GA Focus Magazine March 2011

Win a one year membership see page 5

Spring Convention Georgia School Print Competition

Georgia Focus March 2011

Content s

President’s message . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 3

GPPA Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

HDR’s for Dummies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Jeff Gulle, CPP

On Location Senior Portraits . . . . . . . . 18 Ty and Shannon Fisher Memorial Scholarship Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Board Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

The 12 elements of a Merit Print . . . . . 29

Paul Wingler M.Photog.Cr.

Membership Seminar . . . . . . . 32 Ken Sklute Seminar . . . . . . . . . 34 GPPA Degree Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Georgia School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

P

resident’s Message

John Carney, GFD, GSD

I have to reflect over to past 20 plus

years as my time comes to an end.

Mary Ann and I were invited to join GPPA years ago and of course knew no one. We look back and still have friends that we made at that first convention. The learning experience was always well worth the time. I don’t think there are enough pages in the magazine to talk about all of the talks, walks, visits, and sharing we had with others. We had a motorcycle years ago, and there is a saying it is all about the ride.

For those of you that are new and many of you I do not know, I would charge you to step up and get involved in GPPA and don’t wait to be asked. Many things about photography have changed through the years and will always be changing so be ready to adapt. People make the difference in any group. Like we say about the church or football, the people make it happen.

Having the honor of serving on the board, so often I hear GPPA does nothing for me. Successful business people move to the head of the line.

They don’t wait for the company to come to them. Don’t let the passion burn out and keep the flame alive.

So to all of you fellow friends, I want to take a moment to just say thanks to a fantastic group of people. Now I am on the other side and can join the old timers club, but I will take more than photos, I will take a lot of memories, and for that Mary Ann and I will forever be grateful for the first invite to GPPA. Sincerely your President, John Carney

About the cover:

“Homespun” There have been many changes in photography in the last 14 years from when I took my first image of a newborn. I’ve gone from a medium format Hasselblad camera to a Nikon D300s.

Many trends have come and gone, but the excitement of walking into a newborn session has still remained. My goal is to create images beyond their expectations, always pouring my heart into making my next session better than the one before. I know the importance of this better today than ever before. My oldest daughter will soon graduate from college. I have a senior , junior, and soon to be freshman in high school. Although cliché, it does seem like yesterday that their tiny hands could barely wrap around my finger.

These delicate details can only now be brought back from their photographs.

“Homespun” was created with a Fuji S5 camera with a 70-200 2.8 Nikon lens.

I used a main light, accent light and one reflector. I often photograph my babies with a shallow depth of field with very little light spilling on the background creating a mood that draws the eye straight to the subject.

With the exaggeration of textures of this image, I wanted to evoke the visions of creation. The fibers of life,

family and love. This beautiful, delicate gift from God.

Sponsors

PWD Labs Canvas on Demand Magnolia Frames

Membership Matters For me, like many people the Georgia Professional Photographers Association has been a valuable asset. I have learned more being a part of this association than anywhere else. I have people to turn to when things just don’t seem to be working the way I expect them to. I have people to lean on and people to help me with new products or techniques. I have people that I can depend on in a time of crisis. All of this did not just fall in my lap. I got involved. I got to know people because I helped when there were things to do. I learned because I went to meetings and programs. I had photographers offering to help my wife and I when I had a catastrophic accident, because getting involved helped me meet people who were willing to help and share. If you get involved and come to events and meet people, you will learn as much or more from the other people in the Association as you will in the programs. You have to take an active role in your association and in your learning opportunities. I did not wait for someone to ask me to help, I started helping break down speaker rooms and moving things when people looked like they could use a hand. As I did that people began asking me for help, and the more I helped and got involved, the more I learned. Getting involved does not mean necessarily working on the board or on specific committees, it includes things like attending the membership meeting. The membership meeting is an important part of running this association. The association needs members there to take part in this meeting. If the membership does not get involved, then the Board of Directors is left to look with in for input and decisions. The Georgia Professional Photographers Association has a lot to offer, but it is at its best when we are all playing a part. This year’s GPPA Membership meeting will be held at the SEPPA Convention on Monday, March 28th at 4:30pm. We need GPPA members present at the short meeting as we will be holding elections. In addition to becoming informed about what the association has planned, you will be voting for Area Directors and Directors at Large. And you may just win a free year’s membership.

A ONE year GPPA Membership will be given away during the General Membership Meeting...

You MUST be present to win!

Editor’s Notes

your area directors, your seminar Chairman, or your convention Chairman, take a minute to tell them Thank You for putting together the events that help us to keep up with what is going on in our industry. And as always don’t forget our sponsors. Without them we would be out there floating aimlessly. Help us to keep these pages full. Is there someone that you want to see an article from? Ask them to submit something.

Better yet, call a photographer you admire and interview them. Ask them the questions that you want to know the answers to. Then write it all down and submit it as an article. Have an image you would like to see on our cover -send it to me. Include a short note about the image or write an article about how you created it. We are always looking for content, and after this issue there is another and then another . . .

Submissions can be sent to kevjiminez@aol. com.

