Your web browser is out of date. Update your browser for more security, speed and the best experience on this site.
Find out more
RPS Blue Blank Image

Honorary Fellowship

These are awarded to distinguished persons having, from their position or attainments, an intimate connection with the science or fine art of photography or the application thereof.

The maximum number of Honorary Fellowships in any year is limited to 8, in addition to those awarded with the Progress, Centenary, Outstanding Achievement and any other Awards. If the Progress Medal is awarded to a small team of up to 3 persons, the total number of awards of Honorary Fellowship to the team shall count as only one award, for the purposes of determining the total number of Honorary Fellowships awarded in that year.  In addition to the eight Honorary Fellowships and in addition to any Honorary Fellowships awarded with the Progress, Centenary and Outstanding Achievement awards, an Honorary Fellowship shall be awarded to any duly appointed President upon them taking up the office of President

Society Presidents are noted in bold. 

2023 Lynsey Addario, Lisa Barnard, Siân Davey, Laura El-Tantawy, Noémie Goudal, Justine Kurland, Frida Orupabo, Lorna Simpson

2022 Laia Abril, Dawoud Bey, Victor Burgin, Craig Easton, Jo Ractliffe, Ming Smith, Dafna Talmor,
and Ajamu X 

2021 Vanley Burke, VALIE EXPORT, Lola Flash, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Dana Lixenberg, Alec Soth, Mitra Tabrizian, Simon Hill

2020 James Barnor, Edward Burtynsky, Sunil Gupta, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Melanie Manchot, Gideon Mendel, Tracey Moffat, Richard Mosse, Shirin Neshat 

2019 Professor Anna Fox, Joy Gregory, Clare Strand, Hannah Starkey & Carrie Mae Weems, Alan Hodgson

2018 Edmund Clark, Mat Collishaw, Professor Karen Knorr, Sarah Moon, 
Zanele Muholi, Vanessa Winship

2017 Garry Fabian Miller, Mark Power, Taryn Simon, Joel Sternfeld, Robert Albright

2016 David Hurn, Adam Fuss, Hellen van Meene, Ingrid Pollard, Mert & Marcus

2015 Bryan Adams, Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low, Nadav Kander,
Vivane Sassen, Walter Benzie

2014 Marc Aspland, Harry Borden, Susan Derges, David Land, Chris
Steele-Perkins, John Swannell, Hugh Turvey

2013 Giles Duley, Tim Flach, Peter Fraser, Jane Hilton, Simon Roberts FRPS,
Derek Birch

2012 Doug Allan. Ian Beesley, Rineke Dijkstra, Rinko Kawauchi, Sally Mann,
Tim Walker

2011 Jason Bell, Stuart Blake, John Downing OBE, Simon King OBE, Bob Martin,
Mario Testino,  Roy Robertson

2010 Sian Bonnell, Keith Cavanagh, Tom Hunter, Ken Lennox, John Reardon,
Stephen Shore

2009 Harry Benson, Dorothy Bohm, Simon Crocker, Paul Graham,
Professor Jem Southam, Rosemary Wilman

2008 John Chillingworth, Joe Cornish, Dr Peter Magubane, Dr Daniel Meadows,
Zed Nelson, Ben Osborne

2007 Nick Danziger, David Goldblatt, Dr Adam Hart-Davis, Barry Lategan,
Professor Deng Wei, Barry Senior

2006 René Burri, Brian Griffin, Peter Marlow, Steve Pyke MBE, Yang Shaoming,
Tom Stoddart

2005 Darren Heath, Jenny Matthews, Steve McCurry, Martin Parr,
Denis Thorpe FRPS, Art Wolfe, Gus Wylie

2004 Philippe Garner, Dewi Lewis, Anne McCauley, Terry O’Neill, Aidan Sullivan,
Humphrey Spender

2003 Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Jillian Edelstein, Dr Stuart Franklin, Dr Mike Maloney,
Albert Watson, Dr Leo K K Wong, Roger Reynolds

2002 Polly Borland, Terence Pepper, Uwe Ommer, Thomas Mangelsen,
Rankin Waddell, Joel Meyerowitz

2001 Shahidul Alam, Dr Margaret Benyon, Jill Freedman, Sidney Ray,
Richard Sullivan, Cliff Thompson, John Page, Prof Raymond P Clark

2000 Jane Bown, David Doubilet, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Thurston Hopkins,
O P Sharma, Carole Sartain

1999 David Bailey, Colin Ford, Mario Giacomelli, Frans Lanting,
James Nachtwey, Dr Arthur Saunders

1998 John Blakemore, Terry Fincher, Michael Rand, Marc Riboud,
Christina Garcia Rodero, John Birkett

1996/7 Professor Griedrich Granzer, Hiroshi Hamaya, Mark Haworth-Booth,
R Phillips, O Winston Link, Robert Moore 

1995 Ian Berry, Bryn Campbell, C T Chang, Hans P Kraus Jr, Grace Robertson

1994 Freddie Reed, Elliott Erwitt, Jim Moorfoot, K F Wong, Bill Wisden, 
Edwin Appleton

1993 Professor Ralph Jacobson, Eve Arnold, Jean Dieuzaide, Amanda Nevill

1992 George Rodger, Peter C Bunnell, Willy Ronis, Michael Austin

1991 Tim Gidal, Joan Wakelin, Robert Doisneau, Duane Michals

1990 Barry Wilkins. Dr Maurice Van de Weyer, Sakda Siripant,
Professor John W Gates, Brian Bower

1989 Fay Godwin, S K Gajree, Dr Hereward Pietsch, Ray Lunnon, L Athol-Shmith

1988 H M King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Wellington Lee, Grace Lock,
Colin Osman, Chakravarthy Rajagopal, Arthur Downes

