Newsletter of the Pierce County Professional Photographers Association (PCPPA) February 2001
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Newsletter of the Pierce County Professional Photographers Association (PCPPA) February 2001 |
Tuesday February 27th, 2001
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All members are invited to enter up to four mounted prints of any size from 8x10 to 16x20 for a token fee of $1 each. Judges are: Larry Curfman, Oakville David Blomdahl, Centralia
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Inside this Issue
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Next Meeting: Tuesday March 27th, 2000All regular PCPPA monthly meetings are held on the forth Tuesday of the month at
Meeting Schedule: 5:30PM Roundtable Discussion, 7:00 Dinner, The Meeting Follows
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Last month I spent a lot of time on the fellowship aspect of PCPPA. This month I want to talk about marketing. There are two things that PCPPA markets: (1) membership and (2) members.
The members of the board have been discussing the need for someone in the association to do “outreach” work, some one who contacts photographers in the area who are not members and ask the question “Why not?” We needed someone who knew a lot about photography and photographers and was personable enough to lead them to the fold. At the last meeting we were approached by Jerry Saunders of Richcolor fame. He told us that he thought we needed someone to contact local photographers and market PCPPA to them and that he would volunteer to do it. Now that was a problem solved! Jerry is ideal for this sort of thing. After all he knows many more photographers than most of us and has a lot of experience marketing services to them. The board accepted Jerry’s offer this month. It says a lot for the association that someone as respected in the industry as Jerry, feels this strongly about what the association has to offer it’s members.
As for marketing our members we have our website. I feel very strongly that this is a great way to reach potential clients. If you do not have a web page to link to you are missing out on a great opportunity. If we did not get your website update form, you will be loosing one way that customers can find you. For those who spend money on a yellow page ads think how inexpensive putting your name and images on our website is and it has the potential of reaching more people.
We also provide informative seminars to help you market yourself. As an example we are hosting a presentation by Chuck Ropel at the May meeting titled “Answering the Telephone Will Make You Money”. I know it doesn’t sound interesting but I would ask you how interesting is more money. I saw Chuck’s presentation at the fall conference. I paid for it; you will be getting it for free. For me it was well worth the expense and time. This is one more way PCPPA helps you to market your business.
“What Code of Ethics?” that is the question I asked when I read that we have one. I talked to a few members about it and was handed a copy. It was a nice, frameable, certificate type of document that would look good displayed on the wall of the studio. This is one more thing that can give your new clients more confidence in you work. This is one more marketing tool that most of us have not yet used. Why not? We need to. The Code of Ethics is being reprinted and will be available to members shortly.
It is with great regret that I will have to step down from the presidency this month.
One of our commercial clients located in a small town in southwestern Idaho offered both Chelle and myself a new “day job”. It was an opportunity we could not pass up. Setting up a studio outside a small town has been a goal that we have been working toward for the last 3 years. This offer has moved our schedule up about 2 years.
The only hard part of this decision has been our commitments to PCPPA. We both strongly support what the association stands for and offers. We will miss not being able to attend the monthly meetings and the friends that we have made there but we will remain members of this organization and will help out where we can given the 511-mile distance.
Eric David Rehn
Picture this, you're in your camera room analyzing your clients face, trying to decide what would improve their looks. Many decisions need to be made: Should you use broad or short lighting, what light quality would look best direct, by reflector or diffusion, should you use a pan reflector or a small reflector, bare bulb or soft box? How about a gobo, should you introduce a silver or gold reflector? All these thoughts zip through your head and soon you've made the decision and you're ready to begin your session.
Sound familiar? Every time we begin a session we need to decide what lighting flatters our subject the most. This months Round Table Discussion will feature a demonstration of the equipment and procedure to achieve different lighting quality techniques.
This knowledge is not confined to just studio (camera room) applications. Last April on the first day of a conference I attended, Ken Whitmier photographed a family outdoors. He used a photoflood light in a 16" reflector to provide a golden hair separation light and used the trees as a gobo to provide directional light. A flat reflector was brought in for some fill. On a slightly overcast afternoon he had directional light, a fill light and a hair light using very simple, but, quite effective lighting techniques. These are the same techniques used in the camera room to make your subject look good.
If you have experience in studio lighting or if you don't, we need to talk......Come to Round Table Discussion, it's at 5:30 (before the regular meeting). See you Tuesday the 27th.
