Some Very Confusing Terms Explained...

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It really is all very confusing...

Deal Photographers is a photography club and - like most of the clubs in Kent - is a member of the Kent County Photographic Association (KCPA) an organisation setup to support photography clubs in Kent, Sussex and South East London. 

The KCPA is affiliated to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB), an organisation that co-ordinates, activities for photographic Clubs in the UK.

The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB) is a membership organisation that co-ordinates, activities for photographic Clubs in the UK. There about 900 clubs in the UK, all of them run by volunteers, serving about 30,000 individual members.

The is also the Royal Photographic Society - the RPS -  which is one of the world's oldest photographic societies. Founded in 1853 it now has 11,000 members worldwide.

The Federation Internationale de L’Art Photographique (or FIAP as it's known) is an international organisation whose members are national associations of photographic societies (like the PAGB). There are currently about 92 member countries covering over two million amateur and professional photographers worldwide.

There is also the Photographic Society of America (PSA) which is another worldwide photography organisation serving more than 5,000 members in 80 countries.

Here are a handful of other organisations BIPP, the British Institute of Professional Photography and the MPA, the Master Photographers Association.

All of these organisations have websites that have a wealth of useful information and practical resources about all forms of photography. They also all offer "distinctions".

Photographic distinctions are awards that recognise a photographer's skills and achievements. They can be earned through competitions, exhibitions, or image assessments.

When you achieve a distinction from any of these organisations, you are following in the footsteps of thousands of great photographers. You might do it for personal growth, professional advantage or just to see how good you really are as a keen amateur photographer..

Glossary of Photographic Distinctions

Below is a basic list of Photographic distinctions available from some of these various Photographic organisations.

The requirements can change over time, so it is best to look at the relevant organisations website to see the current requirements and rules for any given distinction.

PAGB : Photographic Alliance of Great Britain, the 'umbrella' organisation for the regional federations/associations in GB. There are a number of awards for individual photographers, as follows -

CPAGB, Credit from the PAGB, the first level of award, judged on 10 pictures, with a standard of 'good club photography'

DPAGB, Distinction from the PAGB, judged on 15 pictures, with a standard of 'open exhibition photography'

MPAGB, Master from the PAGB, judged on 20 pictures, with a standard of 'the highest standard of amateur photography'

APAGB, PAGB award for meritorious service, based not on pictures, but to people who have given outstanding service to photographers who belong to member societies

RPS : Royal Photographic Society, a society open to individual amateur and professional photographers. there are a number of distinctions, as follows -

LRPS, Licentiate of the RPS, the first level and judged on a panel of 10 pictures

ARPS, Associate of the RPS , judged on a panel of 15 pictures

FRPS, Fellow of the RPS, judged on a panel of 20 pictures

Hon FRPS, Honorary Fellow of the RPS, awarded for services to the RPS

DPS : Disabled Photographers' Society, a registered national charity promoting photography for people with disabilities, or their carers, or groups or anyone with an interest in helping the disabled.

Like the RPS above, it offers distinctions at the Licentiate (LDPS), Associate (ADPS) and Fellowship (FDPS) levels

BPE : British Photographic Exhibitions, with awards made to individual photographers for the number of acceptances gained

BPE1* ("BPE one star"), for 25 acceptances

BPE2*, for 50 acceptances

BPE3*, for 100 acceptances

BPE4*, for 200 acceptances

BPE5*, for 300 acceptances

FIAP : Federation Internationale de l'Art Photographique, a worldwide federation to develop relationships amongst photographers (PAGB is affiliated to this organisation)

AFIAP, Artist of FIAP, the first level of award for photographic merit in international competition

EFIAP, Excellence of FIAP

MFIAP, Master of FIAP