focal point may-12

Focal Point May 2012

1 Northern California Professional Photographers



Northern California Professional Photographers Officers Committee Chairs Newsletter Info. and Coordinators

President Kevallyn Paskos 925-766-3121 [email protected] 1st Vice President Programs / Education Wayne Miller 925-330-8737 [email protected] 2nd Vice President Image Competition Malcolm Slight 925-330-8737 [email protected] 3rd Vice President Membership Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 [email protected] Treasurer Malcolm Slight 925-330-8737 [email protected] Secretary Mark Gebhardt 925-408-8175 [email protected] Chairman of the Board Wayne Miller 925-330-8737

Membership Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 [email protected] Blog / Website Wayne Miller 925-330-8737 [email protected] Newsletter – Focal Point Editor Tom O’Connor 925-586-2745 [email protected] FP Copy Editor Wayne Miller 925-330-8737 [email protected] Image Competition Malcolm Slight 925-330-8737 [email protected] Hospitality Nicole Gee 925-785-7772 [email protected] Photographer Tom O’Connor

Send Newsletter information to: Tom O'Connor. [email protected] Deadline for submission of articles and ad copy is the 25th of each month. Information received after the deadline cannot be guaranteed publication

Advertising Costs: 11 Issues per year Contact FP Editor NCPP Members: • You supply camera ready art

work and text. • 1/4 page for 3 months per year

- Free Additional / Larger Ads: • 1/4 Page for 3 months - $25 • 1/2 Page for 3 months - $50 • Full Page for 3 months - $75 • Change to ad - $25 Note: Members can use the Yahoo Group email to advertise at no cost. Sustaining Members: • You supply camera ready art

work and text. • Full Page per year - Free Non Members Non Sustaining Members: • You supply camera ready art

work and text. • Full Page per year - $500

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Presidents Message – Kevallyn Paskos 4 May Speaker – Paul Tumason – “Making Personalized Portraits” 5 Preparing an image for "Projected Image Comp" 6 - 7 Image Comp Winners – April 2012 8 - 9 Image Comp Entries, Info and Calendar 10 - 11 March Meeting Images 12 - 13 Membership Information 14 NCPP Blog 15 NorCalPhotogs Meetup Group 15 NCPP Presidents, Awards & Degrees 16 - 17 June Speaker – Scott Robert Lim – Amazing Light- Anytime, Anywhere 18 Certification Information 19 PPCC Certification and PPA Merit & Degree Programs 20 Focal Point & Image of the Month History 21 - 27 Membership Classifications and Fees for 2012 28 Member Advertisements 29 Sustaining Members 30 - 32 Our Neighboring Affiliates 33 PPA Super Monday Photo Workshops 34 Calendar - Important Dates 34 Sunset Chart 35

NCPP MEETING THIS MONTH THURSDAY, April 12th, 2012 Meeting is at: Crown Plaza, 45 John Glen Drive, Concord

Click here for map

Table of Contents

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Dear NCPP, With all of this crazy weather, planning events and photo shoots around Mother Nature has been “you get whatcha get”. Northern California offers so much for the imagination and the sky’s the limit even with a little rain! We are also fortunate to have so much instruction available to us 24/7 such as webinars, workshops, classes, DVD’s and of course, the guidance of our very own NCPP fellow associates! Hope you are taking advantage this special time of year. April Guest Speaker – Peg Jackson, M.Photog.Cr., presented a comprehensive program into the many tools and hidden treasures that Photoshop has to offer. Peg did a wonderful job of taking us through detailed steps in several editing processes. Her presentation offered something for everyone from the basics to more involved steps that had us all on the edge of our seats! Print Competition - Congratulations goes to…1st Place – Lily Dong with “Optimist”, 2nd Place – Michael Van Auken with “Katya Madrid”, 3rd Place – Jamaica Wexelman with “Homecoming”. Lily and Jamaica are brand new NCPP members and it was great to watch them go through this experience with wins! Read all about these talented artists and their winning images in this month’s award winning Focal Point magazine. NCPP’s New FOREVER HOME was a success - By the crowd comments throughout the evening, it was unanimous that our new monthly meeting place is the perfect fit. The stadium style design provided a great setup for our speaker, audience and especially for the exciting print competition! NCPP Bi-Annual Board Meeting & Potluck - Mark your calendars for Tuesday May 15th - Time 6:00 (Social hour) 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (Meeting). All NCPP members are invited to attend! This is an open discussion on NCPP’s 2013 Budget review, Available Board positions, Vision and goals, Membership drive, Vendor Night, December Meeting and Annual dinner/awards ceremony. *Meeting location - Mark Gebhardt’s home at 2243 Springlake Drive, Martinez NCPP’s membership and sponsorship support is growing and we are continuing to reach new goals for our bright future. This could not be possible without the endless volunteer hours of our Board Members and others! We have some great speakers lined up through 2012 so make sure you stay current with Focal Point, NCPP website, NorCal Meetup group and Facebook. Nominations for 2013 are fast approaching! We will have board and other volunteer positions available. It takes teamwork to make this organization succeed and would love to know if you are interested in getting more involved. Giving back to this wonderful organization is very rewarding and we encourage you to take a minute and consider how you can give back too! Thoughtfully yours, Kevallyn

