Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

It is almost Valentine’s Day and I am just now updating the blog. Fortunately, I have been busy to start the year.

Let’s get caught up!






Kona, Hawaii
For the last three years, my wife, Karen, and I have been asked to join our friends in their condo on the beach in Kona, Hawaii to start the year. Watching the turtles surf in the waves and the whales cruise by with their babies is inspiring. Okay, it’s tough, but someone has to!

This year, it was Kenny’s 70th birthday. We celebrated it by taking a tour that went to the snowy top of Mauna Kea at 13,796 feet above sea level. This is where the world’s largest telescopes are located and it feels like you can see every star without them. It is simply amazing to go from the beach to a snow- covered mountain in “Hawaii.” Fortunately, you don’t have to remember to bring warm clothes with you from the mainland so you don’t freeze to death on top of the mountain. The tour operator we selected was Mauna Kea Summit Tours (www.maunakea.com). They supply you with a parka and gloves plus a great box dinner provided by one of our favorite restaurants, Jackie Ray’s. The other odd thing is that it is hard to walk around in the thin air at almost 14,000 ft, so you have to stop at the visitor center at 9,500 ft for an hour just to get your body ready to go higher. I highly recommend your taking this tour the next time you are on the Big Island.



Also, if you need a place to stay the next time you go to the Big Island, let me know. I would be delighted to introduce you to our friends that own the condo. It is a beautiful place to stay, right on the beach, just 2 miles south of downtown Kailua-Kona. If the melody of crashing waves is not up your alley, then save yourself a call!






Weddings and Our New Team Member

After spending a lot of time last year focused on editorial work (and by popular request), I am returning to photographing more weddings this year. I missed all my brides and grooms and am happy to be doing this work in a bigger way again! So, we are reconnecting with all of the professional service providers in the wedding business with whom we previously worked as well as connecting with new ones so they know about our services.

To help me with this task and others, I am really delighted to let you know about a new addition to the team. Her name is Marie Nelson. She lives across the street. When we moved to our new location a couple of years ago, she heard that I was a photographer and asked if I might help judge the art competition for the Marian Bergeson Elementary School. This year was my third year and these young artists constantly amaze me with their talent. I really enjoy giving back to my community this way and appreciate Marie for asking me to lend a hand – especially with all the changes in education these days!

A bit about Marie…After years in corporate America, Marie became a stay-at- home mom. This year, she wanted to find some part-time work. Our experience working together on the art competition made it easy for me to ask if she might want to become part of my team. She can walk to work and I have a great person who cares about preserving family histories and important events as much as I do. So, the next time Marie calls, please extend her a warm welcome. She is looking forward to meeting you all!


Negatives for Sale!

One of the first projects Marie is working on is to contact all of our past clients and offer the negatives for sale that we have been storing since we opened our doors 27 years ago. While we have some contact information, many of our more than 1250 wedding couples and over 2000 portrait clients have moved. So, if you are a client or were part of a wedding or event, please be sure and keep us up to date on your whereabouts. The prices for the negatives vary based on several factors. We will make a concerted effort to find clients over the next several months or so. After that time, we will decide if we want to offer to continue to store them for a fee or recycle them. By the way, if you have negatives or images of your family histories or events on CD that you want to store, please let us know as we are evaluating technology to offer that as part of our new suite of services.

Something to know about storage technology: Unlike DVDs, CDs, and hard drives that are only made to store digital information for a short time, we know from a 100 years of film history that negatives are made to last for many decades – depending, of course, on how you store them. This makes the negative files I have even more valuable. Who is the keeper of your family history?

Another tip: The best way to keep your favorite images is really to make prints on good quality photographic paper. And, remember, ink jet printing for archival purposes is not as stable as other types of paper and inks, or dyes. If you decide keeping them on media, like DVDs, CDs, flash drives, etc is really for you, you must keep updating to the new media and hardware to read it or you will lose it.

