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Doug Peninger dpeninger@SEPPAonline.com
President
George Singleton gsingleton@SEPPAonline.com
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Janet Boschker jboschker@SEPPAonline.com
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Jessica Vogel jvogel@SEPPAonline.com
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*** Paula Mignagna
***Anthony Maril Joe Tessmer
*** Martin Gudz Kaye Newsome
*** Spencer Smith Jason White
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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
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*** Wesley Ellis Gil Brady
North Carolina
*** Bruce Williamson Janet Boschker
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Nature. Beauty. Gratitude by Louie Schwartzberg (TED talk) Here’s an opportunity for you to experience acclaimed cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg's TED talk entitled Nature. Beauty. Gratitude. which features breathtaking time-lapse nature photography that is paired with a young girl’s perception of discovering wonders of the world as well as the observations of an elderly man. It takes only 10 minutes. You will be moved.
Here are a few ideas you might take away:
• Every day is a good day. • Act as if this is my first day or the very last day of my life. • What is really important is right now. Open my eyes and heart to all the beauty that is around me. • Show gratitude for this gift of life. Be more grateful to everyone and everything. • Go deeper, as it can lead to more beautiful things. • Behind every face is an incredible story – their story and the story of all their ancestors. • Open your heart to all the gifts that civilization has given, while remembering that millions will never experience the same.
Competition Etiquette 101: Open Your Ears and Shut Your Mouth Christine Walsh-Newton, M. Photog., Cr., CPP
Last week I witnessed some behavior that hurt my heart. Apparently that’s the route to get folks to listen, you say “this hurts my heart.” Honestly, I’d like to say “Ya’ll are acting pretty rude, stop it,” but apparently I’m more PC and in-tune with the masses when I say “this hurts my heart.” Because you know, we just can’t expect people to do things because they’re right and good, we have to do the emotional tug thing. Whatever.
So this is competition season. Woo hoo. Most of the states are done, some of the districts are finished and we’re on the downhill slope towards IPC. Awesome. Everybody is quickly finishing up their images, getting input from their friends who compete or Masters they know and sitting back with sweaty palms for the results. And then the division comes.
Christine Walsh-Newton cont’d...
Some of ya’ll are just happy as clams. But some of ya’ll act like the judges stuck a hot poker in your eye with the way you’re carrying on. Seriously? You loved competition and were all fine and good and excited until you didn’t get the score you wanted. What’s up with the tantrum? I “get” disappointment. I truly do. Disappointment is fine, acceptable and to be expected if you didn’t perform the way you expected to. But don’t churn it up into vitrol and hatred towards the judges. No, they’re not perfect. They’re extremely talented and well-trained and more often than not, I would say that the scores they come up with are a fairly good approximation of the score that image should have received.
unable to objectively make decisions on final trophies and awards that are not dictated by high score. So, ask first if it’s permissible to talk about individual images, yet. Recently, I judged at South Carolina’s state competition, and afterwards, while eating lunch with the other judges, a young fellow named Patrick came in and asked us for input on his images. The group of us spent about fifteen minutes chatting with him about his images. That young man took the time to find out why his images scored the way they did, what he could do to improve them and what he might do in the future to improve his photography, overall.
But they’re human.
That’s what you do. Get in there and ask.
And as such, they are capable of making mistakes. And perhaps that team of judges didn’t see quite what you saw. They didn’t quite get the story you were trying to tell. They didn’t quite agree that the technical components were as well executed as you may have thought. It could be that they were wrong.
And then listen.
But it could be that they weren’t. Exercise your ability to find out WHY your images scored the way they did. Ask the judges. Seriously. Find them and ask them. I used think that I was just bothering the judges, but honestly, it’s not a bother. Just make sure you wait until ALL of the judging is done. If I find out that you are the maker of a particular image, I will be
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.”
Visit her blog at www.wootness.net
“Challenge!”
Why Print Competition? Larry Lourcey, M.Photog.Cr., CPP
In the interest of full disclosure, I will begin with this: I’m addicted to print competition. I’m in love with the process and thrive on the pressure of trying to constantly take my image-making to the next level. People who have never entered competition often ask, “What’s the point of entering?” I guess I can understand the question. After all, your friends and family have already confirmed that your images are among the best in the world- why do you need a panel of PPA judges to confirm this fact?
