professional photographer march 2010

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MARCH 2010 | WWW.PPMAG.COM | $4.95

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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

Professional Photographer P.O. Box 3606, Northbrook, IL 60065-3606; 800-742-7468;

FAX 847-291-4816; email: [email protected]; Web site: www.ppmag.commember services

PPA - Professional Photographer 800-786-6277; FAX 404-641-6400; e-mail: [email protected]; www.ppa.com

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

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: $19.95 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

Dept., P.O. Box 3606, Northbrook, IL 60065-3606; 800-742-7468; FAX 847-291-4816; email: [email protected]; Web site: www.ppmag.com.

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

P.O. Box 3606, Northbrook, IL 60065-3606Copyright 2010, PPA Publications & Events, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.

Article reprints: Contact Professional Photographer reprint coordinator at Wright’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 expressed byProfessional Photographer or any of its authors do not necessarily reflect positions of ProfessionalPhotographers of America, Inc. Professional Photographer, official journal of the ProfessionalPhotographers of America, Inc., is the oldest exclusively professional photographic publication in theWestern Hemisphere (founded 1907 by Charles Abel, Hon.M.Photog.), incorporating Abel’s Photo-graphic Weekly, St. Louis & Canadian Photographer, The Commercial Photog-rapher, The National Photographer, Professional Photographer, and ProfessionalPhotographer Storytellers. Circulation audited and verified by BPA Worldwide.

4 • www.ppmag.com

PROFESSIONAL

senior editorJOAN [email protected]

features editorLESLIE HUNT

[email protected]

editor-at-largeJEFF KENT

[email protected]

technical editorsANDREW RODNEY,

ELLIS VENER, DON CHICK

art director/production managerDEBBIE TODD

[email protected]

manager, publications andsales/strategic alliances

KARISA [email protected]

sales/strategic alliances assistantCHERYL [email protected]

circulation MOLLIE O’[email protected]

western region ad managerBART ENGELS

847-854-8182; [email protected]

northeast region ad managerSHELLIE JOHNSON

404-522-8600, x279; [email protected]

southeast region ad managerBILL KELLY

404-522-8600, x248; [email protected]

director of sales and strategic alliancesSCOTT HERSH

610-966-2466; [email protected]

EDITORIAL

Updates & tweetsFOLLOWING OUR OWN ADVICE

It feels like Professional Photographer has just arrived in the 21st

century. After months (well, years) of thinking we should enrich our

social media communication, we’ve launched our Facebook fan page

and Twitter account at last!

So far, we’re loving our new level of connectivity. It’s incredibly

cool to be able to tell readers about new news items and those

interesting tidbits we come across as we’re preparing each issue.

Heaven knows we can never fit in all the juicy stuff we want to on

the finite pages of the magazine.

Our industry is going through an information revolution, powered

by a confluence of new photographers, educators and online resources

rushing to market. We can point you to online education like PPA

webinars and other sources we find useful, reliable and worth what

we know is your scant time. There’s so much fantastic information

out there, like dpbestflow.org where you’ll find outstanding, well-

researched information on digital photo preservation (dp), best

practices in photo technology (best), and your workflow (flow). And

FridayPhotoSchool.com, where you can get instruction on the craft

of professional photography. And Ed Greenberg & Jack Reznicki’s

TheCopyrightZone.com, where copyright issues are made understandable.

We’re also excited about hearing from readers in real time. What

do you want to read about? What do you want to learn about?

What do you want us to cover? How do you feel about certain

topics? Who do you want us to feature? I promise you we’ll be

asking for feedback and conducting surveys on a regular basis to

find the answers to those questions and more.

So log onto your “facey spaces and your tweety pages,” as Dennis

Leary says, to both follow and friend us. We look forward to

meeting you virtually in person!

Our handles: facebook.com/PPmagazine and twitter.com/

PPmagazine. �

Cameron Bishopp

Director of Publications

[email protected]

director of publicationsCAMERON BISHOPP

[email protected]

Find us on facebook.com/PPmagazine

Follow us ontwitter.com/PPmagazine

4-editorial 2/11/10 3:46 PM Page 1

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FORTUNE Reveling in the renaissance of film, Lisa Lefkowitz becomes one of the WestCoast’s most successful wedding photographers

By Jeff Kent

LEGACYThe world of ultra-wedding photography withAndy and Brian Marcus

By Jeff Kent

WEDDINGS: LIFE OF THE PARTY

12 Tips to break you out of the reception rut

By Stephanie Boozer

WEDDINGS: IN THE GROOVE

Justin and Mary Marantz spread the love

By Lorna Gentry

WEDDINGS: GEEK-CHIC

Dave and Quin Cheung feel clientsatisfaction is a serious commitment

By Stephanie Boozer

WEDDINGS: NOVEL ROMANCE

Nichole Van Valkenburgh’s literary lens

By Lorna Gentry

IMAGE BY NICHOLE VAN VALKENBURGH

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Features

CONTENTSPROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER MARCH 2010

7,8-contents 2/11/10 5:33 PM Page 1

DepartmentsCONTACT SHEET28 Imaging USA 2010 34 Bridal tips for a picture perfect-face40 Promote and protect your work online42 Studio design: Tool shed to gallery44 “I Am Camera” opens in Chicago44 Discrimination ruling upheld

PROFIT CENTER49 What I think: Brian Marcus50 Ask the experts52 How I did it: Jill Liebhaber 54 Marketing in a post-recession

economyby Greg Stangl

58 Best practices: Social networkingby Lindsay Adler

T H E G O O D S61 What I like:

Nichole Van Valkenburgh62 Pro review: Nikon D3S

by Ellis Vener68 Pro review: Horseman VCC Pro

by Stan Sholik72 Pro review: Canon EOS 7D

by Don Chick76 Product comparison: Camera holsters

by Diane Berkenfeld78 Product roundup:

Album design solutionsby Betsy Finn

ON THE COVER: After Brian Marcus showed IvankaTrump some initial captures of her wedding day prepara-tions, “She got into a more composed, elegant stancethat really speaks to who she is,” he says. “Then I knewwe could create some great images.” Light floodedinto the room from an open door behind the pho-tographer, accentuating the sparkle in Trump’s eye.The warm light ringing her hair came from Marcus’sspecially designed “gun light,” which an assistantheld off-camera. Marcus subtly highlighted Trump’sdiamond and platinum earrings, a selection fromher own line of jewelry. Taken with a Nikon D3 camera;exposed for 1/125 second at f/2.8, ISO 1600.

8 • www.ppmag.com

14 FOLIO

144 SCHOOL CALENDAR

147 PPA TODAY

162 GOOD WORKSPROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | MARCH 2010 | WWW.PPMAG.COM

The wedding photography business Justin and Mary Marantz started four years

ago is on an enviable trajectory. After learning some tough lessons, they made adjustments

and took off. Now they teach small business owners, many of them photographers,

how to fuel business momentum of their own.

All im

ages ©Justin &

Mary

CONTENTS

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Visit us atWPPIbooth 1468

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Press Printed Products are the perfect way for expanding

your studio branding. More and more photographers are

establishing their brand by creating complimentary packaging

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address labels, studio packaging, folios, and gift tags. Press

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to be one that fits your studio’s style. Use Press Printed

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“We reinforce our brand design by using WHCC’s Press Printed

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“We place stickers on the front of all our packaging products like

boxes, bags and dvd cases. We have a ton of presentation bags

with an old logo so instead of throwing them away we designed

4x5.5 stickers with a new logo that go right on top!”

“We include a printed certicate on the back of each framed

portrait so I could create for my clients a sense in pride of

ownership. A certicate authenticates a print’s origin, how it was

printed, its value and information about the photographer.”

“We offer photography sessions geared toward creating mother &

child images that are incorporated into the design of Play Date Cards.

Mom’s contact information is on the back along with our studio

logo and info, making this your best new marketing weapon!”

“Designing a sticker similar to our business cards and placing it

on all of our traveling equipment provides a professional look

while at the same time supporting our brand recognition and

also serving as a security measure.”

Create a Marketing Weapon

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Add Value to Your Prints

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

2010-2011 PPA boardpresident*LOUIS F. TONSMEIRE JR.Cr.Photog., [email protected]

vice president*DONALD DICKSONM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

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

chairman of the board*RON NICHOLSM.Photog.Cr.Hon.M.Photog., API [email protected]

directorsSANDY “SAM” PUC’M.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]

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

CAROL ANDREWS JENSENM.Photog.Cr, [email protected]

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

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

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

MICHAEL GAN M.Photog.Cr., CPP [email protected]

CONSTANCE S. RAWLINS M.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

industry advisorKEVIN [email protected]

PPA staffDAVID TRUST Chief Executive Officer [email protected]

SCOTT KURKIANChief Financial [email protected]

THERESE ALEMANDirector, Marketing [email protected]

CHRISTEL APRIGLIANODirector of Member Value & [email protected]

CAMERON BISHOPP Director of [email protected]

SCOTT HERSHDirector of Sales & Strategic [email protected]

WILDA OKEN Director of [email protected]

BETSY REID Director of [email protected]

COREY B. SHELTON Director, Web Strategy & [email protected]

LENORE TAFFEL Director of [email protected]

BING ZENGPPA China Managing [email protected]

SANDRA LANGExecutive [email protected]

*Executive Committee of the Board

12 • www.ppmag.com

12-board 2/11/10 5:08 PM Page 1

P H OTO B O O K S

Spencer Boerup, CPPTucson, Arizona

Since day one, Black River Imaging has gone

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folio| Comprising images selected from the files of the PPA Loan Collection, Folio is a monthly sampleof award-winning photography by PPA members. The Loan Collection is a select group of some500 photographs chosen annually by the PPA print judges from more than 5,000 entries.

PHIL FAZINWhile covering an event for RebelRodz magazine, Phil Fazin, of Phil Fazin Photography in Kings Park, N.Y., happened on this fortuitouscomposition. With a Nikon D2H and Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8 G ED AF DX Fisheye lens, Fazin exposed “Bud” for 1/160 second at f/6.3,ISO 200. He performed minor retouching with Adobe Photoshop and LucisArt filters. “It was a natural, ‘glad to see you’ picture,” saysFazin. “I wish I could say I planned the shot, but it was the right time, right day.” philfazin.com

What the judge thought: “Impact and storytelling make this unique

image a winner. The perspective of the wide-angle lens and deep depth-of-field not only draws your

attention to the modern-day hot-rodder, but also includes a strong secondary subject and ancillary

vehicles. The use of the door to frame the subject holds your attention on the subjects.”

—Jon Allyn, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., F-WPPA, F-SEWPPA, F-SCPA, CPP and PEC Committee member

©Phil Fazin

16,18,20,22,24-25- folio 2/11/10 5:12 PM Page 1

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WHEN BARYSHNIKOV IS YOUR SUBJECT, YOU WANT TO SHOOT UNTIL DARK.

ONE D-SLR LETS YOU. INTRODUCING THE AMAZING NIKON D3S.

GO TO WWW.NIKONUSA.COM/D3S TO SEE THE HD VIDEO “BARYSHNIKOV BY SELIGER,” CAPTURED WITH THE NEW NIKON D3S.See how celebrated photographer Mark Seliger uses the extraordinary image quality and low-light capabilities of the versatile new Nikon D3S at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.With an astonishing low-noise ISO range of 200-12,800 andperformance at ISO 102,400 that must be seen to be believed.The D3S has a 12.1 megapixel, FX-format CMOS sensor. A ready-for-anything speed of up to 9 FPS, coupled with a 51-Point AF system for the ultimate in precision and razor sharpness. Addoutstanding HD video capabilities and legendary NIKKOR®

lenses, and it gives Mark a whole new set of creative tools.Mikhail Baryshnikov was photographed at dusk at 1/50 s at f/4.0, ISO 12,800.


PAUL KADYPaul Kady, M.Photog., of The Loft Photography Studio in Kensington, N.H., captured“Weathering Time” for a 60-year-old father to pass on to his children. Shooting with aCanon EOS 5D camera and a Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM EF lens, Kady opened theshutter for 1/100 second at f/5, ISO 100. The lighting on the subject was created with a375WS Photogenic 375R soft box, a 3.5x5.5-foot Larson soft box, and a 100x180cmAurora Lite Panel LP1018. The hair light was a Novatron 2040C flash, and a Novatron2010C flash lit the background. www.loftstudiophotography.com

©Paul Kady

MARI LATOZASWhile out walking late one evening in Rome, Italy,Mari Latozas, of Photography by Mari inWaterford, Mich., came upon this preoccupiedgentleman who was taking frequent looks at hiswatch. “I was struck by the way he was lit by thestreet lights,” she says. With a Canon EOS 5Dcamera and a Canon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L ISUSM EF lens, Latozas exposed “Watching TimeGo By” for 1/30 second at f/4, ISO 1600. www.photographybymari.com

©Mari Latozas

16,18,20,22,24-25- folio 2/14/10 11:18 AM Page 2


KEVIN CONNORSWhile photographing a commercial session for TheMoxie Theatre in San Diego, Kevin Connors,M.Photog.Cr., of Coast Highway Photography inSolana Beach, Calif., couldn’t resist capturing a fewimages of actress Ché Lyons (left) for his ownportfolio. Shooting with a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark IIand Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM EF lens,Connors exposed “A Portrait of Ché” for 1/100second, f/7.1, ISO 100. Connor balanced a ProfotoCompact 600 flash behind a 5-foot PhotoflexOctoDome; a second Compact 600 with a striplight and grid diffused by a 48-inch PhotoflexHalfDome served as fill. A third Compact 600 andProfoto snoot lit the background. After minorretouching in Adobe Photoshop, Connors used NikColor Efex Pro Dynamic Skin Softener andProcontrast filters to finish the image.coasthighwayphoto.com

PETER LIK“I have always been intrigued by boat jetties andwharfs,” says Peter Lik, M.Photog., of Peter LikUSA in Las Vegas, Nev. “The spider web on theright side and the worn and tired feel of thedecaying wood all add to this photo, telling athousand stories from the boatmen who havewalked upon this jetty.” With a Linhof Technorama617 medium-format camera and Schneider Apo-Symmar 72mm f/5.6 lens, Lik exposed FujifilmFujichrome Velvia 50 film for 1/2 second, f/16 tocreate “Misty Blue.” Lik scanned the slide andremoved dust spots for the final image.peterlik.com

©Kevin Connors

©Peter Lik

16,18,20,22,24-25- folio 2/11/10 5:13 PM Page 3

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SCOTT WALZScott Walz, M.Photog.Cr., of Studio Walz, Inc. in Lexington, Ky., created “f1.4 and Be There” on a wedding gig. Heexposed the image for 1/250 second, f/1.4, ISO 400, using a Nikon D2X camera and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-Dlens, with a 42-inch Photoflex LiteDisc white/silver reflector bouncing the ample window light. Walz perfectedthe skin and masked curves before converting the image to black and white and applying vignetting in AdobePhotoshop. “I selected the paper-thin depth of field of the Nikkor at f/1.4 and carefully focused on the reflectionsin her eyes,” says Walz. “The title is my play on the famous quote from Weegee (Arthur Felig), ‘f/8 and be there,’and that photography is all about showing up and making art of what you find.” studiowalz.com

©Scott Walz

16,18,20,22,24-25- folio 2/11/10 5:13 PM Page 4

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ASHLEY FETNEROn his first visit to the NorthCarolina Zoo, Ashley Fetner, ofAshley Fetner Fine ArtPhotography in Asheboro, N.C.,was struck by the visage of thisbaboon. With a Canon EOS 20Dcamera and a Canon 70-200mmf/4 L USM EF lens, Fetnerexposed “Patriarch” for 1/125second at f/5.6, ISO 800. Heenhanced the eyes and toneddown the background to heightenthe drama of the expression. www.ashleyfetnerportraits.com

ELAINE MCDONALDDuring a three-week photo tour of Europe, Elaine McDonald of Four Winds Photo Art in ColoradoSprings, Colo., made a detour to the colorful fishing village of Burano, Italy. “I knew this was the shot Ihad come for,” she says. With a Nikon D200 and a Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR DX AF-S lens,McDonald exposed “Crayola Canal” for 1/160 second at f/8, ISO 100. She used Adobe Photoshop toremove a couple of tourists, and applied the LucisArt Whyeth filter. www.fourwindsphotoart.com

©Ashley Fetner

©Elaine McDonald

16,18,20,22,24-25- folio 2/11/10 5:14 PM Page 5

TONY HOPMANTony Hopman,M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API,of Tony’s Studio, Inc. inLakeland, Fla., carried hishandy point-and-shootcamera, a CanonPowerShot SD700 IS, toa Sunday morning swapmeet in Sumterville.“You just never knowwhen the opportunity fora great image will arise,”he says. He came acrossthis 1958 Oldsmobileand created “End of anEra,” to recapture thewistful memories of hisyouth. “It was astatement of America toan 11-year-old boy fromHolland,” he says.www.mytonyonline.com

16,18,20,22,24-25- folio 2/11/10 5:14 PM Page 6

Matt Lucas | Lucas Photography2009 PPA National Photographer of the Year Diamond Level | 2009 We Are Miller’s Ad Contest Winner!

I am Matt LucasI Am Always Learning

I went to college and graduated with a BS in Photography. Shortly after, I met my mentor whose teaching sent me light years ahead of the learning curve. Photography is changing every day, and at Lucas Photography, we feel that we always need to know more. We are very active in Missouri Professional Photography Association and the national PPA convention.This is where I learn hands-on how to do what I do, as well as meet other photographers who become friends for life.

I Am A Senior PhotographerI love to photograph high school seniors! I feel like I can relate to seniors and create timeless pieces of art for them and their parents. Most of our clients love color and saturation and that is one of the reasons they choose Lucas Photography, driving sometimes from other states – they want something different. I am most passionate about making our clients see that they are beautiful, leaving more confident than when they came in.

I Am On Facebook

Facebook has been huge for us! After every session, I tag my client so that their friends will see one of the images. I have people booking this year because they saw images of clients on Facebook and visited our Lucas Photography Fan Club page to see more. We have photographed more seniors from a larger variety of schools than ever before – schools we’ve never even targeted.

I Am Second Generation

I grew up in photography. My parents started Lucas Photography 37 years ago; my dad was my role model. I started printing black and white photographs when I was eight and photographed my first wedding at age 16. My parents began working with Miller’s right after opening and have been loyal customers ever since. Without Miller’s customer service and quality, Lucas Photography wouldn’t be where we are today.

I am Miller’s.

My lab is Miller’s Professional Imaging because I Expect More.

To see how Matt uses Miller’s to grow his studio, please visit www.millerslab.com/MattLucas.

Expect More

To view more of Matt’s work check out www.lucasphotography.com.

CONTACT SHEETWhat’s New, Cool Events, Interesting People, Great Ideas, Etc.

Drawing a crowd of more 10,000 this January,

PPA’s Imaging USA 2010 in Nashville set

more than attendance records. “We loved

Imaging USA this year! You could feel the

energy and enthusiasm everywhere,” says

Julia Woods, M.Photog.Cr., owner of

Portrait Life in Washington, Ill.

Could this signal an economic turn-

around for professional photographers? “After

Imaging USA, I put some of the business

and marketing techniques I learned into

practice and booked one of my top collec-

tions with the next four wedding clients who

met with me,” says Adam Czap, owner of

Adam Czap Photography in Northville, Mich.

“I’ve only been sleeping a few winks a

night because of all the ideas I gathered,”

says Ana Schechter, of Anaphoto in New

York City, a week after the event. “After days

of marinating in that atmosphere, you’re

already living and breathing the new era of

your studio. It’s a game-changer.”

©Victor Bruce

©Victor Bruce

©Victor Bruce

Jump-start

28-31,34,36,40,42,44-cs 2/12/10 12:46 PM Page 1

March 2010 • Professional Photographer • 29

Record-setting crowds left Imaging USA over-flowing with fresh ideas and renewed enthusiasm Projection! And I’m going to really

push album sales a la carte!@amandamcmahon(mandamcmahon.com)

Wow. Lightroom shortcuts havechanged my life. Thanks, ImagingUSA, for the shortcut session! @mrslizcook(loveandlaughterphotography.com)

I’m working on my pricing,packaging, and changing myprinting company. Also planning touse ProSelect and project! @maganslens (maganslens.com)

Storybook shooting from JimGarner’s presentation … @ardent_photo (ardentphoto.com)

Cutting out any packages I’m notexcited about … Creating customerincentives for print orders. @sabrenadeal(scarterstudios.com/wordpress)

The positive, friendly personalitiesof the speakers—I’m going to tryto be more like that. @Tammyn4As(tammyhudson.com)

I can’t stop thinking about howamazing Drake Busath was atImaging USA; he truly inspired me! @MeredithRowlen(meredithrowlen.com)

WHICH IDEA FROM IMAGING USA WILL YOU IMPLEMENT FIRST?