Here we are with another issue of the Georgia Focus. This issue comes out as your Board of Directors is hard at work planning another year of events and educational opportunities. We have a state seminar in the works for May, various area meetings being planned, and of course, Georgia School. Having been involved in the planning of several events for the GPPA, I know what happens behind the scenes, and these people deserve our thanks for working hard to get locations lined up, speakers here, and we especially could not do any of it without the sponsors. Many people do not realize what is involved in the planning of these events and have no idea how much time it can take away from running our own businesses. I encourage everyone to thank the people doing the background work for their efforts. Whether it is Kevin A. Jiminez ,

M.Photog.Cr., GFD, GSD, CPP

GPPA Calendar

SEPPA Convention

March 26-29 Athens, GA

Spring Convention

May15-16 Crown Plaza Atlanta-Perimeter 6345 Powers Ferry Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30339 770-395-7700 Call now for reservations.

Room Rate $79 a night.

See page 32 for Speakers

Georgia School

September 11-16 North Georgia Technical College Clarkesville, GA Classes are:

Ken Sklute - Advanced Lighting Louis Tonsmeire -

Basic Photography Thomas and Mario Munoz High End Weddings and Portraits Larry Peters - Senior Portraits

If you have any Events planned that you would like on the Calendar, please submit those to the Editor.

NE Area

March 14th 10am - 2pm Kevin Jiminez Posing and Lighting.

Also, Berrie Smith Camera repair will be offering camera clean and checks as well as, sensor cleaning for a nominal fee. Meeting at NGT. April 11th 10am - 2pm Richard Smith Painter and Photoshop - emphasis on painter. Meeting at NGT.

SW Area

April 17 1 - 5pm Jeanine McLeod Understanding The Business Side of Photography.

Leroy Rodgers Center, 315 West 2nd Street, Tifton, GA

s ’ R HD

For Dummies Part 1

By Jeff Gulle, CPP

Many of you are seeing photographs

and you can’t help but stare at them.

There is just so much detail it blows you away. The dynamic range is unbelievable. Most likely the images you are seeing are HDR’s or High Dynamic Range photographs. Many prefer the term high-depth range because it increases your sense of depth within the image. The formal definition is the computer merging of multiple photographs with a high tonal range to create a standard dynamic range photograph. In the end it will create in you a new way of seeing. Hopefully, it will energize you and get you out shooting just for the fun of it, as it has for me. Most of the images I have are relatively new and have been done in the past year and

a half. So it is still new to me and I am constantly evolving. Here is how I do it and my reason for each technique.

Below is a photo taken on Jekyll Island at Driftwood Beach, this was the only series I took as I had to wait for people to get out of the image and as you can see to the right a major storm was coming. I completed the first set and saw the storm. I was going to do one more but decided to get going as it was a long walk back to the car. I just made it to the car when the storm hit.

HDR’s begin with deciding on a composition.

You should consider something with a lot of detail. Then you need to expose a minimum of two exposures up to nine.

The idea is to make enough exposures

to capture all the detail that you want to convey. You can do five frames with a one stop difference between exposures or two stops difference. For example, if you decide to do this technique, you will be photographing -4 stops, -2 stops, normal, +2 and finally +4. This has become my choice recently. For a while I was doing three exposures with a two stop difference but I did n o t

a maximum of nine. The most important thing to consider is the lightest image must have detail in the shadows and the darkest image must have detail in the highlights. The more exposures you use the more likely there will be chromatic aberrations and noise. Also, you can manually bracket or use auto bracketing in your camera. I would prefer letting my camera bracket for me because it is very efficient, but mine will not bracket with a two-stop difference in exposure so I manually set mine. If you use auto bracketing, don’t forget to set your drive to continuous and hold the shutter release button down. It will continue to take photographs until the full bracket is complete. Cool.

Additionally, I recommend shooting with a tripod so that there will be minimum movement between frames. What happens if you do not use a tripod?

feel I was getting enough detail in the high end (whites). Just know that you need a variety of identical images which only vary in exposure and that most HDR programs require a minimum of two and

Your images will not line up perfectly so that when you combine them all there will be ex-

cess unusable images around the edges which need to be cropped out (see previous image). Not the end of the world, but you typically are after detail when you shoot HDR’s so use a tripod! Recently, I was in Alaska and hiked to the Harding Ice field. This was a ten hour hike so I did not carry a tripod. Because of this when I processed the images I had to crop out where the images did not match up perfectly.

When you bracket, you can only bracket with your shutter speed; if you should bracket with your aperture, your depth of field changes and it does not work. By the same token if you refocus between frames it will not work, so manually focus or turn off auto focus. Keep in mind that you want to shoot as quickly as possible to prevent things from moving between exposures.

Should you shoot RAW or Jpegs? I prefer RAW but I am a raw shooter. The detail that I get is awesome. I do end up with large files because one raw file alone is about 25 megabytes and if you shoot five frames ‌ you do the math. I have many friends who shoot Jpeg and they love it and the files are smaller. Processing time is less for them. In the end the decision is yours. The more frames you shoot affects processing times as well as the size of each image. Technically, though, consider this, if you are shooting in a 12 bit RAW file you have 2048 levels available

dedicated to the highlights, in 8 bit JPEG you only have 69 levels.

The next step is to process your images or more popularly called tone mapping, which is adjusting the tones within your image to your liking and so that they fit on a stan-

dard tones photograph.