The answer is that no matter how good you are, there is always room to get better. Your friends and family can’t necessarily help you with that. Competition DEFINITELY can. Back in the “good old days” of film photography, it was easy to tell the pros from the amateurs. The pros had medium format cameras or high-end 35mms. The consumers had point and shoots. The line was very clear. If you wanted a portrait printed on canvas, you had to go to a pro. If you just wanted a 4x6 print,
“Judges, Please Rotate”
you could go to the drug store. All was right in the photography world.
and that’s where print competition comes in.
Unfortunately, as the great Andrew Bernard once said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good ole’ days before you’ve actually left them.” The camera no longer separates the pro from the amateur.
I remember very clearly my very first competition experience. I gathered up four of my best images - every single one was fabulous. At least, that’s what my friends and family had told me. I entered the print case at Southwest and sat through my first day of judging. It was terrifying as I held my breath every time a new image turned. It’s one thing to watch someone else’s images get scored and critiqued, but it is a whole different ballgame when YOUR images are up there.
Unless you are constantly updating your equipment, chances are you have some clients with better cameras than you have. Without the camera to hide behind, you’ve got to find other ways to stand apart from the amateur crowd -
Larry Lourcey cont’d... At the end of the day, all four had come and gone with nothing higher than a 78. As the fourth print disappeared behind the grey curtain, I got up and left. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching a program in the next room. At the end of the day, I met up with my friends who were so excited to tell me that one of my images had been challenged during Ins/
next year I went three for four, with one of them being my first-ever Loan print. I was finally starting to figure out the process. At every competition, you will usually hear someone comment on how hard the judges are this year. I won’t lie to you, I’ve said it myself in the past. What I have discovered, however, is that as my image-making ability improves, so does the image-evaluating ability of the judges. When someone gets four 90s, they rarely complain that the judging was unfair. Likewise, the person with four 75s doesn’t usually sing the praises of judges. That’s just how things work. Trust me on this oneas YOU get better, so will the judges.
Outs and ended up being bumped to an 80! Really? I didn’t even realize that was an option! Thus, my first print merit was earned while I was sitting in the next room. Bummer huh?
I think one of the most misunderstood things in all of competition is the “above average” category- specifically the dreaded “79” that we sometimes end up with.
The next year, I gathered up four images and started the whole process again. Again, the highest scoring image was a 78. I sat patiently, waiting for the judges to realize their error again during Ins/Outs, but this time it didn’t happen.
Next time you have a print get a 77, remember that you are still doing better than the average photographer. You are subjecting yourself to a much higher standard.
It was devastating- so much so that I sat out the next year. I felt like I was wasting my time on a process that I just didn’t understand. Luckily, the competition bug kept gnawing at me. I decided to really study the process and hone my craft. The
If you are entering competition, then “above average” isn’t good enough- we all want to be “more than above average” and that is where you have to start pushing yourself. You have to take risks, add impact and simply be as close to perfect as you can be.
Larry Lourcey cont’d... Somewhere along the way, you figure out there is no final goal. When you finally reach the point where you are going fourfor-four, you will start wanting to get more Loan images. When you get four Loan images, you will want to start winning GIA awards or getting 100 images. Eventually you realize the gold Masters ribbon isn’t the goal - it’s just a side-effect of the process. The real goal is to create better images this year than you did last year. It’s that push for perfection that will set you apart from the crowd. I can’t think of a better way to sum up the competition process, than this quote from Leo Burnett: “When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”
SEPPA celebrates the 11 states in the district:
Florida Mississippi/Alabama Georgia Tennessee West Virginia Virginia
Larry’s studio is located in Plano, Texas. To see more of Larry’s work visit his website at www.lourceyphoto.com
South Carolina North Carolina District of Columbia Maryand Delaware
From Dream to Reality: Made Possible by PPA Charities David Grupa, President, PPA Charities
You could hear the smile in Ania Mikolajewski ‘s voice as she told the story: “It was the funniest thing. I was having lunch with my girlfriend and I said to her ‘you know, I really dream of going to Africa someday.’ So imagine my surprise when (PPA Charities Executive Director) Bert Behnke called me that same evening with the great news!” The great news was that Ania was selected from a group of Celebration of Smiles Day participants as the winner of the Operation Smile mission trip. Her name was drawn at the PPA Charities Celebration
Event held in Atlanta during Imaging USA 2013. Before she went into detail about her amazing journey, she gave credit where it was due. “I learned about Celebration of Smiles Day from (PPA Charities Board Member and COSD Co-Chair) Ann Monteith. She said it would be the best thing I could do to grow my business while projecting a positive image to my clients.” So, Ania got to work. She used flyers provided by Marathon Press at networking events to get new business for headshots.
