Overall and Open Category: Gena
Album: Linda Long, Long’s Photography
Social Function: Linda Long, Long’s Photography
Portrait of a Woman: Wayne Denmark
Commercial: Wayne Denmark
Portrait of a Child: Wayne Denmark
Portrait of a Man: Wayne Denmark
Portrait of a Group: Wayne Denmark
Retouching/Restoration: Wayne Denmark
This month’s Tallahassee Professional Photographer’s Guild meeting will be held on Thursday, July 30th at 6pm.
Participating in print competitions is probably the best and fastest way to improve the level of your photography! But we know competition can be intimidating, and learning the “rules” can be confusing.
Please join us on July 30th for an in-depth look at print competition. Qualified print judges will review your images and talk about their strengths as well as how they can be improved. This may sound scary but it is just us, folks!
Not interested in participating in print competition? Watching critiques of your work and the work of other professionals not only improves your ability to do well in competition, but more importantly it improves your craft. There is a wealth of information available simply by learning what the judges see and don’t see in an image. By incorporating this knowledge into your work, your clients will begin to see a difference in your product and will recognize a distinction between a professional photograph and images captured by those with less training.
TO PARTICIPATE: Find four of your very best images you would like to have reviewed. Two images will be chosen to be critiqued at the meeting. Please submit your four digital files to Robin Adams – robinsportraits@yahoo.com on or before Monday July 27th. At the meeting, the judges will critique the images for the entire group. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Robin by email or by phone (997-5391).
TO PREPARE: Go to the FPP website to view a lot of information on competition, and even view winners from last year’s state competition. NOTE: DO NOT REGISTER through this site… that is for the state competition in August. But do take advantage of the information such as the 12 Elements of a Merit Print. http://fpponline.org/members/?page_id=5
This month’s meeting is being held one week later than usual, falling on July 30th. Members of the Guild pay the standard $25 meeting fee, which includes dinner. First time visitors pay $35, which also includes dinner. If you have already attended a guild meeting as a visitor, please consider joining the guild at this month’s meeting. For more information, please visit our blog at: www.tallahasseephotographers.com.
We are looking forward to an amazing meeting!
Melanie Burney, GSD is the photographer at Edgar’s Studio in Baxley, GA. Edgar’s Studio has been a family owned and operated business for 23 years. Our business consists of school contracts, seniors, family, children and wedding. We also serve as our own lab.
Melanie currently serves on the GPPA Board of Directors, Assistant Director of GA School of Professional Photography, and Assistant Print Chair for SEPPA. Melanie has received many awards from her state organization as well as the SEPPA Governors Award and her most recent award was the SEPPA Award. She will receive her GA Fellowship degree this year at their state convention.
In this program, Melanie will share many new ideas and show you how to make them work for your business. She will show you how to make money from extra sales such as slide shows, cards, mugs, blankets and jewelry as well as share many special promotion ideas that will bring in many new customers. This is going to be an action packed program that you will not want to miss. Everyone is guaranteed to take home at least one new idea that will work for their business.
You can visit her website at www.edgarstudio.com or check out her work on Facebook (Melanie Hutcheson Burney or Edgars Studio).
Tammy Griffin, portrait artist, Inc.
After graduating from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1988, I Moved to Ocala in 91 and started a commercial business photographing grocery store food ads. Not wanting to travel to the big city for work and wanting to stay in Ocala, I decided to take my first portrait class from Charles Lewis in 92. I learned most of my marketing and selling expertise from him. Worth every penny! He is my mentor for Marketing, Merchandizing and Sales as well as my overall business model. These things you do not learn in photography school.
I found a niche with a baby club for bread and butter support thanks to my friends Kim & Peggy Warmolts . But my business was not doing real well until in 97 when I joined my local, state and national associations.
As I learned more by going to conventions and seminars my business grew very fast. I built a new residental-studio in 2002 and we are now planning to build a separate building on my acre lot which is part of my 5 year plan.
I have received my FDPE, FSA, FED and just earned my merits for the PPA Masters Degree.
I enjoy a low volume, high quality, exclusive business of photography and share my life with a great husband, Danny Vincent. We have an awesome grandson, Taylor, who keeps us young!
1. Are you happy where your photography business currently is?
2. Are you well poised to handle the changes now happening in our industry?
If the economy has you down, or if you’re not able to provide for yourself or your family the way you would like to
then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Don’t just sit on the sidelines and HOPE things are going to get better… because they’re not. Take some action.
Come to the Florida Professional Photographers March Seminar and learn what some photographers are doing to thrive during this down economy. This will be a no-nonsense seminar delivered by a business development expert along with insights provided by out-of-state photographers who will share their proven techniques to sustain and build your photography business.
Join us for Tallahassee Professional Photographers Guilds 2008 Holiday Celebration and Awards Dinner. $25 per person. Please RSVP Frank Feliciano
Mobile: 850.251.4912
email: frank@fotosbyfeliciano.com
Awards. FPP Florida School Scholarship Drawing and Lots of Door Prizes. See you there.
Dear FPP Members – friends and family,
Anyone see the movie “Cinderella Man” with Russell Crowe? I’m no boxing fan by any means, but that was a great movie. Overcoming lots of competition, injury, tough economic times… hmmm… sound familiar?
Now, I know that this looks like a wordy letter, and if I were a man, it would only be 1/7th as long…but bear with me. And, men, just read faster…
The professional photographic industry has been hit with a one-two punch: Between the digital mass production of “instant” photographers (aka soccer moms) and the current economic uncertainties, our industry is finding that we can’t stay in the ring the way we always used to! Since the situation is not going to change, WE have got to change. If we are to survive as a viable professional industry, we must explore ways to work with the situation as it stands.
Your FPP Board of Directors recognizes that we must be aggressive in our efforts to find ways to rise above the challenges. A key word is Education. We must educate the public better as to why they should choose a professional photographer over Uncle Joe. We must also educate our FPP members with regards to professionalism and smart business tactics, and here are two examples of steps in that direction:
First, it is important that we promote the “get legal” idea. Last August, with the general membership’s consent, a motion was passed to more strictly require that professional members show proof of a current sales tax number. If you are a member of our association under the Professional membership category, you will have to adhere to this policy. It protects you, it shows your clients that you care enough about your profession to obtain the legal documents, and it’s just the right thing to do.
Second, our next seminar will address business tactics and the economic situation. Now, come on, guys – I realize most of you are artists, right-brainers, open-minded, creative (well, maybe some salon judges don’t always fit into that last one…), and I can hear the moans and groans all the way here in Astatula. Maybe if you look at it like “creative business thinking” it won’t hurt so much. This seminar will be different than any you’ve attended before. We will be sending out more information as time gets closer, but here are some important points:
· Monday, March 2, 2009, Ocala Hilton (right off I-75) – Mark the date NOW!
· Send someone from your studio who is involved in the marketing
and/or business end of things, if you aren’t.
· The fee is only $20. Did you hear that???!!
We’ve got to start thinking outside the box! With the way things are, we may need to throw the box out altogether!
Work with us; we’re working for you!!
Warmest regards,
Teri Crownover
FPP Executive Director
