Paul Rogers Photography

Working on becoming certified

Paul Rogers — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:03:53 GMT

Hello again,

One of the benefits or privileges of being a member of the national Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is that they have discounts on a photographers certification test. This involves what has been described as a grueling test as well as submission of 25 or so 8x10 images for review.

There is a suggested reading list for this certification and I have started down this path. I have started reading the book "Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting". I also purchased "Basic Studio Lighting: The Photographer's Complete Guide to Professional Techniques" and another book called "Photography".

The next AzPPA meeting will be mostly about the upcoming certification tests in January and maybe February. The tests are only give at either national or state PPA conventions. The national convention is in January and normally the state PPA convention is in February. I don't know if there will be a state convention this year so soon after the national which will be in Phoenix this year.

Anyway, wish me luck, pray for me, and ask me how it is going. I will be sure to let you know the results of the upcoming certification test just as soon as I do.

Until next time,

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
Preserving memories for all time
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com/

MerchantCircle follies

Paul Rogers — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:32:17 GMT

Hello again,

So which of you is calling MerchantCircle asking if I am a verified business? I have gotten a couple of calls in the last few months from MerchantCircle telling me that people are calling them asking if my listing
is for a verified business. Now for $2.99 per month, I can get a "verified business" badge for my MerchantCircle listing.

Just in case you are curious, I have a "Transaction Privilege Tax" (sales tax) ID number, I have a business license with the town of Gilbert, I am registered with the BBB and my business is registered as an LLC. Also I have business insurance and am a member of both the national and local Professional Photographers of America and WPPI. I don't know how much more verified I can be.

Personally I think this is simply a ploy to get $2.99 per month for my listing on MerchantCircle.

I am not falling for it.

Until next time,

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
Preserving memories for all time
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com/

Apple does good

Paul Rogers — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:15:38 GMT

Hello again,

I have written in the past about Shopping Annoyances with stores. I thought that I should also share about a store that did really well.

The only Apple products I own is an iPod that I received for Christmas. Well I started having trouble with it. Specifically when I plugged it in to sync, iTunes said it was in recovery mode and I would need to restore. The first time this happened, it seemed to recover and I reloaded all my music and podcasts.

Then yesterday, I wanted to sync again and iTunes again said the iPod was in recovery mode and I needed to restore. I did. After rebooting I got the same error message. I tried a different USB port and still got the same results. Time for a visit to the Apple Store to see about getting this fixed.

I walked back to the "Genius Bar" and was asked if I had an appointment (I didn't, nor did I realize that I needed one). Thankfully they had finished with the previous client early and had a cancellation so they were able to fit me in. That was the first good thing.

The "genius" listened to what I had to say (good thing #2) and immediately thought he knew what the problem was. He did run some diagnostics to confirm his thinking. The iPod was making clicking noises. I didn't hear them but then apparently you need to hold the iPod to your ear to actually hear the clicking.

I was told that Apple's policy is to do free replacements for the first 180 days if you don't have AppleCare. My "gift" was purchased at Best Buy with their extended warranty, not Apple's. Since it was received as a Christmas gift I was about 2 weeks beyond the 180 days. Thoughts of Murphy's law regarding things that brake came to mind. I was told that it would cost $29.95 to swap with a new unit.

I didn't have the receipt with me so going to Best Buy to attempt a repair/exchange would have meant going back home and almost back to the same location which I didn't want to do. The genius at Apple was willing to "flex" the 180 day rule and swapped my broken iPod for a new one (good thing #3).

I didn't ask for this "flexing" of the rules. I was willing, though frustrated, to go home and then go back to Best Buy. I didn't have to. Not only did it save me time and potential frustration dealing with Best Buy, but it also saved me gas. In addition, Apple is one step closer to getting me to purchase more of their products.

Until next time,

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
Preserving memories for all time
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com/

A great session

Paul Rogers — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:32:39 GMT

Hello again,

Shortly after the graduation ceremony that I photographed for Desert Hills High School, I had a parent call about senior photos. This parent had been given incorrect information as they were lead to believe that it was already too late to do senior photos for their student who just became a senior! I explained when the deadline was to get a senior photo submitted for the yearbook that was not the traditional school photo.

This family is remarkable in that all their kids are home schooled. This obviously is not the right choice for every family but with the stuff I read about going on in the public schools, it something maybe more parents should consider. That is a whole other topic that I don't want to get into right now.

I was able to meet with Corey and get some really good images of him. He didn't want to do multiple outfits and multiple locations. He really just wanted some simple images in a single outfit. Towards the end I was able to get him to experiment a little as the last image will show.

The initial session was great as I got to know some pretty incredible people. The presentation session was even better. Not only was Mom happy with the images we captured, but I also got the chance to get to know Corey's older sister a little bit.

