Focal Point
OCTOBER 2010
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Northern California Professional Photographers
Focal Point
OCTOBER 2010
Northern California Professional Photographers Officers
Committee Chairs and Coordinators
President Wayne Miller 925-330-8737 president@ncpponline.org
Membership Stacey Flurscheim 925-330-7130 3rdvp@ncpponline.org
1st Vice President Programs Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 1stvp@ncpponline.org
blog / Website Wayne Miller 925-330-8737 blogomeister@ncpponline.org
2nd Vice President Print Competition Tom O'Connor 925-586-2745 2ndvp@ncpponline.org
Newsletter - Focal Point Editor Tom O’Connor 925-586-2745 newsletter@ncpponline.org
3rd Vice President Membership Stacey Flurscheim 925-330-7130 3rdvp@ncpponline.org
FP Copy Editor Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 newsletter@ncpponline.org
Treasurer Malcolm Slight 925-330-8737
Send Newsletter information to: Tom O'Connor. newsletter@ncpponline.org Deadline for submission of articles and ad copy is the 24th of each month. Information received after the deadline cannot be guaranteed publication
Hospitality Lisa Duncan 925-284-3878 hospitality@ncpponline.org
treasurer@ncpponline.org Secretary Kevallyn Paskos 925-766-3121 secretary@ncpponline.org
Apprentice Membership Ann Gordon 510-222-4115 appmembership@ncpponline.org
Chairman of the Board Randy Cazinha 925-249-1999
Photographer Eduardo Cardona
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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OCTOBER 2010 Table of Contents
Presidents Message
4-5
Image Comp Changes
6
Semi Annual Board Meeting Nov. 3, 2010
7
October speaker Marc Benjamin "Light, Shadows and Curves"
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October Image Competition PPA Style and "Test" Digital PPA Style
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Best of Show - September "People's Choice"
10 - 11
Images from July Meeting
12 - 15
Membership Information
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Marketing - Sales - Business • The Art of Conversation by Jay Yogan
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Coming in October - Michael Van Auken • Surprise presentation!!! Don't miss it!!
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NCPP Sustaining Members
19 -24
Our Neighboring Affiliates
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Calendar - Important Dates
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Sunset Chart
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NCPP meeting this month
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12th, 2010
7:00 PM Start Time Come early to Socialize!! 3
Northern California Professional Photographers
Focal Point
OCTOBER 2010
Presidents Message - Wayne Miller (aka Blogomeister / PdTG guy)
Time to fall back and think ahead… September 14th we had another great speaker, Roger Daines, “Achieving Success in Print Competitions”, it was educational for us as photographers, and your clients win too. We also had a great turn out of entries for People’s Choice, more than I have seen since becoming a member. Congratulations to all the winners and those who entered. Fall is my favorite time of the year; with the changes of light and season the photo opportunities grow. With fall color almost upon us the opportunities to capture some great images unfold. Plus it is a chance to try some new techniques that you might have picked up during the year. I like to try out other aspects of photography that push my comfort level and allow growth in the trade. If you are not familiar with landscape photography try it until you capture great images, then incorporate portraits into it. I recently was approached to shoot the Northgate Broncos Varsity football team for their Friday Night Lights promotion. I shot the team members and then decided that it would be fun to shoot a game. What a great opportunity it was to be up close to the action as a photographer and push myself to a different level. Shooting a fast paced sport is, well, fast paced. You have to anticipate the play and be ready for the shot…. Plus you have to be aware of where the players are heading; as I had to jump out of the way several times as they stormed toward the sidelines at warp speed. Nothing like having a 175-200 lb. player in full armor filling up your frame just before they are in your face. The challenge of shooting these games at night in low light or during the afternoon with harsh light pushes the envelope as a photographer. Kind of like shooting a wedding except the subjects are moving at warp speed in any and all directions. Timing is the key here and being in the right spot at the key moment. Plus you get a little more exercise moving/running up and down the 100-yrd field for the perfect shot. So if you have never shot a football game give it a try. There are several online tips for shooting football games: http://www.ritzcamera.com/static/articles/tips/photograph-football.html, and http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/football.html. These are both great resources to help one get started. For night games I used: Canon 7d, ISO 4,000, f/2.8, 1/250 shutter, with a 70-200mm, I turn off the IS (Image stabilization) as it takes too long to get the shot, and a mono pod. My second camera is the Canon 5d, ISO Auto, f/2.8, 1/250 shutter, with a 24-70mm, this is my grab shot go to for when the players are close or I want to catch the crowd or players on the sidelines. Just go do it. The theme of “Fall Back” is to look back over this last year and assess what you have learned and how you have grown this year. I always say if you are “green you are growing and if you are ripe you are rotten”, so where are you? Are you still learning and pushing your photography to a new level, or are you satisfied with your ability and think that you know enough? Well fellow photographers, if you are not pushing ahead you are falling behind; there is no middle ground in today’s market. Today it is so easy to be a photographer that, well, everyone who has a camera is a photographer. Today all you have to do is call yourself a Professional Photographer and even if you only charge $6 for an 8x10 (that cost you $2-wow that’s a three-fold profit) or shoot a wedding for $300, you are still a professional photographer. 4