Judging - Western States Print Competition

Wow!
I was so proud to represent California and the Western Region as a judge last week for the Western Region Print Competition held in San Diego, California. We had two (2) prints that score a perfect 100 and many albums that scored 85 and higher. The very first set of images to be judged was albums. And, the first album scored a 93! What a start, and it just keep going over the next two days.
See for yourself on the PPC website:
www.prophotoca.com

For those of you that don't know, I have had the honor of being an affiliate juror for the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) the last 8 years. It is a long hard road to become a juror for PPA, and there are only a 100 jurors on the "list" at a time. Moreover, not every one that wants to be there will make it. You start out working in the minor leagues, judging as many of the local and state competitions as you can, trying to learn from, and catch the eye of affiliate jurors that are judging beside you. About this time in the process, you have to take a week long course on how to be a PPA judge. Once you have your Master of Photography degree from PPA, you have passed the course, and you have great reviews from the other judges, you can then be invited to become an affiliate juror by the head of the Print Competition Committee (PPC) for the PPA. Once you are an affiliate juror, every time you judge you are reviewed by your jury chairman and the other judges. If you don't do a good job, you’re out! You must also continue to submit images for print competition and they must score well or you can be taken of the list. Every year, the judges meet and are trained on the latest techniques so they can spot good and bad use of that technique in the competitions. Each competition is run the same way, with a well-trained chairman and jurors so that there is a great deal of integrity and consistency in every competition. If your image is judged by a PPA panel of judges to be an excellent print, you know it is! www.ppa.com

Having the honor to be able to judge the International, regional, and state competitions for my professional colleagues gives me a front row seat to see the newest ideas from photographers from around the world each year. I have been able to stay in tune with what the latest trends and techniques are by sitting in judgment of these images under the lights of competition. I see what works and what doesn’t, and I am inspired to go out and keep my own work fresh and up to date.

My next judging assignments are for the Orange County (PPOC) and San Diego (PPSD) local photography groups and then the Heart of America regional competition in Omaha, Nebraska in March, and PPA Nationals in July.


Professional Photographers of Orange County (PPOC)

Speaking of PPOC! A group of past presidents, of which I am one, joined together with the current board of directors to help to make the group stronger. New mentoring and other programs are being put into place to give the members more value in their membership, and to give the long time members a chance to help the “new” colleague be the-best-they-can-be.

If you are photographer in Orange County, please consider PPOC and attending our meetings to see what is new. Please go to the website for more information. www.ppoc.org


Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI)

I will again be speaking at this year WPPI convention in Las Vegas, NV March 16 – 19th. This year I will be talking about the secrets of getting great results in taking low light photographs for editorial, wedding and portrait photography.
The talk will take place at the Fuji Film trade show booth on Tuesday and Wednesday. Stop by the Fuji booth to get the schedule and to check out how they can help you with your photographic capture and printing needs.
www.wppionline.com



UCI Extension Class – “Keeping it Simple: Photographing People

For the 7th year, I will be teaching my basic portrait photography class for the UCI Extension program in the spring quarter, April1st to May 5th. The classes are held from 7pm to 9:30pm on the UCI campus in Irvine.

If you would like to sign up or need more information please call 949.824.5414 or go online at www.extension.uci.edu.

That’s all for now!

Cheers!

Review of DGP News from 2007

2007 for Doug Gifford Photography was filled with lots of new projects, challenges, assignments, travels, event, and loses.

The year started with the loss of one of my dearest friends, mentor, teachers and colleagues and ended with the loss of another one.
Most of the world knew Monte Zucker as a great teacher of photography technique, as did I, but he also became a great friend over the past 25 years. I miss him dearly!
Most of the photographic community would not know my other great friend that we lost just recently unless you where involved with PPA photographic print competition as I have been for many years. Buddy Stewart was a true southern gentlemen, funny, smart, and a great photographic artist that all us that knew him will miss.

Here is a review of the DGP News of 2007.

Doug attends PPA Convention in San Antonio
San Antonio, TX.- Doug attended the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) convention in January to stay on top of the changes in the photographic industry. Besides learning a lot and catching up with old friends, Doug also got to spend two extra days there because an ice storm closed down the city of San Antonio. But, he did walk away with a very unusual photograph of ice hanging off a cactus in front of the Alamo.

Dates announced for a Photographic Tour of China
Beijing, China - The Itinerary have been set for the Photographic Tour of China with Imperial Tours that Doug will be the photographic expert. Imperial Tours was founded by Westerners who've lived in China for many years. It combines local knowledge and know-how with a top-quality, professional service; we bridge the gap between your preference for high quality service and its provision in China. Both parties are excited to be working together on this Luxury Photographic Tour of China. For more information go to: www.imperialtours.net

A new limited edition book is now available of Doug’s images of people and places in China.

New book about California
Laguna Niguel CA. - Doug is proud to have 10 images in a new book called, California…A great place to live, by Rhino Media Works. www.rhinobooks.net All of Doug’s images in the book are from Catalina Island, an island off the coast of Southern California which he has worked and played on his whole life.

