Chairman of the Board
Doug Peninger dpeninger@SEPPAonline.com
President
George Singleton gsingleton@SEPPAonline.com
1st Vice-President
Kevin Jiminez kjiminez@SEPPAonline.com
2nd Vice-President
Mary Fisk-Taylor mfisktaylor@SEPPAonline.com
Secretary-Treasurer
District of Columbia
Florida
Janet Boschker jboschker@SEPPAonline.com
Salon Exhibition Chair Executive Director
Delaware
Jessica Vogel jvogel@SEPPAonline.com
Georgia
*** Paula Mignagna
***Anthony Maril Joe Tessmer
*** Martin Gudz Kaye Newsome
*** Spencer Smith Jason White
Rick Gibbons ExecutiveDirector@SEPPAonline.com
S out he r n E x p o su re
Souther n Exposure magazine is an online publication of SEPPA and is published monthly. Editor V ictoria Kelly vkelly@SEPPAonline.com 919.818.0726 Ad Sales & Business Manager Rick Gibbons ExecutiveDirector@SEPPAonline.com 866.982.4856
Maryland
*** Lidia Miller Steve Clark
Mississippi/Alabama
*** Wesley Ellis Gil Brady
North Carolina
*** Bruce Williamson Janet Boschker
South Carolina
*** Patty Hallman Gregg Martin
Article & Ad Submissions 5th of every month OnLine Publication 20th of each month SEPPA 3710 North Main Street High Point, NC 27265 866.982.4856 Acceptan ce o f a d v e r t i si n g d oe s n ot c a r r y wi th i t en dor se m e n t b y t h e p ub l i sh e r. Opi n i o ns expre sse d b y Sout h e r n Exp osure o r an y o f i ts aut h or s d oe s n ot n e c e ssa r i l y refl ect t h e p osi t i on s of t h e Sou theaster n Pro fessi on a l P h ot og r a p h e r s A ssoc ia t io n . Asso ci ati on f i n a n c i a l i n f or m a t i on avai la b l e up on re q ue st .
Tennessee
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*** Jeannie Forehand Barbara White
*** Jim Carpenter Robert Holman
*** Pat Dodd Brentv Kepner
*** state president SEPPA representative
Delaware
Mississippi/Alabama
District of Columbia
North Carolina
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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.
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EVERYTHING YOU
PAYDAY
NEED TO MAKE
EVERYDAY.
intuitive.
responsive.
profitable.
DIY Photography: The Pinterest Mentality Christine Walsh-Newton, M. Photog., Cr., CPP Every year Mr. Wootness and I wrap up the spring cleaning/summer transition with some sort of home improvement project. Some years we get off easier than others. This was not one of those years. Last summer we painted the exterior of the house; this summer we decided to replace the carpeting in most of the first floor with hardwood. We had every intention of hiring professionals to do the work. And then we started thinking. And figuring. And adding. And at some point in time I crossed a line and said “It's nailing pieces of wood to another piece of wood, how hard can it be?”
I'm sure you're bracing yourself for a dramatic and/or comedic ending, but believe it or not, there is none. It took about three days, but I installed 3/4” oak flooring in my master bedroom, including the quarter round trim, with no incident. Mr. Wootness did not help me and I've never installed hardwood before. The whole time I did this project, I kept finding parallels to the photographic industry. Somewhere in the process of needing new flooring, I made up my mind that I could reasonably do the job myself. I spent many hours reading hardwood
Christine Walsh-Newton cont’d... installation tutorials online and researching You Tube for videos. I checked home improvement forums and message boards and perused photos of hardwood floors on Pinterest. I read books on installation, asked questions at the hardware store and watched a couple episodes of “This Old House.” I bought tools. Yellow ones, mostly; an air compressor, a pneumatic floor nailer, a nail nailer, a brad nailer (or is that a brad bradder?) and a stapler. Just the fact that I owned these tools had my mother convinced that I could do a variety of repairs around her home. It didn't matter that they were still in their store packaging, I owned them and by osmosis, now possessed all the handy-woman skills that went along with them. I posted progress reports and photos on social media that was met with over-
whelming support. I was super-woman, a go-getter, a hard-worker and other hyphenated descriptive phrases. I was cheered on and encouraged during the process and the results were praised when I was finished. The photographs of the finished floor received many social media “likes,” a true indicator of my hardwood installation skills. And then, there it was... “That looks great, you should do this for a living!” and “Wow! Will you do mine?” And I cringed a little bit inside because it reminded me of the process that many new photographers go through in learning about photography, choosing their gear and gaining their first clients.
