Earlier this year, I earned my Professional Photographer Certification through the PPA (Professional Photographers of America). The reason why I chose to get certified is because the process is a lot more rigorous than some of the others I’ve done and because I’ve been a member of the PPA for over 5 years now and feel like it’s a great organization to be a part of.

In this post, I’ll explain exactly what being a CPP means, go over the process for certification, and what benefits this has for you!

What is the PPA?

Professional Photographers of America was founded in 1880 and is the largest nonprofit photography association with about 30,000 creative members. The PPA provides education, certification, insurance, business resources, and a community to professional and hobbyist photographers in over 50 countries.. and I’ve been a member since 2014, joining about a year after I started my photography business.

What is a CPP?

Part of PPA’s services is education and a certification program. Not only does the PPA provide classes for photographers, but they also run an intense certification program for professionals.

Photography is a funny industry because just about anyone can call themselves a professional photographer. There are simply no legal requirements to do so (business aspects aside).. which is probably why everyone and their cousin is a photographer nowadays (not that there’s anything wrong with that, btw).

One thing to note is that PPA isn’t the only photography organization that provides certification. I’ve submitted to and been accepted into several organizations that simply require a few examples of your photography in order to judge whether you’re a “professional” or not. What makes the CPP process different is how intensive and comprehensive (and quite frankly, difficult) it is.

How do you become a certified professional photographer through the PPA?

1. Application

First of all, you have to declare your candidacy and pay the application fee of $200. This fee covers the entire process, which you have 2 years to complete. And trust me when I tell you, you DO have to study and put in some serious work to pass the second step..

2. Written Test

The second step to qualifying for a certification is taking a written exam. This can be done during a live in-person exam session at the annual PPA Imaging Conference, or you can do it online. What makes this test different is that it’s actually proctored by a live person when you take it virtually. You have 2 hours to answer 100 multiple-choice questions that cover all sorts of technical photography topics: camera equipment, lenses, lighting, composition, digital post production, and printing. And you have to answer at least 70 of them correctly in order to pass.

The test is a comprehensive overview of photography and a lot of the questions are highly technical, confusing (they try to trick you on purpose), and might be something even long-time professionals don’t really work with. Things like colored gels to correct specific lighting conditions or how to use extension tubes. Not to mention all the math! Like converting exposure settings using mathematical formulas or knowing what a guide number does on a flash.

It’s no wonder why a whole lot of people fail this test the first time they take it.

3. Technical image evaluation

The final step is the technical image evaluation. The PPA provides three scenarios that you then have to replicate using the lighting setup of your choice. Interestingly enough, I chose to do the natural light scenario for my technical image evaluation, mostly because I have great natural light in the Studio, but also because I didn’t have the required flash units and umbrellas for the setup (I love working with the minimal equipment I currently have in my small space - it’s not the number of the flashes, it’s how you use them that matters!).

I will be honest, it took me a couple of tries to pass the technical image evaluation. This is because each image has a very precise requirement and if the numbers are even a little off, the image doesn’t pass.

Now, let’s be clear, because this is a technical evaluation - one that focuses on the photographer’s ability to replicate an example image by manipulating the light source - it has nothing to do with the photographer’s artistic abilities. And this is important to remember, because being a certified photographer doesn’t automatically mean that you’re creating a specific quality of work, aside from the fact that it’s probably technically accurate.

What are the advantages of hiring a certified photographer?

The main benefit is having concrete verified assurance that the photographer you’re hiring has a solid technical understanding of photography. That’s it! And while it might seem like a small thing, it’s actually pretty huge when you think about most photographers out there. Once again, there are no real requirements and anyone can call themselves a professional photographer, so it’s very hard for most people to tell whether a photographer is actually good at taking photos or not. This is mostly due to the fact that just about anyone can gather 15 of their best photos and have them look pretty good in an online portfolio.

The sign of a true professional is being able to consistently deliver the same quality of work, in a variety of settings/circumstances, within a specific amount of time.. and that’s where the real challenge is. Because trying to determine whether a photographer actually meets that criteria from their polished website is really really difficult.

What a CPP doesn’t give you

As I mentioned above, the CPP test doesn’t really judge the artistic quality of the photographer’s work. So you, as a client, will still have to use your eyes when hiring a certified professional photographer to make sure their style of work is what you’re actually looking for and will be happy with. Your own judgement are going to be the best way to evaluate the images you’re seeing, which no certification or award is ever going to be able to replace.

I spent most of my photography career not bothering with awards, certifications, and contests. Why? Because for the most part, that stuff doesn’t matter to, or benefits clients as much as it goes to boost the confidence of the photographer (plus, it costs money). Personally, I am happy to continue learning and practicing without the need for awards, but getting the CPP certification is different.

I realized that becoming a Certified Professional Photographer actually meant something. And hopefully it means something outside of the photography industry as well. Because the test and the image evaluate is hard, and because only a handful of people become certified each year, a certification through the PPA actually holds some weight in the end. Right now, there is only about a dozen certified photographers in Connecticut, out of the thousands of photographers who are working today. And if I can provide assurance to my clients before they even hire me that they are making a good well-informed decision, then it’s 100% worth it.