Category: Salon News

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Story of an Image – Busy Day Sacre Coeur

Busy Day Sacre Coeur

Like many of you I have thousands of images stored on a number of external hard drives and yes, even on CD’s ! Recently I have been looking through some of these and discovering that some captures which I have overlooked, but not sent to the recycle bin, that are worthy of further work. This often because over the 20 plus years since I started digital photography with Photoshop 5.5 massive improvements have been made and so many more useful plug-ins and alternative systems are available for us to use.

This image was taken 10 years ago when we spent a few days in Paris. I was using a Nikon V1 camera converted to Infra red with exposure 1/800 sec, f5, ISO 200. Bringing it in to my current version of Photoshop I was able to apply a few tweaks especially to darken the sky.  I entered this into the Photo Travel section of a PSA recognised Salon in Bangladesh where it scored top points and was awarded a Gold medal. The image was also accepted in the 2025 PSA International.

So, do you have gold lurking away in folders on your hard drives. I recommend having a look through and see what you can find you may be pleasantly surprised.

Ian Ledgard, GPMSA/b

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PSA Successes July to October 2025

Below is the list of people who achieved PSA successes from July 2025  to the end of October 2025.

  • Ian Ledgard – Gold Medal x6, Silver x2, Jury Choice x1, Chairman’s Award x1, Merit x1, Diploma x2 & 11 HM’s
  • Tont Grubb 2 Star Colour Print Level Achieved
  • Paul James – Gold Medal x1,  Merit x1, & HM’s x4
  • Rhodri Phillips – Best Portrait Award & Ribbon Award.
  • Gary Shinner – Gold Medal x1, HM x1.

Congratulations to all members listed above, who reported back to me with their recent awards, medals and other successes in the PSA affiliated salons. If there are any other members of the PSA have some successes – then please e-mail me directly – gary_shinnerlrps@sky.com (Note the underscore)

Anyone out there wants to find out any more about the PSA, please again contact me, I’ll do my best to help you. However you can also go to their website. Good luck to everyone with their photographic journeys.

I wish ‘everyone’ reading this letter, Compliments of the Festive Season, and also a happy, healthy & prosperous New Year in 2026.

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Applications for MFIAP – Concession for 2025

FIAP have recognised that changes to the rules for the application of MFIAP were introduced at short notice and could adversely affect those who are already working towards application for MFIAP.

The new rules for 2026 require applicants for MFIAP to have achieved EFIAP/platinum to qualify for application for MFIAP whereas previously the applicant was only required to have achieved EFIAP.

Those who have already achieved EFIAP but not EFIAP/p are invited to apply for MFIAP as soon as possible. The closing date for receipt of such applications is 1st December 2025.

If you would like to apply for MFIAP please contact your FIAP Liaison Officer as soon as possible as there are processes to be completed before the application can be submitted to FIAP by the FIAP Liaison Officer.

The FIAP Liaison Officers are:

  • England, Northern Ireland and North Wales – Howard Tate – fiap@btinternet.com
  • Scotland (SPF) – Libby Smith – spfflo1@gmail.com
  • Wales (WPF) – Peter Young – fiap@thewpf.co.uk
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PAGB Online Advisory Workshop

Would you like to participate in an Online Workshop with your PDI and Prints being assessed and discussed by a group of PAGB Adjudicators?

We already have lots of interest and hope to run this through September. You will need to upload your image files to our Central Management System (CMS) and post prints to us, probably by the end of August. Watch for a more detailed timetable soon.

Although we haven’t yet fixed dates but you would like us to look at your work, please provide your name, e-mail and answers to the following questions. Please e-mail to awards@thepagb.org.uk as soon as you can so that we can properly plan the events.

If you are registered with us, you will be contacted by e-mail with the details as soon as they are fixed and you will be given priority if there are more applications than we can handle immediately.

  1. What level are you interested in? (BPAGB CPAGB DPAGB EPAGB or MPAGB).
  2. Do you hope to apply for Adjudication in 2025 or 2026?
  3. If you are intending to apply soon, do you want a full potential entry reviewed or do you want to submit just a few images to determine which level you might be capable of?
  4. Will you wish to be advised on a potential PDI or a Print entry?
  5. Are you prepared to pay £10 to be advised or £5 to observe?

