Geese Guards

RPS advisory day today for the East Midlands Group. I found it very informative. The advisors, who might also be assessors in another situation, gave very constructive and helpful advice to each of the candidates on their proposed panels.

What was illuminating was how, by changing the position of photos in the panel arrangement, and choosing other photos to substitute can make an immense difference to the visual appearance of the whole panel, making it visually more pleasing and coherent.

This is where RPS is so different from PAGB. PAGB assesses photos on their own individual merits, whereas RPS is looking for the ability to illustrate a theme or intent chosen by the photographer. A photo may win prizes in many competitions but if it doesn't fit into a panel for RPS, it should be rejected.

I've also learned the meaning of Conceptual and Contemporary Photography. You can't just bung in any old street photography. There's got to be a theme.

At the lunch break, I walked round the block outside enjoying the warm midday sun. I'd heard the geese on my arrival in the van. I finally came across them guarding this garden gate, which got in my way of the view of the geese. I have alternative photos of a quaint cottage with an open window - these people in Whatton in the Vale can't know how tempting that would be on a council estate - and a cobweb on the door of the telephone book swap shop. But I showed you that last time.

Home early and fired up the printer to test the new profiles I've received from Permajet. Eureka! The advice I heard last week about printing with photoblack on matt paper actually works. I'm very pleased with the results. No more switching between inks and wasting money.