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PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER • JANUARY 2020

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Director of Publications Jane Gaboury, jgaboury@ppa.com Senior Editor Joan Sherwood, jsherwood@ppa.com Associate Editor Amanda Arnold, aarnold@ppa.com Art Director / Production Manager Debbie Todd, dtodd@ppa.com Editor-at-Large Jeff Kent, jkent@ppa.com Contributing Editors Don Chick & Ellis Vener Director of Sales & Strategic Alliances Wayne Jones, wjones@ppa.com, (404) 522-8600 x248 East Regional Sales Manager Marina Anderson, manderson@ppa.com, (937) 902-8217 West Regional Sales Manager Brian Sisco, bsisco@ppa.com, (404) 522-8600 x230 Advertising Services Manager Megan Woods, mwoods@ppa.com, (404) 522-8600 x237 Advertising Services Coordinator Curistan Neal, cneal@ppa.com, (404) 522-8600 x223 PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF AMERICA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Audrey L. Wancket, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, awancket@ppa.com Vice President Gregory Daniel, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, F-ASP, gdaniel@ppa.com Treasurer Mary Fisk-Taylor, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI, API, mfisktaylor@ppa.com Chairman of the Board Stephen Thetford, M.Photog.Hon.M.Photog.Cr., CPP, sthetford@ppa.com Barbara Bovat, Cr.Photog., bbovat@ppa.com Jeffrey Dachowski, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, jdachowski@ppa.com Clark Marten, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, cmarten@ppa.com Kira Derryberry, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, kderryberry@ppa.com Mark Campbell, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, mcampbell@ppa.com Allison English Watkins, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, awatkins@ppa.com Michael Hanline, mhanline@ppa.com Pete Rezac, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, prezac@ppa.com Makayla Jade Harris, mharris@ppa.com Chief Executive Officer David Trust, CAE, trustd@ppa.com Chief Financial Officer / Chief Operating Officer Scott Kurkian, CAE, skurkian@ppa.com Director of Certification Julia Boyd, CAE, jboyd@ppa.com Director of Events Fiona Corbett, CMP, fcorbett@ppa.com Director of Publications Jane Gaboury, jgaboury@ppa.com Director of Membership Kristen Hartman, CAE, khartman@ppa.com Director of Sales and Strategic Alliances Wayne Jones,wjones@ppa.com Director of Education Angela Kurkian, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, akurkian@ppa.com Director of Information Technology and Administration Scott Morgan, smorgan@ppa.com Director of Human Resources Wilda Oken, woken@ppa.com Director of Marketing and Communications Carla Plouin, cplouin@ppa.com Executive Assistant Leanne Bradley, lbradley@ppa.com PPA MEMBER SERVICES Professional Photographers of America, csc@ppa.com, ppa.com, (800) 786-6277 EDITORIAL OFFICES Professional Photographer, 229 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2300, Atlanta, GA 30303-1608 U.S.A., (404) 522-8600 SUBSCRIPTIONS Professional Photographer, P.O. Box 7126, St. Paul, MN 55107, subscriptions@ppa.com, (800) 742-7468 Professional Photographer, official journal of Professional Photographers of America Inc., is the oldest exclusively professional photographic publication in the Western Hemisphere (founded 1907 by Charles Abel, Hon.M.Photog.), incorporating Abel’s Photographic Weekly, St. Louis & Canadian Photographer, The Commercial Photographer, The National Photographer, and Professional Photographer Storytellers.

Opinions expressed by Professional Photographer or any of its authors do not necessarily reflect positions of Professional Photographers of America Inc. Acceptance of advertising does not carry with it endorsement by the publisher.

Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly for $27 per year (U.S. rate) by PPA Publications and Events Inc., 229 Peachtree Street, NE, Ste. 2300, Atlanta, GA 30303-1608. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Professional Photographer magazine, P.O. Box 7126, St. Paul, MN 55107.

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JANUARY 2020

CONTENTS

IN EVERY ISSUE 8 Editor’s note 18 Giveaway 20 On the cover 84 President’s message 84 Perspective 90 Final frame

FOREGROUND 13 Megaherd: Art Wolfe documents elephants 14 Ode to organic architecture: Master of lighting 16 Paired: Series addresses climate change

SUCCESS 23 Home is where the art is 24 Transforming your clients: Enjoy a booming industry by understanding what consumers really want

By Jeff Kent

28 Small space, big business: How to maximize even a tiny home studio

FEATURES 48

Creative analysis An afternoon with Julieanne Kost

By Dennis Chamberlain

By Jeff Kent

THE GOODS 35 Fujifilm X-Pro3 36 The natural look: Off-camera flash

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The best career accomplishments are hard-earned Like collecting a 2020 Diamond Photographer Award

By Amanda Arnold

By Vanessa Joy

38 Freed up: Westcott FJ400 strobe and FJ-X2M trigger

By Betsy Finn

44 Economic wide zoom: Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4 Di OSD

By Ellis Vener

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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E D I TO R ’ S N OT E

A BEAUTIFUL PLAN MAPPING YOUR FUTURE

©EDDIE TAPP

editors@ppa.com

@ppmagazine

@ppmagazine

@professionalphotographer_mag

Not to brag, but I’m pretty famous for my vacation spreadsheets. By “brag,” I mean self-deprecate. And by “pretty famous” I mean largely a target of ridicule.

Months before a trip, I’ll happily spend hours of my weekends poring over a stack of travel guides from the library. At any given time during my pre-travel phase, two dozen TripAdvisor tabs will be open on my laptop. In the evenings, I’m probably reading a novel set in the locale I’m booked to visit. I’ve even found myself down the rabbit hole of researching the best travel research resources to use. The reservations, maps, routes, logistics, phone numbers, addresses, and URLs are all neatly plotted by day (and even by hour, when relevant) on a spreadsheet that’s eventually both printed and stored digitally in Google Drive for easy retrieval from anywhere in the world. It’s truly a masterpiece.

Have such works of art inspired jokes and jabs from my travel companions?

Well, not everyone recognizes genius, I suppose. And could there be a tinge of jealousy directed at my ultra-prepared uber-organized process? Maybe they just don’t experience the world as I do. The reason for my groundwork is evident (if only to me): I want to maximize my vacation time, and I want to decrease the likelihood of returning home with the regret, If only I had known. But just as important as the end result is the very act of preparation. The reading and researching are part of my anticipatory joy of traveling. They escalate the experience and expand the enjoyment I get from those precious days spent outside my routine life.

Are you preparing for your year ahead? First things first. If you’re going to PPA’s annual convention this month, use the Imaging USA website and app to review sessions, vendors, and events well before you arrive in Nashville.

Dig in and read it all. Before you nail down a schedule, consider your business and creative goals for 2020. More lighting knowledge? A better business plan?

Consumer insights? You’re the single best expert on your specific business.

Only you can create a perfect customized spreadsheet for your convention experience.

And what about the rest of 2020? Did you meet or at least move forward on some of your 2019 goals? What do you want to tackle next? Maybe you don’t need an elaborate spreadsheet to map out your journey. But commit your ideas and ambitions to paper so you have those important objectives in front of you through the year. You want to maximize your time and minimize your regret. And, of course, you want the satisfaction of having spent time preparing yourself.

Wishing you abundant health, success, and happiness in 2020. •

Jane Gaboury Director of Publications

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FOREGROUND

by Amanda Arnold

MEGAHERD ART WOLFE DOCUMENTS ELEPHANTS It’s unusual for elephants to form such a large herd. However, in Chad’s Zakouma National Park, the region’s civil wars, funded by the poaching of elephants, have put the creatures on guard. Here, some 400 elephants have banded together for protection. Art Wolfe explains the phenomenon in his new photobook “Wild Elephants: Conservation in the Age of Extinction.”

Wolfe wanted to make photos showing the immensity of the herd and quickly realized an aerial perspective would be best. He and his group chartered a plane, removed the doors, and secured themselves inside the craft with duct tape to safely photograph the herd below.

Wolfe shared his images with African Parks, a nonprofit conservation group that used them to count the calves in the images. “It was a hopeful sign to see that there have been more and more born in the past few years,” he writes. •

©ART WOLFE

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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FO R E G RO U N D

ODE TO ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE MASTER OF LIGHTING Andrew Pielage is crazy about Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture. So crazy that he plans to photograph all 532 of Wright’s designs. The timeline? “Definitely going to happen before I die,” he says. So far he’s photographed more than 70 sites.

INSPIRATION: Pielage’s first Wright experience was a tour of Taliesin West, the architect’s winter home, which appealed to Pielage’s longtime love of the outdoors. “It wasn’t actually the architecture that really drew me in when I first got there,” he says. “It was the usage of the architecture within the landscape.”

A FRIEND OF A PHYSICIAN OF AN ARCHITECT: Photography wasn’t permitted on Taliesin tours. Pielage had talked about it with a nurse friend, who mentioned that Wright’s former personal physician came to her doctor’s office. This serendipitous connection eventually led to Pielage getting permission to photograph at the house.

FAKE IT TO MAKE IT: Impressed by Pielage’s photographs, Taliesin staff asked if he’d ever taught photography. “I said, of course I have,” though in truth he hadn’t. He was hired to teach a summer camp photography workshop, which led to teaching adult workshops at other Wright sites, a month-long artist residency at Fallingwater, and permission to photograph more Wright sites.

