Prince William Professional Photographers Association | PWPPA | VA DC

Welcome and congratulations on visiting the newest and only pro-path to professional photography group located in Northern VA focused on wedding, studio portait, fine art, and commercial photography!   Are you interested in the art and business of photography?  In other words, we focus on the type of photography that will excel your work and if you wish, produce you an income.  PWPPA's meeting attendance and Gold Membership has continued to rise and averages from 40 to 45 attendees per monthly meeting!  PWPPA's consistent monthly speaker lineup is unmatched and without question, PWPPA has hosted the best, award-winning, professional photographers in the MD, DC, and VA area (see details below)!   We are the most highly rated photography group located on Meetup in the Metro DC area -- just check all our ratings and member-written reviews under the Past tab.  Meetup is a great tool but we are a professional, non-profit, educational and business association that gives ongoing benefits to our members.

Mission Statement,   Member Benefits & Objectives, and Member's Promise

The 3 pillars of our organizational foundation: our  Mission Statement,  Member Benefits & Objectives, and Member's Promise are all viewable at http://www.meetup.com/Prince-William-Professional-Photographers-VA-DC/about/.   You can also  find a professional photographer by considering the portion of our Meetup  members with titles following their names (i.e. Board Member, Gold Member, or Charter Member).  These invested members receive support, benefits, and additional training.  We meet in Woodbridge, VA and welcome professional and aspiring professional photographers as well as serious and avid enthusiasts.  Almost one year since our founding, we still produce a 5-star rating at every event!

Four of Our Monthly Speakers Have Won Maryland Photographer of the Year Awards
by Category and Overall!

Jeff Lubin, James Roy, Anthony Marill (all hold PPA Master & Craftsman degrees), and Bert Pasquale have all taken top honors in Maryland's Photographer of the Year Awards at the Maryland Professional Photographers Association (MDPPA).  James was PWPPA's speaker in August of last year and January of this year, 2011.  Tony spoke at the Prince William Professional Photographers Association for October's meeting, 2010.

Thank you to both Tony and James for your excellent programs and congratulations on your wins!!

We are a group for progressive photographers in the Northern Virginia and the Washington DC Metropolitan area.  We formed in order to allow our Prince William County, Southern Fairfax County, and Stafford County Virginia photographer members to meet in a more geographically convenient location.  We meet in Woodbridge, VA, closer to home and without all the traffic.  Please join us whether you are an avid/serious enthusiast, aspiring professional, or a professional.  We would love to meetup with you!

Today, interest in the art and business of photography surges due to the accessibility of digital cameras. Our organization is established as a photography mentoring group to advance the education and professional development of photographers, aspiring photographers, and serious enthusiasts.  We produce educational programs and a track for photographers to become professional photographers who offer their services for a fee.  We offer the professional photographer additional technical and business training through our speakers and programs.  In addition, our Master Photographers and Certified Professional Photographers help prepare other members to also become Certified Professional Photographers.

We are registered with the Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs http://www.nvacc.org/ and will qualify for PPA affiliation www.ppa.com this year. These two highly-regarded organizations, both local and international, insure that we are always tapping into a highly rated pull of speakers and judges. NVACC also publishes our events in a monthly calendar for the wider Northern Virginia region.

And, we're going big!  Our Meetup room has a capacity for over 100 members, padded ergonomic chairs, tables, white boards, and a drop-down 100" projection screen. The screen is huge!  Please invite your Facebook photographer friends. 

At this time, your first meeting is credited to joining (if done within 30 days).  Until recently, I personally managed all operations and covered the operating costs such as the Meetup site and speaker reimbursement.  Sally was with me from the start and offers years of management experience.  Along with a highly qualified Steering Committee and an elected board of directors, we are geared for long-term growth.  There are startup and operating costs that require a modest membership fee.  Professional workshops and seminars (as offered in return for our speakers' donation of their time, expertise and preparation) may require an additional investment.

Best!

Philip Brasch, President & Founder
www.pwppa.com

::  Welcome, to our Manassas and Fredericksburg visitors!  ::

Pre-Join Checklist:

• You can volunteer to the Steering Committee by contacting me.
• Please read our Policy on Posts and Spam at http://files.meetup.com/1694471/Policy%20on%20Posts%20and%20Spam.doc and Netiquette posted in our Files section under the More tab.
• Please provide a photo of yourself when you join so that we know who you are when you join us for our events!
• Since we are a group of professionals, not a club, and to be fair to every photographer / business-owner in PWPPA, we require that you enter your real FIRST and LAST name on our Meetup -- not a business name or third party advertiser (i.e. "ABC PhotoTools").  We also need your name to verify your RSVP and registration at our events.  This requirement also reduces unwanted and off-topic spam to our membership.