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OCTOBER 2010
Presidents Message - Wayne Miller (aka Blogomeister / PdTG guy) You may not make enough money to support yourself or your family doing this but if it is a hobby or second job then it will pay for your toys (ehhh I mean tools). The education available today is mind blowing: with the internet and Meet-up groups it is easier than ever to become a Pro. If you haven’t read the article “How to Go Pro” by Ken Rockwell check it out http://ncpponline.org/?page_id=802. Or at http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/go-pro.htm If you have not made it to a Meet-up group then it is time to do so. My favorites: Jules café : http://www.meetup.com/Jules-CAFE/ SF East Bay Photography: http://www.meetup.com/SF-East-Bay-Photography-Meetup-Group/ SF Photoshop Users Group: http://www.meetup.com/Photoshop-till-you-Drop/ SF SmugMug Photographers http://www.meetup.com/SanFranSMUG/ Plus there are tons more. Just check them out: http://www.meetup.com/find/ These groups are open to all. The new pros are gathering here to learn, to share information and to experience so they can grow as photographers and businesses. As seasoned Pros I would highly recommend that you join several groups, check them out, learn and share. It is up to us to help educate the incoming newbie pros to bring them up to a higher standard so we can all prosper in the world of photography. .. That’s where the “think ahead” part kicks in. We need to pull together and raise the bar; otherwise the alternative is to wallow in the swamps with the masses. Lowering prices, lowering quality, lowering services, is lowering the craft to a commodity. Are you an artist or are you a service commodity that has to lower prices to be competitive? To raise prices you need to offer much more as an artist/craftsperson, more service, more value, more experience, more of everything just to keep afloat.
Northgate Broncos vs. Hayward Tennyson slideshow http://wmphotos.com/wordpress/?p=885 Hope to see you all at the next meeting and maybe at some of the Meet-up groups…….until then… Get out and shoot, have fun, share and grow your craft.
NCPP Mission Statement: The Northern California Professional Photographers is an organization dedicated to advancing the business of professional photography. Our purpose is to create an environment amongst professional photographers that will inspire each of us and to help one another grow as business professionals and artists.
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OCTOBER 2010 Image Competition Changes - Tom O'Connor This month along with our regular PPA style printed submissions, we are doing a "Test" with projected submissions. We will allow 20 printed and 10 projected submissions for print comp this month. The projected submissions for this month will be a test only and no awards will be given.
Beginning in January, we will incorporate projected as a normal part of image comp. There will be a fee to enter projected where as print will still be no charge. The cost will be $5.00 per image. This money will be used to purchase necessary equipment to display the projected images. Even at $5.00 each, this is a big savings over having an image printed. Cost of making a print may be a factor in some members not entering image comp. Projected entries will make it much easier and less expensive to enter, so hopefully we will have more members participate. NCPP Rules for Projected Submission in Image Comp: 10/5/2010 • Having both types of competition each month. Print and Projected. • All of our existing image comp rules apply to both Print and Projected Submissions, except as noted below. • Print and Projected compete for the same 3 places, Best of Show, 2nd and 3rd. • Limit of 20 Print and 10 Projected images per meeting can be entered. • Time limit for judging each image that is reasonable and will get us done by 10:45 at the latest. • Use a laptop for the judges viewing, and 25" monitor. • Member can enter only a total of two images per month. Two in Print or two in Projected or one in each. But not the same image in both. • A Print or Projected image may be re-entered under the same rules we have now. In that if the print did not score a minimum of an 80, it may be re-worked and re-entered in the same category it was originally entered. If it scored an 80 or above it is considered retired and cannot be re-entered. • People's Choice will remain the same as we do presently, displaying an image ready to hand to the customer, and voted on by NCPP members. No Projected entries for People's Choice. NCPP IMAGE COMP SUBMISSION OPTIONS: Entrants may submit either prints - (photographic or press printed images presented for judging under lights) or projected submissions - (a projected file presented for judging on a monitor) or a combination of either entry type. Projected Submission Specifications. (this size fits within the PPA rules, except PPA requires your PPA# not your name in the file name): 1. Files must be sized 4000 x 2200 pixels (20" x 22" at 200ppi). Each file must contain an embedded color profile of either sRGB or Adobe RGB1998 and be saved at a JPEG quality setting of 10. Total file size should not exceed 3.5 MB. 2. Files are to be named, Member's first and last name_Image_Title. (use_for spaces). 3. Example file name: Bill_Jones_Mount_Diablo_Sunset. 4. Images must be Emailed to mailto:toconnorphotography@astound.net no later than the Saturday prior to the Tuesday meeting, at Midnight to be eligible. 5. Entry fee of $5.00 per image must be paid via Pay Pal prior to the meeting. 6. Example image sizing variations available for download or viewing. • http://www.ncpponline.org/PRINTCOMP/ProjectedImageCompSizing.jpg
If you have any questions or need help with preparing your image, just give me a call or email me and I will be glad to help.
