PPGCS Newsletter: April, 2006
Volume 17, Issue 4
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New PPGCS Requirements
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A message
from the President
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Member Spotlight:
Elaine McDonald
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PPGCS Members in
the News
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April Meeting: Workflow,
“Which Way Now”
by Norman Rehme, Master Photographer
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Renew your Membership
(Pricing and who to contact)
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Membership and Advertising
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Classified Advertising
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PPGCS OFFICERS & CHAIRPERSONS–
2006
New PPGCS Requirements
As photographers, we need to continue to
strive to do the very best for our clients. Whether if be
in customer service, photographing the needs of the client
or just making them feel very comfortable and special at
that given time. Not only will it make their day, it will
make yours too. I think I get as much satisfaction when
a client thanks me for beautiful and creative work as the
client does. Set your standards high and review your progress
weekly. As a member of PPGCS, you're expected to set high
standards. This leads me to my next thought, change is coming
to PPGCS. In the next couple of months, the board will reveal
new standards each member will be required to complete.
These changes will be incorporated into the By-laws of PPGCS
and will take affect in January 2006. If we are to be called
the, "Professional Photographers' Guild of Colorado
Springs" and affiliate of PPA National organization,
then members will be excepted to achieve certain objectives
and goals as members.
- Thomas Henn, PPA Certified, M.Photog.,
CR.
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A message from the President
Happy Spring! Time for planting
spring flowers and fresh business ideas. Spring is always
a great time for implementing changes. New props, new poses,
new marketing themes. I know that all the members and guests
who were in attendance at the last meeting learned a lot
from Chris Waldron, Craftsman, PPA Certified Photographer.
Learning or reviewing the basics of posing is always a plus.
This coming month, we will feature Norm Rehme, Master, Craftsman,
PPA Certified Photographer from Loveland, Colorado as our
guest speaker. Norm will help us all with workflow.
Thank you to all who sent me your web addresses.
If you have not done so, please forward your web site address
to me at www.familystudio.com.
We are in the process of revising our PPGCS web site. We
are going to have general information section, as well as
a members only section. If you have any award winning images
that you would like us to consider for the site, please
either e-mail them to me, or you may print them on CD and
give to any of the board members at the next meeting.
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
PPGCS President,
Pat Moore, Cr.Photog., PPA Certified
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Member Spotlight:
Elaine McDonald
Elaine McDonald was born in Montana,
but lived much of her life in the Midwest before moving
to Colorado Springs with her husband in 2001. She has a
degree in English and journalism, and worked for several
years as a writer and editor before deciding to go to law
school. In her law career she 
focused
on copyright and other intellectual property issues, as
well as the drafting and negotiation of license agreements
and other contracts. Following her move to Colorado, Elaine's
legal work shifted to a part-time teaching and consulting
role that allowed her to spend more time on her real passion
- photography. This transition became complete in 2006.
Although she maintains her law license, she is now able
to devote full time to her photography business.
Elaine has been selling her fine
art photography in the Colorado Springs area since 2003,
and she has been a member of PPGCS ever since she learned
about the organization in 2004. She credits PPGCS with helping
her advance more rapidly in her photography career - both
through the educational aspects of the organization and
the valuable networking contacts with other PPGCS members.
In 2006 Elaine was elected to the PPGCS board in the capacity
of assistant treasurer.
"People are often surprised
to learn that I'm both an attorney and a fine art photographer,"
says Elaine. "When they find out I've also been a songwriter
and composer, they're even more surprised. I guess it seems
unusual for someone to be both right-brained and left-brained."
Elaine's photographic images have
won several awards. Her work has been on display and for
sale at the Colorado Springs REI store for the past few
years, and has also been shown at the Pikes Peak Center,
Smokebrush Gallery, Frameworks Gallery and Kenright Gallery.
Her fine art photos have also been on display in the Atrium
Gallery at the Business of Art Center in Manitou Springs,
where she is an Associate Artist member.
Elaine's
photography business, Four Winds Photo Art, focuses mainly
on providing fine art photography for home and business
interior decor, including on-site consultation to help clients
with size, placement, and selection. Her website is at www.fourwindsphotoart.com.
Many of Elaine's favorite images
are captured while she and her husband are hiking in the
mountains, exploring ghost towns, or traveling. Following
a trip to Ireland in 2005 she created a slideshow (with
music) and screensaver CD called "Images of Ireland"
that is on sale at the Leprechaun Shoppe in Manitou Springs.
