The Nature Distinctions Panel


The Nature Distinctions Panel
by Robert Hawkesworth FRPS

Over the years in which I have been closely associated with the Nature Group, both as Secretary and Chairman, it has become clear to me that many members have somewhat vague ideas about the Nature Distinctions Panel and the manner in which it conducts its business. There seems to be a widely held view that the Panel is an adjunct of the Nature Group and some of you even think that it is a sub-Committee of the Nature Group Committee! Such views are quite simply erroneous and it is felt that some explanation might be helpful.

At the outset it is very important to state that the Nature Distinctions Panel is an entirely separate body from the Nature Group and has no connection with it whatsoever. The members of the Panel are all experienced nature photographers who hold Fellowships of the Society, in many cases they may also be Nature Group members but it is in no way a necessary requirement. 

The present Chairman is Tony Wharton FRPS. Panel members are David Osborn FRPS (Vice-chairman), John Bebbington FRPS, Andy Callow FRPS, Roger Hance FRPS, Robert Hawkesworth FRPS, George McCarthy FRPS, Clive Rathband FRPS and Richard Revels FRPS. The panel meets twice a year, in the Spring and in the Autumn, to assess applications for Associateship and Fellowship. Applications for Associateship are assessed in public and if successful are passed on to the Council for ratification. Fellowship applications are assessed in camera (without an audience). Those applications deemed of the required standard are then referred to the Fellowship Review Board, which is made up of the Chairmen of the various subject panels as well as members of the Distinctions Advisory Board. This acts as a moderating process and ensures that, as far as possible, Fellowship standards are consistent across the subject areas. Successful applications at this level are then passed on for ratification to the Council.

In the case of unsuccessful applications, at both Associateship and Fellowship level, every effort is made to inform the applicant of the reasons for failure and to try to indicate a course of action for improvement. In the nature category there has always been a happy tradition of this. Wherever possible, arrangements will be made for the applicant to meet with a panel member so that the matter can be discussed in greater detail. Obviously things do occasionally go wrong and if anyone reading this feels that they have not received satisfactory help at this stage then they really should contact the Distinctions Manager at Bath, Andy Moore.

If you are working towards a distinction in nature then it is always helpful to receive guidance. A few years ago, a number of now past-members of the Nature Distinctions Panel put together an inter-active CD-ROM guide to obtaining an Associateship, which was produced and distributed by the Nature Group. It has been updated regularly and is available from the Nature Group priced at £10. Another highly recommended course of action is to attend a Distinctions Workshop/Advisory Meeting.  If you have a friend who is a Fellow, then his or her guidance may be sought, but remember that photography moves on and unless they are still 'at the cutting edge' so to speak then they may not necessarily be aware of current standards. It is also possible to seek advice from a panel member and this should be done by approaching the Distinctions Manager, Andy Moore. A panel member will certainly be able to say whether your work is generally of an appropriate standard, but that does not imply that you will be successful. They will not help you to make a final selection from your work for that is part of 'the examination paper'. General help with things to look for in putting a panel of work together, for example the balance of the content, the flow of colours, composition, the interplay of vertical and horizontal images and so on is always useful to receive.

It is important that you should obtain a copy of the new 'Distinctions Handbook'. This is obtainable from Andy Moore, the Distinctions Manager, or may be downloaded from the RPS Web Site -
http://www.rps.org/associateship/New-Distinctions-Handbook.
Particular attention should be paid to Section C - 'Associateship',  Section D - 'Fellowship' and Section E1.3 'Requirements for Nature'.

Gaining an Associateship or Fellowship is never going to be easy, it takes everyone a great deal of time and effort to achieve the required standard, and that is as it should be. It is also quite expensive, for not only do you have your application fee, but if you are a print worker there is the added cost of printing and mounting, which is certainly no small matter. Transparencies should be re-mounted in new mounts, masking them where necessary and returning the transparency to the centre of the mount. Again very time consuming. If you are making a digital entry, which at the moment is only allowable for an Associateship, then please follow the instructions given very carefully.

In conclusion I am sure that I speak for my fellow panel members when I say that we all wish to help you gain your distinction, but at the same time we will always maintain the very high standards required, for that of course is our responsibility.

 

Extracts from the RPS 'Distinctions Handbook'

E1.3 Nature

This category covers any of the various branches of natural history, including zoology, botany, meteorology, astronomy and palaeontology.

Each image should be correctly identified and, as well as your statement of intent, you should include with your application a list in the order of presentation, with both a common name and a scientific name.

In general, subjects should be free and unrestricted, in a natural or adopted habitat, although in some circumstances, subjects photographed under controlled conditions may be permissible.

No kind of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement is permissible, except for the removal of minor distractions or blemishes.

Purpose and Comunication

Your statement should clearly state your intention in choosing the work submitted, in order to enable the Assessment Panel to consider your work in a meaningful context.

Your work should bear out the intention set out in your introduction, and should provide clear evidence of a genuine interest and involvement in this type of photography.

Each individual subject should be shown in an illustrative way, which is of interest to a well-informed naturalist, but should be clearly seen to be relevant to the submission as a whole. It should at the very least accurately depict what the subject looks like, although it might, to your advantage, show some aspect of its life-cycle or behavioural pattern as well.

For Fellowship, the Assessment Panel looks for a personal style or an original approach, but at the very least you must demonstrate that you are capable of maintaining to the highest standard, the momentum of current trends and developments in nature photography. It is advisable to choose a particular natural history theme or topic and to explore and develop it photographically. It is only rarely sufficient to present a similar collection of images, produced by similar techniques and differentiated from each other only in terms of species differences.


Cohesion

If you are submitting prints, you should present them so that they appear coherent and visually well-balanced in terms of subject matter, print size, format, colour, contrast and mounting. A submission of prints displayed in an unplanned, haphazard manner is unlikely to impress.

Transparency and digital image submissions should be sequenced in a similarly coherent and visually well-balanced way, avoiding sudden changes in colour, contrast or key. Where several different subject types are included in a submission, it is usually more effective to present them interspersed with each other, rather than grouped altogether.


Technical Quality

Your submission should demonstrate that:

  • you are able to produce consistently sharp and correctly exposed pictures, with image sizes appropriate to the subjects being shown
  • you have the ability to control depth of field in such a way that all your images have backgrounds appropriate to the type of subject being shown; whether that subject is being depicted in close-up or within the wider context of a particular habitat

  • you have a good understanding of how to use light effectively, whether natural or artificial.

  • if flash is used, it has been used discreetly, sympathetically and in a manner which is completely in keeping with the subject, avoiding areas of heavy shadow or excessive contrast.


Artistic Considerations 

Although work submitted in the Nature Category should be mainly informative or illustrative, an overlay of pictorialism is not only permissible but may be to your advantage, provided that it does not detract from the informative content of the work.
Good composition is an important aspect of effective and visually satisfying nature work, so your submission should show your skill in this respect.  

    As well as the Statement of Intent, a list of subject names, both common and scientific, is required.

     

    Distinctions Manager Andy Moore can be contacted at:

    Tel: +44 (0) 1225 325733 
    Email: andy@rps.org