PPA Charities Photo Idol 2012 - Day 5

We’re over halfway through the PPA Charities Photo Idol 2012 promotion launched on 12/12/12. I truly hope my stories will inspire you to participate; this is not only about recognizing those who helped me along the way, but doing something good for a great cause.

PPA Charities – the charitable arm of the Professional Photographers of America – was established back in 1997 at the urging of then-PPA President Bert Behnke. In 2005, PPA Charities teamed up with Operation Smile as its charitable partner. Since that time, PPA Charities has contributed $500,000 to the organization dedicated to repairing the cleft lips and palates of children in countries where this malady would otherwise go untreated.

At a time of year when gift-giving is appropriate, we invite you to give a gift of your own to help change a child’s life. Not only is this a great cause and excellent way to “pay it forward”, but also an awesome way to honor some of the very important people who helped to shape your photographic careers.

It’s time to add another name to my PPA Charities Photo Idol list. I was probably working print crew at the Northern Light Convention in 2005 when we first became acquainted. However, it was the 1998 NL gathering when this impression was first made. I was sitting in the trade show at one of the empty tables after the show had closed, writing a postcard to my sons. Bert Behnke walked into the room after the print judging and we began to chat. He smiled at the postcards on the table and said “I like to send a card to my son when I’m traveling, too.”

Later that year, when I was on stage receiving my Master and Craftsman Degrees, it was PPA President Bert Behnke who shook my hand after Helen Yancy had placed the ribbon around my neck.

When Bert called me in the fall of 2007 and asked if I would be interested in a position on the PPA Charities board, I was very flattered and humbled. The chance to “pay it forward” in this manner was an opportunity I welcomed. He has introduced me to so many people in the industry that have become good friends.

Bert and his wife Cindy have also spoken across the country helping photographers understand not only lighting and posing techniques, but sales skills and studio procedures.

Bert is also a big Chicago sports fan, which has made for some fun rivalries over the years.

My vote today for PPA Charities Photo Idol 2012 is Bert Behnke. In Bert’s honor, please vote Chicago-style (that means vote early and often!)

Cast your vote at http://www.ppacharities.com/donate_now.html

PPA Charities Photo Idol - Day 4

I hope you’re enjoying the “Photo Idol” stories and thinking about your own mentors throughout your photographic career.

I’m posting these snippets as I make my nominations for the PPA Charities Photo Idol 2012. I truly 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.

So . . . here’s another of my own stories. Watch for them on my Facebook page as well as on my blogs. Of course, all the vote tallies will also be shown on the PPA Charities website and Facebook pages.

Now, it’s time to reveal my fourth PPA Charities Photo Idol.

I first joined the Professional Photographers of America back in 1977, but for a number of years I was what you might call a “checkbook member”. Although I paid my dues regularly, used the logo and told clients I was a member of PPA, I never really rolled up my sleeves and did anything with the association.

Until 1993. That was the year I first ventured onto the internet. I used this new software called “America Online” and after joining, ventured into a chat group called “PPA”. It was in that group where I met Helen Yancy for the first time. Helen was the PPA President and I was just starting to get a feel of what actually getting involved with PPA associations could do for me and my photographic career. Helen encouraged me to stop standing by as a spectator and take a more active role in the groups to which I belonged. It was scary – I didn’t know anyone . . . but I went to a few local meetings and liked what I saw. After one meeting, I swallowed hard and walked up to the President to ask if there was anything I could do to help out. The rest is history.

Helen Yancy is a talented photographic artist. Many of you have taken her classes on Painter and photographic enhancement. While we know of her talents within the industry, she’s also a very giving, caring woman. I’m proud to know her and call her a friend.

When I received my PPA degrees in 1998, I asked Helen to be my “sponsor”; the individual who would hang the medallions around my neck. It was a proud moment for so many reasons . . . (but you’ll have to come back to find out the rest of the story on a different day.)

Thank-you to my dear friend Helen Yancy. Without you, I’d have never enjoyed my PPA membership to the level I have. You put a face on what it means to serve other members in a leadership role and set an example for everyone you touch. I know you already know this, but you are truly one of my “Photo Idols.”

Please vote for your own Photo Idol. Go to http://www.ppacharities.com/donate_now.html

PPA Charities Photo Idol 2012 - Day 3

It’s time to reveal the third of my “Photo Idol” votes. (We’ve got 12 days of voting . . . there are lots more to come!)

By now, you’ve probably seen the PPA Charities Photo Idol 2012 promotion launched on 12/12/12. 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.

I’m sharing my own stories so that you know where I came from and who’s important to me. Watch for them on my personal Facebook page as well as on the studio page. Of course, all the vote tallies will also be shown on the PPA Charities website and Facebook pages.

Have you ever noticed that there are some speakers you could hear over and over again, and each time you listen you learn something new? Hanson Fong is that individual for me. His classic style of wedding portraiture and ability to flawlessly pose couples is among the best I’ve ever seen. In an age where so many wedding photographers use a “spray and pray” mentality, Hanson Fong’s ability to capture elegant, timeless images is still second to none.