A similar CD called "Colorado Dreamin", which
features her Colorado photos and the music of Colorado singer-songwriters
Joe Uveges and Jan Garrett & J.D. Martin, is sold at
various gift shops in the area, including the Garden of
the Gods Visitor Center.
Because of the difficulty she
experienced in finding music to license on reasonable terms
for her slideshow CD's, Elaine decided to start licensing
her own recorded music for use by wedding photographers
in the slideshows they create for their clients. Her first
licensee was PPGCS member Wilson Hitchings.
Mainly for the pleasure of creating
them, Elaine has developed a unique line of "Colorado
Spirit" greeting cards featuring photographs from her
Colorado collection and original text she writes to go with
the photos. (For example, a card with a photo of several
bighorn sheep staring intently at the camera says: "Congratulations!
Everyone's watching to see what amazing things you'll do
next.") The best selection of these cards can be found
in Old Colorado City at the Mountain Man Fruit & Nut
Company, and Elaine also sells them directly.
Elaine is not the first photographer
in her family. Her uncle Carl Jensen owns a photography
studio in Kearney, NE, and continues to shoot weddings and
portraits even though he is well into his 80's. Both Elaine
and Carl received their first cameras as gifts from Elaine's
mother.
In the future, Elaine plans to
make use of her journalistic background by writing travel
articles that she will illustrate with her own photography.
Marketing her photographs as a stock photographer is also
an avenue she plans to explore.
"You never know where life
is going to take you," says Elaine, "so my approach
has always been to go with the flow, take the pathways that
present themselves, and enjoy the adventure! If you trust
that you will be led where you need to go, that trust is
never misplaced."
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PPGCS Members in the News
Big Congrats to Patty Healy-Kelly for winning
the Kodak Gallery Award for her amazing wedding image “Cherished”
Patty received this prestigious award at the
Rocky Mountain State Print Competition last month.
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MEETING REMINDER
Social 6:30 pm
Meeting 7:00 pm
APRIL 20th
WORKFLOW
“Which Way Now”
Norman Rehme
Master Photographer
ViewPoint
Retirement Center
555 Rockrimmon Blvd.
Activities Room
About our April Speaker
Norman Rehme, M. Photog. CPP, after 35 years
of photography, solidified his workflow process three
years ago. Well, not really, it was 1 year ago. Ooops!
Sorry, just yesterday…. Just like us all, workflow
never comes to a conclusion. It seems like we are always
reinventing the wheel.
It used to be so simple: shoot the film,
lick the tab, send to lab, and get prints back. In today’s
world, there are hundreds of steps from concept to print.
Which road to take? Norm will help you sort it out until
it all changes again.
Norman is a Master Photographer who has
numerous and multiple awards for his work including Fuji
Masterpiece Awards, Kodak Gallery Award, loan prints,
Colorado Photographer of the Year, and Photographer of
the Year-Gold Level.
Visit Norm's web site at: www.rehme.com
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The May 18th Guild Meeting is our Annual Print Critique.
Below is valuable information to help you create your
best images.
12 ELEMENTS OF A MERIT PRINT
1. IMPACT
What you see first. What creates your first impression
- It could be a strong feeling of power. What commands
you to look -What holds your eye?
2. CREATIVITY
Using your imagination. Being very original or a fresh
approach on subject matter.
Creative cropping. Creative use of subject matter. Content
could be very abstract
3. STYLE
Individuality: that character of the photograph that sets
one work apart from the rest.
The way of seeing or approaching a subject.
4. COMPOSITION
Good placement of the subject matter. Harmonious proportions.
Using dynamic symmetry to place most important objects
in design. Good rhythm is created by repetition, whether
it's color, spaces, moods, or divisions of the photograph
5. PRINT PRESENTATION
Does the presentation enhance the photograph? Good cropping
can add to the composition. Good color for the matting
or mount can help. Daring to be different.
Using something dynamic or being very traditional.
Initial impression can be obtained by using creative mounting.
6. COLOR BALANCE
A good technique for the photograph. A good selection
of color for the subject matter or objects. Using a very
interpretative color (maybe not normal). Creative use
of color - example: complementary colors, dark against
light, strong against weak.
7. CENTER OF INTEREST
Dominance of objects or subject matter. A group of subject
and arrangement of objects so one center of interest prevails.
Subject matter holds the eye with no distractions. Strength
and definition gives the center of interest secondary
points that are very important to the photograph, but
you must always be able to come back to the center of
interest.
8. LIGHTING
Good dynamic lighting appropriate to the subject matter.
Strong mood can be created by the lighting. Lighting is
the art of reproducing the characteristics of the subjects
or objects.
