American Photographic Artists National
APA provides a full complement of member benefits that help photographers run a smarter, more creative and profitable business. Our benefits have been time-tested over four decades and give members the tools to build a sustainable business. APA Members please log in to your account to access the page with discount codes and links.
15% off plus we plant a tree in Africa with every order.
If you want to make beautiful, eco-friendly, affordable, high-quality business cards and postcards, you've come to the right place!
4by6.com
APA produces content on a variety of photo related subjects each year. Gain access to our comprehensive 2013 Photography Industry Survey - this is a great tool for analyzing your business performance with other professional photographers.
APA publishes white papers on industry best practices and important topics like understanding social media terms and conditions.
Event Description:
As photographic artists, we create unique, powerful visuals that elevate brands, individuals and industries every day. Whether you are new to photography or are an established artist, feeling confident and comfortable in your ability to negotiate with your clients is an ever-evolving skill.
Join APA SF for a panel discussion with industry leading negotiators Kelly Montez, Heather Elder, Shel Burks and Monica Zaffarano.
APA SF board member Nicole Morrison skillfully moderated an engaging discussion around collaborative negotiation practices with reps and producers who navigate these conversations daily.
Primary Take-Aways:
Access to members-only content is available to all members.
Downloads
APA Members Save 25% on Access to Top Creative Contacts
Agency Access is the premier directory for photographers seeking to connect with creative decision-makers. With over 100,000 verified contacts across 28,000 companies—including ad agencies, brands, and publications—our platform empowers you to find and reach out to potential clients efficiently.
APA members enjoy:
25% discount on our flexible, month-to-month membership plans A 14-day free trial to explore our comprehensive database Complimentary access to our Google Chrome extension, which reveals company and contact info directly from any website
Try the Plugin Turn your everyday browsing into a prospecting powerhouse. Download the free Chrome extension and start uncovering contacts instantly—no membership or credit card required.
This benefit is available to Supporter and higher member levels. To upgrade, please contact membershiprep@apanational.org
APA Circle is more than a professional network — it’s a creative community built for connection, inspiration, and growth.
APA members can find the private link in the member discount area (when logged on to your APA account) or email hello@apanational.org for access.
Find Your People: Join a vibrant crew of photographers, directors, and visual artists who understand the creative hustle and are here to support, share, and celebrate each other’s wins.
Fuel Your Practice: From behind-the-scenes business tips to artist talks, events, and our upcoming podcast series, APA Circle is a source of real-world insight and creative energy.
Grow With Intention: Whether you’re just getting started or deep in your career, APA Circle offers tools, mentorship, and meaningful connections that help you evolve — on your own terms.
APA National Payroll Service is the preferred provider for American Photographic Artists and members of APA will receive a discounted handling fee. APA National Payroll is provided through Smith & Stilwell, Inc. This special member benefit program has been developed in collaboration with APA to keep the process simple and accessible, making it a no-brainer whether you have a part-time or full-time assistant, makeup artist, stylist, receptionist… or an entire staff. They’re ready to service all of your payroll needs.
Smith & Stilwell has been a major payroll provider to the entertainment industry for over twenty-five years.
APA National Payroll Service provides daily, weekly and salaried wages per individual client requests. Smith & Stilwell offers a quick turn-around of properly submitted timecards, provide direct deposit to all employees & customize invoices and projects specifically to our clients needs. Because Smith & Stilwell becomes the employer of record for your employees, they also offer:
This important member benefit of APA National Payroll is so inexpensive and simple to use that many members pay their own salaries through the service rather than going the usual payroll route. It can be used for office staff at reduced rates, is specially priced for APA members at 2% of gross pay, along with employee and employer matched tax fees, and best of all, is billable for each job.
Your liability is eliminated, payment is automatic and hassle-free, you completely avoid payroll bookkeeping, and it costs less than doing it yourself. (More info about your liabilities is included down below).
