May 2014
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Executive Board Chairman Paul Wingler paul@pwphoto.com President Bruce Williamson brucewilliamson49@gmail.com President-Elect Ellis Williamson Ewilliamson17@nc.rr.com Vice President Rose Mary Cheek rosemarycheek@charter.net Treasurer Ned Winn studiomail@nc.rr.com Secretary Adrian Henson adrian@adrianhenson.com Executive Director Loretta Byrd Loretta@ppofnc.com
On our Cover
CAROLINA PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE is a monthly online publication of the Professional Photographers of North Carolina, Inc. Editor Rose Mary Cheek rosemarycheek@charter.net 828-322-2862 Sales & Business Manager Loretta Byrd Executive Director of PPNC 919-796-4747 Articles & Sales Submissions First of the Month Publication 15th of the Month PPNC 427 Greenleaf Road Angier, NC 27501 919-796-4747 Acceptance of advertising does not carry with it endorsement by the publisher. Opinions expressed by Carolina Photographer or any of its authors does not necessarily reflect the positions of the Professional Photographers of North Carolina, Inc. Association financial information available upon request.
Master Photographer, Mona Sadler loves animals, as well as nature. In 2012 she received her Master of Photography degree from Professional Photographer’s of America. In 2013 she received her Master in Electronic Imaging degree. The image “Remember Me” recently received Best in State for North Carolina which was awarded at the South Eastern Professional Photographer’s Association judging in Atlanta.
From the Editor Spring is here, and the time of Prom’s and Wedding is here. We at PPNC are very excited about the many new changes that our Executive Board has been working on in an effort to continually increase benefits for our members. And re-instating the Carolina Photographer is one of those changes the magazine will be published monthly. We would like your input as to what types of articles you would like to read, the subject matter that interests you the most, what avenues of marketing and sales should be included... And as to technology, the internet, social media and the changes that have occured over the past 10-15 years, for they have impacted our businesses. So remember this is your magazine and we want you included in its content. I would like to thank all those that helped with contributions to this month's issue. Rose Mary Cheek
PPNC Directors Brian Allen puregrit@hotmail.com Willis Brown wbrown11@nc.rr.com Dannie Daniel useralex2493@aol.com Misty Felde imagesbymistyfelde@yahoo.com Mardy Murphy MardyMurphy@aol.com Robert Yarborough rlyphoto@nc.rr.com
Seminar Chair & Directors Cathy Anderson cathyyount@gmail.com Bob Henderson bhphoto47@earthlink.net Tim Hester tim@TimHesterPhotography.com
From the President “Time Changes Everything” May 15, 2013 Happy, happy Spring everyone! Wow, it has been a long cold winter and I am so thankful for the change of the
aton Imperial Hotel in Durham, where we are under contract for 2014 and 2015, we were able to secure the dates of August 15-19.
season. I am certain that many of you feel the same.
For the past couple of years, there has been some discussion from the board on “rebranding” our annual convention and trade show with the goal of “reaching out” to beginning and aspiring photographers. The board approved “changing the name” of our annual event to “Carolina Photo Expo”. A new website, www.carolinaphotoexpo.com was created to promote the annual convention and trade show. The site has all the information on the Carolina Photo Expo and it even allows members and non-members to register.