THE WHOLE LANDSCAPE: Wright didn’t just design the walls, windows, and ceilings of his structures; he designed the trash cans, the electrical outlet covers, everything.

“To do the design justice you really need to incorporate as many of those things as you can,” Pielage says. He works with a Canon 17mm tilt shift lens but found it wasn’t wide enough on its own. His workaround: Make vertical panoramas, shifting up and down to make multiple images that are later merged in Photoshop.

RESPECT THE LIGHT: Wright designed structures with an eye toward the shifting sunlight, so using a strobe or LED panel is out of the question for Pielage. “I would create shadow where Wright wouldn’t want shadow to be.” Being an artist in residence at Fallingwater was ideal for Pielage because it enabled him take in the space at various times of day before picking up his camera. What he learned: “Wright was a master at collecting light.” •

IMAGES ©ANDREW PIELAGE

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FO R E G RO U N D

PAIRED SERIES ADDRESSES CLIMATE CHANGE What do glaciers and wetlands have in common? Climate change, an issue addressed in Tina Freeman’s “Lamentations” series. The images are on exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art through March 15 and published in a book. Freeman pairs images of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers with images of the wetlands of Louisiana, two disparate landscapes connected by one overarching problem.

ARCTIC IMAGE MAKING: “Antarctica is extraordinary,” she says.

“It’s like going to another planet.” Her favorite trip was a photographer-organized excursion in late November through early December, the beginning of summer and the perfect time to photograph the ice, she says. “If anybody is worried about the cold, it’s not that cold. It hovers around freezing.”

WETLANDS IMAGE MAKING: “We went out on a boat, and it was a misty morning with very light rain, and it was extraordinarily beautiful.

That is when it hit me to photograph this,” she says of her first excursion to Avoca Island, Louisiana.

THE PAIRINGS: Once the idea struck to pair glaciers and wetlands, Freeman had the photos printed, posted them to a magnetic wall in her studio, and began selecting images featuring a common element—shape, color, or line—that connected them to each other.

©TINA FREEMAN

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PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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FO R E G RO U N D

JANUARY GIVEAWAY

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The winner will also receive the Fujinon XF23mmF2 R WR ($449.95), a wide-angle lens with advanced image resolution and a metal exterior. You’ll notice the silent and fast autofocus thanks to an innerfocus AF system that uses a stepping motor.

A combined value of $2,249.90, courtesy of Fujifilm Lens pictured on camera is not the lens included in the giveaway.

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RISE Gary Hughes, M.Photog.Cr., CPP Hughes Fioretti Photography Orlando, Florida hughesfioretti.com CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens at 120mm EXPOSURE: 1/125 second at f/8, ISO 200 LIGHTING: Hughes used four Photogenic Matrix MCD400R strobes. The main modifier was a 28-inch octabox, the fill light was two 10x24-inch half domes, and the background light was a Glow 8x8-foot butterfly scrim that doubles as the background and the back light with a Photogenic 60-inch parabolic umbrella.

POST-CAPTURE: He processed the raw file in Canon Digital Photo Professional and used Adobe Photoshop for a black-andwhite conversion and some dodging and burning to bring out shadow detail.

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ABOUT THE LOAN COLLECTION: The current Loan Collection comprises more than 600 photographs chosen by jurors of PPA’s International Photographic Competition. The compositions are considered the best of the best in contemporary professional photography, having been awarded the Loan Collection distinction based on their success in meeting the 12 elements of a merited image. ppmag.com/12-elements 20

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SUCCESS

HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS There are plenty of online and big-box options consumers can turn to for photographic prints. But according to consumer research conducted by Professional Photographers of America, photography clients overwhelmingly purchase their prints—wall art, canvases, small prints, holiday cards, and albums—from their photographer. Here’s what they do with them.

% ER

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%

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WHERE CLIENTS DISPLAY PHOTOGRAPHY IN THEIR HOMES

Note: 2% of clients indicated they did not display images in their home.

Source: Professional Photographers of America consumer survey, 2019

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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S U CC E SS

TRANSFORMING YOUR CLIENTS ENJOY A BOOMING INDUSTRY BY UNDERSTANDING WHAT CONSUMERS REALLY WANT

by Jeff Kent Does it ever feel like other studios are blessed with amazing, loyal, high-spending clients while you’re struggling with price shoppers and noncommittal customers?

It doesn’t have to be that way, says Steve Saporito, a Melbourne, Australia-based photography consultant and educator.

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He’s also an Imaging USA 2020 speaker who has taught thousands of photographers how to find abundance in today’s photography market. He posits that the gap between high-performing studios and everyone else isn’t as wide as many are led to believe. The key is to “make” great

clients, not find them, and then nurture them with care and attention.

GREAT CLIENTS ARE MADE, NOT FOUND This concept gives the power back to photographers, says Saporito. It assumes there’s an abundance of quality clients if

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we choose to care enough to help people discover what matters most to them.

Clients who call and ask about price, digital files, or “your cheapest option” are often as assumed to be mere price shoppers and even “not my client.” The assumption is they don’t value the art or the process. However, that’s not always the case.

“Over the years I have learned that clients only buy what they believe they are worth, not what we believe we are worth,” says Saporito. “When we help our clients discover what is important to them, such as their relationships, they suddenly do not care about digital files. They want wall art.

They happily spend thousands on portraits even though they started off wanting something cheap. Our clients want to be celebrated and are craving someone to help them find what they have to celebrate in a world that is constantly looking for fault and negativity.”

The more photographers care about their clients, the more they help them discover what’s important, the easier those clients are to book—and the more they spend. The process becomes less about selling and more about helping people find everything they want.

“In order to make great clients, we need to stop talking about ourselves and start asking more questions about our clients,” says Saporito. “Figure out what matters to them. We have to learn the art of listening. We need to see the person who means the most to them through their eyes and help them understand how that relationship is more important than price or digital files.”

NURTURING QUALITY CLIENTS So many photographers are focused on always finding new clients, which is the most expensive and laborious way to grow a business. Nurturing your current quality clients opens the door to referrals and repeat business—a much easier and more sustainable growth strategy.

But how? Saporito explains that most people just want someone to see them, truly see them. For photographers, this means believing that every person has something

S U CC E SS

“When we help our clients discover what is important to them, such as their relationships, they suddenly do not care about digital files.

They want wall art.

They happily spend thousands on portraits ...”

COURTESY STEVE SAPORITO

Steve Saporito

26

worth photographing and then helping people see that value. Talk less about your skill with a camera and more about what makes your clients unique. Invite them in and engage in a conversation that is focused on them, their families, and what they love.

“There are clients everywhere,” says Saporito. “Photographers who take on this psychology can literally take their children to the park and book quality clients while they are there. And it works with old clients as well. If they’re used to a different relationship with their photographer, and they’re given this new experience, it opens up the opportunities for them to spend willingly.”

SHIFTING THE APPROACH Transition from digital communication to real conversations, says Saporito. Get away from email, texts, and instant messages and converse during a phone call or in-person meeting. Clients are looking for someone they can trust, and building trust cannot be done via email or questionnaire. Engaging clients in a conversation about what they love the most and allowing them to be heard changes everything.

Keep an open mind during your conversations. You may be surprised at people’s budget when they find art that has a real connection for them. “Most photographers want to attract rich clients,” says Saporito.

“The truth is, Mr. and Mrs. Average spend the most on what we do and are happy to display artwork of their family in their home. Understanding your ideal customer and what they truly want is important.

Then you can create a business that is focused on making that customer feel more valuable and more loved. That’s a business that clients want to come back to again and again, and refer more people like them.”

Transparency about the process and pricing is critical to building stronger relationships. Remember, most clients don’t know how to buy photography. So there’s an educational element that includes helping clients visualize something that matters to them in their home. While you’re helping them visualize, be open and specific. Make specific recommenda-

tions about specific products attached to specific pricing.

“That makes it feel real,” explains Saporito. It also communicates the amount that you, the artist, think they should spend.

START SELLING EMOTIONS “Why do some photographers believe that the gap between the high-end, successful studios is wider than they can bridge?” wonders Saporito. “This business is about caring and helping people feel valuable. It is about exceptional service and value. It is about making your clients the hero. I have trained many photographers who are averaging more than $3,000 a session working out of the trunk of their car. It can be done with the right approach. The general public wants to feel something and just is waiting for someone to believe in them.”

Photographers need to realize they are in the business of selling emotions, says Saporito. These emotions are infused into the wall art photographers create.

Emotions are what clients want to hold onto. The wall art is simply the medium.

When photographers can do this well, then the industry will have an abundance of clients who happily spend money, and everyone benefits. “For those who are doing this process, the industry is booming. It is what is important right now, and now is the time to get on board while it is a proven, successful strategy.”

The keys, says Saporito, are to “Care more and see more.” Taking a better photo will not make you more money, he adds.

Another lighting course will not make you more money. Instead, pay attention to what really matters to your client. “We are in the most exciting time for helping people feel valuable,” he says.

“I do not believe any other profession has the permission that we do as artists to help people discover what is important enough to celebrate. We do more than take photos. We change people’s perspective on who they are and how important they are.

