I am so excited about this post, I hardly know where to start …

Last night I attended the MPA South East Region Annual Awards. The MPA (Master Photographers Association) was Established in 1952 and with over 2,000 members, it is the United Kingdom’s only organisation for full time, qualified and professional photographers.

The Master Photography Awards are the most prestigious awards for photography in the UK

Every year, each of the 14 different regions hold an awards ceremony, allowing photographers from that region to submit images in several different categories, all of which are then judged against each other.

Last night, the South East Region awards consisted of some 300 images, across several categories, which included :
Classical Wedding, Contemporary Wedding, Reportage Wedding, Classical Portrait, Contemporary Portrait, Pets, Under 5’s, Family Portrait, Fashion & Beauty, “Pictorial, Illustrative, Fine Art, Landscape & Travel”

Quite a few categories, and a lot of scope.

I am so thrilled, proud, and excited to announce that I received the following awards :

A merit award (3rd place), in the Pets category.
An award of excellence (2nd place), in the Fine Art category.
An award of excellence (2nd place), in the Under 5′s Portrait category.

WINNER – MPA Under 5′s Portrait Photographer of the Year 2010, SE Region !
WINNER – MPA Family Portrait Photographer of the Year 2010, SE Region !
WINNER – MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year 2010, SE Region !

… and with that, I was ecstatic and over the moon … but then came the icing in the cake … I was also :

WINNER – MPA Overall Portrait Photographer of the Year, SE Region !

That means from ALL of the entries in all of the portrait categories, my image was chosen as the best! But, it didn’t stop there, I also won the cherry on the icing on the cake !!!

WINNER – MPA Photographer of the Year, SE Region !

The highest award of the night – the best of everything.

I was overwhelmed, speechless and somewhat tearful, and I only slept for three hours last night because I am still buzzing from such fantastic news.

So, I guess that now makes me a Multi-Award Winning Photographer – what a nice sound that has!

Here are the images which brought me the awards.

A Merit in the Pets Category.
This is Archie, a gorgeous Bengal kitten, who belongs to Caroline, my amazing graphic designer and studio manager of Flourish Studios. Archie had never been out of the house before, and so trying to photograph him at the front door was interesting, as his inquisitive kitten nature kept enticing him outside. The sun was very strong on that day, which allowed the vibrant colours of his fur and eyes to glisten.

An Award of Excellence in the Fine Art Category.
This is an image of Finn, a stunning animal belonging to Kerry, whose family shoot I did just a few weeks ago. I had never photographed a horse before, and it was hugely challenging, as she kept bobbing her head all over the place (the horse, not Kerry!). We eventually managed to keep her still with some feed, whilst I very quickly composed and cracked out some shots – this was the best of them.

An Award of Excellence in the Under 5′s Portrait Category.
Charlotte is a beautiful little lady, and was a delight to photograph. The light in this room was right where the dining room table stood, and so we sat her down and I deliberately moved the vase of tulips in front of her. We gave her 2 minutes to investigate the flowers, but then she was distracted by the dogs running around, and I just caught her peering around the vase, in this honest and natural pose.

WINNER – MPA Under 5′s Portrait Photographer of the Year.
I am so pleased with this win. Having now worked with Baby Surrey and Baby London magazines for just over a year, it has given me a chance to hone my skills in this area, whilst meeting some gorgeous children and producing some lovely images. This little darling’s name is Jasmine, and the image was produced towards the end of our shoot – in fact, almost the last one I took. I had seen this big chair and loved the idea of her small little body almost dwarfed by the size of the furniture. The expression was all her doing, with the help of mum, Sharon.

WINNER – MPA Family Portrait Photographer of the Year.
This shot of James and daddy Mike just takes my breath away – and, incidentally, seems to make the ladies go a bit weak at the knees! We had finished the session in the house, and were just about to move to their wooden toy shop, Woodn’t It Be Lovely when Mike picked up James to head out – I saw this shot from the corner of my eye, composed and clicked the shutter, all in less than 1 second, before the moment was lost – and what a moment. That single instant won me Family Portrait Photographer of the Year!

And finally, the big one. This single image has netted me the following :
WINNER – MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year, SE Region
WINNER – MPA Overall Portrait Photographer of the Year, SE Region
WINNER – MPA Photographer of the Year, SE Region

This is Isabelle. My incredible part-time wedding photography assistant, my stunning part-time fashion model, and my wonderful full-time friend. What can I say ? She has this natural ability to charm and to strike such a natural and confident pose, she makes the job easy. This shot was taken toward the end of my first ever hair fashion shoot, for Capella, a hair salon in Frimley, Surrey – it was also the first time I had ever shot in a studio with artificial lights, so it makes these wins even more special indeed.

MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year,
MPA Overall Portrait Photographer of the Year,
MPA Photographer of the Year 2010.

There is not much more to write. Apart from a huge THANK YOU to all of my models, parents and owners for allowing me to use all of these images … and, of course, a huge Thank You to Desi Fontaine, the MPA judge from last night who has a wonderful eye !!