"The Wiebners" program

"The Wiebners" program


Finding Success in the Middle of Nowhere: From Average to
Extraordinary-How it all comes together.

Rita and Joel Wiebner are going to take you to the country. Amish
Country. Based in Lancaster, PA, the heart of Amish Country, they
have grown their business by leaps and bounds in just a few years.
How do you find success in the middle of nowhere?

They will share their ideas and methods to take average everyday
locations – churches, golf courses, hotels, church basements, even
bathrooms – and make them look extraordinary. Using affective
lighting, creative angles, and yes, interaction with clients – to
inspire and create.

A sample of other subjects that will be covered:

-How to shoot for yourself and make your clients love it and want it.
- Using your personality to connect with your clients and sell yourself.
-The Husband/Wife team advantage –how you can apply this concept if
you are a one photographer business (everyone has a second shooter!)
-Using light in new and different ways – What’s the Macgyver Box of
Light?
-Recognizing and taking advantage of style growth through the years
-How to use effective post-processing to take your images to the next
level

And our mantra – Xplore, Xperiment and Xecute!

Wicker By Design

Wicker by Design

Did you hear, did you hear, if you were planning on buying some new props from Wicker by Design at our PPSC Annual Convention February 9-12, 2008 at the Myrtle Beach Hilton you need to pre order now. You will save 10% plus free shipping. Your orders will be available for pick up at the convention. Go to there website at www.wickerbydesign.com. If you are a new member and do not know about Wicker by Design you need to check them out. They have some really nice wicker props. There wicker is reinforced and you cannot purchase that just anywhere. Hurry or you will miss an incredible deal!!!!

Who have you told today about PPSC?

Who have you told today about PPSC??

The growth of our association depends on the leadership of its members. As a member you can play an important role in the success of PPSC. We are always told to hand out at least 10 business cards a day to market ourselves, but do we think about how PPSC will benefit other photographers? It is my belief that the more that I share with others the more that I will learn in return. You have heard that you reap what you sow and it is so true. Recently I was at the Ed Pierce Seminar that was here in Columbia and I could not even count the amount of Photographers there that I had never seen or heard of before. South Carolina is full of Photographers that need what PPSC and its members has to offer them. We just have to show them why being a part of the association is so important. People ask me all the time why should I be a member and my response is always the knowledge of the membership. The convention to me is a perk. The real benefit to me is to be able to pick up the phone at any given time and have an entire membership of names to call to get the answer to a question that I do not know. I also know that if I needed someone to cover a wedding for me in case of and accident that someone would step in to help me. Can you believe that you get all of this for only $15 a month. Who can say no at $15 a month. Most people spend more that that on breakfast and lunch. So again I ask you who have you told about PPSC today?

10 things to do today!!!

10 things to do today!!!!

1. Register to be a member of PPSC.

2. Register to attend the Annual PPSC Convention February 9-12, 2008 in Myrtle Beach.

3. Send your prints to the lab to be printed for Print Competition (I know there are procrastinators out there).

4. Volunteer your time and talent to help with Convention this year.

5. Volunteer your time and talent to help your Print Salon Chairman (Angela Blanton)with print salon this year.

6. Volunteer your time and talent to help your Trade Show Chairman (Clark Berry) with Trade Show set up and break down this year.

7. Volunteer your time and talent to host and or speak at one of our monthly district meetings.

8. Support the vendors that support our association, shop with the vendors that attend our annual trade show and advertise on our new blog.

9. Write an article for our PPSC Newsletter and our new PPSC Blog.

10. Tell all your friends about PPSC and lets help each other to be better Professional Photographers by sharing our knowledge and time with each other.

"Simply Flapperlous" & Black, White, and Gray Awards Banquet

Greetings fellow beach goers...

Remember all of the great memories...Hawaiian luaus, Toga parties, top DJ's, top Bands, hippies and go-goers, did someone mention Elvis?

It is I, your former banquet goddess, back from hiatus. Have some wonderful news to share with all of you who are already getting your suitcases packed for the wonderful 5 day Soirée!!!

For those of you who lived it - for those who did not - Google it! The Swing, Jazz, the Roaring 20's, The Great Gatsby...join us for the President's Reception honoring our PPSC President, Mickey Garrison. It is going to be "Simply Flapperlous"!!!!! Wear your favorite Roaring 20's outfits and waltz away with a "flapperlous" prize. Dinner will be on your own that evening, but plans are in the makes for a flapperlous Ice-cream bar. And all of this excitement is followed by the World Famous Jimmy Woo and the Lamarr School Auction! If you have never attended our auction, you are in for a treat! You never know what of who will be up for grabs!

