WELCOME
Clive Watkins ARPS
Chair
WELCOME to the Creative Eye Magazine, Issue No. 98, featuring the Digital Exhibition 2025.
I am delighted to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all members who participated in this year’s exhibition. Your creativity and enthusiasm have truly shone through, and it’s inspiring to see such talent on display. And a special congratulations to the medal winners and those who received commendations - your work exemplifies excellence and innovation in photographic art.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to David Rutter FRPS for his time and energy in managing the entry process, which saw an entry of 454 images. His dedication in running the selection process and assembling the exhibition slideshow has been invaluable.
This year marks David’s final exhibition after four years of passionate service, as he is making way for someone else to run the exhibition in 2026. ‘Thank you, David, for your remarkable commitment organising the Digital Exhibition each year. Your legacy will be hard to live up to, as will your choice of soundtrack for the slideshows!’
Enjoy the light…
16
COMMITTEE
Chair Clive Watkins ARPS creativecomms@rps.org
Secretary Graham Lingley LRPS creativesecretary@rps.org
Finance Officer
Nigel Rea ARPS creative.treasurer@rps.org
David Rutter FRPS creativeimage@rps.org
Steve Varman LRPS creative.publications@rps.org
CREDITS
Cover Cyanotype by Bernie Kelly ARPS
Editor Moira Ellice ARPS
Editorial Assistant Dr Patricia Tutt ARPS
Design
Steve Varman LRPS
Printed by
Keith Avis Printers Ltd., Rear of 68 High Street, Hadleigh, Ipswich IP7 5EF, UK
CONTACT
Facebook facebook.com/groups/rpscg
Flickr
flickr.com/groups/3510780@N20/pool
Website rps.org/ceg
© 2025 All rights reserved. Apart from storage and viewing in its entirety for personal reference, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior permission of the copyright holder. The Royal Photographic Society, The Creative Eye Group and the Editor accept no liability for the misuse of any content or for any breach of copyright by a contributor. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Royal Photographic Society or The Creative Eye Group. Unless otherwise indicated, all images are copyright of the photographers. The Royal Photographic Society, 470 Bath Road, Bristol BS4 3AP, UK +44 (0)117 3164450 www.rps.org VAT Registration No. GB 753 3057 41 Registered Charity No. 1107831
INTRODUCTION
David Rutter FRPS Digital Exhibition Coordinator
I would like to say ‘Thank You’ to all of our members who took part in this year’s Digital Exhibition. Your images are wonderful and certainly formed with a personal ‘creative eye’, so you are definitely in the most suitable RPS Special Interest Group.
Entry numbers: Last year saw record breaking numbers and this year you have pushed that ceiling again with 122 members taking part, and if the non-compliant entries were included this number would have been even greater. The total number of images up for selection was 454 which was a huge number for the Selectors to ponder over.
Our Selectors: This year we were fortunate to have three superb photographers. Two of the RPS’s greatest contributors and supporters in the shape of Martin Addison FRPS (Assessor in the Visual Art Genre, photographic author and lecturer); Linda Wevill FRPS (Former Assessor of Licentiate Distinctions, Guest Editor of the RPS Visual Art Group, and also widely exhibited and published); and from the full time ‘Real World’ outside the RPS we had Gina Soden, a professional photographic artist whose impressive CV includes worldwide exhibitions (from Hong Kong, Russia, USA, to Germany and the UK) and awards garnered over
many years in the industry. Please visit ginasoden.co.uk for a taste of her work.
The Selection Day took place online on Sunday 20th July and for the first time we opened up the Zoom Meeting for our members to witness the first round of selections – this went well with over 40 joining. The first round identified all the images to be included in the Exhibition Slideshow and also to be published in this magazine. The final selection rounds were held in private which included much deliberation until the final twelve images were chosen.
My heartiest of congratulations go to the 12 Award Winners and of course to everyone who took part in our 2025 Digital Exhibition.
Of particular note I personally enjoyed the images Flying Free by Lynda Golightly LRPS; Reaching for the Planets by Angela Ford ARPS; Caught in the Vortex by Philip L Hinton ARPS and The Seat by David Jordan FRPS. All perfectly encapsulating the personal creativity that the Creative Eye Group represents.
Very many thanks once again to all who took part.
