Some of you may have seen me posting images over the past year that have received awards from the Guild of Photographers. Whilst these individual image awards are highly valued and very welcome, I can now reveal that what I was really working towards throughout the year was finally realised this weekend at the Guild’s Annual Awards Ceremony.

In the incredibly opulent surroundings of Crewe Hall, Cheshire, and surrounded by the top photographers in the country, I was extremely honoured to be awarded membership of The Photographer’s Bar.

The commendation on the certificate reads:

“A member of The Photographer’s Bar is a unique distinction awarded to those photographers who have successfully had images assessed by the Guild over the course of a year and attained a score evidencing an exceptional level of professional skill and consistency.”

The images are assessed via the Guild’s monthly competition with individual images receiving awards and scoring points according to a highly stringent criteria applied by an expert panel of top industry judges. To be awarded membership of ‘the Bar’ you have to consistently receive excellent scores for your images throughout the year.

Guild Director, Leslie Thirsk, said:

“I am delighted for Matt as this is a great achievement! Submitting and having images assessed every month for a year and reaching the required standards to become a member of the Photographer’s Bar is very demanding. It illustrates his commitment, skill and consistency. Matt should be very proud of what he has achieved.”

The Image of the Month competition received over 13,000 entries in 2018 and I am very proud to be part of the very small percentage of Guild members who have achieved ‘the Bar’.

You can see some of the individual images that I received awards for in the portfolios on this site and remember that if you’d like to improve your own photography please check out our various photography courses and workshops.

Please note that as of April 2023 I am no longer a member of the Guild of Photographers but I remain very proud of the achievements made during my membership.