Official Publication of the Texas Professional Photographers Association, Inc.
VOLUME 54- #5 Aug/Sept 2019
Magazine Editor
Bill Hedrick, M.Photog.Cr. 1506 E. Leach St. Kilgore, TX 75662 903-985-1080 Editor@ThePhotographerOnline.com
Executive Director
Steve Kozak, M.Photog.Cr 5323 Fig Tree Lane Grand Prairie, TX 75052 972-601-9070 Steve@tppa.org
Printing by
Complete Printing & Publishing 1501 W. Panola Carthage, TX 75633 800-964-9521 www.CompletePrinting.com
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ON THE COVER “Solitary Journey” was created by Brooke Kasper of Plano, Texas. The theme of the image reflects Brooke’s own story of charting her own course in life. “We may feel abandoned and alone at times,” she explains, “but we are surrounded by so many wonderful memories of people and things that have given us strength, even in the solitude.” The image employed a number of sentimental items for Brooke, including: two of her mother’s old Bibles as well as a photo of her mother who was her rock and guiding force, a cross with scripture carved into it by an uncle who was a tremendous influence on her life, an antique table given to her by her mother, a lantern to represent the guiding light, antique trunks and suitcases representiing life’s long journey, ropes representing the ties that bind us together, two other lanterns representing the loss of her mother who has passed away, and more. The man’s coat belongs to her husband and the boots belonged to her grandfather. Finally, the net represents being caught up in this journey of life. The image scored a perfect 100 at TPPA Summerfest 2019 and won a trophy for Best Portrait of a Man, ASP State Elite Award, and Best of Show.
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It’s All About “Family”
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Commission or Speculation?
A Message from TPPA President, Ross Benton
Choose Your Business Model by Gregory Daniel
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iHeart Photo Conference & Expo
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Spotlight: Margaret Bryant
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Life After Photography
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Adobe Creative Cloud
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Choosing Outdoor Backgrounds
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Sweet Light
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Spotlight: Terri Butler
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Mitch Daniels Honored
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October 11-13, 2019 by Steve Kozak
“Weimaraner Chess”
The Mike Marvins Story by Doc List
Options Available for Photographers by Guy T. Phillips
Make Your Images Come Alive by Don MacGregor
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Mother Nature’s Best by Carl Caylor
“Do You Think We’re Related?”
National Award Recipient at Summerfest by Steve Kozak
32 THE PHOTOGRAPHER is the official publication of the Texas Professional Photographers Association, Inc. Acceptance of advertising or publishing of press releases does not imply endorsement of any product or service by this association, publisher, or editor. Permission is granted to similar publications of the photographic industry to reprint contents of this publication, provided that the author and this publication are credited as the source. Articles, with or without photographs, are welcomed for review for inclusion. However, the editor reserves the right to refuse publication, or if accepted, the right to edit as necessary. For more information, visit www.ThePhotographerOnline.com. Send all communications, articles, or advertising to: THE PHOTOGRAPHER, 1506 E. Leach St., Kilgore, TX 75662. Phone (903) 985-1080, or Editor@ThePhotographerOnline.com.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Aug/Sept 2019
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2019 TPPA Executive Council President Ross Benton l
Ross@StudioBenton.com
10828 Gulfdale St., San Antonio, TX 78216 (210) 804-1188
Vice-President Jenny Rhea Eisenhauer l
photographybyjennyrhea@hotmail.com
12218 Old Stage Trail, Austin, TX 78750 (512) 626-3309
Treasurer Cris Duncan
It’s All About “Family”
l
cjduncan@mac.com
2402 Slide Rd., Lubbock, TX 79407 (806) 781-2747
Secretary Doc List l
Doc@doclistphotography.com
6001 W. Parmer Ln., Austin, TX 78727 (512) 924-9248
Councilman-at-Large Teri Whittaker l
TeriW@teriwhittaker.com
5407 Girnigoe Dr., Houston, TX 77084 (713) 898-8017
Councilman-at-Large Robin Janson l
Robin@sockmonkeyphotography.com
227019 Sable Oaks Ln., Cypress, TX 77433 (281) 561-9816
Chairman of the Board Tammy Graham l
Tammy@locationsphotography.com
3300 Joyce Drive, Ft. Worth, TX 76116 (817) 300-0780
Executive Director Steve Kozak l
Steve@tppa.org
5323 Fig Tree Ln., Grand Prairie, TX 75052 (972) 601-9070
Texas School Director Don Dickson l
Don@DonDickson.com
1501 West 5th, Plainview, TX 79072 (806) 296-2276
Magazine Editor Bill Hedrick l
Editor@ThePhotographerOnline.com
1506 E. Leach St., Kilgore, TX 75662 (903) 985-1080
