Pro Photo West - Winter 2012

1 | Professional Photographers of California www.ppconline.com

Winter 2012 | 2

Winter 2012 | 1


Chairman Of The BOard

PhilliP aBel

(619) 435–[email protected]

seCreTary

Penny PalumBO, CPP(626) [email protected]

Treasurer

rOBin swansOn, CPa(818) 790–[email protected]

PresidenT

CayCe newman, s–PPC(951) [email protected]

OFFICERS

firsT ViCe PresidenT

marCy dugan, CPP, f-PPC, s-PPC(310) 322-2917 [email protected]

seCOnd ViCe PresidenT

Michael Sauer(530)[email protected]

Professional Photographers of California, Inc. is a non–profit, 501(c)6 trade association of professional photographers, employees, suppliers and others allied to the pro-fession. Professional Photographers of California offers a variety of opportunities and benefits to its members and is one of the largest state affiliates of the Professional Photographers of America. Pro Photo West is the official publication of Professional Photographers of California, and is published quarterly for the purpose of keeping members informed of photographic information, news and activities of the state. Subscription is included with member dues, or is available for $26. per year. Articles, with or without photographs, are welcome for review for inclusion in this publication; however the Editor reserves the right to edit and use articles on a space–available basis. Materials will not be returned unless a postage paid envelope is provided. Letters and contributions must include a phone number. Send all communication, articles or advertising to the Editor. Articles appearing in Pro Photo West reflect the opinions of the writer. They do not necessarily represent those of the editor or Professional Pho-tographers of California. Permission to reprint contents of this magazine is granted to similar photographic publications, provided the author, Professional Photographers of California and Pro Photo West are credited as the source. Printed by Marathon Press, Norfolk, Nebraska .

1514 N. Elm St Escondido, Ca 92026(800) 439-5839

www.prophotoca.com

StaffBusiness Manager

Roger DainesM.Photog, Cr, CPP, ASP, API,, F–PPC, S–PPC(800) 439–5839 [email protected]

ConferenCe Manager

Dea Meyer(805) 933-0464 [email protected]

Trade show Manager

Bill ThomasM.Photog, Cr, CPP, F–PPC, S–PPC

(951) 780–2627 [email protected]

wesT CoasT sChool direCTor

Kathy Metz(626) 915-4449 [email protected]

Pro PhoTo wesT ediTor

Rodney [email protected]

Winter 2012 | 3

Columns

Cover by

Monica Royal

Contents

4 affiliaTe direCTory

5 ConTriBuTors

7 ediTor

8 PresidenT

10 ConferenCe Manager

12 MeMBershiP Message

44 The end

Your favorite PPC magazine is now available online!That’s right! You can now view the most current issue of ProPhotoWest magazine at www.ppconline.com Click on the magazine link at the top of the page. Click on the cover to access the pages inside, and navigate from one page to the next by clicking on the arrow buttons on either side of each 2 page spread. You can also click on the pages to zoom in automatically and read the print quality text. Clicking on advertisements will take you to those vendors’ Web sites.Back issues of the magazine are also available, only to PPC members in good standing.

MoniCa royal: Portrait of a PPC PhotograPher

Rodney ninow26

eMbraCing a new age

CaRl CayloR14

PhotoshoP: sPeed UP and iMProve yoUr retoUChing tashia PeterMan22

QUiCkbooks: reConCiling the bank stateMent

Robin SwanSon24

lightrooM: Making CorreCtions and fixing iMages

TRoy MilleR30

Creating a winning iMage: anne hUtton

MiChael CollinS21

Features

reCyCling

MaRCy dugan35


Your LocaL affiLiates

Affiliate Mtg President

AIM – Associated Image Makers, Fairfield www.aim.homestead.com 3rd Th Robert Pierce (707) 528–0850

AVPP – All Valley, La Canada www.allvalleypp.com 2nd W Penny Palumbo (626) 826-1836

CIPPA – Channel Islands, Camarillo www.cippa.org 2nd M Dan Holmes (805) 573-7637

GCPPA – Gold Coast, Pismo Beach www.goldcoastppa.com 3rd M Michael Collins (805) 733-5197

IEPPV – Inland Empire www.ieppv.com 3rd W Troy Miller (951) 737–7310

NCPP – Northern California www.ncpponline.org 2nd Tu Kevallyn Paskos (925) 766–3121

NCPPA - Chico http://norcalppa.com 3rd M Nicole Roberts (530) 526-0688

PPLAC – Los Angeles County www.pplac.com 4th Th Bob Young (310) 338-9385

PPNV – North Valley, Redding www.ppnv.com 3rd Th Michael Sauer (530) 604–0167

PPOC – Orange County www.ppoc.org 2nd W Anthony Holguin (949) 337–6225

PPSCV – Santa Clara Valley www.ppscv.com 2nd W Linda Eaman (408) 979–9179

PPSDC – San Diego County www.ppsdc.com 2nd Tu Amy Dawnelle (951) 294–1059

PPSV – Sacramento Valley www.ppsv.org 3rd W Linda Krakow Eaman 408-506-9179

SPP – Stanislaus, Modesto www.stanprophoto.com 3rd Tu William Stigman (209) 524–5664

SVPIP – South Valley , Bakersfield www.svpip.com 2nd W Rod Thornburg (661) 827–8710

Winter 2012 | 5

Contributors

Donna Jirsa, owner of Lasting Impressions Portraiture & Photographic Art located in Redlands, CA is a creative entrepreneur, profes-sional photographer and graphic artist, exercising her inventive talents for set design, portrait enhancement, new product development, artistic portrait design and photo restorations since the studio opened in 1980. As a member of Inland Empire Professional Photographers (IEPPV) Jirsa has received the following awards: 2003, 2005, 2006 “Illustrative Photographer of the Year”; 2005 IEPPV “People’s Choice Award”; and the first “IEPPV Chuck Jones Memorial Presidential Award for Service” in 2006. She has served as IEPPV secretary and membership chair. As a member of Professional Photographers of California (PPC) she has earned the following: Fellowship Degree (F-PPC); Service Award (S-PPC); 2007 Top Ten Photographer; and is an Evans-Kingham Service Award Recipient. She been a speaker at Western States Conventions, served as Digital Cafe Chair for Western States Pro Photo Expo, Convention Committee Member, magazine editor of Pro Photo West, and currently serves as Membership Chair.

Robin Swanson is a professional photographer and CPA (Certified Public Accountant) who realized her accounting and business skills could be combined with her photography skills to create a successful photography business. Swanson has always loved photography, and several years ago became a professional photographer. She is a member of San Fernando Valley Professional Photographers (SFVPP), Professional Photographers of California (PPC), and Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and attends every photography convention, seminar, and class she can fit into her busy schedule. She photographs anything that gets in front of her camera. Her great rapport with adults, children, and even pets creates an environment conducive to capturing beautiful images. Several of Swanson’s photographs have earned merits in regional print competitions and in PPA’s International Print Competition. Robin has easily adapted her business and accounting skills to her growing photography business. During these past few years she learned a lot about photography from her peers, but also noticed that some of them could benefit from her accounting and business knowledge. As a Certified QuickBooks Professional Advisor, Robin is helping other professional photographers use QuickBooks software to accurately account for their finances.

