For the last year and a half I’ve removed myself to the fringes of the photographic & print competition communities. Over time, my voice has gone quiet in a number of ways. I stepped down from most of my volunteer roles. I stopped teaching, speaking, judging, mentoring…and writing.

The short and not-so-sweet of it is that over the past few years, I’ve experienced a number of traumas. Each one occurred before I’d gotten a handle on the previous one, and when it was all said and done, traumas from my past resurrected and joined in, too.

It was one big hot mess.

When you take a hot mess and add just one more trauma… well, for this girl… it was too much.

I finally made the decision to seek help. (That sounds way stronger than it was – I had no choice – it was one of those rock-bottom situations). After an evaluation, I was placed with a trauma counselor named Jen.

Quite simply, Jen saved my life.

That was a year ago.

It’s taken this long to work through things and get my head and heart in a better place. I’m happy now, and that hasn’t been the case for a very long time.

I did OK working through things – except for one.

I still couldn’t write.

Trauma severely impeded my ability to create. I finally gave up on the writing thing and figured maybe that was just a part of my life that was over. I let it go.

And then I picked up the camera.

I’ve watched other people pour stuff out of their heart right onto photographic paper. I don’t know how they do it and when it was suggested that I try to do the same – well – that wasn’t an idea that remotely appealed. I’m a portrait photographer – I don’t do that artsy-feely stuff.

But again, I had no choice. I had to do SOMEthing.

I got personal with my camera, for the first time, ever. And the results of this wound up in competition during the 2016/2017 season.

I forced myself to do comp. No matter how much I let things go in my life and my business (yes, sadly, it suffered) – it was against the very fiber of my being to not at least TRY to compete. For two IPCs in a row, I struggled. I didn’t go 4/4, either time, but at that point it didn’t matter. The fact that I even got full cases prepped was a small miracle, so just completing the task of entering was an accomplishment.

I wasn’t thrilled with using the camera as a therapy or creative outlet. Once I began, the pain was immense. One particular image took seven sessions to capture the final image. It still didn’t completely work out and I pulled it out of my case before IPC2017, intending to re-shoot it for IPC2018. But now, I don’t think I need to. Those seven sessions and the tears they wrung from me dissolved most of the “feels” that were keeping me from healing. So maybe that’s an image I no longer need to create.

In all, six images were created and judged at various points, but only three made it clear to the end. Those three are the beginning of a new collection of work – I intend on addressing the topic of “trauma” until I have enough images for a gallery show. In addition to creating my own images, I’m now creating images to tell others’ stories of trauma, as well.

At some point I’d like to hang the collection publicly in partnership with some Mental Health/Mental Illness/Counseling-themed event/fundraiser. They say you should put your goals out there – so I am – if you can help with this part or have ideas for me – I’m all ears.

Once again, competition, for me, provided an opportunity, provided inspiration, provided a kick in the butt – whatever you want to call it – competition was the ONLY thing that kept my hands on my camera during what I consider to be the worst two years of my life.

That’s probably enough story-telling for now. I’d like to share three of my images with you. One has a story, two do not. Thankfully, competition has taught me how to title my images well, so I believe you will be able to infer the stories that are too painful to tell.

If you’ve read this far – thanks. It’s been awhile & I’m a little rusty.

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HUMPTY DUMPTY
2017 General Collection – Showcase Book

Last September, in the middle of the night, I received the news that all mothers fear. My child, my 31 year-old son, Jon, was in a terrible motorcycle accident. He was rushed to a trauma center, life-flighted to another trauma center and 2AM found us speeding across the state of Ohio to his side.

Just three weeks before I had done a session with him for the first time in a few years. And in the bleakness of a hospital waiting room, I consoled myself that I had this image…

…what very well might be his last image…

Things were very grim.

My boy was gone and in his place was a broken and battered body, hooked up to tubes and machines that made him breathe.

For days and days, this was my view.

I sat and watched and listened. I cried, I prayed and I hoped that the doctors could put my boy back together, again. Somewhere in my head I remembered Humpty Dumpty and laughed a little cynically…

Long story short – he’s ok. He’s very ok.

This was the event that put the nail in my trauma coffin…while the crisis was going on, I was superMom. But once he was fine and able to live on his own, again…superMom became a superMess.

It happens. That’s what they told me, anyway.

In the post-incident period of time, I looked closer at a set of DVDs we’d been carrying around from doctor to doctor. They contained sets of full body x-rays as well as individual areas of injury from the first trauma unit he was taken to.

The black and white x-rays reminded me very much of the type of base images I used to create graphic designs in some previous competition entries. I tried cleaning up the x-rays, but eventually resorted to purchasing a better set through a stock image company.

Those of you familiar with my work will recognize the actual pattern on the egg as typical of some past creations. The balance of the image was created from scratch in Photoshop CS5. It’s not rocket science, I looked up how to draw an egg, how to make a gradient background and how to make an object looked curved and followed a couple of tutorials I found. The image scored in the 85-89 range solidly throughout the year, I made a few improvements over the course of a couple of competitions and eventually it scored a 90 at IPC2017 and was placed in the showcase book.

It was my first entry, ever, into the Artist competition.

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ONE LAST SLAP
2017 General Collection

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JUST WAITING FOR MY FATHER TO GET HOME
2017 General Collection

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In 2015, I tackled my first album. I had never done one before and considered them beyond my capability, so it became a challenge entry. It was a simple black and white portrait album that earned a loan at IPC 2015 and went on to place 10th in the non-event album category at the Grand Imaging Awards at IUSA2016. It also placed as a top 10 Impact Award recipient from PPA Charities.

That was some pretty cool stuff for my first album – so I’ve kind of got a bug going on for the non-event album category, now. I think it’s a great challenge to assemble a consistent body of work into album form. I plan on doing at least one every year, and I’ve started encouraging my students to do the same if they’ve gotten their work up to a point where they’re exhibiting a consistent style and theme within their images.

So, of course, this year, I wanted to enter at least one album. I didn’t have any ideas about what that might be, so I sort of set that goal on the back burner until I came up with something brilliant (ie loan-worthy) and worked on some additional challenges.

I didn’t talk much about this next challenge because frankly, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off and I didn’t want to get too braggy about it, just in case. I dig down deep sometimes and get honest with myself about what I need to work on, and I kind of hated to admit the reasoning behind this one, but here goes…

Teaching a shooting class terrifies me.

If you are in a class of mine and I’m up front with a camera, lights and a model, you can lay a pretty hefty bet on the fact that my stomach is in turmoil. If I have a slideshow and images, it’s all good, but the moment I have to “perform” – ugh.

In my Murphy’s Law-filled world, these are the classes that have the most tendency to go haywire. There’s always some piece of equipment that doesn’t work like it’s supposed to, or I forget to bring something, or some other hiccup happens that threatens my ability to create an image in front of a class that I could easily do in private.

I get stage fright. Plain and simple.

But anyways…I like to teach. I like to teach a LOT. I want to be able to be a versatile teacher and when I’m asked to teach a lighting/posing/shooting class, I want to be able to confidently say “absolutely!”

I’ve taught a number of them, and they’ve all worked out fine – but I didn’t have a handle on *my* comfort level with them.

So…the challenge I gave myself was to teach a shooting class.

And within the images created during that class, utilize one for competition.

Yeah. Now you see why I didn’t mention this challenge…

I set these goals shortly after IPC 2015, so that I would have plenty of time to work on them. I already planned on doing something about the shooting class problem, so I had submitted a Super One Day class for October 2015 that included studio lighting, posing and post-processing techniques that I employ in competition.

I hired two models for the class, and for each technique I taught, I demonstrated the lighting setup we were after, and then turned the shooting area over to the students for them to capture a correct example, as well. (I hear the wheels turning – don’t worry – everyone gets the Wootnessy “I’d better not see these images in your portfolio” lecture first).

One of the techniques I taught was rim lighting and an accompanying Adobe Photoshop layer technique that I use to create graphic designs with rim-lit images. I’ve been using that technique in competition for a few years and have made it part of my signature style.

It took 4 tries to get the lighting where I wanted it:

And this is the example graphic that I created during our class to demonstrate the Photoshop technique:

Now, the above example is in no way, shape or form, anywhere close to what I would put in competition. It was a very quickly-worked, basic assembly demonstration, however, the base image, exposure number 21 was a perfect place to start a new project.

