Hey there! Did you know I was a CPP Liaison for Ohio? You didn’t? Well, now you know! And here’s a bonus… I proctor the CPP Exam at least twice per year in my Dover, Ohio studio.

The next exam is Monday, October 24th at 6 PM.

To register for the exam, please go to CPP Exam Registration

Click on it and do everything it says (like a post, fan me on Facebook, etc) and you will get points. Lots of points. At least 100 points. Every time you come back and visit, you get even more points. Those points will add up and earn you prizes. Right now there’s some generic gift certificates listed for eBay, Best Buy and Groupon, but if you hang around awhile, I’ll be changing it to studio sessions and photography products.

If you have your own website and would like to try this program, go to www.punchtab.com to check it out.

We’re changing things up around here and to celebrate and get the buzz going, I’m giving away one of our new packages.

New Senior packages are coming on September 1 –  and here is a sneak peek of one of them:

Our $500 Package includes:

• one hour studio session
• 30 day online proof gallery of 25+ images
• your choice of 10 high resolution retouched digital images on CD/DVD
• 5×7 artist proof of each of the chosen images
• chosen images in low resolution for social media and email

Just follow the instructions below to be entered into the drawing. Keep your eyes open, because there will be opportunities to qualify for additional entries!

The winner will be announced on Saturday, September 17th.

Good Luck!

Christine

Each photographer is allowed to enter four images. The judging team reviews the images and decides if they are good enough to be included in the General Collection. If they pass that judging, they are then re-judged for inclusion into the Loan Collection, which is considered the “best of the best.” This collection then travels across the world to other photographic events for display. The images are also included in a Loan Collection book.

Each judge is given a certain number of tokens that they may assign to some of their favorite images that did not get approved for the Loan Collection. These images are then published in a special “Showcase” book.

I am very proud that all 4 of my images were approved this year, with 2 images being approved for the Loan Collection and 1 image for the Showcase book. This level of honor resulted in a Gold Medalist award for 2011.

"Don't Cross the Boss" ~ 2011 General Collection

"But I Don't Want to Take a Nap!" ~ 2011 Loan Collection

"Lonesome Soul" ~ 2011 Loan Collection

"Spotlight on Sassy" - 2011 General Collection / Showcase Book

Yes, I will admit it. When it comes to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging and perusing a number of photography forums, I have no control. Sometimes I really need to be working and instead I’m wasting time. Yes, I pass it off as marketing, and most of the times that *IS* what I’m doing, but it certainly should not be put ahead of computer work, photo editing, order placing, etc.

So – I’ve found a product that makes my life a little easier. It’s called FREEDOM. I can set it to block my internet access from 45 minutes to 8 hours. It’s available in both Mac and PC versions and is quite affordable at $10. You can even download a free trial version and try it out five times before it stops working.

Available at: http://macfreedom.com/

Employers are bound by law to provide breaks and lunch periods and most even provide a separate break area. How many of us ignore this kind of self-care and munch on a quick lunch while continuing to work, or fail to eat at all? How many of us only stop working to take a bathroom break and other than those quick breaks, we hunch over our computer for the remainder of the day?

This phenomenon has become even more noticeable to me since I quit smoking about two months ago. I used to at least dash outside every few hours for a quick smoke break, but now that I no longer have that excuse for a break, I rarely leave my desk.

Recently I’ve discovered the importance of taking care of my “self,” and in the quest to do so, I’ve recently (as in “today”) revamped my office to include a corner area for relaxation. A place where I can sit and drink my coffee, catch up on my issues of “Professional Photographer”, do a little research in my software manuals or just journal for a few minutes. I brought my favorite chair into the office as well as some photos and gifts I’d received that make me smile.

I challenge you to do the same. Grab a comfy chair, stick it in a corner and make sure you sit in it at least 15 minutes a day. Your “self” will be grateful.

You don’t have to be in business to give your photography as a gift. You don’t have to be an award winner. People don’t even have to know that you own a camera. Giving a gift of photography is a gift of your self. It’s meaningful and it will be treasured.

I challenge you to pick one photograph that you like, have it printed as a 5×7, go to your local home decor store and purchase an affordable, simple frame and give a gift of yourself. I guarantee it will be a hit.

The answer to my needs was found in an Etsy shop called Porteen Gear.

There, you can find three sizes of camera bags as well as camera straps and IPad/Ipod/IPhone sleeves. Custom orders take a few weeks, but I was fortunate enough to find an in-stock medium-sized camera bag that I loved. After a few weeks of use, I give it a 5 star rating. It is the perfect day-tripper bag and holds my Nikon camera with a 28-105mm zoom, a 10.5mm fisheye & 60mm macro (stacked), an SB-800 flash as well as my journal and pen. There are a few extra pockets I use for my phone, keys and business cards and there’s still room leftover. Also included was a nifty little zippered pouch for small items. All in all, a VERY satisfactory purchase!

Photo © Porteen Gear