PPA Today

Dashboard Widgets for Mac OSX

Apple now has over 700 Dashboard Widgets, tiny plug-in type applications, for it's latest version of OSX. This week's featured widget  is Gas, a tiny app that displays the lowest gas price where you live. Simply enter your US zip code and presto.

• Displays Regular, Premium, Plus, and Diesel
• Shows station logo and address
• Remembers your preferences
• Goes to Google Maps for directions to the station
• Tells when the prices were last updated

If you haven't upgraded to Tiger OSX already, do it now. With the cost savings at the pump from this free, handy widget, it will practically pay for itself.

Photographic Specialty Week - Registration Offer Extended

PPA’S PHOTOGRAPHIC SPECIALTY WEEK
July 17-21, 2005
Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada

PPA has extended the special anniversary pricing for this event.  You can still register for PPA’s Photographic Specialty Week at the special price of only $125! Don’t miss this opportunity to attend 6 conferences, 5 business modules and one great Expo – all in one place, and all for an incredibly low price. Please call 800.786.6277 to register. 

Following are only a handful of the valuable things you’ll take away from Photographic Specialty Week:

 
• Tips for enhancing your profits
• Advice for targeting your desired clientele
• Peer and business networking relationships
• Business skills for life
• Methods that will help you do what you do—only better!

Register for Photographic Specialty week and book a two-night minimum stay at the Las Vegas Hotel to take advantage of the incredibly low price of $125* registration!

*This price applies only if attendees make hotel reservations for 2 nights or more at the Las Vegas Hilton. Maximum of 2 attendees per room. Call PPA Customer Service at 800-786-6277 to register for Photographic Specialty Week. Contact the Las Vegas Hilton directly at 702-732-5111 to make your reservation and refer to code "PPA".

Visit http://events.ppa.com for complete details.

10 Direct Mail Tips

Steve McNamara at marketingprofs.com offers up some profitable advice to make your direct mail marketing work harder for you.

"Every year we conduct a survey of AdCracker.com's subscribers to identify ways that marketers are squeezing more sales from their budgets."

Read his article, Putting Spring in Your Ka-ching: 10 Direct Mail Tips at http://www.marketingprofs.com/5/mcnamaraS1.asp

PPA Charities Nominates Honorary Trustees

The PPA Charities Board of Trustees has nominated a group of dedicated volunteers to be Honorary Trustees.  Honorary Trustees will be the "grass roots" of PPA Charities, reaching out to photographers in their areas to let them know about PPA Charity events and promotions.  They will serve as ambassadors at local, regional and national events and will share their ideas to help PPA Charities grow.  PPA Charities hopes to have an Honorary Trustee from each state within the next year.  If you are interested in becoming an Honorary Trustee, please contact Nancy Trujillo at ntrujillo@ppa.com.   You can visit the PPA Charities website at charities.ppa.com to learn more and to view the current list of Honorary Trustees.

PPA Charities Plans "Celebration" event for IUSA 2006

The PPA Charities Board of Trustees is busy finalizing plans for a very special event during Imaging USA, 2006 in Austin, Texas.  The PPA Charities IUSA Celebration 2006 event will be a fund raiser benefiting Operation Smile.  In addition to silent and live auctions of some really great items, the evening will feature presentations by Dr. William Magee, founder of Operation Smile and Jose Villegas, Operation Smile Speakers Bureau.  PPA Charities will make their 2006 donation to Operation Smile as well.  The drawing for the winner of the Family Portrait Month prize will also be held during the event. To complete the evening, PPA Charities will recognize PPA President, Ann Monteith for her dedication to PPA and PPA Charities. 

Tickets to the event are $100 for adults, children under 18 are free when attending with their parents.  For your donation of $100, you will also be entered into the Grand Prize drawing for an Expo Gift Certificate that can be used during IUSA.  Tickets will be available during Specialty Week in Las Vegas.  Other opportunities to purchase tickets will be available soon.

