MARCH 2008 | WWW.PPMAG.COM | $4.95
©Parker Pfister
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PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | MARCH 2008
CONTENTS
MAKING THE MAGIC HAPPENLauded Australian photographer Jerry Ghionisfinds beauty and prosperity in reinvention
by Lorna Gentry
ONE OF A KINDPark Pfister’s special knack for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
by Stephanie Boozer
ENGINEERING A NICHE The tale of Mike Colón and the spiraling wedding market
by Jeff Kent
WEDDINGS: DESTINATION SUCCESS
Business insights for destination wedding photography
by Jeff Kent
IMAGE BY JERRY GHIONIS
104
116
82
94
Features
DepartmentsCONTACT SHEET
20 Party time for Kathy Malaspina
22 Essay: Vive la digital!by Laurie Klein
26 Professional Photographercover contest announced
28 Sacred to sensational: Cliff Mautner’s studio
PROFIT CENTER
33 What I think: David Schwartz
36 Married to marketing by Lorna Gentry
42 Because you’re worth itby Charles J. Lewis
44 The joy of marketing: Attractive pricingby Sarah Petty
THE GOODS
49 What I like: Gene Higa
52 Pro review: Nikon D3by Ellis Vener
58 Archiving: Safe and for saleby Audrey Gray
66 Substrates: Extraordinary printsby Laurence Chen
70 Photoshop and Lightroom:What’s the difference?by Andrew Rodney
76 Tutorial: Photoshop Actionsby Rick Ralston
ON THE COVER: After his first wedding, saysthis month’s cover artist, Parker Pfister, “I sworeI’d never shoot another wedding.” We’re glad hereconsidered. Pfister has been shooting weddingsand portraits exclusively since 1999. Read moreabout Pfister in our feature on p. 104.
6 • www.ppmag.com
14 FOLIO
126 CALENDAR
133 PPA TODAY
154 GOOD WORKSPROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | MARCH 2008 | WWW.PPMAG.COM
Being paid to do beautiful wedding photography in exotic destinations
sounds like a dream come true. Yes, it can be enjoyable and rewarding, as long as you know
that being there on someone else's dime is hardly the time to relax. Take some tips on making
it work from destination photographers Garrett Nudd, Gene Higa and Jessica Claire.
©Jessica C
laire
CONTENTS
82
Mind. Body.
8-9 whcc.indd 2 2/13/08 9:23:03 AM
A Picture-Perfect Relationship
Photography.
8-9 whcc.indd 3 2/13/08 9:23:50 AM
director of sales and strategic alliancesSCOTT HERSH, 610-966-2466, [email protected]
western region ad managerBART ENGELS, 847-854-8182, [email protected]
eastern region ad managerSHELLIE JOHNSON, 404-522-8600, x279, [email protected]
circulation consultant MOLLIE O’SHEA, [email protected]
editorial officesProfessional Photographer
229 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303-1608 U.S.A.404-522-8600; FAX: 404-614-6406
Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly subscriptions
Professional Photographer P.O. Box 2035, Skokie, IL 60076; 800-742-7468;
FAX 404-614-6406; email: [email protected]; Web site: www.ppmag.commember services
PPA - Professional Photographer 800-786-6277; FAX 301-953-2838; e-mail: [email protected]; www.ppa.com
Send all advertising materials to: Debbie Todd, Professional Photographer, 5431 E. Garnet, Mesa, AZ 85206; 480-807-4391; FAX: 480-807-4509
Subscription rates/information: U.S.: $27, one year; $45, two years; $66, three years. Canada: $43, one year; $73, two years; $108, three years.
International: $39.95, one year digital subscription. Back issues/Single copies $7 U.S.; $10 Canada; $15 International.
PPA membership includes $13.50 annual subscription. Subscription orders/changes: Send to Professional Photographer, Attn: Circulation
Dept., P.O. Box 2035, Skokie, IL 60076; 800-742-7468; FAX 404-614-6406; email: [email protected]; Web site: www.ppmag.com.
Periodicals postage paid in Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Professional Photographer magazine,
P.O. Box 2035, Skokie, IL 60076Copyright 2008, PPA Publications & Events, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.
Article reprints: Contact Professional Photographer reprint coordinator at Wrights’s Reprints; 1-877-652-5295.
Microfilm copies: University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106
Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly for $27 per year by PPAPublications and Events, Inc., 229 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 2200, International Tower, Atlanta,GA 30303-1608. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices.
Acceptance of advertising does not carry with it endorsement by the publisher. Opinions expressedby Professional Photographer or any of its authors do not necessarily reflect positions ofProfessional Photographers of America, Inc. Professional Photographer, official journal of theProfessional Photographers of America, Inc., is the oldest exclusively professional photographicpublication in the Western Hemisphere (founded 1907 by Charles Abel, Hon.M.Photog.), incorporatingAbel’s Photographic Weekly, St. Louis & Canadian Photographer, The Commercial Photographer,The National Photographer, Professional Photographer, andProfessional Photographer Storytellers. Circulation audited andverified by BPA Worldwide
10 • www.ppmag.com
PROFESSIONAL
senior editorJOAN [email protected]
features editorLESLIE HUNT
editor-at-largeJEFF KENT
art director/production managerDEBBIE TODD
manager, publications andsales/strategic alliances
KARISA [email protected]
sales and marketing assistantCHERYL [email protected]
EDITORIAL
Show us what you’ve got2008 COVER PHOTO CONTEST
Here at the magazine, we consider ourselves pretty fortunate when
it comes to the industry we cover. While other trade magazines
might struggle to find photography to grace both the cover and the
inside pages, we need only look to the inspired images our readers
are creating every day.
There’s a catch though. In an industry comprised of independent
business owners, it’s sometimes challenging (quite often, actually) to
hear about all the top talent we know is out there. We comb the
forums and online galleries,
pore over the PPA Loan
Collection, read all the
industry publications, keep an
open eye at events, scour
regional newsletters, and take
welcome recommendations
from photographers who have made it to the radar screen.
To broaden the search, we thought of a new tactic to help you
find us: The first-ever Professional Photographer Cover Photo
Contest. We liken it to a nationwide talent search, and we hope we’ll
be introduced to a spate of gifted artists whose work we’ve never
seen, but will fill our magazine far into the future.
So we invite you to submit your entries to us before the May 31
deadline, and take a shot at creating the image that nearly 50,000
PP readers will see when they open their mailboxes in late fall. And
there’s more—not only do you have a chance at the cover, but to win
valuable prizes as well. The first place winner, runners up and those
who win honorable mention will be awarded first-rate gear from
our contest’s generous sponsors, Microsoft, Bogen, Canon, Kodak
and Miller’s Professional Imaging.
Head over to www.ppmag.com to learn all about the prizes,
contest rules and submission guidelines. (A word to the wise:
Entries may be submitted only as uploads to www.ppmag.com.
no print or e-mailed submissions will be accepted.)
We’re looking forward to meeting you! �
Cameron Bishopp
Director of Publications
technical editorsANDREW RODNEY, ELLIS VENER
director of publicationsCAMERON BISHOPP
All entries mustbe uploaded atwww.ppmag.com
Three amazing cameras designed to inspire. Starting with the powerful EOS-1Ds Mark III. With a 21.1-megapixel
full-frame CMOS sensor, dual DiG!C III Image Processors, and a 3-inch LCD monitor, it’s far and away the most remarkable
camera Canon has ever created. The innovative, feature-filled 10.1-megapixel EOS 40D lets
photographers take the next leap forward, with its DiG!C III Image Processor and 6.5 frames-
per-second shooting. Along with the exceptional EOS-1D Mark III with its blazingly fast 10.5
frames-per-second shooting and 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, Canon makes the creative
process easy, rewarding and, most important, inspiring.
©2008 Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon, EOS and DiG!C are registered trademarks of Canon Inc. in the United States. IMAGEANYWARE is a trademark of Canon. All rights reserved.
To get more inspired about the Canon EOS system, go to: www.usa.canon.com/dlc
Professional Photographers of America229 Peachtree St., NE, Suite 2200Atlanta, GA 30303-1608404-522-8600; 800-786-6277FAX: 404-614-6400www.ppa.com
2008-2009 PPA board
president*DENNIS CRAFT M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, [email protected]
vice president*RON NICHOLSM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
treasurer*LOUIS TONSMEIRE Cr.Photog., [email protected]
chairman of the board*JACK REZNICKICr.Photog., Hon.M.Photog., [email protected]
directorsDON DICKSONM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
SANDY (SAM) PUC’ M.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]
RALPH ROMAGUERA, SR.M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, [email protected]
CAROL ANDREWSM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
SUSAN MICHALM.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]
TIMOTHY WALDENM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
DOUG BOXM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
DON MACGREGORM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]
industry advisorKEVIN [email protected]
legal counselHowe and Hutton, Chicago
PPA staffDAVID TRUST Chief Executive Officer [email protected]
SCOTT KURKIANChief Financial [email protected]
CAMERON BISHOPP Director of [email protected]
DANA GROVES Director of Marketing &[email protected]
SCOTT HERSHDirector of Sales & Strategic [email protected]
J. ALEXANDER HOPPERDirector of Membership,Copyright and [email protected]
WILDA OKEN Director of [email protected]
LENORE TAFFEL Director of Events/[email protected]
SANDRA LANGExecutive [email protected]
*Executive Committee of the Board
12 • www.ppmag.com
www.millerslab.com
At Miller’s, consistent, beautiful color is just as important to us as itis to you. That’s why we offer color correction on our photographic prints
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14 • www.ppmag.com
folio| Comprising images selected from the files of the PPA Loan Collection, Folio is a monthly sample ofaward-winning photography by PPA members. The Loan Collection is a select group of some 500photographs chosen annually by the PPA print judges from more than 5,000 entries.
THOM ROUSE“It has been greatly entertaining for me to watch viewers scrutinize this image,” says Thom Rouse, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., CPP, ofRouse Imaging in Dekalb, Ill. Rouse combined several images taken with his Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro digital SLR and 28-105mmTamron f/2.8 SP AF LD IF lens. Images in the mix include a weathered sidewalk for the background, a tree under an overcast sky,and a portrait captured in mixed incandescent and window light. Rouse used Adobe Photoshop to create the final image, whichwon a Fujifilm Masterpiece Award, ASP Regional Medallion, and ASP Gold Medallion.
©Thom Rouse
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CHRIS BELTRAMI“Perkin’s Cove” is a favorite
spot for Chris Beltrami,M.Photog.Cr., F-ASP, of
Beltrami Studios in Barre, Vt.,and his wife, who regularly
visit Maine’s Ogunquit Beachin the summertime. Waiting
for the late afternoon light tofully grace these returning boats,
Beltrami aimed his CanonEOS 20D digital SLR and
50mm Canon f/2.8 EF lensfrom the deck of his rental
house and exposed the imagefor 1/125 second at f/8, ISO200. He digitally enhanced
the saturation and sharpness,and embellished the reflectionsin the water for the final image.
BARRY RANKINWith a Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR and Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D AF ED lens, Barry Rankin,M.Photog.Cr., of Dirla Studio in Bay City, Mich., captured “Bewitched” for a Nashville singer’s CD cover.A 300WS Photogenic PowerLight 1250 behind a 4x6-foot Larson Soff Box provided the main lighting,with a second 300WS PowerLight 1250 and a 2x3-foot Larson Soff Box for fill. A 200WS PhotogenicPowerLight 1250 and a 14x48-inch Larson Soff Strip hung above the subject, while a 200WSPowerLight and 14x48-inch Larson Soff Strip illuminated the left side of the frame.
©Barry Rankin
©Chris Beltrami
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4 hours of darkness.
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See James Balog’s brilliant shots at stunningnikon.com/challengeShooting icebergs at night in Alaska under fast-changing conditions would have been infi nitely harder for Nikon Pro James Balog
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CONTACT SHEETWhat’s New, Events, Hot Products, Great Ideas, Etc.
©Kathy Malaspina
BY STEPHANIE BOOZER
Looking to boost yourchildren’s portrait business?Consider portrait parties andwatch the leads come in
If the thought of a sales party with a hostess
sends you running for the door, reconsider.
In-home sales gatherings have been working
for some pretty big companies.
“Some of my best clients come from portrait
parties,” says Kathy Malaspina, of Precious
Moments Photography in Tyner, N.C., who
has been reaping rewards from these events
for the last three years. “People have a great
time, and the parties are so easy to do.”
Here’s how it works: The hostess supplies
the guest list, mails the invitations, makes
the shooting schedule, and handles all the
hostess duties in her home or the photog-
rapher's studio. Malaspina shoots a series of
mini sessions with each child. Then she
packs up and leaves.
The hostess directs the guests to the studio's
Web site to view proofs, and encourages them
to place their orders within a specified time—
simple as pie you don't even have to bake.
As an incentive, Malaspina grants the
hostess a maximum of 15 percent commission,
which is credited toward the hostess’s own
purchase. She requires a minimum of 10
sessions for each event, which must be
booked back-to-back to maximize her time.
Malaspina also offers a $35 credit for each
party the hostess books in a day, and an
additional $25 credit for subsequent bookings.
“This really pushes the hostess to urge
her friends to schedule parties,” she says.
Malaspina provides the invitations, which
include her images and studio info, and tips
about preparing for the session. The hostess
will pick up and deliver the print orders.
“It’s not bad for an afternoon’s work,” says
Malaspina, who pulls in orders of $1,200 to
$2,500 per party. “It’s not so much the
money as the exposure. Word of mouth is
the best advertisement you can get.”
Averaging about 10 parties a year,
enough to generate a healthy number of
standard portrait sessions, Malaspina says
her portrait parties have become popular for
children’s birthday parties and sleepovers.
You don’t have to limit yourself to kids. “A
lot of people do pet parties,” says Malaspina,
who also suggests marketing parties for wed-
dings, family reunions, and other milestone
events. “They make great fundraisers, too. I
did one last year for the local animal shelter.”
Malaspina’s setup is light, usually one
light, a table, a small backdrop, and maybe a
few props, depending on the theme of the
party. Shooting each mini-session outdoors
is the best way to minimize your equipment
needs. In her experience, it’s best to set up
the portrait area away from the rest of the
guests, so each session is semi-private.
“You’ve definitely got to work it just like
everything else,” says Malaspina. “But these
are a great way to go out and do something
quick and out of the norm, and they set you
apart from everyone else.”
For more about Kathy Malaspina and herstudio, visit www.preciousmomentsphotos.com.
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 21
“Some of my best clientscome from portraitparties. People have agreat time, and theparties are so easy to do.”
Nine months ago I was still fighting digital and
dragging around a boatload of negativity. I went
Nine months ago I was still fighting digital
and dragging around a boatload of negativity.
I went through the usual throes of resistance
and the arduous period of adjustment. There I
was, spending 75 percent of my time behind
a computer, no time to plan, no time to market,
no time to grow creatively, no time to relearn
infrared photography—a passion of mine—sans
film, working harder on less work and making
less money. Some boon, digital technology.
But in addition to changing my workflow in
the last year, I’ve worked on changing my atti-
tude. You know what? Life is wonderful again.
We are a healthy hybrid studio today. I
have a digital camera converted for infrared
photography and I love it. It’s different, and
that’s the point. It gives clients another
option, and it frees me from having to kill
the spontaneity of the shoot to plunge into
total darkness for a change of film, while
praying the exposures were on the money.
With digital IR, most of the time they are.
I’m thinking about doing all my commer-
cial work digitally. I still like the results I get
from black-and-white film better. I’m not
selling out, I think I’m becoming a smarter
businesswoman. My personal fine-art work
will continue to be a mix of film and digital.
I hired a a recent college graduate to
handle my digital workflow, and I have my
life back again. I actually have the time to
work on a new book and a huge project that
I feel will take my photographic business in
a new direction.
With the help of Michael J. Losier’s “Law
of Attraction,” which I highly recommend,
I’ve stopped dwelling on how tough things
are. I need to embrace all that’s happening
in my life right now, and be grateful for it.
For example, for some time, I’ve been
trying to reorient my business from pre-
dominately wedding photography to mostly
portraiture. From shooting 70 weddings a
year, I’m down to about 10. I used to take in
$1,800 per wedding, now my billing starts
at $15,000. My brides come back time and
again for maternity, family and generational
portraits. I had a gala to celebrate my 25
years in business and more than 125 clients
attended. They bought my fine-art prints,
and I generated portrait bookings. To be
mindful of these successes is to feel grateful.
I’m still passionate about photography.
My recent work is some of the best I’ve done
in years. My clients don’t care if I’m digital
or not, as long as my passion is there and
my photographs are brilliant.
I had taken the digital movement
personally, feeling like the industry was out
to make my life difficult. Now I see what it’s
actually been doing—giving me this huge
opportunity to grow, to look at things
differently, to get out of my box and the way
I’ve done things for years and years. The
most important thing for me, besides sup-
porting my family, is to grow as an artist.
Laurie vs. the digital revolution? Doesn’t
work for me anymore.
Laurie Klein’s studio is in Brookfield, Conn.(www.laurieklein. com).
CONTACT SHEET
22 • www.ppmag.com
Vive ladigital!
©Laurie Klein
Photography wasn’t broken.How come we needed digitaltechnology to fix it? One holdoutfound a very good answer.
BY LAURIE KLEIN
ESSAY
The sole winner of the 2008 Hot One Award forTelephoto Zoom Lens is the smc Pentax-DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 ED AL[IF]SDM (right). In February’sProfessional Photographer, we called a tie betweenthe Pentax lens and the Tamron SP AF70-200mm
f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro lens, which failed to meet alleligibility requirements.
22 • www.ppmag.com
WINNER REDUX
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Images will be judged on technical, artistic
and compositional merit. You may submit as
many images as you wish, provided they are
representative of the work you sell to your
clients. What we’re seeking are real-world
examples of portrait, wedding, commercial
and event photography.
All work submitted must be previously
unpublished and original, with written
releases on file from any subjects pictured
in the image.
Helping Professional Photographer
magazine editors choose the best entries
will be guest judge Helen K. Yancy,
M.Photog.M.Artist.MEI.Cr.Hon.M.Photog.,
CPP, F-ASP, Hon. F-ASP, currently serving
as the chairman of PPA’s Print Exhibition
Committee.
In addition to landing the cover of a 2008
edition of Professional Photographer, the
winner will receive generous prizes from our
contest sponsors, Bogen, Canon, Kodak,
Microsoft and Miller’s Professional Imaging.
Prizes will be awarded to 2nd-, 3rd-,
4th- and 5th-place winners, and as many
as 25 entrants will receive prizes for honor-
able mention.
HOW TO ENTERGo to www.ppmag.com to enter. Only
digital files uploaded at www.ppmag.com
will be accepted. Mailed print images and
e-mailed digital images will not be
accepted. Format/Specifications: Submit
low-resolution images only, in standard
digital formats (.jpg, .pdf, etc.). Images
should be 525x700 pixels; file size should
be no more than 250k. A high-resolution,
print-quality version (300ppi at 9x12
inches) must be available for each image.
The submission deadline is Saturday,
May 31.
Don’t miss your chance to show the world
your talent! Head over to www.ppmag.com
to learn more.
26 • www.ppmag.com
CONTACT SHEET
Cover contest announcedProfessional Photographer’s cover photo contest kicks off March 1
Have you always dreamed of getting your work onthe cover of a magazine? Well, here’s your chance!This month you’re invited to submit photographsfor a chance to have your image featured on our cover. Just one talented photographer willsee his or her image published on the cover of a 2008 issue of Professional Photographer(mailing to almost 50,000 readers monthly).
Go to www.ppmag.comto enter.
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The front door of Cliff Mautner’s photog-
raphy studio opens to an elegant foyer, but
it's the allure of the 2,000-square-foot space
beyond that draws visitors to his studio in
downtown Haddonfield, N.J. The large room
is harmoniously divided among handsome
viewing, meeting and shooting areas. Light
fills the area between the 13-foot ceiling,
wood floor and wainscoted walls. A 30x13-
foot exposed brick wall spans the back of the
studio, its faded and worn bricks seeming
original to the building, but they were
installed as part of Mautner’s master plan.
“Beyond being a place to shoot, I wanted
it to look like a SoHo art gallery to display
my work,” says Mautner, a New York native,
who worked with interior designer Michelle
Cheutin. “The exposed brick gives it a
distinct look. My goal was to have clients
walk in and think, ‘This guy is credible, he
has style, he’s expensive, and he has good
taste.’ It’s all about the client experience.”
Upstairs is a 1,300-square-foot. office he
shares with studio manager Anne Vasquez,
and downstairs is a three-bedroom apart-
ment where he lives with his children. Built as
a Baptist church in the 1920s, the building later
became a dance studio run by one of the orig-
inal Rockettes, which turned out to be a bless-
ing. For years, the main foot traffic here was
the soft steps of barefoot dancers. so the
nearly 90-year-old beech wood floors needed
very little work. “The floor guy was floored,”
Mautner laughs.
That was about the extent of a financial
break for him, though. “Everything else—
and I mean everything—is new.” The
$225,000 renovation took about a year to
complete, but the results are spectacular. A
photojournalist with the Philadelphia
Inquirer for 15 years, Mautner had been a
home-based wedding, portrait and
commercial photographer for a decade
before opening this studio in 2006.
Professional Photographer: Your shooting
area is so large. How did you design a
lighting system with enough flexibility to
accommodate it?
Cliff Mautner: I have the option of stepping
back more than 50 feet to photograph my
subjects. I have two zones of rails for the
lighting system that allow me to position the
lights however I want them. On the rails are
four Profoto ComPact 600 monolights attached
to scissor mechanisms that can extend all
the way from the ceiling to the floor. That
gives me plenty of range—from the back to
the front third of studio. I can easily high-
key or drop them out altogether and use
natural light. I had four 10x14-foot windows
installed, which gives me northwest light, a
beautiful Rembrandt light not easy to
produce artificially. I have a Bogen
backdrop, but I also use the brick wall as
background, shooting at a shallow depth of
field so it drops out of focus.
Since you were going for a gallery look, why
isn’t your work hung traditionally?
