professional photographer 2008 05

MAY 2008 | WWW.PPMAG.COM | $4.95

©M

icha

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peng

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PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | MAY 2008

CONTENTS

THE MOMENT OF COOLMichael Spengler infuses seniorportraits with fashion flair

by Stephanie Boozer

SENIORS: FEELING THE WOW

Janice Crabtree’s camera work helpsboost teens’ self-esteem

by Jeff Kent

SENIORS: TRENDSETTERS

Morgans’ Fine Art Photography finds the sweet spot in the ever-changing senior market

by Lorna Gentry

IMAGE BY MORGANS’ FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

72

78

86

Features

DepartmentsCONTACT SHEET

20 Shooting ghosts: Phillip Makanna

26 Appealing to your clients’ sensesby Michael Barton

28 Studio B’s cradle of lightby Stephanie Boozer

30 Blog yourselfby Sean Cayton

PROFIT CENTER

33 What I think: Sal Cincotta

34 Selling out or selling up? by Stephanie Boozer

40 The joy of marketing: Fever pitchby Sarah Petty

46 Wish come true by Lori Craft

48 Selling senior albumsby Tim Babin

THE GOODS

51 What I like: Garrett Nudd

52 Printing: Safe to go back in the waterby David Saffir

58 Pro review: Spyder3Studioby Stan Sholik

62 Pro gear: Travel lightby Joe Farace

66 Software: Nik Software Vivezaby Mark Levesque

70 Solutions: PSD vs. TIFFby Andrew Rodney

6 • www.ppmag.com

14 FOLIO

94 CALENDAR

101 PPA TODAY

122 GOOD WORKSPROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | MAY 2008 | WWW.PPMAG.COM

ON THE COVER: Roy Perkins of Del Mar, Calif., who was born without hands or feet, was encouraged by his

parents to try any sport he was interested in. He learned to swim at age 12 for safety reasons, and soon found he

had a competitive drive in the water. In his athletic career, he has set more than 20 American swimming records,

three Pan American records, and continues to hold the world record in the 50 and 100 meter butterfly race. He and

his parents have raised more than $130,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation based in San Diego.

Perkins turns 18 in May and is one of 38 athletes to earn a berth on the U.S. Paralympics Swimming Team

that will compete in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Michael Spengler took the cover image of Perkins at Marine Beach in La Jolla, Calif., with a Canon EOS-1D

Mark II N and EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens for 1/40 second at f/6.3, ISO 50. He used an AlienBees B1600 flash unit

with Paul C. Buff Octabox to light his subject, with a Vagabond 150 system supplying power and a Manfrotto

3011 tripod with a ball head to keep the camera steady.

©M

ichael Spengler

CONTENTS

86

show the worldhow you see it.

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Mind. Body.

A Picture-Perfect Relationship

Photography.

director of sales and strategic alliancesSCOTT HERSH, 610-966-2466, [email protected]

western region ad managerBART ENGELS, 847-854-8182, [email protected]

eastern region ad managerSHELLIE JOHNSON, 404-522-8600, x279, [email protected]

circulation consultant MOLLIE O’SHEA, [email protected]

editorial officesProfessional Photographer

229 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303-1608 U.S.A.404-522-8600; FAX: 404-614-6406

Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly subscriptions

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Send all advertising materials to: Debbie Todd, Professional Photographer, 5431 E. Garnet, Mesa, AZ 85206; 480-807-4391; FAX: 480-807-4509

Subscription rates/information: U.S.: $27, one year; $45, two years; $66, three years. Canada: $43, one year; $73, two years; $108, three years.

International: $39.95, one year digital subscription. Back issues/Single copies $7 U.S.; $10 Canada; $15 International.

PPA membership includes $13.50 annual subscription. Subscription orders/changes: Send to Professional Photographer, Attn: Circulation

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Periodicals postage paid in Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Professional Photographer magazine,

P.O. Box 2035, Skokie, IL 60076Copyright 2008, PPA Publications & Events, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.

Article reprints: Contact Professional Photographer reprint coordinator at Wrights’s Reprints; 1-877-652-5295.

Microfilm copies: University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106

Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly for $27 per year by PPAPublications and Events, Inc., 229 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 2200, International Tower, Atlanta,GA 30303-1608. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices.

Acceptance of advertising does not carry with it endorsement by the publisher. Opinions expressedby Professional Photographer or any of its authors do not necessarily reflect positions ofProfessional Photographers of America, Inc. Professional Photographer, official journal of theProfessional Photographers of America, Inc., is the oldest exclusively professional photographicpublication in the Western Hemisphere (founded 1907 by Charles Abel, Hon.M.Photog.), incorporatingAbel’s Photographic Weekly, St. Louis & Canadian Photographer, The Commercial Photographer,The National Photographer, Professional Photographer, andProfessional Photographer Storytellers. Circulation audited andverified by BPA Worldwide

10 • www.ppmag.com

PROFESSIONAL

senior editorJOAN [email protected]

features editorLESLIE HUNT

[email protected]

editor-at-largeJEFF KENT

[email protected]

art director/production managerDEBBIE TODD

[email protected]

manager, publications andsales/strategic alliances

KARISA [email protected]

sales and marketing assistantCHERYL [email protected]

EDITORIAL

The great debateSTILL WONDERING WHETHER TO OFFER DIGITAL FILES?

Does offering digital image files to clients mean you’re selling out, or

is it selling up?

Thanks to digital technology’s incorporation into practically all

studio workflows, a number of complicated issues have bubbled to

the surface that we as an industry need to address. “Selling out or

selling up?” explores one quandary: How should photographers

respond to clients’ demand for digital files?

Should you release files to your customers? (It depends.) Are

other studios delivering digital files in some format? (80 percent of

the photographers PPA surveyed said yes.) If you are handing over

disks of images, are you doing it in a way that’s both financially and

legally savvy? (Turn to p. 34 to find out more!)

“Selling out or selling up?” represents a joint effort between the

Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Membership and

Publications departments. The story was conceived last fall during a

meeting of the PPA Board of Directors. (Professional Photographer

is the official magazine of PPA.)

Sometimes it takes a fresh, clear voice to remind us just how

challenging it is to be a small business owner in professional

photography. In that meeting, new board member Susan Michal,

M.Photog.Cr., CPP, whose portrait and wedding studio is based in

Jacksonville, Fla., was that voice. Her comments on the digital

debate sparked a productive discussion that eventually inspired

both a member-wide survey and this article. Each member of PPA’s

Board of Directors is an experienced professional photographer

who’s been in the same position you’re in right now: running a

business. Each has faced the challenges and felt the strain of trying

to make the right decisions for their studios.

Many of you are probably don’t have time to read up on the

issues covered at every board meeting (see aforementioned strain of

running a business), but I wanted you to know how this especially

important session launched an inquiry that aims to answer many of

your crucial questions. �

Cameron Bishopp

Director of Publications

[email protected]

technical editorsANDREW RODNEY, ELLIS VENER

director of publicationsCAMERON BISHOPP

[email protected]

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Professional Photographers of America229 Peachtree St., NE, Suite 2200Atlanta, GA 30303-1608404-522-8600; 800-786-6277FAX: 404-614-6400www.ppa.com

2008-2009 PPA board

president*DENNIS CRAFT M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, [email protected]

vice president*RON NICHOLSM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

treasurer*LOUIS TONSMEIRE Cr.Photog., [email protected]

chairman of the board*JACK REZNICKICr.Photog., Hon.M.Photog., [email protected]

directorsDON DICKSONM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

SANDY (SAM) PUC’ M.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]

RALPH ROMAGUERA, SR.M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, [email protected]

CAROL ANDREWSM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

SUSAN MICHALM.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]

TIMOTHY WALDENM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

DOUG BOXM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

DON MACGREGORM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

industry advisorKEVIN [email protected]

legal counselHowe and Hutton, Chicago

PPA staffDAVID TRUST Chief Executive Officer [email protected]

SCOTT KURKIANChief Financial [email protected]

CAMERON BISHOPP Director of [email protected]

DANA GROVES Director of Marketing &[email protected]

SCOTT HERSHDirector of Sales & Strategic [email protected]

J. ALEXANDER HOPPERDirector of Membership,Copyright and [email protected]

WILDA OKEN Director of [email protected]

LENORE TAFFEL Director of Events/[email protected]

SANDRA LANGExecutive [email protected]

*Executive Committee of the Board



folio| Comprising images selected from the files of the PPA Loan Collection, Folio is a monthly sample ofaward-winning photography by PPA members. The Loan Collection is a select group of some 500photographs chosen annually by the PPA print judges from more than 5,000 entries.

GREGG WURTZLERAfter a busy year at the studio, Gregg Wurtzler, M.Photog.Cr., of Wurtzler Photography inMiddletown, Ohio, says this image, “Drained,” sums up how he felt. Wurtzler shot thiscommercial image with a Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR and 28-105mm Nikkor f/3.5-4.5 DAF Zoom lens, exposing the image for 1/60 second at f/16, ISO 100. For the main light, Wurtzlerused a 600WS Photogenic PowerLight 1500 and 30x40-inch Photogenic soft box, with asecond 600WS PowerLight 1500 bouncing in fill. He also used mirrors and homemade foamboard reflectors to bounce light. On the background, he used a third 600WS PowerLight 1500and Photogenic reflector spot grid. He performed minor retouching in Adobe Photoshop CS2.

©Gregg Wurtzler

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LEON LARSENEach subject in this family portrait was photographed individually, except those being held. Leon Larsen, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, of Hart Photography inIdaho Falls, Idaho, shot each family member with a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital SLR and 24-105mm Canon f/4 L IS USM EF lens, exposing theframes for 1/100 second at f/8, ISO 100. A 31WS Photogenic PowerLight 2500DR behind a 4x6-foot Larson Soff Box served as the main light,and a 125WS PowerLight 2500DR bounced off a white wall to add fill. Larsen used a 62WS Photogenic PowerLight 1250DR and a Larson 9x24-inch Soff Box for hair light, and behind the subject, two 31WS Photogenic PowerLight 1250DR kicker lights at 45 degrees and 16-inch parabolicreflectors with barn doors and frosted, translucent covers. Larsen used Adobe Photoshop to combine the portraits into “The Heatons.”

SCOTT DUPRASPhotographing the scene for its dramatic lighting, Scott Dupras, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, of Scott Dupras Fine Art Photography inMarquette, Mich., was pleasantly surprised when the park ranger strolled into view. Shooting with his Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digitalSLR and 16-35mm Canon f/2.8 L USM EF lens, Dupras exposed “Guardians of the Past” for 1/125 second at f/11. He addedthe sepia tone in Adobe Photoshop. “I love it when I can get images like this that capture the moment as it was,” says Dupras.

©Scott Dupras

©Leon Larsen


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CONTACT SHEETWhat’s New, Events, Hot Products, Great Ideas, Etc.

All images ©Phillip Makanna

Shootingghosts

For 30 years Phillip Makanna has photographed—and occasionally crashed in—historic airplanes

BY LORNA GENTRY

For a moment, veteran aviation photographer

Phillip Makanna ponders a question about

retiring. He has just returned home to San

Francisco from New Zealand, where he photo-

graphed vintage aircraft in the biennial

Warbirds Over Wanaka International Air

Show. Chuckling softly he says, “Well, it’s

getting harder and harder to get into those

airplanes. Last week I got stuck getting

out of one.”

Yet retirement is out of the question. For

one thing, Makanna wants to do another

book. He has published five so far, including

the gorgeous coffee table books “Ghosts of

the Great War,” his most recent about aviation

in World War I, and “Ghosts of the Skies,” about

World War II airplanes, both published by

MBI Publishing. “Next I’ll do a book about

the romance of aviation, the way I’ve seen it.”

What Makanna has seen through the

lenses of his Nikons over the last 30 years is

extraordinary. “Probably 25 percent of the

airplanes I photograph are one of a kind, the

last one flying,” he reflects. “The rest, just six

of these or 10 of those left in existence.”

From the back of a 1930s T-6 Texan or

World War II-era B-25 bomber, Makanna

shoots Nikon D3 and D2Xs SLR cameras with

a 70-300mm Nikon AF-S VR or 24-120mm

AF-S VR lens. “What I do happens under

violent circumstances,” he says. “We’re moving

at 100 to 180 mph. If the camera gets in the

wind, everything is blurred. Even though

I’m shooting in a bouncy airplane, I can’t shoot

fast. If I go over 1/250 second, I can’t get a

blur in the propeller. And if the propeller is

frozen, it looks like there’s something wrong.”

In a T-6 he can roll back the top canvas and

shoot in open air, but the tail and wing encum-

ber his view. There’s no obstruction shooting

from the tail of a B-25, but they’re expensive to

fly. Helicopters won’t do because of how differ-

ently they fly, and the downdraft they create

would jar the airplane he’s photographing.

“I’m making a romantic record of aviationhistory that needs to be saved.”— PHILLIP MAKANNA

“I go up at dawn or sunset when the

air is smooth,” he says. “I try to control

things, but I can’t. If I’m lucky, I come back

with something.”

Makanna’s romance with aviation began

when he took pictures of World War II

planes at a Nevada air show. Those photos

were collected in the first “Ghosts” book, and

were his introduction to a global enclave of

aviation enthusiasts. “People are passionate

about these airplanes because we all have

the dream to fly,” he said. “I started making

the “Ghost” calendars 29 years ago and keep

it going because people continue to dream.”

While he readily admits to getting airsick

(taking a bit of organic ginger helps, he says),

Makanna has no fear of flying, even after three

crashes. “The fun of it supercedes the fear. And

so far, I’ve been able to photograph my crashes.”

To see more of Phillip Makanna’s work, visitwww.ghosts.com.

Lorna Gentry is a freelance writer in Atlanta.

CONTACT SHEET


All images ©Phillip Makanna


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Every second of our lives, we make subconscious

decisions based on the perceptions of our

senses. There is no better way to make a

positive impression on clients than by

appealing to all five.

A cluttered studio, prints hung randomly on

white walls, the lovely hum of fluorescent light-

ing, the faint ordor of yesterday’s lunch—per-

haps none of these factors is a deal breaker, but

they sure make a bad impression, and on a deep,

subliminal level that no sweet words can rewrite.

Walking into a high-end hair salon is like

entering a sensory haven. The staff dress fash-

ionably, their hair is perfect, and they are well

groomed to the fingertips. The salon walls,

seldom white, are decorated with beautiful

framed art. Mood music is playing, pleasant

aromas waft by your nose, and the lighting is

flattering yet functional. The receptionist

offers you a beverage, and you’re soon

relaxing into a neck rub, then enjoying the

warm water bathing your scalp. You had to

wait two weeks to get an appointment, but

this isn’t a haircut, it’s an experience, a sensory

treat that’s worth paying that much for.

The experience hits all five senses, and

elicits a sense of something you can’t quite

put your finger on. Whatever it is, it makes

you feel good. Photographers can give

clients an experience in sense-around, too.

Appeal to the sense of sight with well chosen

colors, high-impact frames that complement

your images, lighting that highlights your

work and defines spaces with a pleasing

ambience, and with orderliness throughout.

Appeal to the sense of smell. Do it gently

with regard for sensitive noses. Candles and

incense can work if used sparingly, fresh coffee

smells good to most everyone, peppermint

and cinnamon liven up the mood, fresh

popcorn smells tantalizing. How about fresh

flowers in the changing room?

Appeal to the sense of taste. Got a fridge?

Stock it with soft drinks and chilled water,

flavored or sparkling or just plain refreshing.

Nothing says customer service like, “What

can I get you to drink?” Put out candy in a

pretty dish and a salty snack or two.

Appeal to the sense of touch. A warm

handshake is a good thing. Touching is a

strong way of communicating, but play it by

ear, take your cues from the individual’s body

language. Before you get personal enough for a

hug, appeal to the tactile sense with the fabrics

on your furniture, the texture of the counter-

tops, everything a visitor is likely to touch.

Appeal to the sense of hearing with music.

Music is a subjective pleasure, so have a variety

of royalty-free music on hand to suit various

tastes and create moods conducive to a pleas-

ant experience. Having a large collection to

pull from means that you can make your

studio their studio at the push of a button.

When all of the senses come together,

clients will feel a sense of comfort that will

make them linger and call them back.

Michael Barton’s studio, IndigoPhotographic, is in Batavia Ill.(www.indigophotographic.com).

CONTACT SHEET

Good sense

©Kathie Wurtzler

Appealing to your clients’ sensesBY MICHAEL BARTON, CR.PHOTOG., CPP

“Every second of our lives, we makesubconscious decisions based onthe perceptions of our senses.”

Studio B, a Walden’sPhotography offshoot, and its luminous approach to photographing babies

BY STEPHANIE BOOZER

There’s nothing like a baby’s skin. It’s pure and

supple, and wonderful to photograph. Timothy

and Beverly Walden, both M.Photog.Cr., F-ASP,

of Walden’s Photography in Lexington, Ky.,

have developed a way to capture it beauti-

fully at their three-year-old second business,

Studio B. This studio fulfills what the Waldens

saw as a need in the market for a contemporary

yet classic update in baby photography.