President’s Message – Kevallyn Paskos

NCPP Mission Statement: The Northern California Professional Photographers is an organization dedicated to advancing the business of professional photography. Our purpose is to create an environment amongst professional photographers that

will inspire each of us and to help one another grow as business professionals and artists.



“Making Personalized Portraits” Program Topics: Do you know what you want your picture to look like? Does your picture remind you of a painting? Here's one photographer's approach to making his portraits personalized. Using Photoshop and Corel Painter to accomplish your vision in portraiture. Bio: Paul owns and operates Paul Tumason Portraits which he opened in downtown San Jose in 1972. At the start, he did a variety of photographic assignments including weddings, but since 1980, he has concentrated on classical studio portraiture. He graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. degree in Industrial Technology in 1965, Paul also served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 12 years. He also worked as a professional musician during and after college, playing ragtime banjo. Paul and his wife Kathy live in the Santa Cruz Coastal Mountains, south of San Jose and they have 5 grown (out of college) children. He has become well established as one of the nation’s finest portrait photographers.

You can learn more about Paul at: Paul Tumason Portraits 871 Park Avenue San Jose, CA 95126 www.tumasonportraits.com www.tumasonpaintings.com 408-286-7285

NCPP Proudly Presents May 10, 2012 – Paul Tumason

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Preparing your image for "Projected" Image Comp

This article will remain permanently in the Focal Point.



Here are the basics for creating your "Projected Image" file. We will be setting the file type, dimensions, color space, jpg quality, pixels per inch and file name that that will qualify for NCPP Projected Image Comp. These requirements are the same as PPA with the exception in NOTE 2 below.

1. Create a file that will become the background for your image that is 4,000px Wide x 2,200px High @ 200 pixels per inch. (20" x 11") This size fits our monitor and will be displayed at its optimal.

2. The color space can be sRGB or RGB1998. 3. The file type is a jpg with a Quality setting of 10. Total file size not to exceed 3.5mb. 4. You can apply a color or pattern to this layer just as you would do for a printed image that you

would have entered previously in print comp. 5. Next prepare the image that you are going to insert over the background. The color space, ppi

etc needs to be the same as your background layer. 6. Size the image as you wish in either a vertical or horizontal format. The image size must be at

least 80 square inches. An example is 8" x 10". The image may be placed anywhere you want to put it on the background layer. The positioning of the image on the background layer will be part of your "Presentation" score just like with Printed print comp.

7. Add a stroke or any other edge treatment to the edge of the image you want, or not. 8. All images will be shown only with the background in the "Horizontal Format". This is the same

way that PPA is handling it. The monitor will not be rotated for vertical images. They will be shown just like the example images on the previous page.

9. There is to be no photographer name or studio name on the image. 10. Name your file with the following convention:

• Member's First Name_Last Name_Image_Title_.jpg (Use _ for spaces). • Example file name: Bill_Jones_Mount_Diablo_Sunset.jpg

11. More information for download or viewing at.

NOTE 1: If you plan to submit any of these images to PPA, I would initially save this file as a layered PSD or TIFF. When I was done and ready to submit to NCPP, I would then save it again as a jpg with all of the requirements listed above and submit the jpg. This way if you later decide to enter this same image with PPA or re-enter with NCPP, you can open your PSD/TIFF and make any changes you want. NOTE 2: PPA Projected Submission Specifications match what is required for NCPP, except:

• PPA requires your PPA# in place of your name in the file name: Example: 12345_Mount_Diablo_Sunset.jpg • Link to the PPA site for a video on “How To”: http://www.ppa.com/competitions/tutorials.php

ENTRY RULES AND DEADLINES:

• Cost per each image is $5.00 prior to Wednesday, (at midnight), prior to the Thursday meeting. Fee is to be paid via the NCPP PayPal link.

E-mail images to mailto:[email protected] Limit of 20 Projected images allowed per meeting. This is at the discretion of the Print Chair on a month by month basis.

