the Photographer - Issue Four 2021

The Magazine of the BIPP / 2021 / Issue Four

In Conversation: Gary Hill We chat with BIPP‘s Overall Photographer of the Year, Portrait Photographer of the Year, and recently qualified BIPP Fellow

Seizing Opportunities Qualifications BIPP photographer steps up to a new challenge on the world stage at COP26 this October

We look through members panels from the final BIPP Qualifications of 2021

ISSUE FOUR, 2021

CEO’s column 2 Martin Baynes reflects on 2021 and looks forward into 2022 Words from BIPP President 3 Jon Cohen expands on his Presidential Awards National Awards 5 View the selected images for the BIPP’s National Print Competition Incidental Moments 22 A career changing assignment for a photography graduate in Edinburgh

the Photographer is published four times a year by the British Institute of Professional Photography, The Artistry House, 16 Winckley Square, Preston, Lancashire PR1 3JJ T: 01772 367968 E: info@bipp.com W: www.bipp.com

CEO: Martin Baynes President: Jon Cohen

Seizing Opportunities 26 LBIPP Iain Waterston steps up to a new challenge on the world stage at COP26 this October Qualifications 30 We look through members panels from the final BIPP Qualifications of 2021 In Conversation with Gary Hill 32 We chat and get to know the BIPP‘s Overall Photographer of the Year, Portrait Photographer of the Year, and recently qualified Fellow

Directors: Emily Hancock FBIPP (Chair) ABIPP Karen Massey ABIPP Monir Ali ABIPP Barrie Spence LBIPP Johanna Elizabeth ABIPP Andrew Coe FBIPP John Miskelly (Treasurer) Regional Chairs: Barrie Spence ABIPP (Scotland) Argha Dutta LBIPP (North West) David Taylor FBIPP (Midlands) Andrew Younger LBIPP (South West) Irene Cooper ABIPP (Yorkshire) Monir Ali LBIPP (South East)

Judging A-Z 46 Paul Wilkinson pulls apart the world of judging New Directors 59 Meet the new editions to the BIPP’s Board of Directors Looking Back: FBIPP Michael HalletT 65 We look back on the career of a teacher, photographer and internationally published photographic historian

Editor: Joel Hansen, editor@bipp.com Advertising: Tel 01772 367968 E-mail: admin@bipp.com UK Subscribers £20, EU £40, Rest of the World £50 ISSN: 0031-8698. Printed and bound by Magazine Printing Company, Hoddesdon, Herts

NeithertheBritishInstituteofProfessionalPhotography(BIPP)noranyofitsemployees,members,contractorsoragentsacceptsanyresponsibilitywhatsoeverforlossofordamageto photographs,illustrationsormanuscriptsoranyothermaterialsubmitted,howsoevercaused.Theviewsexpressedinthismagazinearetheviewsofindividualcontributorsanddonot necessarilyrepresenttheviewsoftheBIPP.Alladvertisementsareacceptedandalleditorialmatterpublishedingoodfaith.ThePublishermakesnowarranty,expressorimplied,thatany particularproductorserviceisavailableatthetimeofpublicationoratanygivenprice.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedbyanymeanswhatsoever,orstoredinaretrieval system,orbroadcast,publishedorexhibitedwithoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher.ThismagazineisthecopyrightoftheBIPPwithoutprejudicetotherightofcontributorsand photographers as defined in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. Registered at Stationers’ Hall, Ref B6546, No. 24577. © BIPP 2020 1

D

CEO

PRESIDENT

M A R T I N B AY N E S

J O N CO H E N

ear Member,

Welcome to the Winter edition of the Photographer.

As we come to the end of the year, I need to start by saying how proud I am of what we have achieved this year. Even with the pandemic, which is by no means over, as an association, we managed to navigate through it and support our members in many ways.

We rebuilt our website and will continue to refine it.

We have started making contact with new sponsors. The creation of the Inclusion Committee, a new magazine editor, a return to The Photography Show which was one of the busiest and most successful shows we have ever attended.

For the first time in a lot of member’s memories we have made a profit and in the last three years we have gone from a 120K loss which, without the recovery of funds, would have been a 220k loss to a 29K loss in 2020, to profit of 32K this year, and this is a real milestone.

This is with a loss of some members and a downturn in revenue due to the pandemic. We still managed to be profitable.

The road ahead of us is still long, and we are only at the start of this journey, but the journey has begun.

Two weeks ago we combined our Directors meeting, RCC meeting, AGM, National awards and Christmas bash. A member pulled me to one side and said, for the first time in a long time they felt a positive vibe in the room and there was a real buzz. I am excited to make further progress next year to make the Institute relevant, give value to its members and become the place for professional photographers to be the best they can be.

Thank you to all who have been involved this year, to the many volunteers who give up their valuable time for free, from the board of directors, the regional chairs and their teams, judges, the inclusion committee, it is truly humbling.

We welcome three new board members, Johanna Elizabeth, John Miskelly, Andrew Coe and the return of Emily Hancock for a second term. We also say thank you to Dr Mark Hall who has stepped down.

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A really big thank you to Tony Freeman who served on the board in the 80’s and came back and completed his second term on the board, stepping down in November this year, a true gentleman that could make me laugh on even the darkest day.

Scott Johnson who has done a fantastic job over the last couple of years as our chair of judges, thank you so much for your commitment. We welcome Dr Paul Wilkinson into the chair of judges role, we plan to overhaul the whole qualification, judging and mentoring process within the next year, to go alongside of this, work will be done on updating the Articles of Association which John Miskelly and a team will be rewriting and modernizing; more on this next year.

In this edition; we celebrate the amazing talent of our members who got involved in the National Print Competition, there are some beautiful images. I thank everyone who entered and to all 96 Bronze award winners, 59 Silver winners and 8 Gold winners, Congratulations.

The images can be seen on our website. A big shout out goes to ‘The Judges’ for their professionalism and commitment and giving up 2 days of their time .

In November we managed to squeeze in another qualification day, with two Fellows, two Associates and one Licentiate qualifying, beautiful panels as you will see in this edition. Also two members qualified with the Federation of European Professional Photographers.

For all of us these last three months have been crazy, if you could see the mess in our office this is testament to what has happened and how busy everyone has been, over the next few weeks we will be having a massive tidy up, getting ready for a bigger and better year in 2022.

Whatever your plans over the Christmas period, try to enjoy some time with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming you to an event very soon.

Lastly, I want to thank my team in the office, the dedication and late evenings in the last three months has been fantastic, Joel and Sharron….Good Job! The office will be closed from the 23rd of December until the 4th of January; if something is absolutely urgent then please email me martin@bipp.com.

And Breathe.

M

eeting members at some of the regional awards evenings has been a real highlight, such a wide range of genres, ideas and opinions made it really enjoyable and definitely educational.

For many it was the first opportunity they’d had for some time to meet and chat to other photographers so the conversations flowed well into the late evening. It’s not easy organising events in a still uncertain pandemic landscape so much thanks and appreciation for all the hard work by our regional chairs in making them happen.

End of October saw another group of members assembled for the superb SE region weekend event, SE in as much as Monir Ali was the prime mover and organiser but people arrived from just about everywhere for an amazing mix of talks and some highly entertaining evening conversation.

Most recently it was so good to see our Institute investing in a top class and really successful National Awards event and exciting to be able to present two Presidential Awards. The first a member award, richly deserved by Chris Wright who had been absolutely instrumental in keeping everything - including the magazine - going during lockdowns and beyond. The second, an industry award to Jeff Heads from Digitalab for his many years of dedication to helping photographers achieve the best possible print quality.

This leads me to where I’d like to take this column, less about what I’ve been up to and more about the greater photographic industry, introducing Jeff’s award I said “we’re lucky in the UK to have some superb imaging labs, many regarded as world class, they don’t just print but advise, adjust and help realise your vision in print, never more so than when there’s a portfolio to print for qualifications”. So for the next few column I’ll focus in on our imaging labs.

Since Jeff received a Presidential Award it would be rude not to start with Digitalab. Set up by Percy Fountain in 1949, the lab has seen some seismic industry changes over the last 70 plus years. Jill Roe, the current owner is his grand-daughter and it’s fair to say that Jill has been responsible for the technology investment needed to make the massive transition to a high quality

digital operation (happily though they still process film!).

It’s not only about the digital technology either, a vital component is all the social media and online activity necessary to communicate with a growing and often younger customer base, both in the UK and increasingly further afield.

Jill works with a great team, if you see Digitalab at a show or at an online event you’re likely to meet Emma, Alex, Calum, Jill and of course Jeff himself, beautifully captured at work here by Gary Hill FBIPP.

Image above: Digitalab Team

Jeff has been with the lab for 21 years and has been producing stunning prints both optically and digitally for much of that time, he’s always in big demand for consultation about images for an exhibition, portfolio or qualification panel and is always generous with his time and his advice.

Oh and I did manage to spend some time up in the Lake District early in December, it was beautiful but well below zero up on the tops. Some landscape photographers stay up in the mountains for hours, sometimes days, waiting for the perfect light, definitely a hardy breed!

Lastly if you’re anywhere near Impressions Gallery in Bradford 5th Jan to 26th March 22, do check out the Through Our Lens: Growing up with Covid 19 exhibition, some amazing work by young photographers documenting their world in the pandemic.

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E D I TO R ’ S N OT E

N AT I O N A L P R I N T CO M P E T I T I O N

2021

JUDGES

T

aking on the Photographer editor role is a privilege and an opportunity to make my mark on a historical and respected publication as it heads into its landmark 100th year in 2022.

National Print Competition

I come from a traditional news editor role, wherein I revived a printed newspaper into the digital era and brought it back into relevance with new generations.

And I believe I can now do the same at the helm of the Photographer.

about visibility and making people aware of what we do as an organisation and its members’ activity through creative, unique and relevant digital content.

After a much-needed refurbishment of the website this year, we can now facilitate this pivotal change, but there is much more work ahead. After audits of the website’s backend and discussions with members, concentrating on implementing a solid SEO strategy to drive traffic to our new site is a priority for 2022.