©Victor Bruce ©Victor Bruce’’‘‘I loved Imaging

USA this year; it was like DisneyWorld just forphotographers!

—MILOVAN MILES ANDONOV,M.PHOTOG.CR., CPP

28-31,34,36,40,42,44-cs 2/12/10 12:47 PM Page 2


CONTACT SHEET

SO MANY COUNTRIES, SO LITTLE TIMEOur long, strange trip to Imaging USA

Living in Europe is great—lots to do,even more to photograph. But there’snot the same kind of photographiccommunity as in the States. So, inJanuary, we set out on an epic adven-ture to Imaging USA in Nashville.

Our round-trip journey from Italy toImaging took us to some 15 cities andfour countries in 12 days. We both haveaccess to free military travel, so we tookSpace-A flights from the major airterminal in nearby Ramstein, Germany.

Flexibility is imperative with Space-Atravel: You can’t really choose where orwhen you’ll travel. We aimed for any-where in the United States. On depar-ture day, of the six flights scheduled forthe East Coast, one flight was full, fourwere cancelled, and another wasdelayed indefinitely. After a 14-hourwait, we boarded a last-minute flight toDover, Del., on a C-5 jet.

Flying in a C-5 is quite anexperience. You shimmy up a steep andicy two-story ladder with your bags,find a space, and settle in for an 11-hourflight to America, facing backwards.

From Dover we drove to Washington,D.C., with a photographer-friend. OnFriday, after a frigid 13-hour van ride,we arrived in Nashville. We had a blast.

It was over in less time than it took toget there.

The van ride back to Washingtontook almost twice as long, what withcoffee and shopping stops. We gotthere at 5 a.m., a few hours before ourreturn Space-A flight was to leaveBaltimore.

Only the flight was cancelled, as wasthe next one and the one after that.Desperate, we called every militaryairport on the East Coast determined tocatch any flight to Europe. Nothing wasscheduled for days.

We bought one-way tickets to Italythat were surprisingly affordable; onlywe’d have to get to an airport in NewJersey. The next day we drove toNewark National for a flight to Rome,via Brussels, Belgium. Naturally, wemade a quick stop for sight-seeing,waffles and chocolate, a necessity after12 days of traveling.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! Nothingbeats seeing old friends and hearinggreat speakers. Would we do it again?Yes! And we’ll buy round-trip tickets ona commercial flight.

Stephanie Millner, Cr.Photog, CPP, is a petphotographer in Rome, Italy. Erin L. Clark,CPP is a portrait photographer in Sicily, Italy.

These folks were hardly the only ones

who took away both new skills and inspira-

tion from IUSA 2010. The hallways and

classrooms at the Gaylord Opryland Resort

and Convention Center teemed with

photographers taking in seminars, lectures

and hands-on workshops. The thronged

Imaging tradeshow floor was another hot

spot, where photographers found a host of

new products to enhance their businesses.

In a post-event survey, almost half of those

polled said they’d purchased new gear and

accessories at the expo. “It is so nice to be

able to see all the products I’ve been

interested in all in one place and to be able

to ask the vendors questions,” says Brenda

Ernst, of Love and Cake in Berkeley, Calif.

Dawn McCarthy says she believes that

the record-setting crowds simply prove

that professional photographers want to

make 2010 their strongest year yet—a

whole new game.

BY ERIN L. CLARK, CPP, & STEPHANIE MILLNER, CR.PHOTOG., CPP

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!Imaging USA heads to San Antonio,

January 16-18, 2011. Details at

ImagingUSA.org.

28-31,34,36,40,42,44-cs 2/12/10 12:47 PM Page 3


CORRECTION: FLOAT AND CLUSTER SWAPWe erroneously swapped the product images for the tying winners of the Display Item category in the Hot One Awards published in February. Below are the correctly identified products. We regret the error.

WHCC Float WrapsSimply Canvas Clusters

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Imaging USA 2010 was a non-stop,action-packed, wealth of knowledgewith a side order of scratch and sniff …better described as the Trade Show Expo.Mark your calendars. This is a must-have experience for all photographerswho want to better their business.

—DAWN MCCARTHY

©Victor Bruce

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olis, IN

It could have been a disaster. Phoenix

portrait and wedding photographer Holly

Schumacher stared in horror through her

lens at the orange-faced woman she was

about to photograph. “She must have used a

fake tan lotion,” Schumacher recalls,

grimacing. She had to make all the

photographs black and white because there

was no way to color correct that hideous

tone. Fortunately, Schumacher was

photographing a birthday party, not a

wedding. “If she’d been a bride, it would

have been just awful,” she says.

“I tell brides not to go to a tanning booth

or use a spray tan right before the wedding,”

says Schumacher. “And I always recommend

brides use a professional makeup artist; it

makes my job so much easier.”

If you have a bride who insists on doing

her own makeup—or having a friend do it—

pass along some advice from the experts to

save you hours of Photoshop repair. Here

are 10 beauty tips from makeup artists Steve

Moore of The Moore Agency in Atlanta and

Deanna Rene of Scottsdale, Ariz., and a few

from Schumacher, too. Pass on these tips

during the consultation, post them on your

website, and print them on a small laminated

card to tuck into the bride’s makeup kit.

1. BLEND, BLEND, BLEND. You can

use your everyday makeup, but use more

than you normally use every day. Many

makeup professionals use airbrush makeup,

the method of choice for high-definition TV,

because it’s lightweight, waterproof and

gives flawless coverage.

2. SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE.

Use less makeup for a day wedding and

more for evenings. You can get dramatic

with eye makeup.

3. DON’T SKIMP ON CONCEALER.

Use a moisturized concealer on the thin,

CONTACT SHEET

©H

olly Schum

acher

Glamourpuss Bridal tips for a picture-perfect face l BY LORNA GENTRY

“I tell brides not to go to a tanning booth oruse a spray tan rightbefore the wedding.And I always recom-mend brides use aprofessional makeupartist; it makes my jobso much easier.”

28-31,34,36,40,42,44-cs 2/12/10 12:48 PM Page 5


sensitive skin under the eyes. If your

concealer isn’t moisturizing, blend it with a

skin cream. For blemishes, first treat them

with a natural or over-the-counter anti-

inflammatory, then cover with concealer.

4. DO A MAKEUP TRIAL RUN. It’s

the only sure-fire, stress-free way to make

certain your makeup will look beautiful.

5. NOT ALL MINERAL MAKEUP IS

CREATED EQUAL. Titanium dioxide, a

chemical used as sun block, can reflect

flash, giving the bride a ghostly appear-

ance. In 2009 makeup artist Annie May

launched a line of mineral makeup espe-

cially formulated for photography called

Advanced Mineral Makeup. May promises

it won’t white-out the bride under a flash.

6. USE WATERPROOF MAKEUP

WITH STAYING POWER. You don’t want

to spend your reception in the bathroom reap-

plying your makeup. Foundation, eyeliner

and mascara all should be waterproof. And

in case you cry (and you probably will), have

a tissue or handkerchief handy to gently blot

your tears right at the eye.

7. KEEP YOUR LIPS MOISTURIZED

AND COLORED. Dry lips look dreadful in

photos. Have someone carry your lipstick for

you and touch up often. Matte and gloss lip-

stick both photograph well, and be sure to

use blended lip liner for enhanced definition.

8. DON’T FORGET THE GROOM.

If the groom is red faced due to too much

sun (or drinking), a little powder can help.

That goes for shiny heads, too. And it’s a

good idea to slip a tube of Chapstick in the

groom’s pocket for his dry lips, as well as a

handkerchief to dab well-wishers’ makeup

smudges off his suit.

9. DON’T SPRINKLE ON GLITTER.

In photographs, it tends to look like little

white spots, as if there’s something wrong

with the camera.

10. REMEMBER to apply foundation

and powder to your neck, shoulders and

décolletage—you want your head to look like

it belongs to your body!

Lorna Gentry is a freelance writer in Atlanta.

CONTACT SHEET

All im

ages ©H

olly Schum

acher

28-31,34,36,40,42,44-cs 2/12/10 1:47 PM Page 6

“Fast and Fun.” - Clay Blackmore

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“We were delayed driving through a blizzard,

and by the time we arrived at the hotel, the

bride was in the lobby waiting to go to the

church. She just had her makeup done, and

we got her outside for a few exposures.

We had minutes to make the shot. I always

use a light off-camera to shape the face.

With PocketWizard radios, I can quickly put

together the same lighting on location that

I use in the studio. The ease of use with the

MiniTT1TM and FlexTT5TM is amazing. Not

having to rely on line-of-sight, and knowing

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I’m just interested in the best tools for the job.”

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Can you promote yourself online and still

protect your work from copyright infringe-

ment? There’s no one simple, iron-clad method

of protection, but there are effective tools at

your disposal. Use a combination of deterrents

and make it obvious to viewers that the work

belongs to you, as well as how to contact you.

1. USE FILE INFO AND IPTC

METADATA. Record the copyright status,

your contact and URL info, and copyright

notice in the image files’ metadata. Set software

like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and other

digital asset management apps to automatically

apply this information when you import the

files from the memory card. In Adobe Bridge,

create a metadata template (under Tools)

and apply the info to files in a batch process.

If you use Save for Web & Devices in Photoshop,

select the setting to retain copyright and contact

metadata in the file. Some digital SLRs let

you input basic info to be applied at capture.

2. USE WATERMARKS. You may not

want your image hidden behind a logo, copy-

right symbol, or Do Not Reproduce notice,

but watermarks are great deterrents to online

image theft. When Tobi Bos of Hamilton,

Ontario, used a beta image reverse-search

engine called Tin Eye, she discovered her

images were being used on other websites

for everything from product advertising to

avatars. The images had been stolen from

her blog and her logo cropped out. Now she

heavily watermarks every image, making

sure the mark covers a major body part.

3. PUBLISH THE IMAGES ON YOUR

WEBSITE. Retain control of your images

by publishing them to your own domain

names, and make sure the site includes a

clear copyright statement. That’s not to say

you should shy away from your social media

pages, but be mindful that what you publish

elsewhere can be traced back to you.

4. LICENSE USAGE INSTEAD OF

SELLING RIGHTS. Eric Lockstein of Sun

Prairie, Wis., obliges clients who want to

purchase digital files, but he retains his

copyrights and licenses usage only as a

package. “People who really want their

digital images are going to either get them

from me or find other ways,” he says. “People

will steal less if you give them the option to

buy. Turn it into value,” says Lockstein.

5. EDUCATE YOUR CLIENTS. Take

the time to talk about copyright ownership.

We’re our own first line of defense against

infringement. Clients might assume that

because they’ve purchased prints or paid for

services they own the rights to those images.

Having an open conversation about

copyright ownership is an opportunity to set

the record straight. Tell clients they can

come to you ask for usage permission.

6. ADDRESS COPYRIGHT IN

YOUR CONTRACTS. Stipulate who gets

the copyrights and any licensed usage of

your images. This is common practice for

wedding and commercial photographers,

but all too frequently it’s absent in portrait

photographers’ contracts. The simple act of

having portrait clients sign a notice to acknowl-

edge that they understand and will respect

your copyright can go a long way to ensuring

just that. It can be as easy as incorporating

one more line or paragraph in a document

you already give clients: “I, [the client’s

name], understand and acknowledge that

all images are the property of [your studio

name], are protected under the Federal

Copyright Act, and may not be copied or

reproduced in any way without the express

permission of [your studio name].” Always

have your attorney review any changes you

make to your contracts.

7. SEND A TAKEDOWN NOTICE.

Under the provisions of the Digital Millennium

Copyright Act, copyright owners have the

right to alert the Internet service provider

(ISP) of a site where their images are being

used without their authorization. For contact

info, look up the ISP’s Copyright Abuse Agent

or similar title, and request your work be

removed from the offending site. You don’t even

have to contact the infringing party yourself.

8. REGISTER YOUR WORK.

Register your work with the U.S. Copyright

Office (copyright.gov). If you need to

challenge an infringer in court, it’s the only

way you can recoup your legal costs.


CONTACT SHEET

Walk the line 8 Ways to promote and still protect your work online

BY PIERRE STEPHENSON, CR.PHOTOG., CPP

©Arline L. Beets

“Use a combination of deterrents and make it obvious

that the work belongs to you, as well as how to contact you.”

28-31,34,36,40,42,44-cs 2/12/10 12:49 PM Page 7

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All images © Jessica Claire

STORYBOOK STUDIOLocated in an old tool shed on an historic farmsteadproperty near Philadelphia, photographer KarenCarey’s tiny cottage studio houses both a maingallery and private viewing room at a modest rent. It’sa chic little space that doesn’t add stress to Carey’salready busy life. “My clients are usually surprisedwhen they ascend the spiral staircase from the maingallery up to the viewing room,” says Carey. “Despitethe size limitations, I can showcase my work,present client images, and maintain the feeling ofa real living space.” karencareyphotography.com


CONTACT SHEET

All images ©Karen Carey

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Everything after the photography

Photography takes center stage in Chicago

this month at the Neo-Futurist Theater with

the premiere of a new stage work, “I am

Camera.” Conceived and directed by the

theater’s founding director, Greg Allen, the

show uses photography as both medium

and subject in exploring identity and the

role photography plays in pop culture.

“Sometimes a 2D photograph even takes the

place of a 3D person,” says Allen. Is a picture

worth a thousand words or do words give a

more clear [understanding of] someone?

Are photographs impressions of who we

project ourselves to be or are they genuine?”

Allen examines these and more questions

in “I am Camera” through only two actors

and nearly 1,000 photographs. The actors

interact through prints and projected

images displayed on a variety of media,

including a scrim, sheets of paper, even the

actors’ bodies. During the show the performers

use small digital cameras to photograph

members of the audience, whom they ask to

join them onstage. They stand next their

projected images as they and the actors

compare the captured personas with the

“real” people themselves. At various intervals,

Allen skillfully mixes up images with real

people. “At one point we use photographs of

actors interacting with projected photographs

that are then re-photographed.”

These visual riddles are Allen’s way of

prodding the audience to investigate their

own relationship with photography. An

amateur photographer, Allen feels that this

show brings him full circle as an artist. He’d

done fine-art black-and-white photography

in school before going into experimental

theatre 25 years ago. No matter the

medium, though, Allen cites one theme that

runs throughout his work: “I’ve always

explored human identity.”—Lorna Gentry

“I am Camera” runs through March 13 at theNeo-Futurist Theatre in Chicago. For moreinformation, visit neofuturists.org.

In a contentious legal battle played out inNew Mexico, the state court recently uphelda ruling of the New Mexico Human RightsCommission (NMHRC) that stated photog-rapher Elaine Huguenin violated the NewMexico Human Rights Act by refusing to photo-graph a same-sex commitment ceremony.

The conflict began in 2006, when VanessaWillock of Albuquerque called Huguenin’sstudio, Elane Photography, about photograph-ing the commitment ceremony. By e-mail,Huguenin responded that her business doesnot photograph same-sex weddings.

In December 2006, Willock filed a claimwith the NMHRC, alleging Huguenin had dis-criminated against her on the basis of her sexualorientation. The New Mexico Human RightsAct states that it’s discriminatory for “anyperson in any public accommodation to makea distinction in offering or refusing to offer its

services” on the basis of race, religion, skincolor, sex or sexual orientation. The NMHRCruled against Elane Photography in April 2008.

Elane Photography subsequently appealedthe ruling to the New Mexico state court onthe grounds of freedom of expression andfreedom of religion. Attorneys for the pho-tographer argued that photography is a formof expression, and any attempt to controlHuguenin’s expression is a violation of the law.On the religious grounds, the attorneys arguedthat the NMHRC ruling compels Hugueninto attend and express messages about areligious ceremony that violates her beliefs.

The state court denied Huguenin’s appealearly this year, stating that Elane Photographyis a “public accommodation,” i.e., a businessthat services the general public, and that theowners admitted to discriminatory policies. Thecourt rejected the freedom of expression argu-

ment, stating that anti-discrimination laws suchas the New Mexico Human Rights Act, do notaffect free speech or dictate the content of anindividual’s expression; they do, however, pro-hibit discrimination through the withholding ofpublicly available goods, privileges and services.

The court refuted the freedom of religionargument, stating that the New Mexico HumanRights Act does not force Huguenin to par-ticipate in or defend a belief system that isnot her own. The only requirement would befor Huguenin to attend the event in order toperform her professional service. Further, thecourt noted that the NMHRC ruling doesnot prevent Huguenin from practicing herreligion or maintaining her religious beliefs.

“There is no doubt that the State of NewMexico has a compelling interest in reducing,if not eradicating, acts of discrimination,even assuming that results in a burden upon[Elane Photography],” the ruling concluded.

At press time, various reports indicated thatElane Photography plans another appeal.

CONTACT SHEET

DISCRIMINATION RULING UPHELDPhotographer cited for refusal to photograph same-sex commitment ceremony

Dramatic photography Theatre troupe draws a thin line between people and pictures

All images ©Greg Allen

28-31,34,36,40,42,44-cs 2/12/10 12:49 PM Page 9

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

What advice would you give to someone

who’s just beginning in the photography

business? Having real-life experience and

on-the-job training is just as important, if

not more, than some book you pick up or

class you take. Work with whomever,

whenever, even if you’re not getting paid.

It will pay off later. Find your niche at the

outset. Try to focus on your real passion

and turn it into a career.

What’s the best business lesson you’ve

learned recently? This quote from Steve

Pavlina: “If you do work you love, but it

doesn’t generate income, your business

will fail. If you do work you hate, but it

generates income, your health will fail.

If you can’t do what you love and make

it profitable, you’ve either got a hobby

or a headache, not a sustainable busi-

ness. Don’t settle for anything less than

passion and profit.”

What’s your advice to photographers

looking to move their business to the

next level? Don’t sell your service; sell its

value. Our studio was built on putting

the customer first, and always providing

consistent quality. We’ve never changed

our focus, and we’ve been in business

for 69 years.

IMAGE BY BRIAN MARCUS

FREDMARCUS.COM

What I thinkBrian Marcus follows the family focus on fine photography

49-pcsplash 2/11/10 2:16 PM Page 1

Q: I do child and baby photography in a majormetropolitan area. I’m new to the business.Using the SMS cost-based pricing benchmarks,my price for an 8x10 print should be about$140. How can I justify having prices so muchhigher than other photographers in my areawithout a proven track record? I plan to raisemy current prices a little, but I’m afraid togo much higher.A: I found myself in a similar dilemma about10 years ago when I began to understand COGS(cost of goods sold). I knew we would loseour client base if I raised prices to where theyneeded to be. I also acknowledged we didn’thave the skill, environment, or customerservice at that time to attract the high-endclients who would accept higher prices.

So I adopted the following foundation oftruths to inspire me to make some extremelyimportant decisions.

• We are headed for failure if I don’t pricefor profit.

• COGS on wall portraits are easier toaccomplish than on an 8x10.

• The most expensive part of what we dois the artwork.

From there, we implemented the necessarychanges. To ease our clients into the new prices,I created three different lines of finishing for ala carte prints: Silver, with no retouching andno finishing (mounting & spraying); Goldincluded minimal retouching and finishing;Platinum delivered full retouching and finishing.I then created a sample of each finish and wasable to show the client the difference in theoptions. In the beginning, everyone upgradedto Gold, so I got rid of Silver. In time, I wasable to get everyone to upgrade to Platinumand eventually did away with the Gold.

I gradually increased the price of our 3x5sand 5x7s until they got so close to the priceof an 8x10 that I could group them into onecategory called gift prints.

I directed our clients’ focus, verbally and visu-ally, through our price list to packages that werelimited to three poses, but included a wall portraitand six gift prints in the Platinum finish. Thelimited poses helped to reduce COGS and at thesame time created a great value for the client.

