photo Book
Madeleine Lenagh FRPS
Carwash
Jan Ros ARPS
Members’ Photos
Icelandic Horses
Ton van der Laan LRPS
Dark rooms of …
Don Giannatti
Fotofestival Pelt
“Lens op de Mens”
And the
Royal Photographic Society
Benelux Chapter
On Sunday 21st September the RPS Benelux Chapter will hold a workshop on personal stories in photography led by Carla Kogelman, a successful Dutch photographer recognised worldwide in her field. The workshop will be in location A-Blok POI 25.
Photo 01: “Lens op de Mens” festival flags
This is now the third time that we support this photo festival in Pelt, Belgium, held every two years. The main theme is always people. This year the sub theme is ‘Human Vulnerability’. We have held a photo challenge for our members on this theme where all participants have at least one photo selected to represent the Benelux Chapter in our Members’ Print Expo. We have POI 31 ‘Palethe Kerkhofmuur’ as our location where 25 photos are hanging for the entire photo festival from 08|06|2025 – 28|09|2025. It’s a beautiful location right next to the main building Palethe.
Photo 02: Route map on post at Palethe
Pelt has outdone itself again with a huge outdoor photo festival, 900+ photos can be seen in the streets and there are several inside locations as well. Both Amateurs and Professionals are welcome to submit their work, as well as invited guests, this gives the photo festival a truly wonderful selection of photos!
Photo 03: POI 31 with RPS Benelux Members’ Print Expo on old church wall
Jury members had to go through more than 1,600 photos. There were award winners in bronze, silver and gold in both amateur and professional fields. There were special awards and honourable mentions for the most creative, the young photographer award and the sub-theme award. All these photos are printed on large canvases and hang all around the streets. Award winners from 2023 also have a prominent place at POI 29.
Photo 04: Jury members’ photos at POI 14
The jury members have their photos at POI 14, where also our Benelux Chapter Organiser, Carol Olerud FRPS, has five photos. Carol has been one of the jury members for the last three photo festivals.
Photo 05: Post with info and photo by Carol Olerud FRPS, Benelux Chapter Organiser and jury member
We recommend anyone interested to go and see this photo festival; you will not be disappointed! Start at Palethe and pick up your festival magazine, full of information and a route map. For the full programme see:
https://fotofestivalpelt.be/en/programme-2025-2/
Photo 06: POI 31 Old Church Wall with our photos
Everyone is also welcome to join our workshop; please sign up by payment and by sending an email to beneluxnl@rps.org by 1st of September 2025.
Photo 07: some of the 900+ photos on posts around Pelt
There is also a possibility to go on a 2-hour guided walk; if you are interested in the tour on Saturday 20th of September, be sure to sign up for it via their website:
https://fotofestivalpelt.be/nl/rondleidingen/
Photo 08: Near the Church, photos everywhere
We are organising an ‘International Dinner’ for our members on Saturday 20th; please sign up for this by email to the organiser: beneluxnl@rps.org by 1st of September.
On a very warm spring day, a group of eight photographers from the RPS Benelux Chapter met up for our first Talk-Walk-Talk in the Utrecht University Botanic Gardens. The subject was Parks and Gardens and this location was perfect.
Photo 01: Sign of the Botanic Gardens with Map
We went on Wednesday 30th April and met up in the morning. We enjoyed a good cup of Dutch coffee before we headed out on our photographic paths. Some of us walked together and some of us just split up to do our own thing. Lunch was planned for at 1pm, where we were happy to sit and chat about what we had seen. Some of us called it a day as it was so warm! A few more stayed on to continue taking photos as the gardens are quite extensive.
Photo 02: Morning coffee group
The botanic gardens are lovely! Many exotic plants and flowers are here; it’s a university botanic garden. They also have several tropical glass houses with even more wonderful specimens to see. You can really enjoy your photography here, even macro photography; there is a beautiful butterfly enclosure as well!