Christine Walsh-Newton cont’d... I suddenly realized exactly how easy it is for a budding amateur photographer to get swept into the idea of being a professional photographer. Thank goodness hardwood installation was not the sexy job of my dreams or I'd have been jumping on that as a career based on the feedback I was getting on my floor. I kept waiting for someone to scold me about not hiring a professional, but that never happened. Again, with the similarities. I'm lucky that my hardwood DIY attempt was met with the degree of success I needed it to have. But I'm also smart enough to realize that with good flooring, decent tools and a relatively square room, my chances for failure were minimized greatly. I wasn't trying to create any kind of crazy intricate design and kept the job as simple as possible. I'm also under no illusion that a professional flooring installer isn't gonna laugh his rear-end off when he looks at the finished job. I was able to perform a job that adequately pleased my client; me. But that's where it stopped. Because I pretty much don't know a thing about hardwood except it's pretty. And I can probably tell if it's really screwed up. But, that middle part in there - the part in between “that looks pretty” and “that looks pretty screwed up” – I'm as clueless as Puxtatawny Phil.
into the DIY concept and it makes sense to them to avail themselves of a quality level of photography that the professionals consider to be less than adequate. It's that “good enough” thing. Take a look at Pinterest if you don't believe the number of people that will settle for less than professional results on just about everything in order to save money. The bar to entry has been lowered on many fronts. Folks that would have never considered becoming photographers back in the days of manual everything, large format cameras and film, suddenly have no problem with the modern technology, automatic settings and educational routes that ease the difficulty to near nothingness. Technology and manufacturing have advanced to the point that tasks formerly completely out of our skill sets and abilities are suddenly made much more achievable. Laying a wood floor is so easy today that a 51 year-old woman can single-handedly do it. You couldn't say that a hundred years ago. Instead of going to a home-improvement store, I would have had to start out back in the woods by chopping down a tree. And I would have said “That's OK, dirt floors are fine, thank you very much.”
As are a lot of new photographers. And a lot of clients. Neither realize that what appears to be adequate-quality photography, is in all honesty, not as good as they think it is.
With the current economic suckitude, DIY projects and cost-cutting initiatives are desirable and more common than ever. Educational communities and resources are freely available on the internet at every turn and you can even buy “studio in a box” kits. The world is very learning-friendly these days.
I believe this is thinking that will be difficult to adjust. The public has already bought
Photography has become a DIY project in a world with a Pinterest mentality.
Christine Walsh-Newton cont’d... In a way, I think we are trying to hold onto the photographic industry's non-DIY status that it used to have. There was a nice distinction between pro and amateur for a very long time. Not any more. We are watching a very large market adjustment for this industry. And I'm making a guess that the only ones who will successfully make it through that adjustment are those that continually try to achieve a higher level of quality than can be obtained by a DIY-er. I have heard time and again that specialization is the key and I truly believe that. I'm on a mission. To be more educated. More professional. More creative. To develop a reputation for photography so different than the average photographer that it's worth what it takes to get in my studio door. To work smarter, not harder and to never, ever stop learning. To evaluate my strengths and build on them. To take my best skills and make them outstanding. It's not enough any more to learn the basics. You've got to be at the top of your game and as far ahead of the pack of DIY-ers as possible. And then stay there.
Christine is a portrait photographer and owner of Gallery C in Dover, Ohio. She is a co-author of “The Daily Book of Photography” and authors “Wootness: The Big Girl and Guy’s Guide to Starting a Photography Business.”
