Associateship Award

Recently I was awarded the prestigious Associateship with the British Institute of Professional Photography in the category of weddings which some may say is arguably the hardest. Only three wedding photographers in the entire of Warwickshire have attained this grade, which for me makes it so fantastic.

What is an Associateship for those not in the industry?

Taken from the BIPP’s website.

There are three qualifications, each reflecting increasing levels of experience, skill and achievement.

Licentiateship (LBIPP)
Entry level qualification, showing an established professional level of skill and competence

Associateship (ABIPP)
A high standard of craftsmanship and creative ability

Fellowship (FBIPP)
Attainable for distinguished and exceptional ability and creativity

For me it’s been a long road achieving this accolade which doesn’t stop here as next it’s the Fellowship. As a photographer I believe we should strive for perfection, we should understand and learn the craft of photography before we start charging money. Qualifications in photography are so misunderstood, photographers think “Will it book me more clients?” It’s not really about that, it’s not even about the prize you receive more the journey you take to receive that prize which makes you better. We should strive to be ahead of those around us and stand out, complacency is a dangerous dangerous territory within photography.

A successful Associateship submission needs to show control and understanding of the craft with creative flair. I had my Associateship panel printed on Fine Art Rag paper to give that special touch when viewing.

Safe to say I’m over the moon with this.

Now onto Fellowship however, here’s the panel.