William Hodge, owner of GradPortraits has been recognized as a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP.)
Every profession has a certification process identifing the pros from amateurs. There are Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO), etc.
Professional photography also has similar professional designation, Certified Professional Photographer (CPP).
It's a tough certification and the numbers tell the story. There are only 27 CPP designated photographers in Southern California . There are only 84 CPP designated photographers in California.
The most recent Certified Professional Photographer to receive this designation operates his studio creating portraits of "America's Future Leaders." He creates portraits of Eagle Scouts from Orange County and the California Inland Empire Council, Girl Scout Gold Awardees from Orange County, along with college and university graduates, and is well Jurist Doctorate graduates in Southern California. He also creates portraits of the families that nurture those individuals at his studio in West Garden Grove (where the 22 & 405 freeways collide!)
Achieving The CPP
The Certified Professional Photographer designation requires a photographer to take both a written test and present a portfolio reviewed by five other Certified Professional Photographers.
The Certified Professional Photographer must complete a written examination, complete an image evaluation and adhere to stringent code of conduct.
The written test is 100 questions, based on a database of 6,000 questions. No individual taking the test knows which of the 6,000 questions will be on the exam. Questions cover a wide spectrum of imaging subjects, including the history of photography, film photography, digital photography, printing, the quality and direction of light, the color of light, and the variations in color, etc.
The portfolio review includes 15 images created in the last year, and are compulsory images, meaning that they must exhibit a specific technique. The techniques a CPP candidate must show are: short lighting with an open or closed loop, 3 to 1 ratio, broad lighting with an open or closed loop, 3 to 1 ratio, selective focus, color harmony, rule of thirds, high key, low-key, balance (symmetrical or asymmetrical), assertive, leading lines, angular or masculine lines, etc.
Bio
Hodge, as a past board member, past president and life member of National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), founded the online Job Information Bank (JIB) in 1984 (pre-World Wide Web) and was also the cofounder of the Electronic Photojournalism Workshop and Digital Times in 1986 (The first digitally produced newspaper in the world - the original files and page negatives along with the newspaper reside in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.) He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1982 for a story about Vietnam Veterans. He currently volunteers his time for the Boy Scouts of America, Orange County Council while operating his studio.
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