IPF Distinctions.

cbrlover

I have been thinking of having a go at an L in the IPF Distinctions. I went along on Saturday and found the whole thing interesting and I will say there was a very high standard of photography.

I am looking for some advice; I was confused with one thing. The application form of the L says,

“Submissions should be sufficiently varied so as to show an understanding of basic photographic skills. These include good technical ability, “

I was confused on Saturday as I saw 2 panels go through that had 10 portrait pictures, which in my mind were not sufficiently varied. My main question is, I am into sport and what do people think would happen if I were to put in 10 sport pictures? I am working on a panel at the moment that will have 2 sport shots but it is not a through reflection of what I like in photography.

Now I know a lot of people on here for one reason or another don’t think much of the IPF. Some thinks it is a load of bull and I am sure there are others that run it down just have a fear of failure.

What I would ask is that this tread, dose not get turned into a slagging match about the IPF but something informative for those interested.

DaireQuinlan

cbrlover wrote: »

Now I know a lot of people on here for one reason or another don’t think much of the IPF. Some thinks it is a load of bull and I am sure there are others that run it down just have a fear of failure.

:eek:

cbrlover wrote: »

What I would ask is that this tread, dose not get turned into a slagging match about the IPF but something informative for those interested.

:rolleyes:

stcstc

my l panel was all people and animals

panel

you can put in a panel of one thing, the variation doesnt have to be the content as such it can be 10 portraits for example. one of my customers got her L on saturday with all portraits

you should go join a club and attend their panel worhshops, we run them on the run up to the distinction sittings in offshoot for example

PCPhoto

Firstly ... if you wanna go for it ... go for it !! (Personally I think a lot of these "qualifications" do not make you any more qualified to shoot professionally....if you are good enough you will get clients and repeat clients.)


as regards

“Submissions should be sufficiently varied so as to show an understanding of basic photographic skills. These include good technical ability, “

I was confused on Saturday as I saw 2 panels go through that had 10 portrait pictures, which in my mind were not sufficiently varied. My main question is, I am into sport and what do people think would happen if I were to put in 10 sport pictures? I am working on a panel at the moment that will have 2 sport shots but it is not a through reflection of what I like in photography.

my understanding is that submissions "Should" be varied - however its not necessary to do so in order to get the qualification, if you are into sport then do a panel mainly of sport as long as it shows you understand light and controlling of light and shows basic understanding of photography you'll pass with ease..... however almost guarantee a pass... do it their way - which means you have to learn more about different aspects of lighting and controlling light. (which is what they really want to know)

CabanSail

You can submit a themed panel at L level if you wish to do so. You would just need to show that in the selected images you have sufficient control over the various technical aspects as well as composition.

The panel also needs to work as a whole with balance.

As Steve suggested, join a club that will assist you. DCC runs IPF Panel workshops too.

spooky donkey

I think all sport would be fine just not all the same thing. If you had two or 3 types of sport in there it would be fine. Like a mix of motor sport and football and dont do the same type shots.
My panel had just to subjects street and landscapes, I did no portraits or animals or night shoots or even still life. Initially I would have felt I needed one of each. I did learn a lot in Thurles on saturday, it was a great spectator sport in its self.

Also nice pannel StSTC, ive added you on flickr.

hoganpoly

I went to the IPF event last saturday in Thurles ,as a friend of mine was submitting a panel, she was unsuccessful,down mostly to sharpness. Some of the fellowship panels were fantastic,others very poor, the 8 or so judges were very particular in their comments , giving guidance . Another friend of mine submitted an L panel about 5 years ago and said it has become a lot harder to pass,...

seema123

Hi,

There are three levels of IPF Distincitons – Licentiateship, Associateship, & Fellowship which is the highest level.

Thanks

PCPhoto

do you need to work your way up or can you just apply for fellowship straight off ?
(just curious)

stcstc

have to work your way up

the standard to get to the highest level is huge, i think there are only about 50 FIPF distinction holders

CabanSail

I think Ciaran Whyte gained the F in three straight sessions. I think he may be the only one who has done it like that.

stcstc

no carl farmer did the same thing


he is in tallaght now

Buceph

Do these have to be done with a Camera Club? I might search one out.