Save the date SEPPA LIVE! Charlotte, NC May 1-5, 2015
The honest stylized wedding shoot Missy MWAC Stylized Wedding Shoots are all the rage today. They are normally coupled with some kind of photography workshop and marketed as a way to gain experience photographing a wedding. These types of shoots are beautiful and elaborate and include stunning models who play the bride and groom, a ceremony set up, “reception” tables gorgeously adorned with place settings and flowers. Hair and make-up artists are brought in and photographers PAY for the opportunity to photograph the fake wedding at their leisure and then the photographs from the day are often included in the photographer’s portfolio. I get the idea behind them, but they are as much like a wedding as Kool-Aid is like champagne, which, is not at all. I have a better way: I call it “Missy’s Honest Stylized Wedding Shoot”
Missy MWAC cont’d... In my Honest Stylized Wedding Shoot, photographers are on the clock: . 1 They have a start time and a finish time for each portion of the shoot. 2 Although on the clock, the actor playing the bride will arrive 45 minutes late to the location. And her hair and make-up will still have to be finished. 3 The bride and her attendants will not be carefully placed in front of a rustic barn in the countryside, but rather, in a room decorated to look like a nursery in a church with no windows and fluorescent lighting. The photographers will have to work around Mother Goose wallpaper and 12 cribs.
7 During the “ceremony” portion of the Honest Stylized Wedding Shoot, 50 additional people will be brought in and handed cell phones and tablets to use during the ceremony. They will be instructed to hold their devices high in the air and those on the aisle must lean into it and shoot incessantly during the ceremony. 8 Two of the actors playing the groomsmen will be drunk. 9 There will be a separate actor playing the “wedding coordinator” who, in the middle of photographing the formal shots, will surprise the photographers by informing them that their time is now up and they must leave the area before they are finished. 10 It will be hot. Really hot. You will sweat through your shirt.
4 The bride’s dress will be strapless and 2 sizes too small but it will be imperative that you make her look good. She will not just fall into standard model poses. 5 A piece of crucial photography equipment will refuse to work during the shoot. 6 Most of the actors playing the wedding party will complain every five minutes about taking pictures and the actor bride will ask “Are we done yet?” after every grouping. In spite of being impatient, she will still want everything on the list she gave you and expect you to deliver incredible images even though she is rushing you through.
11 The reception tables will not, I repeat, NOT consist of hydrangeas, mason jars, antique shabby chic furniture and chalkboard signs that look like they walked off a cover of Martha Stewart Living. Instead, the tables will have a tiny centerpiece and one votive candle on a mirror. 12 While photographing the first dance at the reception, one of the actors playing a “guest with a camera” will step right in front of you to get her shot. An uncomfortable confrontation will follow. 13
Unlike other stylized wedding shoots,
Southeastern Professional Photographers Association, Inc.
April 18, 2014 The SEPPA Board of Governors, at the annual meeting March 30, 2014, approved a retroactive “amnesty� for the SEPPA degree program. Records submitted since the degree was first approved in 2010 have not been located, so all submissions until May 1, 2015, will be based on an honor system. If you have received print awards, a seal of approval or any qualifying service to the association, please review the degree chart and submit your request to the Executive Director as soon as possible to be eligible for the SEPPA Photographic Fellowship. After May 2015, any credits since 2010 may not be applied to the degree. After 2015, only credits will be applied that are received in the two-year time frame from one SEPPA Live! event to the next. Medallions and ribbons, as described in the degree requirements, will be presented at the 2015 SEPPA Live! event in Charlotte. Douglas W. Peninger SEPPA Chairman of the Board Submit credits to: Rick Gibbons ExecutiveDirector@seppaonline.com
Missy MWAC cont’d... you will not round out the day with drinks and dinner. Oh no. You will leave Missy’s Honest Stylized Wedding Shoot hungry, dripping with sweat, with aching arms, painful feet and a voucher for Applebees, ‘cause that’s the only thing open. On second thought, just forget it. This would never sell; the fake wedding shoot sounds like much more fun. xoxo,
Save the date
Missy
SEPPA LIVE! For more of Missy’s out-of-this-world view of (p)rofessional (p)hotography, visit her website at www.missymwac.com
Charlotte, NC May 1-5, 2015
Visit us online: www.SEPPAonline.com
com•po•si•tion noun: the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole
The Twelve Elements DeMystified: composition Janet Boschker, M.Photog., Cr., F-ASP
This month’s twelve elements topic is composition – a complex subject that entire books have been written about – how in the world do we demystify this broad topic in just a page or two? Not an easy task, but I will attempt to touch on some things that may be helpful to you in print competition. One of my favorite explanations is by Paul Strand – one of the iconic photographers of the twentieth century: “Composition – how you build a picture, what a picture consists of, how shapes are related to each other, how spaces are filled, how the whole thing must have unity.” There are many tools at our disposal to strengthen the composition of an image
– most familiar to us is the rule of thirds – simply divide the image into thirds horizontally and vertically, and where those lines intersect lie “power points”. When composing an image, place your main subject on one of the power points, then look for leading lines that will lead the viewer’s eye there. Use the principal of dynamic symmetry when introducing a secondary subject – this will create a pleasing balance and implied lines will cause the viewer to go from one element to the other. The concept of foreground, middle ground and background will create depth – a three dimensional feeling that will draw the viewer into the image. Add compositional framing to hold the viewer’s attention.
