President’s Message

So this is in our March newsletter and I’m writing it as I watch my grandson play catch with his mom and dad and grandmother. It occurs to me just how very fortunate I am to be part of such a loving and close family.

In many ways I look at our TAPPA family with the same feelings of fellowship and close relationships. I have been a member of one PPA Based guild or another since I was first invited to join the Rhode Island group way back in the 1970s by my mentor Rudy Graziani. Much of what I know about photography and the complex task of making worthwhile images of people was learned from Rudy and others like him that willingly gave of their time and knowledge to help a young man, recently bitten by the photography bug, learn how to turn the images in my head into reality. There is so much more to it than lighting and posing ( though those are important to study ) it’s in the interplay between photographer and subject where the real magic happens. I learned that each successful photographer I came into contact with had their own way to connect with their subjects, and also observed that most of the less successful were lacking in this important interpersonal skill. So now I am finally arriving at the point of this message. We, as a guild NEED to encourage younger image makers to see the value in a group like TAPPA. Nuts and bolts education is more available now than ever before. I’ve heard it said that “ I can learn all I need online” and in many ways that’s true enough, but the value of a group like ours goes beyond that. If you get sick will a FB friend step up to cover your wedding this weekend? If you find you need a pice of gear for a project can you reach out to someone you have only met online? PPA and its attendant guilds have always been the framework for a worldwide community of image makers. In my 50+ years in this business I have never been refused help from fellow members of this fraternity/sorority whenever I have needed it.

The local guilds are the basis of this community and we need to do all we can to see that it continues to be there for the younger generation even if they haven’t yet seen all the benefits of membership.

So I ask each of you to invite an unaffiliated photographer to view our annual image competition, hear the judges comments and critiques, and experience the highs and lows of seeing the best images we have to offer and taking the opportunity to compare their best work. We can all learn from one another and be better image makers for the effort. And if someone finds that they don’t agree with everything the judges have to say “welcome to the club” cause we have all felt that way at times. Styles change esthetics can be different from generation to generation and we all benefit from actually seeing what we each are doing.

Hope to see you at the meeting in March. Come up and say Hi!!