Professional Photographers of America held it’s ** sesquicentennial anniversary convention in the headquarters city of Atlanta, GA. It was a great convention!
Winging toward Imaging USA Atlanta
The programs were well thought out and helpful I particularly enjoyed the Pre-Convention class with Michelle Parsley on Clone Painting with Adobe Photoshop. This is a technique to create more painterly looking images with a brush-like feel to them. Learning how to set up the brushes in Photoshop to mimic the feel and application of paint was incredible. This is one of the things on which I am working to further the artistic feel of my work as a Lens Based Artist.
Opening Keynote with Scott Stratton – Great start to the convention!!
The other program that caught extra from me attention was from Chris Knight. I already had his book The Dramatic Portrait which I thought was well written and informative.
PPA Council
It was also time for PPA Council to meet. I am a member of Council and have been for a number of years. This is where the rules and By-laws are adjusted when necessary. Sometimes there are issues of which members are divided. This was one of those years with a few issues needing some discussion. Passions were shared and the vote was taken. This led to the creation of a new degree based on wedding images. The designation is M.Wedding.Photog. I look forward to the time that members will be able to earn this degree and use it to help promote themselves to clients showing that they have extra dedication to improving their work.
Friends Like Family
PPA’s convention is also a time to renew friendships and network with fellow photographers. People often ask why I still go to conventions instead of learning what I need to online. I’ve found you learn almost as much, if not more, in the hallways and over a beer in the bar as in the classes. In addition, you can not pick up the phone and ask a video a question!!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
More from the convention in the next post.
** means 150 years!
Last night I had the honor & pleasure of sharing some thoughts & ideas with the students of Gene Devine’s Business Operations and Management for Photographers class at the Art Institute of Phoenix. It was a great group who asked the right questions about being in business.
I’m very glad that this kind of a course is available for those working to become professional photographers. The business of running a photography business is often neglected in classroom environments. Sure we all want to create fabulous photographs & art! But if we don’t understand how to market, price our work, run the business and know if we are making a profit or not we won’t be around very long as professionals.
Instructor Gene Devine ‘awarding’ me the Art Institute Cup! (so proud!)
If you are newer to photography as a business make sure you learn as much as you can about marketing, pricing, negotiation skills, bookkeeping and staying profitable. If you’ve been around the block a few times & are making it as a pro get out and share your business acumen with high school, college and other groups learning how it should be done to stay successful.
The scene looks like it was taken from the pages of a Louis L’Amour novel.
A Western set awaits as the Arizona PPA put on it’s annual ‘Fall Fest’ and you just might want to put this on your calendar. AZPPA board member Bruce Roscoe has put together an event you won’t want to miss. He has contacts with lots of actors from Westerns who have period costumes to go with the setting at Canyon Creek Ranch in Black Canyon City, Arizona.
Bruce asked me to get together with some of the actors to give you a preview of what’s in store. With the trusty Lumix GH4 in hand and a video fluid head atop my tripod we endeavored to give you a taste of the event.
Promo for AZPPA ‘Fall Fest’ video shot with the GH4 and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro
Check out the video and if you’d like more information you can ride on over to the AZPPA web site link for more information pardner…
I will be one of about 5 instructors that will be on hand to share ideas about shooting, lighting, posing on this all day event. There will be lighting equipment from FJ Westcott to try out and work with.
Looks like it’s gonna’ be a blast!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Watching the video will be your first step and you’ll be one of the first to see what’s coming. Sign up early as this will surely sell out.
PPS – The beginning part of the video was accomplished by using the Time Lapse feature in the camera. Camera was hand held with an image being made every 2 seconds as we drove down the road.
Two free education days surrounded by workshops and seminars by some wonderful photographers. I’m presenting a Keynote along with a two day workshop on my Photo-Synthesis techniques to create painterly type images from your photographs. It’s not too late to sign up…
Sedona Arts Center Photofest – including yours truly
One of the reasons I enjoy teaching and sharing so much is to see the results of others when trying the techniques.
Here is an article from the 3CT (Camera Club Council of Tennessee) It documents Sandy Miller’s use of Textures, Layers, blend Modes and Masks from a class I gave last month in Chattanooga.
Looks like Sandy has a great grasp of the concept and is sharing it well herself. All images including textures were photographed as part of our class project in about a half hour. Then we went to the classroom to put the images to work.
The class was hosted by the Photographic Society of Chattanooga with the very capable assistance of Bill Mueller and sponsored by the Lumix professional line of Panasonic Cameras.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – If you are looking for a speaker for your group let me know. Presentation Program descriptions here
Enjoyed sharing some ideas with the Prescott Arizona Camera Club Great group! After I spoke I had a chance to see their print competition and it showed they have quite a few very talented photographers. Looks like they are in growth mode with a push for new members and improving their meetings and organization.
Prescott Camera Club meeting. (thanks to Bruce Roscoe for grabbing this image for me)
Here’s some feed back from my presentation…
“Bob – great presentation last night. By the time you’d finished the initial slide show I was ready to try about a dozen new things in Photoshop. I love your layered work. Please send me your presentation slides. There was a great deal of terrifically valuable information in there. Thanks,” JB Burke
“I enjoyed your presentation Tuesday night and am impressed with artistry. Please send me the samples and links you discussed. I am also interested in the site you demonstrated for watercolor effect. In addition to the nice images that can be produced I found it is a perfect way to save a nice subject that I have photographed but is flawed.” Pat Fiedler
“Bob, really enjoyed your presentation at our club last evening. You mentioned that you would e-mail any info that would help to become a better photographer with the subjects that you covered in your presentation. I would really enjoy some of those websites and articles. Thank You, and again really enjoyed your presentation.” Jim Naumann
“Good Morning Bob, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation last night. It was entertaining as well as inspiring. I love what you are doing with the layers, blend modes and textures. Your work is awesome! Please send me the “sticky notes” from last night. I like your idea of learning one technique a day. It makes learning Photoshop much more manageable. Thank you for sharing,” Bill Zombeck
Lumix helped make it possible with sponsorship for me to speak to this group. Need a speaker for your group or organization?? Get in touch.
Occasionally I'll send out a digest version of the blog posts on Successful-Photographer. I'm not a fan of Spam and I'm sure you are not. Your Email address is safe with me. Bob
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