Why Get Certified?

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As of this month, NYIP is excited to announce that we have partnered with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) in our new ability to offer all students and graduates a Certified Professional Photographer credential. If you're unfamiliar with the certification process or not sure whether it's the right move for your career path, here are 3 things worth considering:

Competition- In a growingly competitive creative industry like photography, the ability to stand apart from the crowd is crucial to business success. Without providing clients with some form of certification (the more the better), they have no way of knowing whether you are able to work at a genuinely professional level. Especially for photographers just getting started who might not have a vast portfolio of work to demonstrate, the presence of an industry recognized certification is arguably the only other way you can provide clients with peace of mind regarding your capabilities.

Pricing- As a professional photographer providing clients with a pricing model for your services, it's important for you to be able to rationalize the cost of your work, beyond simply the cost of your time. For example, do you work in a studio where you need to pay rent? For portraiture clients coming in to be photographed in said location, the space speaks for itself in terms of rationalizing a subsequent boost in the price (compared to if you were just photographing said clients in their own home). Similarly, the presence of a certification also allows you some pricing leverage in charging more for your work than clients may otherwise understand.
Endorsement- Peer review, constructive criticism and positive validation are all extremely helpful within the world of creative arts. In order to achieve the CPP designation, your work is reviewed by other professional photographers. Once you become certified, the knowledge that other photographers stand behind your skills means you can feel confident in your abilities to get any job done right, by the standards of the professionals.

Source: https://www.nyip.edu/photo-articles/archive/why-get-certified