Larry Curfman and his wife Ann run a successful small country studio from their home in Oakville just southwest of Olympia. They opened their business in 1980 and have refined the operation significantly. They specialize in senior and wedding photography. Larry's education includes community college, however really began to grow when he became involved Professional Photographers of Washington and the Professional Photographers of America. He regularly attends the Southwest District meetings. His greatest education came from attending conventions and judging other competitions. He holds a AFP (Associate Fellow of Photography Degree). Recently he taught a Pro Monday class explaining how to setup and run a photography studio. Welcome Larry, we appreciate your vision and your well earned skills.
David Blomdahl is a second generation
photographer, the son of a photojournalist. A local boy, he grew up in
Chehalis. In 1982 he earned a B.A. from Brooks Institute, majoring
in portraiture. He continued learning his skills as an assistant at studios
in Olympia and Centralia for the next ten years. In 1994 he and his wife
purchased Carroll's Photography in Centralia, where they continue to this
day. David describes his studio as "We're small, and we have one full-time
receptionist/sales/production person. The bulk of our business is seniors,
with weddings, families, commercial, screaming babies, cows and pigs, etc.
typical of a small rural town." We welcome you to our meeting, David, and
know your exceptional talents will provide a great judging experience.
New on our website:
For anyone who missed my announcement at the January meeting (Yes, it proves I need to spend some time with toastmasters) about how to get to the members only pages of our website. It is simple. While on our home page simply click on the PCPPA logo. In the members only section we have the topics of upcoming round table discussions, the schedule of future meetings, the speakers and their topics, the members list and a place to update your member's information. The board decided to make the access to the members only page as easy as possible without any passwords etc. If non-members abuse it then we will have to make it a little less convenient.
We also have a call out for images for the website. We have room for at least 51 but have only received only 14 at this time. If you submit an image you will get an additional hyperlink to your website (if you have one) and a photo credit underneath ("Photograph courtesy of Bozo T. Clown Photography"). To submit an image E-mail it to me. Please do not send me a file so large it takes 30 minutes to download. Believe me a 150 dpi scan of a 4 X 5 is good enough. If we receive more than we need we will rotate the images occasionally.
Past Pres. David Lopin gives Editor Allen Greenky
a plaque in
appreciation
for not misspelling his name
in 2 years
John Singer Sargent was a late 19th century painter that forged the way for future portrait photographers. Not a photographer himself, his portrait painting style was instrumental in providing direction to portraitists who followed. The Seattle Art Museum is currently hanging a large collection of his work. From the Seattle Art Museum website "Featuring more than 130 paintings, watercolors, and drawings, this is the West Coast's first comprehensive exhibition devoted to John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). The eldest son of a Philadelphia couple who had decided to live abroad, Sargent was born in Italy, studied painting in Paris, and spent the greater part of his professional career in London. There, in the 1890s, he became world famous as a portraitist of aristocrats, business tycoons, and fashionable beauties, and began to prepare a series of mural decorations for civic institutions in Boston, Massachusetts.
They include: a dozen portraits of his most enthusiastic London patrons, the family of Asher Wertheimer; more than thirty exuberant Impressionist inspired watercolors made during vacation trips to Italy, Spain, Greece, and British Columbia; a stunning unfinished replica of Sargent's most notorious picture, Madame X; and numerous informal works, including a set of large charcoal figure studies exhibited together for the first time. Together, these works offer an exciting opportunity to experience Sargent's self-assured draftsmanship, dazzling painterly technique, and keenly original observations of his world."
Would you like to see this early pioneers work? If you enjoy wall portraits this is a must see. Half price tickets are available "Deal of the week: get 1/2 price tickets at www.ticketmaster.com" On the first Thursday of March the museum reduces their ticket prices also. Tickets are $12 each. The show will end March 18. I'd like to get a group together and caravan up to the museum on a Sunday afternoon. If you'd like to go with us and see this magnificent collection please call Brad Bogue at 565-7784 and leave a message. Tell me who you are, what Sunday would be best and how many will be going.
{An impromptu conversation and snap decision
came up with Sunday March 11th. Meet somewhere at noon. So call
Brad Bogue at 565-7784 and we'll see about group rates.
}
Jerry Saunders feels the love as there was much more
toasting than roasting for the January tribute dinner
The quality and number of Scholarship applications caused some serious decision making by our scholarship committee. After pouring over the applications for our scholarships, a great deal of discussion occurred before the decision was made. Chic Jackson-King and her committee made the final decision. The two $200 scholarships were awarded and the winners will be announced at our February meeting.
Since the vice president position was the only one contested and the vacancy happened so soon into the new year, a special election will be held at the February meeting to decide the new president for the 2001-2 term.
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Outgoing President David Lobban passes the gavel, a handshake and some advice to newly elected president Eric Rehn who must have took it as he was last seen rapidly packing and heading for Idaho. |
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