The New Addition to the Family

April 10, 2011
Autrey Mill Nature Preserve

So, I get this email from KC, she's looking for photos with Josh, her fiance, and their new puppy, Tucker. KC and Josh are getting married next month in Jamaica and are putting on a slideshow with all the important moments of their lives, before and after falling in love and planning this great destination wedding. Since the wedding is only a month away they have no time to waste in getting this session done and photos selected for the slideshow. To make matters more difficult for them, Josh travels alot. I appreciate this sense of urgency, this little guy is so cute and should be a part of the celebration and their lives and should be part of the slideshow. We pick a date just a couple of days out and KC tells me to pick the spot, she has faith that I can find just the right one.

I love shooting at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve! From the walking paths, to the victorian cottage and little white church...there are so many different and beautiful areas to choose from. We all agree to meet on Saturday late in the afternoon when the light is softer and photos have that great warm appearance.

I'd like share a few of these images with you and show you what a great location this is!

Of course, by the end of the session, Tucker wanted to have a few photos alone. 



Looking for photos for your family or new addition, human or canine? Give me a call and we'll set it up at your convenience in the studio or on location.

We love comments on our blog!

I'm so excited and can't wait to share this news with you!

April 8, 2011
Professional Photographers of America

If you see yourself in one of these images and provide a comment on this blog, contact me for a free 8x10 print of your image!

Even if you aren't in any of these images, you can save 8% (you'll see why 8 if you read on) on any service I offer through the end of April 2011. Even wedding photography services! Again, just leave a comment on my blog...please.

Several months ago I began the process of becoming a Certified Professional Photographer. It's one thing to be doing what I love for years, it's another to take that leap of faith and dive in to the certification process. It's a little scary to open your artwork up for critique with professionals in the industry and wonder if they appreciate your work as much as you do. Plus there is an intensive test given by the certification board. The same board that certifies CPA's and the like.

The image submission is a submission of 20 images that represent your work. If you shoot mostly weddings and portraits that you must submit weddings and portraits. All work must be from paid clients within the last 24 months and the work is looked at as a whole. This means if they don't approve of just ONE image, you start all over again. My first 20 passed the first time around...whew...what a relief! I will share just a few of them with you.

Well, since that was done, it was on to the studying for the exam. The exam covered everything from view cameras and film development to digital workflow. Such a wide range spanning over so many decades of photography. It was a lot to remember but luckily I worked in all those formats and even had my own darkroom many years ago. It was just refreshing all that stored away information and bringing it back to the front of my brain! I took the test on March 27 of this year at the SEPPA convention up in Athens, GA. It was nerve wracking and it's been a long time since I worked with a #2 pencil filling in all those little squares on the computer read cards. Answer one question on the wrong line and you are done! Finally, all 100 questions answered and it was time to go home and wait, wait, wait. Luckily I saw on the PPA Forum that you can check your merit profile and see when the test is graded if your status changes to CPP because waiting for that little letter in the mail was killing me! Well, I have been checking daily since the end of last week and finally, yesterday evening I checked again and there it was...

Credentials...CPP
WooHoo! I am now in the 8% of Professional Photographers who are Certified Professional Photographers! What's next? Well, working on my Master of Photography Degree of course! Wish me luck!

Thanks to all who supported and put up with me...you know who you are.

Kisses and Hugs,
Margaret A. Lemke, CPP