Award winning photographers

Lindsay D said:
Your suggestion that accreditation (or awards) from the RPS, BIPP, MPA or SWPP is an attempt to hoodwink the public is frankly offensive. There are a few on the forum who could probably describe just how difficult it was to gain a Licentiate, let alone the higher grades, which might explain why those individuals are justifiably proud of their 'letters'.
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To be honest I didnt find LRPS that difficult - although i suspect A and F will be considerably more
That said I didnt think jon was talking about those - more the 'fake' qualifications you can buy without needing to demonstrate any talent whatsoever.

(FWIW despite having LRPS I don't describe myself as "award winning" because it strikes me as a cheap tacky description more likely to be counter productive .. like advertising a car for sale as " bargain prices". )
 
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MagicMynx said:
Exactly this!

I can put my hand on my heart and honestly say that I am a qualified, published photographer with a background in advertising. SOunds impressive, doesn't it? It doesn't mean Jack and certainly doesn't mean that I'm any good, but every word of it is truth. ;)
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I too am a published, certified, award winning photographer - feel so proud now :LOL: :D
 
Glenn Surtees said:
I just won second place in this competition: http://www.cbrephotographer.com/ I wasn't going to shout about it but it seems to be quite a big deal, the winning photos have appeared on the BBC, the Mirror, the Telegraph, the Guardian, the Metro (the Metro?) and a whole raft of websites around the world. Does this make me an award-winning photographer?
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I came first in the country division in that competition a few years back. I was sent a certificate, claiming me to be "Irish urban photographer of the year" and i have used it to my advantage. Yes, it's a legit award. So why not? :)
 
Cagey75 said:
I came first in the country division in that competition a few years back. I was sent a certificate, claiming me to be "Irish urban photographer of the year" and i have used it to my advantage. Yes, it's a legit award. So why not? :)
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It will seem legit when my free OM-D EM-5 is delivered ;)
 
What you must always keep in mind is that photography is a subjective art... "beautiful" to one person may be "awful" to another.
 
Lindsay D said:
...all I can say is that I am better qualified than anybody else in this thread (that is a fact, but you will no doubt read it as a dig)
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Wow. Your ignorance is shining through. 29 posters in this thread and you know the qualifications of everyone?

Personally I don't put much weight on qualifications.

Having FSWPP, ARPS, FRPS, MPAGB or whatever after your name might get me to look at a portfolio but I don't automatically think it must be good photography.
 
A lot of the award titles like 'Landscape Photographer of the Year' and the like don't get much credit from me either, giving someone a title based on a single image.

The selection process for some of the competitions can be so random, the vague and differing rules of each competition, the low entry levels etc all make me lose credibility with the awards given.

I also tend to think that it is a case of 'jobs for the boys' in a lot of the societies.
 
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Graphilly, you've said almost exactly what I wanted to say, I just couldn't find words that weren't too harsh when I wanted to post! Agree absolutely 100%, I've seen plenty of 'qualified' people in my job (which is in an artistic area) who are next to clueless so letters after names don't impress me at all, especially from people who are so eager to shout about how well qualified they are.
 
robhooley167 said:
That's quite a large assumption to make, how do you know there aren't a few ARPS or FRPS knocking around but don't make their "qualifications" known to everyone?
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I have been reading this thread and it has given me a fair few chuckles!

But then I read this and agree with it!

The fact is Lindsay that the long and short of it is this......qualifications and letters don't account for someone being good or bad at something.

There are one hell of alot of people who don't have ANY qualifications and take phenominal images so wether you do or don't have the most qualifications in the thread means absolutely Jack all.

I will flat out say, I have absolutely zero qualifications in photography yet I still do ok for myself .... maybe I should jack it in as i'm not qualified to speak on such a matter.

Some peopke don't need to be taught to be good, they just are and there are plenty of people in all aspects of life that have nothing in their specialist subject yet are better than others who have learnt the official way for years.