Janet Boschker cont’d... Unusual cropping can create interesting shapes that increase impact. Repetition of color, shape or textures can create a pleasing rhythm in an image. Use the contrast of warm and cool colors to intensify the feeling of depth – warm colors appear to advance whereas cool colors tend to recede. Consider line direction to create mood – horizontal lines are calming, vertical lines can represent strength and diagonal lines are very active.
and organize the important visual elements to effectively convey a feeling. This topic of compostition is a lifelong learning experience – enjoy the journey!
Janet has been judging for many years and advises photographers as a competition coach. Her studio is in Charlotte.
The decision making process begins with being open to possibilities – what we see depends on what we are interested in, what we are looking for and what our minds are prepared to show us. Exposing ourselves to imagery of all types will build a virtual image bank in our mind that we can draw on when opportunities present themselves. Visit art galleries and notice the powerful composition of successful artists past and present. Be aware of how color, shape and line lead you through their paintings. Attend live performances and experience composition and lighting on stage choreographers have created to visually guide you through the performance. Find inspiration by visiting botanical gardens and being attentive to the arrangement of colors and textures. Once you find where your interests lie and learn about your preferred subject, you can begin to isolate parts of the scene
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Janet Boschker cont’d...
Joe Campanellie “Storm Warning”
Bill Barbosa “Spellbound”
Tim Kelly “Flowers, Flowers, Flowers in her Hair”
creating an editorial calendar Victoria Kelly, Cr.Photog., CPP Here at SEPPA we are already in the midst of the planning for SEPPA Live! in 2015. It’s a big event to plan--speakers need to be booked and we need to work our social media to be sure we are reaching as many people as possible. As the goddess of all things even remotely pertaining to a computer I volunteered to undertake the task of creating an editorial calendar. What’s that, you ask? It’s a calendar that has all of our publishing dates and tasks in one place complete with who is responsible for writing the content. Sound simple? Well, it is. We use Google apps for just about everything so it was fairly simple to create our editorial content using Google calendar. First, I created a new calendar in Google. Then I set up typical publishing dates for content--you know, like a Twitter post on Monday, something pertinent to the industry on Wednesday, and a Facebook
post on Friday. I set these up as recurring events from October thru the end of next April. To keep the math simple, let’s say we have 20 speakers coming. It’s important that THEY push their program content out to THEIR contacts as well. So I’ve included reminders on the calendar with the speakers we have booked so we are hitting different social media with different content just about every day of the week. Next, I invited our SEPPA executive committee to share the calendar so that all of us can see WHAT will be posted, WHO is going to post it and from WHERE the content is coming. It’s easy to use and effective--so effective, in fact, I’ve created one to go live in my studio in July. Try it--and see how much easier it is to keep up with your social media content!
carolina photo expo 2014 Tim Hester, Ellen LeRoy, Convention Chairs No one would deny that the last 10 years have brought rapid changes to the photographic industry. We have all had to evolve and adjust, yet the classic skills of photography and sound business practices remain important and critical to our success and ability to distinguish ourselves as professionals. The Carolina Photo Expo offers a wider variety of opportunities that attendees will be able to choose from to improve their business and photographic skills. Choices include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Five day-long private classes 12 key-note speakers Private one-on-one mentoring Hands-on demonstrations Social networking events Watching/listening to the judging
Topics this year cover a broader spectrum of photographic genres than ever. These include pets, weddings, bridal portraits, social media marketing, fashion, Painter, landscapes, album design, sales techniques, lighting techniques, posing, Photoshop, high school seniors, classic portraiture, composition, newborns, children, and SEO. On Saturday, our headline speakers begin. First, Beth Forrester will share her very successful pricing strategies. Then, Tamara Lackey will offer her amazing insight and inspiration as she helps us redefine how we view our photography and our businesses. Print competition will continue with the addition of Club 79 to add to the fun. The trade show will begin where dinner will be provided. Fashion photographer Lindsay Adler rounds out the evening with a presentation.
