Elaine Herbert joined the RPS in 1977, gained her Licentiate in 1983 and her Associate in 1998. As a foundation member of the Australian Chapter which was formed in 1986, she has been actively involved in the Chapter’s many events and activities for nearly forty years. She has been Honorary Secretary of the Australian Chapter for the past 27 years, liaising with RPS Council and staff on membership, governance and general administrative matters in addition to her extensive contact with Australian members.
Additionally, Elaine has been particularly active in promoting the Society’s international character. This led to her being appointed the first RPS International Members’ Representative in 2020, thus raising awareness more widely across the RPS of the contribution the international members make, and the diversity of skills and expertise they offer.
Elaine was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Australian Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2019 for service to photography. In particular, this recognised her contribution through her RPS role and the Society’s significance in Australia.
In her own photography she aims to capture the ‘feel’ of the unique Australian environment, exploring the rich variety of texture, form, pattern and colour of its natural world. She is fascinated by the small details revealed by closer observation - perhaps abstract patterns of the peeling bark of eucalyptus trees, or the texture of weathered tree stumps, or the detail of rock formations – and she finds it deeply satisfying to depict these nuances in her image-making.
Elaine has been a consistent ambassador for the RPS in Australia. On her rare visits to the United Kingdom she has made time to meet RPS staff and other volunteers to develop personal relationships that have help support her Chapter activities.
More than that, despite the distance and especially time difference between Australia and the UK, Elaine has supported the RPS through her involvement with the RPS’s Representatives’ Committee (RepCom). Uniquely placed, Elaine has supported the RPS’s wider international membership, and produced a thoughtful and carefully researched paper about the RPS’s overseas membership for RepCom. This was instrumental in helping set up a renewed focus on international members.
Elaine was awarded the Members’ Award in 2008.
