The Association of Texas Photography Instructors (ATPI) provides information and resources to teachers and students that work with photography, whether in Art, Journalism, Career and Technology or Vocational curriculum areas.
ATPI publishes a newsletter two to three times a year that is sent to all members and to others interested in news about photography or the association. This glossy publication annually showcases some of the best student and teacher work in Texas and is currently sent to 500+ individuals and companies.
In addition, ATPI annually sponsors a fall photography submitted print competition for students and teachers that includes a variety of categories including video and computer imaging. The 2023 ATPI Contest had more than 6,300 entries from around the state, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada and Oklahoma.
ATPI annually recognizes the top photography programs in the state. In the 2023-2024 school year, Texas High School in Texarkana captured the Top Program title. Clint Smith is the photography teacher at Texas High School. The top program award is based on a portfolio competition of student work. The Rising Star school was Bellaire High School. Andrea Negri was the instructor at the school. In the sixth year of ATPI’s Top Video program, Rock Hill High School in Frisco, Texas captured the award. The program is under the direction of Russell Olsen and Margie Raper.
The Star of Texas is ATPI’s highest award, presented to individuals and companies that have contributed to photo education in Texas. The award has been presented to eighteen individuals and one company since the inception of this honor.
In May 1999, ATPI also began recognizing the top high school shooters in the state. This top “team” of ten student photographers is selected based on the awards they have received in state and national photography contests during the school year.
Since 1994 ATPI has held the Summer Workshop for Instructors Only. The workshop has provided teachers from around Texas and other states (including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Virginia, Washington state and Wisconsin) with classes designed to help teachers become better teachers in such diverse areas as traditional black and white photography, alternative processes, studio lighting, and beginning and advanced digital imaging. The 2024 Summer Workshop spent three-and-a-half days in Allen, TX and offered three tracks – Live Broadcast Bootcamp, Road Trip and The Environmental Portrait. Corporate sponsors have included Adobe, Apple Computers, Arlington Camera, B&H Photo and Video, Canon, Epson, Fort Worth Camera, Ilford, Macromedia, Nikon, Olympus America, PhotoVideo.edu, Precision Camera, Red River Paper, Tamron, Vanguard and The MAC Group.
In 2023, ATPI, thanks to the generosity of Friesens, unveiled Volume 5 of the Best of Texas Scholastic Photography. The 222-page book featured student and faculty work from the last five years of contests. More than 35,000 images were reviewed before selecting the photographs for the book and four instructional posters. Thanks to Friesens, every student with work in the book or on the posters, along with all ATPI members, received a free copy.
In short, ATPI, a Texas non-profit organization, works to help the photography instructors of all disciplines work to achieve a higher quality of knowledge and teaching of photography.