It was very scary when we made thesechanges, but when the doubts came, I wouldgo back to my foundation of truths and knowI was doing what I had to do. Ten years later,it’s easy to see how it was our first step on ajourney to success.

—Julia Woods

Q: I just booked my first wedding and I needhelp. What kind of information should Iinclude in my contracts? Is there otherpaperwork I should have my clients signbefore the wedding day?A: Whether your clients are friends, familymembers or complete strangers, you needto have a signed contract with them thatincludes all the details of the assignmentand the responsibilities of both par-ties. This contract is your opportunityto specify what your clients shouldexpect after hiring you to do the job.Going over the contract with the clientis an opportunity to discuss the clients’needs to see how you can best accommodatethem within your studio’s boundaries. In nomore than two pages, your contract shouldclearly state some key points, among them:client contact info with the street address ofall parties; date time and venue of the event;

where you’re expected to be before, during, andafter the event; a description of the servicesand products you will provide; your cancella-tion and refund policy; the limitation of yourliability in the event something goes wrong;and a separate model release if you intend touse the images in your own promotion.

Make sure everyone invested (bride, groom,parents and anyone else who might have input)has a clear understanding of the contract. Getthe signature of the person or persons who areresponsible for paying your fees. Explain yourstudio’s policies and fully understand the clients’expectations. Fully explain your services and allrelated costs, and any extra fees for travel,retouching, and other studio expenses. If youdon’t want to go into every detail on the contract,present a price list and/or menu of services,explaining which parts of your fees are non-refundable. It can be uncomfortable discussingyour policy on cancellations and refunds; you neverwant to lose a client, but remember weddingsinvolve relationships and relationships can end.Weddings do get cancelled and you need to spe-cify an escape valve for yourself and your clients.

Make sure your wedding clients understandwhat they can and can’t do with your images.If you do not want to give permission to repro-duce your work, or if you will license certainuses of certain images, state it in the contract.

You can find templates for a weddingcontract, model release and licensingagreement at ppa.com. �

—Maria Matthews, PPA Copyright & Government Affairs manager

Got a question? The SMS team wants to hearfrom you. E-mail our panel of experts via PP editorCameron Bishopp at [email protected] andinclude “experts” in the subject line.


PROFIT CENTER

Ask the expertsMeeting the pricing benchmarks, formatting a wedding contract

From left to right: Julia Woods, M.Photog.Cr.; Bridget Jackson, manager of PPA Studio ManagementServices (SMS); Scott Kurkian, PPA chief financial officer and founder of SMS; Ann K. Monteith,M.Photog.Cr.Hon.M.Photog., CPP, ABI; Carol Andrews, M.Photog.Cr., ABI.

GURUS FROM PPA'S STUDIO MANAGEMENT SERVICES ANSWER YOUR BUSINESS,MARKETING AND SALES QUESTIONS. FOR INFO ON WORKSHOPS, GO TO PPA.COM.

STUDIO MANAGEMENT SERVICES

50-experts 2/12/10 9:35 AM Page 1

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In 2001, after graduating Northwestern Universitywith a degree in painting and a few classesin black-and-white photography, Jill Liebhaberwent to work at a portrait studio franchise,eventually becoming the manager. Yet shewasn’t really inspired by portraiture.

At Imaging USA 2006 in Austin, she gotinspired by portrait artists like Vicki Taufer,M.Photog.Cr., CPP, and Liebhaber’s perspectivechanged completely. “I was blown away,” shesays. She saw how she could use her paintingtalents in children’s portraits and turnportraiture into art.

Back home, Liebhaber worked on a businessplan for a studio of her own. She’d heardabout PPA Studio Management Services(SMS) and knew she’d have to be on awaiting list for its services, but just knowinghelp would be available gave her confidenceto move forward. In May 2006, she got herbusiness license and left the chain studio.She secured a storefront in her Chicagoneighborhood and spent the summer settingup a portrait boutique. The official launch ofher creation, Jookie, was in August.

From the start, the business went prettywell. Liebhaber built a client base throughparticipating in neighborhood events, word-of-mouth and small-scale local promotions.In the first five months, 117 sessions broughtJookie gross sales of $52,000, enough tokeep rolling, even though Liebhaber declareda loss for the year due to the startup costs.

That was to be expected. Liebhaber feltshe had a good foundation. She was moreconcerned about workflow. She’d based herpricing on the high-volume, low-price modelof her former employer.

After five months, the pace proved unsus-tainable; something had to change. Liebhaberengaged SMS at the end of 2006, and askedfor help in three areas: incorporation,managing business volume, and improvingher price structure.

Liebhaber’s SMS consultant, Bridget Jackson,explained that incorporating the business asan S-corp would lead to substantial savings

on self-employment tax, while helping herseparate her personal and business accounting.

Together they worked out a plan to bringin seasonal help. Jackson said she needed afull year’s worth of financial data to establishan employee budget, so that had to waituntil 2008. Jackson helped Liebhaber budgetfor employee expenses based on the PPAbenchmark of 6.9 percent of gross sales, andLiebhaber hired a part-time seasonal employeefor the busy fall months. Liebhaber used onlyabout 60 percent of her employee budget, soin 2009 she added a paid intern. The employeeshelped Liebhaber focus on her photographywhile maintaining the bottom line.

“The scariest part was raising my prices,”admits Liebhaber. “I wanted to break free of thehigh-volume studio system.”

Jackson and Liebhaber established a four-year plan to gradually raise her rates withoutalienating her initial clientele. In 2007,Liebhaber increased the price of individualsmall prints in a way that made buying largerprints look much more attractive. She raised4x6s and 5x7s to the same price, $48—herown costs were identical for these sizes. Shealso boosted 8x10s from $52 to $73.

in 2008, Liebhaber raised the sessionfees, and in 2009, she bumped up printprices again to encourage sales of big-ticketcanvases and wall prints. This year she’smaking another small print increase in thefinal stage of the plan.

“With higher small print prices, I get fewerclients who are just shopping based on price,”she says. “That led to more clients comingto me because they are interested in mywork, not because I had low prices. Peoplespend more per session now, so I don’t haveto shoot as much. I can spend more time oneach client, putting a higher level of artistryinto the work as opposed to just churningout prints. It also freed up more of my timeto market Jookie and develop the business.”

Over the past three years, Liebhaber’sprice increases have led to steadily increasingsales with steadily decreasing session numbers.

In 2007, her first full year of business, sheshot 250 sessions. In 2008, with both herprint and session price increases in place,she shot only 170 sessions while maintainingher gross sales. In 2009, with another printprice increase, she decreased sessions to160 but grossed about $10,000 more thanthe previous years.

As is typically the case when prices goup, Liebhaber has seen a decrease in cost ofsales—from 22 percent in 2007 to 21 percentin 2008 to 19 percent in 2009. “Those changesmay not sound like a lot, but each percentagepoint drop in cost of sales represents severalthousand dollars of money that Jookie keepsin net profit,” explains Jackson.

By keeping more of what she earns,Liebhaber has been able to reinvest in thebusiness and continue its growth. ThroughSMS guidance, she paid off her initial busi-ness loan more than a year ahead of time.She has been able to invest tens of thousandsof dollars into Jookie over its first three-and-a-half years without incurring any additionaldebt. In fact, Liebhaber has established animpressive cash reserve for the business, whichallows her to promote the studio’s growththrough marketing and capital expenditures.

“Most important, she has a plan,” saysJackson. “She knows what she needs tohave in place at all times, and she preparesfor her busy season well in advance. She’sreally set herself up for positive growth.” �

Go to www.ppa.com or e-mail [email protected] learn more about SMS consultations,webinars and workshops. Visit Jill Liebhaberat jookiekids.com.

PROFIT CENTERBY JEFF KENT

How Jill Liebhaber broke free of chain studio pricingand created her own brand of success.

How I did it

©Jo

okie

, a p

ortr

ait

bout

ique


Jill Liebhaber

BY JEFF KENT

52-HWDI 2/12/10 9:31 AM Page 1

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We’re finally hearing encouraging stories

about an economic recovery, and businesses

are beginning to focus on post-recession

consumers. Still, it’s important to under-

stand what happened and how we can use

this information to plan for the future.

Although both had profound effects on

economies the world over, the current reces-

sion isn’t all that similar to the Great Depres-

sion of the last century, which dragged on

for more than a decade. In the United States,

the unemployment rate hit 25 percent. The

shortage of money and even consumer goods

had profound effects on the entire generation

who came of age during the 1930s. Many

would remain cautious spenders and frugal

consumers to the end of their days.

I believe the changes in the spending

habits of today’s consumers won’t be so

drastic or long term after this relatively

brief economic hardship. In recessions, the

consumption of goods and services tends to

follow the model of last-in, first-out: The

last things the customer will give up buying

when money is tight will be the first things

he purchases when there’s money coming in.

In down periods, the first things consumers

cut from their budgets are extravagances,

such as vacation homes and fine art. Next

come luxuries like sports cars, spa visits and

designer handbags. Then the routine

indulgences go, like $5 coffee treats, dining

out and after-work cocktails at the bar.

Further economizing needed? Next to go are

services such as house cleaning, lawn

maintenance and mobile-phone plans. Last

to go are the essentials. Portrait services fall

somewhere between indulgences and luxuries.

A recent study by the marketing and

research company Decitica (decitica.com)

outlines how the present economic downturn

has affected American consumer spending

habits in general. The study finds that four

distinct groups of consumers emerged—the

steadfast frugalists, the involuntary penny-

pinchers, the pragmatic spenders, and the

apathetic materialists.

The steadfast frugalists were non-spenders

before the recession. Six out of 10 people in this

group are women, and they represent 20

percent of the population. The most disciplined

of the four groups in spending habits, they

considered themselves to be tightwads before

the recession hit. They tend not to be brand

loyal, and they avidly seek coupons and

specials. For photographers, these consumers

are the most challenging to attract. Because

of prices, they tend to shop at chain studios

rather than with independent photographers.

The penny-pinchers are the most severely

affected by the recession, both financially

and emotionally. Six out of 10 people in this

group are women, and the group represents

29 percent of the population. For many of them

in the last year, spending exceeded income.

The pragmatic spenders are mostly men,

whose annual household income exceeds

$75,000. Although they have the greatest

capacity to maintain their spending habits,

their decisions are tempered by caution.

This group is highly attractive to marketers

in general, but industry studies show that 87

percent of the purchasers of professional

portraiture are women. This group is a

challenge for photographers to attract.

The fourth group is the apathetic mate-

rialists. Equally divided among men and

women, this group represents 20 percent of

the population. Its members are predom-

inantly Gen-Y. Apathetic materialists aren’t

much perturbed by the recession. Their

spending habits and intentions for the

future are the least affected of the four

groups, likely due to their age and the stage

of life they’re in—young, single, with limited

disposable income. Youth-oriented

marketers find them an attractive target.

As soon as the economy stabilizes, I

believe that the people who were spenders

before the recession will be ready to spend

again. Now’s the time for photographers to

start mapping our post-recession

marketing plans, and those plans will

PROFIT CENTER BY GREG STANGL, M.PHOTOG.CR. , CPP

Marketing in a post-recession economy


There’s light at the end of the tunnel. Can you see the better times ahead?

“The principles of marketing haven’t changed, but theperception of marketing has. Studio owners who tookmarketing for granted now realize its importance tobusiness success. Many studios are now trying to re-brandthemselves to stand out from competition … Now morethan ever, those studios who continued to market theirbusinesses [during the recession] are thriving, while thosethat did not are closing their doors or trying to catch up.”

—WILLIAM F. CAMACHO, VICE PRESIDENT OF MARATHON PRESS

54-55 marketing-stangl 2/11/10 5:10 PM Page 1

probably look a little different this time.

Henry Oles, president of the Virtual Back-

ground Company (virtualbackgrounds.net),

puts it this way, “If the photographer isn’t

working in a special niche, isn’t doing some

really creative marketing, the future is

difficult. Some think that the public will

rebound after experiencing poor quality

photography and will return to the

professional. Don’t hold your breath.”

What does marketing look like in the

new frontier? According to William F.

Camacho, vice president of Marathon

Press, “The principles of marketing haven’t

changed, but the perception of marketing

has. Studio owners who took marketing for

granted now realize its importance to

business success. Many studios are now

trying to re-brand themselves to stand out

from competition … Now more than ever,

those studios who continued to market

their businesses [during the recession] are

thriving, while those that did not are

closing their doors or trying to catch up.”

Michael Redford, a successful studio

owner, says, “It’s important to develop a back-

to-basics approach to marketing. Family

and children’s portraiture remain strong

because the amateur cannot shoot these

images. Facebook for seniors is an

important part of a marketing package. Our

packages include a USB drive with selected

images with an overlay of our studio logo

for our clients to put on Facebook. We’ve

always strived to market to the upper-income

families, so our business was less affected

by this recession then many other studios.”

While there will continue to be a strong

prosumer market for cameras and related

equipment, a professional photographer

who develops a comprehensive marketing

and sales program will always have the edge.

The winners coming out of the down economy

will be those companies that use this time to

strengthen customer relationships and work

to develop a strong marketing plan that

allows the business to grow and prepare for

demand on the horizon.

To be successful, studios need to adapt

quickly to both the positive and negative

changes—while remaining cognizant that

although the economy will rebound, it will

look considerably different. For those who

aggressively prepare to confront these

differences, prosperity awaits. �


54-55 marketing-stangl 2/11/10 5:10 PM Page 2

IMAGING USA 2010 TEAMCONVENTION VOLUNTEERS | EXHIBITORS

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If you’re serious about your business and looking for the inspiration and

tools to take it to the next level, then Imaging USA is a must. The educational

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To get the most out of the effort and time

you put into online social networking, there

are certain best practices you should strive

to adhere to. The practices below apply to

blogging, Facebook, Twitter and any other

networking or promotional sites.

First, recognize the three main goals of

social networking: landing new clients,

building your reputation as an expert in

your area of photography, and interacting

with other professional photographers.

GET ACTIVE ONLINE. You get what you

put into any personal or business relationship.

The more active you are in a particular online

community, the better your chances for inter-

action and feedback from the other people in

the community. If, for example, you post tons

of photos on Flickr, make frequent comments

on others’ photos, and join various groups, you’ll

draw significantly more views and comments

on your images than if you were inactive.

SHOW SINCERE INTEREST IN

OTHERS. Make constructive comments on

what others have posted, and ask insightful

questions. Social networking is two-way

communication. Seek out blogs with

interesting content and respond to readers’

comments about your own blog.

BE PERSONABLE. The Internet can

be a distant and impersonal place. A key part

of online success is portraying your personality

so that others can relate to you. If people like

your personality and come to trust you (and

your reputation), they’ll be more likely to

follow you on Twitter, subscribe to your

blog, or engage your photographic services.

ENCOURAGE DIALOGUE. The best

way to build new relationships or rekindle

old ones is through dialogue. If you read a

blog post and have questions, ask the author.

It is acceptable to ask questions of anyone,

just be polite and don’t be offended if they

don’t respond. Forums, like photo.net,

popphoto.com and ppa.com/community/

forums, are great places to ask questions and

participate in a creative community. On your

social networks, consider taking polls or invit-

ing questions from your friends and followers.

ESTABLISH A REGULAR SCHEDULE.

Most photographers don’t want to feel tied

to the computer, and some neglect online

social networking altogether because they

feel they don’t have the time. But using social

media doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

Think of it as a necessary business task. Set

aside a little time every day to invest in your

networking, and you’ll find yourself looking

forward to the interaction. It’s all about

developing good habits. Determine your

audience, set your goals, and create a schedule

to keep you on task and productive.

USE ANALYTICS. As you continue to

put more time and effort into social net-

working, you’ll find it satisfying and useful

to use analytics to gauge its success. You can

see how often your pages are being viewed,

how people found them, how long they

looked at each page, and more. Several

social networking sites have analytics built

into the interface. For example, the pro

version of Flickr has analytics to show which

of your images are most popular and how

many views and comments you get daily.

Facebook’s analytics for business pages,

Insights, give you a variety of information,

including viewer demographics such as age,

gender, geographic location and more.

USE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZA-

TION. SEO gives you better visibility and

exposure, and therefore the potential for

increasing business. Find ways to make your

images, content and yourself more SEO-friendly

through linking, metatags, and much more.

KEEP CONTENT AND IMAGES

FRESH AND UP TO DATE. The more

often you update, the better. People like

following bloggers who provide a consistent

flow of content and information. Most

important, your contact information should

always be up to date and accurate. Even if

you’re not active on the LinkedIn network,

you should at least have an accurate

depiction of yourself there, including links

to your website, blog and an e-mail address.

SPEAK TO YOUR AUDIENCE. Who

are the people you want to connect with?

Define your target audience and figure out

which social networking communities

they’re involved in. For example, if you

target high school students, focus on your

Facebook page. If you target magazine

editors or corporations, focus on LinkedIn.

CONTRIBUTE VALUABLE CONTENT.

You need to consistently submit information

your audience finds interesting. Define your

specialty or special knowledge and put it out

there. Be thoughtful in the content you

provide on any social network. People will

want to connect with you if they see you as a

valuable source of information, advice and

service. People love behind-the-scenes peeks,

and timely comments on news and events.

Think about the emotions you’re expressing

and the emotions you want to elicit. If you

regularly test new equipment, people would

love to hear about your experiences and get

critiques to inform their own decisions. No

matter what genre of photography you do,

you have something of value to share. �

Adler Photography is in Owego, N.Y.,www.lindsayadlerphotography.com andwww.linkedphotographer.com.

PROFIT CENTER BY L INDSAY ADLER

How to work the ’Net


Best practices in social networking

58-bestpractices 2/11/10 5:34 PM Page 1

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

What I likeNichole Van Valkenburgh stackshigh tech next to vintage

Little thing, big difference … A Manfrotto bracket

for mounting my flash on a light stand, and a pair

of PocketWizards. Getting my flash off-camera for

an impromptu lighting setup is a must for my

wedding and portrait work. Besides, my assistant

was really tired of holding flashes for me!

What hot new product are you going out of your

way to use? I’m always on the look-out for light

modifiers. I recently ordered Paul C. Buff ’s new

Parabolic Light Modification System and I’m

stoked to play with its range of possibilities.

Has a piece of equipment ever changed the way

you approach photography? I adore my Hartblei

80mm MC TS-PC Super-Rotator lens. It can

turn just about any scene into something

artistic and dreamy.

Best business bargain

you’ve ever scored?

A blue 1948 Ford

pickup that I chris-

tened “Harrison the

Ford.” He’s the best

backdrop I could imagine for

sessions in my outdoor studio.

He’s extremely patient and great

with little kids, especially busy two-year-olds!

IMAGE BY NICHOLE VAN VALKENBURGH

NICHOLEV.COM

61-goodsplash 2/11/10 2:15 PM Page 1

THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW


Is ISO 1600 the new ISO 200? In practical applications,yes. That’s not all Nikon’s new pro camera has to offer.

BY ELL IS VENER

We’ve seen big changes in DSLRs over the last

couple of years, including video capability,

autofocus and performance improvements,

longer battery life, and higher ISO for use in

real-world applications. In that last category,

we’re seeing not merely incremental

improvements in signal-to-noise ratio, but

astounding ones—as in seeing little difference

between capture quality at the camera’s lowest

native ISO (200 in the case of the Nikon D3S)

and settings three to four stops greater.

All im

ages ©Ellis Vener

This exposure was taken at ISO 1600 for 1/1,600second at f/8 with available light from an overcastsky. Notice the extreme amount of fine detail inhis eye and skin texture and the lack of noiseconsidering the relatively high ISO setting.

Redefining thepossibilitiesNIKON D3S

62-66-NIKON 2/11/10 5:29 PM Page 1

Beyond giving photographers the ability to use

faster shutter-speeds, this improvement changes

our thinking about needing big, expensive large-

aperture lenses, and the amount of lighting gear

we need to lug around. Once on location, it

changes the way we use the ambient light, with or

without augmentation. Like the arrival of video

capability, ISO improvements actually change the

economics of the business.