Dea Meyer is a professional photographer who has traveled the world in search of history, art, diverse cultures, and challenging topography. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in art history, literature and music and brings a wealth of experience in non-profit and corporate management to her position with Professional Photographers of California as their Conference Manager. Currently a member of Professional Photographers of California and Channel Islands Professional Photographers Association, she has been actively involved as a PPC volunteer for many years through the Expo, Conference, Silent Auction, West Coast School and Print Competition; and was a member of the board of directors of Professional Photographers of Santa Barbara County for three years. Meyer has worked in the photographic industry for over twenty-five years, most currently with Meyer Photography alongside her husband Tim Meyer. Her decades of photographic experience and images spanning many photographic medium illustrate an abiding love of the craft of photography.

Tashia R. Peterman, F-PPC, has been honored with the Fellowship Award from Professional Photographers of Califor-nia 2011, PPA Platinum Photographer 2010, and was chosen Portrait Photographer of the Year 2010 by the Professional Photog-raphers of Orange County. With a strong desire to create beautiful images, Peterman began her photographic career in 1999. After learning how to capture images with her camera and lens, and wanting to take her images to a higher level, she began studying and working with Photoshop, developing her retouching, color correction, enhancement, and compositing skills which have helped her earn over 30 merits and awards for the images she has created. She has helped other photographers earn merits of their own using her retouching and enhancement skills. Her artistic skills have been sought after by master photographers such as Phillip Stewart Charis, Lia Segerblom, Tim Mathiesen, and many other photographers throughout California. Upon her first introduction of Lightroom, Tashia was so excited with the features and powerful workflow that Lightroom provided, she began raving about it to every photographer she knew. Soon, photographers were calling her for advice and asking her to teach them how to use Lightroom. Since then Tashia has given Lightroom and Photoshop retouching lectures and workshops for her local PPA affiliate Professional Photographers of Orange County, as well as her own private workshops and webinars

Troy Miller is the current president of Inland Empire Professional Photographers and Videographers (IEPPV) and has been a member of PPC for several years. He has been a professional photographer for nearly 20 years and together with his wife, Marjorie, runs Imagery Concepts, a wedding and portrait studio in Corona, CA. A late adopter to shooting digitally, Miller has now fully embraced digital capture and prides himself on his knowledge of image editing software. He has written close to 100 actions to improve his workflow in Photoshop and is always eager to get his hands on the latest raw editing software. Switching to Adobe Lightroom from Adobe Camera Raw

for his raw conversions last year, he has immersed himself in the program, learning everything he can about it.

Michael Collins retired from Law Enforcement at the rank of Sergeant after 30 years of service. He has been a professional photographer for over 15 years and served on the board of directors for the Professional Photographers of California becoming President in 2007-2008. He has also served as President of the Gold Coast Professional Photog-raphers Association 7 times. Collins’ passion in photography is mostly photographing high school seniors. As he says, “I am at the same maturity level as they are.” He has written several articles, published in both photographic and law enforcement magazines.


Winter 2012 | 7

This is my third issue as editor of ProPhotWest magazine. I’m excited at the content in this issue possibly even more than

previous issues. A photography maga-zine needs images and this issue deliv-ers on that in droves.

Carl Caylor, a 2012 West Coast School instructor, has written a great article describing how filling the desires of today’s clients has changed some of his shooting and post processing tech-niques.

Tashia Peterman joins us this issue with an informative article on Adobe Photoshop, where we learn how to use brushes to accomplish retouching like whitening of teeth and brightening eyes. Troy Miller continues his excellent se-ries on Adobe Lightroom. This time around he shares with us an image he took that needs some work to correct a few problems caused by adverse shoot-ing conditions.

If you need to know how to file a 1099 using Quickbooks, then you’ll want to read Robin Swanson’s 12th article about Quickbooks for professional photographers.

There’s even more waiting for you on the following pages. I think perhaps what excites me the most about this issue is my feature on PPC photogra-pher Monica Royal. She has an incred-ible talent for capturing unique images hidden inside drops of water. You’ll be amazed at her images and you’ve al-ready seen one, on the cover. As I sit here writing this column, the end of the year is nearly here. Of

course, it has already arrived by the time you are holding this issue, so I am wondering, did you make any new year’s resolutions?

I’ve got about two weeks to think about mine and although I am not sure of all of them yet, I think they’ll involve pho-tography. Big surprise, I guess!

What I’d like to do in 2012 is improve my post processing skills. I’ve seen some amazing work done with Light-room and Photoshop this past year while working with some of ProPho-toWest’s contributors.

I’ve seen well shot images improved to levels I never knew were possible and I think an excellent photographer can

take a step to the next level by learning to be an expert at post processing.

Something else I want to do in 2012 is do some shooting outside my com-fort zone. Wildlife is an area of pho-

tography that I haven’t done very much. And birds in flight even less.

The photo below was shot earlier today (as I am writing) down in La Jolla. It is a pelican in flight and I shot over 500 im-ages of pelicans today. I’m happy with this image, as well as a several others from the shoot.

So I challenge you for 2012. Shoot out-side your comfort zone. Shoot a subject you normally don’t. Use a super tele-photo if you usually shoot with wide angles, or vice versa. I’d love to run an article in an issue this year featuring this challenge. If I get enough submis-

sions, I will do just that. Send me your images or ideas to [email protected]

-Rodney Ninow, Editor

From The ediTor


From the President by Cayce Newman

* I couldn’t resist footnoting at least one problem with baseball; no good movies anymore. Basketball gets Hoosiers, Glory Road, White Men Can’t Jump, Fast Break and Teen Wolf. Football gets Rudy, The Blind Side, The Longest Yard, Jerry Maguire, Remember The Titans, North Dallas Forty, Necessary Roughness, The Replacements--heck, just too many to mention. Baseball? Baseball gets Moneyball. “Moneywhat?” I can hear you asking. Exactly. Oh sure, they once had The Natural, Major League and Bull Durham going for them, but can you really count Bull Durham with Kevin Costner when he also did For Love of the Game? I say no, they cancel out, and Charlie Sheen has ruined Major League. It’s dead in the water now. Even Golf has Caddyshack. Golf. Caddyshack. Speaks for itself. C’mon Baseball, step it up. You’re getting whipped by Golf for crying out loud.

As a top tier professional sport, baseball, like most pro sports, has too many problems to enumerate here.* But one area in which they excel is their system for replacing a player for key plays. Don’t think your run-

ner is fast enough to score? Send in a pinch runner. Don’t like the odds for your batter against the pitcher? Time for a pinch hitter. Don’t like the lefty your opponent just brought in to pinch hit against your right hander? Bring in your own lefty. Tight game in the bottom of the ninth? Send in the closer. Of course other sports do this to some degree, just not as elegantly, and in baseball, that kind of gamesmanship is really the heart of the game.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if this option were available at our jobs? Need a refresher on how to get a 4 to 1 lighting ra-tio in your portraits? Is glassware giving you a problem in a commercial assignment? Looking to make a significant studio lighting purchase but want some informed advice first? Want to know how to take your photo work to the next level? Been working on developing your style for a while but can’t quite turn the corner? Trouble making that magazine column dead-line? (Okay that last one was only for me) Send in your desig-nated technical advisor. Signal in for the flame throwing right handed closer/expert to come in from the bullpen.