The idea was born when Beverly found an

image of a baby lit from all sides, apparently

floating in midair. After some study, Timothy

designed a baby-friendly light table to produce

a similar effect. The 4-foot wide light box on

wheels features a 4x10-foot length of Plexiglas

that sweeps up from the table in a gentle curve,

bringing the height of the table to 8 feet. Babies

are placed on the table, which has a barrier on

all sides to prevent tumbles. Space at the front

of the box allows parents access to the child.

The photographer shoots from above the table.

“I’m surprised how much the babies like

it,” says Timothy. “We haven’t had one baby

be afraid of it yet. They’re intrigued by it—

they put their hands down and stare at how

their fingers are lit.”

Studio B’s luminous look is available for

babies from 3 months to 1 year, and works best

with babies age 6 to 9 months, who can sit up

on their own but aren’t yet crawling or walking.

“The most exciting thing about these

portraits is the new look they bring into our

marketplace, allowing us to expand our

client base and get younger mothers,” says

Beverly. “It also gives me an opportunity to

play with new things, such as Wild Sorbet

frames and colorfully designed presenta-

tions, that would not fit the Walden brand,

and that keeps me on my toes creatively.”

Judging by client response and the increase

in bookings, Studio B is proving a success.

“Even though it’s a more contemporary

approach, it’s still timeless,” explains Timothy.

“That’s really key—avoiding novelty while

staying contemporary.”

Visit www.waldensphotography.com/studiob.


CONTACT SHEET

Cradle of light

The Waldens promote Studio B, an offshoot of Walden’s Photography, with a Web sitedesigned to complement the bright modern look of the studio’s baby photography.

All images ©Walden’s Photography

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Since December, I’ve seen at least three

professional wedding photographers in my

area shut their doors. All were competent

CONTACT SHEET


BlogyourselfCould a simple online diarybecome a linchpin in your studio’s marketing efforts?

BY SEAN CAYTON

14 IDEAS FOR A SUCCESSFUL BLOG

1. Stay on message. Visitors should know exactly what your blog’s about inthe first 10 seconds of viewing it.

2. Show your personality. Blogs are meant to be personal. Share a bit aboutwho you are and how you feel about your photography. Be personable.

3. Respond to comments quickly. Two-way conversation is exactly what you want. 4. Use multimedia. People really dig it.5. Track visitors. Use Google Analytics or another program to track how

visitors were referred to the site and monitor the traffic flow. You’ll find outwhat content is popular and what isn’t.

6. Advertise your blog offline, too.7. Keep it simple. Use an easy-to-read, clean and consistent design. 8. Niche it. Limit the subject of your blog to one or two related specialties.

Create separate blogs for your other specialties. 9. Update, update, update. Regular updates keep readers coming back and

your search engine rankings high.10. Keywords are crucial. Think of your blog copy as a massive list of

keywords that define its niche and content. Make it easy for search engines tofind the site and rank it high in relevance.

11. Tags are important. Tag all your posts by subject. Google, for instance, willindex all of the relevant posts in your blog by topic in potential clients’ searches.

12. Syndication. RSS is a way to syndicate your blog’s content throughout the Web. 13. Position your best above the fold. 14. Write and rewrite. Before you post, relax and let the message flow in your

own inimitable style. Read it over and fix the spelling and the typos. Ask someoneelse to read and evaluate it for these criteria: technical correctness, fluency, directness,topicality, personable tone, and for heaven’s sake, whether it’s enjoyable to read.

All images ©Cayton Photography

photographers who serviced their clients to

the best of their ability, and had once

commanded a good share of the wedding

business here. Due to lack of bookings,

they’ve closed down, at least temporarily.

I count myself lucky that in this

economy, I’m not only surviving, but

growing. I’ve wondered about how other

photographers are promoting their

businesses, right or wrong. Perhaps the

strategies that are working for my studio

will work for others.

Our studio’s blog is paying off. We read

blogs by other photographers in our niche

and—I’m not ashamed to say it—copied

them. We choreographed the online publica-

tion of our clients’ wedding portfolios with

our blog. We’ve eliminated virtually all other

marketing and poured our energy into

blogging. The best part is that Internet

promotion is like free advertising, and it works.

After we committed ourselves to the

blog, the next step was really hard: Filling it

with good content. We had to demonstrate

that we do a lot of business, that we make

fabulous photographs, and that there’s an

appealing personality behind it all. Blogging

actually helped me find a voice, and it forced

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alerts the online community to our updates.

Sean and Cathy Cayton’s wedding studio is inColorado Springs, Colo.(caytonphotography.com). They blog abouttheir business at caytonphotography.com/blog. Sean muses on the business of photog-raphy at caytonphotography.com/photobiz.

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May 2008 • Professional Photographer • 33

Professional Photographer P R E S E N T S Business, Marketing and Sales Strategies

What I thinkSal Cincotta says the art oflistening is the key to sales

What advice would you give a new photographer?

Do it right or don’t do it at all. Your name and

reputation are everything in this business.

What’s the biggest business risk you’ve ever taken?

When I made the decision to go professional, I

withdrew my savings and purchased $15,000

worth of equipment. It was the scariest thing

I’d ever done, but it has paid dividends many

times over.

What was your big break—the turning point?

Getting on the preferred vendor list for one of the

top catering facilities in town. That relation-

ship has made all the difference. It was instant

credibility with our brides.

What’s your deal breaker? Rude or argumen-

tative people. When people are overly difficult

during the consultation, it’s a sign of what’s to

come. I recommend finding a way to graciously

walk away from those clients.

What is the biggest business mistake you see

pro photographers making? They underesti-

mate how important personality is to the sales

cycle, and rely solely on their artistic ability.

What is the single most important business

element photographers should master? The art

of listening. What do you think sells better,

what your customers say they want or what

you tell them they want?

IMAGE BY SALVATORE CINCOTTA

WWW.SALCINCOTTA.COM

“Can I get my pictures on CD?” a potential

wedding client asks.

If you hand over the files, is the goodwill

gesture worth jeopardizing additional print

sales? Will you lose a customer if you don’t?

Many customers now expect to receive their

image files as part of a package, or as an

add-on purchase, or even as a free service.

With the growing demand for this service,

it’s imperative to develop a strategy for

fulfillment that works for your studio.

• Should you release your files at all?

• How will you manage the file delivery

so it benefits your studio?

• Is your legal house in order?

SHOULD YOU RELEASE

DIGITAL FILES?

Wedding photographer Doug Gordon, of

Lindenhurst, N.Y., doesn’t release digital

images at all. “Files are cropped and custom

sized—something very difficult for retail

photofinishers to handle—and high-quality

labs handle our printing,” he says.

“We tell our brides how closely we work

with only high-quality printers, and we care-

fully use printer profiles to ensure that our

customers end up with high-quality prints,”

says Gordon. “We also give our customers a

lifetime guarantee on all of their work and

we make sure that the customer understands

that we’ll guard the files of their images.”

For Sam Gray of Sam Gray Portraits, in

Raleigh, N.C., parting with digital files for

portrait clients is akin to a mechanic giving

away his tools. “I try not to go in that

direction if I can help it,” unless it’s for

commercial clients, he says. “I feel like we’re

shooting ourselves in the foot if we release

our digital files.”

Because Gray’s portraiture has become

more painterly than strictly photographic,

he invests a great deal of time and energy in


It’s increasingly difficult to avoid the questionof whether to release digital files. But for thehigh number of studios who do, it can be aprofitable practice when wisely executed.BY STEPHANIE BOOZER

Selling out or selling up?

WHEN IT COMES TO RELEASING FILES, STUDIOS ARE MAPPING AN INTERESTING—AND PROFITABLE—MIDDLE GROUND

PROFIT CENTER

©Getty Images

each image. Clients can’t take what he creates

to any photo printer and get stunning wall

prints. “As the industry changes, and people

have their own digital cameras, we have to

stay ahead,” says Gray. “That’s why I went in

the direction of painting. About 75 percent

of my work involves painting, though I still

do standard photos. We do the best quality we

can do with our prints, and it’s all in-house.”

Gray acknowledges that it can be difficult

to compete with photographers who charge

as little as $300 for wedding coverage and

simply give away the files immediately after

the event. “This is devastating to the photo

industry, this new breed of digital

photographers,” he says.

Gray’s clients typically purchase large

prints, so he sees no real need for them to

own their files right away. The question of

ownership rarely comes up with his portrait

work. He does, however, regularly release

licensed files to his commercial clients. The

client’s need in these cases is usage rights

rather than making prints.

“We tell portrait clients we keep

everything in-house for a year, then move it

to our permanent archive,” says Gray.

“Before we do, we call the client and ask if

they want to come back and look over their

files before they’re archived. We get a lot of

good orders from that, and there’s really no

extra work involved.”

SPECIAL DELIVERY

In a recent survey PPA conducted of its own

membership, 80 percent of the respondents

reported they are delivering digital images

(either low or high resolution). For these

studios, the challenge is to execute the

transaction in a way that increases, or at

least protects, the studio’s existing profits.

A number of photographers include files

with certain usage rights in their higher

priced packages and product sales. For

example, a wall portrait could come with a

CD of other images from the session, along

with a limited usage license. It’s an effective

way to up-sell customers as well as satisfy

their requests for digital images.

A high-end wedding photographer in

Philadelphia, Faith West, of Faith West

Photography in Manayunk, Pa., noted that

her average reprint sale was about $150

when she didn’t release files. “I decided to

include a limited usage license and raise my

prices by $150. That way, clients can make

their own prints, and though I don’t get

income from reprint orders, I make the same

amount money without the extra effort.”

West admits it was a scary transition, but

says it’s paying off. “I make sure to tell my

clients that I would like them to order their

prints online, and I recommend certain labs

that I trust,” she says. West has been selling

licenses for her files for the past three years,

and so far, has seen no negative repercus-

sions. “I’m finding an interesting upshot—

I’ve booked more weddings as a result of

this policy. People love it, love it, love it. Now

I feel like I’m getting away with something,

because the client is doing the work for me.”

West’s clients wind up posting their

images online, a service she doesn’t provide,

as well as doing their own printing. “In a

way, I feel like I’m probably a pariah in

some peoples’ minds, but it’s a win-win for

me,” she says. “Before I had this system, I

saw clients go to someone less talented just

because of owning the negatives, and it was

frustrating.”

West still includes an album and parents’

albums in her packages, and occasionally

has clients who don’t want to bother with

managing their digital files. But she also

notes that the ubiquity of online print services,

combined with her clients’ average age, 25,


HOW DO PHOTOGRAPHERSHANDLE REQUESTS FORDIGITAL FILES?

PPA surveyed its membership and receivedmore than 2,700 responses in five days.

Do you sell, give awayor deliver digital filesto clients?

Do you feel you havelost clients becauseyou don’t release files?

To what kind ofclients do you deliverdigital files?

Do you provideeither a license orcopyright transfer?

How do you deliverthe files?

In what format arefiles delivered?

To read the survey in its entirety, including thecomments of the participating photographers, go to the download area of the Member’s Onlysection at www.ppa.com.

results in clients who understand intuitively

how to handle digital media. “They are

happy to do it,” she says. “They feel like they

have more control. My clients rarely order

anything over 8x10, because they consider it

ostentatious or gauche to order larger

pictures of themselves, so I’m not losing any

large wall portrait orders anyway.”

Because presentation is essential in

photography, West uses attractive

packaging for her client’s DVDs.

Depending on the order, the disks are

delivered in a leatherette DVD holder or in

a classic tin. West imprints each disk with

a detail image from the wedding. “They

look beautiful,” she says. “We’ve made a

successful transition, and have been able to

maintain our presentation.”

Different policies for different clients

For Susan Stripling, of Tallahassee, Fla.,

parting with digital files depends on the

project. “For portraits, I don’t give away or

sell all of the files,” she says. Over the winter

holidays, she will license a single file for a

client to use in a holiday card. “Most people

don’t go for that option because I price it

high, and I generally try to sell them holiday

cards from me. I license just a handful of

files every year, and I don’t mind that

because of my price point. My portrait

session fee is fairly low and I make my

money on after sales. I’d have to charge an

astronomical session fee to include the files,

or else license the files for an enormous

amount to make a profit on the work.”

Stripling’s approach is a little different

with weddings. She includes the files right

away, and they’re usually delivered six to

nine weeks after the wedding. “I understand

the argument for not including them or

even delivering them, ‘Oh, I’ll lose out on

reprint sales!’ or ‘Oh, my clients will print

them at the mini-mart and put my name on

those horrible prints,’” she says. “First of all,

I don’t give the files. I raised my rates

accordingly, so I’m selling them the license.

If I’m going to risk losing reprint sales, I

want to be compensated.”

The images on the DVDs are not final-

print ready. They are color-corrected, white-

balanced and “lovely,” she says, but not fully

retouched or edited as are the prints purchased

through the studio. “I do explain that to my

clients, and I do have nice re-sales from the

weddings, even from the brides and grooms,

who have the files,” she says.

Many of Stripling’s clients express interest

in the files not necessarily for printing, but

for archival purposes, and she respects that.

“When I deliver wedding files to my

client, they are in metal DVD tins with my

logo on the front,” she says. “I include a

postcard with details about the files, how to

archive and store the DVD, how to transfer

the files to new media as it becomes available

and DVDs become passé, how long we store

the images for them at the studio, where we

recommend having them printed if they

choose to print themselves, and so forth. I

include a handwritten note thanking them

for the honor of working with them on their

wedding and wishing them the best, package

it all up in a nice envelope, and off it goes.”

Most important, Stripling stresses, she

retains the copyrights to her images and

merely licenses them for client use. Clients

can make as many prints of the images as

they want, but they cannot sell or license

them. “Basically, they cannot make a profit

on the images without my consent,” she says.

Copyrights for charity

Mel Morganstein, CPP, Photography by Mel,

Charlotte, N.C., has yet another approach to

parting with digital files. He appeals to his

clients’ charitable side. The idea began a few

years ago when Morganstein found out about

the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, and

decided to help with their annual fundrais-

ing. He started e-mailing clients to solicit

donations, then came up with the idea of

tying in a charitable donation with the

purchase of digital files or negatives.

“It just hit me one day that I have all these

negatives, and what on earth am I going to do

with them?” says Morganstein, whose archive


PROFIT CENTER

Faith West packages clients' CDs attractively in a leatherette case or tin. The imprinting on the CDitself is customized for each client.

©Faith West

reached back to the 1970s. “I wrote my clients,

explained that I’ve been keeping an insurance

policy on these albums all these years, and I

can no longer maintain the storage space.”

Morganstein offered full sets of negatives

or digital files for $300, or $100 if they sent

along a matching $100 check written out to

the foundation.

“It’s a neat way to raise money for charity,

and I clear out my backlog of negatives,” he

says. “I tackle about three years’ worth each

year, and I’m up to the late 1990s. It’s $100

I didn’t have, and it’s $100 that the Pediatric

Brain Tumor Foundation didn’t have either.”

Morganstein tells current clients about the

annual fundraiser, and that they’ll have the

opportunity to purchase their files and make

a donation later in the year. “The theory is

that my clients know their files are safe and

they’ll be able to purchase them later on, so

there’s no pressure,” says Morganstein. “It’s a

good cause that I believe in, and it turns the

sale into something better for the clients as well.

It also gives me a little breathing room to sell

as many prints as possible in the meantime.”

Six years into the plan, Morganstein is

averaging $1,000 in donations annually. “I

agonized over how to handle this problem,”

he says about clearing out the old negatives

and selling digital files. “But I’ve found a

way to raise money for a good cause, and I

feel good about it too.”

Living by digital alone

Can a studio make a profit from licensing

digital image files alone—no prints or albums?

Commercial photographers have been doing

it for years. It’s all in how you price and

deliver your work. One photographer told us

he typically spends 20 hours on pre-wedding

and wedding photography and 20 to 25 hours

on post-production image processing, album

design and order fulfillment. He speculates

that if he cut or drastically reduced the post-

production time and spent the time with other

paying clients, he could reduce his wedding

prices and actually end up with higher profits.

While making your workflow more

efficient sounds attractive, if you don’t use

the time saved to cultivate additional clients

and generate more income, you could end

up with fewer expenses, yes, but also with

no additional clients, and then your lower

prices would actually yield lower profits.

LICENSE, DON’T TRANSFER

In the vast majority of cases, when you

deliver digital files to your clients, it’s wise to

avoid transferring copyrights.

Images have value. Your customers know

that. Instead of selling your images outright,

consider licensing them for your customers’

limited use. Presenting a printed license

only adds to the perceived value of your

work. The license should clearly list the

images in question, state your copyright

ownership of them, specify the exact uses

the agreement covers, including the length

of time the customer may use them, how

and where they are to be viewed, and

whether the customer is permitted to

reproduce them, and in what form. (For

sample licenses, visit PPA’s Member’s Only

download area at www.ppa.com.)

If you just hand over the images, the

customer may think she can make reprints,

resell or use them in an ad or even a

billboard. (We spoke with one photographer

who suggests that clients put the CD of their

images in their safe deposit box along with

the license.)

Asking clients how they want to use the

images is always advisable. For one thing, it

helps you understand their needs so you can

fulfill them. If they desire usage or services

that you truly cannot provide, you might

present a customized usage license just for

them. If the client wants to send copies of

the digital images to a number of friends

and family members, it might serve both of

you to do the task for them, sending low-res

versions or a URL where the images are

posted for review to the e-mail addresses

your client provides. You can include an

order form or direct the recipients to an

online ordering system.

