Protect - Promote - Inspire The Association of Photographers was first formed in 1968 as the Association of Fashion and Advertising Photographers and is one of the most prestigious professional photographers' associations in the world. The AOP's aims remain the same today as they were nearly 50 years ago: To promote and protect the worth and standing of its members, to vigorously defend, educate and lobby for the interests and rights of all photographers, especially in the commercial photographic industry. Membership is open to: Professional Photographers, Assistants, Agents and Students. Our members' clients include: advertising agencies, design groups, corporate sector companies, publishing houses and music publishers. Our members' work is: published worldwide in magazines, newspapers, books and advertising campaigns. Many members produce work as fine art, sold and collected through traditional galleries and online. The Association brings professional photographers together and provides a sense of community that is simply unavailable anywhere else. We promote the highest levels of achievement and we lobby for our members' interests at all levels.