Prints that Win: Peace on Earth

Photo by Uldis Ilvess

A classic American scene, photographed by veteran photographer Uldis Ilvess and entitled Peace on Earth, is one of our first Sunset Print Award winners for 2014. By virtue of his award at the recent Professional Photographers of Iowa competition for Peace on Earth, Ilvess is also one of the first to be entered into the Sunset Print Award national competition.

The photograph is a masterpiece of composition and subtle lighting that brought the judges to a near unanimous decision.

“Most of the judges concurred that it was a wow image. There was one judge that felt it was too reminiscent of a Christmas card, but another judge said they’d like it as a Christmas card or as something to put it up on their wall,” says Ilvess.

Taken on a snowy day – during a blizzard, really – with a Nikon D800, the subject is Church of the Land, which can be found at Living History Farms in Des Moines, Iowa. It’s also the spot that Pope John Paul II spoke when he visited Iowa in 1979.

“I processed the image in Photoshop where I did some sharpening, an etching effect, and toned it slightly to give it a golden-brown cast. I also did some dodging and burning to enhance the image,” says Ilvess. “I knew what I wanted when I was there and took 15-20 different shots. I knew the composition was there, with the fence and lamppost in the right spots, but the snow was coming down so intensely with large snowflakes that I had to wait for the right time where the snow wouldn’t interfere with the image.”

Next Level Photography Workshop at Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Photography workshop in the Great Smoky Mountains

Winners of the past four Photographer of the Year titles in Ohio (PPA of Ohio), and with more than 40 years of professional experience between them, Darrell Moll and Rod Brown are hosting a Next Level Workshop at Great Smoky Mountain National Park, April 11-14.

Geared toward advanced amateurs and professionals looking to take their landscape photography to the next level, the workshop will take place mostly in the field capturing the best landscape shots possible.

“Rod and I are both very familiar with the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We know where all the iconic images are, but we also know where the quieter areas of the park where you can get just as good, if not better images, than the iconic spots,” explains Moll. “We keep it flexible based on the conditions: based on the light we’ll know where to go that will be the best spot for the best chance to get good images. We teach what techniques the professionals use in the field to guarantee they get the best results before they move onto the next spot, as well as what they may have missed.”

Moll adds that he shoots Canon and prefers to process in Photoshop while Brown shoots Nikon and prefers to use Lightroom.

“If you’re shooting Canon, I’ve got you covered, and if you’re shooting Nikon, Rod’s got you covered, and the same with Photoshop and Lightroom,” says Moll. “But beyond that we both use the same tools right down the line, including LexJet paper for our studio printing.”

The workshop is $795 while spots last, and for more information go to www.ddnlw.com.

WPPI Announces Schedule of Events for Photography Convention in Vegas

Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) announced its schedule for its 2012 Convention, which starts tomorrow, Feb. 16, through next Thursday, Feb. 23, in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Conference Center. The trade show component of WPPI starts on Monday, Feb. 20.

Trade show for wedding and portrait photographersUpcoming special events include the second annual Launch Pad new products preview, the third annual Photographers Ignite presentations, the Sony Party, Canon Reception and the Nikon sponsored 32nd Annual WPPI 2012 Awards Ceremony.

“The education at WPPI consists of more than a 150 classes taught by the sharpest professional photographers in the business today. Beyond the top-notch educational offerings available during our annual Convention, WPPI is also known as the premier event where photographers look forward to networking with colleagues as well as being the ideal venue to make new friends in the industry that can last a lifetime,” said George Varanakis, WPPI’s Show Director and Publisher. “And this year’s special event lineup provides attendees with the perfect nightly social events to wind down their intense days of classes and trade show discussions with exhibitors.”

WPPI Launch Pad
Sunday, Feb. 16
, 2-5 p.m., Studio Rooms A & B outside MGM Grand Garden Arena. Attendees will get a sneak peek at the latest and greatest products from WPPI’s exhibitors before the trade show opens. WPPI’s Launch Pad will be open to all media and all WPPI attendees. Snacks and Refreshments will be served.