APA Payroll is provided through Smith & Stilwell. They're ready to service all of your payroll needs. For forms, information, and to sign up, contact Smith & Stilwell. Current APA Membership number required.
How APA National Payroll Service can reduce your liabilities
Two very important liability issues face every photographer who hires assistants and other crew members. Standard insurance policies for workers comp insurance (for job-related injuries) are costly and likely limited to in-state crew members. This means that even with a standard policy in place, your policy will not be enough when shooting in another state. But this is only part of the problem.
The far more serious problem may be assistants and other crew members who may be incorrectly classified as independent contractors (according to current IRS rules). A discovery to this effect during a routine IRS audit can create huge liabilities for back taxes that can put a studio out of business. Those who do it right have a huge overhead related to meeting these requirements (like employee unemployment insurance), and recovering these direct costs as job-related expenses can be daunting if not impossible.
The second liability issue is an IRS audit that reveals unpaid withholding taxes for assistants and other crew members who have been incorrectly classified as independent contractors (according to current IRS rules) can put a studio out of business.
The overhead related to meeting these requirements (like employee unemployment insurance), and recovering the costs as job-related expenses can be daunting if not impossible. APA's Production Payroll service solves all these problems by becoming the employer of record, relieving you of all related liabilities. The extremely low cost can save the fee for membership dues many times over in a single year.
APA and Apple, Inc. are proud to partner together to offer APA members preferred pricing on Apple products and accessories online. This benefit is available to all members at the Supporter level and above. After joining, to access this, or any of your other online member benefits, please go to the Discounts Code page by first logging in, then click on Discount Codes in the right side vertical navigational menu. Scroll down the alpahbetical list of discount codes until you see Apple. Click on the link to go to the APA - Apple Online Store. The prices in the APA - Apple Online Store include the APA member discounts.
Partnership program benefits:
Not an APA Supporter or higher level member? Join or upgrade today to take advantage of all the benefits of membership. Question? Email: members@apanational.org
Offer terms and conditions Members can purchase up to 3 computer systems and 10 iPod devices per calendar year, as well as unlimited software and peripherals. Promotion details are listed on your store site. Terms and conditions apply. Not all products are available for discount. Discounts subject to change without notice. TM and © 2014 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
Over the past 20 years, Blazing Editions has developed into a leader in the Fine Arts industry. Based in Rhode Island, we are dedicated to providing the finest reproductions on the market.
Offering unique solutions for professional photographers. Sublimation onto aluminum is the newest technology. APA Members are entitled to a 10% discount
www.blazing.com
Blinkbid is the leading bidding, producing, and invoicing software for the creative industries. Fully customizable and seamlessly collaborative, BlinkBid is the industry-specific solution to simplifying and standardizing your workflow.
As the de facto standard for advertising agencies and the photo industry, BlinkBid works directly with people in the business to create the features you need.
BlinkBid supports:
A seamless management and revision of line items A worldwide collaboration tool A currency converter built into the software A real-time production budget and expense tracker An advanced invoice generator A myriad of reports to track productivity
If you are an APA member at the Supporter level or higher, you can save $50 off each year of your Blinkbid annual plan using the discount code available inside your APA account.
This benefit is available only to Supporter and higher member levels. To upgrade, please contact members@apanational.org
Blurb® is a self-publishing and marketing platform that unleashes the creative genius inside everyone. Blurb’s platform makes it easy to design, publish, promote, and sell professional-quality printed books and ebooks.
APA members at the Supporter level and above receive an 30% discount.
Order 50 books and receive a large order services discount. Normally, it’s 100 photo books (50 book minimum, instead of 100). This can’t be combined with any other discounts.
https://www.blurb.com/large-order-services
Capture One is the industry-leading software used by professionals across all photography disciplines. Capture One lets you develop your creative expression, experience superior editing tools, deliver images of the highest quality with true-to-life colors, and collaborate across all photography disciplines.
