So it's now July 2026, and I've been meaning to write a few chatty bits and pieces for .... well, let's see now... basically a long time. I've also been meaning to add more images, more descriptions and even more pages. But I think John Lennon had it about right! That thing about life!

 

Of course, having been in a position to travel extensively to undertake workshops...especially abroad...and thereby reap the rewards of a few thousand photos all vying for space on a new webpage, I was pretty much handed on a plate a fairly easy way to build up my site's content. Since those days, I have travelled, of course, though not so much to the more exotic, out-of-the-way and fascinating destinations of a few years ago. Covid didn't help, but other changes always come along, so instead I have been working on developing my own style more, keeping up with my local photosoc, creating videos, doing competitions, exhibitions and so on...and getting involved in more local shoots. The camera's never very far away.

 

I suppose one of my most important ventures was working on a submission to gain the first level of the Royal Photographic Society's Distinctions...the Licentiate. Not everyone's cup of tea by any means, but I've always been a bit of an exam junkie...and it's good to gain the approval of people who are acknowledged gurus! Suits me anyway!

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It did take a while to embark on that journey...mostly down to uncertainty about my ability to succeed, but also, frankly, the mere prospect of breaking into such an undertaking. Time and again I read about just what was required, and I have to admit that it was daunting. At this point I think it's fair to include some excerpts from an article about the Licentiate Distinction published in an RPS journal of 2024:

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Navigating the Licentiate journey requires perseverance, resilience,

and a willingness to embrace feedback and constructive criticism.

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At the heart of the Licentiate journey is the portfolio, involving ten

digital images ordered and presented to demonstrate the technical 

and artistic vision of the photographer. Besides showcasing proficiency

in the art and craft of photography, each photograph might also evoke

emotion and engage the viewer on a deeper level.

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Gaining the Licentiate is a significant accomplishment, and represents

the culmination of months, or possibly years, of hard work, dedication

and creative exploration. It is a recognition of skill , creativity and

a passion for photography.

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So I read all this stuff ad nauseam, and pretty well convinced myself that I could never achieve those dizzy heights. But, somewhere along this roller coaster of fact-finding I recalled that I had actually succeeded in trekking to considerable altitude in the Himalaya....no mean feat...and whilst completely different in nature, it had required courage and determination. So, after floundering around for a while in the murk of indecision and lack of confidence, I dug deep and finally convinced myself to take the plunge.​

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I don't wish to go into laborious detail of my day-to-day progress, or lack of in many cases, along with the headaches and wobbles that were a regular feature. There were 'ups' too, and to be fair, deep down I did really enjoy it.

 

Somehow or other I managed to devise some kind of approach, which does sound a bit pathetic really, but you didn't have a theme to help you focus. What you did have was the RPS requirements, neatly wrapped up in a section on their website, called Licentiate Criteria. It was comprehensive. And challenging. (I will add a note here to say that, currently (July 2026), guidelines and assessments have taken a six month vacation while the powers that be arrange an overhaul of the Distinctions programme. So by the start of 2027 no doubt there will be some distinct changes to requirements). 

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The subject of each image was not necessarily the most important thing, but photographs needed to show technical, artistic and communication ability, along with excellent presentation. Basically, the RPS wanted to know if I knew how to use my camera properly and to best effect. 'Cameracraft' was the buzzword.

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My starting point was making a list of everything I felt the RPS would like me to show them...such as use of thirds and hotspots, lead-in lines, perfect focus, blurring, light management, plus a host of other photographic aspects. The list easily exceeded the ten images I was required to produce, so choices had to be made, but as it turned out that was the easier part. Taking, or finding and choosing, the right images that would do the trick was far more difficult. As luck would have it I had enough images from the thousands I had already taken, but it was a bit like trying to find the right needles in several haystacks.

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As a result, I ended up with several images for every photographic aspect I had listed. More choice followed until I had accumulated the best ten images I felt I could muster. And that involved ensuring such factors as the focus was where it should be (and that it was sharp), that there were no blemishes, no distractions, no blown-out highlights, no loss of detail in the shadows, no noise, that depth of field was as it should be, etc, etc. Each image had to be examined with a fine tooth comb, and thrown out even if it failed one tiny factor. Most of all, it was important that my intention could be clearly interpreted from each image.

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Not for the faint-hearted.

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It would be distinctly tedious to go into the infinite detail surrounding the choice of each image. Suffice to say that, apart from giving the assessors the photographic aspects they needed to see, I had to choose images that could sit well together as a total presentation. This was the hallowed eleventh image, and as such, almost more important than each of the others.

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The RPS supplied a number of suggested arrangements for the presentation, and you could design your own if you wished. I chose one of theirs.

 

Below I have added my presentation. I don't count any of the images as being especially amazing, or inspiring, but what they did achieve, both individually and as a group, was a Licentiate Distinction.

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I guess I gave them exactly what they wanted.

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Since then, I've taken a little bit of a break...time to enjoy my achievement and to think about where I might go next. I felt I needed something different perhaps, a slight change in direction, and to develop some new techniques. Ultimately, I aim to go for the ARPS (Associate of the RPS)...an even greater challenge than the LRPS, and one that will involve preparation of a statement of intent, followed (eventually) by the images that will bear witness to that. 

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I have one or two ideas...

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