CONTACT SHEET
28 • www.ppmag.com
All images ©Cliff Mautner
Cliff Mautner turned a 1920s church into a studiowith SoHo soul
BY LORNA GENTRY
From sacred to sensational
I added chair rails to wainscoting that was
already there so I could prop up my photos
on it. I did that so clients can pick them up
and inspect them. I didn’t want them to be
untouchable. It also makes it easy to change
the images. Cable lighting enables me to
direct the lights in any direction, and they
add to the studio’s gallery look.
What’s the most impressive feature of your
studio?
The DWIN TransVision 4 projector, with a
separate video processor and high-definition
capabilities. It projects to a 92-inch hi-def
Da-Lite Neutral Gray screen, which enriches
the blacks in my images. This system is used
in home theatres and has film-like quality,
and yes, I do watch some sporting events
on it!
Lorna Gentry is a freelance writer in Atlanta.
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albums for taking yet another product to the next level. ”
Julie MadisonArtistic ImagingLas Vegas
High-End Cards“Uniquely beautiful, high-class, and extremely professional are all phrases my clients use to describe Collages.net’s high-end cards. Adding this
product to my studio’s line couldn’t have been a more profi table choice. Not only has it greatly increased my bookings, but it has increased the appreciation and the quality of my work. There isn’t another card product that comes close to this innovative, personal product line.”
DeeDee DallasD2 Photography
Riverside, CA
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Dan DokeDaniel Doke PhotographyBoston
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30-31-collagespd.indd 2 2/13/08 9:27:30 AM
Press Printed Books“Collages.net’s press printed book collection is a key part of our studio’s high-end product line. The hard cover, hand-sewn books are very popular with both our wedding and portrait clients.
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Brett ChisholmBrett Chisholm Photography
Houston
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GO TO PPMAG.COM TO ENTERSubmission deadline: Saturday, May 31, 2008
Have you always dreamed of seeing your work on the cover of a national magazine?
Here’s your chance! Beginning March 1, 2008, submit your photographs for an
opportunity to be featured on the cover of Professional Photographer.
Contest Rules & Judging: Images will be
judged on technical and artistic merit. Helping
Professional Photographer magazine editors
choose the best entries will be guest judge
Helen K. Yancy, M.Photog.M.Artist.MEI.Cr.Hon.
M.Photog., CPP, F-ASP, Hon. F-ASP, the chair-
man of PPA’s Print Exhibition Committee.
You may submit as many images as you wish,
provided they are representative of the work
you sell to your clients. What we’re seeking
are real-world examples of portrait, wedding,
commercial and event photography. All work
submitted must be original and previously un-
published, and you must have written releases
on fi le from any subjects pictured in the image.
Prizes: In addition to landing the cover of a
2008 edition of Professional Photographer, the
winner will be awarded a selection of prizes
from among our cover photo contest sponsors,
Bogen, Canon, Kodak, Microsoft and Miller’s
Professional Imaging. Prizes will also be
awarded to 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-place win-
ners, and as many as 25 entrants will receive
prizes for honorable mention.
How to enter: Go to www.ppmag.com to
enter. Only digital fi les will be accepted. Print
images and e-mailed images will NOT be
accepted. Upload your electronic images to
www.ppmag.com.
Format/Specifi cations: Submit low-resolution
images only, in standard digital formats (.jpg,
.pdf, etc.). Images should be 525x700 pixels;
fi le size can’t be more than 250k. A high-reso-
lution, print-quality version (300ppi at 9x12
inches) must be available for each image.
ppmag-Contest-AD-v3.indd 1 2/13/08 9:43:52 AM
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 33
Professional Photographer P R E S E N T S Business, Marketing and Sales Strategies
What I thinkPricing for profit leads DavidSchwartz to long-term success
What do you wish you knew when you were first
starting out? That it takes time to develop a look.
I spent so much time attempting to emulate
others. I should have spent the time soul-
searching and stretching myself to come up with
new ideas and techniques that felt right to me.
Reaching an affluent client requires having a look
he can only get from you.
What’s the biggest business risk you’ve ever taken?
I walked away from a nice salary to pursue
something I’ve always loved. Making the leap to
full-time photography was a tremendous risk.
What’s your deal breaker? I pre-qualify my
clients before we meet. I make sure they
completely understand my pricing and that my
photography fits within their budget. I don’t
negotiate on price when they visit, and if they
attempt to do so, I will cut the meeting short.
What is the biggest business mistake pro photog-
raphers make? Attempting to run every aspect of their
business. I believe in farming things out to spend
more time behind the camera. We need to remember
that we make our money taking pictures.
What is the most important element in a successful
photography business? Pricing. Ensure that your
pricing strategy brings you the income you need to live.
IMAGE BY DAVID SCHWARTZ
WWW.DAVIDSCHWARTZPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Photography by Gregory Heisler.
34-epsonpg1.indd 1 2/13/08 9:28:48 AM
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35-epsonpg.2.indd 1 2/13/08 9:29:30 AM
“Every year there are 22 percent more
photographers in the marketplace,” says an
animated Christa Hoffarth of South Lake
Tahoe, Calif. “That number scares me.”
A healthy fear of competition may propel
Hoffarth to work harder, but what distances
her from the pack is smart marketing for
her eponymous wedding photography
business. Her deft techniques were recently
recognized with the 2007 PPA AN-NE
Marketing Award for her outstanding
wedding marketing campaign. The annual
award, which honors member photographers’
creativity and effectiveness in marketing, also
went to finalists Peter Holcombe, API, CPP,
36 • www.ppmag.com
Recognized with the 2007 PPA AN-NEMarketing Award, these three marketingcampaigns share a focus on the importance oftargeted promotion, attention to detail, andmaintaining effective Web sites and blogs.BY LORNA GENTRY
Marriedto marketing
All images ©Cheryl Pearson
INNOVATIVEMARKETINGSTRATEGIES
PROFIT CENTER
Christa Hoffarth designed her AN-NE award winning-weddingmarketing campaign to make a bigfirst impression on upscale clients.
of Holcombe Photography in Lafayette,
Colo., and Albert Lewis of Mulberry
Photography in Truckee, Calif.
These three photographers agree on the
importance of focused promotion, paying
attention to detail, and maintaining effective
Web sites and blogs. They differ in approach
when it comes to brochures, due in part to
their differing markets, business strategies
and targeted audiences. The three promotions
are a study in contrasts, but the effect is the
same: greater profits.
Christa Hoffarth is a natural at marketing.
Last year she designed a new brochure and
other promotional material for her wedding
photography business. Because most of her
clients are out-of-towners, Hoffarth says her
Web site and brochure are the only selling
tools she has. And because competition in
her marketing area—San Francisco, San Jose,
Sacramento and Lake Tahoe—is fierce, she
has to make a lasting first impression in print.
Targeted at upscale wedding clients, her
brochure denotes sophistication. “My clients
spend anywhere from $200,000 to $1
million on their weddings, with the average
being $300,000,” says Hoffarth. “Most of
my brides are MBA grads. In fact, a lot of
my brides were together in the same MBA
program, like at Stanford, for example.”
CHAIN REACTION. To appeal to these
monied professionals, Hoffarth’s brochure
design is eye-catching, sleek, contemporary
and fun. The six pages of the 6x6-inch, matte-
finish brochure are bound with an elegant
silver chain. Her printer, Blossom Publishing
in Winona, Minn., drills holes in the card-
stock pages, and Hoffarth finishes each hole
with a silver grommet before threading the
ball chain through the pages. Following the
photo-imprinted cover page are two pages on
pricing, a page about reprints and albums, a
press information page, and a page with an
explanation of her philosophy of wedding
photography. A DVD of her work—an
“indispensable portable marketing tool,” she
says—is seated in a sleeve affixed to the
back. A clear plastic routed business card
foil-stamped with her contact information
goes on the front cover. For mailing, she
slips the brochure into a transparent self-
sealing envelope.
“These brochures have texture appeal
and sound to them,” says Hoffarth. “They
have a feeling of immediacy, and the clear
plastic envelope makes the brochure even
more apparent.”
Each brochure costs $3.50 to produce, so
Hoffarth pre-qualifies brides who request
one. She got the idea for the piece from her
enjoyment of saving shopping bags from
expensive boutiques. “I use them again and
again,” she admits, because they’re well made
and aesthetically pleasing. She figured her
clients would feel the same way about high-
quality promotional items, and apparently
she was right. “My brides keep these
brochures and give them to their friends, so
they continue to market for me for years.”
Once a couple hires Hoffarth, she mails
the contract and payment information with
thank-you cards and a complimentary
bride’s emergency survival kit in a clear
acrylic box. Inside are dress chalk, safety
pins, hairpins, deodorant, stain remover,
sewing kit, breath mints and pain reliever.
Ever mindful of branding, all her packaging
and marketing materials are color and logo
coordinated. Hoffarth’s colors are a con-
centrated light blue and white, which appear
as solid colors and in a loose floral pattern.
“I still print proofs, so I package them in a
beautiful black-and-white box and use my
brand colors as accents—a blue silk ribbon
Albert Lewis targets his brochure to event planners. The quality of every component communicatesthe sophisticated aesthetic that he will bring to a wedding.
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 37
and custom tag that I write a personal note
on. With the package I send a gift, a 3x3-
inch bride book. We also send a first-year
wedding anniversary gift, an accordion
photo book in our colors with graphics and
black-and-white images. The outside of the
box is a floral black-and-white print that
matches our marketing motif.”
NATIONAL FOCUS. Like Hoffarth, AN-
NE finalist Albert Lewis of Truckee, Calif.,
caters to affluent wedding clients in the
Lake Tahoe area, as well as in Palm Springs.
Lewis, too, relies on a sophisticated brochure
to sell his services. Unlike Hoffarth’s, however,
Lewis’ targets wedding coordinators and
event planners. “Eight-five percent of my
brochures go to event planners,” he says.
“The piece communicates quality and the
wedding coordinators have been very
complimentary. Many tell me they keep it
on their desks, and some call after they
receive it. Because our clients come from all
over the country, we mail it nationwide.”
Clean and elegant, the gate-folded bro-
chure opens to an impressive 26 inches long.
Inside is a mini portfolio of the studio’s work,
which is showcased on individual sheets of
heavy matte card stock held in place by
small rivets. The outside cover is fine-ribbed,
grayish-green paper embossed with the
studio’s logo, a stylized mulberry tree. Inside,
the colors are cream and a serene green, with
the exception of the contact page, which is
standout mauve, the color of mulberries.
Hand assembled, each brochure costs Lewis
a whopping $32, but he maintains that these
head-turners are generating high-end business.
Naturally, he’s selective about whom he markets
to, and he screens the recipients carefully.
With a background in graphic design,
fashion photography and art direction (he
was an art director for Nordstrom and
Neiman Marcus), Lewis knows good visual
marketing. “My degree is in graphic design
so it’s in my blood,” he chuckles. “It’s hard to
design for yourself, so I work with a design
firm. With the brochure, we tried to integrate
the photography and guts of the piece with
the overall design. The design catches the
eye of the type of client we’re going for. This
is not in-your-face marketing. We wanted to
create a mood and drive business on the
sophistication of the piece. This brochure says,
‘If we can do this, then we can apply these same
aesthetics to photographing your wedding.’”
Lewis’ 2007 ad campaign also included
five No. 10 envelope-size cards mailed peri-
odically throughout the year. Each card fea-
tured images from a wedding the studio
photographed, along with one-word head-
lines (such as “Luminous,” “Bliss,” “Captivating”)
and a heartfelt account of how he and his
wife and fellow photographer, Tari, felt
about the wedding. There is no sales language.
Reading like a wedding photographer’s blog,
these cards are intended to generate enthusiasm,
showcase Mulberry’s work, and keep the
studio’s name in the eye of their target audience.
MAILBOX WOW. Peter and Kathy
Holcombe’s printed brochure wasn’t taking
their business in the direction they wanted
to go. “In 2005 we were averaging $3,500
on wedding packages,” says Peter. “We
wanted to break out of that mold and go
after high-end clientele. So in 2006 we did
something different from the tri-fold, printed
piece we had been doing.”
“We feel a brochure is limiting,” Kathy adds.
“It doesn’t show off our images or demon-
38 • www.ppmag.com
PROFIT CENTER
Peter and Kathy Holcombe garnered the favor of wedding planners by sending them four-packs ofcustom-labeled Jones Soda.
strate the quality of our work. We decided to
produce a DVD that shows how we’re different.”
Once the Holcombes created the DVD,
they packaged it in a striking way. “Our
materials arrive in a padded silver envelope,
which gives it the ‘wow’ factor right out of the
mailbox. The DVD is wrapped in a rectangular
aluminum tin with a custom sticker, ribbons
and tissue paper. Fitted inside the tin is a bro-
chure with rounded corners.” Brides feel that
opening the tin first gives them the feeling of
opening a gift. "It has really given us a leg up.”
Right away the results were dramatic.
Within a year bookings increased and the
Holcombes averaged $7,800 per wedding,
which handsomely offset the $10-per cost of
the mailing. (They also screen brides before
going to the expense of mailing to them.)
Now Holcombe Photography attracts a
clientele that’s in the 27 to 32 age range,
who, says Kathy, are professionals with at
least a B.A. degree. Peter adds, “We do get
the younger clients too, usually from families
who can afford [an upscale] wedding.”
JONESING FOR ATTENTION. In 2007,
the Holcombes decided to continue with the
tins, and go out a little further on the creative
limb with a dynamic new campaign involving
Jones Soda. This time the target wasn’t brides
but event planners at upscale venues in the
area. The Holcombes had been knocking on
their doors for five years with little success.
Peter likes to research marketing ideas on
the Web, and he learned from Photojojo, an
online photo newsletter (photojojo.com), that
the makers of the popular soft drink Jones
Soda will print personal photos on its bottles
for a fee. “We thought it would be a clever way
to make a first impression on people we’ve
been trying to get to know,” says Kathy.
They ordered 16 sets of four-bottle
packages in four Jones Soda flavors. One of
four wedding photographs was printed on
each bottle, along with catchy messages on
the labels, such as, “Holcombe Photography:
refreshingly unique,” “Don’t trust your
wedding photography to the bland,” and
“Call us for full-flavored images and service.”
On the bottlenecks they hung custom-made
tags with fun wedding images, like a close-up
of a bride putting on mascara, along with such
pithy tag lines as “Keep an eye out for us.”
The Holcombes shipped the bottles by
UPS and FedEx so they could track delivery.
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 39
A day after delivery, they called each recipient,
and they were blown away by the response.
“The amazing thing is that we got thank-you
notes from these coordinators,” says Kathy. “I
don’t think anyone gets thank-you notes for
promo materials,” Peter marvels. “Our goal of
the follow-up phone call was to set up a
meeting to show our book and get to know
them. We got a meeting with everyone.”
This imaginative campaign put Holcombe
Photography on 12 of the 16 venues’ preferred
photographer list, and five of the venues
now display their wall portraits and books.
The cost of the campaign was high, about
$70 per venue, but the return on the invest-
ment more than paid for it, they say. The
Holcombes now average $12,000 per wedding.
Says Peter, “I think marketing is one of
the most exciting aspects of this business.
It’s all problem-solving and thinking
through.” “We’re passionate about marketing
and our business,” adds Kathy. “We calculate
carefully. At the beginning of each year we
figure out how much we want to work, how
much we need to make, and then design our
[marketing] materials according to that.”
For the Holcombes, provocative market-
ing fuels a business that underwrites the
good life. �
Lorna Gentry is a freelance writer in Atlanta.
40 • www.ppmag.com
PROFIT CENTER
MARKETING ON THE ROADChrista Hoffarth shares her marketing knowledge this month alongside another savvy
marketer, Laura Novak (www.novakphotography.com), in a workshop at Novak’s
Wilmington, Del., studio, March 4-5.
Hoffarth creates templates that photographers can use in their promotions to
ensure their brand is uniformly reinforced in their brochures, business cards,
letterhead, tags and more. Checkout Hoffarth’s marketing site for photographers,
Jellyfingers.wordpress.com.
Kathy and Peter Holcombe share their know-how in increasing wedding sales at the
Imaging Workshops of Colorado, (www.coloradoworkshops.com) May 19-21.
41 studio logic.indd 1 2/13/08 9:30:06 AM
The better you become at presenting your
fees, the higher those fees can be. Here are
five keys to successful presentation.
SELF-CONFIDENCE. You need to
practice—no kidding, practice—presenting
your fees in a self-assured way that says cus-
tomers are already gladly paying those fees.
You need to look, act and sound self-
confident and successful, even before you
are. I’m not suggesting that you lie to
anyone. You can make a great living by
being honest!
You want to sound as if the studio is
busy. You want clients to see that you have
to pore over your booking calendar to find
an opening for them.
GENTLE DISARMAMENT. When a
prospect says something negative, such as,
“Your fees are high,” be ready with a cush-
ioned response. First, acknowledge that you
understand how she feels—“I know exactly
how you feel, and I understand.” You want
to continue working with this prospect, so
don’t argue, confront or correct.
KNOW YOUR LINES. How many
times have you thought of the perfect
comeback too late? Write down and
memorize good replies to typical questions
and likely objections in all phases of the
sales process. For example, early on you
might take control of the conversation like
this: “Before we go any further, let me give
you an idea of what you can plan on investing.
Is that okay? For a portrait of the kind you
described, most folks invest between [your
figures here] and get a large framed portrait
PROFIT CENTER CHARLES J . LEWIS, M.PHOTOG.CR.
It’s not the price, it’s the way you present it. Trainyourself to be comfortable talking about your fees.
Because you’re worth it
42 • www.ppmag.com
for themselves, plus a few smaller prints for
friends, family and the workplace. Does that
fit into your budget?” Notice that no exact
print sizes have been mentioned.
You want the ballpark figure you’re
quoting to be an honest representation. Add
up the sitting fee, an 8x10 print (the prospect
probably considers that “large”) and a couple
of 4x5s. That’s the starting figure. For the
high figure, add about 20 percent to cover a
few more of the small prints.
Closer to closing the sale or ending the
conversation, ask a well-worded question
to see how close the prospect is to making
a decision. My favorite is, “How do you
feel about that?” I use it all the time, in
all sales situations, including the presenta-
tion of the fees.
YOU DON’T NEED HER MONEY.
You want to get the decision today, but you
don’t want to sound anxious. Always talk in
terms of how she will benefit by working
with you over any other photographer.
Memorize the unique qualities you specified
in your business plan, and always open with
your guarantee of satisfaction.
GUARANTEE SATISFACTION AND
GET A PAYMENT TODAY. Keep men-
tioning that if the caller isn’t thrilled with
your work, you’ll do whatever’s necessary to
delight her, or you will return her money in
full, no hassles, no hard feelings.
If you will take action in these ways,
you’ll be able to charge more for your
photography, and see dramatic improve-
ment in your profits and cashflow. �
For more tips from Charles J. Lewis, visitwww.cjlewis.com.
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 43
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’’‘‘
Remember that “silly little millimeter”?
When you buy something for $1,999,
you say you’ve spent less than $2,000. Well,
you have, by $1. That little bit less than two
grand makes a big difference psychologically.
When I consult on marketing with pho-
tographers, I like to start by determining if
their expenses are in line, including the
cost of sales, employee wages, administra-
tive expenses, and general overhead. If
those are in line, I like to evaluate their
pricing. Sometimes studio owners ask what
their pricing has to do with marketing.
Believe it or not, pricing is a key ingredient
of the marketing mix.
I’ve seen photographers struggle with
pricing and creating a rate card, and I’d
like to share some tips to make it easier.
One of the largest problems with pho-
tographer rate cards is that they’re con-
fusing, often overwhelming. Simplify! If
you present too many choices, it’s going to
take way too long to explain it all to your
clients. You want to keep clients inter-
preting information through the emotional
side of their brain, not totting up the facts.
The more you have to explain, the more
they have to employ logic to make the
decision.
If you have more than one target market,
you can have more than one set of prod-
ucts, and certainly more than one rate
card. For example, you might offer albums
to high school seniors, but not to buyers
of child and family photography. You need
separate, exclusive lists of your products
and prices.
And you don’t have to offer every great
product you saw at Imaging USA, especially
in a boutique business. Just because a
competitor offers a certain item, you don’t
have to if it doesn’t go with your brand or if
you simply don’t like it.
Boutique items such as photo jewelry,
purses and personalized greeting cards
make fine add-ons and incentives, but
aren’t necessarily high-profit items. You
don’t want to undermine your more
profitable portrait sales, so it’s a good idea
to make a separate rate card for them, or
even require a minimum purchase before
clients can order them.
Use prices to make people do what you
want them to do. Take the session fee, for
example. If it’s better for you not to
photograph on location, set your location
session fees twice as high as studio
sessions. If the fee doesn’t discourage the
client, it will be worth your while to do it.
If you notice that your in-studio sessions
average three times more sales than
location sessions and take half the time to
do, you might lower the studio session fee.
If you want to limit your Saturday or
evening hours, it’s amazing how higher
session fees or minimum purchase
requirements will encourage people to find
time to come in during the week.
I’m a big believer in using business
management software that helps you
44 • www.ppmag.com
In a clever marketing strategy, pricing can actuallyenhance your studio’s image. Pricing can evenmake people do what you want them to do!
Party like it’s$1,999TIPS FOR CREATING
ATTRACTIVE PRICING
SARAH PETTY, CPPTHE JOY OF MARKETINGTM
I’m a big believer in using businessmanagement software that helps youidentify your most profitable sessions. Itcan help you decide if you you shouldcharge more for large groups, additionalclothing changes, all manner of extras.
45 albumx.indd 1 2/13/08 9:32:16 AM
identify your most profitable sessions. It can
help you decide if you you should charge
more for large groups, additional clothing
changes, all manner of extras. You might
find that the large orders that result from
group portraits make it unnecessary to
charge higher session fees.
You also need to weigh the benefits of
packages against a la carte pricing. There
really isn’t a right or wrong answer. Looking
at your sales averages will help you choose a
method. If you do offer packages, make sure
they contain enough value for the price to
encourage people to invest in more than
they would otherwise.
