PPOC-Alberta Magazine Issue 5 - Sept 2017

ISSUE #05

PPOC

Fall 2017

Professional Photographers of Canada Alberta Magazine THIS ISSUE Light Matters Conference Portrait Photographer of the Year The Making of Award Winning Images Accreditation - Challenge Yourself!

Alberta Image Salon

Spirit Dancers - Loan Collection Kim Morritt, MPA

Professional Photographers of Canada | www.ppoc.ca | ab.ppoc.ca

What is the

PPOC?

TABLE OF CONTENTS 03

Message from the Editor – Chelsea Jones

The Professional Photographers of Canada is a diversified group of creative artists dedicated to the highest standards in professional imaging. We welcome photographers of all genres to join our community of dedicated professionals.

03 Light Matters: PPOC-AB Conference 04

On the Cover: The Making of Spirit Dancers – Kim Morritt

05

Message from the PPOC Alberta Director – Susie O’Connor

Message from the Alberta Director – Jill Shantz

PPOC-AB Board Members

07

News in Brief

08

Dates to Remember

09

10

Welcome Message for New PPOC- AB Members – Nicole Zielgler The Making of The Huntress – Jeff McDonald Portrait Photographer of the Year – Mark Laurie

13 National Salon Designations and Awards 14

The Making of Unbreakable – Allan Bailey

Photographers Working Together – Karyn Lee

15

Accreditation Story – Chris Tombs

16

Accreditation Information

Message from the Accreditation Chair – Tracy Grabowski

18

The Making of A Date at the Bistro – Marlene Palamarek

19

Alberta Salon Information

Assembling the Giant - Cam Colelough Loan Collection

Vision

To be Canada’s leader in developing and maintaining the highest level of photographic excellence.

Mission

To qualify and support photographers to become industry leaders and to inform the public of the value in hiring an Accredited Professional Photographer.

Page 2

PPOC Magazine

Message from the

EDITOR

The Professional Photographers of Canada Alberta (PPOCAB) magazine is back! This annual publication is mailed to the 200 professional photographers who are PPOC-AB members as well as our sponsors. The goals of this magazine are to: • • •

Inform the reader of issues, events, education, vendors, and other information related to the photography industry in Alberta Showcase the immensely talented artists that are members of the PPOC in Alberta Inspire the reader to engage in the Alberta photographic community and within the organization

Throughout the articles in the magazine, you will view the images by PPOC-AB members who received top honours at the PPOC National Salon, which was held in April, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario during the International Photography Conference.

Our province is a gold mine for artistic photographic talent and many of our members attained awards, accolades, accreditations, and designations this year.

On the cover is an image by Kim Morritt which was selected as part of the Loan Collection. As the fireworks from the

PPOC Magazine

Canada 150 celebrations are still fresh in our memories, this image spoke to me as something that demonstrates the unique beauty that is our country’s diversity, culture, and spectacular environment. The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, is something truly special that can be witnessed in our province an across our great nation. Read more about the making of this image on page 4.

A massive, “Thank You” to all the PPOC members who submitted images and articles to this annual publication.

It takes a lot of hands to put together such a publication and this was a great example of teamwork within our organization!

We look forward to an exciting 2017/2018 within the PPOC and Alberta Photography Community!

Chelsea Jones

PPOC-AB Annual Magazine Chair

Page 3

On the Cover

Spirit Dancers - Loan Collection

By Kim Morritt, MPA

As a portrait photographer, I feel that my most important job is to make my clients comfortable with me so that they can enjoy their portrait session.

I get more natural expressions out of my clients if I can be a friend rather than a stranger!

It was at our initial meeting with Kristyn that I found out she danced Powwow. Kristyn had danced her whole life with her family, and now along with her groom Tyler and their son, they continue the tradition together. I wanted to learn more about her culture so Kristyn invited me to a Powwow at Onion Lake Cree Nation. I was completely mesmerized at the richness and depth of the Cree culture. I was invited into the ring to photograph the dancers, and as I did, Kristyn explained each of the different pieces of the regalia to me.

