Mentor Me Programme

When there is such a choice of representative organizations out there you may ask yourself, 'Why The Society?' To us the answer is very simple. If you are a newcomer to the industry or considering a career change then we offer the most comprehensive range of educational seminars by cutting edge speakers in the UK and Europe. The profile of our membership contains many individuals who have enjoyed active careers in many of the traditional 'professions' and to whom 'professionalism' is second nature. We are dedicated to providing quality training and mentoring to all who ask and want to progress in Professional Photography without prejudice or discrimination. If you are already in practice and want to gain that all important edge over your competitors, then we can help you too. And what is more, your qualifications will be accredited in respect of your past achievements. Please visit: www.swpp.co.uk/qualify.htm

Increasing the number of qualified members is a vital factor in attaining a merchantable standard of imaging across the industry and will ultimately enable The Society to actively promote a number of marketing initiatives over the next few years in order to positively increase business. The primary level of 'Licentiate' is benchmarked to inspire customer confidence in the ability and quality of work expected of a 'Professional Photographer' operating in the UK market. Without the benefit of such benchmarking we are unable to promote with confidence or with validity and integrity, an average standard of professional imaging.

We have a small team dedicated to innovative programmes and research in order to provide you with the right tools to develop your business. One of these is our invaluable 'Mentor Me' programme through which you receive a one to one appraisal of your work and advice for progression. All reports include recommendations for participation in training programmes pertinent to your professional development and it doesn't just stop at reaching your Licentiateship. In fact, that is only the beginning on a journey of lifelong learning.
Our website is packed with training courses all year round to meet the diverse needs of the membership. In a quest for quality of training delivery we are reducing the number of delegates on each course.

For further details on the 'Mentor Me' programme and Society Qualifications please contact Head Office on: 01745 356935 or by email on info@swpp.co.uk

Submission Guidelines
To try and avoid any confusion in submissions for the Mentoring Programme we feel that it is prudent to lay down a number of guidelines.

A submission will take the form of a maximum of 20 Images in JPEG format, sequentially numbered 1 to 20 with no prefixes whatsoever. If your images are being submitted for a Qualification application the images MUST be in one genre i.e. wedding, portrait, illustrative and pictorial etc.
Each file should not exceed 4MB and ideally the colour space should be Adobe 1998.
The files should be placed in a single folder and cut to a CD.
All CD's should be sent to The Society headquarters in Rhyl for forwarding to the Mentor to ensure accurate tracking of submissions.
When requested by your Mentor a set of 20 files should be prepared by opening individual 10"x10" PSD canvases at 300dpi which should be filled either white or black commensurate with your style. Each individual image should be placed on a canvas after careful colour correction, cropping, composition and final retouching (if necessary). The application of a 3 to 5 pixel stroke edge to the main image is desirable. Finally, each PSD should be flattened, saved as a JPEG and numbered sequentially.
CD's sent to the Mentor which are not in the correct format will not be assessed. However, an email will be sent to you to request another CD in the correct format.
It is essential that you provide a LANDLINE telephone number and a current email address so that your Mentor can contact you and provide feedback and support.
Ideally you should enclose a short note stating your current position, experience and aspirations.
Also a covering letter needs to be included on the CD.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the popularity of the Mentoring Programme it may take up to a month to receive feedback from your Mentor. At certain times of the year, particularly during the spring and autumn seminar & workshop programmes these times may increase by up to 2 weeks.

The SWPP 2009 Convention was an outstanding success,
we have 194 days to get ready for the 2010 convention - which starts on January 14, 2010

Photo Quote: Photography is a system of visual editing. At bottom, it is a matter of surrounding with a frame a portion of one's cone of vision, while standing in the right place at the right time. Like chess, or writing, it is a matter of choosing from among given possibilities, but in the case of photography the number of possibilities is not finite but infinite. - John Szarkowski