Rate cards are not a marketing brochure
for your company, but a vehicle for stating
your prices. Still, they should be well designed,
simple and clearly worded. I don’t have a
problem with a rate card leaving the studio,
but only if it’s part of your sales plan. I don’t
believe in posting prices on the Web. I want
prospects to call the studio so we can chat.
Rate cards can also help illustrate the value
of your photography. They must be
beautiful! One of my favorite guidebooks is
“The Non-Designer’s Design Book,” by
Robin Williams (Peachpit Press). It presents
the principles of using type and graphics
effectively. Use photography to illustrate the
products wherever possible. It is much
easier to sell a collection of six images if
people can see how they look together. The
look and colors of the design must also be
consistent with your brand identity.
With the ease of digital printing, it’s cost
effective to produce full-color rate cards in
small quantities. We order ours from White
House Custom Colour in quantities of 25 or
50, so if we need to adjust our prices, it’s not
a huge expense. We like to print them on
small, elegant folded cards—it makes such a
difference in how people perceive your work.
Always include a very high-priced item on
your price cards. You may never sell the
item, but it will lend value to your other
products and will allow you to keep raising
the prices. Now we all dread presenting
price increases, but the increase is less
glaring when you use odd numbers: $1,999
is less than $2,000! �
Sarah Petty Photography is in Springfield,Ill. (www.sarahpetty.com).
46 • www.ppmag.com
THE JOY OF MARKETINGTM
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48 supermonday.indd 1 2/13/08 9:32:43 AM
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 49
Professional Photographer P R E S E N T S Products, Technology and Services
What I likeGene Higa is always on themove, and so is his gear
What makes your workflow flow? The Bay
Photo Lab ROES system. We can upload every-
thing from reprints to album pages to greeting
cards. Orders magically show up at our door
days later. We can do it from anywhere in the
world as long as we have an Internet connection.
What’s the best equipment investment you’ve
ever made? My Canon EOS 5D. The full-
frame image sensor brought me back to the
35mm days.
Little thing, big difference ... My 12-inch Mac
laptop has traveled the world with me. I use
it to back up image files, create slideshows,
conduct workshop presentations and keep
in touch on the road.
What hot new product are you going out of
your way to use? My iPhone. Just for fun, I’ll
have my assistant grab an image of my clients
and me at their wedding. I immediately e-
mail it to them along with a thank-you note.
Has a piece of equipment ever changed the way
you approach your photography? The Canon
50mm f/1.0 lens. It keeps me moving on the job.
What is the most valuable piece of gear for
shooting on-location? I have this custom
Tamrac belt pack with four pouches for
holding gear. It helps me stay mobile and
have every essential ready for action.
IMAGE BY GENE HIGA
WWW.GENEHIGA.COM
To say that Nikon users have waited a long
time for a full-frame DSLR is an under-
statement. Under this kind of pressure,
Nikon needed to get it right the first time.
With the D3 they have.
Wedding, event and studio shooters, you
now have a high-resolution DSLR that’s superb
at high ISO, has an extended dynamic range,
especially in the highlights, and excellent
color accuracy under a variety of lighting
situations. I exposed thousands of frames,
ranging from snapshots to architectural to
portrait photography, under ambient light,
carefully controlled lighting and lit studio-
on-location portraits, at ISO settings from
100 (L-1.0) to 6400. The results pleased not
only me, but notably picky clients as well.
I even tried the H +2.0 setting (ISO
equivalent 25600). It works, although you’ll
want to reserve it as a fallback when using
flash would be disruptive or dangerous, or
when your flash batteries have died. It’s also
worth saying that even with frequent image
viewing on the camera’s large high-
resolution LCD, the D3 consumes minimal
battery power.
The D3 exhibits a reduction in the
chromatic aberrations common to other
full-frame 35mm-based DSLRs. Nikon’s
THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW
All im
ages ©E
llis Vener
Nikon’s first full-frame DSLR tops previous models and blows the competition out of the water. BY ELL IS VENER
Completely rightNIKON D3
The quality of high ISO images from the D3 maylead you to shoot with less light than you havebeen. Exposure: 1/60 second at f/2.8, ISO 6400.
Expeed digital imaging concept—optimized
in-camera image processing technologies
that speed capture rate, refine image quality
and handle images in 16-bit color—deserves
much of the credit for this.
You can see the benefits of Expeed tech-
nology by comparing images captured with
a D3 and D300 to those captured with earlier
Nikon DSLRs with the same lenses, and fac-
toring in other technological advances, as in
sensor design. This is true with both in-camera-
produced JPEGS and NEF (raw) photos.
Nikon and many of the brand’s users
assert that it takes Nikon’s Capture NX soft-
ware to get the most out of your D3 NEF
files, but I do most raw processing in Adobe
Photoshop Lightroom 1.3.1. because it’s faster
and I prefer its interface. Qualitatively,
Capture NX can do a better job of NEF
processing (especially with the implementa-
tion of Nik Software U Point technology), but
the difference isn’t great enough with general
work to sacrifice the speed of Lightroom.
The D3 handles like an evolved version of
previous top-end Nikon DSLRs. The topside
LCD and top deck controls are the same, save
for the addition of an optional live view mode.
The crisp, bright, 3-inch, 920,000-dot
(VGA) LCD monitor dominates the camera’s
back. The new LCD is not only better for
previewing, but also makes menu navigation
and setup more efficient. Protected by a
pane of tempered glass, the LCD no longer
has a plastic cover.
Some of the control buttons have been
modified or moved. The changes are important
if you’re a D2 shooter accustomed to operating
the body by feel. The control buttons to the
left of the LCD are much the same, but the
zoom function is now the second button
from the top. To the right of the LCD there
are a few notable changes: the combined
AE/AF lock button moved down and to the
left, away from the AF on button it was
paired with on the D2 series. The AF sensor
field choices have narrowed from four to
three. And in the lower right corner, the AF
on button and the main command wheel for
vertical shooting have been reversed. The
media compartment door is wider to
accommodate two CompactFlash cards. The
last DSLR I saw with two CompactFlash
card slots was the $8,000, 6-megapixel
Kodak DCS 760 of 2001. Having two CF
cards is useful in a couple of ways: You can
set the camera to record to both cards for in-
camera backup, or to overflow from one card
to the next and seamlessly continue writing
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 53
Call 631-656-7400, visit www.qtm.com or your professional photo dealer for more information.
Now Your Canon or Nikon Flash Commands A Lot More Power!The new QUANTUM QNEXUS lets your Canon or Nikon flash wirelessly control the added lighting power and per formance of QUANTUM QFLASH :
Supports all dedicated Canon and Nikon wireless flash functions including
Manual, Automatic, TTL and TTL-Ratio up to 200 feet.
Compact, lightweight Qnexus receiver/decoder mounts directly to the new
Quantum Qflash 5d-R.
Qflash portable flash units deliver 150 to 400 watt-seconds of studio
quality lighting with no limit to the number of wireless Qflashes employed.
Qnexus-compatible factory upgrades also available for Qflash 4d and
5d models.
or you can shoot NEFs and JPEGs simulta-
neously, dedicating a card to each format. I
used the first option more, with either a 2- or
4GB SanDisk Extreme IV card or a Kingston
266X card in slot 1, and a 16GB Sandisk
Extreme III card in slot 2 to backup the less
capacious cards. The Canon 1Ds (Mark II
and II) and 1D (Mark II and III) also have two
media slots, but the second is for an SD card.
Like earlier Nikon models and the com-
peting Canon 1D series, the D3 is a large, heavy
camera, especially with a large aperture zoom
or prime lens attached. A D3 with AF-S
Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens adds up
to about 5 pounds (body, battery, and lens)
to carry around. That’s not a pleasant workout,
and adding a flash or, worse, a flash on a
bracket makes it even rougher. Please, Nikon
and Canon, work on lightening your high-end
cameras while retaining the capabilities.
Image quality is the real reason to con-
sider the D3. Like the D300, it’s a 12-mega-
pixel (12.1 officially) camera, but we know
pixels are not all equal. With a total sensor
area slightly more than 100 percent larger
than the D300, the D3 has larger individual
photoreceptors on the CMOS chip, which
parlays into lower noise at high ISO
equivalents, as well as a greater dynamic
response range at all ISO settings, a premium
for photographers who shoot in low-light
and sometimes high-contrast situations,
such as photojournalists, sports photographers
and wedding and event photographers.
Also top-notch is the sensor’s rendering
lifelike flesh tones, even under a variety of
lighting. The D3 got it right in my test shots
under lighting conditions ranging from
electronic flash with a soft box; tungsten
television studio spotlights; and mixes of
existing light, including all sorts of daylight,
candle light, both standard straight and
compact fluorescent tubes, and some really
nasty and badly ballasted mercury vapor
54 • www.ppmag.com
specs:Nikon D3
SENSOR: 3:2 aspect ratio, 23.9 x
36.0 mm; CMOS
RESOLUTION: FX format (full
frame) 12.1 effective megapixels
(4,256 x2,832 pixels);
DX format (APS-C crop) 5.14
megapixels (2,784 x 1,848 pixels); 5:4
format (30x24mm) 10 megapixels
(3552 x 2832 pixels)
METERING: TTL full-aperture
exposure metering, using 1,005-pixel
RGB sensor: 3D Color Matrix Metering
II (type G and D lenses); Color Matrix Metering II (other CPU lenses); Color Matrix
Metering (non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data); center-weighted (weight of 75
percent given to 8-, 15- or 20mm circle in center of frame, or weighting based on average
of entire frame); spot, meters 4mm circle (about 1.5 percent of frame) centered on
selected focus area (on center focus area when non-CPU lens is used)
ISO EQUIVALENTS: ISO 200 to 6400 in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV; with additional
0.3, 0.5, 0.7, or 1 (ISO 100 equivalent) EV below ISO 200, and 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1 (ISO
12800 equiv.), or 2 (ISO 25600 equiv.) EV over ISO 6400
WHITE BALANCE: Auto (TTL white balance with 1,005-pixel RGB sensor), seven
manual modes with fine-tuning, color temperature setting, white balance bracketing
possible (2 to 9 frames in 1/3 increments)
SHUTTER: 1/8,000 second to 30 second in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV; Bulb
VIEWFINDER: SLR-type with fixed eye-level pentaprism; built-in diopter adjustment
(-3.0 to +1.0); 100% coverage (vertical and horizontal); about 0.7X magnification with
50mm lens at infinity
LCD MONITOR: 3-in., approx. 920,000-dot (VGA), 170-degree wide viewing angle, 100%
frame coverage, low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD with brightness adjustment.
LIVE VIEW: Tripod shooting mode, contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame; hand-held
shooting mode, TTL Phase-difference AF with 51 focus areas (including15 cross-type sensors).
LENS COMPATIBILITY: DX AF Nikkor all functions; other Nikkor lenses with limited
function; IX Nikkor lenses not supported
FLASH: NIKON i-TTL Speedlight flash units and Nikon CLS
MEDIA: 2 slots: CompactFlash(TM) (Type I/II, compliant with UDMA); Microdrives
MSRP: $4,999
THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW
Skin tones looked great under television studio lighting.Exposure: 1/640 second at f/2.8, ISO 3200 with a Nikon70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor.
fixtures. The ISO equivalent ranged from
100 (L -1.0) to 25600 (H+2.0).
The D3 also shines in 3D-tracking
dynamic predictive autofocus. Nikon’s
Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus module uses
51 focus points in a rough oval pattern,
including 15 cross-type sensors and TTL
phase detection, and operatives in light
levels ranging from -1 to +19 EV (as
measured at IS0 100, 68 degrees Farenheit).
Color information from 1,005-pixel 3D
Color Matrix Metering II enhances
autofocus performance by helping the AF
module predict the motion of a subject not
only as it moves across the frame, but also as
it gets larger or smaller, and moving toward
or away from the camera. You have a choice
of single point, dynamic area AF, or
automatic area AF sensor patterns. The
most useful of these is the dynamic mode.
When the subject and the camera are
not moving, using the Live View Tripod
mode in conjunction with that big LCD
makes a large difference. You can zoom the
display to an area of any size anywhere in
the frame and, with the camera or lens set
to manual focus, carefully focus on the
exact area you want, just as you can with a
view camera, ground glass and a magnifier,
but in many ways better.
The D3 is capable of shooting 9 frames
per second in the FX or 4:5 aspect mode,
up to 11fps in DX mode. With a fast CF
card, you can capture a large number of
frames before the buffer fills. The official
buffer capacity ranges from 108 small, basic
JPEGs (0.4 MB on average) to about 16
uncompressed, 14-bit-per-channel NEF
files (24.7MB on average), giving you lots of
options for sequential shooting. The D3 is
also capable of shooting 8-bits per channel
in the TIFF file format. Why TIFF? I
suspect it’s at the request of some
government entities.
There are some real operational goodies
tucked into the D3’s firmware. Every pho-
tographer will have personal favorites, but
aside from the Live View Tripod mode, I
particularly like these:
• The two ways of using the camera’s orienta-
tion sensors as a virtual horizon tool. The
most obvious way is through the large virtual
horizon display on the rear LCD, accessed
through the camera setup menu—very useful
when the camera’s mounted on a tripod. If
you need to see the tilt angle in the viewfinder
or on the top deck LCD, you can set the custom
function menu to activate the virtual horizon
with the Fn button near to the lower right of
the lens mount. The degree of tilt is indicated
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 55
by what would otherwise be the over- and
underexposure scale.
• The programmable intervalometer..
• The ability to program the camera for
up to nine different non-AF lenses (which
comes with every Nikon in the D2 series).
• And a really big deal: a tool to
measure the sharpness of your lenses. You
can use the autofocus fine-tuning tool with
up to 20 CPU-equipped AF Nikkor lenses,
including multiple lenses of the same type
used on one D3 body (in other words, if
your studio has multiple 24-70mm f/2.8G,
70-200mm f/2.8G, 80-200mm f/2.8 D
AF, or 300mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor lenses).
This tool isn’t needed to correct any slop at
the Nikon factory, but to optimize
individual camera bodies with individual
lenses, which cinematographers have
done for decades. �
THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW
56 • www.ppmag.com
Using the camera's built-in intervalometer, I shot a sequence of 240 frames at 1fps of the OceanVoyager tank at the Georgia Aquarium, and later made an 8- second movie using Apple QuickTime Prosoftware. Exposure: 1/100 second at f/2.8, ISO 3200, with 14-24mm f/2.8G Nikkor at 14mm.
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PROFESSIONAL
Photographer Leah Fasten of Boston recently
experienced a workflow best-case scenario.
Editors at Make magazine asked her to shoot
a portrait of an MIT scientist named Drew
Enby. Fasten had a great day with Enby, return-
ing from the shoot with a number of strong
images, which she edited and uploaded to her
online archiving service, PhotoShelter. She
sent the Make editors a link to her Enby gallery
on PhotoShelter, they chose a winner, and
paid Fasten. She still owned long-term copy-
rights to the image, and everyone was happy.
Flash forward a year-and-a-half.
Fasten gets a call from Esquire
magazine’s photo editor, who wants to hire
her to photograph—guess who? That hot-
property, MIT scientist Mr. Enby.
“I don’t love re-shooting subjects,” says
Fasten. “I sent the editor a link to my [Enby
archive] gallery. He downloaded a low-res
file from the PhotoShelter Personal Archive,
showed it to his editor, and within a day, he
had the image he needed. It was just so easy!”
Easy and profitable. Fasten’s business
acumen and navigable archive system allowed
her to shoot once and score twice. You never
know when an image will suddenly be in
demand again—just ask photojournalist
Dirck Halstead, whose archive happened to
include a shot of President Bill Clinton
embracing a young intern named Monica—
so many photographers are asking how to
make their image collections key-worded,
searchable, and above all, stored securely.
One option, of course, is a do-it-yourself
indexed archive on DVDs, but disks can fail
over time. Another solution involves
multiple hard drives, deciphering RAID
specs, and housing servers in the basement,
headache inducers all, and then you’ve got
to think about how you’ll transfer or even
access your archives as your hardware
becomes obsolete. Another option is to
outsource the task to an online archiving
service. There are several outfits to choose
from, which offer varying services and
presentation styles at varying costs.
Philadelphia photographer Scott Lewis
looked at a couple of firms, then chose
PhotoShelter, a company offering a solution
for archiving, image protection, distribution
and sales, based in New York. A significant
portion of Lewis’ work is wedding photography,
so he needed a service that would allow him
to upload 500 or more images in one sitting,
THE GOODS: ARCHIVING
Two photographers discuss their experienceswith PhotoShelter, an online archiving serviceand stock agency.BY AUDREY GRAY
Safe and for saleONLINE ARCHIVING AND SALES
58 • www.ppmag.com
The Personal Archive gallery user interface allowsthe photographer to choose and edit file data forbrowsers and potential clients to see.
Image ©Grover Sanschagrin/PhotoShelter Inc.
and quickly sort them into a half-dozen galleries
for his clients’ viewing. Lewis says he’s noticed
over the past year that PhotoShelter’s online
presentation is evolving to accommodate the
needs of wedding photographers, and he’s
been happy with its geographically redundant
data storage system from the start.
“You always want backups of the back-
ups,” says Lewis. “For $500, I can take two
to three years’ worth of weddings and store
them somewhere safe. My house could blow
up and I’m still covered. … If someone calls
me in five years because their grandmother
died and they want to have a nice, beautiful
print made [from one of the wedding
shots], I need to have that picture! That’s
just good business. I’ve safeguarded it for
that moment.”
PhotoShelter was founded in 2005
by Allen Murabayashi, an Eddie AdamsLeah Fasten uses her online archive to post a private gallery of images after an assignment. The clientcan select, purchase and download high-res files.
©Leah Fasten/PhotoShelter Inc.
workshop graduate and a founding employee
and senior VP of engineering at hotjobs.com,
and a handful of technological innovators
and professional photographers, including
Grover Sanschagrin, executive producer of
SportsShooter.com.
“The other founders were interested in
what I’d done in technology,” recalls
Murabayashi, now CEO of PhotoShelter. It
became clear that photographers were running
into workflow problems, from the distribution
of high-res files to controlling usage rights, he
adds. “We see ourselves as a soup-to-nuts solu-
tion for everything that happens after the shoot.”
PhotoShelter offers photographers two
primary products, the Personal Archive and a
stock photo sales and pricing and copyrights
management service, The PhotoShelter
Collection. The archive currently holds
work of 19,000 photographers; more
than 10,000 photographers have
submitted images for The Collection since
it became available to them last September.
Leah Fasten, a PhotoShelter user since
its early days, says it’s worth the $800 to
$1,000 a year she pays for the Personal Archive
service. “I worked with them to create a
custom archive that works seamlessly with
my Web site (www.leahfasten.com).”
Fasten has about 5,000 images in her
personal archive, 1,000 of which she’s made
searchable to the public. That’s one of a
number of PhotoShelter security measures,
from watermarking to privacy settings, that
Fasten uses regularly. PhotoShelter does not
provide visitor tracking per se, but it does track
the number of times each image is viewed.
“I have all sorts of choices about whether
I want someone to download an image, the
file size, how many times, and the length of
time an image will be available,” she says.
“There’s a record of who’s downloading and
when, plus, you can’t right-click on an
image. Realistically, I know that when an
image is online, someone can find a way to
steal it, but PhotoShelter makes it very hard
to do that.”
PhotoShelter’s e-commerce back-end
allows photographers’ clients to buy an
image online with a credit card, then
download it directly. The company also
offers printing and shipping through
partner lab EZprints. Neither Fasten nor
Lewis uses EZprints often, preferring
instead to take a hands-on role in the
production and delivery of prints.
“It’s clear to me that with 5,000 images
sitting in my archives, a few of them could
have another life as stock,” says Fasten.
“I like the idea that I don’t even have to
market the work myself. They can do it
for me.”
Murabayashi says PhotoShelter plans to
make a significant investment this year in
promoting the Collection nationally to ad
agencies, designers and editors. “We’re not
THE GOODS: ARCHIVING
60 • www.ppmag.com
Watermarking options allow you to apply information from your IPTC copyright field to the image orto overlay an uploaded file of your own.
Image ©Allen Murabayashi/PhotoShelter Inc.
The SnapLab™ system. The compact, transportable digital photo lab.
Whether at a wedding or other important event, you could be earning
additional money making gorgeous, long-lasting prints on location
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lets you offer enhanced pictures with borders and captions and print
them out right on the spot—no PC required! Real prints at 3.5x5, 4x6, or
5x7s with the speed of Sony dye sublimation. Make a happy day even
happier—with the Sony SnapLab on-location digital photo lab, the
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© 2007 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony and
SnapLab are trademarks of Sony.
When they ask if you make
prints on location, say “I do.”
3336A_Professional_Mag_Jan08.v1.indd 1 10/8/07 7:25:44 PM
trying to be microstock at all. We have
reservations about an image for a dollar,” says
Murabayashi. “In The PhotoShelter Collection,
the minimum you can price a photo is $50.”
In late 2006, PhotoShelter struck an
exclusive agreement with fotoQuote, a
pricing standard for stock photography, to
help photographers set their own prices for
each image in the Collection, as well as in
their Personal Archive. The PhotoShelter
Collection gives photographers at least 70
percent of the purchase/usage price, which
is more than many stock agencies. “We
have a much more Web 2.0 ethos,” says
Murabayashi, referring to how the Web is
transforming in regard to usage and purpose.
Lewis and Fasten both view The
PhotoShelter Collection as impetus to give
themselves more creative and personally
fulfilling assignments and, potentially, to
make cash on stored images, if they take
the time to keyword each image to make it
searchable. “This technology is making the
fun stuff easier to do,” says Fasten. “I do
think you have to be somewhat of a digital
expert to be a photographer these days,
but luckily, you don’t have to create your
own archive.”
Billed monthly, the PhotoShelter
Personal Archive service is priced on the
client’s use of storage space. Accounts
range from the free Starter account that
includes 50MB of space, to the
PhotoShelter Pro account for $49.99
monthly with 100GB of storage. With a
Pro or Standard account, photographers
can purchase an additional terabyte of
storage for $1,000 per year. The
PhotoShelter Collection is free to join. �
62 • www.ppmag.com
THE GOODS: ARCHIVING
PhotoShelter uses fotoQuote price guides,which makes it easy to set standard orcustomized prices and rights management foryour images.