Because of the slightly imprecise way baseline

ISO sensitivity settings are determined with

digital cameras, they are something of a

proprietary secret. There are ISO standards based

on monochrome, but not on color targets. When

there’s virtually no visible difference between

images shot with the camera settings at what we

finally know as ISO 160, 200, 240, or 320,

determining an ISO base setting becomes sub-

jective. With the D3 cameras, Nikon calls it ISO

200. No matter which baseline ISO number is

assigned, any setting above or below that is then

accomplished electronically by changing the

amount of amplification, or gain, that’s applied to

the analog input from the sensor during the

analog-to-digital processing. With common

DSLRs this aspect of signal processing, among

others, is always done internally. That remains the

case whether you have the camera do the raw to

TIFF/JPEG processing or do it yourself with a

raw processing application.

But if I can shoot at ISO 1600 and get nearly

the same results in terms of noise and dynamic

range that I’d get at ISO 200 (comparing the

results in two 12x18-inch prints), without a lot

of processing or post processing, then I can base

my setting within that four-stop range on my

creative preference for the outcome with my

choice of the aperture, shutter speed and the

lighting effect I want to capture. I can do that

with a Nikon D3S.

Once the D3S is set for ISO above 3200, it’s

programmed to automatically apply noise

reduction algorithms to the raw NEF file as the

data passes through the Expeed processor. The

camera can definitely do an amazing job of

producing fine to decent image quality over a

range of effective ISO, from 16000 (Hi 0.3) to

an incredible 102400 (Hi 3.0). But I find that

images straight out of the camera shot in the

12800 to Hi 1 (25600) range have far less noise

than you previously would have captured, and

are very usable. In practical terms, the D3S can

make sharply detailed photos in light so dim you

can barely see anything. As you move up the

sensitivity scale beyond ISO 3200, what you

gain in low-light capability you begin to pay for

in dynamic range, losing detail in the extreme


photo by chris hornbecker

Fisheye joins the Lensbaby Optic Swap System. And another door opens.

62-66-NIKON 2/11/10 5:29 PM Page 2

We got a sneak peek into the creation of

Nikon’s newest ad campaign for the D3S

camera. The concept: artists working

together, one art capturing another. The

project reunited commercial photographer

Mark Seliger with his longtime friend Mikhail

Baryshnikov, dancer extraordinaire and a

captivating photographer in his own right.

Seliger has earned complete artistic

freedom on most assignments; Nikon’s

only mandate was the centerpiece of the

campaign, a portrait of Baryshnikov taken

on the roof of the Baryshnikov Arts Center

in New York. Then the photographer was

free to pursue his own vision—photographs

of a day in the life of the Center and its

environs. There was video capture as

well, some of it storyboarded beforehand,

some of it extemporaneous. You can see

the footage and more still images from

the shoot at nikonusa.com/d3s.

As a Nikon shooter, Seliger appreciates

the intuitive operation of the D3S. He’d

been using a Nikon D3 for more than a

year, so the transition to the new model

was smooth. “It’s a darn fine camera,”

says Seliger. “I’ve definitely made it part

of my repertoire.” During the shoot, even

unpredicted rain proved no problem.

Seliger praised the D3S’s capacity to

capture high-quality images in low light,

a significant advantage in commercial

photography. “You can practically shoot

in the dark with the D3S,” he says.

In his own studio, “We keep things

really simple here,” Seliger says. He uses

minimal artificial lighting, choosing available

light whenever possible. “This camera’s not

a one-trick pony,” he says, noting the HD

video feature that allows him to seamlessly

shoot stills, then video, then back to stills

without missing a beat. “That was exciting.”

The D3S’s 9 fps capture rate is another

big bonus for Seliger. Although he doesn’t

shoot at quite the pace of a sports photog-

rapher or photojournalist, “You still want

your camera’s buffer to be able to keep up

with the speed at which you’re shooting, and

the D3S does that,” he says. “[It] allows me

to capture spontaneity in my subjects.”

And that’s something Seliger’s famous for.


MARK SELIGER IN MOTIONBehind the scenes of the Nikon D3S ad campaign l BY DIANE BERKENFELD

Mark Seliger’s portrait of Mikhail Baryshnikov was taken with the Nikon D3S set to ISO 12800 for anexposure at f/4 for 1/50 second.

Seliger captured Baryshnikov in motion with available window light during cloudy conditions at f/5.6 for1/500 second, ISO 8000. The shadows are rich and dark with no noise issues.

Photos courtesy of M

ark Seliger and Nikon U

SA

62-66-NIKON 2/11/10 5:30 PM Page 3

highlights and eventually getting noise-obscured

detail in the deepest shadows. To my eyes, the

D3 and D700 topped out at a fully usable, if

slightly grainy, ISO 1600, but with the D3S, that

grain and noise pattern only begins to show

at ISO 6400 or 12800, depending on the

lighting conditions.

For still photography, the D3S has four avail-

able image area recording formats, one of them

new to Nikon. As with previous models, it has the

23.9x36mm, full-resolution 12.1-megapixel FX

format; the standard Nikon DX/APS-C, 23.5x15.6mm

format that uses the central area for 5.14-megapixel

resolution; and the 20x30mm, 10.56-megapixel

capture with a 4:5 aspect ratio. The new format is

20x30mm, 8.41-megapixel APS-H. Mount a DX

Nikkor lens and the camera automatically chooses

the DX recording mode, but DX lens detection

can be switched off in the control menu.

Physically, the D3S is almost identical to the

D3 and D3X, save the two new control buttons

at the bottom corners of the large rear high-

resolution LCD, which is protected by hardened

glass. The left button triggers the info display,

and the right button activates Live View. The

helpful info panel display tells you at a glance all

of the major camera settings, including auto-

focus point selection.

When using Live View mode in still

photography, the autofocus switches from the

default phase detection mode to a slower contrast

detection mode, in which the camera analyzes the

actual data feed from the sensor. There are two

Live View modes, one for handheld use and one

for tripod-mounted use. In the latter mode, you

can magnify the view on the LCD for precise

manual focusing.

To start movie capture, you first activate Live

View and then either push the center button

on the multi-selector or press the Pv button

to the right of the lens mount (press again to

stop recording). It would be nice to have the

higher resolution (1,080p) of Canon’s EOS 5D

Mark II or EOS-1D Mark IV cameras, but

Nikon’s 720p HD still yields high quality,

and it doesn’t eat up as much storage. The

valuable video features include controls to trim

a movie clip in-camera, saving the edit as a

copy and keeping the original intact; that’s

well suited for wireless transfer. You’ve also got

aperture control and the use of the entire ISO

range. In use, DSLRs are proving to be noisy

beasts, so if you want to record audio along

with your video, invest in an external micro-

phone, and perhaps an audio mixer to get

professional results.

In 720p HD mode, the D3S can shoot


Soft Focus for the Lensbaby Optic Swap System. The classic portraitlens reborn at 50mm.

photo by john panian

62-66-NIKON 2/11/10 5:30 PM Page 4

continuously up to 5 minutes; in lower

resolution formats, the limit is 20 minutes.

High-quality HD capture aside, cameras of the

current generation are stop-gap video solutions

because of their ergonomics and autofocus

limitations. They’re designed to be held up to

the photographer’s eye and for viewing the image

through the reflex finder. But in video capture

modes, the SLR body’s mirror is swung up out of

the way, and you view what you’re shooting on

either the built-in LCD or an external monitor.

Perhaps as HD-SLRs evolve, the camera body will

evolve as well. �



SENSOR: FX full-frame 36x24mm CMOS

MAXIMUM RESOLUTION: 12.1 effective megapixels (4,256x2,832)

IMAGE AREA: FX (24x35.9mm) 4,256x2,832 pixels; 1:2 (30x20mm) 3,552x2,368 pixels; 5:4 (30x24mm) 3,552x2,832pixels; DX (16x24mm) 2,784x1,848 pixels

LIVE VIEW: handheld and tripod modes

MOVIE MODES: HD 1,280x720/24 fps, VGA 640x424/24 fps, QVGA 320x216/24 fps

ISO RANGE: 200-12800 (expandable from ISO 100 to 102400)

METERING: 1,005-Pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering II, variable center-weighted, spot

AUTOFOCUS: 51 focus points (15 cross-type sensors); single-point, Dynamic and Auto-area AF modes

VIEWFINDER: Approx. 100% coverage

SHUTTER SPEED: 1/8,000 second to 30 seconds, bulb

MAXIMUM FRAME RATE: up to 9 fps in FX mode

FILE FORMATS: JPEG, RAW (Nikon 12/14-bit NEF), TIFF, WAV

MEDIA: Dual CompactFlash slots

LCD: 3-inch diagonal 920,000 dot VGA TFT with 170-degree

viewing angle

LENS MOUNT: Nikon F mount, compatible with Type G or D AF Nikkor(all functions), DX AF Nikkor (all functions except FX format, 1:2 30x20image size and 5:4 30x24 image size), others with limited function

INTERFACE: Hi-speed USB, NTSC, PAL, HDMI, 10-pin terminal

MSRP (LIST PRICE): $5,199.95

This image was taken at Eddie's Attic, a small bar in Decatur, Ga., where the lightlevels on the stage were very low, around EV3.3, or roughly 2.0 foot candles. The exposure is 1/320 second at f/2.8 with ISO set to Hi 1 (ISO 25600 equivalent). The signal-to-noise ratio at a high ISO setting of an oldercamera like a Canon EOS 1D Mark III or NikonD3 would have limited me to about ISO 3200.That would have meant an exposure in the1/60- to 1/80-second range, or using flash. The relatively low signal-to-noise level at Hi 1allowed me to use a short exposure to freezethe action, preserve the feel of the ambientlight, and not have to spend time on noisereduction in post processing.

specs: Nikon D3S

All im

ages ©Ellis Vener

62-66-NIKON 2/11/10 5:30 PM Page 5

100% Carbon Fiber Tubes / 100% High Performance / 100% Manfrotto Quality

Manfrotto presents a new generation of tripods to thecarbon fiber tripod world. Extremely light weight with

incredible performance, fast and easy to use.

welcome to the Family



If you’ve dreamed of having a view camera look, you canbring technical movements and control to your Canon orNikon digital SLR body for swings, tilts, shifts and more.

BY STAN SHOLIK

We professional architectural, industrial and

still life photographers who’ve been using

technical/view cameras now face difficult

decisions. Film, processors and particularly

instant proofing material are hard to find.

We have to develop a new workflow if we’re

moving to digital, but we still need to use view

camera movements and bellows extension.

There are options for adapting medium-

format digital backs to existing 4x5 cameras,

as well as view cameras expressly made for

medium-format digital backs. These will fill

our needs, but at a cost that’s hard to justify

in the present economy.

Direct Source Marketing (dsmww.com)

has a far more affordable solution that incor-

porates digital Canon and Nikon SLR cameras.

The company is importing the Horseman

VCC Pro made by Komamura Corporation

of Japan. Though the VCC Pro mounts to

any film or digital Canon EOS or Nikon

body, it’s being targeted primarily at digital

SLR users. Adding even more appeal to this

solution is the growing availability of full-

frame digital SLRs with resolution approach-

ing that of medium-format digital backs.

The VCC Pro will meet many of the needs of

current view camera users. Moreover, its

ease of use could open doors for photographers

who have yet to investigate the creative

possibilities of using swings, tilts and shifts.

The VCC Pro has the look and solid feel

of a view camera. The front standard features

a nicely designed lens panel, left and right

swings, left and right shifts and tilts (but no

rise). The lens panel accepts adapters for

Mamiya 645, Pentax 645, Hasselblad V-

series, Linhof Standard, Copal #0 mount

view camera lenses, Rodenstock Rodagon

and APO-Rodagon CCD lenses and M39-

thread Schneider Digitar lenses. Canon and

Nikon lenses are out because of their limited

image circle and inability to focus at infinity.

There is no electrical contact between the

lens standard and the camera body, so the

lenses must have an aperture control ring—

operation is entirely manual.

The camera’s fixed rear standard permits

rise and fall movements and left and right

shifts, but no swings or tilts. A bag bellows joins

the two standards, which are mounted on a

flat bed rather than a square or circular rail.

The front standard moves about 3 inches

from the rear standard to the front of the bed

track, and the track can move up about 3 inches

farther, for a possible extension of 6 inches.

TransformativeHORSEMAN VCC PRO

All im

ages ©S

tan Sholik

With the 28mm Digitar and a Nikon D700mounted on the Horseman VCC, there was enoughfall on the rear standard to keep the verticalsvertical on this model home. Since the VCC lackslevels, I used the virtual horizon on the D700 andlevels in the hot shoe to orient the camera.

Horseman VCC Pro with the recessed lensboardtilted forward, used with Rodenstock Rodagons,Schneider Digitar 28mm f/2.8 and other M39thread lenses.

68-70-horseman 2/11/10 5:09 PM Page 1

All these capabilities make the VCC Pro

highly versatile, particularly for still life,

close-up and macro photography. What’s

really needed, though, is more advanced

optical design. The camera is willing, but

particularly for architectural shooting, the

present lens selection is weak. The problem

lies in the depth of the DSLR body; the

lens-flange-to-sensor distance (flange focal

length) needs to be at least 60mm to avoid

interfering with the camera’s mirror operation.

For architectural photographers needing a

wide-angle lens, only the Schneider Digitar

28mm f/2.8 meets this criterion. Direct

Source Marketing was able to loan us one

for this article. Superb as this piece of optics

is, when focused at infinity, its body makes

contact with the metal ring that mounts the

VCC to the DSLR, limiting the range of rise

and fall and left and right shift to just a few

millimeters, far too few to be of much use

for architectural photography.

Where the VCC Pro does fully come into

its own is in the studio, especially for close-

up and macro work. For my in-studio tests,

I used the 28mm Digitar, a 47mm Super

Angulon (in Copal #0 shutter), and my


There was just enough fall movement before the28mm Digitar bumped into the VCC’s mountingring for the Nikon D700 to correct the verticalsfrom this angle.

The shift control on the rear standard is drivenwith a micrometer drive and locked in positionwith a lever (shown at the right of the base).Positions are clearly marked so that you canprecisely position the standard for stitchingimages together.

The micrometer drive for rise and fall on the rearstandard operates smoothly and precisely. Markingsshow the amount of rise or fall in millimeters.

I had to tilt the camera upward while doing thisphoto because I ran out of movements when the28mm Digitar bumped into the VCC’s mountingring for the Nikon D700.

specs: Horseman VCCTYPE: Auxiliary equipment allowing swing, tilt, shift and rise/fall movements when attached to the lens mount of a digital SLR camera.

COMPATIBLE LENSES: Rodenstock Rodagon lenses 60mm to 135mm, Hasselblad lenses, Pentax 645 lenses, Mamiya 645 lenses, large-format lenses 90mm to 210mm

TRACK EXTENSION: 72mm (2.8 inches)

CAMERA MOVEMENTS: Lens standard — [Tilt] 15° forwards / 10° backwards, [Swing] 15° each (L/R), [Shift] 30mm each (L/R); Back — [Rise/Fall] 15mm each, [Shift] 20mm each (L/R)

CAMERA MOUNT: Canon EOS Mount, Nikon F Mount

MSRP: $1,699

68-70-horseman 2/11/10 5:09 PM Page 2

Nikon Macro 120mm f/5.6 Nikkor-AM(ED)

lens with M39 thread. The Digitar works

well at studio distances, where there’s enough

bellows extension so that the lens body does

not hit the lens mount, but it’s a bit too wide-

angle for most work. Neither the 47mm nor

the 120mm could focus on objects at normal

working distances, but served well as close-

up and macro lenses. (I’ve heard that using

Rodenstock Rodagon lenses or medium-

format lenses would overcome this

limitation, but I wasn’t able to test them.)

New lenses are likely in the future.

In studio, I could use the lens tilt to increase

the depth of field, always welcome with

close-ups. Large lens movements introduce

minor color fringing. Evaluating focus

through the viewfinder does get tricky.

Shooting tethered and evaluating focus on

the monitor would work better, but when

the camera is horizontal, there’s not enough

clearance for the USB cable between a

Nikon DSLR body and the rear standard.

It’s fine when the camera’s vertical.

Clearances are tight elsewhere, and my

hands aren’t that large. Attaching the remote

release to the Nikon accessory socket is very

tight work. Even attaching and releasing the

camera body from the bellows and rotating the

camera from horizontal to vertical takes some

getting used to with the limited clearance.

Aside from these minor annoyances, the

design and quality of the Horseman VCC

Pro are excellent. The micrometer drives for

rise and fall and lateral shift on the rear

standard are very smooth and well marked

in millimeter increments. This allows you to

use the rear standard for stitching images

together. The VCC provides four-frame

stitching with a full-size CCD or FX imager

that yields image quality equivalent to that

of medium-format digital backs.

The controls for tilt, swing and shift

on the front standard are not micrometer

driven, but they operate smoothly and lock

securely, as do the large focusing knobs.

On location, I found myself wishing there

were levels on the VCC Pro. The virtual

horizon on the Nikon D700 helped, and

I had my hot shoe level with me, so that

was a minor issue.

With the right lens, the Horseman VCC

Pro puts view camera controls in the hands

of a Canon or Nikon digital SLR owner. �



With the lenses that I had at my disposal, theVCC Pro really came into its own in the studio forclose-up work. This image was taken with theNikon Macro 120mm f/5.6 Nikkor-AM(ED) lensmounted on the VCC Pro and a Nikon D2X camera.

The photo above, left, was taken with the movements zeroed at f/8 with a 47mm Super Angulon. Usingthe front tilt, I was able to gain more depth of field, which is most noticeable in the increased sharpnessof the husk of the dried maize at the top of the photo. Since the movements do not occur on the opticalaxis of the lens, the camera needs to be repositioned to reframe the shot after adjustments are made.

68-70-horseman 2/11/10 5:09 PM Page 3

71 foreyon 2/10/10 11:38 AM Page 1



Canon’s new EOS 7D boasts extended high ISO, smartviewfinding, full HD and enhanced autofocus.

BY DON CHICK, M.PHOTOG.CR. , CPP

The Canon 7D is a digital camera techie’s

dream with its host of cool features, not the

least of which is 18-megapixel resolution.

Reading the 275-page manual is time well

spent—really!—to acquaint yourself with all

the new features and the incredible number

of menu options in this bad boy.

First, I noted the improved grip. I love my

Canon EOS 40D’s ergonomic design, but with

Canon’s design tweaks in key parts of the body,

I can hold the 7D with confidence that it won’t

slip out of my hand. I noticed too that the

on-off switch is in a more logical place—on the

top of the body, next to the mode dial. That’s

where my left thumb naturally rests when I

hold the camera with both hands. Canon also

added a switch for starting video capture, so

there’s no time lost in navigating menus.

The 7D has an incredible ISO range of

100 to 6400 (native), to an extended 12800.

I set up a GretagMacbeth ColorChecker

chart and a mannequin head to test digital

noise across the entire range (below). As

expected, the lower ISO captures had no

noise in shadow areas. Noise didn’t appear

until the ISO 1600 range. At ISO 6400,

noise was abundantly evident, and at ISO

12800 the noise in the shadow areas was

extreme. But even with a noisy ISO 12800,

you can at least capture images in previously

unthinkable low-light conditions.

I ran an ISO 12800 capture through the

Imagenomic Noiseware Professional plug-in

(imagenomic.com), and even at the default

settings, it removed a significant amount of

Sweet sophisticationCANON EOS 7D

All im

ages ©D

on Chick

A GretagMacbeth ColorChecker chart plus athree-dimensional object with shadows showhow noise levels from the Canon EOS 7Dchange with native and extended ISO settings.

ISO 100

ISO 800 ISO 1600 ISO 6400

ISO 12800

72-74-canon 2/14/10 11:29 AM Page 1

noise to produce a completely usable file

(below). Wedding photographers will

appreciate these high ISO capabilities, especially

at receptions, when the lights are usually

dimmed. Combining a fast lens with a high ISO

setting will give you many more salable images.

One of the fun 7D features is full HD

video. The possibilities for making multi-media

products or dynamic marketing are limited

only by your imagination. There are three

video resolution options: Full HD—high

definition recording quality, 1,920x1,080

pixels at 30, 25 or 24 progressive frames per

second; HD—1,280x7,20 at 60p or 50p fps;

and the least—640x480 at 60p or 50p fps.

