April 2012 – From SPPA President, Lara Grauer
Spring is here, and those of us who shoot a lot of outdoor portraits, weddings, or high school seniors are ramping it up again. As the season picks up, we start to feel energized and excited about the possibilities. Imagine how successful you can be with a little know-how and support!
Our goal as a professional organization is to help you – Seattle area photographers – make the most of your business opportunities. Of course that includes all of us on the Board of Directors too, since we are local photographers just like you. We invite you to come to our monthly meetings, and jump in the conversation. What is it that you love about this profession? What drives you nuts? What do you want to learn? We’re here to support each other, and to promote the photography industry so that people who need our services will understand not only the importance of photographs, but the difference it makes when they hire a professional.
We have lots of great things in store for spring, and the rest of the year. As photographers, we’re always striving to improve the many aspects of our businesses, and to support each other in doing the same. Each of us has something we can teach others. So come learn from those who understand your business, and come share what you’ve learned from your experience. You never know what you might discover.
This year can be a great year, with just a little focused attention and taking steps toward your goals. Spring is the time for renewed life and increased energy – so take charge and put that energy to work! I look forward to meeting you soon.
November 2011 – From SPPA President, Lara Grauer
Welcome to SPPA’s new website! You should find that the new site is easier to navigate. Our new structure will keep you up-to-date withSPPA happenings, it will put you in touch with trusted Seattle photographers, and it will showcase our members’ awesome talents with its strong visual impact!
As 2011 comes to a close, SPPA celebrates its many achievements. To provide continuing education for all of our membership this year, we brought numerous experts to our monthly meetings. Guest speakers included Bob Dunn, who helped us with our awesome new website; Winston Hall, who shared his stunning HDR techniques; and Willow Eskridge, who demonstrated her bestkept secrets for great boudoir images, among others.
As a part of our photographic skills development focus, we presented the 2011 Prestige Award to Marv Heston for his exceptional entries in our annual print competition. We look forward to revealing the SPPA 2011 Photographer of the Year award to one of our members in December!
To highlight SPPA’s many networking opportunities, we established a slogan for the year: “Disconnect to reconnect!” To bring this idea to life, we stepped back from our virtual worlds and connected with each other face-to-face in order to learn new ways to approach our craft. We’ve focused on building relationships among photographers to support a sharing and supportive community of photography professionals.
The excitement at SPPA is building! As our membership grows, we anticipate more connections and community among Seattle area photographers. As an organization, we will continue to strive toward our goals of educating and promoting our members in order to maintain excellence in their creative endeavors, while better serving their customers. Thanks to everyone who has supported SPPA this year!
