December 2005

A Publication of the Professional Photographers Guild of Florida

December, 2005

Happy Holidays!

The Officers and Board of Directors of the Professional Photographers Guild wish each and every one of you a Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year! We look forward to seeing you in 2006.

January's Program - Bruce Wilson

The January program will take place on Wednesday, January 18, 2005 and will feature Bruce Wilson of Kissimmee, Florida. The topic of Bruce's program is Senior Photography.

Bruce is a 2nd generation photographer in a family owned and operated business since 1969. Bruce's studio employs 9 professionals in a 4,000 sq ft studio/production/digital center in downtown Kissimmmee, FL. The studio photographs over 1,500 high school seniors (contract and non-contract) each year.

Bruce was the PPA Photographer of the Year 2004/Bronze, the PPSCF photographer of the year 2001& 2002, top 10 internationally by the Senior Photographers International 1999, and Top 3 photographers in the Florida Professional Photographers. His award winning images are in the loan collection along with state and local awards.

Topics Include:

Sales
Marketing
On location Lighting 101

Additional thanks goes to the FPP, PPSCF, SPI & PPA and many other photographers for their inspiration, material and their willingness to communicate their knowledge to others.

Beware of Internet Scams

If you have an Ebay account or a Paypal account you may have already seen some of these scams. You receive an email saying that your account is in risk of being cancelled if you do not update your account information. The email looks authentic, has all of the proper logo's, and is formatted to appear to be real.

This technique is called "phishing" or a "spoof". It is simply an attempt to get you to reveal your log-in information, or worst, your personal account information. When you click the link provided it appears that you are about to log into Ebay or Paypal. But you are not! Everything looks as it should look.

A recent version of this scam promises $20 in your Ebay account if you take a short 6 question survey. Once you answer the questions the page ask for your bank account information and your bank routing number. Pretty sneaky.

The easiest way to tell if the message is authentic is to log into your Ebay or Paypal account. Both sites have internal messaging systems. If the message is not in the internal messaging system the email that you received on your computer is a fake.

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President's Message

PPGF's State of Affairs

As the newly elected President for the year 2006, I want to thank Lou Gillard for his humble dedication to the Guild over the past year as President. I also want to state my appreciation to those Executive Board members who have shown that "voluntary commitment" is still alive.

I've only accepted this position because I believe that I can make a difference to the Guild, and because I want to encourage others to excel in a profession that personally I am having a "heyday". It is awesome being an entrepreneur at this period of time in the technological revolution, but more significantly the digital evolution has given me a rebirth as a professional photographer. How about you?

Despite all the techno stuff out there however, most of my biggest achievements over the past 3 years have come from what I've learned from Guild programs and speakers. As a member reading this column, I'm certain that you know the Guild is a fluid entity comprising of you and other professionals; it is in constant change. Therefore, in order to continue its longevity, as a group we must effectively incorporate change by personally applying ourselves (through a sacrifice of time and energy) to a set of concise objectives. For 2 years I've be giving thought to what those objectives should be. As President I would like to implement them in 2006 in order to elevate our Guild to the next level.

Here's how I see it:

First, any good President knows that he is only as good as his cabinet (Executive Board Members in this case) and the people he leads, therefore I'm going to be needing some great support members. Now is the time for any member who knows they can make a difference within the Guild to step up to the plate. The Guild needs YOU this year. There's nothing to think about, just do it.

Second, it can't be business as usual for the Guild and it's members in that we don't take it serious to show up, pay up, and promote up. I thrive on ELR: Enthusiasm, learning, and relationships. If this guild is to renew its strength and position in our professional community, a positive attitude about who and what we are is paramount. There is some big talent within our Guild (if you don't believe me, go look in the mirror) and it's not being utilized. I want to see that changed.

Third, I want to see the Guild become more organized, objective driven, and upfront with its members as to what's going on. That's a timing issue, I know, but that is where the rubber meets the road with effective planning and scheduling from the Executive Board. I want 2006 to go down in Guild history as the year we "saw", "planned", and "conquered".

Forth and finally, I've been asking myself: "What is it that Guild members expect the most from this organization?" Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it is: 1) To increase your photographic knowledge and skills, and 2) To increase your income. As a business owner, I can tell you that I personally pray for those things to happen in my success. It is my desire that the same things happen to each Guild member this year. As your new President those are the least expectations I should be able to deliver for you.

I don't know what 2006 is going to bring to my studio or the Professional Photographers Guild of Florida, but I sure don't plan on sitting around wishing on a star or stocking up on Lotto tickets. So,. Let's get busy!

Willie

Photography by Bruce Wilson - Guest Speaker for January

Officers and Board Members for 2006

President, Willie Hill, Jr. has announced the PPGF Officers and Board Members for 2006. They are as follows:

Officers: Board Members:

Willie Hill, Jr. - President Tom Collins

Darlene Rowe - Vice-President Sally Payne

Jon Laye - Treasurer Gregory Roland

Lou Gillard - Past President

Ebay Auctions

In the month of November $236.28 was raised and donated to PPGF through used equipment auctions. Auction items were dontated by Jon Laye and Lou Gillard. The proceeds from the auctions benefitted PPGF. Many thanks to Jon and Lou for their donations.

A Proud Affiliate of the Professional Photographers of America and the Florida Professional Photographers