certified professional photographer

http://www.ppa.com …-events/certification.p​hp

How many people actually do this? Do you think it helps differentiate you from the rest via marketing?

I am a member of PPA mainly for insurance and something to let my clients know that I am not just a random guy with a camera. And that if they had a problem with my work they pay me for they could register a complaint with PPA against me. Or if the shoot goes bad, like at a wedding, then the insurance will help re-create the settings to do a re-shoot, etc. But I have not certified with them.

I know some people who have gotten the certification. And of those people most are extremely good photographers, others are good, but not over the top. It is something you can wave in front of potential clients. But for me personally I honestly believe that most of your work is going to come from the work you have done in the past. Clients will hire you based on your portfolio and recommendations from past clients about 95% of the time... at least that is my personal experience.

I've seen the written test and could study and pass it. Don't know if I could pass it right now. It talks about how to get exact lighting ratios, the settings that make a whole stop difference in settings, etc. And personally I never got into numbers and memorizing these things. I just know how to shoot and do. I know how to adjust when exposure is bad and don't care if it's a whole stop or a third of one. I dial my settings until I get what I want. Period.

USER876 wrote in post #11299613
http://www.ppa.com …-events/certification.p​hp

How many people actually do this? Do you think it helps differentiate you from the rest via marketing?

I've been certified for quite a while, and I've been a member of the commission.

I'd point out that it's not a "PPA Certification." The Professional Photographic Certification Commission is independent of the PPA. The Professional Photographic Certification Commission follows the standards for certification established by Institute of Credentialing Excellence (ICE).

I got certified mostly to please myself, to know I could do it.

However, I also believe that in my own particular market it does make a difference because the great majority of my market people who are credentialed themselves. Most of my clients have their own strings of academic or professional certification alphabets after their names, and they do notice such things.

In other markets, it probably doesn't mean much. OTOH, the program is going into more specific technical areas where it may make a difference. For instance, there is a specific certification for forensic photography, and it might well make a difference for a forensic photographer looking for a staff job.

Not many photographers get certified--I think the percentage is something like 2%.

Maybe this is something we all should do to fend of the craigslist frenzy!

I am currently studying for the certification. Hoping to take the text middle of next year. I was a photo minor in college so the basics I know, however the book you study from, is very in depth and very technical. Like RDKirk, I am doing it to please myself, a confidence builder I guess. Once I do pass, it will become a marketing tool as well. Going through the book and taking the practice exams makes you realize just how much you don't know about photography. Sure people will hire you on the past work and if it is good work, you will be successful. I think this knowledge will make good work turn into great work.

You can never have to much education and it does separate the real players from the peewees, and you get to put those cool letters after your name...

Why are the testing locations so limited? I would love to get this certification since the Navy would basically pay for it, but their test sites are in the midwest or on the opposite coast from where I'm stationed.

layzieyez wrote in post #11300481
Why are the testing locations so limited? I would love to get this certification since the Navy would basically pay for it, but their test sites are in the midwest or on the opposite coast from where I'm stationed.

Here is a secret that is apparently so secret a lot of the test proctors don't seem to know it: They can administer the test almost anywhere almost any time. There are some restrictions on test locations--they can't test in their own homes, for one--but, for instance, they can arrange with a local public library or junior college to conduct a test in a library space or classroom for even a single person.

Here is the list of state liaisons. Contact your local liaison and get him to pursue it, if he doesn't already know.

http://www.certifiedph​otographer.com …tification%20Li​aisons.pdf

Thank you so very much for that! I'll definitely look into it.

cory1848 wrote in post #11300114
I am currently studying for the certification. Hoping to take the text middle of next year. I was a photo minor in college so the basics I know, however the book you study from, is very in depth and very technical. Like RDKirk, I am doing it to please myself, a confidence builder I guess. Once I do pass, it will become a marketing tool as well. Going through the book and taking the practice exams makes you realize just how much you don't know about photography. Sure people will hire you on the past work and if it is good work, you will be successful. I think this knowledge will make good work turn into great work.

You can never have to much education and it does separate the real players from the peewees, and you get to put those cool letters after your name...

study material? which book? practice tests?

link?

So far I've been on the site only briefly and didn't see it ...

I don't know what's in the written test to separate the wheat from the chaff, but having to submit 20 distinct samples of commissioned work taken within 2 years of submission for review will certainly help with that.

For marketing purposes, I think you can get more mileage from doing well in their competitions but being able to claim you're certified cannot hurt.

krb wrote in post #11302141
I don't know what's in the written test to separate the wheat from the chaff, but having to submit 20 distinct samples of commissioned work taken within 2 years of submission for review will certainly help with that.

It's predominantly a matter of really knowing the principles behind the controls. For instance, if you are shooting at a particular shutter speed and f/stop and then put on an ND filter with an 8x filter factor, can you select the resulting correct shutter speed/aperture combination from the given multiple choices?

You'd first have to know what "8x filter factor" means--then how to apply it to the given settings--then how to calculate other settings of equivalent exposure...which implicitly means having memorized the progression of apertures and shutter speeds.

Of course, in the real world, you could probably just chimp until you got it right or just use the in-camera meter, but the test involves actually knowing how it all works.

The "trick" about the portfolio submission is to remember that it's like qualifying for figure skating in the Olympics. It's not good enough just to show your best routine, but you have to show that you can do the standard "compulsories" as well (it's actually being discussed by the commission whether "compulsories" should be defined and required).

Let's say in all your normal work, you shoot nothing but children on P in open shade, and you sell to their mothers very well. That's okay, maybe you're purely a natural light photographer. But if so, the judges will still want to see examples of what you know about handling reflectors, exposing for backlight, finding "sweet light" at twilight, using "subtractive lighting" techniques, and all the other examples that prove you know your stuff as a natural light photographer.

8x is what? Three stops? Oh well, I'd probably fail. I have (had? not sure where it is) an ND filter but never use it.

I don't really care to prove to a commission that I'm capable of being an "all-around" photographer though anyway. I mean, I'm not intending to shoot everything under the sun in every possible scenario so it's kind of moot.

More power to anyone who does though.

USER876 wrote in post #11299801
Maybe this is something we all should do to fend of the craigslist frenzy!

That's a big part of the reason I'm planning to do it. Right now I'm not really much (if any) better than the Craig's Listers in my area, but I intend to get there, and the CPP will be a nice additional element to help me demonstrate the differences.

I wouldn't count on that. If people can't tell your images from the cheaper guy's, they're going to hire the cheaper guy whether you have letters after your name or not. They won't suddenly say to themselves "well, this guy and that guy have pretty much the same work....let's go with the more expensive dude because he's PPA, FFA, IHOP and BYOB."

BYOB don't help? Really! Since when?!