I was extremely pleased to learn that I have been successful in my application for EFIAP Gold. I started entering FIAP exhibitions as it gave me a motivation to produce more images and improve my photography. The need for that motivation has long since passed but I have continued to enter with significant success.
It’s been a hard slog getting to EFIAP Gold. I only shoot one genre of photography, so can rarely enter all of the sections in an exhibition, which reduces the number of possible acceptances I can get, and it makes many exhibitions too expensive to enter.
Over the past five years I have entered many exhibitions, planning each year what I need to enter to get to the next level, and I recently achieved all the requirements needed for the next and final level, nearing the end of what would be a six year journey. However the powers that be at FIAP have decided that they are going to increase the requirements for all of the levels by 100%, so just as I was about to break the finishing line in this marathon, they have doubled it’s length and added another 26 miles. I don’t feel like doing another 6 years, as there is nothing stopping them changing the rules again, and making the end permanently unreachable. So this is the end of my FIAP journey.
There is a well known phrase that the journey is far more important than the destination, and that is certainly true in this case. The gold medals and letters you can use after your name are very nice, but far more important are all the wonderful models and photographers that I have met and worked with, the places I have visited with them, and all the beautiful images that I have been able to produce with such amazingly creative people. The fact that I’m not going to reach the final level is just a minor annoyance in the scheme of things.
While the destination has now disappeared it does not mean that the journey is over. This year I will be doing more photography than in any previous year, there’s lots of new photographers and models I’m due to work with, as well as keeping up the friendships with all the great people I’ve met. I’ll find new reasons to produce images, if I even need a reason at all. For someone who came into photography without any previous interest in anything artistic it’s been one amazing journey waking up parts of my brain that I never knew existed.
I’ll look back fondly on the journey to my EFIAP Gold, and here’s the images that got me here. A big thank you to all the models who made it possible.
12 Comments
Tim, Ive not personally met you, but Ive worked with some of the models who have. Ive admired your work for a while now… great stuff and congratulations.
Thank you for your kind words, Gibson, the best models soon rise to the top and we all tend to work with the same ones. Who knows, we may meet yet :)
Some truly beautiful images here Tim, well done indeed…
Si
Thank you Si, that means a lot coming from you :)
You’re an inspiration Tim !!!!! Beautiful images !!
Cheers Morgan, and you are an inspiration as well :)
Congratulations on making the Gold level Tim. Good to see all the images that got you too it.
Cheers Richard, and well done on your Silver.
It’s a shame they doubled the requirements. I think this
would be a detriment to the art by discouraging artists
in their late or middle career by moving the goal line.
Who needs awards anyway? The art speaks for itself.
I doubt very much Paul McCartney is home counting his
Grammy Awards. :)
Just keep pointing your lens, please!
I thought I would be annoyed Mr Pope, but actually I’m not that bothered. Looking back I can see that I set goals to improve my photography, snd I believe I have more than achieved that.
I honestly don’t know how many gold medals I have, so that’s a good sign :)
As mentioned I am doing more photography than ever, and trying new things with new models.
Watch this space for new images :)
Belated congratulations Tim, well deserved.
Great journey eh, can think of far worse pastimes :), so, what next ?
Best regards, Dave.
Thank you Dave’ it’s been a great journey, and you pretty much started me off. I was terrified about going outdoors with a naked woman, and that week with you I learnt so much about so many things, and I can honestly say I would not be the photographer I am now without it, so many thanks.
I think I’ve now finished my apprenticeship, so without the shackles of going after awards I can now try some ‘proper photography’, in my own style of course :)