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OCTOBER 2010 Semi Annual Board Meeting - November 3, 2010
The next semiannual board meeting is on November 3rd at Wayne Miller's house at 6pm for a Pot Luck dinner and meeting. Contact Wayne if you are planning to attend. Email: president@ncpponline.org Phone: 925-330-8737
Per the NCPP Bylaws: (5) Meetings a. The Board of Directors shall meet with the Executive Officers at least twice per fiscal year. b. The Executive Officers and its committees shall meet at least four (4) times per year. c. A majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum; however, the quorum can be met by proxy vote.
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Northern California Professional Photographers
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OCTOBER 2010
NCPP Speaker for Oct. 9th: Marc Benjamin - Light, Shadows and Curves Marc Benjamin Presents: Light, Shadows and Curves. Low light, Infrared and Fish eye photography for Weddings and Engagements.
Marc Benjamin will share his approach to creating beautiful and unique wedding images using (and often combining) Infrared cameras, Fish-eye lenses and low light capture techniques. Learn Infrared photography methods and how to effectively use (and get the most out of) your fisheye lenses in order to create magnificent wedding/scenic combinations. He will discuss trouble shooting difficult lighting scenarios, Infrared conversion options and fish eye distortion or un-distortion strategies. BONUS PROGRAM: As an added feature, Marc will unveil his 2008-2009 “Flight” series collection. A study in advanced high impact dance photography.
In less than 3 years, Marc earned his Master of Photography degree from PPA and he is one of the few who have done so while in their 20’s. Marc is also the first Filipino-American to earn it. He won the PPA Photographer of The Year (4/4) award for three consecutive years starting from the first time he entered. In addition, he won the Wedding Photographer of California award for 2007, 2008 (pj) & 2009 and the Best Wedding Print at the 2006 Western States Regional Competition. His work has been featured in Professional Photographer, Studio Photography, Pro Photo West and other magazines. Marc has some unique ideas about photography, the trends, the clients and the whole photographic culture in general. He’s an audio book addict, spends an unhealthy amount of time on Facebook and has this weird addiction to midnight movie premiers. To see more of his work, visit www.marcbenjamin.com
NCPP members are free, Guest fee is $20 in advance PayPal by 10/11/2010 or $30 at the door. 8
Northern California Professional Photographers
Focal Point
OCTOBER 2010
Image Competition PPA Style and Projected "Test" PPA Style This month we are having PPA style print competition. Bring your printed submissions and register them with Tom O'Connor. You may enter up to two images. There will be a total of 20 printed submissions allowed. They need to be registered before 6:58pm. Images entered after that time will not be allowed. Projected submissions is new. 10 projected submissions are allowed. See the article on page 6 of this issue of the Focal Point for the rules. Good luck to all!! If you are interested in volunteering with image comp, please contact Tom O'Connor at 925-586-2745 or Email Tom @ toconnorphotography@astound.net.
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Northern California Professional Photographers
Focal Point
OCTOBER 2010
September 2010 "People's Choice" Image Comp Winners
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! September 2010 Image Comp Winners 1st Place - Peg Jackson "Christina" 2nd Place - Rich Stahlberg "The Right Place The Right Time" 3rd Place Tie - Tod Gomes "Untitled" 3rd Place Tie - Nicole Gee "Honeymoon Glow"
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Northern California Professional Photographers
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OCTOBER 2010
Best of Show - "Christina" by Peg Jackson I've photographed Christina and her brothers every year for the past five years. The children were quite a challenge when they were little, but every year has gotten easier as they've gotten older. This portrait session was the most satisfying ever. I did portraits of each of them in their own rooms. I especially loved how Christina's room was decorated, all soft and girly and filled with classic dolls - not a Barbie in sight! Christina was an absolute delight; comfortable, natural and playful. Last year I took a class from Sherron Sheppard at West Coast School, and brought this as a sample image to work on. Sherron taught us how to prepare our images in Photoshop before starting to work on them using Corel Painter. Adding color to the highlights and shadows in Photoshop, then using the enhanced image as the clone source for Painter, gives you a head start in creating the "painterly" effect. I added yellow-orange to the highlights, and both red-purple and blue-green into the shadows. This is called a triad because the these three colors are equidistant on the color wheel. A palette combining tertiary colors is more complex than one using primary colors (red, yellow and blue) or secondary colors (orange, green and purple). According to Color: messages and meanings by Leatrice Eiseman, tertiary triads are "... complicated mixes meant to attract a more sophisticated eye." Thank you to Michael Van Auken for printing this image for me - at the last minute! - on Epson watercolor paper, and also for loaning me a display frame and easel.