A few years ago during visits with my mom, she would comment that “time changes everything”. Serving as your PPNC president during the past fourteen months, the phrase, “time changes everything” has more impact and implications to our association than I ever imagined. Please allow me to explain. Normally our association would have had its annual convention and trade show a few weeks ago. I have attended every PPNC convention the first weekend in March since becoming a member in 1996. However, when our convention team discovered that WPPI had selected that weekend for their giant convention and trade show, we were advised by vendors and speakers that we needed to “change” our date of our event. This decision was not taken lightly. However, I think that was the right decision. Working with the Sher-
During the past year, I have visited photography conventions and/or seminars in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. During my visits, I meet with association leaders, speakers, members and vendors. What I discovered is that all states are making “changes” in their photography organizations! I received very positive
feedback from vendors and speakers on the change of the date and the rebranding of our event. I can also tell you that our state organization is well known and respected throughout the photography industry. I am excited about the changes that PPNC has made and I see a bright future ahead. In the next few short months I want to challenge each of you to promote our association and the upcoming Carolina Photo Expo. It is imperative that we register now and we encourage our competition to register for the trade show and even join PPNC. I know that I can count on each of you for your support! Remember, “Time Changes Everything!” Bruce Williamson
PPA State Affiliates
Professional Imaging Group of Eastern North Carolina
PIGOENC (Professional Imaging Group of Eastern North Carolina) is a PPA affiliate for photographers in Eastern NC. We hold loosely organized meetings monthly, except when there is a PPofNC convention. Our meetings move to different locations and cover a variety of photographic topics such as lighting and posing, an occasional meet up with models, an annual beach shoot, an annual print competition, and workshops on topics such as Photoshop Painting. Our annual dues are $40 with first year members paying $20. Membership is open to anyone who wants to join. We communicate through a Facebook page. It is there that information and videos are posted for members and groupies. We have posted full videos of our last two print competitions as well as a video on digital matting. We also have Photo Friday for members to post their images. Here lately our Friday challenge has been themed around fine art in order to get our members to expand their imaginations. We have had topics such as water as abstract, abstract
black and white, and abstract color. Our members and groupies have posted some pretty and intriguing images. This Facebook portion of PIGOENC is a closed group that anyone can join by asking. The meeting side of our group meets by a loosely arranged schedule that is posted on our website as well as on Facebook (as plans can change quickly). We also have side activities such as field trip weekends in which we go to the Outer Banks to explore sand and lighthouses, known to all as the Lighthouse Run. This is a self directed trip that includes sunrise to dark shooting and fellowship with other photographers. Information about our group can be found on our website at pigoenc.com.
Photographic Society of theTriangle
Mission and History By Deborah Hendrix Volunteer Photographer & Coordinator in Forsyth County. Mission To introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with a free gift of professional portraiture. Our Work NILMDTS trains, educates, and mobilizes professional quality photographers to provide beautiful heirloom portraits to families facing the untimely death of an infant. We believe these images serve as an important step in the family’s healing process by honoring the child’s legacy. History Maddux Achilles Haggard was born on Feb. 4, 2005, with a condition called myotubular myopathy. It prevented him from breathing, swallowing or moving on his own. On the
sixth day of his young life, his parents, Mike and Cheryl Haggard had to make the excruciating decision to take him off life support. Before they did, they called photographer Sandy Puc’ to take black and white portraits of them cradling their son. Puc’ photographed the couple with Maddux at the hospital before he was removed from life support and after — when he was free from the tubes and the wires that had sustained him.
Cheryl Haggard and Sandy Puc’ to begin a nonprofit organization that has provided thousands of families of babies who are stillborn or are at risk of dying as newborns with free professional portraits with their baby.
“That night was the worst night of my life. But when I look at the images, I am not reminded of my worst night. I’m reminded of the beauty and blessings he brought.”
Since NILMDTS was founded, over 11,000 volunteers have been part of the network. NILMDTS reaches every state in the United States and has been or is present in 40 countries worldwide. For more detail information, please visit the website: www.nilmdts.org
Cheryl Haggard, Maddux’s mother and co-founder of NILMDTS Those tender photographs documenting Maddux’s eternal connection with his parents inspired
Sandy and Cheryl founded the organization in April 2005 and called it Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) after the children’s bedtime prayer. Reach
I would like to thank all the North Carolina photographers for giving their time and talents to help this organization.
( ( PPNC
Spring Seminar 2014
Saturday Shootout at Fort Macon State Park!
Carteret Community College Morehead City, NC
Seminar June 1-2 Saturday Shootout May 31
George Joell
“Wedding Essentials from A-Z”
Gordon Kreplin
“Walk Into the Light”
John Chandler
“Your Spare Room Studio”
This Spring, Near the OCEAN is where YOU belong!
Spring Seminar Professional Photography Seminar to be Held in Morehead City, NC! !
