This year's Virginia Professional Photographers Association (VPPA) convention took place February 20-24, 2010 at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa.  As with previous conventions, this one was not without a theme… "Pirates of the Caribbean".   It was great to see many photographer friends again and get re-energized for 2010.  This year, my dad joined me for a few days, to see what other photographers in VA are creating and marketing in their studios.  Some of the seminar speakers were Claude Jodin (lighting), Lori Nordstrom (children), and Helen Yancy (Corel Painter).  Clay Blackmore closed out the convention with his inspiring program "How to Photograph Everyone".

photo by Eric Green

During the week of February 23rd, The Virginia Professional Photographers Association (VPPA) held its annual convention in Portsmouth, VA.   Members from throughout the state came together to perfect their craft and share the latest tips and techniques in the industry.  A number of photographers conducted seminars, such as Louis & Joseph Simone, Janel Pahl, Shannon Turner, and John Woodward.  The annual print & album competition was a success, with more than 400 images entered from photographers state-wide.   All of the blue and red ribbon prints were proudly displayed for a couple of days at the Portsmouth Renaissance Hotel.  Although I did not enter this year, I’m looking forward to next year’s convention in Richmond VA.

The last week of February, I participated in the Virginia Professional Photographer’s Association’s (VPPA) annual convention. For the past few years, the event has been held at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel. Congratulations to all the members who entered the annual print competition. Although I didn’t enter into this year’s competition, I have a few images that will definitely be entered in the future. The tough part is choosing only a few prints to enter… whew! Out of hundreds of prints submitted by photographers all over the state, the photo below is just a sample of the images that scored well. Some of the competition categories included Wedding Candid, Portrait of a Child, Architecture, etc.

In addition to the print competition, there were programs held daily by industry-leading photographers such as Vicki Taufer and Hanson Fong. They shared lots of information about everything from studio lighting techniques to their day-to-day studio operations. On Sunday afternoon, there was a trade show full of photography industry vendors. I felt like a kid in a candy store! :o) Anyway, I had a great time throughout the week, and learned a lot in the process.

VPPA competition print gallery, on display in the hallway for all to see