Preparing your image for "Projected" Image Comp This article will remain permanently in the Focal Point.

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1st Place: “Optimist” by Lily Dong This being the first time I'm entering in any Print Competition, it is a great honor to receive the 'Best of Show'. The 'Optimist' is an image dear to me because it is a connection of who I was and who I am now. I was a couture bridal gown designer for twelve years before having children, then I completely stopped when I had my two boys, now 7 & 10. After taking time to fully immerse myself in child rearing, sewing anything quickly became a distant memory. Last year, as I've chosen to become a full time photographer focused mainly on family portraits, I always need an outlet for my creative expressions. I found Marina, the model on Model Mayhem, met her at a coffee shop and took her measurements a week before the shoot, and then on the day of the shoot, I made her gown in the morning and in the afternoon, we headed out to Villa Montalvo in Saratoga and did this shoot. It's amazing when two creative people have good chemistry, and remain open minded and open hearted to all possibilities, what can be achieved. This image is a testament to that. Thank you Marina. Thank you to NCPP, for allowing me to share my work with other image enthusiasts!

Best of Show April 2012



2nd place: “Katya Madrid” by: Michael Van Auken “Katya Madrid” is one of a series of images I am doing on Artist’s. Katya, a Mixed Media and Sculptor Artist, has her studio in Benicia in the same building as my studio. She is in the process of moving and asked me to do this photo because she is very attached to her current studio and wanted this image as a remembrance of her time in Benicia. Along with taking a current image of Katya, I took images of portions of some of her artwork to use as graphic overlays for the background. 3rd place: “Homecoming” by: Jamaica Wexelman “Homecoming” was created with the concept of a child's arrival in Heaven, the joy (rather than the pain) of such an event. The subjects are my Mother and my Daughter, which is a little difficult for me personally, but regardless I wanted this powerfully moving moment captured. We drove out into the farmlands of North Livermore just before sunset, chose an expansive location where I could exhibit a vast emptiness, but one that held warmth through the lighting both on the subjects and on the field of clover. Homecoming was created to pull at the heartstrings and make the viewer feel something. Hopefully what you feel is a sweet kind of sadness, with joy for the little girl in her journey home. Thanks again for the opportunity to showcase my work!

Image Comp April 2012



No names are listed in case an entry scored below an 80 and the Photographer wants to re-enter the image.

April Images Entered

April Images Entered



If you are interested in volunteering with image comp, please contact: Malcolm Slight at 925-330-8737 or email Malcolm at [email protected] For PPA Style Projected Image Competition see rules in this Focal Point issue.

People’s Choice Print Competition see rules just below. 2. People's Choice Image Competition a. Entry Rules 1) At the discretion of the Image Comp Chair, a theme may be assigned to a People's Choice competition once each year. The theme may or may not pertain to the subject of the speaker's program. The theme will be announced at the meeting, published in the Focal Point and also sent by e‐mail to NCPP members. 2) Entries for People’s Choice may be framed, or in albums, mounted to alternative substrates, etc., in addition to PPA style mounted prints. 3) Each NCPP member may submit up to two entries. 4) Entries must be signed in with the image comp chair at least ten minutes before the start of the meeting. 5) Entries will be assigned a number by the image comp chair. Titles are not required. 6) Depending on the style of the entry, the photographer's name or studio logo may be an integral part of the entry and therefore may remain visible during judging. 7) You may also enter Projected Images using a Laptop or iPad

IMAGE COMP 2012 CALENDAR January: PPA Style and Year End People’s Choice February: PPA Style March: People’s Choice April: PPA Style May: PPA Style June: PPA Style July: PPA Style August: PPA Style September: PPA Style October: PPA Style November: People’s Choice December: Year End PPA Style

Image Comp Info and Calendar




April Meeting Images



Contact Denny Weigand with / for any Membership Information.

Email: [email protected] Phone: 925-336-7994

Membership Information

If you have comments or information regarding prospective members, please send them to: Denny Weigand, NCPP Membership Chair.

Email: [email protected] Phone: 925-336-7994

WELCOME NEW NCPP MEMBERS Christy Madsen – Professional Active Van Berkum Photography 125 Vista Del Diablo, Danville CA 94526 Ph: 925-837-8500 Web: www.vanberkumphotography.com Email: [email protected] Sponsor: Denny Weigand Jamaica Wexelman – Professional Active Bombshell Boudoir 3057 Easdt Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550 Ph: 925-202-2440 Web: www.capturemylove.com Email: [email protected] Sponsor:

PROSPECTIVE NCPP MEMBERS





Be sure to visit our NCPP Blog. There is a ton of information, How To’s, Tutorials and much more!! The site has a completely fresh new look and is very user friendly! Visit: http://ncpponline.org/

You can sign up for NCPP meeting and leave comments about the group and speakers.

