Constitution
of the American Society Of Photographers
ARTICLE I. NAME
Section I.
The name of this society shall be the American Society of Photographers, Inc. (ASP) and is a Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Affiliate in good standing.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
ASP is a society of professional photographic artists who aspire to maintain the highest level of excellence by adhering to ethical standards, stimulating creativity and continually refining technical competence. The goal of organization is to promote education, foster fellowship and perpetuate the ideals of photography as a science and an art.
• To recognize and honor the qualitative achievements of its members through awarding the Associate, Fellowship Degrees, Gold Medallion, Regional Medallion and State Elite Awards.
• To encourage the highest standards of practice and principles.
• To meet, share experiences and exchange ideas that not only benefit ourselves but also those clients we serve.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Section I.
The members of the Society shall consist of Active, Life, Honorary Life, International members, or whatever other classifications the Society may deem advisable to establish.
Section II.
• Active members shall be professional photographers who have been awarded a degree by the Professional Photographers of America, Inc.
• Active members must be members in good standing of the Professional Photographers of America, Inc.
A member failing to maintain membership in the PPA, Inc. shall have his or her membership in the American Society of Photographers automatically suspended pending renewal of his or her PPA, Inc. membership.
• After written invitation by the ASP, Inc., a holder of any degree conferred by the PPA, Inc. may, by personal application, be eligible for active membership in the ASP, Inc. The Board of Governors will review all the applications prior to approval.
Section III.
• Life Membership may be awarded by the Executive Committee to any member who has been a member of the ASP, Inc. for five consecutive years, who is listed as a PPA Life Member or a Retired Member who is permanently retired from the active full time practice of photography and is at least 60 years old.
Section IV.
• Honorary Life Membership shall be granted on the recommendation of the Board of Governors. They should be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to photography. The recipient may be, but not need be, a member of ASP.
• Honorary Life Members shall be entitled to all privileges, services and benefits of the Society and are not required to pay annual dues.
• Honorary Life Membership shall be granted to all past presidents of the Society.
• Honorary Life Memberships shall be presented at the annual banquet of the Society.
Section V.
International Membership shall be extended to the degree holders of any international photographic associations, as the Board of Governors deem advisable.
Section VI.
By becoming a member of this Society, such a member automatically accepts the constitution and by-laws of the Society. If his or her membership is not fully paid, or, for any other reason he or she is not in good standing, he or she automatically pledges him or her self to discontinue using the ASP logo and claiming membership. Members may NOT use ASP when indicating their degrees unless they hold the Associate, Honorary Associate, Fellowship or Honorary Fellowship Degree.
Section VII.
Each and every amendment to the charter, constitution and by-laws of this Society shall constitute a part of the contract between the Society and its members.
ARTICLE IV. BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Section I.
There shall be a Board of Governors of 11 members including four officers, the immediate past president, a.k.a. Chairman of the Board, and six governors.
Section II. Officers
The officers shall be:
• Chairman of the Board
• President 4.) Vice President
3.) President-Elect 5.) Secretary-Treasurer
• The officers shall serve for a one-year period corresponding to the fiscal year of the Society. Officers may not serve in any one office for more than three consecutive years. Advancement of any officer shall not be automatic due to the time served or positions held, except that of the Chairman of the Board and President. The Chairman of the Board will be the immediate Past President and at which time the President-Elect will assume the office of the President.
• A minimum of three Governor positions will be up for election each year. The three candidates receiving the most votes at the annual election will serve a two-year term, unless elected to the executive board prior to the completion of his/her term. In the event that more than three Governors are elected in one year, those candidates filling the forth, fifth and sixth positions as determined by votes received, will initially serve a one-year term. Governors may not serve more than five consecutive two-year terms.
• The officers and members of the Board of Governors will be elected by mail-in ballet prior to the annual meeting.
• Nominations for the Officers shall come from the current Board of Governors.
Section III. Nominations
• Publication. The Nomination Committee shall meet at such a time so as their nominations for Officers and Governors (picture and biography) may be published in the association's newsletter, two issues prior to the election at the annual meeting.
• At-Large Nomination. Following the publication of the nomination committee's proposed slate, a Governor may choose to run for any of the elected offices up to and including President Elect, provided they meet the requirements for such office. Any member in good standing may choose to run for Governor. If such an "at-large" nomination is desired, the following procedure shall be followed:
• Secure an official At-Large nomination form from the nomination chairman within 14 days after notice in the association's newsletter has been given of those nominated by the board.
• Complete the form according to the specified instructions on it.
• Return the completed form, picture and biography to the nominating chairman by the deadline on the form.