We can be transformational if we choose to see someone’s soul first, allow them to feel special, and then add light.” • stevesaporitoeducation.com PPM AG.COM

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S U CC E SS

SMALL SPACE, BIG BUSINESS HOW TO MAXIMIZE EVEN A TINY HOME STUDIO

by Jeff Kent When Marnie Clagett, CPP, opened her studio in 2009, the term “studio” was a bit of a stretch—to be more precise, it was a bit of a squeeze. Clagett worked out of a snug 110-square-foot room in her home in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, using the space as a camera room, a presentation and consultation area, and eventually a shared office when her husband joined the business full time.

Clagett would ultimately purchase a livework space in her town’s historic district, moving the studio to the storefront and living with her family upstairs. However, her experiences growing her business out of a single room in her house taught her valuable lessons about how to operate a professional studio in any location. She’ll be sharing these lessons as a speaker at this month’s Imaging USA. Here, she offers a key points related to building a successful home studio and determining when, if ever, it’s necessary to move into a retail space.

HOME STUDIO CHALLENGES— AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM Perception. There’s a perception by some that a home studio isn’t as professional as a retail location. So it’s up to the studio owner to make that home studio appear as professional as possible.

“It’s crucial to conduct yourself and your business professionally and help clients understand that this is a real business, not just a hobby you’re doing out of a spare room,” says Clagett. This means presenting the home studio as a place of business, dressing and acting the part, and making extra efforts to exhibit professionalism in all aspects of your interactions with clients.

“In our little 110-square-foot space, because our business model was sound and we treated it as a real business, we had clients willing to spend upward of $8,000 in that tiny space. We built relationships with

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commercial clients that now spend more than $10,000 a year with us. All because we set perception aside and conducted ourselves as businesspeople.”

Space. When you’re working in your home, space can become an issue very quickly. However, there are ways to overcome those space-related challenges if you think creatively.

For Clagett, who didn’t have room in her home studio for a big sales presentation suite with large couches and coffee tables, the keys were scaling down the furniture and making everything movable. She looked for pieces that were shallow so they could be placed along a wall without using too much floor space. She used a small loveseat for client meetings and had chairs and other pieces that she could slide into the room as needed. Everything was lightweight so it could easily be moved in for a client meeting and then back out to make space for a portrait session.

For those sessions, the size of the room presented problems due to the lack of depth needed for formal portraits. To use her preferred lenses, she needed about 15 to 20 feet of space between the backdrop and camera. However, the room only had about six feet of space. So she moved out into the hallway and up some stairs, photographing through the open doorway. “It’s as simple as recognizing that every room has a door,” says Clagett. “You may need to move out of the room. You can explain it to clients by saying, ‘I need a little more distance because of the lens I want to use.’ Let them into the creative process, and they’re often impressed with the innovative solutions you come up with.”

Separate lives. Separating home life and business life is essential if you want clients to take you seriously. “Really, this all comes down to removing any of the distractions of home life so people can see themselves in a professional setting,” says Clagett.

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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S U CC E SS

“Set up the space so that the client is only looking at you and your artwork with no distractions in the background. Make sure they’re not looking past you into your dining room or kitchen. Instead, focus their view on your professional area with your work on display.”

©BILL CLAGETT

Marnie Clagett

The PPA benchmarks Marnie Clagett relies on: ppmag.com/clagett 30

If there are children in the house, Clagett suggests scheduling client meetings and portrait sessions while kids are at school or having someone watch the kids while you’re with clients.

The entryway and walkway up to your house always have to be presentable. Clear kids’ toys and clutter from view. Make sure the grass is mowed and landscaping is in good shape.

Clagett also suggests holding off meal prep until after the last client has departed so people aren’t distracted by the smell of cooking.

Finally, make sure pictures on the walls of the studio area are of client work, not your own family.

“One of the things we do—and this applies anywhere, your home, a coffee shop, wherever—is to set up the space so that the client is only looking at you and your artwork with no distractions in the background,” says Clagett. “Make sure they’re not looking past you into your dining room or kitchen. Instead, focus their view on your professional area with your work on display.”

WHEN DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO MOVE TO A RETAIL SPACE? “It all comes down to numbers,” says Clagett. She lives and dies by the PPA Financial Benchmark Survey (ppmag.com/ clagett), which establishes benchmarks for overhead costs, profitability, cost of sales, net profit, and other important metrics.

Using these benchmarks, you can determine when your business can afford to move into a commercial space as opposed to moving just because you want to move.

Because overhead is so much lower for a home studio, it translates to tens of thousands of dollars of savings a year compared to a retail studio. So the question becomes, Can you actually afford a retail space?

To make her live-work retail space affordable, Clagett focuses on two financial keys. First, she keeps her cost of sales down. Second, she makes sure she’s priced correctly. By controlling cost and keeping prices at a profitable level, she was able to keep her average cost of sales to a very low

10% when she moved into the retail studio space. With numbers like that, she knew her financials justified the move.

What about the argument that you could generate more sales or charge more in a retail space? “I think it’s more of a perceived advantage that you can get better sales in a retail location,” says Clagett.

“We found that having a storefront hasn’t really changed our numbers. People aren’t necessarily willing to spend more just because we have a retail studio. People come to us because of our marketing and our brand, not because of our location.”

One way to portray a high-end image is to do portrait consultations and sales sessions in clients’ homes, says Clagett.

That is seen as a very upscale service, and it moves you away from your home studio into an environment where the clients feel comfortable. “You can create that extra high-end experience by putting in more effort,” says Clagett. “I still go to my clients’ homes for consultations even though I have the retail studio. It’s a service.”

THE TIMES—AND PERCEPTIONS— ARE CHANGING With technology making it easy to do many jobs from almost anywhere, it’s more of an accepted practice to work from home.

Even employees of large corporations are working flex time from home offices. As a result, the perceptions of home-based professionals have improved.

“If other people can work for huge corporations out of a room in their homes, and be perceived as professionals, and make a big salary, then why can’t photographers?” says Clagett.

They can. In today’s market, you don’t need an expensive retail space to be perceived as a professional. And you don’t need a retail space to charge good prices.

Charge based on your artistry and your talent and your service, not your location, urges Clagett. When the quality of the work and the experience of working with you backs up your pricing, your clients will respond. • clagettphotography.com PPM AG.COM

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Your Marketing in the Coming Months Here’s help to stoke the embers of your work!

New research sets photographers up for success.

You survived the holidays…take a breath. For the past several months, you’ve probably been going nonstop, booking after booking, Santa shoot after winter wedding. Thankfully, the start of the year is often a slower time.

Now is the time to strategize, so keep your creative fire burning!

Intention setting is a big part of the creative process. But where should you be focusing your attention this month while you’re curled up on your couch staying warm? Just look at the data — use these slower weeks to work on your website, portfolio, and social media.

54%

72% 43%

of people say they estimate a photographer’s skills and worth based on what they see online.

of photographers’ referrals come from family and friends

say they chose their photographer based on what they saw on their website.

That’s how important it is to show your work and give people a feel for the kind of (awesome) experience your clients can expect.

That’s more than social media or other online platforms! Give your clients an experience that’s so irresistible they’ll share what you did for them. Plus, word of mouth is free!

If you want to make more money, you must show off your photography and people skills through social networking!

Take January to do what you haven’t had time to do over the holiday season. PPA’s consumer research has real, actionable data to help you plan your year, starting with “little things” that can have a large (and positive!) impact on your business.

It’s free to PPA members and answers questions you didn’t know you had. Use the PPA research now and start strategizing.

You have the fuel! Let these embers catch fire!

PPA.com/Research

Let’s help you refine the embers in your work!

You can do this thanks to the resources available with your PPA membership. Start off with some of these surefire ways to get pumped for the year ahead:

•You shot a lot of photos

over the last few months.

Now’s the time to find beauty in the edits. Prepare your images for upcoming photo competitions! The International Photographic Competition is the perfect outlet for your creative inspiration.

•PPAedu has a ton of videos

and webinars all about timemanagement, strategizing, marketing, and everything else you’ll need to set 2020 aflame.

•Push yourself and grow

your photography business in ways you never even considered with the PPA Business Challenge. This unique online community promises to help you become a stronger business person.

•See The Difference® marketing tools give you the best ways to show your potential clients why they should hire you.

Get started today so you can have your fire roaring in no time!

PPA.com/Learn

Do You Know What it Means to Succeed on Your Terms?

PPA’s BUSINESS CHALLENGE This year-long, online program will help you build a more profitable business. And it’s FREE! • Identify what success means to you • Create a profitable pricing/sales strategy

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• Get vital business questions answered • Prioritize your tasks • Gain confidence and stay focused • Connect with other photopreneurs working through the same challenges

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THE GOODS DURABLE PARTNER Beyond its distinctive looks, the Fujifilm X-Pro3 rangefinder has one of the most durable camera bodies in Fujifilm history.

In addition to the standard black model, titanium top and base plate models are available in two color variations— Dura Black and Dura Silver (pictured)—with Duratect surface-hardening technology for additional toughness and premium finish.

The 180-degree tilt and touch screen has a mini display that, when closed, shows only essential settings to remove distractions. The hybrid viewfinder offers the best of both worlds. The OVF uses 0.5X magnification for an uninterrupted

view of what’s in front of you, including what’s outside the frame.

