Association of Photographers
Encyclopedia
The Association of Photographers (AOP), often referred to colloquially as the AOP, is a trade association
for British photographers.
It is situated off the A1202 (Inner Ring Road, London - Great Eastern Street), east of Old Street station
. It is inside the London Borough of Hackney
, near the boundary with Islington (Finsbury
).
The Association publishes and support many web sites of particular interest to all photographers concerned with their intellectual property rights and business practice, such as their Copyright4Clients web site.
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
for British photographers.
History
It was formed in London, United Kingdom in 1968 as the Association of Fashion and Advertising Photographers by a small group of photographers (later joined by editorial photographers to become AFAEP). United by a common aim to challenge the then unreasonable demands of model agencies, it brought together professional photographers, to protect their rights and promote photography.Structure
Constituted as a non-profit distributing trade association, today its membership exceeds 1,000 photographers and photographic assistants. It is also supported by photographers' agents, printers, manufacturers and suppliers of photographic equipment. The AOP also has a number of affiliated colleges and plays a significant role in promoting, maintaining and developing relationships between all levels of higher and further education and the professional industry.It is situated off the A1202 (Inner Ring Road, London - Great Eastern Street), east of Old Street station
Old Street station
Old Street station is a central London National Rail and London Underground station located at the junction of Old Street and City Road just north of the City of London. It lies close to the border between the boroughs of Islington and Hackney...
. It is inside the London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, near the boundary with Islington (Finsbury
Finsbury
Finsbury is a district of central London, England. It lies immediately north of the City of London and Clerkenwell, west of Shoreditch, and south of Islington and City Road. It is in the south of the London Borough of Islington. The Finsbury Estate is in the western part of the district...
).
Function
Since its formation, the principal aims of the AOP have remained the same, and through their campaigning and education work they have improved rights for all photographers. In so doing they created a unique community of professionals. They negotiated the reforms which led to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 , as well as developing the widely accepted Standards of Practice, which afford photographers greater protection and ownership of their work; wrote ´Beyond the Lens´, the definitive guide to rights, ethics and business practice in professional photography.The Association publishes and support many web sites of particular interest to all photographers concerned with their intellectual property rights and business practice, such as their Copyright4Clients web site.
Awards
They also created the AOP Awards, a highly prestigious awards scheme for members, considered by many to provide the top competition in each of the areas it covers; Professional, Assistant & Student photography. In addition, the AOP runs a competition that is open to all photographers, which attracts professionals and amateurs alike. All the winning images from each of the awards are published in a corresponding book and all images are exhibited at a prominent London venue after the winners have been announced.Publications
The Association also publishes a bi-monthly magazine called Image, which features top photographers, showcasing challenging, unusual or iconic photography and providing insight and inspiration.Past presidents
Past Presidents of the Association of Photographers (role previously referred to as Chairman)- 68 - 69 Ray Harwood
- 69 - 70 Michael Boys
- 70 - 71 Anthony Blake
- 71 - 72 Anthony Blake
- 72 - 73 Philip Modica
- 74 - 75 Philip Modica
- 75 - 76 Christopher Joyce
- 76 - 77 Christopher Joyce
- 77 - 78 Max Forsythe
- 78 - 79 Max Forsythe
- 79 - 80 Alan Brooking
- 80 - 81 Alan Brooking
- 81 - 82 Alan Brooking
- 82 - 83 Bryce Attwell
- 83 - 84 Bryce Attwell
- 84 - 85 John Timbers
- 85 - 86 Robert Golden
- 86 - 87 Geoffrey Frosh
- 87 - 88 Rob Brimson
- 88 - 89 Rob Brimson
- 89 - 90 Mike Laye
- 90 - 91 Alan Brooking / Bob Harris
- 91 - 92 Bob Harris
- 92 - 93 Bob Harris
- 93 - 94 Clive Frost / Max Forsythe (Interim Chairman)
- 94 - 95 Martin Beckett
- 95 - 96 Michael Harding
- 96 - 97 Michael Harding
- 97 - 98 Tessa Codrington
- 98 - 99 Sandra Lousada
- 99 - 00 Derek Seaward
- 00 - 01 Adam Woolfitt
- 01 - 02 Grant Smith
- 02 - 03 Grant Smith
- 03 - 04 Anthony Marsland
- 04 - 05 Anthony Marsland
- 05 - 06 Michael Harding
- 06 - 07 Michael Harding
- 07 - 08 Richard Maxted
- 08 - 09 Martin Brent
- 09 - 10 Simon Leach