PPA Councilors Brad Barton (Grand Prairie), Ross Benton (San Antonio), Cris Duncan (Lubbock), Jenny Rhea Eisenhauer (Austin), Tammy Graham (Fort Worth), Phaneendra Gudapati (Plano), Elizabeth Homan (San Antonio), Trey Homan (San Antonio), Robin Janson (Cypress), Mark McCall (Lubbock), Robert Norwood (Montgomery). To contact any of your PPA Councilors, you may obtain their phone numbers from the TPPA Membership Directory or visit the TPPA website at www.tppa.org Complete financial information on Texas Professional Photographers Association is available to any TPPA member by contacting Steve Kozak, Executive Director, 5323 Fig Tree Ln., Grand Prairie, TX 75052 Steve@tppa.org
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Aug/Sept 2019
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O
ne of the things I love to do over summer holidays is go to the lake. The water is cool, the sun is bright, the food is fabulous, and the people are precious. I always go to the lake with my family where we meet my “family.” Here’s what I mean. I’m a proud husband to Brandyce and a father to two. They are my family. But when we go to the lake, we’re not only together as a family, we also spend time with people who are “like family.” These are people with whom I can share my joys, my hurts, my fears, and my secrets. My family is a great blessing to me – but so are the people who are “like family” to me. The same thing is true for the people of my church. I’ve fostered many close and abiding friendships there and know that I’m surrounded by people who not only share in faith, but also care for me – deeply. The New Testament often describes the Church as a “family of faith” (e.g., Galatians 6:10). Part of what made the Church so attractive in its early days was how it looked like a loving, caring family. A second century historian named Tertullian said of these people, “See how they love one another!” Like the Church is a family of faith, our industry is a family of photographers. We are here for each other. One of the reasons I count it such an honor to be president of the TPPA is that our mission revolves around supporting not only the practice of photography, but the people who are photographers. As much as the art of our craft matters, how we relate to each other and care for each other matters even more. To that end, I hope to see you at our iHeart Photo Conference & Expo, October 11-13, in Grapevine, Texas. In addition to sessions on photography, we will have excursions for photographers where you will be able to get to know others better and develop and deepen friendships that can expand your professional family. I also want to “thank you” for helping make our Summerfest seminar such a success. Our image competition featured over 560 entries! Thanks for all your participation and support. Hopefully, you were able to gain and glean some takeaways from Summerfest to better serve your clients this fall. I’m looking forward to what this fall has in store. Thanks for walking with me in this journey. It’s been a great one so far! All the best,
Ross Benton TPPA President
If you are not a member of Texas PPA, this is my personal invitation to you to join! Email Steve Kozak, TPPA Executive Director, at Steve@tppa.org or call 972-601-9070.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Aug/Sept 2019
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by
Gregory Daniel Texas School Instructor
I
f you find yourself frustrated, confused, exhausted or befuddled with your clients more often than not, you are not alone. At some point in time our industry appears to have taken a business model that is designed to end with photographer and client looking at each other not knowing where to go from here. This gap between the client and photographer seems to be growing and not shrinking over the years. The onset of digital feels like the easy out for both parties to finish the process and part ways with neither one fulfilling their dreams. Maybe our profession’s business processes have drifted to the point of self-destruction or our education process is more technically toolbox driven. In either case the result is lots of fantastic image makers are entering the profession and are dismayed on the level of difficulty to create a sustainable business. My belief is that the dirty secret lies imbedded in our industry’s entry design. Love – If you are like most, the attraction to photography was powerfully strong and offered inner expression of creativity. I experienced this as a twelve-yearold in my first middle school photography class. The assignment was to use up a roll of film so we could learn how to process and print. While taking photos in a rundown area of town I ran across an old gentleman sitting on the porch of his one room home that was in desperate need of repair. He allowed me to capture his image. I immediately raced back to the darkroom where my instructor guided me through the process. My favorite part of the process was seeing the image magically appear in the developer tray. I will never forget the words of life my teacher breathed into my soul, “You have a gift.” Instant love! THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Aug/Sept 2019
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SPECULATION: Assumption of unusual business risk in hopes of obtaining commensurate gain. COMMISSION: A formal request to produce something, especially an artistic work, in exchange for payment.