When I found out she had created their own regalia herself, I knew then exactly what their family portrait should say about them.

I wanted a simple portrait that would allow me to really focus on their regalia and their traditions. To create this, I needed a simple background that would be powerful enough to support the detail and meaning in their regalia. Kristyn had explained to me that the northern lights had a very important meaning - they believe the northern lights are their ancestors dancing. To get a big sky in my portrait, I knew I needed a clear view with no trees. I found one on a hilltop over looking their home lands that was exactly what I was looking for!

Because I wanted to truly focus on the details of the regalia, I chose to use a harsher side light to help bring out those details. I used a portable strobe with a parabolic and single diffuser on it to camera right. I added in a 2 stop fill portable strobe directly behind camera. As I was photographing a group and the background was to play a key role, I choose to photograph at an aperture of 8.0 and used a slower shutter speed of 60.

him in the perfect spot and then set him down and let him dance. I was able to catch him in a very natural position although this took us a few attempts to accomplish. I posed Mom and Dad in a portrait together lowering Dad down so I had less distance between little man’s face and his parents.

This allowed me to still see the detail in the regalia but at the same time, keeping a very tight grouping of the family.

When I arrived home, I went out to the pasture and set up for the final piece to the composite; the northern lights! Since the northern lights are so far away, I photograph them wide open at f/2.8. On this night, the lights were very active and bright so I only needed an 8 second exposure to capture them. When doing composites with the foreground and sky being different pieces, I always make sure to take grey card shots of both so I can make sure the colour balance between the pieces match!

By using layer masks, it allows me to quickly and easily change my mind or move my layers around. I then made sure to add the shadows that would have been there if I had photographed them all together back into the image. Once I had combined the three subjects, I began to add in the sky.

I used a very small brush with a hardness of around 70% to paint the sky in on a layer mask. This process can be painstaking but in order to get a truly seamless image, it is a must to do!

Once the northern lights were in place, I cropped the image with the final outcome of a large wall gallery wrapped canvas in mind. I am a firm believer in getting it all done in camera which means I always shoot with the use of a light meter. It leaves less work in Photoshop so all that was done to this image was to bump the contrast and saturation just enough to make the colours as vibrant as they were in real life. Then retouched out stray threads, hair and blemishes.

The resulting image gave me exactly what I wanted to create; a family portrait on a simple background that celebrated the richness and depth of this family’s traditions and culture.

As always, things did not go as planned and I ran into two challenges. The first was posing the family group as close as I intended to. As soon as I posed them in a tight group, I found it covered up the regalia so I lost the most important details. The other challenge I had was that the child loved dancing so much that he wouldn’t stop when his regalia was on. As I was photographing after sunset, and my shutter speed was very low, if I didn’t want to catch him as a motion blur in my image, I had to come up with a new plan.

Plan B became a composite. I increased my shutter speed and photographed the little man on his own. I had Mom hold Page 4

PPOC Magazine

Message from the

PPOC Alberta Chair We’ve had another fabulous year as the Alberta regional branch of The Professional Photographers of Canada. We’ve warmly welcomed over 20 new members into our association since January. As we know, the photography industry is ever changing and evolving. This is the time we need bond together in our longstanding professional organization. This will differentiate ourselves from the masses, giving us the credibility, the education and fellowship that will help us succeed as photographers. I encourage all of you to keep growing by taking advantage of the wonderful conferences, workshops and monthly meetings that are available to you.

Many of these learning opportunities are FREE for our members including our Light Matters Conference coming up this October 28th and 29th of this year.

The fellowship that our organization is known for is what I’ve enjoyed most about the PPOC. I’ve made so many wonderful friends over the years that I can call on for honest business advice and photographic feedback in a heartbeat and in turn, I’m happy to do the same. As the industry evolves so does social media, our PPOC Alberta Facebook page is an excellent outlet to post any questions you may have and share your inspirational stories, links and build on those friendships that you’ve developed from your in person connections.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing as many of our 200 members come out to this year’s conference at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino in Calgary as can make it, until then… happy shooting.