School Photography Boot Camps from Marathon

Marathon Press is hosting a series of 3 "Bootcamp" workshops on effective school and yearbook photography. Catch the series in July in Charlotte, North Carolina or in August at their Norfolk, Nebraska location. Marathon is known for delivering excellent business and marketing instruction, so if you are getting started in this area, or want to take you business & profits to the next level

School Photography Sales & Marketing
Mon., July 11, 2005 – Charlotte, NC
Mon., August 8, 2005 – Norfolk, NE
Standard Registration: $59 per person

Find out how to get started in the lucrative field of underclass school photography. This program will cover prospecting for business, sales techniques and marketing strategies to help you book local schools. You'll discover popular portrait packages and pricing secrets, as well as learn what services schools expect, how to effectively compete and much more.

School Portrait Techniques & High Speed Digital Workflow - 2 Day Program
Tues. & Wed., July 12-13, 2005 – Charlotte, NC
Tues. & Wed., August 9-10, 2005 – Norfolk, NE
Standard Registration: $300 per person

So you want to be a School Photographer? This TWO DAY workshop will teach you how to conduct an efficient School Picture Day. Learn high-speed posing techniques, lighting methods, crowd control, and what equipment to use. Plus, gain hands-on experience with digital workflow. Live models will be used to simulate an actual school portrait shoot.

Yearbooks & Memory Books - Sales, Marketing & Intro to Digital Layout
Thurs., July 14, 2005 – Charlotte, NC
Thurs., August 11, 2008 – Norfolk, NE
Standard Registration: $50 per person

Become your School Accounts' ONE-STOP resource for both Portraits AND Yearbooks. Learn how to price, sell and service school yearbook accounts for Elementary, Middle and Jr. High Schools and smaller Private Schools and Academies. Basics of Digital Layout using Marathon's FREE Software will also be reviewed. Schools like the convenience of dealing with one company for both their Yearbook and Portrait needs. Learn how to maximize your profits with this program.

Call now to reserve your space, 800-228-0629. Ask about their discounts if you are registering more than one person, and call early as space is limited.

Visit www. marathonpress.com for upcoming seminars, dates and locations.

Shutterbug Magazine Radio

I just found out that Shutterbug Magazine has a weekly internet radio program. You can listen in live every Friday at 12 noon PST, or go to the show archives to listen to past shows.

Shutterbug Magazine Radio with host Jack Warren
Live Show every Friday from 12:00PM - 1:00PM PST
The Shutterbug Magazine Radio Show with host Jack Warren brings you photographers covering every aspect of photography, from Pulitzer Prize winners, to fine art film and digital photographers. Plus, shooters for famous magazines like National Geographic & Sports Illustrated, official photographers of the Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. Learn how they got their start in photography and how they completed their most exciting assignments. You'll get answers to what kind of equipment the pros use while photography expert Jim Miotke, of BetterPhoto.com gives photo pointers.

http://www.wsradio.com/internet-talk-radio.cfm/shows/Shutterbug-Magazine-Radio.html

10 Ways to Spot Spoof

I got this link for an article in an email  from PayPal.com. It's good advice and worth sharing with friends, so here it is for you...

Protect yourself from fraudulent emails and fake websites. This type of fraud is commonly referred to as "spoof" or "phishing." Take a few minutes to visit PayPal, and:
  •       Find out 10 ways to spot spoof
  •       See what a spoof email may look like
  •       Learn how you can fight spoofers

Painter How-to: Apply Special Effects to Photos

Create quick and easy watercolor effects for your favorite photographs using these simple steps. Lori Kerfoot of Corel, shows you how to do it with Corel Painter IX. Check out her article on Creativepro.com.

http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/23031.html?cprose=daily

Photographic Specialty Week: Register by Friday!

Photographic Specialty Week
July 17-21, 2005
Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada

Last warning!  June 17 is the early registration deadline for Photographic Specialty Week. For only $125  you will have access to 6 specialty conferences and 5 business modules and the 3 day tradeshow Expo. Stay all week and attend the sessions you want to see. Digital, Home Studio, Wedding, Portrait Sports and Studio Basics--there is a conference to suit your needs, and you just can't beat this price.

June 17 is also the deadline for our guaranteed room rates at the Hilton!

After the deadline, the price goes up to $449 per conference or $449 for the business module series. If you are planning on attending, register now!

Call 800.786.6277 from 9am to 6pm EST to register by phone or visit http://www.ppa.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=47