the wait begins

The quest to become a professional photographer can take many paths. One can go through a dedicated photographic school such as the Brooks Institute, one can study on one's own, one can study under the tutelage of a master as an apprentice, etc. At some point, you will be ready to be on your own, but how do you know you're really ready? Well, one way is to get a degree at an accredited institution. Another is to pass a rigorous examination and subject your work to the scrutiny of an independent body, and achieve their seal of approval. It is the latter path that I have chosen. I am going to become a certified professional photographer.

Achieving certification is a two part effort. One part is a 100 question examination, with 70% as a passing grade, for which the applicant is given two hours. This was a relatively straightforward affair, which I had completed to the best of my ability within an hour. I was pleased to have passed that portion. The other part is a 20 image submission, all of which have to be actual customer work, none of which can feature the same subject, and which needs to be in proportion to your stated business mix. (I.e. if you claim 30% weddings and 70% portraits, that's the proportion of the images you must submit.) The submitted images must score in the "above average" category of the PPA print competition standards in order to be accepted. The images are considered as a body of work, meaning that not every image individually needs to score that well, but that the bulk of them do. I submitted my images for review yesterday, and eagerly await my results. As do several of my colleagues. Good luck everyone! (crossing fingers)