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Applying for PSNZ Letters

by Newell Grenfell

If you're interested in having PSNZ letters after your name, now is the time to think about it. CPS has more members with PSNZ letters than any other club in NZ, and a number of those without letters are probably capable of getting them.

The main reason to consider applying is to have an independent assessment of your skill level. lt's something to aim for. lt gives you a goal.

Applications close at the end of February, but there are advantages to getting started early. You can download the PSNZ Honours Letters Application form and once completed post to:

Secretary, PSNZ Honours Board
Desma Edney
4 / 13A Eban Ave
Hillcrest
Auckland 0627

For a Licentiateship, you have to submit a portfolio of 10 prints or 10 slides. It's important to understand that your submission is viewed as a set. It is not simply a matter of sending off your 10 best prints or slides. The display needs to hang together as a set.

This means there should be consistency in the way the images are presented. For example, slides should all be mounted in a similar way - either with round corners or square corners. If you're submitting prints, they all need to be matted and should be approximately the same size.

It is generally considered unwise to mix colour and black and white prints, though some have done so successfully. Likewise, it is usual for all the prints to have the same colour matts although again, the rules are not rigid.

Because your entry is viewed as a set, you must stipulate the order in which the pictures are viewed. For prints, that means providing a diagram of the way you want them displayed.

It is very important to start your set with strong images, and also close on a strong note. The set needs to flow naturally.

A question which arises is whether you have to stick to one theme. For a Licentiateship, the answer is definitely 'no'. The set may have a theme. For example, if you work only in natural history, it's perfectly acceptable to submit 10 natural history images. But most LPSNZ applicants present a variety of subject matter. Showing competence over a range of different subjects can help you.

How good does the work have to be? As a rough guide, given the high standards at CPS, anyone who is regularly gaining Acceptances in Open competitions is probably producing work of at least LPSNZ standard.

The single best advice is to get yourself a 'coach' or 'mentor-, Ask someone who already has letters. Do not try to do it on your own. It is almost impossible to be objective about your own work.

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