GPPAs annual image competition is now open for entry! With a special category "FOOD!", we are excited to invite you to start entering your images on printcompetition.com

   

We have an exciting lineup this year! Our first program is THIS Saturday, March 30, featuring our very own Pam Jones. Her program "Too Legit to Quit - Building a Legitimate Business" has something for everyone, no matter how long you've been i the photography business.

You can register by clicking HERE.

GPPA is proud to offer an exciting 2-day summit featuring 6 speakers from Georgia! We know you’ll love learning from some of our homegrown talent and networking with photographers from around the state.

This year’s Exposed|Georgia Showcase will take place at Photoplex Studios in Alpharetta on August 19 and 20, 2023. To kick off the weekend, we’ve tied in our annual image competition and Club 79 which will take place on August 18!

Here are a few of the highlights from our speakers:

The AI Frontier: Embracing Technological Advancements in Creativity with Jason Hurd

With the rapid increase in technology, artificial intelligence tools are having a significant impact on creative career fields. In this session, we will look at the current state of AI and its impact on productivity and creative professions. We will dive into a deeper understanding of what AI is, learn how to supercharge your productivity, as well as, discuss its implications regarding intellectual property. Jason Hurd currently serves as an Artificial Intelligence instructor and robotics coach at Seckinger High School in Buford, GA where he is developing the first Artificial Intelligence pathway in the state of Georgia. 

Getting Started in Fine Art Portraits with Leon Johnson

Leon Johnson is a portrait and fine art photographer who is coming to share with how he leads his clients from his fine art inspirations to the final product.  He will discuss the tools and styling he uses to create his artworks and the techniques he has found successful in marketing his work to potential clients around the US.  An extremely prolific photographer, Leon will discuss how he allows his passions and love of art to drive his development as a photographer and an artist. Leon will discuss how he has maneuvered past challenges such as being active-duty military and operating out of a small home studio. He will discuss how he builds trust and rapport with clients and their role in creating natural expressions, poses, and gestures in his work in addition to providing an amazing client experience and creating a product that they love. His words will paint the pictures in your heart and soul and help you interpret them with your camera. Leon Johnson is an award-winning portrait and fine art photographer based in Augusta, Georgia. 

Bust Out of Budget Weddings and Make More Money with Meredith Ryncarz

Feeling stuck in your wedding pricing process? Not even sure what to price or if you are presenting I the right way? In this class we’ll dive into the secret pricing tiers of weddings, how to market within them, and how to present that in a custom quote that will increase your overall bookings. Meredith Ryncarz is a former college art professor turned destination wedding photographer.

Blinded By The Light with Eddie Tapp

The one ingredient we all work with is light. Learning to “see” light is often onerous or unimaginable. And there certainly are reasons why. I’ll break down light in ways you may have never thought of along with samples and demonstration. Learning to feel the light takes on a new revealing once light becomes second nature to you. Fundamentals will get you there. Technical will get you there. Having a visual concept will get you there. Yet seeing light the way of a photographer is unique in its behavior. Perhaps the most powerful ingredient we have is light. You can never stop learning to love light.

Successful Santa Sessions with Linda Carroll

The session will cover how to get started in creating a memorable Santa session for your business. This is based on over six years of building a successful Santa session from scratch. Topics will cover how to get started, location, background design, staff, where to find Santa, and what I have learned over the years to create a memorable Santa session that has repeat clients.

Elegant Editorial Portrait Set Ups with Tracy Page

Working with her model Jordan Chan, Tracy with share how she sets up and shoots editorial portraits followed by a discussion of how she makes the process happen.

Register TODAY!

We are excited to announce new membership rates that went into effect on July 1, 2023!

The GPPA Board of Directors is working to make our association relevant and up-to-date with the times. In doing so, we feel it is imperative that our membership rates and levels reflect this, and also keep our association sustainable so we can continue to serve our members successfully.

There are three levels of membership, all due annually. We will no longer offer a monthly payment option.

Novice/Aspiring ($99) – this level is for those who are just starting their business, is an enthusiast, or doesn’t receive payment for their photographic services.

Artist/Professional ($149) – this level is for anyone who is paid for their photographic work, whether it’s full time or you make a little money on the side.

Studio ($325/year) – this level is for professional photography studios; membership includes up to 4 named employees in the studio membership rate.

We are excited to carry on our mission to educate and develop Georgia-based professional photographers through: practical education, networking, and the advancement of our members in the art and business of photography.

GPPA remains loyal to its goals and members, by continuing to provide top notch speakers, valuable continuing education in this ever-evolving field as well as fostering professional business partnerships & lifelong friendships. 

Members receive reduced entry fees for photographic competition that is less than 2 weeks away! The deadline for entry is Friday, July 14, and members pay $15/entry (non-members pay $20/entry).

We look forward to sharing all GPPA has to offer our members!

To JOIN or RENEW, please click here.

If you're headed to Nashville for ImagingUSA, meet up with fellow Georgia photographers at the convention! Not a member? No problem. We'd love you to come and meet your fellow state photographers. The more the merrier!

Here's what to do: 

Download the Imaging USA App
Set up your profile
Send a friend request to Lisa Hill via the app

Lisa will let you know where and when our group is meeting during the convention. See you there! 

On Sunday October 2nd, we held our annual Awards Banquet at the Braselton Event Center, in Braselton GA. We had a wonderful turn out with about 50 of our members, spouses and guests. The dinner was Italian style catered by Rachetti's in Flowery Branch. The evening started with a silent auction, raffle and cocktail hour where we were all able to  socialize. The fundraisers brought in a little over $1400. 

