PPN Summer School: HOT Times In The Summer!

It’s time gang for this year’s PhotoPro Network Summer School and we’ve got quite a program scheduled! This year it’s all about Lighting, Lighting, Lighting plus High School Seniors, Weddings, Landscape Photography, Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4, LIVE On-stage Demos, and so much more!!!

This summer’s program is jammed packed with the freshest and best new talent in the profession!  Ty and Shannon Fisher, Jason Lykins, Nicohlas Viltrakis, Eric Cameron, David Ziser, Jim Goldstein, James Smeltzer

Plus tons of additional programming goodies!

Hot SHOTS! Image Completion

“LIVE” Webcast and Welcome get together on Friday evening – FREE to attendees!

Our super popular Summer Shootout Saturday evening – plan to be part of the fun.

Two FULL days of Programs!

On-stage “LIVE” lighting demonstrations with gorgeous models!

The latest on Adobe’s just released Photoshop CS^ and Lightroom 4!

And lots of Door Prizes!

You Cost: Register early and save $50!

How much for 2 1/2 days of some of the best photographic instruction anywhere? And unbelievable low price of only $89! – yes, you heard me right – only $89 for the first 50 attendees registering for the exciting Summer event!

After that the price goes up to $139 – still a steal of a deal!

PhotoPro Network HOT SHOTS Fall 2011 Print Competition; The Winners Please, Re-Broadcast, and More!

Good Morning Everybody,

I’ve got one heck of a post for you today and it’s jammed packed with some great images!.  Fasten your seat belts – HERE WE GO…

Last Thursday we conducted our first amazingly successful PhotoPro Network HOT SHOTS FALL 2011 Image Competition and review.

We had a much larger turnout than expected all at the last minute, of course. So lots of folks were able to submit images before we could close off the registration.  I think that’s a good thing though.  The viewing audience got a chance to see a much larger body of work judged and evaluated.

Print Competition The Rest Of The Story

First of all, my sincere THANKS to the more than 10 volunteers who put in collectively over 50 hours of their time to pull off the technically complex and most exciting image competition ever!

We had people monitoring the event in Florida, Kentucky, and Cabo, Mexico.  There were also a total of 10 devices - 4 computers for viewing, judging, and monitoring, 3 iPods for scoring, and  3 iPads for monitoring remotely – all were used to pull off the most technically complex print competition ever and to make it the  success it was.

We had 45 photographers enter from 22 states around the country with one entry from Canada which made our competition an international event!  Here are the top 10 images in order submitted for the event.  Enjoy!

Here are a few of the comments from our “LIVE” studio audience:

“Its was great. I started competing this year and it was so much fun…"  John V.

“I am learning SOOOO much.  Thank you!”  Cindy S.

“I enjoyed the presentations and the judges comments on the images.  Thanks for all the hard work for this wonderful learning opportunity.”  Chuck C.

“This is great!  I think I'm going to look into the master photographer classes on PPA.” Mary D.

“This is the first time I've experienced anything like this. GOOD to hear/learn what the judges look for.” John D.

“…Thank you…  Seeing the images and listening to the judges comments was invaluable and educational.” Jammie . G

“Judy and I really enjoyed the Webinar. We learned a great deal from reviewing the photos and then hearing the experts comments. We appreciated your hard work in support of photographers all over the globe.”  Judy and Chuck H.

A Test Drive For A Bigger Event

This was the “test drive” for the much larger event scheduled for next year’s PhotoPro Expo 2012 Print Competition [link] with $5,000 in prizes and awards!

We have several viewers tuned in via our live webcast watching the entire competition “LIVE” as it happened.  I was moderating the event and answering as many of the submitted questions as fast as I could.

What Makes A Great Image?

The Professional Photographers Of America have been conducting Print Competitions for many years. Judges go through rigorous training to learn how to distinguish a great image from one that is close to great.  I was a print judge for many years and it is an exciting and extremely educational experience.

The judges are looking for 12 main aspects of an image and basing their score on that criteria.  The Twelve elements listed below are in accordance to their importance:

Impact, Technical excellence, Creativity, Style, Composition, Presentation, Color Balance, Center of Interest, Lighting, Subject Matter, Technique, and Story Telling.

You can read the long version right here.  It goes into much great depth about each aspect of what the judges are looking for.

