The New Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) Program by PPA. Better Than Ever.
I always believe that professionals in any field distinguish themselves from the rest by the standards they uphold and their commitment to doing their best work. That’s where continuous education and professional certifications make such a big difference for our industry, but everything starts with personal commitment.
The year 2024 was exciting and busy for me; besides my usual work in luxury real estate and portrait studios, we were fortunate to have a boom of new commercial and business clients, which brought many interesting shooting opportunities. I was also honored to be invited, for the first time, to join Team USA in the commercial category for the 2025 World Photographic Competition, and I got further involved in advocating for our industry by running for and winning a seat at the PPA Council, where I was voted as one of the councils representing the state of Texas for a 3-year term.
I also ramped up my work on education with new offerings, my first in-person class for PPGH, and the fantastic opportunity to be one of the creators invited to develop media for the new CPP curriculum for PPA (Professional Photographers of America). As we start a new year, I want to focus on this last part, as the role of continuous education and professional certification becomes more important than ever for photographers.
In the first part of this article, I would like to share a little about this wonderful experience of working with so many great people with the common goal of making the CPP program more accessible, with updated content, and, in my humble opinion, better than ever : )
Then, in the second part of this article, I will dive into how a professional certification can become the driver to transform your photography by sharpening your skills from craft to business by adhering to your own continuous education plan.
The New Certified Professional Photographer from PPA
In July last year, Steve Kozak approached me and a group of about 20 to 30 photographers with an exciting opportunity. He had been working with the PPA to rewrite the entire curriculum for the CPP. If you aren’t familiar with the CPP, it stands for “Certified Professional Photographer. ” This professional certification has become a benchmark for photographers all over the country since it was implemented in 1977.
At the start of the project, we had the opportunity to learn about the new vision for the certification from Rich Newell, the Director of Credentialing for PPA, and Credential Coordinators Jessica Avery and Vincent Yarborough. They, together with Steve Kozak, provided the direction and vision for the project. They were looking to enrich the perspectives and approaches to the material by inviting a variety of photographers to present and record segments of this material in video format.
The video’s goal was much more than replicating the written material; they were aimed at an essential aspect of learning: the fact that individuals have different learning styles. Some of us like to read, others prefer to watch or listen to the content, and some other learners capture the concepts better by trial and error; doing. Most of us approach learning with a mix of all of these.
What better way to enrich the content than to bring actual professionals who work in a variety of fields to join the project?
I was both honored and proud to be part of the project. As for my part in the project, I aimed to make the material simple to understand by using clear examples and breaking down concepts into easy, approachable terms. I wanted to ensure even people without a photography background could grasp the content. I had the benefit of having at hand just the perfect group of people to test my approach while developing the content. That was fun, and it opened my mind to how some aspects of the content that were so obvious to me would be confusing for someone looking at it for the first time.
If you are a PPA member, you can look for the three videos I created for the new CPP by searching for their titles (see below). And if you are considering taking the certification for the first time, I have also included below a link to the certification program.
Professional Certifications and Continuous Education. Why It Matters.
The concept of continuous education has been around for a long time; it isn’t new or only pertinent to photography. Yet, like exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, education and training are often left behind on the quitter side of our New Year’s resolutions. So, the question is how to stick to what is good for you.
One possible answer is to make your commitment known to those who can support you and keep you accountable. In the same sense, committing to upholding a professional certification can help you support your education by the implicit promise you make to your clients to adhere to a higher standard.
Achieving your CPP involves declaring your candidacy, studying the materials, taking a written exam, and passing a technical image evaluation to obtain the certification. So, you need to put significant effort and dedication into getting the certification in the first place. Also, the certification encourages you to work on your continuous education and professional development because photographers must recertify every three years to keep their designation.
It sounds hard, but the new CPP offers the opportunity to take the exam in parts and approach each topic one at a time, which helps with busy schedules and consolidates knowledge as you can test your work on a specific subject before moving to the next.
The fact that you can wield the CPP designation in your branding and professional presentation is already a distinction in itself. However, like with many other professional certifications, the broader public and prospective clients may not immediately understand what it means.
I have spoken with a few photographers who feel disappointed because they placed too much expectation on the CPP designation itself. It is really our responsibility to educate our clients on what makes you different and why your commitment to a higher standard translates into unique value for them. Of course, I’m not naïve and personally know how hard it is to sell your work, especially when you are just starting.
While some photographers will start their careers out of college right into a paying job, many more of us have to develop our craft and business by tapping first into our close networks of family and friends. As an idea, you could use your journey to achieve the CPP to create content for your social media and educate your networks simultaneously. Share your candidacy, what you are learning, and your practice work and reflections on how you are progressing and improving along the way.
There is power in true commitment to improving yourself. Every Olympic winner, every Superbowl champion, and every NBA star was once an unknown rookie, an unknown dreamer. Feel free to be one yourself.
Last but Not Least
Another thing I started last year was becoming a contributor to the Marathon Press Blog. Thanks, Mark Weber, for introducing me to this wonderful community.
Here are the names of three videos I created as part of my contribution to the new CPP program.
- Focal Length and Lens Selection
2. Sunny 16 Rule and Exposure Compensation
3. How To Control Perspective Distortions
You can learn more about the CPP certification here: www.ppa.com/benefits/certification/cpp
If you would like to follow more of my journey, please feel free to connect with me on Instagram @instagram.com/sabrinacasasphotographystudio/ or visit any of the three websites connected to my work:
Learn about my work on luxury real estate photography at www.LuxuryRealEstatePhotographer.com
Learn about my work on portrait studio at www.SabrinaCasasPhotographyStudios.com
Learn about my offering on education for photographers at www.HandsOnPhotographyEducation.com
You can learn more about the CPP certification here:
If you would like to follow more of my journey:
- Please feel free to connect with me on Instagram @instagram.com/sabrinacasasphotographystudio/
- I welcome you to explore my Luxury Real Estate page at: www.LuxuryRealEstatePhotographer.com
- You can check my work on portrait studio at: www.SabrinaCasasPhotographyStudios.com
- And you can check my Education offering at: www.HandsOnPhotographyEducation.com
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