This will help NCPP grow, so please join us and let the world know how great this group is. http://www.meetup.com/NorCalPhotogs-Meet-up/

NCPP Blog

Come join the NorCalPhotogs Meetup group.

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Past President’s

1998 Michael Van Auken 1999 Judy Host 2000 Jim Fidelibus 2001 Linda Johnson 2002 Walter Guasch 2003 Kimberly Peterson 2004 Jim Fidelibus 2005 Michael Gan

2006 Michael Gan 2006-2007 Laura Cottril 2007-2008 Leslie Artis-Gan 2008-2009 Brent Walton 2009-2010 Randy Cazinha 2010-2011 Wayne Miller 2011-2012 Kevallyn Paskos

Member of the Year

1998 Peg Jackson 1999 Michael Van Auken 2000 Jim Fidelibus 2001 Jim Fidelibus 2002 Kay Simon 2003 Shelly Najera 2004 Linda Johnson 2005 Heather M. Whiting

2006 Michael Gan 2007 Laura Cottril 2008 Tom O'Connor 2009 Brent Walton 2010 Wayne Miller 2011 Denny Weigand

Photographer of the Year

1998 Peg Jackson 1999 Jim Fidelibus 2000 Richard Stahlberg 2001 Michael Gan 2002 Richard Stahlberg 2003 Shelly Najera 2004 Leslie Artis 2005 Richard Stahlberg

2006 Leslie Artis-Gan 2007 Michael Van Auken - Tie 2007 Richard Stahlberg - Tie 2008 Richard Stahlberg 2009 Wayne Miller 2010 Wayne Miller 2011 Wayne Miller

NCPP Presidents and Member Awards



PPA Master Craftsman Photographers Lisa Evans Peg Jackson Michael Gan Judy Host Leslie Artis-Gan

PPA Master Photographers Jim Fidelibus Linda Johnson Deidre Ligenfelter Mary Small

PPA Craftsman Photographers Denny WeigandWayne Miller

PPCC Certified Professional Photographers

Leslie Artis-Gan Laura Cottril Lisa Duncan Michael Gan Jill Hager Judy Host Greta Heintz Tammy Hughes Linda Johnson

Scott Kouns Dana Smith Richard Stahlberg Arleen Thomas Darleen Tom Denny Weigand Wayne Miller Brent Walton Pam Biasotti

Jennifer Chesterman Jennifer Fink Stacey Flurscheim Nicole Gee Tod Gomes Ann Gordon Malcolm Slight Terry Riggins Mary Small

NCPP Member Degrees



Amazing Light- Anytime, Anywhere- Program Description Learn Scott Robert's amazing off camera lighting techniques that has turned him into an international superstar. Scott will teach his simple techniques using available light and portable strobes that will allow the photographer to create amazing images on location and almost anywhere within minutes. See how to shoot in extreme bright sun and in low light situations, how to find the best light. Discover how to maximize shooting time to create a variety of stylized images. Bio Master Photographer and internationally renowned photographer, Scott Robert Lim (Photog Cr., AOPA) is the 2009 Kodak Award recipient and has won over 60 international awards. He is one of America's top photography educators. His work has been published in books and magazines all over the world and has taught and mentored many professional photographers worldwide. Scott is a popular international speaker with an exciting and inspirational style. You can find out more about Scott at: http://www.scottrobertgallery.com/

NCPP Proudly Presents June 14, 2012 – Scott Robert Lim

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Educational Opportunities



If you are interested in becoming a Certified Professional Photographer, Master of Photography, Master of Electronic Imaging or a Photographic Craftsman, click here. Or, contact Wayne Miller or Denny Weigand PPCC CPP Liaisons. This link will take you to the PPA website and you will see the page shown below. The image below is just a screen shot of the website, the links are not hot.

PPCC Certification, and PPA Merit & Degree Programs

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NCPP Focal Point and Image of the Month History 2012



Professional Active:

Annual Dues $135. A professional photographer is an individual who on a regular basis, takes and sells photographs or photographic services. Must satisfy federal, state (resale permit), & local license requirements. Professional Active members have full membership privileges (Free meetings, voting, use of NCPP logo for self promotional use, and image competition).