And The Winners Are…

We selected three winners from last Thursday’s competition. They are listed as follows:

Highest Collective Score for 6 Images: This award is the most difficult of all the awards a maker can receive.  It demands extremely high quality and consistency across all 6 of the makers entries. Our winner this year is Jessica Edwards with a scoring total of 483, nearly an 81 average for all 6 of her images entered! Congrats! Jessica!

Here are Jessica’s six fabulous entries:

“Lipstick And Leather” scoring 83

“Modern Day Goldie Locks” scoring 82.

“Dance Of The Black Widow” scoring 79.

“Gridiron Great” scoring 80.

“Heartbreaker” scoring 79

 

“Changes are Coming” scoring 80.

Jessica’s Prize: OnOne Software’s new Perfect Photo Suite 6.0 which has been receiving “RAVE” reviews everywhere.

Highest Overall Print Score: Electric Arch

This award is always a crowd favorite. It goes to the maker of the image with the overall highest scoring image of the competition. Our winner for this competition goes to Eric Shalita for his image “Electric Arch” which scored a phenomenal 88 from the judges.  This was also the judges favorite image too.

Eric’s Prize: NIK Software’s new and highly acclaimed Color EFEX 4.0

Best In Category:

These are the top scoring images in each of the six categories.  Each winner will receive a copy of my 2011 Success Collection.

Highest Scoring Artistic (Photoshop,etc.) Image: “Electric Arch”. Please see above.  It was also the top scoring image in the competition.

Highest Scoring Landscape Image:

”Docked” by Jill Davidson scoring 85.

Highest Scoring Portrait Image:

“Old Boys Club” by Jonathon Burton, scoring 84

Highest Scoring Wedding Image:

“Rooftop Romance” by Rosemary Cundiff-Brown scoring 83

Highest Scoring Sports Image:

“Riding The Wave” by Peter Tucker scoring 82.

Highest Scoring Wildlife Image:

“Water Drops On Wings” by Amber Pulse scoring 81.

Congratulations to all our winners.  Hope to see you at PhotoPro Expo 2012. We’re giving away $5,000 in prizes and awards next February!

Now For The Re-Broadcast Of The PhotoPro Network Image Competition and Review

Hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the images and judges comments one more time! Enjoy everybody!

___________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  I’ve been at the computer too long these last two days with these lengthy posts.  We’re hitting the sunshine early.  I’ll plan to see you sometime tomorrow for another great post from the sunny shores of Mexico.

See ya’ then, David

PhotoPro Expo 2012 Blasting Off!

It Happens Super Bowl Weekend - February 2, 3, 4, & 5, 2012

The Photographic Super Bowl  Event of the year!

PhotoPro Expo 2012!

4 Full Days! - 12 World Class Speakers - 1 Fantastic Opportunity!

Print Competition and Image Review - $10,000 in Image Awards and Door Prizes!

Largest tradeshow Ever with 50 vendors, Model Shootout, Speedlighting Clinics, & Tech Help Desk

 

Super Bowl Tailgating Party Sunday Night!

Watch the game, enjoy the party, and have a chance to win prizes to given away that evening!

Day long program with Jerry Ghionis on Monday (add’l cost)

Christmas in July Rates – Only $139! (reg $279) for all four days!

Must be booked by August 31, 2011

PhotoPro Expo 2012 is shaping up to be one of the top 2012 photography conventions nationwide! The anticipated speaker line up will blow you away!  Just check out the line up so far:

Scott Kelby:  Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User Magazine, Editor-in-Chief of Layers Magazine; training director and instructor for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour, President National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), CEO of Kelby Media Group, author of a string of bestselling technology books.  Since 2004, Scott has been awarded with the distinction of being the world’s #1 best-selling author of all computer and technology books, across all categories. [link]

Jerry Ghionis:  Widely regarded as one of the top five wedding photographers in the world, Jerry Ghionis’ theatrical and iconic images have redefined modern wedding photography. He was the first Australian named in the first ever list of Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World by American Photo magazine. Jerry is also proud to have won the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) Wedding Album of the Year for a record seven times among his long list of accolades. [link]

Vincent Laforet: Vincent, a three-time winner at the prestigious 2010 Cannes Lions International
Advertising Festival, is a Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer who is known for his forward-thinking approach to image-making and storytelling. In addition to having been commissioned by just about every important international publication—including Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, and Life. [link]

