Professional assoc's which do you belong to?

[mark_lloyd1]

I am a member of BPPA (British Professional Photographers

Association) and SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait

Photographers). as well as the RPS (Royal Photographic Society).

 

I just wondered who you guys n gals were with, what your experiences

were and how useful you found the membership to be for your business.

 

To be perfectly frank I find the biggest advantage is with sales and public

perception of your professional status.

 

However saying that I do find the associations can certainly help keep

you up to date and to get good deals on insurance etc...

 

It would be interesting to hear what others think and what improvements

could be made (if any).

 

M.

[ellis_vener_photography]

APA, very useful for education, community, & good insurance rates.

[neil_browne1]

I joined WPPI (wedding&portait photographers international).

Where I live, there is PPO (professional photograhers of ontario) and

PPOC(professional photographers of canada)

[rich_dutchman1]

I have been looking into WPPI. I'm very impressed by their newsletter (free each month on their web site), and I'm trying to find a good reason for joining.

[mark_lloyd1]

I was hoping for a bit more insight than this.

 

There are so many different organisations out there it is difficult to know

which ones are best.

 

I know a number of people who post here have been around for a while

and will have belonged or looked at the various associations at some time.

 

Other than technical info questions, a forum like this is a good place to

discus the pro's and con's of the various organisations and maybe debate

some improvements we would like to see.

 

I know a lot of them organise competitions and although I rarely take

part I do find some of the enties quite inspiring although sometimes the

judging is a little strange.

 

Should the competition entries be judged by public panels or is internal

peer review adequate?

 

I am not sure but one thing is certain in the end the public are the true

judge of any pro's work. I know in the past I have been suprised by some

of the images clients have chosen and they really have no interest in

technical ability the asthetics are everything when it comes to a sale.

 

Another area which is very important for any Pro Assoc' is support and

backup.

 

Do you find you get enough of this? Not just technically but with legal

issues as well as marketing advice.

 

It would be nice to see an active and lively discussion here about the large

chunk of our business that isn't taking or processing pictures. All the

back office stuff.

 

A good trade body should be able to help and guide in these areas and

make sure its members are upto date with the latest tax law, copyright

issues, privacy issue, etc.......

 

So it's over to you really lets hear your experiences and why you belong

to the association you do.

 

Do they do what you need or are they a compromise where having that

membership credit after your name is really all you get from membership.

 

M.

[rich_dutchman1]

Mark, most of my colleagues have joined WPPI and/or PPA. I am looking into WPPI becuase they have great publications and member discounts at educational sessions (of which I have attended a few wonderful events). You mentioned judging, and WPPI offers an intense album and print competition for wedding photogs. It is the most competitive and nice specific competition I have seen. Also, I was recently polling my friends about their experiences, and they relate the same reasons for joining. Other than education and competition opportunities, I think the designations just add credibility. I have even found better insurance rates and legal guidance on my own compared to what these groups offer.