Wow! For the third year running we have come away from the MPA Awards for the South Eastern Region with another handful of awards, bringing our total over the last three years to 23 !!!

You may recall our success last year and the previous year, where we picked up a whole host of awards in various categories ? This time around, we decided to try out the sports category as well as ‘landscape and travel’.

So, without further ado, here are the winning images :

WINNER – MPA South East Regional Awards 2012, Sports, Social and Equestrian Events
This image was taken during a promotional shoot for my friend, and a groom from last year, Les, who runs a GB Tang Soo Do school.

WINNER – MPA South East Regional Awards 2012, Landscape and Travel
A shot which I saw, and grabbed, during a wedding last year in Italy – this old gentleman was sat alone on a bench across the other side of the piazza from where we were eating dinner.

Award of Excellence – MPA South East Regional Awards 2012, Classical Portraiture
Aaah man! Pipped to the post – this image came in second place, losing out by just one single point! This shot of Bobby Chocolate was taken as part of a set for the outstandingly amazing Unsung Lily, a new, up and coming band hailing from Guildford, UK.

Award of Merit – MPA South East Regional Awards 2012, Contemporary Portraiture
This shot of Riccardo and Lorenzo, taken during a recent promo shoot for Coconut Hair Salon, is one of my very favourites and makes me laugh every time I look at it. Apparently, it made the judges laugh too which is why it was awarded a very healthy third place!

Award of Merit – MPA South East Regional Awards 2012, Press and PR
The category in which we gained first place last year. This is another shot from the Unsung Lilly promo shoot, this time of the entire band. To me, this just captures them perfectly ! Another third place.

Honourable Mention – MPA South East Regional Awards 2012, Sports, Social and Equestrian Events
No award for this one, but it was pulled up for mention because of the sheer timing and control. Again, from the Tang Soo Do shoot with Les. I’m happy to lose out on first place to my own shot though

Once again, I have to say a huge Thank You to all the clients, subjects and, now, friends who choose to book us for all their shoots and trust that we will do the best job we can do. None of this would be possible or even worthwhile without any of you …

Unlucky for some, but not for us !!

We are so very excited to tell you that after a mammoth 5 hour judging session at last night’s MPA Awards for the South Eastern Region, Matt Pereira Photography picked up no less than THIRTEEN 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.

You may remember our marvellous success at last year’s SE Region Awards, where we won a whole host of accolades.

Well, this year we may not have managed overall photographer of the year but maintained a very good consistency in several areas. The categories are slightly different this year, but essentially the same really.

Here is a list of what we won …

WINNER – MPA Pictorial, Illustrative & Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Pictorial, Illustrative & Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
WINNER – MPA Press, PR & Stock Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Press, PR & Stock Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Award of Merit (3rd Place) – MPA Family Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region

Followed by …

One Award of Merit in Children’s Portraiture
One Award of Merit in Family Portraiture
Two Awards of Merit in Contemporary Weddings
Two Awards of Merit in Wedding Photojournalism
One Award of Merit in Contemporary Portraiture

Had the decision fallen to award the Overall Photographer of the Year Award on a points basis (5pt for 1st, 3pt for 2nd, 1pt for 3rd) we would have taken that win as well, for the second year in a row – but, alas, it was not to be on this occasion.

Nonetheless, we are thrilled again to have scooped so many wins and merits. Here are all of the winning images:

WINNER – MPA Pictorial, Illustrative & Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Taken in a backlit alley in Brighton as a bit of an experiment!

Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Pictorial, Illustrative & Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
My gorgeous girlfriend, Helen, in Lanzarote earlier this year. She endured this jump with a really sore and stiff neck, but knew that I was on to something …

WINNER – MPA Press, PR & Stock Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
This image was taken as part of a set for Helen Nathan, mother to four gorgeous daughters … you may think that there are only three in the image, but there is one more. Namely Flossie Crums, featured on the McDougalls flour packet !

Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Press, PR & Stock Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
This is one of my all-time favourite shots from the last 12 months – you have heard me talk before about the amazing singer/songwriter Rachel Golding. This is an “accidental” shot from her PR shoot, taken as I was just doing a lighting test !

Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Having won this category last year, it was a shame to only come second this time around, but I am pleased with another ‘podium finish’. This shot of the gorgeous Anna Quirk from Bookings Models, was taken for a Yarwood White bridal fashion shoot.

Award of Merit (3rd Place) – MPA Family Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Another podium finish in the Family category, which we won last year – a beautiful and intimate family portrait taken for a Baby Surrey magazine Welcome to the World feature..

Award of Merit in Family Photography
Just outside the top three – a cracking family shot of Sian and her boys!

Two Awards of Merit in Contemporary Wedding Photography
Rachel and Simon, seemingly on a destination wedding, but very local indeed!

The lovely Sarah and Richard, partaking in their first dance.

Two Awards of Merit in Wedding Photojournalism
Two completely different days, weather-wise – the first was Katrina and Richard on a nasty day, down on the South Coast …

… followed by a gorgeously hot day for Emily & Rich, at Chiddingstone Castle.

Award of Merit in Children’s Portraiture
Just William, on the sand dunes in Northern France …

Award of Merit in Contemporary Portraiture
And the final award, once again with the very talented Rachel Golding …

All in all, a fantastic day in the company of some very, very good photographers. A massive thanks goes out to all of my models, parents, subjects, babies and everybody involved in helping make each and every one of these images. Without you, the people, none of it would ever be possible …

And of course, a big thank you to Ray Lowe, our judge for last night … what marvellous taste he has!

It’s been a little busy over the last few weeks, as it always is this time of year when things start to close out for the season.

However, there’s been a good reason for being a little quiet on the blogging front and that’s due to the fact that i’ve been working on a new website, in conjunction with the ever fantastic Flourish Studios.

I wanted something that looked similar to my old website, but more Google friendly, and a little faster, too. As a photographer it’s all about the images, and so as the previous layout worked well, there was little point straying from that design too much. Of course, with the funky new branding that Flourish have created for me over the last year or so, we needed to update the look and feel of the website too, and I think that’s been done rather well.

Why not go take a look and let me know what you think ? The URL has not changed and so it is still www.mattpereira.co.uk. I’d love to know what you think !

This weekend we will be exhibiting at the Modern Bride Contemporary Wedding Show, at Excel in London’s Docklands.

Modern Bride is “The UK’s new too-hot-to-miss wedding event modernbride is the glamorous, fun, and hassle-free way to find every perfect essential for a unique wedding. It’s where you’ll find a great range of hand-picked companies, offering everything for brides who want great style and quality for money with an essential hit of glamour.”

The show is open from 10am til 5pm each day. Catwalk shows are at 10.30am, 12 noon, 2pm and 3.30pm
Nearest DLR station is Prince Regent.

I will be exhibiting at stand 108, along with a selection of lovely assistants throughout the weekend.

We also have a number of Free Entry tickets available, so if you would like one, email me at enquiries@mattpereira.co.uk or call me on 01252 416 431 and we’ll arrange to meet at the door.

We look forward to seeing you there!

I am very pleased to announce that Matt Pereira Photography has been awarded the rather prestigious MPA UK Pet Photographer of the Year 2010. To sit alongside all of this year’s regional awards, I was awarded this accolade at the recent Master Photographer Awards in Birmingham. This is an annual event where some of the best photographers in the UK all descend on the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham to mix it up and celebrate the best of the best.

The image in question only brought me 3rd place in the regional judging, but I was lucky enough to hold off the other entrants at a national level. The winning image is this one, 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.

This is an enormous achievement and my first time of asking at the national awards. Against such stiff competition too. Next year I will be going for a few more categories, so watch this space!