Creative Eye Group Digital Exhibition 2025 Selectors
Gina Soden ginasoden.co.uk
Linda Wevill FRPS lindawevillphotography.com
Martin Addison FRPS martinaddison.photography
GOLD MEDAL
ARCHITECTURAL ELEGANCE
BY MARIA MACKLIN
SELECTORS’ COMMENTS
GINA SODEN
This image caught my eye immediately. The composition is fantastic, with clean, flowing lines that guide you through the frame. The placement of the figure is perfect, adding scale and intrigue. It almost looks unreal in its precision, yet that only highlights the photographer’s exceptional eye and technical skill.
LINDA WEVILL FRPS
An outstanding architectural image with the lady in black perfectly placed in the scene. At first glance, the building appears completely symmetric but on closer examination, it can be seen this is not the case, which all adds interest and, along with the lines and shapes, keeps the viewer intrigued. Well worthy of the Gold Medal.
MARTIN ADDISON FRPS
At first look, the image is totally symmetrical, but it isn’t in reality and is all the better for that. The enigmatic shape in the centre is eyecatching and intriguing, but the focus point is clearly the figure in black. There is no detail in the figure and the graphic appearance is in keeping with the rest of the image. A stunning image.
AWARDEE’S COMMENT
MARIA MACKLIN
The moment I entered the UAE Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 I visualised how I wanted to portray this beautiful building. Symmetry was a key element, also I wanted to convey solitude - which was difficult as I had to remove seven figures and distracting reflections. It had to be mono to define the beautiful shapes. I added one figure from a previous image to give perspective.
SILVER MEDAL
GLASGOW ARMADILLO
BY MORAG FORBES LRPS
SELECTORS’ COMMENTS
GINA SODEN
The multiple exposure works brilliantly, with the repeated architectural forms and birds adding atmosphere and depth. The blue and orange tones feel harmonious, marrying beautifully to create a moody yet inviting scene. Choosing the front view to reveal the activity and warm light inside is inspired and compelling.
LINDA WEVILL FRPS
This image really stands out as it is quite evocative with its muted colours capturing the moody scene. The technique, bringing through the main subject sharply, has been used to great effect. The outline of the building framing the glow of lights and their reflection, all helps draw the viewer into the atmospheric scene. Well deserving of receiving the Silver Medal.
MARTIN ADDISON FRPS
There is so much of interest in this image, the shapes of the building, the overlapping repeating patterns in the background and the flock of birds, spinning around the building. The warm colours and clarity of the central area hold our attention, together with the reflection. There is so much to see and enjoy.
AWARDEE’S COMMENT
MORAG FORBES LRPS
I captured these images on a freezing February evening earlier this year. I love this time of year for its earlier sunsets and dramatic skies. As I was shooting, I was drawn to the sight of birds swooping and soaring above the Armadillo. In the editing process, I focused on emphasizing that movement and atmosphere.
BRONZE MEDAL
JOYFUL
BY
JAYNE SANDERSON
SELECTORS’ COMMENTS
GINA SODEN
This image feels beautifully ethereal, with soft, dreamlike tones that draw you in. The execution is delicate and refined, creating a sense of quiet movement and fluidity. The pastel colours blend effortlessly, giving it a serene and almost otherworldly quality. It is a truly joyful and well-balanced piece.
LINDA WEVILL FRPS
A beautiful, painterly image with wonderful pastel tones. Enough of the flower is sharp for it to be recognisable and yet it magically appears to melt into the background. An excellent example of using this submerged flower technique to give us a mystical, ethereal image which is well worthy of the Bronze Medal.
MARTIN ADDISON FRPS
This has such beautiful textures with a lovely softness, yet sufficiently in focus to hold the attention for some considerable time. I particularly enjoy the colour range, which is very harmonious and perfect for the subject. A really beautiful image.
AWARDEE’S COMMENT
JAYNE SANDERSON
‘Joyful’ is the culmination of many months experimenting with the technique of submerged flower photography. Using a pipette to add milk and inks to the flower created a softness as it cascaded from the petals. The water gradually became more opaque giving a painterly ethereal quality to the finished image.
MARTIN ADDISON
SELECTOR’S AWARD
NEW LIGHT THROUGH OLD WINDOWS
BY DAVID HARRIS ARPS
MARTIN ADDISON FRPS
This is a photograph containing many layers and which speaks of things hidden or partially obscured. Is it perhaps looking into or out of a harem? – who knows, and it is the mystery which appeals to me most of all. The textures are really beautiful, and the rich contrasting colours are perfect.