In my first edition, an article on ABIPP Richard Hildred’s ‘oil printing’ practice displayed one of the earliest alternative image processes. Another feature showed FBIPP Roger Tan’s cutting-edge digital manipulation photography. Both specialists are at either end of a broad photographic spectrum that we as Institute represent, as well as everything in between.

As both a photographer and a journalist, having that level of variety to explore is absolute gold.

While we are now active on all social media platforms, and our profiles have grown steadily along with engagement (with minimal monetary spend), it is still a long way off where it can be. But we are now ready to take it to the next stage through financial investment and a more strategic approach. I’m glad to now have Johanna Elizbeth as a BIPP Director and to utilise her digital marketing expertise as we work together to build a plan for the new year.

What is now essential is for the BIPP to become part of the photography conversations in the online world, and it has all the makings to be a valued and trusted news source there. The 120 years decorated history and the depth of knowledge, expertise, and creative flair embedded into the membership gives the Institute every right to be a leading voice for professionals. I see the magazine as the vehicle to continue diversifying the BIPP’s public image through our editorial content and as an engagement instrument to show photographers who we are and how we view the industry.

Get Involved!

When I first started at the BIPP, the magazine stood out to me as an authentic view into exactly what a photographic association was, whilst displaying a calibre of design, journalism, and imagery that would catch the eye of any photography enthusiast. However, its visibility and accessibility outside the membership was non-existent, which I want to change.

The reality is fewer people are reading print, and it’s about adapting content to online channels while keeping the legacy of the Photographer’s print brand at the centre of the BIPP as a multimedia platform. It’s 4 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

ABIPP Karen Massey: wedding, corporate and portrait photography specialist working across the UK .

I hope you liked my first edition as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I want to thank everyone who featured content in it and those who supported me during the process.

Please send in stories and share your photography experiences with me. There are so many fascinating people throughout the membership, and my job is to report and promote all the incredible things you do.

Don’t hesitate to reach out.

I’ve also started to outline plans for a BIPP Media Team that can directly support me in editorial for the magazine, digital marketing, and PR. If you think you can bring any expertise into these areas, please get in touch. I will announce further details of a more formal structure and how the Media Team will operate in January.

Hon FBIPP Sean Conboy: internationally renowned photographer who works with a broad range of clients from architects to advertising agencies.

Judging Panel

T

he judging for the National Print Competition is one of the most exciting and significant events in the BIPP calendar year and took place in The Artistry House this November.

A cornerstone of the Institute, the competition brings the highest calibre of prints from inside and outside the membership across various photography sectors. It’s a time when we can see the full extent of a photographer’s talent, from their creative and technical abilities to their understanding of print and mounting.

We appreciate the effort every person puts into their submissions and ensure every print is meticulously critiqued and analysed, and scored correctly by an expert judging panel.

We want to thank this year’s judges for doing an incredible job; they were Hon FBIPP Sean Conboy, ABIPP Rebecca Lane, FBIPP Paul Wilkinson, ABIPP Karen Massey and ABIPP Natalie Martin.

FBIPP Paul Wilkinson: trainer, author, podcaster, retoucher and award-winning photography.

ABIPP Natalie Martin: award winning photographer based in Scotland, photographing weddings in the UK and beyond.

ABIPP Becky Lane: award-winning architectural and industrial photographer working across the UK and abroad for a range of clients

Issue Four / 2021 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 5

N AT I O N A L P R I N T CO M P E T I T I O N GOLD JUDGES OVERALL BIPP PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR & PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

FBIPP Gary Hill Shane

Judges comment “I remember the moment this print was placed in front of us. Instantly, you could see the quality in every aspect of the image from the printing through to the posing and lighting. Every detail of this image is perfectly managed; the tones, the narrative, the movie-esque cropping, the tiny details and that eye contact. Man, that eye contact. This is portraiture at its finest and it was a privilege to be one of the judges to assess it.”

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“I

t was so good to join the BIPP at the Photography Show this year. Such a great organisation with a depth of talent amongst its members. I entered the National Awards, like most without a clue how the images would do. I entered five, and all five got through to the finals, which I was happy with. That in itself was achievement enough amongst my peers.

To find out I had won Portrait Photographer of the Year was a fantastic feeling, it being ‘my’ genre as such.

To then find out I had won overall was gobsmacking, a true honour. I would like to thank the judges, the BIPP and my Print Lab, Digitalab, for the quality of the prints. Slowly getting used to the title, which is a real privilege.”

Image © Gary Hill

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N AT I O N A L P R I N T CO M P E T I T I O N

N AT I O N A L P R I N T CO M P E T I T I O N

GOLD

GOLD

ABIPP Colin Brister

FBIPP Gary Hill

Fir s t Lig ht

Maia

“T

he image was captured on my annual visit to Yorkshire, and I always manage to squeeze the squirrels in on my trips because they are such fun to shoot. The added bonus is that they never mind my flash, which helps to bring out the textures and colour of their glorious coats.

I find entering the annual competition a great way to gauge my photography, and it pushes me on for the following year. To be awarded gold for this image is a huge honour.”

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Image © Colin Brister

Image © Gary Hill

9

CO M M E R C I A L P H OTO G R A P H E R O F T H E Y E A R GOLD PET PORTRAIT GOLD

Jessica McGovern

FBIPP John Miskelly

Always Th ere

Morning Gallop

“T

his photograph was the first shot taken on a client shoot and the owner of Molly, the typically hyperactive border collie in the image, was stood camera left where Molly is looking. As we were walking through the location I spotted the dead ferns and this stump, with a framing tree sat overhead and the leading “stick” in from the bottom. Simple, but effective.

Rachael also purchased a framed fine art print of this shot for her wall, which is a nice addition to receiving Pet Image of the Year from the Guild of Photographers

and of course, the Gold Award from the BIPP! People say you “shoot for show OR shoot for dough” - why not do both?

The image was shot portrait orientation on a Sony a7riii mirrorless body with the Sigma 105 1.4 ART lens at f1.6, 1/640s, ISO640 and hasn’t been cropped or composited (for once - I always shoot wonky in portrait). Processing wise, a tone change to remove the residual greens from the woodland behind, a few curves adjustments and a bit of dodge and burn on Molly finished the piece.”

“I

am extremely honoured to receive such a prestigious award, which is the ultimate recognition when one’s peers vote for your image and for that, I’m both humbled and grateful.

I remember the first time I achieved any success in a BIPP competition, it was a 3rd place in my local region for a picture of an owl. Little did I know then that I would become the overall BIPP Commercial Photographer of the Year, some 15 years later. Win-

ning this award would not have happened without the support and inspiration I’ve received from friends and colleagues throughout the BIPP. I feel an immense sense of pride, especially when I see the incredible quality of the other images in this competition.”

Judges comment “This is an exquisitely well observed portrait of a faithful companion communicating trust and obedience to his (off camera) owner. The lighting has been excellently controlled with plenty of both highlight and shadow detail in the dog’s fur and the surrounding bracken.

The photographer has chosen the perfect 10 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

autumnal location to blend well with the russet tones of the dog’s coat and the selective focus sets complete emphasis on the subject rendering all background detail irrelevant. This is a beautiful image, and the dog’s clear eye, pricked up ears and slightly open mouth convey a feeling of love and friendship.”

Image © Jessica McGovern

Image © John Miskelly

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F I N E A R T P H OTO G R A P H E R O F T H E Y E A R GOLD

FBIPP Paul Reiffer

Judges comment

Pati e nce

“For me, in this shot, I love the tones, colours, leading line right in the centre, it’s simple and effective, and I like the framing around it. I felt like I was right there at this calm and tranquil spot!”

“I

t’s incredible to think that my work has been recognised in this way, especially this year.

In what’s been one of the most challenging periods of time for the wider photographic industry, I’m one of many who found we could no longer rely on travel in order to produce new images. As a community, however, we’re resilient - and we’ve each found new ways to present fresh work to audiences around the world.

To be awarded the Fine Art Photographer of the Year for my imagery, against a backdrop of such huge change, is a great honour – especially when that award comes from the oldest photography association in the world.”

12 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Image © Paul Reiffer

13

STUDIO PORTRAIT

STUDIO PORTRAIT

GOLD

GOLD

ABIPP Ross McKelvey

ABIPP Ross McKelvey

Bla c k S e a Fle et

Em e ra l d C l ow n

“I

was thrilled to win Gold for these two images, ‘Emerald Clown’ and ‘Black Sea Fleet.’ The Emerald Clown is my friend Christine Rock who is a wizard at doing her own make up. I explained the idea and the look I wanted, and within half an hour Christine had her face done exactly how I had envisaged. Obviously I have used the ‘liquify’ tool in photoshop to enlarge her eyes, but hopefully haven’t gone too far - and maybe the fact that it has won Gold means that I did it well enough! The same picture recently won me €200 as the top portrait in an International Exhibition in Romania.

‘Black Sea Fleet’ is a conceptual portrait of my friend Gerald Gribbon, who is always up for becoming a ‘character’ in the studio. He has been steadily growing his beard during lockdown, and it is actually much longer now, but this was taken around October 2020 when I had the loan of a Fuji GFX 50S and 63mm f2.8 lens. The Russian style hat was bought on ebay and when I processed the final picture I just thought that

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Judges comment “There is a melancholy to the subject that draws the viewer in and holds them there. The lighting, the treatment, the story, all executed perfectly in a beautiful print. Truly worthy of its score.”

the title ‘Black Sea Fleet’ suited the character we had created.

I have to mention that these awards come just a year after the passing of my good friend David Campbell Hon FBIPP, and he always took great pleasure in seeing me do well. I have no doubt he would have been blowing my trumpet for me, if he was still around. David was a great mentor and source of inspiration and is sadly missed.”

Images © Ross McKelvey

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W E D D I N G P H OTO G R A P H E R O F T H E Y E A R : S I LV E R

LBIPP Liam Crawley

Judges comment

L a n g vat n e t

“M

“Very creative, inspirational, unique and different to what we had seen in the wedding category, which made us all score higher. I love the colours and tones, the composition, the expressions, the concentration on faces and the overall effort that it took to get this photo. It is not your average wedding photo, so well done for being brave!”

