ARPS - in recent years I have tried to move away from the 'pictorialism' and often stylised approach of camera club photography, which somehow felt stale and predictable. I thought back to some of Elliot Erwitt's pictures that had initially prompted my interest in photography and more recently the work of Martin Parr. I purchased a 19mm lens for my Pentax MX and started to explore a new direction by photographing people and places. The panel I successfully submitted for my Associateship of the RPS (again the middle of three award levels) was titled "The Lives of Older People". My supporting statement explained how I had sought to portray moments in the lives of older people by showing ordinary people, in ordinary situations; the sort of thing seen across the United Kingdom every day of the week. I photographed people shopping, catching buses, sitting, talking, walking dogs or simply looking at life around them. I wanted the images to capture brief moments that would reflect the hopes, uncertainties and often mundane nature of lives, that perhaps, looked back rather than forward. This approach typically requires pictures that are more harmonious and less dependant upon the high impact of individual images, so the panel as a whole conveys the message. I certainly find this approach more enjoyable and look forward to working on a panel for my Fellowship.