Smiles.

Susie O’Connor, CPA

Message from the

ALBERTA DIRECTOR For those that don’t already know me, I am Jill. I currently hold the position of your PPOC-AB Director as of last April.

I am a portrait photographer from St Albert and have been a PPOC member for almost 2 decades.

I hope that no matter how busy your summer has been you managed to take sometime to your self. Life is hectic and that balance between work and family is important. Downtime keeps us creative and inspired. I hope to see you all this October at our Regional Convention for networking and education. We have a great line up as well as Accreditation judging.

The director role is busy and challenging. I look forward to the next few months and all the exciting changes on the horizon. Merit reform, the release of a PR video and plans to revisit the strategic planning from the unification plan.

Our National Chair, Louise Vessey has a great vision for the PPOC and I look forward to working with her and the rest of the National Board to move forward with that vision. Lets all strive to better our industry and keep us working in a career we love.

Jill Shantz, MPA

Meet your Alberta PPOC Board of Directors Executive:

Chair Susie O’Connor

Vice Chair Jeff Noon

Past Chair Chris Thombs

Secretary Treasure Gerry David

Alberta Director Jill Shantz PPOC Magazine

Branch Chairs North Branch – Nicole Ziegler

Communications Iris Jackson

Central Branch – Peter Gold

Annual Magazine Chelsea Jones

South Branch – Jackie Standing Portfolio Chairs Merits – Allan Bailey Membership Nicole Ziegler

Website Dave Bennett Phone Committee Karyn Lee Page 5

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The Visual Technology People

V IS T E K .C A

News

IN BRIEF

Remember, only PPOC members can benefit from the huge discounts and deals at ALL the PPOC hosted conferences, seminars, events, judging, mentorship, and accreditation.

Some seminars are open to non-members with a minimal cost associated. Contact your regional board or the event coordinators for more information or join the PPOC today! http://www.ppoc.ca/en/membership/join-ppoc •

A big Thank You goes out to Kim Morritt, Fred Katz, Charlene Williams, Kim Berlie, Iris Jackson, and Tracy Grabowski for their work as volunteers and judges at the recent Accreditation judging that was held in Edmonton, AB in July.

•

The 2017 Alberta Salon Judging will be held on September 23, 2017 at the Norther Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). Entries will be accepted until September 9, 2017 at 5:00 PM MST. Go to page 18 for more details!

•

As we are getting ready for the 2017 PPOC-AB Light Matters Conference at the Grey Eagle Casino in Calgary on October 29 and 30, 2017, we are also thinking about next year! The 2018 conference hosted by PPOC-AB will be held on October 20 and 21 in Edmonton, AB. Both of these conferences are free of charge for PPOC members. Stay tuned for more information and let us know if you have suggestions for speakers and other aspects of the conference!

•

The National PPOC Mentorship Program is currently being developed. Stay tuned, as this will be a great opportunity to develop as a photographer as well as a way for veteran PPOC members to give back to the photography community!

and the winner is photographed with our branch president and featured in the next month’s newsletter and on the PPOC-AB Facebook page along with their winning image and photo bio.

The themes for the PCMPC for the following months are as follows: September – Racing Faces October – Scary Stuff November – Do You Remember? (Recent/Distant Past) December – the Gift that Keeps on Giving

South Branch 2 positions that have been filled recently in South branch.

We would like to welcome Melanie Cervo as Vice Chair and Craig Sallenbach as Secretary/Treasurer. The South branch holds their meetings every second Wednesday of the month and has a great line up of speakers and topics well into 2018.

They continue to see their membership grow!

Volunteers

Needed

North Branch Board of Directors – Multiple Positions – Contact: Susie O’Connor and Robert Bray Alberta Salon Judging – Volunteers and Judges needed - September 23, 2017 at NAIT – Contact: Gerry David McBain Trade Show – November 5, 2017 at the University of Alberta Butterdome – Contact: Chris Thombs Light Matters 2018 Conference and Tradeshow – Conference Committee needed – Contact: Chris Thombs

North Branch The North Branch is looking to recruit board members for multiple positions including Sec/ Treasurer and Vice Chair. Robert Bray has graciously offered to assist with mentoring the new board members.