The EVF shows a fast, high-quality representation of how the image will look.

Capture specs are impressive, with a back-illuminated 26.1 megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor and X-Processor 4 processing engine. The CPU can boost AF performance with precision face and eye detection down to -6EV, close to absolute darkness.

Priced at $1,799.95 and $1,999.95 in Duratect color versions.

See page 18 for details on our Fujifilm X-Pro3 and Fujinon XF23mmF2 R WR lens giveaway. •

COURTESY FUJIFILM / FUJIFILM-X.COM

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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T H E GOO D S

THE NATURAL LOOK OFF-CAMERA FLASH

by Vanessa Joy, Cr.Photog.

IMAGES ©VANESSA JOY

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Vanessa Joy

I think a lot of photographers view flash as ugly and the opposite style of natural light.

The truth is flash is just light you have total control over. You can make it look as natural as you’d like while having the added benefit of that control.

This shoot was for the cover of my upcoming book, which is about how to use off-camera flash in 32 specific scenarios.

I didn’t want the cover to be an obviously flash-based image. I wanted it to emulate natural light and be an example of the enhancements a photographer can get when they know how to control light.

My goal was to create an image that was soft and colorful with a natural light look.

With that in mind I decided on a large light modifier close to the model’s face.

This creates beautifully soft light, much like what you see when you place a subject next to a large window. I wanted some separation from the background by using a hair light, so I chose two CTO (color temperature orange) gels to place in front of the light behind her to mimic the sun softly kissing her hair and the foliage around her. Finally, I used a long lens, the Canon EF 135mm f/2L, to compress the image, making the background pleasingly soft.

If this had been a true natural light image, it wouldn’t have been as colorful on the overcast day we were faced with. Light wouldn’t be fi lling her eyes, which would have left her with unattractive under-eye shadows. This setup shows how off-camera flash can make a photo taken on an overcast day look like it was shot with natural, golden-hour light behind her and a reflector bouncing light back into her face. Goal accomplished.

Vanessa Joy is the author of “The OffCamera Flash Handbook” (February 2020).

PPM AG.COM

CAMERA AND LENS: Canon EOS 5DS R camera and Canon 135mm f/2L USM lens EXPOSURE: 1/250 second at f/2.2, ISO 320 LIGHTING: Profoto B1 500 AirTTL with a Profoto Umbrella Deep White Medium as the main light. A Glow 5-in-1 42-inch reflector for fill light. Profoto B1 500 AirTTL with two CTO gels behind the subject for rim and hair light.

ILLUSTRATION BY NATALEE MARTINEZ PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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T H E GOO D S

FREED UP WESTCOTT FJ400 STROBE AND FJ-X2M TRIGGER

by Betsy Finn, M.Photog.Cr.

IMAGES COURTESY WESTCOTT

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When you work on location with strobes you need consistent color temperature, dependable batteries, and control of your light output. New from Westcott, the FJ400 Strobe (400Ws) and FJX2m Universal Wireless Flash Trigger is an impressive duo that dominates in all three areas.

The best part is the trigger’s compatibility with many cameras so you’re not locked into a brand or model. The FJ400 strobe and the FJ-X2m trigger are TTL and HSS compatible with models from Canon (including EOS R and RP), Nikon, Sony (with adapter), Fujifilm, Panasonic Lumix, and Olympus cameras. Beyond that, manual mode is available for any camera with a hot shoe mount.

Let’s talk power first. With over 480 full-power flashes per charge, Westcott’s AC/DC lithium polymer batteries can easily last through a standard portrait session. If you’re working a full-day wedding, these batteries recharge in just 2.5 hours, so you could bring a few to rotate into use. If you have access to an outlet and your battery is above 25%, the strobe unit can trickle charge while you’re shooting. Each battery has an LED indicator so you won’t be suddenly caught with a depleted spare battery. The biggest downside is weight—each is a hefty 1.5 pounds. And if you have small hands PPM AG.COM

©Marcie Reif Focal Length: 35mm Exposure: F/2.0 1/ 1600sec ISO: 1250

©Marcie Reif

Conceived with elegance and crafted to perfection I noticed no color temperature variance across any of my images.

you may find it cumbersome to remove the battery from the strobe.

It’s large and lacks any grooves to hold onto for removal.

The FJ400 offers impressive light output control: HSS up to 1/8000s, TTL, and Rear Curtain Sync. The unit has a 0.5-0.9 second recycle time, and a nine f-stop range in 0.1 and 1.0 increments. I experimented with various settings in my studio before going out on location, and everything worked as expected. On location I used the strobe in TTL mode to see how it performed on auto. Having typically used manual strobes on location in the past, I enjoyed being able to focus more on my subject and less on the technical side of creating the images.

Everything about this unit is elegantly designed. The menu options are easy to navigate, and I loved being able to read the output on the strobe from across the room. The FJ400 includes selfmonitoring cooling fans, so you don’t have to worry about the lights overheating. The unit takes Bowens ring mounts and has a built-in umbrella mount on the bracket. My only caveat, again, is an issue of ergonomics. I found it slightly awkward to remove the ring mount while pressing the release button.

The FJ-X2m Universal Wirelesss Flash Trigger has a range of PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

Breathtaking sharpness – velvety, soft bokeh – uncompromised performance. The culmination of our relentless obsession to deliver the ultimate image quality.

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SP 35mm F/1.4 Di USD (Model F045) For Canon and Nikon mounts Di: For full-frame, APS-C format DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras with manufacturer's adapter

www.tamron-usa.com

T H E GOO D S

985 feet, is Bluetooth compatible, and has a battery that lasts 200,000 flashes per charge cycle. Impressive.

You can work with 16 channels (0-15) and six groups. Using the app via Bluetooth gives you access to 10 groups. The FJ-X2m is intuitive to use, but if you’re like me and tend to dive in without reading directions, here’s a tip: Select the correct camera model before getting started. Sony users will need to use the included adapter mount for the trigger to work properly.

Overall, I enjoyed working with the JF400 and the FJ-X2m duo. It was easy to use right out of the box, and while there are many settings to customize, the strobe and trigger don’t require a lot of technical attention while you’re shooting if you set it to TTL. In terms of consistent color temperature, I noticed no color temperature variance across any of my images. The batteries lasted well beyond what I expected, and I absolutely loved working with this equipment on location. This system isn’t the smallest batterypowered strobe offering out there, but it is consistent, portable, and powerful. For me, the key question is always, Would I use this equipment when photographing my clients? The answer is a resounding yes.

The FJ400 Strobe 400Ws with AC/DC battery includes a magnetic 5-inch reflector, magnetic CCT gel set, and a Rapid Box Switch Bowens insert. It’s available in four plug types for different geographic standards. It retails for $569.90. The FJ-X2m Universal Wireless Flash Trigger retails for $99.90. More AC/DC lithium polymer batteries can be purchased for $149.90 each. • Betsy Finn, M.Photog.,Cr. is a photographer in Michigan.

Setup and use on location are easy with the FJ400’s portable size and powerful battery. It delivered consistent color temperature, and I would absolutely use it with clients.

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PPM AG.COM

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A. Marathon was founded in 1980 and built with the core values of amazing customer service and high quality. We have held true to our core values and will continue for generations to come.

since 1996. Marathon has published some of the most prestigious book titles, the Kodak Gallery Award Series, Fujifilm Masterpiece Series, Society of XXV, Camera Craftsmen, and many other prestigious photography industry titles.

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A. We are centrally located in Norfolk, Nebraska, which makes it easy for us to ship around the country with very little delay. If you’re ever in the neighborhood and want a tour of our facility, just give us a call.

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covers are produced using one of our four cover-making machine types. Marathon’s book titles can be embellished with some unique finishes, foil debossing, foil embossing, inlaid photos, window cutouts, and thousands of cover material options.

Q. How do I get started placing an order for book printing or publishing?

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fications as well as the end purpose of the book. In the consultation process, we can also go over some of the misconceptions as well as the possibilities available.

To set up a consultation with one of our leading book experts email martinp@marathonpress.net or call 800-228-0629 to schedule an appointment with Martin Pugh.

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PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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T H E GOO D S

ECONOMIC WIDE ZOOM TAMRON 17-35MM F/2.8-4 Di OSD

by Ellis Vener

COURTESY TAMRON

44

It’s not often that I get to concurrently test two lenses with focal length ranges that somewhat overlap. While working with a Nikon F mount Tamron 17-35mm F/2.8-4 Di OSD for review, I also had access to a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G. Both lenses perform well and have different feature sets and radically different price points, with the Nikkor selling for nearly twice the price of the Tamron. I tested both lenses using a 45-megapixel Nikon D850 DSLR. The notable difference between these lenses is not their maximum aperture but the absence of Tamron’s vibration compensation mechanism. Such mechanisms add bulk and expense to a lens and are useful when photographing with a handheld camera in dim light at longer shutter speeds. But they’re no substitute for using a tripod, monopod, or other support.

The rule of thumb I learned long ago for good handholding technique was that the longest shutter speed you could steadily handhold a camera was the reciprocal of the lens’s focal length. If you were shooting at a 200mm focal length, your shutter speed would be at least 1/200 second. But that was before zoom lenses started rivaling the performance of fixed focal length lenses.