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With the availability of varied substrates for
professional inkjet printers, photographers
can present their work in a way that was
once the sole province of expensive
commercial printers. Here’s a look at some
of the substrates that are getting
photography off the wall.
INDOOR/OUTDOOR
BANNER MATERIAL
Large banners command your attention.
Mounted on banner stands, they become
more versatile than billboards because you
can place them wherever you like. They can
announce your image as they simulta-
neously define a space. Jamie Perry of
Excess Studios in Rochester, N.Y., used
banners to advertise the studio’s presence at
a big cheerleading event. “We didn’t really
think of selling the banners until we saw
that the girls loved them and wanted them
for themselves. When their friends saw
them, they wanted them, too.” Two hundred
cheerleaders went home happy, and Perry
had discovered another way to keep the
studio’s printer busy.
The banners were printed on versatile
LexJet Water-Resistant Satin Cloth, a light-
weight and resilient material. You can roll it,
unroll it, even spill water on it. LexJet provides
free profiles for most major makes of printers,
making color management a straight-
forward process. Perry recommends placing
clips or other weights on the material as it
feeds to keep the fabric from bunching.
Perry also uses LexJet Water-Resistant
Polypropylene, which is strong, resilient and
easy to print on. He’s been wanting to brighten
up the studio’s high ceiling by hanging
images from the rafters, and Polypropylene
proved to be the best material for the job
because it doesn’t stretch and sag over time
like other materials he’s tried. He says ink
adheres well, and the almost matte finish of
the print minimizes reflections.
Banners can accentuate as well as dominate.
Smaller banners in the form of tapestries or
flags can add character and elegance to a
space. Artist Holly Alderman did just that
with interpretive photographs hung as tap-
estries on the grounds and buildings at Saint-
Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish,
N.H., where they remained for several months.
For weather resistance, she and her print-
maker chose LexJet Water-Resistant Satin
Cloth. Alderman also liked this material
aesthetically for its slight translucence.
With highly translucent materials like 3P
Polyvoile, viewers on both sides of the banner
can see the image, as well as see through the
image to what lies beyond. This soft, elegant
touch can have a dramatic effect. Portrait
THE GOODS: SUBSTRATES
You can print on more than photographicpaper—and in your own studio.BY LAURENCE CHEN
ExtraordinaryprintsMATERIAL
DIVERSITY
66 • www.ppmag.com
©Gary Box
Highly translucent 3P Polyvoile lets light throughand makes an ideal material for locations whereviewers can see the image from either side.
photographer Gary Box of Sapulpa, Okla.,
uses Polyvoile to separate his studio’s
window display from the gallery inside.
Polyvoile is so porous that it should be
printed at 720dpi rather than 1,440dpi.
After 24 hours of dry-down, it’s safe to
remove the backing material and hang or
mount the banner.
Tracy Lovett took advantage of LexJet’s
Water-Resistant Polypropylene banner
material to create photo-lamps that she
calls Photo-Luminaria. Made in a process
that Lovett and her husband developed,
these indoor/outdoor lamps feature photos
of her clients. “The inkjet printing was the
easiest part,” she says. “If you use profiles
and soft proof in Photoshop, you’re fine.
When printing for backlight situations, I
like to increase the saturation, but that’s a
personal preference.”
She uses thermal glue to secure the
Water-Resistant Polypropylene to the lamp
frame; Polypropylene’s rigidity holds its
shape. Lovett says the lamps can sustain six
to eight “really good” months outdoors in
the shade before noticeable fading occurs.
Southern exposure reduces the longevity to
about three months. She offers economical
replacement prints to encourage her
customers to keep returning. For indoor
lamps, she uses LexJet Water-Resistant
Satin Cloth.
Any printing begs the question of longev-
ity. While the answer ultimately depends on
numerous factors, Tom Hauenstein of LexJet
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 67
Fibrous fine-art papers like Moab's Moenkopi paper Unryu provide a tactile
experience and stand out in presentations where backlighting is possible.
©Chris Conrad
generally estimates that for the Polypropy-
lene and the Satin Cloth materials, you can
expect two to three years of indoor use
before there's noticeable fading. Outdoors,
he says six to 12 months is typical. He
believes most customers actually observe
greater longevity. Is there an advantage to
having to replace your art periodically? For
situations where seasonality, custom
signage, or staying fresh is desirable, change
will likely keep your audience’s attention.
FINE-ART PRINTS
Most everyone admires the texture of
Japanese papers and wants to handle them.
It’s a shame to trap them behind glass. Moab
by Legion Paper recently introduced a line
of Japanese Washi paper, called Moenkopi
(moe-in-koe-pee), coated for both dye- and
pigment-ink sets . The name is actually Native-
American in reference to the paper’s environ-
mentally sensitive qualities; its distinctive
fibers come from mulberry plants, which
remain unharmed by harvesting.
The three archival varieties reflect their
respective weight and character. The Unryu
55 and the Kozo 110 varieties, available in
44-inch rolls, are machine-made, while
Bizan 300 sheets are handmade
individually in Japan. Kozo has a relatively
smooth surface, while Unryu grabs your
attention with the coarse texture of the
thick and thin fibers running through it
(“unryu” means “cloud dragon paper”).
Slightly translucent, Unryu is ideal for
backlighting. Bizan has the most textured
surface, both dimpled and wavy, and it has
hand-torn deckled edges. Bizan is sold
exclusively on the Moab Web site.
Chris Conrad, among the first to print on
the new material, says the Moenkopi papers
are comparable to any high-quality fine-art
paper. Printing is straightforward with Moab-
supplied profiles; Conrad uses the Epson
Enhanced Matte profile with equal success.
Paper of character requires imagery to
match. Conrad likes Unryu for his black-
and-white work. For color, he suggests
using muted tones to suit the paper’s
“dreamy texture.” Jim Graham, another fan
of Moab papers, says the Moenkopis are
best suited to images that will be enhanced
by the paper’s “gentle nuances.” For
presentation, both Conrad and Graham
recommend taking non-traditional
approaches. “I would try to show the entire piece of paper, mounting it somehow so it
stands off its backing,” says Conrad, “it is a
true tactile experience.”
WALLPAPER
If your photography dominates a wall so
much as to be the wall, then photo wallpaper
is the obvious answer. When a children’s
oncology clinic wanted to soften the mood
of an examination room, photographer Jack
Puryear in Austin, Texas, found a solution in
printing his image on LexJet WallPro, an inkjet-
68 • www.ppmag.com
Tracy Lovett makes indoor/outdoor luminaries fromimages printed on water-resistant polypropelyne.
Think big. Murals printed on wallpaper can bring character and new dimensions to dull office and exam areas.
THE GOODS: SUBSTRATES
©Tracy Lovett
©Gary Box
compatible wallpaper that installs with
standard wallpaper paste. Puryear used
profiles, made test prints, and applied two
coats of protective coating to bring out the
full image quality on the wallpaper. The
image so inspired one child that he added
a creative contribution in Crayon. With
the coating, it cleaned up fine without
harming the image.
For the treatment room, Puryear printed
five sections on 36-inch rolls at 100dpi. “If
you get really close, it looks grainy, but at a
normal viewing distance it looks fine.” (He
allowed 1.5 inches for overlap.)
The professional installation of Puryear’s
photo wallpaper took about an hour-and-a-
half. Although it’s a simple job, he recommends
hiring an experienced wallpaper hanger to
do it quickly and easily.
AVAILABILITY
Many of these materials are available in rolls
intended for professional wide-format inkjet
printers; most start at 24 inches wide. Check
with the supplier for details, and if you don’t
have an appropriate printer in-house, ask
the supplier for referrals to studios in your
area that will do the printing for you.
Photographers interested in fabrics
with even greater longevity and durability
should investigate dye-sublimation
printing on such materials as poly-silk,
which is washable.
New display and substrate ideas are in
development and help is available from manu-
facturers and distributors who are becoming
more aware of the photographic end-user’s
needs and the importance of client support.
Here are some Web sources to explore:
www.breathingcolor.com • www.drytac.com
• www.exhibitors-handbook.com •
www.hahnemuehle.com • www.ivey.com •
www.LexJet.com • www.moabpaper.com •
www.pacificmount.com. �
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 69
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Qual tyLightof
The
Li
I spend far too much time online reading
various photo-centric Web sites, where the
same questions are often asked, such as, “I
have Adobe Photoshop and Bridge, why
would I need Adobe Lightroom?” It’s a
logical question. There are significant
differences between the two.
Photoshop was designed to edit pixels.
To do so, Photoshop needs access to every
pixel, even if you’ll be editing only 22 out
of the 22 million in the file. That can tax
your processor and slow your workflow.
Photoshop has to work with rendered pixels.
Rendered means that the color values, color
space and gamma are baked in. Like a cake
recipe gone awry, it’s nearly impossible to
remove the individual ingredients, remix
them properly and re-bake the cake. With
Photoshop, you can make a good show of it,
but it takes effort, and it’s just not as good as
it might have been.
Some image corrections are difficult or
impossible to achieve on rendered pixels.
For example, you can’t correct highlight data
where none exists as a result of how the
initial pixels were originally rendered. Severe
white balance adjustments are extremely
difficult to correct on rendered images.
Altering an image that appears dark, has a
severe colorcast, or needs saturation
adjustment requires changing pixel values, a
slow process that causes data loss.
However, in presenting you each and every
pixel, Photoshop has the ultimate set of tools
to precisely select and edit only some of
these pixels. Consequently, Photoshop works
primarily with one image at a time. Droplets
and batch commands provide a limited
means of working with multiple images;
still, each image has to be opened and every
pixel has to be loaded into RAM before you
can view and manipulate multiple images.
Lightroom at its core is a raw processor.
Though you can import existing rendered
images, Lightroom is most powerful
working with raw, non-rendered, essentially
grayscale data to produce new colored pixels
that represent how you want to render the
image. A raw file is like having individual
ingredients that you can remix and re-bake
at any time. Rendering isn’t color correction,
it’s image creation. You should minimize, if
not eliminate, the need to globally color
correct or “fix” pixel-based images.
Lightroom uses instructions (metadata)
to describe how a raw image should be
processed into pixels. It doesn’t open a full-
resolution, pixel-based image; it shows a
series of previews based on how the final
image will appear if you tell it to build those
pixels. This process has a number of features
that Photoshop doesn’t. First, it’s fast and
flexible. You view either a low-resolution
preview of the entire image or a screen-size,
full-resolution preview (1:1 or greater). The
THE GOODS SOLUTIONS BY ANDREW RODNEY
Nearly every modern photographer knows what Photoshopcan do. What does Lightroom bring to the table?
Figure 1: Exporting one or more images selected in Lightroom brings up this dialog, where I canspecify how I want my pixels built from the metadata instructions. I asked for full-resolution, 16-bitProPhoto RGB rendering. I could ask for smaller resolution images in differing ways and these newpixel-based documents could be built as specified.
What’s the difference?
70 • www.ppmag.com
computer doesn’t alter the pixels, it just shows
you what the current metadata would produce.
You can change your mind at any time, since
all you’re doing is rewriting the metadata.
Once you want to actually produce a pixel-
based document, Lightroom performs a single
computation of the metadata to produce a
new set of pixels from the raw data, which is
truly non-destructive editing.
Metadata editing in Lightroom also allows
you to quickly apply a set of rendering
instructions to multiple images—just copy
and paste the metadata instructions from
one raw file to others. The computer doesn’t
need to do the heavy lifting of generating
pixels until you tell Lightroom to export the
data (or print it from the Print module or
upload a Web gallery) based on these
instructions (Figure 1).
Lightroom has some simple clone-like
tools that produce what appear to be pixel-
based edits, but are merely an additional set
of instructions. Suppose you have 300 raw
captures and notice that there was a dust
spot on the camera sensor. You can clone
out the single spot, and that instruction will
be applied when the rendered pixels are
built from the raw. Better, you can copy and
paste this single set of instructions to all the
other images (Figure 2). Lightroom will auto-
matically select a clone source and apply the
dust removal on all the other images, even if
the orientation of the images varies. In Photo-
shop you’d have to open each image, use the
clone tool, then save the image to disk.
Furthermore, if for some reason you don’t
like how you edited the dust spot (or any
instruction-based edit) in one of the 300
images, you can always go back to Lightroom
and remove or update that one edit. Unlike
Photoshop, the edit list (history states) remains
with each image, even if you quit Lightroom.
The metadata instructions are either stored
72 • www.ppmag.com
Figure 2: If you have 1,000 images that need the same global correction, it takes only seconds tocomplete in Lightroom. I copied settings from the image in the upper left, then used the SyncSettings command to bring up this dialog, where I can specify which instructions onto paste to all ofthe highlighted images.
THE GOODS
Figure 3. XMP metadata is seen here, opened using a text editor. It describes all the edits of one image, inplain English. Once I convert my images into DNG, this data exists within the DNG, no sidecar files necessary.
as small sidecar files or embedded into a DNG
(see www.ppmag.com/reviews/200709_
adobedng.pdf).
You can make virtual copies of one raw
file and produce multiple sets of instructions
without having to create multiple pixel-based
images. This saves time and disk space. One
version could show the desired color and
tone instructions, others could show black
and white, with and without a split tone, one
a different crop. Each of them can be rendered
out to a pixel-based image at any time.
Photoshop becomes a necessity for
selective editing, compositing, and complex
blending of multiple images. In Lightroom,
all instructions for color and tone are global;
there are no provisions (yet) for altering
only a part of an image. For precise pixel
editing, true retouching and compositing,
you need to render the images as pixels and
work on the data in Photoshop.
Try to conduct all the global tone and
color rendering work in Lightroom, then
hand off the rest of the work to Photoshop,
with the goal of not going back into
Lightroom for further global work—possible
but somewhat counterproductive.
I’ve concentrated only on Lightroom’s
rendering abilities, but it has much more
functionality. While Bridge is just a file browser,
Lightroom is a database that can be the
heart of your digital asset management.
There’s a module for making Web galleries
and a print module that takes printing
multiple images to a new level.
Too many people, some Photoshop gurus
included, have failed to recognize that they
should render the best possible data from
the start of the process, at the raw rendering
stage. Lightroom gives us the tools to
properly render image data and go far
beyond what Photoshop can “fix” on an
existing pixel-based document. Investigate
this exciting new process and think about
editing instructions first, then pixels. �
Andrew Rodney owns The Digital Dog, adigital imaging training and consultingbusiness in Santa Fe, N.M. The author of“Color Management for Photographers”(Focal Press), he lectures around the country.Rodney is an alpha tester for Adobe Systems,was placed among the “Top 40 PhotoshopExperts” by Wacom Technologies, andinducted into the NAPP Photoshop Hall ofFame in 2007. Learn more atwww.digitaldog.net.
74 • www.ppmag.com
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Adobe Photoshop records a series of tasks you do individually to
create an action that you apply at once to a single file or a whole
folder of files. Photoshop records each task separately as a
command that appears in its own block, which you can edit later.
A set of commands (represented by a stack of these blocks) make
an action. They’re fast to record, easy to edit and portable between
Windows and Mac platforms.
THE TUTORIAL
1. Create a main folder named Project 01, then create a folder
inside it named Print and another named Web (Figure 1). It
doesn’t matter where you put the Project 01 folder, as long as you
know where to find it. These folders will store the new image files
we create in this tutorial.
2. In Photoshop, open the Actions palette (Window > Actions)
if it’s not already visible. Go to the Actions palette menu and
select New Action (Figure 2). Type in Action 1 for the name
and click the Record button. Photoshop will now record what
you’re doing.
THE GOODS: TUTORIAL
PhotoshopActions
THE EASY WAY TO AUTOMATE REPETITIVE TASKS
76 • www.ppmag.com
Figure 1
Figure 1: Begin by setting up folders for the new files you’ll create.
Figure 2: To access the Actions palette menu, click on the button in the upperright corner.
Figure 3: This is the copyright section of the File Info window.
Figure 4: The buttons at the bottom of the Actions paletteare VCR-like. The square is Stop, the circle is Record and theright-facing arrow is Play.
This tutorial shows you how to create anaction that performs a set of generalworkflow tasks. It also shows you how touse Photoshop actions if Adobe Lightroomis your main image editing program.
BY RICK RALSTON
3. Open a raw image file, make whatever adjustments you choose
in Camera Raw (or use a preset) and click the Open Image button.
In the Actions palette you’ll see that the first command has been
recorded. You can click the right-facing arrow on the command to
see all the recorded settings. Photoshop is still recording.
4. Select Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask and apply this filter.
Later we’ll see how to exclude this command, delete it entirely, or
record another filter.
5. Resize the image to 6 inches on the longest side at 300ppi. To
make sure this works for both landscape and portrait images, go to
File > Automate > Fit Image and type in 1,800 pixels for both width
and height (6 x 300 = 1,800) to reduce the image appropriately for
its orientation.
6. Go to File > File Info to enter some metadata. I’ve selected
Copyrighted in the Copyright Status pull-down menu and entered
information in both the Copyright Notice and Copyright Info URL
fields (Figure 3).
7. Convert the color space by selecting Edit > Convert to Profile
and selecting ProPhoto RGB from the Profile pull-down menu.
8. Save the image (File > Save As), navigate to the Project 01
folder, and select the Print folder. Select TIFF from the Format pull-
down menu and click the Save button.
9. With the image still open, resize it to 2.5 inches on the longest
side at 72ppi (File > Automate > Fit Image) and type in 180 pixels
for both width and height (2.5 X 72 = 180).
10. Convert the color space by selecting Edit > Convert to Profile
and selecting sRGB from the Profile pull-down menu.
11. Save the image (File > Save As), navigate to the Project 01
folder, and this time select the Web folder. Select JPEG from the
Format pull-down menu and click the Save button.
12. Close the file.
13. To stop recording, go to the Actions palette menu and select
Stop Recording (or click the Stop button at the bottom of the
Actions palette as shown in Figure 4).
You can run this action on a single image by first clicking on the
check mark to the left of the Open command to uncheck it (Figure 5).
The recorded command specifies the particular image you opened
when you recorded the action. You’ll see why you recorded this step
when we get to the Batch feature. Single-click Action 1 to highlight
it, then click the right-facing arrow at the bottom of the Actions
palette to run it.
You can edit an individual command by double-clicking on it
and changing the settings. You can exclude a command by
deselecting the check mark next to it in the Actions palette. For
78 • www.ppmag.com
Figure 5: To exclude a command click on the check box to the left of the com-mand to deselect it.
Figure 6: You can run an action on a folder of images using the Batchsettings above.
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instance, if you don’t want to include the Unsharp Mask filter, you
can exclude it before running the action. You can also delete a
command by selecting it and clicking the Delete key. To add another
command, highlight the command you want it to follow and click
the Begin Recording button at the bottom of the Actions palette,
record a command and click the Stop Recording button. You can
also rearrange commands by dragging and dropping them. This
works from one action to another as well.
To run this action on a folder of images, select File > Automate
> Batch and make the selections as shown in Figure 6. Make
sure to include the Open command before proceeding or the
Batch process will not work. Note that we are overriding the
Open commands, which bypasses the particular image recorded
in the command, but keeps the Camera Raw settings. Also, by
checking Suppress File Open Options Dialogs, the action won’t
stop and wait for you to click the Open Image button when
opening raw files. We’re not overriding the Save As commands
because the action specifies two different folders, and the Batch
command can specify only one.
ADOBE LIGHTROOM
If most of your workflow is done in Adobe Lightroom rather
than Photoshop, you can do everything in the action above
except run the Unsharp Mask filter. Lightroom is not a pixel
editing program, so you’ll need to enlist Photoshop to do the tasks
it can’t. In an automated workflow there’s only one way to do
that. Save a Photoshop action as a droplet (converts an action
into an application) in Lightroom’s Export Actions folder and
specify that it’s to run when exporting from Lightroom.
Lightroom’s Export command works first, then Photoshop opens
the files, runs the filter and re-exports them. You’ll need to run
this once for the Print images and again for the Web images.
Let’s see what that looks like:
1. Record an action in Photoshop with only three commands:
Unsharp Mask, Save As to the Web folder as a JPEG, and Close.
2. Select File > Automate > Create Droplet. This window is
similar to the Batch window. First make sure None is selected in the
Destination pull-down menu. The droplet has to be named
(Unsharp Mask) and saved into a particular folder (Save Droplet In
at the top of the window)—finding it isn’t easy. Click Choose. On a
Mac, the location is Users > yourname > Library > Application
Support > Adobe > Lightroom > Export Actions. On Windows it’s
C: > Documents and Settings > yourname > Application Data >
Adobe > Lightroom > Export Actions.
80 • www.ppmag.com
Note: On Windows some folders may be hidden. If you don’t see the
Application Data folder, highlight your user folder (in Documents
and Settings) and select View > Customize This Folder > General tab
and click in the Hidden box until it is completely clear.
For this droplet, confirm that the Override Action Open
Commands box in the Play section is unchecked. The other three
boxes don’t matter in this tutorial. Name the droplet Unsharp Mask
so you can identify it in Lightroom’s Export window. Click OK.
3. In Lightroom import your raw files. Add the metadata
(copyright info) using the Metadata panel. You can also do this
during the import process.
4. In the Export window (File > Export) select the Print folder as
the Export Location, TIFF as the format, ProPhoto RGB as the color
space and Resize to Fit at 1,800 pixels for width and height (same as
Photoshop’s Fit Image). To run the Photoshop droplet, select
Unsharp Mask from the After Export drop-down menu at the
bottom. If you’ve placed the droplet in the correct folder, it will
appear in this menu.
5. Click the Export button.
6. Do this again for the Web images using the settings from the
Photoshop tutorial and the Web folder as the Export Location. You
can use the original raw images if you wish, but it’s faster to use
the exported TIFFs in the Print folder. They are smaller and
have already had the Unsharp Mask filter applied. Import the
images in the Print folder and export them as JPEGs and skip
the Photoshop droplet.
This action gives you one example of actions’ potential. Observe
what you do during a given day. Does your workday contain
repetitive tasks that don’t really require anything more of you
than remembering all the steps and punching the buttons?
