OVERSEAS DI RECTOR KAREN M ASSEY ABI PP
Image © Truls Løtvedt. A group of FEP members gathered for dinner at the restaurant on top of Mount Ulriken 643m above Bergen, Norway in June 2019. and seminars at their members’ rates, followed by a gala dinner. All photographers whose associations are members of the FEP are automatically invited to attend and this includes any BIPP members as the BIPP is the only UK national association which is a member of the FEP. The FEP hosts these seminars or speaker events – for the photographer social interaction can be another membership benefit. You can make friends with professionals who share common interests or share engaging conversations with colleagues about your field, not just in the UK but throughout Europe. A few years ago, I took five photography students from Falmouth University to the French GNPP congress in Lyon. They had a great time networking with photographers from all over Europe including one female student who wanted to be a fashion photographer once she graduated – she was able to organise herself a job as an assistant to an Italian photographer in Milan. She now has her own studio in New York… She said she learnt so much about professional photography in the four days in Lyon, which helped her fulfil her career ambitions. Career opportunities Professional associations such as the FEP can, through networking, provide additional career opportunities. You may have access, through the FEP’s website, to a database of events, functions or competitions in a professional genre related to your discipline of photography – either the BIPP or the FEP in Europe will help you get to know international colleagues better, interact with competitors and build relationships with potential mentors. At events or online, you will be able
to chat about current trends, innovations and upcoming training workshops. Critique Your national association (the BIPP) offers opportunities for having your work critiqued by colleagues in Europe, so you should leap at the chance. The converse is also true – there are European photographers practising in the same disciplines of photography as you, who would love to have the opportunity to network with their British counterparts, as they value the quality and style of UK photography. Listing in a directory What’s the point of going through all of this, if your clients can’t find you? The BIPP is working hard to promote professional photographers who have achieved their Licentiate, Associate and Fellowship qualifications and by default the FEP has a directory on its website of all those photographers who have succeeded in achieving their EP, QEP or MQEP qualifications. Being included in such a directory may be more important for some genres than others. Whatever your discipline, being listed in the FEP’s directory as well as in your professional association’s directory is never going to hurt you.
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If you have any enquires about the FEP, please get in touch and we can have a chat. I would also like to further add that you can also get in touch with Ian Cartwight FBIPP who has a plethora of knowledge, having gained his Master QEP and has worked with the FEP for many years. 17
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