Aspiring*: Annual Dues $135. An individual who does not work in the photographic field, or derive any income from photography but plans to enter the profession. Limited to one year. Membership privileges: Meetings and entering image competition, but may not vote, hold office or use the NCPP logo. May not actively sell their photography or advertise/promote themselves as a photographer for hire. Limited to 20% enrolment. Student*: Annual Dues $50. Members preparing for a career in photography and currently enrolled in a school as a full time student. Applicant must show evidence of enrollment. Membership privileges: Meetings and entering image competition, but may not vote, hold office or use the NCPP logo. Limited to 10% enrolment. Sustaining: Annual Dues $150. Membership issued to the business name of the organization, which is a supplier, vendor, or manufacturer of photographic materials, supplies or photographic services. One representative of the organization shall have meeting privileges only, additional pay guest fees. *Aspiring & Student Classifications must assist/help six events per year to maintain classification, submit 2 images per month in Aspiring image competition (free), and attend Business 101 A to Z a new photographers guide to business success ($99) in order to move to Professional Active

NCPP Membership Classifications and Fees for 2012



NCPP Member Advertisements

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THE ART OF PICTURE FRAMING APF is a full-service wholesale custom framing facility. We work closely with Fine Art and Framing Galleries, Interior Designers, Professional Photographers, Art Consultants, Retailers and others in need of custom framing at wholesale prices. APF specializes in creating custom programs or packages to your individual business or market needs. We offer superior quality with flexible pricing to fit your individual needs. Contact: Mike Moretti 1084 Shary Circle, #B Concord, CA 94518 (Located behind Costco) E-mail: [email protected] 925-689-5177 web: http://stores.apfwholesale.com/StoreFront.bok

NCPP Sustaining Members


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BAY PHOTO LAB Contact: Debbie Thomas E-mail: [email protected] 510-585-7049 web: http://www.bayphoto.com/ 2161 Delaware Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 800-435-6686 fax: 931-475-5257



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PPC Professional Photographers of California Affiliates

Our Neighboring Affiliates

Company Name ▲ City Phone Web Site

All Valley Professional Photographers - AVPP

La Canada Flintridge

(818) 262-7903

Associated Image Makers - AIM Fairfield 1-888-442-6606

Central Valley Professional Photographers - CVPP Fresno 559 266-0305

Channel Islands Professional Photographers Association - CIPPA Camarillo (805) 573-7637

Gold Coast Professional Photographers Association - GCPPA Pismo Beach 805 733-5197

Inland Empire Professional Photographers & Videographers - IEPPV Riverside 951-737-7310

Northern California Professional Photographers - NCPP Walnut Creek 925 330-8737

Professional Photographers of California Escondido

Professional Photographers of Los Angeles County - PPLAC Culver city (818) 344-0671

Professional Photographers of North Valley - PPNV Redding 530-241-2191

Professional Photographers of Orange County - PPOC Mission Viejo 949.916.2471

Professional Photographers of Sacramento Valley - PPSV Sacramento 530 363-0138

Professional Photographers of San Diego County - PPSDC San Diego (858) 695-9563

Professional Photographers of Santa Barbara County - PPSBC Santa Barbara (805) 403-6556

Professional Photographers of Santa Clara Valley - PPSCV San Jose 408 244-2293

Professional Photographers of the Greater Bay Area - PPGBA

So. San Francisco

530 574-6033

Professional Photographers of the Redwood Empire - PPRE Santa Rosa 707 548-1181

Stanislaus Professional Photographers - SPP Modesto 209 847-0540

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NCPP Calendar

May 2012 Thurs 10th: NCPP Meeting – New location: Crown Plaza, 45 John Glen Drive, Concord Paul Tumason – “Making Personalized Portraits” Sat. 12th: Super Monday – “HDR (high dynamic range)” Hands-On workshop – Wayne Miller

PPA merited class $99 for all day class - info here Mon. 14th: Super Monday – “Lightroom 4: Soup to Nuts” Hands-On workshop – Denny Weigand

PPA merited class $99 for all day class - info here Mon. 14th: Super Monday – “Natural Light & the Home-Based Business” – Laura Cottril PPA merited class $99 for all day class - info here Fri. 25th: Focal Point articles due Tues. 29th: Entry Deadline PPA 2012 International Photographic Competition Judging info here: http://www.ppa.com/competitions/international.php Wed. 30th: Focal Point Publish

June 2012 Thurs 14th: NCPP Meeting – New location: Crown Plaza, 45 John Glen Drive, Concord Hanson Fong - “The Joy of Photography” Mon. 25th: Focal Point articles due Sat. 30th: Focal Point Publish

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Sunset Table for Walnut Creek

focal point may-12

Documents

focal point image

sustaining members

membership information

projected image comp

image comp entries

image comp winners

ncpp presidents

ncpp blog