What a sensational beginning to 2010 this past month has been! I saw many of our MDPPA members converge at the PPA Convention in Nashville in early January and then we hosted our own Annual Convention and Print Competition at the end of the month. Seeing our members come together to learn, have fellowship and ultimately improve our craft is incredible! We’re working together to raise the proverbial bar in professional photography and the photography business so that consumers will have the best products and services available – all while earning a respectable income doing so!
As the Convention Chairperson, I spoke with many of our members during the convention about their impressions of the seminars. Several members confirmed what I suspected – something was different. Yes, this was a short convention compared to previous years; yes, we had no formal tradeshow, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I felt a buzz amongst our members that I haven’t felt during my relatively short time as a member. I saw members taking the time to assist other members who needed an extra boost. I saw friendships forming. I saw happy and sad tears after the print competition, both of which will lead to even better work in the future! I saw some newer members taking an interest in helping out. Talking with some of our veteran membership, I learned that back in the MDPPA’s hay-days, there was this same feeling, albeit with a lot more membership.
I’m so excited to start the year off this way! Folks, let’s bring back the glory days! There are a lot of opportunities for personal and professional growth in this wonderful organization. If you have an idea or a suggestion, by all means, tell a board member or drop me a note so that we can discuss it at the next board meeting. We want your feedback and ideas. This organization belongs to all of us, so let’s work together to make it the best it can be!

On a final note, I’d like to personally thank our Print Competition Judges: Robert Golding, M.Photog.Cr., F-ASP, A, Hon. F-ASP, Tony Christiana M.Photog.Cr., Patricia A. Hansen, M.Photog., Cr., MEI, CEI, FP, Rich Martin, M.Photog, Cr. Keith E. Lewis M Photog Cr., and Bob Kahn, M. Photog. Cr. CPP for their outstanding efforts in critiquing and judging all of our entries! Our work can only improve through the help of these people and those like them willing to give back! Also, thank you to Jill Bochicchio for procuring our judges as well as Nizam Mohamed and his Print Committee for doing an outstanding job keeping the competition rolling.

I would also like to take a moment to thank our speakers James Roy M. Photog Cr. CPP, John Stein, Photog. Cr. API, EA-ASP, CPP, and Bob Kahn, M. Photog. Cr. CPP for their well-received seminars! Of particular note, John Stein graciously donated his entire sponsorship fee back to the MDPAA, Bob Kahn came to us at no charge aside from his travel expenses and James Roy gave us a deal we couldn’t refuse. We could not have had this convention without their generosity!

We also owe a debt of gratitude to our fabulous sponsors and the companies who generously donated items for our raffle. Our Platinum Level sponsors were Nations Photo Lab and PWD Labs. Our Bronze Level sponsor was Pexagon. Raffle donations were sent from Adorama, Alien Bee, Allied Photographic, Animoto, Bob Kahn, Boudoir Divas, Capri Album, CPQ, DWF, Gary Fong, GNP, Graphic Authority, GW Moulding, H & H, Hanson Fong, Identity Kitchen, James Roy, More Photos, Not So Perfect Tins, PWD Labs, Penn Camera, Pexagon Technology, Pictobooks, PPA, Rice Studio Supply, Simply Canvas Simply Color Lab, Successware, and WHCC. (After the convention we received raffle items from Michael Redford and SWU which will be rolled into our monthly raffle drawings in the coming months.) I’d also be remised if I didn’t extend a hearty “thank you” to John Stein for getting the sponsorships as well as Pam Long and her Raffle Committee for working so hard to get the awesome prizes!

One final “Thanks” and then I promise I’m done… I think it goes without saying that Sandy and Ed Buxton did an amazing job with the Hospitality Suite! If you were there on Saturday, then you’ll remember that they managed to feed everyone during the snow storm so we wouldn’t have to venture out into the streets. Well done!

Of course there were many others, including everyone on the Board of Directors, who were responsible for making the convention a happy one! I’m looking forward to next year’s Convention already!

Popularity: 25% [?]

Coming soon

Popularity: 46% [?]

As you have read, David Corry has resigned as Chairman of the Board after faithfully serving our organization for years. Fortunately, he is not leaving the organization, so we will continue to benefit from his experience and insights. Thank you, David, for your dedicated service!

In recognition of the outstanding job that John Stein has done as President this term and of his legacy of sustained service to the organization in many different capacities, the Board of Directors has appointed him Chairman of the Board for the 2010 term.  In accordance with our bylaws (Article 7, Section 3.B), I have assumed the position of President, filling the vacancy in that office that John’s appointment created.  Previously elected as a Board Member at Large, Mike Busada has been appointed to fill the position of 1st Vice President.

