My First Silver Merit Award - and an image in the top 20

Wow!!!  at last. I got a Silver Merit award from The Portrait System - in fact I managed to get two Silver Merit awards. Additionally one of my images was in the top 20.

Silver Merits are not easy to get in any form or fashion and I was wondering whether I would ever get one so I feel really happy to have got two. Mind you its taken a awhile, but it's a learning process, and it's about looking for ways to improve the complete process from taking the photo to the final image that is presented to the client.

This means that the work I submitted was evaluated by some of the best photographers in the business and judged to be at a true professional standard. 

Furthermore, all the images that I’ve submitted for judging were also client work and not creative/styled photoshoots as I felt it was important to be evaluated on the type of photography I actually produce for my clients. It truly means so much to me as it’s professional validation but also an assurance for everyone I work with that their headshots and portraits will truly be of the highest quality.

The Awards and Accreditation program was created to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate high-quality professional photographic works and to give photographers the public recognition they deserve in their profession.

Each round of The Portrait Masters Awards and Accreditation is judged by a team of award-wining photographers (this last round had more than 4,500 photos submitted from 40 countries!). Images are judged on a range of creative and technical factors and photographers earn accreditation points by receiving Bronze, Silver, and Gold merits.

Below are the main areas within the image that are evaluated and graded:

Craft: You need to have this nailed first before you can go further. 
Storytelling: When there is a connection, there’s emotion, which brings about narrative. 
Originality: Creativity and innovation – show the judges something they’ve never seen before.

All points that are awarded on Bronze, Silver, and Gold images are tallied toward achieving accreditation levels. There are three accreditation levels: Associate, Master, and Fellow.  

I reached the Associate last year in November 2022 and my next step is to aim for Masters.  Still some distance to go but having the two silvers gives me all the motivation that I need.

As someone who did not receive a formal photo education, achieving these standards are amongst my proudest moments of having a professional photography business. Winning accolades like these makes me feel proud and validated as a photographer. 

Thanks for reading. Please be in touch to learn more about my work and to book a portrait or personal branding session with me.

To contact me, please use this link - https://www.mikeevansportraits.com/contact

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