FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Mark Bohland has finished the requirements for a Master of Photography degree.  Bohland is the first North Central Ohio (Richland, Morrow and Crawford Counties) photographer to hold that degree in thirty years.  The last Mansfield area photographer to earn a Master of Photography degree through the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), was John Smucker, who retired in the 1970’s. 

Bohland, who has also earned a Master of Education degree from Ashland University, talked about the difference between the degrees. “While taking classes and passing a written examination were part of earning a Master of Photography degree, one can’t simply pay for classes, write a few papers and receive the degree.  Unlike my Master of Education degree, where no one actually watched me teach, the Master of Photography is a performance degree.”  The majority of the credits required for the degree can only be earned by submitting photographic images for juried review, by a panel of national experts from the PPA.  Bohland said, “Submitting a photographic print for review, does not mean an automatic credit toward the degree.  In the beginning, I had a lot to learn about creating an exceptional image.  Many of my early images were rejected.”  Now other professional photographers seek Bohland’s advice to improve their images.  Several hundred of Bohland’s images may be viewed at his website www.MPhoto.com.

There are over 1,000 professional photographers in Ohio.  However, less than 100 of them have earned a Master of Photography degree.  According to Marissa Pitts from the Professional photographers of America, there are only 550 photographers nationwide who have done so.

Professional Photographers of America, the world’s largest and most influential photographic and imaging trade organization, exists to assist its more than 14,000 members in achieving their professional, artistic, and fraternal goals; to promote public awareness of the profession; and to advance the making of images in all of its disciplines as an art, a science and a visual recorder of history.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:         Mark Bohland at 419-884-1693