16 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

y ethos has always been to push what is creatively possible in wedding photography. For me, wedding photography can be so much more than simply showing a couple in love.

I’m a firm believer in not only showing our couples personalities through our imagery, but also having our own personalities coming through in the images we create ... without this I simply couldn’t stay excited about what I do.

I have been fortunate enough to have won awards in the past but to win national wedding photographer of the year through the BIPP feels extra special. Why? Well, the BIPP are the “originals” aren’t they!

The oldest professional photography organisation in the world with extremely high standards. To have my creative work awarded through the BIPP feels very special indeed”.

Image © Liam Crawley

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A R CTHHI TE EACRTTUI RS TARL Y&HI O ND UU S ES T R I A L

ADVERTISEMENT

L A NSDI SLV C EARP E

S I LV E R

Alex Bibby

Anthony Wilder

B o l in Webb R1 C hro m e

G h o s t Ci t y

ABIPP Erika Valkovicova

“D Image © Alex Bibby 18 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

D i a m o n d s i n t h e s a nd iamond Beach in Iceland takes its name from the glittering ice fragments scattered across its shore like a field of diamonds.

These glacial fragments were once part of the Breidamerkurjokull Glacier. After breaking away, the ice blocks are slowly floating into the Glacier Lagoon before ending up in the sea. It was a feast for the eyes to see these beautiful gems contrasting with the black volcanic Camera: Canon EOS R5 beach. The frost highlighted the ripples in the sand. I Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L III took this image in late December 2020 at low tide short- Tripod: RRS TVC-24L Series 2 Mk2, RRS ly after the sunset.”

Image © Anthony BH-55 Wilder Ballhead Image © Erika Valkovicova

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FINE ART

L A N D S C A P E & T R AV E L

S I LV E R

BRONZE

FBIPP Paul Coghlin

ABIPP Leo Francis

Abs y m

Ex um a

Judges comment “The photographer has produced a very stylish and elegant image here which offers a clever ‘homage’ to the Surrealist movement. The offset simple white cup is mysteriously suspended above a table corner which leaves the viewer wondering how? what? And why? The cup and table edge contrast sharply against the graduated background in what is a clean crisp black and white image, which is most pleasing to the eye.”

20

Image © Paul Coghlin

Image © Leo Francis

the the PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHER // 2021 2020 // Issue Issue Four One 21

A N DY M AT H E R I N C I D E N TA L M O M E N T S

Incidental Moments An innovative residential and commercial master plan is transforming Edinburgh’s landscape as we know it. Headed up by property investor Parabola, the project looks beyond just brick and mortar and is generating opportunities for local emerging artists to respond to the renovation through various creative processes.

F

orming a partnership, Parabola and local photography gallery Stills launched a residency together for a photography university graduate to document the Scottish capital’s monumental Edinburgh Park construction over 12 months.

“I

t allowed me to get rid of the noise of the building site and focus in on the little incidental moments.”

Securing the post back in 2019 was LBIPP Andy Mather, who had just graduated from University, age 38, and was on the lookout for his first job.

Andy tells the Photographer, “It was essentially a documentary photography commission, and that was way out from the way I’d envisioned my photography career going.

At that point, my project for my BA was in commercial advertising photography, which was in studios and concept driven.”

The commission permitted full site clearance, allowing Andy the freedom to explore and capture the finer details of the large-scale development, “There wasn’t a strict brief, they’d seen how I shoot and just allowed me to go ahead do more if it.

I just went with the flow and tried not to think too far ahead and shoot as much as I could at the start. It wasn’t until about 2-3 months in that it started to look like a body of work.”

Andy explains how the live building sites transient nature required constant, momentary awareness, “you would see scenes and turn back, and they were gone, you had to 22 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Image © Andy Mather

Image © Andy Mather

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A N DY M AT H E R I N C I D E N TA L M O M E N T S

“T

his has determined how my career started; if I didn’t get this commission, I don’t know where I will be now because the prospects of getting work would have been pretty minimal.”

quite quickly realise that if something was worth taking a picture of - I had to get it there and then.”

The images aimed to avoid the cliche shots and show the environment in a different light. He says, “I have around 7000 to 8000 shots in the archive; the vast majority are taken in my 70-200mm lens because if I shot any wider, it became too busy and messy. Especially on building sites with high viz and equipment everywhere – it just didn’t work for the image. It allowed me to get rid of the noise of the building site and focus in on the little incidental moments.”

The finished photo series will form an exhibition on the park’s grounds in a striking geometric structure made of shipping containers designed by award-winning artist David Mach, putting the symbolic cherry on top of a first transformative career assignment.

“With the nature of the last few years with Covid, it could not have come at a better time. This has determined how my career started; if I didn’t get this commission, I don’t know where I will be now because the prospects of getting work would have been pretty minimal.

It’s absolutely saved my bacon in the best possible way.”

“I suppose there is a point in a documentary photographers role when he starts to blend into the background and not be obvious, and that’s when you start to get the good stuff.”

Accompanying the clean, abstract shots that frame the architectural skeleton of the build are intimate portraits of on-site tradespeople, “people started to recognise me and started chatting with me to learn more about what I was doing. I also started to share some images with them. I took the opportunity to get some nice strong portraits of the guys who would have never otherwise had the opportunity to get a portrait like that of them done.”

Image (right): BJP Portrait of Britain Winner “The portrait was shot on the 4th March 2020, just a few weeks before the national Corona Virus lockdown was implemented.

I was aware the window of opportunity to shoot a studio portrait was starting to close as the pandemic spread across the UK. Thankfully, masks were not yet enforced, so the portrait remains timeless in that sense but remains poignant due to the context of what was happening globally when it was shot.

24

Image © Andy Mather

After being on-site since Dec 2019, I had started to recognise various characters and make a mental note of who would make good subjects for portraits. Ian Mcgaughay was on that list, so I was relieved when Ian or ‘Spook’ was my first subject of the day, and thankfully he was well up for it and enjoyed the process. We tried some closecropped shots of him wearing his sunglasses, which helped put him at ease, but they weren’t what I was looking for, so I decided to shoot some wider shots with the glasses off, and straight away I knew I captured the ‘Hero’ shot I was aiming for.”

Image © Andy Mather

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SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES

SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES

CO P 26

CO P 2 6

Seizing Opportunities Seizing opportunities is something every photographer does in their career, although not quite to the extent of LBIPP Iain Waterston when commissioned to cover one of the most high-profile events of 2021 in COP26.

The Glasgow climate summit brought world leaders together to tackle the biggest crisis facing humanity, over 30,000 attendees reflecting the increasing public demand for radical change. With no prior press experience and equipped only with a large format Hasselblad, Iain did what any true photographer would do when the call came - he stepped up to the challenge.

Predominately a commercial photographer shooting products, corporate headshots and the occasional weddings, the opportunity arose after getting tagged in a Facebook post promoting a job working on behalf of the Indian Embassy. After getting in touch with Embassy and outlining the limitations of his equipment that could shoot only two frames per second in what would be a faced paced environment, he agreed to a brief that required only reportage style images. Although, to his surprise, Iain says, “It actually never ended up being reportage; it was in the pits doing press, pushing and elbow shoving to capture high profile meetings that I had to be in and out of in 20 seconds.”

“I

t actually never ended up being reportage; it was in the pits doing press, pushing and elbow shoving to capture high profile meetings that I had to be in and out of in 20 seconds.”

“I had to go back and say, look, I don’t know if my camera can deal with this, but I’m very adaptable and ended up giving it a crack.”

Yet with the odds stacked against him, the images he captured appeared online before even the Reuters photographers, “that was my claim to fame over the weekend.”

Connecting his phone to his Hasselblad with a programme called Focus, he would dash between areas to get his shot, edit them and get them straight off to the Embassy. “I did about 60 hours in three days – it was crazy.”

And it wasn’t just the technical challenges faced in these unfamiliar conditions, “You’d be in a room with Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel – all these big names. It’s about not getting in the way or distracting them - I didn’t know any of the etiquette or where I should go – I just had to try to work out how to navigate it.”

26 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Images © Iain Waterston

the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four 27

SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES

SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES

CO P 26

CO P 2 6

“Y

ou had to dial in. I was manually focusing most of the time because the autofocus wasn’t quick enough.”

But the 6ft, 16 stone, broad-shouldered Scot didn’t shy away from the media scrums and embraced the limitations of his camera. Iain says, “You had to dial in. I was manually focusing most of the time because the autofocus wasn’t quick enough. It was all about knowing my camera; when I first got it [Hasselblad], I worked out my dynamic range and tested how well it worked in dark and light, the highest ISO before it started getting grainy.

On the day, I had a 135mm prime lens and a 35mm to 70mm - I was changing lenses in shots when people were walking towards me – I felt like a gunslinger.”

He credits his quick draw handling to his earlier days shooting on analogue cameras while assisting his father, a keen and successful hobbyist photographer himself.

Sometimes in life, you can’t always prepare for things and instead have to act on instinct and embrace the opportunity, which Iain undoubtedly did.

28 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Images © Iain Waterston

Images © Iain Waterston

the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four 29

B I P P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S

B I P P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S

CHAIR

CHAIR

Signing off: FBIPP Scott Johnson

FBIPP James Musselwhite: standards and practices The recent qualification day for the BIPP saw a plethora of panels for the judges to divulge, discuss and deliberate over, with a full range of submissions across the photographic spectrum and at every qualification level.

My aim as Chair is to oversee as smooth and fair of a process as possible, so that every submission gets the best treatment it deserves. Putting yourself up for Qualifications, and therefore an assessment, is a daunting process, and each photographer deserves the best experience and expertise reviewing their panels. It is important to have a diverse range of judges, not just in terms of backgrounds but also in their history within the industry. I see it vital to the future of Qualifications that the BIPP continue to address this and support as many new judges as we can to come through the system and offer their services to the Institute.

