Assignments Live – International Women’s Day

The British Press Photographers’ Association, in partnership with Sony Pro Imaging, U.K. & Ireland, are delighted to announce the return of our photography talks series ‘Assignments LIVE’. To kick off the new run we are excited to reveal our International Women’s Day panel talk at The Frontline Club on Friday 8th March. We are assembling leading professionals in the field to participate in a photography-focused discussion. Our aim is to delve into the evolving role of a Press Photographer, analysing the landscape of 2024 amidst challenges such as Artificial Intelligence, the decline in newspaper print sales, the growing demand for digital content, shifts in the political sphere, and international conflicts. We will also explore the pertinent question of whether press photography still maintains its significance. Spoiler alert: Yes, it unquestionably does! Join us as we uncover the reasons behind its enduring importance. BOOK TICKETS HERE

Chair:
Alexia Singh a Senior Lecturer on BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communications,  a multimedia producer and photo editor with 20 years’ experience leading creative teams in the news and NGO sectors. During a 16 year career at Reuters News Agency she set up and managed picture desks in London, Paris, and Singapore and launched the Emmy award-winning Wider Image website for immersive storytelling. She has worked for Magnum Photos, WaterAid, DEC and Save the Children as a photo editor and producer.

Panel:
Sarah Lee – who started her professional career 24 years ago as a contract freelancer for the Guardian. She is still there. She’s also one of BAFTA’s regular photographers, and an ambassador for Leica. She recently shot a number of campaigns for Transport for London. And her book “West of West” (loosely focusing on the end of Route 66 in California) was published by Unbound early in 2020. The subject Sarah is most thrilled to have shot is Iris Murdoch.
Lucy Young – a highly versatile London-based photographer specialising in news and features work for national newspapers and magazines, with the bulk of her work commissioned by The Times and the Sunday Times. Her work ranges from capturing breaking events to intimate portraits of the people in the news. Lucy’s work has included the revolution in Libya, the work of Islamic Relief in rural Kenya and images of the Royal family and top political figures in the UK.
Chloe Knott – a freelance sports photographer based in London working across commercial and editorial assignments. After starting out in football with Danehouse Photography, she has worked across a wide range of worlds class events including The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis championships, The Rugby World Cup and Olympic events. Over recent years she has worked primarily under world renowned photographer Bob Martin for clients including The IOC, Sail GP, Manchester City FC and Wimbledon.
Helen Healy – a picture editor with over thirty years experience in the industry. She was the Head of Pictures at the Financial Times for seven years and has also worked at the Guardian, The Times and The Independent. She has seen the newspaper industry move from being a print to a mainly digital product. During her career she has been involved with covering many major news events, including 9/11, the wars in Ukraine and Iraq and Brexit.
Sarah Tilotta – who has worked as a photo editor and photographer for CNN in London since 2016, as part of an award-winning Visuals team covering news, politics, and features worldwide. Her publications as a picture editor and photojournalist have been recognised with Emmy, Webby, and Foreign Press Association awards, among others, on subjects including climate change, LGBTQI+ rights, and migration. Previously she held roles at NOOR Images in Amsterdam, and National Public Radio (NPR) in Washington, DC. She completed an MA in Photojournalism at the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University, and a BA in Visual Arts & Photography from Fordham University in New York.

Thanks must go to our fantastic sponsor Sony Pro Imaging, U.K. & Ireland who have enabled us to bring this event to you.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

Assignments 2023 – The BPPA Exhibition

Ukrainian soldiers in their foxhole defending the north of the city of Kharkiv on the second day of the war. 25 February 2022. EDITORS NOTE: This image can only be used in connection with Assignments 2023 - The BPPA Exhibition.

The British Press Photographers’ Association presents its annual ‘Assignments’ exhibition celebrating the best of press photography from its members.

Curated by 5 leading industry figures, this year’s exhibition covers stories from July 2021 through to the spring of 2023 and will feature everything from sports and entertainment to politics and protests with royals, celebrities, and global events as seen through the eyes of the association’s photographers.

