Aug 15, 2014 | Announcements
Photography competition is a passion of mine. I have learned more from competition than any other source in my photographic career. Through competition, I have stretched my creativity and my technical skills. I am humbled and indebted to so many photographers and judges who have guided me, given advice, provided critique or who have fought for my images.
This summer, I entered the Professional Photographers of America International Print Competition. Of my four entries, all four were selected by the judges as merit prints. Once the judges select the merit prints, they review them again to select the very best to be in the “loan collection”. I am so overwhelmed to say that three of my four were selected as “loan collection” prints. With the PPA competition, meriting all your images and loaning three is called “going platinum” and its an achievement not a lot of photographers get to claim in their careers! Needless to say, I was overjoyed and elated as I watched judging this year!
Only a week after the International Print Competition, I entered six images in the Florida Professional Photographers annual competition. Three of my images received merits, but one of my images, “Frozen”, was selected as First Place in the Illustrative Open category and also as Best in Show for the entire Illustrative category. With the combined scores of all my images, I earned a spot as one of Florida’s Top Ten Photographers for 2014.
I am already working on new images for next year’s round of competitions. I am so thankful to everyone who has sent messages of congratulations. Your support means the world to me! Without further adieu, here are my competition images!
“Frozen”, FPP First Place Illustrative Open, Best in Show Illustrative:
“Possessed”, FPP Merit Image
“Force of Nature”, PPA Merit and Loan
“Entangled”, PPA Merit and Loan, FPP Merit
“Unconquered”, PPA Merit Image
“Unwrapped”, PPA Merit and Loan Image
Aug 14, 2014 | Announcements
MEET SARAH! If you have called the studio this summer, you have heard a happy bubbly voice on the phone… and it belongs to the incomparable Sarah! Sarah has taken on the role of Long’s Photography Office Manager with gusto and she is quickly whipping the studio into shape.
Sarah is the backbone of our studio and is here everyday working on packaging your orders, handling emails and phone calls and keeping this ship afloat! She is a force to be reckoned with and has already been such a positive change at the studio! With Sarah’s help, we are busy working on some big big changes that we think you will be really excited about!
She is here to help with any questions you might have! If you ever need any one of us, reaching out to Sarah is probably your best bet! She has control over our schedule and she knows all the details of all the print orders! She is also here to help plan your portrait session with you, so definitely feel free to pick her brain!
Please join us in OFFICIALLY welcoming Sarah to the Long’s Photography crew! If you ever need Sarah (or you just want to say hello!), just call 850.339.5799 or email Info@LongsPhotography.com
Jul 21, 2014 | Announcements, Children's Portraits, watch-me-grow portraits
Angel Baby Portraits
Saturday, August 2nd
Our annual Angel Baby portrait event will be Saturday, August 2nd here at the studio! Each mini-session is just $29 for up to two siblings ages six months to three years. This is the only time all year we will have angel portraits so be sure to book your session time before they sell out!! Call the studio at 850.339.5799 or email Linda@LongsPhotography.com to reserve your time!
All session fees are non-refundable. Print packages are available at your in-studio order session starting at $169. Prints are also available at our normal studio pricing, with no minimum order.
Jul 2, 2014 | Announcements, Personal
I have to brag for myself for a minute! At the Tallahassee Professional Photographers Guild annual print competition, I merited five of my six entries! Woo! I am super proud of my images and their scores, especially with all the other great images that were entered this year!
Here are my five merited images:
Portrait of a Woman, “Unwrapped”
Portrait of a Woman, “Unconquered”
Environmental Portrait, “Force of Nature”
Illustrative Open, “The Ringmaster”
Illustrative Open, “Unwrapped”
Jul 2, 2014 | Announcements, Personal
Last week was the annual print competition for the Tallahassee Professional Photographers Guild. Out of his six entries, Olyn received merits for four of them! I am super duper proud of him, as this is not an easy thing to achieve! Way to go, Olyn!!
Here are his four merit prints:
Portrait of a Woman, “Expectant”
Portrait of a Woman, “Captain Kirk’s Conquest”
Portrait of a Woman, “Cherry Bomb”
Portrait of a Man, “Unarmed”
Jun 21, 2014 | Announcements
I don’t often post directly to other photographers, but over the last year I have seen so much division and ill-will in this industry I feel like I need to add my voice to the discussion.
The photography industry is undoubtedly in a period of drastic change. In the last ten years we have gone from most professionals using film to an almost exclusive digital population, from boring flip phones to smartphones where everyone has a camera at all times, and from a few simple photo webpages to millions of photographers online, on Facebook, on Twitter, etc. It’s a changing world, my friends, and it does not look like its slowing down anytime soon.
So, the industry is changing, so what? Well, the people in the industry are changing as well. When I first started nearly ten years ago, I was an easy to spot minority- a young woman in a field dominated by men in their 40s and 50s. Now, I am in the vast majority in my industry as a young tech savvy woman. Having sat on both sides of this divide and now residing somewhere between the “newbies” and the “old farts”, I hope I can lend a voice of reason to the ranker between the factions.
I hope that whichever side of the divide you fall on you can stop for one moment and think about why you don’t like the other side. To the “newbie”, you begrudge the “old farts” because they preach the importance of technical photography and of the “rules”. You want to be creative, free and have a fun job. You don’t want to hear about ratios and color balance. You are pursuing photography for the creative freedom and because it fulfills you. You struggle to charge much for your work because of your love, passion and excitement for it.
The “old farts” are a generation of photographers who did not have the luxury of an LCD screen. They had to get it right the first time and every exposure on film had a monetary value that they had to pay for the film and processing. There was little room for error, so they learned their craft to an exacting level. They generally learned from an established photographer, who taught them the craft and also the business. They did not have a hundred or even a dozen photographers competing for business in their town. They were one of a few, respected artists that families loyally trusted for decades to capture their memories.
Now, repeat after me, “They are not my enemy”. The struggles that you encounter are ones that your counterpart is excelling at. The newer photographer struggles with how to create the images they imagine and how to run a successful business. The established photographer struggles to innovate and compete in a world of digital and social marketing.
Blogs, social media and message boards are filled with hate coming from one side to the other. There are faux-photo-celebrities who seem to spend all their time posting satire and snarky comments at newer photographers and established photography groups have their membership numbers dwindle since the newer photographers don’t want to come associate with the older ones.
So, what is the answer? Be the change you want to see– if you are an established photographer, you probably got there because someone more experienced helped you along the way. You now need to pay that forward and give advice, mentor or teach to newer photographers. Help them learn where they are making their mistakes and they will become our industry’s future. For the newer photographers, learn to hear what the “old farts” are trying to tell you– the rules are there to make you better, not to tear you down. Give back to those who give to you. While that Master Photographer may know volumes about studio lighting and light ratios, he might struggle with making his website SEO friendly or how to have an effective social media presence.
When you give, you receive. It might sound very kindergarten, but its God’s honest truth. If you teach someone to better their business or to improve their art, they will respect you. They will admire and appreciate you. Better than that, they will return the favor and give you guidance for your weaknesses. Its time to put on your big girl panties and accept that we all have weaknesses. If we can just manage to check our egos at the door, we will be able to spend our time doing what we love– PHOTOGRAPHY. Not snarking at each other on the Internet, or putting pins in a voo0doo doll. So, the next time you encounter the “opposition”, think to yourself what they have to offer you and what you can offer in return. The answer, and hopefully the ensuing friendships might surprise you.