In addition, it is important that the Chair does not offer any opinion during the judging day of the panels or the presented work. That responsibility has to fall on the judge’s shoulders, and so the judges meeting is crucial to set out the standards and practices expected for the day. For me, I was clearly in the expectations of our team: I wanted them to judge openly and honestly.

I wanted them to listen to each other.

I wanted them to identify where the photographers being assessed were in their photographic journey and how best to get them to the next level.

I wanted them to consider three key areas for each panel: 1) Overall Impact - both as a body of work and as individual pieces.

2) Quality of Light - and the use of light as a tool to create.

3) Print Quality - the ability to transfer our work from concept to raw, to digital file to finished print is the complete journey and the ultimate test of a photographers craft.

30 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

The BIPP would like to thank Scott Johnson for the time and effort he’s dedicated to being the Chair of Qualifications, as he now steps down to pass on the baton. Throughout every member’s panel, Scott implemented the highest tier of professionalism and communicated clearly our procedures and practices as a qualifying photography body. As with all our judges, his hard work and commitment is given completely voluntarily for the better good of the Institute and its members. His support over our recent qualifications has allowed us to do what we do best as an organisation, helping photographers grow creatively, commercially and collectively.

In my opinion, Qualifications are the ultimate professional test in our industry. They are an opportunity to create, express, and tell your story.

No one who has ever made the journey through qualifications has ever come out the other side a worse photographer.

I encourage more photographers to take the qualification challenge, not just by dusting off your ‘best of ’ panel from the loft, not as an afterthought, and not because someone in the Institute keeps nagging you to do it, but because you have a reason. Because you have a voice and you want to say something. Because you want to market yourself. Because you want to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Because there is a community story that needs to be told. Because you want to tell the world about a small thing that means something big to you.

Entry into Qualifications, like judging, has to be done with honesty. All of the best panels are open windows into a private world, and we want to see into yours, so make 2022 the year you take the Qualification challenge.

During my role as the Chair of Qualifications with the Institute, I’ve been blessed to oversee some of the strongest panels the British Institute of Professional Photography has seen in recent years. Aneesa’s wonderful portrait panel, as well as David Taylor’s stunning wildlife panel being just two highlights. When I took the roll in late 2019, I don’t think any of us could foresee what the last two years had in store for us, but despite the challenges, we’ve held three amazing qualification sessions with me as Chair at The Artistry House, and all three a great success.

would mean extra qualification dates, over several days, plus mentoring, meaning an ever-increasing workload to organise, and I knew with my wedding schedule, and the lure of a better work/life balance made my role untenable.

However, it is time for me to move on and pass the torch to the next Chair of Qualifications. The pandemic made me realise that I’ve been spreading myself too thinly across. The forced time off has made me realise that my most important job is being a Dad and Husband. I’m going to be focusing on that, as well as my business more than anything, so in September 2021, shortly after The Photography Show, I decided I needed to step down from the role.

I’d like to thank Martin for allowing me the opportunity to implement some much needed changes to the running of the day, as well as judging practices, honesty, transparency and impartiality that the role desperately needed. I know for a fact that I leave the role in a much better position than I found it.

TPS was a tremendous success for the BIPP. I knew that with the amount of new members we’d signed up, that

This is not goodbye, as I still plan to judge when the Institute needs me, but I am also aware that I can’t have my cake and eat it, so I know this will be few and far between, but I look forward to playing a smaller role within the Institute.

I’ll be cheering the Institute from the subs bench rather than the starting eleven, and wish the new Chair all the very best.

Onwards and upwards!

Issue Four / 2021 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 31

When did you first get into photography?

B I P P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S F E L LO W S H I P

I first got into photography about 25 years ago when I used to do a lot of climbing in the Lakes, and I’d always carry a camera with me and get some landscape but didn’t really pick it up again at all until about 14 years ago.

And that’s when I started photographing people; it started with my little girls, and like with a lot of people, they see the pictures and ask you to take pictures of their kids. It grew from there really.

Por tra itu re

“

Connection. The connection between the photographer and the sitter, I think you can have the most technically perfect photograph in the world, but if there is no connection, then the image lacks life.”

What did you do before becoming a photographer?

I was a specialist drug and crime investigator in the police.

What camera do you use?

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continue page 44

What is your favourite lens, and why?

The 135mm 1.8, simply because it is just a beautiful headshot and portrait lens, whether you shoot it wide open at 1.8 or whether you shoot it down at f8, it just gives that beautiful compression.

Image © Gary Hill

In Conversation with FBIPP Gary Hill

I use now a Sony A7R3

Issue Four / 2021 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 33

I N CO N V E R S AT I O N FBIPP GARY HILL What is the most important element of a portrait?

Connection. The connection between the photographer and the sitter, I think you can have the most technically perfect photograph in the world, but if there is no connection, then the image lacks life. Whereas you can be forgiven for some errors in technicality if what you get is a strong and great connection with the camera.

What inspires you creatively?

Classical paintings. I love visiting stately homes and galleries, not so much modern in any way, shape or form. For me, personally, it doesn’t have the life I want. But to study classical painting and portraiture, and to look at the posing and the structures, and the compositions is probably the biggest element of inspiration in my photography.

I want my portraiture and evening pet portraiture to be more like a timeless painting than just a snapshot in time.

How do you create that connection?

The most important thing for me is knowing your lighting inside out, so you don’t have to think about it. Make sure that it is set up and as perfect as you can get it before you start, and then be happy with your camera and know you can actually spend the time communicating with the subject to build that connection. And I have to say mirrorless has made a big difference for me, because not having the camera in your face makes for better eye to eye contact to build that rapport. It reminds me of the old waist level finders; it is the same way you would focus, and then you would lift your head up and connect with the sitter. That, for me, is the photography I like.

Do you have photographic influences?

If so, who?

Originally it was, Bob Carlos Clarke because when I started off, I was more into the art nude style of photography and model work, that kind of stuff. Bob Carlos Clarke is quite dark, which makes it appeal to me. If I’m honest nowadays, the one I respect the most is Paul Wilkinson.

What kind of tools do you use for post-processing? What’s your workflow like?

When did you start your photography training courses?

My workflow is fairly simple. It’s SRGB in camera; if I’m shooting tethered, it’s straight into Capture One or, if not, into Lightroom. Colour correction and densities in Lightroom or Capture, and then exported to jpegs and all retouching is done on JPEGS in Photoshop.

I’d probably only been photographic for around four years, I’d been quite successful in competitions, and people started asking me how to show them how I did what I do. At the time, if I’m being honest, I’d learned what I’d learned from the internet or reading, but I wasn’t 100% sure what I was doing was right, but it seemed to be getting decent results, so I always said to people I can’t say what I’m doing is perfect but I can teach to do what I do.

From there it just grew and grew - i’m probably at the minute 80% training.

I’m a stickler for metering and grey carding, so my capture is as accurate as I can get it, so I do not have to do an awful lot with things like exposure, shadow or highlight work because I prefer to get it as right as I can in camera.

34 the©PHOTOGRAPHER Image Gary Hill / 2021 / Issue Four

Image © Gary Hill

Issue Four / 2021 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 35

I N CO N V E R S AT I O N

B I P P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S

FBIPP GARY HILL

L I C E N T I AT E S H I P

LBIPP Joanna Wood Eq ui n e Po r t ra i t ure

You didn’t formally learn photography anywhere?

What is the sign of a good student?

Do you have a favourite image?

For me, the technicalities of a portrait can be taught to a basic and reasonable standard within a couple of days. What stands out when a student comes in might not be how quickly they pick up the technical learning, but how well they can communicate with their subject. Coming from the background I come from, communication and people skills were number one, and I think we can all learn technicalities, but either you’re a people person, or you’re not. It stands out for me fairly quickly with a student whether they’re going to be a good portrait photographer, and it doesn’t mean they can’t become a good photographer in other genres, but for a good portrait photographer, you’ve got to be able to communicate with your subjects.

There is two. One is a picture of my boy last year during the lockdown, and I decided to take him to my studio and do some portraits, and he picked his own outfit. Digitalab printed it for me, and it sits in a big frame above my fireplace at home.

Discounting that as it is personal, the one I’m most proud of is actually the one I won with this year of Shane because I worked really hard to get it as good as I could in camera; I spent less than five minutes editing it, and it was about thirty minutes setting up the lighting.

Image © Gary Hill

Image © Joanna Wood

100% self-taught. What most people don’t realise is that I’m high functioning autistic, so when I decide I’m going to learn something or research something, I’ll just do it, do it, do it until I know everything every possible about something. I’m lucky in the way my brain works.

On Youtube, I can sort the wheat from the chaff, or I can read something and visualise it, which makes it very easy. I actually prefer to learn from the written word rather than tutorial videos.

“S

etting goals is a huge part of who I am as a person, if I didn’t set them, I would just end up plodding on never achieving anything. In June I finally got round to paying for my BIPP membership, that meant I could start planning on putting in for a qualification. Putting in my work and presenting was probably the most scariest thing I have done in a very long time but I am so very pleased I went out of my comfort zone and achieved my Licentiateship. It has made me want to strive further with my business and push my creative boundaries for 2022.” the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four 37

B I P P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S B I P P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S

A S S O C I AT E S H I P

A S S O C I AT E S H I P

ABIPP Janice Alamanou

ABIPP Barry Wong

Fine Ar t

D a n ce & Po r t ra i t ure

“A

Image © Janice Alamanou

lthough there are different professional photography associations in the world, I often feel that the BIPP and its member’s enthusiasm for photography are what made me decide to join back in December 2020. I sincerely thank Martin Baynes, his team and all the members for giving me a lot of support and encouragement to receive my Licentiate in May 2021 and now my Associateship in November 2021. All the valuable feedback from judges has helped me tremendously and enhanced my photography skills further.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to express a sincere thanks to Bill Wu, who’s supported my career through sharing his photography skill with me.”

