DI ONLINE
COVER IMAGE
ThePhotographer: Roger Newark ARPS
TheImageTitle: ‘Welcome to the Matrix’
AbouttheImage:
One of the selected images from the DI Altered Reality Competition article on Page 15
DI ONLINE
Editor DI ONLINE: Melanie Chalk
Contact: dionline@rps.org
CHAIR’S CHAT
THOUGHTS FROM THE CHAIR
HPositive news!
The Regional Organisers and Chairs of the Special Interest Groups had a zoom meeting with the new CEO, Victoria Humphries, one evening last week. She has only been in post for 4 weeks and is very obviously in ‘data capture’ mode. It was a very positive and promising session. Victoria is a very good listener and was taking copious notes on all the various issues individuals were highlighting. What came across very strongly was her desire to change the culture where we work as one, respect one another and to enjoy our RPS membership. She obviously respects the contribution that volunteers make and embraces that we are a membership organisation.
There was acknowledgement of the difficulties of the web site and bookings system. This next week she is having a briefing on Distinctions, but she had already sat in on an ARPS assessment to see the process in operation.
Quite reasonably Victoria stated that whilst she wants her team to have a ‘can do’ attitude not everything is always possible and cannot be achieved overnight. But I was left with the distinct feeling that things are really going to change for the better under her leadership.
Towards the end of the month I have a face to face meeting with Victoria where I shall be focussing particularly on the good things that DI does and how, with some integrated working, further improvements could be made for the benefit of our members.
Regards, Janet ION.
EDITOR’S WORDS
June’s DI ONLINE is a bumper issue, and showcases many members images, what talent we have within our membership. The number of images entered in the Altered Reality competition really surprised the organisers and think the judging panel had an immense task in choosing the 10 to go forward to the final, these are displayed over the coming pages.
With DI ONLINE only being published every other month we are celebrating the winners in the friendly monthly competitions for April and May.
In Keith Walker’s article he relates how photography and storytelling can unlock new ways of seeing the world and ourselves. Engaging with issues like plastic pollution and the journey of waste along the shoreline heightened awareness of the environmental issues we face as a society. What a very worthwhile project of creative collaboration and learning.
Trevor Litherland bravely and honestly recounts his Distinction journey writing that behind every accolade lies another journey, just as passionate, just as committed, but not always crowned with immediate success. We must look out for an update from Trevor on the situation!
We are promoting an AI series which commences in early July, Digital imaging are confronting the boundary between the art of photography and AI. It is predominantly focused on generating unique images using various software programs, but will include information about AI-powered editing tools which can be utilised to automate tedious tasks, giving you more time to focus on your creativity and artistic vision.
Sally Sallett, one of our series presenters recently wrote in Digit,
“AI won’t be the death of Photography. It’ll be a transformative force photographers who adapt to an explorers potential will thrive, whilst those resistant to change might find themselves left behind. So let’s have a bit of fun and embrace the future where AI and Photography coexist you can’t put the genie back in the bottle”
Sally also created this image, illustrating the point, that the Genie is out!
Melanie Editor DI ONLINE
DI MONTHLY COMPETITIONS
APRIL 2025
1st Place - Tubular bells by Morag Forbes LRPS 32 votes
Joint 2nd Place - By the seaside by Linda McGregor 16 votes
Joint 2nd Place - Sea, Sand, Sleep by Kathryn Rynor ARPS 16 votes
There were - 31 entrants - 24 voters - 144 votes total
ABOUT THE WINNING IMAGE
I was in London in March for the Photography Show and while there, spent a few days wandering with my camera.
London is somewhere I always stop and take a picture, but on recent visits there had been lots of obstructions in the way - stalls and markets etc, making a clean shot of the lovely ‘Scoop’ area impossible. So I was delighted to see that on this occasion it was completely free of any temporary displays. I visited morning, noon and night, but it was this image taken first thing in the morning that worked best with the edit I had in mind. There were no people in the frame early on, and nice light falling on the glass buildings. It’s a location where I have found I need to work quite quickly getting any shots, as the security guards here take no prisoners, so I am always aware of my surroundings and don’t stay in one place too long, or do anything to attract any unwanted attention.
In the edit, I applied different treatments to the top and bottom halves of the image. The bottom half I removed saturation and it had radial blur applied. The top half had the colour enhanced using Nik Colour Efex, and motion blur applied. Using layers, masks and brushes to selectively apply the treatment.
It was shot on my trusty Nikon z5 with a wide angle lens, easily handheld in the morning light at f7.1 and a shutter speed of 1/400.