Sarah Petty:  Sarah is a highly-acclaimed speaker, author, MBA and coach who has inspired thousands of boutique business owners to use beautiful marketing to take their business to the next level. Her expertise is based on over 20 years helping build the Coca-Cola brand, meeting the marketing goals of a top regional advertising agency's clients and building her own successful  boutique photography studio. This studio was named one of the most profitable in the country within just five years in business. [link]

Kirk Voclain: Kirk Voclain is the award-winning owner and photographer of Kirk Voclain Photography in Louisiana. Kirk is one of the top portrait photographers in the country, honored with numerous Fuji and Kodak Masterpiece Awards, and he is published in many popular photography magazines and spoken at several national conventions. When he isn't shooting, Kirk manages Pro4uM.com, an online community he founded of professional photographers. [link]

Skip Cohen:  Skip Cohen is President/Founder of Marketing Essentials International, a marketing consulting firm specializing in projects dedicated to photography. He is also a guest editor for Photo District News and responsible for Focus on Weddings, published in December, He is past president Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Association. Skip also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Hasselblad USA Inc. [link]

Lindsay Adler:  Lindsay is a professional fashion and portrait photographer based in New York City. Her work has been featured in several international fashion and photography magazines including Sublime Magazine, Popular Photography, Professional Photographer, Shutterbug, Rangefinder and dozens more.  Her visual art work crosses many disciplines within photography and video.  Lindsay teaches photography workshops at major conferences and seminars reaching thousands of photographers worldwide. [link]

Joel Grimes:  Joel worked with the top advertising agencies across the globe for clients such as Abbott, Arizona Office of Tourism, AT&T, Febreze, Discovery Cannel, Goldman Sachs, Hewlett Packard, Honda, Hyatt, Qwest, Sony, Visa, Volvo, and Red Bull. His has traveled on assignment to all 50 states in the US and over 50 countries worldwide. His book “Navajo, Portrait of a Nation” which received numerous photographic and design awards as well as an eighteen-month solo exhibit at the Smithsonian American History museum. [link]

Syl Arena:  Syl recently published his best selling book 432 page opus, the Speedliter’s Handbook, detailing the use of Speedlighting – all there features, functions, and applications. Syl Arena specializes in commissioned and stock photography for advertising, editorial, hospitality and private clients. Syl studied commercial photography at Brooks Institute and fine art photography at the University of Arizona.  Syl's first blog, PixSylated.com, gained a global audience within a year of its launch. Syl launched his second blog, Speedliting.com, as a way to share his expertise on Canon flash techniques. [link]

Janice Wendt:  Janice Wendt is one of the industry’s most respected retouch and image enhancement artists, one who “trains the trainers” on numerous techniques related to digital imaging. As an education and training manager at Nik Software, Janice instructs professionals across the country in all aspects of digital capture and digital workflow. Her practical approach to retouching features alternative, timesaving techniques for professional and beginning photographers alike. Janice is also a commercial and portrait photographer with more than 25 years of experience in film and digital photography. [link]

And more speakers to be announced! 

This is your once in a lifetime chance to experience the top trainers in the world all at one conference:

The PhotoPro Expo 2012!

Free Webcast on April 7: Fusion! - Now More Than Ever!

Date:
Thursday, April 7, 2011

Time:
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDT

Only by delivering exciting, evolving, and innovative products and services to our clients can we ever hope to achieve success in this rapidly changing digital landscape.  Fusion - the combination of still and video coverage, is at the forefront of our digital evolution. We need to embrace it NOW!

Clay Blackmore, the Bebb's, Ken Sklute just to name a few of the top wedding photographers have embraced the Fusion concept since the Canon 5D Mark II came out 2 years ago and are enjoying unbridled success with DSLR video.

How do they do it?  What's their secret? Join me in our Web-cast featuring Ariane Fisher, Creative Director at Storymix Media as we discuss how simple and straight forward the process really is. Ariane is an expert in the field and will share with our audience exactly what you need to to make it work for you.

She'll cover:
- The technical aspects of how to shoot your video segments
- What are the important scenes to cover
- Length and best "points of view" for the scenes
- Post-production made easy
- And much more!