Educate – Shortly after falling in love, the game plan appears to try and find a way to repeat the way in which the images turn out. This stage might be referred to as building your toolbox. Any fine craftsmen would agree that learning the tools of their trade is an extremely important step. There are so many resources to obtain toolbox knowledge. My track started in middle school on through a college degree. This was certainly foundational although much of my success was after discovering Professional Photographers of America and the affiliate school programs where I could study under a successful master. Clients - This area was basically an unintended consequence of the first two steps Love / Educate. I need people to photograph in support of my passion and the need to further develop my toolbox. Somewhere along the way there was money being exchanged but without understanding or value. I think this is where most of us end up creating work on speculation and hoping they will love what we do. What if there was a way to stop the madness and find yourself out of this painful loop that does not appear to help you or your client with goals. I suggest Erase the Board! After the toolbox is built, let’s erase the board. Find your special place to dream about a business where you would love getting up each day and live your dream. Design a business where you are creating a product that will solve a problem for the type of client you identify with and a product that is identifiable to you as an artist. Such a product that when the clients need arises they will think of you. Begin with the end in mind by visualizing their shopping cart filled with your product, a product that your clients can easily identify as yours and clearly describe it to others. When you flip the script and start with the client in mind, then is when clients start commissioning you to solve their needs. Here are your two choices. Which one will you choose from here on out?
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Speculation: Assumption of unusual business risk in hopes of obtaining commensurate gain Commission: A formal request to produce something (especially an artistic work) in exchange for payment
A nationally recognized husband and wife duo who create exquisite portraits, Greg and Lesa Daniel are also masters in sharing their knowledge and experience. They make it look so easy, but their secret is behind the scenes preparation and planning that result in timeless original portraits and a highly successful business. Greg and Lesa are internationally recognized for their artistry. Though he is one of the most awarded photographers in the United States, Greg has the utmost privilege of living out his passion every day alongside Lesa in operating their portrait photography galleries in both Indialantic and Titusville, Florida. He has achieved both the title of Master of Photography and The American Society of Photographers Fellowship. In addition, Greg is one of the youngest members to be inducted into the prestigious Cameracraftsmen of America in 1991, proud founding member of the International Society of Portrait Artists (ISPA) and on the Board of Directors for Professional Photographers of America. Aug/Sept 2019
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Do you LOVE Photography? We thought so! That is why you need to be at the iHeart Photography Conference & Expo October 11-13 at the Grapevine Convention Center.
The iHeart Photography Conference & Expo is open to ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS, regardless of your skill level or expertise. It will inspire and motivate you with...
The iHeart Photography Conference features three days of programming for photographers of all skill levels and with a wide range of interests. Pro photographers will enjoy an outstanding lineup of programs from marketing and inspiration and from drones to pets in our Pro Track of programs designed to address the needs and expand the success of professional photographers.
7 Exciting Hands-On Excursions, plus 14 Outstanding Programs, plus A Two-Day Trade Show Expo
Photographic enthusiasts and pro’s alike will enjoy our Inspiration Track of classes featuring a variety of programs to foster creativity and inspiration. Just take one look at the schedule of classes and you will be impressed.
Brought to you by...
In addition to the regular conference programs, we have a lineup of “hands-on” Excursions that take place on Friday. Bring your camera and be prepared to work side by side with a coach who will guide you through the process of creating outstanding images. Excursions in the DFW area include photographing in the Fort Worth Zoo and at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Texas Professional Photographers Association, Inc. and our generous sponsors.
Early Registration for the conference is $139
Registration is now open at www.iheartphotography.org.
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(before Sept. 20, 2019)
(includes everything except excursions)
Registration is now open at www.iheartphotography.org.
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Bring your camera gear and shoot with photographers who are experts in their field. Destinations include Cowboys ATT Stadium, Fort Worth Zoo, and other locations to be announced. EXTRA FEE for these excursions.
These exciting and informative programs are INCLUDED in your registration. Attend any or all of them, NO EXTRA CHARGE!