Morag
Tubular bells by Morag Forbes LRPS
By the seaside by Linda McGregor
Sea, Sand, Sleep by Kathryn Rynor ARPS
MAY 2025
1st Place – Steps to Heaven by Kathryn Rynor ARPS 16 votes
2nd Place - Blossom at Southwark Cathedral by Morag Forbes LRPS 11 votes
3rd Place – Sunlit Reflection by Melanie Chalk ARPS 10 votes
There were
20 entrants
16 voters
96 votes total
ABOUT THE WINNING IMAGE
The Image ‘Steps to Heaven’ was taken in Santorini, we stayed in a village just outside of Oia, our accommodation was in fact inside a cave, the steps I photographed led us down to our bedroom.
The light in the morning would come in from the door at the top of the steps, creating a beautiful tone on the thick plastered walls. I enjoyed the image of just the steps but I thought it needed a point of interest, so I added a bunch of daffodils in a vase on top of the box that was there. So in fact, this image is a composite using Photoshop. The flowers and the vase were photographed at home, and I then blended them into the original image using Photoshop, I then created a shadow of the vase and flowers using the drop Shadow tool in Photoshop. I was very happy with the final image.
Settings
Camera- Sony 7RM3
Lens-FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3
ISO 100 24mm f4 1/125s
Kathryn
Steps to Heaven by Kathryn Rynor ARPS
Blossom at Southwark Cathedral by Morag Forbes LRPS
Sunlit Reflection by Melanie Chalk ARPS
SITUATION VACANT
DIGITAL IMAGING GROUP VOLUNTEER VACANCIES
The DI Committee works hard and as volunteers we deliver an amazing programme of events and meetings for our members. We are a happy lot, who support each other as a team. Most of our committee members have dedicated roles, however we would like to have a bit of spare capacity within the team; individuals to pick up odd jobs or help out as required. Because most of what we do is online you need to be confident with using technology and learning new systems where necessary.
Full committee meetings are held every other month for 2 hours on a Friday afternoon. We rarely have the need to travel and all work from our home computers at times that mainly suit us. Any expenses incurred in the course of fulfilling a role are recompensed.
All you need is a willingness to work and have a little free time to offer. Volunteers find being part of a successful happy team personally rewarding and like contributing to our success.
DI second web content volunteer
We would like to recruit a backup for our web content person. It would be a job sharing role; to be agreed between the two web volunteers. You would need to be technically proficient. Familiarity with Umbraco an asset but not essential; but please note that Umbraco has quite a steep learning curve and you will need to stick at it! Our web content volunteer would train you up. If you have any questions or wish to know more then do contact digchair@rps.org
DIGITAL IMAGING COMPETITION ALTERED REALITY SELECTION
THE 10 WINNING IMAGES AND SELECTOR’S COMMENTS
Round two is complete, and we have another 10 images that we will see again in the final round. Next up will be Round 3, Mono to select the final 10 to go into the competition final.
Round two has been interesting and a bit of a surprise. We thought that we’d have fewer entries but that hasn’t been the case with a rush of entries close to the final entry date.
The Process
In the next stage we selected all images that had scored 10 or above. This equated to 75 images giving 10.5% of the total entry.
We got the judges together online to run through the 75 images and reduce this to our final 10. Credit must be given to the judges, Sally Sallett, Clive Watkins and Martin Addison for their professionalism in this selection. Whilst they didn’t agree on all fronts, they reached a majority ‘in or out’ decision on the images until we had our remaining 10 ‘winners’. The DIG team of Janet Haines and Neill Taylor ran the show with consummate professionalism. Much appreciation and thanks to all involved.
The Verdict
As you will see in the images over the next few pages, there is a real individual feel to these entries. Widely different in style and subject matter but showing the breadth of talent across our Digital Imaging group. Our three judges have added a little ‘icing on the cake’ with a few comments on a particular image they selected and that is worth taking note of.
Thanks to everyone who entered and supported this competition and the group. We hope we’ve done a good job and look forward to the next round.
Next Round
Make a note in your diary for August 1st when the Mono competition opens. It’s not too far away so you have the summer to think about your entries. This will be your last chance to be in the running for the Raymond Wallace Trophy.
Robin Price
Print Portfolio and DI Competition Secretary DIprintcomp@rps.org
Stage Fright by Laura Drury LRPS
SELECTOR CLIVE WATKINS’S COMMENT
’Stage Fright’
Good photography should have a strong narrative, and in my opinion “Stage Fright” tells its story in an extremely effective way. This image stood out from all the others as I was looking through the submissions. Not only has it been technically well put together, but it also uses a very clever construct to communicate its message. It is so successfully designed that we almost don’t need the title.
