Karen Massey

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.”

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.

I’m delighted to be invited by the BIPP to share some insights into keywording. I run a UK-based business specialising in providing keywording services to photographers and photo agencies, as well strategic consultation. Starting in May 2021, I’ll be delivering a series of interviews and workshops on the topic, designed to highlight the value of keywording for creative businesses, and demonstrate the importance of having your content ‘found’ online. I’ll also provide strategies that you can implement to increase visibility of your work in your target market.

So how did I get into keywording?

I studied American Studies (BA) and Arts Administration (MA) where I researched the way visual arts respond to changes in politics and society, and the impact of digital media on audience participation.

My first job was with Getty Images (2004) in the Search Data team, where I keyworded Getty’s own-brand and third-party stock photos and videos. Within a year I moved into the Search Vocabulary team, managing and maintaining the database of searchable keywords used on Getty’s website. I became fascinated by the role keywords play in marketing communications, and the way concepts and trends impact on users’ search language.

Keen to apply my knowledge within the non-profit sector, I joined the V&A image library as an Account Executive, researching and licensing content to clients in the design and advertising sector. In 2008 I started freelancing, primarily for stock agencies including Image Source, Robert Harding, iStock and Adobe.

In 2013, I set up Clemency Wright Consulting in response to demands from a broader spectrum of search-based clients including publishing, retail and non-profit organisations. I now train and manage a team of keyworders working both on general stock and specialist archival content. I also help clients develop keywording strategies through the provision of training materials and practical workshops.

Connecting digitally

After my last social media column highlighting my interest in promoting a visual record of the BIPP’s photographic heritage via social media, I’m pleased to have received responses to my call out

One f these respondents was Dr Michael Hallet FBIPP who, to my delight, informed me there is a collection of images archived from a previous project himself, Dr Ron Callender FBIPP and Pete James from Birmingham Central Library worked on. Together, they helped collate a history of ‘professional’ photographers using images from Institute members. This archive was further added to years later when John Rose FBIPP and Dr Ron Callender FBIPP helped rescue more BIPP archives that were nearly thrown to the curb when the Institute moved from its head office in Ware.

For now, that’s all the insight I’ll share into what I imagine to be a photographic treasure trove. I’m hoping my conversations will lead to further projects to announce in the Photographer’s next edition alongside a more detailed story from the aforementioned members and how they secured the heritage of this 120-year-old organisation.

Although this history gives me a foundation to explore the past, I still want to encourage active photographers to share their work with me. The Institute seeks to continually promote its entire membership and generate traffic to photographers’ online platforms. Also, the BIPP is currently revamping its website, and depending on when you’re reading this, it might already be live. We plan to publish online tutorials in the coming months to breakdown the features available on the site for members to learn how to utilise the platform for the benefit of their business. I’m hoping this new site can elevate BIPP’s online presence and bring more value to YOU, the member. I’ll speak more on this once the improvements are complete.

Another development is The Artistry House Newsletter. It’s a feature that is still evolving and will continue to be refined over the coming months. The general aim is to engage and inform everyone of industry news, share inspiring content and promote photography opportunities. As this is still new, I would like to hear feedback and encourage members to send in content to include, whether it be an exciting news story, a piece of advice or a photography documentary – please get involved!

What the British Institute of Professional Photography wants from you:

• Use #BIPP on social media posts • Follow us on our social media pages. If you tag us in posts, we’ll engage and share your content. • Send in your images to feature on the BIPP’s social media pages • Share content to feature in the newsletter • Send to: Joel@bipp.com