Photo 03: Rock gardens in the Fort Hoofddijk area, central island
Each member took various photos and we had to narrow our choices down (difficult!) for our presentation in a Zoom session on May 20th. Everyone had five of their photos. We then selected our best ones; they have been published into the final eMagazine made by the joint Digital and Landscape groups as part of the overal T-W-T project. See:
It was a great day out, nice to meet with our members and we decided we would like to continue with the T-W-T programme.
The next one is about Inland Water, planned for in the Autumn. We will need to select our location. The walks will take place in October with discussions in November.
Photo 05: There was a huge wisteria hanging walk-through which attracted all visitors!
With The Netherlands being a very flat country full of water, we will no doubt find a suitable location! Kinderdijk springs to mind, suggestions for more places are welcome. The Biesbosch National Park could also be a fabulous spot.
Photo 06: The park is surrounded by water
Issue 9 Autumn 2025
Parks and Gardens Walk
The first talk will be from Vanda Ralevska on 29th September at 19:30 BST, so save the date.
But let’s first enjoy our photos from the Parks and Gardens walk!
Photo 09: A red bottle brush, another exotic flower
Photo 10: Sue enjoying lunch
Photo 12: Joaquim came up from Brussels
Photo 11: Katherine also enjoying lunch
Photo 13: Madeleine at lunch
Photo 14: Sue and Ton
Photo 16: Zoom session on 20th May.
Photo 15: Carol took a selfie
Talk Walk Talk
Parks and Gardens
photos by the participating members
Anne Oehlen
Oehlen
Anne
Anne Oehlen
Astrid Preisz
Astrid Preisz
Astrid Preisz
Carol Olerud FRPS
Carol Olerud FRPS
Carol Olerud FRPS
Joaquim Capitao
Joaquim Capitao
Joaquim Capitao
Jeroen Dorrestein
Jeroen Dorrestein
Jeroen Dorrestein
Katherine Maguire ARPS
Katherine Maguire ARPS
Katherine Maguire ARPS
Madeleine Lenagh FRPS
Madeleine Lenagh FRPS
Madeleine Lenagh FRPS
Sue Goldberg LRPS
Sue Goldberg LRPS
Sue Goldberg LRPS
Ton van der Laan LRPS
Ton van der Laan LRPS
Ton van der Laan LRPS
Venice Beyond the Postcards
Astrid Preisz
60 Issue 9 Autumn 2025 Venice beyond the postcards
In May, I was sent on a business trip to Venice. I had booked a random room that didn't cost me a fortune and had no idea where I would end up. Where I
61 Issue 9 Autumn 2025 Venice beyond the postcards actually did end up was in the Dorsoduro art district, away from the city's major tourist attractions.
I didn't have a lot of time, but I had brought my camera and managed to go out in the mornings—and was presented with an unexpected side of the city: the one where normal people go about their normal lives.
They go to work, drop their children off at school, go for errands and grocery shopping. I saw the Venice beyond the postcards.
I'm not usually a city or street photographer, but I was intrigued by this different atmosphere, away from the hustle and bustle of tourism and the famous sights.
The image selection in "Venice Beyond the Postcards" is meant to give a short impression of what I experienced and was made into a small artist book.
A successful A panel
Minke Groenewoud ARPS
"For my ARPS, I started in 2023 with a series about a dilapidated farm in the neighbourhood that had to make way for new construction. This green colour is characteristic of the history of our West Frisian culture (an area just above Amsterdam and Zaandam in the Netherlands). I also like to showcase the symbolism of transience, life, and death, as well as the resilience of nature. I booked a 1-2-1 session in advance and received good advice, which I would recommend to everyone. Obtaining my ARPS has given me self-confidence as a photographer and motivates me to create even more beautiful work".
Statement of intent:
TRANSIENCE
This panel explores the concept of transience through the quiet and relentless decay of an abandoned farm in West-Friesland, The Netherlands.
The images examines how nature gradually and relentlessly reclaims manmade structures, I see this process as a metaphor for the impermanence of life and the passage of time.