As is often the case, there’s good news and bad news. The good news, great news really, is that access to these pinch hitters already exists. They can be there for you in every example above and dozens more. Members of PPC (c’mon, you saw that metaphor payoff a long time ago) and our local affiliates have many, many opportunities to network with top professionals who typically are amazingly open to advising fellow members on how to up their game. I’ve seen it person-ally time and time again. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the truism that you only get out of something what you put in is really, brutally true. You might spend 20 years as a member of the best professional organization in existence, but if you’re sitting on the sidelines the entire time, the odds are very good that you’re not going to be any better off than when you joined.

Of all the many benefits that being a member of a group like PPC has, the ability to network with other pro’s is perhaps the best and most overlooked. Many times I’ve watched new members join PPC or a local affiliate, attend a few meetings, not make an effort to be particularly social, stay home from the big events that may have an extra cost, not attend the

strictly social, fun events, not be open to the merit or impor-tance in things like print competitions, volunteering to help the organization and the other members and--most importantly—just not making real friends with other photographers. Those new members often leave thinking their membership fee didn’t bring them enough value or was a bad investment. Sadly, they were right, but not for the reason they thought and what they were looking for was right there the whole time.

The other, better side of that coin, is that I’ve watched as new members achieve great things with their memberships. They attended every class or workshop available, made many friends, asked for and received crucial advice and help, joined the board and got involved all the way and grew from a new-bie beginner to Photographer of the Year in a year and a half. These new members instinctively get the power available in networking with others who also do what you do, or, what you want to do.

In contrast, I’ve witnessed new members do all the right things and just not be able to make the transition. There re-ally are no guarantees and no substitute for a touch of talent and a good eye. I’ve also seen members join as fully formed professionals who are coming to a pro group late in their de-velopment. They really don’t need much help at all with talent, skill or technique, they are just looking to socialize and have fun with peers.

It is vitally incumbent on those organizations that wish to be successful and relevant to work hard to ensure that they have content for members at all these levels and more. That no matter what a new member might need from the group it’s there for them. It’s gratifying to be able to say that our team at the Professional Photographers of California is making that happen, as are many of the local PPC affiliates. I invite all of our members to visit (or revisit) the membership benefits page of our website (ppconline.com/membership/why-join-benefits) and take a look at our expanding line-up of new and improved membership advantages. I am confident that of those similar organizations that do what we do and play in the same ball-park, we are the best in the business.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with ques-tions, feedback, suggestions, comments, complaints, differ-ences in opinion or taste, and most importantly, what you would like to see here at PPC to help you get the most from your membership. My e-mail is [email protected].

Winter 2012 | 9


Who are our modern day heroes and men-tors? Where are they found? How do we encounter the characteristics which speak to us at a level in which we engage and

attach our philosophies on life, business, religion, spirituality?

Are our heroes manufactured by the media as ce-lebrities who we never know beyond a very shallow, surface presentation, or are they people or groups of people who have made their way through chapters in life similar to our own and whose outcome we ad-mire?

If you speak with members of the “Greatest Genera-tion” as defined by Tom Brokaw, heroes were larger than life and embodied all that was admirable. Re-spect ran deep - even in heroes which were not live human beings, but characters from cartoons, novels, movies and radio. Heroes which ensconced them-selves in the lives of this generation are quite often still referenced and solidly cherished.

What does this commentary have to do with the photo-graphic industry and with our Pro Photo Expo and Con-ference? I would ask you to consider who you admire professionally; who are your heroes and mentors; how did you gain these characters in your life; and, will they hold their esteemed place for the duration or will they trend away? Do you reflect back to those who came before for inspiration and solid experience, or do you only look ahead because the world is on a fast-track and, of course, you must be too? Do you owe anything

to those who sought and forged a path of advancing technology or artistic perspective? Is there room in your world view for pioneers who created an avenue for continued development of technology or an open-

ended dialogue for creative expression?

As a professional organization, with a long history, we have been honored by the presence of fellow photographers, artists and business owners who most certainly em-body the characteristics of a heroes, of mentors. Such spirits are born when their wisdom, intelligence, expe-rience, compassion enriches the life, career or other-wise, of a family member, colleague, friend, stranger,

Heroes and Mentors

by Dea Meyer

Winter 2012 | 11

or even people they may never meet.

To tell a particular story, there was once a well respect-ed teacher who encountered a student who made a conscious decision to decline taking his class because he didn’t agree with a particular perspective the teach-er had on their shared industry and what would prove to be successful for the student as he ventured into the professional world. The student believed with all he was worth that the teacher’s methods were old-school and non-progressive. This student graduated and soon after opened his own business. Thus began his jour-ney of discovery of the real world.

A journey that moved through the hard knocks of rec-reating the wheel and costly experimental decisions. It is probably inevitable, and very possibly constructive, that such journeys be experienced. Just as in The Wiz-ard of Oz when Glinda, the Good Witch, tells Dorothy that all she needs to do to go home is to click her heels together and repeat that famous line, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home,” and Dorothy asks why she was not told that simple solution at the

beginning of her journey, Glinda replies, “Because you would not have believed me if I had told you.”

Somewhere along the way, they encountered each other again as the teacher, seeing the marketing ex-pertise evident in this young professional, added him to his list of student studio visitations. This proved to be a wonderful beginning of a great mutual mentor re-lationship.

That former student now makes use of that same teacher at every opportunity as a mentor and friend and has said that the more time he spends with him, the more his business prospers. Imagine that! The teacher, on his part, consults with him to keep abreast of all the latest trends, marketing strategies and com-munications. It’s a truly symbiotic relationship of the best collegial kind.

Getting back to our industry and Pro Photo Expo and Conference, we are excited to offer you the Mentor Lounge which will be situated in conjunction with the PPC Member Booth. Here you will find a full array of people you admire - crossing all lines of age and cur-rent working status, because heroes and mentors can be found in every nook and cranny. They might be the latest and greatest and they might be long-standing fix-tures in our industry. We hope you’ll avail yourself of this tremendous opportunity to kibbutz one on one with them in a relaxed environment. Bring an image or two (but please just one or two) for them to critique, ask your business questions, explore a creative avenue, or just chat about life.

If you have a mentor or hero and would like to share your story, send it to me. Or, if you have someone you’d like to suggest we contact for the Mentor Lounge, let me know that too. I can be found at [email protected].

See you at the Pro Photo Expo and Conference, Au-gust 9-12, 2012!

- Dea Meyer


2012 - New Year - a Fresh Start - Time for Re-flection. It’s time to make those New Year’s Reso-lutions!

While reflecting on the changes that came my way in 2011, I’m resolving to rework the business plan and goals for my studio in 2012 … and to stick to it. It’s always easy to declare the obvious, but another thing to actually follow-through.

I’m probably one of few photographers who actually have a written business plan. People who know me would attribute this to what I’m told is OCD (you know, that ob-sessive/compulsive plague). To be fair, any successful busi-ness owner must have a written plan … it’s the road map that leads you to your goals. You DO have written goals, don’t you? Your goals may, or may not, change over the years, but your plan must be modified often, based on your real-time situation.