The imagery communicates the author’s intentions perfectly. As a viewer I feel the intensity of all those eyes staring at me. The performer, caught in the shafts of light is trying to compose himself, but all he can think about is the audience… staring, unblinking, waiting. The fear is palpable. This is superb creative photography offering us an altered reality which reflects a very real experience. Well done!
SELECTOR MARTIN ADDISON’S COMMENT
‘I See You'.
This is a beautifully composed multiple exposure/ composite in which all the elements fit together very well. The running man leads us into the story, followed by the man at the top. The group of people at the back add depth and over it all, with eyes that are seeing everything, is the face.
It tells the story of our surveillance society, when everything each of us does is recorded and catalogued. There is no privacy anymore, so be careful of what you do as it may come back to haunt you.
Mevagissey Houses by Janet Downes LRPS
SELECTOR SALLY SALLETT’S COMMENT
’Mevagissey Houses’
Looking at this image I'm taken back to childhood holidays with my family. Quaint Cornish cottages squashed together along narrow streets, leading down to the harbour. Built when no-one considered town planning, resulting in a Higgledy Piggledy patchwork of shapes/ textures & colours.
The image said most of those things to me, I loved the use of strong hues next to more sombre tones. The gridlines reminding me of the ropes holding the boats & the mesh of the nets. The multiple layers emphasising the closeness of the buildings.
Colours of India by Clare Collins ARPS
Berlin Dreamscape by Morag Forbes LRPS
Love Is A Many Layered Thing by Vaughn Sears ARPS
The Phantom Vaudeville I by JJ Jordan
At the End of the Day by Sue Trower FRPS
Captivity by Katherine Rynor ARPS
Welcome To The Matrix by Roger Newark
ARPS
LANDSCAPE GROUP CALENDAR
Are you a RPS Landscape member? Have you entered a Calendar image already?
If not the deadline is fast approaching, see details below. DI members might like to support this initiative and purchase a calendar, we will let you know when they are on sale.
A Message from the Landscape Group
2026 Calendar -Registrations and submissions are now live for a limited time. Following on from the success of our 2025 calendar project, we are delighted to announce that we are repeating this for 2026. The 2026 calendar project was launched on 1st May and will run through to the end of July. Submitted images must have been taken between 1 January 2024 and 31 July 2025.
A straw poll of different formats was taken at the conference, and it was decided that the new calendar will be presented with images in landscape format, allowing for them to be bigger, with a reduced space for the date section.
There is “early bird” registration pricing to submit your images, and each registration will receive a calendar (the twelve lucky monthly winners will also receive an additional free calendar). Click here for full details of how to submit an image (Landscape Group members only).
The initial costs per calendar will be £15 for UK Landscape Group members and £21 for international members (including postage).
Calendars will go on general sale to non-members at a later date, after the twelve images have been selected. These will be priced at £18 (UK) and £25 (international), again including postage.
A MEMBER’S STORY
WASHED UP AND BLUE BY KEITH WALKER
Photography in all its multi-faceted forms has a capacity to help people express their imaginative ideas, building their self-confidence and self-esteem in the process. It can also act as a bridge to other forms of expression such as creative writing. With this as a backdrop, a number of organisations recently collaborated on a broad scale environmental project entitled “Washed Up and Blue”.
The participants were of a diverse age range and photographic experience, but all were either unemployed or under employed. The project was based at Shambellie House, located near the village of New Abbey in SW Scotland. (Shambellie is a creative centre for arts, heritage and environmental courses, workshops and events which has a major investment in photography.)
Following a team building session, the group heard from Nic Coombey of the Solway Firth Partnership (SFP) about the plastic waste washed up along the beaches of the Solway and the way in which the journey of such waste mirrors migration routes. (SFP, incidentally, provided many of the balls used by photographer Mandy Barker in her ”Penalty” project.)
The group were then introduced to the fundamentals of the cyanotype process. Basic photograms were generated using the readily available Jacquard chemicals painted on to 140gsm cartridge paper. The photograms were then placed between two clear glass chopping boards to hold them in place.
Given this was Scotland in January, natural UV light was in rather short supply, so the paper was exposed using 30w UV lights suspended above by placing the lights on up turned washing up basins which had had a hole cut out in their bases. The participants were encouraged to try out various exposure times and to experiment using tea and coffee to tone the resultant prints. An example of some of their first attempts at this process is shown in figure 1.
