About The Guilds

 The Guild of Photographers, originally established as the Guild of Wedding Photographers in 1988, is administered by a team of professionals who aim to bring together individuals who are committed to the craft of photography for profit and pleasure.

Whether you're full-time, part-time, a student or enthusiast photographer, the Guilds of Photographers and Wedding Photographers are associations which can help you to get the most from your camera.

Most of our Guild members specialise in Wedding and Portrait Photography but, whatever your speciality - Commercial, Events, Pets, Landscapes etc., we can offer help and advice to our members - if we don´t know the answer, we can find someone who does!


For those who wish to pursue a career in photography, the Guild Manuals are an invaluable source of learning.

If you have a passion for wedding photography, belonging to our specialist division – The Guild of Wedding Photographers will help to demonstrate your commitment to your profession.

Who we are:

Director:
Joan Roberts

Joan trained as a photographer in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (or the Wrens, is it is familiarly known!)

Secretary:
David Evans

David trained as a photographer at Waverley Photographic in Devon. Joan and David met whilst working for Kodak – answering technical questions (a huge variety!) at the company’s Holborn offices.

Business Advisors:
Kris and Jo Farndell

Kris and Jo work hard keeping (amongst other things) the Guild database up to date, enabling Graeme to keep Members' online contact details current.

Digital Advisor and Head of Training:
Phil Flowers

After many years in the photographic industry, ranging from 'develop your own' to the mysteries of the digital age, Phil now offers Guild Members invaluable advice through the Guild's bi-monthly News Journal, and a special rate e-mail support service and a Premium Service, using Skype (a VoiceOver Internet Protocol meaning you can talk on the internet for free), to all Guild Members.

Webmaster:
Graeme Wolfe

Graeme has been involved with the Guild's online presence since 2004 and can be contacted directly regarding any problems encountered with the Guild websites.

What is the Guild of Wedding Photographers?

The Guild is an association of full-time, part-time, student and aspiring photographers, many of whom are keen to gain the prestigious Guild qualifications, although you may remain a Registered (unqualified) member if you wish.

We count amongst our members distinguished social photographers of many years standing, at home and abroad, and also those just starting out who can benefit from the experience of our established members.

How we can help you

• Qualifications to give your customers confidence - Click for details
• Digital helpline exclusive to guild members at attractive rates - Click for details
• Guild manual of photography in wedding and portrait versions - Click for details
• Experienced photographers - here to help and advise you - Click for details
• Advantageous rates with specialist insurers - Click for details
• Literature to help promote your business
• Accompany a craftsman scheme to help develop your skills
• Training workshops to improve your technique - Click for details
• Bi-monthly newsletter to keep you up to date - Click for more
• Free listing on the guild website - Click for details
• National advertising in speciality wedding magazines
• Online Portfolios- Click for details
• Your Letters and Comments - Click for details
• For Sale or Exchange facility - Click for details

How you can help us

• Keep us informed of your requirements
• Assist fellow Guild members
• Supply us with news for the Guild newsletter

As a member of the Guild you will enjoy many benefits – see our Benefits Page!

There are three levels of individual membership:

The Guild Fees And Price List


Membership of the Guild is very affordable - just £80 a year (by cheque, Standing Order or Credit/Debit Card) or £10 per month by Standing Order.

Joint Membership is available -
£120 a year (by cheque, Standing Order or Credit/Debit Card) or £15 per month by Standing Order. 1st Month Membership Free on Standing Order applications

There is also a One-off Setup Fee of £15 for UK residents or £25 for overseas members - we waive this charge if you pay for your membership online by Credit or debit card using this secure site.

The Guild Manuals of Photography are available either complete or supplied in 12 monthly parts.

The Complete Wedding Manual costs £150
The Complete Portrait Manual costs £120
or pay £250 for both

Alternatively, receive 12 monthly parts @ £25 for the Wedding Manual, £20 for the Portrait Manual, or £35 for both. These are payable by Standing Order monthly.

Apply and pay securely online for membership - Save Setup Fee

The Guild offers three levels of qualification:

You don't need any qualifications to join the Guild of Photographers, as you will enter at the basic level of:

Registered Member – a member who has not submitted any work for judging. Some of these are very experienced photographers, others may have just started but also be full of enthusiasm.

However, a very good reason for joining the Guild is to gain the qualifications we offer, qualifications that are relevant to today's professional photographers. As you progress up the scale from Qualified member to Master Craftsman, you show your customers that you are committed to providing them with the very best service.
In addition, the higher your qualification the greater your discount from Alan Stevenson Insurance (Click for info)

Guild qualifications can also be achieved in other chosen specialties - portrait, events, etc. but not a mixture. However, there is nothing stopping you becoming qualified in more than one specialty.

Qualified Member – having submitted 20 photographs for judging, we deem them to have reached a good standard of photography, sufficient to provide you with a good set of photographs of your wedding.

Craftsman – a member has to submit three complete weddings to us for judging, along with recommendations from their clients. The photographer has to show a high degree of technical and artistic competence, plus show that he has a good rapport with his/her customers.

Master Craftsman – at this level, a member has to satisfy us that his work is of a superior standard. We look at three complete wedding albums, a selection of enlargements and yet more recommendations, plus take a complete overview of his presentation. A professional approach to work and dealing with clients is most important.


This is how the successive Guild Qualifications are obtained:

Qualified

Submit twenty 8x6 photographs of an acceptable standard-we want to know that you are providing a good quality of work for your customers.

Click for Form

Craftsman

Submit three complete assignments/albums ( can be submitted on CD), each showing a complete session with a client. Portrait sessions and other assignments are to show your versatility and control of light,variety of composition etc, whilst wedding submissions should show complete weddings.
In addition we require at least two recommendations from your customers.

Click for Form

Master Craftsman

Same as for Craftsman, but only original photographs and albums will be accepted. To achieve this award, you must pay meticulous attention to detail- we are looking for a high level of creativity along with the mastery of art and technicalities of photography.

For those photographers who are yet to qualify, we have the Registered Member list.