Back in March of last year I decided to go one step further with my profession and take the Professional Photographer Certification exam. This was something that I have wanted to do since I started my photography career over 8 years ago. When I first looked into what it took to become a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP), I was a bit overwhelmed with the technical aspect of photography. I gave up on it for the time being. Eight years later, and a lot of practice, trial and error, and getting involved with the right associations such as PPA and PPLA I was able to gain the confidence to go after it again. This time I knew a bit more from experience and the help of other great photographers I was able to meet over the years. I signed up in May for the declaration of candidacy, the first step in the process! After a couple of months of studying the suggested material, I was able to take the test in August at our annual state convention. It was a long two hours but worth it in the end. I passed the exam! Next step was to submit twenty images to a panel of judges to determine if I was able to provide quality and professional work. The hardest part besides the long hours of studying and having a family, was the wait! Finally a couple of weeks later, I was officially a Certified Professional Photographer! It is something that I am very proud of and am excited to share with all of you! Even if I wouldn’t have passed the first time, I learned so many things along the way! Now I am able to help anyone who wants to go through the process themselves, by being a PPA Certification Liaison! For any professional photographers out there who want to become certified and separate yourself from the competition, I can help! Call if you are interested in learning more about the certification process! I look forward to hearing from you!