Join us Monday night for the Black, White, and Gray Awards Banquet celebrating all of our print competition winners and honoring all of the special people who have graciously given their time serving PPSC. The attire will be your choice of black, white, or gray - any combination. One special request...all attendees are asked to bring one small (5x7 or smaller) black and white framed image of yourself - any age, make it a fun topic of conversation. These images will become our table decorations for the evening. You may turn your framed image into the registration desk and I will pick them up. Just remember to take them with you at the end of the banquet.

Dance the night away!!!! Immediately following the Awards Banquet, join us for a live band and a cash bar. Please show your love and thanks to Full Color Lab, our sponsor for the evening!

I have to turn in a head count by this Friday to the hotel for all food functions. So, if you are still posing beside the procrastination table, send your convention confirmations now! Your memories want to be a part of our upcoming festivities!

See you at the beach,
Lisa Wrightenberry, Banquet Chairman

There's a First Time for Everything!! by Patty Hallman about Print Competition

A Message from Patty Hallman about Print Competition

There’s a First Time for Everything!

As many already know, I won the “First Timer Award” (and a few others! :-) in print competition at the 2007 Convention in October. For anyone new to PPSC, the “First Timer Award” goes to the photographer who, as a first time entrant, has the highest average score from their top scoring 6 out of 8 entries.

If you have an interest in entering prints into competition, here are a few suggestions:

1. Attend print judging at this year’s convention. It will start at 9am on Saturday, February 9^th during PPSC convention in Myrtle Beach. Listen to the judge’s comments so you can learn what they look for in a good image.
2. Visit the web sites of PPSC and other state PPA affiliates to see some of their state’s winning images. This is a great way to spark ideas!
3. Ask other photographers to look over your images to give feedback or help you come up with great titles. A great title can sometimes make a good image score great in print competition!
4. Judges want to see images or entries that “wow” them, not the same old, same old. Be as creative as you can, or dare to, and the payoff can be tremendous!
5. Don’t forget to read and follow the rules carefully. Also, you’ll need a print case. I got mine from B&H Photovideo on-line. They cost around $100 on average.

There’s a first time for everything, so if you want to get your feet wet in competition, get busy now. I promise, you’ll be glad and proud that you did it when you see your prints hanging or album displayed, and if you’re lucky enough to hear your name called during the awards banquet. I think I may have caught the competition bug, as I’m working on my 2008 entries at this very moment!

---Patty Hallman

08 Convention Schedule now POSTED

08 Convention Schedule now POSTED

The 2008 February 9-12 convention schedule is now posted on our BLOG, www.ppofsc.blogspot.com. Don't forget about the pre convention classes (3 classes available), print competition and the Abe Thomy Marketing Award. I am looking forward to seeing ALL of you at the BEACH!!!!

Vicki Taufer V Gallery

Convention Speaker Vicki Taufer V Gallery
Program: Live . Love . Laugh

Are you wanting to be more passionate about photography? Allow Vicki to inspire you with the fast paced story of growth and success V Gallery has had over the past six years. Vicki’s business grew from a small basement studio to a 4,000 sq foot gallery with 8 employees in just 3 years. Vicki attributes a large portion of her success to the high profile image she has created for her portrait gallery.


Vicki will help you discover and appeal to your niche market as well as create unique product lines for your studio. She will not only cover great marketing and sales ideas, but will help you in creating a brand for your business. You will also learn great customer service techniques that will exceed your clients’ expectations. This program is about making a living doing what you love while being able to laugh during the ups and downs along the way. Get ready for this fast paced story of growth, marketing and sales, product development and studio design. Be prepared. Be yourself. Be inspired.
Check out the website at www.vgallery.net

Joel & Rita Wiebner

Convention Speakers
Joel & Rita Wiebner

The Wiebners are a husband and wife photography team based in Lancaster, PA. With over 5 years of experience photographing weddings, they pride themselves on creativity, their casual playful nature, and their closeness with their clients. In 2007 they opened their first Wedding and Portrait gallery space in the Art District in Downtown Lancaster.

