ASMP Colorado Board Retreat in Westcliffe: Notes from the Mountains

In 2023 the ASMP Colorado board drove south to Westcliffe, a small town in the Wet Mountain Valley where the Sangre de Cristo range fills the whole western sky. ASMP, the American Society of Media Photographers, exists to stand up for working photographers. Once a year its Colorado board steps away from the day-to-day to decide what the next year should look like.

A house in the valley

We rented a house in town and lived together for a few days. The agenda covered the mornings. The real work happened after it ran out, around the kitchen table and late into the evening, workshopping ideas and talking honestly about the shape of our industry.

One question kept coming back: how does ASMP stay the clearest voice for independent photographers, the people trying to build a fruitful career doing the work they dream about? Of everything from my years on the board, those conversations are my favorite memory.

The work of the board

The practical side mattered too. We went through the trends reshaping photography, the rights photographers need to protect, the chapter’s finances and goals for the year, and how to grow membership across Colorado. Ordinary board work, done with mountains outside the window.

Two years as webmaster

I served two years on the board as webmaster. I kept our digital files current, maintained the website, blog and event calendar, and worked closely with our events lead and a fellow board member, an AP photojournalist who wrote our website copy. It was quiet, behind-the-scenes work, and it taught me how much a small organization depends on the people who keep its doors open.

In the classroom

The part of the role I loved most was teaching. I spent a day as guest instructor for the commercial photography class at Arapahoe Community College, and visited Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design to talk with students about student membership in ASMP, share the real lessons of running a photography business and take every question they had.

Standing in front of the next generation of photographers is a good way to remember why you started.

Why I recommend ASMP

If you are a working photographer, or a student about to become one, ASMP is worth your time. It advocates for photographers’ rights, teaches better business practices and connects clients with professionals. The licensing approach I use with my own clients grew in part from conversations like the ones in Westcliffe.

Read our story, meet TJ, or see what trail running has taught me.