Carolina Photo Expo cont’d... Sunday starts with Alycia Alvarez as she walks us through modern baby and children portraiture. The trade show continues with the addition of live demonstrations. At 11am, we are excited to have rising-star photographer Brian Allen for our devotional, titled “Changing the World One Click at a Time.” After lunch, Joe Edelman will present a program on his successful techniques in beauty and glamour portraiture. To end the day, we will have a “Duck Dynasty Family Reunion” with barbeque, the Band of Oz, and lots of bandanas and camouflage! Anyone who powers through the party can enjoy a late night shoot-out till the wee hours.
annual awards presentation where the winners from the print competition will be announced.
Monday morning starts off with the Munoz Brothers, who have won numerous first place SEPPA and PPA awards in wedding photography. Then, in the afternoon, Tim Walden, a well-recognized leader in the portrait industry, will teach on all aspects of the portrait photography business, showing you how to rise above your competition. The evening ends with our
Visit www.CarolinaPhotoExpo.com to see more details about the schedule, hotel accommodations, the programs, print competition, and to register. In addition, you can keep track of the latest news at the Carolina Photo Expo Facebook page or by following us on Twitter. You may even happen upon special deals and prizes!
Things wind down on v, but not before more great speakers present valuable programs to help your business. Rebecca and Jason Weaver will cover set design, marketing, and shooting to attract high school seniors. Gary Hughes will teach about improving your SEO on the internet, which is a vital part of being successful in today’s market. If you’ve always been interested in Painter, top educator Heather Michelle Chinn will be giving a day-long beginner class to get you started in Painter 12 or X3.
The PPA board took to Capital Hill to talk all things copyright protection. Image courtesy of Hayes and Fisk Photography.
Anatomy of a family session Don MacGregor, M.Photog.Cr, API, SPA, MPA, F/PPABC/A,(HLM) Family portraits are without doubt the most important session we can do. Our families are the“anchor” in our lives. Today, most photographers just go on a family session and take “pictures”, playful and lacking direction, often it’s just capturing the moment. Recording faces is easy. These can be a wonderful memory for our clients and does have value in product lines that are usually lower priced. There is, however, MUCH MUCH MUCH more potential. A big problem we face is the perception
that these Documentary images can also be made by our clients and weekenders with their camera on “P” and enthusiasm. They tend to lack retouching and finesse. What is challenging and far more rewarding (financially and artistically)is capturing each person at their best and showcasing their lifestyle. Family sessions that generate serious sales all start with a consultation (talking about emotional symbols, special places and activities being the key ones). This session defined that we wanted a feeling of the environment in the Austin area…some-
Don MacGregor cont’d... thing “Texas”. While scouting, we looked at a private property in Austin (a medieval theme). Great opportunity but it did not really speak to me of a Texas family. I saw an opportunity during the drive back from the first location with beautiful lines and tremendous depth. At midday it “sucked” in terms of light. The light on the faces was awful and there was no sense of depth to the tones and information through the river and rocks. There was an extreme range of contrast from highlight to shadow, far beyond the capabilities of the camera chip. I explored the location at sunset arriving about a half hour before the sun set over the rolling hills and felt the location had Huge Huge Huge potential. In my mind I designed (roughly) some compositions of the families and determined I could start shooting the smaller group at 7:15, the large group at 7:30 but that was all ok as it is light until about 8:30. The session planning is a fluid effort. I knew we had a family of 12 and the rough ages and sizes. During the evening scout I tried to envision the arrangement of the people, who was sitting or standing. I tried to envision the lines in the background and how I could mirror the “people” composition with the background. I literally walked myself through the potential images and sat where I felt people