Your time is much more valuable than that. Think of the
Photoshop and Lightroom automation features as your assis-
tants. They don’t ask for a salary, never call in sick and actually
do what you tell them. �
Rick Ralston works in the graphics group at The Coca-Cola Companyin Atlanta. He is the author of “The Designer’s Apprentice:Automating Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign” (Adobe Press). Healso writes a graphics automation blog at www.theAutomatist.com.
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82 • www.ppmag.com
Do you catch yourself daydreaming over your work, imaginingromantic faraway places? If wanderlust is forever distracting you,there might be a profitable way to give in to it.
Destination: SuccessBusiness insights for destination wedding photography
s mainstream wedding photography
becomes more creative, more couples
are attracted to the idea of
importing a photographer to cap-
ture their destination wedding.
Such weddings typically include
25 to 80 guests, cost thousands to produce, and
require the same care and forethought—if not
more—as traditional weddings. And couples
are willing to pay a premium for the service.
Destination wedding clients want to docu-
ment the destination experience as much as
the actual nuptials, so the wedding photog-
rapher must also be a travel photographer.
He must know how to capture the soul of
the location, as well as the spirit of the
people who’ve chosen it. He must be flexible
and adventuresome, yet bring order and
expertise to the experience.
The key to success in destination wedding
photography is to view it as a business endeavor
rather than a paid vacation. That means being
completely prepared for every conceivable
circumstance, and having the professionalism
to deal with the unexpected. We talked to
three in-demand pros about how they’ve
become successful in this dynamic business.
GARRETT NUDD
FAVORITE DESTINATION: PARIS, FRANCE.
“Photographing in Paris was pretty amazing,
being that it’s one of the most romantic and
artistic cities in the world. Just being there
was an inspiring experience.”
Two years ago, Garrett Nudd Photography
did zero destination weddings. This year,
©Garrett Nudd
WEDDINGS By Jeff Kent
A
Destination: Aspen, Colorado
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 83
destination weddings will account for
about 30 percent of the studio’s wedding
business. The Chattanooga, Tenn.,
operation has accomplished this impressive
business growth in two ways: One, the
husband-wife team of Garrett and Joy
Nudd actively promotes destination work
in all the media; and two, they know how
to inspire their clients’ confidence in them.
“When a bride hires a photographer, it’s
not just about the images; her primary
need is a feeling of security,” explains
Garrett. “She wants a photographer who’s
familiar with travel, who knows how to
handle an event, who knows what he’s
doing and makes her comfortable in
knowing he’ll do the job right.”
The Nudds opened their first studio
in Orlando, Fla., one of the world’s most
popular destination wedding locations.
Though they weren’t traveling for wed-
dings, they got plenty of experience dealing
with wedding parties that were. When they
moved to Chattanooga, the Nudds got
involved with a local university that
attracts an affluent, international student
body. They began moving in a circle of
people who travel extensively. They talked
up their penchant for destination work,
and their experience with destination
weddings in Florida.
They started landing gigs in Aspen,
Santa Barbara, Savannah, St. Augustine,
Key West, and as far away as Norway,
Scotland, France and Italy.
The Nudds customize a package for each
destination wedding. These weddings tend
to cost about 25 percent more than local ones,
with packages averaging $8,000 to $10,000
per wedding. If they’re working with a wed-
ding coordinator who has referred the couple,
the Nudds charge a flat fee for their services
and add travel expenses. If the bride contacts
them directly, the fee is all-inclusive.
Destination: Scotland
Destination: Paris
©Garrett Nudd
©Garrett Nudd
WEDDINGS
84 • www.ppmag.com
A key element in the Nudds’ pricing is
the number of days they’ll be away from the
studio. “That’s a cost people often overlook,”
Garrett says. “Flight and hotel are obvious,
but lost income is very important—like
being away from the business for several days.
We have a young daughter for whom we need
to make arrangements as well, so that’s another
factor. We look at each destination event indi-
vidually and decide if it makes sense for us.”
Beyond the profit and prestige of
destination photography, the Nudds see
traveling as a way to expand their creative
horizons and revitalize their photography.
“Being able to photograph in a different
place is a great way to stay fresh and
artistic,” says Garrett. “If we’re in the
Caribbean, I often get up before sunrise
for a walk on the beach to think and
reflect. That, as an artist, is so valuable—to
be far from home, to clear your mind. To
me, that’s the biggest benefit of destina-
tion weddings for a busy wedding
photographer.”
To learn more about Garrett Nudd Photog-raphy, check out www.garrettnudd.com.
GARRETT NUDD’S LESSONS FROM THE ROAD• Schedule plenty of time for travel on the front end. Planes can be late, connections
missed. Things can happen to prevent your being somewhere on time.
• Carry the necessary electrical current adapters for your equipment on international trips.
• Foreign cuisine may not agree with you, so do some research ahead of time to
locate places that will accommodate your special diet or preferred cuisine.
• Figure out the best time to shoot outside—daylight hours are different in every destination.
• Sometimes when you’re staying at the same venue as the clients, you end up working
for them all weekend. If that’s not in your contract, consider how you can work in time
for your own needs.
Destination: Italy
©Garrett Nudd
GENE HIGA
FAVORITE DESTINATION: THE PHILIPPINES.
“We shot seven locations in six days. It was
the most exotic wedding I’ve ever done.”
Like the others, Gene Higa kick-started his
destination wedding business through word-
of-mouth marketing. Beginning with his
existing client base, in 2004, the San
Francisco-based wedding photographer
began spreading the word. He promoted his
desire to work destination weddings to
brides, then asked them to mention him to
their bridal parties, their friends and their
families. The more pleased the local clients,
the more willing they were to talk him up in
their social circles. Now Higa books events
from Hawaii to Hong Kong, Tuscany to
Thailand.
Higa’s non-local bookings account for
about 25 percent of his total workload, or
roughly 10 destination events out of 40
weddings a year. In 2006, Higa hit nine
countries and every major U.S. city. In 2007,
he scaled back the travel by about 50
percent and began courting more high-end
local clients. “There aren’t a lot of photog-
raphers in the Bay Area who really focus on
destination weddings,” says Higa. “That sets
me apart. I show exotic destination images
to everyone, even people who are planning
to get married in San Francisco. You walk
into my studio and see large photos of
Greece, Peru, The Philippines. It gives
clients the impression that I’m trusted
enough to do these big destination events, so
I can definitely handle their local event. My
perceived value goes up significantly.”
For Higa, destination weddings provide
the additional benefit of filling traditionally
slow periods. Many of his destination couples
get married in warm-weather locations
during San Francisco’s winter months.
86 • www.ppmag.com
WEDDINGS
Destination: Thailand
©Gene Higa
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 87
TIPS FROM GENE HIGAThings people don’t always think about when planning adestination wedding job
SAFETY AND STABILITY. Keep up
with the news about the area you’ll
be working in. It’s important to insure
your equipment and take plenty of
precautions. Before leaving for a trip,
I photograph all my gear and write
down the serial numbers. I make backup
copies of my passport and travel
documents. I carry one copy with
me and leave another with someone
back home.
GETTING IN AND OUT. Research visa
regulations, entry documents and exit
documents for your destination.
Sometimes these documents need to be
arranged far in advance. If you show up
without them, you’re out of luck.
STAY IN TOUCH. We carry a World
Phone so we always have cell phone
access. Or you can buy a SIM card that
works in that country for your mobile
phone. Phone access is useful for keeping
in touch with the bride and groom, as
well as the business back home.
GET ACCLIMATED. The hardest part of
any destination wedding is getting there.
I like to arrive a couple days before the
event so I can get acclimated, recharge
and get in the groove.
Destination: Peru
Destination: Barbados©Gene Higa
©Gene Higa
When Higa would otherwise be tidying up
the studio and filing his income taxes, he’s
off in the tropics generating income.
Higa’s destination packages begin in the
$20,000 to $25,000 range. Like Claire and
the Nudds, his custom quotes include his
services plus travel expenses. Higa makes his
own travel arrangements, accumulating fre-
quent flier miles and hotel points, but he asks
to be included in the group lodging and travel
rates that clients negotiate for their guests.
His fees include an associate photographer,
Ann Hamilton, who accompanies him on all
destination jobs. Their commissions range
from one-day wedding coverage to week-
long shoots to document every adventure.
“The experiences are second to none,”
says Higa. “I’m going out there, seeing the
world, and getting paid to do it! The best
part is coming home with all those beautiful,
exotic images. From a photographer’s
standpoint, it’s pretty amazing.”
For more from Gene Higa, includinginformation on his Image X destinationwedding workshop, visit www.genehiga.comand www.imagexworkshop.com.
88 • www.ppmag.com
WEDDINGS
Destination: Philippines
JESSICA CLAIRE
FAVORITE DESTINATION: SANTORINI,
GREECE. “It was so beautiful, such an idyllic
place to photograph a wedding.”
Orange County, Calif., wedding photographer
Jessica Claire began doing destination wed-
dings with a 2004 assignment in Cabo San
Lucas, Mexico. The bride, a referral from a
local wedding coordinator, was active in
destination wedding message boards. Blown
away by Claire’s work, the bride posted
kudos up and down the boards.
Before long Claire was getting five to 10
inquiries a day about doing destination
weddings. She snapped up the gigs that
interested her, in such places as Greece,
90 • www.ppmag.com
WEDDINGS
JESSICA CLAIRE’S DESTINATION WEDDING TIPSTRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT. Shoot a destination wedding before you invest heavily
in that market. Even if you lose money on that first job, the experience can be worth it.
You’ll get a more realistic idea of what it’s like to work in that area.
GET CONNECTED. Network with travel agents, local coordinators and vendors. Let
them know you love shooting at their venues or destinations and that you want to do it
again. Send them images. Don’t make it hard for them to refer someone from far away.
DON’T BE A STRANGER. Respond to calls and e-mails quickly, especially when
you’re dealing with a client who doesn’t live near you. Be totally available to non-local
prospects, because it’s easier for them to work with someone closer to home.
DO IT YOURSELF. It pays to make your own travel and lodging arrangements. Include
the costs in your total package price.
“When I started the destination work, Iwas eager for the experience, and I treatedeach trip like a little vacation. That changedover time. The more you travel, the lessglamorous it is. If you want to run a seriousbusiness, you can’t forego your profitstaking vacations on someone else’s dime.”
Destination: Cabo San Lucas
©Jessica Claire
Hawaii, St. John and British Columbia.
It was fun. It was exciting. But profitable,
not so much. “When I started the destination
work, I was eager for the experience, and I
treated each trip like a little vacation,” Claire
remembers. “That changed over time. The
more you travel, the less glamorous it is. If
you want to run a serious business, you can’t
forego your profits taking vacations on some-
one else’s dime. I took a hard look at my
costs and started raising my prices to make
it really worth it to do destination events.”
Claire’s customized price quotes include her
travel expenses and commute time, even rev-
enue she could have generated had she not been
traveling. In general, her destination packages
sell for about double the price of a local wedding.
“Making money on destination weddings
involves so much more than adding on the
cost of the flight and the room,” says Claire.
“There are also costs like parking at the
airport, meals, shipping wedding albums to
out-of-town clients, having equipment sent
to you, paying extra to travel with gear,
Internet access fees at the hotel and all the
incidentals that come with traveling.” And
then there’s the cost of opportunity lost. “If
you travel for a wedding on Memorial Day
weekend, you can shoot only one wedding.
At home you could have shot two or three.
You have to charge accordingly,” she adds.
Word-of-mouth marketing and vendor
referrals have been critical. As Claire’s prices
increase, so do her clients’ expectations of
personal service. With destination packages
starting at $10,000, clients aren’t finding her
in the Yellow Pages. They want someone
referred by others of the inner circle. Claire
works extra hard to establish relationships
with all her clients, their friends and
families, and naturally, the resort managers,
wedding coordinators and travel agents who
specialize in destination events.
Claire includes destination event info on
her Web site and writes about the weddings
on her blog. “If I post about a particular
destination, it will come up in search
engines,” she explains. “Brides searching for
info about those locations may come across
my blog, where they can look at my recent
work and learn more about me. There’s no
one magic bullet for finding destination
brides. They live all over, and they don’t hear
about photographers from just one source.
The challenge is to make as many connections
as possible and let all those people know you
do destination wedding photography.” �
For more on Jessica Claire, visitwww.jessicaclaire.net.
Destination: Greece
WEDDINGS
©Jessica Claire
happenMaking the magic
All images ©Jerry Ghionis
Lauded Australian photographer Jerry Ghionis finds beauty and prosperity in reinvention.
B Y L O R N A G E N T R Y
96 • www.ppmag.com
In July, Microsoft anointed him an “Icon of
Imaging.” Never one to rest on his laurels,
Ghionis celebrated his success by
reconfiguring his business model.
This month Ghionis opened an
eponymous boutique photography studio in
the Docklands area of Victoria Harbour in
Melbourne. His present studio, XSiGHT
Photography and Video, in Melbourne, con-
tinues to be run by his brother and business
partner, Nick, an accomplished photographer
as well. The new studio, run by Ghionis and
his wife, Georgina, and his personal assistant
Sally-Ann Sargood, will cater to an elite
clientele, and have more individualized
services and higher prices than XSiGHT.
This month Ghionis also publishes his first
coffee table book, and launches an online
classroom called The I.C.E.Society.
Maintaining the status quo was never
enough for Ghionis. Even though his first
studio was successful, several years ago
Ghionis changed the name to XSiGHT,
added a state-of-the-art theater, and doubled
his fees. He doubled the number of clients
as well. Over the years Ghionis has given
seminars and workshops worldwide and
won numerous international awards, including
four of the last five International Wedding
Album of the Year awards from Wedding &
Portrait Photographers International.
Professional Photographer caught up with
Ghionis between seminars in Melbourne.
Professional Photographer: You’re at the pin-
nacle of your career, so why change your studio?
Jerry Ghionis: We’ve all heard the saying,
“If it works, don’t fix it.” I prefer, “If it works,
make it better.” There is always a better
way—a more efficient, less expensive and
more effective way. I would rather risk and
fail than be safe and boring. Rather than
hat a year 2007was for AustralianphotographerJerry Ghionis.In March American Photo
Magazine named him one
of the top 10 wedding
photographers in the world.
concentrating on being the best, I concentrate
on being better than last week and being dif-
ferent. I encourage new photographers to be
as passionate about their business as they
are about their photography. My biggest rein-
vention yet is the introduction of my new
studio. I am ready for the next phase in my
career. I’m starting from scratch. It’s been 10
years since I started my own business, and I
can’t wait for what the next 10 years will bring.
Your approach to photographing weddings is
different from the popular photojournalism style.
What is your technique and why is it successful?
When I started, I was told that a wedding
isn’t about me, it’s about the bride and groom.
I grew tired of waiting for magic to happen
on its own. An artist’s paintings say as much
about the artist as the subject. Why should
photography be any different? Aren’t we
artists? I love beauty, glamour and fashion.
In fact, those who inspire me most are fashion
photographers—Herb Ritts, David LaChapelle,
Patrick Demarchelier, Sante D´Orazio,
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 97
Mario Testino, Horst P. Horst, Helmut Newton,
Richard Avedon, among many others.
If I waited for moments on a wedding
day rather than create them, my albums
wouldn’t look as dynamic as they do. My
albums feature images that I captured as
well as those I created. When viewing her
photographs, a bride first looks to see how
beautiful she is and then looks for expression,
emotion and storytelling. Ironically, the bride
who wants to look beautiful doesn’t want to
be posed, which tells me brides want to look
glamorous and natural. Emotion often beats
perfection, but why not have both? I make
my images appear as if I happened to be in
the right place at the right time.
What gives your images that touch of drama?
Through lighting—video light, candlelight,
ambient light. I also use shadows and
reflections. I vary angles, cropping and
perspective. Mainly it’s the last-minute
finesse, the last direction. It could be a slight
parting of the lips or tilt of the head.
You seem to love saturated color. Why?
Because it’s exciting and stands out from what
other photographers do. Color evokes certain
emotions and demands attention. I never shoot
in black in white, but I do convert images to
black and white. Black and white and sepia
represent about 10 to 20 percent of the images
in my wedding albums.
How many weddings do you shoot in a year?
People often have the perception that I don’t
shoot much anymore because I’m away teach-
ing. In 2006 I was away from home for about
three months, collectively, but I still shot 65
weddings. The same for 2007. But from this
year on I’ll be photographing fewer weddings,
(continued on p. 102)
MARKETING, THE GHIONIS WAY
Five key things photographers should
remember in planning marketing and
advertising for the year:
1. Work on marketing that costs you
nothing—ask clients and vendors for
referrals and maximize relationships with
people who can help you.
2. Try a same-day slide show at the
reception. It’s the best direct marketing
you will ever do and you can charge good
money for it.
3. Don’t be a tightwad! Don’t think
about the advertising dollars you’re
spending; think instead about the return.
4. When presented with an advertising
opportunity, ask yourself, Is there a
better way I can spend this money?
5. Don’t forget to consider yourself a
brand. Build it and they will come.
JERRY GHIONIS’CAMERA BAG
CAMERAS:
Canon EOS 5D (x2)
Canon EOS 20D
LENSES:
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM
Canon 24-105 f/4 L USM
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
SanDisk CompactFlash cards
LIGHTING:
Canon Speedlite 580EX
Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2
Lowel id-Light video light
Sunpak ringlight flash
“Rather thanconcentrating onbeing the best, I concentrateon being betterthan last week.”
(continued from p. 98)
doubling my prices, and offering a more bou-
tique service. Portrait and fashion photography
make up about 20 percent of my business.
What makes your wedding albums award
winning?
I believe it is the simplicity of design, which
allows the photography to speak for itself. A
good design goes unnoticed. It’s all about the
images. It’s harder to be simple than it is to add
a lot of bells and whistles. Wedding albums
shouldn’t be too fashionable. I want my albums
to look great 50 years from now. Most of our
albums are a mix of matted and magazine styles,
made by Seldex Artistic Albums in Australia.
In my new studio, every album will be cus-
tomized and tailored to suit individual clients.
What is the number one way a professional
photographer can improve his or her business?
Surround yourself with great people. Without
a good staff, your studio is only four walls. Stop
being a control freak and get some help. Educate
yourself. Seminars and workshops can literally
change your life. After all, knowledge is power.
Don’t be too precious about the work.
Consider yourself first a businessperson who
happens to be a photographer. Artistically,
don’t be safe or stay in your comfort zone by
setting up pose number 23 in location
number 57. Comfort zones have never been
synonymous with artistic expression. Learn
to observe and listen to people. Become a good
communicator. My images are solid …
because of how I communicate with my
clients. �
See more of Jerry Ghionis’ work and get info about his seminars, workshops, DVDs,and Picpockets educational tools atwww.jerryghionis.com.
A freelance writer based in Atlanta, LornaGentry has covered the professionalphotography industry for 15 years.
“I grew tired ofwaiting for magicto happen on itsown. An artist’spaintings say asmuch about theartist as the subject.… Aren’t we artists?”
All images ©Parker Pfister
One ofa kind
Parker Pfister’s special knack for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
BY STEPHANIE BOOZER
“I want people to know
me as a photographer.
Not a wedding or a
portrait photographer,
just a photographer.”
A CV boot from an old Honda Accord and a
rechargeable deer light aren’t exactly typical
gear for a camera bag. But for Parker Pfister, one
man’s trash can be another man’s treasure.
“I’m kind of an inventor,” he says, as he
describes the inexpensive lighting option he
found at a neighborhood Wal-Mart. “About
five years ago I unleashed the deer light on
the world, and the response was amazing.”
The rechargeable “deer light,” about the
size of a gallon jug, lasts 40 minutes on a full
charge. The lights are used in an unlawful
hunting practice in which “guys drive around
at night with these huge spotlights hunting
deer,” says Pfister. “I thought, Wow! That
would be the coolest thing to light portraits with.”
Pfister rigged a deer light with a soft box,
and discovered some of the best artificial
lighting he’s seen. “People kept asking me
how I was getting this gorgeous lighting. I
love showing up with funky stuff like this at
a wedding,” Pfister says.
The CV boot? Pfister turned it into a tilt-
shift lens for his Canon EOS-1D Mark II. “I
really miss film and large format cameras,”
he explains. “I figured out that I could take
the rubber CV boot from this ’84 Honda
Accord, put my Canon body cap on one end,
and a large format lens on the other. Now I
have a truly unique tilt-shift lens.”
Pfister’s penchant for the organic quality
of film led him into developing a set of
Adobe Photoshop actions that have become
wildly popular. The set is saved in layers, so
photographers can alter them to suit their
own style and purposes.
“I’m kind of an inventor,” he says, as he describes theinexpensive lighting option he found at a neighborhoodWal-Mart. “About five years ago I unleashed the deerlight on the world, and the response was amazing.”
“Digital is way too clean. People have no idea
what I shoot—film or digital—and I love that.”
Pfister’s unconventional methods and
beautiful images have made him a popular
speaker and teacher. “I’m always in awe
when I watch Parker shoot,” says his wife
and business partner, Melissa. “He has an
amazing way of seeing a shot that no one
else ever would. And he’s very fast. He never
hesitates when he’s shooting.”
Pfister was 6 when his grandmother gave
him his first camera, and he was hooked. At
11, he won the county and state fairs of
Ohio with an image of a toad, and eventually
took second place in the world at the St.
Louis Fair. From then on photography
became his calling. He shot his first wed-
ding in 1984 with his father, an ichthyolo-
gist, who also happened to photograph
weddings on the side.
After that wedding, says Pfister, “I swore
I’d never shoot another wedding.” Later,
Pfister headed west to Oregon to pursue
landscape and large-format photography,
and he accumulated a portfolio of fine-art
work as well. He reluctantly agreed to shoot
another wedding, but only on his own
terms. “I fell in love with it,” he says. “I was
able to show my personality and my style,
and really take on the wedding day.”
Pfister has been shooting weddings and
portraits exclusively since 1999. His
inventive spirit keeps it fresh because he’s
always got some crazy new idea to try. He
won’t divulge his latest inventions, but he
will admit to rigging up his own ring lights,
and says he’s having fun playing with
Westcott Spiderlites, which are “super-duper
cool and fit my style perfectly,” he says.