Central Branch PCMPC (Peoples Choice Monthly Photo Contest) is an initiative by the Central Branch to promote comradery, competition, and fun among its branch members. It is not a judged contest per se; members don’t discuss entries amongst themselves instead they are viewed as a group.

The images are then voted on informally with a show of hands n during the meeting. The contest takes place during our speaker’s 15 minute break PPOC Magazine

Lorelei Hoffarth Best in Class Wedding Album

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Welcome NEW MEMBERS Welcome New Members to the Photographers of Canada – Alberta

Professional

We are a long standing national organization of photographers with whom you can network to augment your photographic knowledge enabling you to meet and exceed whatever goals you set. We are a very warm and open group here to help you in anyway. You may connect with members in person through various mixers, social events and educational seminars as well as in online forums. The bulk of our conversations in between get togethers happens on our social media pages.

They are very popular for our members to get instant answers to questions and situations that pop up. The PPOC is a very vibrant and supportive network. I encourage you to join both our National and Provincial Facebook pages if you haven’t already.

We would like to also welcome the following new members who have recently joined the PPOC-AB in the past year: Carla Coombs

Megan Eppen

Steve Allen

Julie-Ann Strilaiff

Leroy Larson

Maryanne Protz

Rebecca Klassen

Tammy Deren

Luc Labonte

Asaad Qaddori

Christopher Martin

Sid Dutchak

Melanie Cervo

Kevin Fuhr

Tori Akers

Jason O’Donnell

Dates to REMEMBER

Chiqui Ramos Craig Sallenbach Amber Elliot Doug Mitchell Ric Matkowski Lindsay Mochoruk- Potts

Nicole Ziegler

Membership Chair

Alberta •

September 9 – Deadline for submissions to Alberta Salon

•

September 23 – Alberta Salon Judging– NAIT

•

October 2 – Last 2017 Accreditation Deadline 3:00PM EST

•

October 28 to 30 - Light Matters: PPOC-AB Conference – Grey Eagle Casino, Calgary, AB

•

October 28 – Live Accreditation Judging, Grey Eagle Casino, Calgary, AB

•

November 5, 2017 – McBain Trade Show, University of Alberta Butterdome

•

May 4 to 9, 2018 - International Photography Conference and Expo, Richmond, BC

•

October 20 and 21, 2018 – Light Matters: PPOC-AB Conference, Edmonton, AB

North Branch Events and Meetings •

September 12, 2017– Boudoir Photography with Tammy Deren

•

October 18, 2017

•

November 9, 2017

•

December 14, 2017 – Christmas Social

•

January 9, 2017

•

February 7, 2017

•

March 8, 2017

Central Branch Events and Meetings •

September 11 - Lightroom Flow with Gerry David

•

October 16 - Commercial Photography for Portrait Photographers

South Branch Events and Meetings

Sensual Awakening Jeff Macdonald Excellence and Loan Collection

Page 8

•

September 13th- Workflow & Accreditation Review

•

October 11th- New Member Drive

•

November 8th- Improve your Photoshop SkillsHands On

•

December 13th- Christmas Party & Social

•

January 10th, 2018- The Business of Photography PPOC Magazine

The Making of

The Huntress - Excellence and Loan Collection

By Jeff McDonald

This image was a part of our first-time submission to the National Image Salon competition and we were thrilled with how well it was received.

The project started off as a portfolio piece where my wife Rayna and I wanted to create an abstract design using prosthetics and body paint on our model Amulet. Over the days leading up to the project, we sketched out the design and then fabricated the spines and the decorative pieces she is wearing in the final images.

The body painting session began mid-afternoon with us attaching the prosthetic pieces to Amulet and then Rayna began the painting process by blocking out the general pattern on Amulet’s body. Using a combination of body paint and air brush techniques, the design came together over a span of about 6 hours. Once the painting was complete, we then attached the final embellishments to the prosthetics, added hair extensions, broke out the sword and got her into the studio.

