Good Morning Folks,

Well excitement reigns again at Woodland Hill Photography; I travelled to Buckinghamshire yesterday as I was being judged for my Licentiate in wedding photography with the British Institute of Professional Photography. Well you could have knocked me down with a feather as my submission was upgraded to an Associateship so in addition to my existing letters I am now entitled to use ABIPP after my name.

The BIPP is going through a process of change with regard to its qualifications, so the submission was completely different to anything I have done before. The ethos they want to build is one of getting to know the photographer, so the body of work they are seeing now is so much greater than before. As photographers we should not be afraid to show a wealth of work to any potential client so why should it be any different when being assessed for qualification.

Prior to the assessment day I sent four DVD slideshows, two full sets of wedding images, examples of all literature used in the business along with a bound document outlining my history and business practice and copies of all insurances. The images and slideshows had to be the same as presented to my client.

On the day of assessment the judges also saw two complete albums that would accompany the two complete sets of images and slideshows; this would enable them to see the whole process from start to finish. I also supplied one additional sample and one design that I had printed onto fine art paper. Being able to see six individual weddings enabled the judges to see my style and consistency.

As part of the submission the candidate is able to bring supporting evidence. I decided to submit a series of 18 prints on fine art paper and two items of wall art. This was across all facets of my business, which is weddings, studio work and environmental portraiture. I wanted the judges to be able to assess me across my whole business. My previous experience of submitting a panel of work as is required with the other professional bodies really helped with this this part of the submission.

During the assessment the judges assessed my professional level of skill and competence in order for me to gain my Licentiate and unbeknown to me they felt the standard of work should also be assessed for a high standard of craftsmanship and creative ability as is required to attain the Associateship. When I entered the room and was given the result that I had been awarded my Licentiate and was very pleased; when they announced I had also been awarded my Associateship I was flabbergasted! I then had loads of time to discuss my work with the judges and this in itself was extremely valuable and has helped me to cement some plans for next year. I now know what I need to chat to Kevin, my mentor about at our next meeting.

Sorry for the long winded blog today, but I thought a full description of what is involved would really help everyone to understand the BIPP photographic qualifications and what is involved. There are no images today apart from my certificate; to post everything I submitted as part of the panel would take days, but it is all here if you ever wish to see it.

I had a lovely weekend off and we visited our friends in the Isle of Wight, so keep a watch out for some images. There was so much going on as Cowes week had just started; the other highlight Minghella’s passion fruit and champagne ice cream, crikey that’s good!

Looking forward to catching up later in the week folks,

Claire 🙂