Founded in the mid-1980s, The BPPA has sought to promote and inspire the highest ethical, technical, and creative standards from within the industry and once again is set to deliver an exhibition of photographs from the cutting edge of journalism.

  • Assignments 2023 is FREE to attend.
  • Open from 11am to 6pm daily between 19th and 28th May 2023.
  • Covers 5 floors of The Bargehouse on London’s Southbank, part of Oxo Tower Wharf.
  • Once again the BPPA bookshop will return during the exhibition.

 

 

How to find us;

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House St, London SE1 9PH

Train
Blackfriars, Waterloo or Waterloo East

Tube
Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines) 5 minutes walk
Southwark (Jubilee line) 7 minutes walk
Blackfriars (Circle and District lines) 5 minutes walk

Car
There is secure underground car parking adjacent to the centre. The venue is within the Congestion and ULEZ charging zones.

Boat
Blackfriars Millennium pier or Festival pier

 

Image Credit: Julian Simmonds

Assignments 2021 – The BPPA Exhibition

Stormzy performs at the 2019 BRIT Awards in London. 18 February 2020. EDITORS NOTE: This image can only be used in connection with Assignments 2021 - The BPPA Exhibition.

The British Press Photographers’ Association present their annual ‘Assignments’ exhibition celebrating the best of press photography from its members. Curated by 5 leading industry figures, this year’s exhibition covers stories from April 2019 through to the recent developments in the pandemic and will feature everything from sports and entertainment through to politics and protest with royals, celebrities and global events as seen through eyes of the association’s photographers. Founded in the mid 1980s, The BPPA has sought to promote and inspire the highest ethical, technical and creative standards from within the industry and once again is set to deliver an exhibition of photographs from the cutting edge of journalism.

  • Assignments 2021 is FREE to attend
  • Open from 11am to 6pm daily between August 27th and September 5th 2021
  • Covers 5 floors of The Bargehouse on London’s Southbank, part of Oxo Tower Wharf
  • Once again the BPPA bookshop will return during the exhibition

How to find us;

Train
Blackfriars, Waterloo or Waterloo East

Tube
Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines) 5 minutes walk
Southwark (Jubilee line) 7 minutes walk
Blackfriars (Circle and District lines) 5 minutes walk

Car
There is secure underground car parking adjacent to the centre.

Boat
Blackfriars Millennium pier or Festival pier.

Image Credit: Samir Hussein, Andrew Baker

Women 2021 – a photographic celebration

An ecstatic Katie McCabe of Arsenal jumps on top of her team mates as part of the goal celebrations after Vivianne Miedema scored their second goal in their away WSL game against Tottenham Hotspur on 17th November 2019. Photo: Elli Birch.

Photo: ©Elli Birch |

NEWS RELEASE: 8th March 2021

‘Women’ is a photographic celebration of images telling the stories and achievements of women and girls launching for International Women’s Day 2021

To mark International Women’s Day 2021 The British Press Photographers’ Association has curated a new exhibition of pictures telling the stories and highlighting the achievements of women and girls as recorded through the eyes of visual storytellers.



In accordance with the aims of International Women’s Day the exhibition seeks to celebrate the strength and achievement of women throughout society – socially, culturally, economically and politically.

The exhibition is a celebration of the achievements of women and exhibition organisers Vickie Flores and Isabel Infantes took the decision to include pictures taken by any of our members rather than just focussing on the view of women:

“One of the aims of the project was to make photographers of all genders think about how we portray women and to achieve equality and gender parity, we need the support of each other.”

Chair of The BPPA Lindsey Parnaby says:

“Press photographers are very fortunate to meet many inspirational women in the course of their work; women from all walks in life who shine brightly despite, at times, facing much adversity. Launched to coincide with International Women’s Day, The BPPA ‘Women’ is a visual celebration dedicated to just some those inspiring women of the world who personify female empowerment: images of their moments of triumph and strength captured by members of The BPPA.”


WOMEN is an online exhibition of 70 images, launching on 8th March 2021 and can be viewed at: http://women.thebppa.com

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

International Women’s Day is a global day marked annually on 8th March celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.