APA members at the Supporter level and above receive a 20% discount. The coupon code is only valid for pre-paid annual subscriptions, not perpetual licenses.
www.captureone.com
We understand how difficult it is getting work in front of agency creatives. Let the strength of the APA go to work for you. Our local chapters administer portfolio reviews on behalf of our members. While each chapter runs their reviews differently, they all have one thing in common — getting our members access to creative professionals for feedback on portfolios. This is your chance to get up close and personal with art buyers and creatives to build a relationship and earn future new business. At this time, Chapter Portfolio Reviews are available through many, but not all chapters; please contact your local chapter to find out more.
Portfolio Reviews are a benefit for members at the Associate level and above.
Exclusive Offer for APA Members
25% OFF: PRO Annual or Lite Annual membership, recurrent while the account is in good standing.
Attract top-tier clients and maximize your online presence with clickbooq's all-new, all-in-one website design and management platform. With our user-friendly web application, we’ve made it easy to create and manage a professional, full-featured portfolio website.
With clickbooq you can do all this and more. Come see why clickbooq is the portfolio site of choice for photographers by trying our free, 14-day trial.
Cradoc fotoSoftware has been helping photographers streamline their business and simplify their workflow for over 25 years and is considered the industry standard for freelance photographers. Programs provide pricing, quoting, invoicing, keywording, and complete, end-to-end business management and workflow.
15% off all of their new software purchases.
Offer applies to full versions only. Additional site licenses and upgrades are excluded, and the discount cannot be combined with other offers.
To access this, or any other of your member benefits, go to the Discounts Code page, here.
https://www.creativelive.com
APA members at the Supporter level and above receive a 50% percent discount off anything on the Creative Live site!
All members enjoy discounts on events and competitions and are entitled to attend Members' only programs. APA's regional Chapters produce ongoing programing like: continuing business education, face-to-face portfolio reviews, panel discussions, and presentations by award-winning photographers.
Discounts on events and competitions are available to all members.
DriveSavers Data Recovery offers APA Members a 15% discount on all data recovery services. DriveSavers is the worldwide leader in professional data recovery services and provides the fastest, most reliable and only certified secure data recovery service available in the industry today. All major digital camera companies, including Canon, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus and Sony, refer their customers to them. They perform data recovery on all types of storage media, including memory and hard disk solutions such as SD(HC), xD, SmartMedia, Memory Stick(Pro), P2, SSD, RAID and more.
DriveSavers discount is available to members at the Supporter level and above.
set.a.light 3D revolutionizes how modern photographers and filmmakers plan their setups. It allows creative people to express themselves faster, bring their ideas to life, and save them from guessing. From a simple portrait shoot to a complex photo production - it's all possible. That's why both beginners and industry leaders love set.a.light 3D.
Good pictures often depend on your lighting and the precise work on it. But you often miss the time to set up everything calmly without stress.
set.a.light 3D simulates a virtual photo studio with all the details and equipment you need for creating your preferable light settings. You're finally able to experiment and try your ideas even before the shooting starts without unnecessarily boring your model.
APA members get a 15% discount!
https://www.elixxier.com/en/
Who we are:
https://www.firstent.org/our-credit-union/our-history
Our companies served; your organization and website is listed under “Entertainment Industry Organizations”
https://www.firstent.org/membership/companies-served
(more info soon)
Available to all APA members - 15% discount on select services at Hanson Digital
Hanson Digital specializes in high-end, museum quality scanning, printing and print mounting/presentation services. These include top quality drum scans, commercial & fine art reproduction photography (artwork capture, copywork or art scanning), some of the highest exhibition quality metal prints available with in house framing services, museum quality pigment printing (Giclee Prints), mounting & lamination services including acrylic face-mounting and Dibond mounting, as well as unique final presentation or display support services.
In addition, we also offer commercial retouching, digital support services and G7 certified contract proofing services exclusively for photographers, designers, ad agencies, and artists.
Hire An APA Pro is designed to help clients easily find photographers and for photographers to find studios and crew members. Important Benefit for All Members
Hire An APA Pro is commensurate: the higher your member level, the more searchable specialties and portfolio images you are entitled to, and the higher up in the search results you will appear.