In my series, I aimed to incorporate the signature of the typical 'West Frisian' green color of paint found on (and in) the traditional old farms in this particular region. This is also the region where I live. This color represents a fading aspect of Dutch culture that I wanted to preserve and showcase in a style that is recognizable as my own.
Bio:
Minke Groenewoud, a photographer based in West-Friesland in the Netherlands, started her photographic journey in the summer of 2021 with the camera she received as a gift from her father. She is autodidact. After the summer she joined a photography club and is now member of the no.1 club ("with the nicest members too") of her country, Fotokring Polderlicht. Minke obtained her AFIAP within exactly one year, followed by the EFIAP and EFIAP-b awards annually, and is currently on track for her EFIAP-s. Her work has been recognised nationally and internationally, and she received several distinctions (RPS, FIAP, PSA). The most recent is the BPSA (portfolio)
distinction (April) and ARPS (May 2025) this month. In addition to her own contribution to the photographic field such as exhibitions and participation in salons, Minke judges nationally and Internationally (FIAP salons).
Since May this year, Minke has been working for the Photographic Society of America as Assistant Director PID Individual Portrait and landscape competitions and will succeed Arfan Mohammed Asif as Director after next year.
Before becoming disabled in 2010, Minke was a certified engraver and dental assistant. Despite the challenges she faces due to five autoimmune diseases and irreversible heart failure (2024), Minke remains incredibly optimistic and finds joy in the possibilities of life. Besides her husband Ted and their two children, Minke prioritises her family and photography as sources of
inspiration and fulfilment. As a member of PSA, FIAP, RPS and the Royal Dutch Photographic Association, Minke continues to pursue her passion for photography with unwavering dedication. "It gives me so much positive energy," she says, reflecting on her enduring love for photography. "I notice how much my photos mean to others. That they give them strength, comfort and joy. That makes me very happy, that I am of value to others."
A successful Fellowship Photo book
Madeleine Lenagh FRPS
Earning a Fellowship distinction in the book category
Statement of Intent
When I moved to a home very near the coast in 2021, it wasn’t a surprise to find myself on the beach with my camera at all hours. I’ve always loved the sea. And the Dutch coast, with its flat sandy beaches and moderate waves, may hold little interest to some landscape photographers accustomed to wilder shores, but for me, they are an endless source of fascination. I was inspired by the many, swiftly changing, faces of the sea, as they reflect my own changeable moods. I also wanted my images to express that you can find beauty in ordinary things close to home if you slow down and start paying attention.
As I collected images along the coast, creating a portrait of an everchanging landscape, I decided to share my feelings with others in a tangible form. And so, the book was born.
When I joined the RPS in June 2023, I was already working on the seashore project which would eventually culminate in my self-published book, Perpetual Motion, the Changing Faces of the Sea. Encouraged by the Benelux group, I toyed with the idea of pursuing an Associate distinction. However, focusing on a panel felt like too much of a distraction from what I considered to be my primary work, so I dropped the idea.
The book was published in October 2024. Some time after that, someone told me that it was possible to submit a published book to the book distinctions category. When I looked it up, that felt like a very straightforward process. I just needed to include a Statement of Intent. Contrary to other distinctions categories, the SoI was to be quite short, a maximum of 150 words, followed by supporting evidence, not exceeding 400 words.
There are two book distinctions available: Associate and Fellow. A few RPS members I knew from the DI Books & Zines project thought my book was worth an F, but that felt like a huge gamble to me. And I would need to choose the distinction level beforehand. So I booked a one-to-one session with one of the assessors. That turned out to be Simon J G Ciappara FRPS, and, after sharing some material with him in advance, we had a delightful
advisory meeting. He felt that it would be worthwhile trying for the F distinction and gave me some valuable pointers about my Statement of Intent and Supporting Evidence. And so, I wrapped two copies of the book up and sent everything off to Bristol.
