This past week, Luke Copping initiated his official duties as National Board Chair at the annual National Board meeting held in New Orleans, and we thought it would be beneficial for all ASMP members to be apprised of issues and projects that Luke and the National Board will be focused on during the next national board term.
3. While ASMP has often been successful in working on behalf of members from an advocacy standpoint, I feel that it is in our best interest to start working closely with members to examine what does and doesn’t work for them in the management of a real-world photography business. Theory and legal advocacy can only go so far without a real understanding of the issues that face photographers ranging from major market-based commercial photographers to journeyman creatives working in small markets or niche/emerging industries. Some of these problems are far removed from the copyright advocacy work we do and are based more in the realms of practical business management and understanding changing cultural patterns.
1. I am a huge believer that some of the best skills a photographer can develop to improve their businesses and differentiate themselves have nothing to do with photography. As photographers, we often put so much emphasis on our ability as visual communicators that we neglect the fact that everything we do is representative of our brands – from the emails we write, to how we perform in meetings, conference calls, or public speaking situations, and more. Writing, communication, branding, marketing strategy, client service, production, wellness, business development, and even basic hospitality skills are all areas where photographers can make big wins for their businesses without a large amount of capital investment. I would love to see ASMP expand its educational opportunities in these areas and provide stronger member discounts for services that focus on these areas as well. Sure, spending a few thousand dollars on a new camera MIGHT help your business, but for under $100 dollars, you could sign for a business writing course like Love, Business Owner, or take a marketing class on Skillshare that will improve your skills in a way that can yield immediate benefits for you. I hope that we are able to provide access for our members to experts in these fields through future video and blog content as well.
2. I also want to provide more opportunities for ASMP to recognize its members’ work and accomplishments and to develop platforms to promote these accomplishments to potential clients. I would love to see Find a Photographer integrate some sort of badge system that will allow ASMP members to demonstrate milestones in their career like winning major contests and awards, by participating in educational events, and even to honor long term volunteers in the organization or those who mentor young photographers. Other important improvements I’d like to see include a significant growth of our flagship “Best of ASMP” image competition, and a revamp of the Bulletin as either a print or digital vehicle for sharing member work with the outside world.