Why all the options? Well, for instance, 24

fps is a U.S. standard and 25 fps is a European

standard. If you shoot in 60p or 50p fps, you

can slow down the frame rate in your output

playback and have a slow-motion effect. Genius.

The Canon has incorporated manual expo-

sure control in the 7D’s movie capture. Previous

models had only automatic exposure control.

The upgrade of manual exposure capability

gives you the ability to override the exposure

during complicated lighting situations. To

begin recording, simply flip a switch on the

back of the camera from still to video capture

and push the start/stop button. The camera

has a built-in microphone that records sound

in monaural. For far better audio capture,

get an external microphone to capture in

stereo and to avoid having the sounds of the

camera adjustments ruin your audio track.

Another new feature is the quick control

button on the back. Quick control brings up

a summary of shooting settings on the LCD

and allows quick checks or changes of key

settings. Navigate the settings with the

multi-controller.

Any techno-geek will appreciate the new

electronic level. Push the Info button twice

and the LCD monitor displays a diagram

showing the current pitch and roll of the

camera; it’s reminiscent of a flight simulator

game. When mounted on a tripod, this

feature will enable quick alignment of the

camera both vertically and horizontally.

There’s also a new multifunction button

next to the shutter release. Press the AF

point select button, and each press of the

M.Fn button toggles through the auto focus

modes, a real time saver. You can also use

M.Fn to fire a pre-flash from the built-in

flash unit to enable the camera to correctly

calculate the flash exposure.

The 7D has what Canon calls an “Intelligent


In addition to the new features, you still getclassic portrait quality from the Canon EOS 7D.Exposure: 1/60 second at f/6.3, ISO 100, no flash.

This sample from a much larger file shows how theapplication of noise reduction software can make aphotograph taken at ISO 12800 into a usable file.

72-74-canon 2/12/10 9:36 AM Page 2

Viewfinder.” It has a 100-percent field of

view, wide-viewing angle of 29.4 degrees,

and high magnification of 1.0. That means

you can frame the image knowing that

capture will be exactly what you’re seeing in

the viewfinder. It’s refreshing to look

through a DSLR viewer with this amount of

coverage. A grid display option in the

viewfinder is available to aid composition.

Improvements in autofocus have been

made in this model. Zone autofocus and

auto select 19-point autofocus are engineered

to minimize focusing errors, letting the camera

interpret which focus point the photographer

wants. As a portrait photographer who rarely

photographs sporting events or moving

objects, I’ll opt for the traditional single-

point autofocus. With the shallow depth of

field of a fast lens, I want to tell the camera

exactly where to focus. For testing purposes,

I took some photos at a junior high basketball

game (left). Zone autofocus mode enabled

me to capture more images. Rather than a

single focus point, the camera uses a zone of

focus points to interpret your focus point.

Combined with the high-speed drive

capability, it let me capture more correctly

focused images.

Is the Canon EOS 7D is worth the invest-

ment? If you’re in the market for a feature-rich,

18-megapixel camera with high ISO capability

and HD video, then yes, seriously consider

adding this new camera to your bag. �



specs: Canon EOS 7D

SENSOR: 22x14.9mm (APS-C size) CMOS sensor, 1.6X lens conversion

IMAGE PROCESSING: Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors

RESOLUTION: 17.9 megapixels (5,184 x 3,456 pixels)

VIDEO: Full HD video at 30p (29.97 fps), 24p (23.976 fps) and 25p with an array of manual controls, including manual exposure during movie shooting and ISO speed selection

METERING: 63-zone SPC TTL metering with selectable modes

AUTOFOCUS: 19-point all cross-type AF, TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor

ISO RANGE: ISO 100 to 6400 native, extension to ISO 12800

SHUTTER SPEED: 1/8,000 second to 30 seconds, bulb; maximum 8 shots per second

CONTINUOUS SHOOTING: High-speed maximum 8 shots per second; low-speed maximum 3 shots per second; maximum burst rate for JPEG (Large/Fine) about 94(CF) and 126 (UDMA CF), for RAW about 15 (CF or UDMA CF)

PRICE: $1,699

Using Zone autofocus at a junior highbasketball game scored more correctly focusedimages than single-point autofocus.

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Your favorite light modifiers in the right sizes, with the right fabrics.

Kits include 1 fabric, a frame, and a shoulder strap carrying case.

Additional fabrics and framesavailable for purchase.

The best light modification tools for any situation.

GET YOUR LIGHT RIGHT.

72-74-canon 2/14/10 11:31 AM Page 3

THE GOODS: PRODUCT COMPARISON


You’re on the edge of a packed dance floor,

camera on your hip, trigger finger itching

to shoot. There’s your shot! You snatch the

camera from its holster, raise it to your eye

in one fluid sweep, and nail it. You’re a new

breed of gunslinger sans the violence. If you

like that scenario, look into these new

holsters and sling-style straps for cameras.

I’ve been putting two ergonomic holsters

and one sling strap through their paces since

last fall’s PhotoPlus Expo. They're all designed

to afford quick camera access and alleviate

the neck and shoulder pain of toting a

camera, lens and flash on a traditional strap.

The Spider Holster and the Sun-Sniper-

Strap attach to the bottom of your camera.

The two-part Spider Holster has a quick-

release plate that screws into the camera’s

tripod socket and a holster that fits on a

regular belt or the sturdy optional accessory

belt. A knob on the plate slips into the holster

to hold the camera upside down at your hip.

The plate also has its own tripod mounting

socket on the bottom, so you don’t have to

detach it to use the camera with a tripod

(spiderholster.com).

The Sun-Sniper-Strap from California

Sunbounce is similar to the BlackRapid

R-Strap reviewed in PP’s October 2009

Web Exclusives (ppmag.com). It screws

into the camera’s tripod socket to hold the

camera upside down on an adjustable strap

across your chest, providing fast and easy

access to grabbing the key shot. The length

of strap that rests on your shoulder is well

padded (sun-sniper.com).

The HoldSLR holster hooks onto the

chest strap of a backpack or to a belt. The

camera slips into the holster lens first. This

holster comes with a body cover for outdoor

use in inclement weather (holdslr.com).

I tried all three accessories in numerous

situations. The Spider Holster worked best

for me. I used it with the optional acces-

sory belt, which has a flap of material to

keep the camera from rubbing against your

pants. Releasing the belt buckle requires

pushing a center button while pressing the

plastic side clips, so you can be confident it

won’t come undone accidentally. Velcro

running the length of the belt doubles over

to secure it to itself, and comfortably

adapts the belt to any waist size. Holster

slipped onto the belt, you secure it with the

elastic loop attached to the protective flap.

The Spider Holster’s locking mechanism

gives you complete peace of mind, but unless

you do handstands, your camera won’t come

off anyway. You can set the lock to engage

(or not) every time you reseat the camera.

The stainless steel and aluminum Spider

Holster can carry the weight of an SLR

body and a large lens with flash attached.

For heavier gear, SpiderPro recommends

using the optional Spider Belt. I tested it out

with a Nikon D300s attached to a bracket

with a portable tungsten light and an 18-

200mm lens. It was a little cumbersome,

but it worked. Videos on the SpiderPro

website show how it all works together.

I asked a few photographer friends to

test these carriers as well. A couple in high-

end wedding studios said they wouldn’t

feel comfortable in the midst of 300

reception guests having their camera

dangling upside down from a bracket, but

it all comes down to personal preference.

I used the carriers at an event where the

venue was a little too small for the number

of guests. The Spider Holster worked the

best there, too, and I wasn’t at all concerned

about walking through the crowd. I liked

the ease of using the Spider Belt lower on

my hip than a regular belt.

The HoldSLR was also good in a crowd.

With the camera in front, I instinctively felt

it was well protected. Keeping a hand on the

grip as I walked felt even more secure. The

Sun Sniper Strap, on the other hand, with

the camera at my back, felt less secure in

this crowd.

Changing up the Nikon for a Canon EOS

5D Mark II, 24-105mm lens and flash on the

If you’ve never liked using a traditional camera strap,take a cue from the Old West and try shooting fromthe hip with these new alternatives.

BY D IANE BERKENFELD

Quick drawWHO SAYS YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU?

The Sun-Sniper-Strap, distributed by CaliforniaSunbounce, suspends the camera at your back,held by a connector to the tripod socket.

76-77-Holster 2/11/10 2:15 PM Page 1

hot shoe made no difference to performance;

any DSLR with lens attached will feel at home

attached to any one of these camera carriers.

For portrait shots, I don’t always shoot on

a tripod, so the holsters were a real

convenience. I could simply slip the camera

into the holster when I needed to fix the

subject’s hair or pose, without losing time

finding a safe place to put it down. A quick

draw from my hip and I could resume

shooting. Sessions felt more fluid.

Gravity keeps the HoldSLR on your belt,

but I’d feel more secure if it had another

strap to keep it in place. The lens slips into

the collapsible “boot,” a fabric-covered steel

cage. A body cover is included. The product

designer is a nature photographer, so it’s

meant to withstand the rigors of hiking.

The Sun-Sniper-Strap has steel cables run-

ning through it, so it wouldn’t be easy for

someone to slash it and run off with your

camera. It does take the weight off of your

neck, but transfers it to your shoulder.

All three can be used in multiples, so

you can work with two cameras. Available

from retailers online, the Sun-Sniper-Strap

sells for $54.87. Available at Midwest Photo

Exchange, the HoldSLR sells for $69.95.

Purchase the SpiderPro system (holster and

belt) for $109.99 at spiderholster.com. �

The HoldSLR slips onto your belt and secures thecamera by holding the lens in a cylindrical “boot.”

The added protection from wear on your pantsand the low-slung design make the Spider Belta handy option for the Spider Holster.


76-77-Holster 2/11/10 2:16 PM Page 2


PRODUCT ROUNDUP BY BETSY F INN, CR .PHOTOG. , CPPTHE GOODS

14 Album design solutions that will saveyou time and inspire your creativity

Layout the easy wayDesigning albums from scratch can be a hassle. First you have to

come up with a creative look, and then you have to manually lay out

the pages. For the studio owner, the time it takes to produce an

album would be better spent on marketing and growing the

business. If you’re looking to lighten your album workload without

hiring another employee, the solutions below could be the answer.

ALBUM DS album design

software works like a toolbar

for Photoshop CS and later.

Using Photoshop’s working

area for designing the album,

Album DS automates the

process by keeping track of

the pictures used, placing the

images in the layout, applying

effects, and allowing direct

access to templates,

backgrounds, masks, clip art, styles, frames and more. The entire

process can be automated, just by selecting the templates and images

and leaving the work to Album DS. Prices start at $349. albumds.com

CHECK STUDIO allows you to give your printed albums a custom-

designed look without all the work. Most book designs are set up for

10x10 pages, but can be easily altered

to fit larger or smaller square

formats. Features include layered

PSD files with easy-to-use clipping

masks, editable type and detailed

PDF instructions. Book designs

are filled with beautiful backgrounds,

patterns and artwork, and details

such as antique frames and

custom shore scenes. Templates

start at $150 each; package deals

are available. checkartstudio.com

DESIGN AGLOW offers a selection of hip album templates for

wedding and portrait photographers. All of the templates are simple

to use (automations run on Photoshop actions) and customize,

and are flexible enough to work seamlessly with albums from any

vendor. Design Aglow offers a huge selection of other products as

well, from fresh marketing materials and smart selling tools to

inspiring learning products. Album templates range from $45 to $75.

designaglow.com

FOCUSED BY WHCC is an expanding line of high-quality

templates designed by photographers and artists, including people

whose names you’ll recognize. There are templates for press-

printed cards,

stickers, books,

and albums, as

well as designs

for new WHCC

products, such

as image

boxes,

CD/DVD

cases and

mini

books. The

fully

editable

Photoshop PSD-layered templates are set up for simple drag-and-

drop efficiency. All templates comply with White House Custom

Colour (WHCC) specs. Templates are available for individual

purchase starting at $25, and in sets for a discounted price.

focused.whcc.com

78,80,82-albums 2/11/10 4:07 PM Page 1

GARY FONG’S ALBUM DESIGNER, which runs in Photoshop,

will automatically assemble images onto your page design. Simply drop

the images from your browser onto the spread, and move them

around on the digital canvas. Album Designer comes with a host of

border types, such as sloppy borders, virtual mats, photo corners and

drop shadows. Buy it now at the special price of $99.95; regular price

$199.95. garyfonginc.com

GRAPHIC AUTHORITY sells an extensive line of drag-and-drop

templates, featuring high-resolution, fully editable graphics,

with guaranteed

print quality. The

collection of photo

book layouts and

folded card designs

comprises more

than 30 products,

and nearly 1,000

layered templates

and custom edge

designs.

Photographers can

use the designs as

sold, or customize

to suit their style.

Prices start at $79.95 for individual collections; bundle two

collections for $339.95, three for $499.95. graphicauthority.com

JENSFABULOUSSTUFF.COM, founded by Kate Thram and Jen

Hillenga, the co-owners of Momento Images, offers an expanding


THE GOODS

©C

lint Huffaker

line of templates and other products, such as Photoshop actions,

textures and Lightroom presets. The album templates are easily

customizable, can be purchased individually or in sets, and most

important, are affordable and easy to use. Some products are in

PSD format and require Adobe Photoshop. JensFabulousStuff.com

KUBOTA

AUTOALBUM allows

you to design albums

completely in Photoshop,

using Smart Object

technology. AutoAlbum

includes a time-saving

dashboard interface for

quick template searches

and launches. Priced $399,

the software includes over 500 layouts. kubotaimagetools.com

PAGE GALLERY BY YERVANT allows you to create collages and

album layouts in less than 3 minutes per spread. Page Gallery

operates as a skin over Photoshop so you can switch seamlessly

between programs. Drag-and-drop your images into your selected

layout and make your own adjustments. Page Gallery includes more

than 5,000 templates, and is compatible with most popular album

manufacturers’ products. Retail price, $590. yervant.com

78,80,82-albums 2/11/10 4:07 PM Page 2

© 2009 onOne Software, Inc. All rights reserved. onOne Software is a registered trademark of onOne Software, Inc. The onOne Software logo, PhotoTune and Plug-In Suite are trademarks of onOne Software. Lightroom is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. Aperture is a trademark of Apple, Inc.

PhotoTune 3 is just one of six products included in the new Plug-In Suite 5 and was used on this landscape photo to correct the white balance, increase the dynamic range and improve the overall color of the scene so it matched what we saw when we shot it.

PhotoTune 3 is accessible from within Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture and not only improves the color of your landscape photos, but also includes specialized tools to color correct skin tones in your portrait photos as well.

www.ononesoftware.com/50pn

For a limited time, save $50 on Plug-In Suite 5

when you visit...

onOne Software’s Plug-In Suite was voted the best set of Photoshop plug-ins in 2008 in the Studio Photography magazine Reader’s Choice Awards.

Genuine Fractals 6 for Enlarging Images

NEW PhotoFrame 4.5 for Edge & Framing Effects

NEW PhotoTools 2.5 for Photographic Effects

NEW FocalPoint 2 for Selective Focus

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Introducing the new Plug-In Suite 5 from onOne Software. Featuring the new PhotoTune 3 plug-in for color correction and dynamic range enhancement, the Plug-In Suite 5 solves 6 of the most common problems you face as a digital photographer.

The award-winning Plug-In Suite 5 includes:

Easier, Faster, BetterMaking Digital Photography


PHOTODUDS offers drag-and-drop themed design elements and

templates to dress up in your studio’s own style. You can mix and

match elements to create unique products. PhotoDUDS will bring out

the designer in you. Prices range from $25 to $125. photoduds.com

PIXEL CREATOR PRO V5.0 works seamlessly within Photoshop—

if you can open it in Photoshop you can use it with Pixel Creator Pro.

Use Creator’s automation tools with any third-party template,

including those from Graphic Authority, photoDUDS, and your own

layouts. Compatible with Windows and Mac, Photoshop CS2 and later;

32-bit and 64-bit versions in CS4 . Retail, $379. pixelcreatorpro.com

PROSELECT PRO, primarily a sales and workflow solution, includes

a book builder for any size book, whether it’s a digitally composited

book or traditional matted album. Scalable page templates can include

THE GOODS

graphics blocks, opacity settings, and background and border styles

and colors. ProSelect will generate hi-res image files to send to your

lab or album company using Photoshop automation; you can even

generate album assembly specifications. ProSelect Pro sells for about

$601. Composite Album Collections I and II are sell for about $125 and

$80, respectively. TimeExposure.com

STUDIO-ASSIST is a Web-based product builder and asset

manager from Artefact Studio. Photographers can build extraordinary

products with Studio-Assist’s advanced tool set, yet the program is

simple to use. Design multi-layered projects with special effects, build

slideshows, folios and albums. Go to bit.ly/7U2qet to view a quick

YouTube demo. Your assets are stored on Artefact’s secure cloud

servers. No fee to use Studio-Assist for members Artefact Studio. To

get started, simply create your own profile on the Studio-Assist site.

artefactstudio.studio-assist.com

TOFURIOUS offers Photoshop album templates in a variety of sizes

and styles. The templates are minimalistic and simple for clean

designs that won’t go out of style. Tofurious templates use

Photoshop-based masking for easy drag-and-drop image placement

and page merging, and include crop lines for full bleeds. Sample over

40 template pages free; hundreds of pages are available, starting at

$30 each. tofurious.com �

78,80,82-albums 2/11/10 4:08 PM Page 3

400 500 600 700

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0.00

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a

Lb



Not sure what do with your HD video capability? TryWestern Digital’s solution for displaying impressiveshows for your clients with those still and video files.

BY BRUCE DORN

When it comes to selling albums or display

prints, I’ve always subscribed to the philosophy

show big, sell big. We enjoy profitable album

sales by trolling with big, beautiful books.

Our displayed prints are sofa-sized and have

price tags to match. Until recently, the task

of producing those thick books and huge

framed canvases was as outsized as the

products. But these days, as HD video capture

is becoming commercially viable for pho-

tographers, showing big is easier than ever.

In our early experience with high-

definition capture, we displayed our images

on our largest computer screen, a 30-inch

Apple Cinema Display. We had to schedule

client screenings around my workflow when

the computer was free, and having everyone

huddled around the screen created an

atmosphere lacking in both comfort and

charm. I needed something more

convenient and impressive.

Many photographers are successfully

using digital projection in sales presentations,

but our client lounge has way too many

windows and ambient light for crisp pro-

jection. We figured that a wall-mounted

monitor would be a better solution for our

situation. After thorough research, in-store

viewing and fingernail chewing, we chose a

52-inch LCD television monitor. (Colors on

plasma screens strike me as over saturated,

and the screens are highly reflective—not so

good for a room with all those widows.)

Our search for an elegant and economical

way to feed this beast a mixed menu of

digital stills and full-HD 1080p video led us

to a delightful little media player from

Western Digital. This neatly designed WD

TV unit is a compact, capable media player.

It was easy to install, simple to operate and

completely affordable. We recently upgraded

to the new WD TV Live media player with

networking capability.

All Western Digital WD TV media

players are ready to plug-and-play directly

from a USB drive, and that suits us just fine.

As a part-time digital safari guide, I use the

excellent little bus-powered WD My

Passport drives to back up my laptop

everywhere I go, even the wilds of the

African bush. The drives serve as temporary

archives until I can load the images on our

studio’s massive RAID array. With the WD

TV Live player, I can plug in a My Passport

drive, relax in front of my beautiful Sony

LCD, do a little editing, all the while

conserving all kinds of storage space—if you

think still captures eat up storage, wait ’til

you start using HD video.

With two USB ports in and an HDMI

out, the WD TV media player couldn’t be

simpler to install. You can even hook it up to

old-school composite video connections.

The first models were already plug-and-play,

and the new WD TV Live media players add

On the big screenWESTERN DIGITAL WD TV LIVE

All im

ages ©B

ruce Dorn

The WD TV Live media player is a greatsolution for presentation in our client lounge.

84-85-WDTV 2/11/10 4:02 PM Page 1

home network connectivity. They can also

access social media imaging sites such as

YouTube, Flickr, and Pandora.

The WD TV Live media player allows

seamless media presentation with minimum

hassle, and on a mind-blowing scale. Now

I’ve escaped from behind my computer monitor,

my clients are more comfortable, I’m more

relaxed, our images are more impressive and

our sales have increased. That’s what I call a

win, win, win, win, win situation!