In this article we will talk about using Photoshop, Photomatix or NIK HDR Efex. There are a few more programs but these are the ones I have tried.

The image in the snow is Whiteside Mountain in North Carolina. I have a graphite tripod and it still froze my hands. The wind was howling so I had to wait for breaks in the wind but it was worth it.

NIK HDR Efex Pro, $150, is the easiest to use but takes the longest to process. It has many presets for you to choose from so you just hover over the preset to see if

you like the outcome. You then have the option to customize all the settings.

Photoshop CS4, not very good, but CS5, Rocks! And you may already own it so this will not cost you anything to try it.

Photoshop does the best job of lining up the images but gives us only four options to process with limited control in CS4.

CS5 opens up the opportunities for us to play.

Finally, Photomatix Pro, $99, once you have imported all your images and begin tone mapping them you will see that you have two ways of processing: detail enhancer or tone compression. I prefer detail enhancer as that is my main reason for HDRing. Photomatix gives me unlimited control of all aspects of the process which lets me run to the wild side or should I say hyper real and then return to reality which is what is generally accepted.

I have tried these three programs and prefer Photomatix. It seems to give me the control I need.

It does not have

as many presets as NIK but I can create as many as I like. It processes faster than the other two and it has a batch processing feature I like to use.

I hope you found this article helpful, and happy shooting or should I say HDRing.

The beach scene was taken on Foley Beach this past Thanksgiving break.

The clouds were clearing and I could see a break in the clouds. This is off to the right. I had to put up with a beach bum who was still buzzed from the night before. He was completely unbuttoned with a suite jacket on and bragged of his many escapades. I would love to show you the photos of him. Email me and I will get them to you. By the way, he claimed to be a photographer‌

In part two of this article, which will be

in the next issue of the Focus, Jeff will walk us through the processing of the images. Be sure to look for it.

Jeff Gulle is an honor graduate of North Georgia Tech’s photography program and has a BA from Armstrong Atlantic State University with a concentration in Art. He is a Certified Professional Photographer and is expected to get his Photographic Craftsman degree in January 2112. Jeff began teaching at Southeastern Center for the Arts and is currently at North Georgia Tech. He has been a working photographer for over 25 years, working full time as a photographer for the State of Georgia and the city of Atlanta before being self employed. Jeff lives in the beautiful North Georgia mountains with his wife and two kids. Jeff is currently serving as the Area Director for

the Northeast Area of the Georgia Professional Photographers Association.

If you have any ideas for programs for area meetings or would like to share your knowledge, contact Jeff at jgulle@ northgatech.edu

On Location Senior Portraits efficient, accurate and impactful!

by Ty and Shannon Fisher

On location senior photography is a

much different monster than studio senior photography.

An on location photographer is unable to shoot as many seniors in a day, while working with uncontrollable elements such as wind, sun, clouds, rain, etc. Also, a great deal of travel may be involved if working in a large area. To be successful and profitable you must be able to deal with the conditions, work around obstacles while creating an exciting atmosphere for your senior client.

Scheduling for efficiency.

Our studio shoots an average of 3-4 high school seniors per day within a 60 mile radius covering approximately 30 high schools. So how do we contain this logistical nightmare and chaotic travel schedule? It starts with our scheduling.

My wife Shannon takes care of all of our

(Photo 09) scheduling and she fills each day with seniors in a close proximity of each other.

Every senior we bring through our door goes through a picture consultation and expresses their interests, hobbies and type of environment they prefer.

Through our consult we can then best determine what type of location would be best for them based on their response and the session they and their parents

have selected for senior portraits. Shannon will then group our seniors together based on these responses so that we are spending the day either in the same city, county or area allowing us to increase and maintain our senior clientele.

Out in the field we must be mobile and accurate.

Our sessions are based on hours for our seniors. We have a one, two and three hour session. The amount of locations each senior gets to choose is based on their session. One hour yields one location, two hours yield two and our three hour yields three. On many days we can be shooting from 6-8 hours. We do not have a lot of time for mistakes and lugging around heavy equipment. For these reasons we have carefully selected the best equipment to keep us moving and making correct images in the camera.

Our on location lighting equipment is lightweight and simple. We use Elinchrom Quadras (see photo 01)

(Photo 01)

for our on location lighting. These lights are powerful, up to 400ws, light, head weighs 1/2lb and battery weighs 3lbs.

The lights are triggered wirelessly by a hot shoe receiver called and an Elinchrom Skyport. The Skyport serves as more than just a wireless transmitter for triggering your light(s). It also has power buttons on the transmitter that allow you to control the output of your light in 1/10 increments. There is also a button for turning on your modeling light (see photo 02) We have used several different light setups in the field and I cannot say enough great things about the Elinchrom Quadras. These lights allow us to move quickly and are able to light any location.

Larger heads may not be (Photo 02) able to be set up due to the space we have to work with or terrain. During our senior sessions our main goal is to get the image correct in the camera. I am not a believer of the words "it can be fixed in Photoshop". I make money when I am shooting in the field not sitting behind the computer editing. For these reasons we carry a light meter and a gray card. Before every location set up we meter our light and set our white balance with a gray card. This allows me to get the shots I need quickly and accurately. Knowing my light is dialed in correctly and my

skin tones are properly balanced allows me to worry more about the vision I am

(Photo 03)

trying to create for our senior at that particular location (see photo 03). This also allows me to show our senior the back of my camera during the shoot to make sure we are headed in the right direction. We want our seniors to be excited about their experience and their pictures. What better way than to be able to share the images that day with them from the back of the camera.