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OCTOBER 2010 September Meeting Images
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OCTOBER 2010 September Meeting Images
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OCTOBER 2010 September Meeting Images
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OCTOBER 2010 September Meeting Images
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OCTOBER 2010 Membership Information Welcome new NCPP members!!
New NCPP Member: Trina Tuel Application Date: 5/14/2010 Membership Category: Apprentice Sponsor: Tish Wetzel Company Name: TK's Expressions Address: 2620 Point Lobos Court, Antioch Phone: 925-595-3794 Email: tks expressions@comcast.net Website: www.tksexpressions.com
Contact Stacey Flurscheim with / for any Membership Information Stacey Flurscheim @ 925-330-7130
APPRENTICE NEWS Contact: Ann Gordon @ 510-222-4115
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OCTOBER 2010 Marketing, Sales and Business by Jay Yoga
The Art of Conversation
“Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed.” Robert C. Gallagher Social media is a conversation. It’s a marketing mechanism to discuss the essence of your brand. In many cases, the discussion may have nothing to do with your specific
industry. The discussion may have everything to do with the beliefs, causes and purpose of your business, your brand essence.
In Ryan Bates’ case, part of his brand essence includes fun. To get the conversation started, Ryan posted a contest on Facebook below.
In a matter of hours, Ryan had 33 comments and hundreds of others who saw the post, a
fun social experiment. It also was a great way to engage your fans, to have them continue to think about you and your business. The winner received a free session and I’m sure this engaging fan will invest in this opportunity beyond Ryan’s average sale. In terms of
marketing, a very small cost, and the payoff is more than tenfold by starting a conversation to continue his brand building. Great job Ryan! By the way, the answer is 17!
Reprinted from Jay Yogan’s post on the Burrell Blog.
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OCTOBER 2010
NCPP Proudly Presents on November 9th: - Michael Van Auken
This is a super Special Program with Michael Van Auken and special celebrity photographers' guests.. It is so special that if we told you we would have to well....kill you..... So mark your calendar for this special event Tues November 9th. The fun starts at 6pm. We will have several of our favorite vendors displaying their latest lines of equipment and a raffle for great prizes. Also a slideshow of NCPP members images for your enjoyment.
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OCTOBER 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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OCTOBER 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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OCTOBER 2010 NCPP Sustaining Members
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OCTOBER 2010 NCPP Sustaining Members
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OCTOBER 2010 NCPP Sustaining Members
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OCTOBER 2010 NCPP Sustaining Members
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OCTOBER 2010 Our Neighboring Affiliates
PPC Professional Photographers of California Affiliates
City
Company Name â–˛
Phone
All Valley Professional Photographers - AVPP
La Canada Flintridge
(818) 262-7903
Associated Image Makers - AIM
Fairfield
1-888-442-6606
Central Valley Professional Photographers - CVPP
Fresno
559 266-0305
Channel Islands Professional Photographers Association - CIPPA
Camarillo
(805) 573-7637
Gold Coast Professional Photographers Association - GCPPA
Pismo Beach
805 733-5197
Inland Empire Professional Photographers & Videographers - IEPPV
Riverside
951-737-7310
Northern California Professional Photographers - NCPP
Walnut Creek
925 330-8737
Professional Photographers of California
Escondido
Professional Photographers of Los Angeles County - PPLAC
Culver city
(818) 344-0671
Professional Photographers of North Valley - PPNV
Redding
530-241-2191
Professional Photographers of Orange County - PPOC
Mission Viejo
949.916.2471
Professional Photographers of Sacramento Valley - PPSV
Sacramento
530 363-0138
Professional Photographers of San Diego County - PPSDC
San Diego
(858) 695-9563
Professional Photographers of Santa Barbara County - PPSBC
Santa Barbara
(805) 403-6556
Professional Photographers of Santa Clara Valley - PPSCV
San Jose
408 244-2293
Professional Photographers of the Greater Bay Area - PPGBA
So. San Francisco
530 574-6033
Professional Photographers of the Redwood Empire - PPRE
Santa Rosa
707 548-1181
Stanislaus Professional Photographers - SPP
Modesto
209 847-0540
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Web Site
Northern California Professional Photographers
NCPP
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2010
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Focal Point I
OCTOBER 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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