Pete & Liliana Wright

Convention Speakers
Pete & Liliana Wright

Over the last several years, Pete and Liliana Wright of PW Photography have created a buzz through unique images that capture the personalities of their clients. The studio’s success has hinged not only on taking photographs that intimidate many photographers due to the time and planning required, but constantly staying in the forefront of their business through fresh marketing techniques.

Jeff & Julia Woods

Jeff & Julia Woods

Jeff and Julia find their career in photography highly rewarding; it allows them to do what they love both professionally and personally. They balance the demands of busy careers with the joy of raising 4 small children in their hometown of Washington, IL. Their studio is located “On the Square” in Washington and is supported by a fabulous staff fully devoted to their wedding and portrait clients.




They are official spokesmen for Canon USA, Explorer's of Light.

Pre Convention Class "PhotoChops" with Jeff Cowherd

Pre Convention Class with Jeff Cowherd

PhotoChops

Not unlike the technical skills or chops as they are referred to of a musician, sometimes you just need to hone your Photochops as well from time to time. Knowing what's in Photoshop and what tools and methods are available is essential in helping make the right decisions on what needs to be done with an image before you ever start working on it. We'll take an image from the camera all the way to output finding out faster ways to get from point A to point B with lots of tips and tricks to get us there. I'll be using Photoshop CS3, and along the way we'll try out some of the new features and tools it has to offer. I'll have tips for the new Photoshop user as well as the seasoned pro, the photographer as well as the blogger, the ying as well as the yang. And possibly even a tip for a Woo or two. You don't need to use Photoshop CS3 to attend but you just might want to pick it up after you leave! Photoshop combined with Bridge and the new Camera Raw is a very powerful tool. Hope to see you at the beach!
Jeff

Pre Convention Class "Boosting Your Bottom Line with Album Sales"

Pre Convention Class "Boosting Your Bottom Line with Album Sales"

Friday February 8th, 2008 6:30pm-8:30pm
Class Description
In a highly competitive portrait and wedding industry, photographers not only struggle to create and identity, but also struggle to set themselves apart from their competition. In Pete and Liliana Wright's program, "Boost Your Bottom Line with Album Sales", they will discuss how they incorporate various types of album programs in their business to boost their wedding and portrait sales. During this program, they will also show you step by step what goes into their album design process from choosing the images to finding creative inspiration, the work flow and presentation of the finished product.

Pre Convention Class Bill Adams

Sign up today for one of our Pre Convention Classes!!! This is just a little about our very own Bill Adams

Bill Adams, M. Photog., FP
Greenwood, SC


“Having the eye of an artist is a gift from God, developing that talent is a life’s work.”
Since graduating from Brooks Institute of photography, Bill has been at that task now over 35 years. His success has earned just about every award available from PPSC including Photographer of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Awards. These include the Fuji Masterpiece and Kodak Gallery awards. At National he has had numerous prints accepted for the Loan Collection along with displays at EPCOT. Most recently, he was awarded first place from Miller’s Imaging in their Baby & Child contest.

What is your personal style as an artist and what foundation are you building on? Basic posing and lighting are paramount in your personal success as a professional portrait artist. Whether you are brand new to photography or a long time veteran this class is designed for you. We will demonstrate time tested techniques that will help you move to the next level.

Extended Hotel Prices

"Extended Hotel Room Block Rates at the HILTON"

This week only, you can still book your room at the Hilton for our "From Darkness into Light" Convention for only $86 plus tax. Just make sure you tell them that you are with PPSC. For those of you that do not know, that is an amazing price for the Hilton.

Check in time is 4:00 pm and check out time is 12:00 pm. The Hilton has been recently remodeled so I am excited to see the changes. The dates and hotel phone number are below.


Annual Convention, Feb.9-12, 2008
Hilton Myrtle Beach
10000 Beach Club Drive
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
843-449-5000
Convention Hotel Reservations-1-800-HILTONS

Abe Thomy Marketing Award 2008

For those of you who did not attend the 2007 convention, you may not know what this award is all about. The Abe Thomy Marketing Award is presented to the member that is voted best website of 2008. Abe Thomy has been one of our members for a long time. He is consistently explaining to us why marketing is such an important tool for our Profession.

Pre Convention Class Posing and Lighting

Back by popular demand, our very own Bill Adams teaching us Posing and Lighting. Did you know that Bill Adams attend Brooks Institute of Photography in California. Bill is an amazing artist of light. If you have not seen him posing and lighting his subject you do not want to miss this.