The Royal Photographic Society

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Traces of Water XCamera-less lumen print created with water from a mountain stream.The water used to create these lumen ...
14/06/2026

Traces of Water X
Camera-less lumen print created with water from a mountain stream.

The water used to create these lumen prints was collected from a mountain stream that eventually flows into a nearby lake.

Throughout this series, I have been interested in following water through different states and environments and in recording the traces it leaves behind. While the photographs capture the marks of these processes, this installation asks how those processes might continue beyond the image itself.

The suspended forms reference paper moving through water and visually reconnect the photographs to the conditions from which they emerged.

Rather than functioning as static images, the works become part of a larger exploration of movement, transformation and the relationship between photography and the natural forces that shape it.

This installation marks an ongoing development within the project.

Like Saltwater II & IIICamera-less cyanotype created with sea water and salt crystallisationOne aspect that continues to...
14/06/2026

Like Saltwater II & III
Camera-less cyanotype created with sea water and salt crystallisation

One aspect that continues to fascinate me is that no body of water behaves exactly the same.

The colours, crystalline structures and surface patterns found in these works are shaped by the specific conditions of a particular place. Different coastlines, water qualities, mineral compositions and weather conditions would all produce different results.

In that sense, each image carries the unique signature of the environment in which it was created.

Rather than using water to depict a landscape, I use it as a material that reveals the distinct characteristics of a place through the marks it leaves behind.

IPE167 shortlisted photographer Claudia Schilling continues her takeover of the RPS socials this weekend:Like Saltwater ...
14/06/2026

IPE167 shortlisted photographer Claudia Schilling continues her takeover of the RPS socials this weekend:

Like Saltwater IV⁠: Camera-less cyanotype created with sea water and salt crystallisation⁠

Water continues to shape the image long after it has disappeared.⁠

These works were created using a cyanotype process over the course of several days along the coastline. During that time, sea water, rain, wind and sand continuously interacted with the surface, each leaving visible traces behind.⁠

The crystalline structures visible in the image are sea salt deposits that formed as the water evaporated.⁠

Rather than capturing a single moment, the work accumulates the effects of changing environmental conditions over time, recording the physical traces left behind by water as it moves through a place.⁠

Frozen Forms V & VI Camera-less lumen print created with melting iceThese lumen prints were created using frozen water p...
13/06/2026

Frozen Forms V & VI
Camera-less lumen print created with melting ice

These lumen prints were created using frozen water placed directly onto photographic paper.

As the ice melted, it left behind traces that became part of the image. The resulting forms are enlarged records of crystal structures that usually remain invisible because of their scale and short lifespan.

Throughout this series, I am interested in revealing processes that exist around us but often escape our attention.

The photographs do not depict ice. They are physical records of its transformation.

Ice Flower I & IIICamera-less cyanotype created using naturally formed ice crystalsThese works focus on ice as one tempo...
13/06/2026

Ice Flower I & III
Camera-less cyanotype created using naturally formed ice crystals

These works focus on ice as one temporary state of water.

The structures formed naturally during periods of frost and existed only briefly before disappearing again. During the photographic process, sunlight played a double role: it developed the image while simultaneously melting the ice that created it.

What interests me is this overlap between creation and disappearance. The photograph records a moment that is already in the process of changing.

Each frost event produces different formations. Temperature, humidity, sunlight and timing all leave their own signature on the final image.

We're continuing our takeovers from the shortlisted photographers of the International Photography Exhibition 167 ✨ This...
13/06/2026

We're continuing our takeovers from the shortlisted photographers of the International Photography Exhibition 167 ✨ This weekend we have Claudia Schilling:⁠

Ice Flower IV: Cyanotype created without a camera using naturally formed ice crystals⁠

Water has become the central focus of my practice.⁠

Rather than photographing landscapes directly, I am interested in the traces water leaves behind and the transformations it undergoes. Ice, flowing streams, evaporation and crystallisation all reveal processes that often remain unnoticed because they are temporary or constantly changing.⁠

What fascinates me is that every place produces different results. Water carries the conditions of its environment, and those conditions leave their mark on the image.⁠

This work is part of an ongoing series exploring water not only as a subject, but as an active collaborator in the creation of the photograph.⁠

Sir David Hockney died on 11 June.  He was awarded the RPS’s Progress Medal and Honorary Fellowship in 1998. As an artis...
12/06/2026

Sir David Hockney died on 11 June. He was awarded the RPS’s Progress Medal and Honorary Fellowship in 1998. As an artist he brought a distinctive perspective to photography and is perhaps best known to photographers for his ‘joiners’, and books and television programmes exploring the use of the camera obscura and photography in art.

Our picture shows David with Lord David Puttnam Hon FRPS at the NMPFT, Bradford.

Elevate Your Black & White Photography with our Developing your Mono Vision workshop 📸🔲Discover the art of black-and-whi...
11/06/2026

Elevate Your Black & White Photography with our Developing your Mono Vision workshop 📸🔲

Discover the art of black-and-white photography, learning how to create striking, timeless images by mastering light, shadow, and composition. Perfect for photographers looking to refine their monochrome skills! Join award-winning photographer Simon Ellingworth for a masterclass on Developing Your Mono Vision ⚫️⚪️

🗓️ 7 July
🕕 6pm until 8pm
📍 Online Workshop
🎟️ Limited spots available—book your place now 👇

🔗 https://events.rps.org/en/4LrdQ66/rps-developing-your-mono-vision-with-simon-ellingworth-july-2026-5a2NN2B33uH/overview

Calling all documentary photographers! ⁠Our Joan Wakelin Bursary is open for applications to help support you with your ...
11/06/2026

Calling all documentary photographers! ⁠Our Joan Wakelin Bursary is open for applications to help support you with your project⁠ ✨ 📸⁠

We’re offering £2,000 in partnership with , to support a powerful overseas social documentary project, this is your chance to shine a light on untold stories that matter. Created in memory of the acclaimed photographer Joan Wakelin, this bursary supports new and original work only📸⁠

Applications close 12 July⁠ ⏰ ⁠

Find out more 👉 https://rps.org/wakelin/
⁠ ⁠
Image: Myah Asha Jeffers (.jeffers) Joan Wakelin Bursary Recipient⁠ ⁠

The  Group Members’ Exhibition is currently on show at it's final location, Falkirk Wheel ()until 21 June 📍📸Being featur...
10/06/2026

The Group Members’ Exhibition is currently on show at it's final location, Falkirk Wheel ()until 21 June 📍📸

Being featured across the UK, in London, Bristol, Nottingham, York to Inverness, the exhibition shows 80 beautifully printed images of everything from grand vistas to intimate abstracts shown on this panel 📸⁠

Discover more about the exhibition and view the online gallery at 👉 https://rps.org/groups/landscape/projects/members-outdoor-exhibition/
Image:

1. Sun on Sea by Sue Searle
2. Where the Sea Meets the Rock by Lindsay Southgate ARPS

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