PP of Ohio Fall 2014 Image Competition Results
Photograph the Every Day
I understand, in my “particular” ways, the need to have every single thing exactly correct before I click the shutter. And sometimes I wonder if I’m setting myself up for failure if I refuse to shoot unless everything is perfect. I’ve challenged myself in the past, and now I do it purposely, to let that stuff GO and just shoot in the moment. Not everything I do needs to score an 80 in competition or sell in a 24×30 format. Sometimes we can just shoot to document our day. A moment. A condition.
Behold, the dust and the dirt and the cobwebs of DIY. And things stacked against the wall while I paint and install floors. It may not mean a thing to you, but it’s a moment in time for me.
Pullback:
IPC 2014 is [almost] over, now what?
Whew! Was that a roller-coaster ride, or what? IPC 2014 exploded on the scene with a bang and will not be soon forgotten. The excitement of being able to view the judging live online added a whole new dimension to the competition this year! I’m happy, you’re happy, we’re all happy!
So… yes, I know there’s still one more day to go, but some folks’ judging has been completed and they’re wondering what the next step is – so here are some things you’ll want to know about.
1. Results – you should receive your results as the competition is ongoing. Texts are being sent to alert competitors that their image is in line to be judged as well as the results afterwards. If you didn’t get signed up for the texts, you can still check how your images are doing by going to the live stream link (http://stream.theipc.org/) , logging in and checking the area that says “View My Images.”
The final, official results will be available within several days of the end of IPC 2014 at the PPA website. In 2013, they were available about 1 day later and were posted at: IPC Results
EDITED 8/8/2014: The 2014 IPC Results are HERE.
The official results will list your name, the title of your image and the judging results. Results are noted as G, GB or L. G means that your image was accepted into the general collection and will receive 1 merit. GB means that your image was accepted into the general collection AND although it was judged for loan and did not receive a loan designation, a judge felt it was worthy of special recognition and it will be placed in the Showcase Book. More about that later. An L means that your image was judged as worthy of inclusion into the PPA Loan Collection and will receive an extra merit, for a total of 2 merits and will also be published in the Loan Book. More about that later, as well.
2. Bling – Did your name appear in the results four times? Well, happy, happy, joy, joy, you are pretty special! That means that all four of your entries received at least a merit and you are a medalist. You will receive a 4/4 pin suitable for framing… er… suitable for pinning onto your lapel, ID badge ribbon, or if you are degreed, placed upon your medallion ribbon to forever clank when you walk.
There are 5 different 4/4 pins depending on the number of merits & loans that you received:
^ If all four of your images received merits, but no loans, you are a bronze medalist.
^ If all four of your images received merits, plus 1 loan, you are a silver medalist.
^ If all four of your images received merits, plus 2 loans, you are a gold medalist.
^ If all four of your images received merits, plus 3 loans, you are a platinum medalist.
^ If all four of your images received merits, plus 4 loans, you are a Diamond Photographer of the Year and I bow to you :).
3. Press Release – If you were a medalist, within the next few weeks you will receive a package from the PPA with a certificate, pin and general press-release with fill-in-the-blanks for you to customize for your own purposes. Rewrite that baby and send it into your local newspaper with a headshot, PRONTO!
If you were not a medalist, never fear! The PPA puts the press release online for folks to use – here is a link to last year’s so you can see what it looks like – prep one for this year and send it in to your peeps at the media outlets. Be proud of your entries and merits 🙂
EDITED 08/08/2014: 2014 IPC Press Release is HERE.
4. IUSA Honors – In the past, all IPC medalists have been honored by appearing onstage during IUSA. In 2013, this took place just prior to the World Cup results on Monday evening.
5. Merit Report – In a few weeks to a few months your 2014 exhibition merits will appear on your PPA merit report. YAY! Give the fine folks at PPA a bit of time to get this done – there’s generally 5000+ images entered each year, so getting this part done is a bit time consuming.