Please note that this does not affect our Online Mentoring Service and the PAGB Awards team will continue to support Federation Workshops when they are invited.

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Recent PSA Salon Successes

Here is the list of people whom have had continued successes in PSA Salons from April 2025 to the end of June 2025.

  • Paul James – Gold Medal x2 / Bronze medal x1 / Merit x2 / Judges Choice x4 Diploma x2 HM’s x7 Plus an impressive silver medal for the Architecture theme competition 2025 season.
  • Kev Robertson – Jury Choice x3 / Merit x1 / Ribbon x1
  • Rhodri Phillips – Silver medal x1 / Bronze Medal x1 / Diploma x1 / Jury choice x1
  • Sian Davies – Ribbon x1 / Jury Choice x1 / HM’s x2
  • Ian Ledgard – Gold Medal x2 / Circuit Gold x1 / Medal x1 / Diploma x1 / Merits x4 / HM’s x4
  • Gary Shinner – Judges Choice x1 / Merit x1
  • Tony Grubb – HM x1. But also PSA Monochrome Print of the year from 2024, judged in the last few weeks (July 2025) * A special article about Tony’s successful image appears below and will be in Newsflash very soon.

Congratulations to all members listed above, who reported back to me with their recent awards, medals and other successes in the PSA affiliated salons. If there are any other members of the PSA have some successes please e-mail me directly at gary_shinnerlrps@sky.com (note the underscore).

Anyone out there wants to find out any more about the PSA, please again contact me, I’ll do my best to help you. However you can go to their website.

Good luck to everyone with their photographic journeys.

Gary Shinner MPSA2 BPSA
PSA CMD for Wales

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PSA Story of an Image – ‘The Tree’

The Tree,  Llyn Padarn 11/01/2022 09:45  – Tony Grubb CPAGB BPE2* AFIAP PPSA GPU CR1*

I have been a photographer (sort of) since the late 1960s but they were really only happy snaps taken with a point and shoot. I got my first Proper camera in the late 1970s, a Zenit something and because it was manual I actually started to learn something. I bought my first Canon in the early 1980s and have never used another make since. My first Canon was an AE1 and my last film camera was an A1, in my honest opinion, the best amateur film camera ever made (still got a couple).

See the rest of Tony’s story and the image itself by clicking the ‘continue reading’ link below…

Continue reading “PSA Story of an Image – ‘The Tree’”

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Judging Advice from the PAGB

PAGB E-News are hoping to produce an e-news special, drawing on the advice and training that Federations offer their judges so that the best ideas can be shared by everyone.

As an example, they have provided this small extract from material from the comprehensive documentation used at judging workshops in the Northern Counties. We decided to share it and we hope you find it interesting.

General Advice
Don’t focus on what’s wrong with a picture.
Analyse – don’t criticise, suggest changes but never dictate.
Don’t merely describe to the audience what the picture contains. They can already see that it’s a tree with a sky and mountains or whatever. It is much better to evaluate on the basis of –

1. Communication of an idea/feeling 50 – 60% of the value.
2. Content 30 – 35% of the value.
3. Construction (technical) 10 – 15% of the value.

1. Communiation
Statement/story, interpretation. Appreciation of all art should not, primarily, be an intellectual exercise but rather an emotional one. It is the buzz or tingle we experience on seeing a good photograph which should be at the heart of judging.

A good photographer brings out the best of what he/she photographs, as a musician interprets a composer’s work. Even the ambiguity of a picture can be its greatest asset in that it provides a canvas on which the observer can place their own imagination and feelings.

2. Content
Lighting, background, sharpness, colour, timing, movement. composition, pattern/texture, format – portrait, landscape, letter box, square etc.

3. Construction (technical)
Handling of tonal range and colour rendition. Exposure, sharpness, printing quality, choice of paper, appropriateness of colour or monochrome, use of a technique to improve the picture rather than to purely demonstrate knowledge of it. Finally does the presentation add to or detract from the quality of the picture.

We look forward to seeing the E-News Special that covers the subject in more detail. If you wish to subscribe to PAGB E-News you can do so here.

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