If you are not metering your light and producing proper skin tones in camera, you cannot share this experience with your client. Not to mention that you are spending more time photographing and editing than necessary. If you want to be successful and profitable with on location photography, you must be able to spend more time with clients and less time with your computer and camera.

I have a goal for each image that I edit to take less than 2 minutes. I am usually able to meet or exceed this goal due to proper in-camera techniques. I also

do not believe in the "spray and pray" method. This is where the photographer ends up taking a gazillion images of their client and they have a few different looks or poses. The goal for every shoot should be to shoot less. Meter your light, set your white balance via gray card, put your client in the proper pose, take the picture and move on.

One thing is for sure if when photographing high school seniors. They like to bring lots of clothes and accessories.

We love it when a senior has a variety of outfits. We want them to have several different looks throughout their session.

However, this can also pose as a problem if not handled correctly. We need to be able to transport their outfits throughout the location(s) and provide them with privacy to change their clothes. I am not a big fan of having a client change in their car or behind a bush. For these reasons we bring a utility wagon with us on the majority of our shoots. "Juanita" our affectionately named utility wagon, sports a clothes hanger pole made of PVC (see photo 04) that allows us to transport

(Photo 04)

our equipment, refreshments for the client and their clothing. For changing purposes we have purchased a pop-up changing room. (See photo 05) You can purchase these at http://www.portablechangingroom.com/

(Photo 06)

(Photo 05) Your client wants something special.

Make an impact.

By being efficient and accurate during an on location shoot, I now have more time to create something special for my client. The greatest joy Shannon and I receive is when a senior is wowed by their images. Our sessions are primarily stress-free, fun and creative. By having the right equipment and proper in-camera set up, my mind is more focused on creating beautiful images. (See photos 06, 07, 08, 09) Ty & Shannon Fischer Fischink Photography Springfield, Ohio www.fischink.com

(Photo 07)

(Photo 08)

GPPA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ENTRY FORM (Print This Page and fill in your information)

The MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP is an excellent opportunity for professional photographers to further their education in photography. For over twenty years the GPPA has given a scholarship in memory of our many members who have passed away. Every member has a part in presenting this scholarship, as one dollar from each member’s yearly dues is placed in a special account to finance the Scholarship fund.

Any GPPA member who has not previously been awarded the Memorial Scholarship is eligible to apply for this scholarship. The winner of the scholarship will receive a full tuition to the Georgia School which is held each year at North Georgia Tech in Clarkesville, Georgia. The Georgia School is an excellent way for photographers to receive invaluable hands-on training in the photographic field and help in furthering their photographic careers.

Entrant’s Name: _________________________________________________________ Studio: _________________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________ State: _________ Zip: ____________ Home Phone: (_______) _______________ Work Phone: (______) _________________ Please attach a sheet or sheets with your answers to the following questions: 1.

Why did you pursue photography as a profession?

2.

What are your ultimate professional goals?

3.

Why are you applying for the Memorial Scholarship, and how do you feel that winning the scholarship will benefit you?

4.

If you were to win the scholarship, what type of class would you take and why?

The following items must be included with the application: 1.

A sealed confidential letter from an employer giving an evaluation of the entrant (not applicable for self-employed); 2.

A brief resume of photographic experience and training, as well as general education and background; 3.

A written reference from another in the photographic profession (other than the employer who wrote letter #1 above;.

4.

A portfolio of twelve 8x10 or 10x10 photographs showing your individual work; a variety of subject matter is strongly encouraged. Color transparencies may be included as part of the twelve entries.

Entries must be submitted in a portfolio case, album or binder; cardboard boxes, manila envelopes and other types of containers will not be accepted. Professionals may not submit work taken in a class which has been set up by another photographer or instructor.

For more information contact Memorial Scholarship Chairman.

All entries must be delivered to the SEPPA/GPPA Convention Registration Desk by 12:00 Noon, Sunday, March 27, 2011.

The Nominating Committee has nominated the following individuals to be re-elected to three year terms as Director At Large at the 2011 Membership meeting to be held during the SEPPA Convention.

Sherri Noftsinger has been a member of GPPA for 15 years and has served on the Board of Directors since 2003. She has been an active volunteer in the Association serving on various committees during the years including Print Exhibit, Registration, Decorating and Hospitality. Sherri was the Print Exhibit Chair for 3 years and is currently serving as the 2nd Vice President for GPPA. Sally McCreery Jackson owns and operates Carpe Diem Studio in Savannah, Ga. She has just recently made the major change from working in a commercial studio space to photographing in the home studio she built with the help of her husband, Bill. Sally has been a working professional photographer for over 20 years and has served the GPPA on its Board of Directors for nine of those years.

She has volunteered on most every GPPA committee and chaired more than a few. Sally is a PPA Certified Professional Photographer and has earned both the Georgia Service and Fellowship Degrees. Her formal education was at the University of Georgia where she received a BFA in Photography and Graphic Design (but she will tell you that everything she really needed to know about the art, science, philosophy, and ethics of being a true professional she learned from her peers in the GPPA.) For this reason she is happy to repay this debt by serving as Director at Large.

