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Regional press news - this story published 02 June 2008

Success for snappers in NCE photography exam

by holdthefrontpage staff

Four press photographers have passed the latest National Certificate Examination held at Sheffield College.

The successful candidates were Michelle Adamson from the Grimsby Telegraph, Bruce Francis Fitzgerald from the Halifax Evening Courier, the Gloucestershire Echo's Daniel Martino and Nick Toogood from the Bromsgrove Advertiser and Messenger.

The exam was split into four parts – practical, portfolio, picture spread (advance project) and logbook – and candidates had to attain 60 per cent in each section to pass.

Students from Sheffield College's NCTJ preliminary photography course helped during the practical exam which featured a fictional pop star hanging her baby over a balcony.

Michelle Adamson's photo received a distinction

Candidates taking the exam were challenged with capturing the drama of the moment in a single action shot.

They then had to interview and photograph a person who was the European finalist in a Book Seller of the Year competition.

Chief examiner Peter Dash said: "These were very good challenges for the photographers and allowed the examiners an effective appraisal of candidates' abilities to encounter and resolve problems they may meet on the job.

"Standards have never been higher in the press photo and photojournalist area.

"Anyone who achieves the NCE will have been thoroughly trained to exacting standards and is ready to enter the industry with professional photographic skills."

Michelle Adamson achieved distinctions in both the practical and picture spread elements and Bruce Francis Fitzgerald's advance project was also rewarded with a distinction.

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Mark (13/06/2008 10:56)
I think the title of these courses as "training" is a bit far fetched, they are "accreditation" courses, where those who could teach the teachers about real press work are sent back to a patronising pointless back to basics course taught by people who could not do the job in the real world it warrants nothing from the knowledge tree, its just to get a piece of paper to say you can do the job you have been doing for 20+ years ! Its a quango, jobs for the boys of New Labour lovies waste of time, the only thing of usefulness I learned he was where the pub was.

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David Hirst (13/06/2008 11:05)
I have to agree ! First class highly experienced news photographers are getting overlooked for employment because they don't want to sign on the dole for six months to get a certificate to say they can do the job they have done for years, I think the standard of work we are seeing from these "trained" kids employed in place of experienced snappers are resulting in the falling circulation of many papers, it takes at least 10 years on the job experience to become a senior snapper, how can you expect to learn this from people who do not work in the trade, these courses are good at what they do, introducing new photographers in to the trade, but for national newspapers to consider these wet behind the ears kids for employment above the experienced who do not have the certificate is destroying the trade, sales and quality of the industry.

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Freddie Gee (13/06/2008 11:19)
I got my job first and then got the company top pay for my training while I was working! And they paid for somewhere to stay AND loads of exes. You're doing it all wrong!

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George Carrick (06/08/2008 09:29)
This Is all just a bit lame. First of all "Success for snappers in NCE photography exam" is not news. For what these students learn on these courses you may as well have them arranging flowers. All they really get out of it is paid slightly better than before, so their employer has to pay them 2 tenths of sod all instead of 1.

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