Portrait Photography – Five Merit Awards for Alan Hutchison Photography at the SWPP Annual International Print Competition

Just over a week ago we returned from the Annual Societies / SWPP Annual Photography Convention held at the Hilton Metropole in London. This annual event is held over a week and consists of a series of business and photography training classes and a trade show. It is attended by over 14,000 photographers visiting from all around the World.

During the Convention the Annual Print Competition is held and is judged live in front of any delegates who wish to attend the judging sessions. Images are judged by a panel of five photographers, all highly qualified themselves and highly experienced judges.

Images are judged individually by each judge on an electronic score panel, and then the average score is given. If there is any great variance between the judges, the judges will discuss the image in more detail and then re-score.

Any image that scores more than 80 is awarded a Merit Award and is displayed in the Convention Gallery during the trade show.

Last year I was very fortunate to come away with three Merit Awards.

This year I was therefore absolutely delighted to better that result, coming away with Five Merit Awards this time round – four for Wedding Photography and one for our Portrait Photography.

Four of these images were created during a normal wedding situation with just a few minutes to setup the shot – the other image was also shot during a real portrait shoot. No models, no complex pre-planned shoots – just real people at a real wedding or portrait shoot.

A huge shout out and thank you to each of the subjects of our five photographs:-

Ann and Alan Shek – This image was taken at their Wedding in The Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh

Jeni and Steven Haggerty – This wedding photograph was taken in the grounds of their Wedding Venue – the Buchanan Arms Hotel in Drymen.

Nicola and Rob Atherton – this fun shot of Rob and his groomsmen was taken at Nicola and Robert’s Destination Wedding in Florida – at the Omni Resort Hotel Champions Gate

Sajan – this photograph was from a Lifestyle Portrait Session which we shot near the old army barracks at the back of Stirling Cinema

Emma and Callum Mackenzie – probably my favourite wedding of the year as it took us to a part of Scotland we’d never been before – this is from a Wedding on the Isle of Lewis and is the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse at the very tip of the Island.

Do you have a particular favourite or a question about how any of these images were taken? We’d be delighted if you’d take time to leave a comment below. Thanks!