Blue Ridge Region June 2014
Thoughts from the Secretary...
this issue From the Governor P.1
The dogs sat in for a little love on an old muslin backdrop...
From the Lt.Governor P.2 Upcoming Events P.2
Cover Image
This months cover image comes from your Secretary, Yours Truly. To have your image featured here, email to
info@michaelsinkphotography.com with details.
From the Governor... Lt. Gov. Jen Chaconas has lined up one whale of a June/ July program. If you make it to only one Blue Ridge meeting this entire year, this is the one to attend. Mary Fisk-Taylor and Jamie Hayes are giving us an entire day of priceless business, marketing, and photography training. Take the day off and join us for this meeting. It will be absolutely priceless, I guarantee it. There’s a second meeting I want to commend to your attention in the form of the VPPA Summer Seminar on September 13-15 at the Portsmouth Renaissance Hotel. We’ve just booked the Monday “Extra Day for Extra Pay” speaker, Robin Owen, who will be giving us a whole day program on marketing, selling, shooting, and post processing Boudoir Portraiture. The saturday and sunday speakers will be great, too, but you’ll want to be sure you attend Robin’s program if you have any interest at all in the boudoir topic. This has been a strange spring at my house, not least of which has been the weather. We found ourselves in the market for a car, something we don’t do very often because we tend to drive them until they will go no more. It sets us up for sticker shock every time, of course, since the price is bound to be higher than it was the last time we went looking in car dealers’ windows. It’s been 9 years. and we expected it to be higher, but still doesn’t keep you
from gasping when the time comes. We wound up buying the same brand we bought back in the 60s fresh out of college. This morning, a week after signing the papers, my bride and I were still talking about the cost, and I had to point out that as a proportion of our income, the new ride was about where it was back then, considering we make a bit more now than we did then. Still, wow, that’s a lot of money. Maybe you’ve had similar fun at the car store. Or elsewhere. On the photography front, I noticed one of my Facebook acquaintances (who is not, btw, a professional photographer) crowing about having had one of his pictures picked up by a national retailer for use in their advertising. Everybody was congratulating him over it, and I’m thinking, hey, if they paid you for it, congratulations are indeed in order. But if they didn’t, you got robbed, and one does not congratulate victims of crime. Turns out, no, he didn’t get paid, he happily donated the image. He clearly does not comprehend just how much money he subsidized the marketing efforts of that major national retailer, or he’d no doubt be enraged. My guess — without knowing all the details of their intended use — is that he made at least a $20,000 contribution. But of course, there’s no telling people that. And that’s at the heart of our problem attempting to sell our photography: most of the public has no idea. We have a major education job at hand, both educating them and ourselves. Please do not neglect it. - Michael Corbin
From the Lt. Governor...
Side Notes... Finally getting back into the swing of things around here! It has been a busy May/June thanks goodness! Dancers, Alumnae, headshots, Fashion, my creative brain is so happy right now! Speaking of headshots... who needs a new one? Wanna trade services? I’ll use this one on here as a motivator... Can’t wait for this June/July SUPER-Meeting! Get inspired, make some art! - Michael Sink, CPP
Hello Blue Ridge District! I am sure you are all rather busy this time of year but we hope you already have planned to be at our ALL DAY meeting on June 30th with the fabulous Mary Fisk-Taylor and Jamie Hayes. This is amazing talent that you will not want to miss!! **Kevin Hurley has graciously offered his studio for the day. His address: 1360 Maple Ave SW, Roanoke, VA 24016 (540) 345-3055 PLEASE RSVP to Kevin by Friday, June 27th so he will have an accurate headcount. This will be an all day meeting!!! All attendees need to bring $$ to put towards pizza. We can get it delivered and not have to interrupt our speakers, thus have a working lunch!! Mary will be focusing on marketing and sales for the first half of the day. Jamie will be sharing his posing and lighting expertise during the second half of the day. This is truly a workshop you will NOT want to miss!! FYI, there will NOT be a July meeting for the Blue Ridge VPPA. We decided to combine June/ July meetings into one full day due to all busy schedules, vaca, etc... - Jen Chaconas
The Best of Both Worlds Mary Fisk-Taylor, M.Photog., Cr., CPP ABI, API Jamie Hayes, M.Photog., Cr., CPP, ABI, API Jamie Hayes and Mary Fisk-Taylor will spend their time with you discussing their path of success in the profession of photography. If you are striving to refine your existing business or want to take your part time business to the next level then this is the program for you. Jamie and Mary own and operate a small home based portrait and wedding studio in Richmond, Virginia. In the past 19 years they have grown their business and now gross over $1,000,000 a year. They will spend their time discussing the basic fundamentals that have helped them establish their business over the years into one of their areas leading studios. They will share the key elements to building a very streamlined studio in a small space and the basics of environmental lighting. This program will be full of sound basic photography that can be created easily and more importantly set you up for bigger and better sales. There will also be discussion and plenty of time dedicated to creating a sound sales plan and low cost innovative marketing ideas. Last but not least Jamie and Mary will share with you how they took their existing studio from traditional to trendy, classic to chic. They will share the adventures of being a classically trained photographer in the world today and how they have created a brand new line of portraits that have literally taken their market area by storm.
Upcoming Events June 27th, 9:00-4pm - BRR Monthly Meeting at Kevin Hurley’s Studio in Roanoke, VA, presentation by Mary Fisk-Taylor and Jamie Hayes hands on “The Best of Both Worlds” 1360 Maple Ave., Roanoke 24016. RSVP by June 27th at (540) 345-3055