APA Member Level / Number of Specialties & Images
ProPlus: 10 Professional: 8 Emerging: 5 Supporter: 3 Contributor: 1
Photo assistants add yourself to Hire an APA Pro Assistant
If you are a photographer and an assistant, you can now show up in either search results, by selecting Photographer for your primary profession, then on the same Edit Specialties page, you will see "Assistant" -- use that pull-down to select "I am also an Assistant" and select your assistant specialties/skill set. Click "Update Profile".
Sample View of profile:
INOVATIV is a California-based company that designs and manufactures world-class mobile workstations right here in the USA. Everything from lightweight compact travel carts to complex studio-based workstations capable of holding a wide variety of monitors, cinema and broadcast cameras, specialized scientific equipment, and other high-end critical computation. Our products are known for their reliability, durability, tool-less assembly, and clever design.
APA Members at the Supporter level and above save 10% on their products.
As a benefit of membership, APA assists our international Professional and Leader members in documenting your professional status and photographer requirements in your USA Visa application, for an Advisory opinion in support of O-1 petition (letter of no objection).
Annual (not Monthly) Leader or Pro level Membership is required, and there is a one-year minimum.
APA has a no-refund policy.
Examples of your photographic work are also required, and upon APA reviewer approval, qualified applicants will receive an official statement denoting photographer with exceptional ability.
There is a one-time $200 review and processing fee
If you are not yet an APA Professional and Leader member, please wait until after the APA reviewer approval before joining, then join at the Professional or Leader level on the annual plan. Please note that memberships auto-renew. The photographer should be the person to agree to the terms, self-join, and set up their online profile.
Contact our National Executive Director, Juliette Wolf-Robin (executivedirector@apanational.org) for details.
APA Chapter Attorney Referrals
Many APA Chapters maintain referral lists of qualified attorneys in their area. Members often prefer to retain local legal assistance so they can easily meet face to face, and so their counsel is knowledgeable about relevant State laws. Contact your Chapter directly to request the current Chapter Attorney Referral list. This Chapter benefit is available to all membership levels.
Please note that while you may choose to, you are under no obligation to retain the attorney after your initial consultation.
Nanuk is a Canadian manufacturer of top-quality waterproof protective cases for cameras, drones, microphones, and everything in between. Tried and tested in the Great North, Nanuk aims to provide gearheads and creatives alike with the means to keep their equipment in top shape through any adventure. Your gear is only as secure as the case holding it. At Nanuk, we make our cases for those who understand that small details can add up to big consequences. The product of a rigorous and relentless optimization process, each Nanuk case is fully resistant to water, dust, and all kinds of falls and shocks. They are the first, and last, line of defense between your gear and whatever life throws at it. Whether it be its lifetime warranty or its indestructible outer shell, Nanuk's higher standard of quality will provide you with the confidence to push your boundaries.
All APA members now get a 30% discount on all Nanuk products at www.nanuk.com!
Photo Mechanic® is the Fast Media Browser That Helps You View, Organize, Manage, and Export Digital Photos.
APA members receive a 10% discount on new licenses and upgrades.
Plug in your memory cards and start picking winners and deleting rejects almost instantaneously. Move from image to image without that annoying rendering delay. Add dynamic caption, copyright, and keyword information individually or in batches. Upload images to online galleries or image services in a flash. And, so much more! Photo Mechanic is the ultimate file and metadata management tool.
https://www.photodeck.com
PhotoDeck is the professional's choice for a modern photography website: - super-fast, responsive HTML5 websites, native video support - highly customizable designs, full-page still and video backgrounds capabilities - easy to use and flexible proofing suitable for commercial clients: secured by https, galleries protected by password or individual-level permissions, direct downloads, lightboxes, ... zero-commission ecommerce for downloads, stock, prints... - SEO tools, social networks integration APA members at the Supporter level and above benefit from an ongoing 15% discount on the PRO and STUDIO plans
Learn more and try for free now!
