Photography News Issue 64

Photography News | Issue 64 | photographynews.co.uk

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Profile

Creative Eye Meet the group In the first of a new regular feature on photo groups, we take a look at the Creative Eye Group of the Royal Photographic Society and catch up with the group’s chair, Moira Ellice ARPS and Steve Varman LRPS

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name last year. We wanted to make it clearer that we’re not just about creating images in software, which was a growing misconception. Although creative software techniques are very much a part of who we are, the group was originally conceived in 1991 to give members more freedom with their photographic visions. It removed the constraints, rules and conventions that some other groups carry. Changing the name to Creative Eye is a better representation of the group’s ethos. PN: Moira, how long have you been chair, and why did you take on the role? ME: I have been chair for one year. Unfortunately, the untimely death of the chair-elect, followed by the early resignation

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RPS’s Creative Eye Group? Moira Ellice & Steve Varman: The Creative Eye group is one of 17 special interest groups that allowRPS members to focus on different areas of photography. The group is unique in that it isn’t restricted to conventional photographic genres. A limitless choice of subject matter with imaginative use of equipment and software – and of course the photographer’s own creative eye – makes the group an exciting and inspiring place to explore photographic possibilities. PN: Wasn’t the group originally called the Creative Group? Why the name change? ME & SV: That’s right, we changed the

Left Bronze medal winner, DPI – Rush hour, Grand Central by Margaret Rainey FRPS Above Gold medal winner, DPI – Southwold, Suffolk by David Turner LRPS

A judge’s perspective

For the 2019 exhibition, the Creative Eye group invited PN editorWill Cheung FRPS to do the selection. “It is always a privilege to get asked to judge or select pictures – and a heavy responsibility, too,” saysWill. “Usually, selection and judging is done by a panel of three judges – but here I was onmy own, although that wasn’t an issue. “I waswalked through the judging processwhen I arrived and told that every entrant got a picture into the final exhibition. That seemed very fair and

gives everyone a sense of achievement. Ultimately, though, in prints and in DPI, I needed five final images for the gold, silver and bronze awards, plus one highly commended and one commended. With over 400 images in total it was going to be a long but enjoyable day.” “The biggest challengewas judging such a diversity of images, not only in subjectmatter but in techniques, too. Nature, abstracts, portraits, heavily edited creations, monochrome and

scenics, all were covered. Therewas a lot of great stuff, perhaps some less so. “Being a photographer and magazine editor probably gives me a different perspective from judges deeply ensconced in the club competitions and salonworld. Put simply, I’mnot swayed bywhat’s trending in the clubworld and I just favour images that I think arewell executed, showgood content and great composition, and arewhat I personally like looking at.”

Above (left to right) Moira Ellice ARPS with Martin Heathcote LRPS, silver medal winner (prints), with Will Cheung FRPS

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