“The biggest way I combat burnout is
that I never go in with a plan,” says Pfister,
who scoffs at the idea of scoping out the
location ahead of time. “It’s all about the
light anyway, which is always changing. We
run around looking for gorgeous light. It
110 • www.ppmag.com
may be in the ugliest part of the church, but
if the light’s perfect, it’s going to sing.”
Situated in the mountain town of Asheville,
N.C., the Pfisters’ studio is more of a fine-art
gallery than a typical studio. There’s no
camera room, and no portraits or wedding
shots adorn the walls. Instead, the space is
dominated by Pfister’s fine art and land-
scapes, making clients feel they’re taking in
an exhibition as well as sizing up a wedding
photographer.
“I realized that this space is really my mar-
keting tool,” he says. “People walk in and say,
‘Wow, this guy’s a real photographer,’ then
sit down and look at the wedding books.
When someone spends 10 minutes up front
just looking at my pictures, I know they’re
my kind of client.”
The Pfisters limit their wedding bookings
Situated in themountain town of
Asheville, N.C., thestudio is more of afine-art gallery than
a typical studio.There’s no camera
room, and noportraits or wedding
shots adorn thewalls. The space is
dominated byPfister’s fine artand landscapes.
"SuccessWare helped me
become very profitable and create
a wonderful debt-free life for my
family through a business that
I dearly love. But in any business,
adversity can appear at any time.
The focus SuccessWare provides
gives me the insight to keep my
studio on track - even through
back-to-back hurricanes."
Frank Donnino
Donnino Galleria Portraits | Boynton Beach, FL
Read Frank’s story at
successware.net/success_stories.
©20
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“Success depends on howyou react to adversity.”
successful photographers have a lot in common.creativity. passion. successware.
Carol Andrews, Sam Puc, Jason & Tammy Odom, Audrey Wancket, Mary Fisk, Jamie Hayes, Lori Nordstrom, Susan Michal, Jeff & Julia Woods, Jed & Vickie Taufer. Michael Redford, Sarah Petty
Frank teaching The Baby Plan at a workshop.
to 20 a year, portrait sessions to 30 or so.
They do everything themselves, from
shooting to printing to hand-binding
albums. Designated both a Canon
PrintMaster and Canon Explorer of Light,
Pfister prints all final images with a Canon
iPF 8000 printer onto Hahnemuhle paper,
though he’s looking forward to testing a new
“all-green” album printed on bamboo paper,
a renewable resource.
The Pfisters use a traditional English
signature binding method with their albums,
which are popular among both wedding and
portrait clients. Most important, they
reserve time to develop strong personal
relationships with their clients.
“We try to create a one-of-a-kind expe-
rience for our clients,” says Melissa. “We want
them to be able to look at every image and
remember how they felt in that exact moment.”
“We actually call our bookings ‘commis-
sions,’” says Pfister, who averages about
$12,000 per wedding and $4,000 to $5,000
per portrait sitting. “We meet with our clients
as often as we can, have drinks, dinner,
whatever, so that we’re really comfortable at
the wedding. We couldn’t do that if we were
doing 40 weddings a year.”
Limiting commissions also provides time
for Pfister to continue to explore the world
with his camera. “I have to shoot daily,” he
says. “I shoot random things just to see how
light reacts, see different angles. Once you
see something in a different way, you can
mold it to whatever look you want to create.”
Pfister is content with his present workload,
and enjoys a happy balance of teaching,
photography and inventing.
“I’m always trying to see how I can do
things differently,” says Pfister. “I want people to
know me as a photographer. Not a wedding or
a portrait photographer, just a photographer.” �
See more of Parker Pfister’s wedding portfolioat www.parkerjphoto.com, or check out hisAdobe Photoshop actions at www.pjddr.com.
113 faces.indd 1 2/13/08 9:37:08 AM
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115 ghionis R.indd 1 2/13/08 9:37:58 AM
All images ©Mike Colón
ENGINEERING A NICHEThe tale of Mike Colón and the spiraling wedding market
BY JEFF KENT
ith each new price point, there is so muchmore that’s expected. You’re dealing with acompletely different group with different wants and needs. The trick is tounderstand what’s required and deliver it without being asked,” says Mike Colón.
As an electrical engineering student at
Cal State Fullerton, Mike Colón spent his
extracurricular hours working at three photog-
raphy studios. The more he photographed,
the less he wanted a career in engineering.
Deciding his future lay in photography, he
didn’t switch his major to art and photog-
raphy, but to business. “I wanted to learn
how to run a business,” says Colón. “I had no
intention of being a starving artist.”
Colón’s skill with a camera opened doors,
and his business acumen helped him make the
most of his opportunities. Now one of the most
recognized names in wedding photography,
Colón runs a studio that averages about $25,000
per wedding. He speaks at industry events
around the country, maintains a quiver of big-
name sponsors, and sees his images gracing
major ad campaigns—all this in about 10 years.
Working out of Newport Beach, Calif.,
Colón began by shooting a mix of action
sports and sports portraits, along with an
occasional wedding. He hooked up with an
established wedding shooter who taught him
the ropes, then sent him referrals for a fee. In
the first year with the photographer, Colón
booked some 25 weddings, and fell in love
with it. “I was in a happy place every
weekend. It was good pay, consistent work,
and I got to be my own boss,” he says.
In January 2000, with wedding refer-
rals flowing in, Colón dropped everything
else to focus solely on weddings. He figured
that by dedicating his energy to marketing
and building a specialty business, he could
establish himself as an expert. Expert
status draws experts’ pay.
Colón’s first investment was a top-notch
Web site. He started advertising in maga-
zines and bridal publications, going into
debt to buy full-page ads like the major
players. He also started building relation-
ships with other wedding photographers,
such as fellow SoCal shooters Becker, Jon
Barber and Joe Photo.
At Becker’s instigation, the group organ-
ized an online calendar to post open dates,
so they could refer prospects to one another
if they were already booked. The system
helped all of them build their businesses in
the otherwise cutthroat competition of the
Southern California market.
The kick-start in drawing a client base
emboldened Colón. “Every time I felt like I
was making progress, it would give me
confidence and I would get more aggressive,”
he says. “Rather than sitting back, I would
actually spend more money. I would max
out my credit cards to invest in the business.
With each new investment in the business, I
would raise my fees.”
At first, he bumped up prices incremen-
tally to get his packages on par with the
A-list photographers in the area. His first big
increase was from $4,000 to $6,000. Then
he upped it to $7,500. Then $10,000.
Colón decided to decrease his bookings
and really focus on the upper tier market.
In one fell swoop, he doubled his rates to
$20,000 per wedding. It was an enormous
risk, but it if worked it would take Colón to
the level he wanted to retain for the rest of
his career. He wasn’t being haphazard, but
executing a plan, backed by increased ser-
vice, product quality and personal respon-
COLON’S GEAR
CAMERA: Nikon D3
LENSES: 200mm Nikkor f/2G ED-IF AF-S
VR; 70-200mm Nikkor f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S
VR Zoom; 105mm Nikkor f/2.8G ED-IF AF-
S VR Micro; 85mm Nikkor f/1.4D AF;
50mm Nikkor f/1.4D AF; 24-70mm Nikkor
f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Zoom; 14-24mm Nikkor
f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S Zoom; TC-20E II (2X)
AF-S, AF-I Teleconverter
ON-SITE DISPLAY EQUIPMENT: Epson
Powerlite 1810P Multimedia Projector;
Epson 80-inch portable pop-up screen;
Apple 17-inch MacBook Pro
DIGITAL DARKROOM: Apple Mac Pros
with Cinema Displays; Epson Stylus Pro
3800, 4800 and 7800 printers; Mitsubishi
CP9550DW dye-sub printer; Apple
Aperture 1.5; Alien Skin Exposure 2.0
STORAGE DEVICES: Tamrac Big Wheels
Rolling StrongBox 692; Epson P5000
Multimedia Storage Viewers; Lexar Pro 8GB
300X CompactFlash cards; SmartDisk
80GB FireLite mini external drives; 7.5TB
Sonnet SATA mirrored RAID enclosures
122 • www.ppmag.com
sibility for his clients’ happiness. “With
each new price point, there is so much
more that’s expected,” says Colón. “At each
level, you’re dealing with a completely
different group with different wants and
needs. The trick is to understand what’s
required and deliver it without being asked.”
Word in the industry spread like juicy
gossip. Who was this kid? Competitors,
vendors, sponsors and clients saw him in a
new light. “The price increases did more
than target the clients who wanted to
spend that amount of money, they created
buzz. They helped me stand out from the
pack,” says Colón.
Colón’s success confirmed his instinct
about his new target market and helped
establish him as a leader in the industry. He
began speaking and giving seminars,
creating a name for himself as a wedding
photography expert.
In the era of Internet-fueled information
exchange, says Colón. “Shoppers for high-
end products do their research.” “When a
bride has money to spend, she wants the
best. She looks in the magazines, searches
the Internet, and sees whose name keeps
popping up. If I keep to myself and never
share my knowledge with anyone, then I
don’t have a chance at that bride. But if I
build a network and a reputation, it
translates into people knowing me and
respecting me.”
“I’ve worked very hard to create a brand
that appeals to the high-end bride. So
much of that brand is based on a con-
fidence that I will do a great job no matter
how high the stakes,” says Colón. When
you have that confidence, there’s no limit to
what you can accomplish.” �
To see more from Mike Colón, visitwww.mikecolon.com.
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123-nik.indd 1 2/13/08 9:38:17 AM
Current EventsApril 4-8S: PP of Washington, Wenatchee, Wash.;Radley Muller, 360-676-9279; [email protected]; www.ppw.org
April 6-9C: PPSNY, Hilton Rye Town, Rye Brook, N.Y.;Barbara Bovat, 518-851-2187; [email protected];www.ppsnys.com
April 12-15C: Heart of America, Mid America Center, CouncilBluffs, Iowa.; Stephen Harvey, 620-624-4102;[email protected]; www.hoappa.com
April 13-15C: Montana PPA, Billings, Montana; ScottFairbanks, 406-761-2059;[email protected]; montanappa.org
April 14S: Connecticut PPA, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cromwell,Conn.; Harvey Goldstein, 203-430-8276;[email protected]; www.ctppa.com
April 21S: PP of Massachusetts; Steve Meier, [email protected], www.ppam.com
April 26-29C: New Hampshire PPA; North Conway, N.H.;Lorraine Bedell, 603-743-5732; [email protected]; nhppa.com
April 27-29C: PP of New Jersey, Bally’s Hotel & Casino,Altlantic City, N.J.; Leslie Meltzer, 866-985-4300; [email protected]; wwwppanj.com
May 18-20S: PP of Louisiana, Marksville, La.; DaynaPonthieu, 318-359-6633; www.ppla.net
May 18-23W: Imaging Workshops, Mountain Summit,Breckenridge, Colo.; Jeff Johnson, 303-921-4454;[email protected]; www.coloradoworkshops.com
June 15-16C: PP of Oregon, Mt. Bachelor Resort, Bend,Ore.; Arlene Welsh, 800-370-5657; [email protected]; www.pporegon.com
June 16S: PP of Massachusetts; Steve Meier, [email protected]; www.ppam.com
June 22-23S: Kentucky PPA; Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky.; Randy Fraley, 606-928-5333;[email protected]; www.kyppa.com
June 22-24S: PP of North Dakota, Northern Light Seminar,Doublewood Inn, Bismarck, N.D.; Poppy Mills,701-222-3040; [email protected]
June 22-25S: Texas PPA, YO Ranch Resort, Kerrville, Texas;Doug Box; 979-272-5200; [email protected];www.tppa.org
August 2-5C: PP of Louisiana, New Orleans, La.; DaynaPonthieu, 318-359-6633; www.ppla.net
August 15C: Tennessee PPA, Marriott Cool Springs, Frankin,Tenn.; Ernie K. Johnson, 615-509-5737;[email protected]; tnppa.com
September 12-15C: PP of Oklahoma, Radisson Hotel, Tulsa,Okla.; Ted Newlin, [email protected];www.ppok.org
September 13-16C: PPA of New England, Radisson HotelNashua, N.H.; Roland Laramie, P.O. Box 316,Willimantic, CT 06226; [email protected]
September 13-17C: Georgia PPA, Athens, Ga.; Tom McCollum;770-972-8552; [email protected];www.gppa.com
October 3-7C: Southwest PPA, Sheraton Arlington Hotel, Arlington, Texas; Michael Scalf, Sr., Box 1779, Blanchard, OK 73010-1770; 405-485-3838; [email protected];www.swppa.com
October 5-6S: Kentucky PPA; Hyatt Regency, Lexington,Ky.; Randy Fraley, 606-928-5333; [email protected]; www.kyppa.com
October 12-13C: PP of Colorado, Denver, Colo.; Jeff Johnson;303-921-4454; [email protected];www.ppcolorado.com
October 20S: PP of Massachusetts; Steve Meier, [email protected]; www.ppam.com
126 • www.ppmag.com
calendar
Submit your organization’s convention, work-shop, seminar or exhibition dates to ProfessionalPhotographer at least six months in advance.Editors reserve the right to select events to beannounced on these pages, and to determinewhen announcements will appear. Editors arenot responsible for conflicting or incorrect dates.For readers’ convenience, each event is identi-fied by a code preceding its name: C=Convention,W=Workshop, S=Seminar, C/E=Approved PPAContinuing Education Seminar, E=Exhibit. Sendall Calendar of Events additions or correctionsto: Sandra Lang, Professional Photographer,229 Peachtree St., NE, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA30303; FAX: 404-614-6404; [email protected].
PPA EVENTS
Professional Photographers of America (PPA)has a proud tradition of providing its memberswith outstanding educational opportunitiesthrough its annual events, PPA-Merited classesand its PPA Affiliate School Network. Don’tmiss out on the vital knowledge you’ll gain atthese events! For information on PPA events,call 800-786-6277 or visit www.ppa.com.
June 6117th Annual International PrintCompetition Deadline for Entries
July 22-23Judges Workshop, Daytona Beach
April 7Super Monday
October 9-18PPA Fall Cruise
January 11-13, 2009Imaging USA, Phoenix
January 10-12, 2010Imaging USA, Nashville
Certification ExamApril 6Washington
April 10California
For a complete list of exam dates, go towww.ppa.com and click on Certification.
Image Review
Online submission:May 9, August 8, & October 10
128 • www.ppmag.com
PPA members receive both merits and the best-published prices.
March 30 - April 2International Photographic Arts School,Mariott Hotel & Conference Center,Indianapolis, Ind.; Janell Spencer, 812-384-3203; [email protected];www.apag.net/ipasschool.html
March 30 – April 4Triangle Institute, Greentree Radisson,Pittsburgh, Pa.; Samuel Pelaia, 724-869-5455; [email protected]; www.trianglephotographers.org
March 31 – April 4California Photographic Workshops,Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, Calif.;James Inks, 888-422-6606;[email protected];www.cpwschool.com
April 6-11New England Institute, Ocean Edge Resort,Brewster, Mass.; Sal Genuario, 401-738-3797; [email protected]; www.ppane.com
April 27 – May 2Texas School, Texas A&M University,College Station, Texas; Donald Dickson,806-296-2276; [email protected];www.tppa.org/school.htm
May 4-9Georgia School, N. Georgia Tech,Clarksville, Ga.; Tom McCollum, 888-272-3711; [email protected];www.gppa.com
May 4-9MARS (Mid-Atlantic Regional School),Grand Hotel, Cape May, N.J.; AdeleBastinck, 888-267-6277;[email protected]; www.marsschool.com
May 6-9 and May 11-14Wisconsin Professional PhotographersSchool, UW Stevens Point-Treehaven,Tomahawk, Wis.; Phil Ziesemer, 715-536-4540, [email protected]; www.wiprophotoschool.org
May 18-22Florida School of Photography, DaytonaBeach Community College, Daytona Beach,Fla.; Teri Crownover; [email protected];800-330-0532; Marybeth Jackson-Hamberger, [email protected];www.fppfloridaschool.com
May 18-22Imaging Workshops of Colorado,Breckenridge, Colo.; Jeff Johnson, 303-921-4454; [email protected]; www.coloradoworkshops.com
June 1-5Kansas Professional Photographer School,Bethel College, Newton, Kan.; RonClevenger, 785-242-7710,[email protected]; www.kpps.com
June 1-5Mid-America Institute of ProfessionalPhotography, University of Northern Iowa,Cedar Falls, Iowa; Charles Lee, 641-799-8957; [email protected];www.maipp.com; Al DeWild,[email protected]
June 8-12Illinois Workshops, Grafton, Ill.; Bret Wade,217-245-5418; [email protected];www.ilworkshops.com
June 8-13Great Lakes Institute of Photography,Northwestern College, Traverse City, Mich.;Greg Ockerman, 313-318-4327; [email protected]; www.glip.org
June 15-20West Coast School, University of San Diego, San Diego, Calif.; Kip Cothran, 951-696-9706; [email protected];www.prophotoca.com
June 22-25Golden Gate School of ProfessionalPhotography, Mills College, Oakland, Calif.;Julie Olson, 650-548-0889; [email protected];www.goldengateschool.com
June 22-26PP Oklahoma School, St. Gregory’sUniversity, Shawnee, Okla.; Glenn Cope,580-628-6438; [email protected];www.ppok.org/school.html
July 13-17Image Explorations, Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia; Don MacGregor, 604-731-7225; [email protected];
www.imageexplorations.ca/
July 20-25PPSNY Photo Workshop, Hobart/WilliamSmith Colleges, Geneva, N.Y.; LindaHutchings, 607-733-6563; [email protected]; www.ppsnysworkshop.com
August 4-7Long Island Photo Workshop, SheratonHotel, Smithtown, Long Island, N.Y.; Jerry Small, 516-221-4058; [email protected]; www.liphotoworkshop.com
August 10-14East Coast School, Sheraton Imperial Hotel,Raleigh, N.C.; Janet Boschker, 704-567-0775; [email protected];www.eastcoastschool.com
August 24-27Carolina Art & Photographic School,Randolph Community College, ArchdaleCampus, Creekside Park, N.C.; Bob Henderson, 336-288-1132; [email protected]; www.capsartschool.com
September 28-October 2Lamarr Williamson School of SouthCarolina; Springmaid Resort, Myrtle Beach,S.C.; John Wrightenberry; 803-781-2130;[email protected]; www.ppofsc.com
Send all additions or corrections to: MarisaPitts, Professional Photographers ofAmerica, 229 Peachtree Street, N.E., Suite2200, Atlanta, GA 30303;[email protected].
2008 PPA-AFFILIATED SCHOOLS
October 20-21C: Wisconsin PPA, The Osthoff Resort,Elkhart Lake, Wis.; Donna Swiecichowski, 920-822-1200; Paul Tishim, 715-384-5454; Deb Wiltsey, 866-382-9772; wppa-online.com
October 26-27C: PP of Iowa, Airport Holiday Inn, DesMoines, Iowa; Chris Brinkopf, P.O. Box 108,Sumner, IA 50674; 563-578-1126;[email protected]
October 26-28S: Northern Light/Minnesota PPA; Nicole Bugnacki, 763-390-6272;[email protected]
November 2S: PP of Louisiana, Northern Exposure,Shreveport, La.; Dayna Ponthieu,318-359-6633; www.ppla.net
November 9-10C: PP of Ohio, Hilton Easton, Columbus,Ohio; Carol Worthington,[email protected]
Future EventsJanuary 31 - February 3, 2009C: PP of Iowa, Airport Holiday Inn, DesMoines, Iowa; Chris Brinkopf, P.O. Box 108,Sumner, IA 50674; 563-578-1126;[email protected]
February 20-23, 2009C: PP of Oregon, Mt. Bachelor Resort Bend,Ore.; Arlene Welsh, 800-370-5657; [email protected]; www.pporegon.com
February 20-25, 2009C: Virginia PPA, Renaissance Hotel,Portsmouth, Va.; William Garrett, 434-836-2751; [email protected]
February 26-March 4, 2009C: PP of North Carolina; Sheraton ImperialHotel, Durham, N.C.; Loretta Byrd, 888-404-7762; [email protected];www.ppofnc.com
February 27-March 3, 2009C: Wisconsin PPA, Marriott ConferenceCenter, Madison, Wis.; DonnaSwiecichowski, 920-822-1200; Paul Tishim,715-384-5454; Deb Wiltsey, 866-382-9772; wppa-online.com
March 28-31, 2009C: Heart of America, KCI Expo Center,Kansas City, Mo.; Stephen Harvey, 620-624-4102; [email protected];www.hoappa.com
April 3-8, 2009C: Minnesota PPA; Joanie Ford, 763-560-7783; [email protected];mnppa.com
April 4-8, 2009C: Northern Light, Minnesota, Jeff Fifield,218-722-377; [email protected]; NicoleBugnacki, P.O. Box 567 Ironton, Minn.;56455; 763-390-6272
April 25-28, 2009C: SEPPA, Athens, Ga.; TomMcCollum; 770-972-8552; [email protected];www.4seppa.com
August 8-12, 2009C: Tennessee PPA, Marriott Cool Springs,Frankin, Tenn.; Ernie K. Johnson; 615-509-5737; [email protected];tnppa.com
November 15-16, 2009C: PP of Ohio, Hilton Easton, Columbus, Ohio; Carol Worthington, [email protected]
February 26-March2, 2010C: Wisconsin PPA, Radison HOtel, GreenBay, Wis..; Donna Swiecichowski, 920-822-1200; Paul Tishim, 715-384-5454; Deb Wiltsey, 866-382-9772; wppa-online.com
April 10-13, 2010C: Heart of America, KCI Expo Center,Kansas City, Mo.; Stephen Harvey, 620-624-4102; [email protected]; www.hoappa.com
November 14-15, 2010C: PP of Ohio, Hilton Easton, Columbus, Ohio; Carol Worthington,[email protected]
March 4-9, 2011C: PP of North Carolina, Sheraton ImperialHotel, Durham, N.C.; Loretta Byrd, 888-404-7762; [email protected];www.ppofnc.com
April 2-5, 2011C: Heart of America, KCI Expo Center,Kansas City, Mo.; Stephen Harvey, 620-624-4102; [email protected];www.hoappa.com
130 • www.ppmag.com
PPA-ApprovedContinuing Education Seminars
PPA members receive both merits and the best-published prices.