6. Relax, but not for long – Chances are, there’s another competition coming up soon. Check your local and state affiliates for their competitions and associated deadlines and put them on your calendar. Before you know it, we will be deep into the 2015 competition season 🙂
7. Loan and Showcase Books – Ahhhhhh! If any of your images received a “General Book” or “Loan” designation, it will appear in one of two books, published annually by Marathon Press. You will receive a proof via email (or a phone call from Marathon Press) reviewing your image, image title and spelling of your name. The books will be published and shipped somewhere in the Christmas/New Year’s time period. You will be able to purchase copies of these books if you wish at a small discount if your image appears in them or at full price if it doesn’t.
While you’re waiting for the absolutely final results – take a gander at the 2013 results.
Guyda’s Vase
It began it’s non-retail store shelf life as an anniversary present to my husband’s parents on their fiftieth anniversary. And several years past their sixtieth anniversary, after they had both passed away, it was returned to me. I think my mother-in-law may have thought it was a bit of an outrageous gift; she was a simple woman, a maker of raspberry jam and lemon meringue pies. She often had wildflowers stuck in water glasses on her windowsill. She didn’t need fancy. And being made by Waterford, it was kind of near the top of the fancy scale.
I don’t really need fancy, either, and for a long time it’s been sitting on a shelf, here and there, like some sort of buddha statue we’re supposed to pay homage to. I don’t know, but I guess I had some idea in the back of my mind I should save it for good.
But really, what is good? Isn’t today good? Isn’t tomorrow good?
I’ve checked my schedule thoroughly and I don’t see anything scheduled for the next six months that would require a fancy-schmancy vase of flowers, so unless I plan on just admiring it on a shelf for another few years, I probably ought to start using it.
The Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced “boo-kay”) in me wants to at least save it for long stemmed roses or some other elegant, expensive seasonal offering, but the thought of spending money on expensive flowers that are going to die, well, no, just no.
So, today the inaugural bouquet is of daylilies. Common, simple daylilies.
I’d call that good.
Silly Old Grandmother with Pictures in Purse
Fifty years ago, a woman received this photo album as a gift from her daughter-in-law. A gift, in part, to commemorate the birth of the family’s first grandchild; a baby girl. A gift that, by the looks of it, was carried for years, treasured, and looked at often.
At least that’s how I imagine it.
The small album contains sixteen photographs, dated from November 1963 to December 1964. Fifteen photographs of the first grandchild and one of the second.
And that’s where it stops.
As it sometimes happens, the marriage between the son and daughter-in-law fell apart. The children were taken away. Not terribly far, but in the early 60’s, it was far enough.
After a bit of time, irregular and stressful visitations petered out to nothingness, and eventually the son signed away his parental rights and the children were adopted, had their names changed, and were not seen again.
For a long time, these 16 photographs were it. All a grandmother had to prove that the little children she’d cuddled and cooed at actually existed.
I’ve been thinking about that a lot since I received this album. I wonder how the circumstances affected her. I think of how I would feel if either of my two granddaughters would be taken from my life. My throat hurts just thinking about it. I don’t think I could bear it. And I don’t know how she did. There was no such thing as “Grandparents’ Rights” back then.
But I’m glad she had this little book, these sixteen pictures. This little bit of memory of the couple of years that her grandchildren lived next door. Grandchildren I’m certain she saw every day. And missed every day.
The little girl in the photographs was me. And I still struggle with this part of my life that isn’t talked about. These photographs, so precious to a grandmother, are now so precious to me.
And I’m glad I’m now in a position to hand other grandmothers photographs of their grandchildren. I just hope that it’s not the only thing they’re left with.
Why I became a Certified Professional Photographer
In 2008, I was entering my 12th year as a quality professional in the chemical industry. Unfortunately, it was also the year I became a statistic. Suddenly, I found myself among one of the 2.6 million workers in the USA that lost a job that year.