While taking the photos, we went through a few different setups, but the images we liked the most were of Amulet with the sword on a darker background. She had that alien warrior look to her in the design and the sword just tied it all together. We felt that the final version of “The Huntress” combined just enough sensuality with a dark and unspoken sense of power to capture the attention of the viewer.

I’d like to thank all the judges for the wonderful feedback that we received from the Salon!

PPOC Magazine

Page 9

Portrait Photographer

OF THE YEAR Mark Laurie, F/PPOC, MPA, SPA

Redhead Best in Class - Figure Study Judges Choice - Loan Collection

For the full story, check out the Summer 2017 issue of our National PPOC Magazine, GallĂŠrie!

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Tina Wentz & Mark Laurie

PPOC Magazine

Uncertain Future Child Portrait

Surrealist Vision Fine Art

Work of Art Figure Study

PPOC Magazine

Page 11

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Designations &

AWARDS

Congratulations to all those individuals that received awards and designations at the International Photography Conference in Ottawa, Ontario in 2017.

Master of Photographic Arts (MPA) - 2nd Bar

Best in Class Awards

Master of Photographic Arts (MPA) - 5th Bar

Tanya Sedore, CPA - Architecture – Dream Home

Phanh Tram

Allan Bailey, MPA - Child Portrait - Unbreakable

Master of Photographic Arts (MPA) - 11th Bar

Lorelei Hoffarth - Wedding Album of the Year Jacinta Borrelli – Commercial: Student Kaitlyn Hoover – General: Student

Craftsman of Photographic Arts (CPA) Kim Berlie

Shauna Smith

Iris Jackson

Chris Thombs

Jill Shantz

Master of Photographic Arts (MPA) - 3rd Bar Peter Gold

Mark Laurie

*Photographs by Sebastién Lavallée, MPA

Susie O’Connor

Master of Photographic Arts (MPA) - 1st Bar Allan Bailey, Kim Morritt

PPOC Magazine

Page 13

The Making of

Unbreakable Best in Class – Child Portrait

By Allan Bailey, MPA

I created this portrait to show how I view my youngest daughter.

When her battle with cancer is over, and she’s older, I wanted her to know how strong she was, and how hard she fought. I wanted a more raw look to the image, so I chose a harsher light, and minimal retouching.

The day the image was taken, was not ideal timing. She felt well enough to give me 1 click. That was it. It was one of the quickest portraits I’ve ever taken. I broke my own rule when I entered this image, and chose it largely based on the emotional attachment I had to it. I usually separate myself from my images, but with this one I couldn’t. I wanted to show strength, determination, and a little red haired 3 year old that would not back down, no matter how heavily the scales were tipped against her.

Photographers

Working Together

By Karyn Lee, CPA

I joined the PPOC in July 2012.

I wanted to set myself apart from my local competition, and getting accredited made the most sense as the first step to doing just that. I quickly learned that PPOC was a whole lot more than just a means to accreditation. In June 2013, my town in Southern Alberta was devastated by flooding. I was forced out of my home for 3 weeks. I was unable to work, and lost a lot of my equipment. That’s when the real value of PPOC made itself apparent. During my evacuation, I woke up to a message from a member who offered to help me with whatever I needed. At the time, I needed a computer to work Page 14

(I had escaped with my camera gear). Almost immediately, this member started a GoFundMe campaign to help get me a computer and get me back to work. Donations poured in from all over the country. Fellow PPOC members reached out and offered assistance without hesitation in my time of need. The one piece of equipment I did not escape with and required was a charger for my Nikon battery. A fellow PPOC member lent this to me. PPOC is more than just a photography organization - it’s a community of compassionate artists that know that by working together, we all succeed in the end.

PPOC Magazine

Accreditation Story

CHRIS THOMBS

Pre-Accreditation and Accreditation

I came from a unique background where the camera, photography, and industry education I received was not conventional. I felt like my skills as a photographer were never confirmed in the private sector or in the open market.

