How many acronyms and buzz words are flying through your head while you are looking for a photographer? PMA, AIPP, PPAQ, MKII, CF, SD, PSCS…!
One particularly important acronym in that list is AIPP. It is the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, and it is the National professional photography industry body.
What does this mean? Well, when you are looking for a professional photographer, one of the first things you should look at is if they are a member of the AIPP. Photography is a completely unregulated industry. Your builder needs to be certified under law, your teacher needs to be certified under law, even your local restaurant needs to adhere to strict laws and regulations. But just about anyone can call themselves a photographer!
The trouble here is that you place a lot of trust in your photographer, particularly for a wedding day that cannot be repeated. Choosing an Accredited AIPP member ensures that you have selected a photographer who has agreed to uphold certain ethics within their business, and that their work has been assessed by other photographers in the Institute. Basically, this means that your AIPP photographer will be moral, and is actually a good photographer with a firm grasp of the basic concepts of photography, including light, colour and professional camera operation.
The chances are that your AIPP photographer will also have a high-level of service quality, meaning that they should look after you through the process, right from the moment you book them for your occasion. A bit of peace of mind for you!
The PPAQ (or Professional Photographers Association of Queensland) is another professional organisation for photographers. The PPAQ are Queensland-centric, and also have stringent guidelines for their members to adhere to.
John Reyment is a Master of the AIPP, and a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) with the PPAQ.
Melinda Comerford is an Associate of the AIPP, and Queensland AIPP Divisional President.