Senior portrait photographers are pro-

viding clients low-res images for use on their

FaceBook and MySpace pages when they’ve

met a minimum order amount. Some clients

simply want to create a computer screensaver

or make prints when they can better afford

them. Low-res files might satisfy your clients,

as well as provide the perfect opportunity

for you to explain the danger of their losing

the images at home in a hard drive crash, or

with the inevitable failure of CDs or obso-

lescence of other storage media holding the

images. You could offer a credit toward future

purchases if they leave it to you to safeguard

the files and fulfill their print orders.

Opening this dialogue with clients also

gives you the opportunity to explain how

you use only a high quality professional lab

or calibrated professional inkjet printers and

adhere to proper color management practices

—something they may not get from the local

photofinisher down the street or a photo-

printing kiosk in a retail store. Clients may

appreciate a warning about how technology

changes so rapidly they may have difficulty

just finding a piece of equipment to read the

CD years from now. �

Maria Matthews, coordinator for PPA’sCopyright and Government Affairsdepartment, contributed to this article. Forquestions regarding the article, e-mail her [email protected].


PROFIT CENTER

In business today, viral marketing—spread by

social networking, not a social disease—leads

to robust, healthy profits. Not only is the grape

vine alive and well, it’s rapidly proliferating

across the airwaves via MySpace, FaceBook,

cell phone, text messaging and all other

manner of wired and wireless communication.

Especially if your target market is high school

seniors, viral marketing is your magic bullet.

Come up with an impressive message and

teenagers will instantly spread the word—

for free. Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty at

www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home.asp is

a perfect example. You can watch this powerful

social comment in a minute, effortlessly e-mail

it to a friend, join discussion groups about it,

and exponentially multiply the buzz in the

spirit of encouraging girls’ healthy self-esteem

in a media-blitzed universe. This little film isn’t

an advertisement for Dove soap, it’s an ingen-

ious bit of brand building through emotion.

Scott Crosby, CPP, owner of Picture This

Photography in Avon, Ind., has a brilliant

ploy of his own for seniors. He wraps a

Hummer with huge images of his current

Social networking is the new viral marketing.When inspired, high school seniors canspread the word like an unchecked virus.

Fever pitch SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT YOUR STUDIO

SARAH PETTY, CPPTHE JOY OF MARKETINGTM

All im

ages ©S

cott Crosby


3-DAY BUSINESS WORKSHOPwith Carol Andrews, Ann Monteith and Sarah PettyNow’s your chance to increase profitability and receive instruction on essential elements for business success (in both group settings and one-on-one consultations).

June 9-11ß

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NEW WEBINARS (online seminars)PPA and SMS are bringing education to you, and all you need is a computer and the Internet. Keep watching your inboxes for information on live business webinars about:

Marketingß Financial Planningß Managerial Accountingß Top Performing Studiosß Starting a Photography Businessß Business Basicsß Salesß And more…ß

Plus, you can watch the archived versions at your convenience. Just visit the Events section of PPA.com and click on Webinars to reach:

Income Tax Strategiesß Pricing for Profitß The Art of Pricelistsß QuickBooks: Getting Startedß And more…ß

NEW BOOKKEEPING SERVICESBehind on your bookkeeping? Our Bookkeeping Program can help! With competitive pricing and programs tailored to meet your studio’s individual needs, SMS can help ease your headaches and get your studio off to a great start.

Classes fill up fast…Contact Beth Moore to register today...800.339.5451 x244

Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com

senior clients. (He outputs the wraps on an

Epson Stylus Pro 9600 onto Lexjet Extreme

Aqua Vinyl paper; see photos, right, and next

page.) To activate the virus, Crosby uses his

studio blog to announce the featured seniors,

and sends each one an e-mail. On the street, the

Hummer generates mega-buzz, not only when

it shows up at high school football games, but

whenever a senior discovers his or her face could

be displayed on the coolest vehicle in town.

Crosby also invests the time and money to

keep his mall display fresh and current. He’s

been known to contact the mother of a featured

girl to suggest she take her daughter shopping

and accidentally come across the studio’s dis-

play. It’s like giving a surprise party, he says.

And with the normal tensions between ado-

lescents and their parents, the moment is a

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gift to both of them. Two minutes later, mother

and daughter both are yakking on a cell phone.

To make it easy for seniors to share their

images online, Crosby uses Photoshop to

create Flash animated .gif files for each client.

Each file includes a slideshow studio ad and

the words, “Ask me about senior pictures.”

He asks the recipients to e-mail the file to

everyone in their address book, along with

this message: “Ask me how to get a special

gift.” This way the ad is all about the senior,

and she cannot resist passing it along.

Crosby’s viral marketing strategy for

seniors is truly inspired. We’d love to hear

the innovative ways you’re building buzz to

fever pitch in your studio’s marketing! �

Sarah Petty Photography is in Springfield,Ill. (www.sarahpetty.com).


THE JOY OF MARKETINGTM

Many rising seniors do not have the oppor-

tunity to choose the photographer who will

create their momentous senior portraits.

Last year, as I started to work on my studio’s

senior portrait marketing campaign for the

Class of 2008, I was struck by just how

many students in our area wouldn’t get to

choose. For some of these students, whose

parents had fallen on bad times, there would

be no senior portrait at all.

Craft Photographic Gallery couldn’t

fulfill the needs of all those students, but we

could certainly make a wish come true for

three of them. I came up with the Senior

Portrait Scholarship Program to accomplish

it. We solicited applicants to write essays

about themselves or another student whom

they nominated for the scholarship. Our

choice of three recipients would be based on

those essays. Each would be awarded a custom

senior portrait session, a portrait package

with a wall portrait, and all the extras.

I sent promotional packets to the area

newspapers, school guidance counselors and

junior class advisers, and made the info and

application available for download on our

Web site, craftphotography.com.

I didn’t foresee how hard it would be to

choose the recipients. The essays told stories

of parents who had lost jobs, single parents

struggling to take care of a houseful of

children, even a girl on the eve of gastric

bypass surgery, who anticipated feeling

beautiful for the first time in her life. The

essays were written by parents, students,

and even a senior nominating her best friend.

She couldn’t afford Craft senior portraits

herself, but she was more concerned that

her friend wouldn’t have a portrait at all.

With our staff, we managed to select the

three students. We awarded the remaining

applicants a complimentary senior session

and a portrait package discount. It was a

privilege to honor all these students at such

an important time in their life. �

As a reference for starting your own seniorportrait program, see Lori Craft’s pressreleases announcing her Senior PortraitScholarship Program at craftphotography.com.Look for the “View Scholarship Information”link in the Seniors section. CraftPhotographic Gallery is in Marshall, Mich.

PROFIT CENTER LORI CRAFT, CR .PHOTOG.


Every high school student looks forward to themilestone photograph that says he has arrived. TheCrafts are helping deserving students achieve that goal.

Wish come true

©Dennis Craft

Each scholarship winnerreceived a Deluxe PortraitSession and a SeniorPortrait Package (11x14portrait, smaller giftportraits and wallet-sizeprints), a $650 value.

This is the second year thatCraft Photographic Galleryhas offered the scholarship.Last year, Nichole Armourwas one of three recipients.

“They went on and on about how great my pic-

tures were—It made me feel so good!” said

my client after showing her senior portrait

album to schoolmates. She didn’t think she

was that popular, but all the really popular

kids made a fuss over her and the photo-

graphs, and she thanked me enthusiastically.

And then she paid me!

Senior albums not only delight my clients,

they also turn those clients into marketing

agents for my studio. Our albums average

far more than our senior folios did back in

the film days. Digital photography allows us

to make and present more images per session

than with film, with no additional costs, and

clients can’t resist buying more of them.

Even though we’re totally digital, selling

printed images is extremely profitable for

our studio. Clients still like having images

they can touch and display without using

electronic devices, and we reap the benefits

when they do.

For senior albums, we arrange four images

per page and order 10x10-inch prints from

H&H Color Lab (hhcolorlab.com). Our

hinged-style albums with open-top mats are

supplied by General Products (gpalbums.com).

An album this size is conveniently portable

and easy to view. People view albums with a

different attitude than they do slideshows.

They assume it will take longer to view a

slideshow, and that they’ll have no control

over the presentation. With an album, the

presentation’s literally in their hands.

Variety is the first consideration in shoot-

ing images for our senior albums, and not

just in slight posing variations. We use a dif-

ferent background with every outfit change.

We create different sessions within the session

with post-capture digital imaging effects,

which we package as add-ons. We convert

images to high-contrast black and white or

rich gray tones, and tilt the frame or slightly

exaggerate the pose to suggest motion.

With or without effects, the actual light-

ing of the subjects is crucial. I use a single

6x8 Larson Soff Box as a directional main

light, and no fill. I use a Larson Strip Box as

a traditional hair light, and two more 14x48

Larson Strip Boxes for accent light coming


Like portable gold mines, senior portraitalbums do our marketing for us when teenscarry them around and show off our work. BY T IM BABIN, CR .PHOTOG.

Selling seniorTHE MARRIAGE OF DIGITAL

CAPTURE AND PRINT ALBUMS

PROFIT CENTER

albums

Digital capture allows us to offer seniors dozensof poses and special effects for their albums.

from behind and to the sides of the subject

to give the hair that glitzy look.

We did some trial and error with our senior

album pricing after converting to digital. Our

senior albums are available with 40, 48, 56,

or 64 poses. This is the key to selling albums:

For $1,600, clients get an album with up to 64

poses, and they can order additional prints a

la carte later if they wish. Believe me, clients

will order additional prints because they didn’t

want to pay that much for an album alone.

Clients who place a la carte print orders

of $200 or more can purchase a 40-pose

album for $800. Only a couple of clients a

year opt for this offer because it’s not much

of a deal. We offer it for the purpose of

encouraging bigger average sales.

A la carte prints are priced about double

that of prints in our packages. Ninety-seven

percent of our senior clients order from our

Super Saver Program selection—four gift

print packages with a 16x20 (minimum)

wall portrait in each, three wallet packages,

and at least one album (40 to 64 poses).

Clients have to order one of each type of

item, for a total of $1,195, excluding session

fees. Most clients get a few extra poses in

their package, plus a slideshow and an

album with more than 40 poses, for an

average sale of $1,600, including session fees.

Even though we’re totally digital, selling

printed images is extremely profitable for our

studio, and highly popular with our clients. �

Babin Photography is in Gonzales, La.(babinphotography.com).

For information about his workshops, go towww.thevodoodaddy.com

“Even though we’retotally digital,selling printedimages is extremelyprofitable for ourstudio. Clients stilllike having imagesthey can touch anddisplay withoutusing an electronicdevice, and we reap the benefitswhen they do.”

Buddy Pass

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Professional Photographer P R E S E N T S Products, Technology and Services

What I likeGarrett Nudd says the right gearbuilds critical confidence

What makes your workflow flow? Outsourcing

what we can, such as photo editing and album

design, and focusing on mastering the images

that excite us and further enhance our brand.

Little thing, big difference … Confidence. It can

be the difference between a mediocre shoot and

a fantastic shoot.

What hot new product are you going out of your

way to use? The ShootQ online studio manage-

ment tool (shootq.com). This application does our

booking online, which we—and our clients—love.

Has a piece of equipment ever changed the way

you approach photography? The Canon EOS

5D, with its low-light capabilities, allows us to

create images with a style that we wanted for a

long time, but hadn’t been able to capture.

What’s your lifesaver when working on location?

Think Tank Photo Airport Security bags (think

tankphoto.com). They make schlepping gear

through the airport so much more manageable.

They’re easy, durable, and hold everything we need.

What’s the one piece of gear they’d have to pry

from your cold, dead fingers? My four-year-old

Apple PowerBook G4, even though it’s missing

two keys!

IMAGE BY GARRETT NUDD

WWW.GARRETTNUDD.COM

“Forget it! I considered doing my photo

printing in-house a couple of years ago, and

it’s just too complicated!” I’ve heard that

from more than one photographer. Color

management, image processing, confusing

inkjet interfaces—they were daunting. Well,

things have changed over the last year.

Color management has been greatly sim-

plified. Camera sensors, in-camera image

processing, post-capture image processing

software and inkjet printers, all have

improved and become easier to use. Now

you really can take creative control from

capture through output, and produce high-

quality prints in-house at a reasonable cost

and efficient rate of production.

CAMERAS. DSLR sensor technology has

advanced and the cameras themselves have

enhanced capabilities. Canon and Nikon, for

example, are making cameras with 14-bit

color capture, a significant improvement

over less recent 12-bit models. To get the full

benefit of high-bit capture, simply use the

camera’s RAW setting. High-bit sensors gen-

erally yield images that are resilient in post-

production, have smooth tones, and exhibit

little digital artifacting after editing. You no

longer need to waste time on image editing

to compensate for the sensor’s limitations.

SOFTWARE. Improvements in image pro-

cessing software ease the printing workflow.

For example, Adobe has added to and enhanced

the editing tools in its software to better pro-

cess high-bit images, so you no longer have

to risk losing image quality by having to con-

vert to 8-bit color early in the editing process.

Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw and

Phase One Capture One PRO, among others,

provide tools for precise color correction and

THE GOODS: PRINTING

©D

avid Saffir

Figure 1: The histogram of a 16-bit image (left) remains smooth after the levels adjustment. The histogram of an 8-bit image (right) after a levels adjustmentexhibits white lines (lost information), which can manifest as posterization and loss of detail in prints.

It’s time to revisit your ability to print client imagesin house. Times and technology have changed,putting creative control within your grasp.BY DAVID SAFF IR

Safe to go backin the water


COLOR MANAGEMENT ADVANCES EASE IN-HOUSE PRINTING

adjustments, which you can now apply to

entire folders of images via batch processing,

greatly improving color consistency and speed-

ing production. Simply photographing a digital

gray target in the setting at the beginning of a

session and whenever the lighting changes

will give the color-balance tools a standard-

ized color value to use in batch processing.

Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom have

further advanced tools for adjusting color

vibrance and luminance. Vibrance adjustments

can boost under-saturated colors while mini-

mizing color distortion in critical areas like

skin tones. Color luminance tools adjust the

brightness or darkness of selected colors without

changing the hue or saturation (Figure 2).

PRINTER SOFTWARE. Printing from an

imaging application is now a relatively seamless

two-part process. It begins in the application’s

print dialog and continues in the print driver

provided by your printer’s manufacturer.

These interfaces control the conversion of

the image into a usable form for the printer.

In many ways, they also control how the

printer produces the print.

Photoshop CS3’s print dialogue is an

improvement over previous versions. The

controls previously scattered over multiple

screens are now consolidated in a single

window, including the printer selection and

page setup controls (Figure 3).

Figure 3 shows the Photoshop CS3 print

dialog opened on a Mac OSX system. I’ve

enabled the new Match Print Colors (bottom

center), which provides a reasonably good

color preview, or soft proof, of the print.

On the right, you can select Photoshop

Manages Colors, and designate the appro-

priate ICC printer/paper profile and the best

rendering intent.

Clicking Print … takes you to the printer

driver, which varies in design among makes

and models. Here, you specify paper type,

quality level, and paper source (roll or sheet

tray). Often, a printer driver includes color

management settings as well. If you’re using

Photoshop-managed color, choose No Color

Management in the print driver.

PRINTER CONTROL SOFTWARE.

The HP Designjet Z3100 has onboard printer

calibration and ICC profiling hardware. This

12-ink model has a built-in spectrophotometer,

and is capable of calibrating the printer.

Sometimes called “linearization,” the calibra-

tion will return the printer to the standardized

condition in which it left the factory. This

printer can also profile almost any inkjet media,

so you can create your own ICC profiles.

Why do any of this calibration or profiling?

For consistency and quality in your images.

Inkjet printers and media types vary with

differences in the printing environment, the

Figure 2: Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in (above) and Lightroom software give you enormouscreative control with advanced tools to adjust color vibrance and luminance. The Vibrance sliderenhances under-saturated colors while minimizing distortion in skin tones. The Luminance slidercontrols brightness and darkness in selected colors without changing hue or saturation.


HISTOGRAMSAn in-camera histogram is a valuable tool

in exposure and color management.

Remember, shoot for the highlights, develop

for the shadows; as for the histogram,

keep the “mountain” in the middle. The

mountain itself might have many peaks

and valleys due to the highlights and

shadows in the subject matter, but in a

properly exposed image, the mountain

does not extend to the sides the graph.

You should understand the relationship

between the histogram and the components

of the subject matter to evaluate a digital

exposure. In the histogram, a large high-

key or dark background and specular high-

lights will appear as a spike at the high-

light or shadow ends. It just takes a bit of

experience with histograms for this expo-

sure method to become second-nature.

THE GOODS: PRINTING

age of the media, the differences in paper

lots, the inks used, and usage.

You can linearize your printer or build cus-

tom ICC profiles with a third-party profiling

system, but it’s more time consuming than

using the built-in hardware and integrated

software. With the HP design, you’re but a few

mouse clicks away from performing these tasks.

The time saved with automated profiling

can be significant. It takes 35-45 hands-on

minutes to create a custom ICC profile with

a typical color profiling system. That doesn’t

include some 20 minutes of waiting for the

profile construction, and up to 24 hours

waiting for the color target to dry. And

there’s no automated profile management

support. In contrast, HP’s integrated system

takes just 1-2 minutes of hands-on time, 5

minutes to dry, 20 minutes total time to

complete the profile, and the system does

support automated profile management.