Point yourself in the direction of continued success and don't miss this Web-cast!  -David

PhotoPro Expo 2011 Wrap up

The Super Buzz!

WOW!  What an exciting weekend it was.  10 great speakers, 3 full – really full days, 1 terrific experience for a full house of the nearly 300 photographers that attended! 

And “RAVE REVIEWS” all around! Here are just a few:

“…Inspirational!” D. Burress.    ”…The speakers were entertaining and engaging…” B. Cottrell

“…What an amazing value!” D. Jelley  “…I took something away from almost all of them. I left feeling inspired!” S. Hultberg

“…Unbelievable info given by some amazing people!” A. Womack    “…the photographers were willing to help and share.” T. Payton

“…fabulous lineup of top notch speakers.” S. Roach    “…Everyone had opened arms to help you and answer any questions. Down to earth and good advice.” C. Yager 

“…KPPA - It really has a family feel here and I love that!” P. Johnson

We reviewed over 1,000 comment sheets from the attendees and the response was an overwhelming Excellent! for the entire PhotoPro Expo and all 10 of the speakers.  It was a fantastic experience for everyone!  Oh, did I mention we gave away over $11,000 worth of Door Prizes THANKS to the generosity of our sponsors!  Just wait till next year – we’re going to blow the top off the place! 

Print Judging

The KPPA print judging team hit the floor running early to set up the print judging that began at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday.  5 qualified judges reviewed and judged 169 entries.  The entire judging process went into the evening hours wrapping about 10:30 p.m.  Watching the image judging can many times be a spine tingling, goose bump raising, exciting event as you watch your images come up in front of the judges.

There is no better way to improve your photography than involving yourself in the print judging process.  Not only does it raise the bar on what you feel is your best, but it also raises the bar on what you think is best for your clients too – a pretty nice bonus benefit.

Check out the 2011 Award Winners below.  All the image entries are playing at the top of the right hand sidebar – Enjoy!

 All Programs Were BIG Hits!

The most often heard comments from this year's PhotoProExpo was definitely the excellence of the presenters.  Everyone enjoyed the variety of topics which each speaker discussed and also the depth of knowledge they brought to their topics. When we asked the attendees what they thought of the speakers, each and every speakers’ evaluations were overwhelmingly “Excellent” .  It's pretty darn exciting to see that kind of response from nearly 100% of all those attending the convention!   It means we must be doing something right and it took the efforts of a lot of people to pull it off.  Wait till you see what’s planned for next year!

With the lineup we had this year, it was impossible to go wrong with any of the 10 programs you chose to attend. Blair Phillips kicked off on our first day Friday morning and literally hit it out of the park with his presentation.  Blair had folks taking notes at 1,000,000 miles a minute, hanging on his every word, enjoying his easy humor he brought to his presentation.  Here's just a short three minute presentation of what you missed.

PhotoProExpo 2011 - Blair Phillips Excerpt from PhotoProExpo on Vimeo.

As a PhotoPro Network  member, you’ll be able to hear Blair’s presentation as often as you like.  We recorded most of the PhotoProExpo’s 2011 presentations.  They will be on-line soon for all KPPA members to enjoy again and again.  Now there’s one good reason to be a member.  Not bad for membership that only costs about eight dollars a month - for all the benefits we have in store for you this year it truly is a sweet deal.

Awards Celebration

The PhotoProExpo Awards Celebration is always the high point of the Convention.  This year's Award Ceremony was no exception. It is especially fun to watch those who weren't expecting an award to hear their name mentioned for one of the big trophies. The prize winners had some fabulous entries as you can see in the slide show above.

Laura Daniels, (middle) works for Tim and Bev Walden of Walden’s Studio [link] was one of the big winners. She garnered more awards than any other photographer at the Awards Ceremony.  She was also named “Photographer of the Year” !  Congrats! Laura and to all that entered and won awards. You can find the entire list of award winners right here.

What’s Happening For 2011 – Message From The President, David Ziser

Hey everybody, I said it during the Awards Ceremony and all say it again now.  I want 2011 to be the most exciting year ever for the Kentucky Professional Photographers Association.  My top priorities are to bring you more great programs, several webinars this year, and over 50 hours of solid web training that you, our members, can enjoy as a benefit with your membership.  This is a year that you can't afford not to be a KPPA member.  Your membership in  KPPA  will be the best you'll find anywhere in the country, I promise.  We have several projects in the works already – I’ll keep you posted on their progress.