The unemployment rate in my county jumped from mid 5% to above 11% within 6 months of my job loss, and less than a year later it was over 13%. Times were tough, jobs were scarce and I was afraid. Jobs within my industry were rare and would require relocation, which was not an option for me.
I evaluated my skill set and education to determine what my best course of action should be. Fortunately, I had a strong background in photography, including college courses and previous experience. At the time, I was a freelance photographer for a local newspaper and also photographed the occasional event or wedding. Event requests were steadily increasing and I had already begun the transition from part-time to full time photographer. I had joined the PPA in preparation for this transition, I just never realized how quickly I would need them.
After crunching numbers and doing some research, I decided that my best course of action would be to expand my services to include studio photography. I did some market research in my area, learned that there were only a handful of photographers nearby and felt that the area could reasonably support an additional photographer.
Within 3 months I was to learn how very wrong I could be.
In the fall of 2008, there was a sudden influx of new photographers in my small community. As I was buckling down to learn additional skills and establish my studio, there were many other folks with the same exact idea.
I was horrified and sick to my stomach. I was in the middle of sinking my entire severance check into studio construction and the associated equipment, while the piece of the photographic pie I expected to own grew smaller and smaller.
I needed to revamp what I was doing in a major way and gain an edge in what was becoming a very competitive industry.
I believe that the secret to success is education. I have several degrees, but not in fields related to photography. There was no resume I could point to that indicated any kind of expertise or education in a rapidly growing field of contenders for the same clients.
I thought back to my career as a quality professional. The letters CQA and CQIA were after my name on my business cards, indicating that I held several certifications with the American Society for Quality. These certifications opened doors for me, qualified me for specialized jobs and indicated that I had competence and mastery in my field.
I did more research, looking for some way, other than a four-year photography degree, that would indicate that I had a similar level of mastery and competence in the photographic field.
Through my PPA membership, I learned of the Certified Professional Photographer designation. In the midst of a very unstable situation, I finally had hope. My previous experience with professional certification was a positive one and I had confidence that it would serve as a valuable credential as I made the transition to my new career as a full-time professional photographer.
I expected that my clients would choose me based on this credential and it would put me head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. I also expected that it would give me credibility in the eyes of the photographers around me already in business. I had begun to see the effect of the massive growth in the number of photographers flooding the marketplace and understood this wasn’t setting too well with established photographers. I expected that certification would help me establish credibility with both my clients and my peers.
What I didn’t expect was that I would become ten times the photographer I already was by the time I achieved certification. Looking back, I now realize I knew very little in the beginning, and it was the most fortunate stroke of luck that I began working on my certification so close to the beginning of my career. I had much to learn and little to unlearn.
I simultaneously prepped for both the exam and the image submission from December of 2008 through April of 2009. With the CPP body of knowledge as my guide, I planned out an 18 week course of study. Any time I came upon a concept that was new, I looked up additional information online as well as in other books and periodicals. I approached it as if I was studying for college finals or writing a thesis. My previous certifications were also exam-based, so I was familiar with how in-depth I should understand the material.
As I learned and refined my skills while preparing for the exam, concepts began to “click” and new studio techniques became more understandable. My photography began to improve markedly as I began to incorporate everything I was learning into my work.
After four and a half months of study, I drove 14 hours round trip to take the exam in a neighboring state. While I waited for the test results, I began working on my image submissions. As I refined my submissions I evaluated the nuances in lighting, posing and composition that set apart some images from others. Many images under consideration were discarded and new client sessions were treated with more technical refinement than ever before in order to create images worthy of being included in my submission. I was truly my own worst critic and probably went overboard in my self-critiques, but this had been a hard process and I was determined to do it right the first time.
I chuckle when I look back and remember the process back then. CPP liaisons and exam dates were few and far between and there were no online study groups and mentors available like there are today. I had never met another CPP prior to taking the exam and every step I took through the process was accompanied by much research, trial and error. I’m pleased with the growth of the program and thrilled that our numbers have increased and that resources and help are much easier to access these days.
