Our Appraisers

Paul Hendley Ph.D. LRPS CPAGB

Gladys Perrier LRPS

Please contact them via the PAGB Handbook or the SCPF online Handbook (if you have access).

Or, please send an email to all our judges detailing your request.

Here are our appraiser’s biographies:

Paul Hendley Ph.D. LRPS CPAGB I am a retired scientist who spent 60+ years believing I did not have an artistic bone in my body. Having seriously adopted photography at retirement, I found it allows people like me to create something they (and others) can feel is beautiful. This has been eye-opening and very satisfying and, coming from a science background, it has been illuminating to learn the extent to which photographs – irrespective of their technical characteristic – can play directly on the emotions. An OU course helped me grasp the technical basics and I read extensively and attended many workshops etc. to extend my skills and knowledge culminating in my successful LRPS panel and CPAGB assessments. Even now, after 10 years of hard work on my photography, I am still learning every day and try to take opportunities that allow me to expand my photography across more genres. My Flickr page gives a sense of my weird interests at https://www.flickr.com/photos/139494361@N04/ and I occasionally post on Vero (@phendley ) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/phendleyimages/ and https://www.instagram.com/phendleystreet ).

I am thoroughly familiar with Lightroom and Photoshop and the key focus stacking softwares but continue to learn and adapt workflows as the tools improve. I am of the opinion that editing is critical to maximize telling the story the photographer visualized as they clicked the shutter.
In my younger years, I enjoyed being a US soccer referee for 10 or 12 years and so I am comfortable with making judgements that are not necessarily popular with all!

Now, five years plus into my appraising career, I have found that the discipline of examining so many images in detail has helped my own photography. I particularly enjoy appraising Panels and prints and am always on the lookout for images that show me the world in a way I have not seen before. Experience has shown me that I can offer a better service to clubs if it is possible to preview images and “No – I do not pixel peek”! The most important thing about Camera club evenings is that we do not lose sight of the fact that this is a hobby and WE ARE MEANT TO HAVE FUN!!
Updated 1 June 2025

Paul can be contacted via his Club email or through the usual channels for booking judges.

Gladys Perrier LRPS  I joined Bracknell Camera Club in 2018 in the hope of improving my photographic skills by mixing with like minded folk.

In club competitions I listened well to judges’ comments, gaining an appreciation of what makes a pleasing image that holds the attention of others. By responding to constructive criticism, I was able to fast track my way up through the divisions of the leagues and in March 2022 I was awarded my first distinction with the RPS.

I was aware that there is a lack of female appraisers in the SCPF and had it in the back of my mind that perhaps I might go down that route sometime in the future. However, the opportunity presented itself much sooner than I had planned and so I jumped at the chance. After a couple of months training, I qualified as a Level 1 Appraiser in June 2022 and was promoted to Level 2 in 2023.

Training as an appraiser for the SCPF has taught me to look for that sense of visual awareness and expressiveness that makes a photograph special regardless of the genre. The training has given me the confidence to judge images without bias, commenting on subjects previously outside of my comfort zone. I have a greater understanding of why a technically perfect image does not guarantee a top rating. As Ansel Adams said, “There’s nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.”

As I go from one competition to the next, I really focus on ensuring I have encouraged members to continue submitting images into competitions. It is vitally important to me that I do not leave anyone feeling discouraged or despondent after a critique of their competition entry. I feel it is important that club members understand that the rating is secondary to the commentary. As images are scored according to the cohort on the night, the image could get a completely different score on a different night against a different set of images. However, my commentary would remain the same.

On a personal level, I feel like I am making more impactful images myself. I probably take less photos as I have learnt to wait for the right moment. I have learnt to stop and stare and feel before opening the shutter.

At school I studied the History of Art at O Level. It was a joy to study the Dutch School of Painting, the Italian Renaissance and the Impressionists in depth. I feel that by becoming a judge I have been able to regain that sense of pleasure and appreciation when immersing myself in someone else’s work. Looking at others’ work is an important element of self-improvement.

My training is not over. I feel as a judge it is important to keep learning. I am constantly reviewing images on Flickr and Photocrowd, attending exhibitions and I am an avid viewer of a number of YouTubers who offer so much insight and inspiration into the art of photography.
I have been surprised at just how much I enjoy judging club competitions and I cannot recommend it enough.

Gladys can be contacted via the usual channels for booking judges or via the group email for judges above.

Updated 1 June 2025