Some Canon printers have 16-bit printer

drivers, but I haven’t used them enough to

form an opinion. In the Canon prints I have

seen, there wasn’t a dramatic difference

between the 8-bit and 16-bit output. The

imagePROGRAF models have a linearization

feature, but they don’t come with profiling

and calibration hardware and software.

To date, all Epson printers require a

third-party system for profiling and calibra-

tion, though that has also become easier

over the past year (see Spyder3Studio

review, page 58).

I hope this overview gives you renewed

confidence in your ability to control the

quality of your images in-house, from cap-

ture through beautifully rendered print. �


THE GOODS: PRINTING

Figure 3: In Photoshio CS3, the printing conrolsare now consolidated in one window (top).The print driver interface of an HP DesignjetZ3100 (above) is set for output on roll paper.

Figure 4, right: The HP Printer Utility controlsthe calibration and profiling functions.

PRINT CHECKLIST

Regardless of the printer, these threesteps are critical to success:

1. Designate the printer, paper andpaper size in the print dialog.

2. Specify the color manager: Printer Manages Color or PhotoshopManages Color. The latter isrecommended.

3. If you use application-managedcolor, choose the ICC profile for thepaper you intend to use. Designate NoColor Management if it appears in yourprinter driver. Profiles are included witheach manufacturer’s printer software.You can obtain additional profiles on theInternet and from paper manufacturers,or you can create your own with profilinghardware and software.

Figure 5: The Create and Install ICC Profile option in the HP Printer Utility brings up a dialogue whereyou select the output medium. The next screen launches the profiling process, prints and measures acolor chart, and installs the profile on your computer.



The benefits of a color-managed workflow

are widely acknowledged by professional

photographers, at least in theory. In

practice, a color-managed workflow can be

costly in both time and money. Datacolor

Inc. presents a remedy with Spyder3Studio.

Packaged in a small metal briefcase,

Spyder3Studio is actually two separate products,

the Spyder3Elite system for calibrating

monitors and digital projectors, and the

Spyder3Print system for profiling printers.

The Spyder3Elite colorimeter is a total

redesign of the Spyder2. It’s smaller, faster,

more sensitive and accurate, far more attractive,

and features a new ambient light sensor.

Unlike other ambient light sensors, which

adjust the screen’s brightness to compensate

THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW

All images ©

Stan Sholik

A color-managed workflow can be costly in bothtime and money. Datacolor offers affordablecalibration and print profiling in one simple kit.BY STAN SHOLIK

All you needSPYDER3STUDIO

The Spyder3Elite Expert mode presents one screen for you to enter display information and speedsup the profiling process.

If you have told the software that your monitorhas adjustable brightness, contrast and color

controls, at the end of the calibration cycle thisinformation screen appears. You then adjust the

display controls until the red, green and blue barsto the right of the screen are as close to equal in

height as possible. You can also adjust screenbrightness until the actual luminance value ofyour display matches the target value. I found

the Spyder3 luminance values too high, so Iignored this step.

The Spyder3Elite can also profile front projectors.Visit ppmag.com Web Exclusives in May to readabout its performance.

for changes in the ambient light, this one

alerts you that the light has changed with a

bright blue LED light. In my dimly lit

workspace, the bright light in my peripheral

vision was so annoying that I deactivated it.

The software component of Spyder3Elite

is also totally revamped. It sports a com-

pletely new interface, assistant and expert

modes, and a calibration check feature that

doesn’t require you to run a full recalibra-

tion. (This could be a real time saver, but a

full calibration takes only 5 minutes.)

The Spyder3Print system comprises a

positioning guide for reading color patches, its

own software, and a separate spectrocolorimeter

unit. A new software feature, Extended Gray

profiling, improves neutral tone reproduc-

tion in both monochrome and color output.

I installed the Spyder3Elite display pro-

filing software on Windows 2000, XP Pro,

Vista Ultimate and Mac 10.5 operating systems.

Installation and profiling was straightforward

on all, but on rebooting the Vista computer,

the display flashed with the new profile, then

reverted to the unprofiled display. Datacolor

tech support is working on an update to

correct the problem, and an update for Mac

The Spyder3Print system includes a positioning guide, software and spectrocolorimeter unit.


10.5 as well (free to registered users).

Calibrating and profiling a monitor is

uncomplicated; even inexperienced users

will find it easy if they use the assistant mode.

Each screen has a help window available.

Datacolor is to be commended for explaining

everything so clearly. (I prefer having all the

help info in one document so I can look

forward and back for answers rather than

having to access each program screen.)

The expert mode for experienced users

presents all the information on one screen

and further speeds the process. In either mode,

you’re prompted to make selections to charac-

terize your monitor—whether or not the

monitor has brightness and contrast controls,

and if it has color adjustment controls, what

kind they are. If you have to dig up your monitor

manual to find out, it’s worth it. The more

details you supply, the better the profile.

After the characterization process, you


THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW

There’s a choice of five test patterns to print out and measure. The first, 150 patches, is unlikely to providea good profile. The second, 225 patches, is the best for most media. The Expert targets with 729 patchesare designed for users who desire the highest quality profile and have a lot of time on their hands. TheExtended Grays target will improve the neutral gray rendition of any profile and is essential if you plan onoutputting monochrome prints.

place the Spyder3Elite hardware device on

your display to begin the calibration. On a

laptop, or if your display has no adjustments,

or if you don’t want to make adjustments,

you’ll see a series of colors flash under the

Spyder3 sensor and the process is quickly

over. A prompt asks you to name the profile,

then the software saves it in the proper folder

on your operating system. The final screen,

SpyderProof, allows you to compare a grid

of photographs before and after profiling.

If you adjusted the screen brightness and

the individual RGB outputs, the process

takes a little longer, but it is still much faster

than with Spyder2 or other systems. I used

Spyder3Elite to profile both CRT and LCD

displays that I usually profile with a system

three times more expensive. The only difference

visible to me was in the brightness, not the

color. I attribute the difference to Spyder3’s

software calling for a luminance value setting

greater than 125 candles/sq. meter, where I

usually enter 100 cd/m2. The Spyder3Elite

profiles were consistently excellent.

Spyder3Print, the printer paper profiling

portion of the Spyder3Studio, is similarly

quick and accurate, and a good value for the

money. Output profiling is a two-step process.

After entering information about the printer

and paper you’re using, you print a chart of

gray or color patches. When the ink has dried,

you read each patch with the Spectrocolori-

meter, guided by the SpyderGuide. Process

complete, you name the profile and the

software saves it in 8 or 16 bits in the proper

folder on your OS. Using it properly in your

imaging software is up to you.

First time through, it took about 15 minutes

to read the 225 color targets. I got it down to

about 10 minutes with experience. There’s an

option to print just 150 targets, but the time

saved isn’t worth having a less accurate profile.

The profiles were somewhat cooler than the

ones I use, but the software’s basic and advanced

modes allow you to tweak the profile to your

heart’s content and the limits of your paper

supply. All but the pickiest users will be quite

pleased with the Spyder3Print’s initial profiles.

The Spyder3Studio color management

system allows you to get as deeply involved

with the process as you desire. The quick

and easy defaults provide good profiles for

both display and printer. With more effort

and the excellent help menus and controls,

you can achieve even greater accuracy.

Spyder3Studio is an excellent value at $599.

More information is available at

www.datacolor.com and www.spyder3.com. �

Stan Sholik is a contributing writer forNewsWatch Feature Service. He is a commer-cial photographer with more than 30 yearsof large-format studio and location experience.


I hate schlepping heavy lighting gear. Wanting

the smallest, neatest and most versatile three-

light system for location and wedding photog-

raphy, I assembled my own travel kit. I’d put

together similar systems, but no monolight

or power pack and head system is as small

as a shoe-mount flash, and with today’s sophis-

ticated speedlights from Canon, Nikon and

Olympus, it’s easy to control multiple lights

from the camera position. Because it’s also

about the quality of the light, I wanted to be

able to use the small lights with umbrellas

and lightbanks, yet keep the travel kit within

airline carry-on guidelines.

PIECES AND PARTS. The lights and

light modifiers are the travel kit’s foundation.

I chose Nikon SB-800 (GN 125) Speedlights

for their compact size and versatility. With

the SB-800, you can wirelessly control up to

four groups of speedlights. The Speedlights

in this setup operate in Nikon’s i-TTL mode

for accurate automatic flash exposure, which is

calculated with a pre-flash function that

measures the light from each source, and com-

bines the measurement with the camera’s

overall exposure readings. If you’re doing

only individual portraits, you could build a

similar kit with the less expensive, smaller, and

less powerful SB-600 (GN 98) Speedlights,

as well as comparable Canon or Olympus

units. I never had to use the SB-800s at

even near-full power, even with a lightbank or

umbrella, and could use apertures of f/8 to

f/10 at ISO 200.

My kit includes a 43-inch collapsible

Westcott Optical White Satin umbrella with

a removable black cover. Sans cover, it gives

you shoot-through capability for a lightbank

look. My second umbrella is a 43-inch collapsi-

ble Westcott Soft Silver umbrella. Both mea-

sure just 15-inches when closed. You can sub-

stitute a Photek collapsible umbrella, but the

shaft is more than 1 inch longer. I used a Plume

Ltd. Wafer Express lightbank, aka World

Bank lightbank, although any lightbank that

collapses to about 17.5 inches in length (models

from Chimera and Photoflex, for example)

will fit into the case I selected. (The World

Bank is out of production, but Plume repre-

sentative Gary Regester says production would

resume if there were a large enough demand.)

Tip: Set the SB-800 zoom to 24mm to fill

the lightbank or umbrella with light.

I chose Manfrotto Nano compact light-

stands topped with Manfrotto 2905 Swivel

Umbrella Adapters, which accept shafts up

to 0.47 inches in diameter or 12mm European

umbrella shafts. You’ll need to use a cold

shoe to mount the flash to the adapter. I

used one from Chimera, but you could use

an Adorama Universal Swivel Holder, which

also enables you to attach a shoe-mount

flash to a lightstand and mount an umbrella.

The metal casting holds an umbrella and

has a removable shoe for mounting a flash

or 1/4x20 screw-threaded accessories.

Attaching the lightbank requires a couple

of other pieces. A Chimera Shoe Mount

THE GOODS: PRO GEAR

You can fit a whole studio in a carry-on bag if you plancarefully. Joe Farace shares tips for assembling lights,modifiers, stands and clips in a portable kit.

BY JOE FARACE

Travel lightSTUDIO IN A CASE

All of the pieces and parts fit inside aLightware MF2012 case that easily meetsairline criteria for carry-on luggage.

A 30x40-inch Wafer Express lightbank, akaWorld Bank, sits atop a Manfrotto Nano lightstand.A Manfrotto clamp holds a Chimera single mount,which mounts the Plume Flash Ring holding theslender lightbank. Even with this single light, I wasable to get f/11, ISO 200, out of this set up forindividual portraits.

©20

08 F

arac

e/Pe

regr

ine.

©20

08 F

arac

e/Pe

regr

ine.


The Very Best Professional Quality Output.[Introducing the M300 Pro Printer]

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• 7-color pigment ink system for high quality, water-resistant prints

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6” x 4”, 8” x 4”, 5” x 7”, 8” x 10”, 8” x 12”, 10” x 8”, 10” x 12”, 10” x 36”

• Outputs up to 265 prints/hr (6” x 4”) and 104 prints/hr (10” x 8”)

• Supports both roll and sheet-fed paper

• Available installation by factory-trained technician, world-class

on-site field service and 24/7 toll-free phone support

• Increased profitability and revenue opportunities

• Space-efficient design; two units can be stacked for added productivity

attached to the Manfrotto Swivel Umbrella

Adapter sets up with the Plume Flash Ring

as a single unit. Depending on the adapters

you use, the head of the SB-800 flash might

not fit perfectly in the center of the lightbank.

In that case, just use its tilt-head feature to

place it there. The Manfrotto Swivel Umbrella

Adapter helps aim the lightbank. There are

many sources for grip gear and some

photographers make their own, so check the

usual suspects, including Mathews. To keep

the pieces together for transport, I store

them in a Lightware GS-101 Fleece Pouch.

All this gear comfortably slips inside the

Lightware MF2012 carry-on case, which fits

the 9x14x22-inch airline standard. The case

includes pockets for each SB-800 flash, and

customizable dividers that I arrange to make

separate areas for the lightstands, umbrellas

and lightbank. Two full-width net pockets fit

inside the lid to hold manuals, gels, cleaning

cloths and the like. Like all Lightware cases,

the MF2012 has an insulated, shock-

absorbent unibody superstructure.

A travel light kit is really a concept. If

you’re a Canon or Olympus shooter, you

can use the 580EX II or FL-50R

(respectively) to produce similar results.

The foundation of the kit is the compact

shoe-mount flash units, which support a

flexible and portable lighting system for

the photographer on the go. �

WEB SITES: www.nikonusa.com •

www.plumeltd.com • www.chimeralighting.com

• www.photoflex.com • www.bogenimaging.com

• www.adorama.com • www.msegrip.com

www.lightwareinc.com


The simplest lighting set-up has a single SB-800 flash and an umbrella attached to alightstand. You would be hard-pressed to find amore versatile combination of power and lightweight for on-location photography.

I photographed musician Erin with the lightbank placed on camera right, an umbrella for fill on cameraleft, and the third flash as a hair light. To focus the hair light, I created an impromptu shoot withblack foil and clipped a colored gel to the front. I didn’t have to set any of the lights even close to fullpower for an exposure at 1/60 second at f/10, ISO 200.

THE GOODS: PRO GEAR

©2008 Farace/Peregrine.

©2008 Joe Farace

WHAT’S IN THE CASE?• Three Manfrotto 001B Nano stands, 6.5-foot section lightstand with 5/8-inch

mounting stud• Three Manfrotto Swivel Umbrella Adapters • One 43-inch Westcott Optical White Satin collapsible umbrella with removable black cover• One 43-inch Westcott Soft Silver collapsible umbrella• One Plume Ltd. flash ring• One Plume Ltd. Wafer Express, a.k.a. World Bank lightbank• One Chimera Shoe Mount• Two generic cold shoe mounts• One Lightware GS-101 Fleece Pouch

Photographers have a new weapon in their

arsenal for making selective image adjust-

ments—the Nik Software Viveza plug-in for

Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Viveza

provides a powerful and intuitive interface for

making sophisticated, selective enhancements

to images without requiring the user to

create complex layer masks, and for making

multiple enhancements on a single layer.

Via Nik Software U Point Technology—

already familiar to users of Nikon’s Capture

NX—the photographer designates a

particular part of the image with a control

point (Figure 1), then uses a radius slider to

control the area to be affected by the

adjustments for that control point, from the

entire image to a small portion of it. The

control point has sliders for contrast,

brightness and saturation to enhance or

tweak the designated area.

Targeted adjustments allow you to fine-

tune an image by changing particular aspects

of it, while leaving the remainder untouched.

It could be as simple as darkening and

deepening the sky or as complex as managing

the relative intensity of each color on a

butterfly. The Viveza user interface is easy to

learn, and powerful enough to create the

equivalent of complex masks with a few

clicks. Photoshop CS3 users have the additional

benefit of using Viveza as a smart filter,

allowing for after-the-fact adjustment tweaks.

Viveza opens as a filter in Photoshop with

its own user interface. It presents the option

of using full-screen, split-screen, or side-by-

side image preview modes. In the split screen

mode (Figure 2), you can move the red line

THE GOODS: SOFTWARE

All im

ages ©M

ark Levesque

Figure 1: The control point, indicated by the darkcircle, affects the portion of the image defined bythe radius slider (the top line).

Figure 2: In the split-screen preview, you can move the red line to different areas of the image tocompare the change.

Viveza makes adjustments to brightness,contrast, saturation, hue and more, globally orin small areas, all in one step on one layer. BY MARK LEVESQUE, CPP

Quick controlNIK SOFTWARE VIVEZA


that delineates the before and after views.

The loupe tool shows the area surrounding

the cursor at 100 percent, and automatically

becomes a navigator tool when the main

screen is zoomed to 100 percent.

The Show Selection Column on the right

side of the Control Point List displays a

representation of the portion of the image

that’s affected by the control point checked

(Figure 3). By providing immediate visual

feedback when you move the control point,

this feature gives you sophisticated control

over fine-tuning.

The first step in Viveza is to set a control

point for any global corrections in the image

or in an area of the image, using the radius

slider to cover the entire area. If there are

objects or areas you don’t want to affect with

the adjustment, protect them with control

points with all of the sliders set to zero. You

can easily duplicate control points and their

settings, allowing you to quickly apply the

same adjustments to several elements.

You can examine the adjustments with

the loupe tool or by magnifying the entire

image to 100%, and determine what final

tweaks to make. Click OK to create a new

Photoshop layer with the adjustments on it

(optionally on the initial layer), or click Brush

to create a new layer with a black-filled layer

mask, which allows you to selectively brush

in the adjustments with a soft white brush.

Control points open with a default set of

controls for brightness, contrast, and saturation.

The control point expander triangle gives you

access to hue, warmth and individual red,

green and blue channel controls (Figure 4).