For more information visit: www.internationalwomensday.com

The BPPA was formed in 1984 by a small group of Fleet Street photographers to showcase the work that they were so passionate about. Over the next few years the association grew staging a series of hugely influential exhibitions and publishing three volumes of “Assignments” – collections of each year’s best work.


In 2003 we adopted a ‘mission statement’:

To promote and inspire the highest ethical, technical and creative standards from within the profession and raise awareness and appreciation of our industry outside it.

As of March 2021, the BPPA has 439 full members.

CURATORS OF WOMEN 2021
• Fiona Shields – The Guardian Head of Photography
• Gao Rongguo – China based Photographer and selected at Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2020
• Jakki Moores – News & Sports Press Segment Manager for Canon
• Jane Sherwood – Getty Images News Editor
• Milica Lamb – former Head of International and Entertainment at Press Association Media
• Rebecca Naden – Wales based News, Sports and Features Photographer for Thomson Reuters
• Rob Pinney – London based Photographer and founding editor of Point 5.1 Magazine

Image by: Milton Haworth

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Vickie Flores: +44(0)7771 613 991 E: mail@vickieflores.com

Isabel Infantes: +44(0)7795 350 975 E: isabelinfantesphotography@hotmail.com

Lindsey Parnaby +44(0)7815 737 443 E: chairman@thebppa.com

The BPPA and Pool C

Following the first round of matches after the resumption of English football, The British Press Photographers Association are delighted with the working relationship that they have created following the Premier League’s launch of Operation Restart.


The BPPA board have been instrumental in securing positions for the smaller agencies and freelancers across the UK proportionate to access given to the newswires and publication positions.


Before we undertook the project there was no Pool C – which meant no access for those outside of the national and international agencies and newspapers.


The goal we set out in gaining positions was achieved and in continuance with fairness for all and to be representative of the whole industry. Members took a vote on a random draw system with the majority voting in favour of the draw.


The board undertook a huge juggling act adhering to the Premier League and individual club requests, whilst supporting sports photographers at their time of need during a global pandemic which brought much of our industry to its knees.

New relationships have been forged as a result of this process and The BPPA are now in constant communication with the Premier League, Data Co Ltd, the English Football League as well as press officers at the majority of the member clubs.

This is a positive step forward for our association. We welcome the new relationships that we have formed as a result of our involvement with Operation Restart with the clubs and league now approaching and involving us is a huge leap forward for The BPPA.

This temporary ‘working solution’, albeit not ideal for everyone, is as fair as it can be and ensures that the match access opportunities for the smaller agencies are distributed on an rota basis. We have worked hard with the individual clubs to find a common ground which means that access is offered to all license holders.

The BPPA are happy to continue operating this draw system on behalf of photographers and the individual clubs and we would ask that all Data Co Ltd licence holders applying for games respect the process in place.
Positive feedback from club press officers has been very encouraging for The BPPA and we request that anyone who has any concerns with the accreditation process speak to us directly rather than the clubs as they have been inundated with calls from photographers.

Covid-19 has placed a massive amount of pressure on everyone in the industry and we are happy to work with you all to make as positive an outcome as possible for everyone in our industry.


The BPPA is an organisation that prides itself on ethics, professionalism and camaraderie for every one of our colleagues.

To see the latest news about the EPL Draws please visit the Facebook Page that we have set up to keep those interested in touch.

Important notice for members of The BPPA

Whilst the world is experiencing turbulent times due to the Covid 19 pandemic The BPPA will try to offer as much support and advice to our members as we can.

At a specially convened Board Meeting there was a unanimous vote to offer all members the option of taking a payment holiday from their membership subscriptions for an initial period of three months.

We don’t want anyone to think that they have to give up their membership of the association just because their work has dried up and their income has been drastically reduced.

If you are experiencing, or are about to experience, any financial hardship because of the pandemic then please email info@thebppa.com and we will suspend your payments whilst leaving your membership status as “paid” so that you can still make use of any and all membership benefits.

Best wishes
The BPPA Board

Downing Street and the curtailment of press freedom

Photo: © Lindsey ParnabyBoris Johnson speaks to media at Sedgefield, County Durham following the Conservatives’ win in the General Election. AFP/Lindsey Parnaby 2019.