Later, after the class was over and the students had gone home, I sat down and created design after design incorporating the base image hundreds of times in various positions and angles. Hundreds and thousands of layers. Dozens of final designs. More designs than I’d ever created from one image before.

Enough for an album – to satisfy the album goal that I’d put on the back burner.

I like it when a plan comes together, don’t you?

I took this project just a little bit further in the “out there” department and added an element of geekiness to it via Carl Jung. I have an interest in psychology and find certain theories very interesting. I had a LOT of fun incorporating the psychology geekiness and the photography together for this project.

At one point, I felt it was finished. And then I put it in a competition. And then another. And another. I printed out hard copies of the spreads and hand-carried them to IUSA 2016 to get the opinion of someone from the mentor booth (Thank you, Cindy Behnke!). And after some revisions, I put it back in competition.

The last step before IPC was Northeast District where it earned a seal (and scored an 88!). I had ordered a critique, and although my reviewer pointed out some areas for consideration, I did not feel that the entry was weak enough in those areas to warrant breaking the seal. I had broken a seal on a different entry, so I wasn’t afraid to do it – it’s just that I felt that this album was finished and any additional tweaking would be messing with a good thing, you know?

So off it went to IPC, where it was selected for the Loan Collection for IUSA 2017.

That makes me really happy. Two black and white albums, two years in a row, two loans in a row.

I think I’m gonna feel a lot better about my next shooting class, don’t you?

I’d like to challenge *YOU*, person who is reading this – challenge yourself for IPC2017. Do one entry that takes you outside your comfort zone. Give yourself a goal and don’t let yourself off the hook. You just never know how it might turn out.

For your enjoyment, I present mandalas:

***NOT SAFE for IPC 2016 JUDGES!!!!***

***I repeat, if you are an IPC 2016 Juror, you need to turn back now!!!***

Well, howdy there! How have you been? If your life is anything like mine – you’ve been so busy you haven’t been able to take a breath. Or get your IPC entries done. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, anyway, it doesn’t have a thing to do with procrastination, no matter what my personal organizer tells you…

So, I’m still on that “oh my goodness I got it done!” high that’s been going strong for about the last hour. I’m pretty sure I’ve never waited this long to enter, and I really don’t know why I did. I had the files mostly prepped about a week after I got my critiques from Northeast District, several months ago.

I guess I thought… ok, I *know* I thought this… but it’s kind of embarrassing…. I thought I could pull out some extra awesome shots/entries that I could use to replace every “not so strong” entry in my case. I figured with the right attitude and energy expenditure I could pull out all the stops and “go Diamond”…

Yeah, right…

Basically, this year’s case is what it is. I had some stuff going on and didn’t give competition the time and attention that I normally do. It’s all good, though. I gave priority to the things that needed it and let those that didn’t hang out on the back burner.

I did that thing I advise against doing – I waited until the last day to enter my case for IPC. I had three seals going in. One for a non-event digital album, and two for printed portraits. I let the album and one print alone and dealt with the remaining two entries.

One of the portraits had the most embarrassing retouching error in it. Even though it scored in the merit zone at districts, I knew it probably wouldn’t go loan at IPC. There’s no rules or anything that would let me know for sure, but I know *I* would think the error that was in place would keep me from voting it a “loan” image, so I’m going off that.

Here’s the before and after images – look at the string hanging off the officer’s camera left sleeve:

That was a pretty easy fix that I took care of back in March, so all I had to do was break the seal and replace the file.

I saw this screen for the very first time… I have to admit, it was a little scary to push that button…

But, I did it, and now I’ll just wait to see if the IPC judges think he’s worth a merit.

Or two.

The real difficulty lay in my choice for entry #4. I’ve been working on a series of illustrative images for the last several months that I wanted to use, but none of them worked out the way I wanted. I was stressing myself out, trying to shoot something new. Every single year, I’ve shot an image fairly close to the day of the deadline. Last year, I yanked an entry and created a brand new album on the day of the Northeast District deadline… which eventually went loan and placed #10 in the Grand Imaging Awards non-event album category… so… I thought it would be no issue to pull some kind of miracle out of my rear-end once again.

::pause for laughter::

Again…yeah, right. That was *SO* not happening…..

It boiled down to this… I had my previous entry #4 from districts. A portrait that scored an 80 and then was pulled back when some technical issues were noticed as it was spinning away… an image that re-scored at a 78.

So much OUCH.

Normally, I consider these “dead in the water” and I just yank them and don’t mess with them again. I prefer images that score higher and do not straddle that 78-81 zone.

But sometimes, you deal with what you have. And I had a 78.

So….

I brought out the print. I brought up the digital file and did a self critique on it (much like I do for my mentoring students) and then I pulled up my district critique from Randy McNeilly. I re-calibrated both monitors and I immersed myself in the image. I did everything I could to bring it up to snuff. I fixed the background retouching issue that was noted in my critique. I checked my levels to make sure my blacks weren’t blocked up. In the actual judging, the judges said that the print had a greenish cast (it did – & that seemed to be a lab issue) – but that wasn’t something that needed fixed in the digital file, so that input, I ignored.

With some concentrated effort, I made the corrections in short order and submitted my case.

*whew*

I know, right?

There’s still a tiny window of time before entries officially close, but after today, we’re just waiting for the official start of IPC 2016 judging, which begins on August 1, 2016.

I wish all of my fellow competitors the best luck in the world. I hope that 4/4 pins need an extra production run and that everyone that needs those last merits for their Master’s of Photography Degrees is successful in that quest.

Peace, love and merits,

I rescued these daffodils the other night when I heard that snow was headed our way. Even though they were at the end of their blooming, I knew that saving them from the bad weather would extend their life by a few more days. Although a bit frail and faded, they still possess a quiet beauty.

I chose the vase based on nothing more than personal preference. It is from Ireland and was made by Belleek. At one point in time, it belonged to my great Aunt Kathryn.

Time and time again, the vase and I become one with a tube of glue and attempt the best temporary repair we can. Over and over, I claim success, only to be faced with yet another repair failure. I can’t bring myself to discard the vase, it’s one of the few family heirlooms I have and the only thing from that particular relative.

Today, this image reminds me of me; a little bit past my prime, a little bit faded, a little bit broken.

I hope to carry it off with quiet grace.

It’s been awhile. You and I. It’s almost like we’re having an affair, with how little we meet these days. I can give you all kinds of blah blah, but the honest truth is that I’ve been afraid.

I’ve come to recognize that my hands are an extension of my heart when they’re poised over a keyboard.

My writing is art.

My art.

My personal work.

And sometimes the words and feelings and thoughts flow in a way that cause me pain, or perhaps reveals a part of myself to you that I’m just not sure I want you to know.

Yet.

If ever.

Completely.

So here I am, after much of an absence because I’ve been dealing with some personal stuff that leaves me in a position of being afraid to write.

Afraid to let my stuff influence my art.

Afraid to let my stuff influence my art.

One more time for those of you that aren’t getting it.

Christine.

Afraid to let my stuff influence my art.

Those of you still with me, thanks for sticking it out.

I’ve been admiring an artist friend of mine, a talented photographer, who has been pouring her energy into creating competition images.

So what?

The thing is, that energy is being fueled by some personal issues in her life. I don’t know exactly what they are, and it’s none of my business, but I’ve got to admire her guts. Her ability to be all “yeah, things are sucking, this is some art I made about how I’m feeling about that” and then she shows what she created and I’m blown away.

Seriously. Blown away.

Because it’s good. Very good, in fact.

I get it. I feel it.

My heart says

Oh yes!

But more… because she’s just putting it out there. She’s already got a hot mess going on and she’s packaging it all up real pretty for a panel of judges take a gander at.

And others.

Thousands of others.

Strangers.

Here’s my heart.

I want to do that. I want to be like that. I want to rise above this pain that’s silenced me.  I want to wrestle and wrangle it into submission and two dimensions.

But, I’ve been afraid.

I tried, several months back, to create an image as an outlet of some stuff. It didn’t work out so hot, technically, and still needs some refinement. But it was also tough to do, and I might have been using that technical refinement issue as an excuse to keep from finishing it.

It was that uncomfortable.

