Delaware President
George Singleton gsingleton@SEPPAonline.com
1st Vice-President Kevin Jiminez kjiminez@SEPPAonline.com
2nd Vice-President Secretary-Treasurer
District of Columbia
*** Jim Hill Harry Markel
*** Carly Glazier Anthony Marill
Mary Fisk-Taylor mfisktaylor@SEPPAonline.com Janet Boschker jboschker@SEPPAonline.com
Salon Exhibition Chair jamie@jhayes.com
Florida
*** Cindy Strickland Jackson Koontz
Jamie Hayes
S out he r n E x p o su re
S outher n Exposure magazine is an online publication of SEPPA and is published monthly. Editor Vic tor ia Kelly vkelly@SEPPAonline.com 919.601.4258 Ad S ales & Business M anager R ick Gibbons ExecutiveDirec tor@SEPPAonline.com 336.687.1943
Georgia
Maryland
Mississippi/Alabama
*** Danny Spears Wendy Lenox
*** Melanie Anderson Anne Looney
*** Gil Brady Sue Elam
North Carolina
*** Rose Mary Cheek Loretta Byrd
South Carolina
*** David Junker Patty Hallman
Ar ticle & Ad Submissions 5th of ever y month OnLine Publication 20th to 29th of each month SEPPA 3710 Nor th M ain Street H igh Point, NC 27265 336.687.1943 Acce pt a nce o f a d ver t isin g d o es n o t ca r r y wit h it e ndo rsem ent by t h e p u b lish er. Opinions expressed by S o u t h er n Exp o su re or a ny of its a u t h o rs d o es n o t n ecessa r ily re fle c t t h e p o sit io n s o f t h e S ou the a ster n Pro fe ssio n a l Ph o to gra p h ers Asso ciati o n . Asso ciat io n fin a n cia l in fo r m at io n ava i la b le u p o n req u est.
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
*** Alfred Gordon Barbara White
*** Tracy McGee Robert Holman
*** Clayton Spangler Brent Kepner
*** state president SEPPA representative
Delaware
Mississippi/Alabama
District of Columbia
North Carolina
www.ppsgw.org
www.ppofnc.com
Florida
South Carolina
www.fpponline.org
www.ppofsc.com
Georgia
Tennessee
www.gppa.com
www.tnppa.com
Maryland
Virginia
www.delawarephotographers.com
www.marylandppa.com
SEPPA is a regional affiliate of the Professional Photographers of America and hosts an annual District Image Judging. To learn more about PPA, click HERE.
www.ppma.net
www.vppa.org
West Virginia www.ppwv.org
The River (Don MacGregor) “The River” are portrait lessons for portrait photographers. Here are two samples from Don’s work at Image Explorations.
If you’re gonna talk the talk...then walk the walk (Christine Walsh-Newton) Have YOU had a portrait made by a professional lately? Join Christine as she take you on a personal journey with Tim Kelly and Ted and Rachel Linczak.
If You’re Gonna Talk the Talk...then Walk the Walk Christine Walsh-Newton, M. Photog., Cr., CPP, EA-ASP In last month's article, I challenged you to produce a printed photograph. This month I'd like you to produce another printed photograph. Of yourself. I'm not talking about a selfie, or a group shot from the last convention or the few shots an instructor sent your way because you “modeled� in a class at your state convention. I'm talking about a professional portrait from a professional photographer. Why would I ask you that? Because before this, I assumed that professional photographers across the land naturally were consumers of the very service they encourage others to avail themselves of. I assumed, at the very least, that everyone had at least done a serviceable job of a timed photograph with their own equipment and had a wall portrait to prove it. But that's not always the case. This year, I began asking class attendees to raise their hands if they had a professional portrait of themselves taken by someone else. Not one person has yet raised their hand.
I find this a little shocking, and I wonder what message we are sending our clients by selling something that we would not personally buy. Are we not undermining the importance of our industry by failing to support it? Admittedly, this has not been a soapbox of mine in the past as I had not considered these points as closely as I am now. Some assuming had been done by myself, and yes, I, too, went a number of years trying to make the self-timer do the work of a pro. I thought I had my bases covered... And then, within a matter of weeks, I was photographed twice. Once alone and once with my husband. And the world stood still. In a blazing flash of “d'oh” I suddenly realized what an incredible disservice I was doing to my own business by not having professional portraits done prior to this. Never before had I experienced the pleasure of doing nothing more than picking out my outfit and making sure I was face-ready for the camera. For once, I wasn't messing with equipment; shooting over and over, trying to capture the right expression from the wrong side of the camera. For the first time, I turned over control to another professional, and gladly reviewed the images they felt I should see. And then I paid money. Good money. Lots of good money. I now have more money invested in wall portraits and frames than I do in living room furniture. But it was worth it. 100% worth it.
Tim took my portrait during a workshop he held at his Florida studio - not quite my own session, but a bonus for each student that attended. He followed up with a packet of three choice proofs and a price list, and I availed myself of the pleasure of ordering a black and white signature print. I've been a long-time fan of Tim's, he's one of my preferred educators, and having a Tim Kelly portrait has been on my bucket list for a long while. I made sure it was a peak experience by having him choose the portrait he thought I should have. I like it when my clients give me that freedom - I feel it shows trust and confidence in the skill of the pro to leave it up to them. So that's what I did. And when I received the print, I was blown away. For the first time, in a long time, I was a little bit speechless and as one of those all-the-feels people, a few tears were shed. It was glorious. I'd never felt this way. And I wondered – do my clients feel this way?
copyright 2016 Tim Kelly
My first experience was with Tim Kelly and my second was with Ted and Rachel Linczak (all hail from SEPPA territory – bonus!). These weren't accidental choices. I do research and I pay attention. If I was going to do this, it was going to be with a pro I trusted and admired who had a track record of photographic success.
A few weeks later, my husband and I had a sunrise session with the Linczaks. For several hours I didn't think about anything other than following instructions for looking, smiling, and situating arms and legs. I held hands with my husband, walked through fields and relaxed in tall grasses. Smiles, snuggles and laughter punctuated the sunny morning. Again, the tremendous confidence I placed in my photographers left me free to be at ease and enjoy the experience of the session. And again, I wondered – do my clients feel this way? Later, when the best images of the day were presented to us, we had every confidence that they were, indeed, the best. There was no yammering about head-swapping or asking to see all the files. I, who never like any image of myself, could not find fault. The image presented as the best of the day was immediately ordered as a 24x36 canvas, paired up with a custom oak frame and has been christened a family heirloom. copyright 2016 Linczak Photography
It was these two events that led me to the wonder and analysis of my past portrait experiences. Although I talk the talk, I wasn't walking the walk. And in doing that, I was not experiencing anything remotely to what I was trying to provide for my clients. I think that's a critical oversight. Think about it – every reason you give clients for scheduling sessions and purchasing wall portraits should be part of your own personal belief system and foundation for your business practices. If you encourage your clients to come in once a year for updated portraits, that's something you should be doing, yourself. Wall portraits should be a standard décor item in your own home if you sell them in your studio. I never intended on spending the money on professional portraits that I have spent this year. In fact, had you told me that I would have spent this much money on portraits, I would have laughed outright at the ridiculousness of it, knowing the tightwad that I am. But I've been wrong. If you've held off doing the same, I'm going to take a risk and tell you that you've been wrong, too. It's not too late to get it right. I'm going to challenge you right now. Walk the walk. Pick up the phone, call your favorite professional photographer friend and schedule a session. Find out how it feels to be on the other side of the camera so you can fine-tune your client services by standing in their shoes. Take the time, make the investment. Do it today. I promise you – you won't regret it.