Indianapolis Professional Photographers Guild

May Speaker Gary Higgins

Gary John Higgins has worked in television broadcast news for 10 years full time holding several positions: newscast tech director/commercial shooter/editor/videographer/chief videographer. He has also worked 20 years as a weekend reporter-shooter for CBS affiliate.

 

Gary's freelance news work has aired on every major network including CNN, ABC Sports, 20-20, CBS and many other networks

 

Gary holds 20 years as owner of an independent production company and Indiana Motion Pictures producing TV commercials, corporate videos, event documentaries and upscale wedding products.

 

Gary has extensive video and audio gearhead ranging from the most expensive broadcast rigs to current favorites like "micro-broadcast" technology including the Canon 5dm2 and various applications of full HD multicam event capture. He also works with massive wireless audio and second system schemes.

 

Since 1991, Gary is a Los Angeles-trained full scale steadicam operator in which he has shot music video clips on stage for the CMA and major country acts.

 

As a hobby, Gary currently tours as American Idol finalist's keyboard player!

At May's meeting, Gary will be speaking about the ongoing excitement using the HDSLR technology

for video capture and how he can relate experiences from the very beginning of this revolution. As he hits the streets using the 5dm2 for television news with single system sound right off the bat. Gary recently covered a police-action shooting scene for WTHR13.

He will also relate the experiences shooting many broadcast TV commercials with the new techology, the psychosocial implications of the gear changeover from previous techology, why weddings are NOT the best use of this techology and audio tips for folks using second system sound and many other aspects. Gary will be bringing rig bits to illustrate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

April Speaker Thomas Yenowine

Thomas E. Yenowine, known as Yono, published his first  photo, taken at the New York World’s Fair, at age 14. As a high school student Tommy worked on his school newspaper first as an artist then photographer. His timing and lighting, as well as his eye for composition, soon had him also working for two local tabloids. As a senior he was awarded the Outstanding High School Journalist award from the University of Kentucky's Graham Enoch School of Journalism in addition to that year's Courier-Journal newspaper’s annual photography award.

His emphasis remained in news and sports after graduation when he joined the Morehead State University , University Relations Department and was hired as an Eastern Kentucky stringer for the Courier-Journal. In his first year he produced two images of coeds that were picked up by the Associated Press wire service and published in hundreds of newspapers across the country. Tom followed this with a Sweetheart Calendar for the university's high school and six college Sweetheart calendars as well as the normal campus sororities, cheerleaders and pageant contestants. Each gave Tom, Yono, the opportunity to develop his work with models.

Upon returning to his native Louisville , Kentucky Yono began to shoot for local modeling agencies, publications and catalogs. Soon after his work illustrated the Barbizon International School of Modeling training manual he garnered the attention of agency owners nationally. As requests for his availability's came in, Yono began to travel extensively not only to shoot but, also to teach photo posing classes to novice models.

Yono has been privileged to work nationally and internationally with numerous entertainers, celebrities, pageants and competitions as well as current modeling agencies and schools in 11 states. From the cities to the beaches, from the studio to national parks Yono has photographed thousands of models, many of whom have gone on to appear in numerous US publications such as Vogue, Mademoiselle, Cosmo, Elle, Oxygen, American Rodder, Playboy, Penthouse and Maxim. Hundreds of internet models have Yono’s work displayed on their personal web pages and is currently viewable on over 80 modeling websites world wide.

Yono maintains a Louisville studio, is an Executive Board member of the Professional Photographers Association of Greater Louisville for six years and has been selected as a Super Monday Instructor for the PPA.

Yono will be discussing the need to diversify your studio's business then the differences between dealing with models and their agencies compared to general clients. He will also discuss posing, lighting, etiquette and legalities.

Tom personally wanted to add that he has previously titled his presentation as "Only Two Dimensions" as not only a veiled reference to photography in general, but also to the fact that he is legally blind in one eye (since birth) and has never seen anything but in two dimensions. Therefore he has never had to judge someone's "photogenic" quality, he sees them as they will appear in photos.

No March Meeting

There will not be a regular meeting for the month of March. However, the annual PPof I convention, tradeshow and print competition is March 4,5 & 6 at the Clarion Waterfront Plaza in Indianapolis. You can visit the PPof I website for more detailed information.

February Meeting Cancelled/Rescheduled

The meeting scheduled for tonight has been cancelled due to the severity of the winter storm and weather conditions this evening. We have rescheduled the meeting for Tues Feb 8. Stay safe and warm!

February Meeting/Winter Storm

Due to the potential severity of the winter storm looming over our area, there is a possiblity we will be cancelling the meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Feb 1. We will let everyone know tomorrow by noon if we cancel the meeting. We would then try to reschedule for the following Tues, Feb 8.

February Speaker Emily Connolly

With a degree in graphic art, Emily has worked in the photography industry for 25 years starting as a traditional retoucher, an art/production manager for Joyce Wilson's Indianapolis studio.  As part of Fuji's Professional Team she has taught digital  work flow, software management and retouching seminars on the PPA convention circuit.  For the past fourteen years she has managed her own studio in Indianapolis providing retouching, printing and photo-restoration services to the photographic industry. She enjoys teaching private workshops and sponsored classes and has traveled the world to share her skills. Experience her enthusiasm for the art while learning skills to improve your production.

Sometimes the only thing that stands in the way of a good portrait being a GREAT portrait is the retouching. As professionals, we want to both please the client and provide the best possible product, both easily accomplished by mastering the tools available in today's digital world. This presentation is geared to help you "See" with the artist's eye and provide understanding of how to choose the best retouching tool.