Figure 1 (A coffee toned print is on the right)
The second day began with a litter pick at the nearby beach at Southerness. Whilst helping a local beach cleaning group rid the beach of the plastic waste washed up following winter storms, the participants were encouraged to put objects they found particularly interesting into a small bag. Figure 2 shows one of the participants examining some seaweed for plastic artefacts.
On returning to Shambellie, the group spent a number of hours trying out various compositions, toning techniques and making both wet and dry cyanotypes. Indeed this spilled over into a third day. Again the focus was on experimentation, but the aim was to generate images using the objects found during the beach clean and to be prepared to produce some creative writing about these images. This creative writing was supported during the third day by Anna Wilson of Glasgow University and Brendan Breslin from Shambellie House. The group returned to the idea of journeys and migrations across oceans and through time, and considered how they feature in stories, real and imagined, from the Kon-Tiki Expedition to The Odyssey. Each participant then reflected on both the washed-up objects they had collected from the shoreline and the cyanotype prints they had made to create their own stories.
Figure 2
Examples of some of the images and writing produced is shown in the following images.
shipwreck
sails
skull and bones
Figures running back and forth Wooden ship, dark omen
land ahoy!
seagulls at last, caves and sand
5 years at sea, maybe the last time
rocks
shipwreck
all washed up on the beach glass wood rubbish
who will find this in thousands of years?
The fourth and final session was used to complete the creative writing, and to curate and mount an exhibition at Shambellie. The exhibition had been advertised through various social media channels, and this resulted in a well-attended “opening” with a lot of rich discussion. The growth of the participants over the four sessions, in terms of their skills and self-confidence was palpable. Given that the vast majority knew absolutely nothing about cyanotypes previously, had never exhibited anything in public before and not written creatively since their school days, their willingness to push themselves well beyond their comfort zones was both humbling and inspirational. Their desire to experiment and learn from what they saw as their “failures”, along with the support they gave each other, resulted in an atmosphere of creative collaboration. So what next. Well, thanks to the generous input of Anna Wilson and the Centre for Research and Development in Adult and Lifelong Learning at Glasgow University, a book of all the work produced is to be printed, with each participant and funder receiving a copy The exhibition, which was scheduled to be up for a week, has, due to the interest shown, been on display now for over a month. Outpost Arts, part of the Art in Healthcare Project funded by the NHS Endowment Fund, will display it in the atrium of the local Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary from the end of April. There is also now a possibility of further work with this group and future photographic based projects, involving inter-agency working, are under consideration. The positivity generated around this project shows what photography in its widest sense can offer, but it was only successful due to the input of a variety of organisations. To this end, I’d like to thank the following for their help and supportShambellie House Trust; the University of Glasgow; Solway Firth Partnership; Dumfries &Galloway Chamber of the Arts; Leverhulme Trust; Dumfries and Galloway Council., Devorgilla Rotary Club
TREVOR LITHERLAND – SUCCESS A MEMBER WRITES
What’s it like to be unsuccessful, bad?
What’s it like to be unsuccessful in trying to gain your LRPS Distinction, even worse.
You read the success stories in Accolade, how they’ve made their images, gathered them together to form a panel. Tested out various combinations of panel. You read about their favourite image that they didn’t include. But the one thing is they were successful, they received that email saying, SUCCESS. They now have the honour of putting LRPS after their name.
However what’s it like being unsuccessful? It’s crushingly hard and it’s disappointing. You’ve gone through the same journey as the successful applicants. You’ve done everything they’ve done, looked through your catalogue of images, scrutinised a rough selection, winnowed them down to maybe fifteen or twenty. Then really reviewed them. Do they meet the ABC criteria? You’ve read the ABC criteria, you’ve probably memorised it, dreamed it but now it’s real. This is the final hurdle to overcome. You examine your images, enlarge them, study them. Oh no, a sensor spot, how could you have overlooked it. Another image then but that doesn’t fit your panel, another rethink. This is getting tiring.
Eventually you assemble your panel. It looks right, colours are correct, it’s harmonious and cohesive. This is it, you open up the LRPS Distinctions page on the RPS website and pay your fee. The eleven empty panes are yours to fill. Firstly, your layout panel, it looks how you wanted, you upload it. That’s it, the first step taken. You upload your precious ten images, the Rubicon has been crossed now.
Now you wait, you put it out of mind. But it’s there, always at the back of your mind, scratching away, that little voice of doubt, what have you done. Surely they weren’t the best images you could have submitted. You look at others, oh no, that would have been a better choice or maybe that one. No use, the die is cast – live with it!