Admittedly, it’s a bit cumbersome to develop your first plan and get it on paper, but after your initial efforts, it becomes easier to revise as time goes by … and also easier to follow the plan.

My most important new short-term goal is to hone my photographic skills. Since I’m now in a situation that re-quires me to be a portrait photographer, I can no longer just indulge my artistic cravings to create illustrative fine art … it’s a whole new ball game. I must learn all I can about portrait lighting and posing, and probably a host of other things I don’t even know that I need to know.

Why am I sharing this? It’s because I sincerely feel that many of my fellow PPC members are finding their pho-tography business slipping away. It’s tough out there in today’s economy! As professional photographers, not only is our craft changing, but also the way we do business while

trying to rise above the flood of inexperienced amateurs.How am I going to accomplish this goal? Well, I have

a plan! But, best of all, I have partners … my local af-filiate and Professional Photographers of California. I am going to take advantage of every educational opportu-nity available to me as a member of these organizations. The possibilities are just waiting for me … all I have to do is participate! I’m fortunate to belong to a tremendously active affiliate, and have already received a great deal of help from them, not to mention the help and support of my fellow PPC Members. Until you’re in the middle of crisis (I hope you never will be), you can’t fully appreciate the value of support that comes from your affiliate and PPC families. Amazingly, they are “there for you”, no matter what your needs are.

In addition to the educational programs and classes, belonging to your local affiliate and PPC opens up a whole new world of vital networking and invaluable friendships with your colleagues. Even after 31 years in this profession, I always go away from a gathering with some tidbit of in-spiration that I put to work in my business.

I challenge you to make your success a priority in 2012, as I am. Schedule time on your calendar, right now, to interact, exchange ideas, educate and empower yourself by taking advantage of these incredible opportunities in-cluded in your PPC Membership:

• Photorials: Monthly educational interactive Webi-nars, a free PPC Member benefit.

• Discovery Safaris: Monthly photo safaris, the first be-ing held January 10, 2012, Elephant Seals at Piedras Blan-cas, near San Simeon close to Hearst Castle (Big Sur area).

• Shoot A rounds: Quarterly hands-on educational photographic opportunities.

Make Your Success A Priority

continued on page 39

Winter 2012 | 13

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Embracing

A New Age...photos and text by Carl Caylor

Winter 2012 | 15

Embracing

A New Age...photos and text by Carl Caylor


First of all... there is nothing new about it. Photographers have used flash off cam-era since the days of flash pans. Many of us use strobes in our camera rooms every day. When we go outside, nothing should change. The lighting patterns we create in our studio are the same patterns we should be creating outdoors. The difference is the background and light in the surrounding en-vironment.

Let’s tackle the background first. Not only do we have to think about the compo-sitional aspects of what is behind our sub-ject, we also need to understand and take into consideration the light that exists and that will or won’t exist from the flash.

For example, one of my favorite visions of a waste of card space is during the open-ing parade of the Olympics. As the athletes walk into view, thousands of flashes are go-ing off in the stands. It looks great if you look at it as a light show, but I know those strobes only reach an average of about twenty feet. Since the athletes are much further away, most picture takers aren’t go-ing to be happy with their results. We need to think of our backgrounds in the same manner.

If the background is in shadow and it is fifty feet behind the subject, it is not go-ing to be lit from our strobes and will fall into complete darkness. It is all a balancing act. Look for backgrounds that you can bal-ance your flash output or at least be within

a range that is printable. How, you ask, do we

balance the strobe output to the background? F-stops and shutter speeds. Take a reading of the background with a spot meter. Remember that reading, keeping in mind, the shutter speed can only go as high as your cam-era’s synch speed, 1/250 on most cameras. Set the output of your strobe in one of three ways: to match the background for complete balance, be less than the background for a brighter background or be more than the background for a darker, richer scene behind the subject. Here is the key. Set your cam-era for the exposure you are giving the subject.

For example: In this image (above), the background was metered at f/9 at 1/125 of a second, 100 ISO. I set the strobe expo-sure on the subject to f/9 at 1/160 of a sec-ond. By doing this, the background appears a little darker than reality, but still within the range of good balance. As you may also notice, I set my subject in a position that used the fading sunlight to create an accent

My entire career has been about the use of natural light. I learned to see it, use it and teach others how to harness it as well. But our world is changing fast. Rule number one in business these days: do what your clients want to see. For this reason of self survival in our profession, I have started using “off camera flash” outdoors and I have introduced many new post production NIK Effects to my toolbox. I have attacked this new direction with an old “classical” thought process. I guess what I am trying to say is that composition, light, color harmony, and technical boundaries still apply even in this new world. Just pointing a flash at someone and pressing a button to create an exposure is not the same as cre-ating an image as we have always done. In this article, I will share a little insight of some things to remember as we dive into our “new world.”

Previous pages: off camera flash

Winter 2012 | 17

light on the shadow side of the face. I used a White Lightning strobe through a 2x3 Larson Soffbox to the right and at 45 degrees above the subject just as I would in the camera room.

After thinking of what the background is going to look like, you also must be aware of what the light in your environment is go-

ing to do to the image. As I stated: I positioned the subject within the existing light for an accent. I use the existing light to help with the final light set-up.

In the camera room we use a main light, background light, fill light, and accent lights on most of our work. The photo of the soccer player uses the same concept, but I only had to carry one light with me to produce it. In this case, I used the strobe as a main light. There are obvious reasons for this. If I chose to use the sun as the main light, my subject wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes open. Also, I know the pattern I could get from the soffbox is much

more pleasing than what is created by the sun. The background light was created by balance of exposure as was the fill light. The accent came from the sun. Since I can-not move the sun, I positioned the subject within the scene so the background was appropriate and the accent light was in the correct place. Then I set my main light. Start with the elements you can’t change. Many times working backwards will pro-duce a much better result.

Now for the “Look” the Seniors want. They can be endless and most are a fad. This is why I like NIK Color Efex. It al-lows me to create classically and correctly, then “mess” with the image afterwards.

This is both priceless and profitable. Mom and Grandma purchase the original “look” while the senior goes a different di-rection with the finished image. NIK gives us the best of both worlds!

I also love the Silver Efex Pro 2. All my black and white work is done with this amazing software. It allows me to do what I used to do in the darkroom. Actually the use of colored filters goes beyond what I could achieve in the darkroom. There are many more benefits to this black and white conversion software, but one of my favor-

This page and next page, top: examples of off camera flash


ites is the “structure” feature. You will have to try it to understand it. Download a trial version and play with the NIK collections. It will make you more money. There is no doubt in my mind.

My class at West Coast School this year is a “hands-on” class. We will be cre-ating images together and individually us-ing natural light and off camera flash. Small groups will share models so everyone will get ample creating time each day. Real life subjects will be used in this class, not fash-ion models looking for a fashion shoot. I want to work with everyday people who make up the majority of my income. We will have class critique time each day where the images are positively discussed in order to look for new directions. This is a fun, but intense class that is not for the begin-ner. You should have a good handle on the use of your equipment before attending.