And then there’s the whole “will they get it?” part…

And then I question whether I’m creating for me or for my audience.

Of course, what I create will be as technically perfect as I can get it because that’s just how I am.

But how experimental and touchy-feely and true to myself am I willing to get with my work, knowing it might not fly in competition?

Knowing the judges might not get it?

Knowing that others will see a piece of me that’s vulnerable?

I’m going to try and change things up. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this kind of thing, lately, and I think I’m going to try to fill that last slot in my case with something intensely personal.

And hopefully, intensely well-done.

I’m going to stop being afraid to let my stuff influence my art.

Peace, love and merit scores,

I had a couple of goals on my list for 2015 and there were a number of them that I didn’t hit. One of  them was to complete my minimum requirements to become a PPA affilated juror.

Which I did.

But having those requirements considered adequate was another story.

To bring you up to speed, the requirements were:

18 exhibition merits
Judges’ Workshop
Four State judgings (PPA approved with Affiliated juror(s) present)
Six reviews from affiliated jurors at those state judgings
Four recorded critiques
Ten image portfolio submission

I took the judges workshop in August 2013 (read about that HERE). I judged my first state judging in February 2014 with South Carolina, and also did West Virginia, Montana and New Jersey in the process that generated seven reviews by affiliated jurors.

I put together a portfolio of competition level 8x10s and recorded 4 critiques inside a 24 hour window to show my skill level (or lack there-of) on critiques.

Everything was due September 4 and then we played the waiting game…

Somewhere my seven evaluations were pulled out and reviewed, my critiques were listened to, my images perused, meetings were had, discussions were held, and in the end, I didn’t make the cut.

I’ll forever remember my phone call from Tim Mathieson, letting me down as easy as he could. I thanked him for his phone call when I saw him a few weeks ago at IUSA. The poor guy probably dreaded making those calls, so I figured I’d let him know I was cool with his call.

Why?

Because if someone thinks that I’m not ready to sit in a juror chair, then I don’t want to sit in a juror chair.

It’s as simple as that.

I WANT the bar to be high. I WANT it to be a goal worthy of achieving. I WANT to be 100% ready for the task at hand.

Personally, I feel like the states/ reviews requirement was less than I needed to go through myself, so we were all pretty much on the same page, anyway.

Yes, I cried a little bit when I was alone with my husband and he expressed regret on my behalf. I was disappointed.

But very temporarily. And only a little.

Because that day, I was being reminded of greater things…

It was Thursday, October 8th, 2016. I was in Florida, visiting the home of our son/daughter-in-law and holding our newest grandchild, Tristan. He was three weeks old and I was doing that softly rocking/half walking thing that grandmas do.  We were out by the pool. Throw in some colorful blooms, warm sunshine and the smell of barbecue in the air, and you’ve pretty much set the scene.

It was 12:10 pm

At 12:11 pm, grandchild #4, Audrey, was born back home in Dover, Ohio
AT 12:11:28 pm Tim Mathieson called
At 12:12 pm, grandchild #5, Bane (twin to Audrey) was born

In the midst of overwhelming joy, a tiny nugget of sadness swiftly traveled through. In a flurry of phone calls and texts, only one was not filled with something positive…

I’ve got this thing about Karma and things working out the way they’re supposed to. I can’t imagine a nicer way to find out I didn’t make the cut on something – blanketed on all sides by baby joy.

That’s Wootness right there.

Note to Tim:

I’m reapplying this spring. No one in my family is pregnant.

Just saying.

***** Update Notes are italicized (thanks Dan & Francie for clarification help).*****

As I write about photographic competition topics, I will put them under a header of IPC with whatever “competition year” we are in. That means that this topic pertains to anything that is going on from approximately September 1 through August 31, depending on the IPC dates. This does not mean that the topic pertains ONLY to the IPC competition. I apologize for any confusion, but that’s the way I’ve always done it here at Wootness.

Some of the rules below only affect competitions at a district level (specifically the INs/OUTs change, the lowest score alternate change and the Majority Automatic Challenge addition) as there is scoring on the district level only. The remaining change affects both IPC and District levels.

These rules are not required to be duplicated on any other level, so check your state or local guild rules for the specific rules that govern their competitions.

Greetings and salutations! I haven’t been around much lately, after IPC last August, the fall passed in a blur and then it was the holidays and then IUSA 2016 and now here we are, mere weeks from the first PPA District deadline – ack! How did that happen?

While at Imaging 2016, I had the opportunity to attend the Judges’ Refresher training. While there, we were all apprised of a few new judging guidelines that are going into effect this year. Normally, I like to back up my information with resources, and I anticipate that new Jury Chair and International Photographic Competition manuals will be uploaded to the PPA website before too long with the changes in place. Meanwhile, this information has been shared on several social media platforms and I have some fuzzy cell phone snaps of the slideshow from the judges’ training – so I think we can all go with the concept that I’m going to give you some real information here based on fact. As soon as the official documentation supports it, I will add that in. (meanwhile, see IPC Facebook page post dated 1/26/2016 HERE)

There are four changes that have been made. Every single one of these changes benefits the maker/image and gives every opportunity for a merit to be awarded. I think that most competitors will find these changes to be to their advantage.

1. In the past, images scoring 78-81 would be brought back for a review called INs and OUTs. This is no longer the case. The only images that will be brought back for review are those that initially scored a 78-79. This is a PPA District Competition change.

2. In the past, the computer would randomly select a juror for each image that was to be considered the alternate. The jurors are unaware as to which of them is the alternate and all jurors participate fully in the challenge discussions. The change will be that the lowest score will now be the alternate score and will not be figured into the final average score for the print. If, during the challenge process, the jurors change their score and a different juror now has the lowest score, that is the new alternate. This is a PPA District Competition change.

3. In the past, albums submitted to the event album category were judged by a panel that contained at least 3 approved wedding jurors. that requirement is now also in place for the wedding portrait subcategory within the portrait category. This is a PPA District and IPC change.

4. If a majority of the jurors on the panel give an image an 80+ score, but the image’s final average score is not an 80+, this is called a Majority Automatic Challenge and the image will be discussed and re-scored. For example, if you have a panel that scores an image 80, 80, 80, 80, 75, 75, the average score is a 79 (we have dropped one of the 75s as the lowest score). A majority of the jurors have given this a “merit score” however, the final average was not 80+. We now have an automatic challenge and this image will be discussed.

There’s also a flip side to how this rule works. If a majority of the jurors give a score of less than 80, but an average score of more than 80 is decrived, that is an automatic challenge. (Example scores: 85, 79,79,79,79,78. The 78 is dropped as the alternate/lowest score and the average is 80. Although the majority of the judges scored this image below an 80, it scored an 80, so it will be an automatic challenge and will be discussed and rescored).

This is a PPA District Competition change. (CWN note: merits and loans are determined at the IPC level by a majority thumbs up/thumbs down vote, so there is a comparable majority rule already in place at the IPC level)

So, there you have it, all the changes that are new and improved for your competition pleasure.

Peace, Love & Merit Scores,

I’ve been Instagramming some of the process, mostly images of the thesis-writing portion and stacks of reference material strewn around my dining room. I took the table over for a number of weeks and then kept the stacks of books and publications close at hand just in case I didn’t pass and needed to re-write it.

But that’s about all I’ve really covered.

I received a number of requests for guidance in the process and I’ve delayed answering until after I knew I’d done it correctly, myself. So, now that I know I didn’t completely train-wreck, it, here’s some information…

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The Educational Associate Degree (EA-ASP) is one of three degrees available from the American Society of Photographers (not counting Honorary degrees, the other two are the Service and Fellowship degrees).

In order to apply for the EA-ASP there are a couple of prerequisites:

1. Eligibility to apply for the ASP Educational Associate requires that an individual hold the PPA Photographic Craftsman degree and have acquired 30 additional speaking, teaching or writing merits AFTER receiving their degree AND as a member in good standing of ASP.

I received my Craftsman Degree and became a member of the ASP at the same time, so counting the merits that were earned after these two events was easy to track.

2. The applicant must complete a minimum of three consecutive years membership in ASP prior to application and judging for the Educational Associate.

I became an ASP member in January of 2012, after having received my PPA Photographic Craftsman Degree. Three consecutive years took me to January of 2015. Educational Associate Degree applications are taken each October, so the first available opportunity for me to apply was October 2015.