I've already contacted several speakers for next year. And when you hear the names you'll be amazed at what we've got in store for PhotoProExpo 2012. Plan to be part of the excitement!  Not only that, but we've got a lot of exciting new things planned for tradeshow as well. Next year we’re planning to include a print review area where you can bring your prints and have one of several qualified image experts review and critique those images for you.

The second they we’re planning, with the help of Westcott, is set up several shooting bays where you will actually get a chance to start your portfolio building – cool, don’t you think?  And finally, were arranging to have Lighting Clinics happening right on the tradeshow floor.  This will be your opportunity to get your hands on the gear, see how works, and maybe even pull off a great photograph or two.  Plus, we’re planning an even larger PhotoProExpo tradeshow – larger than ever before!  This is a weekend you won’t want to miss so mark your calendars. PhotoProExpo 2012 is scheduled for February 2-5, 2012.

Hey gang, let’s have a great year together!  But I can’t do it by myself. We need everyone, not only the photographers from Kentucky, but also the tri-state area including Ohio and Indiana to tell your friends and fellow photographers about the exciting happenings we have coming your way. I look forward to seeing you again with our first webcast in March – stay tuned.  Fasten your seat belts – we are ready for lift off!!!!

David Ziser, President KPPA

Weddings, Seniors, Family Portraits: Webcast Now On DVD

World Class Photography!   3 World Class Photographers!

4 Hour Seminar Now on DVD!

Only $29.95
BUY DVD NOW!

A few comments from those that attended:

"As a photographer for many years, a 1963 graduate of the Brooks Institute of photography and a Past President of the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association, I felt this was one of the most innovated seminars that I have ever attended.” Lee W.

“I just finished listening to the Webinar...it was great!!!! Enjoyed it tremendously and look forward to receiving the DVD of today's programs. I loved listening to the different topics.” Rebecca S.

“Really enjoyed the 3 presentations, they were tremendous, lots of information and good tips!” Harold B.

“FABULOUS job today!!!!!” Laura R.

“Loved today's webinar. Lots of great information.” Geneva B.

DVD Program Details Below:

Matt McGraw On Wedding Photography

"Awesome, Untraditional, and Breathtaking..."; "Pieces of Art..."; "Your photos are so in the moment and capture true emotions." Yes, that's how Matt's clients describe his work. Matt McGraw is a world class wedding photographer whose edgy, dramatic, photojournalistic style has catapulted him to the top of his profession.

Matt has been honored with being named Best of Weddings for Photographers 2009 by the Knot.

Matt will share with you how he covers a wedding from start to finish, finding those special moments, how he uses light to create his exciting images, resulting in images his clients love.

Be sure to check out Matt’s studio website right here and his newsletter right here.

Nancy Emmerich On High School Seniors
Nancy sees photography as more than just a job. For her, it is a passion, a way to capture life. Nancy is well recognized in her profession, having been awarded the Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees from the Professional Photographers of America.

She has traveled the world, both as a trainer and educator. In the past year alone, she visited such locales as Honolulu, Las Vegas, Cannon Beach, Monument Valley, and Seoul. Korea, where she was one of six Americans asked to judge Korea's National Photographic Print Competition.

Nancy's program will excite you with her creative, fresh, and genuine approach to high school senior photography. She will show you how she quickly moves through the session creating a variety of images that capture the essence of her subjects.

Be sure to check out Nancy’s studio website right here and her studio blog right here.
 
Drake Busath On Family Portraits
Drake brings a sense of style to every portrait he creates. His easy manner and wonderful eye for color and composition allows him to produce true works of art for his clients.

Drake's studio has made official portraits for 4 Governors, 5 Mayors, 3 LDS Church Presidents, even George W. Bush with world leaders at the Olympics!

In Drake’s program he will show you how to create easy, soft lighting, even in a small camera room. Learn tricks to enhance outdoor light on groups and children.  He will show you how to help families look more relaxed and comfortable in classic portraits. And he will show you how easy it is to build a group from the ground up and then “add the love”.

Be sure to check out Drake’s studio website right here.