Here are some key features of the WD

TV Live HD media player:

• Full 1080p HD video playback and

navigation. The WD TV Live media player

comes with a nifty little remote control and

intuitive navigation menus.

• Support for numerous file formats, includ-

ing TIFF, JPEG, Canon video compression,

H.264, MOV, MPEG and many others.

• Social media surfing; you’ll need broad-

band connectivity.

• Turn any USB drive into an HD media

player. Anything that can be recognized as a

mass storage device will work, including cam-

eras, camcorders, and portable media players.

This gadget is the perfect companion for my

growing collection of WD Passport drives.

• Use multiple USB drives. With two

USB ports, I can connect my camera without

unplugging my main USB drive. The WD TV

menus sort content according to type. All

my video files are grouped into one location

and separate from my music and still captures.

• Access files throughout your home or

studio network. No more sneaker-net. Move

files via Ethernet with hard-wired con-

nections or use your own WiFi adapters.

• Create custom slideshows with a spectrum

of transitions and background music. Add

zooms and pans. Search by file name, partial

file name, date, and recently viewed.

• Reviewing video clips is a snap with full

control of fast-forward, rewind, pause,

zoom, and pan.

• Music playback controls include fast-

forward, rewind, pause, shuffle, and repeat.

• Copy, move or delete files stored on a

USB drive, network drive, camera or

camcorder using on-screen menus. You

must be connected via USB or Ethernet.

But all that’s just icing on the cake. For me,

any time away from the computer screen is a

mini-vacation. I love sharing our work in its

full 52-inch LCD screen glory. Who knew such

a tiny little gadget that sells for $150 would

have such a large impact on our business? �

westerndigital.com

Bruce Dorn’s studio, iDC Photography is inPrescott, Ariz. (idcphotography.com).


84-85-WDTV 2/11/10 4:03 PM Page 2


Tired of routine reception photography? Explore some new ideas or geta fresh take on the tried-and-true standards. Those party pictures canbe compelling documentaries of significant relationships.

Life of the party12 Tips to break you out of the reception rut

here are certain reception shots you simply

cannot fail to shoot—the couple’s intro-

duction, the cutting of the cake, the father-

daughter dance, everything that tradition

and expense mandate. After all, a lot of

money goes into throwing a party of record,

and its glory is fleeting. But you don’t have

to be stuck in a boring routine. Try rethink-

ing your approach.

TAKE THE PULSE. “Every reception

has its own cadence,” says Tasha Owen, of

Tasha Owen Photography in Tacoma, Wash.,

who spends a few precious minutes getting

an early read on the party vibe. “Sometimes

the crowd is very hands-on and wants to

interact with you, and at other receptions,

that’s just not your part. I try to find the

calm in the storm and start anticipating

what’s going to occur.”

Owen also keeps a sharp eye on who the

guests are photographing. If there’s a group

of sorority sisters or family members

gathering for a candid shot, she’ll cross the

room to get her own perspective on the

scene. “They’re doing the work for you—they

know who’s supposed to be in that shot,” she

says. “Pay attention to the guests and they’ll

guide you to the heart of the reception.”

TAKE A SEAT. “Something we’ve

started doing helps immensely, sitting with

the guests,” says Becka Knight of Studio 222

Photography in Orlando, Fla., who realizes

that sounds a little unorthodox. But when

the relationship is right, Knight finds

couples make the suggestion themselves.

“We never have to worry about missing

anything that might come up when we’d

T WEDDINGS By Stephanie Boozer

©Becka & Nate of Studio222 Photography

86-88,90-receptions 2/14/10 11:34 AM Page 1

otherwise be seated far away, refueling.”

Knight sees a psychological transfor-

mation in guests’ demeanor that makes

them feel more comfortable around her.

“They perceive us as friends instead of

vendors,” she says. “That kind of trust is

invaluable both at the reception and after,

because they become our biggest cheer-

leaders along with the bride and groom. If

we become friends, in addition to taking

amazing photographs, we become not only

memorable, but remarkable.”

BE LORD OF THE RINGS. “As portrait

and wedding photographers who photograph

people all day long, it’s a refreshing change

of pace to grab the rings, find interesting

locations or textures and let yourself be creative

in a way you don’t often have the opportunity

to be,” says Chris Scott, of Chris and Adrienne

Scott Photographers in Nashville, Tenn. “We

love the chance and the challenge of creating

interesting ring shots in a different location at

every wedding, and our couples love the results.”

TRIUMPH WITH THE TRIPOD. “It’s

essential for any reception that we shoot,”

says Christian Oth, of Christian Oth Studio

in New York. “Most of our receptions end up

being indoors after sunset, and the tripod

can do a lot of things, like timed exposures.”

One of Oth’s signature shots starts with mount-

ing the camera on a tripod and setting the

exposure at f/8 for for 1 second. “The long

exposure blows the people out, and you get

beautiful details on the table,” he says. “You

also get the suggestion of the human element

because the people are blurred just enough.”

MOVE THE FLASH. “Take the flash

off of the camera for the first dance and father-

daughter, mother-son dances,” says Scott.

“We typically use two lights, one stationary

and one carried by an assistant. With some

simple hand signals to our assistant, and

just moving around the dance floor, we can

get a ton of variations in the lighting and

mood of the first dance. And once you’ve

nailed your ‘safe’ shots, start playing around

with lens flares and backlighting.”

This is a great opportunity to experiment,

Scott adds. “It’s officially time to break the

monotony,” he says. “We’ll do some shutter

dragging by bringing a light in close (or on-

camera) and turning the camera during a

long exposure. You’ll stop the motion of

your main subject while the ambient light in

the room will blur. We use this very sparingly

though, as it can get old pretty quickly.”

TAKE IT DOWN A NOTCH. “The

ability to shape and mold your flash under

all circumstances will help set you apart

©Chris & Adrienne Scott

‘‘ ’’Take the flash off the camera for the first dance and father-daughter, mother-son dances.

—CHRIS SCOTT

86-88,90-receptions 2/11/10 5:32 PM Page 2

from the competition,” says Canadian Dave

Cheung, of DQ Studios in Calgary, Alberta.

“Think of well placed off-camera flashes as

in-camera dodging and burning. Use your

flash to dodge and guide your viewer. Another

great effect, slightly underexposing ambient

and accenting with flash, can help minimize

distracting backgrounds, people and clutter.”

Dialing down the flash makes it almost

imperceptible to guests, yet renders dra-

matic lighting with a hint of spot to guide

your eye into the focus of the image. “We

hide the flash so that it’s totally unob-

trusive,” says Quin Cheung. “Our flashes

are going off at very low power, so they

don’t interfere with whatever is going on,

which enables us to capture true emotion.”

“Being able to surprise your clients with

imagery they literally couldn’t see with their

own eyes is one of the most gratifying parts

of the job,” adds Dave.

COLOR IT BEAUTIFUL. “I want my

party shots to look especially lively, and colored

lights really help create a sense of action and

excitement,” says Brian Dorsey, of Brian Dorsey

Studios in New York, who was cited as one

of the top 10 wedding photographers in the

world by American Photo magazine. “Not

everyone’s budget can support a large-scale

lighting design company. When I want to

kick up the energy on the dance shots a notch,

I’ll place a gelled flash head—deep blue is

my favorite—up high near the band and trigger

it from my camera. I can use it as a cool rim

light or kicker and it really makes the

images pop. It’s not the same as spending

$20,000 on Bentley Meeker’s Lighting &

Staging, but it works pretty well in a pinch.”

GET ENLIGHTENED. “Sometimes we

find opportunities to photograph details of

the reception before it’s dark,” says Oth. “We

do get light coverage on that, but we also

make sure to go back and get shots after

dark as well. For example, the cake: you can

get amazing pictures of the cake when it’s

sunset, but when you go to put the album

together, you don’t want to have a mismatch

of a daylight cake detail next to the couple

cutting it at night.”

IF YOU’VE GOT TIME, SELL IT. “If

you’ve got some downtime in the reception,

or an assistant who does, and a laptop, why

not run a slideshow of main images from

the day?” says Scott, who finds it can lead to

new bookings. “Most people are floored

you’re showing images from the day, and

will crowd around to see them, dragging

over other people to take a look. We are

hyper-sensitive to getting things right in-

camera during the day, knowing that people

WEDDINGS

©Brian Dorsey Studios

86-88,90-receptions 2/14/10 11:36 AM Page 3

Albums: Flush Mount, Assembled and KAMBARA© Albums

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The experience of Burrell Colour Imaging is your “wow” factor.

Service, quality and going above and beyond for our customers.

What truly makes us great? We’re here to grow your business.

Wow.

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Wraps: Print Wraps, Giclée Wraps, Glossy Wraps & Leather Wraps

FREE Template Usage: for Press and Photographic Products

are going to see untouched images that

night at the reception.”

Eric Sartoris, of Anthology Photography

in Austin, Texas, also has good luck with

same-day slideshows. “We run a slideshow

on a projector screen or large monitor, even

incorporate the day’s captures with a pre-

made slideshow that includes childhood and

other pre-wedding photographs of the

couple,” he says. “We’ve gotten incredible

responses from this.”

CREATE A DIVERSION. Another

trick that both Scott and Sartoris say amps

things up at the reception is setting up a

photo booth. “One light and a backdrop, or

a blank wall, and you’re in business,” says

Scott. “We encourage our couples to bring

props for the booth and we end up with

hilarious photos to show for it at the end of

the night. We’ll typically have a slideshow of

images up on our blog within a day or two

of the wedding. It’s an easy sell on the front

end and a great way to make some extra

money in print, album and DVD slideshow

sales afterward.” Sartoris’ Live Photo Booth

has been a huge success and “a source of

added excitement at many of our receptions.”

THE GROOM HAS FAMILY, TOO.

So much attention is focused on the bride

and her family, it’s important not to neglect

the groom’s family. “I run a studio with eight

photographers,” says Oth, “and I have to

specifically train them to do that.”

Oth also reminds his photographers, as

grim as it might sound, “There may be a

grandparent there who will soon pass away,

and this could be the last occasion they’re

photographed with the couple. These are

often the most cherished pictures.”

When Oth and his team are grabbing

table shots, he backs off with an 85mm lens.

“It’s a little removed, and I can shoot into

people talking to each other,” he says. “It

gives beautiful coverage of human

interaction, which is so important later on.”

LAST WORDS—DON’T MISS

ANYTHING! “Think of it as What did the

bride pay for?” says Oth. “It’s very important to

get all of the details, the flowers, the tables and

so forth. But don’t make it look like you’re shoot-

ing down a checklist. Be aware of the details and

cover them beautifully, especially if you want

to get published in a magazine or blog.” �

WEDDINGS


©Chris Scott

©Tasha Owen

86-88,90-receptions 2/11/10 5:32 PM Page 4

Talent and passion are a winning combination for this pair of New Englandwedding shooters. Justin and Mary Marantz fell in love and built a followingof loyal clients. Now they spread the love with other photographers.

e’s an alumnus of the

Rochester Institute of

Technology. She’s a Yale

Law School grad. He was

on his way to a career in

commercial photography.

She was poised for a career

in a private law firm. He’s

right-brained. She’s left-brained. They’re

perfect for each other.

Based in New Haven, Conn., wedding

photographers Justin and Mary Marantz

launched their business four years ago. It’s

been on an enviable trajectory ever since.

Despite the recession, bookings are up nearly

40 percent this year over last. The Marantz

juggernaut is fueled by their style, charisma

and business smarts, with an extra boost

from word-of-mouth advertising throughout

New England from faithful clients.

“We build good relationships with our

clients from the start, so when we’re at the

wedding we feel like friends,” says Justin.

Adds Mary, “Some of our clients have

billions of dollars in the bank and some had

to work extra jobs to afford us, but they are

all good people [whom] we could be

friends with in another life.”

That camaraderie is aided by the fact

WEDDINGS By Lorna Gentry

In the grooveJustin and Mary Marantz spread the love

All images ©Justin & Mary

H

92-98-marantz 2/12/10 10:15 AM Page 1

92-98-marantz 2/12/10 10:15 AM Page 2

that the Marantzes are practically newlyweds

themselves, having wed three years ago. Mary

was still in law school when she met Justin,

who was working for a commercial photog-

rapher in New Haven. He was already on

the career path he’d dreamed of, but he was

turned off by the cutthroat politics of the

commercial market.

He started shooting weddings on the side,

and Mary later became a silent partner

helping with business matters. Justin began

teaching her to shoot, and they fell in love,

with each other and with wedding photog-

raphy. By 2006 they took the plunge and

started the wedding business, both working

as full-time photographers.

The launch came with a few bumps, they

WEDDINGS

92-98-marantz 2/12/10 10:16 AM Page 3

“It’s all about work-life balance. We’re not even close to being perfect,

but we focus on clients we love—those who are spreading the word—and

we build relationships with other photographers and vendors. We also carve

out time for ourselves and look for ways to separate from the work.”—JUSTIN MARANTZ

92-98-marantz 2/12/10 10:16 AM Page 4

say. “The biggest mistake we made was

doing what everyone else was doing,” Justin

says. “Everyone was doing bridal shows and

print ads, so we did too. We spent a lot of

money with little return. We saw that most

of our referrals were word of mouth, and

started building those relationships and

doing things to keep clients talking.”

“Another mistake was taking clients we

knew wouldn’t be a good fit because we

needed the work,” says Mary. “When you do

that, you spend all your time and energy putting

out fires and doing damage control. The first

year we wasted time trying to keep those

clients happy doing things we don’t do. So

we switched to people we connected with and

they gave us good word-of-mouth advertising.”

This month the couple wraps up their

20-city “Spread the Love” tour, which has taken

them from Maine to Florida, and coast to

coast. They teach small business owners,

many of them photographers, how to build

business momentum so their companies work

for them rather than the other way around.

“We’re teaching people how to not make the

same mistakes we made,” says Justin. “It’s all

about work-life balance. We’re not even

close to being perfect, but we focus on

clients we love—those who are spreading the

word—and we build relationships with

other photographers and vendors. We also

carve out time for ourselves and look for

ways to separate from the work.”

The idea for the workshop came to Mary

while honeymooning in St. Lucia. If that

sounds unromantic, consider her heartfelt

writing. Mary blogs daily about their clients,

stuff they like, and her love for Justin. Take

this recent post:

“We stand out in the parking lot as the

sounds of Keith Urban float out of the open

car door windows … You take my hand and

press it against your chest … and we dance

… You rest your arm around the small of my

back and pull me in a little closer … And we

sway. Between the yellow lines of a La Quinta

parking lot … we sway and you whisper, ‘I

still love going on adventures with you.’”

“I get inspired when I look around at

weddings or at our lives,” says Mary. Intuitive

and insightful, Mary shares her feelings and

sharp observations on the blog, which gener-

ates reader response and builds customer

loyalty. It’s beyond branding, she says, “It’s

making a lovemark,” a reference to Kevin

Roberts’ book, “Lovemarks: The Future

Beyond Brands” (PowerHouse, 2004), on

making emotional connections with clients.

A January post about a Burberry-themed

wedding they photographed struck a deep

WEDDINGS

92-98-marantz 2/12/10 10:17 AM Page 5

emotional chord, not only with the bridal

couple, but other clients as well. The theme

was inspired by the favorite necktie of the

groom’s late father. The pattern, Mary wrote,

“made them feel closer to him … on a day

when they were missing John’s dad so much

… it was amazing to look around and see

him everywhere … as a reminder to hold on

to the people we love with both hands. And

I can think of no better start to a brand new

life than a tie like that.”

Accompanying Mary’s writing are

dozens of warm and natural photographs.

Mary and Justin have complementary

shooting styles—uncluttered yet detailed,

with plenty of visual juxtaposition and

texture. They both shoot Nikon D700

92-98-marantz 2/12/10 10:19 AM Page 6

digital SLR cameras with a variety of

lenses. Mary’s favorite is a 50mm f/1.4,

while Justin prefers his 85mm f/1.4.

They use natural light 80 percent of the

time. When they need a little extra, they

bounce an off-camera light into a 45-inch

white umbrella “for separation, especially

in dark corners for Rembrandt lighting,”

says Justin.

The setup lends itself to their sensibility.

Their style is a kind of emotional

shorthand that communicates with

potential clients: “We’re romantic, too,” it

says. “We get it. Let us tell your story.” �

To see more of Justin and Mary Marantz’sphotography, visit their website,justinmarantz.com.

WEDDINGS

“Everyone was doing bridalshows and print ads, so wedid too. We spent a lot ofmoney with little return.”

—JUSTIN MARANTZ

92-98-marantz 2/12/10 10:17 AM Page 7

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Dave and Quin Cheung embrace romance, and it shows in their every imageand in the effort they put into building great client relationships. Says Quin,“I’m proud to say that so many of our couples are our best friends.”

ne minute into a conver-

sation with Canadians

Dave and Quin

Cheung, and

you can’t help

smiling. Their

genuine passion

for their work and

each other is simply effervescent.

“We like to make people smile and

laugh,” says Quin, half of the self-proclaimed

“geek-chic” duo behind DQ Studios in

Calgary, Alberta. “He’s the ‘geek’ and I’m the

‘chic,’” she laughs.

“We’re quite opposite personality-wise,”

says Quin, who had vowed to never, ever

work with Dave when they got married. But

that was 11 years ago, and Dave was working

in the family business, selling pianos—the

couple met, incidentally, through music.

In photography, though, the opposites

were a natural mesh. “Our differences really

worked well together,” says Quin. “We’ve grown

into something inseparable ... synergistic,

and the images we come away with are so

much better than they would be otherwise.”

“We’re also mildly competitive, and that

pushes us,” says Dave.

The path to this bliss wasn’t exactly

WEDDINGS By Stephanie Boozer

Geek-chicFor this happy couple, client satisfaction is a serious commitment

All images ©Dave & Quin CheungO

102-104,106-cheung 2/11/10 3:52 PM Page 1

102-104,106-cheung 2/11/10 3:53 PM Page 2

straight. The couple had no idea they’d wind

up shooting weddings, or even working behind

a camera. Dave held a pre-med degree in

biochemistry, and Quin was a business

school graduate holding a corporate job at

global giant Accenture. On the side, the

couple kept their musical passion alive by

starting a garage band, and frequently

performed at weddings. “Quin’s an awesome

bass player,” Dave says.

With the birth of their first son, Quin’s

priorities changed. Her corporate ambitions

seemed lackluster. She needed a job that

allowed time for family and fed her soul as

well. Dave wanted exactly the same thing.

A spark had been quietly smoldering ever

since their pre-baby backpacking trip

through France. “We fell in love with street


WEDDINGS

“We say we’re yourphotographers for life; italways ends up being true.”

—QUIN CHEUNG

102-104,106-cheung 2/11/10 3:53 PM Page 3

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shooting,” says Quin. Collectively they

decided to fan that flame, and they met with

a photographer they knew from their wed-

ding gigs. “He took us under his wing and

showed us everything about the business.”

It was love at first click.

The Cheungs limit their yearly bookings

to 15, partly to keep fresh creatively, and partly

because they retouch every single image their

clients see, anywhere from 600 to 1,000 images

per wedding. That’s hard evidence of how

highly the Cheungs value customer service.

“A DVD of [raw] images may not be the

best thing in terms of how the client will

remember the event,” says Dave. “As photog-

raphers, we’re trying to capture and distill

the day so they can enjoy it for years to

come. When they sign the dotted line, all

they’re really getting is a promise that we’ll

show up on their wedding day. We have to

shift our thinking from being mere service

providers to actually being promise keepers.

Our job isn’t done after the wedding.

“Clients often don’t fully understand until

after the wedding what an impact the imagery

will have,” he continues. “We’re working

toward not only artistry and profitability,

but client satisfaction as well. As we learn to

service our clients better, increasing

profitability has been a nice byproduct.”

It sounds costly to spend so much time

on each client, but the Cheungs find it

translates into better relationships, repeat

business down the road, and higher sales.

“We say we’re your photographers for life; it

always ends up being true,” says Quin.