We will also do some post production work with our time together. You will need your computer with Photoshop and pref-erably NIK Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro installed. (You can use the trial version for class.) I will show you many enhance-ment tricks for your images as well as how to correctly custom print your work.

Until West Coast School, keep creat-ing and always see the light!

Yours in the Art of Photography,-Carl Caylor

(for more info on West Coast School, visit www.ppconline.com)

This page, bottom and next page: NIK before and

after examples.

Winter 2012 | 19


Winter 2012 | 21

Anne Hutton of Anne Hutton Photography in Camarillo is not new to winning awards. She has garnered the Master of Photography from the Professional Photogra-phers of America, Professional Photographers of Cali-

fornia’s Top Photographer in 2011, PPC’s Family Photographer of the Year in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and way too many more to mention in a short article. Ok, maybe one more, the Kodak Gallery Award in 2010.

Hutton has been in business for 17 years and her business continues to grow. She just started speaking this year as an early bird speaker at the California State Convention and her image, “Gypsy Girl” won the best of show in the Studio Portrait category at the 2011 Professional Photographers of California Print Competition.

When Hutton shot the original im-age, the girl was photographed with her mother. The photographer thought the image needed some im-provement so she cropped out the mother and performed work in Pho-toshop to enhance this image.

Details of the shoot: Hutton’s good friend Jim Paliungas had an idea for a different approach for a PPC Con-vention affiliate display, for their local affiliate CIPPA, which was to do a cubism style image.

Hutton explains, “I invited the CIPPA members participating in the project to my studio. I asked two of my “cutest” clients to model for us and rented a costume for each of them. The image was of a mother and daughter, the girl holding a jug of water, a bowl of fruit at the feet of the mother, etc. Each member participating in the project would have a piece of the image to photograph. I asked that I be the photographer to capture the girl and that ultimately became my “Gypsy Girl” image. It was a fun project to take part in with my friends, it didn’t do well as an affiliate display but the mother loved the images I made of her daughter.”

Exposure for the image was 1/250th at f5.6 at ISO 200.

Hutton used some special processes to enhance the image, such as Pho-toshop, NIK and other special filters. Although the image had good expo-sure and lighting, like most good por-traits you can always take it to the next level in Photoshop, which she does with anything that leaves her studio. In the original image, the

young girl was leaning gently against her moth-er. Seeing a strong, individual portrait within the shot, Hutton decided to remove the mother.

For the rest of the image she did her standard retouching: curves adjustments to lighten and add contrast, removal of a few blemishes and stray hairs, removal of bags and lightening the dark circles under the eyes, retouch and bright-ening of the eyes (a huge difference in this im-age) and a slight overall saturation increase.

She then added a small amount of Digital Gem Airbrush to skin. She is not a big fan of over re-touching skin, and takes a “less is more ap-proach.” After the general retouching she used a curves adjustment layer and Kubota’s smoke-less burn action to darken the white blouse, brought some detail back into the hair on the right, then cropped the image.

She added a texture and adjusted it with the lay-ers palette (her favorite adjustment for textures

is soft light). She then added a grunge edge. For print competition she duplicated the image and made a 16x20 matt from part of the background, darkened the mat and dragged the image onto it.

I asked Anne what she would like to say about her image and she responded with, “The Mother of this little girl loved this image more than the smiling and happy expressions. I know as portrait photographers we try to get those big smiles which for me are not hard but this expression sells and is harder to capture in a way that is beautiful, soulful but not sad or mad looking. For print comp, I knew this was a good expression that may do well. Also when I think about one of my portraits for print comp, I will only enter it if it’s a beautiful, handsome, or an extraordinary face, ordinary has a lot less impact.”

by Michael Collinscreating a Winning image

PhotoshopSpeed Up and Improve Your Retouching

by Tashia Peterman

Adjustment layers and layer modes in Adobe Photoshop are great. But sometimes it is simpler and faster to use a brush in different modes to get the same effects you would get from applying layer

modes or adjustment layers and using a mask. Done correctly, brush us-age won’t degrade your file and you have complete control to place the effect specifically where you want it on your image. In this article, I will show how I use brushes to whiten teeth, brighten eyes and even add highlights to my subject’s hair.

22 I Professional Photographers of California www.ppconline.com

Winter 2012 | 23

Whitening and Brightening Eyes and Teeth Using the BrushRetouching eyes using the brush tool in various modes.

Begin with a small soft edge brush tool set to screen mode with an opacity around 27% (I keep my flow below 100% in order to build up my brush strokes as I work, you can choose to keep it at 100% if you like.) First sample the whitest part of the eye that is not pure white. Now brush the areas of the eye that need whiten-ing and brightening. Make sure you don’t whiten the en-tire whites of the eye equally and flatten it out. Keep some

shadowing under the lid and at the corners in order to keep the orbit shape of the eye. Using the same brush brighten and whiten the teeth in the dark corners and/or discolored areas to even them out. Again don’t make it too white or too bright and

create “chicklet teeth.” The side by side photo above shows the eyes and teeth before (L) and after the brush tool was used in screen mode with color sampled from the white area of the eye.

To remove red-eye and stains on teeth you can set your brush to color mode and sample a white that is neutral and natural from part of the eye or teeth and paint over the discolored ar-eas. You may need to softly dodge over the area if it is darker than the cleaner areas of the teeth or whites of the eyes. You

can also change or correct eye color using the brush in color mode as shown at left. You could change the tie color as well with the brush on color mode.

Teeth before and after using the brush tool in lighten and color modes. I used the brush tool on normal and darken mode to paint out the second catch light and to clean up the specular highlight in the white of his left eye. The smear tool was used to soften the highlight in the teeth and blend rough areas.

Use multiply mode to enhance eyelashes and to darken around the iris.

Use darken by sampling the darker color that you want to re-place the lighter color with.I sampled the white of the eye below the specular highlight and then use that darker color to paint over the highlightand then sampled the darker color just below the eyelid and painted it over the specular highlight are to keep the shapeof the eye. You may also use the darken mode to soften shine

Winter 2012 | 23



Quickbooks for the Professional PhotograPher lesson 12: comPleting and filing 1099 forms

by Robin Swanson

IntroductionAt some time in your career, most of you have received a form 1099-MISC. This form was sent to you because you earned $600.00 (or more) from an individual or a company during the previous calendar year. At the same time it was sent to you, it was also sent to the IRS letting them know you have earned income.

Well, just like the companies that sent you a 1099, you are also required to send out 1099’s to report certain types of in-come that you have paid to unincorporated vendors such as independent contractors and outside consultants that total $600.00 or more (cumulative per individual) during the cal-endar year. QuickBooks can help you complete and print forms1099-MISC and form1096 (the form which is sent to the IRS along with Copy A of the 1099’s).

What is a Form 1099 and What is it Used For?A form 1099 is considered an information return by the IRS. It’s used to report income earned in each calendar year for tax purposes. There are 13 different types of 1099 forms used for a variety of information reporting requirements. We will concentrate on form 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous In-come) and specifically, Box 7 – “Nonemployee Compensa-tion.” (see image at top of page)

Turn on the 1099 Feature in Quickbooks: If you did not turn on the 1099 feature during the Easy Step Interview, you need to do it now:

1. Switch to single-user mode.

2. Open the 1099 tax preferences: a. Go to the Edit menu and click Preferences b. In the Preferences window, click Tax:1099 in the list on the left. c. Click the Company Preferences tab.

