Ever wish there was an online hangout exclusively for pro photographers? Wish granted. Let me introduce you to theLoop--it's THE social network for professional photographers, and it's waiting for you! (Well, it is if you're a PPA member.)

Need professional advice? Want to share an accomplishment or an inspiration? Now you can! TheLoop makes it easier than ever to connect with your fellow professional photographers in a safe place. Not only can you trade thoughts or ideas with your peers, you can discuss sensitive topics like customer service, dealing with demanding clients, and best practices without fear of being exposed to potential customers or other vendors.

If you're ready to get in theLoop and explore, here are the three super-simple steps to get started:

• Log in to www.PPA.com (use your normal PPA login information).
• Read & accept the Official Etiquette Guide that will pop up on your screen (you only have to do this once).
• Watch the "Welcome to theLoop" video for tips & start building your profile!

We can't wait to see you in theLoop!

Enter the PPA Facebook Giveaway by October 24 at 5 p.m. ET for a chance to win Portrait+ Auto Retoucher for Portraits from ArcSoft ($249.99 value).

Portrait+ is an extremely efficient tool designed for commercial portrait photographers, which provides an easiest way to batch-process dozens of photos in a minute with amazing results. Based on face reorganization technology, Portrait+ is able to detect up to 20 faces in a photo and precisely pinpoint facial features. No training is required while both time and money are saved.

Enter the giveaway here. 

Results are now available for the 2013 Southwest District Photographic Competition.

Congratulations to the photographers who earned Seals of Approval for their entries. Download the results here.

Check the District Photographic Competition page for information on the other upcoming district competitions. 

The FEP European Professional Photographer of the year competition is now accepting entries. Entries must be received by October 15th.

Winners of each category will be presented with a FEP Golden Camera. The overall winner will be awarded as the FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year.

Learn more about the competition and enter here.

Along with the competition, the next edition of the FEP Facebook Cover Picture of the Month contest will open September 28th and close on October 5th. The image that receives the highest number of "likes" will be the cover of the FEP page for the next month and be published on the FEP website. 

What do you use? What do you like? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts in this survey about camera and printer use. (Your participation should only take about 10 minutes or less.) Your input helps PPA and our industry partners to keep abreast of industry trends, which allows us to serve YOU better! Click here to begin the survey.

Peter Read Miller, a sports photographer with over 40 years of experience and staff photographer for Sports Illustrated for three decades, will be hosting a sports photography workshop in Atlanta, October 15-21, 2012.

During his time as a sports photographer, Miller has had his images featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated 100 times, among many other editorial and advertising credits. He has covered 8 Olympic Games, 37 Super Bowls, 14 NBA Finals, The World Series and many other sporting events and has shot portraits of countless famous athletes.

At the workshop, participants will gain hands on experience photographing baseball, women's volleyball, tennis, equestrian and youth and high school football. The workshop concludes with photographing the Georgia Tech/Boston College football game on October 20th!

In addition to action photography, the workshop covers portrait lighting with strobes, in the studio and on location; arena lighting and the set-up; and use of remote cameras. Student work is reviewed and critiqued every morning and each student receives a one on one portfolio review with Miller or one of the other instructors.

The workshop costs $1,495.00 and includes all instruction, a one-on-one portfolio review with Miller and all model and location fees. The class size is limited to 20 participants.

Visit peterreadmiller.com for more information and to register.   

Denny Manufacturing Roll Up Floors are made on a flexible, non-skid neoprene material similar to a mouse pad. These Roll Up Floors are lightweight, easy to store and set up, and there's a vast selection to choose from. Another great benefit is that the edges of Denny Roll Up Floors do not curl up - they remain flat!

Enter the giveaway here. Remember, you must enter by September 24th to win!

View the Roll Up Floors product here.

Congratulations to the winners of the first annual PPA Charities Portrait Awards! These photographers joined in the effort to raise money for Operation Smile via the Celebration of Smiles Day nationwide fundraiser, and the images that they created were definitely applause-worthy. Check them out!