The 2014 Professional Photographers of North Carolina Spring Seminar will be held in Morehead City May 31, June 1 and June 2. This seminar, sponsored by the Professional Photographers of North Carolina, or PPNC, promises to be valuable for all photographers of all skill levels. PPNC members and non-members are invited and welcomed.! ! May 31 kicks off the event with a fun and interactive Saturday Shootout at Fort Macon in Atlantic Beach. Saturday Shootouts have become a staple of PPNC seminars over the last several meetings, bringing PPNC mentors together to share and interact on-location and with models. Bring your own photographic equipment and shoot along with the mentors. It's a photographic field trip at a well-known place!! ! The main events for the seminar begin at Carteret Community College on June 1, where three professional photographers will share their knowledge on setting up your home for your business, lighting techniques and the complete wedding photography process.
Sunday, June 1 begins with our first featured presenter John Chandler with his outstanding! program
"Your Spare Room Studio". John's focus at his studio is capturing the "Circle of Life",! high school seniors, brides, infants, children and families. The essential elements of creating a successful studio in your spare room will be the goal of John's program. Whether you are looking to photograph in high key, mid key or low key, John will share details to help you optimize your space to benefit you and your clients, even if you already have a studio!! !
Next, Gordon Kreplin will continue Sunday's events with his program "Walk Into The Light". Gordon will cover location lighting in varied conditions to make whatever lighting situation work for you so you can create an image that sells and also serves your client. Questions will be answered: "So we are photographers - how did we get here?", "what motivates us to be photographers?", "what makes a great printable image?" Gordon has been awarded with several photographic honors, including PPA Masters, PPA Photographic Craftsman, several PPA Photographer of the year awards and the SEPPA Distinguished Award just to name a few. A program for everyone you won't want to miss!! !
Monday, June 2, George Joell III will present "Wedding Essentials A-Z". George will cover the essentials of wedding photography from client acquisition to wedding album design and delivery. Although George is primarily a wedding photographer, his also specializes in maternity, newborn babies, families, military events, and commercial photography. This will be an interactive class that will be geared towards photographers looking to get started as a wedding photographer, the photographer who is currently photographing weddings and looking for an edge and some creative ideas, and the advanced photographer looking to rejuvenate their drive and enthusiasm
The presentations will take place at 3505 Arendell St. in Morehead City in the Donald W. Bryant Building.! !
Certified Professional Photographer Certifiecation' by Dave Goldman Certification‌ a great way to further your photography career. Most people shun certification, however you will learn and gain education for most, if not all, the things you do at one time or another. A great portion of photographers will say that experience is all you need to get the job done, and in some cases, that is true. However, in this case, it is in fact false. Experience comes from practice and practice isn’t always perfect especially if you are practicing your skill incorrectly. PERFECT practice makes perfect! For photography, certification is critical and can open many doors for you. Photography to some individuals is an art that each individual interprets. In reality, photography is the science of creating images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation. This can be done either chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film, or electronically by means of an image sensor. The Certification Professional Photographer
(CPP) program is designed to help you understand all of these aspects, from reading and capturing light, the laws of light, posing, composure, color theory, equipment (such as cameras and meters), and much more. The CPP program is more than just passing a written exam. It entails a variety of things. You must learn and understand these CPP concepts in order to pass the CPP written exam first. After you pass the written exam you then need to put all of CPP skills to use so that you can pass the Image Submission process to gain your certification. Image Submission is the process where you capture 6 compulsory images and 9
client images within the last 24 months of your work. These images are then critiqued and judged by 5 independent judges to see if you understand and can successfully use these CPP in your images. For many, this is not an easy task. I would also state a conclusion. If you would like to take your photography career to the next level contact PPA to speak directly with CPP Liaison or use this link: http://www.ppa. com/cpp/ for helpful hints and tips.