I waited in suspense on the afternoon of May 13th. There’s no way to attend or watch book assessments. But not only did the distinctions department immediately send me an email that evening, but Simon also called to congratulate me. I felt relieved and proud and immediately added this happy news into my book promotion campaign.
A funny postscript that you internationals will appreciate: RPS promptly dispatched my certificate and badge. A few weeks later, I received emails about import duties on an unspecified package, which I dismissed as spam. Then a card from PostNL arrived in my mailbox. I immediately called and was able to submit the package details just in time before they sent it back. And then I had to wait again. Only today, June 25th, did I finally receive the package! A huge certificate and a very nice-looking pin.
Introducing our newest members
Luca Arfini
“I am Luca Arfini, an Italian journalist and multimedia professional based in Amsterdam. My work has always centred around storytelling through writing, video production, and digital media. Photography is a significant aspect of my journalism and communication efforts, and I have developed a growing interest in enhancing my skills in this area. I am particularly keen on exploring various forms of photography beyond traditional still images anddiscovering
how to use them to communicate impactful messages. These elements are closely linked to my work in multimedia journalism. Through photography, I can document events and tell deeper, more nuanced stories that raise awareness and drive change. However, I believe the most important aspect is to enjoy what I do, allowing my passion for creativity and innovation to shine through in my work.”
Camilla Rutaysire Gore
Ostend
I live in Brussels, where photography is my creative outlet and hobby. I am drawn to the built environment and urban life, often exploring architecture and street scenes through my lens. I am particularly attracted to geometry and reflections. Alongside more traditional subjects, I also experiment with creative and abstract techniques, particularly using multiple exposures and intentional camera movement. My work sometimes crosses the line between photography and art, influenced by my interest in alternative processes, particularly cyanotypes and also printing techniques such as eco printing and gel plate printing.
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with botanical forms using photography, cyanotype and printing techniques and then combining them digitally in photoshop. These experiments often combine patterns and colour in ways that surprise me!
Photography has given me a way to notice and appreciate small details and the creative potential of often overlooked spaces and things. Joining the RPS is an opportunity to share these discoveries with others, to keep learning, and to be inspired by fellow photographers.
You can see some examples of my urban style of work here and I look forward to meeting more of the Benelux chapter in person at future events.
Mons Station
Rush Hour
Carwash
Jan Ros ARPS
Monthly I take my car through the carwash.
The spectacle on my windshield awakens my wonder. Each time I get a free art show. With my iPhone I take several pictures.
In the meantime, I now have a varied collection.
Icelandic Horses
Ton van der Laan LRPS
Being a member of a camera club for many years, I have seen a lot of images of the impressive Icelandic landscape. Sometimes I asked myself “What can I add to these images? Everything has been photographed there.” But what do I know about Iceland? Not much, really. So, when an opportunity arose to go there, we decided to make a visit. We became immersed not only in the impressive, desolate landscape, but also in history, culture, industry, geology and daily life that make Iceland unique. The Icelandic horses made a deep impression.
We spent time at an isolated farm. Among the many things this farmer did to make ends meet was to breed and train native Icelandic horses. Ponies were once brought to the island by the early settlers. Since then, centuries of selective breeding developed the sturdy Icelandic horse as we know it today.
Our farmer showed us the stables where his breeding horses are kept. Not long after the foals are born, they are allowed to roam the hills freely until they are about four years old, when they are strong enough to be trained for riding. His trainers take into account the natural habits of these unique horses; they have an expressive nature and the ability to do a gait that most other breeds of horses cannot.
To protect the purity of the breed, no horses from other countries are allowed to enter Iceland, and on the other hand no Icelandic horse that has left Iceland is allowed to return. These measures make the risk of unexpected diseases low. The breed has now been bred pure in Iceland for more than 1,000 years. There are about 80.000 Icelandic horses in Iceland and about 100.000 abroad.
The Dark Rooms of...
An interview series
By Marcel Borgstijn
“The Dark Rooms of... is an interview series in which a photographer talks about his or her darkrooms, the digital and the mental, or technical and inspirational. What makes you click?”