3. The applicant must write a paper of at least 4000 words of individual research and thought that demonstrates the applicant’s mastery of the field and supports a position for a new idea, development or trend.

These three requirements are pretty well spelled out. Time-wise, I was eligible to apply in January 2015; merit-wise, I was eligible in February 2015. Once those two items were met, all that was left was the thesis and that was submitted in October 2015. Applications are only accepted once per year.

So, we’re down to requirement #3, the thesis. And this is where most of the questions are concerned when I talk to folks thinking about attempting this.

I think the most important part of the thesis requirement (besides the 4000 word part) is “supports a position for a new idea, development or trend.”

For me, it was a given that I would write about image competition. It’s what I do, it’s who I am, it’s what I teach. One of the things I do when discussing image competition is tie it in to a psychological theory called “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.”

Yes, I heard you yawn from here.

If you’ve been in my classes – this is the part of the program where I talk about “Christine’s Triangle of Wootness.”

Without going into a rewriting of my thesis here, I basically felt that Maslow’s theory and the motivating factors of image competition paralleled each other and my thesis outlined those parallels. I switched into college paper-writing mode and took all of the material I used in developing that portion of my image competition classes and rewrote the material on a more cerebral level.

That’s a flowery word for dry.

The applications were due October 1, 2015 and there were a number of supporting documents that needed to go along with the application. A PPA merit report was the biggie – but it’s pretty easy to download a PDF of that from PPA’s website. I also had to include a head shot and bio. There is an $85 application fee, as well.

The judging process takes a few weeks and involves five judges. Four of the judges are previous EA-ASP degree holders and one is an English instructor at a high school or college level. There are a certain amount of points (out of 100) allocated for content, style, form and grammar and the thesis must receive a passing score of 85 from three or more judges.

Fortunately, I received a notification that my scores were 82, 85, 90, 90 and 91. I passed. Yay. I received a document that contained a score breakdown and comments from each of the five judges. Some of them were positive, some of them were critical. All of them were just.

Part of me felt a little bit like rewriting the thesis to address the notes for improvement and I imagine that at some point in time I will make that effort.

I will more than likely drop the scholarly tone and revert back to my current Wootnessy writing style as I have to admit that was the facet I had the most difficulty with during this project. The article you are currently reading is in excess of 1100 words and has taken slightly over an hour to write, but the 4000 word thesis was several weeks in final edit mode. I have a feeling, the Wootness version won’t take as long.

I have a few pointers and comments that you might find interesting/helpful:

1. The judging criteria spells out a specific version of the MLA handbook for a reason. Make sure that you get the correct edition – there are specific reference formatting and footnote usage rules that change between editions and utilizing the wrong one may cost you some valuable points.

2. My personal two cents – this is not a group project. Write it yourself.

Get someone to proofread for you, if necessary, but at this point, you should be at an exceptional level as an instructor and should be fully capable of documenting your own ideas. Although that’s not spelled out in the rules, I think the spirit of intent is evident. At least it is, to me.

After the thesis passed…

My notification was received in mid-November and I was informed that the degree would be conferred at the ASP gala in January 2016 at Imaging USA. Until then, I was not permitted to add the degree to my degree string, but now I will be adding “EA-ASP” to the end of it.

I find it amusing that both my name and degree string are hyphenated, now.

At the gala, the degree recipients are honored, their bios are read, the medallion is placed over their heads, their hands are shaken and their picture is taken. At some point a certificate is delivered and it’s all official.

For further research:

Make sure you check out further instructions regarding the thesis formatting & content here: http://asofp.com/images/uploads/EA_Judging_Criteria_2014.pdf as well as the official application form here: http://asofp.com/images/uploads/EA_Application.pdf.

If you’re really geeky and just have to read it, you may obtain a PDF copy of my thesis here (please respect copyright – only share the document in full form and only quote with credit):

A Maslovian Approach to PPA District and International Photographic Competition

by Christine Walsh-Newton, M. Photog. Cr., CPP, EA-ASP

– – – – –

Article Reference Source: http://asofp.com/awards/educational-associate

Something that I’ve noticed about IUSA and it’s numbers – not all that many people attend the Awards & Degrees Ceremony or the Grand Imaging Awards.

I’d like that to change.

Whether or not you know any of the honorees, watching the incredible pride in craftsmanship, work ethic and a job well done within our industry can truly be inspiring.

I know that I, personally, am inspired by the Diamond Photographers of the Year (honored at the Grand Imaging Awards). To me, that means that they have achieved perfection within image competition. Yes, perhaps only for that one moment in time, but wow – that’s impressive.

You might not have a clue what I just said, and maybe that’s why you’re not interested. I’m going to explain it in English and very simply – please bear with me for a few paragraphs, k?

Monday, Jan 11, 2016 6:30-7:30 PM Grand Imaging Awards

First of all, it’s only an hour and PPA has this gig down to a science. They get’r’done pretty well and a boatload of people are honored in a fairly expedient, yet not rushed manner. It’s kind of impressive, especially after you see the lengths they go to audio-visually to keep us entertained with image slideshows while we are waiting for the event to start and informational and image slideshows during the ceremony.

In a nutshell, this is where the image competitors are honored. All year long, they work on their best four images (called a “case”) and they go into competition. It’s their absolute best work and many lengths and hours of time may be gone into the creating of them. When all is said and done, your image can either not pass, pass, or pass with extra credit. Your end ranking depends on whether or not all 4 of your images passed and how many of them got extra credit. We call those teachers’ pets that get extra credit for every darned thing “Diamond Photographers of the Year”. (Y’all know I love and respect you, I’m just being funny – see Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friends).

Anyway – anyone who had everything pass (if you pass, we call that a MERIT) gets to get up on stage and they’re in 5 different groupings, depending on how many of their images got extra credit (we call that a LOAN). So the groupings are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. They’re all called Photographers of the Year and/or Medalists.

All in all, this is a pretty impressive feat. Folks work really hard on these images and getting to this level is fairly impressive. If you’re a new competitor, or interested in image competition at all, this would be a great event for you.

After those groups are honored, they Go on to the Grand Imaging Awards (GIA). The PPA takes those images that got the extra credit and has their judges vote on their top ten images in each category. After the top 10 are narrowed down, the judges vote again, ranking their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place choices. (That is my understanding of the process, any judges reading, feel free to correct me if this is wrong).

Those top 10 images in each category are considered GIA Nominees/Finalists. There are actually 6 overall categories, but the Portrait category is subdivided further, so in total, there are 10 group announcements. The top 3 in each category get trophies, and the 1st place winner gets $500. Then all the first place winners are brought up (6 – there is an overall portrait 1st place – the subdivisions do not appear here) and the overall GIA winner is given another trophy and another $500. *sigh*

ok, and that’s pretty much it. There are a number of other awards afterwards, as organizations tend to do.

Oh – yes – I mustn’t forget – the World Cup…

The World Cup is kind of like the Olympics of photography. The very first USA Team was announced and revealed while I was in the audience at this event several years ago. The absolute top cream of the crop images are chosen from all the LOANS and that makes up Team USA, who then go head-to-head with teams across the world.

“We are watching history being made,” said the voice behind me in the audience. He was right, so very right. The USA has been a strong force to be reckoned with in the past, let’s see what you think when the new team is announced at the ceremony.

Tuesday, January 12, Award and Degree Ceremony 6:30-7:30 PM

Bonus! Another well put together event that only takes an hour, yet is jam-packed with stuff. Way cool audio visual effects last year, too!

The PPA confers degrees to people, again, who have done a boatload of work over the past number of years. These are your competitors, your speakers, your teachers, your organizational volunteers. Those who have shown a level of work and dedication above and beyond. The PPA acknowledges these accomplishments with a variety of Degrees (Master of Photography, Photographic Craftsman, Master Artist). There are also different medallions and levels of achievement beyond the degrees that are acknowledged as well. Each person receiving a degree will be announced and go on stage with the sponsor of their choice who will then place their medallion and ribbon around their neck and then there will be hugs, handshakes and hula dancing. Seriously. One of the delightful aspects is the little twists that folks put into this moment. I didn’t do anything, personally, but my friends thought that yelling “SQUIRREL!” would make the moment memorable. Yes, it’s on video. To those designing the twists – stay classy – I’ve seen it go borderline.