Zoom lenses tend to be heavier and larger than single focal length lenses in the same range, so I’ve modified that maxim for zoom lenses and use the reciprocal of its longest focal length setting as the minimum shutter speed.

Compared to the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G, I can’t say that I missed the vibration compensation feature in the Tamron. That’s not because the Nikkor’s vibration reduction feature doesn’t work well—it works perfectly well—but the Nikkor weighs a half-pound more and is nearly an inch and a half longer than the Tamron lens.

Of course, the advantage of large f/stops

PPM AG.COM

IMAGES Š ELLIS VENER

In this 30-second exposure at f/22, note the lack of flare and a lack of geometric distortion with architectural elements as well as a pleasing bokeh.

In this late-day image you can see good contrast and no ghosting or chromatic fringing in high-contrast areas.

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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T H E GOO D S

The advantage of large f/stops goes beyond using shorter shutter speeds. goes beyond using shorter shutter speeds.

More light reaching the autofocus sensors helps them work better. From 17-20mm the maximum aperture of this Tamron lens is f/2.8; from 21-24mm, f/3.2; from 25-30mm, f/3.5, and from 31-35mm, f/4. A large aperture lets you isolate a subject from the background, although in the 17-20mm range you would need a large near/far ratio to make that work. At the other end of the f/stop range there are differences as well.

From 17-20mm, minimum aperture is f/16; from 21-24mm, f/18; from 25-30mm, f/20, and from 31-35mm, f/22.

Aperture also affects diffraction, and like most lenses, this one is sharpest when stopped down around two stops from wide open. Even so, sharpness and contrast are more than acceptable when the lens is wide open all the way down to one stop above

the minimum aperture at all focal lengths.

As you stop down there is also bokeh to consider. I tested the lens for bokeh by locking the focus to the minimum distance, 11 inches, and shooting the same scene at each f/stop for every marked focal length. At each f/stop setting, the curved edges of the seven aperture blades form a circular aperture, and at all focal lengths the out-of-focus highlights have a pleasingly soft-edged circular shape.

At the widest focal lengths the out-of-focus highlights are donut-shaped with a welldefined center edge and perimeter.

The Tamron lens I was loaned for this review exhibited no evidence of decentering.

Chromatic aberrations were well controlled.

In photos of interiors, geometric distortions were minimal, but in straight-out-of-camera JPEGs there’s a minor degree of pincushion distortion toward the long sides of the

frame in the 28 to 35mm range. The lens profile in Adobe Lightroom corrects for this.

This is not the lens I would choose for highend architectural commissions but should be perfectly fine for real estate photography.

By not incorporating vibration compensation, Tamron’s engineering team was able to keep the optical path relatively simple for a super-wide to wide angle zoom. There are 15 elements in 10 groups. Two are aspheric molded glass and four are made from Tamron’s low dispersion glass.

Lens build appears to be good. The lens feels solid and responsive. A fluorine coating on the front element repels moisture and oils, making it easy to clean. Tamron also paid attention to weather and dust proofing with nine moisture-proof seals distributed throughout the optical path.

For the price ($599), the Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4 Di OSD is a fine lens. Its combination of performance, price, and size make it an appropriate choice for a general purpose super-wide to wide angle zoom, especially if you’re on a budget or want to travel light. •

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CREATIVE ANALYSIS

An afternoon with Julieanne Kost

Many Photoshop users are familiar with Adobe Evangelist Julianne Kost. She’s a must-see at conferences and conventions as well as a helpful tutor via her blog, YouTube and Adobe Help videos, and her books “Window Seat” and “Passenger Seat.” She is looked to as the one person who can answer any Photoshop question.

I first saw her in 2004 as she took command of an auditorium of about 2,000 Photoshop World attendees with her rapid-fire, improvisational wit. Her comfortable, conversational style made the technical presentation entertaining and memorable. If the photography profession had an entertainer of the year award, Kost would have no competitors. Watching her, I wondered what she was like in real life. In the years since, I’ve made progress in discovering the answer. When Kost gave me a tour of the Adobe offices in San Jose, California, last year, I was able to spend an afternoon conversing with her.

Dennis Chamberlain: Your artistic and technical abilities are strong and well balanced. How did that come about?

Julieanne Kost: My father is an engineer and as such is a logical problem solver. After all, that’s what creativity is—solving problems by connecting the scattered dots. On the other hand, my mother is an artist and is driven by intuition as opposed to logic. As I grew up I was fortunate to be exposed to the different and creative ways in which they solved problems.

They look at things quite differently, and I grew up enjoying both.

Julieanne characterizes her photographic style as tending toward the small focus—for example, the individual rocks and bushes at the Grand Canyon as opposed to the wide-angle scene. This perspective comes from her mother’s artistic viewpoint. Her mother showed her how to break things down into their basic components, while her father helped her eliminate the unnecessary.

IMAGES © JULIEANNE KOST

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DC: I found it significant that both your parents emphasized the importance of tools.

JK: To accomplish your objectives, you need a solid understanding of your tools whether you are an engineer or an artist. If you don’t master the tools, you are at a disadvantage.

This belief in the importance of tools was an asset at Kost’s first assignment at Adobe—18 months in technical support. The knowledge base she gained there, on top of her finely honed skills and engaging personality, led to the position she’s held over the past 15 years as Adobe Digital Imaging Evangelist.

©BOB COATES

By Dennis Chamberlain, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP

DC: Is there one Photoshop tool you feel is the most useful and yet underused by many of us?

JK: The pen tool. When you need to select a hard-edged subject, it’s the best alternative. Once people get past the learning curve they never turn back. It’s like taking the training wheels off your bicycle.

DC: You also encourage more use of actions and presets to shorten workflow, correct?

JK: Actions don’t have to take you all the way from A to Z. They are most often used just for a portion of the steps in your workflow. And presets in Camera Raw or Lightroom can be used as starting points as opposed to one-click solutions. Too many people, upon seeing the results of applying a preset, just back up and start all over from scratch. Instead, they could let the preset do 80 percent of the work and proceed from there.

DC: Do you have to keep up with all the Adobe programs or just Photoshop and Lightroom?

JK: Fortunately, I get to focus on one industry—the photographic industry.

Kost used Adobe Premier as an example. It’s a professional video editing program, but it also has excellent tools for designing slideshows that go far beyond the capabilities of Photoshop and Lightroom.

JK: Do I know everything about Premier? Oh, no. Nay, nay. I look over new programs and updates to programs as they launch to identify things that would help photographers. For example, we have a new product called Adobe Premiere Rush, which is a simplified video editing program that will help photographers.

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DC: A lot of your creative work involves composites. But I know you also enjoy non-manipulated photography. How do you compare the two?

JK: Think about sculptors and their work. Some sculptures are additive and some are subtractive. The sculptor who starts with a piece of clay and builds it into a final work of art, that is additive. On the other hand, the sculptor who starts with a piece of rock or wood and chisels away at it would be the subtractive artist.

Kost believes a photographic composite is additive since it’s constructed from various components. A traditional photograph is subtractive, with the photographer choosing what they want to show and, via composition, eliminating the rest. The concept seems both profound and obvious to me. Both approaches are expressions and ways to communicate visually, and neither is right or wrong.

Where do you get your inspiration for your creative work, your photographic projects?

JK: I read all the time rather than watching television. Reading sparks my imagination and it forces me to create the visuals in my head.

While I’m reading, I make meticulous notes of anything visual that comes to mind.

Visuals, words, and thoughts create the energy and inspiration behind Kost’s creative manipulations. She starts with a specific idea then approaches the project logically. She prefers to have a map to follow.

She acknowledges that other people, including her mother, might prefer to enjoy the route and take whatever turns they want as they move along. But Kost never forgets that it’s important to have something to say.

Her projects vary in size and duration. Some, like her book “Window Seat,” a collection of extraordinary images taken through ordinary commercial airplane windows, may take years. Even though the book was published in 2006, the overall project will continue indefinitely due to the amount of air travel she experiences.

DC: Why “Window Seat”?

JK: Why not pick a project that’s already in tandem with your life, something that can be woven into your daily activity?

DC: You typically pursue multiple projects simultaneously, a characteristic that many creative people share. Much of your artwork seems mystical and intense, with subdued colors. But when you’re on stage you’re light and humorous. Which is the real Julieanne?

JK: There are, in fact, two Julieannes. I play an extrovert in public.

But the personal Julieanne tends to be quieter. My default persona is subdued and introverted. I love my alone time. I need it to re-energize myself. Ú

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PPM AG.COM

A FEW THINGS YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW ABOUT JULIEANNE KOST EDUCATION University of California, Davis BS in psychology Foothill College AA in photography MOST USEFUL PROFESSIONAL ADVICE YOU EVER GOT There are three pieces of advice that come to mind: Your attitude is a much better predictor of your success than your IQ. “If you’re the most talented person in the room, you need to find a different room.” — Austin Kleon “We can do anything we want, the trick is, it’s usually waiting for us just beyond our comfort zone.”

