Thanks for all your kind words and support guys. It really does mean a lot to me. This result has dissapointed me greatly, and I think the fact that my photography has been riding the crest of a wave for the last year (Well 356 days today) has made this failure hurt all the more.
Im in two minds as to whether im going to attempt the LRPS again. I suspect I will, but I want to see the notes first. If I deem the comments as fair and just then I will go for a second attempt. However if I see the judgement as unjust or highly subjective then I suspect I will be canceling my RPS membership. It might sound like im being a soor loser, and maybe I am, but I have paid a lot of money to be a member and attempt a LRPS and I genuinly believe my work is of a high enough standard (In addition to following all the RPS guidance). I also have mixed feelings as to how credible the society is, as some of the panels that passed (Not only LRPS, but ARPS and even FRPS) I don't believe hold great technical or artistic merit. But anyway, im not going to pass judgment until I get the full panel notes. In the meantime, this is what Margaret Salisbury posted on the RPS forum;
Hi
I am really sorry your Panel was "not recommended" but John is correct in saying you will get detailed Feedback from me as soon as I can complete the forms which I brought home with me today. It will take me some time but we usually get the forms to the Applicants within a month of the Assessment.
You will also get offer of "one to one help" from a Panel Member but initially you will be given my details (email and phone number) so you may contact me to request this. Often it is enough to read the "feedback form" and/or to talk to me, establish where the standard needs lifting and take up the suggestions made and you can of course try again paying half the fee for the second attempt. If you need or ask for more help, one of us (usually Chairman or one of the Assessors from the day your Panel was Assessed) will help you as much or for as long as you need it. Who will help and how will be decided when I speak to you.
You may know that we now have a new Chairman of the Panel - Leo Palmer who is from Northumberland joins John and I, the three of us share the Chairing of the Panels. We have Panel Members from all over the country so we can usually put potential or unsuccessful Applicants in touch with someone in their area or someone who is "expert" in the particular type of photography the Applicant is interested in using in the submission. The panel which met this week consisted of Members from: North Wales, Northern Ireland, Bristol, Somerset, Southampton, Midlands. Workshops are also run in all parts of UK.
Without looking at my notes or the Marking Forms in detail I can tell you that your Panel was a "near miss" and although I can appreciate it is difficult for those looking at your panel here to know why you were unsuccessful I will again reiterate that what you see on the screen is often very different from what you see when the images are projected on a large screen.
Again I am sorry you were not successful this time but with help and some work on the weak points I am positive you will be successful next time.
Margaret
That doesn't really add a great deal of information, but at least it was a nice email. As for;
what you see on the screen is often very different from what you see when the images are projected on a large screen
Im not convinced. Maybe im being simple and thinking too literally here, but surely if both the screen and projector are calibrated properly, then there shouldn't be any difference in the way the image appears.
The candids are excellent, most of the pictures are very good although some of the sparser ones seem technichally competent (as all were) but perhaps lacking in subject.
Care share how you get such nice B&W conversions?
Although subject will no doubt come in to the equation, the LRPS is supposed to be a show of technical competence and having and 'eye' for shots. The panel I chose also shows the breadth of work I do. For the black and white conversions I use Lightroom, and play with the colour levels, then use split toning to get a platinum print type look. I also use quite a bit of dodging and burning to get the right balance of tones.
What comments did they give ?
Won't find out for about a month.
Why not replace the weakest of the selection and re-apply.
See my above comment. If I do re-apply, I suspect i'll do a whole new panel, this time with my colour work, and get it printed instead.
I know what you mean. and I have read the LRPs guidance documents over and over again, and I still can't see why there is so much room for inconsistancy. Maybe im being simple, but its as if they are looking at some 'higher meaning' behind the images, and not the technical and artistic merit of them.
Maybe you have risen above us and you need a more critical audience. It is the best way to improve.
Andrew
Oh im all for constructive criticism, but as long as I can see where its coming from. I certainly enjoy and appreciate the comments and criticism I get from here and TP, but sometimes I'd also like much harsher criticism. However art in general can be and is so subjective that I feel judging should be taken from a technical angle or from a fair and unbiased judging process (ie, a large panel of people from varying backgrounds and standards to eliminate personal bias).
{edit} Oh, by the way, have you altered that miner with the tear? I don't ever remember seeing something as pronounced as that on the original shot. I know you mentioned that you were reprocessing them a while ago. The shot is good until you notice that tear. It looks like a white blob on the image, rather than something that's supposed to be there.
I have reedited it, but I don't think I made the tear any more prominent.
What do you use in LR? Tone curve and split toning?
I don't do much Mono but this might be quite an interesting time to start.
Panzer
See above for CBS' answer.
With the RPS I'd imagine you would often need to have a base to underpin what it is you're trying to say with your imagery. Are you trying to say something or have you picked those photographs just because they look nice?
I don't mean to put you on the spot or and I dont want to sound like I'm having a dig, but you have no idea what context and what basis other peoples photographs were taken in so it's pointless to assume you'd get the distinction because your pictures look better.
This is true for the ARPS and FRPS, but the LRPS should be a panel showing the breadth of your work, with emphasis on technical ability. The panel should also 'flow' whether this is through a theme, or through style, colour or subject matter. A 'letter' of intent is to be submitted with the ARPs, but not the LRPS. It should the images speaking for themselves.
Unlucky.
One question I would ask is do the people you are presenting your CV to understand what an LRPS is and the effort you need to put into it to get one?
Maybe, maybe not. But having the LRPS can't do any harm to my CV, and it is a goal for me to aim towards. It also shows a level of commitment to my hobby that should help with any job applications.
Edit; That has got to be my longest post ever!
up to A4 size and they saying "Oh its quite pixellated now...".
