Should I join a Photo association?

[ies photos]

I'm wondering if its worth joining somewhere like the
http://www.thebfp.com/ ? I don't have many friends / contacts in the photo world so I am looking for associations to join in the UK.

Any other ones worth considering?

Cheers

[ssim]

I would be wary of these so called freelance associations. They promise to open doors to you but from some of the experiences that I have heard they don't deliver. They might promise you a press pass that is virtually worthless. These were North American based ones and I have not heard of the one that you link us to.

There is value in some of the professional associations but you have to weigh the pros and cons carefully. There are sites out there that are just sitting waiting to take some money from you and give you a newsletter and some stickers in return.

[Gary_Evans]

The BFP advise you who is looking for what, image wise. They do this for a fee.
They also provide courses to help you achieve saleable images. They do this for a fee.
Can you see where this is going? :lol:

Much of this you can do for yourself.

If you want to join an association I would suggest you look at people like the MPA, BIPP, RPS etc who offer something back in return such as cheaper insurance, deals on equipment etc.

[rhys]

The BFP is worthwhile. I joined them and a client refused to pay. I contacted the BFP and the BFP lawyers got onto it and I got my money.