Alternately, click on the details triangle in

the right-hand panel and select the All radio

button for the sliders. This brings up access

to the eyedropper tool and swatch palette,

which is useful for matching a known color,

even if it’s in another part of the image. You

can also select the rendering method for the

Figure 3: The Show Selection Column on the right side of the Control Point List shows which areas areaffected by the checked control point. The areas in white are affected; the areas in black are not. You canmove the control point in this view to see which areas will be affected.

Figure 4: The control point expander triangle reveals additional sliders for hue, warmth, and the red,green and blue channels.


THE GOODS: SOFTWARE

control point from a drop-down menu. The

advanced mode is the most accurate, and it’s

worth the slight loss in performance speed

to use it, especially in shadows or noisy areas.

The effectiveness of the Viveza plug-in is

image dependent, as you’d expect of a tool

based on color and tone selection. Instead of

featuring control for the latitude of a control

point, like the fuzziness slider in Photoshop’s

Replace Color tool, Nik designed Viveza to

handle those decisions entirely, speeding the

process and allowing the photographer to

make judgments based on what he sees.

There could be instances where similar

colors and tones in adjacent elements might

confuse the software. A sensitivity slider

would be a welcome addition for rapid

tweaking of the affected area.

Control points are similar to the targeted

HSL adjustment tool in Adobe Photoshop

Lightroom, in that they provide a way to

visually adjust particular image elements,

but Lightroom’s changes are global. Control

points give Viveza users control over where

changes are applied and the ability to

apply different changes to the same color

and tone in multiple parts of an image.

Viveza provides a sophisticated, visual

means of manipulating images with high-

quality results and a short learning curve.

Price: $249.95, 15-day free trial available at

www.niksoftware.com. �


Before and after images shows the increased richness and depth Viveza can achieve with just a few seconds’ work.

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Photoshop users often debate whether to save

their images as PSD files or TIFFs. Is one of

these two document formats better than the

other, and what options does each provide?

TIFF (tagged image file format), origi-

nated by Aldus Corp., is an old and widely

supported format for photographic—raster

—image data. Years ago, Adobe Systems

gained ownership and control of the TIFF

format with the purchase of Aldus.

The TIFF format has many interesting capa-

bilities and options, as well as a number of dif-

ferent flavors. Unlike PSD, the native Photoshop

format, TIFF is an open specification, so other

software makers don’t necessarily have to pay

licensing fees to use it. TIFF has undergone a

number of revisions over the years, but the latest

incarnation, TIFF-6, hasn’t been updated since

1992. Adobe did make some enhancements in

2002 to specify a few compression options,

notably ZIP and JPEG along with LZW.

Adobe refers these options as “Advanced TIFF.”

TIFFs can store simple or complex images.

Saving a layered image created in Photoshop

as a TIFF gives you options for compression

(Figure 1), but you can’t be certain that third-

party software will have access to the layers.

Both PSD and TIFF have an option known as

Maximizes PSD and PSB File Compatibility,

which is always used when saving a TIFF

and optional for PSDs, that’s set in the

Photoshop File Handling Preferences.

Essentially, this option stores a copy of

the entire layered document in a flattened

state within the document file. On the upside,

this allows other applications to view the

composited image, but on the downside, it

increases the size of the document. A TIFF

document will be roughly the same size as a

PSD when this option is applied. If you know

you’ll never work on an image in any applica-

tion but Photoshop, and if you want to store

the file in the smallest size possible, disable

PSD with the Maximize PSD Compatibility

(the Never setting). This isn’t the best practice

for archiving your data, though. Even some

Adobe applications like Bridge and Light-

room require having a flattened copy within

the document for viewing, so my recom-

mendation is to use the settings in Figure 2.

Not all TIFF readers support layered

documents, but all modern readers should be

able to read a single, flattened copy. Depending

on the layers and their blending modes, the

color in the flattened version might have a

slightly different appearance from the color

in the layered document viewed in Photoshop.

This has long been a problem for Photoshop

users, who report that the color appearance

often changes when they flatten a layered docu-

ment; Photoshop has to calculate all the layer

data and blending modes differently when

producing a flattened copy of the document.

Both TIFF and PSD can contain a maxi-

mum of 30,000 pixels, or 4GB. Adobe’s variant

of PSD format, PSB, can contain as many as

300,000 pixels, which will accommodate

extremely high-resolution capture and stitched

images. TIFF, PSD and PSB support every

option you can save within a document, includ-

ing alpha channels, annotations and layers,

as well as 16-bit RGB, Lab and grayscale data.

You can’t save 16-bit TIFF documents

with JPEG compression because JPEG can’t

support this bit depth. If your goal is to

produce a smaller TIFF (for DVD backup,

for example), I recommend LZW (Lempel-

Ziv-Welch), which does support 16-bit TIFF

saves. The ZIP option is even less widely

supported, so until Adobe updates the TIFF

format, LZW is probably your best compres-

THE GOODS SOLUTIONS BY ANDREW RODNEY

Is one file format superior to the other? It's largely amatter of compression and compatibility.

Figure 1. The various options for saving a TIFF document and the associated warning dialogs, which youcan turn off for future use (Don’t Show Again checkbox).

PSD vs. TIFF


All im

ages © A

ndrew R

odney

sion choice. If the size of documents isn’t an

issue in your workflow, save files with no

compression. This allows you to open and

save a TIFF far faster than either JPEG- or

LZW-compressed files.

The bottom line, PSDs saved with the

File Compatibility checked and layered TIFFs

are essentially equal, though TIFFs can be

saved as smaller documents. Compressing

and decompressing eat a bit of speed, as

you’d expect. As an openly documented

format, TIFF is far more widely supported

than the proprietary PSD format.

When saving a TIFF from Photoshop,

you have several options available through

“sticky” settings, meaning that the setting

you make will remain until you change it.

Here’s a rundown of what the settings do:

Byte Order: Mac or PC? Well, that

debate continues, but in this case, pick PC

because a Macintosh will have no problems

with this byte order, but ancient PC software

may have problems with Mac.

Pixel Order: Pixel order is the way color

information is written in the document, Inter-

leaved is supposedly a more common way of

saving a TIFF, and it’s been the default method

in Photoshop from day one. The Per Channel

option is supposedly a little faster at reading

and writing the file data. With Interleaved,

each pixel is written in the sequence RGB,

RGB, etc., while with Per Channel it’s

written in the sequence RR, GG, BB, etc.

Save Image Pyramid: These days, few

applications use this method of storing multiple

resolutions within a single document. You will

likely never have reason to use it. TIFF does

support this mode; hence, it’s an option in

the Save dialog.

Layer Compression: How should the

layer data be compressed? With layers, it’s

the pixels themselves, not the transparent

(checkerboard) part of the image file, that

account for the size of a document. If you

have a second layer that’s all pixel data, it

will take up far more space than a layer with

a small amount of image data surrounded

by transparency. An adjustment layer is

tiny—essentially it’s metadata describing a

correction. RLE (run length encoding)

applies a lossless compression much like

LZW to your layers. Or you can use ZIP

compression for an even smaller document,

but at the cost of slower saving and opening.

Both methods greatly aid in holding down

the size of the resulting TIFF with its

backwards compatibility. �

Figure 2: If you want maximum compatibility for your PSD or PSB files, use the settings above in thePhotoshop File Handling Preferences (Photoshop > Preferences > General: File Handling).

Figure 3. The image file in Figure 3 has three identical layers with no transparent areas. In Document Size (red),Photoshop provides an estimate of the size of the document flattened and with its layers, roughly 3X in this case.The boxes below it show the actual document size on my drive after using no compression, LZW and TIFF.



What do seniors want? They want portraits that reflect their unique style. The urge to boost teens’ self esteem colors most ofJanice Crabtree’s work, focusing on what’s right with them.

Feeling the wowJanice Crabtree’s camera work helps boost teens’ self-esteem

ou could say Janice Crabtree’s

career began when another

photographer dropped the ball.

About four-and-a-half years ago,

Crabtree won a family photo session

at a charity auction. One beautiful

fall day, she and her husband, Duane, and

their high-school-age daughter went to meet

the photographer at a park near their home

in Columbus, Ohio. The photographer fired

off a few frames of the trio, then one of the

teenager alone. And that was it. He left.

Feeling let down, the family decided to

make the most of this day at the park. Duane

ran home to pick up his wife’s camera and a

couple of his daughter’s friends. Crabtree

took some casual portraits of the girls and

Duane. When friends and family saw the

images, they asked her to make portraits of

their own families. Just like that, Janice

Crabtree was in the photography business.

We should back up a little here, in case

you’re thinking there goes another soccer

mom. Crabtree, an accomplished painter,

had been working with photography for

years. She assisted school photographers

and shot from the sidelines at high school

sports events.

Her business grew organically through

community networking and referrals. Her

first clients included friends of her daughter,

in particular teenage guys who needed senior

portraits, but felt uncomfortable going to

someone they didn’t know. Crabtree’s senior

portrait business now draws clients from

across the Columbus area.

Duane works alongside her at their in-home

YSENIORS By Jeff Kent

All images ©Janice Crabtree

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studio, and her daughter, now in college,

works there part time. “We’ve grown very

rapidly,” says Crabtree. “It’s taken us by surprise.

We’re at the point now where we have to

turn people away because we’re so busy. Never

in a million years did I dream that our little

family business would turn into this.”

One reason for Crabtree’s popularity with

seniors is her obvious enjoyment in working

with teens. “My husband and I both truly

love kids that age,” she says. In the space of a

two-hour session, she feels privileged to observe

subjects in the midst of leaving childhood

behind to pause briefly on the threshold of

full-fledged adulthood. “I enjoy capturing

that, and it probably shows in the images.”

Crabtree notes that when teens look into the

mirror, they focus on what they perceive is

wrong with them. Her job, as she sees it, is

to focus on what’s right with them. She

wants to create images that wow the senior’s

friends and family, and more important,

wow the senior and make him feel wow. The

urge to boost teens’ self esteem colors most

of Crabtree’s camerawork.

SENIORS

“We’ve grownvery rapidly. It’s taken us bysurprise. We’reat the point nowwhere we haveto turn peopleaway becausewe’re so busy.”

Crabtree goes for open communication

with senior portrait clients. Typically, she

consults by phone before the session, and

takes time to talk further when the client

comes in. To put seniors at ease, she goes

through her posing techniques to ensure

they’ll understand what she asks of them in

the session, and why. “The why is very

important,” she says. “I tell them, ‘This may

not be the most natural or comfortable pose,

but there’s a reason why I’m asking you to

do it.’ That explanation makes a big

difference in the senior’s comfort level,

especially the guys. And it [stops] them

from looking at me like I have three heads.”

No doubt the biggest question in senior pho-

tography is what do seniors want? Crabtree

doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but she

does assert that seniors want to be treated like

they’re different, but not too different, special,

but not too special. “Despite the fact that

they all arrive in exactly the same clothing, they

all want to be different,” she laughs. “That’s

the trick for every senior photographer—you

see the same Abercrombie shirt in every color

known to man, but your job is to make it look

different somehow. Seniors don’t want the same

backdrop or pose as all their friends. They

want to be unique, but they also want to fit in.”

Crabtree works with each senior to create

a variety of images that reflect his or her

personal tastes. She directs posing for the

individual, chooses backdrops to enhance

skin tone and clothing, and mixes things up

with location shoots. Rather than follow

standard formats, she works intuitively.

As the growth of Crabtree’s business

continues to amaze her, she plans to hold on

tight and enjoy the ride. �

For more from Janice Crabtree, visitwww.janicecrabtreephotography.com.


SENIORS

eing well established in the

saturated market of Louisville,

Ky., is a competitive advantage

for 38-year-old Morgans’ Fine

Art Photography. But when

it comes to senior photog-

raphy, age can be a liability.

Go to the same studio your

parents went to? LOL!

Once a teen sees Morgans’ provocative

brochures, the attitude takes a complete

turnaround. In synch with the teenage zeitgeist,

the studio redesigns its marketing pieces

annually to match the hot look of the year.

One year’s sepia-toned brochure had the look

of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog. Another

year it sported bright, saturated colors, the

next it was done up in urban chic. Whatever

the mood, Morgans’ taps into it, clearly demon-

strating how they’ve stayed around so long.

Despite almost four decades in business, Morgans’ Fine Art Photographyaims not to be your father’s portrait studio, and succeeds mightily: Thestudio’s image-makers photograph about 1,000 seniors annually.

TrendsettersFinding the sweet spot in the ever-changing senior market

By Lorna GentrySENIORS

B“We market directly to seniors. Over the

years we’ve developed a model-representative

program,” says Debbi Davis, a third-generation

photographer in the family-owned business.

“Now we’re using representatives whose parents

were reps when they were in high school. It’s

all about balance. Kids tend to say, ‘I don’t

want to go to same place my mom went—yuk!’

We have a presence in the community and

we don’t want to lose that, but at the same

time we have to show we’re cutting-edge, too.”

Of course, it’s not the seniors who foot

the bill, it’s their parents. So Morgans’ also

tailors a brochure to them. It’s a more infor-

mational approach, with discount coupons and

All images ©Morgans’ Fine Art Photography

early-bird specials to accompany samples of

the studio’s senior portraits. Most Louisville

parents need no introduction to Morgans’.

MODEL MARKETING

Davis’ grandparents, Donald Morgan Sr. and

Jeri Morgan, Cr.Photog., started the business

in 1970, offering only wedding photography.

In 1978, when the late Donald Morgan Jr.

joined his parents’ business, he brought

along a considerable share of the Louisville

senior market. It was his idea to feature high

school students as models in the brochures,

and to ask them to represent the studio on

campus. Ten years ago, Morgan Jr.’s sister,

Sonja Pabon (Debbi Davis’ mother), further

developed the idea by having the models

conduct informal surveys of their peers

based on booklets of their photographs.

“We have the models ask their friends to

pick their five favorite backgrounds in the

booklet,” Davis explains. “This approach

engages them in the process, and keeps their

eyes on the images longer. Plus, their votes

place them in a drawing for free photography,”

not to mention adding to Morgans’ mailing

list. “It also gives us direct feedback from

[potential clients] about our backdrops.”

The staff is often surprised by the survey

results. Says Davis, “There are backgrounds

we weren’t sure about that everyone loved,

and others we thought would be popular,

but nobody liked at all.”

No studio in town can compete with

Morgans’ selection of backgrounds. How

about a beach shot created in the heart of

landlocked Louisville? No problem. The

Morgans’ 4.5-acre “portrait park” includes

beach, sand dune and boardwalk scenes, as

well as a rustic barn, a waterfall, a rusty old

car, and a number of lush evergreen forests.

The idea came to Davis and Pabon three

years ago when, after 25 years in a strip

mall, the studio moved to a new location.

“The old barn was already on the

property when we bought it,” says Davis.

The studio principals visited colleagues’

studios in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana to

get ideas on layout, form and function. “We

took the best of what we saw and designed

the building and gardens,” says Davis.

“We saw some big-ticket props at other

studios that we wanted for our portrait

garden,” Davis continues. “One was a large

waterfall. Another was a beach and

boardwalk where we could photograph

families of 10 to 15. We got the old car from


SENIORS

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a junkyard the following year. Every year we

add something new, such as a wrought iron

gazebo and new plantings. The portrait

garden helps book sales.

“We’ve been here three-and-half years and

I wouldn’t make a single change,” Davis says.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Morgans’ photographers take their time with

seniors, up to two-and-a-half hours. They

make pictures in both the garden and in the

8,500-square-foot studio, which has a camera

room for each of the five photographers on

staff. There are five built-in sets and 50 trans-

portable backdrops hand-painted by Louisville

artists. “We don’t order backdrops from large

companies because our competitors purchase

those. We build and paint our own, and we add

new ones every year. Other studios may try

to mimic Morgans’, but it’s clear it is a copy—

a copy of last year’s look. We want to start the

next trend in Louisville, not follow anyone else.”

Even with all the competition from chain

and independently owned studios, Morgans’

has gained market share in the senior trade

in recent years, says Davis. They photograph

about 1,000 seniors annually, which accounts

for 80 percent of their business. (The studio

also does family and children portraits, but

no longer covers weddings.) Davis and her

husband, Craig Davis, were among Senior

Photographers International’s top 10 photog-

raphers in 2007 and 2004, respectively.

Another reason for Morgans’ continuing

success, notes Davis, is due to the photog-

raphers’ solid technical foundation and their

openness to experimentation. “We know the

basics of lighting and posing, yet we also push

the envelope in terms of style. We constantly

critique each other and keep a watchful eye on

the product. My grandmother, Jeri, at age 80-

plus, doesn’t come in every day, but when

she does come bebopping in, you’d better sit

down, because she will be critiquing.” �

See more work by Morgans’ Fine Art Photog-raphy at www.morgansphotography.com.

Lorna Gentry is a freelance writer in Atlanta.

SENIORS

o I retired from engineering about 30 years ago…and since I live

my passion, I haven’t “worked” a day since.

hat I wanted to do with my life came to me

in a flash—literally.

When I was about twelve, I was

holding extra flash bulbs for my dad

at a wedding. The static electricity

in my pockets made them blow

up on me! After that, nothing

else struck my passion (even

though I became an engineer).

I never thought I could make a

living through photography, but I

couldn’t stay away. I learned about

marketing, sales, and personal

development from outside the

industry. And PPA introduced me to

great photographers (and greater

salespeople), who only enhanced

my ability to succeed.