—Winston Hendrickson PROFESSIONAL ADVICE YOU LIKE TO GIVE I have found that organization is the key to productivity. When I have a project that I want to get done, I start by defining it. (I find that writing it down clarifies the mission.) Then I limit the scope of the project to only the key elements (to help eliminate project creep) and break the components down into achievable tasks with a specific timeline that helps to keep the momentum of the project. Finally, I commit to the project. Most of the time this includes either sharing the plan with a friend or even on a public forum to help keep me accountable and setting a realistic deadline. As [productivity consultant] David Allen said, you often need to make it up in your mind before you can make it happen in your life.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS Here are three that I’ve read that I

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

Julianne Kost

really found to be valuable and refer to the notes that I took from them often.

“Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”

by Susan Cain “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity”

by David Allen “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?”

by Seth Godin DO YOU HAVE A LIFE MOTTO? “Be a fountain, not a drain.”

— Rex Hudler WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO BE STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR WITH? My grandfather. There are so many questions that I would like to ask him about his experiences growing up at the turn of the last century. I believe that there is a lot to be learned from looking at the relationship between past events and how they have led us to who we are today.

WHAT COLOR CRAYON WOULD YOU BE AND WHY? I would be gray. It’s timeless, quiet, reserved. It sets the stage for other colors to stand out. Gray is the balance between black and white and serves as a reminder that everything in life is a continuum.

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS? I love education and hope to continue to provide information and inspiration to photographers.

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ARIZONA

WHITE SANDS

More on Julieanne Kost’s Color of Place, including how-to’s: ppmag.com/kost

DC: And is your subdued color palette related to that introverted persona?

JK: Yes. I am inspired by muted colors, and I interpret that as being an introvert. Color is important to me, so I like photographing in locations that have a color palette that is pleasing to me. I love earth tones. I like to focus on nature. Vivid color palettes normally equate to higher energy, and I prefer calm scenes, so you will rarely see bright colors in my work.

Julianne’s newest body of work is “Color of Place.” Each image in the project begins with 50 of Kost’s images from one location, such as Antarctica, Arizona, or White Sands. She then takes blurred slices of each image and stitches them together to create a panoramic color palette representing that location. This concept is a striking example of the creative balance that seems to come so organically to Kost.

Finding balance is a challenge for photographers who must weigh the efforts that come with running a business and mastering technical skills against the artistic aspects of generating compelling photographs. As for her color palette observations, I suggest it would be a constructive exercise to take a close look at the color palette that suits you the best and do a bit of self-analysis regarding what that means about you as an individual.

Between explorations of color palettes and additive versus subtractive processes, Kost’s analytic approach to creative endeavors gives photographers some inspiring food for thought. • Dennis Chamberlain is a landscape and fine art photographer in Corrales, New Mexico.

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The best career accomplishments are

hard-earned like collecting a 2020 Diamond Photographer Award

By Amanda Arnold

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©LISA ASP

Skill, creativity, consistency. These are just some of the qualities a photographer needs to go four-for-four in PPA’s International Photographic Competition. This year, 20 talented individuals did just that by having their case of four images judged as worthy to enter the Loan Collection and thereby being named Diamond Photographers of 2020.

A mainstay of PPA history, the competition has long had two categories into which participants could enter a case of four images each: photographic open and artist. Brand new in 2019 was the wedding category, which was added concurrently with the introduction of PPA’s newest photographic credential: the master of wedding photography degree.

Photographic Open images are judged against PPA’s 12 Elements of a Merit Image benchmark, which considers impact, technical excellence, creativity, style, composition, presentation, color balance, center of interest, lighting, subject matter, technique, and storytelling. Merits earned in this category go toward the PPA master of photography degree.

Artist images have been altered significantly in post-production through digital enhancements, traditional techniques, or a combination of the two. They are judged not just by the finished work but also by the complexity of the process used to achieve the final outcome. Merits earned in this category go toward the PPA master artist degree.

Wedding images are nuptials-related photographs made in connection with actual weddings. Wedding category images are judged against PPA’s 12 Elements of a Merit Image benchmarks by wedding-specialized jurors. Merits earned in this category go toward the PPA master of wedding photography degree.

LET THEM EAT CAKE Lisa Asp, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP Tangerine House of Design Minneapolis tangerinehouseofdesign.com LOCATION: Studio PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: Asp’s friend sat for the portrait session, which was intended to be in the style of the old masters with just one light source. Asp loved the haughty expression in this selection, even though it wasn’t typical of the subject’s personality. “And when a different friend’s first reaction was [to say], ‘Let them eat cake,’ I knew it was the perfect title.”

CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens EXPOSURE: 1/200 second at f/8, ISO 100 LIGHTING: Paul C. Buff White Lightning with a large soft box positioned camera left, with a reflector clamped to a light stand camera right POST-CAPTURE: Images were culled in Adobe Lightroom and adjusted for color balance and exposure, then sharpened. A radial filter was added. After exporting it to Adobe Photoshop, Asp used Anthropics PortraitPro for skin retouching and cloning out flyaway hair. She straightened the cameo in the subject’s hair, smoothed folds in the costume, and cropped the image.

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©CHRIS VANDER VELDE

PACO Chris Vander Velde, M.Photog.M.Artist.

Canyon Bluff Studios Green Bay, Wisconsin canyonbluffstudios.com Vander Velde created and painted the composite in Adobe Photoshop using a variety of brushes, textures, and blend modes. “Paco” is part of his animal series, “The Real Characters of Mulberry Lane.” “When I saw this alpaca’s face and goofy intensity, I immediately envisioned a beatnik, a hipster, a real cool cat,” Vander Velde says. “Paco came to life with each piece of clothing, each hair on his goatee, and each crooked yellow tooth that was added, until the transformation from simple farm animal to beatnik was complete.”

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THE ROYAL CHAMBERMAIDS Mario Muñoz, M.Photog.Cr. Muñoz Photography Fort Lauderdale, Florida munozphotography.com LOCATION: Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Maryland PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: The bride had five nieces in her wedding party, and Muñoz wanted to capture a photo of the girls assisting her getting dressed, “similar to Cinderella getting dressed for the ball,” he says.

CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM lens EXPOSURE: 1/200 second at f/4, ISO 2000 LIGHTING: Available light POST-CAPTURE: The capture was intentionally underexposed so he could bring back the details in the windows and create a dreamy look in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

MASTER YOUR WEDDING GAME NEW DEGREE FROM PPA Fifty-two percent of PPA members report that wedding photography makes up a portion of their business. With a majority of members engaging in this type of photography, PPA decided it was time to create a new master of wedding photography degree targeted at this specialty. Earning the degree enables wedding photographers to improve their skills and knowledge in this unique niche as well as establish credibility with clients.

In conjunction with the new degree, PPA introduced the wedding category in the 2019 International Photographic Competition. This allows photographers to enter wedding images into competition and earn merits toward the master of wedding photography degree.

We’ve presented one image from each case. See all the Diamond images: ppmag.com/2020-diamonds 58

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©MARIO MUÑOZ

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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©ERICH CAPARAS

A BREATH OF LIFE Erich Caparas, M.Photog.M.Artist Erich 3D Photography Riverview, Florida erich3d.com LOCATION: Bangkok, Thailand PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: This was for a client session for a makeup academy in Bangkok. “I was inspired from a passage in the Bible: ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,’” says Caparas.

CAMERA & LENS: Nikon D810, AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D IF lens EXPOSURE: 1/160 second at f/13, ISO 160 LIGHTING: Two Phottix Indra 500 studio lights in strip boxes with grids and wrapped with blue gels were rim lights placed four feet and 45 degrees behind the subject, and another one above. The fill light was a Phottix Indra 500 with a beauty dish and honeycomb grid placed four feet and 45 degrees in front of the model, camera right.

POST-CAPTURE: A proprietary frequency separation technique and channel masking in Adobe Photoshop CC

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CAROLINA Tom Muñoz, M.Photog.Cr. Muñoz Photography Fort Lauderdale, Florida munozphotography.com LOCATION: The Breakers Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Florida PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: Two bridesmaids held the veil for a whimsical effect.

CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 11-24mm lens EXPOSURE: 1/40 second at f/5.6, ISO 400 LIGHTING: An assistant held a NanLite Forza 60 continuous light behind the right column for additional shaping.

POST-CAPTURE: Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for dodging and burning, perspective correction, and highlight and shadow control

©TOM MUÑOZ

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SHARK WEEK IS OVER … YOU BULLY! Karen A. McCall, M.Photog.M.Artist, CPP Portraits by Karen McCall Natick, Massachusetts karenmccall.com McCall was waiting to be seated at Rainforest Café when she snapped some photographs of the brightly colored fish at the restaurant with her Canon EOS 5D Mark III. She’d just taken a week-long painting class and thought the fish photos would make for a fun painting exercise. Her idea further morphed while watching Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” on vacation with her family, during which the title of her composition came to mind. In Adobe Photoshop, she composited the fish images and added a liquefy layer to distort the fish and make them look frightened. She added the shark image then manipulated the eyes and facial expressions of the creatures, giving each one a personality. “My painting now started to tell a story,” she says. “Nothing makes me happier than taking an average image and transforming it into a whimsical work of art.”

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©KAREN A. McCALL

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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©LAURA BENNETT

THAT PEACEFUL EASY FEELING Laura Bennett, M.Photog.Cr. Bennett Photography Colorado Springs, Colorado bennettphotography.net LOCATION: Bandon Beach, Oregon PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: The image was made at sunset in autumn, when the beaches have fewer people, says Bennett. “I named the image ‘That Peaceful Easy Feeling’ because when I experienced this scene, I felt a sense of peace and serenity. Any stress I was feeling simply melted away.”