3. Select “Yes” in the “Do you file 1099 MISC forms?” option.

4. Verify that the 1099 Threshold amounts are correct (i.e. Box 7: Nonemployee Compensation is $600.00). (see image below)

Winter 2012 | 25

MAPPING ACCOUNTS:For each 1099 category you report to the IRS, you can se-lect the QuickBooks account (from your chart of accounts) that you use to track 1099 vendor payments.

1. Open the 1099 tax preferences (Edit>Preferences>Tax:1099)

2. On the “Box7: Nonemployee Compensation” line, in the Account column, click on the drop down arrow.

3. If you only have one account that you are using for 1099 vendors (such as “Outside Labor”) then choose that ac-count.

4. If you have more than one account that you are using for 1099 vendors (perhaps “Outside Labor” and “Profes-sional Fees”, etc) then choose “multiple accounts” and then check the accounts that you want to use.

SETTING UP 1099 VENDORSIt’s a good practice to ask any unincorporated vendors to fill out a Form W9 “Request for Taxpayer Identification and Certification” and return to you before you pay them. This will give you all the information that you will need to send them a 1099 (or let you know that you don’t need to send one). Believe me, you don’t want to have to chase down this information at the end of the year. You can down-load the form from the IRS website www.irs.gov.

To set up the vendor in QuickBooks:

1. Click on the “Vendor Center” tab on the Home Screen.

2. In the “Vendor Center” window, click on the “New Vendor” tab and select “New Vendor”

3. Enter the vendor name and address info.

4. Click on the “Additional Info” tab:• Enter the vendor’s social security number or Federal tax ID number in the “Tax ID” box• Check the “Vendor eligible for 1099” box.

PRINT 1099At the end of the year you will need to print 1099s to send to your 1099 eligible vendors. These 1099s need to be post-marked no later than January 31st.

Start by running the “1099 and 1096 Wizard”. From the

“Vendors” menu, select: Vendors>Print/E-file 1099s.

1. Click on the “Review your 1099 vendors” “Run Report” box. This report will show all your vendors. Make sure that each vendor that you think should receive a 1099 is marked “Yes” in the “Eligible for 1099” column, has a Tax ID, and has a full address. If you’re not sure whether or not a ven-dor should receive a 1099, it’s OK to send them one any-way. Better safe than sorry.

2. If you have not mapped your accounts (see above) you can do it now by clicking on the “Map Accounts” box (step 2 in the 1099 and 1096 Wizard).

3. Click the “Run Report” box in step 3 “Review your 1099 data”. You will see a report that shows 1099 eligible ven-dors and total payments. Make sure that payments shown are in the correct 1099 categorie (i.e. Box 7…) If income shows in the “Uncategorized” column, then those payments made to that vendor will not be included on a 1099 (i.e. pay-ments could have been for non-1099 expenses such as re-imbursement for gas, etc). Verify that info on this report is correct and that, as far as you know, there is no missing info. (see image below)

4. Once all the information has been reviewed and you are ready to print, click on the Step 4 box – “Print 1099s”. (Alter-

natively, you can E-File 1099’s for an additional cost. You need to sign up though Intuit).

a. When you click on the Print 1099s box, a win dow will open that asks for a date range. The default is “Last Calendar Year”. Verify that this is correct and click “OK” b. A new window will open where you an select which vendors you want to print 1099s for. By default, all vendors are checked. If for some reason, you do not want to print a certain vendor’s 1099, un-check that vendor. You can come back later to print that vendor’s 1099.



MonicaRoyal

Winter 2012 | 27

Portrait of a PPC Photographertext by Rodney Ninow photos by Monica Royal


She was 12 years old and that first shot was of her mother, but she didn’t really start doing more se-rious work till her 20’s. In 2006, Royal opened her photography business where she splits her work between fine art and portraits. Although she earns more money from her portrait work, the pho-tographer says she has had great success selling her fine art work to collectors and at art shows. Her goal is to shoot her fine art full time.

When asked what gives her the most pleasure when shooting, Royal responds, “I’m definitely what they call a people person, so I do enjoy photographing peo-ple. I love working with babies. I can’t get enough of their soft little squishy faces. Baby feet and toes are pretty yummy too.”

She continues, “However, there is something fascinating about the science and the properties of water that I shoot that keeps me coming back. I use a com-bination of a spray bottle and a hypodermic syringe to place the water on whatever it is that I’m shooting and it becomes a challenge to see how much water I can pump into a single droplet before it falls. I grew up in the shadow of my big brother who excelled in every sport that he tried, so it made me fairly competitive. When I can catch a big full droplet just before it falls or even as it’s falling, I feel like I won, and that’s satisfying. Plus, I’ve never had a fine art subject ask me to “liquefy” their double chin! Less post production is good.”

Photographer Monica Royal has come a long way since she took her first photo with a camera that she says she had to shake to make work.

“I loved the simplicity of focusing on the stamen in this shot. It’s clean and I think it draws your eye right to the drop which is of course, the best part.”

Previous page: “This is a pansy that my neighbor gave me. The way this droplet is placed reminds me of the clams that we used to dig up from the beaches of the Bay of Fundy.”

Winter 2012 | 29

In addition to studying photography at Palomar College in San Marcos, Royal has had the privilege of studying with Canadian fine art photographer Freeman Patterson. Speaking about her experience, she says, “He taught me to see the light. He once gave me the assignment of photo-graphing the ugliest thing I could find and make it beauti-ful. I used a garbage bag..not sure it was beautiful but I got the point.”

Active in the professional photographic community, she is the second vice president of Professional Photographers of San Diego County (PPSDC) and has been a member of PPC since July 2011.

Royal’s main portrait lens is the Canon L series 24-105 which she mounts to her Canon 50d body. She is “dying to upgrade” she says. She also loves the speed of her 50mm lens for portraits of children and uses a 90mm macro lens for her fine art work.

If she could go anywhere in the world to shoot, she says she would return to Canada to photograph polar bears.

“I visited there in 2006 and got close to them with the help of some friends who had property that the bears came onto, (and the help of a 300mm lens). I treasure that animal and I’d be devastated to see them disappear. Experts say that if things remain the same in the world’s atmosphere two-thirds of the world’s polar bears could be gone by mid-century,” says the photographer. -Rodney Ninow

“This is a Protea. It’s the national flow-er of South Africa. This is a step away from the simple one drop design that I am becoming known for. This one took alot of patience and time because I used my syringe to place a drop on each tip of the flowers extensions. I love this tedious kind of work - for a short time.”

“I shot the image of THE FROST way back in 1993. It was taken in Ottawa, Ontario at 5:30 in the morning in Febru-ary. I was living on the 14th floor of a high rise and at that altitude it was pretty cold in winter, about -20 Celsius! I was a recent University graduate so I had no money for curtains. In the morning the blinding sun would wake me. One morning I awoke to this scene on my window and grabbed my camera which was on my nightstand. I got about 7 frames off before the frost was gone. This image has won a few awards and started my fascination with water.”