"These funds will go a long way toward meeting our 2012 goal of raising $100,000 for this wonderful organization," says PPA Charities President Mary Fisk-Taylor. As of August 1, PPA Charities' 2012 fundraising total stands at $72,180.

Let's put that in perspective. What does this money actually mean? Because Operation Smile's medical professionals and support staff volunteer their services, it costs only $240 to provide a simple cleft lip surgery to a child in desperate need. In other words, the funds raised by PPA members so far in 2012 mean that over 300 smiles will be saved! Now THAT's something to smile about.

Celebrating Smiles Now & Next Year
The 2012 Celebration of Smiles Day promotion offered consumers a mini session and a 5x7 professional portrait in exchange for a donation to Operation Smile of only $24. So for every 10 sessions photographed by a participating studio, another smile could be saved by the volunteer professionals of Operation Smile. The official date for the event was April 21, but studios that had commitments on that date were allowed to conduct the fundraiser on alternate dates in April or May.

Next year's Celebration of Smiles Day is scheduled for April 6, 2013. PPA members who participated this year will automatically receive information about the 2013 fundraiser. Others who would like to participate in 2013 should email PPA Charities Executive Director Bert Behnke.

Now, before you jump to the next news bite, join us in a big round of applause for PPA Charities and all the kindhearted PPA photographers who participated in the 2012 event. Top donors were Ryan & Erica Manthey of Pure 7 Studios in Florida, who contributed a whopping $3,813. In addition, the following Top 20 donors contributed between $1,440 and $600:

• Ryan & Erica Manthey - Pure 7 Studios, Miramar Beach, FL
• Laurie Weaver - Treetales Photography, Austin, TX
• Tara Olsen - Tara Rochelle Photography, Santa Clarita, CA
• Jeff Ebert - Ebert Studio, Oak Park, IL
• Susan Hoermann - Evergreen Studios, Austin, TX
• Vicki Hultsman - Seasons Photography, Rice Lake, WI
• Krish & Mark Kiefer - VIP Gallery, Waconia, MN
• Zaida D. Parkes - Parkes Photography, Stratford, CT
• Meredith Wilcke - Meredith Wilcke Photography, Winter Park, FL
• Lauren Vicars - Portraits by Lauren, Plano, TX
• Wendy Waddell - Wendy Waddell Photography, Marina del Rey, CA
• Tanya Boggs - 255 St. Phillip St., Charleston, SC
• Damian Battinelli - Damian Battinelli Photography, Plattsburg, NY
• Charlotte Bowles - CLB Photography, S. Attleboro, MA
• Larry Lourcey - Lourcey Photography, Plano, TX
• Clark Sanders - Clark Sanders Photography, Inc., Cherokee Village, AR
• Courtney Trembler - Soul Focus Photography, Salem, MA
• Paul & Julie Wood - Paul Wood Photography, Slidell, LA
• Meggan Harper - Meggan Harper Photography, Ormond Beach, FL
• Melanie Anderson - Anderson Photographs, Hagerstown, MD
• Trusa Patel - Luce Photography, Southlake, TX

PPA Chairman of the Board Don Dixon and his wife, Charlcey, show their support for PPA Charities' Celebration of Smiles Day.

MacMall has announced the launch of its third annual Supreme Studio Makeover contest.  Targeted towards professionals in the creative fields and featuring over $14,000 in total prizes, the contest runs until August 31, 2012. Entry information and complete contest rules can be found at http://www.macmall.com/n/macCustomPages-2007

The Supreme Studio Makeover features a prize for larger studios with 11 or more employees valued over $9,300 and a prize for studios with 1-10 employees valued over $4,700. The highly sought after  products featured in the contest include: the new 15.4" MacBook Pro with Retina display; Wacom Intuos5 Professional Tablets; Adobe CS6 Master Collection; Drobo S 5-Bay Storage Array; HP 24" Designjet 510 Large Format printer; 21" iMac; and more.

Further creative professional resources, including free training webinars, whitepapers, and how-to videos, are available at www.macmall.com.