PPA Charities Photo Idol 2012 - Day 2

Yes, it’s David Grupa . . . many of you know me from involvement in PPA and affiliate groups, while others just know me from places like Facebook or networking groups. Perhaps I photographed your wedding or high school senior portraits!

I hope you’ve seen the PPA Charities Photo Idol 2012 promotion launched on 12/12/12, and I want to encourage everyone to participate; not only because it’s a great cause and excellent way to “pay it forward”, but also because it’s an awesome way to honor some of the very important people who helped to shape your photographic careers. As someone who has a special place in my heart for PPA Charities, this is a great opportunity to do something really great for someone else during the holiday season.

So . . . I’d like to keep the coins jingling with my own stories. Watch for them on my personal Facebook page as well as on the Camp David Photo Facebook page and blog (CampDavidPhoto.com). Of course, all the vote tallies will also be shown on the PPA Charities website and Facebook pages.

The second of my “Photo Idol” votes goes to my father, Leo Grupa. He rarely touched a camera and sometimes grumbled about having to stop the car so mom could get out and take pictures during a family vacation. As a man who worked hard to support his family over the years, he really stressed that I go to college and get a great education so I could “get a good job and not have to worry about money.” When I started a photography business in 1976, he thought that was a fairly resourceful way to make a few dollars on the side to pay my college tuition by “snapping pictures”. When I got busier photographing weddings, the auditor side of him came out and he showed me how to keep accurate records so I’d be prepared at tax time. When I quit school 2 years later to open a photography studio, he thought I was crazy to want to own a business. Yet, he supported me through the entire effort. Even though he didn’t place a high value on photographs, there was a part of him that wanted to make sure my expenses and revenues were properly aligned so I would be profitable and successful. (Although he still thought I should get a “regular job.”)

Unfortunately, dad died over 23 years ago and never got to see me receive my degrees from PPA and MNPPA. Still, I like to think he looks down every once in a while and is proud that I’ve “made it” this far.Dad, even though you would have shied away from any public recognition, your support and examples make you one of my “Photo Idols.”

Who is your Photo Idol? Share it with the world and honor them with a donation to PPA Charities. CLICK HERE to vote.