IPF Photographer of the Year 2016

The finals of the IPF Photographer of the Year Competition 2015/2016 took place on Saturday February 20th at the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny. The competition this year was once again very generously sponsored by Canon.

We are delighted to announce the overall winner of the 2015/2016 competition as Bill Power from Cork Camera Group with his image ‘A Secret Place’. Congratulations Bill!

Speaking about the event, Michael O’Sullivan FIPF FRPS, IPF President said:

“This is one of our biggest events of the year, and the biggest for individual competition. We saw a selection of fantastic photography from all genres and from every corner of Ireland, and the winning images are simply superb! Congratulations to the authors, especially to Bill Power, the Author of the Best Overall Image “A Secret Place” which caught the judges’ attention with it’s classic composition, elegant aesthetic, and effective blend of both modern and traditional techniques.”

Bill Power FIPF AFIAP tells us about his winning image:

“My winning image is a composite of four separate images. The trees and laneway are one, with the crows being the second. Both those images were taken on the same morning, but not in the same location. The model is Elle Beth, photographed on a shoot some months earlier. Finally, over all that was added a coloured textured layer. It’s the first composite I’ve ever done and as well as its win last weekend, has been very successful for me in international salons since it was created last May. I place great significance to the titles of my images. It’s called ‘A Secret Place’ – partly because it is a location no one else knows, but also because I want the viewer to think a little about what a secret place might be to them.”

There are so many people to thank for helping to make this event such a success;

The judges – Rikki O’Neill, Riccardo Busi and Paul Keene
IPF Competition Co-Ordinator John Cuddihy
Ground staff – Kilkenny Photographic Society members who were out in force
Techies Jason Town and Niamh Whitty
Staff at the Newpark Hotel
Pat Kavanagh & Mark Desmond for presentation photos
Jim McSweeney for beautiful calligraphy skills on certificates
Everyone who entered and attended

Our gratitude once again to our sponsors Canon who provided a significant prize fund, from regional winners all the way up to the overall prize won by Bill.

We are delighted to share with you the winning images below and pictures from the awards ceremony.

Individual report cards sent to each competitor. Lists of all award winners can be downloaded below.

List of images retained (top 20 and tied per section) by IPF for potential use in international competition and the list of images from this competition which are credited as Irish qualifiers for those pursuing AFIAP distinctions (note, these are not Irish acceptances) are also available below.