I joined PPOC with the intention to learn and confirm my skills through Accreditation. To date, I have six successful Accreditations and I am planning on submitting my seventh this fall.

Why is it important to do accreditations? I am going to share a bit of my inner dialogue when I first started working in the private sector: “Clients are happy, but am I?” As I deliver the work to my clients I felt happy; however, there was something in the back of my mind after I distilled all the kudos, “likes” on social media, and the “love” from friends and family I had received.

I wondered, “Is this it, or can I be better? What will take me to the next level; or am I already there? Am I above industry standard? If not, how can I get to the next level?” Doubt is scary.

Maybe you do not relate to the above paragraph and are just looking to grow; maybe to explore other disciplines of photography.

Accreditation is important to me as I am now exploring photography by working on different accreditations to expand my repertoire, giving myself assignments that will grow my abilities and expand my knowledge, as well as earn Print Merits toward my next designation. I know I have moved on from the doubt phase.

Here is how to answer some of those tough questions, or explore the other disciplines of photography with the help of your fellow PPOC members. You can develop your skills, quell your possible self-doubt, or validate your skills with the Pre-Accreditation and Accreditation.

Pre-Accreditation is the first step and it is free. You pick a discipline that you want to be accredited in (there are a total of 68) and put together a portfolio of your 15 best images in that discipline and submit them to your Pre-Accreditation Representative. The representative for your region can be found at http://www.ppoc.ca/en/membership/preaccreditation-review once you are signed into your member account. The instructions on how to submit are listed on the Pre-Accreditation page.

Once you have followed the directions on how to submit, the images are uploaded and distributed to qualified judges PPOC Magazine

from across your region that will view and critique all the images. Assessing them if they are Accreditation ready from their experience or give guidance on how to improve them to make them ready (which also helps you become a better photographer).

The neat thing is that if you have some images that you are on the fence about, you have the bonus of having those extra five slots to get more images assessed. You may have had hidden gems in your archives that should be in your submission. So, fill up all 15 slots even if you are extremely confident in your ten for submission. You can repeat the PreAccreditation Review process until you have your ten best for submission.

Now you have culled down to the images to your best 10 images for Accreditation submission, it is time to officially submit for Accreditation.

Go to the Accreditation Submission page at http://www.ppoc.ca/ en/membership/accreditationsubmission. You must be signed in as a member to do this. Initial entry fee for paid members of PPOC is $65.00 per category, plus tax.

Fee for resubmissions is $45.00 plus tax per category. A separate submission fee is required for each different category submission.

Then comes the hard part; the wait until you receive the email with the results of your submission and finding out if you will be awarded an Accreditation. That is if you don’t attend the accreditation live and hear the news for yourself.

I recommend you go and watch every chance you can even if you are not submitting an accreditation. The two big reasons in my opinion to do this are to learn, and to be inspired; there is a lot of incredible art submitted for judging and hearing the feedback is very valuable.

Speaking of judging, sometimes people will make it through the first go around and get their Accreditation right away; other times it takes a few of attempts. I have personally experienced this as I have had a couple of submissions be successful on the first attempt while a couple other submissions I attempted numerous times.

Although frustrating, this made me a better photographer as I learned so much from the critique I received from the pdf submission report, and from watching the live judging whenever possible.

So get out there and submit your work. Utilizing Accreditation will allow you to grow as a creative. I believe this process is one of the biggest benefits of membership. See you all on October 29, 2017 at the fall accreditation judging!

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Accreditation Accredited Professional Photographers are specialists in their chosen field of photography.

The accreditation process recognizes photographers who have reached a nationally accepted standard of proficiency and knowledge in photographic arts. It is achieved by submitting samples of photography (10 photographs) in a specific category to a PPOC Board of Review. This peer-reviewed program challenges candidates to demonstrate their capability of delivering exceptional quality photography in a chosen category.