David Grupa cont’d...
Ania also partnered with a dentist’s office for new business. She found that they were very supportive of the opportunity to be associated with PPA Charities and Operation Smile. “And of course I used Facebook and Twitter. That helped to help get the word out to a lot of people who follow me in social media.” In October 2013, Ania was ready for her 10 day mission to Mombasa, Kenya. Because this was just a week after the Nairobi Mall shooting, security was heightened. Ania says that she really wasn’t afraid. “We traveled in groups and really spent a lot of time at the hospital or our hotel.” Her first three days were spent with the Operation Smile staff doing triage; they needed to determine the best candidates for the surgeries that would be performed. People came from surrounding villages, but also from as far as Somalia. In all, 103 people were seen during the three day evaluation period. Over 80 were selected for corrective surgery. Many of the children seen shared the same deformity; Ania said they really found comfort in being together through the process. “It was sometimes hard for me to concentrate on photography. Before this career, I was a critical care nurse, so being in the operating room was very natural.” The teams worked in 2 operating rooms, with 2 doctors in each performing surgeries in what were sometimes adverse con-
ditions due to the heat. During all of this, Ania had been using a little elf that sat on the top of her camera. “Since there were lots of people in scrubs and everyone looks the same in a mask and gown, the children would sometimes get a little anxious. They recognized my elf on the camera, however, and that seemed to help them relax. They knew me!” She described her experience as “life-changing. I know that term can be overused, but it made me realize how much we have here in the US and how much we take for granted. The Operation Smile team brought crayons and coloring books for the children; many of them had never seen anything like it before and didn’t even know what to do.” She spoke highly of the amazing people she had the opportunity to work with and her firsthand experience with the procedures that literally changed the lives of the children. She even learned to sing a song in Swahili. There were difficult parts to her mission as well. The initial impact of seeing the lines of children and their parents was shocking. “Yet despite their deformities, they were smiling and talking to everyone. They just were comfortable with themselves and each other.” The other hard part was leaving. “I made so many new friends and met so many wonderful people” she stated. “I probably cried the entire 6 hour
David Grupa cont’d...
flight from Ethiopia to Frankfurt.” A Certified Professional Photographer and a proud PPA member, Ania feels strongly that her association with PPA Charities has helped her immensely. “From my experience my clients have chosen me because of the charitable connection.” Ania operates Ania Mikol Photography in Westminster, CO where she photographs maternity, newborns and families.
Elevate your sales with emotional symbols Don MacGregor, M.Photog.Cr, API, SPA, MPA, F/PPABC/A,(HLM)
Have you ever wondered why some photographers have sales that hit the sky and so many photographers have sales that only make the industry average (for family portraits) of well under $1000? This is a question that has been part of our industry forever--long before digital-- and the trend to think of portraits as a commodity and available on a disc certainly is making the issue more complex. Is the answer that highly successful photographers are simply better photographers? Is the answer that highly successful photographers are better marketers? Or salesmen? Is the answer that highly successful photographers have a niche market of clients?
Don MacGregor cont’d...