Flower Photography - Teri Whittaker
Event Photography - Robin Janson
Compositions & Extractions - Randy Pollard
Concert Photography -Cliff Ranson
Sports Photography - Kevin Jairaj
Pet Photography - Margaret Bryant
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Passion Projects - Doc List
Sales & Marketing - Jessi Norvell
Drones - Justin Moore
Aug/Sept 2019
Photoshop Tricks -Ross Benton
Light Modifier - Guy T. Phillips
Landscapes - Cris Duncan
Video Marketing - Marsha Hudson
Art of Street Photography - Josh Jordan
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (Check for updates at: www.iheartphotography.org)
Friday, October 11 8:30 am Registration Desk Opens - Extra Fee for Excursions only. All-Conventions are INCLUDED in registration! 9:30 am EXCURSION - AT&T Stadium Photo Shoot 9:30 am EXCURSION - Welcome to the Jungle of Wildlife Photography 9:30 am EXCURSION - Great Photos in a Flash 9:30 am EXCURSION - Flower Photography 9:30 am EXCURSION - The Art of Street Portraits 9:30 am EXCURSION - Airborne Over Texas 9:30 am EXCURSION - Lighting Made Simple - CHAMPANEL 2:00 pm Photoshop Wow Factor” - presented by Ross Benton - CHENIN BLANC 2:00 pm Getting Started with Light Modifiers” presented by Guy T Phillips - CHANCELLOR Saturday, October 12 - All of these programs are INCLUDED in registration! 8:00 am Registration Desk Opens 8:30 am The Art of Street Portraits presented by Josh Jordan - CHENIN BLANC 8:30 am First Three Songs...No Flash presented by Cliff Ranson - CHAMPANEL 8:30 am Airborne Over Texas presented by Justin Moore - CHANCELLOR 10:00 am Trade Show Opens 10:30 am The Art of Street Portraits - Continued - presented by Josh Jordan - CHENIN BLANC 10:30 am First Three Songs...No Flash - Continued - presented by Cliff Ranson - CHAMPANEL Noon Break 1:30 pm Sports Photography presented by Kevin Jairaj - CHENIN BLANC 1:30 pm Composites & Extractions presented by Randy Pollard - CHAMPANEL 1:30 pm Event Photography and On-site Printing presented by Robin Janson - CHANCELLOR 3:00 pm Registration Desk Closes 4:00 pm Trade Show Closes 4:00 pm Sports Photography - Continued - presented by Kevin Jairaj - CHENIN BLANC 4:00 pm Adding Video to Your Marketing Mix presented by Marsha Hudson - CHAMPANEL 5:30 pm Programs End Sunday, October 13 - All of these programs are INCLUDED in registration! 8:00 am Registration Desk Opens 8:30 am There is Profit in Your Passion presented by Jessi Norvell - CHAMPANEL 8:30 am Let it Shine” presented by Cris Duncan - CHENIN BLANC 10:30 am No Excuses IPS presented by Jessi Norvell - CHAMPANEL 10:30 am From Flowers to Fine Art presented by Teri Whittaker - CHANCELLOR 10:30 am Let it Shine - Continues - presented by Cris Duncan - CHENIN BLANC 11:00 am Trade Show Opens Noon Break 2:00 pm Pet Photography presented by Margaret Bryant - CHAMPANEL 2:00 pm Let it Shine - Continues - presented by Cris Duncan - CHENIN BLANC 2:30 pm Registration Desk Closes 4:00 pm Trade Show Closes 4:00 pm Passion Projects presented by Doc List - CHAMPANEL 4:00 pm Let it Shine - Continues - presented by Cris Duncan - CHENIN BLANC 5:30 pm Conference Ends
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“Weimaraner Chess” was created by Margaret Bryant, of Carrollton, Texas. This whimsical image of dogs playing chess was created as an assignment for the Weimaraner Rescue calendar. “While William Wegman likes to pose his Weimaraners in quirky poses, or dressed up for children’s books, I am a little different,” explains Margaret. “I like to anthropomorphize the dogs. I like to imagine dogs doing human things. This image is comprised of several images (I’m not THAT good!). I set up the two chairs, the wood box, and the chess board on top of the wood box. My camera was on a tripod. No chess pieces were in place however, because I was certain they would be knocked off while I was getting the dogs into place. Each dog was photographed separately, with several poses of each dog looking in different directions, so I had a variety of expressions to choose from. When the right dog gave me this look like he was losing the game, I knew the left dog needed to be looking at the chess board. (While I had images of the right dog looking at the chess board too, I thought his expression in the final image was the best). To get the left dog looking at the chess board, I simply placed a treat at the far end of the chess board. The dog is not contemplating his next move in chess, he is contemplating his next move to grab the treat!” To finish off the image for the calendar, Margaret put in the background a “drawing” to give the shot a sense of place. “I thought of these two as playing a game of chess in the park, so I had a park like background that I converted to a drawing in Photoshop. In total the image was 5 shots. It is one of my favorites!”
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Mike Marvins is Living Proof. There is... (right) Kaye Marvins Photography was established in 1945 by Kaye and Sonia Marvins. After their passing, sons Mike and Buz carried on the family business until its closing in 2016 after a lifetime of service to the community. (below) The cover of Mike’s second book, “The Texas Hill Country, a Photographic Adventure.”
