CEO
PRESIDENT
M A R T I N B AY N E S
JEFF BROWN
D
ear Member,
Welcome to the summer edition of ‘the Photographer’ magazine. Thanks to Joel, our editor, for another diverse and interesting magazine. We are making changes at a rapid pace to make the BIPP more inclusive and attractive to new members while retaining our loyal membership. We strive to be relevant and give value. These developments will touch almost every aspect of our Institute, including the AGM date, National Awards event, BIPP itself, and the website. The Board of Directors is committed to securing the future of the BIPP and upholding its principles while building resources to support the success of photography. Congratulations to all members who participated in the regional print competitions. The quality of the submissions has been elevated thanks to the changes implemented by Dr. Paul Wilkinson. The judging process was organised and equitable, with nine judges assessing and a minimum of five judges per category. To win a category, a minimum score of 80 was required for a Bronze award, setting a high standard for the BIPP. Applause to all members who achieved a score above 80 and the 16 members who received a Silver award. We are now looking forward to the National Print Competition, now referred to as the International Awards, encompassing over 33 countries within our membership. We extend our gratitude to Richard Bradbury, who led the World Cup Challenge team as team captain for the past four years. Under his guidance, we achieved higher rankings each year. Richard has decided to focus on his demanding work schedule, and we will announce a new team captain soon. 2 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2023 / Issue Two
We will also be forming a team for this year’s challenge, so keep an eye out for details on how to apply as a team member. At this critical juncture, the board is seeking proactive, positive individuals to become Directors of the BIPP. Directors work diligently as a team to secure the future of our community, organisation, and industry. If you are interested in joining the board, watch out for an email outlining the application process. Many members took part in task forces and shared ideas and insights. Everyone’s voice was heard, and we will be moving forward with smaller working groups on specific areas to implement new resources, ideas, and concepts. Thank you to every Member who generously gave their time to assist us during the first half of this year. The AGM will be held online on September 25th, and we encourage as many members as possible to attend. New information about the future of the Institute will be shared, and we want you to be part of it. Links to join the session will be released closer to the date, and for any questions, you can email me directly at martin@bipp.com. This year’s International Awards event will be on a grander scale, featuring training sessions, talks, and image feedback from the judges. Mark your calendars for November 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, and stay tuned for more exciting details in the weeks to come. Wishing you a profitable summer, and we look forward to seeing your entries in the International Awards.
M
y first few months as the new president of the BIPP have been rather busy, kicking off with a very productive directors meeting in Birmingham, where the directors and I thrashed out lots of great ideas for the direction of the institute moving forward. An institute that puts its member’s “Success, Support, and Creativity” at the heart of its mission. I’ve also been privileged to have a couple of sneak peaks of the new BIPP rebrand and must say I love the whole new image and direction we are taking, it’s very exciting and something I feel the professional photography industry has been crying out for. So far, we’ve had three fantastic President’s Monthly Clubs inside our Facebook community. I have a lot more content planned over the coming months with some great guests lined up to share their valuable knowledge and advice. Each one of these guest interview recordings is packed with business and marketing top tips, these recordings are there for you to rewatch inside the Guides Section of our community, just head up to the top of our Facebook Page below the cover image and click on “Guides”. In addition to the in-person directors meeting I’ve also been out on the road meeting members at our regional awards events. I would have loved to get around all of them, but unfortunately couldn’t make the Midlands event due to a prior engagement, and the Southeast event was on the same day as the Scotland awards so that made attending both impossible. My mini tour started off with a visit to Pontefract where our devoted ambassador Irene Cooper put on an incredible gala evening with a gourmet 3 course dinner, coffee and drinks. It was a lovely night and good to see so many members in attendance, including my predecessor former President John Cohen. The following morning, I drove down to Bristol for the Southwest awards evening at the very trendy Mud Dock Café organised by our talented Southwest ambassador Matt Curtis. Matt put on a great evening, you couldn’t have asked for a better venue, as we all sat and talked photography while watching the sunsetting across the river on what was one of the hottest days of the year.
The next week found me heading North, up to Livingston just outside of Edinburgh for the Scotland & Northern Ireland Awards. Thanks to BIPP director Barrie Spence for arranging a fantastic evening complete with a very delicious Indian buffet at the Bayleaf Restaurant. The following day I headed off to Ormskirk near Manchester for the Northwest Regional Awards, held at a beautiful country hall hotel complete with a gourmet 3 course dinner, thanks to our hard-working ambassador Argha Dutta. All these meticulously organised regional events showcase some of the many amazing images entered into the awards by our awesome members from around the UK, these events just like our up-and-coming national event would not be the same without you, our members. The institute is there for you, the more you become involved and dive in the more you’ll get out of it, both online and in-person. Whether you come away with an award or not, it’s the taking part and being part of a professional community with success and creativity at the heart of its organisation that really counts. It’s a real inspiration to see such creativity and talent on show, while getting to know fellow members and hearing about their journey in photography. For many photographers their business is a one-man band, it’s events like these that bring people together not only creating lasting friendships, but also sparking our own creative projects and inspiring us to try new approaches and techniques. I’m always blown away by the extremely high standard of the photography on show covering a wide range of photographic niches. The pet photography entries always bring a big smile to my face, and I’m constantly left in awe by the landscape images on show. Thanks to all the hard work put in by our amazing ambassadors and judges, and of course those who took the time to enter images into the awards this year. But it’s not just those who entered I’d like to thank it’s also those who didn’t enter but came along to be a part of it, I thank you guys too because that goes to show what a really supportive community we have and should be truly proud of.
Issue Two / 2023 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 3
JERRY STEVENSON
J O N AT H A N B E E R
I N T E R N AT I O N A L P H OTO G R A P H E R O F T H E Y E A R
N O R T H W E S T P H OTO G R A P H E R O F T H E Y E A R
People & Portraits
Advertising and Commercial
“I
am very honoured to have been chosen as BIPP’s 2023 International Region Photographer of the Year. The winning image is from a photo session I had with a successful model and content creator from Los Angeles. After shooting images needed for his portfolio, I asked if I could shoot some creative shots. He agreed, and the result was “The Mystic.” The image was shot using a Canon 5DS R camera with a 70-200 mm lens. Lighting was two Profoto six-foot strip lights placed slightly behind and on each side of the model.”
4 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2023 / Issue Two
“O
N is one of our major clients at THG Studios, and this image is one of the ‘Key Visual’ hero images commissioned for the Fall/Winter 22 season. We typically produce 30 - 40 of these images each season, with every one completely bespoke and tailored to the USPs of that shoe. ON put a huge amount of effort into the design and materials engineering of their products, so showcasing and highlighting shape, textures and materials is vital to a successful image. The image utilises one of my signature lighting techniques… using surprisingly soft light, but in a highly directional manner, with additional support from small silver reflectors. This flatters matte surfaces and controls more reflective ones while revealing shape and texture in the required way.”
Issue Two / 2023 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 5