Professional Photographers of North Carolina
Beth Forester Ned Winn Tamara Lackey Mona Sadler Lindsay Adler Karen York Alicia Alvarez Tim Walden Joe Edelman Gary Hughes The Mu単oz Brothers Heather Michelle Scott and Dodie Huffman Rebecca Brown-Weaver and Jason Weaver
WWW.CAROLINAPHOTOEXPO.COM
Common Website Myths
Personally, I’ve always considered small business to be the backbone of the US economy, and as such, I’ve admired small business owners for their strength, ingenuity, & their entrepreneurial spirit. That’s why I was somewhat astounded when I saw the results of a recent survey of small business owners conducted by Yodle, where they uncovered statistics that roughly half of small business owners have websites. After seeing the results of the Yodle survey, I recalled results of similar studies over recent years that have echoed the same findings. It seems one possible culprit could be the stigmas that have long been associated with creating a website; that it is often an expensive & time-consuming process. Nowadays, there’s a plethora of options when it comes to creating an online presence and those stigmas are simply not true, yet it seems they remain. In fact, I recently I saw a post on WeddingWire that helped referred to 4 Common Website Myths that small business owners face when considering whether or not to create a website. These included: •
Not having enough money to create a website
•
Not having the staff to maintain a website
•
Not needing a website unless you sell things online, and
•
Not having a website because they feel like they’re not ‘tech savvy’ enough
As a creative working in the industry for many years, I can attest that the myths brought up in the WeddingWire post are not at all uncommon. This is why I wanted to weigh in on this topic, and to add that especially in today’s economy, I can’t stress enough the importance for small business owners to establish an online presence, & the easiest way to do so is by creating a website for your business. Why do I say this? From personal experience. When I’m interested in learning about a new business in my area, what’s the first thing I do? I search for them online. Then, when presented with a search results page full of business listings, generally I’ve always felt there’s a certain level of credibility & value added from having a website for your business that is lost when a small business only has a social media page as their only representation online. When considering this, one of the most important things is to ask yourself how you want your business to be perceived by potential customers? My recommendation is to treat your online presence with the same care and consideration that you treat your businesses’ physical presence, since a website, or your online presence is essen-
tially the “face” of your business online. Just as historically having a high quality products, service, and presentation in business is often a factor in determining how credible a business is, nowadays, the same is true for a small business website.
Essentially, I think there’s a large potential client base available online that you have the ability to attract simply by establishing a website for your business, therefore I see no logical reason not to have a website so that you can reach those potential customers. It’s up to you to market your business and make sure that potential customers are able to find you, both online and off. Overall, if you’re a small business owner who doesn’t have a website yet, there’s no need to focus on the myths that can hold you back from moving forward & establishing yourself online. Take the reins and take control of your business’ online presence!
Studio Highlight Angela Blankenship Angela Blankenship always loved portraits of people. Previously, in graduate school (MS in Clinical Psychology – licensed therapist), she would sketch portraits in pencil. She was always drawn to pensive, thoughtful expressions, not big smiles in portraits. She loved dramatic images that cause you to pause and think about the expression and what the subject might
be feeling. Angela received her first DSLR Camera Christmas, 2007 from her husband, because she “always wanted a nice camera” and had continued to buy the newest, nicest Point & Shoot cameras. While visiting a large kids’ clothing consignment sale in Raleigh in Jan. 2008, she saw a close-up black and white canvas of a little boy’s face that, “rocked her world”. It was by Lisa Wynn (Real Life Images.) She has not been the same since. She had never seen anything like it before. Angela took Lisa’s business card full of images and brought it everywhere she went. In the car, to work (teaches psychology at Nash Community College), to the gym… she is not kidding, EVERYWHERE. THIS WAS GOING TO BE HER NEXT CAREER! She had been teaching 11 years and was ready for a new career. This was it! She was so excited.
In the beginning, Angela just kept working and working on exposure. She read books, read things online, and had her school photographer mentor her. She practiced on her five children. Angela said, “this is very handy (smiling), but I did not start out like many photographers do, photographing my kids for pleasure. It was purposeful and with the intent of beginning a business.” Angela obtained a business license August 21, 2008. For the first 2 years, she worked completely outdoors, but began to try out artificial lighting on her family in a child’s bedroom after buying some work lights from Lowe’s (had no idea there were lights specially made for photography). She photographed weddings and portraits. After about 10 weddings, she realized she preferred photographing the children running around, so stopped weddings and focused on portraits.