Jim Johnson, Cr.Photog., CPP

Professional PhotographerPPA Member since 1984

One of the Many Faces of PPAProfessional Photographers of America | 800.786.6277 | [email protected] | www.ppa.com

All images ©Michael Spengler

Michael Spengler infuses senior portraits with fashion flair

BY STEPHANIE BOOZER

COOLThe moment of

aybe you can’t ditch the drape completely withsenior portraits, but you can expand the sessioninto a personal and memorable experience for every client. On the verge of

adulthood, seniors make interesting subjects. They can be moody and serious,goofy and spontaneous, certain of

everything yet drastically insecure. That

mercurial temperament is something

Michael Spengler, of Studio M/Michael

Spengler Photography in La Jolla, Calif.,

loves about photographing seniors.

Although seniors represent only about

35 percent of Studio M’s total clientele,

they’re the subjects he has the most fun

working with. “Seniors are in a world

unto themselves,” says Spengler.

Spengler typically handles senior sessions

like fashion shoots. He goes for dramatic angles

and perspectives over traditional poses,

eschews novelty setups and props, and prefers

‘‘’’

You’re so incredible that we’re going to take you out and document you,photograph you, capture you like a rock star, because that’s justhow cool you are at this moment.

natural to artificial lighting. The look of the

portraits is contemporary yet classic.

“A lot of the stuff I do comes from what I

see in magazines,” says Spengler. “I avoid looking

at traditional portraiture; we don’t do that

kind of photography and it sets us apart. Our

work has a feeling of freedom and freshness.”

Spengler bought his first camera, a 35mm

Canon A1, at age 12. After high school, he

wanted to pursue a master’s degree in fine

arts, but his father steered him into a

seemingly more practical direction, and

Spengler went into technology sales.

His work kept him on the road two or

three weeks a month, until the events of 9/11

prompted him to refigure his priorities. “I

was actually on a plane on September 11,” he

recalls. “It changed my entire perspective on

life. I had a child at home and another on the

way, and it was time for a change.”

The offer of partnership in a local pho-

tography store got Spengler thinking seriously

about opening a studio of his own. The part-

nership didn’t pan out, but the store owner

made a comment that piqued Spengler’s

interest. The town had just a couple of

photographers, he said, and had a need for a

younger photographer with a new approach.

Spengler spent the summer of 2002

learning the business from a friend, and opened

Studio M in September. His specialty was

children and family portraiture. Before long,

a private school in the area contracted with

Spengler to make portraits of its 100 or so

seniors. “The teenagers were so easy to work

with, and because you only work with one at

a time, it was a lot of fun,” he says. Spengler

soon contracted with another private school,

and word spread throughout the area.

Personal attention is key to the studio’s

word-of-mouth buzz, says Spengler, who also

photographs scholastic sports and social

events, and participates in school fundraising

activities. Last year the studio donated about

$80,000 worth of products and services to


community causes. “I really believe in giving

and helping out, I love it. It’s also helped us,”

says Spengler.

Every summer, Studio M hires students

from each school as paid interns. Spengler

wants seniors to see a familiar face at the studio

to set them at ease for their sessions. They help

with hair, makeup and clothing, in addition

to providing valuable insight into the minds of

seniors. “We use them as sounding boards,” says

Spengler. “They help us make the music choices

for the camera room, make confirmation calls

and other tasks, and they’re really helpful.”

For parents particularly, Spengler asks

seniors to make a few traditional poses as well

as the high-voltage kind. “When I was only

doing more fashion-oriented stuff, I noticed

a 20 percent decline in sales,” says Spengler.

“The kids loved the images, but moms

and grandparents weren’t so pleased.”

Now, says Spengler, “The images I capture

aren’t always smiley, happy and bright. They’re

not cast or directed by a hovering parent.

They are the artistic representation of what

each senior gives me in his or her designated

moment. The images capture the seniors as

they really are; what they want to portray in

these portraits, they’ll take through life.”

Spengler is also becoming known among

other photographers. This month he is

leading a workshop for Professional

Photographers of San Diego County.

“They wanted me because of the different

senior look we have,” he says. “I like teaching.

Helping photographers is so much fun. When

I was in sales, no one shared anything. This

is a totally different atmosphere.”

Looking back, there’s no question in

Spengler’s mind about his decision to open a

studio. His 14 years in sales helps him with

the business aspect, and his artistic zeal

keeps him inspired.

“I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” he says.

“When I look at my favorite senior images, what

strikes me most is that these are images of real

people, not just a group of students. I look at

each image and remember who each senior was,

not just what he looked like. I don’t ever rely

on props—unless a horse can be considered

a prop—or a set, unless a Southern California

beach can be considered a set. I rely on the

individuality of the subject and my relation-

ship with him or her. It’s as if we’re taking

this person on the edge of adulthood and

saying, ‘You’re so incredible that we’re going

to take you out and document you, photo-

graph you, capture you like a rock star, because

that’s just how cool you are at this moment.’” �

See more of Spengler’s work atwww.studiomlajolla.com.

‘‘ ’’Seniors are ina world untothemselves.


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June 15-17S: PP of Oregon, Mt. Bachelor Resort, Bend,Ore.; Arlene Welsh, 800-370-5657; [email protected]; www.pporegon.com

June 16S: PP of Massachusetts; Steve Meier, [email protected]; www.ppam.com

June 22-23S: Kentucky PPA; Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky.; Randy Fraley, 606-928-5333;[email protected]; www.kyppa.com

June 22-24S: PP of North Dakota, Northern Light Seminar,Doublewood Inn, Bismarck, N.D.; Poppy Mills,701-222-3040; [email protected]

June 22-25S: Texas PPA, YO Ranch Resort, Kerrville, Texas;Doug Box, 979-272-5200; [email protected];www.tppa.org

July 20-23C: PP of Mississippi/Alabama, Riverview Plaza,Mobile, Ala.; Wayne Rawson, 601-693-1966; [email protected]; www.ppma.net

August 2-5C: PP of Louisiana, New Orleans, La.; DaynaPonthieu, 318-359-6633; www.ppla.net

August 15C: Tennessee PPA, Marriott Cool Springs, Frankin,Tenn.; Ernie K. Johnson, 615-509-5737;[email protected]; tnppa.com

August 23-27C: Florida PP; Rosen Plaza Hotel, Orlando, Fla.;Alan Dust, 800-330-0532; www.fpponline.org

September 12-15C: PP of Oklahoma, Radisson Hotel, Tulsa, Okla.;Ted Newlin, [email protected]; www.ppok.org

September 13-16C: PPA of New England, Radisson HotelNashua, N.H.; Roland Laramie, P.O. Box 316,Willimantic, CT 06226; [email protected]

September 13-17C: Georgia PPA, Athens, Ga.; Tom McCollum,770-972-8552; [email protected];www.gppa.com

September 27-29C: PP of Nebraska, Midtown Holiday Inn, GrandIsland, Neb.; Brian Baer, [email protected];www.ppofn.org

October 3-7C: Southwest PPA, Sheraton Arlington Hotel, Arlington, Texas; Michael Scalf Sr., Box 1779, Blanchard, OK 73010-1770; 405-485-3838; [email protected];www.swppa.com

October 5-6S: Kentucky PPA; Hyatt Regency, Lexington, Ky.; Randy Fraley, 606-928-5333; [email protected];www.kyppa.com

October 12-13C: PP of Colorado, Denver, Colo.; Jeff Johnson,303-921-4454; [email protected];www.ppcolorado.com

October 12-14S: PP of Mississippi/Alabama, Guntersville StatePark, Ala.; Wayne Rawson, 601-693-1966; [email protected]; www.ppma.net

October 18-21C: APPI, Decatur Conference Center, Decatur,Ill.; Jill Sanders, 309-697-9015;[email protected]

October 20S: PP of Massachusetts; Steve Meier, [email protected]; www.ppam.com

October 20-21C: Wisconsin PPA, The Osthoff Resort, Elkhart Lake, Wis.; Mary Gueller, 920-753-5302; Jim Buivid, 262-377-5118; Deb Wiltsey, 866-382-9772; wppa-online.com

October 26-27C: PP of Iowa, Airport Holiday Inn, DesMoines, Iowa; Chris Brinkopf, P.O. Box 108,Sumner, IA 50674; 563-578-1126;[email protected]

October 26-28S: Northern Light/Minnesota PPA; Nicole Bugnacki, 763-390-6272;[email protected]

November 2S: PP of Louisiana, Northern Exposure,Shreveport, La.; Dayna Ponthieu,318-359-6633; www.ppla.net


calendar

Submit your organization’s convention, work-shop, seminar or exhibition dates to ProfessionalPhotographer at least six months in advance.Editors reserve the right to select events to beannounced on these pages, and to determinewhen announcements will appear. Editors arenot responsible for conflicting or incorrect dates.For readers’ convenience, each event is identi-fied by a code preceding its name: C=Convention,W=Workshop, S=Seminar, C/E=Approved PPAContinuing Education Seminar, E=Exhibit. Sendall Calendar of Events additions or correctionsto: Sandra Lang, Professional Photographer,229 Peachtree St., NE, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA30303; FAX: 404-614-6404; [email protected].

PPA EVENTS

Professional Photographers of America (PPA)has a proud tradition of providing its memberswith outstanding educational opportunitiesthrough its annual events, PPA-Merited classesand its PPA Affiliate School Network. Don’tmiss out on the vital knowledge you’ll gain atthese events! For information on PPA events,call 800-786-6277 or visit www.ppa.com.

May 31Professional Photographer Cover PhotoContest Deadline Submission

June 6117th Annual International PrintCompetition Deadline for Entries

July 22-23Judges Workshop, Daytona Beach

October 9-18PPA Fall Cruise

October 27Super Monday

January 11-13, 2009Imaging USA, Phoenix

January 10-12, 2010Imaging USA, Nashville

Certification ExamFor a complete list of exam dates, go towww.ppa.com and click on Certification.

Image Review

Online submission:May 9, August 8 & October 10

November 9-10C: PP of Ohio, Hilton Easton, Columbus,Ohio; Carol Worthington,[email protected]

Future EventsJanuary 31 - February 3, 2009C: PP of Iowa, Airport Holiday Inn, DesMoines, Iowa; Chris Brinkopf, P.O. Box 108,Sumner, IA 50674; 563-578-1126;[email protected]

February 6-10, 2009C: PP of South Carolina, Myrtle Beach. S.C.;Wilber Jeffcoat, wilber@jeffcoatphotography;www.ppofsc.com

February 13-15, 2009C: PP of West Virginia, Morgantown, W.V.;Tom Gilson, 304-232-3686; [email protected]; www.ppwv.org

February 20-23, 2009C: PP of Oregon, Embassy Suites Hotel,PDX, Portland, Ore.; Arlene Welsh, 800-370-5657; [email protected]; www.pporegon.com


PPA-ApprovedContinuing Education Seminars

PPA members receive both merits and the best published prices.

June-DecemberC/E: Hancock Hands on PhotographyClasses; Quinn Hancock, 785-883-4166;[email protected]

June 9C/E: “The Joy of Marketing. Yes, Really!”with Sarah Petty; Riverside Receptions,Geneva, Ill.; Joseph Weber, 847-670-9834;[email protected];www.ppani.org

June 9-11C/E: Camp Howe, North Platte, Neb.; 308-534-7909; www.photographicimages1.com

June 16C/E: Advanced Outdoor LightingTechniques, Bloomington, Ill.; 309-530-9899; [email protected]

July 12-18C/E: Copan Honduras Study AbroadExcursion with Paul Wingler, Suzette Allen &Jon Yoshinaga; 800-483-6208;[email protected];www.suzetteallen.com/copan

July 22C/E: Escaping from the Box; Fort Worden,Wash.; Paul Rogers, 815-436-0422;www.paulrogersphotography.com

August 4C/E: Print Competition Boot Camp; Batavia,Ill.; 630-761-2990

August 1-4C/E: Oxford Painter Workshop, SanFrancisco, Calif.; Jeremy Sutton, 415-626-3971; www.jeremysutton.com

August 13C/E: “Making Digital Photography Easy,Predictable & Fun” with Robert D. Lloyd,Malta, Ill.; Wend Weugeler, 815-356-1231;[email protected]

August 25-27C/E: The Artistry Corel Painter Retreat, Malibu,Calif.; 818-981-2803; www.artistrymag.com

August 28-29C/E: The Artistry GARTEL MarketingSeminar, Calif.; 818-981-2803; www.artistrymag.com

Lighting Systems For Digital and Film Cameras

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PPA members receive both merits and the best-published prices.

June 1-5Kansas Professional Photographer School,Bethel College, Newton, Kan.; Ron Clevenger, 785-242-7710;[email protected]; www.kpps.com

June 1-5Mid-America Institute of ProfessionalPhotography, University of Northern Iowa,Cedar Falls, Iowa; Charles Lee, 641-799-8957; [email protected]; www.maipp.com; AlDeWild, [email protected]

June 8-12Illinois Workshops, Grafton, Ill.; Bret Wade,217-245-5418; [email protected];www.ilworkshops.com

June 8-13Great Lakes Institute of Photography,Northwestern College, Traverse City, Mich.;Greg Ockerman, 313-318-4327; [email protected]; www.glip.org

June 15-20West Coast School, University of San Diego, San Diego, Calif.; Kip Cothran, 951-696-9706; [email protected];www.prophotoca.com

June 22-26PP Oklahoma School, St. Gregory’sUniversity, Shawnee, Okla.; Glenn Cope,580-628-6438; [email protected];www.ppok.org/school.html

June 23-25Golden Gate School of Professional Photography, Mills College, Oakland, Calif.;Julie Olson, 650-548-0889; [email protected]; www.goldengateschool.com

July 13-17Image Explorations, Shawnigan Lake, BritishColumbia; Don MacGregor, 604-731-7225;[email protected]; www.imageexplorations.ca/

July 20-25PPSNY Photo Workshop, Hobart/WilliamSmith Colleges, Geneva, N.Y.; LindaHutchings, 607-733-6563; [email protected];www.ppsnysworkshop.com

August 4-7Long Island Photo Workshop, Sheraton Hotel,Smithtown, Long Island, N.Y.; Jerry Small,516-221-4058; [email protected]; www.liphotoworkshop.com

August 10-14East Coast School, Sheraton Imperial Hotel,Raleigh, N.C.; Janet Boschker, 704-567-0775; [email protected];www.eastcoastschool.com

August 24-27Carolina Art & Photographic School,Randolph Community College, ArchdaleCampus, Creekside Park, N.C.; Bob Henderson, 336-288-1132; [email protected]; www.capsartschool.com

September 28-October 2Lamarr Williamson School of SouthCarolina; Springmaid Resort, Myrtle Beach,S.C.; John Wrightenberry, 803-781-2130;[email protected]; www.ppofsc.com

Send all additions or corrections to: MarisaPitts, Professional Photographers ofAmerica, 229 Peachtree Street, N.E., Suite2200, Atlanta, GA 30303;[email protected].

2008 PPA-AFFILIATED SCHOOLS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEDennis Craft, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP

2008-2009 PPA President

news from the world’s largest professional photography association | Professional Photographers of America | www.ppa.com

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As I have the opportunity to speak with photographers around the country, many have shared how diverse the high school senior photography market is in different regions. And it amazes me how that market has changed over the years since I have been in business. The studio I purchased in 1979 was just starting to offer color photography (it was still second to hand-colored portraits), and environmental portraits were just starting to gain in popularity.

One of the rst seminars I attended was a presentation on high school senior photography by Wah Lui from Seattle. He started the transition that led to a total makeover of our senior photography market. There were many other photographers in that transition, but the two that have

in uenced me the most are Gary Jentoft and Larry Peters.

I am not only inspired by the photographers that crossed my path in the early years; I am also inspired by those who are up and coming. For instance, I had the opportunity to photograph Chris Cox, my son’s best friend, while he was home visiting last summer. An aspiring photographer who has won awards in a New York student competition, Chris and I spent a few hours creating images that re ected his personality.

Today I see many new faces who still push the creative envelope, not only with their photographic style, but also by embracing the changing technology. The young, creative

talent of students like Chris is an inspiration. I am excited to see what transformations await us in the coming years. This is what makes the industry so great: There isn’t a standard that we must follow. We don’t just create a likeness of our subjects; we have the ability to create unique images that say something about those we meet on this journey called photography.

May your journey this month allow you to cross paths with someone that will inspire you.

Dennis Craft, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP2008-2009 PPA President

TODAY MAY | 08

© Chris Cox © Chris Cox © Chris Cox

FRIENDS MET ALONG THE WAYThree of my early mentors were not photographers. They started out as individuals helping me be successful in business, but they became dear friends in the process. To each of these people I owe a big thank you.

After purchasing the studio, my rst contact was my Burrell Colour

Imaging Lab’s rep. Bob Clark walked into my studio early on and kept pushing the need to get involved with photographic organizations and learn more. He must have wondered more than once if I would make it in this business! But his persistence led me to PPA, my state organization PPM, and the local Triangle af iate.

Evelyn Lageman was our studio consultant in the late 80’s. She came to our studio at least twice to help us learn how to run a photographic business, training the staff where we were struggling. She was a master of dealing with people—while kind and gentle, she accomplished all of her session goals.