Lora Baxley has served on the Board of Directors for the last five years. She has volunteered on many committees over the years. She is currently the chairman of the Outreach Committee, Mentor program and Print Exhibit Committee. Lora has earned her Service Degree as well as her Fellowship Degree. She believes in the power of the GPPA to help further her knowledge in photography and grow her business. Lora and her husband own and operate Fitz-Symms Photography in Augusta, Georgia.

The Nominating Committee has nominated the following individual to be elected to serve a one year term as director At Large, filling an unexpired term, at the 2011 Membership meeting to be held during the SEPPA Convention.

Mike Bentley, Cr. Photog., CPP, GSD. Mike attended his first GPPA convention in 1978 just before entering the NGT photography program. After graduating from NGT Mike went to work in Lawrenceville at Williams Routh and Associates Photography and later worked at Sea Island Photography before opening his studio in Winder in 1990. In the 90’s Mike spent 6 years on the GPPA board, three as area director and three as director at large. Mike’s studio specializes in portraits of children, seniors, families, bridal and business portraits.

Any person wishing to serve as a Director At Large should make arrangements to be nominated to run for the position. Nominations may be made once the floor is opened for nominations. The person being nominated must be present to accept the nomination and have someone speak on their behalf.

GPPA PRINT COMPETITION 2011 This year will be exciting as we partner with SEPPA for our Print Competition. There are several new changes that are important to keep in mind as you prepare your entries.

All Images must be uploaded through PPA to be eligible for the competition.

(If you are not a PPA member you will be given a temporary number to use) All GPPA members who are eligible for Georgia Print Awards MUST send a separate CD along with the GPPA PRINT FORM to the address listed below.

The image entered must have the print title and category. These forms will be available to download from the GPPA web site.

There will be a maximum of four submissions per entrant, including albums.

All fees must also be prepaid through this process. No Checks or Credit Card numbers will be accepted if sent with print case. It is important to abide by the SEPPA rules and deadline which are available to view on the SEPPA website. Please view this site because THE RULES HAVE CHANGED. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Lora Baxley 706-724-7759 Studio 803-215-5908 cell Address to send CD of images and GPPA Print FORM for Georgia Awards.

Fitz-Symms Photography Attn: Lora Baxley 1552 Walton Way Augusta, Georgia 30904

The 12 Elements of a Merit Print Paul Wingler, M.Photog.Cr.

Well, it’s that time of year again when many

of us have put off until the call goes out for our states print competition. We scramble to pull what we think are our best images and then we take a moment to think who the judges will be…to maybe pull images to their liking.

Like that makes a difference…HA! Certainly, each judge has their specialty, so to speak, but when it comes right down to the judging, each of us look at the image that is before us. In a few short seconds, we view the image, we are moved or not moved by the impact, look at the technical aspects and render a score. Of course it is much more than this and I would like to share my perspectives…as one that has entered, earned the Masters degree and as one that has judges, critiques and teaches. It doesn’t make me the “expert” on the subject, but going through the process, if you will, I have gained some valuable knowledge from this great educational process.

The 12 Elements…What is this? And why do we have twelve and why is there such a wide range and what appears to be an inconsistency in this process? First we must realize that photography is an art form…it is subjective to and by every person that looks at your image. The twelve elements are merely a guideline that judges use. Based on their experience, their taste, and how they are impacted by an image. I will say the impact of an image weighs very heavily in within the twelve elements. Let’s continue to explore these elements in what seems to be the order of importance; and let’s start with IMPACT. Impact is the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images

evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder or another intense emotion. There can be impact in any of the twelve elements. Take a moment and think about those images you have seen that have created a very strong emotion.

When we continue to talk about Impact there are two types of impact that one needs to consider. I know in my case, as a judge, these two types of impact are always to the forefront.

They are Fleeting Impact and Lasting Impact.

Fleeting Impact is an image that, of course, has some type of immediate impact upon the initial viewing of the image. Its elements of shape, form, rhythm, color harmonies may all be there. Even the technique that is applied to the image may be just fine…but does it evoke a strong emotion? Are these elements strong?

Or are they bold? Do you have a strong sense of awe about this image? Do you desire to spend more time viewing this image and enjoy everything about what this image has to say to the viewer? OR…is it an image “normal” kind of image that can be achieved by most anyone? Does it have that “snapshot” quality?

Is it one of those images that you appreciate but are ready to move on to the next image?

We have all seen or even produced this type of image. These are the type of image that I refer to as having a Fleeting Impact and it will not render a great score from the judges.

On the other end of the spectrum, Lasting Impact is exactly the opposite. It evokes strong emotions, it has a strong story telling element.

There is a strong design in shape and form, color harmonies, powerful lighting, both in direction and quality. The presentation is balanced and harmonious…the bottom line is…

you want to take in everything about this image…how it was made, what is the background of this image, how was it made and the questions may go on forever…you, the viewer are drawn very deep into the image. It has a Lasting Impact…again, we have all seen these and most of us have produced these. The question is, at what level of impact does the image speak to you…better yet, the judging panel? Let’s discuss more of the twelve elements and how they play a part of the level of impact of a merit print.