Time ticks away, weeks pass. You look at your emails with increasing frequency but no word. Then there it is, an email from the Distinctions Department. You stare at the screen, you’re hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Your finger clicks the mouse button and you follow the link to the RPS site, you login in and there it is, in all its depressing glory UNSUCCESSFUL. No maybe you read it wrong but you didn’t. What can’t speak can’t lie, it’s black and white. You’re a failure, you’re a useless photographer, why did you even think you could succeed?
You read the provided feedback, wait a minute, it wasn’t all bad. Some were good, some they praised, they noted. There’s a chance, you’re not as bad after all. You read the feedback, absorb the details, reflect upon it. Take the positives and rebuild. Rome wasn’t built in a day. There are people out there who can help, advise, suggest. We’re fortunate in DIG as we have a subgroup for aspiring LRPS candidates. The DI LRPS Support Group is where all this friendly help can be found. Post your images, ask for feedback, give feedback if asked to but most of all join in. As more people comment and provide feedback the more it’s a growing database of help and advice by people in the same boat, on the same journey.
So don’t despair, you are a good photographer, you can do it, you just need your confidence. So it’s saddle up, jump on that photography horse and ride it to success! And if you’re like me ride it again.
TALK - WALK - TALK
The spring programme for the Talk-Walk-Talk is now complete and the national Zine is online for everyone to view and enjoy, click image below.
Some walks produced their own Zines and these can be viewed on the TWT web site
We also produced a zine for international members - to view please go here. Or click image below.
Parks and Gardens was obviously a popular theme and the support of both walk leaders and walkers was high. Thank you to all our walk leaders and those Regions who engaged with the programme.
In the autumn we will be back with Inland Waters - rivers, streams, canals, ponds, lakes, reservoirs, waterfalls, even floods (heaven forbid).
If you would like to be a walk leader then do get in touch HERE
It is a fun little volunteer role and you get to meet some of your local fellow members.
The TALK will be from Vanda Ralevska on 29th September at 19.30BST. WALKs will be during OCTOBER
RHS PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW ‘25
Kicking off summer in style, I made my, now annual visit, to the opening night of the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show at London’s Saatchi Gallery—a vibrant celebration of creativity and the natural world. The exhibition showed a stunning array of botanical art and portfolio photography, reflecting a truly global perspective thanks to the many international entrants.
The portfolio photography section was particularly captivating, featuring a diverse range of subjects from plants and gardens to natural habitats. Each series offered a unique narrative, exploring the intricate relationships between people and plants.
Every entry in the show is meticulously reviewed by an expert judging panel, who assess each work for its aesthetic appeal, scientific accuracy, and technical skill. The exceptional standard was clear throughout the gallery, with artists and photographers vying for prestigious RHS medals and special awards.
I was delighted to be involved, in collaboration with the RHS and several members of the Photography Judging Panel, in hosting an advisory session in Autumn 2024. During this session, prospective entrants could have their proposed submissions appraised and receive valuable feedback.
Remarkably, five participants from that session went on to win medals at this year’s show: Celia Henderson (Silver), Lachlan French (Gold), both DI members and Heidi Egerman (Gold and Best Single Image), Adam Cole (Silver Gilt), Sabine Tillie Davidson (Gold and Best Panel in the Photography section). Hugh Milsom, who many of you know, was awarded Gold for a stunning panel of Olive trees in his signature pastel style. It was truly inspiring to see such talent recognised and celebrated on this international stage.
Melanie Chalk
Lachlan French’s Hanging plan for his Gold Medal winning entry
AI LEARN CREATE COMPETE
This series, which is free to Digital Imaging Members, explores how artificial intelligence is transforming photography.
Christine Widdall will cover AI fundamentals, its integration in software, and legal and ethical concerns like copyright and AI detection, while also showcasing AI-generated art. Joe Houghton offers practical guidance on AI image creation tools for photographers. Simon Newlyn reviews the history of image manipulation and demonstrates his own AI techniques. Glyn Dewis provides tips on using Adobe AI tools to streamline tasks like creating composites. Sally Sallett’s talk emphasises having fun with photography, especially in compositing.
As AI blurs the line between traditional artistry and digital manipulation, the consensus is clear: AI won’t end photography, but will enhance and revolutionise it for those willing to adapt and explore its creative potential.
Are you ready for that Revolution?
Sign up for this FREE event and find out more: how AI tools can be incorporated into your workflow; how to choose the best software; how to unleash your creativity and even how to have fun whilst making images. Then show us your results in a friendly competition in October.
DIGITAL IMAGING WEBSITE