The growth of the business didn’t come

without mistakes and obstacles. Trial and error

led to some of their greater successes, includ-

ing the creation of the problem-solving products

QuiKeys and QuiKlips. QuiKeys, a USB

plug-in keyboard used in conjunction with a

Wacom tablet, provides a shortcut to actions

in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and in

album design. QuiKlips is a belt clip for flash

units that keeps them instantly accessible.

“We never meant QuiKeys to be a product

to sell,” says Dave, who developed it to stream-

line their own digital workflow. But it didn’t

take long for the buzz to build among fellow

photographers, and QuiKeys were a hit.

Products aside, the Cheungs’ success stems

from their dedication in the service of photog-

raphy. “A wedding allows you to enter into

somebody’s life who would otherwise be a

stranger,” says Quin. “I’m proud to say that so

many of our couples are our best friends. We

wouldn’t trade these relationships for anything.”

“We’re hopeless romantics,” Dave agrees. “We

want to help our clients start off on the right

foot; that’s why it matters so much to us.” �

Click over to dqstudios.com for more geek-chic portfolios, blog posts and product info.


WEDDINGS

102-104,106-cheung 2/12/10 2:03 PM Page 4


Romance lives! Wedding clients seek photography that captures theirpassion on the first day of happily ever after. Nichole Van Valkenburghdelivers that, and more, with subtle photo enhancements.

Novel romanceNichole Van Valkenburgh’s literary lens

ichole Van Valkenburgh knows

what her wedding clients want:

photographs that capture their

passion on the first day of happily

ever after. “A lady’s imagination …

jumps [rapidly] from admiration

to love, from love to matrimony

in a moment,” Jane Austen wrote in “Pride

and Prejudice” nearly 200 years ago.

Despite the sobering contemporary realities

of relationships and marriage, Americans

are still enthralled with the enduring notion

of romance and wedded bliss.

A former college English professor, the

Utah wedding and portrait photographer is

well versed in literature, and is especially

fond of the Pre-Raphaelites, the Brontë

sisters and Jane Austen (indeed, she named

her daughter after the author). Van

Valkenburgh also has an undergraduate

degree in art history. When she focuses her

Canon on a bridal couple, these sensibilities

naturally come into play, to give the images

drama and romantic tension. Her juxta-

position of texture, color and environment

makes for photos that surprise and charm.

In just four years she’s earned a national

reputation and a business growing by word-

of-mouth alone.

Environment is an important element

in Van Valkenburgh’s romantic aesthetic.

Influenced by the provocative integration

of people and place in Andrew Wyeth’s

paintings and Willa Cather’s novels, Van

Valkenburgh incorporates the disparate,

often rugged Utah landscape in her images.

In isolating the subject in nature, she shows

his connection to it, as well as his vulner-

N WEDDINGS By Lorna Gentry

All images ©Nichole Van Valkenburgh

108-110,112,114-NicholeV 2/11/10 2:17 PM Page 1

108-110,112,114-NicholeV 2/11/10 2:19 PM Page 2

ability. It’s this compelling, intimate per-

spective that separates her work from the

competition’s.

“In Utah you don’t have to drive far to

go from the Rocky Mountains to the desert

Southwest,” she says. “It gives you great

opportunity to create the grand vista, and

great art prints. Often people think my

photos have been altered in Photoshop, but

it’s really that beautiful here.”

GOWNS AND HIKING BOOTS

Van Valkenburgh will go anywhere for the

perfect shot. She lives in southern Utah

County, about 90 minutes outside Salt Lake

City, and drives a Jeep to navigate the craggy

back country. With her clients, various

pieces of furniture and yards of gauzy tulle

WEDDINGS

108-110,112,114-NicholeV 2/11/10 2:18 PM Page 3

111 dury 2/10/10 11:51 AM Page 1

on board, Van Valkenburgh stops at ghost

towns, sparsely populated mining towns,

salt lakes, and mountains. A couple once

asked her to photograph them in their

favorite canyon—a three-hour hike. “Some

brides have something very specific in mind

and they come to me because they are

confident I can do it,” says Van Valkenburgh.

“I will, too, as long as it’s not illegal or tacky.”

She’s fond of setting upholstered furni-

ture outdoors. “I like the unexpected juxta-

position of the elements,” she says. “It’s in

that mix where true art happens, that causes

you to really focus on what you’re looking

at. Furniture also helps clients feel at ease,

as well as helping with posing and logistics.”

Light is always a character in Van

Valkenburgh’s portraits, so getting it just

right is critical. “Ninety percent of my

wedding photos have light [added] on

them somewhere because it enables me to

get the light right,” says Van Valkenburgh.

“I shoot RAW and use Photoshop Light-

room heavily.”

Van Valkenburgh’s travel light kit includes

a Canon Speedlite 580EX II, which she

uses with a soft box or 60-inch umbrella. In

addition, she’ll use as many as six AlienBees

and Vagabond battery packs. “In my

portable studio for formals, I have at least

two lights, usually plugged into Vagabonds.

At receptions, I use PocketWizards for two

to three strobes I’ve set around the room.”

SUBTLE TOUCHES

Post-production, Van Valkenburgh works

with a palette of colors from muted to vivid.

The image drives the choice, she maintains.

“If the color is so strong it overpowers a

subject, I’ll tone it down. I have a 1948

WEDDINGS


108-110,112,114-NicholeV 2/11/10 2:20 PM Page 4

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Ford pickup truck painted the brightest

blue on the planet. I don’t like it much, so I

always mute it. But I also have a 1920s red

velvet couch that packs a visual punch.”

Van Valkenburgh uses an array of

patterns, vignettes and other digital effects

to enhance her portraits. She dislikes busy

backgrounds, but relishes experimentation

with styles and the collection of textures

she’s worked with for years. “I like using

textures to separate the subject from back-

ground,” she says, “but I’m not a fan of

making texture more important than

the subject.”

She taught herself Photoshop, but

learned photography from her hobbyist

husband, David, whose SLR film camera

she inherited when they married a decade

ago. As her talent grew, so did her freelance

portrait commissions, but eventually the

moonlighting eclipsed her day job as an

English teacher at Brigham Young

University. She took a sabbatical from the

university three years ago and has never

looked back. �

To see more of Nichole Van Valkenburgh’swork visit her website, nicholev.com.

Lorna Gentry is a freelance writer inAtlanta.

WEDDINGS

108-110,112,114-NicholeV 2/11/10 2:22 PM Page 5

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118-124,126,128-Lefkowitz 2/12/10 10:21 AM Page 1

FortuneReveling in the renaissance of film,Lisa Lefkowitz becomes one of the West Coast’s most successfulwedding photographers

BY JEFF KENT

All images ©Lisa Lefkowitz

118-124,126,128-Lefkowitz 2/11/10 5:36 PM Page 2

en years ago, when Lisa Lefkowitz acceptedthe invitation to shoot a friend’s wedding, shehad no idea it would change her life. Trained in editorial photography and

educated in fine art, Lefkowitz had cut her teeth on assignments for Us

and Rolling Stone before veering toward fine art photography in college.When the native New Yorker moved

to the San Francisco Bay Area to teach

photography at an extension of Cal-

Berkeley, she felt she’d be part of the

fine art scene indefinitely. That’s when

the request came, and as it happened,

all her creative impulses began to inter-

sect. “Wedding photography allowed me

to combine all the things that I loved

into one art form,” she says. Her art

photography had been criticized for

looking “too commercial,” but the same

aesthetic had tremendous appeal to

wedding audiences.

Lefkowitz began the transition to pro-

fessional wedding photographer. At first,

she went high-volume over high priced,

filling her schedule to capacity.

“I didn’t really understand how big a

role business takes in running a pho-

tography studio,” she says. “I thought of

professional photography as a way to

get paid for doing art. It took me awhile

to get a grip on branding and marketing

and business.”

When she did, the change was

dramatic. She went for a boutique-style

business model centered on high-end

clients by working out a four-part plan.


‘‘ ’’Don’t sell yourself short. Have confidencein yourself and your unique artisticvision. If you believe in your work andmanage your business well, there are somany great opportunities in this field.


First, she’d shoot with an eye for getting

her work published. Capturing the style

and details of clients’ weddings, she

produced vibrant lifestyle images fit for

magazine spreads. She established

relationships with magazine editors,

making her images readily available as

needed. Her work found its way into

Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides, Elegant

Bride and other glossies.

That opened the gates of commerce.

When the wedding planners took notice,

it was time for part two of her plan,

endearing herself to key vendors. That

called for a big change in her marketing

model. Rather than marketing directly to

brides, Lefkowitz focuses on building a

network of referrals among vendors. These

days, most of her business comes from

wedding planners and other professionals,

and the clients they send her shop for

quality, not prices. “The brides I work with

now are not going on TheKnot.com to find

a photographer,” she says. “They consult

their planner, get vetted contacts, and then

interview a very select group of photog-

raphers. They want to know that they’re

working with the best of the best. That’s

exactly the kind of client I want.”

The third part of Lefkowitz’s business

plan focused on her brand. “I decided

not to be everything to everyone,” she

says. “Instead, I present a cohesive body

of work. When you do that, people will

either respond to you or they won’t;

to succeed, you have let go of the clients

that aren’t right for you. Having the

confidence to pursue that mindset is

very important.”

The final part of the plan was to give

her business an elegant presence in an

upscale area of San Francisco. Her space

there is strictly for meeting with clients,

not for shooting. It’s meant to be the


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embodiment of the boutique studio

experience she was after.

The hard work and planning has paid

dividends. From shooting 30 to 40

weddings a year for low four-figure rates,

Lefkowitz now books 15 to 20 events, at

rates well into five figures. She’s working

with couples who put a premium on

photography, allowing her continuing

growth as an artist and a professional.

Artistically, Lefkowitz’s work stands out

in part because of her propensity for

medium-format film photography. She

shoots about 75 percent of her wedding

images with a Contax 645, exposing


Fujifilm NPZ and NPH, using natural light

whenever possible. Clients love the

handcrafted feel, liberal use of selective

focus and vibrant color of her images.

“Film is central to the look of my images,

and to my creative process,” she says. “I try

to embody the artisan nature of film

throughout my branding, my business

language and my studio offerings. With the

advent of digital, many wedding images

have tended to be overly processed. My

clients have reacted against that, seeking

out a classic, fine art style.”

To other photographers seeking success,

Lefkowitz says start with faith in your

talents. “Don’t sell yourself short. Have

confidence in yourself and your unique

artistic vision,” she says. “If you believe in

your work and manage your business well,

there are so many great opportunities in

this field.” �

To see more from Lisa Lefkowitz, check outlisalefkowitz.com.


Last year, Lefkowitz decided to undergo

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quality. “If you want to compete in

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All images ©Andy & Brian Marcus/Fred Marcus Photography

LEGACYThe world of ultra-wedding photography with

Andy & Brian Marcus

BY JEFF KENT

“My dad always used to say, ‘It’s better to have 50

unbelievable photographs than 100 mediocre ones.’ It’s true.

Before I push the shutter, I always ask myself, Would someone

buy this photograph? If the answer is no, then I don’t take it.”

—Andy Marcus

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:04 AM Page 1

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 2:05 PM Page 2

platinum jewelry from the bride’s own Ivanka

Trump Fine Jewelry Collection (with a price

tag close to $270,000); rarefied guest list,

including Rupert Murdoch, Adam Duritz,

Natalie Portman, Barbara Walters, Regis

Philbin and Rudy Giuliani; and photography

by Fred Marcus Photography of New York.

Founded in 1941 by German-Jewish immi-

grant Fred Marcus, the studio is one of the

nation’s most high-profile wedding photog-

raphy operations. Fred’s son, Andy, recognized

as one of today’s foremost wedding photog-

raphers, is taking the business to new heights

with the help of his son, Brian. With multi-

million-dollar annual revenues, Fred Marcus

Photography covers hundreds of high-end

weddings and gala events yearly. Among the

studio’s other celebrity clients are Howard

Stern, Eddie Murphy, Donald Trump, Billy

Baldwin and Mary Tyler Moore, not to mention

many prominent families of New York.

ast October, when heiress, businesswoman andco-host of Celebrity Apprentice Ivanka Trumpmarried Jared Kushner, publisher of the New York Observer, there were a few must-haves in their wedding plan:

custom-made Vera Wang wedding gown inspired by the one Grace Kelly

wore in her 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco; diamond and

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:05 AM Page 3

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:06 AM Page 4

TRUMP CARD

When undertaking the coverage of any

larger-than-life wedding event, says Brian

Marcus, thorough planning is crucial. For

the Trump-Kushner wedding, it was Andy

Marcus’s job to scout the venue, the Trump

National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.

Then he and Brian figured out how they’d

divide their efforts among the event’s three

main sites—the clubhouse, the nearly

20,000-square-foot primary tent, and a

second tent with space enough to hold the

500-some wedding guests.

The photographers pored over the guest

list, noting the key attendees. “That sounds

minor, but it’s one of the most important

things we do,” says Brian. “People respond

when you call them by name and demonstrate

that you know who they are. Not only is it

respectful, it also helps establish warmer

relationships with the guests, making our

job a lot easier.”

Knowing there’d be a high demand for

images from the media, the Marcuses brought

along a professional retouch artist to the wed-

ding. Trump wanted the immediate release

of some of the photographs to the New York

Post. Just before the ceremony, she selected

four from the collection the photographers

showed her. Those four were retouched and

fired off to the Post, well in time to make it

to the cover of the next day’s first edition. The

Post’s photo editor was so happy with the

quality of the images, he asked to have more

images sent throughout the day. With the

couple’s approval, the Marcuses downloaded,

retouched and forwarded images through-

out the event, and fresh wedding images

appeared in every edition the next day.

The media blitz didn’t stop there.

Barbara Walters asked them to make a

picture of her with the father-of-the-bride,

Donald Trump. With The Donald’s approval,

that night the photographers had the cap-


132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:14 AM Page 5

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:07 AM Page 6

ture retouched and sent to the producer of

Walters’s talk show, The View, where it

aired the following day and a couple of

times subsequently. Regis Philbin also

requested an image, which aired on his

morning show, Live! with Regis and Kelly.

You’d think it would be only natural to

dial up a new code of conduct with special

allowances for A-list guests, but the Marcuses

adamantly insist that they treat every one of

their clients—and their clients’ guests—

like regular people. “We are always

ourselves,” says Brian. “We have a way of

doing things that works, and to change that

for anybody would be silly. After all, they

hired us, our way of working, so we stick

with the system that works.”

“We start by building a high level of

trust,” explains Andy. “They have to know

that you respect them, that you will do your

best for them, and that you won’t publish or

release images without their okay.”

From day one, the Marcuses work on

“People respond when

you call them by name

and demonstrate that

you know who they

are. Not only is it

respectful, it also helps

establish warmer

relationships with the

guests, making our

job a lot easier.”—BRIAN MARCUS

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:08 AM Page 7

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:08 AM Page 8

establishing a bond that’s as much friendship

as business relationship. They emphasize

service, putting clients’ minds at ease that

everything will be handled with the utmost

professionalism. “It’s all about being real,”

says Brian. “We listen to our clients. We under-

stand what they want. Then we guide them

through the process. After meeting with us

for the first time, they leave more educated

and confident than when they came in.”

Of course, the quality of the images has

to be there. Brian learned the trade from

Andy, who learned it from his father, and

both pass along their knowledge to the other

photographers the studio employs. The result

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:09 AM Page 9

is consistent high quality. The studio’s philos-

ophy of successful coverage includes having

the images tell a compelling story, with no filler

or sub-par captures. “No photographer does

a service to his clients by giving them 2,000

or 3,000 images,” says Andy. “As a professional

photographer, it’s your responsibility to

select the best images for your clients. That’s

part of the service. My dad always used to

say, ‘It’s better to have 50 unbelievable

photographs than 100 mediocre ones.’ It’s

true. Before I push the shutter, I always ask

myself, Would someone buy this photograph?

If the answer is no, then I don’t take it.”

There is no magic behind the Marcuses’

132-142-marcus 2/12/10 10:09 AM Page 10

success. The studio has built its brand over

the decades by adhering to strong principles,

and never resting on its laurels. In today’s

age of new media marketing and overnight

success stories, Fred Marcus Photography

shows that strong fundamentals remain the

best bet for longevity in the ever-changing

world of wedding photography. “There are a

lot of little things that add up to our

reputation,” explains Andy. “It’s so

important to understand what it takes to

create true quality. You can’t go to the next

level until you build that base. In spite of

great marketing, if you don’t do a great job,

word gets around and it ruins you. We’ve

made sure that everything that comes out of

the studio meets level of quality that’s been

consistent over the last 40 years. My father

drilled those principles into me, and now

I’m teaching them to my son. That

approach, that commitment, has made all

the difference.” �

To see more from Fred Marcus Photography,visit fredmarcus.com.

“There are a lot of little things that add up to

our reputation. It’s so important to understand

what it takes to create true quality. You can’t

go to the next level until you build that base.”—ANDY MARCUS

132-142-marcus 2/14/10 11:45 AM Page 11

March 21-26Triangle Institute ofProfessional Photography,Pittsburgh, Pa., www.triangleinstitute.org

April 11-16New England Institute ofProfessional Photography,Hyannis, Mass.,www.neipp.com

May 2-7Texas School of ProfessionalPhotography, Dallas, Texas,www.texasschool.org

May 2-7Mid-Atlantic Regional Schoolof Professional Photography,Cape May, N.J., www.marsschool.com

May 3-7Wisconsin ProfessionalPhotographers School atTreehaven, Tomahawk, Wis.,www.wiprophotoschool.org

May 16-20Imaging Workshops ofColorado, Littleton, Colo.,www.coloradoworkshops.com

May 23-27Florida School of ProfessionalPhotographyDaytona Beach, Fla.,www.fpponline.org

June 6-10Kansas ProfessionalPhotographer SchoolNewton, Kan., www.kpps.com

June 6-10Mid-America Institute ofProfessional Photography,Cedar Falls, Iowa,www.maipp.com

June 13-16Winona School of Photography,Nashville, Ind., ppofi.org

June 13-17Illinois Workshops, Grafton, Ill., www.ilworkshops.com

June 20-24PP Oklahoma School,Shawnee, Okla.,www.pposchool.com

June 20-25West Coast School, San Diego,Calif., prophotoca.com/wcs

June 21-24Great Lakes Institute ofPhotography, Traverse City,Mich., www.glip.org

July 11-15Image Explorations, ShawniganLake, British Columbia, Canada,www.imageexplorations.ca

July 12-15Lamarr Williamson School ofProfessional Photography,Columbia, S.C.,www.ppofsc.com/school

July 17-22East Coast SchoolPhotographic WorkshopsRaleigh, N.C., www.eastcoastschool.com

July 18-23PPSNYS Photo Workshop,Geneva, N.Y., www.ppsnysworkshop.com

August 1-4Carolina Art & PhotographicSchool, Creekside Park, N.C.,www.capsartschool.com

August 1-6Georgia School of ProfessionalPhotographyClarksville, Ga.,www.gppaschool.com

August 2-5Long Island Photo WorkshopLong Island, N.Y.,liphotoworkshop.com

Send all additions or correc-tions to: Affiliated Schools,Professional Photographers of America, 229 PeachtreeStreet, N.E., Suite 2200,Atlanta, GA 30303.


Affiliate Schools CalendarProfessional Photographers of America Members receive servicemerits and the best-published rates for registration.

310 South Racine AvenueChicago, IL 60607

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SUCCESSWARE.NET | 800.593.3767

What do top studio owners use to manage?These owners have all chosen SuccessWare to help the manage their business. Other software may track but they all fall short when it comes to managing your business. SuccessWare is the ony studio management software that will assist you with; creating a business plan, pricing your products, preparing financial reports and tracking client information. SuccessWare manages all your day-to-day operations giving you the knowledge to make solid management decisions necessary to achieve your goals and take your studio to the next level. You can’t get that with just tracking software.

TRACK. PRICE. PLAN. PROFIT. MANAGE.

Don’t just take our world for it, see what Jed, Vickie and other successful photographers have to say at: www.successware.net/success_stories

“Successware’s income and expense statement and sales reports provides the financial data we need at our fingertips, taking the fear out of decision making.”