Topics covered will include: wrinkle softening, dark under eye circles, eye opening and enhancement, teeth whitening, neck and jowl slimming, clothing issues, slimming the subject and an introduction to plug -ins for glamour and fun effects.

January Speaker Bridgette Harmon

As a young girl, Bridgette always had a camera in her hand. After high school, she went on to study photography at the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Western Massachusetts. It was and intense 10 month program that taught both photographic and business skills. Upon graduating from Hallmark in 2003, Bridgette moved back home to Indiana to start making her dream a reality. In June of 2004, at the age of 20, Bridgette opened the doors to Harmon Photography Inc on the west side of Peru, Indiana. After operating there for almost a year, Bridgette purchased a building on the east end of town. It took her and her family four months to renovate today's location of 288 East Main Street.

Weddings were the starting point in Bridgette's phtographic career. She captured her first wedding while still in high school. Since then, she has photgraphed numerous weddings. At one point, she had captured 22 weddings in one year.

Bridgette loves being able to create family heirlooms for you to cherish for years to come. She has fun working with children. You never know what you're going to get from them. It is an adventure within itself, from crying to silly faces and everything in between. Patience is the key while becoming their friend. Bridgette also enjoys working with pets. Having three dogs of her own, she gets her practice. Maternity and newborns are a growing trend and Bridgette likes the opportunity of being creative and photographing this special times in ones life.

Bridgette grew her business even more by aggressively attacking the school portrait and sports business. She now maintains 3 high schools, 2 middle schools, a private school and has numerous sporting contracts, all with only full time and three part time employees. Bridgette will be sharing how she grew her business and went about getting those contracts and maintaining a studio store front as well.

Overall, you may be able to see that photography is not just a job for Bridgette; it's her passion and her life. It has been a dream come true for Bridgette to have a photography studio and capture moments in time for everyone that she has come to know. You might walk in the door as a client but you will leave as her friend.

January meeting is at the Milano Inn

 

December Speaker Pierre Stephenson

Pierre, along with his wife, Anna, are owners of the multi-photographer studio Pierre's Portrait Art Company which, over the past 15 years, has come to be recognized for its stylized and fun filled wedding photography. His unique approach has led to state and international awards, media attention and has been published nationally in magazines including Professional Photographer, Modern Bride, PDN, Rangefinder and more.

Pierre's training started out in the commercial large format studio arena, miles away from the wedding portrait journalism that became his passion. Having never been to a wedding before, Pierre shot his first wedding after responding to a flyer his brother brought home from the grocery store. He quickly fell in love with the emotion, spontaneity and limitless possibilities in wedding photography. "I truly enjoy the challenge of trying to perfect an image in uncontrolled environments with no time. I'm like a kid in a candy store on a wedding day. No other type of photography uses the same broad array of skills; I love it and never get bored!" Pierre says.

In 2006 he founded The Wisconsin Pro Photographers Forum as well as starting to give back through teaching workshops and lecturing. Pierre and Anna's upcoming Las Vegas WPPI Master Class on Foundational Posing recently sold out in the first 3 days.

Pierre was awarded Photographer of the Year Silver Level at the 2009 PPA International Print Competition, Best of Show Weddings at WPPA 2009 and will also be receiving his Craftsmen Degree for teaching at Imaging USA in January 2010.

As Technology continues to advance so does our capability as photographers. The improvements in image quality and low light sensitivity over the last two years has opened up a whole new world and is once again beginning to change how we shoot.

Join Pierre and delve into a world of mood, color and texture, and learn how to recognize and use diminished lighting. Both in and out of the studio, we will apply new technology to time tested fundamentals to create stunning imagery. We will explore: the power of one light, no flash weddings, alternative lighting, using color, tone and texture and slow shutter speeds without a tripod.

December board meeting starts at 2:00 and general meeting starts at 3:00.

Slate of Officers for 2011

President - Ken Kneringer

First Vice - Ed Lausch

Second Vice - Cheryl Weldon

Treasurer -Norm Dingle

Secretary - Chris Legg

Membership - Robin Jones

Director At Large - Registration - Eric Greulich

Eric Is Heading Up The Nomination Committee Please Contact Eric With Any Concerns

Vote Will take Place At The December Meeting

November Speaker Anna Venhaus

After working for two other photographers throughout high school and college, Anna took a big leap of faith at the age of 21 opened her studio, Unforgettable Photography by Anna, June 9th, 2004. To her surprise, business started booming, and the studio profited the first 6 months in business. Fast forward 6 years later, and Anna currently employs 2 full time staff members and 2 part time employees. With two recent renovations to her studio in the last year, one being a 1350 sq ft camera room addition, Unforgettable Photography has become one of the leading photography studios in her area. 2009 was the best year ever for Anna and the business, even during an economic downturn, the studio had a 60% increase in the number of seniors photographed, increasing the average sale as well. So Far in 2010, Anna has almost tripled the number of sessions she photographed since 2009. Although high school senior photography is big in her area, Anna is also a well sought after wedding photographer with average sales of $5000+. Anna has won numerous awards in the last few years, including 2 Kodak Gallery Awards, 2 Judges Choice Awards and Senior's Choice Award 2009.

On a personal note, Anna married her high school sweetheard, Ryan, in May of 2009. Together they have a daughter, Madeline and a miniature yorkie named Ralphie.

Anna will be teaching a little bit of everything and will discuss how she's made her studio "THE" studio in her area. Marketing, sales, lighting, customer service, quality products, workflow plus tons of other valuable information will be discussed in how to take your studio to the next level.  Photographing Seniors, Weddings, Children, Families and even a dew schools, Anna will tell you what has and has not worked for her and how you can easily implement these ideas into your own business.

This meeting will be at the Milano Inn.