38 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Image © Barry Wong

“A

professional photographer for over 21 years, I have a varied collection of work with landscapes and people, bringing me to the last decade where I specialise in fine art photography collages. I take the ‘actual’ of a photograph and amalgamate it with other images to become a perceptual and personal image with a story and meaning behind it. Each component is captured by myself - sometimes, it can take years. I create each photograph to be unique; it must only be my work, from people, to sea, to mountains, no filters, my editing.

Unlike capturing for a client or what is before you, this concept of photography is about telling my story, the many layers of my life that I have experienced. And through this campaigning for environmental and human rights by exhibiting my work in countries worldwide and using my work to encourage debate and entice people to act. The ‘Soul Elements’.”

B I P P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S

F E P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S

F E L LO W S H I P

QEP

FBIPP Panikos Hajistilly Por trai ture

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Q E P

QEP Panikos Hajistilly

“I

’ve always been a little apprehensive about applying for qualificaions beyond our shores! I’ve been encouraged to do so by a few people, particularly with the US photographic associations but have never gone for it. When I applied for my BIPP Fellowship, Ian Cartwright called me and asked if I’d like to go for a European Qualificaions. I thought about it and decided to go for it.

What made me quite nervous was the fact that any judges from abroad would know nothing about me, my work or my background. But I reasoned that that was actually a good thing, because if I qualified, I’d be definitely doing things correctly in the eyes of the international photographic community.

When I received the call from Karen Massey telling me I’d passed, I was actually quite moved! Although I had no idea who the judges were, I was immensely grateful that they viewed my work to be of a high enough standard to pass. This feeling was heightened even more when I saw the pass rate was actually quite low!

Image © Panikos Hajistilly

“I love all the images in my panel, a few were trickier than others to get just right. One such image was of the model leaping in the great hall at Wentworth House in Yorkshire. I had a clear vision of the shot I wanted in my mind, so set up my camera on my tripod, with my 500-watt lights just out of camera view, and asked the model to jump – gracefully – exactly where I wanted. She duly obliged after many attempts, and it was most certainly worth it!”

F B I P P Image © Panikos Hajistilly

“T

o say I’m delighted to have qualified as a Fellow with the BIPP would be an understatement! I love having the freedom to photograph what I love, and my panel reflects just that. Beautiful models in classical surroundings, carefully lit and posed by myself, but at the same time allowing my model to express their personality.

F E P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S

F E P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S

QEP

QEP

Karen Massey FEP Vice President You will have seen me talking and getting excited in the Facebook Community Group about the FEP (Federation of European Photographers) qualification process. I believe it is important that we continue to push ourselves forward to be the best we can be as photographers and offer our clients something they can’t get from others.

Achieving your QEP or MQEP (Master Qualified European Photographer) does exactly this; it separates you from those around you.

As a member of the Insitute, you automatically receive your membership to the FEP, which no other organisation in the UK offers you. In a previous issue of the Photographer, I outlined the benefits in full. In this issue, I am delighted to offer my congratulations to both Tracey Lund and Panikos Hajistilly and share the news that they both recently qualified in their QEP in November, where their panels were judged in Finland by five esteemed judges.

The process is very similar to that of the Institute, which is why we set the BIPP’s qualification dates to coincide with that of the FEP to ensure that if you are successful in qualifying with the BIPP, you could use the same panel of images and qualify in Europe. For the QEP, you need to present 12 images, which is exactly what Tracey and Panikos have done.

Truls Løtvedt FEP President Considering the fact that it has been two years since we had our last qualification judging, I am very satisfied that we managed to organise a high-quality judging session for the record amount of candidates that entered. Since we normally do this twice a year, we had to plan one extra day of judging to reach over all the panels in a proper way. Approximately 50% succeeded for QEP, a bit less for MQEP. I am convinced that this certification of photography skills, available in a wide variety of categories, provide a very useful tool for the professionals to prove their abilities, both for themselves and for potential customers all over the world.

42 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Image © Panikos Hajistilly

43

F E P Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S QEP

QEP Tracey Lund Wi ld li fe

“A

chieving my QEP status is one of my biggest accomplishments this year. It started off being named FEP Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and it has finished the year off being awarded the QEP. Putting a panel together is very hard. It’s about making all the images work together and showing as much photographic technique as possible. This was the most nervous I have been regarding a panel, as this was against many talented European photographers.

Being the only wildlife panel to pass as well has made this extra special.”

Images © Tracey Lund

Image © Tracey Lund

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45

E V E R Y D AY I S A S C H O O L D AY

E V E R Y D AY I S A S C H O O L D AY

D R PAU L W I L K I N S O N

D R PAU L W I L K I N S O N

Introduction

Whenever you enter an image into a print competition, you hope for two things: that your entries are judged fairly and, of course, that the judges aptly reward your undeniable creativity.

Let’s be fair: everyone wants to win and thinks their images are strong enough to do so. Otherwise, why would you enter?

Having spent days selecting your entries, finishing any retouching and getting them printed, you send them off and keep your fingers crossed.

If you’re lucky enough to win, everything is fine and dandy; you crack open the Champagne and hit social media with how humble you are to receive an award from such eminent judges.

Yet, if you don’t happen to win (and let’s face it, the judges can only award a handful of the thousands of entries), well, then it’s a mix of disappointment and confusion about how the judges overlooked the qualities that you saw. The judges didn’t know what they were doing!

So, fresh from the BIPP National Awards just a month ago, I thought I’d describe the process of judging, what we look for in judges and how we work tirelessly to ensure that each image gets the attention (and the score) that it merits, even if you disagree with the outcome!

Who Are The Judges?

Great judges are collectors and hoarders. They are the magpies of the photography world, collecting ideas and absorbing influences, burying them away for future reference. They are constantly on the lookout for inspiration.

And they have to be.

One minute they’re evaluating a wedding image, the next it’s the macro image of a spider’s eye after that, the avant-garde. Judging requires every influence and experience to arrive at a fair score.

Although most judges have an area for which they may be well known, all genres will fascinate and excite them.

If you’ve ever listened to a judge’s conversation after a judging session, you’ll hear the excitement and enjoyment of the entries, irrespective of the style of being 46 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

judged.

In my opinion, judges have many qualities. They are experienced and well qualified (otherwise, you wouldn’t respect the panel’s decisions), but they are kind, curious, enthusiastic, respectful and dedicated.

They are also good listeners as well as able to articulate their own views.

But, just as importantly, they are willing to learn and develop based on the experience of the other judges on the panel.

Becoming a judge takes time and experience, but it is still essential to have fresh eyes and new talent in the mix too. Typically a panel will have at least one newer judge (a judge in training) sitting in to gain experience and help make sure that the competition stays relevant.

“

Just imagine that; five photographers in a room, getting excited about images but not making a sound.”

The Judging Panel

The panel of judges consists of seven judges and a chairperson.

Five judges will be on the panel at any one time evaluating images. But that doesn’t mean that the other two can head off for a cheeky beer or to watch daytime TV, far from it. There must always be ‘spare’ judges who can step in at any point. More of that later.

On the other hand, the chairperson’s role is to oversee the whole process, ensure that every image is judged fairly, and record the final scores accurately. It is the chairperson who will resolve any issues or discrepancies. And it is the chairperson that ultimately is responsible for adhering to the rules and guidelines of the BIPP.

What Are The Judges Looking For? I’ve written about the judging criteria in a previous article, but as a quick recap, these are the current BIPP criteria: 1.

Content of Image 2. Creativity 3.

Subject Matter 4. Interpretation 5. Composition 6.

Centre of Interest 7. Perspective 8. Direction 9.

Use of / Control of Light 10. Style 11.

Expression / Narrative 12.

Print Quality 13.

Tonal Range 14.

Graphic Stability 15. Design 16. Texture 17. Workmanship 18. Technique 19.

Freshness / Unique Appeal While judging, these are the criteria that every judge uses to assess the image and then articulate their views if required.

The Process

At the beginning of each category, the chairperson picks five of the seven judges to form the panel.

The five judges sit in a row facing the print viewing area, and the print handlers bring each image for judging.

Each judge has the judging criteria in front of them and the scores required for each prize category - Gold, Silver or Bronze. They also have a scoring method - these days a tablet or smartphone to enter scores into the system.

The lighting of the print is set to be consistent, such that the image can be seen clearly from each judging seat without any glare! It is also calibrated for brightness.

Judging is undertaken in absolute silence.

Just imagine that; five photographers in a room, getting excited about images but not making a sound.

Not a harrumph. Not a sigh. No breathy whistle between the teeth or quietly muttering. No eye contact, no enthusiastic hand waving or leaping out of the seats.

Nothing.

Absolute silence.

Weird huh? You only have to hear the hubbub and chatter as the judges start a day; everyone is excited about what we might be about to see. Everyone has stories to tell and notes to compare from previous sessions.

Then it goes silent. Just the shuffling of the reference sheets and the usual requests of “chuck us a chocolate before we start!”

And why do we inflict such muffled torture on the panel? Simple: because it is all too easy to influence another judge (or, conversely, be influenced by another judge).

Every judge must arrive at their score freely and independently based on their own experience and views.

Once the judges are settled, each print is brought in and displayed in the viewing area. The judges take whatever time they require, and each judge can step forward to examine the image in detail.

Each judge then commits their score to the system.

That is the most nerve-wracking part of the process, if I’m honest. A million considerations are racing through your head with your fingers hovering above the keypad.

But enter the score you must. And then you wait.

The system calculates the overall score, and the chairperson declares it to the room. A round of applause will often erupt if the image has achieved a high score; even without an audience, the panel of judges (and anyone else in the room) will still celebrate a great picture!

Challenges

But the overall score may not be quite the end of the story. After the chairperson reveals the score, there is an opportunity for a challenge. A challenge is where a judge feels the image hasn’t received a fair score or where the scoring system itself suggests a judge might be out of step with the rest of the panel. the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four 47

E V E R Y D AY I S A S C H O O L D AY

E V E R Y D AY I S A S C H O O L D AY

D R PAU L W I L K I N S O N

D R PAU L W I L K I N S O N

It is an opportunity for the judges to break the silence and discuss the image to ensure it deserves the score.

