Mark Powell | Outstanding Graduate of The British Academy of Photography
Mark Powell | Recent Graduate of the BAP (British Academy of Photography)
"If you are not learning, you are not living"
© Mark Powell | Ladies of Madrid
So being retired and having just hit a big birthday milestone I decided I wanted to learn more about Photography, as it had become my new passion/obsession
I also felt the need to know more about the - who were the early pioneers, what cameras and techniques they used, how they approached this fabulous art- practice and what and when did significant things change in the world of Photography
I signed up for a Postgraduate Diploma course with the British Academy of Photography in February 2020, and attended three F2F classes at Salford University then COVID hit - our lessons were then via ZOOM and any hands-on support was lost.
However, our course tutor Pat Graham was brilliant 100% committed, supportive, really encouraging and helpful
However, not knowing how long this Covid pandemic would last I threw myself at the 15 very varied and practical assignments and completed the course mid March 2021, receiving 9 distinctions along the way
One of the assignments set you a task to interview two Photographers you admire and who inspire you to try different types of photography outside of your comfort zone.
I contacted Mark Fearnley & Brian Lloyd Ducket who very kindly let me "Interview them" Both interviews left me hugely motivated to get out and shoot more and to start trying to shoot different subjects and to try different approaches.
Mark kindly invited me to one of his Zoom workshops where he discussed his approach, techniques and the benefits of using a notebook to record where and when a shoot took place and more importantly to keep a record of the weather, position of the sun/shadows and the time
Brian subsequently sent me a link to one of his workshops in Liverpool which I duly attended and had a fab time. Brian then pointed me to a group of fab photographers working through his book 52 Assignments and it was here I met the amazing Jovis Leigh Howieson and other like minded
and very talented photographers and my photography "journey" ramped up a notch or three"
So back to my degree course, I received my Pass with Merit on the 9th of April 2021 and set out to use the skills & knowledge gained from 13 months of study to good use. After reading Mark Fearnley's excellent Shadow Stories (Japan) I decided to produce my own zine and sold 70 copies of my publication called "Street Art - UK & EU"
© Mark Powell | Special Award for Outstanding Graduate 2022/2023
In January 2022 I joined a group of excellent photographers who set out to document a project called "Emergence & Disappearance" again led by Jovis, and this entailed nine months of hard graft, plenty of trial and error, but also plenty of support and challenge on the monthly catch up calls
On one shoot in Birmingham, Jovis joined me and helped me look at the way I composed my images and ensured I did not deviate from the brief. This was invaluable and proved to be a turning point for me to complete the project.
I would highly recommend taking part in projects led by UPC/Jovis.
After completing the project the British Academy of Photography contacted me and spent a day with me filming me (watch the video) at the LPS exhibition. We undertook a Q&A session and discussed how far I'd progressed with my photography Practice versus the previous "holiday snaps".
I actually had 16 framed images on full display at the Bargehouse OXO Tower for a full week in October 2022. Honestly, the feeling of pride was overwhelming and humbling in equal measure.
In parallel to the above in July 2022, I was honoured to have 4 of my images picked for the Urban Photographers Club first book of Street Photography Assignments and had an image picked for display at the Fujifilm House of Photography exhibition in August 2022 (The Ladies of Madrid).
My wife Debbie & son David joined me at my actual Graduation in London on the 15th of April this year and to my absolute amazement the BAP (British Academy of Photography) who had been following my progress via social media, presented me with a special award of "Outstanding Graduate 2022/2023" which I'm sure was in recognition of all the work I completed post my degree, yes little old me - who'd have thought it?"
So what's next… well definitely more Street, Urban, Fine art, and Seascapes, plus I'm now trying my hand at shooting in low light at gigs, and it's great fun!
"If you are not learning, you are not living"
Follow Mark on Instagram @bluesock1959
Syndi Pilar | Finalist at the Women Street Photographers Annual Exhibition in New York City, USA
Syndi Pilar | Finalist at the Women Street Photographers Annual Exhibition in New York City, USA
© Syndi Pilar
This image has been selected to be included at the Women Street Photographers Annual Exhibition 2023 in New York City, USA.
About the photograph:
This photo was taken on a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico for the Day of the Dead celebrations. While Día de Muertos and Halloween are two totally different holidays, kids still enjoy the “perks” of Trick or Treating. These four, parked in the middle of a pedestrian street, were hoping for tourists to toss some pesos or candy their way. The three girls “meditating” cracked me up, but what made the scene was the “dead” clown with the butcher’s knife lying behind them. Kids being kids, innocent and devious all at once.
About the show:
A juried show, 74 photographers in total were selected by guest judges: Tracey Woods, Ailine Smithson & Laura Noble. The show is curated by Gulnara Samoilova, the founder of Women Street Photographers, and will be up from 14th April – 30th April 2023.
For more information, take a look at their website.