Creativity is the original fresh and external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message or thought. Sometimes we simply refer to it as STORYTELLING. Creativity allows the artist to use things such as form, texture, color, subject placement to present a thought in an artful, creative way. American Cartoonist, Sam Adams, said “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep”.

Technical Excellence refers to the print quality of the image. Retouching, manipulation, sharpness, exposure, printing, control of the light, the application of the technique and how well all of this is handled is consider within the realm of technical excellence. It MUST come together with a high degree of mastery that will make an IMPACT to the viewer…the judges.

Composition is important to the design of an image. It brings all the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose or story of the image. Strong or proper composition holds the viewer in the image and prompts the viewer to look where the maker intends. Effective composition can be pleasing or disturbing, depending on the intent of the image maker.

There are Elements of art and photography that help make this happen. Let us understand that all artists/photographers have the same elements of art to with to work with AND all the

art in the world is done with one or more of these elements. Lines can be used as creating shapes or be used as a framing device. They can also be used to lead the viewer to the subject that the maker intended the viewer to go.

As mentioned, lines can be used as a framing device. It can be used to help contain the image, drawing the viewer to a specific spot. Color, Value, Texture, and Space can add exciting elements to a composition. When the image is presented to the viewer or judge, the ability to put these elements together in an effective, harmonious way is very important. Are the color palette work together to set the mood… this is true of the lighting and the application of textures…is the image enhanced by these elements, or has it created a confusing tension for the viewer. Have they come together as a “total package” to give the depth and dimension and “believability” to the image? Or, have these particular elements effectively created a fantasy? All this sets a tone or mood for the viewer…depending on how well the maker creates and composes the elements they have to work with.

Lighting refers to the use and control of light.

How well was the light used or placed to create dimension, shape and roundness. Was the light that was applied to an image man made light, such as studio or strobe lights, incandescent light, etc. or was it natural light? And was it properly used to create shape and dimension? Did it enhance the subject, or did it created confusion? Was it a soft quality of light or harsh and dramatic? Does you light selection and placement evoke the kind of emotion you want to viewer to have?

Style is defined in a number of ways as it applies to a creative image. It might be defined by a specific genre or simply recognizable as the characteristics of how a specific artist applies light to a subject. It can impact an image in a positive manner when the subject matter

and the style are appropriate for each other, or it can have a negative impact when they are at odds. One example of this could be a low key subject is placed in a high key environment or a very soft painterly technique is applied to a very hard, edgy commercial structure.

Print Presentation affects an image by giving a finished look. The mats and borders used should support and enhance the image, not distract from it. Some examples I have seen with this has been, the border color being out of key with the image or the misuse of color selection for the border. A key line (penline or image stroke line) being out of key with the image or too large or both…creating more attention to the presentation than the actual image. Again, it should ENHANCE…not DISTRACT from the image.

Center of Interest is the point or points on the image where the maker wants the viewer to stop as they view the image. There can be primary and secondary centers of interest. Occasionally there will be no specific center of inters, when an entire scene collectively serves as the center of interest. Sometimes this may be a scenic, an abstract, a scene of a crowd, to mention a few.

Subject Matter should always be appropriate to the story being told.

Color Balance supplies harmony to an image.

An image in which the tones work together, effectively supporting the image, can enhance its emotional appeal. Color balance is not always harmonious and can be used to evoke diverse feelings for effect.

Technique is the approach used to create the image. Printing, lighting posing, capture, presentation media and more are part of the technique applied to an image. One thing that should be pointed out, with all the plug-ins and software that are available to us today, one should consider the use of these applications.

One of the things we consider when viewing

the image is…do we see the technique first or the beauty of the image. As in everything the image maker needs to consider if the technique enhances the image or distracts from the image.

And finally Story Telling refers to the image’s ability to evoke imagination. One beautiful thing about art is that each viewer might collect his own message or read her own story in an image.

I would ask you to remember when submitting your image for competition it is not just about the awards, although, that is a very nice thing. But, it is you are competing against yourself, if you will. To put your best before a panel of your peers and receive a score of what they believe is representative of your work (average, above average, excellent, superior, etc.). This gives you a great gauge to see where your work stands. It is also an opportunity to sit down with the judges and get critiqued and guidance as to improving your work.

I hope this has shed some “light” on the subject of competition and what the judges are looking for. I also hope that this has, in general, been of help to simply make your everyday images better. I wish each and every one of you that compete this year the best!

Editor’s Note: This year Georgia is hosting the SEPPA District Print judging so some of the rules are different from our typical Georgia print rules.

Make sure to pay close attention. Additionally there is only one judging. You can only enter one case so if you want to enter the prints that you entered in Georgia last year you will only be entering for the SEPPA Judging. Good Luck and remember that SEPPA has instituted a Degree program beginning this year. Information on the Georgia Degree program are on page 35.

2011 May 15-16 g n i r Atlanta Sp n o i t en v n Co Sunday Aaron Adams - Senior Portraits Marci Sandler - Making Masterpieces See page 33 for a description of Marci’s Program

Monday

Thomas and Mario Munoz - High End Weddings and Portraits

Sunday Night

Equipment Auction- Bring the props and equipment that you don’t use and come prepared to purchase new ones.