Having literally grown up in a photography studio, Mike learned the importance of networking within your own profession and sharing what you learn with other photographers. “One reason Texas PPA has been so successful is that they are open and share things while some other associations are secretive,” he explains. “I share everything with everyone.” Along that journey, Mike has witnessed several major innovations in the industry. Kaye Marvins Photography was one of the first studios in the nation to sell color images and Mike remembers it like it was just yesterday. “Color film was around before World War II but really wasn’t available because the military got it all,” he explains. “After the war, Kodak invited several well-known photographers to come to Rochester to learn the dye-transfer process and my Dad was one of them.” But the ability to sell color images was great for business.
by
Doc List
I
f you happen to be strolling along the banks of the Guadalupe River a mile or so west of the small town of Ingram, Texas, you might just meet a local resident named Mike Marvins. He is well known in this small community and, along with his wife, Mickey, can often be seen at community concerts, rodeos, county fairs, and other local events that make country life so enticing to the rest of us. But he is also admired for what he brought to this particular part of Texas, his ability to photograph and record the beauty of the natural world that envelops the area.
That passion for storytelling comes natural to some folk and Mike has spent a lifetime perfecting his art as he seeks out those places and people that make Texas so unique. If he’s not backpacking through the rugged mountains and deserts of Big Bend or the picturesque Texas Hill Country, you might catch him sitting on his back porch watching the deer wander up looking for a hand-out. He’s retired now... well, sort of. The truth is that, after retiring from the family business back in 2006, his wife informed him that he was not going to hang around the house all day doing nothing. So, he found something else to occupy his time. It’s the kind of retirement that most folks only dream about but one that has come after a lifetime of hard work at the Marvin’s family’s studio in Houston, Texas.
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His parents, Kaye and Sonia Marvins, came all the way from Poland in 1929 to seek a new life in America when they were only teenagers. Kaye, a third generation photographer himself, found a job at the famous Bachrach Studio in Boston. During that time, he met and worked with Paul Gittings who later opened a studio in Houston. In 1945, Kaye and Sonia opened their own studio, Kaye Marvins Photography, and raised two sons, Mike and Buz, in the family business. who carried on that family tradition until they closed their doors in 2016. It should be noted that both brothers and their father each have the unique distinction of having served as President of the Texas Professional Photographers Association. All three were also Master Photographers and well respected throughout the photographic world. Aug/Sept 2019
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Years later, Mike would see the transition from 4x5 and 5x7 “cut” film to medium format “roll” film. “The quality of cut film was unbelievable but it was very expensive. We processed all of our own black-and-white film and my Dad invented a processor to do it faster. Even so, I can’t tell you how many hours I spent in there processing film and we’d stay up at night doing it. When we began using mediumformat Hasselblad cameras, things got a little easier. But we never used 35mm unless a customer needed slides. It wasn’t really a quality issue but rather a ‘client perception’ issue,” he explains. Life at the family studio was demanding and the Marvins family worked long hours to build and to maintain a reputation in the Houston area and beyond. Even so, Mike remembers the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s as the “golden age of studio photography.” Then, along came digital. “Our first digital camera was a Fuji and it was actually an amazing camera at the time. It was big and bulky and we didn’t shoot weddings with it but we did use it for studio portraits,” says Mike. The biggest problem in the early days of digital was color control. “In those days, color correction with digital was just almost nonexistent. It was an awful transition. It was like learning everything over again because we did a lot of work on location in peoples’ homes. The color correction angle was a nightmare. But being able to show images quickly really boosted sales.” THE PHOTOGRAPHER
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But somewhere along the way, Mike Marvins was introduced to the Texas Hill Country. It happened when he was only 10 years old at a summer camp near Wimberley, Texas. The beauty of the place captured his imagination and he fell in love with the place and would return each year and worked at the camp at age 16. That’s when he decided to begin taking pictures between camp sessions. “Three or four of us would take off and go explore the Hill Country. We knew every inch of this place. We’d go to German beer gardens and to Gruene Hall. We’d go to the dances at Garner State Park. We didn’t have any money, so we’d just pull a blanket out and spend the night somewhere on the ground,” he recalls. By the 1980’s, Mike discovered Big Bend National Park and starting taking “guy trips” with friends to explore the 801,000 acre park. “Because we were backpacking, I used a 35mm Nikon and disposable Kodak cameras. I wasn’t able to carry a Hasselblad and I would much rather spend the weight on water.” His images of Big Bend created quite a stir back then and today. “Everyone had been bugging me for years to do a book, a ‘Big Bend’ book. So I started researching how to publish and market a book. After narrowing it down to two publishers, I worked up a proposal for my book. At the Texas State Book Fair in Austin, I ambushed the owner of one of these companies and got an appointment to see them and presented a mock-up of my book on Big Bend.”
“I photographed the two books very differently and for two different audiences,” he explains. “The Big Bend photographs were totally personal and quickly made with cheap cameras on the trail. There was no intent to sell prints, exhibit, or do a book. they were truly pictures from the heart. In the Hill Country, I was returning to places that were dear to me as a kid, places I had never photographed. I knew they had to be a combination of fine art images and photographs that told a story and would appeal to a diverse audience for both book and print sales.”