Marcel Borgstijn
This interview has been previously published on Marcel’s site Darkrooms and is with American photographer Don Giannatti.
See the original interview on the Darkrooms site.
Marcel has given his permission for it to be republished in the RPS Benelux eJournal.
Who are you?
I am a photographer, writer, designer, and composer. I have done all four of those at a professional level. I also ride a motorcycle, play the drums and piano, and own a mule. I have been shooting for over six decades, and have done fashion, beauty, and commercial work in my studio in Phoenix, Arizona. I have written 5 books available on Amazon, and 6 that are not. I live in the desert, travel extensively in the western states of the USA, and am happiest in Wyoming – although only in the summer and fall. Forty below is not conceivable in my mind. I don’t particularly care about stuff that is of no consequence, rarely watch TV, and prefer vinyl over digital when listening to hardcore jazz. I mentor photographers (over forty five years old), teach online, and absolutely love the desert in the mornings. I am building a house and studio along a wash that floods now and then
Technical
Do you think technique is important?
Yes. And no.
Technique is the ability to achieve the results you want to achieve. Period. If you are a landscape photographer and do not know how to expose in various elements, you need to work on technique. However, technique will never trump the ability to connect. I have been stunned by Polaroids, enamored of “snapshots”, and quite taken by simple images that engaged me emotionally. So while “technique” is certainly important, the ability to connect with the viewer is much more important. A technically good photo can be awful. A photograph that lands emotionally doesn’t need technique to save it. I would rather be gobsmacked by something new, than intrigued by the sharpness or color saturation. That stuff is yawn to me.
What equipment do you use?
Cameras? Oh my. Nikon Digital and film. Canon Digital and film. Hasselblad, Mamiya, and and Bronica MF film kits. Toyo 4x5 and 5x7, and a Deardorff 8x10. But that is just gear. I choose the gear to fit the situation, or the project. For instance, format is not just a size, it is an approach. Some shots scream 8x10 at me, others demand MF, and of course the smaller formats are heavily used. Lighting is Profoto and Godox, assorted stands and tripods to fit the format. Currently I am collecting old digital P&S cameras. I have about 20 of them, and I love the retro look to the captures – and the video sucks so beautifully, if you know what I mean. EDC is a Lumix DC, an iPhone, and an Olympus Half Frame.
And what software?
DXO and Adobe software fill my computers. I do more than photography, so I have the full suite of tools from Adobe. InDesign, Illustrator, and Acrobat Pro are in heavy rotation. I also use DXOs Photolab 8, and absolutely adore the NIK collection. Viveza alone is worth the cost of admission as it is one of the tools that I use consistently. I also adore RNI film emulators. I have a select choice that work as simple color grading approaches to help the images stay cohesive. Topaz’s Gigapixel is a big help with the retro digital images. I am very excited by Apple acquiring Pixelmator – that is a really fun software.
How do you edit your photos?
Lightroom or C1. In my personal work, that may be all I do. I am a purist photographer when it comes to my personal images. If there is a light pole, it stays. Powerlines – yep, they stay as well. I present the image as I see it and as it exists before my lens. For commercial work, I use whatever gives me what I want. Usually it is Lightroom into Photoshop, then corrected with various layers for various uses. I try to keep my projects cohesive with consistent color grading. Now to delay the hate, I am NOT a SOOC fundamentalist. In fact, I don’t worry about that at all. I do whatever I want. After 58 years as a pro, I’ve earned that right.
Analog: I shoot mainly BW on the MF cameras, and older processes like Tintype and paper negatives on the large format cameras.
Inspirational
Where does you heart lie?
Storytelling. I want my images to evoke a narrative. Hopefully I can lead the narrative with my work, but if someone looks at an image and it recalls something different within them, then I am happy. Sometimes the stories are micro, sometimes they are grand, but always within me is the desire to connect with the viewer in some way.
What type of photographer are you?
