(Display Name not set)November 2006 Archives

PPA member Rick Williams of Four Season Photography in Mobile, Alabama offered us the following advice for protecting your image files when shooting a wedding or event:

1. Dump your card during the event to a laptop or other device. This will give you an instant backup copy.
2. Keep the backup device separate from the camera/camera case. If your camera or case is stolen, you will still have one backup.
3. Never leave cards in the camera. Rick keeps them in his pocket to prevent loss in case of camera theft.
4. On return to the studio, dump everything onto a computer there and immediately burn a DVD of the event images.
5. Take the DVD to another secure location.

Blossom Publishing is pleased to announce expanded support of professional photographers with its new e-commerce service, Blossom Direct.

As of January 2007, photographers who design their own printed marketing materials can now upload press-ready files and order online. “Blossom Direct makes it even easier for photographers to save time and money by enabling them to place an order and upload their designed files when they want, even nights and weekends,” says Dan Trainor III, president of Blossom Publishing.

O'Reilly Announces the Winners of the 2006 Photoshop Cook-Off Contest Photo Feast: Cooked Images Go Public

O'Reilly Media announced today the winners of the Photoshop Cook-Off Contest at PhotoPlus Expo 2006. Grand Prize Winner Suzanne Pitts and ten additional winners in five categories were selected from hundreds of submissions created by Photoshop aficionados. Entrants excitedly responded to the opportunity to "cook" their digital entries using "recipes" from any of five O'Reilly Cookbooks.

"What's so wonderful about the Cook-Off contest is that everyone's a winner," says Betsy Waliszewski, who organized the contest along with Cookbook' editor Edie Freedman. "The O'Reilly recipes used to manipulate the images stirred the creative visions of photographers at all levels, from enthusiasts to seasoned professionals."

A panel of fifteen A-list photographers--including O'Reilly authors Mikkel Aaland, Peter Krogh, Ken Milburn, and Eddie Tapp--chose the winning entries. The winning images range from Pitts' arresting black-and-white photo of a ballet trio to a fancifully surreal image of a flower budding from a peeled orange.

PPA's Affiliate Communications Competition is designed to encourage excellence in affiliate publications (newsletters and websites) and to recognize the individuals who spend their time and energy editing, designing, and maintaining these publications to keep members informed.

We are now accepting submissions for the Affiliate Communications Competition. Entries must be received at PPA no later than Friday, February 23, 2007. For more information and to download rules and entry forms, visit competitions.ppa.com