Then, at one of my rst Michigan conventions, I met a frame salesman, Brian Runnels with Culver Art and Frame in Ohio. Over the years our friendship grew beyond the photographic industry. Brian would plan his studio stops around Marshall, so we could meet for dinner. He

became close to our children. And he always had an encouraging word or listening ear as I worked my way through a challenge.

Bob and Brian have since passed away, but I will always treasure the friendship and lessons they shared with me. None of the three taught me a thing about photography, but all taught me about the importance of relationships. Cherish the relationships that come into your life; they truly are a blessing.

© Chris Cox

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

2007 AN-NE MARKETING AWARD SPOTLIGHT:SARAH PETTY PHOTOGRAPHY by Angie Wijesinghe, PPA Marketing Specialist


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“Competitions—like the AN-NEs and print competitions—make me work harder,” comments Sarah Petty.

“They force me to think through what I’m doing.”

Sarah Petty Photography is known for clever marketing, but it doesn’t happen with a snap of the ngers.

“We all brainstorm,” Sarah explains. “I am surrounded by creative people (like Kari Abate and Andria Crawford), but we never sit down and complete a campaign in one shot. Every version leads to another.” And two of those versions led Sarah’s team to the 2007 AN-NE Marketing Awards for Best High School Senior Campaign and Best Image Marketing Campaign.

Best High School Senior Campaign“Our whole focus is on the message we want to send, and how we can make it clear,” says Kari Abate, senior photographer for Sarah Petty Photography and project lead for the senior campaign.

For instance, Kari, Sarah, and Andria wanted to explain what makes each senior so incredible (and how their studio can portray that in images).

“We didn’t want to pay lip service to the idea of inner beauty,” Kari says rmly. “We wanted to say it in a way

that rang true—not cheesy or canned.”

In the campaign, the words “Shine On” represented the light within everyone—the personality that creates inner beauty. After all, Sarah Petty Photography is all about showcasing one’s personality…and they wanted their marketing message and copy to re ect their photography style. But this campaign didn’t stop at the images and words that Kari wrote.

In Kari’s eyes, seniors are all about personalization—from great photography to the little things that prove you see them as individuals. So the team created several campaign pieces: logo tee-shirts, lip gloss, eye-catching brochures, price menus, and more. And when seniors picked up the

photos, they received a canvas backpack with a hand-crafted clay charm, stamped with a symbol and a word like

“charismatic” or “magnanimous” to represent their personalities.

As Kari sums it up, “We wanted interactive pieces that proved to the client that we saw them as unique.” Yes, it took a bit more time to create, but they reached their target—and increased their average order by over 30%.

Best Image Marketing CampaignEven in the winning senior campaign, Sarah and her team worked hard to keep their company’s identity consistent and strong. “Everything we do keeps our branding in mind,” says Sarah.

A truer statement has never been made. From letterhead and business cards, to the box wrap, price menu and even a baby out t (onesie) with their logo, Sarah Petty Photography

Don MacGregor has always been very passionate about photography…ever since he saw a photo of himself develop from nothing but chemicals. In fact, he started working with a photographer before he could drive, which meant his grandma had to drive him to the weddings he worked (he made her park a good distance away!) Yes, it’s humorous, but it also proves Don’s desire to succeed.

But while that drive to succeed is important, Don names two other elements as vital:

1. educating the public about a professional’s skills, and

2. producing something desirable.

One of the biggest challenges is that much of the public sees photography as “easy” because they don’t know the skills, techniques, and storytelling ability it requires. To Don, that rst

Don MacGregor, M.Photog.Cr., API

PPA Member since: 1981

Location: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Andria Crawford, Sarah Petty, Kari Abate; photo © Jim Lersch


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has a strong image. Each piece they submitted for the Image Marketing Campaign was slightly different, but the message, logo, and overall look and feel tied them together.

Sarah compares a company’s identity to a face: the makeup and hairstyle changes, but the face never does.

“Nothing can go against the identity we have created for our business (our face),” Sarah stresses. “It’s what a client comes to trust. You can’t build a strong brand on a weak identity.”

But many photographers are swayed by the newest, “prettiest” marketing trends…without seeing if that style ts their speci c identity. For instance, a photographer who does elegant, black-and-white relationship photography might want to use a whimsical blog with fun shapes and colors because it’s the modern trend. However, it gives the wrong expectations.

“Start your marketing by considering your photographic style,” Sarah adds.

“Many try to de ne their style through marketing—that’s just backwards! Everything should evolve from your style of photography.”

It may take more time for you to de ne the style and stick to it, but it’s worth it. As Sarah clari es, “We work on our pieces for a long, long time before we ever send them for polishing in graphic design.” And that’s the key: don’t go to a designer until you know your message and how you want to portray it. Your marketing is all about you.

Sarah Petty, Kari Abate, Andria CrawfordSarah Petty Photography,Spring eld, Illinoiswww.sarahpetty.com; http://TheJoyofMarketing.com

Sarah Petty Photography’s unofficial marketing process:

Schedule time to brainstorm »campaign ideas. Brainstorm with the entire »team – discuss what worked and didn’t work last year.Look outside the industry »

– “I get inspiration from what the ‘big dogs’ outside are doing,” says Kari.Set a project lead – If someone »in your team specializes in the type of photography you are promoting, let them pull the rst images and write the initial copy.Create copy and images to »get the message and look you want before sending it to a graphic designer.Proof the pieces with everyone »on your team.

The annual AN-NE Marketing Awards competition recognizes outstanding ingenuity and effectiveness in real-world marketing endeavors. Named in honor of Ann Monteith and Marvel Nelson, both marketing gurus and past PPA Presidents, the competition is open to PPA members only.

The rules and entry form for the 2008 competition are online now. More information is at the Competition & Awards page on www.ppa.com. Don’t miss the June 27, 2008 postmark deadline.

CONVERSATIONSON OURPPA.COMHave you taken full advantage of OurPPA.com? Many haven’t…and are missing out. You can create a pro le and upload an avatar image, compare ideas, joke around, ask questions, and post your images for comment. It’s a great way to share the knowledge in this wide photographic industry, from lighting issues to what competition print you should send and who has had luck with a certain type of marketing. There’s a vast amount of relevant information in that forum. Go ahead, look around:

www.OurPPA.com

element (educating the public) starts with photographers themselves.

“I’m passionate about building professional respect. We have to instill in ourselves pride and self-respect…before we can expect it from the public. We need to come together as a cohesive team,” he adds.

Along with educating the public, though, photographers obviously have to create something desirable. However, it’s not just beautiful images that push people to buy. “Take shoes,” Don says, “If you see a pair of shoes you like—no matter how many pairs you have—you’ll nd a way to buy that pair. So I look at my products like this: is

the price too high, or is the purchasing desire not high enough?”

So how do you get to the point where you are developing purchasing desire, professional respect, and stretching your photographic abilities? “If you want to be inspired to be great, be around people you admire,” Don says rmly. For him, it started with his introduction (by his rst employer) to the Professional Photographers of Canada. And that desire to be around the right kind of people has brought him here to PPA’s Board of Directors. Don likes to sum this up with an adage:

“If you want to y with the eagles, don’t strut with the turkeys.”

photo © Cheryl Pearson photo © Cheryl Pearson

TEAMING UP FOR TROY by Wendy Towle

AFFILIATE SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT


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ILLINOIS WORKSHOPSJune 8-12, 2008 | Grafton, ILContact: Bret Wade; [email protected]; 217-245-5418Web site: www.ilworkshops.com Tuition: $595 Course Information:Carl Caylor, Ralph RomagueraClark & Rachel Marten, Rick TrummerJohn Woodward

GOLDEN GATE SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY (GGS)June 23-25, 2008 | Oakland, CAContact: Julie Olson; [email protected];650-548-0889Web site: www.goldengateschool.orgTuition: from $515Course information: This beautiful retreat campus conducts 2 ½ and 3 day classes for established and aspiring pros.

Marketing and Sales– Juli Cialone Professional Lighting Techniques–

Andre CostantiniPeople Photography– Bob DavisWeddings– Paul Gero

Professional Photography Fundamentals– Eliot Khuner & John Paulson

Portraiture– Dave NewmanAlbum Design/Photoshop–

Kimberly SayreChildren/Family Portraiture–

Jennifer Wilson

IMAGE EXPLORATIONSJuly 13-17, 2008Shawnigan Lake, BC, CanadaContact: Don MacGregor; [email protected];604-731-7225Web site: www.imageexplorations.com Tuition: $645Course Information:Contemporary Wedding–

Scott Robert LimThe Complete Photographer– Doug BoxPhotoshop/Retouching–

Jane Conner-ZiserFine Art Portraiture– Greg DanielsChildren Unplugged– Kevin NewsomeBring Your Own Brain–

Joe Glyda & Carol AndrewsAdvanced Photoshop– Jim Divitale

Portrait Journey– Arthur Rainville & Jennifer Hudson

Painter in the Real World– Scott DuprasBusiness & Marketing– Andre AmyotSuccess in Photography–

Ralph Romaguera

PPSNYS PHOTO WORKSHOPJuly 20-25, 2008 | Geneva, NYContact: [email protected];607-733-6563Web site: www.ppsnysworkshop.com Tuition: $725 (most courses); $825 (Photoshop courses before discounts)Course Information:Photoshop: TurboCharge your

Work ow – Mark CampbellWeddings: The Essentials –

Ed Booth & Betty HuthStudio 101– Craig HutchingsCreative Visualization: Let’s See

the Light – J. Michael McBrideDave Newman’s Essentials of

Portraiture– Dave NewmanOutdoor and Nature Photography:

Creative Composition in the Digital Image – Tony Sweet

IN MEMORY…LEONARD LEVY, M.Photog.Cr

Troy Montgomery, current President of PPA’s Northwest Ohio chapter, is in need of some teamwork from his fellow photographers/creatives/suppliers. Unfortunately, he is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer, and he is in need of nancial assistance. Troy’s friends in

PPNO are asking for any contributions to his cause.

As photographers, we spend a lot of money on equipment, continuing education, and other goodies that

catch our eye. If we each took just a fraction of the money we spend on one of these items, we could change a life. All proceeds will go directly to Troy for his medical needs. A PayPal account has been set up for easy contributions. Visit the www.PPNO.org home page and click on the Donate button. Or send checks and money orders in attention to:

PPNO –Teaming Up for TroyP.O. Box 140125Toledo Ohio 43614-0125 Thank you, and bless you!

One of the true giants in our profession has passed away: Leonard (Len) Levy, a gentleman in every sense of the word. His funeral was held on February 28 in Salem, Mass. Len educated hundreds of photographers during his life.

Teaching the Basics course at NEIPP for over 38 years earned him the title

“Mr. NEIPP.” His “true stories” will be remembered by everyone he taught. Len created the foundation on which so many have prospered, and he will be missed by everyone who had

the extreme pleasure of knowing him. Expressions of sympathy may be made in Len’s memory to the

PPANE Scholarship Fund c/o Roland Laramie, P.O. Box 316, Willimantic, CT 06226.

© John Fenstemacher

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Denny Manufacturing (www.photonovelty.com) . . . 119Diversified Lab (www.diversifiedlab.com) . . . . . . . . 109Dury’s (www.durys.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 63Dyna-Lite Corp. (www.dynalite.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Ed Pierce Seminars (www.edpierceseminars.com). . . 13emotion Media Inc. (www.emotionmedia.com) . . . . 117Focal Point Studios (www.notecard.info). . . . . . . . . 119Foto Figures (www.fotofigures.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Fredericks Photo Lab (www.fredericksphotolab.com). 108Graphic Authority (www.graphicauthority.com) . . . . 60Group Photographers Association

(www.groupphotographers.com). . . . . . . . . . . . 107Hallmark Imaging (www.hallmarklabs.com) . . . . . . . 111Herff Jones (www.hjpro.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110HiTi Digital America Inc. (www.hi-ti.com) . . . . . . . . 49I Shoot People Tour (www.ishootpeopletour.com) . . 77Imaging USA (www.ppa.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Imaging Spectrum (www.imagingspectrum.com). . . 115Jonathan Penney Inc. (www.jonathanpenney.com) . 119Lustre Color (www.lustrecolor.com) . . . . . . . . . . 98, 111MPIX (www.mpix.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17McKenna Pro (www.mckennapro.com) . . . . . . . . . . 107Mamiya (www.mamiya.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 31Meridian Professional Imaging

(www.meridianpro.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover IIMichel Company (www.michelcompany.com) . . . . . . 117Michigan Photo (www.michiganphoto.com) . . . . . . 109Microsoft (www.microsoft.com/prophoto) . . . . . . . . 79Midwest Sports (www.midwestsportslab.com) . . . . 110Miller Professional Imaging (www.millerslab.com). 15, 73Mitsubishi Electric (www.mitsubishi-imaging.com) . 75Morris Group (www.themorriscompany.com). . . . . . 114MyPhotopipe (www.myphotopipe.com) . . . . . . . . . . 55NAPP (www.photoshopuser.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106National Direct Marketing Services

(www.ndmservices.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Neil Enterprises (www.neilenterprises.com). . . . . . . 98Noritsu (www.noritsu.com/M300) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Norman (www.normanlights.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59North American Photo (www.naphoto.com) . . . . . . 110Onlinephotofix.com (www.onlinephotofix.com) . . . . 119PR Photo Lab (www.prphotolab.com) . . . . . . . . . . 108

Pacific Mount (www.pacificmount.com). . . . . . . . . . 116Perfection Distributing Inc.

(www.perfectiondistibuting.com) . . . . . . . . . . . 118Photoprism Color Lab (www.photoprismcolorlab) . . 112Pictobooks (www.pictobooks.com) . . . . . . . . . . 117, 118Pictology (www.go.pictology.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Photogenic Professional Lighting

(www.photogenic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57PocketWizard (www.pocketwizard.com) . . . . . . . . . . 23Printmakers Chicago (www.printmakers.com) . . . . . 110Professional Photographer Cover Contest

(www.ppmag.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Profoto (www.profoto-usa.com) . . . . . . . . . . . Cover IVPortrait Weavers (www.portraitweavers.com) . . . . . 118Quantum (www.qtm.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Ramsey Resources (www.ramseyresources.com) . . . 112Reedy Photo (www.reedyphoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 111SanDisk (www.sandisk.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Simply Canvas (www.simplycanvas.com). . . . . . . . . 112Speedotron (www.speedotron.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Sto-fen (www.stofen.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Student Marketing Group Inc.

(www.studentmarketing.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Studio Dynamics (www.studiodynamics.com) . . . . . 119Studio Logic (www.studiologic.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Studuio Management Services (www.ppa.com) . . . . 42Studio Pro Group (www.studioprogroup.com) . . . . . 111Successware (www.successware.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . 81TAP Professional (www.tap-usa.com) . . . . . . . . . . . 115Tamron USA Inc. (www.tamron.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Tyndell (www.tyndellphotographic.com) . . . . . . . . . 118Unique Photo Supplies (www.uniquephoto.com) . . . . 4United Promotions Inc. (www.upilab.com). . . . . . . . 112Used Camera Buyer (www.usedcamerabuyer.com) . . 95Veach Co. (www.veachco.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118White House Custom Color

(www.whcc.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9, 24-25White Glove (www.wgbooks.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Xrite (www.xritephoto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Zookbinders (www.zookbinders.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Publisher not responsible for errors & omissions

PROFESSIONAL

Buyer’sGallery

THIS SECTION IS

THE MONTHLY

RESOURCE

PHOTOGRAPHERS

USE TO FIND

THE PRODUCTS

THEY NEED. PUT

YOUR MESSAGE

PROMINENTLY

IN FRONT OF

INDUSTRY PROS

AND START

TURNING

BROWSERS

INTO BUYERS.



Buyer’sGallery ad specs:Ad size: 21⁄4” x 43⁄4

12x rate: $550.00 gross per month

6x rate: $600.00 gross per month

Contact your advertisingrepresentative:Bart Engels, Western Regional Manager,847-854-8182; or Shellie Johnson, Eastern Regional Manager,404-522-8600, ext. 279;for more information.

PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES

• $1.50 per word• $2.00 per word/words

with all caps or bold face. • $10.00 per issue—

Confidential Reply Box Ads (Optional)—$30 min. per ad

• Closing date is 20th of the second month proceeding issue date.

• Remittance must be received with order.

NO ADS ACCEPTED BY PHONE.Remittance to:

Professional PhotographerClassified Ads

229 Peachtree NE, Ste. 2200,Atlanta, GA 30303

800-339-5451, ext. 221FAX 404-614-6405


ProductMall SOMETHING HERE YOU NEED...



ACCOUNTING

CPAs FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS. Business set-up, taxplanning and preparation, business valuations andconsulting. Decades of experience. Darryl Bodnar, CPA,(410) 453-5500, [email protected]. Visit our websiteat www.nlgroup.com.

ALBUMS

GP ALBUMS (formerly General Products L.L.C.) is focusedon flush mount and digital offset albums along with ourNEW extensive line of self-mount albums and folios. GP’sOptimus, Quick-Stick, Digital Vision, Tempus, and Eclipsealbums are the products that will help take your photographybusiness into the future. You will experience the same greatquality with a whole new look. As a manufacturer, GP Albumsalso has the ability to create custom photo packagingproducts upon request. GP Albums continues to offer varietyand flexibility allowing photographers to design the perfectproduct that will last a lifetime. For more information, pleasevisit us at www.gpalbums.com or call 1-800-888-1934.