I love making images of people. I started as a documentarian and was quickly seduced by fashion and beauty work. I did that for a couple of decades before going commercial and more of a tabletop/location/people shooter. That was my business work. Personally, I am still a documentarian at heart. I am captivated by history, context, light, color, contrast, and dimension. The photograph is my score, and as a musician, I love to improvise that score into something new. I am still fascinated by the photographic image… the still image that shows us so much, but keeps even more secret.
Do you have your own style or signature?
I dunno. Maybe. I like minimalism in approach, but occasionally I am drawn to pure texture, age, color, or even the contextual dichotomy presented with a two dimensional image. I am much more of a ‘traditional’ photographer than one drawn to fantasy, or artsy costumes whether on people or on the land. As I travel, I photograph what many people call landscapes, but to me they are metaphorically constructed to tell a story
that is beyond that cliff or tree. I am successful on occasion, so I try to do more of that.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Music. Art. Other photographers. Books. Poetry… life.
I’ve lived through a lot of changes in the world, and my inspiration points have changed as well. When I was doing fashion, I was enamored of Lindbergh, Elgort, Liebovitz. Now I lean toward Winters, Kander, and Salgado.
Musically, it is jazz – Coltrane, Miles, Coleman – and contemporary concert music; Carter, Shore, Barber.
I don’t follow trends, am not interested in what is “cool”, and find Instagram to be a total bore. Online I go to Cosmos.io and Booooooom. com to see what’s happening.
Does your project start with an idea or with a loose image?
Both. Always both. I see the images in my head before I connect them to a project most of the time. Rarely do I conceive of a project if I haven’t conceived of an image first. Images conjure up projects faster than I could ever complete them. If I do think of a project first, it is usually because of an image that either popped into my head or was shown to me by someone – possibly a student – and I’m off to the races with idea after idea.
Now if I only had the time and assets to do all of the projects I want to do. (And yes, a lot of them involve me, a motorcycle, cameras, and a couple of months on two lanes… What can I say about that?)
When is your project finished?
When I think I have created the story. I have a beginning, a middle, and an end. They are usually not shot in order. I may get the last shot – the closer – on day one. There is usually not a planned number of images, although I do put restraints around the project in other ways. “96” is a four day exploration, as is each day of a motorcycle adventure. “GLOCAS” (Girls Looking Off Camera at Stuff) was ongoing for many years. Shots pulled from other projects and assignments.
During your project, do you already know how it ends?
Sometimes. Most of the time I know what I want to say about the project. I am always involved in context – the most important part of a photograph –and so I can feel the end shot. But never discount the whimsy of the world. Shoot everything, edit later. You never know when that image could come in useful. I do sketch on occasion. Like a storyboard for a project. This keeps me on page when I may drift off into my own self and forget the narrative. It’s OK to drift, but you still have to stay on the road – ya know.
What is your favourite photo and why?
My favorite photo is usually the last one I made. Over the years I have made so many photographs I certainly could not point at one and say – that’s it, that’s the one. I like most of them, and they are OK. But I am probably more excited about the one I just shot, processed, and gazed at.
I don’t think I (we?) are supposed to have a favorite photograph. I think it stifles us, creates a gate that keeps us looking at it and thinking “how do I do better”? I just put myself back in front of a lens and bang away, continuing to look for a photograph that matters, that is actually good.
Although I take far fewer captures than I used to. That is by design, though. I am becoming more picky, more particular in what I shoot. That may be a stage, I don’t know. It reminds me of the question “how many photographs should you take?” Well, I think it is whether you take the photographs you were meant to take. That is all that matters.
Future
What do you want to achieve?
I want to write another book. I want to ride spend a couple of months on the road on my bike. I am 75, so I would like to achieve 76. That’d be good.
Even 86… Photographically I want to make portraits of artists who live in the West, as well as spend some time in Mexico. Oaxaca probably. What a splendid looking place.
What would you like to know from others? You may ask one photographer one question. What would that be?
Actually, no, I’m good.