Mike’s interest in the Big Bend area goes far beyond photographing its many wonders. For years, he has been active in the Big Bend Conservancy, a support group for the national park, and served on the board of Big Bend Ranch State Park, which is right next door. “All of my book royalties from the Big Bend book go to the Big Bend Conservancy,” he adds.
Back at his home on the Guadalupe River, Mike Marvins has a tiny office where he sorts through stacks of images and organizes his thoughts. He prints and sells images and does his own framing. Two art galleries now carry his work and a geophysical company just bought eight large Geo prints on Dibond to display in their offices. News of his artistry travels fast.
With the success of his first book, Mike came up with an idea for yet another one. He had never forgotten those early years at summer camp near Wimberley. So, with his wife, Mickey, at his side, Mike decided to revisit the site four years ago. “It was like a deja vu thing. Our old swimming hole looked exactly like it did in 1951, my first year at camp. So I made up my mind to go around to all of the places we used to go carousing and take pictures to see how they look today. I decided to do the whole darned Hill Country, top to bottom, side to side, and I’m going to put stuff in there that people have never seen before and I’m going to do it all seasons. It took four years to get everything like I wanted it.” After getting an appointment with Texas A&M University Press, Mike presented his second book proposal. They liked what they saw and, after the approval of faculty and reviewers, published his book.
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Mike also stays involved in the arts and often does portfolio reviews for FotoFest which is held in Houston every two years. “The first thing I ask someone when they come up with their portfolio is, ‘What are you doing with this? Is it for your own pleasure? Do you want a book? Do you want gallery representation? Who is your audience?’ Then I try to impress on them the importance of networking and how they should not be afraid to network with other photographers.” It was a lesson he learned from his father, Kaye Marvins. “My Dad was the same way and that’s one of the reasons Texas PPA has been so successful over the years. They are always open and share things while a lot of other associations are secretive,” explains Mike. “If you do things for other people, it comes back to you a hundred times. But the best part for all of us was forging so many lifelong friendships that we cherish to this day.” So, the next time you are driving through the Texas Hill Country or the majestic vastness of Big Bend, perhaps you’ll have just a little more appreciation for those places, people, and traditions that make Texas so awinspiring. And maybe you will have the opportunity to shake the hand of one of our own who has played such a significant role in recording the human stories and the natural beauty that abounds in this sacred part of the world.
Mike’s books on Big Bend and the Texas Hill Country can be purchased at MikeMarvins.com. Proceeds on “Texas Big Bend” go to the Big Bend Conservancy and proceeds from “The Texas Hill Country” go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.
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Adobe’s Portfolio websites includes hosting & unlimited pages, whether you want to showcase a full portfolio, or create a simple splash page.
by
Guy T. Phillips Texas School Instructor
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD A Closer Look at The Value of Plans for You
You can also upgrade the standard 20GB plan to 1TB, 2TB, 5TB or 10TB, starting at US$9.99/month per terabyte, when you call 800-915-9451. Regardless of whether you choose a plan with Lightroom and Lightroom Classic or just Lightroom, your plan will still include the mobile version, for iOS or Android, allowing you to “easily edit, organize, store, and share your photos from anywhere”! Another great inclusion is Portfolio. Adobe’s Portfolio websites includes hosting & unlimited pages, whether you want to showcase a full portfolio, or create a simple splash page. Sites can easily be optimized for any mobile device, can use your unique domain name, use the massive Adobe font library, and be secured with password protection. Find out more at https://portfolio.adobe.com.
Finally, your choice of subscription can include Adobe’s Spark. If you are chasing the social media beast and need a easier way to “transform your ideas into stunning visual stories”, Spark can be a great addition. Spark makes social graphics, web pages, and short videos in minutes a breeze. You can create and share, anytime, anywhere! Find out more about your options at https://www.adobe.com/products. *Note that, with May’s 2019 updates, the “CC” portion of the name (Lightroom CC or Lightroom Classic CC) has been dropped. Guy T. Phillips is an instructor for the Texas School of Professional Photography, Photographic Craftsman, and TPPA Associate Fellow. He was recently appointed to serve as the 2020 Councilor-At-Large for Texas PPA.
