35th FIAP Black & White Biennial, 2022

The FIAP Biennial is a competition organised by FIAP for all member countries. It alternates between a colour PI salon (20 images) one year and a monochrome print salon the alternate year. Despite Covid restrictions this year, the 35th FIAP Black & White salon went ahead and was judged in Oman.

The print sets consist of 10 prints which are viewed as a set but must also look balanced and cohesive. We had already collected submissions from members for the 2020 B&W Biennial but that salon was cancelled because of Covid. The images were saved for the next B&W Biennial which is held this year. The selectors, Ian Walls FPSNZ and Mike White APSNZ spent many hours shuffling images around to choose the best set that would work together and showcase New Zealand internationally.

The final score is comprised of two parts:1) The scoring of each image of the set, by three judges, each from different countries and each scoring 1 to 5, making a total possible score of 15 and 2) The global judgement of the set. This is scored on the set's flow and cohesiveness. (NZ gained 6th place for cohesiveness, with a score of 37 out of a possible 60.) Both scores are combined for the final result and position. We gained 13th place from 46 countries entering.

PSNZ also recognises the scores gained by the authors of the NZ entry.

• David Skinner LPSNZ gained the highest (New Zealand) personal score for his image, Shinobue Flautist.

• Bill Hodges APSNZ EFIAP gained 2nd highest (New Zealand) personal score with his image, Illegal Fend.

• Liz Hardley FPSNZ EFIAP/s EPSA LRPS with The Catch, and Chris Conroy with Headless One-Armed Shot Putter, shared the 3rd highest (New Zealand) personal score.

A big thank you to the selectors and all who submitted their images for consideration. Without your participation, none of this would be possible. I look forward to next year’s competition which will be for Colour PI again, with a subject yet to be decided. Remember also that any image scoring 8 or more qualifies for an acceptance when applying for FIAP distinctions. FIAP number 2022/997. (Qualifying authors have been notified of their scores.)

Our set: Recreation

PSNZ Judge Training, 2022

An update from Shona Jaray APSNZ

A judge training weekend was held in Orewa, on Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast, in June this year, with 23 people attending. In the past, judge training weekends in main centres have been oversubscribed and we have ended up with a waiting list – we limit the class size to 30 people for practical reasons. Reluctance to participate due to the risks of Covid is a likely explanation for the lower numbers at the Orewa event.

The Taupō Judge Training was to have been held in July, but reluctantly the decision was made to cancel due to Covid infections ramping up again and the fact that fewer than 15 people had registered – ideally, we like to have at least 20.

According to Our World in Data (https://ourworldindata.org ) New Zealand currently ranks in the top five worldwide for per capita new cases daily of Covid. This is of significant concern when organising a weekend workshop held indoors in a confined space with up to 30 people, many of whom are categorised as being at higher risk.

Because of this, we will be piloting the Christchurch Judge Training weekend, scheduled for September, as an online event.

The existing in-person format for judge training workshops cannot be turned into an online event without some changes, and we are currently working on adapting the format. We have deliberately limited the number of participants in order to ease the transition to the new format. It is highly likely, at this stage, that the planned Dunedin Judge Training weekend scheduled for October will also be held online.

Top row: Bill Hodges - Illegal Fend Ron McKie FPSNZ MAPS ARPS EFIAP - Everlast Scott Fowler FPSNZ EFIAP EPSA GPSA - Touch down Jan Macpherson LPSNZ - I Can Fly Jay Drew APSNZ - The Wave Jumpers

Bottom row: Chris Conroy - Headless One-Armed Shot Putter Karen Moffatt - McLeod APSNZ - Huntress Liz Hardley - The Catch David Skinner LPSNZ - Shinobue Flautist Graeme Skinner LPSNZ - Gentle hands