Where can we see more?
https://www.dongiannatti.com
https://dongiannatti.substack.com/
https://medium.com/@wizwow
Members’
Photos
In this section, you can see photos from our members.
Here you can find the break down of chapter membership, the number of distinctions obtained, the special interest groups joined and the various countries the members are located in.
45 Members
Members
6 Countries
Countries
Distinctions
Special Interest Groups
Upcoming Events
2
September 2025
Study Group Meeting
An opportunity to share your work and get feedback from a friendly groupofpeople. Everyoneiswelcome - members and non-members.
It costs €5 per evening, which includes a drink and biscuit. For further details please see the event page.
An opportunity to share your work and get feedback from a friendly group of people. Everyone is welcome - members and non-members. This is a free online event. Zoom link will be sent out before the event. For further details please see the event page.
Time: 20:00 until 22:00
Location: Online Zoom Meeting
4 November 2025
Study Group Meeting
An opportunity to share your work and get feedback from a friendly group of people. Everyone is welcome - members and non-members. It costs €5 per evening, which includes a drink and biscuit. For further details please the event page
Time: 19:30 until 22:00
Location: Het Palet, Duikerstraat 29,Rotterdam.
2 December 2025
Online Study Group Meeting
An opportunity to share your work and get feedback from a friendly group of people. Everyone is welcome - members and non-members. This is a free online event. Zoom link will be sent out before the event. For further details please see the event page.
Water bus day trip for TWT Inland Waters on Tuesday 30th September 2025
We will take the water bus 21 from Willemskade at Erasmus Bridge to Kinderdijk – Molenkade at 11:30am – approx. 30 mins trip. Be there at 11:15, 15 mins before the departure time.
At Kinderdijk we can walk around from free. We will not be visiting the museum or windmills, which require an entry ticket. There is a café there where we can have some lunch & coffee. Easy access. It’s flat in The Netherlands.
https://www.waterbus.nl/en
• T: The first talk is: on Monday 29th 0f September by Vanda Ralevska at 8:30pm Amsterdam time
• W: Walk: Tuesday 30th of September start at 11:30am Willemskade, Erasmus Bridge for Waterbus line 21 to Kinderdijk - Molenkade
• T: Zoom feedback: Tuesday 18th of November with your best five photos! At 8pm Amsterdam time (date open for change to suit all)
BOOKINGS: https://talkwalktalk.org
book walk from: 25/08/2025 bookings close: 22/09/2025
Our walk is on 30/09/2025. See the event page for further information.
We plan to produce an eJournal on a regular basis.
The current release dates 2025 and 2026 are:
14 November for Winter 2025
13 February for Spring 2026
14 May for Summer 2026
14 August for Autumn 2026
Deadline for contributions
Is last day of the month before the release date.
Contributions
Articles
Contributions from the members and friends of the Benelux chapter are welcome, whether that be an article or details of the current photo project that they are working on.
• Up to 12 photos
• maximum 1000 words
Member photos
We also wish to encourage members and friends to submit individual photos for the Members’ photos section
New Members
The eJournal can also be a place that gives our new members an opportunity to introduce themselves to the chapter.
• 2 - 3 photos
• maximum 300 words for Bio.
Cover Photos
Individual photos are also welcome for the cover page.
Photo Submission Requirements
Please send images with the following specifications:
• 3000 pix long side
• Image quality 8
• no watermark or text in the image
• no borders around the image.
When naming your photos please use the following convention.
FirstName_LastName_For_eJournal_Title.JPG
The submitter of the article(s) or photo(s) is responsible for compliance with Data Protection and Copyright Acts.
The author of an article is responsible and liable for all content, text and images provided by them. Neither the RPS Benelux Chapter nor the editor is responsible or liable for any content therein.
Please send your photos via WeTransfer.com to the following email address beneluxweb@rps.org
For articles, please send an email to beneluxweb@rps.org
Remember to include “for eJournal” in the subject line.
Some alternatives to WeTranfers.com are: KPN File Transfer; SwissTransfer; Filemail; Boomrang
