Focal Point
MAY 2010
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Northern California Professional Photographers
Focal Point
MAY 2010
Northern California Professional Photographers Officers
Committee Chairs and Coordinators
Miscellaneous
President Randy Cazinha 925-249-1999 president@ncpponline.org
Website Tom O’Connor 925-586-2745 webmaster@ncpponline.org
NCPP Sustaining Members receive a 40% discount on advertising rates, and a complimentary link on our NCPP website in addition to other special benefits.
1st Vice President Programs Wayne Miller 925-330-8737 1stvp@ncpponline.org
Newsletter - Focal Point Graphics and Layout Editor Tom O’Connor 925-586-2745 newsletter@ncpponline.org
2nd Vice President Print Competition Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 2ndvp@ncpponline.org
Coordinator and Copy Editor Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 newsletter@ncpponline.org
Send Newsletter information to: Denny Weigand. newsletter@ncpponline.org Deadline for submission of articles and ad copy for the May issue is May 25th. Information received after the deadline cannot be guaranteed publication.
3rd Vice President Membership
Hospitality Lisa Duncan 925-284-3878 hospitality@ncpponline.org
Classified Ads Per issue, $18 includes up to six lines ($3 each add’l line). Classified ads free to NCPP members, up to three issues.
Treasurer Malcolm Slight 925-330-8737
treasurer@ncpponline.org
Membership Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 membership@ncpponline.org
Secretary Michael “Mack” McNamara 510-384-5535 secretary@ncpponline.org
Apprentice Membership Ann Gordon 510-222-4115 appmembership@ncpponline.org
Newsletter Advertising Annual Rates Back Cover $1000 Page 1 $900 Full Page $800 Half Page $600 Quarter Page $400
Night School
Focal Point is published by Northern California Professional Photographers. Articles and comments are invited; publication is subject to space available and editorial approval. Note: Articles are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of NCPP. Ads and flyers may or may not have the endorsement of NCPP or its Board of Directors.
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MAY 2010 Table of Contents
Ramblings from 1st VP
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May Program - Gustavo Fernรกndez
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End of Year Print Competition
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April Print Competition
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Best of Show - April PPC Style
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Images from April Meeting
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Membership Information
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Coming in June - Michael Cosrentino "Selling The Experience"
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Educational Opportunities
13 - 14
Hire our Members
15 - 16 - 17
NCPP Sustaining Members
18 - 19 - 20 - 21
Calendar - Important Dates - New
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Our Neighboring Affiliates
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Sunset Chart
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NCPP meeting this month
TUESDAY, MAY 11th, 2010 3
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MAY 2010
Ramblings from the 1st Vice President Wayne Miller (aka PdTG guy)
Looking inside the photographer If you attended the April 13th meeting and heard David Peters’ presentation you might have a hint where this is going. We had 45 photogs that attended and enjoyed David’s presentation “The Mind, The Heart, The Art”. For me it was both an inspiring and emotional experience. David touched on being a caring human being first, a parent, a spouse, a neighbor, a friend, business person, and a photographer last. ‘What is your story” resonates in my thoughts as I write this. Connecting with your family and clients is paramount to success in life as well as business. David also mentioned the need to master the craft of Photographer, as the masses of the “Weekend Warriors” (GWC, Soccer Mom, #%&@? (enter your own favorite name) are ever growing. If we as Professional Photographers do not invest in our own growth then the masses will pass us like road kill on the freeway. WPPI had 15,000 attending of which 6,000 were first timers. CIPA (Camera and Imaging Products Association) predictions for 2010 is 122-million digital cameras will be sold and of that 10% DSLR's (which is 12-million if you want to know). Wow that is a lot of DSLR's on the planet. I think you get the drift…more DSLR's more photographers, more competition. So you have a choice lower your prices to rock bottom to compete with the masses, or raise your ability in the market by raising you skill in the craft to a level far above the masses. The DSLR today is so good the even a “Caveman can do it” ...think about that. My thought is it is always a good idea to look deep inside the photographer, do a periodic tuneup, self-analysis and maybe re-invent one’s self. Crap sometimes I think I have SABD (Self Analysis Brainstorm Disorder). I’m always interested in making things better, easier, different and self improvement is at the top of the list. Kind of ass backwards but I’m SABD yaw knows.