No offence to anyone meant at all there but sometimes... just sometimes.... people don't know more just because their titles say they do.
 
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Well I was going to comment something much larger in this thread but as I am now in fear of not having the right and the most qualifications I'm going to bow out. Might Jack it all in actually, I'm that upset
 
I will agree to a point on some of the comments made here (although I dont like the Lyndsay bashing). I for one believe that the "societies" are a waste of time, and a pure money making scheme for the owner.

However, I do believe that the real organisations like the BIPP and RPS are worth being a member of and judge fairly. Now I know you are going to think that because I have the ABIPP and ARPS that I am biased, but I assure you I am not. I got the ARPS automatically because I passed the ABIPP, but I know that the RPS do judge quite harshly at that level within the RPS.

I do beleive that they are a good measure of "some" aspects of photography. For example, I believe myself to be a compitetent photographer able to deliver professional results as required by my briefs, but I failed the assessment for a fellowship... twice.

This is something that I am happy about, because the feedback from the assessors made sense, and highlighted some things which I genuinely agree with (and I need to improve on). Now, I happen to be good at taking criticism and feedback, which I know some people arent (which can lead to some hate for the qualifications when they fail)...

However, there are some things which simply cannot be assessed in such a black and white manner... art in itself is subjective, and just because one person doesnt like (or doesnt understand) the subject matter does not mean that the person isnt capable of producing the results.

I have also seen photographers gain the same accreditations as me and I dont really understand why as they dont seem to be anything special, but then I am not a landscape, wedding or architectural photographer so I have no right to judge others without being qualified or experienced enough to do so...

I agree that some awards (like best photograph in local parish photo competition) shouldnt be banded around like a badge of professionalism, but thats down to the individual and they have every right to do so, whether I like it or not.

Me? Well, I am comfortable listing myself as an award winning photographer, as I feel I have earned the right. You may or may not agree, but then thats your parogotive as an individual... I just dont have to agree with it ;)
 
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A couple once paid me to edit their wedding photos which they didn't like and after seeing them all, can confirm that a very large percentage were technically bad and not very good...they were taken by an award winning photographer lol.

There are a lot (listing James above as one I know of) that list award winning and it is genuinely earned and their portfolio shows it in ebery shot...but there are a lot more that are simply a bit rubbish and big themselves up to get work / recognition etc.
 
Does matter on the award? I have a cycling proficiency award from 1985 can I put that on my business card
 
Not about photography but on a similar matter.
When I was police officer I was at my station when I saw a colleague I had known in the past. "Hello Ian" he says. " Hello Sir" says I. (Reply gives the indication on rank). "Have you been posted here then ?" I ask. "Yes" was the reply. " I have had time out taking a degree" "What in" I asked. "Geography" he replied. I looked at him and said, " Do you know where Northbourne Street is ?" "No" he replied. I walked off saying, "Well your not much use here then ! ".
Somehow he didn't think it was funny.
 
Strange that this thread should pop up.

The other day I was checking out other photographers websites from the local area, as you do. And this one chap has over 550 awards, he says so several times on the web site so its no typo. I must admit I found this slightly odd and was going to ask on here about it, but I thought it might come across as mean.

Over 550 awards is good going though.
 
More than 70% of the prison population has two or more mental health disorders. (Social Exclusion Unit, 2004, quoting Psychiatric Morbidity Among Prisoners In England And Wales, 1998).

Yeah! Let's get after the mentally ill, and put them in jail for being...mentally ill.

Care in the Community. That worked, didn't it?
 
jon ryan said:
More than 70% of the prison population has two or more mental health disorders. (Social Exclusion Unit, 2004, quoting Psychiatric Morbidity Among Prisoners In England And Wales, 1998).

Yeah! Let's get after the mentally ill, and put them in jail for being...mentally ill.

Care in the Community. That worked, didn't it?
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Wrong thread jon ?
 
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