• The determination of the nominating committee as to the authenticity and legality of the completed form(s) shall be final.
c.) Non-Contested Election. If no at-large nomination forms are filed within
the designated period or there is only one candidate per Office or Governorship, the nominated slate of candidates shall be declared elected by the members at the Annual meeting.
d.) Contested Elections. If at-large nominations are received or there is more
than one candidate per Office or Governorship, the names of all candidates for that position shall be arranged on a ballot in alphabetical order. Instructions will be to vote for the number of candidates to fill the vacancies. The revised slate and ballot shall be published in the issue of the newsletter sent prior to the annual meeting.
• Voting. Ballots must be completed in accordance with the accompanying instructions and postmarked at least 10 days prior to the annual meeting. Ballots shall remain unopened until such a time as they are called for during the annual meeting and tallied by committee. Any ballots received postmarked after the deadline shall be presented to the Board unopened.
f.) In the event there is no annual meeting; the election of the Board of Governors and of the officers shall be initiated and conducted by the Secretary-Treasurer by the 11 th month of the fiscal year. Voting shall be within 30 days of the date of mailing the ballots to the membership. The Secretary-Treasurer and the Nominating Chair shall count the mail ballots and shall announce the newly elected Board of Governors and officers in the next published newsletter.
g.) The President shall fill all vacancies in the Board of Governors until the next election.
h.) The Chairman of the Board shall automatically vacate the Board at the end of his or her one-year term.
i.) There shall be an Executive Committee of the Board to consist of the five officers. The President and two others shall constitute a quorum. They shall meet at the call of the President to conduct the business of the Society and report to the Board of Governors.
ARTICLE V. DUTIES AND POWERS
Section I.
Subject to the limitations and restrictions of this Constitution, the Board of Governors shall have full and complete power and authority to enact and pass, and thereafter when in force and effect, execute and enforce any and all statutes, by-laws, rules, regulations, or ritualistic provisions which shall not conflict with a state or federal law, and which to the said Board of Governors shall seem necessary or expedient to accomplish the objects and purposes of this organization.
• A simple majority of the Board of Governors shall constitute a quorum to do business at a meeting of the Board of Governors.
Section II.
a.) The President shall be the executive head of the organization. He/she shall have all the legal powers and duties of and act as President of the organization and of the Board of Governors. The President shall be elected by the members, using a mail ballot occurring one year prior to the scheduled commencement of the President's term of office. From September 1st of this individual's election until the following annual meeting, this individual shall be referred to as the "President Elect." The President Elect shall take office as President at the annual meeting following the meeting at which the individual was elected. The President being the principal executive officer of the organization shall, in general, supervise and control all the business affairs of the organization. The President shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by the Bylaws, or as shall from time to time, be imposed by the Board of Governors.
b.) The Chairman of the Board , also known as the immediate Past-President, shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors. In the event he/she is unable to serve, the President shall preside. The Chairman of the Board shall schedule and secure locations for all meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors. He shall notify and confirm attendance of all board members and be responsible for the preparation and distribution of the meeting agenda. The Chairman of the Board shall serve as Nominating Chair. He/she and his/her committee shall seek out and recommend for election, qualified individuals to assume the roles of each position of the Board of Governors, save the President and Chairman of the Board. He/she shall be accessible and serve in an advisory capacity to the Executive Offices and Governors.
c.) The President-Elect shall have all the legal powers and duties of said office. He/she shall be deemed second-in-command. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board and President or their ability to serve, the President-Elect shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors. The President-Elect shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by the Bylaws, or as shall from time to time, be imposed by the Board of Governors. Once elected as President-Elect, his/her election to President cannot be contested.
d.) The Vice President shall have all the legal powers and duties of said office, and in the d absence of the President-Elect, shall occupy that position. The members shall elect the Vice President by mail ballot prior to the annual meeting and the term of office shall correspond to the Society's fiscal year (Sept 1- Aug 31). The Vice President shall serve as Membership Chair and through him/her or his/her committee, work directly with the State Representative Chair to foster lasting memberships and to recruit and support new members.
e.) The Secretary-Treasurer shall have the legal powers and duties of said office. He/she may receive compensation for his/her services as fixed by the Board of Governors. The Secretary-Treasurer, at the discretion of the Board of Governors, shall be bonded a sum acceptable to the Board of Governors, at the expense of the Society. All business of the Board of Governors, including elections within the Board, may be conducted by correspondence through the office of the Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be authorized as one of the signing officers for the organization for his/her term of office. The members shall elect the Secretary-Treasurer by mail ballot prior to the annual meeting and the term of office shall correspond to the Society's fiscal year (Sept 1- Aug 31). The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for the performance of the following duties:
• Keep the minutes of the meetings of the annual meeting, the executive meeting, and meetings of the Board of Governors;
• Assure the safe custody of the society's records;
• See that the seal of the society is affixed to all documents, the execution of which, on behalf of the society under its seal, is duly authorized;
• See to the safe custody of all moneys of the society;
• Keep an accurate accounting of all moneys received and disbursed incident to the office of Treasurer;
• In general, perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary-Treasurer, and have such other duties and exercise such authority as from time to time may be delegated or assigned by the President, or by the Board of Governors.