(To be honest I'm a bit bored with my photography course, I know all of what my instructor is saying, I just need enough shots taken to get it into practice.)

stcstc

nope you dont have to be in a club, it does cost more if your not

and its worth getting involved as the help you will get with your panel

Carrigman

I was in Thurles too last Saturday for the IPF Distinctions session and I found the whole process fascinating.

The format, for anyone who has not attended one before, is that each individual's panel is placed before the judges and the audience. The judges - who sit in the front row - then get up and examine the prints in detail.

They are clearly able to spot any technical errors which may not be apparent to the audience. Some panels failed because of such problems and others because of lack of coherence in the panel and/or images being below par.

One "A" panel was rejected without even being displayed for the simple reason that the mounts exceeded the maximum size limit. Moral of the story: read the requirements.

When a panel fails the unlucky photographer's name is not called out thus saving his/her blushes. The judges make it plain however as to the reasons why it failed so that the photographer can take the feedback on board and submit another panel at a later date.

Successful ones of course are identified and are given a rousing round of applause. The success rate for "L" panels was 80% with much lower rates for the "A" and "F" ones.

Apart from all that it was great to be at an event which was a feast of photography and even if you have no interest in applying for a distinction it is well worth attending for the inspiration and ideas that it provides.

bigjohn66

Thank you all for the help and advice.

PCPhoto wrote: »

Firstly ... if you wanna go for it ... go for it !! (Personally I think a lot of these "qualifications" do not make you any more qualified to shoot professionally....if you are good enough you will get clients and repeat clients.)

I have no interest in turning pro.

I just think the IPF would be a good way to better myself so I have decided to climb out of my comfort zone and try for an L but with no sport shots.

Thanks again.

John.

melekalikimaka

starting to get curious about doing this myself, purely to keep me motivated. I have no idea what standard they look for or the type of work they want, would my work be up to cut the cut or would I need branch out? Where are these panels? Are they often?

CabanSail

melekalikimaka wrote: »

starting to get curious about doing this myself, purely to keep me motivated. I have no idea what standard they look for or the type of work they want, would my work be up to cut the cut or would I need branch out? Where are these panels? Are they often?

IMHO you have the skill required to produce a successful panel. Doing a distinction can be an interesting exercise. It's not the be all of photography, though it lets you see how you go meeting a defined standard. This is a mixture of Technical and Artistic ability. What the IPF are looking for is fairly specific, so you need to understand that requirement and produce a submission to that specification.

The distinctions are run twice a year. If you are going to put forward a panel then consider going to the next one to observe the process and see what passes and fails. Camera Clubs will also run workshops to assist preparing a panel. I know at DCC I had the help of two assessors for advice. Both of their votes are excluded on the day though.

The main points for an L Panel is that each individual shot is sound. There is quite some emphasis on the technical aspects, so shots need to be sharp, properly exposed, well printed, etc. Then the panel must also show cohesion as a unit. The individual images need to integrate to present as a whole. This is often the hardest aspect to get your head around. It can mean dropping strong images as they just don't fit.

melekalikimaka

seems i really need to be part of a club to get anywhere with this...gah, stupid work and unsavory hours

spooky donkey

CabanSail wrote: »

The distinctions are run twice a year. If you are going to put forward a panel then consider going to the next one to observe the process and see what passes and fails. Camera Clubs will also run workshops to assist preparing a panel. I know at DCC I had the help of two assessors for advice. Both of their votes are excluded on the day though.

.

Good advice there I intend to visit a few times before I even thinking about the A. I had never been to it before and did not really have a great idea what it was all about tbh. So when I went for my L I felt my panel was very different from all the others in the L, I had no pre concieved notions of what I was supposed to be doing so was very supprised when I got it.
I think there is no harm entering even if you think you wont get.
You will lern a lot from spectating, you will learn a lot more by entering also.