Anyway – those walking across that stage have devoted at least a few years to the process that led them to this evening. The new Master Photographers have amassed at least fifteen images in competition that passed, or if they were exceptionally talented, eight with extra credit (those get double merits). It’s some pretty heady stuff if you think about it.

I want you to experience the same inspiration I get from these ceremonies.

What would be really cool is if you all could go and seek out the folks from your home state that are up on stage at any point in the evening. They worked really hard to be up there, this event might be the thing that swayed them to come, and they very well might be there by themselves. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but (stop reading, honey) I had to find a quiet area a few times the evening I got my Master’s Degree a few years back and regroup. It bothered me more than I realized that my husband wasn’t there. Fortunately, I had a group of very sweet friends who cheered me on (even though it wasn’t allowed) and met up with me at the party later – and that helped me, immensely.

Additionally – if you’re reading this far, I’ll let you in on a secret….. those folks that are GIA finalist/nominees have not been allowed to publicly announce the honor. The ceremony announcements need an element of surprise, and folks have been asked to be discreet. Of course, I’ve heard a number of little birdies tweeting here and there and a couple of not vauge-book enough posts to have a good idea of some of the names, but I can’t help from feeling a little sad that they’re not able to whip up some hooplah prior to the event. You know?

So, I’m betting there are some folks there that could use an extra pat on the back and congratulated.

Or maybe even a social event companion.

I know a number of my competitor friends that travel to these things alone; conjuring up a banquet escort can sometimes be an issue – fellows, you know any ladies there by themselves (or rooms of ladies) ? Not to be sexist – but it’s not necessarily comforting to be slogging around the streets of Atlanta hailing cabs, etc in gowns and high heels  – ask your solo traveler friends to join your group if you can.

And if a friend with a purse needs to go onstage, offer to keep it safe while they do that, nobody wants to drag a purse up there.

OK, that’s all I have – peace, love and high heels,

So, let’s go over some stuff:

GETTING IN AND STAYING THERE

By now you should have your registrations and hotel reservations at the bare minimum. If you want to register for a pre-convention class, you probably ought to get cracking on that, too. If you haven’t done any of that yet, put down the pop-tarts and head over to these links:

REGISTER

PRE-CONVENTION CLASSES & CONVENTION SCHEDULE

HOTELS

WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU’RE THERE

Those of you really organized types (ie people who are my very.dear.friends.) will want to make sure that you download the IUSA app onto  your smart phone.  The link for that is HERE.

It shows the entire schedule of the whole shebang and allows you to design your own custom schedule of classes you are interested in seeing. That part is pretty cool,

BUT (note to any PPA bigwigs who have a hand in the design of these things, the rest of you can skip to the next paragraph) PLEASE for the love of all that is holy allow the option to insert my own personal time slot into this app. There are a number of specialized PPA and IUSA-oriented events and meetings that I am supposed to be at that are not open to the general public, so they’re not on the public schedule… For example, the Judge’s Refresher Training, The CPP Liaison Meeting, My Mentor Booth Appointment, Degrees & Awards Ceremony Rehearsal, ASP Banquet, etc – you know what I mean? Make it easy on a lot of us and combine everything into one schedule, it’s driving me mad to have to cross check the IUSA schedule with my own personal calendar.

OK Rant over, sorry, not sorry.

So, anyway, some kind of schedule is going to help you out, I suggest a combination of the IUSA app and whatever calendar (smartphone, daytimer, etc) you usually utilize.

As a bare minimum, you’re probably set. It’s just fine to walk through the front doors and bounce from class to class like a Roomba, but you’re probably better off checking the schedule over thoroughly and at least following some kind of semblance of order. I prefer to stay on the “portrait” track, myself, but you’ll find me in other topics, depending on the instructor.

The first year I went to IUSA, I met some friends there and basically went to whatever class one of the other ones was going to that I thought sounded the most interesting. Believe it or not, I’m a little shy and was just not comfortable entering classrooms with so many people in them by myself. True story. I have trouble in crowds. Sometimes.

What I wound up with was a smattering of helpful things and only one speaker I truly enjoyed.

This is certainly an effective way to get a haphazard dose of education, but I suggest going it on your own if you have to, and save the socializing for the meal times and designated party times.

I set a very complex schedule up for myself last year with something in every single class time slot as well as every slot with a trade show speaker. I was busy from morning until night and for me, that’s the best way to utilize my time. I generally don’t get to attend classes at my state convention (because I’m usually on the team running it), so this is my way to get in as much education in as I can.

Hey, this trip costs a lot of money  – I need to maximize my investment.

WHAT TO WEAR

I generally wait until the night before the trip to pack my bag, and then I just sort of fit as much of my closet in there as I can. Since I’m flying Southwest, I’m allowed to check two bags, but realistically, toting two bags on the MARTA is not going to be a pretty sight, so I’m trying to really plan well to minimize the extra clothes I wind up taking back home with me unworn, this time. Plus, I need to allow some extra room because, well… trade show.

One of the things that’s helpful is to check a 10-day weather forecast to help you pack. It looks like the first few days are going to be warmer than the last time I was in Atlanta for Imaging, so I’m not packing much in the “heavy outerwear” department. Those of you staying at the OMNI will be delighted to know that the convention center is attached to the hotel via a covered walkway of some sort – so carrying your coat around the trade show will not be on your pet-peeve list this year.

If you’re attending the ASP Banquet or being honored onstage at either the Grand Imaging Awards or the Awards and Degrees Ceremony, you’ll want to make arrangements for slightly dressier clothing than normal. No, I can’t help you with this – did you read the part about how I waited until 4 days before my flight to shop for a dress?

For the most part, I recommend that you be comfortable. Wear shoes that you’ve already worn a lot and wear layers, you never know if a place is going to be warm or cool and layers are your best bet for working around that. Yes, I know, I sound like my grandmother.

Another helping hint: a backpack. If you’re like me, slugging around bags and purchases and notebooks and purses and cameras causes me angst. The most convenient mode of dealing with all of that is a backpack. It’s pretty much a fanny pack on steroids.

Depending on what kind of student you are, you ought to throw a notebook in that backpack. I’m  a note-taker and I have a specific notebook I bring to classes. If you forget, don’t worry, though, the last few years, PPA had some cool little information books at the registration desks that had pages in them for note-taking. They’re not ideal, if you take lots of notes, but they’re helpful in a pinch.

So, that’s pretty much the basics. How are you doing with your prep? I did that dreadfully responsible thing and paid for my trip piece by piece months ago. Except for buying my gown in June*,  the rest of the prepping in advance was a wise decision. Now I’m not going to get hit with a bunch of expenses in one fell swoop. All that’s left is to check the schedule for any recent additions and pack my suitcase.

If you’re still reading this far – I’d like to cordially invite you to join a group of my students and mentees on Sunday, January 10 at 12 noon in the PPA eatery by the Image Exhibit. We will hang out and have lunch together and then walk through the Image Exhibit afterwards. Last year was a great time, we ran into a number of judges and artists that I knew and they took the time to give our group several impromptu talks about image competition or their images. The link to the Facebook Event is HERE.

*It’s like Murphy’s Law; the minute you buy a dress for a future event, you gain just enough pounds to not fit into it any more.

Peace, Love & Pop-Tarts,

So, 2016… you seem all excited, all fresh and shiny brand new… but before you start blasting around with all your glitter and cheer and noise, let’s get something straight…here’s the thing – your predecessor, 2015, kinda sucked a little bit. But… in the interest of fresh starts and all that jazz, I won’t belabor the point. Let’s just leave all that stuff on yesterday’s plate…

This WILL be the year of Wootness. I don’t care what you’ve got planned, what little curve ball you’re going to toss my way, but I’m giving you notice… this WILL be a better year.

And because I know that half the crap that happened in 2015 was of my own doing, I’ll hold myself in a little bit more check as well.

Priority-setting is going to be a big change this year. I have no idea what I’m going to change or how, but something must give.

I found 2015 was a struggle because most of the time was spent trying to please other people. Too many other people. Anyone need a favor? I’m your girl! You’re behind on a project? Let me help you! Someone needs to volunteer for something? I’m raising my hand right here!!

That totally needs to stop.