April 21C/E: Arizona Spring Fling, Phoenix AirportHilton, Phoenix, Ariz.;[email protected];www.arizonappa.com/seminars.html
April 28-May 2C/E: David Ziser’s Digital Master Class;Cincinnati, Ohio; 800-292-2994;www.davidziser.com
March 3-8C/E: Painter Panache Master; Jeremy Sutton,San Francisco, Calif.; 415-626-3971;www.jeremysutton.com
May 5-9C/E: From Traditional to Digital; JeremySutton, San Francisco, Calif.; 415-626-3971;www.jeremysutton.com
July 12-18C/E: Copan Honduras Study AbroadExcursion with Paul Wingler, Suzette Allen &Jon Yoshinaga; 800-483-6208; [email protected];www.suzetteallen.com/copan
August 1-4C/E: Oxford Painter Workshop; JeremySutton, San Francisco, Calif.; 415-626-3971;www.jeremysutton.com
September 12-17C/E: Great Gatsby Impressionist Workshop;Jeremy Sutton, San Francisco, Calif.; 415-626-3971; www.jeremysutton.com
October 20-23C/E: Painter Creativity; Jeremy Sutton, SanFrancisco, Calif.; 415-626-3971; www.jeremysutton.com
November 2-6C/E: The College! Master Biennale; JeremySutton, San Francisco, Calif.; 415-626-3971;www.jeremysutton.com
PPA AFFILIATE SCHOOLSBahamas International School of Professional Photography (Bahamas)—www.bispp.com
California Photographic Workshops (CA)—www.cpwschool.com
Carolina Art & Photographic School (NC)—www.capsartschool.com
Delta School (MS)—www.deltaschool.com
East Coast School (NC)—www.eastcoastschool.com
Evergreen School of Professional Photography (WA)—www.ppw.org.
Florida School of Photography (FL)—www.fpponline.org
Georgia School (GA)—www.gppa.com
Great Lakes Institute of Photography (MI)—www.glip.org
Golden Gate School of Professional Photography (CA)—www.goldengateschool.com
Illinois Workshops (IL)—www.ilworkshops.com
Image Explorations (British Columbia)—www.imageexplorations.ca
Imaging Workshops of Colorado (CO)—www.coloradoworkshops.com
International Photographic Arts School (IN)—www.ppofi.org
Kansas Professional Photographer School (KS)—www.kpps.com
Lamarr Williamson School of SC (SC)—www.ppofsc.com
Long Island Photo Workshop (NY)—www.liphotoworkshop.com
MARS (Mid-Atlantic Regional School) (NJ)—www.marsschool.com
Mid-America Institute of Professional Photography (IA)—www.maipp.com
New England Institute (MA)—www.ppane.com
PP Oklahoma School (OK)—www.pposchool.com
PPSNY Photo Workshop (NY)—www.ppsnysworkshop.com
Texas School (TX)—www.tppa.org/school.htm
Triangle Institute (PA)—www.trianglephotographers.org
West Coast School (CA)—www.prophotoca.com
Wisconsin Professional Photographers School @ Treehaven (WI)—www.wiprophotoschool.org
132 affiliates.indd 1 2/13/08 9:38:46 AM
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEDennis Craft, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP
2008-2009 PPA President
news from the world’s largest professional photography association | Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com
PP
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ews &
Notes
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As you read my rst message as the PPA President, I am thrilled to tell you that the organization has just surpassed the 20,000 member mark. What a privilege to be President during this exciting time for the Professional Photographers of America. After all, being a PPA member (since 1987) is one of the most important things I have done for my photographic career and business.
I was a member for two years before I attended my rst PPA convention in 1989. My wife Lori and I never thought we had time to attend. But as Ron Nichols, now PPA Vice President, was receiving his Masters Degree that year, we thought we would sacri ce the time to support our friend (and make our rst trip to Las Vegas). During that rst convention, we were introduced
to so many new experiences: the overwhelming tradeshow, programs that inspired as they taught, and—most importantly—a new network of friends in the industry. Our PPA experience was just beginning.
Now, every year, we look forward to spending time with old friends…and making new ones along the way. This year in Tampa we had lunch by the bay with our good friends from Montana, Clark and Rachel Marten. Not only did we discuss our respective businesses, we also shared stories about our children and enjoyed the brief time spent with old friends. And we again had the opportunity to make new friends, David and Ally McKay from California. David was in a Christian Rock band before photography, and we actually met via that connection.
As you can see, PPA is more to me than just another trade association. I can belong to a number of different organizations that will help me with my photography skills and my business knowledge. But there is only one organization that provides the best learning opportunities, mentors that truly care, and friends that will go the extra mile and last a lifetime.
And that brings me to what I would like the President’s Message to become this year. I have been so blessed with my PPA experience and the people I have met, so I will feature a different person from my journey each month. They might be from my travels this year as president or someone who has made an impact on my life in the past. I hope this will give you a glimpse into the wonderful people that make up PPA and help you re ect on those you have met during your own walk through life.
Again, thank you for this incredible opportunity to serve as your president this year. May we all grow and prosper…not only in business, but also in our friendships.
FRIENDS MET ALONG THE WAYSae Lee, M.Photog.Cr., F-ASP West Hollywood, California
In July 2000 I had the opportunity to present a program to the Professional Photographers of Korea. Sae Lee, a photographer from California (originally from Korea), organized the trip and traveled with Tyler, my son, and I. It was an experience that opened my eyes and heart to a very gracious group of photographers and a culture that I had never experienced before.
My son was 10 years old at the time, and I thought it would be great for him to accompany me on this trip. Sae Lee introduced us to Mr. Kim and his son Tae Hung, who was also 10 years old. These two boys from different countries, different cultures, and different languages bridged all those barriers in about ve minutes. You would have thought they had known each other forever. Tyler still talks about his special trip with me and the people he encountered along the way.
Sae opened my world (and my son’s) to a culture and people that we have both come to love. These kind and caring photographers have been in uenced by Western photographers while maintaining their own styles. For the introduction to such creative photographers and wonderful friends … Thank you, Sae.
Dennis Craft, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP2008-2009 PPA President
TODAY MARCH | 08
GREETINGS
© Dennis Craft
133-136 ppatoday.indd 1 2/13/08 9:39:50 AM
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Dennis Craft, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP
PPA Member since: 1987
Shoots: CHILDREN & FAMILY PORTRAITS
Location: MICHIGAN
news from the world’s largest professional photography association | Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com
PP
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otes
TODAY
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CONGRATULATIONS TO AWARDS& DEGREE RECIPIENTSPeople came from all around to congratulate recipients at this year’s Awards & Degree Ceremony during Imaging USA. For a complete list of award and degree recipients, please visit the Competition & Awards section of www.ppa.com.
SUPER MONDAY: ONLINE AND NEXT MONTHIt’s back in April…the event that makes Monday the treasured day of the week: Super Monday. On (and around) April 7, 2008, photographers around the country will open their intellectual doors to others. See all the courses detailed online at http://events.ppa.com. Pick your favorite and get ready to learn.
NEW PPA WEBINARSDon’t have the time or money to travel to your education? Let us bring it to you! With PPA’s new webinars, you can learn in the comfort of your home or studio. These online seminars—produced by both PPA and Studio Management Services (SMS)—feature business and photography experts. Watch your inbox for information about the upcoming topics and times.
2008 COUNCIL MEETING ATTENDANCEThe 2008 PPA Council meeting was held January 9 in Tampa, Florida. A record of attendance is available in the Members Only section of www.ppa.com.
THANKS IMAGING USAVOLUNTEERS! If you didn’t know already, Imaging USA—our record-blowing educational convention and tradeshow—would never have been the success it was without all the convention volunteers.
PPA QUICK NOTES…
Dennis Craft, new PPA President and owner of Craft Photographic Gallery, didn’t understand photography or business when he bought his rst photography studio. “I wouldn’t recommend it,” he says wryly. He’s learned a lot since then.
It started with a vacation to Hawaii. He wasn’t about to take a trip to that island paradise with just a point-and-shoot, so he bought his rst 35mm “real” camera. But when he got off the plane, it didn’t work. While a lab xed it, Dennis decided he better learn to use what he had bought. Back in Michigan, he took some photography classes at a community college, started to learn the intricacies…and became absorbed.
After three classes, his brother—an accountant—told Dennis of a photography business one of his clients wanted to sell. “Well, I bought it. Back then, if you were a photographer, you had business—it was a much smaller industry, I feel,” comments Dennis. “I survived those rst few years.”
So how did he “survive” so successfully? He took the advice a lab rep gave—he joined his local and state photography associations. “My best education was from all the people I met in the associations,” Dennis adds. “And once I joined PPA, my opportunities expanded. I could network and learn from photographers all over the country. I absorbed information any time I could ask questions.”
To him, education and networking are the two biggest advantages. “A lot of associations try to emulate PPA, but they don’t come close,” he says emphatically. In his mind, a lot of PPA’s strength comes from the Af liate network. “That structure is brilliant, allowing us all to keep interacting and growing under PPA.” With the local, state, and regional Af liate groups, photographers can retain stronger ties to each other, to education, and to the photographic community.
Just as he relishes the connection PPA and the Af liates provide, Dennis also cherishes the connection his art allows. “As photographers, we can connect with our clients in a way other industries can’t,” he says. “It’s how I know that I really did nd the right profession.”
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MEET PPA’S 2008-2009 NEW BOARD MEMBERS
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We are pleased to introduce the three newest members of your Board of Directors. Check out www.ppa.com for biographies on your entire Board of Directors.
Doug Box, M.Photog.Cr., APIA professional photographer with many hats (he even owned a child care center for 18 years),
Doug lives on his hobby, a 110-acre cattle ranch in Caldwell, Texas. A PPA Approved Juror and Councilor, he has been a PPA member since 1980 and has owned a studio for 35 years. He has instructed at the International Wedding Institute, 18 PPA Af liate schools, and seminars and conventions located throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Scotland, Wales and England. On the publishing side, Doug’s articles and images have graced most professional photographic publications. He is the author of The Power of Business marketing systems and several books, including Professional Secrets of Children’s Photography, Professional Secrets of Photographing Weddings, and Natural Light Photography.
Along with serving on the PPA Board, he is currently the Executive Director of Texas Professional Photographers of America (TPPA). He has served as Past President of TPPA, Executive Director of American Society of Photographers, publisher of ASP Magazine, and chairman/member of many PPA committees.
Don MacGregor, M.Photog.Cr., APIMacGregor Studios started in 1974, growing from humble beginnings in an apartment to
a 3500 sq. ft. building in Vancouver. Don focuses on wall portrait and wedding work, and he has visited the awards podium virtually every year since obtaining membership. Numerous Best of Class, Gallery, Epcot, Fuji and aggregate awards in almost every portrait and wedding class…he can claim them all. In addition to his awards (which also includes the National Award and the Ross Sanddal International Award), Don has spoken at many platform and convention programs for national, state and provincial conventions over the years throughout Canada and the United States. Along with serving as a PPA Board member, he is the Past President of Professional Photographers of Canada and Professional Photographers of BC. Don is also a member of the prestigious Cameracraftsmen of America.
Kevin Casey, (Industry Advisor)President & CEO, Collages.netKevin Casey founded and built Collages.net from
scratch with no previous experience in the photography business. But after holding key roles in two start-up companies (medical and clinical lab industries), Kevin gained the necessary know-how. His technical sales and marketing experience—ranging from product development to building markets for a wide range of innovative products, services, and tests—prepared Kevin to lead Collages.net to success. The idea to scan photos for photographers and post them online has quickly evolved into a multi-million dollar corporation. Collages.net’s leading work ow, online posting, and printing solutions now help over 10,000 pro photographers increase their competitive advantage. In addition, Kevin has a BA in Mathematics from College of the Holy Cross and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He even spent 6 years in the U.S. Air Force as a B-52 combat crew member.
Guiding the world’s largest professional photography association is a tough job, and PPA is fortunate to have the right visionaries at the helm. Our board of directors understands exactly what you face daily and knows the programs, education, bene ts, and services you need to be successful. After all, they are practicing professional photographers just like you.
We’re pleased to introduce this year’s PPA Board of Directors:
Dennis D. Craft, PresidentM.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP
Ron Nichols, Vice President M.Photog.Cr., API
Louis Tonsmeire, Treasurer Cr. Photog., API
Jack Reznicki, Chairman of the Board Cr.Photog.Hon.M.Photog., API
Don Dickson M.Photog.Cr., CPP
Sandy (Sam) Puc’M.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI
Ralph Romaguera, Sr.M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP
Carol AndrewsM.Photog.Cr., ABI
Susan MichalM.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI
Tim WaldenM.Photog.Cr, F-ASP
Doug BoxM.Photog.Cr., API
Don MacGregorM.Photog.Cr., API
Kevin Casey, Industry AdvisorPresident & CEO of Collages.net
2008-2009 PPA BOARD MEMBERS
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AFFILIATE SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
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FPP FLORIDA SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHYMay 18 – 22, 2008 | Daytona Beach, FloridaDaytona Beach Community CollegeContact: Teri Crownover; 800-330-0532Web site: www.fpp oridaschool.comTuition: $500 FPP/PPA members; $650 non-membersCourse information:Vital Photoshop Skills - Suzette AllenFundamentals of Photoshop - Al AudlemanEnvironmental Portraiture - Doug BoxTurboCharge Your Work ow - Mark CampbellFoundations of Portraiture - Bruce EvensenIntro to Corel Painter - Jane Conner-ziserPortraits & Weddings - Hanson Fong & Janice WendtPower Marketing - Mitche GrafHigh Octane Weddings - Curt LittlecottHigh School Seniors - Larry PetersLearn to See & Control Light - Barry Rankin,The Next Level with Corel Painter - Jeremy SuttonMastering the Light - John WoodwardMaster’s Class - Al Gordon, Tim Kelly & Greg Daniel
MID-AMERICA INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHYJune 1 – 5, 2008 | Cedar Falls, IAContact: [email protected] site: www.maipp.comTuition: $625 members; $675 non-members (tuition only)Course information:Photoshop for Fun & Pro t (advanced) - Suzette AllenSeniors, Families & General Portraiture - Jean, Dave, & J. D. WackerIntroductory Portrait Techniques - Doug BoxThe ABC’s of Business - Aletha Speakar & Steve LarsonTaking It to the Next Level - Monica Sigmon & Michael TaylorPortraying Families & Children - Dennis CraftThink Inside the Box - Gary & Pamela BoxPhotoshop (intermediate to advanced) - Mark CampbellThe Walden Experience: A Journey through Imaging - Tim & Beverly WaldenMastering the Techniques: How to be a Complete Photographer - Hanson FongBrand New Course for Brand New Photographers (basic level, 2-day course) - Robert LloydMastering the Light - John Woodward
Art Reed, retired from Eastman Kodak, passed away on January 16, 2008. Art, who was 82, died from complications while hospitalized for a fall. He is survived by his wife, Marj, two children and two grandchildren. Art was a honorary life member of SEPPA, Georgia and Florida Professional Photography Associations and a long-time PPA and PMA member.
He graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and began his professional photographic career in Auburn, NY. He was invited to join the Eastman Kodak Co. for a 35-year career—in both the domestic and international markets—and retired in Atlanta as Regional Manager. He is remembered for his patriotism as a WWII veteran and a citizen, one who
had great pride in being a member of the Kodak corporate family. Art understood the value of relationships and was committed to helping others.
Art recognized that the needs of the professional photography market, as well as his staff’s, were constantly changing. He is credited with coining the phrase “we have to remain rigidly exible!” “Find out what keeps your
customer awake at night and then go x it” was another favorite that led to
improved customer satisfaction.
The world and the photographic industry have lost a true gentleman and a devoted friend with the passing of Art Reed.
IN MEMORY…ARTHUR J. REED, JR., CR.PHOTOG.
Super Monday is next month, and the International Print Competition is gearing up. So what can you do to get ready? Ask questions, get ideas for the best programs, debate the best competition print choices, and more…all on OurPPA.com. The forum is
designed to let you connect with other professional photographers because sharing thoughts leads to even better discoveries and skills.
http://www.ourppa.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30
http://www.ourppa.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=10
CONVERSATIONS ON OURPPA.COM
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COMING TO ORLANDO, FL. APRIL 2-4, 2008
REGISTER TODAY! CALL 800-738-8513OR VISIT WWW.PHOTOSHOPWORLD.COM
PHOTOSHOP WORLD IS THE OFFICIAL CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PHOTOSHOP PROFESSIONALS
REGISTRATION OPTIONS
NON-NAPP MEMBER(before February 29, 2008) includes a full-year NAPP membership $599
(after February 29, 2008) includes a full-year NAPP membership $699
NAPP MEMBER(before February 29, 2008) $499(after February 29, 2008) $599
Mark Your Calendar! The world’s largest Adobe® Photoshop® educational event, featuring the
latest Photoshop CS3 training, and an expanded 3-day tech expo is coming to Orlando,
Florida!Photographers, graphic designers, Web developers, educators, art directors, students,
and Photoshop fanatics — this is the conference you don’t want to miss in 2008!
Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Photoshop Incorporated.
Photoshop®World:
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WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICESLabTab
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3D LightMaster (www.3dlightmaster.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Adorama (www.adorama.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129, 131Advanced Photographic Solutions (www.advancedphoto.com). . . . . . . . . . . . 140Album Crafters (www.albumcrafters.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Albums Inc. (www.albums inc.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64-65AlbumX/Renaissance Albums (www.renaissancealbums.com). . . . . . . . . . . . 45Allied Photographic & Imaging Lab (www.alliedphoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140AllStar Photo Imaging (www.4allstar.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141American Color Imaging (www.acilab.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 142American Student List (www.studentlist.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147ARK-LA-TEX Color Lab (www.altcolorlab.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Asukabook (www.asukabook.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12B & H Photo-Video (www.bhphotovideo.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124-125BWC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Backdrop Outlet (www.backdropoutlet.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Backgrounds by David Maheu (www.backgroundsbymaheu.com). . . . . . . . . . . . 147Bay Photo Lab (www.bayphoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50-51, 139Bellies & Babies 2008 Tour (www.bellies-babies.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Big Black Bag (www.bigblackbag.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Bogen Imaging Inc. (www.bogenimaging.us) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Brightroom Inc. (www.backprint.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Buckeye Color (www.buckeyecolor.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 142Paul Buff Inc. (www.white-lightning.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73CPQ (www.cpq.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Candid Color Systems Inc. (www.candid.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Canon (www.usa.canon.com/dlc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Canvas Artworks.com (www.canvasartworks.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Chimera (www.chimeralighting.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Christopher Imaging (www.chrisimaging.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Cindy Baxter Studios (www.cindybaxterstudios.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Collages.Net (www.collages.net). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 30-31Color Incorporated (www.colorincprolab.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CIII, 140
Corporate Color/Prolab Express (www.prolabexpress.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Contemporary Photography/J. Hartman (www.jhartman.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Custom Brackets (www.custombracket.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Custom Color Corporation (www.customcolor.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Dalmatian Lab (www.dalmatianlab.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Denny Manufacturing (www.dennymfg.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Denny Manufacturing (www.photonovelty.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Digineg (www.digineg.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Diversified Lab (www.diversifiedlab.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Draper Imaging (www.draperimaging.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Drive Savers (www.drivesavers.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Dury’s (www.durys.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Dyna-Lite Inc. (www.dynalite.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Ed Pierce Seminars (www.edpierceseminars.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7emotion Media Inc. (www.emotionmedia.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Epson (www.epson.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34-35Express Digital (www.expressdigital.com/cheer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Filmet (www.profilmet.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Focal Point Studios (www.notecard.info) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Foto Figures (www.fotofigures.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Fredericks Photo Lab (www.fredericksphotolab.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140GP Albums (www.gpalbums.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Graphic Authority (www.graphicauthority.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Group Photographers Association (www.groupphotographers.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 139GTI Graphic Technology Inc. (www.gtilite.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Hallmark Imaging (www.hallmarklabs.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Herff Jones (www.hjpro.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142HiTi Digital America Inc. (www.hi-ti.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Jerry Ghionis (www.theicesociety.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114-115Jonathan Penney Inc. (www.jonathanpenney.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Kambara USA Inc. (www.kambara.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150The Levin Company (www.levinframes.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Lustre Color (www.lustrecolor.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 143MPIX (www.mpix.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15McKenna Pro (www.mckennapro.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Mamiya (www.mamiya.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 29Meridian Professional Imaging (www.meridianpro.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover IIMichel Company (www.michelcompany.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Michigan Photo (www.michiganphoto.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Microtek (www.microtekusa.com or www.artixscanm1.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Midwest Sports (www.midwestsportslab.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Miller Professional Imaging (www.millerslab.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13More Photos (www.morephotos.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Morris Group (www.themorriscompany.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147MyPhotopipe (www.myphotopipe.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91National Direct Marketing Services (www.ndmservices.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Neil Enterprises (www.neilenterprises.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Nik Software (www.niksoftware.com/ppadfine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Nikon (www.stunningnikon.com/challenge.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 18-19Noritsu (noritsu.com/M300) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63North American Photo (www.naphoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142, 144Onlinephotofix.com (www.onlinephotofix.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151PR Photo Lab (www.prphotolab.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Pacific Mount (www.pacificmount.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Perfection Distributing Inc. (www.perfectiondistibuting.com). . . . . . . . . . . . 148Photobook Press (www.photobookpress.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Photoprism Color Lab (www.photoprismcolorlab) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Pictobooks (www.pictobooks.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146, 149Pictology (www.go.pictology.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148PocketWizard (www.pocketwizard.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Printmakers Chicago (www.printmakers.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Profoto (www.profoto-usa.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover IVPortrait Weavers (www.portraitweavers.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Sekonic (www.sekonic.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Simply Canvas (www.simplycanvas.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79, 145Sony (www.sony.com/dpf). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Speedotron (www.speedotron.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Sto-fen (www.stofen.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Student Marketing Group Inc. (www.studentmarketing.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Studio Dynamics (www.studiodynamics.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Studio Logic (www.studiologic.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Studio Pro Group (www.studioprogroup.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Successware (www.successware.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Tamron (www.tamron.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Unique Photo Supplies (www.uniquephoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Used Camera Buyer (www.usedcamerabuyer.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Veach Co. (www.veachco.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150White House Custom Color (www.whcc.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9, 24-25White Glove (www.wgbooks.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Zookbinders (www.zookbinders.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
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150 • www.ppmag.com
Buyer’sGallery ad specs:Ad size: 21⁄4” x 43⁄4
12x rate: $550.00 gross per month
6x rate: $600.00 gross per month
Contact your advertisingrepresentative:Bart Engels, Western Regional Manager,847-854-8182; or Shellie Johnson, Eastern Regional Manager,404-522-8600, ext. 279;for more information.
