American Society of Media Photographers

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The American Society of Media Photographers, abbreviated ASMP, is a society of professional photographers, including many photojournalists but also experts in architectural, underwater, culinary and advertising photography and other specialties. Its members are primarily those who photograph for publication (as contrasted to those who directly serve the consumer, such as wedding and portrait photographers).

It was founded in 1944 as the Society of Magazine Photographers, but soon changed to American Society of Magazine Photographers because the acronym SMP was already being used by another organization. In 1992, recognizing that it had grown far beyond the borders of the magazine industry, it adopted the current name. For its 60th anniversary, the Society prepared this retrospective of its early years. The ASMP now has over 5000 members in over 30 countries.

ASMP advocates for photographers' legal rights, supports information-sharing among members, and provides business and technical information. Much of the material is freely available to the public. For instance, it offers a web tutorial on registering your copyrights and another one on model releases and property releases. It also helps users of images find qualified photographers for project assignments and find unique images for commercial applications.