BACKGROUNDS

THE DENNY MFG. CO., INC. is the World’s Largest Manufactureof Hand Painted Backgrounds, Computer Painted Backgrounds,Muslin Backgrounds, Studio Sets, Props, Lift Systems, andrelated Studio Accessories. Contact us today to receive ourFREE 180 page color catalog filled with exquisite productsand ideas to help you succeed in Photography. Write P.O.Box 7200 Mobile, AL 36670; Call 1-800-844-5616 or visitour Web site at www.dennymfg.com.

STUDIO DYNAMICS’ muslin and canvas backdrops offerquality and value at outlet prices! Call 1-800-595-4273for a catalog or visit www.studiodynamics.com

CHICAGO CANVAS & SUPPLY—Wide Seamless Canvas andMuslin, Duvetyn, Commando Cloth, Theatrical Gauze, Velour,Sharkstooth Scrim, Leno Scrim, Gaffers Tape, Primed Canvas,Gesso, and Deka Fabric Dyes—Fabrication Available. Curtain Track& Hardware for Moveable Curtains and Backdrops—Easilyinstalled. Quick turn around time. Our prices can’t be beat. Visitour website or call for a free catalog and samples. 773-478-5700;www.chicagocanvas.com; [email protected]

KNOWLEDGE BACKGROUNDS—The #1 manufacturer ofquality handpainted canvas and muslin backdrops. Proudlyhandcrafted in the U.S.A. Call today toll free: 888-849-7352 for your free copy of our 2008 Product Catalog; orvisit us on the web at: www.knowledgebackgrounds.com

CAMERA REPAIR

HASSELBLAD REPAIRS: David S. Odess is a factorytrained technician with 31 years experience servicing theHasselblad system exclusively. Previously with HasselbladUSA. Free estimates, prompt service, reasonable rates anda 6 month guarantee. Used equipment sales. 28 SouthMain Street, #104, Randolph, MA 02368, 781-963-1166;www.david-odess.com.

CANVAS MOUNTING

CANVAS MOUNTING, STRETCHING, FINISH LACQUERING.Original McDonald Method. Considered best AVAILABLE.Realistic canvas texture. Large sizes a specialty.WHITMIRE ASSOCIATES, YAKIMA, WA. 509-248-6700.WWW.CANVASMOUNT.COM

COMPUTER/SOFTWARE

SUCCESSWARE®—Studio Management Software availablefor both Windows® and Macintosh®. Recommended by AnnMonteith, the nation’s foremost studio managementconsultant. Call today for a FREE SuccessWare® Tour 800-593-3767 or visit our Web site www.SuccessWare.net.

Learn how you can revolutionize customer and ordertracking and ignite your marketing fire with customizedsoftware that knows what’s going on in YOUR business—even when you don’t! More professional photographerstrust Photo One Software, powered by Granite Bearthan all other studio management software combined! 5Powerful Guarantees: 5 days to customize your PhotoOne to match your studio; personalized phone training foryou and your staff; 75 minute no-hassle guaranteedsupport call-back time; 365 days of unlimited support andusable upgrades and a 365 day unmatched money backguarantee! Zero-Risk. Only $299.00 deposit gets youstarted. Call 888-428-2824 now for your free workingdemo or visit www.photoonesoftware.com. Photo One,Building better businesses, one studio at a time.

DIGITAL

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS—Kessler Color producesSTUNNING images from digital files. Try our rapid FTP siteand get a FREE 16 x 20. New Service—E-Vents fromKessler Color. Get 8x10 units for [email protected]. 800-KES-LABS.

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHERS—Kessler Color’s digitalunits start at $.90 each. Beautiful color and great value!Call 800-KES-LABS.

DIGITAL TEMPLATES

DIGITAL TEMPLATES AND BACKGROUNDS. Delmiaco.comhas fully customizable Photoshop templates sold as layered.psd files. Collections include: wedding collages, weddinginvitations and thank you cards, birth announcements,birthday invitations and thank you cards, senior portraitcollages and more. High quality digital backdrops alsoavailable. Visit www.delmiaco.com for further details.

EDUCATION/WORKSHOPS

DIGITAL PAINTING FORUM. The Digital Painting Forum,hosted by Painter Master Marilyn Sholin has thousands ofinternational members and over 50,000 post aboutCorel® Painter, Essentials, and Photoshop.Forums includetutorials, brushes, digital painting, art, and the business ofcreating, marketing and selling digital art. This forum hasa small subscription fee that is well worth the educationgained. www.digitalpaintingforum.com

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

DIGITAL PRINTERS; FUJI-NORITSU; MINILABS; NEW& USED, FACTORY AUTHORIZED. INSTALLATIONAND TRAINING. FINANCING—$600 UP. DELIVERY—INSURED. WWW.DIRECT-RESOURCES.COM; 877-318-3015.

FINANCIAL

TIRED OF DEBT? TIRED OF BILLS? NEED CASH FAST?CASH CASH CASH. BUSINESS SMART UP LOANS, DEBTCONSOLIDATION, HOME RENOVATIONS, 2ND MORT-GAGES, PERSONAL LOANS, GOOD, BAD CREDIT, NOCREDIT, OR BANKRUPTCY, AVAILABLE AMOUNTSFROM $10K TO $500,000. FREE CONSULTATIONS,NO FEES, QUICK, EASY AND CONFIDENTIAL, FORFAST RESULTS CALL TOLL FREE. CALL: 877-423-7974

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED: Assistant photographer for contemporaryphotojournalistic wedding coverages in Orange County, CAarea. Must have digital equipment. E-mail John [email protected].

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER—BEAUTIFUL BOISE, ID.We’re a rapidly growing studio in Boise, ID, specializing infine art family portraiture— maternity through high schoolseniors. We’re looking for a team player with 5 years ofportrait experience, DSLR mastery, lighting experience,digital retouching expertise, great client skills, and mostimportantly, a desire to learn, grow and have fun. Must bewilling to learn how to sell. Ideal candidate is motivated tobecome a partner in the studio. Health and vacationbenefits available. Qualified candidates only, send resumesand sample images to [email protected].

INCORPORATION SERVICES

INCORPORATE OR FORM an LLC today! Your art isa business. Treat it like one. The Company Corporation canhelp you incorporate or form a limited liability company inas little as ten minutes. We are fast, accurate andaffordable. Provide additional credibility to yourphotography studio or business at the fraction of the costof using an attorney. Call 1-800-206-7276 or visitwww.corporate.com today!

LAB SERVICES

FREE 20X30Wallets to 6ftx14ft

Goldencolor 9020 W. Olympic Blvd.Beverly Hills, CA 90211

310-274-3445 www.goldencolor.com

ACADEMY PRODUCTIONS INC.INNOVATIVE PRINTING SOLUTION

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CALL US TODAY: 800-421-35236100 ORR ROAD • CHARLOTTE, NC 28213

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PECHMAN PROFESSIONAL IMAGING(DIGITAL OR FILM)

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• 48 Wal Gold Stamp Special-next 48 free

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ClassifiedAdvertisingCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES

Classified rates: • $1.50 per word; • $2.00per word/ words with all caps or bold face.• $10.00 per issue—Confidential Reply BoxAds (Optional)—$30 minimum per ad.Closing date is 20th of the second monthproceeding issue date. Remittance must bereceived with order. NO ADS ACCEPTED BYPHONE. Remittance to: ProfessionalPhotographer Classified Ads, 229 PeachtreeNE, Ste. 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303; 800-339-5451, ext. 221; FAX 404-614-6405.


SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHERS The most versatile sportsprogram available. Digital or film, quality & service is ourmotto. See www.sportsphoto.com

SCHOOL/WEDDING Photographers. Low package pricesstarting at 19 images. Wedding 10x10’s, you design weprint $2.49. www.PhotoPrintPros.com.

PLATINUM GICLEETM FINE ART B&W from your digitalfile or negative up to 40 x 60. New DuraFiberTM Media providesdeep blacks and waterproof, non-scuff surface, great forhand-coloring. Also available in sepia, color, split-tone.Call for free sample. Jonathan Penney, Inc., MasterPrintmakers. 631-874-3409. www.jonathanpenney.com

SCHOOL & SPORTS PACKAGES

“Green Screen”—With Hundreds of Different BackgroundsGaleone Photo Lab

2161 Greenspring DriveTimonium, MD 21093

410-252-5355 [email protected] for pricing.

HAND PAINTED OILS; Transparent, Deluxe, and CanvasStretched up to 40x60. A complete photo art lab servingphotographers since 1965. Traditional and Digital printingservices. Fiber based B&W up to 30x40. Giclee Fine Artprints. Restoration. Free estimates & pricing guide. 800-922-7459 Venetian Arts www.venetianarts.com

MARKETINGREVEALED: HOW TO GET MORE REFERRALS ANDREPEAT BUSINESS THAN EVER BEFORE! Studiesshow you can see a 10, 25, EVEN 100% INCREASE inreferrals and repeat business by ‘staying in touch’ with aclient newsletter. But who has the time? Photographersusing my unique, “DONE-FOR-YOU” NEWSLETTERsystem report spending only around 60 minutes on theirnewsletter and getting $750-$18,500 back every month!See for yourself… Request your FREE Special Report andSample Package at www.TheStudioNewsletter.com tolearn more.

TURN HS SENIORS into Family Gold! Automatically getfamily sessions with senior portraits. Unique products andsystem is hassle free. FREE 24/7 Toll Free RecordedMessage 800-301-2062, Ext. 702.

PHOTO RESTORATION

1st PHOTO RESTORATION FREE! Try us, you’ll like us!Point & click easy. No sign up cost. 100% guarantee.Online leader since 1993. Wholesale only to professionals.www.hollywoodfotofix.com or call 888-700-3686.

PRESENTATION BOXES

BOXES—FREE SAMPLE PRESENTATION BOX—FROMTHE ORIGINAL BLACK BOX MANUFACTURE—Fastdelivery, Finest quality 4"x5", 5"x5", 4"x6", 8"x10",11"x14", 16"x20", 20"x24". AUFENGER BOX, 4800 COLLEYAVENUE, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA 23508; 757-440-1147(phone); 757-440-1149 (fax); 888-440-1146 (toll free).www.aufengerbox.com

PRESENTATION BOXES available for immediate shipment;19 sizes—4 stock colors. For FREE catalog & samples call800-969-2697 or fax request 800-861-4528. BUYDIRECT AND SAVE. NPD Box Company, 3000 QuigleyRoad, Cleveland, OH 44113. www.NPDBox.com

H-B Photo E-Store Box Manufacturer, buy direct and save.Complete Line of presentation boxes, better quality atlower prices. Bags, Totes, Tissue, Ribbons, customize withyour logo. WWW.H-BPHOTO.COM H-B PACKAGINGGROUP CENTRAL FALLS, RI. Call 401-725-3646 for free samples.

RETOUCHING

WHEN YOUR NAME is on the line, nothing but the best will ever do. Our retouchers know what you need: fastservice, a retouch that looks like the photo was neveraltered and the lowest prices in the industry. If you demandthe best log onto www.retouchup.com and your first 10retouches are free just to prove our claims—the best—thefastest and the least expensive or call 888-700-3686.

SALES AIDS

BOXES—FROM THE ORIGINAL BLACK BOX MANUFAC-TURE—FREE SAMPLE—Fast delivery, Finest quality4”x5”, 5”x5”, 4”x6”, 8”x10”, 11”x14”, 16”x20”, 20”x24”.AUFENGER BOX, 4800 COLLEY AVENUE, NORFOLK,VIRGINIA 23508; 757-440-1147 (phone); 757-440-1149(fax); 888-440-1146 (toll free). www.aufengerbox.com

CREATIVE FRAMES…Designed frames for the professionalwedding, portrait and school photographers. Our framesare manufactured here in the USA. Visit us atWWW.CREATIVEFRAME.COM to see our full line.

5000 POSTCARDS $149 UV Coated5,000 Business cards for $60.00

www.colorphotobusinesscards.com$10 off /with ad

STUDIO FOR SALE

FULL SERVICE Studio with Great Reputation in CharmingMid-South Town with Major University and Large Trade Area.30-Year-Old Business—Only Studio in Town. GreatOpportunity—Owners Retiring and Will Assist in Transition.$125,000 Studio Real Estate Available. To obtain further infor-mation, please reply to :[email protected] and refer to ad #107.

QUAINT PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO in Sterling, Coloradofor lease or sale. This studio is very unique and is located onprime main street property. Sterling, Colorado is located innortheast Colorado approximately 125 miles east of Denver.The community consists of 13,000 people and is a smaller,friendly town. The property sits on 5 lots totaling 15,000square feet. The large studio has been totally remodeled andis 3,000 square feet with all studio lighting, props,backgrounds, etc. There is an adjoining 2,000 square footbuilding that is equipped with scenery and props also. Thebackyard has extensive landscaping including a barn, pier,gazebo, pond, bridge, waterfall, and various settings. A greatopportunity with limited potential for an energetic, artisticphotographer. Please call 970-522-7408 for moreinformation. Serious inquiries only.

STUDIO ESTABLISHED in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,area for over 20 years, with a great image and a very largeclient base. Owner is PPA Certified, Master Photographer& Photographic Craftsman. Wants to slow down. Will trainand is willing to work for new owner to maintain continuityduring transition. For information call 724-789-7371.

WESTERN COLORADO—just hours from national parks.40 year-old established studio plus client list. Amazingoutdoor photo park. Thriving economy in this sunnycollege town of 150,000 - a great opportunity. Owner willassist your transition. Call 970-596-1975.

HOME/ STUDIO FOR SALE. Three bedroom Cape Codwith 20 x 30 x 10h addition, with full bath and basementon corner lot. (Perfect for home studio) Busy street, separateoffice entrance, parking in front and side of house. Fiveminutes to I-95, fifteen minutes to Philadelphia,Pennsylvania and/or Wilmington Delaware. Retired, asking$ 279,000. Phone 610-859-8596 Cell 610-505-4018.

FANTASY STUDIO FOR RENT. Not ready to buy, wantingto relocate and test an area? This is a studio unlike anyother. Now you can afford to be the best with minimaloutlay. Complete with lights, wardrobe, props and 5000sq.ft. of movie set backgrounds. Unlimited creativity andan exceptional opportunity to be the best you can be.Colorado Springs, Colorado, is waiting for you. www.ljm-photography.com; 719.593.2424.

STUDIOS WANTED

COLUMBUS CAMERA GROUP, INC. buys whole studiosor any part including cameras, film, darkroom, long roll,lighting, and misc. No quantities too small. Call 800-325-7664. Ask for Eric.

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photographer at heart and a software

company project manager by trade,

Walter Grio has been a frequent

business traveler for the last several

years. He bought a Nikon D50

digital camera to document his

travels, and grew progres-

sively more interested in photography as he

crisscrossed the globe. In late 2006, Grio

photographed a fashion makeup shoot in

Stockholm, Sweden. He posted the images

online, and soon began to get phone calls from

people interested in having him photograph

them. Name your price, they told Grio.

That’s when the inspiration for Shoot

for Change came to Grio. He made a good

income as a project manager, and photog-

raphy was something he felt passionate

enough about to do for free. So, instead of

asking for payment for his photographs, he

asked his clients to donate the fee to the

charity of their choice. He established

Shoot for Change as a vehicle for his chari-

table intentions, created a Web site, and

began to promote his photography through

MySpace. He set his rates at $200 to

$4,000, depending on the number of

images and the kind of work, with the

understanding that the fees were to go to

charity. As word spread and he took on

clients, Grio began to hold photo exhibi-

tions at various galleries and salons, and all

proceeds from print sales were earmarked

for a charity of the venue’s choice.

Through Shoot for Change, Grio hopes

to build a community of creative individuals

who want to promote positive change. “My

vision is that there will be a Web site where

people can upload photos, and the sale of

the prints will go to a charitable organiza-

tion,” he says. “But it’s really not limited to

photographers. It could include makeup

artists, fashion designers and models who

want to donate their time. I want to show

everyone that they can make a positive dif-

ference. Art is a way to do that with the

visual impact and indelible impression it

can make with viewers. Art can inspire

change where words and action fail.”

Grio has participated in a fashion show

at Seattle’s Mode Organic Salon, which

helped get the word out about Shoot for

Change. He’d like to do more such events,

as well as organize exhibitions

for charity for other photographers. He

acknowledges that not all photographers

can afford to donate all of the proceeds

from such exhibitions, and says every

contribution can have a significant impact.

“Professional photographers already make

such a difference with their clients, and

their work will be enjoyed for generations,”

says Grio. “The only question left is what

kind of change would you like to see in the

world around you?” �

Find out how you can contribute to Shoot forChange at www.shootforchange.com.

Images wield the power to effect change. In this monthly feature, Professional Photographer spotlights professional photographers using their talents to make a difference through charitable work.

Share your good works experience with us by e-mailing Cameron Bishopp at [email protected]

good works |©Walter Grio

Shooting for changeWALTER GRIO DONATES WHAT HE EARNS FROM PHOTOGRAPHY

A

©M

ary

Fis

k-T

ayl

or

914-347-3300

Profoto-USA.com

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