One-on-One & On Demand Creative Meetings with some of the industry's leading creative directors, art directors, editors, publishers and more...
PhotoPolitics Creative Meetings
APA members save 20% off any of annual plans, in perpetuity. More than 80,000 photographers worldwide use PhotoShelter to power their photography business. Offering websites with e-commerce, searchable galleries, client log-in, reliable cloud storage and essential Internet marketing tools; PhotoShelter is the industry's leading resource for serious photographers looking to have their images found, sold and delivered online.
Offer details:
Customizable Website E-commerce (for print & product sales, image licensing: rights managed, royalty free and personal use) Enhanced SEO Social sharing tools Directory listing
Photoshelter discount is a benefit for members at the Supporter level or above.
PICTO services professional photographers' needs from retouching, to printing, and framing images. It was created in Paris in 1950 by Pierre Gassmann, a true pioneer of photography. Since then, Picto has become a leading partner of the world’s most famous photographers as well as the most prestigious brands in the world of fashion, luxury and beauty.
APA members receive a 20% discount on all printing services.
The APA Member Pro Media Photo ID Card is specifically designed to help expedite quick check-in service at airports, as well as to facilitate the pro media discount on excess baggage, available through many airlines. Pro Media Cards can only be sent to USA & Canada addresses.
Note: Pro Media Photo ID Cards are available to APA Members at the Emerging, Professional, & ProPlus member levels, for just $25. If you are a current member and would like to upgrade to our Associate member level or above please send an email to membershiprep@apanational.org.
Following are the main advantages of our Pro Media ID card:
Disclaimer: Not all airlines accept Pro Media Cards as approved media credentials.
Pro Photo Daily Everything you need to know as a photographer. Photo news, announcements, opinion and creative inspiration. Subscribe for free here.
Motion Arts Pro The art and craft of filmmaking for modern visual storytellers. Daily updates, news and tools plus inspiring projects you can learn from, be inspired by or support. Subscribe for free here.
Having progressional insurance to protect important business assets is smart. As a matter of fact, insurance is so important that APA created a dedicated business unit to handle our members professional insurance needs. It's business insurance designed by photographers for photographers. As the leading not-for-profit organization serving professional photographers we know the unique demands of this industry. Our business insurance team can customize a policy that fits the unique demands of any photographer. For more info, and to receive a free quote from AIS (APA Insurance Services) please go here.
Additionally, we have special policies available for students and educators.
Professional business insurance is a benefit for members at the Supporter level and above.
All APA members are entitled to a full 20% discount on rentals by simply showing your current APA Member Card, or current APA Pro Media Photo ID when you pick up your equipment order.
For over 40 years, Samy's Camera has been the leader in sales of high quality imaging products and the ultimate resource for the professional and amateur photographer. Knowledgeable sales staff, exceptional customer service, and an impressive up-to-date inventory are the reasons that Samy's Camera enjoys a loyal following. Samy founded Samy's Camera in 1976 with a vision for a full service store. This vision is exemplified in all of our locations including our flagship store in Los Angeles, with three floors stocked with the latest and most exciting selection of photographic, video and electronics equipment available.
Samy's Camera rents a huge assortment of photography equipment, including digital cameras and lenses, photo lighting and studio grip gear. Our clients include students, professional photographers, movie studios, and more. We offer lighting equipment, a wide variety of digital cameras and lenses, camera kits, tripods, scanners, underwater photography equipment, video gear, and film cameras from 35mm up to 4x5 and 8x10, plus panoramic format cameras. You can pick up your rental gear at one of our locations throughout California or we'll be happy to ship it to your location.
Our Camera Department carries an extensive selection of digital SLRs, lenses and point and shoots from every major manufacturer. Samy's realizes that professional photographers, as well as amateurs and students are always seeking the most advanced photographic and video technology. Samy's rental department constantly updates its extensive rental inventory to provide one easy stop to prepare for any shoot or project. For those looking to "trade up" or find a rare and unique camera, our Used Camera Department buys and sells an extensive selection of used cameras and lenses.
