PPA Today

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We've moved!
This blog is now a part of the new PPA.com.
Visit us at www.ppa.com/ppa-today-blog/.

Photographer of the Year Awards

Congratulations to all the recipients of the 2008 Photographer of the Year Awards. These individuals demonstrated excellence in their craft and earned tremendous achievements in PPA's 2008 International Print Competition.

ELECTRONIC IMAGER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Platinum

Jo Burkhardt, M.Artist.MEI
Sherron Sheppard, M.Photog.Cr., CPP
Beverly L Toves, M.Photog.Cr.

Gold

Michael D Barton, Cr.Photog., CPP
Kaye Frey, M.Photog.M.Artist.MEI.Cr.

Silver

Robert W Cleere, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., CPP
Scott A. Dupras, M.Photog.Cr., CPP
Paul D Rogers, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Bronze

Melanie A Burton
Robert L. Kunesh, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., CPP

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Diamond

Rod Brown, M.Photog.Cr.
Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP
Steve B Ervin, M.Photog.MEI.Cr.
Mark Garber, M.Photog.Cr.
Jerry Ghionis
Jennifer K. Gilman, M.Photog.Cr., CPP
Sam Gray, M.Photog.Cr.
Travis Gugelman, CPP
Robert Hillier, M.Photog.Cr.
Keith Howe, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr.
Elaine Hughes, M.Photog., CPP
Steven J. Kemp, M.Photog.M.Artist.MEI.Cr., CPP
Tomas Munoz, M.Photog.Cr., CPP
Bruce D Nelson, CPP
Ron Nichols, M.Photog.Cr.,API
Michael E. Timmons, M.Photog.Cr.
Mike Williams

Imaging USA…Celebrate with PPA Charities

PPA Charities hosts a “Celebration” event Saturday evening before PPA’s Imaging USA (the national convention in January) officially begins. The celebration event will take place at Alice Coopers Town in Phoenix, just two blocks from Convention Center and features fun, fellowship, and food. The evening kicks off with a VIP Cocktail Hour from 8-9pm. VIP Cocktail Hour tickets are only $35 and include hors d'oeuvres and an open bar. The doors open to all convention attendees at 9pm, and the fun continues with the live/silent auction, the check presentation to Operation Smile, and music and dancing.

Mark your calendar now to attend the PPA Charities' Celebration on January 10, 2009, in Phoenix. Order your VIP ticket when you register for Imaging USA.

Protect Yourself: Copyright, Trademarks, and Model Releases

August 27
Hosted by: Christel Aprigliano, PPA’s Member Services Manager
Panelists: Al Hopper, PPA’s Director of Membership, Copyright & Government Affairs and Maria Matthews, PPA’s Copyright & Government Affairs Coordinator
7:00pm – 8:00pm EST
Free—PPA members only
Please login to PPA.com to get the free registration link.

Every photographer needs to ensure that each image they share with the public is protected. If it's not, you lose business! Learn about copyrights and trademarks, how to properly handle them, why model releases are necessary, and more…all with this free webinar.

Join PPA’s Copyright & Government Affairs staff as they discuss how to protect yourself, your work, and your clients using the tools and resources of PPA. And don’t forget to bring your own questions—they'll be answering yours during the Q & A session.

PPA Charities Golf Tournament

Join fellow PPA photographers and exhibitors at the first annual PPA Charities Golf Tournament. We will be playing at the ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe on Saturday, January 10, 2009, with an 8:00am Shotgun Start. Your $150 registration fee (or $550 for a foursome) will include:

• Golf fee and car fees
• Practice balls before your event
• Official scoring by professional staff
• Sun Devil Patio Awards BBQ Awards Luncheon following golf
• Prizes, goodie bag of gifts from PPA vendors, and much more.

Download this registration form to sign up now.

Create a smile: Family Portrait Month

October is PPA Charities' Family Portrait Month

A smile is universal in meaning...and it's pretty contagious! But what about  children who cannot smile? Those who find it difficult to even speak or eat?  Now's your chance to give them a smile.

Participate in Family Portrait Month, a national fund-raising effort in  October to benefit Operation Smile, a worldwide children's medical charity  dedicated to improving the health and lives of children born with cleft lips,  cleft palates, and other facial deformities.

It's easy. Pledge to contribute a portion of each October Family Portrait  Month sale to PPA  Charities, which has chosen Operation Smile as its charitable partner. Just sign up online and make the small $25 donation, and you're on your way to making  a difference.

OurPPA.com Forums: Update your profile

Add your member number to your OurPPA.com user profile by August 23

We are upgrading our forum software on OurPPA.com and working to more tightly integrate it with PPA.com. If you are a PPA member and a member of our discussion forums on OurPPA.com, you can help us out by updating your user profile. All you have to do is login to OurPPA.com, click the User CP link and then add your PPA member number into the appropriate profile field. You can find your membership number on your membership id card. Your assistance is appreciated.

Stop Turning Customers Away with E-mails and Voicemails

Dear PPA Member,

You are important to us, and we know that your customers are important to you. That’s why PPA is providing you with some extra advice that may help you keep (and get) more customers. And it’s all about your business image.

While it’s the big things like the quality of your photographs or your pricing policies that will consume a lot of your waking hours, it’s the small things that can mess up your overall image. It’s how you treat your potential clients…even before they talk to you (and I’m not talking about your Web sites or brochures). From a customer’s perspective, think about how the following would affect your opinion of these companies:

PPA Financial Benchmark Survey: June 30 Deadline

Interested in participating?

Call PPA at
800-786-6277
& sign up no later than June 30, 2008.

Ever wonder how your studio compares to others? PPA wants to help you find out.

Answer your questions:

• Are you spending enough money on marketing?
• How much does education affect your bottom line?
• Do you have too many employees?
• When should you hire employees?
• What can you do to make your business more profitable?

Get the answers to these questions when you take part in the Studio Financial Benchmark Survey, PPAs renowned financial survey of the photographic industry.

Business expenses don’t have to be expensive

Dear PPA Member,

It’s not a newsflash that the economy is not strong. We’re all looking for ways to save money, but there are some things that we can’t cut out, especially when it comes to business expenses. You’ve probably heard the old adage, “You have to spend money to make money,” right? The good thing is that as a PPA member, you don’t have to spend as much.

Why not? Member-savings programs and other benefits.

PPA has many business-oriented benefits offered specifically on items that most photographers already use. I know you’ve probably already shipped albums and reprints, but why continue to pay full price when you can get a discounted rate as a PPA member? Are you taking credit card payments? (If not, remember that people are more likely to put larger payments on their credit card, so offering this option can help you increase your sales.) PPA has a member benefit for that, too.