CAMERA & LENS: Nikon D850, AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens EXPOSURE: 1/50 second at f/16, ISO 64 LIGHTING: Natural light POST-CAPTURE: Basic adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw, and luminosity masking in Photoshop. She also used Nik Collection by DxO Color Efex Pro 4 filters and made localized Viveza adjustments.

REGRET Julia Kelleher, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP Jewel Images Bend, Oregon jewel-images.com LOCATION: Studio PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: “Every little boy has a moment of regret in his life—when he went too far and hurt something he loved,” says Kelleher. “This image was created of my son to depict that iconic childhood moment of their first loss.” A vintage slingshot and taxidermy bird were used as props.

The subject’s tear was created with stage makeup and he was smudged in dirt for an authentic look.

CAMERA & LENS: Nikon D5, AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G lens EXPOSURE: 1/250 second at f/5.6, ISO 100 LIGHTING: A Profoto D2 AirTTL with a 5-foot octabox for the main light and a Profoto D2 AirTTL with a 36-inch strip bank and grid as the kicker light. It was shot on a cyclorama wall in studio.

POST-CAPTURE: Processed in Adobe Photoshop using several dodge and burn techniques.

Minor painting was applied to the bird.

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©JULIA KELLEHER

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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PEEKABOO Judy Reinford, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP Judy Reinford Photography Allentown, Pennsylvania judyreinfordphotography.com LOCATION: Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: Reinford makes animal portraits at the zoo and donates the art for zoo fundraisers.

CAMERA & LENS: Nikon D810, AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 ED VR lens EXPOSURE: 1/500 second at f/5.6, ISO 400 LIGHTING: Natural light POST-CAPTURE: Digitally painted in Adobe Photoshop using a Wacom tablet and Art Pen. The lighting was hand painted using the history brush.

©JUDY REINFORD

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©KIMBERLY SMITH

HUSH LITTLE BABY Kimberly Smith, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP Kimberly Smith, Artist Muskogee, Oklahoma kimberlysmithartist.com When Smith needed to clean out her prop collection, she posted the items for sale online. The man who bought her antique baby scale told her he needed it to weigh his two baby lamb rescues, one of whom wasn’t eating on its own. He said the lamb had to be weighed every time it was fed to make sure he was growing. When Smith saw pictures of the five-day-old lambs, she asked if the man would bring them to her studio. She captured an image of the two lambs snuggling, which she loved, but wanted to add a human element. She found an image she’d made four years earlier of a little girl holding a flower. “The way that the little girl was holding the flower was perfect for adding it into the image to make it look like she was holding the lamb’s face,” she says. The lighting in the photos was in sync because both were made in the same location with window light from the right and a reflector to the left. Using Adobe Photoshop CC and a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet, Smith edited and painted the composited image, adding highlights and shadows. She printed it on a LexJet Sunset Velvet Rag and hand tore the edges. Pastel chalks enhanced the torn edges and matting.

Colored pencil was added to the final image to bring out the subtle highlights and shadows.

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ROYAL JEWELS Jane Engs, M.Photog.

Jane Engs Photography Las Vegas, Nevada janeengs.com LOCATION: Studio PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: The “historical coming-of-age portrait” was inspired by Engs’ travels through France and Italy, her fascination with period clothing, and her love of Elizabethan-era movies and TV productions, says Engs.

CAMERA & LENS: Sony a7 III, Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM lens EXPOSURE: 1/160 second at f/8, ISO 100 LIGHTING: For the main, she used a Profoto B1 with a 5-foot octabox. For the rim, she used Profoto B1 with a 1x4-foot Profoto strip with grid. For fill, she used a Profoto B1 and a Westcott 5-foot white umbrella bounced off a white back wall.

POST-CAPTURE: Adobe Photoshop for editing, frequency separation, dodging and burning, and compositing the background technique

©JANE ENGS

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©BROOKE KASPER

GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT Brooke Kasper, M.Photog.Cr., CPP Brooke Kasper Photography Plano, Texas brookekasper.com LOCATION: Garage studio PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: The image was created for a series on the seven deadly sins, with this composition conveying gluttony. Kasper’s subject grew out his beard and hair for four months with no complaints until one night when he said, “I can’t take it anymore—tomorrow or never,” she says. Over the next 24 hours, Kasper scrambled to gather props and build a set. “One of my errands was to drive to downtown Plano, Texas, to purchase three huge turkey legs that had been freshly smoked. Everything had to be authentic. I built this most of the night and morning until he arrived and I was ready to go.”

CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens EXPOSURE: 1/200 second at f/10, ISO 100 LIGHTING: She used Profoto D2s with a 47-inch Westcott Zeppelin Deep Parabolic modifier for the main, and a Westcott Octabank for fill. A Profoto A1 behind the table faced upward for separation lighting.

POST-CAPTURE: A little digital painting in Adobe Photoshop. Kasper used no compositing, as she had challenged herself to get everything in-camera.

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ABIGAIL GOES TO THE RACES Sheila Gardner, M.Photog.M.Artist Sheila Gardner Studio Edinburgh, Scotland, and Delray Beach, Florida Gardner photographed the subject in the Camargue region of France, with a Fujifilm X-Pro2. “Her wispy blond hair, pink nose, and coquettish stance were immediately appealing, and it was not long before the socialite ‘Abigail’ was born,” says Gardner.

“Where else for Abigail to show off her colorful hat, matching garter, and sunglasses than at the Kentucky Derby?” To create her work, Gardner composited the horse image with several images of the races and hats at Kentucky’s Churchill Downs Racetrack. The composite was painted in Corel Painter. Gardner drew the people in the stands and at the railings in the foreground by hand.

©SHEILA GARDNER

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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THERE IS ALWAYS ONE IN EVERY FAMILY Hendro Soetrisno, M.Photog.

Photography by Hendro Chino, California photographybyhendro.com LOCATION: Singapore PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: “One of my favorite movies is ‘The Lion King,’” says Soetrisno. “After Mufasa confronts Scar, Zazu says to Mufasa, ‘There is always one in every family,’ referring to Scar. I love the phrase, and during my trip to Singapore I saw a flock of flamingos and imagined that if all the birds faced right but one, then I could execute the phrase visually.”

CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens with polarizing filter EXPOSURE: 1/1,600 second at f/2.8, ISO 100 LIGHTING: Natural light POST-CAPTURE: Capture One to process the raw file and Adobe Photoshop for contrast and color toning

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HIDE AND SEEK CHAMPION Erica Lane Harvey, M.Photog.Cr., CPP Erica Lane Photography Rapid City, South Dakota ericalanephotography.com

©HENDRO SOETRISNO

SUBJECT: Lane Harvey’s dog, Peanut, was 4.2 pounds and 13 years old at the time of the photo.

LOCATION: She made the photo on her basement floor, where Peanut is most comfortable. “Thankfully, she is very well trained and sat in that spot for an hour while I perfected it.”

PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: “I feel it is her expression that makes the image,” says Lane Harvey. “My dog makes this same blank stare in every photo of her. She does not respond to food or sounds and never pants. She just stares at me waiting to be released, a perfect fit to blend into the other plushy blank stares.”

CAMERA & LENS: Nikon Z 7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens EXPOSURE: 1/200 second at f/11, ISO 64 LIGHTING: The main was a Godox AD200 with bulb, using a 36-inch umbrella with diffusion. The rim light was a Godox AD200 with bulb and reflector, with grid. The background light was a Godox AD200 with bulb and reflector, also with grid.

POST-CAPTURE: Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop CC, and Nik Collection 2 by DxO Silver Efex Pro to remove the baseboard from the image

©ERICA LANE HARVEY

PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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©ELLA CARLSON

THE MAGIC BUBBLE Ella Carlson, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP, F-ASP, EA-ASP Ellaprints Photographic Art Littleton, Massachusetts ellaprints.com While visiting New Mexico, a friend took Carlson to see an old locomotive that was being restored. “I thought it would be interesting to take a photograph of the side of the locomotive with all its glossy black texture, bolts, and protrusions and try to make a creature out of it,” she explains. In Adobe Photoshop, she reshaped the train using the warp, liquefy, and transform tools to make a head and body. She added a blue texture from another part of the train for additional interest. One of the largest bubble-like protrusions from the train was reproduced many times to make the bubbles that cover the figure’s head and neck and to configure the buttons on her outfit. She added the face, hand, and hair using Photoshop brushes and mixer brushes. The figure’s eyes came from the train image as well, using a combination of filters and shapes in layers. The bubbles floating around the figure were made from the same protrusion she used for the head and neck, only using multiple layers with layer blend modes in different opacities.

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©RANDY VAN DUINEN

CONCRETE SPLENDOR Randy Van Duinen, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP Randy Van Duinen Photography St. Petersburg, Florida rvdphotography.com LOCATION: Tate Modern, London PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: “One of my favorite subjects is a circular stairway,” says Van Duinen.