Not because I don’t want to help, but because I found myself helping others more than I was helping myself. And most of the time, the help I extend, isn’t really returned when I’m in a position of need. Now, I know you don’t do something with the expectation  of receiving something in return, but let’s just say there’s a point where some situations start looking really lopsided in the give/take category and you start to question whether or not you’re being used and/or appreciated. And when you’ve barely got the time left to take care of your own needs with the time that you have leftover, that lopsidedness becomes more apparent.

So…

This year, I’m going to be selfish. That actually sounds kind of negative. I could say “I’m going to be nice to myself” but it’s WAY more than that, these changes that need made.

I spend a lot of my time doing/saying/writing things for other people. I have formulated some warped sense of “how a professional photographer should act” and I’ve spent a lot of time being all prim and proper and not voicing my opinion about the real way I think and feel about things. I’ve been afraid of stepping on the wrong toes, of saying things that will come back to haunt me later; of getting a smart-mouth reputation that will keep me from being selected as a judge or as an Imaging speaker. You know what? I applied to be considered for both those things this year, and neither one panned out, so my plan wasn’t all that effective now, was it?

The proof is in the pudding right here at Wootness. It’s been a long time since I’ve metaphorically touched pen to paper. When I’ve been true to my inner Wootness, I’ve received some negative responses that have shut me down. This happens on a regular basis. Why? Because I don’t have the strength within me to tell those folks to get lost.The fault is not in what I write from my heart but in the fact that some of my readers think that they have a right to tell me how to think and feel.

I’m done with that.

I write Wootness for me. If you don’t like it, find something else to read.

Not only am I going to change how much of my time is allocated to other folks’ causes, but I’m going to keep in check the amount of emotion I invest, as well.

I’m not sure how successful that’s going to be, but since the common theme of 2015 was having my heart broken by a variety of people and situations, well, 2016, you’re gonna get a “not so touchy-feely Christine.” Oh, don’t be confused, I will always have “all the feels” – but whether or not I allow you on my list of “all the people I have feels for” is a totally different thing.

So, here we are, that’s how things stand and I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a happy!

Because these events are generally attended by the general public, from guests to ticket-holders, the chance that some of these attendees will have cameras of their own is fairly high. Some of them are just capturing a few shots for their own enjoyment, which is perfectly fine, but others… well , there are others who are trying to utilize the event in a professional capacity that has not been offered to them.

To those, I have these five rules:

1. Get out of the way.

Seriously. Sit in your seat and don’t move. Don’t lean out into any aisles, don’t stand up, don’t move your chair out of the position it’s in so you get a better angle, and especially, don’t stand in front of me.

Just. Sit. Down.

And if you place yourself into the center of the activity, thereby appearing in my photographs, we are going to be having a special kind of chat.

2. Don’t try to share my space while I’m shooting

I’m here to do a job. You are not.

I am not required to give you any kind of preferential treatment because you have a camera in your hands. I don’t care of you’re working for the Associated Press, you aren’t here on the clients’ dime, I am. Allowing you in my work space and allowing you to interfere with the relationship between my clients and my camera reduces the level of quality service that I am providing to them. If you desire to take your own photographs, do so in a way that does not interfere with me. Shooting over my shoulder is just bad etiquette, and asking clients to look in your direction so you can have your own shot is just downright interference.

Occasionally there are circumstances where it behooves me to let another photographer take a shot or two. If you are granted this privilege – here are some special rules for you:

Do NOT assume that you now have control of the photography and can re-pose my clients. Get in, get your shot and get out. You’d want me to act quickly and quietly if our roles were reversed. This isn’t the time to showboat.

Do NOT criticize me, my setup, my photography or my polite request that you just take a few shots so we can maintain our timeline. I’m not being paid to argue with you.

Do NOT complain about me and my limitations on you to my client or on social media. I always find out.

Do NOT utilize the photographs I allowed you to take for anything other than the very special intended purpose that resulted in you being granted the opportunity to photograph. If you do, I’ll assume your very special reason was fabricated. That’s fancy for “lie.”

You were granted a favor. Appreciate it, or you will never be granted that favor again.

3. Don’t ask to pick my brain

I love that you have a passion for photography and I love that you respect me enough to want to ask my opinion on some photographic matter. But please, I’m working. I just don’t have the time to chat with you about photography.

I don’t want to be rude, but introducing yourself and asking me for my business card so you can contact me later with questions is a much better approach, and I will gladly give you a card when I have a moment free.

4. My formal background area is not a photo booth

Time and time again, it seems that folks misunderstand the intention of a formal background area. I pay many many dollars-es for backgrounds and lights and all the accessories that go into a formal photographic setup. If I bring that setup with me, it’s because the client has requested their formal photographs to have a “studio” look. It’s not so you can keep dashing in to use the pretty background when I’m in between shots.

It’s not a photo booth. Seriously. Do you see any crazy hats and mustaches for people to wear?

I didn’t think so.

5. Don’t “gift” my clients with your own images publicly

There’s been a number of times that I’ve been out-spray-and-prayed by an amateur who “only wants to give a gift to the bride and groom.”

Yeah. Right.

You and I both know that you’re an aspiring photographer and you’re looking at this event as an opportunity to either pump up your portfolio or get paying gigs of your own. If you’re wanting to “gift” my client with your own images – do so privately. That’s what you do with gifts. Plastering 839 images on Facebook within 24 hours of an event is not a gift, it’s advertising.

Yours in Wootness,
Christine

A behind-the-scenes look at my online private mentoring…

Today I had an appointment with a new mentee, Kelly, from Ohio and she was gracious enough to agree to let me blog about her mentoring progress. I thought it would be nice to use a real-life example of a student’s mentoring session – so mucho big thanks to Kelly for allowing me to chat about it. (hopefully she’ll agree to a wrap-up interview when we’re all done).

My mentoring program, for the time being, is a 6-meeting arrangement between one student and myself. The reason is this – that is the kind of education *I* like. It’s the kind of education *I* learn the most from, and I pretty much wanted to work with other students that desired the same kind of personal attention that I like.

Kelly and I set up our first appointment for today at 10 AM. I had given her a number of pre-session homework assignments, and she came through with flying colors, sending me 17 images to review before our first meeting. I also reviewed her website, her blog and her business Facebook page and sent her several survey forms with pertinent questions about her education, technical skill level and information about previous competition participation.

Yes, I want to know a lot of stuff.

Here’s why – my students are going to fork over a chunk of change and I want to make sure that they get every penny’s worth out of it. I want to know what equipment they have access to and what types of clients they photograph for money. Then I want to know what they photograph for the love of it. I want to know what makes them tick and I want to know what gives them “juice.”

For the next 6 weeks, my mentees trust me to guide them towards their goals – I’m going to make sure we do this with a level of great success. So yes, I’m going to spend some extra time getting to know them as individuals as well as photographers.

Kelly and I spent a little over an hour reviewing her images and talking about her goals. I used an online meeting company that gives me the capability to record our sessions, and a copy of that recording was sent to Kelly at the conclusion of our session.

We reviewed 14 of the 17 images she sent for homework and will be reviewing the remaining 3 in session 2.

At the end of our session, we scheduled the next 5 session dates and times and I assigned Kelly some homework for session #2.

Now, this all may sound a little bit vague, but I just don’t do the same thing with each student, so I don’t have a plan that is replicated across the board. Besides, it’s called private mentoring for a reason.

Anyway – Kelly got some homework that was pertinent to her work and her goals. She was given some pointers on how to change up the way she shoots in a few technical areas the next time she encounters certain situations. I became acquainted with Kelly’s level of software competence and reviewed her current methods of retouching and enhancement before assigning her the rest of her homework.

I believe in stretching the existing skill set – not necessarily changing everything over to what *I* do, you know?

So, there you have it – a couple of hours of review work for me – mentoring session #1 – followed up by a recording of session #1 – a 4 part homework assignment and some additional help with a CPP certification renewal (because I’m kind of handy helping with CPP stuff, too).

The additional bonus for the day was discovering that Kelly had attended Ohio Institute of Photography and had Rich Newell as her instructor. What a small world! Rich was my sponsor when I received my Master’s Degree from PPA in 2013 and he currently serves as PPA’s IPC Manager.

Whoda thunk?