In 2010, the Blankenship’s built an 865 sq ft studio on their property, because she just LOVED studio lighting and did not want to be limited by weather and natural lighting conditions. Angela operated out of this studio until Dec. 2013 when she moved into 1700 sq ft retail studio in downtown Nashville, NC (pop. 5,376), which is 30 minutes East of Raleigh on 64 (right beside Rocky Mount
prints. It was there in 2010 that she met Ned Winn as she was walking out at the end of the trade show that day. She had been interested in obtaining her certification (Certified Professional Photographer) for some time noting that “I’m a traditionalist, and was looking for some way to formally 'train' and prove that training.” He seemed approachable so he was asked about the CPP program. Well, wouldn’t
with pop. of 57,136.) She turned the existing studio on her property into her editing, printing, and framing office. Angela loves to print her own 13x19 and smaller prints on a Canon Pixma Pro 1 printer. “Love it” (more smiles.) She loves the control of styling and capturing the photograph, editing and retouching it, and making the final print. The printing is another art form in itself. Trying out different papers is just “fabulous,” she says. Angela had been coming to the PPNC Convention Trade Show from 2009 – 2011 to view the competition
you know, but he was a CPP Liaison! FATE! He clarified the process and Angela began pursuing the CPP designation and finished the Certification process that year. Angela chose to participate in print competitions for several reasons… 1. To get better! 2. To train her eye to be able to recognize good work and to know WHY it was good and 3. To differentiate herself from the hoards of other new photographers, and show she was serious. Saying “thanks to the time Adrian Henson gave me, sharing his knowledge of the process and mentoring her through. She entered her first photographic competition (PPNC) Jan. 2012. "Boy what that an experience!!!" she said "Looking through my work to find contenders was a GREAT experience. Already
I looked at each one differently than before. I went on to compete the next year and will do so this year. I firmly believe there is no better education than through participating in the PPA sponsored print competitions. It also helped me identify my style, which I continue through today – clean and simple with a focus on expression.” Of course, to compete, Angela needed to join PPNC. She told me “Man!, Alan Hinnant has to be the most persistent PPNC promoter! He 'hounded' me every time we spoke And so did Mike Brantley, Ned Winn, and Adrian Henson. Nag, nag, nag. I have to tell ya, when I was coming to the trade show in those years prior to 2010, I was not so interested in joining PPNC. I thought it was a bunch of photographers stuck in the previous decades’
one to be like Chuck Hill. Ha!” She continued, "PPNC has so many dedicated people who are committed to its growth and success! Angela is so glad she is a part of this group and it would be an absostyles they never had any speakers I was interested in and were not on top of the new trends in the photography world!” It was the competition, plus the line-up for the 2012 PPNC Convention that finally made Angela join PPNC. She is so glad she did! WOW! She shared “WHAT A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE!!! AND THE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN, LEARN, LEARN ARE FABULOUS! The first convention I went to as a member, it was the first year I competed. The VERY FIRST day at the convention was spent in the newly created “Club Merit” and Chuck Hill was there with Fuller Royal, and Craig York. Oh my gosh! Freaking hysterical!!! I laughed and laughed. That was awesome! I left that day vowing to tell everyone I knew about this organization. Everyone HAD to know about this! They were missing out!!! It was like a sleep-over for photographers. I spent the rest of the convention days expecting every-
lute honor to share her appreciation and gratitude to the members of PPNC and to help promote the growth and success of the organization. She considers herself so lucky to live in a state with such a strong association in a time when we understand many other state organizations are losing support. It's the seasoned leaders of the group who are continuing their energy and efforts into keeping PPNC so strong and so open to the new membership. Many new members are eager to learn about and participate in the future of the organization. We have big acts to follow. I am currently narrowing my vision even more into specific portrait styles that I like. This has been in part due to conversations I have had with the very generous William
Branson and fabulous Lili Engelhardt. I have hired a business mentor/coach to help me through this process. I’m very excited about the future. Angela wants to thank everyone who makes PPNC operate (so many to name!) and to all the fellow members who are so generous in sharing their knowledge and support)" Awards: 1st place Children’s category PPNC 2012, 2013 3rd place Children’s category PPNC 2013 Honorable Mention Children’s category PPNC 2013 Loan Collection Children’s category PPNC 2012, 2013 Distinguished Child Portrait SEPPA 2013, 2014 Angela has earned 6 IPC merits so far for 2012 and 2013, well on her way to her Master Photography Degree…