Paul Cox ARPS Bio

Why Volunteer

Why I joined the RPS I first encountered The RPS whilst meandering around The Photography Show at the NEC in the early 2000’s. I chatted to the representative on the stand at that time and was intrigued. However, I did not have time in my life for membership at that time, so I put on the back burner. I have been a volunteer in the Southern Region Committee volunteer group for 5 years. As an Event Coordinator my responsibility is twofold; (i) to act as the lead for any events being organised (by the Southern Region committee), and to organise events, in my area of the Region, and (ii) to help with the running of the Southern Region as directed by the three officers. I also have a responsibility to the RPS in representing the RPS at events, meetings (including Camera Club meetings) and Volunteering in the region gets you involved with the RPS at a different level. You have a voice in the region, you get to help with events and the organisation of the region, you get to represent the region/RPS at events and your camera club (if you belong to one), and you get to see how the RPS works, nuts and bolts. It’s really interesting and rewarding and challenging. And it does not take up a lot of your time, unless you want it too. As the saying goes – the more you put in, the more you get out. My interest in photography was piqued by the photographer we engaged to shoot my marriage to my first wife in 1980. I have distinct memories of how she organised people (and kids) and managed to obtain some beautiful images. From that experience I invested in an Olympus 35mm and set about destroying many reels of film.

I didn’t get seriously involved with photography until the late 90’s when I finally decided I really needed to understand this phenomenon wrapped up in an enigma; so, enrolled on a couple of short courses and ended up taking a degree in photography. I like the processes involved with the documentary genre, which takes me into many aspects of image making. I particularly like taking documentary series based on people and/or architecture, but I also have a penchant for long exposure waterscapes and abstracts that can be derived from those types of images. Paul Cox ARPS