This blog is aimed at those within the club who might be interested in achieving photographic Honours through the Australian Photographic Society (APS). It is divided into three parts. The first are some insights from APS’s Honours Subcommittee Chair, Dr Alfred Zommers EFIAP/b GMAPS PPSA SSAPS. The second is some general comments from experienced QCG members who have obtained Honours via the exhibition system. The third is portfolio examples and experiences from three QCG members who recently achieved Honours via the panel system.
Introduction
The APS offers Honours awarded for photographic excellence including:
LAPS (Licentiate)
AAPS (Associateship)
FAPS (Fellowship)
MAPS (Master)
GMAPS (Grand Master)
APSEM (Australian Photographic Society Exhibitors Medal – Bronze, Silver and Gold).
Up to the level of MAPS, Honours can be achieved two ways, either by panel system (submitting images to a panel of judges) or via exhibition (entering images into approved APS exhibibtions/competitions and, over time, achieving a certain number of acceptances that once achieved, qualify the maker for Honours).
Full details on how to achieve photographic Honours and the minimum requirements for each way of achieving these is available on the APS website. It is imperative that anyone wishing to apply read and fully understands these documents.
Advice for Applicants - Dr Alfred Zommers EFIAP/b GMAPS PPSA SSAPS
For the general benefit of interested QCG members, Anne Pappalardo spent half an hour on the phone to APS’s Honours Subcommittee Chair, Dr Alfred Zommers to gain his insights and recommendation on achieving Honours. His advice can be summarised into two recommendations:
get a feel for what constitutes an acceptance image; and
be guided by a mentor to help make that distinction.
Whether deciding what image to enter into an exhibition or, choosing which images will make up a panel application, the issue is always the same.
“People need some way to assess their images - a way to figure out if [their image] will likely achieve an acceptance,” Alfred said.
Alfred said that those who regularly participate in national and international exhibitions gain real insight because their images are judged to be acceptable (or not!). Participants are then able to continue entering successful images – those which have previously received acceptances and are likely to receive acceptances in other exhibitions - which sets participants on their journey to acquiring the minimum number to achieve photographic Honours through the exhibition system, or helps points them to what images should be included in a panel portfolio.
So, what is an acceptance in a national or international competition?
“Acceptances are the top 25% images of the exhibition,” Alfred said. “Awards, they are hardest to get, with only 1 to 1.5 percent getting an award. You’ve got to be very, very good to get an award!
“Images that do well will also vary across countries and you learn from that – you learn what is acceptable and what isn’t. You learn what is acceptable, most of the time, in most of the competitions.
“So, people who have exhibited their images eventually get a feel for what is acceptable at national and international levels. If people don’t exhibit, they really need to find out (in some other way) what is acceptable.”
Alfred said that some people applying for Honours via panel system had failed on more than one occasion.
“To me, it’s very frustrating to be rejected time and time again. It starts to affect your self-esteem, which is not want we want.
“Unless you exhibit a bit, you need someone to give you some guidance. Coming first, second or third at your camera club is not necessarily the test,” he said, “as sometimes there is not a good overall standard within some clubs.”
Alfred said he first achieved LAPS by panel, then AAPS by panel, but had someone giving him some guidance.
As well as having someone look over your portfolio (does not have to be a judge, just someone with the same or higher qualification than you are attempting), Alfred suggests looking at national and international catalogues. You can view some here.
“In addition, we encourage clubs to participate in interclub competitions – you need that sort of feedback system. When people put an image into a state interclub competition that is a good way for the best members in each club to gauge their standard against other good photographers in the state,” he said.
Insight from QCG members who have obtained Honours via Exhibition
Ray Shorter and Phil Lawrence are two of the club’s most experienced camera club members and photographers. Both have obtained their Honours via exhibition.
From Ray Shorter FAPS. “For anyone wanting to improve their photography, I think it is very worthwhile entering national and international competitions: your images are exposed to a wider range of judges' opinions and you can benchmark your images against those of other competitors and learn from them. So I would encourage other QCG members to have a crack at these comps and so gain points towards photographic Honours which give recognition to your level of photographic excellence.”
From Phil Lawrence EFIAP FAPS. “I started entering comps ten years ago and currently I am having a break from it. There is no doubt that the exhibition approach has had a big impact on my photography over the years, encouraging me regarding my skills vs others around the world. I would encourage all club photographers to enter exhibitions.”
Insights and portfolio examples from QCG members who have obtained Honours via Panel
This year, three QCG members - Sue Chen, Anne Pappalardo and Martin Riley – successfully applied for photographic Honours via Panel (see Sue’s detailed story below).
Aiming for AAPS, which requires a portfolio of between 20 and 25 images, Anne and Martin both put together a shortlist of 40 images and gained advice from experienced judges Tina Dial and Ben Stoffl on the 25 images which were more likely to succeed. In addition, they sought advice on the top 12 images which would make up a possible LAPS award in the event that their submissions were not considered to be of a sufficient standard to be awarded AAPS.
