I am extremely pleased to announce that I have been accepted in to the Master Photographer’s Association.
The reason I am so pleased is that this is one of the best and most difficult photographers’ groups to get in to. Before I could even join as a probationary member I had to provide professional references. I then used their mentoring programme and was assigned Dave Wadley, a great photographer of 37 years experience. Dave, over the course of some months, helped me critique my techniques and work. That was the easy part. I then had to put together a body of work to be judged.
I had to provide a panel of large mounted prints and a book detailing everything about my business. The images had to show my technical competence and my composition, control and lighting of the subjects.
The book had to include details of things that all professional photographers should be able to produce: health and safety policy, risk assessments, insurance documents, a business plan, workflow process and control documentation, as well as an artistic statement.
Finally, all this was judged by three qualified examiners on the morning before the association’s awards dinner – the halls were decked with some of the best photography in the world and the great and good were beginning to assemble.
All the sweat was worth it and I am proud the be a qualified member of the MPA.