DAVID HARRIS ARPS
These windows are in a public swimming bath in Reykjavik. Due to the warm, humid atmosphere inside, the windows had a lot of condensation which contributed to creating a range of textures. I used multiple exposure to combine several windows, changing picture mode between frames to create a range of colour effects.
GINA SODEN
SELECTOR’S AWARD
SLOW FORGETTING
BY JAN BEESLEY ARPS
GINA SODEN
I am very intrigued by this image. The use of multiple exposure and earthy tones to create texture is highly effective. I am drawn to decay and mystery, and this work captures both beautifully. The composition flows naturally, with shapes that feel almost architectural, creating an organic and engaging abstract. Just fantastic!
JAN BEESLEY ARPS
Along the shifting edge of land and sea, relics of wartime coastal defences are slowly giving way to tide and time. The form is still there, but the purpose fades, redrawn gently by sea, sand and seaweed. What once stood firm is now softened, a memory pressed into the landscape, a slow forgetting.
SELECTOR’S AWARD
BEACON HILL
BY NICK LINNETT
LINDA WEVILL FRPS
This image stood out for me as it conveys a painterly, moody landscape. It creatively blends together images with a limited palette, giving the whole scene such subtle tones that work so well together. There is so much detail for the viewer to find in this atmospheric landscape that it holds their interest for a very long time.
NICK LINNETT
This is a multiple exposure image combining photographs of the ancient rocks for which the area is known with photographs of the wider landscape. It was one of a series of images where I tried to capture the ‘feel’ of a place rather than the traditional photographic view.
LINDA WEVILL
HIGHLY COMMENDED
ICY-CLE RACKS
BY STEVE PEEL LRPS
After heavy overnight snow, our morning walk in Copenhagen went via a quiet road with cycle parks in front of modern offices. The ice was still undisturbed around a few bikes left from the previous day. I later removed the background buildings and increased the surrounding negative space.
HIGHLY COMMENDED RAGNORAK
BY JAN HARRIS ARPS
This image was created as an expression of my concern about climate change. An image of trees in a local woodland was combined with an ICM of brightly lit water droplets to create the feeling of a smoky fire consuming the woods.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
WAITING AND DREAMING
BY RACHEL DOMLEO
The lady with the umbrella was a chance shot taken at a rainy vintage event. She had such an enigmatic look I felt I should weave a story around her. I used a long exposure image for the background and added a second smaller figure to add mystery and intrigue to the image.
COMMENDED ELEGANCE
BY JEREMY O’KEEFFE ARPS
I was visiting Ashburnham Place, East Sussex and saw the flowers growing up the inside of the polytunnel covering and I was drawn to the ethereal effect. This is a conventional photograph other than minimal Lightroom enhancement to bring out the textures of the plastic and colours.
COMMENDED HEBRIDEAN ISLES
BY MARGARET MARTIN
On a visit to Harris and Lewis I took many ICM and multiple exposure images. I layered and blended them to try to create a group of images that retained the distinctive atmosphere and beauty of the Hebrides without being literal interpretations. This was my favourite.
COMMENDED
THE BLUE POSTS, SOHO
BY DAN WALLER ARPS
This image is from an on-going street photography project, capturing Soho at night. I think the frosted glass of the pub window makes for a beautiful texture. I particularly like how the light of the interior mimics gold leaf.