1987 Donald Barba, Prof Chin San Long, Graham Saxby

1986 Heather Angel, Dr I Bowie, Wong Shiu Gun, Prof Ralph Marshall,
Dr Douglas Wilson

1985 Sam Hanna, Gracie Alison, Bert Hardy, Frank Hawkins, Pat Whitehouse

1984 Charles P Hodge, Maurice Broomfield, H Roy Thornton, F J Worton,
David Bowen Thomas, Andor Kraszna-Krausz, Chris Roberts

1983 Dr Gerand Levenson, Dr G Thomas, Dr Robert W G Hunt,
HRH The Princess Margaret, Ray Ruddick, Gerald Thompson

1982 Charles E Brown, J A Fairfax-Fozzard, E Chambre Hardman,
Kenneth Moreman, Dr Guy Stevens, Sue Davies, Dr Leslie Bowcock

1981 Harry Ricketts, Jack Coote, Walter Nurnberg, Philip Smethurst, David Young

1980 Sir George Pollock

1979 George Aston

1978 Geoffrey Crawley, Chris Roberts, William A J Paul , Michael Langford,
Fred Harris

1977 Don McCullin, Derek Knight, Frank Greaves, Gerald Brock, Harold White

1976 Ansel Adams, Dr Vernon G W Harrison, Dr R E Lassam, Prof J Malinowsky,
Dr Joseph Schweig

1975 Prof J Pouradier, William Poucher, Tom Hopkinson, Arthur T Gill,
John P Delaney

1974 Donald Herbert, Leslie Wheeler, D H O John, Peter Wilkinson

1973 Ron J Cox, H Roy Hudson

1972 E O Hoppé, Dr Edith Wayde, Reggie Mason, Stanley Bowler

1970 A A Englander, Dr Peter Hansal, Josef Karsh

1969 Dr Tony Axford, Beaumont Newhall, Norman F Boyes

1968 Lord Snowdon, Norman Parkinson, Dr J A Leermakers, Mr E Selwyn,
Prof Dr Gotthadt Wolf, Glenn Earl Matthews, Dr G W G Maclennan

1967 Eric Hoskins, Herbert Mills Cartwright , Freddie Young

1966 Herbert Felton, Kenneth H Gaseltine, Arthur J Dalliday, H D J Cole

1965 Cecil Beaton CBE, Norman Harrison

1964 Henri Cartier-Bresson, Prof Eberhard Klein, Victor Gallafent, Horace Murch,
J B Eaton, Dr C J Staud

1963 Prof O Helwich, Dr E R Davies OBE, Dr Frances Mary Hamer, Dr L Helwich,
Dr E R Davies, John Chear, Eaton

1962 William Bell Hislop, John Bardsley, André Rott

1961 W F Berg, Laurence Hallett

1960 Sir Cyril Henschelwood OM, Professor Margaret Harker

1959 Stanley J Coleman

1958 Arthur Lindsey McRae Sowerby

1957 John I Crabtree, Dr Julian Webb, Dr J D Kendall, Dr Marcel Abribat,
Karel Jan Hora, Mark Oliver Dell

1956 Mary Field, W R Kaye, Betram Sinkinson, Lucien Bull CBE, Mark Oliver Dell

1955 Mary Field OBE, Lucien Bell CBE, Karel Jan Horer

1953 R B Fishenden OBE, ID Wratten, Prof John Eggert, Thomas Illingworth

1952 William Edward Gundhill OBE, J N Unwalla

1951 Percy W Harris, L V Chilton, A C Bull

1950 Percy Harris

1949 Dr Loyd Ancile Jones, Harry Abbott, José Ortiz Echagüe, Dr Drahomir Ruzicka

1948 Oliver G Pike, Frank R Fraprie, Frederick Tritton

1947 John M Whitehead

1946 George Pearson OBE, Adolf Fassbender, William Edward Henry Till

1945 G C Weston, Dr Harry Baines

1944 Donald McMaster, John G Capstaff, Dr Julian Smith

1943 Donald McMaster, Joseph M Bing

1942 Edward Epstean, (Cecil) M Hepworth, G C Weston, Prof Konstantine
Vladimirovich Chibosov

1939 R H Lawton, Arthur S Newman, Prof Dr W Reinders, Captain WH Jackson,
Edmund R Robins, J B B Wellington

1938 Wiliam Henry Jackson, Wiliam C Davies, Dr D A Spencer

1937 HH the Maharaj Bahandur of Tangore, Sir Prodyot Coomer, AVR van
Oudstoorn, H Mortimer Lamb, Walter Thomas, Albert J Bull, Harold
Cazneaux

1936 Robert Chalmers

1935 Frank M Sutcliffe, John BB Wellington, Robert Chalmers, T Lee Syms, J Bull

1933 Olaf Bloch, H Bedford Lemere

1932 Frances James Mortimer CBE, Bertram J Cox

1931 Edward J Steichen, Pirie MacDonald, James Shaw FRSA, Alvin Langdon
Coburn, Harold Holcroft

1930 B V Storr

1928 Frederick H Evans

1927 Thomas H B Scott

1926 Dr C E K Mees, Samuel E Sheppard

1925 Louis Lumière, J Dudley Johnston

1924 George E Brown, R Child Bayley, James Craig Annan, Alexander Keighley,
Louis Phillippe Clerc

1923 WLF Wastell

1922 Dr G H Rodman, Frank Foster Renwick

1918 John H Gear, Sir William Pope

1916 John Furley Lewis

1915 Lord Brabazon of Tara

1914 Henry Chapman Jones, William Bates Ferguson KC

1910 John C S Mummery

1905 Alfred Stieglitz, Robert Demachy

1903 Dr E Valenta

[1882 Prof. Josef Maria Eder]