What do you give a man who has done everything? An Interview.

Bill Hurter started out in photography in 1972 in Washington, DC, where he was a news photographer. He even covered the political scene, including the Watergate hearings. After graduating with a BA in literature from American University in 1972, he completed training at the Brooks Institute of Photography in 1975.

Going on to work at Petersen's PhotoGraphic magazine, he held practically every job except art director. He has been the owner of his own creative agency, shot stock, and worked assignments (including two and a half years with the L.A. Dodgers). He has been directly involved in photography for the last thirty five years and has seen the revolution in technology. In 1988, Bill was awarded an honorary Masters of Science degree from the Brooks Institute.

In 2007 he was awarded an honorary Masters of Fine Arts degree from Brooks. He has written more than 35 instructional books for professional photographers and is currently the editor of Rangefinder and AfterCapture magazines.

How long have you been picking up a camera?

I didn’t pick up a camera until junior year in college. I got hooked right away and took four classes with Washington Star-News picture editor, Don Moore, who suggested I pursue it further professionally. He helped me land a job with a small news agency in Washington, D.C., Reni Newsphotos, where I held U.S. Senate and White House press cards six weeks after landing the job.

Did you always know that you wanted to be a photographer?

No, not at all. Not until I was almost 20 years old. I wanted to be the great American author… Ernest Hemingway. Oh, well.

What is your speciality as a photographer?

I started out as a photojournalist, but enjoyed the structure of portraiture. After two years as a journo, I went back to school, Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA and majored in Portraiture. It was the absolute right thing to do for me.

When you’re not shooting for clients, what kind of images do you like to shoot?

I like to shoot graphic images and images that have inherent stories. I was an English major in college and enjoyed all aspects of the narrative. When I got into photography, I thought the narrative element should be a part of every picture I took.



You have been an international judge for many years now, how did you first get into judging?

I first started judging here at WPPI, when they didn’t have enough judges to fill a panel. So I would sit in. I realized I knew enough from picture editing for the magazines (Rangefinder and AfterCapture) to be a pretty discerning judge.

Do you think there are extra considerations to be made when entering an International versus Local competition?

Absolutely. One has to discount a lot of one’s own cultural preferences in favor of a more open-minded approach to the images. This is especially true of wedding photography, where customs and rituals are different in every country around the globe.

It's been said many times that entering a competition is more than just winning. What do you take out of a competition when you enter?

Well, personally I don’t enter contests any more, but I think competitors should not rely on winning or losing for self-justification. It has always been my philosophy that one should enter print competitions to learn and as a quality check, to see how your work stacks up against your peers’ work.

What are the first 3 things you look at in your images when you enter a competition?

Trick question, isn’t it? Impact, impact, and impact. No, seriously, impact. An image has to, in some way, take your breath away. Surprise you or enlighten you. Aside from all the technical details being in tow, the image has to bring you to a higher intellectual or spiritual level by virtue of its existence.

What advice would you offer photographers entering a competition for the first time?

Roll the dice and see how you do. It’s not life or death, it’s a print competition. Your self worth as a person or a photographer is not at stake. But you can learn a hell of a lot from entering. Sometimes all of us are in a bubble of our own making and we need a reality check, usually provided by discerning print judges.

You can find out more about Bill at http://billhurter.com/ or http://billhurter.wordpress.com/

Entries to The 2010 International Aperture Awards close on 15th October.

Be brave! To enter is to learn. Dennis Orchard's thoughts on photography competitions.

With an impressive number of letters after his name, Dennis Orchard is a highly respected photographer and international photographic competition judge.

Dennis is returning to the International aperture Awards judging panel for third time in as many years and is an invaluable member of the team.

Dennis Orchard ABIPP ALPE AMPA ARPS CrSWPP

Twice UK Wedding Photographer of the Year, Dennis has, for the last 6 years, Judged internationally at WPPI Las Vegas and has also been a UK national Judge with SWPP. Dennis holds the highest award at WPPI, the Accolade of Lifetime Photographic Excellence and in 2006 was honoured with WPPI's Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to the Photographic Industry.

How long have you been picking up a camera?

