As a professional photographer in Kent, it is important that not only my clients enjoy the photographs I produce for them but also that I continue my development and explore new avenues of photography. Across all aspects of life, it is important to invest in yourself so I often seek opportunities to learn new skills or perfect and experiment with those that I already have.
Being a member of the Guild of Photographers is a fantastic platform to not only network with other photographers, both those who are professional and hobbyists, but also as a place to receive constructive criticism from others. The Guild of Photographers runs a very popular "Image of the Month" competition which I have been entering recently. Photographers such as Kevin Pengally & Lesley Chalmers, who are renowned for their own successful careers within the photography industry, form part of the judging panel that assess the quality of work submitted by guild members like me.
Members choose to submit their photographs into the relevant category, these images are then graded by a team of expert photography masters and the best are awarded. Amongst others, there are categories focussing on wedding and portrait photographs which I will enter in the future but so far my submissions have been predominately aerial landscape or cityscape photographs which are placed into the open category.
I often receive praise from other photographers about my aerial photographs of London landmarks such as The 02 Arena and Tower Bridge which is fantastic. However, receiving positive recognition from the collection of Guild Masters about the quality of my work reassures me that not only do my photographs look good, they are technically accurate too; something that has taken years of practice in my journey to becoming a professional photographer.
I am pleased to share my award winning photographs with all my readers and will update this page as I enter more of The Guild of Photographers competitions in the coming months.
Llandudno Pier
I may not be able to pronounce Llandudno easily, but I sure can take a good photograph of the beautiful pier.
Roger & Tricia at Amberley Castle
This is one of my favourite client photos as it subtly shows Rogers cheeky side.
I don't often submit wedding photographs into the Image of the Month competitions but I made an exception for this and am pleased it has won me another Bronze award.
London City Skyline
Taken with a Phantom 4 Pro this photograph of the London City Skyline received a Bronze Bar from the judges. As an aerial photographer, many people assume that all congested shots like these have been taken illegally, however, that is not the case and along as you follow a number of processes, shots like these can be captured with ease.
The Shard
Taken on a family trip to London, Im pleased that this photograph of The Shard at night was awarded with a Silver Bar. Taken with my Canon 5D from the Tower Bridge footpath, I'm pleased we braced the January weather long enough to get this fantastic long exposure.
Tower Bridge
Receiving a Bronze Bar, this shot of Tower Bridge in my signature style, is one of my favourites and I often use it when advertising my congested area courses. The vibrant colours, the boat and the composition of the shot taken by my Phantom 4 Pro is very "iconic London" and I really enjoyed editing it.
Tower Bridge
I am well known within the industry for my regular visits to London's famous landmark, Tower Bridge. I enjoy taking photographs of Tower Bridge as it always seems to look different. This shot shows many other buildings along the River Thames, with the bridge as a focus. I am pleased the judges awarded it with a bronze award. What do you think?
Tower of London
I received a classified for this photograph of the Tower of London, which means the judges felt that minor tweaks were needed for it to reach a Bronze. I am pleased that they recognised its potential and appreciate their constructive feedback for the future.
The 02 Arena
I submitted this intense photograph of The 02 Arena as a bit of an experiment as It does not fit within my usual editing style. In the spirit of practicing different skills, I was pleased to have received a classified for it as there are elements that are technically strong.
The Shard
Once lockdown of 2020 eased off a little in July, we enjoyed a trip into London to enjoy the city whilst it was still fairly quiet. We enjoyed a few hours walking around the usually bustling city, taking street and cityscape photographs along the way. With the Shard lit in blue to support the Clap for our Carers" campaign it made a fantastic focus point for this photograph and Im glad the judges thought so too.
The Spider
Here is a Zebra Jumping Spider shot using a Canon 100mm Macro lens... on my dining table. Diversifying for 2020 has been important for us here at Luke Granger Photography, but although this was a fun experiment I don't think I will become a nature photographer anytime soon. I'm not exactly a big fan of creepy crawlies.
I am pleased that my experiment was appreciated by the judges as this photo was awarded with a Bronze.
Three Bridges, Scotland
These two images of The Three Bridges in Scotland were taken on a business trip in November 2019. Bethany & I spent the week running our successful Congested Area Courses and also enjoyed exploring the fantastic city of Scotland during our down time. Whilst experimenting with long exposure on my Canon 5D, these two images were actually taken on the same day, however, due to the natural light changing and using different editing techniques its great that they are both so individual.
If you are interested in participating with your own photographs you can find more details here but I have added the scoring process below so you can understand some of the criteria the judges are looking for.
The Guild Of Photographers Grading
Not scored - Images that do not reach our 'Classified' level score, will not be given a grade. Often images in this position require a high number of changes for the image to be national competition level.
Classified - Images of a standard worthy of acknowledgement relevant to the genre entered but which are not deemed award winning at national competition level. In many cases it is possible that with one or two small tweaks these images could have scored even higher, so feedback could be of value.
A Bronze Bar - Images of a strong standard at a national competition level (something to be proud of)
A Silver Bar - Images that are very well crafted (technically difficult to achieve)
A Gold Bar - Images of particular distinction (very rare)
A Platinum Bar - Images of exceptional or outstanding quality (only awarded to the ultimate of images)