L i g h t r o o m

Before

making corrections and fixing images

Winter 2012 | 31

L i g h t r o o mAfter

text and images bY troY miLLer


While on vacation last summer I photographed the court-house in Bridgeport, CA seen on the previous pages. The photo was taken at night, handheld at ISO 10,000. Basically, it was a snapshot, but I’d like to improve it by reducing the noise, correcting the white balance and fixing the perspective distortion caused by shooting up with a wide angle lens. Let’s tackle the perspective problem first.

In the develop module, on the right side, open the “lens correction” tab where you will find a number of different slid-ers. (below) I’ll be making manual adjustments so make sure that is selected.

The first slider is distortion. This is used to remove dis-

tortion caused by shoot-ing with a fisheye lens by sliding to the right. You can also add a fisheye look to any image by slid-ing to the left. The sec-ond slider is the “vertical” slider. It’s the one we need for this image be-cause it fixes the distor-tion caused by shooting a flat surface at an angle. Below that is the “hori-zontal” slider, which gives the same correction as the previous slider, but on the horizontal plane.

The fourth slider is “rotate.” This is used to correct any crooked hori-

zons you might have in your image. Of course, this can also be used to add a creative tilt if so desired. Underneath that is “scale.” This is a tool that I personally never use, but it can be used to zoom in and crop an image. I prefer to manually crop my images. Next you will see a selection box called “constrain to crop.” This will automatically crop out the blank image area created by using one of the previous tools. There are a couple more sliders in the lens correction tab, but they aren’t needed for this image.

Since this image has a backward tilt, caused by shooting up, we’ll use the vertical slider to fix the leaning building. As you slide the tab to the left you’ll see a grid appear. Continue sliding until the building is straight, using the grid as a guide. (bottom) You will now see a gray area appear that needs to be cropped out or fixed using cloning. Clicking the “constrain to crop” button now will remove that gray area and give us a finished image. I won’t be describing how to remove that gray area with cloning, but if you have photoshop, you can open the image there and clone as needed.

Now I want to fix the white balance. This building is lit by incandescent flood lights and since I didn’t correct the white balance in camera, the image has a yellow color cast. This is easily fixed in Lightroom by using the eye dropper found under the basic tab in the develop module. (next page, top left) Click it and you get an eye dropper icon which you want to click on a neutral white or gray area in your image. Since the building is white, I can click almost anywhere on it to get an accurate

32 | Professional Photographers of California www.prophotoca.com

In my last article I explained how to import images, organize files and use presets in Lightroom. Now we will take a look at an image that needs some improvements. Before I get started, let me stress that “fixing” images in software is never a substitute for using good photographic technique in the first place.

Winter 2012 | 33

white balance. You will notice as you move the eye dropper around your image, a preview of the correction is shown in navigator pane. When you are satisfied with how the image appears in this preview, click and the white balance will be set. This gives you a rough correction of color temperature and tint. You can make finer adjustments as needed using the “temp” and “tint” sliders.

Since this image was shot at night, I need to increase the exposure slightly to bring up the brightness. Unfortunately, this tends to increase the noise in the image, which is al-ready high due to the high ISO used. The noise can be seen in crop of the image. (center, below)

To remove that noise open the “Detail” tab on the right side of the develop module. (upper right) Under “Noise Re-duction” in that tab, there are four sliders. Luminance is the first one and it smooths the high ISO digital noise, but does not affect the color. The detail slider is next, which can be used to mildly enhance details in noisy areas of your image. By default it is set at 50 once you activate the lumi-nance, which is usually good for most images. Below that is a contrast slider which will increase or decrease con-trast only in areas of the im-age containing noise. The fourth slider is the “color” slider which affects the color noise in the image. Looking at the side by side compari-son of the before and after, (bottom) you can see that a setting of 38 on the color slider was adequate to remove the color noise in this image. Do not apply more than is needed to remove the color noise. When you activate this tab, the detail tab under it defaults to 50 and that is typically a good setting.

These three simple, yet power-ful adjustments, allowed me more creativity and flex-

ibility in post processing to overcome the limitations of the shooting situation. Post production corrections are never a substitute for proper photographic technique, however, they

are an important part of my creative process.

In the next issue, I’ll share how I improved another image. I hope you are enjoying this series of Lightroom articles. I would love to hear from you if you have questions or ideas for future articles. Please email me at [email protected] .

-Troy Miller

Winter 2012 | 33

34 | Professional Photographers of California www.ppconline.com 34 | Professional Photographers of California www.prophotoca.com

Photoshop: Speed Up and Improve Your Retouching continued from page 23

on the skin, make sure to keep the opacity low and sample a skin area that is just slightly darker than the shiny area. I prefer to use my clone stamp on darken for removing shine. I use the brush on lighten mode to take out major eye veins and dark spots in the whites of the eyes. Using the brush on screen mode leaves more of the rough texture created by the veins and I like to soften that texture out.

You can use the color dodge and color burn tool to enhance the eye color and make more contrast in the iris of the eyes. Be careful to keep your opacity below 20% these modes are sensitive and you can get results that are obvious and unnatural.

Keep in mind the only time I use the brush opacity at 100% when using the mode setting is when I am in the color mode and chang-ing the color of something in the image or painting out color contamination. The color mode is actually one of the most useful modes for a variety of tasks. Here is a short list of the many ways of using the brush in color mode.

1. Remove redness in skin - sample neutral skin color and paint over red areas to blendj 2. Change color of something - brush set at 100% then select desired color or sample desired color from image and paint over are to be changed. 3. Remove yellow on teeth and whites of eyes. 4. Paint out contamination of colors and fringing on edges - for fringing choose the more neutral color on either side of the fringed area and paint down the edge to remove the contaminated lines. 5. Whiten a wedding dress or blouse - choose pure white or sample a white that you want from the image and paint over the white clothing. You can do this with black clothing that has color contamination as well. j

Next, I set the brush to screen mode and the lighter color of the skin on the cheek was sampled to soften the shadow under the eye. See the before (L) and after images below (R). It is a subtle but makes a big difference in the final image.

For retouching the lips and teeth I used the brush in screen and darken mode along with the smear tool to soften the highlights. For the lips I used a clone tool set to lighten and darken modes to remove unwanted highlights and dark spots.

To add highlights to hair (bottom, R) you can use the brush tool in screen or color dodge mode. In screen mode you have to be care-ful not to make it look milky and flat. In color dodge mode you have to keep the opacity low because it makes big changes and can add a fake color to the hair. For either mode, sample a light color from the hair before you start painting and make sure you follow the direction of the hair. For retouching the skin I use the

patch and spot healing brush to remove blemishes and dark spots. To even out shine and harsh shadows I use the clone tool on the darken and lighten modes.

I hope this article gave you some great ideas of how to use the different modes for the brush and clone tool to speed up and improve some of your retouching tasks.

-Tashia Peterman

Winter 2012 | 35

While purging out some old files and separating the film, CDs, and papers that need to be shredded, I noticed that I had collected a mass quantity of CD’s. Not knowing what to do with them I turned to the inter-net.Did you know that a CD is considered e-waste? Each year billions of CDs are produced and millions of them are reaching our landfills. Why are they not being recycled? Because most people don’t know what to do with them, that’s unfortunate because it’s simple to set up your own compact disc recycling program in your home or office.