But back to 2009; for 38 angst-ridden days I waited for my test results. Meanwhile, I submitted my images and was also waiting on those results. As the days of waiting passed, I became convinced that my image submission would fail and I began prepping a second set of images.
By the time I received my letter from the PPA, congratulating me for achieving my certification, I was stressed out and did what any other woman in similar circumstances would do; I cried. With great joy and relief I embraced the designation, the certification and the process. Although it was difficult, I don’t regret it and would do it again.
I originally desired certification for what I believed it would do in regards to establishing me as a professional in the industry. What I ended up with, was a certification whose process made me the photographer I am today. Because of certification, I still approach every session as if a certification judge was going to review the resulting images, and will discard any image that I believe would not pass.
I continue to photograph and study as if I am preparing for certification, because I don’t believe that achieving the CPP is the final step in the certification process; I believe it’s the first step in the process of becoming the absolute best photographer I can be.
To the Wise Women…
Although I’m not what you’d call a “religious” person, I have a certain degree of appreciation for the world philosophies that embrace the roles of women, especially those in roles of teachers and mentors. In some belief systems there are “wise women” who guide younger women and are highly respected for their experience and knowledge.
In an industry historically filled with men, women have begun to comprise a large percentage of the numbers, now. As a woman, I appreciate those that have gone before me and set a good example of a gracious and professional female. My own “wise women,” if you will…
It’s not about hearing me roar. It’s about learning how to conduct myself in a manner becoming to both women and professional photographers. This last week or so has been challenging to me on several levels and I have realized how many women have helped me through it in some way…
To the wise woman who was strong enough to say she was feeling weak and needed uplifting from her friends; You are truly a woman other women admire, and I admire you more for sharing that with us. It helped me reach out and ask for help, myself.
To the wise woman who shared her home, hearth and no-nonsense practicality: Your words of advice saved me from writing an email I would have regretted and would have ripped that “gracious” thing into shreds. *Whew* close call! Thanks.
To the wise woman who has suffered professional heartbreak quietly with dignity and class. There were a few days this past week that I thought of how you would handle a particular situation, you helped me without even knowing it.
To the wise women who are wives of photographers. Thank you for lending me your husbands when I needed their help or they needed mine. Opposite-sex colleagues is one of those ridiculously sticky wickets that bring drama that I don’t want to have to mess with. Thank you for not making it a sticky wicket.
To the wise woman who championed a cause by herself. I was humbled and embarrassed for joining in late, but thank you for setting that example. I will rise to the call much swifter next time.
To the wise woman who showed patience, skill, education, class and steel. You led, you taught, you were fair without compromise. You’ve got my respect in a way few do. Thank you for leading by example in the truest sense.
To the wise woman who taught me to “use my powers for good and not evil,” once again I relied on your mantra to channel negative energy into a positive project. You owe me a margarita. This one was hard.
To the wise women who continue to lead or walk beside me on this journey: I “got this” because of you, and you’ve instilled in me the importance of being a wise woman. I can only hope to follow in your footsteps.
Humblest thanks and deep bows of respect,
Christine
The Speech I Forgot to Make
Four evenings ago, a small group of photographers, past recipients of the PPA National Award, lined up at the front of a ballroom in a Columbus, Ohio convention center. As they stood in line, ready to welcome a new member to their group, their total number of years in the photographic industry was staggering, their accomplishments were many and the medallions around their necks held signs of the level of excellence they had reached. In some way, they each had contributed to the industry in a way that not many have. I waited and listened as PPA Vice-President Michael Timmons began to introduce the award, followed by PP of Ohio (PPO) President Tom Walter, who personalized the presentation for the recipient. As the minutes flowed by, the words became more personal and I began to realize that the next recipient of the PPA National Award was me.
And time stood still. For a moment. And then it began to spin crazily through tears, hugs and astonishment. And somewhere, I think I was supposed to “say a few words,” but I didn’t. I couldn’t have, anyway. First of all, I’m not very synonymous with the phrase “a few words” and secondly, I still can’t talk about that night without choking up a little, so a speech that night – yeah, I would have screwed it up. You were all better off letting me go to my seat and have a glass of wine. Thanks for that.