There are two primary challenges: • A judge challenges to raise or lower the final score • The system invokes an automatic challenge

A Judge Challenges To Raise Or Lower The Score

If one of the judges feels that the print is under or overscored, they raise a challenge. The judge invoking the challenge may or may not know if they gave the image the highest (or lowest) score. However, they WILL know the final average score the image received and will get a sense of what the other judges feel.

They invoke a challenge simply by raising their hand and letting the chairperson know they’d like to challenge the score.

That is the simple part.

Now, they must convince the other four judges to reconsider their scores.

The challenger will state their score and then persuade the other judges why they feel the image has been scored incorrectly.

Each judge, in turn, has the opportunity to respond.

They start by stating the score they gave, and then they can either agree with the challenger or provide a counter-argument for not changing their score.

When judges address the image, they should critique what they see without prejudice or speaking about things they like (or don’t like) in an image. They should also show respect and encouragement to the author. Finally, they should allude to the list of judging criteria and use them as the framework to consider the print.

After each judge has stated their case, the chairperson returns to the original challenger for their rebuttal (a complicated word for saying they get to have the last word!) They will make any concluding points and either counter any of the arguments they heard from the other judges or maybe concede in agreement.

The chairperson clears the scores, and the judges resub48 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

mit their decisions. That is, every judge EXCEPT the challenger who cannot adjust their score; they must resubmit the same points again.

judge will speak as if the author were in the room with them. Respect is at the heart of the process; judges have to be both articulate AND good listeners simultaneously!

This may sound counter-intuitive, but the rule is there for a reason: to prevent a judge from artificially raising (or lowering) their score to get the outcome they would like.

The system recalculates the score, and the chairperson will check that the panel is happy and that no other judge wants to raise a further challenge. Every judge on the panel has the right to challenge each image if they wish.

Recusal Process

Automatic Challenge

Usually, this occurs when there is a difference of 10 points or more between a judge and the average score for the image.

For instance, if the final score is 78, but one of the judges gave it 88 or more, this would trigger an automatic challenge.

“

Respect is at the heart of the process; judges have to be both articulate AND good listeners simultaneously!”

The process is the same, except there is no opportunity for a rebuttal. Instead, each judge, in turn, gives their reasoning, and the scores are adjusted. Or not. It is entirely up to each judge to change their score.

There is an art to challenges, as every judge will probably have strong opinions. But listening carefully to each other and maybe adjusting your score if another judge points out something you’ve missed helps ensure the print gets the score it deserves.

Even though there may not be an audience, each

At any time, a judge may recuse themself from judging a print. This can happen for a couple of reasons.

The first, and most obvious reason, is if a judge feels they are emotionally attached to the image and cannot judge it objectively. Usually, this is because the judge knows the author or their work, maybe as a mentor or simply because they have seen the image on social media so often that it has lost impact.

A second reason may be that a judge feels they don’t have the experience to judge a particular image. This is more unusual but can happen - and it is always essential that a judge states clearly to the chairperson that they are not comfortable judging an image before it is scored.

At this point, one of the two ‘spare’ judges is called upon to evaluate the image and provide a score.

Keeping It Fresh The chairperson is responsible for ensuring the judges stay fresh throughout the day, ensuring regular breaks (and often a supply of sugar!)

At regular intervals, the furthest judge steps out, the remaining four move down and one of the two remaining steps in so that every judge gets an equal opportunity to be on the panel.

“

It is important to note that everyone wants the same outcome: each print has the score it deserves, and the author can feel their work has been given a fair and unbiased appraisal.”

What This Means For You

So there you have it. You send in your prints, and you get back the results. But be in no doubt that a team of judges and coordinators spent many, many hours ensuring that each image receives a fair score.

Every author should (rightly) expect their print to be handled and judged with respect and fairness. The process should be transparent and consistent.

The Outcome

Remember that every judge is a photographer almost certainly an award-winning one - and is acutely aware of what it feels like to have their work critiqued.

It is important to note that everyone wants the same outcome: each print has the score it deserves, and the author can feel their work has been given a fair and unbiased appraisal.

You may, in the end, disagree with the outcome but rest assured the rigour of the process is there to provide consistency and accountability, and you might be surprised just how much goes into making sure that is the case!

At the end of the process, the prints are ranked and classified based on their scores, with the judges given another opportunity to check the results are fair and consistent.

It goes without saying, of course, had it been a different panel of judges on a different day, the results may well be slightly different - there is no avoiding that uncomfortable truth. However, rest assured, the judges want the results to stand up to scrutiny.

the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four 49

Wedding / Image © Gurvir Johal

W O R L D P H OTO G R A P H I C C U P TEAM GB

Climbing the Ranks: Team GB

The WPC was founded in 2013 as a collaboration between the Federation Of European Photographers (FEP) and the Professional Photographers Of America (PPA). They were quickly joined by the United Asian Professional Photographers (UAPP) and the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers (AIPP). With 35 countries across 5 continents competing there is no other competition quite like it. There are six subject categories and each country is allowed to enter up to three images in each from three different photographers.

A photographer can enter two different categories

but can only enter one image per category.

The categories are: Commercial, Illustration (Digital Art), Nature (Landscape/Wildlife), Portrait, Reportage / Photojournalism and Wedding.

Unlike many competitions where there can be tens if not hundreds of sub categories, this makes for a very concise approach for the teams.

Personally, I would like to see Nature and Landscape made into two categories as I think the sensibility of these disciplines are completely different but for the most part I like the minimalistic approach.

Illustration / Image © Richard Bradbury

It is true to say that the world has kind of been on hold for the best part of the last two years. Covid 19 has ravaged most countries around the globe, freeze framing our lives with lock downs and travel bans. It is a sign that some level of normality may be returning when we see international events once more being promoted. The 2022 World Photographic Cup awards ceremony will be held in Rome next year so fingers crossed that nothing gets in the way of this truly global event.

As a member of the team, I was honoured to win the Best Of Nations award in 2019 and as a consequence was appointed team captain by the BIPP board. I take this role very seriously and am attempting to build a world beating

Here is Team GB for 2022: Richard Bradbury Tim Wallace Martin Strivens Peter Rooney David Taylor Tracey Lund Panikos Hajistilly Jason Banbury Sarah Wilkes James Musslewhite Ross Grieve Saraya Cortaville Amy Shore Chris Chambers Sanjay Jogia Gurvir Johal

50 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Portrait / Image © Sarah Wilkes

Commercial / Image © Tim Wallace

the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four 51

W O R L D P H OTO G R A P H I C C U P

See all entries here: www.worldphotographiccup.org 52 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Illustration / Image © Martin Strivens Reportage / Image © Amy Shore

The Best of Nation winners will be announced live from Imaging USA in January 2022 and the final overall winner annocuments for WPC will take place on Monday, March 28, 2022 in Rome, Italy. Go Team GB!

Nature / Image © David Taylor

I believe that British photography ranks amongst the very best in the world today. We have some of the biggest names in the business and its my job to select the very best of the best, balancing our talents across the six categories. This year’s team certainly does exactly that with the sharply lit precision of Tim Wallace, the patient observation of Tracey Lund, the carefully considered compositions of Sanjay Jogia and the endless imagination of Peter Rooney.

One of the most difficult aspects of selecting a team is always the people that are left out. I trawled through hundreds of portfolios and individual entries to find the right photographers for each category so thankyou to everyone who applied. I’ve probably missed out more talent than I’ve included but hopefully we can move another step closer to finally bringing home the most prestigious photographic award in the world today.

Portrait / Image © James Musselwhite

squad over the next few years. Since 2020, I’m pleased to say that we have won more Gold and Silver medals than ever before, particularly in the Wedding and Nature categories. I want to build on these successes and hope to bring back the World Photographic Cup to UK shores within the next five years. The current holders Australia took several years to achieve this with previous winners including Brazil and USA. Other nations with a good record include Canada, Spain and Finland so the standard is extremely high.

Reportage / Image © Ross Grieve

TEAM GB

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RETROSPECTIVE MICHAEL HALLET T

Looking Back A teacher, photographer and internationally published photographic historian, FBIPP Michael Hallett’s career has contributed to the collective written and visual history of photography, art and design.

Image: April 1960. ‘Ban the Bomb’ march, London

An early fascination with cameras came at age 13; it progressed into studying at Bournemouth Municipal College of Art in 1956 and then as an assistant in a fashion studio by age 19. He tells the Photographer, “I think like everyone of that age who went to art college, and there were not very many, we all wanted to go up to London and become famous. You could argue nothing has changed. I got paid £8 a week; I was an assistant, so I learned how to sweep floors and not raise dust.”

Head hunted to lecture at Leicester College of Art & Design at age 21 - placing him not much older than his pupils - set a precedent for life ahead. In his early days as a lecturer, he gained a Kodak Colour Scholarship in Rochester, New York, which put Michael ahead of the curve during an important shift in the industry. He explains, “Six young photographers went to America for three months and were taught colour photography and the new colour negative process.”

Michael was invited to return to New York in the 19691970 academic year as a visiting professor in Photographic Illustration at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

At the time, Rochester was the epicentre of photography, with headquarters for EKCo, Polaroid, Xerox, Bauche & Lomb, and the George Eastman House (the world’s oldest museum dedicated to photography). “For that year, the photographic world was my oyster and within walking distance of my apartment,” says Michael.

“It was an amazing opportunity. I was teaching Photo Illustration while also working with the photo scientists - those were the people that particularly interested

Image: 1964. Kodak Colour Scholarhip. (from 10 by 8 inch colour negative)

me - they were all the top photo scientists such as Bill Shoemaker, Dick Zakia and Hollis Todd who were involved in the photography for the moon landing.”

“The collection at George Eastman House was absolutely amazing; I got to know people there, such as Beaumont Newhall and Nathan Lyons as well as handling the archival material of photographers such as Ansel Adams, Ben Shahn and Minor White.”

While in the USA, Michael and his illustrator colleague Tony Clayden worked on a body of work called ‘America’, documenting their experience while visiting the land of the free. On their return to the UK, they exhibited illustrations and colour photographs at the Tib Lane Gallery, Manchester, which received national press coverage and aclaim.