could be. Placing myself in their poses was amazing. I FELT what they might feel and that helped me modify my plan so people would not FEEL posed or uncomfortable. Surprise, then, the variable that we often face. One family member HAD to leave by 7:45. We had to do everything in 25 minutes. No worries, we have done some planning! Remember: as a photographer, you are a director, technician, entertainer, comedian and calming influence. Now...What did I miss? With a “vision” of the main group and the individual families, I was able to quickly bring each family member into play. During the whole session, I am talking and encouraging the people, teasing the kids and engaging them in the process. That is critical. When you give direction, you have their attention and trust. When you “hem and hah” and show uncertainty, your clients start to doubt your skills and it becomes harder to regain confidence, especially in the sales presentation. Once we had the original resource captured, I spent time talking to the family and expelling the process of selection and design. I explained at the time of the session (although I also did it during the consultation) about image size and display potential. I also shared the following: “Mrs Jones, I truly appreciate the trust you have given me in creating your family portrait and I am going to ask you to extend that trust a little further. We have made some amazing portraits tonight and I am going to review them all and select what I
Don MacGregor cont’d... feel are the very best..I will enhance them to the best of my abilities. These are the portraits you will select from--if you want to see the others, you are welcome to although I suspect that you won’t want to”. This is a powerful script and the words change here and there depending on the people and situation but the message is the same. I am asking their trust to showcase the best I can do…my master images. When you show them an awesome original (retouching done, head swaps done and every little detail done), the client can’t bring objections up. You wont hear things like “I don't like myself or Billy is not good in this one”. In the almost ten years I have been doing this, I rarely have gone to the image resource with the client. We normally just embrace what I have done and talk positively about display and size. This process absolutely requires respect from your clients and I have to re-enforce that how the clients see you and your efforts before and during the session define that level of respect. In review, successful family sessions are a process: 1.Original contact and express your passion and book consult. 2.Consultation and pre-framing the sale and the process as well as the “vision” for the portrait. Sometimes this is done in the client’s home and that makes life very easy in the following steps.
3.The session and following that a review of the process and building excitement. 4.Projection appointment with prepared master images. 5.Production. 6.Installation of portraits (I always hang wall decor in clients’ homes personally).
Don MacGregor cont’d...
2015 SE District Judging changes 1. In the past, PPA kept $5.00 from each print case fee for administrative purposes and gave the host organization the remaining funds. The first change that will affect SEPPA is that PPA will retain the entry fees in total. 2. District Judging must be held in conjunction with the host’s convention or event. In the past, the judging was held as a separate event and our convention began after or as the judging ended. This means that the District Judging is to be an integral part of the convention. The objective is for more people, PPA members, to be able to attend the judging sessions as a valuable educational opportunity. 3. Since PPA will retain all income associated with each District Judging, PPA will handle the coordination and compensation of the jurors – this includes contracts, travel and per diem. An expected benefit to the hosting organization will be the ability to use jurors as speakers without the expense of paying any share of the jurors’ expenses. The organization will only be responsible for the negotiated speaking fees and related expenses beyond the District Judging portion of the convention. 4. Juror/Judge selection will be the responsibility of PEC. PEC will work with the host to accommodate the use of jurors that the host may wish to use as speakers. 5. The majority of equipment will be provided by PPA, except for the possible use of the host organization’s turntable and sound system. 6. The print crew consisting of a minimum of 6 people are to be provided by the host of the District Judging. Duties of the print crew include: receive print cases, open cases, sort prints, work judging panels, hang print exhibit, tear down print exhibit, pack cases, apply PPA provided shipping labels and have cases picked up for return shipping. 7.
Print crew members who are PPA members will receive PPA service merits.
8. PPA/PEC will pay for all judging related meal functions, breakfast and lunch, each day of judging and will work with the host organization to use the convention hotel and/or convention center catering services. 9. PPA/PEC, when possible, jurors and PPA staff will stay at the host’s convention hotel. 10. PPA/PEC will provide an awards package of trophies or plaques and rosette ribbons to be given based on Grand Imaging Awards categories. (The District host may also offer additional awards at their own expense) 11. The intent is that there be no financial risk to the host organization for the judging events.