ProductMall SOMETHING HERE YOU NEED...
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 151
PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES• $1.50 per word• $2.00 per word/words with allcaps or bold face. • $10.00 per issue—ConfidentialReply Box Ads
(Optional)—$30 min. per ad• Closing date is 20th of thesecond month proceeding
issue date. • Remittance must be receivedwith order.
NO ADS ACCEPTED BY PHONE.
Remittance to: Professional Photographer
Classified Ads229 Peachtree NE, Ste. 2200,
Atlanta, GA 30303 800-339-5451, ext. 221
FAX 404-614-6405
152 • www.ppmag.com
ACCOUNTING
CPAs FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS. Business set-up, taxplanning and preparation, business valuations andconsulting. Decades of experience. Darryl Bodnar, CPA,(410) 453-5500, [email protected]. Visit our websiteat www.nlgroup.com.
ALBUMS
GP ALBUMS (formerly General Products L.L.C.) is focusedon flush mount and digital offset albums along with ourNEW extensive line of self-mount albums and folios. GP’sOptimus, Quick-Stick, Digital Vision, Tempus, and Eclipsealbums are the products that will help take your photographybusiness into the future. You will experience the same greatquality with a whole new look. As a manufacturer, GP Albumsalso has the ability to create custom photo packagingproducts upon request. GP Albums continues to offer varietyand flexibility allowing photographers to design the perfectproduct that will last a lifetime. For more information, pleasevisit us at www.gpalbums.com or call 1-800-888-1934.
BACKGROUNDS
THE DENNY MFG. CO., INC. is the World’s Largest Manufactureof Hand Painted Backgrounds, Computer Painted Backgrounds,Muslin Backgrounds, Studio Sets, Props, Lift Systems, andrelated Studio Accessories. Contact us today to receive ourFREE 180 page color catalog filled with exquisite productsand ideas to help you succeed in Photography. Write P.O.Box 7200 Mobile, AL 36670; Call 1-800-844-5616 or visitour Web site at www.dennymfg.com.
STUDIO DYNAMICS’ muslin and canvas backdrops offerquality and value at outlet prices! Call 1-800-595-4273for a catalog or visit www.studiodynamics.com
CHICAGO CANVAS & SUPPLY—Wide Seamless Canvas andMuslin, Duvetyn, Commando Cloth, Theatrical Gauze, Velour,Sharkstooth Scrim, Leno Scrim, Gaffers Tape, Primed Canvas,Gesso, and Deka Fabric Dyes—Fabrication Available. Curtain Track& Hardware for Moveable Curtains and Backdrops—Easilyinstalled. Quick turn around time. Our prices can’t be beat. Visitour website or call for a free catalog and samples. 773-478-5700;www.chicagocanvas.com; [email protected]
KNOWLEDGE BACKGROUNDS—The #1 manufacturer ofquality handpainted canvas and muslin backdrops. Proudlyhandcrafted in the U.S.A. Call today toll free: 888-849-7352 for your free copy of our 2008 Product Catalog; orvisit us on the web at: www.knowledgebackgrounds.com
CAMERA REPAIR
HASSELBLAD REPAIRS: David S. Odess is a factorytrained technician with 31 years experience servicing theHasselblad system exclusively. Previously with HasselbladUSA. Free estimates, prompt service, reasonable rates anda 6 month guarantee. Used equipment sales. 28 SouthMain Street, #104, Randolph, MA 02368, 781-963-1166;www.david-odess.com.
CANVAS MOUNTING
CANVAS MOUNTING, STRETCHING, FINISH LACQUERING.Original McDonald Method. Considered best AVAILABLE.Realistic canvas texture. Large sizes a specialty.WHITMIRE ASSOCIATES, YAKIMA, WA. 509-248-6700.WWW.CANVASMOUNT.COM
COMPUTER/SOFTWARE
SUCCESSWARE®—Studio Management Software availablefor both Windows® and Macintosh®. Recommended by AnnMonteith, the nation’s foremost studio managementconsultant. Call today for a FREE SuccessWare® Tour 800-593-3767 or visit our Web site www.SuccessWare.net.
Learn how you can revolutionize customer and ordertracking and ignite your marketing fire with customizedsoftware that knows what’s going on in YOUR business—even when you don’t! More professional photographerstrust Photo One Software, powered by Granite Bearthan all other studio management software combined! 5Powerful Guarantees: 5 days to customize your PhotoOne to match your studio; personalized phone training foryou and your staff; 75 minute no-hassle guaranteedsupport call-back time; 365 days of unlimited support andusable upgrades and a 365 day unmatched money backguarantee! Zero-Risk. Only $299.00 deposit gets youstarted. Call 888-428-2824 now for your free workingdemo or visit www.photoonesoftware.com. Photo One,Building better businesses, one studio at a time.
DIGITAL
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS—Kessler Color producesSTUNNING images from digital files. Try our rapid FTP siteand get a FREE 16 x 20. New Service—E-Vents fromKessler Color. Get 8x10 units for [email protected]. 800-KES-LABS.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHERS—Kessler Color’s digital unitsstart at $.90 each. Beautiful color and great value! Call 800-KES-LABS.
EDUCATION/WORKSHOPS
DIGITAL PAINTING FORUM. The Digital Painting Forum,hosted by Painter Master Marilyn Sholin has thousands ofinternational members and over 50,000 post about Corel®Painter, Essentials, and Photoshop.Forums includetutorials, brushes, digital painting, art, and the business ofcreating, marketing and selling digital art. This forum hasa small subscription fee that is well worth the educationgained. www.digitalpaintingforum.com
WALL PORTRAIT CONFERENCE. April 20th-25th, 2008. Sixday Wall Portraiture concept to completion. The original wallportrait school. Has changed the lives of many! Emphasis onpublic acceptance, concepts, sales, portrait finishing and more.Yakima, Washington, 509-248-6700, www.wallportrait.com
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
DIGITAL PRINTERS; FUJI-NORITSU; MINILABS; NEW& USED, FACTORY AUTHORIZED. INSTALLATION ANDTRAINING. FINANCING—$600 UP. DELIVERY—INSURED.WWW.DIRECT-RESOURCES.COM; 877-318-3015.
HENSEL INTEGRA 500, 3 heads, power packs, stands,snoots, case, cords, complete. Like new! $750 or bestoffer. Call: 319-389-0723.
FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES
PROSHOTS STUDIOS—Always dreamed of owning yourown portrait studio but don’t know where to start? With aProshots franchise you can be open for business in as littleas 4 months. NO exp. necessary! Our all digital full servicestudios come complete with everything you need to be inbusiness. We train, support and walk you thru each step.Total investment including your franchise fee only$60,000. For more information call Darrell Collie at864.350-6735 or visit us at www.proshotsstudios.com
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED: Assistant photographer for contemporaryphotojournalistic wedding coverages in Orange County, CAarea. Must have digital equipment. E-mail John [email protected].
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Experienced DigitalPhotographers in South Florida with back up equipment. Mustbe creative and consistent. Email [email protected].
Well established Studio in CODY WYOMING seekingbusiness partner. Must have a minimum of 10 yearsexperience in running your own studio operation.www.singerphotography.com/partner for details
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERNORTHEASTERN WISCONSIN
Harmann Studios is a progressive portrait company withmultiple locations with emphasis in seniors, children,families, sport, and school photography. We have been inbusiness for more than 45 years and have unlimitedresources to make our portraits stand out. We are seekinga candidate with 5 years of portrait experience, goodorganizational skills, exceptional understanding of DSLRcameras, and most of all, a fun and adaptive personality.Health, vacation, and flexible scheduling are just some ofthe benefits we offer. Please send resumes and sampleimages and sample images to John Harmann [email protected].
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER.Company: Club Services of America. Description: Family portraitphotographer with wanderlust. Great earning potential forexcellent family photographer with quality portraitexperience. Photograph and sell to Country Club membersthroughout the United States. Many assignments arewhere the weather is good: south in the winter and northin the summer. OK to travel with spouse. PPA Certified orMasters of Photography are preferred. Requirements:Must have tools of the trade and a dependable automobile.Family portrait photographer. Some sales experience.Excellent knowledge of digital photography. See ourwebsite at: www.clubservicesofamerica.com. Email resumeand sample portraits to [email protected].
PHOTO LAB MANAGER—Responsible for digital photoprocessing. Large in house production lab. Must havegeneral knowledge of photography. Candidates will beproficient in producing color correct portrait qualityimages. Fax cover letter and resume to FCS 315-733-3214.No phone calls please.
INCORPORATION SERVICESINCORPORATE OR FORM an LLC today! Your art isa business. Treat it like one. The Company Corporation canhelp you incorporate or form a limited liability company inas little as ten minutes. We are fast, accurate andaffordable. Provide additional credibility to yourphotography studio or business at the fraction of the costof using an attorney. Call 1-800-206-7276 or visitwww.corporate.com today!
LAB SERVICES
ACADEMY PRODUCTIONS INC.INNOVATIVE PRINTING SOLUTION
Complete Imaging Service for today’s professionalphotographer Processing—Proofing—Film—Digital Files
—SOS—Self Ordering System powered by ROES• High Volume Packages—Kodak Products
• Schools—Daycares—Sports—Proms—Seniors• Studios—Store Promotions—Fundraisers—Weddings
• Composites—Collages—Other Unique Products• High Tech Printing Equipment—Scanning Services
• Free Marketing Seminars—Expert Product Designers• Superior Customer Service—Detailed Technical Support
• Competitive Pricing—Quick Turn AroundCALL US TODAY: 800-421-3523
6100 ORR ROAD • CHARLOTTE, NC 28213www.PicAcademy.com
ClassifiedAdvertisingCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES
Classified rates: • $1.50 per word; • $2.00per word/ words with all caps or bold face.• $10.00 per issue—Confidential Reply BoxAds (Optional)—$30 minimum per ad.Closing date is 20th of the second monthproceeding issue date. Remittance must bereceived with order. NO ADS ACCEPTED BYPHONE. Remittance to: ProfessionalPhotographer Classified Ads, 229 PeachtreeNE, Ste. 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303; 800-339-5451, ext. 221; FAX 404-614-6405.
March 2008 • Professional Photographer • 153
PECHMAN PROFESSIONAL IMAGING(DIGITAL OR FILM)
Portraits & Units 8x10 16x20
Print-By-Inch $1.45 $5.80
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•Undergrad-Sport-Event Pkgs. 8x10 @ $.96
•Fully Assembled Albums-10x10 print included-9 to 18pages from $149.99, (100’s of templates available)
•Proofs from $.25
•Proof Books-spiral bound-8x10 page @ $1.60
• 48 Wal Gold Stamp Special-next 48 free
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•Digital Retouch $2.50, Art-$1.00 per minute
ROES®, LABPRINTSTM, FTP OR DISK.800-777-0221
WWW.PECHMANIMAGING.COM
SCHOOL/WEDDING Photographers. Low package pricesstarting at 19 images. Wedding 10x10’s, you design weprint $2.49. www.PhotoPrintPros.com.
PLATINUM GICLEETM FINE ART B&W from your digitalfile or negative up to 40 x 60. New DuraFiberTM
Media provides deep blacks and waterproof, non-scuffsurface, great for hand-coloring. Also available in sepia, color, split-tone. Call for free sample. JonathanPenney, Inc., Master Printmakers. 631-874-3409.www.jonathanpenney.com
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHERS The most versatile sportsprogram available. Digital or film, quality & service is ourmotto. See www.sportsphoto.com
HAND PAINTED OILS; Transparent, Deluxe, and CanvasStretched up to 40x60. A complete photo art lab servingphotographers since 1965. Traditional and Digital printingservices. Fiber based B&W up to 30x40. Giclee Fine Artprints. Restoration. Free estimates & pricing guide. 800-922-7459 Venetian Arts www.venetianarts.com
UNITED PROMOTIONS, INC.
• FULL SERVICE DIGITAL & FILM LAB•
10% DISCOUNT from our low List Price for prebuilt orderssubmitted in ROES (free software), Photolynx, OzE,Workstream or other pre-approved software via our website, FTP or on CD’s. Fast Delivery. Wallets to 40" wide prints.
VOLUME PACKAGE PRINTS - Pre Schools, DayCares, Underclass, Proms/Dance, Cap &Gown, Store/Malls, Glamour, Church, FundRaising and Family Packages.
SPORTS & EVENT PACKAGE PRINTSWEDDING - SENIORS - CANDID - STUDIO PRINTSADD ONS TO ORDERS - Retouching, Proofs on
Envelopes, School Service Items, CD’s, Fun Packs(laminated & die cut), Plastic ID Cards, Groups, BigPrints, Composites, Trader Cards (2 sides), MagazineCovers, Memorymates, Digital Groupmates, PhotoMagnet Cutouts, Statuettes, Buttons, Magnets,Mirrors, Calendars, Locker Prints, Photo Pennants, Mouse Pads, Fun Posters, Admission Tickets, StickerPrints, Banner Prints, Collages, Gold Foil StampingLaminating, Mounting, Posting Images Online and manymore services for the professional photographer.
NEW PRODUCTS - Dye-Sub Photo Plaques andGallery Wraps on Canvas.
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FREE 20X30Wallets to 6ftx14ft
Goldencolor 9020 W. Olympic Blvd.Beverly Hills, CA 90211
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MARKETING
REVEALED: HOW TO GET MORE REFERRALS ANDREPEAT BUSINESS THAN EVER BEFORE! Studiesshow you can see a 10, 25, EVEN 100% INCREASE inreferrals and repeat business by ‘staying in touch’ with aclient newsletter. But who has the time? Photographersusing my unique, “DONE-FOR-YOU” NEWSLETTER systemreport spending only around 60 minutes on their newsletterand getting $750-$18,500 back every month! See foryourself… Request your FREE Special Report and SamplePackage at www.TheStudioNewsletter.com to learn more.
STOP WASTING YOUR TIME AT BRIDAL SHOWS. No hasslesystem automatically follows up and gets referrals. FREE24/7 toll-free recorded message. 800-301-2062, Ext. 703.
PHOTO RESTORATION
1st PHOTO RESTORATION FREE! Try us, you’ll like us!Point & click easy. No sign up cost. 100% guarantee.Online leader since 1993. Wholesale only to professionals.www.hollywoodfotofix.com or call 888-700-3686.
PRESENTATION BOXES
BOXES—FREE SAMPLE PRESENTATION BOX—FROMTHE ORIGINAL BLACK BOX MANUFACTURE—Fastdelivery, Finest quality 4"x5", 5"x5", 4"x6", 8"x10",11"x14", 16"x20", 20"x24". AUFENGER BOX, 4800 COLLEYAVENUE, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA 23508; 757-440-1147(phone); 757-440-1149 (fax); 888-440-1146 (toll free).www.aufengerbox.com
PRESENTATION BOXES available for immediate shipment;19 sizes—4 stock colors. For FREE catalog & samples call800-969-2697 or fax request 800-861-4528. BUYDIRECT AND SAVE. NPD Box Company, 3000 QuigleyRoad, Cleveland, OH 44113. www.NPDBox.com
PRESENTATION BOXES-BOX MANUFACTURER BUYDIRECT AND SAVE. Complete line of Print and Proofboxes. Hinged presentations. Better Quality, Lower Prices.Product mfg in our own plant. Customize with logo, andchoose colors with ease. Tissue included! Call 401-725-3646 for free samples. H-B Packaging Group 575Lonsdale Ave. Central Falls, RI 02863 www.h-bphoto.com.
RETOUCHING
WHEN YOUR NAME is on the line, nothing but the best will ever do. Our retouchers know what you need: fastservice, a retouch that looks like the photo was neveraltered and the lowest prices in the industry. If you demandthe best log onto www.retouchup.com and your first 10retouches are free just to prove our claims—the best—thefastest and the least expensive or call 888-700-3686.
SALES AIDS
BOXES—FROM THE ORIGINAL BLACK BOX MANUFAC-TURE—FREE SAMPLE—Fast delivery, Finest quality4”x5”, 5”x5”, 4”x6”, 8”x10”, 11”x14”, 16”x20”, 20”x24”.AUFENGER BOX, 4800 COLLEY AVENUE, NORFOLK,VIRGINIA 23508; 757-440-1147 (phone); 757-440-1149(fax); 888-440-1146 (toll free). www.aufengerbox.com
CREATIVE FRAMES…Designed frames for the professionalwedding, portrait and school photographers. Our framesare manufactured here in the USA. Visit us atWWW.CREATIVEFRAME.COM to see our full line.
5000 POSTCARDS $149 UV Coated5,000 Business cards for $60.00
www.colorphotobusinesscards.com$10 off /with ad
STUDIO FOR SALE
FLORIDA STUDIO: High-End 35-year business inbeautiful Tampa Bay available at $460k with ownerfinancing. Nets over $150,000 annually without weddings.Magnificently landscaped real estate is also available.Retiring and ready to sell call VR Business Brokers 727-499-6500 or e-mail [email protected].
WESTERN COLORADO—just hours from national parks.40 year-old established studio plus client list. Amazingoutdoor photo park. Thriving economy in this sunnycollege town of 150,000 - a great opportunity. Owner willassist your transition. Call 970-596-1975.
CHARMING, well respected NORTHERN CALIFORNIAfull service portrait studio in a cute country town which hasalways supported a photography studio. Originallyestablished in 1996 as strictly a wedding business,expanded based on consumer demand. PHENOMENALvisibility on primary Business Route in the downtown area.No competition for 25 miles. Recent recipient of down-town beautification award from Chamber of Commerce.Growing high school senior, photo restoration andcommercial markets. Successware, Roes and LLC in place.Strong web presence (www.ricecreekphoto.com). Regionaland national advertising in place. Selling due to death infamily and relocation. Owner will assist transition. 100%turn-key. $90K negotiable; [email protected].
HOME/ STUDIO FOR SALE. Three bedroom Cape Codwith 20 x 30 x 10h addition, with full bath and basementon corner lot. (Perfect for home studio) Busy street,separate office entrance, parking in front and side ofhouse. Five minutes to I-95, fifteen minutes toPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania and/or Wilmington Delaware.Retired, asking $ 295,000. Phone 610-859-8596 Cell610-505-4018.
STUDIOS WANTED
COLUMBUS CAMERA GROUP, INC. buys whole studiosor any part including cameras, film, darkroom, long roll,lighting, and misc. No quantities too small. Call 800-325-7664. Ask for Eric.
Better than ever!Professional
Photographer Online has exciting
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At ppmag.com, we don’t simplyrecreate the magazine online,
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154 • www.ppmag.com
n our youth-obsessed culture, senior citizens
are often a forgotten population. From Hanna
Montana to High School Musical, it’s all
about the craziness of kids (and big profits
for Disney). The focus is on youth, and the
message is “Out with the old, in with the new.”
Not so in Berkeley, Calif., where the
North Berkeley Senior Center (NBSC) has
created a model for active, involved seniors.
One of the most successful centers of its
kind, the NBSC offers a nonstop smorgas-
bord of activities, educational programs and
community meal services. Allen Stross,
M.Photog., a PPA member since 1955, is one
of the center’s most active participants. He’s
been attending events at the NBSC for about
a decade. He serves on the NBSC Advisory
Council, the City of Berkeley Commission
on Aging, and the Berkeley Historical
Society. He also volunteers as the NBSC’s de
facto photographer, covering events, outings
and special programs. He donates all the
images to the center and to the senior citi-
zens pictured.
“Not only does Allen take photos, he has
them developed within a few hours, and then
passes them out free of charge to the delight
of his subjects!” says Suzanne Ryan, recently
retired director of the center, who continues
to express gratitude for Stross’ services.
At 84, Stross isn’t even thinking of retire-
ment. He provides event photography for
several nonprofit associations, pursues per-
sonal documentary projects, and works with
local art and community fairs. His work
with the NBSC began with a volunteer gig
photographing food for the center’s meal
program. “I documented the good and the
bad,” he remembers with a laugh.
After giving his food photos to the NBSC’s
nutritionist for displays and menus, Stross
started documenting NBSC field trips, officer
elections, on-site programs, parties and other
events. “I decided years ago that I wanted to
document the senior experience,” he says.
“So that is what I’m doing. I’m creating a
photo record.”
For others interested in volunteering at a
senior center, Stross recommends first get-
ting to know the staff and senior denizens.
Familiarize yourself with the programs and
the people, and you will be welcomed, he
says. Stross also suggests leading classes for
seniors; in particular, many seniors are
eager to learn about digital photography.
Looking back on more than a half centu-
ry in professional photography, Stross is
pleased by what he has accomplished, and
excited by what he has yet to contribute.
“I’m a photo philanthropist,” says Stross. “I
take photos and I give them away. Forget
the money. When you donate your photo-
graphs, you get the satisfaction of supplying
something for people that lasts beyond you.
It’s your legacy, and you will be appreciated
for it. There are not many professions where
you can do that.” �
To learn more about Berkeley’s senior pro-grams, visit www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs.
Images wield the power to effect change. In this monthly feature, Professional Photographer spotlights professional photographers using their talents to make a difference through charitable work.
Share your good works experience with us by e-mailing Cameron Bishopp at [email protected]
good works |
Centered on seniorsALLEN STROSS PURSUES LIFE AS A PHOTO PHILANTHROPIST
©Allen Stross
I
C3-colorinc.indd 1 2/13/08 9:41:59 AM
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