The members of the South Plains Professional Photographer's Association (SPPPA) celebrated the end of summer (August) with a wedding at St Paul's Church on the Plains. The fall seminar brought together a florist, a baker, a decorator, a church lady and scores of brides and grooms to create a mix of instruction and hands on portfolio building experience. Guiding the whole process was Texas' own Mike and Suzy Fulton. Each brought their own lighting style to the day. Mike appreciated that he got to shoot with the one tree in Lubbock.
Mike Fulton guided one group through off-camera flash and lighting while Suzy Fulton focused on the fine art of posing and studio lighting. From the sanctuary to the garden to the reception hall, the thirty plus attendees were click happy.
Mike prefers radio poppers for high speed synch and shared that lighting up the nose is not flattering. However, one of his most popular tips was the light wand. The indoor reception set up included an elegant dinner table and then a cake table. Here, Mike used a popsicle or lightsaber-like light to illuminate details on the table. A huge kudos to Mike--he divided the groups into Canon and Nikon flash users to keep everything easy for the attendees.
Suzy shared some great tips for posing males. She talked about standing in an "unnaturally wide stance." When sitting, she has males make a fist with one hand and then grab it with this other. Having worked as a retoucher for years, Suzy is focused on the finer points of portraits. She demonstrated some of her favorite techniques including the dos and don't of liquify.
During the lunch break, the wedding vendors set up a second reception look outdoors in the courtyard. More romantic, this set up provided the attendees with more details to include in their portfolio.
We truly thank Mike and Suzy Fulton for their commitment to photography education. Due to their work, the fall seminar was a success both financially and practically. New members joined that day and others plan to come to the next meeting. A special thanks also needs to go to the board and guild members who volunteered their own clients as models, found dresses and suits and then coached the models. Everyone did an incredible job.
In July, the SPPPA members came together for an informal potluck and swap meet. Members brought frames, lenses, flashes and other tools to sell or trade. After the deals were made, the members settled in for an evening of cards, games and fellowship.