Before I ever picked up a camera I would pick up and “read” photographs. My aunt was an agent for a mail order catalogue and every year she would get a wall calendar with scenes of woodlands, waterfalls & cathedrals. From the age of 5 I would spend hours looking at the smallest detail in the images. By the time I was 8, I was hooked on “Viewmaster” 3D reels. Not the ones you get now which are all cartoon based, but the “Countries of the World” series. I travelled the world through those little 3D images and I still have my collection. I was 11 before I saved up to buy my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic. I still have the photos I took with my first roll of film. They are landscapes.

Did you always know that you wanted to be a photographer?

Not at first, because I really wanted to be a secret agent!

At 14 in England you get an interview with a Careers Advisor. I remember going into the room and seeing all these books on banking, insurance, engineering, marketing etc. And I couldn’t see a single book on Photography. So more for devilment than anything else, I said that I wanted to be a photographer. The poor chap didn’t have a clue about photography as a career and told me to find out what courses there might be. I did some research and discovered a 3 year Higher Diploma course in Photography, Film, Television, & High Speed Scientific Photography at Harrow College, London. I enrolled on the course at 18 and came out with a 2.1

What is your speciality as a photographer?

In my early days I only shot Landscapes. I worked for a Stock Library in London (which eventually became Getty Images) and travelled Europe with a plate camera photographing for Calendars & Posters. At that time my speciality was composition and my images would often sell because I would find different angles from which to shoot well known locations. Over the last 15 years I have moved over to photographing people. I started shooting editorial photography for The Daily Telegraph and other magazines. Eventually I found my love for Wedding Photography and I consider this to be my current speciality. The most important skill I have acquired in wedding photography is the ability to make people relax in front of the camera.



When you’re not shooting for clients, what kind of images do you like to shoot?

Last year I did a little “street” photography in Bath City (a World Heritage City). I limited myself to only one lens (85mm) and one aperture (f1.2). It was quite challenging to do. I also took some time off after a wedding in Scotland and drove around for a couple of days doing “moody” landscapes. This kind of personal work should be made into an exhibition, I know, but I am lazy & quite content to post it on Facebook and wait someone (or anyone, please!) to say they love it.

You have been an international judge for many years now, how did you first get into judging?

I paid a vast sum of money in a brown manilla envelope to Bill Hurter at WPPI!!!

OK but truthfully. In 1999 I won UK Wedding of the Year and part of the prize was a trip to WPPI Las Vegas. I entered the 16x20 competition for the first time that year and fell off my chair (literally, as I’m known for liking the odd Vodka) when two prints scored over 80 and I got my first 2 Accolades. I decided to go back the next year and enter again. I got 4 that year and in 2001 WPPI asked me & two other “Brits” to speak at the convention.

The following year one of my images got a Grand Award in Wedding Photojournalism and so WPPI asked me to speak again. Over the next couple of years I enrolled on the WPPI Accolades Programme. Through this programme you receive a point for each print scoring 80 + in competition. The highest award (for reaching 65 prints over 80) is the “Accolade of Lifetime Photographic Excellence” I achieved that in 2004 and they asked me to speak and also judge for the following year. In 2005 I got First place in “Wedding Photojournalism (Humour)” and WPPI asked me to judge for the second time (I must have done something right). In 2006 they gave me their top award “WPPI Lifetime Achievement Award” and I’ve been invited to judge every year since then. I have also judged at international level in Northern Ireland, Erie, Estonia and Baltic States and of course your IAA.



Do you think there are extra considerations to be made when entering an International versus Local competition?

I think in any competition it is important to establish the style of image that “fits” the profile of the organisation running it. For example, in America, it is unusual for a print to come First in both WPPI & PPof A. In the UK we have our Royal Photographic Society and the winning style with them is quite different from our British Institute of Professional Photography or Master Photographers Awards. So enter all your best images for local awards and then select, from the ones that do well, for International competition. Study the winning entries from the international comps to ascertain the style that the organisation leans towards.

In short: Don’t read Venusian poetry to a Martian.... they just won’t understand it!

It's been said many times that entering a competition is more than just winning. What do you take out of a competition when you enter?

Probably more like “What does entering a competition take out of me!” Anyone entering a competition will suffer the agony of deciding which images to select, closely followed by the despair of having left it almost too late to enter, and then for many, the guilt of forgetting about the whole thing and then, eventually, the self delusion of thinking “Well competitions don’t mean anything and all the judges are out of touch anyway” I admit to all those feelings!!

