Please join us on Thursday, March 11, for our monthly PPETN meeting. Our speaker this month is Mac Brown.

TOPIC: Little Postage Stamp of Earth: Creative Solutions for Your Business Situation

“Too often we look at other situations and decide that either we can’t do that or if we only had X or Y we would do much better. However, rather than taking the “Grass is Greener” approach, we learn to see ways of expanding our business and our creative energy using what we have at hand.  This program touches on business practices, marketing, and photography.”

Mac Brown calls himself an accidental photographer.  He began his interest in photography in high school when a friend told him that taking pictures was a good way to get out of class.  In college, he worked as a yearbook photographer, and worked for the local newspapers.  After graduating from college, Mac worked part time as a wedding and portrait photographer.   During the years in education, he returned to school, earned his doctorate in American literature, and planned to become a college professor.  By the time his daughter, Rebecca, entered high school she was also hooked on photography and so Mac retired from education and went into photography full time.

Since 2001, Mac has won numerous awards including three Best of Shows at the state competition as well as three first place awards.  In 2006 he won first place in the Senior Girl category at Senior Photographers International and second place for Senior Boy in 2007.  He has placed in the Top Ten photographers in Tennessee for three out of the past four years, and won the 2008 Buddy Stewart Award at SEPPA for the highest for a first time entrant.  He has entered national competition for the past two years and has earned one Loan Print, one general book print, and last year hung four prints at Nationals.  In January 2010, Mac placed second in the Senior girl portfolio competition at SYNC in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Mac Brown Photographers is a full service studio, which specializes in children and senior portrait photography. They do about 500 seniors per year and several hundred children’s sessions per year.  Their school division, IMPACT School & Sports Photography, currently services 15 schools and several sports leagues.

Monthly 8×10 Competition:

We will be holding our monthly 8×10 competition this month. PPETN members may bring as many 8×10 prints to the competition each month. The cost is $3 per print. Please remember to bring a CD of your submitted images (600 pixels on the largest side). Points towards our annual “Photographer of the Year” will be awarded once we receive digital versions for submitting on our blog.

Seminar Cost (excluding food):

- PPETN Members: Free
- Non-Members: $20.00

Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Mandarin House Restaraunt
314 Merchants Drive
Knoxville, TN 37912

6:00pm – Meet & Greet
7:00pm – Seminar

We’ve updated the PPETN by-laws. Please download the PPETN By-Laws and review them. We will be voting on them at the February meeting.

There are two changes made to the by-laws:

• The Michael Laughlin scholarship winner will be voted on by the board. If a board member submit an application for the scholarship, they cannot vote for themselves.
• We are adding in pro-rated fees for new members (by quarter). If we have someone who wants to join later in the year, they can pay dues of $20 per remaining quarter (so, if they join in May, they would pay $60 for the remaining year, August would pay $40…). Full dues would be required for all following years.

The scholarship change is due to Mrs. Laughlin’s health. This will allow us to continue to award the scholarship on a timely basis. We hope that by pro-rating the membership fees, we may be able to welcome more new members throughout the year..

The new by-laws won’t go into affect until the member vote on the changes. We will be voting on February 11th before the Salon competition.

Please join us February 11, 2010 for our annual 16×20 Salon competition. This is a wonderful opportunity to get judges opinions before entering prints into the regional and national competitions!

PPETN members in good standing may enter the print competition. We welcome photographers to come and watch the judging.

• You must be a PPETN member to enter the competition.
• Rules for entries are based on the PPA Regional Competition Rules.
• Up to a total of four prints or albums may be entered for a fee of $50.
• A total of six prints (or albums) may be entered for a fee of $75.
• Checks should be made out to PPETN.
• Include a CD of your submitted images for displaying winners on the PPETN website. Cases will not be acceptwd without check & CD
• Print Categories are “Portrait”, “Illustrative”, and “Wedding”
• Album Categories are “Event” and “Non-Event”
• Each submission should include an Entry Form.

Judges will be critiquing entries based on PPA’s Twelve Elements of a Merit Print. Judges will score prints as if they are entered into national print competition. Based on the number of prints entered, and allotted time, the judges may critique prints and give suggestive critisism to help entrants improve their prints for national competition.

Salon entries should be submitted by 6:45pm. we will not be holding our monthly 8×10 competition this month.

With SEPPA being hosted by TPPA this year, it is anexcellent opportunity to get critiques and improve your competition entries.

February 11, 2010
Mandarin House Restaraunt
314 Merchants Drive
Knoxville, TN 37912

6:00pm – Meet, Greet, & Eat
7:00pm – Salon Competition Begins

It’s that time of year again for us to renew membership with PPETN. New members, as well as current members, will need to fill in the membership application. Please mail the application to Jerry Godolphin. His address is listed on the application. Membership must be active to participate in the February Salon comeptition.

Here are some of the things we offer PPETN members!

Benefits of Membership:

• Monthly Seminars: Up to ten speakers from across the country discuss new trends, techniques, and marketing topics throughout the year. These seminars are included as part of your annual membership.
• Print Competition Support: We hold seminars and workshops to help prepare images for entering into PPA competition. Every February, we have a board of PPA judges come to review and score prints in our Salon Competition. If you enter prints into competition, this is the perfect opportunity to hear judges opinions before submitting the prints to PPA.
• Backup Photographers: Members are available to assist in case of illness or emergency, ensuring your clients receive professional coverage.
• Camaraderie with other professionals, keeping the enthusiasm and fire alive in your own work.
• Competition: We hold a monthly 8×10 portrait competition. Winners of each competition are tabulated to name our Photographer of the Year based on each photographer’s own work. Members strive each month to do better, which helps to keep improving on your work throughout the year.
• Michael Laughlin Scholarship:A scholarship is awarded each year to go towards continuing photographic education. One PPETN member will have up to $500 towards the photography class of their choice.

Annual dues are $75.00.

PPETN Membership Application

The boyscout event has been postponed. The organization needs more time to get the word out to their scouts. We will be rescheduling the events in the near future.