Sarah Petty | Sarah Petty Photography | Springfield, Illinois

PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIES A CONSTANT CHANGE—EVERY BODY IS DIFFERENT. That’s one reason why photography

works for us. But because of the constant changes, you need constant, continual education. We found such education with PPA,

Professional Photographers of Washington, and print competitions. Still, the education that moves us the most is the education that

comes from our charity work. We’ve taught New Guinea people to record their history with photography, photographed schools

and documented work for Latin America Childcare, and recorded happy times for the children in the Royal Family Kids Camp.

WE CREATE THESE IMAGES AND TREAT THESE PEOPLE WITH DIGNITY…AND EVERY TIME IT FEEDS OUR SOULS.

Ralph & Mary Jo Allen, M.Photog.Cr. | Allen’s Photographic | PPA Members since 1978

TWO OF THE MANY FACES OF PPA

Professional Photographers of America | www.PPA.com | 800.786.6277 | [email protected]

images © Allen’s Photographic

President’s Message Louis Tonsmeire, Cr.Photog., API :: 2010-2011 PPA President

eee 0 2011 PPA P

PPAtodayMARCH 2010

PPL

news from Professional Photographers of America — the world’s largest non-profit association for professional photographers | www.ppa.com

What an honor it is to become president of Professional Photographers of America! PPA has afforded me so many opportunities, and I’m so thankful for all the friends I have made the world over.

As the start of springtime, March is the perfect time to focus on renewal. It’s time to put to use all those new ideas that we received at Imaging USA in January (if you haven’t already)! And by the way, if you were not at Imaging USA, you missed the time of your life. So let me go ahead and invite you all to San Antonio, January 16-18, 2011. You won’t want to miss it—I promise!

But regardless of where you’ve gathered your new ideas from, the important thing is to get them working in your studio. As our customers come out of hibernation with the promise of a hopefully early spring, they will be looking for the best in image making from PPA members. To better your own skills, you have to continue your education throughout the year. PPA gives us so many opportunities for education and benefits that it’s almost impossible to take advantage of everything offered. From upcoming webinars to a Super Monday class (coming soon in May), you are sure to find great ways to make 2010 even better.

PPA members are a part of a proud fraternity. For over 130 years, it has been the leader in the photography industry. We can’t forget the history of this association. It gives us the strength to be

the innovators and to lead with new ideas and new members in the coming decades and beyond. But we cannot do this if we ourselves are not willing to change with education…or share our experiences.

So I leave you with this: Let PPA be the strength behind your business and continued success throughout the year, but remember to reach out a helping hand to your fellow photographers. Encourage a friend or competitor to join PPA. As Jenny and I visit affiliates all over the world, we look forward to extending our own PPA friendships more and more.

We all succeed as a community of ONE.

See y’all later!

Louis Tonsmeire, Cr.Photog., API 2010-2011 PPA President

images © Victor Bruce


PPAtoday | March 2010 | news from Professional Photographers of America

What’s the connection between education and relationships (relationships between you and other photographers, that is)? Louis Tonsmeire, PPA’s new president, would tell you that the connection is association.

Tonsmeire knows—from experience—that education and relationships are key in a photographer’s survival.

“Whether it’s one-on-one

education with a mentor or learning through an Affiliate School program, we have to stay in touch with what is going on. We don’t want our work to become stale or our business practices outdated,” he says. One of the best ways to grab that needed education is through membership in a photographic association like Professional Photographers of America (PPA) or its affiliate

associations. Tonsmeire’s long-standing association memberships have put him in the right places to learn about these educational opportunities. It’s just more accessible (and many come with discounts!). Associations are also a hotbed for possible mentors, Tonsmeire’s preferred method of education. “Friends in the industry are necessary,” he comments. “All of us run

The Association Connection Louis Tonsmeire, Cr.Photog., API :: PPA Member since 1988 :: Location: Cartersville, GA

© Matt Houska

ARE YOUREADY TO ENTER?

Many photographers look to competition as a way to fine-tune their imagery, push

their creativity and learn from others. Many, like Susan Michal, a PPA board

member, say that competition has made them a better overall photographer.

While PPA Affiliates offer their own photographic competitions throughout the

year, the PPA International Photographic Competition—the “main event”—is

coming up next month! Are you ready to enter by April 29, 2010?

Below are a few commonly asked questions (and their answers) to get you started:

Q. Who can enter the PPA International Photographic Competition?

A. Any photographer can enter as long as the rules are followed. Keep in mind that PPA members’ entry fees are highly discounted…so non-members may want to join PPA before they enter! The competition is held once a year, and images that earn a place in the General Collection and the Loan Collection are displayed at Imaging USA in the International Photographic Exhibit.

Q. What is an exhibition merit?A. Exhibition merits—earned by success in competition—are

part of the requirements necessary to complete the coveted PPA Master of Photography degree. One exhibition merit is earned when a competition image is accepted for exhibition at Imaging USA. When an entry is further accepted into the Loan Collection, it receives an additional merit.

Q. How many images can I enter into the competition?A. You may enter up to four images in Photographic Open and

four images in Electronic Imaging competition categories. Photographic Open entries can include any photographic image (portrait, wedding, children, landscapes, wedding or event albums and commercial images). Electronic Imaging entries are judged based on the maker’s computer artistry and abilities with various image manipulation and 3-D modeling programs.

Q. Can I watch the competition judging?A. Yes, the judging is open to the public, and it is a great learning

experience to be able to hear judges’ discussions about an image. The judging dates will be published on PPA.com.

Q. How do I get my results?A. The results are posted on PPA.com shortly after the competition.


© Auralee Dallas

into stumbling blocks, and who better to help us out than a photographer who has been there before?” Often, finding your first mentor can be difficult. Have you ever felt that you’d love to talk to and learn from a certain well-known photographer…but that he or she was too much of a “rockstar” to have time for you? Have you been too nervous to even ask? Just

remember that everything starts with a connection. All relationships—with mentors, friends and clients—are built out from that initial connection. And here’s where associations come into play again. An association membership just makes it easier to approach someone you’d like to learn from in this mentoring fashion. As part of an association, you may already have a connection

with your ideal mentor. After all, you already have several areas of common ground if you are fellow members. Plus, you can generally count on those who’ve joined an association to be open to such networking. In fact, this networking/mentoring relationship is important for both student and mentor. Most instructors say they learn from their classes all the time. There

are always new ideas and new thoughts to be shared…you just have to connect to hear them. “We have all the connections of PPA on our side,” adds Tonsmeire. “And the most important things we can take back to our own businesses are these relationships and the education that stems from them.”

Are you part of this association connection?

Q. Can I get a critique of my images?A. Ordering a critique of all your images can be one of your best

educational tools. One of the judges will sit down with your images and go through them one by one, which you can watch in an online video format. The judge will point out areas that could possibly be corrected or improved upon, with the goal of improving your images and making you a better photographer and competitor.

Q. Can I submit digital files for judging?A. Yes, beginning with the 2010 International Photographic

Competition, you may submit either digital files or prints if you are entering the Electronic Imaging category, the Photographic Open’s Commercial category, or an album. (In 2011, you’ll have the option to enter digital files or prints for all categories.)

Q. What size do my images need to be if submitting prints?

A. If you are submitting a print, the image can be any size but must be presented on a 16x20 mount. If you have your Master of Photography degree, the overall presentation may be any size, up to 20x24 and with a minimum of 80 square inches. (In 2011, more size options will be available to all entrants.)

Q. Do I get my images back (if I submit prints)?A. Yes, in most cases, you will receive your image back after they are

displayed at Imaging USA. There are some exceptions, however. If, for example, an image is selected for the Loan Collection, that image will not be returned as it will be traveling with the rest of the collection. For those who don’t care to get their prints back, you may submit them in any appropriate cardboard shipping box (rather than a print case), and the images will not be returned.

Q. If my image does not merit, can I enter it again?A. Yes, if you would like to make changes to your image and

try again, you are more than welcome to enter it as many times as you would like until it is merited. However, once that image receives a merit, it cannot be entered again.

Q. Why should I enter photographic competitions?A. Photographic competitions have many benefits, but the educational

and marketing values are both priceless. The bottom line is that it will help you become more confident…and a better artist!

Get ready for the 2010 International Competition – deadline April 29, 2010 (more information will be available soon at PPA.com’s Competitions page). Check with your local affiliate association for upcoming image competition entry deadlines and rules. Send questions about regional or international competitions to Jim Dingwell ([email protected]).

Learn more about how competition can help you by reading past articles on PPA.com.


PPAtoday | March 2010 | news from Professional Photographers of America

Louis Tonsmeire, PresidentCr.Photog., API

Don Dickson, Vice PresidentM.Photog.Cr., CPP

Tim Walden, TreasurerM.Photog.Cr, F-ASP

Ron Nichols, Chairman of the BoardM.Photog.Cr.Hon.M.Photog., API

Sandy Puc’M.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI

Ralph Romaguera, Sr.M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP

Carol AndrewsM.Photog.Cr., ABI

Susan MichalM.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI

Doug BoxM.Photog.Cr., CPP, API

Don MacGregorM.Photog.Cr., API

Michael GanM.Photog.Cr., CPP

Constance RawlinsM.Photog.Cr., CPP

Kevin Casey, Industry AdvisorPresident & CEO of Collages.net

Constance Rawlins, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, has operated a studio in McComb, Mississippi for the past 12 years, photographing high school seniors, weddings, and various portraits. After she joined PPA in 1999, she earned her Certified Professional Photographer designation in 2003, her Photographic Craftsman degree in 2007 and her Master of Photography degree in 2009. The work to earn these PPA degrees has helped Rawlins be a better photographer and a better overall businessperson.

A Past president of Professional Photographers of Mississippi/

Alabama and the Central Mississippi Photography Association, Rawlins has also gone through all the steps of leadership in her local and state affiliates. She has also served on the regional SEPPA Board of Governors. Yet another example of her dedicated service is her position as the Imaging USA Convention Chair in 2009 and 2010.

Rawlins is proud to now serve PPA on its prestigious board of directors. Each board member has a unique point of view driven by their own personal and business experiences, and she is elated to be a part of a team working to create a greater collective vision for the success of PPA.

At the age of 70, Arthur Whitty passed away December 5, 2009, in Ellsworth, Maine. He served five years in the U.S. Army and opened his own photography studio in 1966. In his 30 years of running the studio, Whitty served as a past president of New Hampshire

Professional Photographers Association and as a long-time member of PPA. He will be missed—not only by his family and friends, but also by the professional photography community. He spent much of his life preserving the memories of others. Now it is up to us to remember him.

WELCOME TO THE NEW BOARDGuiding the world’s largest, non-profit professional photography association is tough, and PPA is fortunate to have the right visionaries

at the helm. Our board of directors understands exactly what you face and knows the education and resources you need to be successful. After all, they are practicing professional photographers just like you. Join us in welcoming this year’s board of directors:

MEET THE NEWEST BOARD MEMBER

IN MEMORYArthur Whitty, M.Photog.Cr.

Where you will be on Super Monday, May 17, 2010 is a very good question. After all, there are peer-led classes held all over the place on Super Monday—the goal is to bring education as close to as many photographers as we can! From Washington to Florida, Minnesota to Texas, these classes are offered by professional photographers who have a special

expertise they want to share. And share they will…about genres of photography (like photographing children or weddings), certain techniques (like lighting or post-processing), or even business skills. So where will you be going? The first place to start is www.ppa.com/supermonday. Browse the classes in your state—you might find what you’re looking for in a nearby city. And don’t stop there because you might discover a class that could fine-tune the skills you need a few states away. Just remember to check the date of the class, for while the majority will be held May 17, some may be different. Start planning your educational day-trip now, and drive toward your goals of better photography and more profitable business management.

WHERE WILL YOU BE ON SUPER MONDAY?

WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICES LabTab


R1-march gallery 2/10/10 12:24 PM Page 1


WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICESLabTab


WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICES


LabTab



WHERE THE PROS GO FOR THE BEST IN REPRODUCTION SERVICESLabTab

Adorama (adorama.com) ..................113, 125, 127, 129

Advanced Photographic Solutions (advancedphoto.com) ...........................................155

Albums Inc. (albumsinc.com, albumepoca.com)...43, 55, 91

Albums Unliited (albumsunlimited.com) ...............159

Alien Skin Software (alienskin.com).........................3

American Color Imaging (acilab.com) .........46-47, 152

American Photographic Resources (aprprops.com).161

American Student List (studentlist.com)...............157

Animoto (animoto.com/go/kevin) ..........................19

Asukabook (asukabook.com) .................................31

ARK-LA-TEX Color Lab (altcolorlab.com)..............152

B & H Photo-Video (bhphotovideo.com).........130-131

Baboo Digital (baboodigital.com)....................99, 155

Bay Photo Lab (bayphoto.com) .......................79, 151

Black River Imaging (blackriverimaging.com)...........13

Bron Imaging (bronimaging.com)...........................74

Paul Buff Inc. (white-lightning.com).....................107

Burrell Colour Imaging (burrellcolourimaging.com) .....89

BWC (bwc.net)....................................................153

Candid Color Systems Inc. (candid.com)................153

The Click Group (clickconnectioncorp.com)...............9

Collages.net (collages.net/pricing) ....................51, 53

Color Incorporated (colorincprolab.com) ................152

Contemporary Photography/J. Hartman

(jhartman.com) ..........................................159

Corporate Color/Prolab Express (prolabexpress.com)................Cover III, 151, 157

Dalmatian Lab (dalmatianlab.com) .......................156

Denny Manufacturing (dennymfg.com) ...................12

Denny Novelty (photonovelty.com)........................42

Diversified Lab (diversifiedlab.com)......................154

Dury’s (durys.com) ...............................................111

ESS Data Recovery (datarecovery.com) .................158

ExpoImaging (expodisc.com) .................................83

Forbeyon (forbeyon.com).......................................71

GP Albums (gpalbums.com) ................................159

Graphic Authority (graphicauthority.co) ................105

Group Photographers Association(groupphotographers.com) .............................151

Hardwood Frames (hardwoodframes.com) ............154

Herff Jones (hjpro.com).......................................154

Hollywood Fotofix Digital Studios (retouchup.com).35

Interfit Photographic Ltd.(interfitphotographic.com) .............................159

Intuit (trygopayment.com) ......................................5

JD Photo Imaging (www.jdphotoimaging.com) ......153

Kelby Training (kelbytraining.com).........................59

Lensbaby (lensbaby.com) ................................63, 65

Lustre Color (lustrecolor.com) ..............................154

Mamiya (mamiya.com).................................Cover IV

Manfrotto (manfrotto.us)......................................67

McKenna Pro (mckennapro.com)...........................151

Meridian Professional Imaging (meridianpro.com)...................................Cover II

Miller Professional Imaging (millerslab.com)26-27, 152

Morris Group (themorriscompany.com).................159

MPIX (mpix.com)......................................32-33, 155

National Direct Marketing Services (ndmservices.com) ........................................158

Nikon (nikonusa.com/D3S)....................................17

North American Photo (naphoto.com) ..................153

NILMDTS (nilmdts.org) ........................................42

Onlinephotofix.com (onlinephotofix.com/magpp)...161

OnOne Software (ononesoftware.com/50pn) .........81

PCL West Imaging (pclwest.com) .........................155

Pacific Mount (pacificmount.com) ........................158

Photo Safari Workshops (photosafariworkshop.com).............................77

PickPic (pickpic.com) ............................................41

Pictobooks (pictobooks.com).........................157, 158

PocketWizard (pocketwizard.com) .........................37

Portrait City Lab (customcolor.com) .....................154

Portrait Professional Studio (portraitprofessionalstudio.com) ......................21

Posh Prints & Design (poshprintsonline.com) .......159

Pro Photo (prophotoimaging.com)........................155

Profoto (profoto-usa.com) ....................................23

ProPicsExpress.com (propicsexpress.com).............151

Reedy Photo (.reedyphoto.com) ...........................153

Renaissance Albums (renaissancealbums.com) .......75

RightHook Media (bigblackbag.com)......................85

Sandy Puc’ 2010 Family Tour (www.sandypuctours.com).............................143

Simply Canvas (simplycanvas.com/TheBest)..........45

Speedotron (speedotron.com) .............................144

Sto-Fen Products (stofen.com).............................161

Studio Logic (studiologic.com) ................................6

Successware (successware.net)............................145

Taopan (taopanmag.com; b--studio.com) .............157

Tyndell (www.tyndellphotographic.com) ...............158

United Promotions Inc. (upilab.com).....................152

Wacom (wacom.com/i4).......................................115

White House Custom Color (whcc.com)...10-11, 38-39

White Glove (wgbooks.com).................................157

Publisher not responsible for errors & omissions

PROFESSIONAL


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INCORPORATION SERVICES

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LOS ANGELES PHOTOGRAPHY/Production Studio,located in the Artists District. Bldg. is 19,000 sq ft freestanding on 22.000 sq ft of land. It is concrete tilt-up withdock high loading, built specifically for a photography andproduction studio in 1978. Exacta Photographers, Inc hasbeen a successful business since 1970, grossing an average1 million per year. Fully equipped w/hot lights for TV com-mercials and strobe equipment for fashion, etc. 7 airconditioned sets (10,000 sq.ft.) a fully equipped color lab/computer stations/executive offices, huge inventory ofbackgrounds for sets, cameras, lens, etc. Owner retired. A great opportunity for the right person. For info call 626-445-7459.

STUDIO FOR SALE: Central New York near Syracuse.High quality portrait studio, w/ excellent reputation,specializing in high school senior portraits (350 - 500yearly), family portraits, underclass contracts. Inbusiness for 35 years. More than 3,000 sq ft. Beautifulcountry location with valley view on approx. 2 acres.More than 220k in equipment, furnishings, computers &state of the art digital equipment. 3 camera rooms, largeprojection room and beautiful environmental studio rightoutside the door. 2 income apartments in the building.Owner looking to wind down and also has other businessinterests. Will assist in transition, will finance. Call Tom315-750-8538 or email [email protected]

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ith the languishing

economy and a dimin-

ishinging tax base, the

school system in Michigan

is in desperate need of funds.

Basic supplies are running out,

and consolidation in some areas

has swelled the per-class student count to 40

and more. The purchase of new technology

and advanced learning initiatives are in

serious jeopardy.

Fighting the tide of financial despair, pho-

tographer Skip Cerier launched a school por-

trait business aimed at helping schools make

ends meet. “This whole thing got started as

a dad trying to help his kids’ school,” says

Cerier. “I approached the principal with my

idea. Once he understood what I was trying

to accomplish, he invited me to give a pres-

entation to all the other principals in the

district, and suddenly I was in the school

picture business.”

Instead of offering schools a cash incentive

to sign a contract, Cerier’s SchoolPictures.com

allows the schools to determine how much

money they will make. Cerier sets the stan-

dard price he needs for his print packages,

then works with the school to set the retail

prices for the community. The school keeps

every dollar collected beyond Cerier’s fees. So,

for example, if Cerier’s price for a print pack-

age is $10 and the school charges $20, then

the school keeps $10. SchoolPictures.com’s

intake doesn’t change if a school charges more.

“We recommend certain packages that

we think will work well for the school’s com-

munity, and suggest pricing based on the

families in the area with children in the school.

The school can charge less or more than our

suggestion, depending on their needs.”

Cerier’s separate commencement photog-

raphy business is his main source of income,

so SchoolPictures.com needs to generate

just enough to cover the expenses plus a

modest profit. “When you operate altruisti-

cally versus capitalistically, you can do

more,” Cerier says. “Before we make any

business decision, we ask ourselves, How

will our decision help our clients?”

In 2009, the midst of the recession,

SchoolPictures.com raised $542,000 for

180 schools. In all, SchoolPictures.com has

raised more than $2.5 million for schools

throughout Michigan.

For photographers interested in advanc-

ing the mission of SchoolPictures.com in

their own area, Cerier is happy to host

visits to the SchoolPictures.com facility,

share the business model, or offer partner-

ships with SchoolPictures.com.

Learn more or get involved by visiting

www.schoolpictures.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. good works |

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

Education emergency fundSCHOOLPICTURES.COM GIVES MILLIONS TO MICHIGAN SCHOOLS

©Lance Sparks

W

Skip Cerier hands offhis first check to aMichigan school in theamount of $19,300.

162-goodworks 2/11/10 3:44 PM Page 1

C3- corp color 2/10/10 11:40 AM Page 1

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professional photographer march 2010

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