Life After The Awards

The Fujifilm/PPLA Colour Printer Awards not only recognise the skills of digital retouchers and hand printers, but they are also an invaluable source of exposure for entrants' work.

Still from the Channel 4 documentary 'Maggie: The First Lady', courtesy of Brook Lapping Productions. This required extensive digital manipulation from Morgan Sendall

The venue for the 2003 Awards (the AOP Gallery) provided the opportunity for the photographic community to see what the country's most skilled printers and retouchers have to offer.

We talk to freelancer, Morgan Sendall, Digital Retoucher of the Year for 2003, about his experiences since the ceremony in June.

Morgan Sendall (centre) receiving the award for Digital Retoucher of the Year 2003 from Tony Lawrence, Fujifilm (left) and Lofty Rice, PPLA (right)

"Up to now I have mainly used my digital manipulation skills on design projects for the broadcast industry," said Morgan. This broadcast design work helped Morgan develop his retouching expertise, as most projects require intensive digital manipulation. And these well-honed skills have enabled him to turn his hand to most projects - standing him in good stead to deal with the interest from potential employers since the Awards.

"Winning the Fujifilm/PPLA Digital Retoucher Awards has given me the confidence to diversify into a different market. I have already had one digital retouching commission from Lofty Rice, who I met at the Awards, and I am very positive about further opportunities.

"As a freelancer, my success in the Awards has been very beneficial in my career. It has opened doors for me and provided me with contacts which might have been difficult to approach without the backing of a lab".

Fujifilm's Jerry Deeney said "Morgan's experiences show that the work produced - and commended - in the Awards is of the high standard expected by clients, and Award winners can go on to build extremely successful careers as a result of the accolade."