He’s also responsible for a philosophy I use when purchasing equipment. So many photographers go crazy buying every latest gadget only to find them collecting dust on a shelf in a short time. I remember sitting in one of his programs early in my career, agonizing over the thought of spending $125 on an accessory. There came a point in his program when he began talking about what was in his camera case (yes, we used cases rather than bags back in the film days!) and he was talking about buying new “toys”. He seemed to look straight at me in a crowd of over 400 people and said “It’s not expensive as long as you use it. Close your eyes and write the check.” To this day, those words go through my head with nearly every purchase of photographic equipment. “It’s not expensive if you use it.”

He was always approachable and willing to answer questions. I think by now I’ve heard him speak well over a dozen times . . . and I still take something away.

Number 3 on my list of people who influenced my career is Hanson Fong.

It’s time for YOU to vote for your Photo Idol. Do it at http://www.ppacharities.com/donate_now.html

Family Portraits with Sam and Patricia Gardner - THIS WEEKEND!

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from 2 amazing photographers this weekend! 

No need to be a member of the SDPPA, just call 763.390.6272 to register.

It's Time for Camp David Readers to Help Right a Wrong.

Sometimes a contest can be just the right thing to boost interest in your business. It gets you noticed by others and often will bring new "Likes" to your Facebook page which, hopefully, you can convert into actual clients.

Of course, all of this can blow up in your face when you handle things in awkward fashion.

Take the recent case of 1-800-Flowers who ran a contest back in March on their website, promising a year's supply of free dog food for the winner of the “There’s a New Bunny in Town Photo Contest.”

The winner had entered with the intent of dedicating her entry to the Lucky Dog Rescue, a 501 (c)3 non-profit operating in Mississippi. When her photo was actually chosen as the grand prize winner, she was elated . . . only to finally cut through miles of red tape to learn that not only would 1-800-Flowers not give her the award (based on a technicality), but they were denying the contest ever existed!

I won't bore you with all of the details, but you can read the whole story here on PetsAdviser.com

Where I'm going with this is two-fold.

First, think about the damage this is going to do to the reputation of this company. While 1-800-Flowers probably won't go out of business because of this, the Facebook community, the Twitterverse and more will ultimately hear this tale and think twice about using their services.

So . . . in YOUR business, what things do you do with good intention that end up backfiring? More importantly, what do you do to make them right once they've happened? (Think about it, because we'll discuss this in a later blog post.)

Now, let's get everyone who reads the Camp David Blog to do a couple of things to help make this right:

1 - Let's NOT bash 1-800-Flowers. That's beneath us. (You know how you would respond to that kind of thing, right? It just won't get us anywhere positive.)

2 - Click the link at the top of this post to share it with your friends. If they own a pet, ever owned a pet . . . heck, even if they're not much of a pet fan (like me) but have everr petted an animal of any kind, send it along.

3 - Get out an envelope and a $1 bill. Put a note on the dollar bil that says "In memory of Angus and Rio, from a Camp David Photographer", then put it all inside the envelope and address it to:

Lucky Dog Rescue
PO Box 3224
Meridian, MS 39303

If you ever learned anything from one of these posts to help make your workflow simpler, save you some time or make more money in your photography business, then pay it forward.

It's only a buck . . . but enough of them will help with that dog food bill.

You guys all rock . . thanks for helping!

- David & Kirsten

(I know, you're wondering who Angus and Rio are . . . Angus, a boxer, belonged to Kirsten. She had to say goodbye to him last July after 14 faithful years. Two weeks ago, she and I celebrated our wedding on the one year anniversary of that date. Rio was a happy-go-lucky pound pooch who belonged to David Jones of Camp David. Rio died Saturday night after a battle with cancer.)

Love Pinterest? If you're a #photog check out this new dedicated pinning site!

One of the latest sites to explode onto the scene has been Pinterest, where users can "pin" anything from wedding ideas, recipes, photographs, etc onto their "board" to share with others. There's no denying it's been huge, but because of the wide variety of content it can also be more than time-consuming when searching for a particular item.

Enter TheShootIt.com, a site dedicated completely to photographers. Here, you can "pin" photographs into areas such as seniors, weddings and modeling. Users can also look for tips on gear, editing and education, or simply unwind with some "photography humor".

Use the site as an inspirational tool before a session, a place to show off your latest images, or simply an easy route to view and share what others across the world are doing in and out of their studios.

Signup is free and fast (you can even use your Facebook or Twitter account to login).

Photographer Jen Hillenga says "Love a new toy. Time for me to share. A place where I can share and get inspired is just starting and they asked a couple pros to play. Going to be huge."

Check it out!

- David

Some Inspiration from the Sandy Puc' Tour . . .

While I was working the NILMDTS table at Sandy Puc's seminar last night, she said something that made me smile and start thinking . . .