Image: 1977. Portland Quary at twilight. (from 10 x 8 inch original / contact print)

continue page 57 54 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Images © M ic h ae l H alle t t

55

RETROSPECTIVE MICHAEL HALLET T Michael joined the BIPP as a student member in academic journals and magazines. A piece for the 1956.

There, “I got a collection my FBIPP ofin interviews 1969, and with I was world-leadthe create British one Journal image, “each of Photography part of theinterviewing image was exposed Stefan youngest ing photojournalists member to be elected accompanied to the Institute by their of forLorant, that little a pioneering bit of the picture.

Hungarian-American They got muchfilmmakmore British portrait.

Photographers He says, “after (the BIPP’s I’d interviewed previous them, name)I complex; er, picture at the editor mostand extreme, author,with opened up toa door 100 imaginto the National alwaysCouncil needed from a picture 1966oftothem.

1970.Watching I was only them, 26 es being next era stitched of Michael’s together literary havingcareer. been individually yearsyou old.” can pick up their attitudes and quirks get a exposed.” The technique, referred to as photo conmeaningful photograph in a few seconds.” structions, After reading wouldhis first article, beginLorant on a project called recording Michael and Michael broadened his focus from photography into thesaid: development “I like what of Birmingham’s you write, if I retail send you quarter, yourthe ticket, art, In design 2007, &he media was awarded when he abecame PhD byhead Published of the Bullring. will you The come results overwere to America originally to exhibited carry on our at Focus second-largest Work. Thisschool allowed ofhim photography to use some in the 50 or UKsoat on conversation?”

Imaging at the Embracing NEC and later the opportunity, sponsored byaCatrip the examples Birmingham of previously School of published Art at age material 34. In various as his sioto cameras.

AmericaLater, ensued theythat were ledexhibited to numerous at St visits Martin’s over roles, research.

MichaelThis would allowed created himand to argue edit the through internahis seven located years and up with publishChurch in finished the Bullring itself.Michael This project was tionally thesisrecognised new elements ARTicle to add Press to in knowledge.

1989; design the ing the as authorised onBirmingham. the ‘godfatherThe of published Bullring:biography the heart of firstMoving MA with with a research the times, element Michael in photographic entered the digphotojournalism’ called Stefan Lorant: Godfather photo construction trademark would continue into of history. ital era Moving with aaway signature from photo photographic style that practice stitched to Photojournalism. various other projects over the next decade. photographic multiple photographs ‘theory’ he introduced of one scene thetogether photographto ic image to a generation of art and design students.

When writing the biography, Lorant linked Michael Image: July 2001. Bullring (edit). (photoconstruction used with in ‘a hisgreat peerscity’ fromexhibition) across the world of photography Alongside his formal teaching role, he published in - it sowed the seeds for another book called Being

56 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four

Image © Michael Hallett

Image © An e e sa Dawo o je e

57

RETROSPECTIVE

REVIEW

MICHAEL HALLET T

WEEBILL 2 PRO

REVIEW: WEEBILL 2 PRO Video content is in higher demand year by year as the need for engaging online content is rapidly growing, and the gadgets and equipment to facilitate high production value are evolving alongside it.

For most videographers, gimbals have become an essential part of the tool kit for capturing fast-paced subjects while giving the camera operator freedom of movement without detriment to the final video results. Ok, so we know gimbals are good, but which one should you buy? Well, in this review below, we will explore the Weebill 2 Pro by Zhiyun Tech.

After teaming up with the Zhiyun Tech, the BIPP decided to put their Weebill 2 PRO to the test, in conjunction with running a Christmas giveaway competition for one lucky winner to win their very own Weebill 2.

A first glance:

His latest project, A Great City, documents Birmingham over 20 years, beginning in 2000, launched this September. Alternatively the project can be seen as a website at www. brumpics.co.uk. The exhibition draws influence from Michael’s past encounters, “In this exhibition, each of the eighteen landscape exhibition frames recall a photo story based on Stefan Lorant’s creation of Weekly Illustrated and Picture Post. Each frame has a main/ key photograph, along with supplementary photographs plus a detailed caption all bringing the story together. As the viewer engages through the sequence of these frames, this twenty-year record of a great city unfolds.”

Image Above: German-born American photographer and photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt taken by Michael for his book Being There. Alfred most notbale photograph is V-J Day in Times Square, which captures an American sailor grabbing and kissing a stranger during the V-J Day celebrations in 1945

The exhibit is in the Library of Birmingham until end February 2022. And now, at 81-years-old this is testament to Dr. Hallett’s unmoving passion. But now he is negotiating his next project either in words or pictures to be seen on a variety of publishing platforms.

Image Right: A letter to Michael from Alfred Eisenstaedt thanking him for the work he published.

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Slick, stylish and ergonomically crafted. Opening the box to assemble the gimbal was a joy in itself, as the aesthetically conscious design brings a particular feel that makes the equipment visually stand out as a professional and contemporary bit of gear.

Getting started: When you attach your pricey video camera to something, you want to know it’s safe and secure, and the Weebill 2 Pro gives you exactly that reassurance. The sturdiness and robust manufacturing instils confidence in its functionality while giving it a durability that you can operate in any environment and under any condition.

Stand out features: Stabilisation: we decided to put it to the test, capturing fast-travelling subjects and tracking subjects while on the move. The 3-axis feature paired with the Infineon two-filter interruption vector-splitting sensor allowed smooth movements and pans while also removing the shake and wobble when moving alongside a subject while filming.

Battery Life: there is nothing worse than running out of power, it happens to all of us at some point, and it’s not fun! With a built-in 2600mAh battery, the Weebill 2 gives an astounding 9-hour battery life that takes only 1.6 hours to charge, allowing the freedom of a full day of shooting without the worry of it going flat.

Monitor: for every camera operator, getting creative with angles and producing dynamic perspective is part of making a captivating video. The 2.88” Fullcolor Touch Screen provides this, as the retractable & flip-out design give a diverse viewing range to capture content, while also allowing the autonomy to operate the settings directly through the interactive screen.

Control Wheel: being able to respond to your environment in an instant is essential, especially when in an active and fluctuating setting where things change from one moment to the next. The focus control wheel supports adjustments on a roll axis for adapting aperture, ISO, electronic/mechanical follow focus and zoom. The easy access and use of these key features give you the headspace to concentrate on your subject and remove any clunky movement when changing settings.

Videographer Tom Walmsley of award-winning marketing agency, Wash Studio, says: “It’s not often you open a box of brand new equipment and don’t immediately start assembling it because it just looks so perfect, separate in its place inside the case the crafted parts came in. I wanted to slowly assemble this ergonomically crafted piece to understand the engineering behind it and to take enjoyment out of the assemblement. “ The Weebill 2 Pro by Zhyuin is the full throttle gimbal for your cinematic needs; it effortlessly transforms your cinematography, aiding and gliding your every arm movement. This comes down to the core build of this kit.

I’ve had a blast filming with the Weebill 2. It is an impeccably built piece of equipment, and the results were solid. It will be your new assistant in whatever new project you’re about to tackle.” the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Four 59

B O A R D O F D I R E C TO R S Emily Hancock

and exciting Institute is starting to filter through all our members. It is also lovely to see new faces on the board bringing different views/ opinions/points of view, and I will be looking forward to working closely with everyone in 2022.

Alongside this, I’m extremely excited to bring the BIPP to the forefront of the public eye... there is going to be a massive push towards getting us on the red sofa in the mornings whenever there is something photography related in the press.

I’m delighted to be voted back on the BIPP board. I feel consistency and continuity are essential for Martin to keep making huge strides forward, and this is an area I consider our continued working relationship will support.

Believe it or not, I am excited to start the process of getting all the BIPP’s policies and procedures into a written working document this year which will mean members can fully understand how, why and which way we operate as an organisation, whether it be from how we select judges to the daily office operations.

It’s a huge project, but once it is complete (which will take quite some time), it will be wonderful to be part of for everyone involved.

I know it’s not normal to be this excited about policies and procedures, but it does mean that 99% of the questions we receive will be easily answered by allowing members to read the documentation on all matters BIPP. I am also excited to continue building and working with our energetic, active and engaged members that are chomping at the bit to contribute and help the Institute be a place professionals flock to.

I have recently noticed a dramatic swing in the vibe throughout the membership as a shift for an upbeat

Johanna Elizabeth

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Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me to join the board. I’m so looking forward to getting stuck into this thrilling new challenge.

Located in Hampshire, South UK, I’ve been a photographer for 13 years, with a successful studio for 11 years, with a team of 12 for many of those.

This, coupled with a previous career in the NHS as a high-risk midwife & then setting up the Teenage Pregnancy Midwifery Service in West Sussex, has given me a unique set of skills.

I can handle most situations with ease, I enjoy debate and empowering those with a lesser voice than me, to stand up and be heard.

I also truly understand why professionalism is important when working with the public.

This varied career history and my

B O A R D O F D I R E C TO R S approachable, humorous outlook, encourages people to work together in a positive way, without ego getting in the way.

Those that know me, know just how passionate I am about our industry, inclusion and education especially.

I mentor photographers 1:1 and speak about my journey with my photography business, sharing all I can in what is a challenging time for most of us.

I’ve built my thriving business through social media and plan to support Joel in his role further, by first auditing our social media and then implementing a strategy to allow the Institute to embrace the digital future. This will encourage a younger generation and help us retain the members we have through providing excellent, tangible value.

I’d like to take this opportunity to ask any member with social media/ digital marketing experience to please step forward for chats with us. I have firm ideas, but more input is always loved. After all, social media is a living beast, constantly evolving!

Further collaboration with Jon Cohen and John Miskelly will see a review of the Institute’s articles of association & governance. This is an interesting challenge I look forward to educating myself about and helping produce an updated structure for the Institute’s future.

I first joined the BIPP as a student in 1961.

