Photography News Issue 48

Photography News | Issue 48 | photographynews.co.uk

15 Interview

BrynGriffiths Profile Bryn is a leading pro photographer and has the distinction of currently being the UK’s only Master QEP and one of just 51 across Europe. Find out what it all means here

I have been an advertising and commercial photographer all my working life. My unique approach as an internationally acclaimed art director and photographer helps to ensure that my client campaigns stand out from a competitive crowd. I have a natural creativity that has enabled me to amass a powerful portfolio of photographs, each of which has strengthened an existing brand identity by creating a fresh and iconic new image. My work reinforces inherent brand values by approaching them differently – adding the magic with stunning campaigns that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. I loveworking in the studio. There I can create fun and compelling imagery, such as splashing and exploding products, for example. I had won gold at the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) awards. The FEP (Federation of European Professional Photographers) is composed of the national professional associations of 29 countries and represents over 50,000 pro photographers across Europe. I love challenges, so the next step for me was to compete at an international level. The FEP has three qualifications: the EP (European Photographer), the QEP (Qualified European Photographer) and the Master QEP. To date, only 51 photographers in Europe have gained the Master QEP distinction so I’m over the moon to have achieved it. It is my photographic career’s life-long ambition so I’m ecstatic; it was like finding the ‘Holy Grail’. When I do things, I like to do them to the best of my ability and this now completes my set of accomplishments. I have two Fellowships of the BIPP, plus I am

Biography

Years in the photo industry? 33 years. Current location? UK (Midlands-ish). Last picture taken? Of my niece at dinner last night. When youwere younger, what did youwant to bewhen you grewup? Either an accountant or a photographer (I now know the world of accountancy wouldn’t have coped with me). Dogs or cats? I’d never really been a pet lover until I got married four years ago, and inherited my wife’s two lovely, mischievous cats (shhh, don’t tell her I like them). Toast or cereal? Toast. Email or phone call? Definitely phone call.

QEP is the quality of printing of the work, and LumeJet offers its unique L-Type prints that are very empathetic to my style and portfolio. I was also using bold, graphical panels of colour and text for my submission, and that allowed me to take advantage of a key feature of LumeJet’s L-Type format, the combination of pinsharp text with ultra-high quality, full, continuous tone photography on the same page. The printing would have been impossible to reproduce to that standard via any other photographic print method. I am extremely grateful to all of the teamat LumeJet, who have always supportedme with a first-class product and service. I believe it made a difference. The distinction is another tool to have in the marketing/branding armoury, and past experience shows that it will manifest itself positively along the way. I will also now be asked to judge Master QEP Panels around Europe and speak at various conferences and so forth, so that will be great fun as well. For me this is very important, and I have always used this type of third-party endorsement to benefit my business. For example, if you tell people you are the best product photographer in the world, they won’t believe you. However, when

a Hasselblad Master (Products) and now a Master QEP, too, so I’m extremely chuffed. My Master QEP has been five years in the making, from concept to execution, and everything all came together at the right time. To be one of only 51 current Masters across the whole of Europe is very exciting and rewarding for me. I had to present a body of 20 pieces of work that all fit together. They have to be perfect in every way – technically and creatively – and have the wow factor, and appeal to seven international judges that all have cultural differences. To give my submission extra gravitas, I commissioned music and poetry to accompany the imagery. I had been working on a couple of concepts for a while and two were emerging with the most potential. I did a shoot in Austria of its ballet company. Dancers are notoriously difficult to get just perfect and I was really pleased with how it had all worked out. In the end, though, it was my defining work and book I produced based on Chernobyl that won the day. I alwaysworkwith thebest people I can, so I will work with Hasselblad for cameras, Bron for lighting and LumeJet for printing. Part of the evaluation processes for the Master

I won the Hasselblad Masters’ competition and told people that in Hasselblad’s opinion I was the best product photographer in the world, people started listening. That’s the power of these types of qualifications and awards. Looking ahead, I am in the early planning stages of a secret project for a large American space agency. I’ll keep you informed... My Master QEP has been five years in the making, and everything all came together at the right time

Images Bryn Griffiths is a leading pro photographer renowned for his advertising work, and he shoots lots of personal images, too.

bryngriffithsphotography.com europeanphotographers.eu lumejet.com Contacts

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