The judges are a selection of PPOC members who have reached a minimum of the Craftmans designation level and have successfully attending judging workshops. Judges will consider the following criteria: Impact, Creativity, Style, Composition, Colour Balance, Centre of Interest, Lighting, Subject Matter, Technique, and Storytelling. All ten (10) images must be accepted to gain Accreditation in a specific category. An Accreditation is required to move form the Observer category of membership and into the Active/Accredited Member.

Submission Categories Please visit the PPOC Website http://www.ppoc. ca/en/membership/ accreditationcategories for a definition of each category to be sure your submission meets the necessary requirements. There are 66 different categories including those for wedding, commercial, portrait, pictorial/scenic, fine art, animals, etc.

Submission deadlines • •

Oct 2, 2017 • 3:00 pm Eastern time • Feb, 2018

April, 2018 July, 2018

Dreamhome Tanya SedoreBest in Class - Architecture

Message from the

Accreditation Chair I took on this portfolio because I love to teach and this program is all about learning.

It is a privilege and an honor to serve this association, which I strongly support and love. I personally have worked on accreditations for years before submitting them, always trying to get to a better level of photography year after year.

If you have never been to a judging, I recommend you attend one. Even as a national judge, I learned a ton! Because accreditation judging is a training site for new judges the process will never be live-streamed. These judges need to be comfortable while learning the language of judging.

It’s not easy to put your imagery out there to be judged, but remember it is a learning process. You can’t expect to be an expert at something you have only done 10-20 times. When Page 16

you get to 200-400 you’re going to be a lot closer. Be objective and open to learning. I encourage you to go through the PreAccreditation process.

Results will never be mailed out quicker than 2-3 days after judging, as each one has to be reviewed, double checked and sent to the office for confirmation.

Make sure to read and understanding the Accreditation Submission instructions before submitting. Please check each category you are entering carefully; they are specific to the area of expertise. Check, double check, and check again, your file names. The program needs this information to be correct, or it won’t work properly.

Tracy Grabowski, MPA/SPA Accreditation Chair

PPOC Magazine

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The Making of

Date at the Bistro

- Fine Art, Loan Collection, Judges Choice

By Marlene Palamarek

In July, 2010 I was asked to take part in the making of a calendar for the Alberta Bulldog Rescue (ABR).

I couldn’t let all of that amazing teamwork be hidden away on my computer!

We had rescue bulldogs paired with models dressed in Pin-Up style. Day 3 of the 4 day shoot would mark the beginning of a love affair with this image and I. The model was paired with Maggie, a French bulldog who was rescued from a puppy mill and was once an overbred mamma. I was so excited as our beautiful model interacted with Maggie, while seated in front of a sweet little downtown Bistro. It was my favourite shot of the entire calendar. Was I shooting for competition at the time? Heck no, but I knew then that I had something; I just didn’t quite know what to do with it yet. I filed the shots away for a rainy day when I would “maybe” do something else with them. I completely forgot about it until last year. The National Salon was on the horizon and my mission was to make Date at the Bistro the best it could be.

The excitement surrounding this image from the time it was created 7 years ago still loomed largely in my mind the day I started to paint, which helped me with the style I thought it deserved. From start to finish it took me 2 weeks until I was satisfied with my brush strokes. I knew I saw a story unfold before me that day in front of the bistro, and it was about a girl, on a date, with her dog. I wanted to tell their story. I wanted sweet little Maggie, watching from across the rainbow bridge to know she had made it big; it just happened to take a few years. The moral of this story is to revisit those images that really made you feel something when you created them. Who knows, you might create something with them that you never thought possible at the moment you pressed the shutter.