If you have attended any of the Meet-up group meetings you know what is on the horizon for 2010 and beyond. There is an influx of new photogs on their way to being a Rock Star or PBO (Photog Burn Out). The new age photogs are young, hungry, and willing to share everything they know with anyone that will listen and share with them. I think that this is put into motion by the internet we now have the ability to get current information now and without much effort. Hell I can get an answer to almost anything anywhere with my iPhone and take some pretty cool images while I am at it. I heard a Podcast that said the “Old school photographers are: unwilling to share, autonomous, complaining, reject new technology and rigid in their ways”. The “New School Photographers are: willing to share, help one another, and embrace change and technology”. Which are you? Ok let us put the ramblings aside…hey this article is titled Ramblings of the 1st Vice…….SOBD. NCPP has a great speaker May 11th our own “Social Media Guru” Gustavo Fernández “Living with Social Media”. You will not want to miss this one as Gustavo is a SMRS (Social Media Rock Star). Make sure you come by 6:00pm to socialize with other photogs in the bar/restaurant, and the meeting starts at 7:00pm sharp. If you do not use social media to promote your business you could be so 2009ish. 4
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MAY 2010
Ramblings from the 1st Vice President Wayne Miller (aka PdTG guy)
iPhone HDR image Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas NV
iPhone single image Excalibur Hotel Las Vegas, NV
iPhone HDR Ceiling Bellagio "O" Cirque du Soleil
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MAY 2010
NCPP Speaker for May 11th - Gustavo Fernández - “Living with Social Media”
Join Gustavo Fernández for a discussion on tapping into the power of Social Media to project your brand and create rich relationships. This San Francisco based ”Green Photographer” has harnessed the power of the internet to project his brand beyond his Bay Area home base. He will share his insights on how to use this powerful medium to effectively grow your online presence, build social networks, and market your brand. Tap in and learn the secret power of connections!
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MAY 2010 End of Year Print Competition
More photos of NCPP 2009 End of Year Print Comp.
Electronic Imaging:
1st Place:
Richard Stahlberg - Living Her Dream
Illustrative:
3rd Place:
Richard Stahlberg - Street Dancer
Environmental Portraiture:
3rd Place:
Paula Buzatu - Afternoon Glow
Congratulations to all of the winners and to all of the other members who entered. The competition was very tough with so many really terrific images entered!!
Images by Tom O'Connor
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MAY 2010 Print Competition ... PPA Style
This month we are having PPA style print competition. Bring your images and register them with Denny Weigand. You may enter up to two images. There will be a total of only 20 images allowed in the competition. They need to be registered before 6:58pm. Images entered after that time will not be allowed in their respective competitions. Good luck to all!! If you are interested in volunteering with print comp, please contact Denny Weigand at 925-336-7994 or E-mail Denny.
April 2010 Print Comp Winners
1st Richard Stahlberg "Captivating" 2nd Tom O'Connor "El Capitan and Horsetail Falls" 3rd Tom O'Connor "Majestic Structure" 8
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MAY 2010 Print of the Month by Richard Stahlberg
"Captivating" Before I explain about how I did this image, I have to say thank you to two wonderful women without whom, this image would never have happened. The first, of course, is the beautiful model, Mahalia, who is an absolute treat to work with. The second is Barbara Meier. I was having lunch with Barbara in a restaurant when a waitress walked by and I made a casual comment to Barbara that the waitress had a wonderful look and that I would love to photograph her. Barbara embarrassed me by calling the waitress over, told her that I wanted to photograph her, said all kinds of nice things about me and my work, and said that she should definitely work with me………We did, and the result was the image “Captivating”.
About the image. In our consultation session, Mahalia and I both agreed that we wanted to create a ‘different’ type image, one that not only looked beautiful, but that had impact also. While not a professional model, Mahalia is able to produce a wide range of ‘looks’, from classic 40’s glamour, to cute and silly, to a deep haunting look that is absolutely riveting. Because she required very little direction regarding posing and expression, it made my job much easier. As a result, I was able to focus on composition, lighting, etc. It was, and is, a great partnership. Over the years, I have collected a lot of ‘props’. (Some very unrefined people might call it ‘junk’:-) One of my ‘props’ is a wooden-framed window, which came from an old house in Novato that was being torn down. I hung the window frame in my studio from a boom stand, had Mahalia wear a dress I picked up in a consignment shop a few years ago, positioned my lights to the side to create a moody effect and then had fun capturing a number of images with a variety of looks and expressions. We ended up with quite a few great images, but this is the one I kept getting drawn to, so that is what I went with. I added the ‘wall’ around the window frame which required extensive work in Photoshop, but did very little retouching on Mahalia, (she has a fresh beauty that I wanted to preserve). I had a difficult time, (as a lot of us do), coming up with an appropriate title. I came up with about two dozen titles before hitting upon ‘Captivating’. As soon as I said it out loud, I knew that was the title. I want to thank the judges for all the nice compliments about ‘Captivating’, I passed them along to Mahalia….we both appreciate them very much, thank you. (I just sent ‘Captivating’ off to Nationals today….think positive thoughts for us.:-) 9
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MAY 2010 Images from April Meeting
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MAY 2010 Membership Information
Welcome New NCPP Members!! John Husby - Professional Active Caltrans 116 Calle Nogales Walnut Creek, CA 94597 925-765-1515 oceanrhythms@gmail.com http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/photography/ Sponsor - Jim Fidelibus
Jim Cooper - Professional Active Click 1010 Photography 231 Golf Links Street Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 925-998-4695 jcoop@me.com Sponsor - Gustavo Fernรกndez
APPRENTICE NEWS Contact: Ann Gordon @ 510-222-4115 If you have comments or information regarding new applicants, please send them to: Denny Weigand, NCPP Membership Chair: membership@ncpponline.org
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NCPP Speaker June 8th:
Michael Corsentino - "Selling The Experience"
Would you like to learn how to control the sales process and make more money from every job? Learn how to maximize your profits, all without creating a barrier to entry for your clients. This presentation will cut through the fluff and offer real-world solutions that are easy to understand and implement. Michael Corsentino will teach students how to get back on track, stay motivated and ramp up studio sales, allowing photographers to finally reap the full rewards of their hard work.