It is arguable that all those questions will have a YES answer to some degree. However, that is NOT what elevates their sales to the multi-thousand dollar level. The first step is telling your clients what they can invest in and the second is following a process. All top selling sales people follow a process and we should do the same. (The last step is my favorite). The top 10% of photographers understand that “people will buy from us only that which we show them we have for sale”. This is critical. Think of a car dealership. Do they have their low end products in their showrooms? Of course not. We go to the showrooms and ALWAYS end up investing in more than we planned because the dealership has shown what we could invest in. This analogy fits into so many retail environments including, of course, photography.
vey to the client how they can enjoy the unique pieces we create in their homes. During the actual session, we must show the enthusiasm for the images we have created and remind them of the options for display. Even the little steps like phoning the client and enthusiastically saying “Mrs Jones, I know you were not considering a wall portrait but I hope you will allow me to share the potential of the last image we made of your family walking on the beach. It is amazing and I think you just might want to consider it”. Projection sales in the client’s home or using a program like ProSelect that allows us to take an image of the client’s walls and “hang” their portrait to scale is also a key part of the equation. Time and time again I have analyzed our sales process and when we do all the right things, our sales are excellent. When the sales drop off we can commonly see that we did not follow the process. The last yet most important part of the process is to create purchasing desire.
If clients can SEE wall decor portraits, SEE beautifully presented gallery wraps or panel displays…they will invest in them.
Ken Whitmire shared the following to me years ago and it is the foundation of our studio’s attitude:
The next part of the equation is to follow a “process” that educates the client at every step of the journey. It starts with showing people what they can invest in… it is insuring the client is well aware of the investment potential and the value of owning a unique piece of personalized art at every contact.
Is the price too high or the purchasing desire not high enough?
During the consultation we must con-
These powerful words can change your business life and clearly, your sales. When we want something badly enough, we find a way to buy it whether it be a new pair of shoes, a handbag, a lens or some other item.
Don MacGregor cont’d...
Our goal in portraiture is to create a consuming desire for the images we create and that starts with incorporating EMOTIONAL SYMBOLS into our portraits. During all the contacts along the way… remind the client of those symbols and the joy they will bring over the years. What do I mean by emotional symbols? Memories of Joyous Times: We all have memories of a special time or event in our lives. Recreating that memory (perhaps in a modern version) takes some planning but creates a powerful purchasing desire. Years ago a client shared that his favorite memory of his (now adult) girls were picnics in a local park. We designed an adult version of that picnic with wine and cheese instead of soda and peanut butter sandwiches. Do you think it was difficult to sell that memory for professional compensation? Physical things: Incorporating items dear to a family like antique cars, musical instruments, pets or homes all make the portrait much more desirable to the client. Recently the husband of a family kept pulling his sleeve up to show off his Rolex watch (I had talked about the value of jewelry that had significance) and discovered that the watch was a gift from his father just before his passing. It was a powerful link to the memory of this man’s dad. Special Places: We all have memories of places we have been or events attended at unique places. Think of where you got engaged or perhaps a powerful mem-
ory of a holiday with the family. Each and every time we look at portraits that convey those memories we get goose bumps. A client of ours owns a property in Whistler, the amazing ski resort. Their kids and grandchildren all have spent many awesome holidays and retreats at the mountain cabin. We had to make the portrait there. It was a full day session to drive there, shoot and return. However, the sales easily compensated our time and more importantly… we created a very special image and the pride that my assistant and I have is hard to explain in words. Activities: Think for a moment of the great times you have had camping, skiing, walking your dog. The list goes on and on. Adding a relationship image with an activity that relates to your client’s lifestyle builds powerful purchasing desire. One of our clients spends a lot of time sailing with his family. While on their boat they act like a family all working together to trim the sails and all the sailing things that are part of cruising. We chose to create their portrait on their boat. Again it was a long day but amazing images, memories and… SALES. Do you think they only wanted an 8x10 or a disc of their boat under sail with all the family working together? It is amazing to listen to our clients tell us stories of activities, special places and such. Those are the memories they have of their families and children. Our next step is to design a unique image, convey that “vision” during the consultation and quite simply watch the client’s excitement grow. We are creating purchasing desire.
Don MacGregor cont’d...
Once you have that value…the price really becomes a minor issue. Keep in mind that you MUST believe in the value of the addition of emotional symbols and convey your enthusiasm whenever possible. “Mrs. Jones, I am so pleased that we are creating this portrait…I just know that as the kids get older and want the keys to the car instead of a walk in the park…you and your husband will look at this portrait every day and relive the fun times with the kids”.