Both have provided their successful AAPS portfolios (Martin’s on top, Anne’s below). The images are in the order in which they would have been viewed and judged, that is, with the strongest 12 images first (aiming to maximise the chances of LAPS success), but applying for the higher honour of AAPS. Anne and Martin hope that these portfolios, including Sue Chen’s below, provide some reference for other members in the club (currently there are no LAPS or AAPS portfolios on the APS website for reference).
My Photographic journey to APS LAPS - Sue Chen
Sue Chen achieved the photographic Honour of LAPS, and has generously shared her journey here for all other QCG members:
Being in banking for over 30 years, I had never thought to hold a camera to take photos when I was in the bank and had not even had the slightest desire to take photos with my mobile. My first encounter/journey with photography started when a friend of mine invited me to join the Qld Chinese Photographic Club in September 2016, the year it was founded.
Sue Chen
Being preoccupied with work and family commitments I had been an inactive member of the Club until the end of 2018, when I joined the Club’s Christmas party in Gatton. It was the first time I took photos of birds (egrets) in flight and naturally as a beginner, most of the images turned out to be either missed or blurred. I was really upset with myself that my photos were so terrible compared to the others.
That’s the deciding moment when I made a promise to myself that I must make time to learn how to take better photos.
I then started joining photographic workshops and excursions, asking senior photographers for suggestions on photography skills and watched heaps of YouTube tutorials on photography.
My genuine passion for photography grew as time went by, especially when I received more and more encouragement from family, friends, fellow club members and judges.
Being a rookie in photography, I though I was lucky to get some recognition from my local club, let alone thinking about getting recognition from official photographic bodies such as the APS. In fact, I had no idea what the APS was all about or how the Honour system worked. Having said that, I had gained some small achievements from within the Chinese Photographic Club and local community competitions (one of them was first prize with $500 award), which gave me some confidence in entering into international competitions.
I was told that in order to attain the APS first level Honours recognition of LAPS, I had to have 50 National or International acceptances before I could apply. I thought to myself I would never get there or it will take me at least a few years to accomplish that. Looking back in time, it has been an interesting journey and great learning experience for me in the world of photography. To date, I have been lucky enough that I am not too far from the 50 international acceptances that I originally thought it would have been a “Mission Impossible”.
On 16/3/21，I attended a QCG seminar presented by Margaret O’Grady from the APS on the Honour system and various qualifications available for members. I was surprised and inspired to learn that there is a Panel Judging System whereby members can send in a set of images to APS to be judged by a panel of judges, instead of having to waiting to get 50 national or international acceptances, to obtain the recognition by APS.
I consulted Anne Pappalardo at the end of the seminar whether my images were good enough to enter and she was extremely supportive and encouraging and suggested that I should give it a go. I thought I had nothing to lose so might as well apply. However, I was confused navigating through the APS website and could not find clear instructions on how to submit the images or make the payments. I reached out to Anne for assistance. She was most understanding and patiently guided me through the application and payment process. Without Anne’s support and guidance, I would not have successfully submitted the application for panel judging.
I would also like to thank Stella Fava (secretary of APS) for her patience and guidance during my application process.
My advice to anyone planning to apply for the APS panel system Honours is that it is definitely worth a go. Whether the outcome is successful or not, it would be a valuable and worthwhile experience to one’s journey on photography.
I sincerely wish all the future potential applicants all the best with their applications.
How can I start?
If you are interested in beginning or continuing your photographic Honours journey with APS, here are some ideas:
Join the APS. It will be a requirement, ultimately, for your Honours application but the main benefit is the exposure membership can provide to many genres of photography and photographic activities. It is very likely to compliment your camera club membership.
Enter an exhibition. You don’t need to be a member of APS to participate in an exhibition, but remember, only choose those which are APS approved (if Honours are your goal). The Lake Macquarie International Circuit is closing 3 October and would be a great place to start. It will also give you a feel for the rules involved (read carefully), the cost (there is always a cost to enter) and a sense of why it is important, from the start, to manage and record your entries. Even if you plan to apply via panel, it may provide the mirror back to you on which of your images are an ‘acceptance’ standard and help to narrow down your portfolio. Click here on the APS website to see a list of forthcoming exhibition opportunities, but beware, it can be addictive!
APS Vice President Greg McMillan has agreed to provide a short, 30 minute Zoom presentation to interested members sometime this year. Keep your eyes peeled for an invitation.
Contact others within the club for their insights into the process of achieving and the benefits of Honours. Anne and Martin in particular are extremely keen to share their recent experiences and to help others navigate the process. Their details can be found on the QCG website, and the club secretary is always available to put members in touch if you are unsure of how to contact another member.