It's a true honor to announce that I am now a Master Family Photographer. I have been awarded a Certificate of Mastery in the category of Family Photography by the NAPCP. NAPCP is the National Association of Professional Child Photographers.
The requirements were very specific for this certification. Each photo had to have a different family, different setting, different pose and different look yet still maintaining the photographers style. This wasn't a group competition. Each photographer was critiqued and judged on his/her own merits. The portfolio images had to be individually unique. So coming up with 25 different photos wasn't as easy as it seems. I have been photographing some of these same families and children for close to a decade. I couldn't use the same family or group more than once. I had to go through years of my work to select different photos to provide a consistent family portfolio. And although I prefer shooting in Natural Light/Outside and mostly at the beach, I have been doing this a while now so i know how to work my camera in natural and artificial light, inside or in the studio so that definitely helped me with the location variety.
They only offer certain categories each year and part of the process is having to submit a portfolio in that category for review. This is the first time I have presented my work for judging and not just for a client review. The families i photograph love all their photos, its their family and their memories so of course they will, right? BUT having other professionals judge your work to be awarded Master Photographer in the family category was a big milestone for me. Even though I have been doing this a long time now, I am still learning and growing as a photographer every day.
This entire process reminded me how very far I have grown over the last decade and how humbled by the generosity and support my family, fans and clients have shown me along the way. You all are my inspiration and why I love being a photographer. So, a very big thank you, for allowing me to be part of your families lives and all the joy and memories it brings.
((These are only partial of the photos submitted))