To review what it takes to elevate your sales: 1.SHOW the client what they can invest in… not just talk about it. 2.Follow a PLANNED process of educating the client and use scripts. 3.Incorporate EMOTIONAL SYMBOLS and be sure to talk about them; show your excitement as it relates to the years of joy the portrait will bring.
Create Impact Using the Golden Ratio Victoria Kelly, Cr.Photog., CPP
I’m going to freely admit what many of you have suspected for a long time: I’m a total geek. I like numbers. They are logical, orderly and most of the time play nicely with others. Many of us are well acquainted with the Rule of Thirds when it comes to composing or cropping our images—but are you familiar with the Golden Ratio? The Golden Ratio has been around for centuries—it seems to pop up everywhere and we are subconsciously attracted to the results of the ratio. There are certain measurements on actor Denzel Washington’s face which are surprisingly close to the Golden Ratio. In nature we see it in plants and the branching of trees, Nautilus shells, even our DNA and the solar system.
Victoria Kelly cont’d...
There is also speculation that it was used by the great artists Michelangelo and Leonardo De Vinci. Here’s how it works: The Golden Ratio is a ratio of approximately 1.618 to 1. This ratio creates a sense of harmony and balance. Even though this ratio has been discovered over and over throughout time it was finally brought together by the Fibonacci number series. In the 12th century Fibonacci produced a series of numbers by adding together pairs of numbers: 0,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144 (0+1=1, 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8) The ratio between each successive pair gets closer and closer to Phi as you progress through the series. Now…once you start splitting a golden rectangle by the ratio you can pretty much keep splitting it downward forever. Interestingly enough, the spiral that is produced exactly matches the Nautilus shell. You might also be interested to know that the Golden Ratio has been used by Apple to design new products and Twitter to create their new profile page. In fact, it’s been used by major companies all over the world to design logos. AND…did you know you can turn on a Golden Ratio overlay in Adobe Light-
room when you’re cropping? Just tap the letter “O” when you’re cropping an image. Keep tapping the O key until you see your golden ratio. You can also keep tapping the O key to cycle through the various cropping guides. You can even tap Shift+O and your cropping guide will change location. So…as you’re working on those competition images keep the Golden Ratio in mind. You’ll take your work to the next level!
“ The Dury’s staff consists of actual photographers... ” Ever since I bought my first item from Dury’s almost 4 years ago, I have trusted no one else with all of my equipment needs. The Dury’s staff consists of actual photographers with a vast array of technical as well as performance knowledge and they are quick to help me find the right solutions for all of my shooting needs. A few months ago, it was time for me to upgrade cameras and the staff at Dury’s showed me the new Canon 5D Mark III. Simply put, the new Canon 5D Mark III is the best camera that I have shot with to date. I now have the capability to shoot at extremely high ISO’s with little or no noise as well as up to 6 frames per second with a very quiet shutter. Not to mention, the new autofocus system works flawlessly even in the most trying situations! This camera will make even the most discerning photographer very happy as the files that come out of the camera are simply breathtaking.
Jairaj - Kevin KJImages.com
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print what you want to preserve Missy MWAC
I was going through my mom’s things in the attic recently. She died several years ago, 15 years after my dad, and so many of her things I have left untouched.
There are about 12 tapes in all, but unfortunately, I no longer have anything to play them on. Technology changes fast, right?
I found a bunch of cassette tapes that she and her good friend used to send back and forth to each other. At that time, sending tapes was cheaper than a long distance phone call. I remember her sitting at the kitchen table, going over notes so as not to miss anything important like, “My daughter decided to cut her own hair today.”