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he Adobe Photography Plan has made the news a lot in recent months. Not only has Lightroom and its variations been renamed (twice), but social media blew up with misleading rumors over the price points for subscriptions for weeks. Let’s take a closer look at what is included in today’s plans and what they offer for your business. The plans are structured for multiple applications. Are you an amateur? Are you new to the industry? Are you a long-time pro? Do you prefer a “desktop” program with its advantages? Do you need social media, sharing or web connectivity easy? ALL of these needs can have a solution in Adobe’s Photography Plan! The most popular plan is also the least expensive. For just $9.99 / month, you get • Lightroom* • Lightroom Classic* • Photoshop • Portfolio • Spark If you are reading this article, you are most likely familiar with the difference in ‘Lightroom’ versus ‘Lightroom Classic’, so we won’t go into too many details on those differences, but it is important to recognize that you get BOTH with the same subscription, and that you also get the Adobe Lightroom mobile app!
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With Lightroom’s quick-and-easy synching to the cloud, the $9.99 plan gives you 20GB of online storage with Adobe. If you need additional storage, consider the upgrade options, which have also been adjusted recently, with two 1TB choices. You can choose to keep all of the same applications and just add more storage, or choose to have only Lightroom (not Lightroom Classic or Photoshop). Aug/Sept 2019
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by
Don MacGregor Texas School Instructor
W
hile our greatest concern must be our subjects, posing and expression, an appropriate background will make an image come alive with depth and story telling. Backgrounds should be just that, a background. It should be a secondary or supporting element and not be competitive with the primary subject.
Repetition of color and design (patterns) are also strong contributions to dynamic backgrounds. Leading lines and frames are great contributions to a composition. A strong approach is to think like a pictorial photographer. They look for images that have a foreground, middle ground (subjects in our process) and a background. That generates a three dimensional image.
Traditionally, photographers would make their backgrounds darker and out of focus and the reason is simple. Sharp elements would be competitive visually and lighter backgrounds often became dominant.
Lastly, power points (rule of thirds) should be considered when choosing a background. Try to envision the subjects on those positions and imagine how the elements work together.
When choosing a background, the simplest approach is to look for an environment that has depth and the light values being somewhat similar to the subject (not blown out or blocked up). The goal is to have information throughout the background which creates a sense of depth. My approach is to look for great scenes with information and then envision how to bring the subjects into the scene. The critical part of that is to insure that the subjects are dominant and the best way is to bring them into the foreground (and let the background fall away).
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Don MacGregor is from Vancouver, BC, and an instructor at the Texas School of Professional Photography and a frequent contributor to this publication. Learn more about Don at www.MacGregorStudios.com. Aug/Sept 2019
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Img. #2
Img. #3
During this short period of time, many things can happen. The background in any direction holds favorable tonal ranges compared to the subject. This being true, the model and the photographer can move in more angles to the light and create different lighting patterns while not worrying about any background problems. As long as the background does what you want for the composition, the subject will be the focal point of the image.
The sand, the wet sand, the shallow wave, the ocean, and then the dress and figure of the girl all came together to create several layers of transparency. But I also looked for depth in the background. By letting the beach fade off in the distance, the viewer gains a sense of space. The distant pier gives us a place to go, but it is perpendicular with the lines of the beach and it stops us, turns us around, and sends us back to the model. It is a simple image, but one with a great deal of thought behind it.
The title image was inspired by Water Color Artist, Steve Hanks. His work is beautiful and inspiring. As I see it, water color painting is about the transparency and the art of working backwards from the white of the paper to the colors involved in the scene. In this image, I saw many layers of transparency.
Image #2 was created a bit later in the session. The settings show this: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II with a Canon EF70-200mm f2.8L IS USM lens set at 1/1000 of a second. Aperture was f4.0 at ISO 400 and the focal length was 95mm. Because of the sweet light, I could move around the subject for a different lighting pattern and
Lighting Diagram
by
Carl Caylor Texas School Instructor
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hooting in the “sweet light” in Cape May, New Jersey, required an early wake-up call and a good sized cup of coffee. The night before this demonstration, the dress was chosen from the model’s wardrobe. The simple beauty of it was appealing and it was light and airy with just enough texture to make it interesting. I knew the pastel setting of the beach at sunrise was going to work well with it. Working in the early morning hours requires a tripod because some of the exposures can get pretty long. The camera was a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II with a Canon EF70-200mm f2.8L IS USM lens set at 1/8 of a second. Aperture was f5.6 at 400 ISO and the working focal length was 70mm. As long as the model is in a sturdy stance, this setup is doable. The key to this kind of beach portrait is to shoot as soon as you have enough light to see to work. When the sun comes over the horizon, the game is pretty much over. Yes, it is a short window of opportunity, but the window is very magical.
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Aug/Sept 2019
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Img. #4
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Images #4 and #5 have the same settings, 1/80 of a second at f4.0, but they look different. Image #4 is a full-length scenic image and was created at a focal length of 70mm. Image #5 was recorded at a focal length of 140mm. Notice how the background blends in image #5. There are so many variations that can be produced in a scene just by knowing the capabilities of our equipment. Both of these images are profile poses with good profile light. You can pose a subject in a profile stance at any given time, but it will always be more powerful if the light is coming from behind the subject.
