Projects

"Up to January 2018 I had been a happy holiday snapper with a lovely story of family holidays.  By September 2018 I wanted more formal training and so I joined an Open University course, sponsored by the Royal Photographic Society, which included a free advisory day.  I completed the course and went along to for the advisory day and was politely and professionally shown the shortfalls of my pictures.

By early 2020 I was ready for another advisory day with a new set of pictures.  However, as with many aspects of life, Covid intervened and everything was put on hold.  The RPS Distinctions team introduced virtual one to ones.  I booked for October and came away with a panel which was almost there.  

My cancelled advisory day was then reinstated as a Zoom event for November.  I made the previously suggested amendments to my panel, got good feedback again but still not quite there.

I then had a chance meeting with an experienced RPS member in December 2020 and they went on to help me with advice and critique to add the finishing touches to my panel and an awareness of the finer points of printing and mounting.  I booked an assessment day for the 3rd March 2021 and was delighted to be successful.

This attention to detail, revisiting a shot and preparation before shooting certainly was vital to achieving my LRPS.  It has spilled over into my regular photography, making a huge difference and creating improvements all the time.  I have used my camera much more, testing shots and preparing ideas.

It is easy to say ‘practise makes perfect’ but I had to make sure that I analysed a picture first and prepared the actions to improve it before I revisited the shot.  In this way my practise became purposeful and lessons were properly learned.

An uncomfortable lesson was omitting some of my favourite photos from the panel.  The temptation to shoehorn them in somewhere was immense.  Eventually, I could see the tension they created with the other images was detracting from the coherence of the panel.

I hope I took full advantage of RPS support with 2 advisory days plus an online one to one.  Although I wasn’t always told what I hoped to hear, the advice was unfailingly polite, accurate, constructive and enthusiastic.  It always filled me with optimism and determination to improve the panel.  I also had the support of an experienced photographer from my local camera club who took an interest in my progress and gave me someone to chat to when I needed a boost.

There were many finer points of presentation that I would be surprised if I had discovered on my own, so the support of wise counsellors from formal RPS events through to sharing my challenges with other photographers was important for my development.

For me the work to reach LRPS standard has not only made me feel proud but it has also spun off into my daily photography.  I consider so much more before I set out with my camera and find myself thinking much wider than simply the image in the viewfinder.

My efforts have been hugely repaid in pride, improved photography and new friends."

by Peter Baker LRPS