Smooches,
Christine

 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If you think you’d like to set up a private mentoring program for yourself, send me a note at cwalshnewton@gmail.com or call 330.407.6677. I have just a couple of more slots left for the fall session, which ends October 31. The last day to join this session is September 18, the tuition is $299.

I am impressed by befores and afters. If someone is trying to convince me of the results and effectiveness of their methods or system, I want proof.

Just like the diet and exercise infomercials, it’s all just blah blah blah until I see the before and after photos. I want to see proof.

And now for the proof.

This photograph was taken in 2007, a year before I joined the PPA. The subject is my youngest son, Dave, shortly after he received his first official police officer job. He came to the studio in his new uniform to create an image to celebrate the occasion.

I was a part-time newspaper and wedding photographer who only knew enough about photography to properly expose for ambient light.

Although I thought of myself as a professional photographer back then, in hindsight, I realize that was very far from the truth. (Seriously, I didn’t even own a reflector at that point – trust me, 2015 Christine is not very pleased with 2007 Christine).

I did that thing that most new photographers do; I bought a bunch of equipment without knowing how to work it and implored upon my family members to sit for me while I tried to wrangle my equipment into submission.

I had gradually learned how to use a light meter and a calibration target so that my exposure and color balance was correct, but the intricacies of lighting, posing and other studio techniques were beyond my comprehension. With no knowledge to draw upon, I arranged my lights like floor lamps in a living room and called it good.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

And so I learned my first lesson in photography; Buying a camera makes you a camera owner, not a photographer.

I knew I needed help. Enter PPA, stage left.

To make a long story short, I joined the PPA and became actively involved in PPA-based education, joined my state affiliate and pretty much never looked back. In 2009 I became a Certified Professional Photographer, in 2012, a Photographic Craftsman and in 2013, a Master Photographer. I began competing in image competition in 2009 and entered my first IPC in 2010.

Now, that little list of titles may not sound like much, but to those of us that have earned those various certificates and degrees, it represents a heck of a lot of work. Months of study, many classes, speaking engagements and flat out hours of minion labor all tallied up over time to complete all the requirements.

At the end of each of these individual journeys, I was a better photographer, a better member, a better person. As I continued to compete in image competition, my level of knowledge grew, which helped me refine my skills behind the camera.

And then it was 2015.

As I packed for IUSA 2015, my son’s community was hit with tragedy. Two elderly residents, a married couple, were robbed, abducted and murdered. A double homicide. And as I headed for Nashville, a nationwide manhunt was underway for the people that had committed the crimes.

I was scattered at IUSA 2015. I constantly checked my messages and the national news in between classes and events. The murderers were fleeing from Ohio, robbing gas stations as they traveled south, leaving a trail of fear where they went.

I constantly checked in with my son to see how he was doing. I knew that this investigation was very different from anything he’d ever had to do before. My mind constantly replayed the news channel video of the crime scene and grisly thoughts kept me from sleep. I was worried. Very worried.

I knew he was seeing things that no mother ever wants her son to see.

And for the first time, I was having difficulty with my son’s chosen profession.

When I returned from IUSA, with a couple of new lighting concepts I wanted to explore (thank you, Tim Kelly), I began to plan out an image of therapy for me and my “mama angst.”

And this is the result:

Same subject, same studio, same equipment, same photographer.

What isn’t the same is the level of competence exhibited – and that is a direct result of the education and guidance I have received through my PPA membership, education and image competition participation.

Creating this image served a personal need for me – it was the first time I created an image from within – when my heart was breaking – and each time I look at it, my heart still floods with emotion.

And pride.

Because it was this image, this experience –  that made me feel that I’d finally become an artist.

If it hadn’t been for the classes, the shooting safaris, the webinars, the Super 1 Days, the conventions, the plethora of mentors and instructors that I’ve been privileged to learn from over these last 7 years, I would have never been able to create this image or excel photographically to the degree I have.

I have seen the difference.

I am the difference.

Thank you, PPA.

 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

*I Had To was chosen for the IPC 2015 Loan collection and was awarded the 2015 PPA Northeast District Kodak Gallery Award and Ohio’s J. Anthony Bill trophy for Outstanding Portrait. It will advance to the 2015 Kodak Gallery Elite competition this fall.

Earlier this year, I made it public that my personal goal for IPC was to “go Diamond.”

Original article HERE.

That did not happen.

Now, I’m not going to beat myself up about it, I came pretty close, with a Platinum Medal, but any time things don’t go the way I want them to, there’s usually a reason why. And it’s generally of my own doing.

Let’s review.

The only issue in my 2015 case was one image that did not go loan.

I present

Simple Pleasures of the 2015 IPC General Collection:

Simple Pleasures has gone through some change over its competition career.  There’s a story within the timeline, so check it out:

May, 2014: Shot the the following, messed with some color background shifts, couldn’t get it to look right behind water glass, so cropped that part out.

November, 2014: Could not get the purple background to look right behind the water glass, so went back to the original capture of light gray. Entered in PP of Oregon’s annual competition as a non-member. Highest scoring image of the competition: 91. Judge’s choice ribbon.

December, 2014: Took the image with me to a competition workshop where I worked with a retoucher on the purple part behind the water glass and some general sprucing up for competition. Entered in PP of Arizona’s annual image competition as a non-member in January 2015. Score:91.

March, 2015: Entered in Ohio/Northeast district: 82. Seal.

August, 2015: IPC. Did not Loan. General Collection.

Something happened with this image. In both the competitions where it received a 91, it was challenged up several times. Twice on each, I believe. At first score, it landed somewhere in the 82-84 zone and went up from there.

Someone, or several someones fought for it.

And for awhile now, I’ve been thinking about that concept. A common hope during competition, from the seats of the spectators and competitors is that a judge will take up the cause for one of their images. I know I have had a champion or twelve in my competition history, but I have to wonder how wise it is to put one’s faith in an image that needs championed.

I used to caution students to stop hoping for 80’s and begin trying for 100’s. It should probably be a similar caution against placing faith in images that needed a whole lot of assistance getting up to that score.

Looking back, I should have known better. I let the fact that Simple Pleasures had scored a 91 more than once, sway my common sense about competition. I let myself be convinced that surely an image that scored that high several times would “go loan”.

When I took the image to Northeast District and it scored an 82 – I was a bit surprised. An 82? Oh well, a seal is a seal, I figured.

Still swayed by the 91 memories, I had faith that it was my best shot at a loan.

That was the point where I made a mistake. That image landed around the 82 zone right out of the bat all three times it had been judged. In my own personal way of things – that is not a high enough score to convince me that it would go loan at IPC.

Now yes, I know – score has absolutely nothing to do with loans and I also have had 80’s go loan, but this year, I was laying it all on the line and I had to be as positive as possible. And I was feeling really positive about an image I shouldn’t have.

Every time Simple Pleasures was challenged, one or more judges had an issue with the flat lighting. When I worked on it with my retoucher, we talked about the flat lighting and applied some technique to enhance the light. I knew it was an issue.

Yet I entered the image, anyway.

So, although it could be a number of things or a combination thereof, after as objective an analysis as possible, this is the lesson learned that I’m taking from my case this time.

In the future, if any of my images score well in spite of a technical issue, they will not advance under my hand.

So – there it is.

I tried. I tried hard.

And now I’m going to try harder.

#IPC2015

Wow.

THE event of the year for some of us. If that  confuses you, go away and come back tomorrow, I’ve got some competition addicts to chat with today.

So. How are you all feeling?

I’m feeling a little bit weird. As usual.

I’m reminded of a time from my past. For a very long time I was a “theatre geek.” For 33 years, to be exact. I first donned stage makeup at the age of 17 and never looked back. I went through phases, though. Sometimes I was on stage. Sometimes I worked behind the scenes. I built sets, made props, sewed costumes, curled hair, designed posters, directed shows, set lights and finally landed in my niche as a stage performance photographer.

But for every position I held, every job I did, there was that moment.

At the end of the performance, when the final word has been uttered, the final note has been sung, the final tear has been shed.

That moment.

When you hold.

Your breath. Your gaze. Your position. Your expression. Your pose. Your everything.

While. the. curtain. slowly. comes. down.

And then a pause. And then a whoosh. Of breath. Of body.

And your stage self goes away and your actor self returns.

And it’s that moment. That one right there. That just happened.

