Photographer's Associations...any comments?

[the nightfly]

I'm considering joining the American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP) and/or Professional Photographers of America (PPA). At the moment, I don't know much about either association except that PPA seems to have a much larger membership.

Is anyone here a member of either or both? Could you please give some info on the strengths and weaknesses of these associations? And, if you belong to both, which one would you recommend the most?

Thanks in advance.

 

[craig]

I have always gone by the famous Groucho Marx quote. "I would never belong to any group that would have me as a member".

 

[Jen]

I have been planning on joining PPA, their insurance stuff looks useful to me but then I really haven't looked around much.

Then I went to a local meeting for a photography group that is part of PPA but has seperate membership and then discovered a state group that is also part of PPA and also has a seperate membership. All of them seem to have perks but jeez! Now its seeming a bit expensive.

So I am having a hard time deciding what to join as well!

 

[LaFoto]

Is this the right forum for this question and discussion? :scratch:
I think it rather belongs into the Photography Discussion Forum.
I'll move it, ok?

 

[the nightfly]

Here's a further question: as some may have noticed, this thread spent a brief sojourn in the wedding and portrait section, on the grounds that more members of these associations were likely to frequent there. Which is all well and good, except that I am neither a wedding nor portrait photographer. (I've done some of that, but my main focus right now is architecture, nature, and tourism.) Given that my concentrations would apply more to the editorial and commercial fields, would either or both of these two associations prove to be a poor fit? Would something like ASMP be a better choice? (I always thought ASMP was geared entirely toward editorial-only photographers, but I'm sensing that's an inaccurate impression.)

 

[danalec99]

If you are talking about commercial/ad stuff, APA is something that I'd seriously consider, along with ASMP.

 

[elsaspet]

I',m thinking in your field that ASMP might be the way to go. I know some of the guys (I'm not a member) and it seems like a wonderful organization. Because I'm in the wedding biz, it doesn't work for me, but for you commercial guys, it seems like the way to go.
Because of it's "old world tradition" I just don't know if PPA would benifit you much.

 

[the nightfly]

Thanks! I've sent in my application to ASMP, and will be looking into APA.