Luckily, I was able to borrow a cassette player from a neighbor. One after the other, I tried playing these tapes, but after 40 years, only one actually played. And I use the word “played,” loosely; I can’t tell it’s my mom’s voice- it’s warbled and warped due to the age of the tape. And then, I came across three sheets of
SEPPA is pleased to announce dates for the 2014 District Judging (March 27-29) held in conjunction with the Georgia state convention in Atlanta. Click HERE for a link to PPA.com for print rules and judging information AND...you will NOT want to miss “SEPPA SUNDAY” on March 30: • Affiliate manager meeting, 10am - 12 noon • Board of Governors meeting, 12 noon - 2pm • Leadership Training session (open to all SEPPA state leadership, faciliated by David Trust, PPA CEO) • on-site VIP reception for all sponsors/vendors attending Additional links you may find helpful: Geogia convention details Wyndham hotel registration for convention
Missy MWAC cont’d... paper folded carefully and tucked into the corner of a box. I opened it and immediately recognized my dad’s handwriting. It was a poem he had written when I was in kindergarten. The pages are yellowed, but the writing is clear and legible and beautiful. It spoke of his love for his family and the blessings in his life. And as I read it, I realized once again THE POWER OF PAPER. It requires no electricity to use, no special skill to operate.
want to simply shoot and share-I want to Shoot and PRESERVE. I don’t want to “leave that unimportant printing stuff” to my clients; I want to make certain they have beautiful PAPER prints that their children and grandchildren will one day take out of the attic and spend an afternoon laughing and crying over. And saying, “I am SO glad we have these.” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (I might even tattoo it on my person) that Pixels are for sharing, but PRINTS are for preserving. Paper has the power to keep a memory alive for a lifetime and beyond. And thank goodness for that. So remember this: PRINT what you want to PRESERVE. xoxo, Missy
I simply held it in my hand and looked at it. It wasn’t lost due to old technology. Because my dad put this ON PAPER, I have it to read. To cry over. To bring a man I loved alive again. The same holds true for our images. I don’t
For more of Missy’s out-of-this-world view of (p)rofessional (p)hotography, visit her website at www.missymwac.com
Technical: /tek-ni-kel/ having special skill or practical knowledge especially in a mechanical or scientific field Excellence: /ek-s(e)len(t)s/ extremely high quality
The Twelve Elements DeMystified: Technical Excellence Janet Boschker, M.Photog., Cr., F-ASP This month’s topic is technical excellence. As the above definition implies, that means all entries that score 80 and above should exemplify high quality imagery and knowledge of the intricacies of photography. Now--what exactly does that mean? What are they talking about? Let me share some of the things that will most certainly keep your image out of the merit range. First and foremost, never enter an image that is out of focus! That seems obvious, but you would be surprised…with today’s sharpening tools it might be tempting to slip in a wonderful image that is just slightly back focused or maybe a tiny bit front
focused, but remember – there are 6 sets of very discerning eyes evaluating your image – what are the chances that every one of them overlooks that fact? It is possible – especially if the image is dynamic and has a lot of impact, but on closer inspection – busted! Shadow and highlight detail – very important! No doubt you have heard judges talk about blocked up blacks and blown out highlights – this is a result of exceeding the limits of what you can capture either digitally or on paper in your image. Now I am not a real techy type--I can’t recite the numbers that you can read your blacks and whites and know without a doubt that there is detail (in Photoshop)
Janet Boschker cont’d...
Not every image must have detail in every square inch, there are always exceptions. But I will say that 9 times out of ten the highest scoring images have detail and clarity that is over the top.
This is just a brief look at some of the most blatant offenses that will bring an image right down to the average or above average category. All the tools and techniques that are available to us are so much fun to use and get creative with, but just remember – begin with a quality image to score well in competition.
How do they do it? By properly exposing the image! Yes, light meters do have a place in this profession! Blown out highlights are a giveaway that the image is overexposed. Noise in the shadow areas are a sure sign of underexposure.
Janet has been judging for many years and advises photographers as a competition coach. Her studio is in Charlotte.
- but I can certainly see when highlights and shadows are devoid of detail.
Again, we have many tools at our disposal in post-production to help camouflage these problems, but it just makes sense to get it right in the initial capture. Excellence in lighting – you can’t go wrong if you study how light affects your image and learn to control it – after all, that is the essence of photography – capturing light to render an image. Not only do you have highlights and shadows to master, but changes in color due to color temperature that occur especially in available light or mixed light situations. Another detail to be aware of is censor dust – those tiny little specks of dust that accumulate on your sensor and show up as little gray specks – clean them up! It can kill you.