The Pro Department carries an unparalleled selection of medium and large format cameras, digital backs, lighting and accessories. We have Apple certified specialists on staff ready to design any digital photo or video workflow system. Professional and amateur video equipment can be found along with expert assistance in our Video Department. Our Film and Printer Department carries all types and sizes of film, darkroom equipment, digital printers and scanners and supplies. Our state of the art in-house lab offers a large array of high quality digital imaging services from retouching and restoration, to large format museum quality prints in our Service Bureau.
Samy's Camera regularly hosts equipment demonstrations, special sessions with manufacturers, product training, and guest classes - all in addition to our own classes held in our state of the art computer lab at Samy's EDU. Our EDU blog is a place to find useful information online about classes, workshops and photo trips. It's also a place to connect to the photo community and see helpful videos from our instructors and friends.
In the past 15 years, Samy's Camera has expanded to include successful full-service stores in San Francisco, Pasadena, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara and Culver City. We now provide this renowned service, information and product inventory nationwide at samys.com or 1-800-321-4SAMY.
Secure Data Recovery is the worldwide leader in data recovery. They offer quick turnarounds and the most reliable data recovery services. Secure Data Recovery holds the most certifications in the industry and operates Class 10 ISO 4 Cleanrooms to ensure your devices are safe and secure throughout the recovery process. Their team can recover data regardless of media type, manufacturer, failure, and file system or format. They can recover data from CFexpress, SDXC, SDHC, and other SD cards, as well as legacy form factors and standards, hard drives, SSD, RAID, and more.
Secure Data Recovery is the worldwide leader in data recovery. They offer quick turnarounds and the most reliable data recovery services. They can recover data from CFexpress, SDXC, SDHC, and other SD cards, as well as legacy form factors and standards, hard drives, SSD, RAID, and more.
To access this, or any other of your member benefits, login to your My APA account and visit the Discounts Code page.
SmugMug is your photography business partner. We connect photographers with revenue. We help you sell smarter and sell more. Focus on what you do best: photography. Sell Your Photos. Photo Storage. Photography Portfolios. Photo Sharing. Safe & Secure.
Through APA's partnership with SmugMug, you get an exclusive savings 20% off your new account and APA gets a referral fee, it’s a win-win!
Tether Tools helps simplify digital photography workflow by offering modular workstation solutions and elegant connection tools to create a seamless tethered workflow. With versatile gear designed to improve your process, you can worry less about your tech and focus more on capturing the perfect images.
APA members at the Supporter level and above receive to a 15% discount on Tether Tools products at www.TetherTools.com.
This benefit is available to APA members at the Supporter level and above.
Think Tank Photo offers APA members a free product and free U.S. shipping on every order over $50. No code is required, simply shop through APA’s affiliate link to access the benefit.
This benefit is available to members at the Supporter level and above.
Versatile Studios is happy to provide a discount to APA Members. APA Members, by showing your current APA Member Card, will receive a 10% discount on Studio or Production Office rentals as well as a 10% discount on Production Equipment rentals and any other in house equipment rentals. They are also offering up to 10% on Post Production services dependent on the project (done on a sliding scale basis).
versatilestudios.com
Voelker Studio is now offering a 10% discount on Studio Rental to APA Members. Just show your membership card.
It is a state of the art 5,300 square foot workspace located in the heart of the greater Los Angeles creative zone. Built for one purpose - to inspire photographers and talent to create images beyond the realm of the ordinary
Voelker Studio offers a variety of shoot locations, both inside and out. Multi-purpose backdrops, backgrounds and flats are abundantly available, while the on-site garden and alleyways provide secluded settings that run from urban environment to desert habitat with a simple change of angle!
thevoelkerstudio.com
Includes chapter events, photographer interviews, partner discounts, industry trends, and more.
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