This genre encompasses research in the art & science of photography. It also looks at how photography is considered, how its history is recorded and preserved, how photography is taught and how it is understood in its own terms and as part of the wider culture.
Applications are usually of a written and predominantly scholarly nature. The following gives some examples of what the assessors would expect to see:
Research in all its aspects encompassing the arts & sciences of photography reflecting the mission statement of The Society.
Research on an individual photographer, school or genre.
Photographic education.
The conservation and restoration of photographs and photographic material.
New thinking about photography, photographic theory and culture.
Aspects of the history of photography.
Although applications should be scholarly they are not always expected to be of an academic nature. However, in order to give an example of the standards, a parallel has been drawn below, between academic qualifications and the RPS Research Distinctions, of Licentiate, Associate and Fellowship.
Dissertation for BA/BSc or equivalent.
Taught MA/MSc or equivalent; Research Masters inc MPhil.
Normally above the level of MPhil up to the level of a PhD.
All submissions must be written in the English language. All of the submissions are reviewed and assessed using the following criteria
An application may be submitted for a body of Research that already exists in the public domain e.g. a book, journal papers, published articles, or website.
In this case, a report should be submitted discussing the following: -
The report should be a minimum of 2,000 words and be appropriately referenced and illustrated.
Applications that include publications, such as articles and journal papers, do not need to supply PDFs of all publications but should provide a list of publications, and select three publications to send in full as PDFs. For Fellowship the three selected publications must be peer-reviewed. The accompanying report should provide an overview of the research papers listed
An applicant with a successful MPhil in an appropriate topic from a recognised university need only submit a ca.500 abstract for the Associate distinction along with the name of the university and any collaborating institution, names of supervisors and names of external examiners. As most MPhil theses are now in the public domain, the link to that is advisory but will not be essential to the submission.
Applicants with a successful MPhil may also apply for a Fellowship, however, the complete MPhil thesis would need to be submitted for assessment.
An applicant with a successful PhD or equivalent in an appropriate topic from a recognised university need only submit a ca.500 abstract for a Fellowship along with the name of the university and any collaborating institution, names of supervisors and names of external examiners. As most PhD theses are now in the public domain, the link to that is advisory but will not be essential to the submission.
In exceptional circumstances, an applicant for a Research Distinction may apply direct for Fellowship, without being an Associate of The Society. Applicants wishing to apply using this route must submit a proposal to the Distinctions Manager, who will then seek the opinion as to its suitability from the Research Chair. It is recommended, however, that applicants should become an Associate before applying for Fellowship.
Paul talks to Stewart Wall ARPS about his ground-breaking research Fellowship into how to photograph bats.
Paul also is the Author of Winning Images with Any Underwater Camera: The Essential Guide to Creating Engaging Photos
And also a conclusion page which list outputs:
Author: Prof. Robert Ryan FRPS
Title: Intuition, Expertise and Judgement in the Capture and Assessment of Photographic Images.
Author: Dr. Rehan Zia FRPS
Title: Fixing it in the present - the decisive moment in high dynamic range landscape photography.
Publication: The Journal Vol. 159
Title: Qualifications: Focus on two of the Society's specialist accreditations
Potential applicants are expected to submit an application form along with a synopsis of approximately 500 words to Andy Moore, summarising the intended work. At this stage, the Chair will comment and provide advice on your proposed submission.
All applicants should then submit one hard copy of the evidence and a PDF version. If you are unable to provide a hard copy or PDF version please contact Andy Moore. 
Andy Moore LRPS, The Royal Photographic Society, 337 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol BS4 3AR.
The application will then be sent to the Chair of the Research Panel. A decision is then made whether
A) to send to the Research assessors for a decision, or
B) to request more information to supplement the application.
Assessments for Research are Open-ended, allowing you to apply at your leisure
Licentiate £42.50
Associate £60.00
Fellowship £85.00
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Prof. Andrea Liggins CHAIR |
Prof. Afzal Ansary
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Dr Tim Daly
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Dr Paul Jeff
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