All Auction items must be registered online here.

Sunday Night Party- All Registered Attendees welcome to attend

Free to all pre-registered GPPA members non members $99 Register Here

Crown Plaza Perimeter NW 6345 Powers Ferry Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30339 770-395-7700 Call now for reservations.

Room Rate $79 a night.

Marci Sandler MAKING MASTERPIECES Do you want to separate yourself from masses of photographers that are competing for your business? Offer your clients something the others can’t do!

Dreamscapes are a product that will set you apart from the rest of the market, enhance your reputation as an “Artist” and increase your averages significantly.

This seminar will include a live demonstration of creating a Dreamscape . Using a variety of Photoshop techniques, Marci will show how easy it is to create a true work of art from start to finish in less than an hour.

Some of the techniques covered include using Layer Masks, Layer Modes, Adjustment Layers, Brushes, Textures, Styles, Painting in Photoshop and adding enhancements. Those that are unfamiliar with using these techniques will find it easy to understand and those already familiar with them will learn of new and exciting things that can be done with them. Many of these techniques will also prove extremely helpful in other photographic applications.

BIO Marci Sandler started as a Photojournalist and then worked in Commercial photography before finding her true passion of creating artistic portraits of people.

Essentially a “one-woman show” she has gained the reputation in her community of being “Expensive, but worth it.”

Marci has won numerous awards over the years including a number of Best of Show awards and swept the Portrait Album Category taking first, second and third place for her creative album designs. Her Senior Portrait album was published in the prestigious Loan Collection, and selected as a Top Ten Portrait Album by PPA.

The Georgia Professional Photographers Association Presents

y a d n u S 1 1 . t p e S 1pm

Canon Explorer of Light

Ken Sklute

In a FREE Program This Program is sponsored by Canon

Click here to Register

Pre registration is required to attend this event.

Clegg Auditorium North Georgia Technical College 1500 Highway 197 North - Clarkesville, GA 30523

It’s all in the Light!

This program covers lighting techniques in detail. “I will go over window light, single flash, multiple flashes, working with various light modifiers, working with tungsten light, and of course the mixed bag of existing illumination.” Ken will share with you a wide variety of unique light sources in order to produce unique images for your portrait and wedding clients. Ken will cover ETTL Off-Camera flash, tungsten lighting, strip lights, large light sources, working with the edge of light, and multiple flashes to create a contemporary look to your existing vision.

This is a class that will discuss shooting with all of these lighting techniques.

You will raise the bar of your photography immediately upon returning to your business!

Ken Sklute has been honored as one of Canon’s Explorers of Light, a designation shared by

only 60 photographers worldwide. During his photographic career, Ken has been named Photographer of the Year 27 times between Arizona, New York, and California. Ken has accomplished his Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees from the PPA; Accolade of Photographic Mastery, Accolade of Outstanding Photographic Achievement, Accolade of Exceptional Photographic Achievement, Accolade of Highest Photographic Achievement, and the Accolade of Lifetime Photographic Excellence. Ken was recently named the 2010 Landscape Photographer of the Year from the Professional Photographers of California. In 2009, he was awarded the Photographer of the Year from the Professional Photographers of California and the Illustrative Photographer of the Year. Ken has been awarded Best in Show at the Western States Regional Print Competition, the PPA National Award, Photographer of the Year-Western States Regional Print Competition, and Photographer of the Year-Silver Level from the PPA. The Year 2005 saw Ken receive the Drag Racing Photographer of the Year from CompetitionPlus.com, Wedding Photographer of the Year, and Photojournalist of the Year from the Professional Photographers of California, as well as receiving the Heidi Mauracher Starlite award for Best Wedding Photograph. Ken has received 14 Kodak Gallery awards and 15 Fuji Masterpiece Awards. Ken spends much of his time teaching and lecturing both Nationally and Internationally.

Ken will Also be teaching at this year’s Georgia School

Georgia PPA Degree Program Purpose and Eligibility In 1982 the Board of Directors of the Georgia Professional Photographers Association developed a program by which to honor an association member who had given unselfishly of their time and/or effort and/or shown outstanding photographic ability in the State of Georgia.

The Board realized then, as now, that without these dedicated persons that the future of the association, as well as the professional growth of the photographers in the state would not be nearly so bright.

The purpose of the Georgia PPA Degree Program is to honor and show appreciation of those members who have demonstrated time and again the true spirit of the profession.

Also, the Board of Directors felt that a program to stimulate interest on the state level by offering a tangible form of recognition would only benefit the Association and its members. The degrees, which are earned by an accumulation of merits awarded for service and outstanding photography may also act as an incentive to members to revitalize their interest and enthusiasm, as well as to entice nonmembers to become involved in the Georgia Professional Photographers Association.

The degrees are available to any active, associate, or honorary life member in good standing, provided that he or she has been a continuous member of the association for three consecutive years immediately prior to the date of the degree is to be awarded and that he or she has met the requirements and achieved all merits necessary to qualify for each degree as set out in the guidelines to follow. Each award is subject to the approval and

scrutiny of the Degree Committee and the Board of Directors.