f.) At the discretion of the Board of Governors, an Executive Director may be appointed annually, or until replaced by majority vote. In the event of the appointment of an Executive Director, that person may assume any or all of the duties of the elected Secretary-Treasurer. The Executive Director may be, but not necessarily have to be a governor, officer or member of the Society. He/she shall be knowledgeable concerning the administrative operation of the society and about the photographic trade. He/she shall be employed by the organization as an independent contractor. The Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Executive Committee shall determine his/her compensation. Duties shall include but not be limited to:
1.) The Executive Director shall maintain membership rolls and send dues notices no less than 30 days prior to the close of the calendar year, and reminder notices to those delinquent. A list of delinquents shall be sent to the Membership Chair and State Representative Chair for distribution to the State Representatives for immediate action. A monthly membership report shall be filed with the President and Membership Chair. He/she shall possess and maintain a computer capable of retaining and distributing ASP records in a fashion that would be retrievable by current operating systems and software.
2.) He/she shall maintain an up-to-date point system for Fellowship and Associate degrees by receiving copies of an individual's merit report or certificates and posting them to the member's records and report to the member upon request.
3.) He/she shall advise the Fellowship and Associate Chairs when individual members have attained the necessary points to apply for either degree.
4.) The Executive Director shall prepare all plaques, ribbons and certificates for degree recipients and maintain sufficient inventory to meet the demands.
5.) He/she shall coordinate with the ASP Banquet Chair to handle all details with PPA staff towards making preparations for the annual ASP banquet. He/she shall prepare the banquet printed program.
6.) He/she shall handle all ASP correspondence by making direct answers or routing inquiries to proper persons. A copy of all correspondence shall be sent to the President.
7.) The Executive Director may relieve the Secretary-Treasurer of his/her duties to maintain the financial affairs of the Society. This shall include but not be limited to, the posting of all receipts, managing the bank accounts, writing checks on all authorized invoices recorded on Income/Expense vouchers with receipts attached, and file receipts for all payments made. Information shall be posted to appropriate budget expense journals.
8.) He/she or the Secretary-Treasurer must prepare a monthly financial statement from computer records and distribute it to each officer. This statement shall include but not be limited to a balance sheet and check register. He/she shall keep a vigilant watch on the actual versus budgeted expenses and advise those authorizing expenditures when funds are disproportional or exhausted on any line item.
9.) He/she may relieve the Secretary-Treasurer of his/her duty to record the minutes of all Executive Committee meetings, Board of Governors meetings and general meetings and prepare copies of it and distribute them to each member of the Board of Governors within 30 days of each meeting.
10.) He/she shall prepare and file all corporate, federal, state and local tax returns before their corresponding deadlines.
11.) The office of Executive Director shall be bonded at the expense of the Society.
12.) The Executive Director shall prepare and publish a Society Newsletter containing information and educational features pertinent to the membership. The President shall name a committee to assist with newsgathering and shall prepare a message for each issue. The Executive Director shall encourage all officers and Board members to submit information and/or articles for publication in the newsletter. The number of issues shall be determined at the Fall Executive Board meeting.
Section III.
All and any persons appointed to any official position in the organization shall hold office for such term as may be designated by the appointing power. No term shall exceed the elected term of the appointing power. The appointing power in all shall have the absolute right of removal.
ARTICLE VI. ENACTMENTS
Section I.
The Constitution and By-laws may be changed without previous notice, provided a ¾ majority of those present at the annual meeting approve.
Section II.
Any member to the Board of Governors may propose amendments. A simple majority vote of the Board shall be necessary for the recommendation of the adoption of any amendment. An amendment recommended by the Board of Governors shall be published and sent to the complete membership at least 30 days before the vote is taken. A simple majority vote of the complete membership shall adopt or reject such an amendment.
ARTICLE VII. THE FELLOWSHIP
Section I.
In keeping with its dedication to the pursuit of the ultimate in creativity and excellence, the American Society of Photographers, Inc., has instituted the Fellowship with the hope that it will motivate the PPA Masters to new artistic attainment from which they will gain added recognition among their fellows and the public, which they serve.