Sam was talking about photographers and comparing them to television characters . . . and she said:

"Did you ever notice that Wile E. Coyote has enough money to buy every known gadget from ACME, but apparently doesn't have enough sense to just buy dinner?"

Since the beginning of time, photographers have been gadget hounds. It's always amazing for me to hear the conversation at conventions about "how much I need x product" or "I would just love to have whatshisname's thingamajig" . . . and, I'm guilty of it as well. Almost every photographer has a shelf of things that they had great intentions of using often when they purchased it, but for whatever reason, never really put it into their routine.

Years ago I had a photographer who shot for me who constantly complained about not having enough money to buy a new lens he felt would truly improve his photography. I asked him how much he spent on cigarettes and we figured out that if he quit smoking for 6 weeks, he could have that lens. After that, puff away. (He never did do it . . . )

Then there's The Professor from Gilligan's Island; he's smart enough to be able to make a bicycle-powered washing machine, power the radio from a couple of coconuts and make enough stuff to help them survive, but he can't figure out how to fix a hole in the boat and get them off the island.

I once had a colleague who would invest hours into making studio accessories. Not props and backgrounds, but actual studio equipment. He once decided that instead of just buying a couple of studio lights, he would make a more powerful one himself . . . using parts from a local surplus store. Did it happen? Let's just say that hundreds of dollars (and many years) later, he was still trying to reinvent the wheel when we could have simply purchased one for a few dollars more. There is such a thing as being penny-wise and pound foolish.

Yup . . . I know a few photographers like that. Do you?

We all like shiny stuff. New stuff. Cool stuff. Expensive stuff. Stuff that may or may not make us money. We just need to make those important decisions as we run our businesses.

Will this investment help me make more money, or just add to my cool factor? Is it something I can utilize often enough to make it pay for itself in a short period of time, or is it going to end up having a "shelf-life", living in the back room and rarely seeing the light of day after the initial lustre has worn off? Am I wasting money in other areas that are preventing me from buying the things that I do need to help me grow my business?

Some people are truly daring. Think about the person who first looked at a chicken and said "I'm going to eat the next thing that comes out of that bird's behind!" We are risk-takers by nature . . . after all we decided to go into business for ourselves and walk away from the security of a job where someone else made the decisions and all we had to do was put in our time and collect a paycheck.

Now, we ARE the person who makes those decisions. And the paycheck we collect depends on how well we make them and how quickly we can adapt to change.

Perhaps Sam's best line of the evening was as she closed this segment. "After all, the road is full of flat squirrels who couldn't make a decision."

Don't become a flat squirrel!

(Thanks to Sandy Puc' for some great material!)

Preparing Images for Competition? Get a Headstart at Mark and Krish Kiefer's Workshop!

It's that time of year when photographers everywhere are preparing files in the hopes of earning merits toward PPA's Master of Photography Degree, or perhaps just evaluating how their work stacks up against others in the industry. With image competition deadlines right around the corner, what would you give to be able to pick the brains of not one, but two PPA Masters who've experienced their fair share of success in this arena?

Here's your chance.

On Sunday, April 3rd, you can spend the day with Krish and Mark Kiefer to learn the secrets of success in print competition. Join this husband and wife team in their Waconia, MN studio as they guide you through the process of visualizing, selecting, enhancing and then finishing award-winning images from your raw file to the final presentation.They will decipher the twelve elements of a merit print. Areas of emphasis will include composition, storytelling, impact, creativity and presentation. You will learn how to properly work with your RAW file to get the most out of it, including proper sizing, color management, enhancing and final presentation/matting.

Both Krish and Mark have earned their Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman Degrees from the Professional Photographers of America. Both are Certified Professional Photographers, experiencing success at all levels of competition. They have been awarded numerous Kodak Gallery Awards, Fuji Masterpiece Awards, judges' choice ribbons, as well as many PPA Loan Collection Prints. Their studio has been featured on the Photovision DVD series.

Since Krish and Mark are very close friends of mine, I could go on about their accolades but I think you get the idea. What I will say is this; these two are complete rockstars when it comes to the ins and outs of photographic competition. They're also good people who genuinely want to provide sound advice at a reasonable price. This is not one of those "thousand-dollar-days" that you won't be able to afford. (My understanding is that the price tag on this is actually under $200; how can you afford NOT to attend?)

Those attending are encouraged to bring images/files for critique and to work on. Bring your laptop to this full-day class so you can learn new techniques in Photoshop that will not only benefit you in competition, but bring up the overall quality of your everyday work.

Even though you may be asking yourself if you should wait until your images are better before start entering, the reality is the sooner you enter, the sooner you should start to see an improvement in your work. Do you really want to wait to improve your skills?

Entry deadline for the PPA International Competition 2011 is April 27th. Stop putting it off and make it happen now.

For information on this workshop (limited to 12 people to maximize the hands-on learning experience), call Krish or Mark at 952.442.5436.

Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity with two of the industry's best!

- David Grupa