The British Press Photographers’ Association objects to any and all attempts by Government to exclude photographers, reporters and television from events where there is a reasonable expectation from the public that those events would be covered by independent witnesses on their behalf. 

Restricting access and replacing independent coverage with free images, copy and footage from special advisers, Government employees and heavily vetted individuals is wrong and represents a serious assault on our free media. Once any organisation and especially the Government has full control of the news and how it is reported then the perception of accuracy, trust and accountability will all suffer and democracy will be the ultimate casualty.

We ask that any and all plans to limit and eliminate the access of the news media to Government events be scrapped and that the system that guarantees the access of journalists becomes a bedrock of the relationship between the Government and the people of this country.

(Photo ©Lindsey Parnaby)

Keith Morris 1958-2019

HAY-ON-WYE, WALES - JUNE 1: during the 2019 Hay Festival on June 1, 2019 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)

Photographer Keith Morris during the 2019 Hay Festival on June 1, 2019 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. Photo © David Levenson/Getty Images.

Tragic news. The day after Keith was reported missing, a body was found in the sea, near Aberystwyth.

Many would know his byline, but fewer would have met the man. I saw him a couple of times a year, and my memory is of not just a very talented photographer, but a mate who was always laughing. He really did have that joie de vivre that some people are gifted with. Rarely travelling outside of Aberystwyth, he nevertheless had pictures published in the national papers nearly every week via Alamy and LNP. His ‘murmurations of starlings over the pier in the sunset’ were a staple of most papers. 

Based for nearly his whole career on the west coast of Wales in Aberystwyth, Keith made a living photographing the local community and all of it’s activities. What made him special though, was his ability to see a picture that was of local interest, and transcend it into an image that the national press would want to use. He was an incredibly hard working freelance, but was happy to share his knowledge with others, who wanted to learn the secrets of successful stock photography.

Almost uniquely he made a great success of his career without ever feeling the need to travel far from his home town. His enthusiasm knew no bounds, night after night he would return to the same locations, to capture variants on his famous sunset over the pier pictures. A prolific operator, he has over 25,000 pictures on Alamy.

After his death, dozens of tributes have appeared on social media from those he had photographed in the town. It seems everybody in Aber’ knew him.

I first got to know his work well during the great storms of 2013, when his weather pictures made the front pages day after day. Ironically, it seems that the great waves that he captured in all their glory, were what claimed him in the end.

Keith leaves a wife Gilly, two daughters, and a grandson.

DAVID LEVENSON, 9th October 2019

Women in Photojournalism

Protesters clash with police at the Barton Moss fracking site, Manchester.

Protesters clash with police at the Barton Moss fracking site, Manchester. Photo: Lynne Cameron/PA.

When the association was mentioned in an open letter talking about Gender in Photojournalism The BPPA’s Vice Chair Lynne Cameron said in her response that “The Board of The BPPA welcomes constructive input from anyone who wants to help to promote and inspire great photography. If you have ideas on what more can be done on the issues raised then please get in contact with me or any of the other members of our Board.”

We are very happy to report that we have received notification of two things that are happening that will make a positive contribution to women in particular and diversity in general in photojournalism.

FotoDocument.org have announced the launch of their 2019 Women’s FotoReportage Award in honour of Marilyn Stafford. This year’s award will be supported for the first time by Nikon. You can read the press release below or you can visit their website here.

Photo Forum are hosting a panel discussion on the subject of diversity in photography chaired by Helen Healy, Head of Pictures at the Financial Times with photographers Anna Gordon, Suzanne Plunkett and Chin We. The venue is theprintspace, 74 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8DL on Tuesday 8th October 2019 and the start time is 7:00pm. You can read more here on the Photo Forum website

The FotoReportage Award press release says:

£2000 will be granted to a professional woman photographer towards the completion of a compelling and cohesive documentary photo essay which addresses an important social, environmental, economic or cultural issue, whether local or global.

