Speaking at the Big Show Again!
If you’ve followed my blog at all you know that I’m very involved with The Professional Photographers Association of America (PPA), the oldest amd largest photographers association in the world with over 30,000 members. The association provides insurance, education and lobby’s’ for photographers on capitol hill. We also have a huge convention every year.
I just received notice that I will be speaking again at next year’s convention in Nashville!
I’ve spoken before, taught pre-convention classes and last year I announced the Grand Imaging Awards but what makes this time so cool is that I’ll be speaking in Nashville… the place I spoke the very first time I ever did it.
Last time I had about 900 photographers in the room. I don’t know if I’ll get that many this time but I’m sure looking forward to finding out. :)
The Omni Championsgate Orlando Wedding
I recently photographed the wedding of Mike and Crystal at The Omni Championsgate in Orlando. One of the things that I always tell my brides is that,
“Something will go wrong. It may be a small thing, it may be a big thing but it’s almost impossible to plan a day with so many variables and have everything work exactly according to plan. I’ve seen cakes with the wrong monogram, programs with the wrong date, busted straps, rain, you name it…”
I don’t tell them this to scare them but rather to prepare them so that if there is a problem they don’t meltdown. All that planning can build up some stress on your wedding day and you need to relax and enjoy yourself. When you book me for your wedding, I’ll make this same speech to you when we have our final consult. Feel free to tell me you already read it on the blog. :)
If you want an example of how to handle a problem on your wedding day, look no further than Crystal. On the day of the wedding, her florist ended up in the hospital. There were no flowers. No bouquets, no centerpieces, no corsages.
She never stopped smiling.
Someone went to Publix and bought a bunch of flowers. The bridesmaids quickly made small bouquets for everyone, The concierge rustled up some centerpieces. Crystal was calm and collected throughout it all, The wedding was great, everyone was happy, the pictures are fantastic and Mike and Crystal will always have a story to tell about their wedding.
Also, there was a helicopter. More about that below…
Here are a few of my favorite images from the wedding..
One of the bridesmaids making bouquets…
See the helicopter in the background? The couple actually took off in the helicopter for a tour following the ceremony..
Barbara Breitsameter
I’m just back from Imaging USA, the National Convention that is put on by the Professional Photographers of America every year in a different city. This year we were in San Antonio and almost 10,000 photographers came together for 5 days of education and fun. I’m a proud member of the PPA and have the honor of being an elected member of the council. Basically, the councilors are like the House of Representatives, we are elected according to state and we then elect the Board of Directors, vote on bylaws, that sort of thing. There are 30,000 photographers in the PPA, the oldest and largest photographic organization in the world.
Me and 9000 of my closest friends..
I have a friend who approached me in the parking lot at the beach one day. She was President of our local chapter of the PPA and saw me loading my gear. She just walked up and invited me to come to a meeting. She literally changed my life. Since that day I have made more friends than I can count. For me, going to Imaging USA is like going to a family reunion (except fewer fist-fights)
It’s not ALL education at the convention. There may be some drinking involved…
I wanted to share a story from this year’s convention that I think you’ll enjoy. I’ve had a lot of fun at Imaging USA over the years but this year something happened that was truly special. In addition to the teaching programs and the tradeshow, we also have something called the International Photographic Competition. Photographers enter up to 4 prints to be judged by a panel. Some of these images are selected for the “Loan Selection” which is a prestigious honor. From those images, a few are selected for the Grand Imaging Awards in different categories (Best Pet, Best Wedding, Best Portrait, etc). These awards are announced at the convention in a giant theater like The Academy Awards. This year, I was the announcer for the awards. I was the guy who said, “Please welcome to the stage, blah, blah, blah..” I spent the whole show in the wings with a microphone. (I was a professional DJ for 20 years so I get asked to do this stuff all the time and I’m happy to do it. Public speaking is scary for most people but easy for me.)
At my microphone backstage
I know this is a long story but stay with me because the payoff is sooo worth it… Anyway, we had a rehearsal that afternoon so everyone could practice. All the presenters had a script to read from with the names blacked out so that no one would know the winners until that night. But, because I was the announcer and had to be sure I could pronounce every name correctly, my script was not blacked out. So, during rehearsal I just announced my own name as the winner of every award, which got a good laugh.
On stage with Rich Newell, IPC Director, just before the awards start.
After rehearsal, I walked to the hotel to grab a sandwich before heading back for the ceremony. I was sitting at a table with a couple of people when Barbara Breitsameter walked over to us. Barbara is an incredible photographer and photoshop artist who specializes in pets. She also has Parkinson’s Disease. She had a walker that day and she trembled as she approached. Barbara is truly a remarkable woman. Here’s a little video about her. Watch it and see for yourself:
“How are you doing, Barbara?” we asked. “”Well,” she said, “I have my good days and I have my bad days. Today is a good day.” Now remember, I had seen the script so at that moment I knew that in about an hour, Barbara would win 1st AND 2nd place in the Pet Category, be selected for the World Cup Team AND win the Grand Imaging Award as the best image of the year. All I could think was, “You have no idea what a good day you are having!”
This was me…
Later that night, when Barbara won, the house went nuts. Standing ovations, crying, everything. I even made a mistake in the announcing because I was choked up…
See Barbara Win at 42 min’s into the video. Hear me screw up at 45 min’s in.
It was moving and inspirational and joyous and everything you could hope for. I’m lucky to have been a part of it. Here’s the image that won it all:
“Send In The Clowns” by Barbara Breitsameter
Professional
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