Print competition is here again. Yay!!! At PPSDC (Professional Photographers of San Diego County), we hold 5 print competitions per year with a full panel of Master PPA Judges. And I truly love submitting my work, and hearing the critiques and discovering where I can get better in my photography. And this year, it just so happens that I am responsible for putting the whole thing together… Yikes, what a responsibility! This year also happens to be a unique transition period, in which the Board has made the decision to convert over to digital display rather than actual prints. There […]
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I’m the new 2nd Vice President of PPSDC
When I moved back to San Diego, I made a conscious effort to find the local PPA affiliate. I felt after my experience in Austin, at the APPA, that it was super important to find other Photographers and develop relationships with them. It’s only through each other that we grow, and push each other and excel at our craft. When I found The Professional Photographers of San Diego County, I knew I had found the right spot. They are the San Diego guild for the PPA (Professional Photographers of America), and dedicated to education, maintaining professionalism in the industry, and developing the skills of […]
Continue ReadingRobbed!
Honestly I was hoping to be writing this blog post in celebration. And maybe I should warn you, I may come off as a whiny, spoiled and misunderstood artist as you read this. And, I know a lot of you have been waiting to see this big secret I’ve been brewing since I was in Austin But… I’m incredibly upset by what happened at Tuesday night’s PPSDC, (Professional Photographers of San Diego County), Print Competition… Maybe it’s my fault for expecting to walk out with Best In Show, but I received the highest score out of all entries. I thought […]
Continue ReadingNew T-Shirt and New Cause
As many of you know, I was a volunteer in Thailand after the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, and was there for a year helping build houses amongst other things. And when I heard about the earthquake off Samoa and the impending tsunami that was likely coming, I could only think of the destruction I saw while in Thailand and knew what was in store for the Samoans. In light of the damage that has happened to Samoa and American Samoa, I have decided to offer a $4 discount on all T-Shirts and apparel at my CafePress store through November […]
Continue ReadingHeeding My Own Green Advice
With my recent blog topics on [intlink id=”standards-green-photographers” type=”post”]Greening the Photography Industry[/intlink], I’ve decided that I should practice what I preach. I have never made claims to be a Green Photographer, to the contrary, I have outright stated that I wasn’t and I’m very open about not being a very eco-friendly person. But the more I thought about the topic, the more it occurred to me that I may be losing people with my message, by not practicing what I preach. I wasn’t looking for anything more than a gripe session and being critical of others in my first post […]
Continue ReadingStandards for Green Photographers
How to make Wedding Photography Green It seems I got some Photographer’s knickers in a bunch with a post about how we as [intlink id=”green-wedding-photography” type=”post”]wedding photographers and the photography industry in general fail in the realm of environmental responsibility[/intlink], and how their are a few Photographers that take advantage of the word “Green” in their marketing. Most of the upset e-mails and comments I got were from photographers that do quite a bit in their lives and business to reduce their carbon footprints. But there were two points that were obviously lost on them: My problem isn’t with those […]
Continue ReadingI’m not a Green Wedding Photographer – And neither are you.
I love the industry trend of Green Weddings right now. I love [intlink id=”green-wedding-dresses” type=”post”]cotton and hemp dresses[/intlink], I love the detail that wedding coordinators are getting into to minimize the impact on the planet. I really do think it’s great that people have that much care for the world to keep even their wedding day low-impact. You see, I grew up surfing in Imperial Beach, which is just a few short miles away from the Tijuana River, I would see it regularly spew out contaminants into the ocean rendering the beaches locked down for fear of Hepatitis outbreaks. At […]
Continue ReadingI was accepted into PPSDC.
Sweet! I was just accepted into the PPSDC which stands for Professional Photographers of San Diego County, which is the PPA local affiliate for San Diego. And what’s even better is that, due to my website design and development background, they have asked me to be on the Board of Directors as the Marketing and Advertising Director! That means I’ll be in charge of website design and functionality as well as obtaining interest from other to joint the organization. I’m really looking forward to the opportunities in the group. I’ve already got ideas lined up for the website, and I’m […]
Continue ReadingWoo Hoo! I got 2nd Place at the Austin PPA
My Bridal Portrait won 2nd place at the Austin PPA I joined the Austin PPA (Professional Photographers Association) two months ago. I figured in order to get my name out there as a legitimate wedding photographer in Austin, I needed to belong in the professional organizations, network with other photographers, and continue my learning process with the guest speakers they have every month. Last night was my first foray into the print competition though. It turned out to be a very competitive night. There were about 12 entries and after seeing each one I was really thinking I’d be lucky […]
Continue ReadingHow to Smooth Out the Recession for Big Business
Note: I know this a bit out of the realm of a wedding photographer, but this idea is just so simple it could work. Hey Big Business, I know you’ve laid off lot’s of people in the past few months. And as an entrepreneur, I understand the need to control costs. But what if you could control your costs, keep your employees (even strengthen their loyalty to your company), and possibly increase your revenue during this slow down? How? Eliminate your advertising budget. Then proclaim to your employees your undying devotion to keeping them on staff. While you’re at it, […]
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