LPA Futures Competition 2019 / Meet The Judges!
With only a few days to go until the deadline for entries for the LPA Futures Competition 2019 (17th February!), we’d like to introduce you to each of our judges.
We are delighted to have such an esteemed line up of influential experts this year supporting LPA Futures. They come from various parts of the industry and no doubt will have different, powerful views, but one thing they do all have in common is a passion for photography and discovering new talent. We can’t wait to see which final 5 photographers the judges are going to choose and hear what they have to say on the judging night about the entries. Watch this space!
Meet the judges…
Tom Dance / Design Director
Tom is Design Director with 15 years industry experience. A passion for great ideas and well-crafted executions, he has worked across branding and campaign projects for some of the world’s largest (and smallest) organisations.
Commissioning and art directing photography has played a large and important role for many of his projects over the years, so he’s always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to use the medium.
‘What LPA are doing and have achieved so far with their Futures programme is a refreshing and industry leading example of helping to nurture the next generation of talented photographers into an already saturated market. I’m really looking forward to seeing and meeting some of the talented individuals and helping to give them a platform to launch their career.’
Nick David / Photographer and Film maker
Nick David is a lifestyle photographer and film maker and has been represented by LPA for more than 10 years. He works with advertising agencies, design groups and brands and businesses directly. Nick’s work has an honest feel, capturing authentic real life moments as they happen either on location or in the studio.
As well as producing stills, Nick is also an award winning director. He enjoys working on a variety of shoots from small charity projects to large commercial productions.
‘I’m very pleased to be on this year’s judging panel for LPA Futures. I think it’s always important for the creative industry to support emerging talent. LPA Futures does exactly that – it’s a great platform to help develop and encourage the next generation of photographers.
Really hoping to see some fresh ideas and new imagery in this year’s competition.’
Neil A Dawson / Creative Director
Neil has been around a bit. He began his career in London before moving to work in South Africa in the mid 90s. There he had the privilege of witnessing their first democratic elections. Returning to the UK and to BMP DDB he had awards success with Surprisingly Ordinary Prices for VW. Moving to BBH he re-launched Keep Walking for Johnnie Walker. Neil then got back on his travels as Global CD on Philips. After winning back to back Cannes Grands Prix with Carousel and Parallel Lines, Neil was poached by BETC to launch their London office. Winning Global Bacardi, Diet Coke and Cow & Gate, Neil built the BETC London into a £25m business. Since then Neil has worked for himself in a variety of locations including New York, Dublin and Berlin.
A passionate advocate of creating emotional connections between brands and consumers, Neil continues to work with agencies and direct to client.
Dave Dye / Creative Director
Father. Art Director.
Blogger.
Podcaster.
Creative Work-shopper.
Interviewer.
SLR Camera Owner.
Writer.
Bullshit Detector.
Baby Boomer.
5-A-Sider.
Creative Director.
Problem Solver.
Hoarder.
Ink Pen Lover.
Agency Founder.
Chalkboard Scribbler.
Instagrammer.
Designer.
Arsenal Supporter.
Ex-Pintrester.
Occasional Tweeter.
List-Maker.
'There's a lot of sheep out there, can't wait to see the entrants; The world needs people who look at it differently.'
Gemma Padley / Photography Writer and Editor
Gemma Padley is a freelance writer and editor on photography. Her clients include: British Journal of Photography, Hoxton Mini Press, AnOthermag.com, Elephant, Photomonitor, the RPS Journal, 1000 Words and Foam magazine. She is currently working on three book projects with Laurence King Publishing, and in the past has worked on books including 1001 Photographs You Must See Before You Die and Self Publish, Be Happy’s A DIY Photobook Manual and Manifesto.
‘It’s always a real honour and privilege to learn what contemporary photographers are producing, and I’m looking forward to seeing a range of subjects and approaches. In particular, I’m hoping to see projects where the photographer has explored their chosen subject using photography in less obvious or conventional ways. Projects that are well-edited and tell a compelling story in an exciting way, or indeed anything that offers a new and original take on a topic gets my vote!’
Lesley Scott / Art Buyer
Lesley graduated from Liverpool Poly with a Graphics Design degree before a lucky break brought her to McCann Erickson as an Art Buyer, after this she moved on to Ogilvy. Over this time Lesley has worked on diverse clients such as Nescafe, Birds Eye, Ford, BP, Dove and Vodafone to name but a few, working with many amazing photographers and illustrators. After all this time Lesley still enjoys the creative process, matching photographers and illustrators with Creative Teams and briefs to create great work.
‘I’m really excited to be involved this year with LPA Futures and looking forward to discovering the new talent coming through.’
Ingrid Wimart / Art Buyer
Ingrid is a freelance art buyer with over fifteen years experience in design, branding and advertising.
Through the years, she’s commissioned photographers and produced shoots for a wide range of clients and projects, big and small; working with established photographers, all the way to sourcing new talents.
Past clients have included: Citröen, Vodafone, Mastercard, Zurich, Lenovo, Ecco, Maybelline and the luxury watch brand Patek Philippe.
“Whether I’m commissioning experienced or emerging talent, I look for the same thing: a sense that through their work, I’m seeing a unique and distinctive vision of the world. Be it simple and pure, or complex and highly conceptual, it should touch and enthral me.”
Lisa Pritchard / Founder of LPA and LPA Futures
Lisa Pritchard is a well-known figure in the commercial photography world, primarily for being a leading photographers agent. She set up LPA in 2002 which represents some of the UK’s most prolific and acclaimed commercial photographers. LPA has grown over the years to incorporate several other divisions, including a full shoot production unit and a Pop Up Agent service to photographers without agents. Lisa and her team work with creative agencies and brands directly, as well as smaller businesses and charities on all sorts of varied shoots and campaigns, both in the UK and overseas.
Lisa established LPA Futures 17 years ago as an initiative to help kickstart the careers of potential and emerging commercial photographers as well as to nurture and support new talent coming into the industry. With an avid interest in guiding and educating newcomers to the industry and also on establishing sound professional practice, she has written the UK’s two bestselling books on the business of photography - ‘Setting Up a Successful Photography Business’ and ‘Running a Successful Photography Business’’ both published by Bloomsbury.
‘I can’t believe LPA Futures has been going for 17 years now. I’m ever grateful to all of our judges and sponsors for giving up their time and offering their resources to help talent coming into our industry. Although I say it myself I’m really proud and pleased that we have played a part in launching so many successful photographers careers through the programme.
As always with any photographer I consider representing, I’ll be looking for a coherent and distinctive identity coming through. I want to see engaging images that have an impact. Images that I’ll wake up the next morning and remember. It’s a competitive market but photographers that manage to convey a slightly unique take on things, yet with an innate relevance to the commercial world, have a good fighting chance of making it – then we can help with the rest!’
Time is running out, you have until midnight, Sunday February 17th to get your entries in to LPA Futures 2019!