But now, here we are, and I feel the need to say something. “Thank you” doesn’t begin to cover it.
I’ve stayed pretty silent about the PPO in the articles that I write because they’re MY group. It’s the group where I work and where I play and where I respect the other members and don’t want to do, say or write anything that would bring criticism upon them. But I’m thinking I can probably run my mouth now, right? 😉
So here goes…
When I began researching PPO, I did that OCD thing and looked up every single thing I could. Hey, it wasn’t like I had a couple of states to pick from, I lived in Ohio, these were my “people” and if I was gonna join I wanted to know what I was getting myself into.
And I was impressed.
In my research, I found state, regional and international print competition results. Exactly the main reason I wanted to be involved. I looked at the lists that spanned over several years and kept seeing a large number of names repeated over and over again. Obviously Ohio had a large number of highly excellent photographers within its border.
Nice.
I joined, I attended a conference, went to some classes, entered a competition, won a trophy. Meh. It was ok. Met some people that seemed like they were having fun & they were kind of nice. I was new and kind of introvert-y, so I just figured I’d hang in there and see what happened. By this time, I’d achieved PPA’s CPP designation, but not much else. I was kind of grasping at what to do next.
And then I asked if I could volunteer in the print room.
And an itty-bitty monster was created.
Little by little, over the next few years, I grew. As a photographer, and as a member. Everything I’ve learned has been at the knee of the PPO. From pestering the print chairmen over the years with every question I could think of, to running through tutorials online with Master Photographers who have offered to help me – it’s been the PPO every single step of the way.
The PPO has given me classes to sit in and classes to teach. They’ve introduced me to colleagues for networking, and to folks who have become the dearest friends I’ve known. When I wanted to work on my Craftsman degree, they gave me a small slot to teach a class in at convention. They’ve given me mentors, mentorees and sometimes just brilliant photographers to talk art with until the wee hours.
They held my hand as I’ve negotiated the requirements for the Craftsman and Master of Photography degrees. They cheered me on as it took four long attempts to pass the Ohio CPP portfolio review and they offered me space to proctor CPP exams for the PPA.
They’ve given me jobs, responsibilities, titles and roles. From writing reports and procedures to taping red ribbons on prints, if they’ve asked, I’ve done it, happily, because I have taken away far far more than I have ever given. I am who I am because of the PPO. They’ve been my rock, my stepping stone and sometimes, my safety net.
And yes, I’m looking through some rose-colored glasses right now, but that’s ok. We all know that organizations are not all peaches and cream and the PPO is no different than any other. Along with the laughter and joy, there’s been some frustration and tears – but you know what? In the end we talk, we negotiate, we argue a little and eventually we figure it out and go on. When you’ve got a team of terrific people to work with, you can get problems squared away without too much fuss. That’s kind of the way it goes with family.
Yes. Family.
A lot of photographers aren’t as fortunate as I. Their state has no organization at all, or one they don’t like, or they live in a state that’s so huge that events and meetings are impossible to travel to.
But me, I’ve got the PPO. And they’re kind of stuck with me, now.
I’ve got no illusions that I’m at the top of my game or that I’ve “arrived.” I’m still shocked that I was selected for an award that could have gone to so many other deserving photographers. I understand the prestige and am humbled beyond description.
I will spend the rest of my career proving I was worthy of it.
My heart is full. Thank you for honoring me with a night I will remember forever.
PP of Ohio Convention: 1 Week until Print Competition Deadline!
It’s that crazy crush of activity the week before the deadline – I know how it is – trust me!
We’ll make this short and sweet – you must register your images online by March 18 at 11 PM.
BUT! If you are entering prints – you need to register them before that because your prints need to reach our print chair by March 17 via mail or they can be hand-delivered to the convention center on March 20th by 11 AM.