Blue Ridge Region January 2014
Thoughts
Winter is officially here! We’re still having days in the teens backed with days in the mid-sixties, so I don’t think we’re feeling it’s full power yet. What are your plans to stimulate and warm up your business this calendar year? Head on over to the VPPA Facebook group and discuss it with all of your colleagues. www.facebook.com/ groups/100043269605
Cover Image
This months cover image comes from your Secretary. Freyja modeled for a little bokeh lesson I taught at the local high school. Yule tree in the background... EXIF: Canon 5D mkII, ISO 5000, 1/50s, f/~4.0, Focal length 50mm To have your image featured here, email to
info@michaelsinkphotography.com with details.
this issue From the Governor P.1 From the Lt.Governor P.2
©
article courtesy Governor P.3 Upcoming Events P.3
From the Governor... We had a busy social schedule in December, as you probably did, too. The Blue Ridge party at 419 West got the ball rolling for us, and between parties with friends and church and family stuff, we were kept hopping through the holidays. I write this awaiting word our daughter and son-in-law have arrived home safe and sound after spending Christmas with us here in Virginia. Since they live on the left coast, we don’t get to see them nearly often enough, so every visit is special. My daughter brought me a new photographic toy and I’m itching to try it out. I did get to play with it just enough while they were here to establish that it will work as advertised; now comes the fun part, creating a set of images made with the new toy, a worthy task for the early part of the year when business is traditionally a bit slow, so we’ll have “new stuff” to show potential clients later in the year. Isn’t that one of the things everyone does during the winter, prepare new ideas and new methods to add some wow for clients we hope to have later in the year? Of course, having our annual
VPPA convention just around the corner in February affords us all a chance to add more “new and improved” to our business. This year the convention will be in Richmond, and I’d urge everyone to make plans to attend. It is one of the major benefits of membership in the VPPA, paid for with your dues, so be sure to get your money’s worth out of the opportunity. And to help you prepare for the print competition at the annual convention, we are having our print critique meeting on January 20th. You certainly should enter the print competition, and you should spend some time looking at the work your colleagues entered in competition when you go to the convention. It is the surest way there is to improve your game. You need the expert advice and assistance the Blue Ridge print critique offers to do your best in preparing for that competition. But even if you don’t have any images to enter, you certainly should attend the critique for no other reason than to listen to what the judges have to say about the images that ARE presented, as well as to see what your colleagues are up to. We have some very talented photographers, masters of their craft, as well as visionary in their art. - Michael Corbin