Aperture Group: National (BPE) and International (FIAP) Exhibitions

As well as working towards Distinctions, you can get letters after your name by entering External Exhibitions. These fall into two groups, the National BPE and International FIAP Exhibitions.

Why Enter or not

It can broaden your horizons. Although you may share your work online (FB FlkR etc), the communities & groups often seem to have a consistent style of photo that they like to shoot and share. Salons cover a wide range of styles which can help you develop as a photographer
It can be expensive and addictive!
It can be frustrating. Some of your photos may have earned you lots of money, or got lots of likes etc on social media yet flop in exhibitions. Conversely, you may have some images that win you awards in some salons and don't even get accepted into others. Sadly, this is par for the course when it comes to this type of photographic endeavour. Quality will win out over time, but you need to be prepared for the Selectors at different salons to have different views
It can be motivating. Projects are a great way to get you out taking photographs and working towards the accreditations is just another type of project. Working towards a goal over a number of months & years can definitely be rewarding AND leave you with a great portfolio of images.
Make new friends! Joining our Aperture group can be useful for making new friends & getting feedback on your work from experienced exhibitioners.
It can improve your photography. Having to think very critically about what you submit is a good thing! Judges are extremely harsh when it comes to easily fixed errors – focus, oversharpening, noise etc. Likewise, seeing the types of images doing the rounds across the salon scene can help inspire you to shoot new subjects in different ways, or apply different post-processing techniques to create a new look & feel to your images.

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

1. Work on your portfolio - get 4 solid images for each section you want to enter. I suggest colour & monochrome as a minimum, plus extras for other sections like travel, journalism, portraits etc.

2. Start with a PDI competition.

3. Make sure it is FIAP or BPE patronised - you may want both at this stage.

4. Read the rules for the salon carefully - like the resolution needed for your files, the cost and any other special rules.

5. Submit your entry! Upload your files to the salon website. Make sure you use unique names for each image and that you record the names of the files you sent AND the categories you sent it for.

6. Make sure you record the relevant details for all awards & acceptances. Use a spreadsheet as a starting point!

7. If you wish to send prints, we have boxes going from CCC to many exhibitions

BPE: British Photographic Exhibitions Crown Awards and Distinctions

The National Exhibitions that are members of the British Photographic Exhibitions offer a Crown Award system designed to enable successful exhibition photographers to gain additional recognition. Exhibitors are invited to aggregate their acceptances in the affiliated exhibitions and, upon reaching the accepted aggregate, to apply without charge for a Crown Rating Award. Each successful applicant for an award will receive a Certificate and a Ribbon and will be able to use the letters acknowledging their award after their name. Those who achieve the top crown award rating BPE5* are then invited to aggregate acceptances and awards in the member exhibitions and upon reaching the accepted aggregate to apply, without charge, for Associateship ABPE and Fellowship FBPE. The successful applicant will receive a Certificate and Medal and will be able to use the letters acknowledging their award after their name. Members of the Aperture group regularly enter BPE Exhibitions (eg Beyond Group, Great Barr, Bromsgrove).

FIAP: - Federation Internationale de I'Art Photographique

As an encouragement to photographers to take part in international events, FIAP created a worldwide system of photographic Distinctions earned by success in FIAP supported exhibitions. These are: - • AFIAP - Artist FIAP • EFIAP - Excellence FIAP • EFIAP/b - EFIAP Bronze • EFIAP/s - EFIAP Silver • EFIAP/g - EFIAP Gold • EFIAP/p - EFIAP Platinum • MFIAP - Master Photographer FIAP These are gained by accumulating acceptances in FIAP-approved exhibitions.

Members of the group also send work to these International exhibitions eg. Smethwick, Southampton, Edinburgh. Here a wider range of work can be viewed as all nations have their own styles and fashions in photography.

FIAP http://www.thepagb.org.uk/fiap/starting-out-on-the-exhibition-trail.pdf

BPE http://www.britishphotographicexhibitions.org.uk/index.php/list-of-exhibitions

Other Exhibitions

RPS Print and DPI Exhibitions

These are advertised on the RPS website and are open to non-Members. The judges are often professional photographers and there is a definite preference for images including people but club members have had successes with other images. http://www.rps.org/exhibitions-and-competitions

Contact Ian wilson

London Salon

A different type of images are selected by the London Salon. The aim of the London Salon is to exhibit only that class of photographic work in which there is distinct evidence of artistic feeling and execution. See the website (http://www.londonsalon.org/) and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/londonsalonofphotography/

Contact Ann Miles

Here are a few images that Members have sent me that have been accepted in Exhibitions and Salons