Img. #5 still hold the background. In this case, my feet got wet. But it was worth the effort. At that point, there was a light source that allowed me to create a short light. Now it was possible to show communication between the subject and the future image viewer with eye contact. Eye contact, for the most part, should be from a lighted mask of the face or at the very least, a split light. People looking at you from within a shadow (even subjects in a photograph) can be somewhat creepy. If creepy is what you are after, go for it. Otherwise, light is what is looking at you.
Sweet light times are magical and much easier to work in. This is why my family portrait sessions are all done in the evening. The light is better for both subjects and backgrounds. Plus, it is when folks are home from work. Don’t battle. Work smarter, not harder.
Carl Caylor is one of the most sought after instructors in the country because of his “Hands-On” coaching approach. His greatest strength is his ability to see what skills others already posses and then break things down in simple terms to help enhance those skills to a new level. In his Texas School class on “Natural Light Portraiture,” Carl will demonstrate how to find usable light in a natural environment. To learn more, go to TexasSchool.org.
Image #3 was created a bit earlier, however. Again, the camera was a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II with a Canon EF70-200mm f2.8L IS USM lens set at 1/10 of a second. Aperture was f7.1 at 400 ISO and the focal length was 80mm. She and I moved away from the water while maintaining the same relationship with the light. This provided the same lighting pattern as before but with a different background. By turning the subject, a single accent sculpted her face and I let her look down with a somber expression to match the emotion of the light.
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Aug/Sept 2019
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
“Do You Think We’re Related?” was created by Terri Butler, of San Antonio, Texas. The image was captured at the bird house at the San Antonio Zoo. When editing the images, Terri realized that she had two different colors of the same little bird and the thought crossed her mind that she should look to see how many varieties there were the next time she visited the zoo. But it also gave her the idea for a composite image. “I searched through my collection to find two blue birds that could be arranged facing each other as if they were talking among themselves and then added the tan one on the opposite branch as the subject of their discussion,” she explains. Each bird was placed on a background that Terri painted with a mixer brush in Photoshop. Next, she used some branches from another image and painted the birds into the positions on the branches. “The birds and the branches were then painted with a variety of different mixer brushes and a gradient was added in the corner for some directional lighting,” she adds. The title, “Do You Think We’re Related?” was to emphasize the story of the relationship between the two different types of birds and the question of whether or not they were related. The image scored an 83 at the Texas PPA Summerfest Image Competition.
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Aug/Sept 2019
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
by
Steve Kozak
“For meritorious contributions to professional photography.” The PPA National Award
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olunteers are the lifeblood of any association, especially the Texas Professional Photographers Association. They are the ones who make everything work, from decorating for banquets, to picking up program speakers from the airport, to working in the image competition. Volunteering is something they do because they care. However, there are those volunteers who work relentlessly behind the scenes who rarely attract attention. Often, they are the first to arrive and the last to leave. This year’s National Award recipient is one of those unique individuals. Mitch Daniels began his photography career in 1977 while also working at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. In 1989, he left the telephone business to concentrate solely on photography. It was a good year because he also married Peggy. From 1989 to 1992, Mitch worked for Heinz Kugler and his team and shortly thereafter stopped working for other companies and, by 1998 had transitioned his photography business to solely video production. He was active in the Professional Photographers Guild of Houston and served as its president in 2002. For two more years, he was the executive director of that same group. Since 1996, he has been an instructor at the Texas School of Professional Photography, teaching video production classes. Each year’s school video production was the highlight of the event.
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Through all the years that TPPA held its summer events in Kerrville, Texas, we would usually find Peggy by the pool reading her books while Mitch worked late nights and behind the scenes to put together the slide show for the awards banquet. In 2009, Peggy passed away. They had been married for 25 years. A few years later, Mitch Daniels and Kelly Staudt discovered that they had so much in common and a lot to share with each other and they’ve been together ever since. After slowing down and practicing retirement for a couple years, Mitch officially retired on December 31, 2018. You might not have known about his commitment to TPPA but, if you ever attended an awards banquet in Kerrville in the last 35 years or the first few years in Conroe, you would certainly know his work. The inscription on this coveted award simply reads, “For meritorious contributions to professional photography.” The words are few but the meaning is deeper than words can express. Awards presentations don’t get produced by themselves. For all those years, we could rest easy knowing we are always in good hands. TPPA is proud to present the 2019 National Award to Mitch Daniels. Aug/Sept 2019
THE PHOTOGRAPHER