As I have mentioned before one of the outlets for my images is international exhibitions run under the auspices of the Federation International de l’Art Photographique (FIAP). This body is recognised throughout the world and it gives patronage to exhibitions run to a certain standard. as well as awarding photographic distinctions which are similarly recognised worldwide, and mean you can use letters after your name if you so wish.
The first step on the ladder is the AFIAP, with the A standing for Artiste. The rules for gaining an AFIAP are a little complex requiring at least 30 acceptances into exhibitions with their patronage, these must include at least 10 different pieces of work, also the acceptances must be in at least 10 exhibitions in at least 5 different countries. I’m sure there is also a rule that at least 25% of the acceptances must be from exhibitions outside your home country, but haven’t been able to find that written down anywhere.
As my fellow FIAP distinctions traveller Ciaran Whyte mentions in his blog post there is all a bit of smoke and mirrors about the awarding of the various distinctions, and even if you satisfy all of the written criteria that’s no guarantee it will be awarded. You have to send a portfolio of between 5 and 10 printed images of your most successful images which they use for promoting FIAP and the distinctions, apparently if they don’t like the quality of one of the images they can reject it. They have to accept at least 5 of them, so it’s a brave person who just send 5. In the end I sent 10, so they would have to think 6 of them were rubbish before rejecting the portfolio :)
Well the reason for writing the post is because I now have confirmation of my AFIAP as well as having my grubby hands on the very stylish certificate.
I have my AFIAP at this time by a stroke of luck. You have to have been entering FIAP exhibitions for 2 years before you can apply. Most people start off entering local exhibitions, then national exhibitions, and finally when they feel their work is good enough they enter international exhibitions.
I missed out local and national, and the first ever exhibition I entered was an international exhibition in January 2009, I entered 12 images, and I scraped the acceptance mark with one digital image, a portrait of a man in Gas Street Basin in Birmingham. So very fortunately for me this started the clock ticking, as I did not enter another FIAP accredited exhibition for another year.
This is the original image, but I would process it much better now, as I would do with many of the other accepted images.
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| Gas Street Man – Smethwick, England 2008/116 |
So here are the rest of the images that made up my AFIAP application, along with the first exhibition they were accepted in. I do almost cringe at some of my early work, but an acceptance is an acceptance and that was the level of my work at the time, and you can see where I have come from and the direction of my photography.
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| Lest We Forget Smethwick, England 2009/130 |
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| Path To The Mill Smethwick, England 2009/130 |
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| Pungent Patterns Smethwick, England 2009/130 |
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| Through The Doorway Smethwick, England 2009/130 |
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| Abandoned Exposed, Slovenia 2009/131 |
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| Beauty Revealed Exposed, Slovenia 2009/131 |
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| Lady In Red Exposed, Slovenia 2009/131 |
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| Shot At Dawn Southampton, England 2010/002 |
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| Cwm Orthin Impressions Bristol, England 2010/020 |
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| Jump Bor, Serbia 2010/042 |
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| Modesty Bor, Serbia 2010/042 |
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| Pull Bor, Serbia 2010/042 |
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| Dual Personality Wervicq Sud, France 2010/057 |
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| Fantasy Wervicq Sud, France 2010/057 |
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| Golden Angel Wervicq Sud, France 2010/057 |
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| Perched Fotogrupo 30/40, Argentina 2010/080 |
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| Window Light Fotogrupo 30/40, Argentina 2010/080 |
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| Pearls Mallorca, Spain 2010/091 |
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| Ring Of Beauty Iles Balears, Spanin 2010/092 |
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| Contemplation Swansea, Wales 2010/148 |
Rather strangely ‘Contemplation’ the latest acceptance in my AFIAP application was one of the first ever nudes I did, and I was digging through images to enter for Swansea and resurrected it.
My AFIAP application was rather haphazard – like much of my photography some of you may say :) – with a lucky early acceptance to start the clock ticking, and it was only part way through 2010 that I suddenly realised that if I entered a few more competitions I could apply for the AFIAP.
I am now working towards the next step up, which is an EFIAP (E for Excellence). This is a rather different beast, needing at least 150 acceptances in 30 salons or more, and requiring acceptances from at least 50 different images, which is quite a lot of images to have at international standard.
Fortunately I am planning it a bit more now, and am well on my way to satistfying the criteria for the application.
3 Comments
Congratulations Tim.
I’m surprised you included “Pearls” and “Jump” in your submission? Any images used in the AFIAP can be used again in the EFIAP, but once you get into the levels (EFIAP/b,s,g,p) the slate is wiped clean.
One of the requirements for the levels is images that received awards, so if you list your awarded images now, they can’t be used again.
So I’m holding my awarded images back for then, not listing on them on my AFIAP and won’t be listing them on my EFIAP.
Thanks Ciaran.
Unfortunately I had not won any awards at all when my application went in, so I wouldn’t have known which ones to leave out!
It’s only since I started entering prints rather than than projected digital images that I have started amassing medals, which is very recent.
Also I’m not really that bothered about how long it takes me to progress the FIAP ladder. As a good friend is always saying to me, it’s all about the journey and not the destination!
Ciaran/Tim,
Just to clarify – If you intend to continue past EFIAP, there is no point in ‘holding back’ award winners – they will not count towards EFIAP/b and upwards. In fact once you have sumbitted for EFIAP there is no point in entering any salons until your EFIAP is received as for EFIAP/b onwards, the images and awards have to be post EFIAP attainment. Here’s the exact wording from the PAGB
‘The rules are quite clear; only new titles, acceptances and awards gained
AFTER the date of your EFIAP certificate are allowed to be counted towards EFIAP Levels awards’.
Well done Tim on your award for Beach Angel in Rock 2011 – I thought it looked better in B&W ;-)