Georgia Fellowship Degree

To become eligible for receipt of the Georgia Fellowship Degree, an individual must obtain a total of thirty (30) merits. Twenty (20) of these merits MUST be print merits and the remaining ten (10) may be either print or service merits. Five (5) of the remaining ten merits may be from educational merits. • A maximum of twelve (12) print merits may be awarded per year to any one GPPA member.

Georgia Service Degree

To be eligible for receipt of the Georgia Service Degree an individual must have obtained no less than 30 service merits. Up to 5 of those merits may come from educational merits. • No more than 15 service merits will be awarded to any one member in any one year.

Additional Merit Bars

Additional Merit Bars may be awarded to an individual who has obtained 30 additional service merits or print/album merits after the initial receipt of his/her Georgia Service and/ or Fellowship Degree. All merits used in application for additional bars must be newly acquired and can not have been previously claimed toward a degree.

Check the Georgia School Web Site For the latest Class Listings and Descriptions September 11-16

Louis Tonsmeire - Basic Photography Ken Sklute - Advanced Lighting Techniques Tentative:

Thomas and Mario Munoz - High End Weddings and Portraits Tentative:

Larry Peters - Senior Portraits

Register before April 30 to Save 50.00 on your tuition.

GPPA General Membership Meeting April 27, 2010 Albany, GA. LaRita Hulsey opened the meeting. Sherri Noftsinger confirmed a quorum.

Spencer Smith gave the invocation.

Louis Tonsmeire moved not to read the minutes from the previous General Membership

Meeting. Sundra Paul seconded.

Sherri Noftsinger gave the Treasurer’s Report.

Danny Spears made a motion to nominate the following members for 3 year terms: Jill Stringfellow Spencer Smith MelanieBurney

Steve Bracci seconded.

LaRita Hulsey called for additional nominees from the floor. Seeing none, Sally

Jackson moved to close the nominations. Jill Harrelson seconded. These

nominees were appointed by acclamation.

Kevin Jiminez gave the PPA council report: In 2009, PPA increased it’s membership to 1.7 million. As of November, total assets reached $60,889,241.00. Imaging USA in Phoenix was the 2nd best attended convention for PPA. Revenue increased $280,000.00. The 2011 convention will be in San Antonio, TX., January 16-18. Digital entries will be accepted in 2011. Reason for this: print competition was only entered by 4% of PPA membership. PPA feels this is the only way to increase activity in PEC. Louis Tonsmeire gave the PPA report:

PPA’s mission statement and benefits: Credit card services, indemnification, insurance, copyright protection, studio management services. music licensing, discounts at Books a Million, data recovery.

Predicts tougher judging during print competition.

Tom McCollum gave the SEPPA report:

2011 SEPPA convention will be in Athens March 26-29. Southern Exposure

Magazine is now online and had 10,000 hits in February. The SEPPA Board of

Governors voted to make Georgia the permanent host for judging each year.

LaRita Hulsey presented the Area Directors for their reports:

SW Area- Jill Stringfellow

5/17- Julie Hughes in Perry… there will be online registration available

for this event. (along with all other areas)

7/11- Kevin Newsome in Athens

7/12- Sandy Strickland in Moultrie will speak on Children’s photography

9/12- Phil of CCI in LaGrange (along with NW area)

October- (date TBA)- Beach Portraits on the East coast. (speaker TBA)

NE Area- Steve Bracci

Kevin Jiminez will speak on posing (date & location TBA)

Randy McNeilly (along w/ NW area, date & location TBA)

NW Area- Sundra Paul

8/2- financial planner, professional organizer & life coach seminar

(location TBA)

10/4- “Shoot Around” at Kash Johnson’s studio in Carrolton. RSVP…only

30 attendees allowed.

SE Area- Angie Franklin

6/14- TBA

10/10- Beach “Shoot Around” (along with SW Area) (TBA)

LaRita asked that everyone send their current email addresses to Area Directors.

John Carney gave the Sponsorship report:

18 vendors. Jim Galeazzo is the vendor rep & issued critique cards to vendors. 16 responded they would return next year; 2 are still undecided. There was an overall positive response this year.

Tom McCollum gave the membership report:

223 members, 16 new members.

3 degrees will be presented this year- 1 Fellowship, 1 Service, 1 Service Bar Tom McCollum gave the Georgia School report:

Speakers will be: Suzette Allen, Louis Tonsmeire, Tri Coast, Randy McNeilly,

Greg & Lisa Daniels, Jason Smith.

Dates for Ga School will be in August 22-27. Registration will be open to public

May 1st.

Melanie Burney gave the PEC report:

112 entries, 75 prints, 35 digital images. 92 merits, Average score-80, Average

Student score- 77 LaRita Hulsey gave the Convention report:

Thanked all the speakers, sponsors & vendors. She reminded everyone of the

President’s Reception and Awards Banquet tonite.

Looking forward to the 2011 convention with SEPPA & our formal Awards

Banquet.

Area Directors election results:

SE Area- Angie Franklin

NW Area- Sundra Paul

NE Area- Steve Bracci

SW Area- Lynn Wilkins LaRita thanked all the committee chairs and volunteers and encouraged members to

volunteer and become involved in the association.

Danny Spears moved to adjourn the meeting. Jill Harrelson seconded. Meeting was adjourned.