“Chicks Who Click” Set for June 24-27 Sign Up Now!

Yes, It’s Back! Brought to you this year by PPA Charities, the Chicks Who Click Conference is still being talked about by the hundreds of women (and a few male stalwarts) who have attended this unique education opportunity.

On June 24-27 you’ll have a chance to learn from some of the industry’s top mentors, connect with other photographers and enjoy some girlfriend time in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona, at the fabulous Firesky Resort & Spa. This boutique hotel features an incredible spa, and all attendees will receive specials and discounts!

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Space is limited to 300, so don’t be disappointed . . .
Sign up Now for Chick Who Click!
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Whether you are a seasoned pro or brand new to the industry, this conference offers something for everyone. We will feature many topics including Boudoir, Marketing, Sales, Seniors, Children, Posing & Lighting, Weddings, Photoshop, and much, much more. The fabulous speaker lineup features Kay Eskridge, Mary Fisk-Taylor, Beth Forester, Jen Hillenga, Julie Klaasmeyer, Julieanne Kost, Cindy Behnke, Britney Fullgraf, Lori Nordstrom, and Cheryl Ridgeway.

Early registration is only $249 for PPA members and $279 for non-members; after April 30 pay $299 for PPA members and $329 for non-members. Registration includes top-notch programs, social events, mentoring opportunities, some meals, boutique shopping and plenty of great girlfriend gifts.

Being a part of the 2010 Chicks Who Click Conference will give you the chance to learn, grow and connect with friends–old and new. Plus, you’ll be helping PPA Charities and Operation Smile to change children’s lives . . . one smile at a time.

For more information, contact Bert Behnke at bbehnke@ppa.com. To register for the conference,click here. For hotel reservations, click here or call 480-945-7666, ask for reservations, and tell them you are with PPA Charities to receive the discounted rate.

PPACH Sets $120,000 Operation Smile Donation Goal

In each of the five years since PPA Charities named Operation Smile to be it’s charitable partner, PPA members have increased their donations. For 2010 the PPACH Trustees have established a record-setting goal of $120,000 to be raised through activities in direct support of Operation Smile. This goal represents a $50,000 increase over the 2009 goal of $70,000! PPA Charities President Mary Fisk-Taylor explains:

“Last year represented an amazing turning point in our fundraising activities for PPA Charities. Because so many caring photographers and industry vendors recognized what could be accomplished for Operation Smile when we all stand together, we topped our $70,000 goal by $30,000! This allowed us to present Operation Smile with a check for $100,000 at our PPACH Celebration at ImagingUSA in January. This means that the smiles of more than 400 children will be saved through of the generosity of our industry.

“Because of this outstanding performance in 2009, the PPACH Trustees feel confident that our goal of $120,000 can be reached in 2010. Just imagine how we will feel about our great industry if this time next year we know that the lives of 500 children will be changed forever because more and more photographers participated in this great effort! It is within our reach if we start our fundraising efforts now, and if we spread the word about what we are doing to our industry colleagues!

“Thank you again for opening your hearts to children around the world and to the fabulous volunteer professionals at Operation Smile. Take a moment now to mark your 2011 calendar so that you can take part in the PPA Charities Celebration on the evening of Saturday, January 15, at Imaging USA in San Antonio!”

To learn how you can support Operation Smile, click here.

PPA Charities Celebrates at Imaging USA!

To say that the January 2010 PPA Charities Celebration at PPA’s ImagingUSA national convention in Nashville was a success is truly an understatement! The event was packed with over 500 members eager to kick off the convention and celebrate PPA Charities’ accomplishments for 2009.

The Big News: PPA Photographers
Raise $100,000 for Operation Smile!

The evening’s high point was the presentation of a check for $100,000, which represents funds raised by photographers for PPACH’s charitable partner, Operation Smile, in 2009. In the photo below, members of the PPA Charities Trustees and other well-wishers surround PPACH president Mary Fisk-Taylor (center right) as she presents the check to Beth Marshall, director of Operation Smile’s Southeast Region and senior executive advisor for Latin America. Beth is the sister of Kathy Magee, cofounder of Operation Smile.

