IMPress is the third International Press Association online publication.  Our first website was introduced on the net over 14 years ago.  Our modest site and early beginning soon expanded as the IPA independent staff membership grew. Prior to 9/11/01, IPA was simply a html website who’s goal was to enable those with talent an opportunity to gain important media access and have an opportunity to share their work on what was the World Wide Web.  Soon after 9/11 we realized that we could no longer offer our Press identification to anyone that wanted it, so we began to change how we did business on the internet.

One of the first things we had to do was build a new and more secure member based website. The new site would require each member to complete an application for membership and provide current address and contact information which we could verify.  We would then enable each independent staff member to have his or her own members profile area where they could build a professional portfolio of their works on our site. They would be able to publish their images and articles on the site and they would not only appear in their profiles, but would be published on our main site.  Through the years our site grew with these contributions from our members and as our security tightened and our Terms of Membership required members to publish their works in order to retain their member status, we realized we needed even more.

Members needed step by step instructions. How to cover an event, how to produce commercial quality work, how to build a professional portfolio and how to earn a living in this troubling and difficult economy.  We not only publish these many informative member support articles but  introduced our first very successful and popular “Not Another Photo Contest” contest.  With over $8,000 in prizes awarded and over 1500 entries, this contest proved that IPA could not only reach hundreds of thousands of photographers and those that appreciate photography who were urged to vote for their favorite photos, but gain a great deal of credibility with the media and the photographic community.

Contestants were not required to pay any entry fees, did not have to be current IPA members and  was open to global photographers.  The Blog was built to help our members understand the benefits of membership, but more importantly, to help them understand the many opportunities they would have as members. Visit our blog to read all the informative articles there.

Today there are many intern opportunities offered by many companies.  It has been proven that these non-paid internships offer those without experience a chance to get the valuable experience employers seek when interviewing new staff members.  They have also proved that these interns  will stand a better chance of getting a job and will also earn 20-40% more then those that have never interned or lack valuable experience.  Well, the IPA program is often compared to these intern programs. Our members pay a small yearly fee to help support the IPA operations and then become part of our independent staff.

Members are then  instructed how to cover events, shows, concerts, write reviews, articles, process their images, showcase their best works, how to meet prospective clients and much more. Our Press identification and our authorization to cover events offers them the opportunity to publish the articles and photos from the coverage of these events on our site. This helps them understand how paid members of the media do their jobs and enables them to build their portfolios, their experience and confidence.  All submitted articles are read and approved by our editors prior to publication on our site and all images are also reviewed.

Now,  IPA wanted to create a new showplace for our members best works.  The start of IMPress our new online magazine was the logical step to accomplish these goals.  We created the name IMPress because to us it had two meanings.  The first meaning one can understand is that of a publication that will impress those that visit the publication and see our members works.  The second meaning is a bit of a play on that name. Since our members are part of the independent press, we felt our magazine’s name would call attention to their status and one reading our title might read it as,  ”I aM Press”,  which best describes who our members are.

We hope that you will visit our new publication often to see some of the wonderful works of our staff and will tell others to do the same.  Welcome to IMPress, I am sure you will find our articles of interest, our photographs exceptional and our staff members…unique in their abilities.

International Press Association is a professional, global, online organization made up of independent photographers, videographers, photojournalists, journalists and writers who are seeking a platform that will enable them to hone their skills, gain exposure for their works and earn the credibility that comes with their best works published on a upscale international platform.  IPA is a 20 year old organization that was the brainchild of internationally published photographer, journalist and marketeer, Len Rapoport.  Originally started as a local organization in the state of New Jersey, where Len ran seminar workshops to teach studio photography to local photographers.

As a corporate communications consultant and accomplished photographer and marketeer, he decided the, then new internet, would be a good platform to expand his concept of “Learning By Doing” and launched their first website. To enable their members access to events and shows, IPA issued their own set of tools including press identification to each of its members. This gave those members some limited access to events that enabled them to photograph subjects with others of the media and write their articles. As the internet grew and changed IPA has kept up with the technology, launching its main web site almost 7 years ago.  This site gives each member their own members profile area or Portfolio that will display their best work.  Their article and photos are published on the site as well and this has now become the site to recruit new members and display members works.  In 2010, IPA launched their second site, their member support blog which now is the main support area for all members. Both members and non-members will find many informative articles from covering a media event or show to the proper way to build a professional profile.

In November 2011, IPA once again launched their third site, an online magazine named IMPress.  As you have read, this became an instant success with readership growing at an astounding rate of 20% each and every month since its launch.  Our most highly skilled and motivated IPA members were invited to join the IMPress staff and as you can see they have done a wonderful job by publishing informative and interesting articles and photos for all to enjoy.

IPA continues to seek out new members who are in need of help in honing their skills so they can become better earners, or those that simply love photography and or writing and want to enjoy the benefits that comes with membership.  To join IPA and to be considered for a staff position, please visit our main site and complete our application for membership.