Well hello and salutations again! Yes I know my blog is spotty and all over the place. BUT I really do promise to try and get better at this aspect of my marketing and social media arm. It takes time and I just have not been devoting the time that I should to these little parts that make up the whole. Ok now that I have that out of the way...
As some of you have read in my previous posts I decided to join my local PPA club to get to know more of the local shooters in the area. I did have to miss the summer meeting due to a schedule conflict. So I did make sure I was going to have the time to make the fall meeting. I was looking forward to pushing forward with my first print competition on a professional level. Sure I have had plenty of success on the local levels in more lightweight competition but to be up against other pros and have judges that are on a national level giving me feedback? So I was a little unsure but eager to put my images out there and see how it would go. I am again a member of the NPPPA for the coming year as well. So this show was a good one to jump in and let people get to see who I am and what I can bring to the table.
HFest Comp ShotOne of the 4 prints I sent in for competition in the fall meeting.
The club did a great job in getting a nationally recognized portrait photographer for our lectures and shooting session. They brought in Fuzzy Duenkel who has a studio based in Wisconsin and does some very amazing things with lighting and posing. The first day (Sunday Sept 22) was set aside for shooting photos and showing his workflow on getting and image and what he himself looks for when shooting. He really is able to show the models in the best possible position at any given time. His eye works far different than mine when it comes to seeing very small things that can make or break an image. Fuzzy himself is quite humorous and fun to be around which helps in the learning process. We got to see him work with various angles, patterns and qualities of light. Plus watching him direct the model was interesting as in that aspect it seems he has a style more akin to my own with not huge amounts of changing after the fact and letting the model be as comfortable as they can be while still making the image that you need. After awhile outdoors we did go inside for a short time and work in there as well.
Then after the learning....came more learning but learning for me specifically. In the form of the print competition... I was sitting there while the judging was occurring and it was hard to sit there quietly and hear a shot that you are attached to get hit on pretty hard when you think you have something pretty good. BUT also important to learn is the fact that sometimes you need to break out of the image and look over the whole thing with new eyes. The image sometimes you think is good and has proper balance is not but you simply did not see something important. I entered 4 images and scored in the mid 70's with all of them...one just short of an 80 which is a merit level print. The judging was hard for sure and I felt good that I was able to hang tough with some far more seasoned shooters. I did get some vary valuable feedback and learned more than just a few things about entering for competition. Plus the president of the club and the print chair were very kind and volunteered to answer any questions I might have moving forward in competition. So I am already looking forward to bringing the heat in March at the next meeting with 4 more prints that are even more astounding and worthy of that merit score. Plus in all fairness....I really want to win the top print at the competition. I know kind of a minor thing to some but to me...a big thing. After the competition the club has a dinner and just some lively fun usually non-photo conversations. You get to learn more about other folks and get to bond over stories. Fun times!
3rd Competition PrintThe last of the prints I entered in the competition. I just liked the fun feeling in this shot.
Print Comp AwardShot of Caleb Williams (Print Chairman) and myself with my top scoring print in competition.
The next morning always seems to come fast since I usually don't get home until 10pm or so and have to be back at 9am for the next day. On Monday (Sept 23) we sat in class all day and listened to Fuzzy. He was able to break down his techniques and how he gets shots quite well. Like I said I still don't think I am every going to be in his caliber for seeing a background in the middle of nothing that might only be a square foot of area. Just astounding how he operates and can see things. I was kind of shocked to hear he spends on average about 4-6 hours on any given senior shoot...I was just shocked, but at the same time can easily see his reasoning. The second day was long of course 9am-5pm with a lunch break but there was soooo much information to be delivered I am not sure you could have gotten it in any less time.
So in closing for this chapter of Josh's crazy ride....I had a great time at the fall NPPPA meeting. Good times with a bunch of very great people. There is so much to learn and you can take a piece of info from every person there every time easily if you are willing to just listen. But then again that is the same as many things. So from my perspective this is a very worthwhile group to be a member of and active participant.
NPPPA Fall group photoA shot of most of the attendees for the NPPPA Fall meeting. Clockwise from the top left, Joshua Rose (me) Caleb Williams, Greg Lewis, Gary Sturts Bruce Dart (Presiding President of NPPPA) Elaine Tweedy, Ed Lewko, Cheryl Kaiser, (I am sorry, I honestly do not remember her name...) and dead center is our speaker Fuzzy Duenkel. There are a couple folks that were there but not present in the photo. It was shot by Randy Davis with Ed's camera.