The $100,000 donation represents a major milestone for PPA Charities, as it nearly doubled the $50,635 contribution presented at IUSA in 2009. According to PPACH Executive Director Bert Behnke, “This outstanding result would not have been possible without the incredible participation of many new individual and corporate donors who have recognized that Operation Smile is such a worthy organization and a perfect fit for photographers.” To date, PPA photographers have raised a total of $250,000 for Operation Smile. That translates into well over 1,000 smiles that have been saved through the generosity of PPA members. For a complete listing of PPACH 2009 contributors, click here.

The check ceremony followed a narrated slide presentation by Bert Behnke, who documented an Operation Smile mission to Paraguay in November, and a presentation by Dr. Rafael Gottenger, who spoke from the heart about the impact of Operation Smile and the importance of photography in telling the story of Operation Smile’s world-wide missions. Dr. Gottenger’s work was documented by PPA member and PPACH Board member Graham Wilson, who accompanied a November mission to Vietnam.

Graham Wilson and members of his studio staff are shown below along with
Dr. Gottenger, Beth Marshall and Bert Behnke.

Demonstrating The Power of ONE

“The Ronald” fundraiser, which took place during the Celebration, was a light-hearted spoof on Donald Trump’s reality show with PPA President’s Ron Nichols and two other judges, determining the winning team, shown below, which consisted of Kay Eskridge, Trey and Elizabeth Homan, Lori Nordstrom, and Dan Pfeffer.

Team leader Kay Eskridge explains their “Power of ONE” fund-raising strategy: “Our goal was to enlist the support of socially responsible photographers by sharing how simple the power of one really is: These are tough times for fundraising but we know that people still want to help. They just feel like the small amount they may have to give couldn’t possibly make a difference. Our campaign was designed to show them it is not true. Small amounts could count. And, by spreading the word about the Power of One, they would become a part of a campaign that was making a dramatic difference in so many little lives. So we twittered, facebooked, blogged, emailed, e-newslettered . . . and worked tirelessly at spreading the word and asking for small amounts. “Standing as ONE, professional photographers across the country can make a difference in the lives of children all over the world through the PPA Charities Operation Smile Campaign.”

Rick Gibbons Honored With PPA Charities Legacy Award

During the Awards Ceremony on the last evening of ImagingUSA, Rick Gibbons received The PPA Charities Legacy Award, which recognizes outstanding service and commitment to PPA Charities and philanthropic endeavors. Rick was honored for his pioneering work with Operation Smile, through the North Carolina Professional Photographers Association and the Southeastern Professional Photographers Association (SEPPA), which resulted in the ongoing relationship between PPA Charities and Operation Smile. Rick is a past president of both organizations. Rick’s award was acknowledged by Mary Fisk-Taylor during the Celebration event.

Because of the size of the crowd in Nashville, PPA has reserved a much larger room for the 2011 Celebration event at at IUSA in San Antonio. We’re going to need it, as Texas School has contacted us to help sponsor the Celebration as the unofficial welcome party to IUSA 2011. Wow!

To relive the sights and fun of the 2010 PPACH Celebration, click here.

Mark your calendar NOW for January 15, 2011. SEE YOU IN SAN ANTONIO!

Check Out These Great PPACH Auction Items!

Join us at the FREE PPA Charities Celebration event at ImagingUSA on January 9, 2010 in Nashville! Here’s the most recent list of items to be auctioned:

From the Work of Love to a Work of Art

Kindred Charms, of Houston Texas, has created a one-of-a-kind sterling silver bracelet (similar to the one shown above),which will feature four charms cast from the fingerprints of children who received the gift of life-changing surgery during a recent Operation Smile medical mission to Paraguay. PPA member Bert Behnke documented the mission and created the wax impressions from which the charms were cast. These fingerprints now represent the healing gift given through the generosity of PPA Charities participants: These simple symbols artfully personify the touches of gratitude from the children and their families whose lives have been healed, and a tag charm bears the PPA Charities identity. This exceptional bracelet was handcrafted in Texas, with love, by Greg Jensen and Carol Andrews of Kindred Charms.

Spend a Week at Deep Creek Lake!

The high bidder will win a week-long stay at Jim and Ann Monteith’s lake house at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, a 4-seasons resort in the mountains of Western Maryland (Garrett County). Offered on May 1-7, 2010, the lake-side home has 5 bedrooms and 5 baths, sleeps 12, and would be perfect for a family vacation, business meeting or for hosting your own workshop.