9. SUBJECT MATTER
An outstanding interpretation for the subject matter.
Good camera angle for the subject matter is helpful. Selection
of a photogenic model or object is important. Contrast
here can be very creative in selection; example: old and
Young, warm and cool. All of these will complement your
work.
10. PRINT QUALITY
Good strong contrast. Using the middle tones. Good color
balance. Expressions and artistic lighting. The simplest
statements are the strongest. Good angle on the building.
Backgrounds in key to the subject matter.
11. TECHNIQUE
Different technique for the subject matter. Technique
is the foundation of photography, but a knowledge of the
art principles are very necessary. Using creative and
abstract can help. Design brings abstract ideas into concrete
form.
12. STORY TELLING
A good strong statement. A complete story within the photograph.
First glance has a complete meaning. Strong mood with
the photograph, builds an emotional response challenging
your imagination.
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PPGCS PRINT CRITIQUE RULES
ELIGIBILITY
1. The entry must have been captured and created by the
entrant.
2. The entrant's name shall not appear anywhere on the
face of the entry.
3. A maximum of four (4) entries may be submitted per
entrant.
4. No entry will be eligible that has been made under
the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment.
5. No two entries shall be of the same subject.
6. Entries previously merited at any PPA International
Competition are not eligible including any image from
a merited album.
7. Entry media includes photographic prints.
PHOTOGRAPHIC CRITIQUE CATEGORIES
1. Photographic Open will consist of Portrait, Illustrative,
and Wedding entries.
2. Commercial consists of commercial and industrial entries.
MOUNTING
1. Print entries must be permanently mounted on standard
mount board material. No masonite, glass, stretcher or
conventional frames are allowed.
2. Images of any shape and size are allowed and must be
mounted on 16x20" mount board. (recommended mounting
thickness is 1/8" - 3/8").
3. No material may be added to the front or back of an
entry that may damage another entry.
4. exception: PPA Master of Photography Degree holders
may submit images of any shape and size on a mount board
a minimum of 80 square inches to a maximum of 480 square
inches, with the largest dimension no longer than 24".
SUBMISSION
1. Place your name on the back of the print/mount board.
2. Place the title of the entry on the back TOP of the
print.
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Upcoming Events
April 20 Guild Meeting
Norman Rehme., M. Photog. PPA Certified
Learn Digital Workflow
May 18 Guild Meeting
Annual Print Critique
May 21-25
Imaging Workshops of Colorado, Inc. Breckenridge, CO.
Imaging Workshops of Colorado is an official PPA affiliation.
School. You can receive PPA merits while receiving “first
class” instruction right in our very own picturesque
backyard. Please visit
www.coloradoworkshops.com
Classes are almost full so register today!
June 15 Guild Meeting
Steve Haggert Talks on Marketing
June 25-26
PPC Summer Seminar
Copper Mountain Resort, CO.
July 20 Guild Meeting
Sound Business Practices
SCORE
July Guild Event
Annual Picnic
Date and location TBA
Aug 17 Guild Meeting
Computer Techniques/Photoshop
Presenter TBA
Sept 21 Guild Meeting
Annual Print Competition
Oct 28-30
PPC Competition Expo & Print Competition.
Location TBA
Nov 16 Guild Meeting
Tom Hissong, Cr. Photog
Pricing Your Work
Dec 21 Guild Meeting
Studio Tours and Social Gathering
Related Websites
www.ppcolorado.com
(state events)
www.ppa.com
(national events)
www.coloradoworkshops.com
(PPA affiliated Imaging Workshops of Colorado)
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Quotable Quotes
“Photography is a way of shouting, freeing oneself,
not of proving or asserting one’s own originality.
It’s a way of life.”
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
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Renew your Membership
Individual $200
Corporate Rates $300
Sustaining Member Rates $300
Student $75
Contact a PPGCS Board member
for details
Part of your membership includes
this monthly newsletter. Anyone may submit articles to
be published. If you are interested, please give your
article to Allison at the monthly Guild meeting or email
it to allisonearnest@yahoo.com.
Articles must be received by the end of the prior month
for which you’d like your article to appear (i.e.
End of Nov. to appear in Dec. newsletter)
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Membership and Advertising
This is the official publication
of the Professional Photographers’ Guild of Colorado
Springs, Colorado (PPGCS). It is published monthly for
members and others for information on industry matters,
personal achievements, and news of this and other associations.
Acceptance of advertising, or the publishing of press
releases does not imply endorsement of any product or
service by the 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 Professional Photographers’ Guild
of Colorado Springs Newsletter is credited as source.