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PPOC Magazine

Alberta Salon

Information

2017 Image Competition Entry Rules

The competition includes a day of judging members’ submitted images and includes a component of critiquing. Members and the public are encouraged to attend, watch, listen, and learn. This is not for the faint of heart but it is an excellent opportunity to gain inspiration for your future work. Trophies will be awarded to the best image in each class. Awards Gala to be held in conjunction with Alberta Regional Convention October 28-29, 2017 at Grey Eagle Resort in Calgary, AB. The link for upload and full entry rules will be posted on PPOC-Alberta’s Facebook page and website starting on August 9, 2017. All entries must be received on or before: September 9, 2017, 3 pm MST (5 pm ET) ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS TO: https://PPOC.formstack.com/ forms/ab_2017_salon FOR INQUIRIES: alberta.salon@ppoc.ca LOCATION: NAIT, Edmonton, Alberta – Room H012 Judging – September 23, 2017 Eligibility Black and White and/or Colour images are eligible from Active members of the PPOC. Maker must have personally exposed the original images. Student entrants must be enrolled in a full-time Photography Program at a recognized Community College or Technical Institute in Canada. The original exposures of all entries must have been made by the student while he or she was enrolled at the College or Institute. Each entry must match all image specifications.

Not Eligible 1. Images previously accepted in any prior national image competition of PPOC. 2. Images created under the supervision or direction of an instructor.

ENTRY FEES Image Entry – Single Image free Image Entry – Up to Four images $60.00 ($57.14+$2.86 GST) Student Entry $30.00 ($28.57+$1.43 GST) Wedding & Feature Album (per entry) $45.00 ($42.86+$2.14 GST) Digital entries, entry form, certification, agreement, and payment form (via paypal) will be done via PPOC’s website.

Commercial

General

Portrait

Wedding

Supplementary

1 Architecture

7 Pictorial/ Floral

13 Portrait

17 Wedding Portrait

12 Feature Album

2 Fashion

8 Animals

14 Group Portrait

18 Wedding Group

20 Wedding Album

3 Product Illustration

9 Experimental/ Unclassified

15 Child Portrait

19 Photojournalistic Wedding

4 Industrial

10 Fine Art

16 Figure Study

5 Editorial

11 Conceptual Illustration

6 Press

A successful Competition photograph must have: • Impact • Effective Composition • Excellent Techniques (lighting/Posing Etc.) • Exceptional Story Telling Ability • Professional Presentation (Printing / Retouching Etc.) Often photographs are submitted to the Competition that fall into the just below or above acceptable category because they do not have the two most critical ingredients: Impact and Story Telling Ability.

3. Duplicate images may not be entered in different classes. Images entered must be dramatically different from those entered in this competition or other accepted PPOC competition, (i.e. images taken from the same sitting, session or assignment).

4. Images where the original expression of the idea is not the maker’s Entry Limit: Any Alberta member may submit a single image for FREE (does not include albums).

A member can enter any number of images up to a maximum of 4 images PLUS one wedding album and one feature album. NOTE: The entry fee for a wedding album and feature album is in addition to the regular 4-image entry fee. The wedding album and feature album entries must be digital ones (and not hard copy). (Out of Province entries are limited to a maximum of 4 images only, no albums.)

PPOC Magazine

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Why Join the

PPOC?

The Professional Photographers of Canada is a diversified group of creative artists dedicated to the highest standards in professional imaging.

We welcome photographers of all genres to join our community of dedicated photographers. Meet new friends and mentors and take advantage of the wealth of experience and knowledge.

Once you are an accredited member your personal area of specialty and images are promoted on our national website so clients and other photographers making referrals know who to contact.

PPOC offers photographers a way to rise to professional status. Educational opportunities, along with networking, direct member benefits and the ability to earn awards and designations, will assist in your potential for growth and economic improvement.

We encourage you to get connected by visiting our website where you can join on-line or find contacts within Alberta. www.ppoc.ca http://ab.ppoc.ca

Follow the PPOC on Social Media Facebook: @PPOCNational @PPOC.Alberta.public @PPOC-Alberta (members only) @PPOCphotographers (members only) Instagram: @ppoc_national @ppoc_ab Twitter: @PPOC_National

PPOC Office 209 Light Street Woodstock ON, Canada N4S 6H6 Phone: (519) 537-2555 Toll Free: 1 (888) 643-PPOC (7762) Fax: (888) 831-4036 Email: info@ppoc.ca