ACCEPTED IMAGES
Surface Debris by Sandy Cowie ARPS
Beauty Within by Veronica Worrall ARPS
Captive in Ice by Sylvia Moorhouse LRPS
Hydranga by John Stewart
Woodland Fantasy by Paul Bather ARPS
Wisteria by Paul Mitchell FRPS
Leaves by Harman Hopkins LRPS
Into the Blue by Camilla Rutayisire Gore
Cyanotype by Bernie Kelly ARPS
Anenome Coronaria by Mike Williamson
Lady in the Rain by Peter Stott ARPS
Trinity Tree, Dublin by John Gough ARPS
Eryngium Lights by Kirsten Bax LRPS
Eucalyptus Dreams by Sue Brame LRPS
Dreamy Woodland by Suzy Courtnage LRPS
Evening Rush Hour through Obscure Glass by Robert Hopkinson
Dead and Alive by Margaret Campbell ARPS
Summertime by Janet Gibson
Sheans Tulips by Pat Ness LRPS
Visions of David by Paul Raynor LRPS
Alcove by Pat Brennan
Hidden Depths by Paul Wells
Migration by Tim Sawyer ARPS
Unarmed Passion, Self Portrait by Leanne Trivett
Time Machine by Carol Walker
Ocean Sunset by Dave Balcombe ARPS
Hammam Lady by Pat Couder
Caught in the Vortex by Philip L Hinton ARPS
Reaching for the Planets by Angela Ford ARPS
Torso 5259 by Rob Kershaw ARPS
Blue by Jenny Collier LRPS
Patchwork Building by Paul O’Flanagan LRPS
Serene by David Townshend FRPS
Resting in Art by Yvonne Connelly LRPS
College Reimagined by John Stringer LRPS
Lavender Pot by Roger Ford FRPS
Bamburgh Sunrise by Kevin Flanagan LRPS
Castle Dreams by Patricia Tutt ARPS
Flamingos in Wonderland by Wendy Irwin ARPS
Japanese Red Crowned Cranes by Marilyn Taylor FRPS
Energy by Sheila Jones
Owl Night Watchman by David Stephenson ARPS
Pheobe by Janina Nash ARPS
Merry Go Round by Tim Walton LRPS
The Chiffon Scarf by Pat Frewin LRPS
Moving On by Mervyn Mitchell ARPS
River Reflection by Barry Badcock ARPS
Window Cleaner by Margaret Salisbury FRPS
Leave a Light in the Window by Simon JG Ciappara FRPS
Elemental Fusion by Margaret Rainey FRPS
Inversions by Donna Gorin LRPS
Shadows, Berlin by Andrew Sorrell
Corrugated by Stuart Fotheringham
Exit by Marek Kozik
Vintage Meet by Dave Baxter LRPS
V&A Steps, London by Iain Blacklaw
Yellow Thunder, The AMG Rain Dance by Sophie Huggett
Quiet Arc by Eng Loy Tan ARPS
Face in the Wall by Ray Duffill
Tracks by Brian Priestley
SOS by Clive Watkins ARPS
Sligo - Beach Texture by Alex Sproule
Hot Mud Patterns by Claude Trew
Reed Beds by Christine Prickett ARPS
Sneak Peek by Luca Arfini
Spinning Window by Paul McIlwaine LRPS
Oil Painting by Paul Oliver
Red Lips by Ashok Viswanathan
Shelter by John Thompson ARPS
Nebula Matriarch by Boluwaji Apanisile
Glimpse by Ian Booth
Modified Anglepoise by John Bull LRPS Moon on the Water by Barrie D Howarth LRPS
Escalators by Palli Gajree HonFRPS
Nosy Neighbour by Stevi Heath LRPS
Isolated by the Tide by Andy Smith LRPS
Oculus Hub by Doug Berndt ARPS
Shimmer Shake by Cliff Spooner ARPS
Into the Tunnel by Keith Surey ARPS
Flying Over by Hilary Bailey LRPS
Bailgate in the Rain By Mark Fullbrook
Calm Sunrise by David Fender ARPS
Whitby Eventide by Mary Auckland ARPS
Burning Glory by Julie Holbeche-Maund ARPS
Vermillion Sky by Pamela Beck
A Bamburgh Sunset by Colin Prickett ARPS
Dead Nature by Irina Petrova Adamatzky
The Eye by Gerry Coe FRPS
Girl with a Shoulder Bag by Neil Scott FRPS
Into the Light by Robert Armstrong
Concrete Contemplation by Ben Speed LRPS
Light by Anthony Fisher
The Seat by David Jordan FRPS
Controlled Fall by Aggie Kubara
Richmond Park Pond by Derek Barker
Flying Free by Lynda Golightly LRPS
Diagonal by Peter Boazman
Blade of Grass by Oliver Steed
Milford Sound by Steven Whittaker ARPS
The Dancer by Joan Jordan ARPS
Alone by Steve Bunce ARPS
Swimming up Stream by David Kors
Scissor Snowflake by Mike Farrance LRPS
Corona 3 by Martin Parratt FRPS
Bottles by Charles Hobley ARPS
Colour Abstract by Terry Day LRPS
Blue Moon by Allisdhair McNaull
Cutlery Crossings by Anne Woodman ARPS
Bird’s Eye by Steve Oakes
