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A challenge to all members of the Florida Professional Photographers
News from Florida Professional Photographers, Inc.
By Susan Michal
Member FPP, North Florida Professional Photographers, Board of Directors, Professional Photographers of America.
Posted 9/22/09
 The challenge is simple:
For both new and established members of FPP to enter at least 200 cases in the June 2010 judging of the PPA international Print Competition.
Print competition has been a focal point of our industry. For many reasons there seems to be a lack of participation not only at the national level, but also at the state and local affiliates. I have always felt that competing in print competition is one of the best ways to learn and move forward in this industry. Competing among your peers will give you confidence to stand out in your market place as well as help teach you the tools you need to succeed, by raising your level of photographic excellence.
As an established photographer it is important to continue the journey by pushing yourself to the next level over and over again. Now more than ever most of us need a little kick in the pants to get on with it and renew the passion that made us become photographers and compete in the fist place.
Accomplishing this goal will encourage participation at the national level, but will also encourage participation at the affiliates as these cases move through the local, state and regional competition. Do you want a way to separate yourself from the mass of emerging photographers in your area? This is it!
FYI:
SEPPA will be held February, 26, thru March 3rd., 2010. IT'S EARLY THIS YEAR! I strongly encourage all who are considering participating in this challenge, to be ready to enter prints at SEPPA .The importance of this will be stressed to all new photographers as we move forward.
THE PLAN:
I have spoken to many new and established photographers about this challenge and have had positive feed back. I am up for the challenge to help lead this grass root effort to revitalize our interest in print competition. The numbers show that it would not be a big reach to have 200 cases entered in the PPA competition, but it will take a commitment from all of us to make it happen.
Established and experienced photographers will reach out to newer competitors and help them really understand what they need to do to compete. I believe this will help renew the passion for the established photographer and give newcomers the tools they need to compete with confidence.
I will be giving a Super Monday class on Print Competition October 26 at my studio in Jacksonville. You do not need to be a member of PPA to attend, however there is a fee for the class. I have arranged for at least 5 master photographers from our state to help me teach this class . Our goal is to kick off our challenge and offer some great information on print competition. As far as I know there has never been a class like this offered anywhere. It should be lots of fun and a great learning experience. Visit PPA.com to sign up!
I will be working with Tony Hopman, Florida Competition Manager, to reach out to all of the local affiliates to help organize " Town Hall Meetings" to help anyone choosing to prepare to participate in this challenge.
I will help put together together a team of the BEST photographers in our state, to help both new and established members, that want to help us reach our goal.
WELL... that is it in a nutshell! I am excited by the possibilities of a group effort in this direction. Can you imagine what our state competition will be like next year. WOW! Can you imagine what PPA will think when all of those cases start coming in? Can you imagine what the next few years would be like if all the other states got on this bandwagon?
Trust me when I say I am as guilty as anybody about not competing. But I am committing to this, not only for our state, but more importantly, for me personally as a photographer. I know only good can come from it.
WHATS NEXT:
A plan will be put in place to get the information out and the education started. I will be asking you to sign a letter of commitment to participate. This way I can bug you and not let you drop out... besides everyone else will be counting on YOU!
COME ON!! Let's have some fun with this and show everybody what we can do! We already know Florida has the best photographers in the nation. Now it's time to prove it! If you will send me an email and say I'M IN! I'll keep you informed as we move forward. SusanMichal@yahoo.com this is only for this challenge and is not my regular email address. The following valuable links provide you with great information to get you started on the road to success through competition.
How Print Competition Helps You
PPA's International Print Competition: Process and Workflow
The Twelve Elements of a Merit-Worthy Image
The Home Stretch: Judging the International Print Competition
I look forward to the possibilities,
Susan Michal
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