UCI Irvine Extension – DG Shares Photo Wisdom
Irvine, CA – Doug will return for his sixth year in the Spring 2007 to teach photography fundamentals through the extension program at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). After years of teaching only his peers, this course was open to all who wanted to know more about how to take better people pictures using their own cameras. Titled, “Keeping it Simple, Photographing People”, Doug shared some of his photography wisdom and a few “tricks of the trade” for the amateur and aspiring photographer. For info, contact UCI at www.extension.uci.edu, or call (949) 824-5414.

Getty Images
Los Angeles, CA. - Doug has just signed with the leading supplier of photographic images to the worlds media Getty Images to cover events for them in the Orange County, CA. For more information about Getty Images and to see Doug’s images from the latest event he has covered, please go to their website, www.gettyimages.com.

The Morning Light Project
Long Beach, CA. – Since August of last year, Doug has been working with his long-time yacht photographer friend Sharon Green (www.ultimatesailing.com) on shooting stills for a documentary movie being made by Roy E. Disney. The movie is about a young crew of sailors that are on the yacht Morning Light in the Trans Pac Yacht Race that sails from Los Angeles, CA. to Honolulu, HI. every other year. The movie follows these 15 young sailors through the selection process in August 2005, their training in Hawaii and Long Beach, and sailing the race in 2006. Look for it to be out in a theater near you in the Fall of 2008. One of the highlights on this project for Doug was when Roy took the team to Disneyland. Having worked there, and grown up there himself, Doug enjoyed photographing the team as they had a chance to visit the park with Walt’s nephew. Funny, they didn’t have to wait in any lines!

New photographic book – Building of the new Concert Hall at OCPAC
Costa Mesa, CA. – Doug published a new photographic book of the building of the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Orange County Performing Artscenter (OCPAC). Doug than sold the book to the OCPAC who than give it to their top donors. Doug has worked for the OCPAC for seven years as a staff photographer and was there for the building of the new concert hall from the ground breaking to opening night. Doug covers about 40 performances, parties and events a year for OCPAC. www.ocpac.org

Catalina Art Festival – Doug to Exhibit Fine Art Photography
Avalon, Catalina, CA – From 2001 to 2004, Doug was involved with the Catalina Art Festival as a judge. Since than, Doug has been a exhibitor at this annual event that is held each September in Avalon. He has won 2nd place in the photography division the last two years. From those entries, for the second year, he will produce the official poster for the event. Beside those posters, he will also have two new photographic books, Avalon, and The Inn on Mt. Ada, as well as prints, note cards and post cards of images from Catalina and the around the world. If you want to have a great day and see some amazing art, join Doug and over 100 other exhibiting artists in Avalon on September 16-18. www.visitcatalina.org

Doug Gives Back
Laguna Niguel, CA – For the last 27 years, Doug has enjoyed being able to give back to the not-for-profit community. This past year, he donated items for silent auction fund raisers held by organizations such as: Healing Odyssey, 2nd Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Girl’s Incorporated, Orange County Noblettes, Sierra Catholic School, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center Guilds. Each year Doug makes it a point to help several great causes. Call him to see if he can help you.

New DGP Website is Launched!

Finally!

After a lot of hard work, our new website is launched and we would love your opinion - especially as we now have the ability to add images easily and frequently - whether from travels around the world or editorial work in the entertainment industry or the fine art and books that are now available for purchase.

Over the years, we have been invited into your homes and businesses and to your special or family events and occasions to capture images that represent who you are and what you do in the ordinary and extraordinary aspects of your life.

We have designed the site so that you will be able to share future photographic experiences that we capture for you with your family, friends and colleagues more easily online as well as order those images that you want to display.

After 27 years in the business, many of you have asked me how to take better images yourself in addition to using our services for really important moments in your lives. We heard you and are thrilled to announce DGP photography coaching services. While my class at UC Irvine offers a way for you to learn how to take better people pictures using your own camera, many of you have asked for additional "one on one" help to become better photographers yourselves. DGP now offers private and semi-private coaching in a single session or a series. It's a really great gift for the photography enthusiast in your life!

My intention for this site is also to engage you in a conversation about photography - whether as part of this blog or in a class, as your coach or on one of the photography tours that we will launch in 2008. I want you to feel comfortable connecting with me about your questions - from technical questions about your own images to those about the industry in general.

I remain as passionate about being an image-maker today as when I first began. My hope is that you will be inspired to visit our site again and again and that you will consider Doug Gifford Photography for your photographic needs for many years to come.

Let me know what you think!

Cheers!

Doug