Bid On Workshops, Equipment, Software, Mentoring and More!

Photoshop CS4 from Adobe

After Dark Miami package including registration, lodging & equipment
Animoto offers an Annual ProPass & a 3 month ProPass
A 40″x90″ retractable banner stand from Buckeye Color Lab
A Day of Hands On learning with a Burrell Professional Imaging Mentor
Carl Caylor’s 4 DVD Educational Set
Collages.net gives a Free Album and gift certificates
Professional & Personal Rolling Trimmers from Dahle NA
2 Instructional DVDs from Greg Daniel
DriveSavers “Back Up” basket
ExpoDisc from Expo Imaging
Set of 3 designer handbags from Gina Alexander
John Hartman’s QuickProofs Palette
NHL star Bret Hedican’s autographed print
Jennifer Hudson’s DVD Action sets
Jen’s Fabulous Stuff Fundamental Posing Guide
Kimbra Studios Alexis solid sterling silver photo bracelet
Sterling Silver bracelet from Kindred Charms, commemorating Operation Smile
Kodak’s Professional Film
Kubota Imaging Tools ProPack
A class at the 2010 Lamar Williamson School
Larson Enterprises Gift Certificates
An artistic background from Madcamp
Backgrounds by Maheu Scenic Muslin
Two Marathon Press Workshops
Metal Mural’s 9 Square mini metal mural & a 12″ metal square
A Fine Art Mural from Miller’s Professional Imaging
Zion Camera Backpack from M-Rock Camera Bags
Musicians Hall of Fame basket
Nashville Attractions/Parthenon/Carnton Plantation/Zoo/Symphony
Nashville Restaurant certificates/Sole Mio/Chaffan’s Barn Dinner
Nations Photo Lab Gift Certificates
NIK Software’s Complete Collection Ultimate Edition
Nikon’s D5000 Body w/AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 lens & kit
Full tuition for the 2010 Oklahoma School
Tuition to the Oklahoma School Arches & Moab Landscape Workshop
Operation Smile set of Scrubs from the 2009 Paraguay mission
Tim Ostermeyer’s Childrens Books & Fine Art Prints
Breeze Album from PictoBooks
2011 Buddy Pass for Imaging USA from PPA
One year PPA membership
Ron Nichols Studio Palettes
RNDS Fine Art Enhancement Palette
Two domestic airlines tickets from Safe Harbors Travel Group
Send Out Cards Box Software
Simply Canvas Gift Certificates
Southpoint Photo Imaging sends a Mitsubishi 3020 Printer
“Polar Bear & Camera” Ltd Edition 29/30 from Jay Stock
Suzette Allen’s Sarabella Template Series
Tamrac’s Aero Speed Pack Backpack/Ultra Pro case/Velocity 9x Sling Pack
One week class at the Texas School in 2010
Time Exposure’s ProSelect Basic or Pro Upgrades
ProSelect Room View Collections I & II
Autographed John Travolta Aviation print
Tim Walden’s BW Darkroom Palette
Gift basket & Gift Certificates from WHCC
WHCC PickPac themed baskets
Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi sends an autographed print
Helen Yancy Artist Palette

The Charities Celebration and Auction is FREE this year
thanks to our major sponsor, WHCC.

The first 200 attendees will receive a free drink ticket
compliments of SuccessWare.

A DJ will provide entertainment compliments of Marathon Press.

Join us at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel at 8:00 P.M.

See you in Nashville! January 9, 2010 – 8:00 P.M.

The evening of Saturday, January 9, 2010 will kick off Imaging USA in a big way, as PPA Charities hosts its fifth annual Celebration Event & Auction at the world-famous Gaylord Opryland Hotel. This year, the festivities will be FREE to all IUSA attendees! Here’s the schedule:

Beginning at 8:00 P.M., gather with fellow photographers to enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship as only PPA can offer: a multi-faceted experience that includes silent and live auctions of great photographic and celebrity items; a presentation from Operation Smile, our charitable partner; as well as our annual contribution presentation; dancing to a DJ; and a fun-filled event called “The Ronald” (think Celebrity Apprentice). During an evening highlight we will acknowledge our 2009 donors and award a $500 cash drawing.