About the CPP Exam

[Stanee Rae Pettit Murray <stanee-rae@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The CPP exam is administered by Professional Photographers of America (PPA);
you have to be a member to take the exam.  For info, call PPA at
1-800-786-6277.  For info on CPP ask for the Standards Office (ext. 242).
They will send you a study sheet with some sample test questions, and
complete rules for becoming a CPP. Your state CPP Liason can also answer
questions and sell/rent you the new video prep course and official study
manual.  Ask the PPA Standards Officer for the name and number of the Liason
in your state.  It costs $75 to apply for certification.

The CPP process has three requirements:  written exam, image submission, and
referrals.

The WRITTEN EXAM is a standardized written exam, like the SAT college
entrance exam or GRE graduate school admissions exam.  All questions are
either multiple choice or true/false; there are no write-in or essay
questions.  There is a mandatory section of 100 questions, plus an optional
section of 20 questions in your area of expertise.

The 100 mandatory questions are broken down into about a dozen or so
different segments covering:

studio lighting/multiple light setups, lighting ratios, portrait lighting
techniques, darkroom, color theory, film, basic digital imaging, history of
photography, cameras & lenses, exposure, filters, view camera, zone system,
composition, marketing & business management.  There are 7-10 questions in
each segment.

The OPTIONAL SECTION of 20 questions allows you to choose one of the
following:  wedding/portrait, commercial/industrial/illustrative, or lab
specialties. 

You need to score at least 70% to pass.  It's pass/fail, so it doesn't
matter whether you get 100% or 70%, you're still certified.  I got 84%.
Seven people took it that night with me, and five passed. 

To study for the test, get the book "Photography, 5th Edition," by London &
Upton, published by Harper Collins.  It costs about $50 and covers
everything in the test. I spent about 10 days reading the book and studying
my notes.  Instead of the book, you can also purchase the CPP Study Manual
from your state CPP Liason.

You are allowed to take the written exam up to 3 times.  There are 3
different versions of the test, so you would receive a different one each
time.  Also, if you take the exam with a group, those sitting next to you
will have a different test from yours.  So it won't help to copy!

The IMAGE SUBMISSION part of the process requires you to send in 10
different photos, from 10 different assignments, either 8x10 or 10x10 (color
or b&w) or slides.  This means you can't pick your prettiest bride and send
in a bunch of photos just of her!  Self-assignments don't count; these have
to be photos you did for a client.  These photos should be "customer
quality" and don't have to be competition prints. Photos should look as good
as possible; close-up portraits should be retouched.  Along with the photos,
you must submit a Statement of Purpose form.  For each image, you give the
client's name, purpose of the photo, and a brief description of how the
assignment was handled.

The selections you send in should be representative of the services you
offer.  So if you do 50% weddings and 50% portraits, send in 5 of each.

The photos are judged by Master Photographers, usually at a convention since
the judges are there anyway to judge a print competition. If all the images
don't pass, they will return them to you and let you substitute new ones for
the ones that failed. 

My image packet included the following:

        1 close-up studio bridal portrait (color)
        1 wedding photo of a bride & groom on the beach (color)
        3 HIE b&w wedding photos of brides & grooms together
        1 HIE b&w wedding photo of a church exterior, hand colored
        3 studio portraits of children (color)
        1 HIE b&w fine art shot of Boston, hand colored (although this one
was a self-assignment, I had sold it as wall decor, so it counted)

I asked a friend who was already a CPP to help me pick out my photos.  They
all passed!

The REFERRAL submission asks you to give written business and personal
referrals.  For the business part, I got my bank and my lab to fill out the
form saying that I was following good business practices, paid my bills on
time, etc.
For the personal referrals, I asked the Alumni Director at my alma mater to
fill out the form, since I donate my time and services to the college.  I
also asked another photographer (PPANJ member) to vouch for me.

Your certification is good for 5 years, then you have to re-certify.  To do
this, you must submit proof of 10 days of educational credits (attending
PPA-affiliated conventions or Winona School).  Also, you must have had 6
images which scored 76 or higher at a state or regional PPA competition. 

In addition to the CPP, there's also a new CEI (certified electronic imager)
test if you're into Photoshop and such.

Any questions?  And Chris, do you have anything to add?


Stanee







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Stanee Rae Murray, CPP                        PPANJ WebMaster
Stanee Rae Studio                             http:\\www.cmpsolv.com/ppanj
VOICE: (908)842-5268                          <stanee-rae@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>


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Topic No. 7