Starting as a Commercial/Advertising photographer, I began GGS Photography, which quickly became the biggest commercial photographers in East Anglia. At the same time the Coe studio, in the centre of Norwich, was the first studio outside of London doing colour weddings. By 1976 we were photographing 600 weddings a year. Coe Colour Laboratories was started about the same time, and by the mid 80’s had clients all over the UK (I became President of the Association of Photographic Laboratories). 1981 saw us start the first chain of 1-hour mini labs.

Reaching 37, each had a portrait/ wedding studio attached, and total sales of £7.5 million. Eventually, these became Kodak and Snappy Snaps shops. In the 90’s, not having taken professional photographs for 17 years, I became a Portrait/Wedding photographer, winning Fuji, and Agfa, Portrait Photographer of the Year and many BIPP and MPA awards,

along with being appointed official photographer to the British team at two Olympics. There followed the Barrett & Coe franchise, and indepth training courses for beginners in weddings and portraits. We’ve trained over 1000 people to become professional photographers. Today, we market for 120 portrait studio’s booking in excess of 1000 portrait appointments in November alone.

John Miskelly (Treasurer)

As one of those who was intimately involved in the discovery of the wellknown problems within the BIPP, some three years ago now, I’m privileged to have been asked to take on the role of Treasurer as we enter the next chapter of the BIPP’s re-emergence as the premier body for professional photographers. I’m both a Chartered Accountant and a professional photographer and believe my unique combination of skills can complement the Board, particularly around the area of corporate governance. We now have a board of directors in place who are hugely committed to this organisation, all of whom bring a great variety of skills and passion to the table. I believe the future of the BIPP is in good hands and I look forward to making a difference and being part of a wonderful team.

Andrew Coe

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AGM & Awards Evening 2021 The final BIPP event of 2021 took place last week for our AGM & Awards Evening in the West Midlands Safari Park, and what a way it was to finish off the year!

The traditional manor house venue that resembled the home of a 19th-century adventurer lay surrounded by the rolling hills of the Midlands countryside. It set the scene for an event that brought cheer, laughter and even tears.

The four seminars during the day covered a diverse range of topics within the photography sector; they included processes used to create high-end fine art, insights on operating a world-leading e-commerce studio, the key to successful in-person sales and the impacts of evolving technology in society. Each talk brought educational benefits, creative outlooks and inspired thought into different fields of photography.

Thanks to all the speakers for their time and for sharing their expert knowledge.

We finished the day’s events with the AGM, which summarised the BIPP’s activity over the year just gone and looked foward to what lay ahead for 2022.

As the night approached, we began the awards evening to announce the overall winners of this year’s National Print Competition, along with the Presidential Award, the Sean Conboy & Jonathan Beer Award and various special acknowledgements of staff and members. We then finished the night with more drinks and dancing.

We want to thank everyone who attended and Andrew Younger for photographing the entire event. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. For us, it was an absolute success.

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Honorary Fellow

Carol Taylor was awarded her Honorary Fellowship for the decades of service she’s given to the BIPP in a variety of different capacities. It’s down to people like Carol who’ve made the BIPP what it is today, and we can’t be thankful enough for her devotion and loyalty to the organisation.

Jon Cohen’s BIPP Presidential Awards

Digitalab Lab Manager Jeff Heads for his incredible service to the industry and for the support he gives photographers.

Sean Conboy & Jonathan Beer Award

Regional chairs and directors Monir Ali & Barrie Spence earned this award for the hard work, commitment and constant support they show to the

Jon Cohen’s BIPP Presidential Awards

ABIPP Chris Wright for his dedication and service to the BIPP over the the years.

Overall BIPP Photographer of the Year & Portrait Photographer of the Year: FBIPP Gary Hill Fine Art Photographer of the Year: FBIPP Paul Reiffer Commercial Photographer of the Year: FBIPP John Miskelly Wedding Photographer of the Year: LBIPP Liam Crawley

Gold John Miskelly Gary Hill Gary Hill Colin Brister Ross McKelvey Paul Reiffer Jessica McGovern Ross McKelvey

Silver Ross McKelvey Matt Fowler Peter Lik Colin Brister Peter Lik Paul Reiffer Peter Lik Paul Reiffer Peter Lik Gary Hill Colin Brister Paul Reiffer Kate Kasia Tarnowska Ross McKelvey David Taylor Paul Reiffer Jessica McGovern Peter Rooney Paul Reiffer Ross McKelvey ABIPP Liam Crawley Kate Kasia Tarnowska J essica McGovern Jessica McGovern Gary Hill Matt Fowler Peter Marcus Lyon Jordan Gurry

Kate Kasia Tarnowska Paul Reiffer Ross McKelvey Ross McKelvey Ross McKelvey Liam Crawley Joanne Thibodeau Alex Bibby Peter Rooney Rachel Thornhill Jessica McGovern Paul White Liam Crawley Joanne Thibodeau John parris Colin Brister Jessica McGovern Liam Crawley Andrew Younger Joel Dyer Jordan Gurry Matt Curtis Nina Carrington Antony wilder Tony May Colin Brister Neil McKellar Liam Crawley Paul Coghlin

Bronze Jessica McGovern

Kerstin Gruenling Joel Dyer Paul Coghlin Neil McKellar John parris Liam Crawley Peter Rooney Liam Crawley John parris Liam Crawley

Jessica McGovern Jessica McGovern Alex Bibby Alex Bibby Kerstin Gruenling Liam Crawley Rachel Thornhill Kerstin Gruenling Jessica McGovern Leo Francis Jordan Gurry Peter Liam Crawley Kerstin Gruenling Rachel Thornhill Nigel Ord-Smith Alex Bibby Colin Brister Liam Crawley Liam Crawley John Miskelly Lesley Smallman Kate Kasia Tarnowska Leanie Evans Peter Rooney Jessica McGovern Kate Kasia Tarnowska Colin Brister Janice Alamanou Mark Pollit Janice Alamanou Marcus Lyon Paul White Alex Bibby Colin Brister Colin Brister Leo Francis Janice Alamanou Marcus Lyon Alex Bibby Matt Fowler Leo Francis Gary Hill

Ross McKelvey Matt Fowler Antony Wilder Matt Fowler Leo Francis Colin Brister Tony May Alex Bibby Colin Brister Kerstin Gruenling Janice Alamanou John parris Joel Dyer Nigel Ord-Smith Andrew Younger Colin Brister Colin Brister Jordan Gurry Jordan Gurry Colin Brister Neil McKellar Neil McKellar Barry Roberts Colin Brister Jordan Gurry John Miskelly Jordan Gurry Joel Dyer Neil McKellar Liam Crawley Paul White John parris Russell Croucher Joel Dyer Neil McKellar Sofia Conti Rachel Thornhill Paul White John parris Charlene McNabb Jordan Gurry

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A C LO S I N G C H A P T E R BOF’S FARE WELL

THE END OF THE ENDING !

The BOFs’ fond farewell.

In 1976, the Institute celebrated its 75th anniversary year in grand style … a conference with illustrious speakers that included the great names of Norman Parkinson, Karsh of Ottawa and one of NASA’s trained astronauts. Six hundred people from around the world attended the banquet in the City of London. It is fair to describe the next decade as being a golden age; two extra-mural groups evolved. The Former Presidents’ Club met socially; the dancers of the Torremolinos Formation Dancing teams discussed portraiture at weekends in Spain.

Then the axe fell. At a stroke, Council of the day, acting unconstitutionally, dismissed the powerful Admissions & Qualifications Board. Phone calls followed, but it was all over until the three groups came together as the Best of Friends; that is the Banbury BOFs … or if you prefer, the Boring Old Farts !

Covid killed last year’s weekend but this year, there was a consensus view to mark the end by celebrating a glorious 20th anniversary in style. At the first assembly, the Friends totalled sixty but inevitable deaths had halved the numbers this year.

Friday afternoon was devoted to chit-chat as people arrived and hung prints on the display stands in the private day-room provided by the hotel management.

When a buffet supper was over and the dishes cleared away, we launched into a unique photographic quiz hosted by Dr Roger Summers – a Fellow and a former President. Afterwards, a scamper to the BOFs bar ended the day.

On Saturday the sun shone and breakfast was tackled in dribs and drabs. The morning attraction was a commentary of the photographs on display whereby the authors provided the background to their own pictures. History evolved as old timers described how they had used flash bulbs, flash powder, ‘half-plates’, D76 developer and the MPP. Walks around Banbury followed before the cutting of a magnificent cake presented to the BOFs by the hotel. It was another opportunity for chit chat,

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until it was time to prepare for dinner. Tradition then took over. The anniversary dinner was preceded by a celebration in the bar and then, amid hilarity, it was time for the long-established group photograph to be taken by a popular Fellow, Peter Lowry.

This year’s task was now a compact group of BOFs, but it stretched the prowess and the patience of Peter, who was attempting to arrange composition and achieve co-operation, whilst instructing a waitress how to press the camera shutter once she saw a decent picture on the screen.

Dinner was excellent. Our Chief BOF, John Rose (A former President and an Honorary Fellow) had encouraged the hotel chef to “do something special” and he delivered. Grace was a very solemn occasion as former President and Fellow Brian Hunt, intoned, slowly, and with feeling, the names of former Friends. Dinner over, the very special Friend, Mrs Dee Prior spoke endearingly of the trials and tribulations she had enjoyed as a staff member at Ware for over 22 years.

The golden years began to surface again as the guest of honour, rose to speak. The room was silent.

Honorary Fellow, Sean Conboy summarised the events surrounding the recent calamity to our Institute; swift actions had saved our professional body from collapse. With that behind him, Sean then spoke warmly of a new regime, a new CEO and new headquarters, well-established in Preston, England.

He forecast a promising future for professional photography in Britain and his listeners began to detect the promising signs for another golden age.

It was an outstanding performance and the vote of thanks ended in tremendous applause. Greatly heartened, we went to the bar or to bed, anticipating the lengthy farewells that would follow breakfast.

The Banbury BOFs were no more.

Dr R M Callender, FRPS.

The Ede & Ravenscroft group provide photography for students and families on the most special days of their lives at schools and graduations.

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