And did you know that it takes a million years for a CD to decompose? Thinking that I could place them into my local city-recycling box I learned that most cities do not recycle CD’s and they would end up in a landfill.

CD’s and DVD’s are made from various lacquers and metals, mostly and sometimes even gold. When recycled the CD is processed in such a way that removes all the aluminum, paint and data and makes these materials reusable. The CD is then grained and mixed with a polycarbonate for further use.

As photographers we have a lot of e-waste equipment that should be disposed of properly. Items such as bat-teries, compact flash cards and hard drives are just a few things that came to mind. Most cities have a monthly e-waste program monthly or you can find one close to you by visiting www.calrecycle.ca.gov

Think about it: •You’llgeneratelesstrash. •You’llbehelpingtheveryplanetyouliveon. •Landfillswillbelessfilledwithnon-decomposingplastic •Incineratorswillbegeneratinglesspollutionthatdamageouratmosphere.

And your recycling companions will love you for it.

Recyclingby Marcy Dugan


Winter 2012 | 37

c. You need to put “Preprinted 1099” forms in your printer and click the “print 1099” box. In the Print window, enter the number of copies you want to print.

• Because 1099s are machine read by the IRS, they need to be printed on official pre-printed forms. You can purchase the forms at places like Office Depot or from Intuit.

• There should be 3 copies of the 1099 (there are 2 forms per page): Copy A (red) for you to file with the IRS, Copy B for recipient to keep for their files/records and Copy C for you to keep for your records.

5. Verify that the forms printed correctly. Mail copy B to the vendor by January 31st.

6. After you have sent all 1099s to the vendors, you may find that there has been a mistake on one or several of the 1099s. This is usually discovered when a vendor contacts you to say that their records differ from yours. If you agree that there was an error, you need to send out a “corrected” 1099.

a. Correct the error in QuickBooks.b. Reprint the 1099 (same steps as above)c. Check the “Corrected” box at the top of the 1099 form.

7. At the end of February, you must file the red, Copy A 1099 forms with the IRS. In addition to the 1099 forms, you must also send a 1096 form. This is also a “pre-printed” form. Most 1099 Kits come with at least 1 or 2 1096 forms. To complete this form:

a. Click File>Print Forms>1099s/1096

b. Click on step 4, Print 1099s box

c. Enter the correct date range (default is Last Calendar Year)

d. Make sure all vendors are selected for whom you are filing a 1099.

e. Click on “Print 1096” button.

f. Enter Contact Name and click OK.

g. Make sure pre-printed 1096 form is in your printer and click Print.

You are now ready to send 1099s and the 1096 to the IRS! -Robin Swanson

Quickbooks for the Professional, continued from page 25


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What’s New!

Image BoxesNew closures allow Image Boxes to stay closed and inside image panels provide one more place to customize the box with imagery. Black Styrene mounted prints and CD/DVD Inserts and Risers are also new.

Boutique BagsBoutique Bags are custom sized for our Press Printed Albums and Books in a variety of stylish colors and patterns.

DVD CasesSingle DVD Cases can now be ordered with an inside image panel with any custom photo cover. Inside image panels are printed on lustre or metallic photo paper with matte laminate, giving you one more place to customize your case.

Sample Program for Books & AlbumsReceive studio samples at 25% off for both Books and Albums! Sample products include a

“Sample, Not for Resale” stamp on the inside front & back covers of each album or book ordered.

Photographic PrintsiPhone A

pp

WHCC iPhone AppCheck the status of orders, see the costs of orders, see when UPS will deliver orders, and ask us a support question right through the app on your iPhone! Go to www.whcc.com/resources/iphone-app to download.

Winter 2012 | 39

• Road Shows: Quarterly educational programs, net-working & mentoring, combined with fun social times. El Segundo, January 8, 2012; Death Valley, April 2012; Sacra-mento, July 2012; TBA, October 2012.

• Western Region Print Competition: March 3-5, 2012; registration opens February 2, 2012; deadline is February 23, 2012.

• Annual PPC Family Retreat: Death Valley, April 2012. A “not to be missed” experience!

• West Coast School of Professional Photography: Special PPC Member pricing, San Diego, June 17-22, 2012. THE BEST, most intense week-long educational experience you’ll find anywhere!

• Pro Photo Expo & Conference: Admission included in your Professional Membership, Pasadena Convention Cen-ter, August 9-12, 2012. Packed with so many opportunities … almost unbelievable! You’ll go away full of new-found knowledge, inspiration and rejuvenation.

• Imaging California: An informal digital image com-petition with cash prizes, in conjunction with Pro Photo Expo & Conference.

• Camp Certification: Become a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) through PPA. The next will be held in Sacramento, February 5, 2012.

• Photographic Business & Arts Degree • Networking & Mentoring• California Master’s Degree: Target Launch January

2012.• California Sunday: Target Launch February 2012.• West Coast School Express: Mini-Session coming to

your region in 2012.Some additional Member benefits available to us are: • Downloadable Business Forms & Tips • Fellowship Medallion & Certificate • Service Medallion & Certificate • Online Image Critiques• “Ask The Experts” Hotline @ www.ppconline.comI further challenge you (sorry, I just have to!) to make

a commitment to become a PPC Volunteer. You’ll find the enrichment you receive far-outweighs the time and effort you invest. It’s easy to sign-up: Simply go to www.ppcon-line.com, click “Membership”, and then click ”Become a Volunteer”. Fill in the required fields and select your area of interest. You won’t regret it!

I’ve highlighted only some of the benefits included in your PPC Membership here. You’re off to a great start, since you’re a current Member. Remember, you have a voice in the operation of our corporation. Be involved … attend the PPC Quarterly Affiliate & Board Meetings (El

Segundo, January 8-9, 2012; Death Valley, April 2012; Sac-ramento, July 2012; TBA, October 2012.) and be an active participant in shaping the future of Professional Photogra-phers of California.

You’re not in this alone. By taking advantage of all PPC has to offer, you’ll develop critical skills that will en-able you to achieve career success. We can do it … To-gether!

Here’s to a prosperous 2012 … Cheers!

Donna Jirsa, F-PPC, S-PPCMembership Chairperson

Make Your Success a Prioritycontinued from page 12


Winter 2012 | 41


Winter 2012 | 43


w

The EndFred Blood III contributed this image

for “The End” this month.

Asked to describe his image, Blood says, “Just up the road from Mono Lake in Northern California , nestled away in a small mountain setting sits the Bodie Ghost Town California State Park.”

“A true “Back in Time” experience awaits all that walk through its gates. It is here that preservation is the main focus for the inanimate objects that remain in near perfect display of the way life was. As was the preservation of souls at the town’s funerary many years ago.” Blood used his Canon 5D MKII, L series 16-35 lens, Really Right Stuff tripod and head and Sandisk CF Card to capture this shot.

Do you have a shot that you think de-picts “the end?” Send it to me at [email protected]

-Rodney Ninow, Editor

©2011 Fred Blood III

Winter 2012 | 45

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