Guild Membership: Membership
dues are $200 per year and include the monthly meetings,
participation in the print competitions, free advertising,
use of PPGCS professional logo for self promotion and
newsletter. For membership inquires, contact Allison Earnest
(719) 573-7880
Guests: Guests may attend one
meeting without charge, Thereafter, there is a $20 per
meeting charge. Special meetings may cost more.
Advertising Rates: A full page
ad costs $50 per month or $480 per year, paid in advance.
A half-page ad is $40 per month or $360 per year and a
quarter page ad is $25 per month or $240 per year. Those
wishing to advertise should contact the editor, Allison
Earnest.
Added Member Benefits
Just a word to let everyone
know about an added benefit of PPGCS membership. American
Income Life Insurance Company will provide to our members
in good standing a life insurance policy (accidental death
& dismemberment) in the amount of $2000 at no charge.
If you choose to take advantage of this benefit you will
need to provide some information for the policy.
If you have any questions about
these benefits please contact Emily Jennings at American
Income Life. (719) 579-5170.
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Classified Advertising
Advertising is FREE for members!
Please submit classifieds to Allison
by the 3rd Thursday of the month.
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***NEW***
Music to License for Slideshows
Are you looking for beautiful music
to license for use in the slideshows you create
for your clients?
I am a songwriter as
well as a photographer, and I have original recorded
music available for licensing on reasonable terms
that are designed to meet your individual needs.
I have 10 instrumental tracks that would work in
almost any kind of slideshow, and 10 vocal tracks
for wedding slideshows. Our fellow PPGCS member
Wilson Hitchings has licensed my music -- see how
it works in one of his online wedding albums by
going to: www.bestvisualsweddings.com/NorwoodHTML/
For more info, see
the licensing page on my music website,
www.truly-yours.com/licensing.html
or call me, Elaine McDonald, at 237-4064.
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CAMERA
GEAR FOR SALE
Tamron SP AF Aspherical
DI 17 to 35 mm wide angle 2.8 (for Nikon) Brand
New used only once asking $350.00
Call Tom Sluder
520-0706
tsluder0706@msn.com
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CAMERA
GEAR FOR SALE
NIKON N90S FILM Camera
- Body Only - $200
HP PHOTOSMART PHOTO SCANNER
model #C5100A - never used; in the box - $75
BOGEN/MANFROTTO tripod
(#3011) &
3-way pan/tilt quick release head (#3030) - $75
CANON Lightweight
tripod
with 3-way pan/tilt quick release head - $10
Cushioned, threaded
eye piece for NIKON N90S - $10
Focusing Screen for
NIKON N90S
Matte Fresnel Type E #2583 - $10
Filters - round, threaded
- 49mm:
Hoya HMC Skylight 1B - $5 / Hoya HMC Skylight 81B-
$5
ProMaster 7 Cross-4/Star - $10
Hoya Diopters - 49mm
set of 3:
+1, +2, +4 - asking $5 for the set
Contact Linda
Kittiel
719-579-5299
or email lpk2@pcisys.net
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Scans
Highest res scans
from 35mm, all medium format negative and positive
$12.00
call allison 573-7880
Learn
basic studio lighting
Individual and
small group instruction.
Call Allison 573-7880 for more information.
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Advertise here
Contact Allison
719-573-7880
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PPGCS OFFICERS & CHAIRMEN - 2006
Officers and Directors:
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President:
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Pat Moore, Cr.Photog., PPA Certified
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719-264-9293
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Vice President:
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Mark Kirkland
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719-337-0622
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Secretary:
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Linda Kittiel
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719-650-5846
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Treasurer:
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Mike Tanous
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719-599-0299
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Executive Director:
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Lynn Boutte
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719-633-5116
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Assistant Treasurer:
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Elaine McDonald
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719-237-4064
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Member-at-Large:
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Taralyn Quigley
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719-231-0559
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Budget:
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Mike Tanous
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719-599-0299
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Communications:
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Dave Respecki
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719-594-4784
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Committee Chairpersons:
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Fellowship:
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Thomas Henn, M.Photog., CR., PPA Certified
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719-481-8529
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Hospitality:
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Wilson Hitchings. PPA Certified
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719-260-7157
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Membership
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Pat Moore, Cr.Photog., PPA Certified
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719-264-9293
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Newsletter:
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Allison Earnest - Newsletter
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719-573-7880
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Print:
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Heather Sams, PPA Certified
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719-264-9283
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Program Committee
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Mark Kirkland
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719-337-0622
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