After dinner we presented our Photo Competition, Service and Special awards. Congratulations go out to all of our winners! A huge shout out to Brad Budd for his accomplishment of Photographer of the Year.  To view all the winning images see the Awards Banquet Page 

After the awards we introduced your 2023 Board of Directors (pictured above). Next year will plan on making some big changes in the association and will be needing great volunteers to help with our committees and to grow the association. If you have time to help please reach out to us at gppaadmin@comcast.net  Volunteering is a great way to get more involved, meet more members, earn GPPA degrees as well as assist in creating all the wonderful events we put on. If you have ideas for classes, speakers or field trips in 2023 please contact us!

And lastly, thank you for your continued support of GPPA!

Photoworks 2022 is Georgia’s PPA affiliated school that features a 3-day intensive learning experience with a master instructor in a small class environment. This year, we have two talented instructors who are experts in their field. Photoworks will be held September 16-18 at the Hilton Garden Inn North Alpharetta and PhotoPlex Studios.

Suzette Allen is teaching A Trio of Talents to Leverage in Photoshop: Image Magic, Graphic Design, and Video Basics. This class is an intermediate-level course, so a working knowledge of Photoshop is helpful. Photoshop is the ultimate creative tool, but the learning curve can be daunting without a patient and creative guide…so, take this opportunity to spend a few days with Suzette Allen, a well-known Photoshop instructor for over 20 years!  There are a variety of tools to help you succeed and they all live in Photoshop and Lightroom.

Chris Wooley’s class is Eclectic Creativity: Headshots, Pin-Ups, and Composites. Get ready for an action-packed weekend! In this class, you’ll be diving deep into the art and business of headshots, including shooting techniques, marketing, and workflow. Next, you’ll be able to explore the classic genre of vintage Pin-Up photography – boudoir’s classy cousin – including lighting, posing, and post-production. Finally, you’ll take a deep dive into Photoshop Composites where you’ll learn to create compelling composites for both clients and competition.

You don’t want to miss this incredible opportunity so sign up today! Link to registration: Photoworks 2022

What exactly is Club 79? It’s both a place and a state of mind.

As a place, it’s a room shared with fellow photographers who’ve entered a photographic competition through a PPA affiliate or state association. In pre-Covid days, all competitions were held in-person with judges in the same location. Most of the images were actually prints. In the past 5 years, digital has become more common and Covid restricted in-person gatherings.

On Friday, July 15, while the judging is taking place virtually for GPPA photographic competition, we’ll have a room set up at the Hilton Garden Inn in Columbus so that entrants can watch the streaming of competition together - celebrating achievements and encouraging one another as scores pop up. If you can't join us, you can still participate with us via the Exposed online platform - simply register for Exposed and you'll have access to all the speakers and Club 79!

There is no need to suppress your feelings of joy, excitement, or even frustration. If you are frustrated, what better environment to express yourself than with your fellow artists. If you do well, what better place to be as your friends congratulate you on your success.

Club 79 as a state of mind. With the scoring system, a photographer can earn a merit if their image scores an 80 or above. A score of 79 can be frustrating as the image was so close to achieving merit status, but didn’t quite make it. However, by listening to the judge’s comments and ordering a critique of your image, you can improve your image so that you can enter it again at a future competition. Learning and growing as a photographer and artist is one of the most important reasons to compete.

Registration is open until July 11 at 11:59 p.m.!

You’ve created an incredible image. You’ve looked at it through the lens of the 12 Elements of a Merit Image. You’re happy with the end result and you’re almost ready to enter competition. Now you have to give your image a title.

While the title isn’t one of the 12 elements, it IS the first experience the judges have with your image and can make a difference in the final score.

During competition, the judges will sit in front of a calibrated monitor. The Judging Panel Chairperson will read the title and then the image appears on their computer screen. Did your title increase the impact of your image and the story you’re telling?

What makes a strong title?

Here are a few Do's and Don’ts:

Don’t use too many words. Don’t be too cliché (unless used for irony). Don’t use words that are difficult to read (this includes foreign languages) – you don’t want the Chairperson to mispronounce the title!

Do look at song titles and lyrics, poems, phrases, simple words, something that truly tells the story of your image. Unexpected, fun, whimsical, somber - what do you want to create in the judge’s minds before they see your image? Do make sure you’ve spelled the title correctly! When this image is shared post-competition, whatever you type in as the entry title will stay with the image forever.

These are not hard and fast rules, but your title IS important and can make an image go the extra distance!

Enter GPPAs Image Competition today at printcompetition.com Deadline for entry is August 28, 2024. Judging will take place on August 30, 2024.

2023 Merit Image: Striking Out | Sharon Fuente

Printcompetition.com is a website platform that has become the standard for most state association and PPA Community Network photographic competitions. 

In order to enter GPPA photographic competition, each photographer must first set up an account with printcompetition.com. You can select either a Standard or Premium subscription. Click HERE to set up your account.

Standard is $12/year and allows you to enter most of the competitions via the platform. Premium is $16/quarter ($64/year) and offers so much more! It’s worth every penny as it allows you to not only enter, you receive an e-mail and text with your score as soon as your image is judged, you have access to the image archive (over 95,000 images!), you can listen to audio clips of the judges discussions, and there’s even a “pre-game” app so you can check out the competition!

You also have an opportunity to watch competition live via the printcompetition.com website and “game day” app!

So, register at printcompetition.com and prepare your entries! GPPA photographic competition entry is now open with a deadline of August 28 to enter. Judging takes place on August 30.

What are you waiting for?

2023 Merit Image: Sapphire Seating | Steve Bracci