Our new website is up and running.  The domain name is the same, which is www.bppafl.com.  It has a new and modern look.  When you click on the website, you will see a slideshow on the home page.  We would like to display all the members' work.  To get your work published on the website, email two of your best images to me at dwilliams@turnerflorida.com.  The images are to be about 1,000 pixels on the longest side at about a 150 to 200 dpi. That is all that is necessary to get your photographs noticed on the home page of our new website!

It is with much love and a broken heart that we make known that Gary “Smokie” Gillis, age 61, departed this world to begin his heavenly journey on Thursday, December 15th. He was proud to be a long-time resident of Sarasota, Florida.

Born March 30th, 1955 in McComb, Mississippi to Sterling Lewis and Joyce Gillis, he was very proud of his family and its distinguished heritage. He was one of seven children. In 1974, he headed to Florida after the Army with nothing but a smile and heart for the tropics! He loved the beaches and outdoors and decided to make Sarasota his home. Three years later, he met and married the love of his life, Leslie Ann Waters Gillis. He built from scratch a successful land-clearing business doing work for Sarasota County, Florida Power and Light, and homeowners, too. He was very involved with his church, Northminster Presbyterian Church. Both he and his wife were youth group leaders. Smokie was a Deacon and Elder of his beloved church. He loved organizing and doing the Annual Christmas Hayride for the church complete with cookout, caroling at the nursing home, and back for s’mores. Later in life, he also pursued his passion for photography, completing the Education Degree in Professional Photography earning the status of Certified Professional Photographer. He was also a member of the Bay Professionals Photographer Association. He ran the two businesses simultaneously and eventually focused on photography alone. Being the perfectionist he was, he opened his own studio to print his own photos. His work was beautiful. He also trained with the Humane Society with HIS two golden retrievers to do Pet Therapy taking them to hospitals, nursing homes and also the “Reading with Children” program at local libraries, which he loved. Smokie volunteered with Meals on Wheels, which everyone thought was a perfect fit, for someone who loved interacting with people—as we all know he had the “gift for gab”. He was a loving husband and will be greatly missed.

FPP Events for 2017

SPRING SEMINAR
Sunday, March 5, 2017

FOCUS – Annual Convention 
September 9 – 11, 2017
Florida Hotel, Orlando, Florida
www.areyouinfocus.com
Photography – Inspiration – Education

FLORIDA PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS 
June 4 – 7, 2017
Daytona Beach, Florida
Real Education – Real Results

Thom Rouse from DeKalb, IL
After the Camera-Before the Print-Fine Art
Techniques in Photoshop

Elizabeth & Trey Homan from San Antonio, TX
“Your portrait studio…Refined”

Eric Richards from Sharpsburg, GA
“Getting PPA certified”

Dave Cross from Tampa, FL
“Photoshop Efficiency & Creativity”

Tim Priest from Grand Rapids, MI
“Broaden your Photography and Income with Commercial A to Z
for the Portrait Photographer”

There are some scholarships available. Apply at www.fpponline.org

We have great news for you!

Al Audleman will be here in Sarasota at the end of January so that we can become certified. The test can be taken online or taken at a convention or FPP school.
The course will be $300.00 per person and that will include the book which would cost $100.00 alone.
Florida School cost is $599.00, plus hotel over $100.00 a night, food etc.
Convention (Imaging USA) PPA is $199.00 plus flight, food and hotel.  
$300.00 per person, this is a great deal and should be attended by anyone looking to improve their business.


Are you ready for your next professional move as a professional photographer? 
Here is a little something about Certified Professional Photographer, CPP.

What's CPP?
The Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) program from PPA assures others of a photographer's knowledge, experience and continuance to develop new skills and techniques. It is a declaration of your professional competence! Being a CPP is like quality assurance because certification is a credential consumers and businesses understand. More importantly, it provides you with a tool for telling the world—and all those potential clients—why they should call you rather than a competitor down the street.

• There is a CPP Standard. What is it?
  Established in 1977 by Professional Photographers of America the Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) credential serves to identify professional photographers who have demonstrated technical competence through a written examination and photographic image submission. PPA and the Certification Committee follow standards for certification which are established by the national Institute of Credentialing Excellence (ICE). ICE sets the guidelines for creating the written certification exam, and makes sure the questions are relevant to professional photography today. ICE also provides PPA and the Certification Committee with support and information to maintain the certification process.
   
• What's a Certification?
  The certification of specialized skill-sets affirms a knowledge and experience base for practitioners in a particular field, their employers, and the public at large. Certification represents a declaration of a particular individual's professional competence. In some professions certification is a requirement for employment or practice. Doctors, mechanics, accountants, professional secretaries, surveyors and many others are all required to go through a certification process of some kind.
   
• What Motivated Photographers to Get Their CPP?
  "Certification counts in ways you never thought! Two years ago I was in a nasty auto accident and couldn't shoot for three months — it's in litigation — my lawyer just called and wanted to know 'are you a certified professional photographer?' I kid you not! Because they have to prove I'm not just a MWAC—belonging to PPA and being certified is critical in proving my professional status! Who knew?"                                                                                         — Francie Balthazar Stonestreet, CPP
   
• Why Hire a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP)?
  Because when things matter, you've only got one shot. And there's no substitute for experience.

Hello everyone, 

Here are some photos from our last meeting.  Thank you Donna for taking the photos of our last meeting.  
We had a great presentation by Billy Dzwonkowski, and we thank you for doing such a great job. 

We really enjoyed seeing our friends.