Section II.
• Eligibility to apply for the ASP Fellowship requires that an individual hold at least one of the PPA Master degrees and have acquired 15 points in the Masters Exhibition of the American Society of Photographers. (Membership in ASP is necessary to acquire points towards this degree.) Only ASP active, life, honorary life and international members are eligible for Fellowship points.
• The applicant must have been a member of the ASP and the PPA for three consecutive years prior to applying for the Fellowship.
• The applicant must submit a portfolio of images characteristic of his or her finest work as required in the ASP's Fellowship Guide. (Note: The guide details all current requirements for the Fellowship.)
• The applicant must write a paper incorporating his or her philosophy, life work and achievements in photography. The paper should not be less than 2,000 words.
Section III.
A jury of peers will judge the portfolio and the paper composed of five who must be members of the ASP as selected by the ASP Board of Governors. At least four of the jurors must hold the ASP Fellowship. The decision for awarding of the Fellowship shall reside in this jury.
Section IV.
The Society reserves the right to publish the paper (in whole or in part) in any manner whatsoever, and to reproduce any of the images for publication or any other uses deemed necessary by the Board of Governors of the ASP, Inc.,
Section V.
Recipients of the Fellowship must maintain membership in the ASP and PPA Recipients are encouraged to use "Fellow American Society of Photographers." The abbreviated forms "Fellow ASP and F-ASP" are acceptable. Such use must be after PPA honors. (i.e., M.Photog. Fellow ASP. or M.Photog. F-ASP).
ARTICLE VIII. THE HONORARY FELLOWSHIP
The highest honor our Society can offer for selfless, uncompromising dedication to the achievement of contributions, which eminently advance the image of professional photography, is the Honorary Fellowship. This is awarded to an individual, not necessarily active in professional practice, but who has contributed greatly to photographers and photography. He or she may or may not be a member of PPA or ASP. Only one Honorary Fellowship may be awarded in any one year and only by two years of unanimous ASP Board approval. Recommendation of the Honorary Fellowship may be submitted to the ASP Board of Fellowship Committee for consideration.
ARTICLE IX. THE ASSOCIATE
Section I.
The Associate is conferred on those special individuals who actively participate and promote the ideals and philosophies of the organization beyond the initial recognition given with their election into Society. It is available to all active, life, honorary life and international members of the Society that hold a PPA Craftsman degree.
Section II.
A total of 30 Associate points must be obtained to qualify for application and judging. Upon application and with the approval of the official jury, the Associate will be conferred to the candidates. The applicant must submit a thesis for judging. This thesis must be a product of individual research and thought that demonstrates the applicant's mastery of the field and supports a position for a new idea, development or trend.
Section III.
Only ASP active, life, honorary life and international members are eligible for Associate points. Members must first have earned their PPA Photographic Craftsman degree before achievement merits will be credited to their records. Associate points may be earned thus:
• For service to professional photography through writing, teaching, speaking and judging. The number of Associate points to correlate with the number of PPA merits awarded for that same function. All other PPA service and exhibition merits are not eligible.
• Membership in ASP is necessary to accrue points for the Associate.
Section IV.
Applicants for the Associate must have been a member of the Society for the previous three years before making application. Points for eligibility are established only from the Executive Director's records.
Section V.
The Executive Director will notify members when they are eligible. Forms to obtain Associate points will be sent annually by the Secretary or Executive Director either by special mailing or by publication in the Newsletter. To substantiate PPA merits, members must complete the form and return it with photocopies of the PPA merit forms or the PPA Merit Report. This must be received by the Executive Director between January 1 and March 31 annually.
Section VI.
When a member is eligible, the thesis along with a biographical and business profile must be submitted to the Executive Director no later than March 1 of a given year in order to be considered for that year's judging. The judging shall be done by a standards committee, which is appointed by the President and approved by the Board of Governors. The committee shall consist of five members, three of which must hold the degree of F-ASP or A-ASP. The results of this judging shall be known by May 31 st .
• The Society reserves the right to publish the paper (in whole or in part) in any manner whatsoever.
Section VII.
Persons receiving Associate should use A-ASP after their name. The Fellowship supersedes the Associate and persons holding both will use F-ASP, A.
ARTICLE X. HONORARY ASSOCIATE
Section I.
The Board of the ASP may from time to time; confer on any individual, an Honorary Associate by virtue of past service to the ASP or for outstanding contributions to photography. The recipient need not be a member of the Society. The Honorary Associate may be awarded to individuals already holding the Associate or the Fellowship. The Honorary Associate differs from the Honorary Fellow in that it is service oriented.