The work should, in part, showcase positive solutions to any issues it raises in order to contribute to constructive photojournalism, in line with the wishes of Marilyn Stafford and the aims of FotoDocument. The Award is reserved solely for documentary photographers working on projects which are intended to make the world a better place and which may be unreported/under-reported.

Women from any stage of their careers are welcome to apply, whether emerging, mid-career or established. They must already have started the photo essay for which they are seeking funding and be able to show work in progress. In addition, they must have already completed at least one other documentary photo essay to demonstrate track record prior to applying for funding. Entrants must be over 18, they may be any nationality and based anywhere in the world. It is free to submit.

Submissions will be reviewed by panel including: Rebecca Conway – 2017 FotoAward winner, Nina Emett – Director of FotoDocument, Rebecca Newton – PR & Social Media Manager Nikon and Marilyn Stafford herself among others.

One overall winner will receive The Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award of £2000 towards the completion of their project.

The final work will feature on the FotoDocument and Nikon websites and will be publicised via social media.

Partners will collectively endeavour to gain coverage for the final work in the international media, without any guarantee of this outcome.

Short-listed applicants will have at least one of their images profiled on the FotoDocument and Nikon websites and publicised via social media.

There will be a screening of the 2019 FotoAward winner’s work at the launch of the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2020 to celebrate International Women’s Day on 10 March 2020 at the Nikon School in central London.

Submissions close at 5pm on 15 November 2019.


BPPA Response to Pride in London

This year, Press Photographers that applied for accreditation to photograph the Pride In London parade and celebrations received the following email:

Changes to accreditation in 2019:

Pride in London have been working with our agency partners to review the security arrangements for Pride in London 2019. We’ve made a number of changes to the parade route which will enable us to make the parade more secure. This includes significantly reducing the numbers of people with access to the route itself.

Your media wristband gives you priority fast track access to the public areas at the stages. It does not give backstage access
There is no access inside the parade barriers along the parade route or to the form up area.”

This is a change over previous years. We have sent the following letter in response:

‘Dear Pride London,

The BPPA would like to raise our grave concerns regarding Pride London’s proposed plans to severely impede media access to this year’s parade.

Photographers are accredited to the parade but not allowed to photograph the parade itself from start to finish.

We cannot see the sense in this. With an estimated one million attendees, this would be considered a major news event and very worthy of extensive coverage by all national and international media organisations and barring access will inhibit global coverage and ultimately, interest in the annual Pride event.

Moreover a parade which promotes freedom of the individual and freedom of expression should not be restricting the freedom of the press.

Finally we cannot see there is any necessity to alter previous year’s arrangements in this way.

We, The BPPA therefore urge you to reconsider before the event and look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible. Thank you.’

​UPDATE FROM PRIDE LONDON
​Press that have requested accreditation should have recived an updated email that includes the following information:

Following a letter from the BPPA and listening to the concerns we have reviewed our decisions and have confirmed an approach that ensures Pride is open for all, while ensuring the event stays safe and secure.

As such, we are pleased to confirm that you have been approved for:

1 pass(es)

This wristband gives you access to parade form up and along the parade route if you are carrying a professional camera.

As you may have noted in the media pack, there is no front of parade photocall this year. We will also have an area for photos near Piccadilly Circus and our team can advise on its location tomorrow should you want a fixed spot to photograph from.

We followed this up, writing to Pride London to confirm the position and received the following:

“Dear BPPA,

Thank you for your e-mail. I can confirm this is correct.

This year we revised our media accreditation process because of its impact on the speed and security of the parade. Not an easy decision but it is an operational choice based on ensuring 30,000 people can pass through London safely and securely.

Following your letter we urgently reviewed our decision with our production partner to see what possibilities there are. We have been contacting people directly who are impacted.

As the third largest event in London we try our best to accommodate the complexities of organising 30,000 people through the streets and it was never our intention to inhibit coverage and deny freedom of expression. I wanted to thank you and the BPPA for bringing this to our attention, and I hope this resolves the matter.

Pride in London

We would like to thank Pride in London for listening to all the organisations that voiced concerns and for changing your policy.

We wish everyone a Happy Pride 🌈