NCPP Northern California Professional Photographers meet at Marriott Hotel at 2355 North Main Street in Walnut Creek, CA Website: http://ncpponline.org/ Socialize in the bar 6-6:45 meeting starts at 7pm sharp.
NCPP Members are free, Guest fee is $30 12
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MAY 2010 Educational Opportunities
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Northern California Professional Photographers
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MAY 2010 Educational Opportunities
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Northern California Professional Photographers
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MAY 2010
NEED A RETOUCH SPECIALIST ??? Tired of Retouching? Tired of Wedding Edits? Tired of Enhancing Your Images? Just Plain Tired of Spending Time Behind the Computer? Printing Quality Less Than Desired? Administrative Details Got You Down? Call the Expert!
Call Denny at (925)
336-7994
For Reasonable Pricing and Solutions
Email: digitalwhims@comcast.net Web: http://www.digitalwhims.com Member: PPA NAPP AIDG NCPP Telephone: (925) 336-7994
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MAY 2010 Hire Our Members
Jill Heller (Hager), CPP – Photography by Jill Photographer, Photoshopper and sales-gal extraordinaire! Great with all aspects of studio work. Photoshop CS4, ProShow, ProSelect and SuccessWare trained. Available for your studio work assistance. Call 925-286-2097 or email jill@photojill.com.
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MAY 2010 Hire Our Members
Glamour Retouch Makeover
Glamour retouching to create that special image for your clients. Sometimes an image needs a little punch to take it to the next level, or a digital make-over for a magazine cover look. Sends us your jpeg marked up for a free quote or sugestions for the glamour makeover. Visit www.wmphotos.com to see some finished images. Special rates for NCPP Professionals. Guaranteed Satisfaction we will make it right or your money back!
Wayne Miller Photography fineart@wmphotos.com Clayton, CA 925-330-8737
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Northern California Professional Photographers
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MAY 2010 NCPP Sustaining Members
Sustaining Members are companies that manufacture or distribute photographic equipment, laboratories, publishers or firms providing services to photographers. These Sustaining Members also contribute to the welfare of NCPP, with monetary and technical support. Sustaining Members may participate in all NCPP events, however they may not vote or hold office. We encourage our NCPP members to support our Sustaining Members. If you are interested in becoming a Sustaining Member, contact Denny Weigand. 925-336-7994 or E-mail @ digitalwhims@comcast.net -Listed Alphabetically-
THE ART OF PICTURE FRAMING APF is a full-service wholesale custom framing facility. We work closely with Fine Art and Framing Galleries, Interior Designers, Professional Photographers, Art Consultants, Retailers and others in need of custom framing at wholesale prices. APF specializes in creating custom programs or packages to your individual business or market needs. We offer superior quality with flexible pricing to fit your individual needs. Contact: Mike Moretti 1084 Shary Circle, #B Concord, CA 94518 (Located behind Costco) E-mail: apfwholesale@sbcglobal.net 925-689-5177 web: http://stores.apfwholesale.com/StoreFront.bok
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MAY 2010 NCPP Sustaining Members
BAY PHOTO LAB Contact: Debbie Thomas E-mail: debbie@bayphoto.com 510-585-7049 web: http://www.bayphoto.com/ 2161 Delaware Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 800-435-6686 fax: 931-475-5257
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MAY 2010 NCPP Sustaining Members
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Northern California Professional Photographers
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MAY 2010 NCPP Sustaining Members
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MAY 2010 NCPP Calendar
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Northern California Professional Photographers
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MAY 2010 Our Neighboring Affiliates
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Northern California Professional Photographers
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MAY 2010 Sunset Table
This information is for Walnut Creek. You can obtain sunset times for other locations at http://www.sunrisesunset.com/
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