“And Scene, ” we say.

It’s over.

And then the truth of your performance hits you.

You know if you did well, if you flubbed your lines, if you did that quick costume change as quickly as you needed to. If you remembered to go into chest voice during the emotional part of the song. If you screwed up. Royally. Or just a tiny bit. You know if you were the best actor you could be.

You know.

And then you decide.

Whether you’re going to let it kick you in the teeth and you need to find a corner to cry into…. or if you’re going to suck it up and nail it to the floor when the curtain comes up again tomorrow night.

Yeah, that’s kind of how I’m feeling. Or rather, that’s where I’m at.

If that’s where you’re at – let me say this…

If you’re feeling discouraged –  If you’re feeling disappointed – Or maybe even a little bit frustrated…

That’s pretty normal. And I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t be. I can’t dictate your feelings, so if you’re feeling them – that’s ok.

But don’t dwell on them and let them grab hold of the negativity that can halt your progress on your journey.

Try and channel your energy into determination and grit to hit this thing head on next time.

And try to keep it a little in perspective.

It was one performance. On one day. In front of one audience.

I know you have it in you to move the audience to its feet in standing ovation.

Let’s do this.

The morning of Day 3 of the 2015 International Photographic Competition (hereafter known as IPC2015 and sometimes #IPC2015) has dawned. Early morning birdies are bellowing songs of joy and abandon. Obviously they don’t have images being judged or they wouldn’t be so bloody happy…

But anyways…

Some of you are just as happy as those birds. You have the fortunate luck to have gotten in on the beginnings of the loan judging on Tuesday and you have your final results.

Before you go all hog wild on Social Media sites, you need to ratchet it down a little bit and pay attention to some details…

PLEASE do  NOT post your competition images on social media. Anything that was awarded a LOAN designation still has one more phase of competition to go through.

Hang tight for a few weeks or so – the Grand Image Award (GIA) selections still need to be made and those are done AFTER IPC is over and all of the judges have returned home. Anything that was given a LOAN designation can still be chosen as a GIA category finalist. So, you can share your merit images (if they have already been judged for LOAN) and those images that did not merit, but please don’t show your LOAN images yet.

If you’d like to be totally on the safe side – here is a set of directions on how to close down the permissions on a personal photo album on Facebook so that you can share your images there – but you MUST follow all of the directions (the ones about putting all of the judges in a special “group”). These instructions work on your personal page only and do not work on a business page. It’s better to not share at all – but if you just GOTTA:

Image Competition and Facebook Images

I advise against posting anything on Instagram, Google+, etc, as I do not know if there is a way to limit the audience on those sites.

If you’ve done well, congratulations!!! I know it’s exciting, but to maintain the integrity of the GIA judging – please be careful over the following weeks and wait until all the judging is done before you have the billboards made, mkay?

[Stay tuned for additional articles on this topic, which will be posted at the conclusion of IPC2015].

And I, am just sitting here feeling pretty much like… well…  I’m not sure.

Generally I’d say “I hate my case,” but I’m not sure that’s entirely appropriate this time. There are a couple of entries I really like. One, I love. I don’t really hate any of them –  and overall, there’s not really anything I’d change on any of them. I’m not feeling rebel enough to break a seal and wasn’t particularly feeling the need to do so – so moot point, anyway.

So, what’s the issue?

I don’t know. Maybe I’m taking this all too seriously. Is it possible to even do that? I know I stressed myself out with it this year. I kept pushing and pushing. I kept changing things up – for awhile I was trying to follow too many peoples’ advice and the whole thing became an exercise in pleasing someone else. But that’s the whole “game” isn’t it? Pleasing someone else?

No, not really.

The game is to compete with yourself and do the best possible work that you can. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Did I do that?

Well…. I guess I’d have to say “yes.”

But whether my best is good enough to meet the goal I set for myself – not so sure….

… to be continued

I see a great many of you embracing “modeling opportunities” that are advertised by “professional photographers.”

Let’s just have a moment of truth here: You are not a model and you will not become a model through these gigs.

Advertising for a model is a fancy way of saying “I need a warm body to practice on.” You will probably be offered  a TFP (trade for prints) or TFCD (trade for CD) deal for your time. Sometimes this works out well and both the photographer and model have a win-win arrangement. And that’s very cool.

But a lot of what I’m seeing out there doesn’t look too “win-win” to me.

A lot of it looks downright scary.

I’m concerned, nay, I am DISTURBED by the number of images I see out there that are a result of this kind of exchange of services. Most often, the images are bad. Really bad. Basic skill sets are not evident in the slightest and the image content is pretty much riding on the edge of pornography.

Sexually explicit, nude, semi-nude and fetish images are NOT standard photography model scenarios and you should never accept this kind of arrangement if you are not comfortable with it. NEVER allow a photographer to push your boundaries or take you outside your comfort zone.  Just because they have a fancy camera in their hands does not entitle their creative vision to override your personal level of comfort and safety.

Please make sure that the photographer in question is, in fact, a professional and takes good photos. A simple review of their website should flush out this information rather quickly. Ask for references and ALWAYS take a chaperone with you to your sessions. TALK to your photographer beforehand about the scope of the session and discuss boundaries and limits so that you’re both on the same page and there are no “surprises.” Take a look through his/her portfolio and reach out to other models who have worked with them. Any reputable professional will understand and encourage your need to check them out, first.

THINK about what you are allowing your images to say about you. THINK about what you are wearing. THINK about the poses you are allowing yourself to be put in. THINK about the fact that in this modern-digital-social-media-obsessed world, these photos WILL last forever.

And after the rush of flattery and I’m a Model! euphoria wears off, you may be embarrassed. Very embarrassed.

For a long, long time.

Be careful, please.

Yet another IPC 2015 delaying tactic… my personal musings & Wootnessy thoughts…

So, y’all are turning on the steam and getting it done. If you haven’t gotten your IPC entries finished, you’re in the middle of the end of it.

Or maybe not.

I’ve resigned myself to the impending, looming truth that I will be paying the late fee and have therefore embraced a 2.2 week extension on the deadline. Some of you all may just want to face the fact you’re not going to make it; take the stress off, admit it now and go enjoy the rest of your day.

Aside from this entry-angst we all seem to have a subconscious desire to inflict upon ourselves repeatedly – I rather quite enjoy IPC. It’s my favorite competition.

Because it’s not so competitive.

I absolutely enjoy watching the IPC live-streaming and cheering on other makers, some friends, some unknown, that are being judged for merits and loans. It’s darned near patriotic, the feeling of satisfaction and joy I get from IPC. It’s the true spirit of competition; trying our darndest, working our hardest, cheering on our colleagues, and sometimes commiserating with them.

Yes, in the grand scheme of things – there is a settling out of strata – emerging triumphantly at the top are those who earn a Diamond Photographer of the Year title – there are multiple levels of achievement depending on the number of merits and/or loans received – and it is possible to come away disappointed…

BUT…

Everyone has the same opportunity to achieve; the number of loans, merits and medals is not restricted. And in that sense, the competition between makers loses its sharp edge.

And that pretty much makes me breathe a sigh of relief.

Because sometimes I really dislike competition.

I know. I probably shouldn’t say that. That’s a pretty hard statement coming from someone who professes to love it to a fairly extreme level.

But sometimes, it really has its days.

And generally those are the days that there is a competition with trophies. For some reason trophies bring out the absolute worst side of some competitors. And since I’m pretty active in competition, whether it be working a print crew, judging, competing, or just observing someone else’s competition – I wind up seeing a lot of bad behavior resulting from trophies. I’m kind of over trophies.

Trophies are awesome, but when the joys of competition are eclipsed by bad feelings among my competitor friends because they’ve taken competing for trophies to a personal level – *sigh* – well, that’s when it’s one of those days. And those days make me kind of dislike competition. Just a little bit.

So IPC, with its rewards in plentiful supply and the bulk of competition occurring within ourselves, is at the top end of my scale of appreciation. And it places competition back on the list of things I enjoy.

And that…brings me Wootness.

*Technically, the Grand Imaging Awards, selected later this fall from the IPC Loan Images, ARE trophies from IPC, but since voting occurs several months down the road and winners are not announced until IUSA 2016, that angst does not occur during or near IPC 2015 judging and the veil of Wootness is not pierced.

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