Photographers Ignite
Sunday, Feb. 19
, 7-11 p.m., MGM Conference Center, Level 3, Rooms 312-320. Hosted by Professional Photographer Kevin Kubota, Photographer’s Ignite will feature up to 15 experienced and upcoming photographers sharing their techniques, trends, ideas and inspirations in five-minute presentations related to photography as a profession. This entertaining event will be followed by an after party with drinks and live music.

Sony Party
Monday, Feb. 20, 8-10 p.m., MGM Grand Conference Center, Level 3, Rooms 312-320. Attendees are welcome to join WPPI and Sony – who brought last year’s smash hit Runway Fashion Show – for another WPPI special event.

Canon Reception
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 8-10 p.m., MGM Grand Conference Center, Level 3, Rooms 312-320. All WPPI attendees are invited to an ’80s-themed night of great music, entertainment, fun, and networking, all sponsored by Canon. The Canon Reception, an annual tradition, is always one of the highlights at WPPI.

WPPI Awards Night
Wednesday, Feb. 22
, 6:30-9 p.m., MGM Grand Conference Center, Level 3, Rooms 312-320. Professional Photographers Tony Corbell and Kevin Kubota will be emceeing the WPPI 2012 Awards Ceremony, a prestigious event that honors the winners of the Awards of Excellence Print & Album Competition along with four winners of the International Photography Competitions. Attendees will join WPPI and its sponsor Nikon for an evening of celebration, refreshments, food and what this event is all about, recognition for excellence in imaging.

For more information about WPPI 2012 and all of its workshops and events, visit www.wppionline.com/wppi-show.shtml. Registration for all WPPI 2012 classes, workshops, events and the trade show is open now at www.wppionline.com/show/register.shtml.

The Full Registration pass is $275 for WPPI members and $399 for non-WPPI members. These rates include one free guest pass, 90 Platform classes to choose from and admission to special evening events and the three-day trade show for wedding and portrait photographers. For information on class offerings and schedules visit www.wppionline.com/show/classes.shtml.

The Next Level of Landscape Photography: Fall Workshop in Zion National Park

Outdoor landscape photography workshop

Master photographers Darrell Moll and Rod Brown are providing hands-on instruction for a fall workshop in Zion National Park, Oct. 30 through Nov. 3, 2011. There are only 10 to 12 spots available for the workshop, so if you’re interested in taking your outdoor landscape photography to the next level, work on reserving your spot now.

Photography workshop for outdoor landscapesThe cost of the workshop is $895, and includes instruction in the field on everything that makes landscape photography pop in one of the most scenic areas of America. Moll and Brown will cover the proper equipment needed and technique, including white balance, RAW versus JPEG, and their thought process on what aperture and shutter speed to use based on what’s before you.

Post capture techniques will be demonstrated as well. While Brown is a Nikon user who prefers Lightroom, Moll is a Canon user who prefers Adobe Camera Raw and Bridge, so everyone should feel comfortable. They are also well versed with many of the plug-ins like those from nik Software.

Brown knows Zion National Park very well, having photographed there many times over the years, but both will scout out the area a few days ahead of the workshop to find the best places to capture based on conditions at the time.

You’ll see firsthand how they work an area, as well as their different perspectives on each scene, and get additional tips and tricks along the way while you shoot with them. While one will be roaming all the time asking if you need a hand or answering questions, the other will be shooting so you can see afterwards what they saw, how they chose to capture it, and how their use of angles, lens selections and filters make such a difference in the results.

There will be various door prizes from the workshop’s sponsors, which include LexJet, Lowepro, NIK, Midwest Photo Exchange, and Singh-Ray Filters.

Photographing outdoor landscapesBoth photographers hold Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsmen Degrees from the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), are Ohio Certified Professionals and PPA International Jurors. Moll holds an Approved Imaging Instructor Degree from PPA and Brown is one of only 106 American Society Fellows. Both have won Ohio Photographer of the Year more than once and have each been awarded the coveted PPA Diamond Photographer of the Year Award.

For more information and to register for the workshop, go to www.ddnlw.com or call 419-668-1293.