BUT! To enter is to learn. Sit in on the judging and see what the judges have to say about your print. Compare your image to others in the competition. What is distinguishing your image from theirs?. This comparison and questioning of your work can only lead to better photography and a clearer idea of where your style is leading you. This is what you gain from entering competitions.



What are the first 3 things you look at in your images when you enter a competition?

OK First has to be print quality. No judge is going to award good marks to a print that is too light, lacks contrast or is mounted poorly. Beware the bright lights of judging. Many prints which appear fine in daylight look pale and washed out under Competition lighting. Find out (from the rules) the lighting conditions for judging and print darker to accommodate.

Second has to be “story”. A picture is a communication. Ask yourself what is this picture saying to me. It can be quite simple like “We are a couple in love” or a landscape which proclaims “Look at how mighty & grand the World is” It can be more subtle like the work of Andreas Gursky. But whatever the story is, it must be believable. Brides without back support being dipped backwards by their Grooms while having the blood sucked from their necks is NOT a story I ever wish to tell.

Last and probably the most important is EMOTION. In fact if I were to have my way I would probably put EMOTION in first second and third place. But the emotion has to be real and not contrived. This for me is what sets apart the “good” from the “breathtaking”

What advice would you offer photographers entering a competition for the first time?

Be brave. Enter for the experience and the education. Don’t take it too seriously and don’t give up too soon. Try and find competitions where each entry add to a future award (such as the WPPI Accolades Programme) This will give you the incentive to carry on.

When you do win, which you will, if you enter and learn from the judging comments, tell everyone and be very very proud of your achievements.

IMPACT, Storytelling and Composition. An interview with Kevin Jairaj.

In just a few short years, Kevin Jairaj has not only become one of the most sought after photographers in the USA, but also worldwide. Kevin is known for his dramatic use of lighting and color and his ability to create some of the most stunning wedding artistry for his clients.

He has been commissioned to shoot weddings in London, Hawaii, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, Mexico, Jamaica, and Anguilla in addition to the many weddings he shoots in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area and the rest of the USA. Kevin is also a favorite among the celebrity crowd and has shot weddings and events for many musicians, actors, and famous athletes.

Kevin has also won Numerous 1st Place Awards in the very prestigious WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) 16x20 and 8x10 print competitions in addition to having several prints selected in the PPA Loan collection. He was also named a 2008 Top Knots of Wedding Photography by the very well respected Photo District News magazine and his work has been published in countless books and magazines such as Photo District News, American Photo, Rangefinder, USA Today, Professional Photographer, Destination Weddings, Southern Vanity, and People just to name a few.



How long have you been picking up a camera?

I have been shooting since college, but actually went fulltime in 2004-2005

Did you always know that you wanted to be a photographer?

No, I am a sports nut, and always thought I would be in Sports Management! In fact, I still shoot Professional Sports any chance I get!

What is your speciality as a photographer?

I love photographing Weddings, Fashion, and Glamour.

When you're not shooting for clients, what kind of images do you like to shoot?

Sports, Fashion, and edgy Glamour.



You have been an international judge for many years now, how did you first get into judging?

I got into it through WPPI and absolutely LOVE it. It makes me look at images a whole different way than you would for a client. It's honestly one of my favorite things to do and fortunately, I am asked to judge several competitions every year.

Do you think there are extra considerations to be made when entering an International versus Local competition?

Most definitely! You need to take extra care to make sure every little detail is done to your best ability as the talent level is much deeper at the International Level!

It's been said many times that entering a competition is more than just winning. What do you take out of a competition when you enter?

I agree! You learn so much about what is trendy and hip at the moment as well as ways to look at your own work with a different eye.

What are the first 3 things you look at in your images when you enter a competition?



IMPACT, Storytelling, Composition. That being said, IMPACT will always be first in my images or when I judge.

What advice would you offer photographers entering a competition for the first time?

Study previous competition winners as well as make sure your image has a lot of Impact and tells a great story. Also, pay attention to the little things like cloning out dust spots or dodging and burning in the right places, etc...

Entries to the 2010 International Aperture Awards are open until the end of October. The judging will be carried out through November with the winners announced in December.

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