While I am relatively new to the organization and lack the extensive experience of prior past presidents, the new Board of Directors combines seasoned veterans and energetic newcomers, all of whom are dedicated to the organization and work well together, so I am excited to serve as President and am confident in the future of the organization.

The new Board of Directors is starting off with a positive attitude, an open mind (collectively speaking), and a zeal to lead our association. We are fortunate to retain the wisdom of some of our veteran leaders (John Stein, Steve Clark, and Charity Reed), and we will continue to listen to input from all of our members – our past leaders and our newer membership alike.

This is your organization just as much as it is the Board’s. Let’s work together to make this a great year!

Popularity: 28% [?]

Header:

Shows the date/time and has the RSS feed links for anyone wishing to subscribe.  I added the logo (with a small reflection) and a the Tag line to the header.

The first row of link are static pages and are pretty self explanatory. I only have content for the Mission section so the other are place holders.  I also created a contact form.  I have added drop downs for ‘Board members’, ‘Forms’, and ‘Friends of MDPPA’.  There is also a search-able ‘Members Roster’ that also links to a listing of post and comments by the member.  I will setup a system allowing a member to have a individual bio page if you want.  I would suggest that for that work the member returns some service to the PPA for this.  It will require custom setup and allow for full search-ability on the site but I do not want to do a setup like this for every member without the organization getting something in return. Think of it as an ‘added benefit’. The second row of links are dynamic following whatever categories we define.  They are basically search functions to post or pages in those categories. All but “Featured” and “Upcoming Events” can be changed if needed.

Note:  I have created a mock “Winning Images” post to give an example of the gallery functionality used.  It is very rough but it gives an idea of what we can do.

Membership Roster:

This area is dynamic and updates as members register.  Registration is confirmed by email and moderated meaning an admin will have to approve it.  I have added custom fields to collect Full Name, address, zip, phone, etc and will add more for a custom profile.  I can also add special fields for membership management like level of the member, paid thru, etc.  The use of more custom fields will allow more robust searching for the profile and provide more benefit for the member and group. As I said above I do not want to do this automatically for all profiles.  It’s just too much work for little return.  But I will do it if members ‘give back’ so to speak and people are patient.  I have a full time job, business, and family along with this.

Upcoming Events:

This feature is tied to a event calendar that stores events and menus.  It also linked Google Maps to a venue.  There is also a sidebars section listing the next 5 events that link to the information page.

Polls:

The site allows for posting of Custom Polls and Surveys that can be reviewed and voted on.  This is limited to members only right now.  Polls do not need to be on the sidebar they can (and should) be individual post.
Main Section:

The thumbnails at the top show the 12 most recent “Featured Posts”.  The Next Section is the most recent “Featured” post.  Below that is a scrolling banner of the most recent posts from 6 identified categories.  the “Headlines Today” Area shows the most recent 6 post from any category.
Bottom Section:

Shows recent post, comments (if allowed), and Tags
Right Side Bars:

Three tabs include Main, Popular posts, and a member area. The main section is arbitrary and can be renamed.  Popular post is just that (based on comments).  The member area includes the ability to manage post, comments, profile, and includes login and registration links.  Currently registering requires first and last name, login, password, and email.  It sends out a confirmation email before users can log in.  this can be changed to require accounts to be approved by an admin.

Features Boxes:

Shows most recent Polls, Member Count, Affiliations, and Upcoming Events.
General Notes:

I have set it up so that two things must happen for comments.  You must be a registered user and there is a Captcha entry box to prohibit automated bots form commenting and registering.  This will greatly reduce the amount of spam attacks.  I will install a spam filter on the site as well.

Let me know if you have nay question or comments!

Mike

Popularity: 6% [?]

Welcome to the new home of the Maryland PPA Web site.

To improve the site use we have undergone a makeover.  As the web face of Maryland’s Largest PPA Affiliate it is our goal to educate the public about real photography and how to benefit from the experience of some of the best most knowledgeable photographers in the state.  We also want to help our membership membership improve through online collaboration and networking with each other to make the level of photography in Maryland some of the best in the country.

By visiting www.MarylandPPA.com often you can learn about upcoming events and read insightful articles surrounding the MDPPA’s activities in our community as well as learn about photography.   You can even find a photographer or a collegue on our site with the Membership Roster.

So take a look around and feel free to checkout the Content available, take the most recent Poll, or look at Award Winning Images.  Comments where available are always welcome.  If you have thoughts or questions let us know by leaving a message here.

Great things are on the horizon for our site!

Mike Pennington

Web Master MDPPA

Popularity: 100% [?]