NH PPA Annual Conference - What a Blast!

What a great New Hampshire Professional Photography (NH PPA) conference! Inspirational speakers, another intense state print competition and being surrounded by friends!! It was more of a challenge to come away with a blue ribbon in this year's competition from this panel of judges. I was very fortunate that both of the images I submitted were honored with a score of 80 which puts them in the "deserving of merit" category and earns them the sought after blue ribbon. Achieving a blue ribbon gives the photographer a merit towards industry degrees.

A fellow photographer was kind enough to take this photo of me in front of my two blue ribbon images!

After agonizing over the title of the Red Sox seat image, one of the judges actually praised it in a panel discussion as supporting the "story telling" of the image. The title was "If These Historic Seats Could Talk". The panel of glass with the one yellow tile is "Inner Glow".

The banquet at the conference has a theme each year. In honor of this being the 50th annual conference, the theme was appropriately dubbed the 50's. Everyone broke out their poodle skirts, saddle shoes, white t-shirts and rolled up jeans. I chose a "soda pop girl" costume - complete with roller skates! Yes, for those of you who knew I was a bit nervous after all these years to put them on again, I did and after a little practice was right back to skating backwards on the dance floor and doing spins! I didn't want to take them off!

With much pride and honor, I accepted my Associate Colleague of Photography medal (you can see it hanging around my neck in the above image). This is given after a professional photographer achieves 25 degree merits and gives recognition to members for their service to and on behalf of the NH PPA and for those who excel in print competition (for each blue ribbon print). In the four years that I have been a member of NH PPA, it has been a pleasure to give back to the organization in the way of service in several roles - including my current role as Director and Scholarship Chairman over the last two years. And I am grateful for the fellow members and mentors who encouraged me to continue to enter prints in the state competition! It is because of these peers that I have accomplished this achievement!

And I was not the only one daring enough to put on skates!!

Here's my boy, but I did not take this image!! My good friend and fellow roller skater shown above took this and earned her first blue ribbon print!! Way to go!!!