September Program: Frederick Brinson on Digital Retouching  Date: Wednesday September 21, 2005 Time: 7:30 pm. Location: Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale 1799 S.E. 17 Street Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Frederick Brinson is known for his creative style. In just 3 years of competing, Frederick has earned numerous award which include 6 Distinguished Awards and an Inter-Section Print Award from the FPP. Frederick's Program is on Digital Retouchning and he has an instructional DVD available which explains and demonstrates his techniques in depth. The DVD allows you to learn at your own pace, to rewind and review as necessary. As a result of his success in print competition, Frederick is in demand on the speaking tour. His program is guaranteed to be exciting and informative. We hope to see you there. Membership David Blevins and Monte Zucker have been accepted as members to the Professional Photographers Guild of Florida. Downloads Membership Application Competition Print Labels Competition Rules Competition Entry Forms Adobe Acrobat Reader

President's Message I looks like we all got lucky by being spared from hurricane Katrina. The people in New Orleans and the Gulf States were not so lucky. Many are out of work, been displaced, or lost loved ones. Because of hurricane Andrew, those of us here in South Florida can relate to this. Do all that you can to support the photographers from the Gulf Coast. There are many organizations raising funds to help the hurricane victims. Give all that you can then give a dollar more. And since we are on the subject of hurricanes, this is the height of the hurricane season. Make sure that you are prepared. Your economic well being and personal safety is at stake. Do not take it lightly. Lou Gillard

August Program: Inter-Guild Competition

The competition was spirited. The images were exquisite. The judges were inciteful. In the end, the Palm beach Guild walked away with the Inter-Guild trophy. West Palm Beach average score was 78.02 and PPGF's average score was 76.75. Monte Zucker won Best Of Show for the Miami Guild with a beautiful black & white image of an artist entitled Sculptured By Time.

Many thanks to the judges, Al Gordon, Jerry Perkins, and Michael Landes.

Ebay Auction Fund Raiser

The Ebay auctions raised more than $300 for the PPGF. Many thanks to Jon Laye and Tom Collins for donating the items. A special thanks to Tom for setting up the auctions and seeing that all of the merchandise got shipped.

Now that all of the auctions are complete we are anxious to set up the next auction. If you have old or unwanted "stuff" laying around consider donating it for the auction. Items do not need to be expensive. You retain the right to split the proceeds 50-50 with the Guild should your item sell for more than $100.

If you would like to donate items for the auction contact Tom Collins at tc@ccgworld.com, or by telephone at 305-626-9443.

Notice To Members - Darlene Rowe, Membership Chairperson

New telephone number, email, website address? Send member updates to Membership Chairperson, Dee Dee Rowe. Also, send your areas of specialty for our new Member Referral Program. One of the best sources of referrals is our fellow Guild members. If you receive an inquiry for a date that you are already booked for, a type of job that you do not do, a job that just does not fit you for one reason or another, refer the prospective client to another Guild Member. We have a great group of photographers here and we should refer, refer, and refer...

Please bring a stack of business cards to our next meeting. On the back of each card write the top three types of work that you do. For example, weddings, business portraits, commercial, etc... Pass out the cards to every photograph you see at the next meeting. See you there!

Member Spotlight

Each month, PPGF will shine the spotlight at one of its' members. This month's spotlight shines on Tom Collins.

According to Tom's mother, his interest in photography grew out of the fact that he never liked his drawings as a young boy. Discovering photography provided the realism that he sought in his art.

A great influence on Tom was Robert W. Becker. In 1976, Tom took a class taught by Bob in his studio. Less than a year later, Tom began working for Bob as his photo assistant. "As a mentor, I could not have picked a better visual stylist than Bob Becker", says Tom. "It was a great honor to be there to watch him create some of the masterpieces that he became well known for." Though heavily influenced by Bob Becker, Tom's personal style is directed more towards Commercial Illustration and Digital Effects.

Tom's most successful year in print competition was in 1999 at the PP of A International Salon Competition. He hung 4 out of 4 images submitted and 3 were accepted into the prestegous Loan Collection. A year later, he became a Master Photographer.

Tom have served as a PPGF Director since 1997 and served as President in 1999. He currently works as the Commercial Photography instructor at McFatter Technical Center. His goal for the future is to add the Master of Electronic Imaging Degree to his credentials.