M. Photog., Cr., CPP
I have seen all these letters for years with PPA, Professional Photographers of America, but never thought they would apply to me. I joined PPA in 2016. I was a not so active member for a while. I attended my first ImagingUSA, their national convention, for the first time the year I joined in 2017 in San Antonio. And to say I was a little overwhelmed in an understatement. This convention was filled with everything I had ever wanted in the world of photography. And there were people walking around with these little medallions around their necks. I didn’t know what I didn’t know but I knew I wanted to learn more. I didn’t get the chance to attend Imaging in 2018 but I had started to dive into the world of PPA. I learned that there was a certification you could get, Certified Professional Photographer. There were also ‘degree’s that you could earn, Photographic Craftsman, Master of Photography, Master of Wedding Photography, Master Artist. That year I decided I wanted to work towards some of these. First up getting my CPP.
For the CPP you have to take a technical test of photography and then submit images. At the time I submitted, you had to submit certain lighting techniques and client imagery to be reviewed by a panel and decided if they were executed well enough. I earned my CPP in 2018. That next year I was able to fly into ImagingUSA which was held in Atlanta to see my name among all the other CPPs for that year. It was awesome.
After earning my CPP I waited for a little while until I knew that I was ready for more. I wanted to start working towards my Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman. I was still a little nervous about trying for my Master of Photography because this meant I would have to submit images to be review by judges. And y’all, I was scared. So I started working towards my Photographic Craftsman degree. For this you have to have a specific number of merits for service and for speaking. As an introvert I am always a little anxious getting up in front of people, but when it comes to photography… I can talk about photography.
So in 2021 I finished up my merits and earn my Cr. letters for my Photographic Craftsman degree. When you earn a degree with PPA you get to walk the stage at the annual awards ceremony. You also get to choose a sponsor for your degree. This is someone who has helped you along the way. For this my very dear friend Melissa was it. She had helped me more (and still helps me) than anyone I had ever met.
So then it was Master of Photography. Ohhhh boy. I started submitting images and then held my breath. The very first time I submitted images to IPC I had NO CLUE what I was doing. Those images did not merit. I didn’t know what I was doing. I only entered because at the time the first time you entered it was free. After those images did ok, but barely missed the mark I got to work. I started entering some local image competitions at our local PPA. One moment I remember so very clearly was after one particular image competition (my very first one), we could go up to current guild members who had their Master of Photography degree and get some feedback. Melissa helped me walk up to someone who in so many words said newborns wouldn’t be the best to enter. I won’t say the details online but I will over coffee or a marg sometime. So me being me, I was going to enter and it was going be newborns.
So I entered. I had some ups and downs but in September 2023 I officially earned enough image competition merits to earn the letters M. Photog to be added to my name officially as a Master of Photography.
And just last week I was able to walk the stage with my Master of Photography degree. This time my sponsor was someone who has been with me my ENTIRE professional photography journey. You see, I had a camera in college (I have a two degrees and one is in journalism with an emphasis on photojournalism) but then I wasn’t able to keep up with the technology after graduation. But about a month before she was born, I was able to purchase my first digital slr. That camera was with me through her birth, me starting to learn more about portrait photography, me slowly starting a photography business and even though the gear has upgraded, the girl has been by my side the whole time. My daughter was able to travel to Kentucky with me to present me with my medallion as a Master of Photography and walk the stage with me. She has always supported me, me making a million photographs of her life, weird working hours, the years of practicing with her in front of my camera, the years I thought I wasn’t good enough, the years I almost threw in the towel… every step she has been there. To say I couldn’t have done this without her is an understatement. I hope she knows just how important her support has been for me.
And I hope she knows that she can do anything she wants to in life. I mean, I get to make photographs for a living. How freakin cool is that.
Thank you all of the people who have helped move me forward in all the things I have wanted to do. I appreciate you more than you know. I couldn’t have achieved anything without those who have been wiling to go out of their way to help me. I hope that I can help others the same way.
Kristina McCaleb – M. Photog, Cr., CPP
Here are a few of the images that helped me earn my Master of Photography.