CAMERA & LENS: Sony a7R III, Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 G Master lens EXPOSURE: 1/125 second at f/2.8, ISO 1600 LIGHTING: Available light POST-CAPTURE: Adobe Lightroom for initial post-processing and black-and-white conversion and Adobe Photoshop CC to free-transform the image to the correct perspective and remove distracting signs on the wall

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©CRISTIE REDDEHASE

ICE QUEEN Cristie Reddehase, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr. Silver Image Photography Spring, Texas silverimagephoto.com “Sometimes you try to find a background that works with the subject,” says Reddehase. “In this case it was the opposite.” The stock image of the ice castle was the inspiration, and the challenge was to create a subject that would fit into that environment. “I had just re-watched ‘The Last Airbender’ movie and was inspired by Princess Yue.” In Adobe Photoshop, Reddehase created the background by combining three stock images. Next, she photographed the subject with lighting to complement the background. She worked the subject in Photoshop and then extracted her and placed her into the background. Finally, she painted the image using Corel Painter, including hand painting the hair, dress, and veil.

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HERE COMES THE BRIDE Marceliano Muñoz, M.Photog.Cr. Muñoz Photography Alabama Arab, Alabama munozphotography.com LOCATION: Private residence, Hillsboro Beach, Florida PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: The bride had just finished getting ready and was excited for her first look with the groom. “As I was walking down the stairs, I looked back at her and was captivated by the moment happening behind me,” Muñoz says. “So I paused and took a moment to set up this shot of a blushing bride-to-be before she got to see the man of her dreams.”

CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens EXPOSURE: 1/250 second at f/4, ISO 800 LIGHTING: Elinchrom ELB 1200 for the main and ELB 500 TTLs in the background POST-CAPTURE: Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CC to separate the elements into layers, incorporating colors and textures PPM AG.COM

©MARCELIANO MUÑOZ PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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©KRISTI ELIAS

THE BOUNTY HUNTER Kristi Elias, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr. Kristi Sutton Elias Photography Long Beach, California kristielias.com LOCATION: Studio PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: Going for a Jason Momoa look for the image, Elias showered the subject with fake snow and blew a fan toward him to create movement in the snow, hair, and jacket fur.

CAMERA & LENS: Hasselblad H6D, Hasselblad HC 3,5/50 II lens EXPOSURE: 1/125 second at f/9, ISO 800 LIGHTING: Window light from one side and two Light & Motion Stella Pro CL 5000 lights as kickers POST-CAPTURE: Adobe Photoshop and Nik Collection by DxO for color grading and to dirty up the image

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I love January: new year, new goals, and most of all, Imaging USA. Nashville, here we come. It’s exciting to be at an event where more than 10,000 photographers gather and everyone learns, shares, and gets inspired. Those of us who have been to many PPA annual conventions (more than 30 for me) know generally what to expect when we get there.

But members who are at their first or second Imaging USA may not know what to expect and how to get the most out of their convention experience. Here are the tactics I suggest.

Plan your schedule. There is a lot to see, so give yourself a head start before you arrive in Nashville. For example, pre-convention classes begin the Thursday preceding the conference, so that may dictate when you need to arrive. The convention itself starts bright and early Sunday morning, so come prepared with a list of must-see speakers and top-pick programs. Choose sessions based on what you think will help you improve your photography and business this year. The Imaging USA app is the best resource for up-to-date program information, and you can download it right now from your favorite app store.

Take notes. Speakers pack a ton of information into the time they’ve been given. You’ll find that you cannot wait to get back home and apply the great ideas and techniques you’ve picked up from them.

Then you’ll hurry to the next program and hear another speaker blow you away with inspiration. It’s easy to lose track of things.

I’ve found through experience that notes I jotted down while I was in a program in a dark auditorium may not be very clear to me several days later when I’m home.

The best way for me to remember and to consolidate my thoughts is to review my notes each night back in my hotel room. I often rewrite them, fill in the blanks as I go, or even type them up on my laptop while everything is fresh in my mind. I highlight

the items I want to prioritize and put into action as soon as I get home.

Find a buddy. If you don’t know anyone at Imaging USA, introduce yourself to someone before a session and see if they’d like to chat afterward about what you both took away from the speaker.

You just might make a friend for life and even find a colleague who wants to be mutually accountable for turning thoughts into action. It’s great to have a sounding board—someone who understands your challenges and can help you problem solve.

Strategize your Expo experience. My head spins when I first walk into the trade show on Sunday. I love to shop for new equipment, props, backgrounds, and more.

The labs all have their latest product samples, and they offer tips for increasing profits in your business. At the very least you’ll spend a couple of hours to see everything. Don’t go without a budget and a list of exhibitors you most want to see. The Imaging USA app is a good place to track that.

Catch the image exhibit. This exhibit is right on the Expo floor and includes images from the 2019 International Photographic Competition as well as from the World Photographic Cup. You’ll see the Grand Imaging Award finalists and be able to get the scoop on how to get started in image competition if you haven’t already done so.

Prepare to meet, greet, and party.

Depending on your membership situation, you may have received an invitation to attend a new member reception, an international reception, or a private event.

Go, meet new peers, and share your experiences with photographers who will understand your situation. At every event, look for PPA Board of Directors members and say hello. On Sunday, don’t miss the Imaging USA Welcome Party with live music and fun photo ops. The closing party on Tuesday night is filled with music, food, and drinks.

It’s a great way to end this amazing event.

See you in Nashville. • PPM AG.COM

P E R S P E CT I V E

LIFE GOALS PLAN FOR GREATER SUCCESS IN 2020

PPA HAS RESOURCES TO HELP Start preparing for competition. Begin by entering districts, then the International Photographic Competition, and with luck you’ll be seeing your new Loan Collection images displayed at Imaging USA 2021. ppa.com/competition Take a spring photography workshop.

©ALEX THE PHOTO GUY

The winter months are often a slow season.

The good news is that fewer session bookings means more opportunities to tune up business processes and engage in professional development.

Great things don’t happen without a plan. So now is the time to plan for greater success in 2020. Start by setting specific, actionable goals that have a timeline you can commit to. With hard work and sustained action, those goals will drive your vision throughout the year.

Scoring a Loan Collection image puts your work in front of 10,000 peers at Imaging USA. It also gives you something to tell clients.

You’ll meet fellow photographers in your community while you get some hands-on learning. ppa.com/photoworkshops Videos in PPA’s library address an array of entrepreneurial issues. Sue Bryce’s take on receiving money, Allison Tyler Jones’ advice to new business owners, Mary Fisk-Taylor’s

business gems, and more. ppa.com/edu The Business Challenge can be the best time investment you’ll make all year.

In return for this commitment to your success, you’ll get both knowledge and confidence to mold your business into a powerhouse. ppa.com/challenge •

MARKETING ASSISTANCE DON’T BE SHY WHEN IT COMES TO CONSUMERS

Marketing is an essential part of any business; however, many photographers report feeling queasy at the thought of promoting themselves. But spreading the word about the benefits you can offer to people in your community doesn’t have to make you uncomfortable. PPA has many marketing resources available to members: • See the Difference is a campaign photographers can use to help consumers see what a professional can do for them by illustrating exactly what sets them apart from

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amateur do-it-yourselfers. Web, print, and social media are available to market your business and help potential clients understand why hiring a pro matters.

There are videos, side-by-side image comparisons, and downloadable FAQs. ppa.com/salestools • PPAedu is updated with new videos and webinars every week. Popular photographers and renowned business coaches offer insight and answer questions about marketing and sales. Many videos take viewers on location and in studio with photographers who reveal how they found success. ppa.com/edu • Bridging the gap education aims to close the divide that exists between consumers and photographers. There are videos on topics such as overcoming fear,

understanding changes in the industry, and how to attract the right clients. The series includes help with in-person sales, SEO, and social media. There’s a weekly Bridging the Gap Facebook Live series featuring speakers from the business and marketing community with specific expertise in entrepreneurial topics. ppa.com/gapedu • The Print Movement teaches photographers all about being a print artist. How do successful photographers sell those beautiful wall canvases? Which printed products should be on display in a portfolio? Is there a demand for printed images in this digital world? The Print Movement offers articles and videos, along with shareable resources for consumers, that speak to the enduring value of print. printmovement.org • PPM AG.COM

2019

The most inspirational book of the year featuring the best images of 2019.

Order your copy online or at IUSA. Available at LoanAndShow.com Look for the Marathon table in the Print Competition area.

JOIN US FOR THE COVER REVEAL

VISIT US AT IUSA BOOTH #311

GRAND IMAGING AWARDS CEREMONY IMAGING USA 2020

SEE WHAT’S NEW AT MARATHON

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PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | JANUARY 2020

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FINAL FRAME

©ART WOLFE

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PPM AG.COM

image Š Michael Anthony Photography

Photos courtesy of Eric John Photography & Curtiss Bryant Photography

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BE MORE Cooected Join Your Local Affliate PPA Affliate members are a creative community of photographers helping photographers. These non-proft groups nurture and provide the support and tools to help you grow.

As an Affliate member YOU will: • Meet & connect with peers & mentors • Attend in-person workshops throughout the year with some of the best instructors in the industry • Sharpen your skills by competing in your local image competitions • Close the gap toward earning a PPA Degree by attending PPA Education Workshops • Get recognized; build credibility & set yourself apart • Get involved & give back to your photographic community • And much more!

There’s never been a better time to Be More Connected!

Find a PPA Affliate near you.

PPA.com/Affliates Cooected