The Spectrum Visual Art Special Interest Group is moving away from critique and competition of single photos, towards small panels of photos and projects for open discussion. The aim is to provide a more participative forum, in which photographers are challenged to extend their skills & creativity, and to develop all aspects of their photography.

Whilst VA is not exclusively technique led, techniques do seem to feature strongly in the RPS VA Group.

The VA SIG main programme will, therefore, be competitions based on featured techniques.

The technique meetings will involve a short presentation on the relevant technique, related genres and styles, followed by a “show & tell” where photographers are encouraged to provide some of their own (past) photos using the relevant technique for general discussion.

There will be three rounds of DPI and a final round of prints.

Each round will involve short presentations on the featured techniques for that round, and then a short gap before the competition.

The competition will require 3 to 5 photos showcasing the photographer’s chosen technique from that round.

The preference is for photos taken specifically for these competitions, rather than photos from archives.

No subject is specified, only the technique options.

The competitions will be free format on titles - titles, no titles, or a short statement of intent or explanation, at the photographer’s choice.

There will be no requirement for “cohesion” in the 3-5 photos, they could be different explorations of the technique, or could be more like a cohesive panel, or could be a triptych etc, the presentation style will be the photographer's choice.