On Friday the 5th of February, the speaker at Bangor & North Down Camera Club was Paul Stanley, Paul is a member of Dublin Camera Club and a senior assessor for the Irish Photographic Federation (IPF). His talk gave an overview of the IPF Distinctions process which has three levels, Licentiateship (LIPF), Associateship (AIPF) and Fellowship (FIPF). The assessments for these distinctions are normally held four times per annum, and are open to the public, however during the current Coronavirus pandemic the assessments are being held online.
Paul talked through the assessment process, for each level the applicant must submit a panel of prints, 10 for Licentiateship, 15 for Associateship and 20 for the highest level of Fellowship. As you progress up the different levels, not only do the number of prints increase, but the quality of the photographic images required also increases significantly.
Paul then discussed what assessors are looking for in a successful panel, this included print quality, good composition and editing, imagination and creativity, visual impact and cohesion within the panel. Paul also gave advice on the photographer’s statement (of no more than 150 words) which must accompany Associateship and Fellowship panels. This is an important aspect of these submissions, and the panel must reflect the objectives set out in the statement.
Paul then showed a number of panels which had been submitted in the past at all three levels, some of these had been successful and some had not, this gave the members of the club a real insight into the standard required in IPF Distinctions. The panels covered a wide range of subject matter which included seascapes, portraits, trees, street photography and creative photographic art. For each of these panels, Paul described the panel’s strengths and weaknesses, to help the audience understand the key elements of a successful submission.
The members of the club would like to thank Paul for taking the time to describe the IPF Distinctions process in such detail, and for showing the various panels which have been submitted in the past. There are already a number of club members who hold IPF Distinctions, and hopefully this evening’s talk will encourage others to apply for these prestigious accreditations.
If you would like to obtain more information on IPF Distinctions process, you can visit their website at www.irishphoto.ie/distinctions .