A recruiter had contacted her about joining the military. During the initial interview, the recruiter learned that she was home-schooled and felt initially she wouldn't qualify to do the job she wanted to because of that. Well she took the test and let's just say the recruiter had a large dose of humble pie. It turns out to qualify for the job she was going for you have to score at least a 75 on the test. She scored 104! Way to go! I think that is a lesson that we can all learn, for the umpteenth time, not to judge folks based on external things or even their method of schooling.

I'll get off my soap-box now and show you some of the images of Corey.

	This young man means business.
While I would like to claim some great level of pre- visualization, in all honesty I cannot. Instead while working on this image, I saw this when I was zoomed in and it just screamed to me to be cropped this way.
	Well I was finally able to pry the hat off his head and get the jacket off. I must of had a funny moment as I was able to capture this "real" smile.
This is really a preview of what Corey will look like in May of 2009.
	Before leaving Corey did share his favorite pose. It took some coaxing to get the real Corey to come out. A barrel and some pirate clothing and he could be the next Captain Morgan!

Until next time.....

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com

Paul joins NILMDTS

Paul Rogers — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:38:10 GMT

Good evening,

I want to tell you about something I am doing that I hope you never need. EVER! This is like insurance in that you obtain it with the hope and prayer that you never need it. When I attended my first WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) convention in 2006, I heard Sandy Puc' conclude her program by talking about NILMDTS. NILMDTS stands for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. Sandy related a story of how someone who had seen Sandy's images in the hospital called with a special request. This person had given birth to her son who was not going home from the hospital. They called Sandy to take images of their baby before he went to be with the Lord.

The images Sandy captured helped the parents through the grieving process. Together Sandy and that mother started NILMDTS so that other parents not taking their baby home from the hospital could have beautiful images to help them with their grieving.

I felt moved by God to join. However, it took over 2 years of prayer before I finally decided to join. Part of it was fear that I would somehow mess up these images. These parents are dealing with the fact that their child is not going home and counting on the images that I would capture. I was gripped with fear that I would only make matters worse if I somehow messed things up. I talked with several photographers, asked my Christian Business Networking group to pray and heard Sandy talk about NILMDTS a couple of more times before I overcame my fear.

Photographers agree to show up at the hospital or hospice and capture images of the baby and provide them at no charge to the family. They may also provide a DVD slideshow if they desire. This is done by photographers on a volunteer basis.

My reason for telling you this is two-fold. First, if you ever find yourself or someone you know going through this, I want you to know about this service. My hope and prayer for you is that you will never need this. The second reason is to tell you to not let fear keep you from doing what God puts on your heart to do. For me, I knew in 2006 that it was something God wanted me to do. I let 2 years of fear keep me from helping others and receiving blessings by helping others.

If you ever do find yourself in need of photographer because your baby is not going home with you, you can contact NILMDTS at http://www.nilmdts.com/

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
Preserving memories for all time
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com/

H.I.S. is fantastic

Paul Rogers — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:39:00 GMT

I haven't written in awhile. Things have been really busy. Some of it has been the photography business. Most of it has been other things.

It had been my intention to highlight members of my Christian Business Networking group. Unfortunately, sitting down with them, with my schedule, is virtually impossible. Getting them to fill out a form to get me some information, has proven equally difficult.

Since I still want to let you know about members in my networking group, I thought I would start relaying stories of members that I have worked with.

The latest one has been Norm from H.I.S. Home Services. Norm and his wife work together at this. Norm does handyman type jobs while his wife Sherry does organization and staging. While many would attest to the fact that I should be calling upon Sherry, it was Norm that I had the opportunity to see in action recently.

There were several "honey-do" items that I either didn't have the know how for, like putting a spring on the gate to make it self closing, to things I just haven't had the time to do.

Norm to the rescue. In a few hours he took care of a porch light, two gates, a garage door opener and a sprinkler problem. He also arranged to have an electrician come over and install a badly needed ceiling fan in the office. It gets awfully warm in the office with several computers and monitors all on at the same time. Not only did he arrange for the electrician, he came back while the electrician was present and helped with clean up and several other things.
I cannot recommend Norm highly enough. If you have one of those honey-do lists that never gets done, or you can never get your spouse to do, call Norm and he will take good care of you. Send me an email or give me a call and I will be happy to put you in touch with Norm. If you prefer, you can surf on over to the website of H.I.S. Home Services.

If you do contact Norm, or Sherry, be sure to tell them I sent you. Also let me know if you are as pleased with their service as I am.

Until next time,

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
Preserving memories for all time
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com/

Happy Independence Day!

Paul Rogers — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:38:51 GMT

Hello again,

July 4th. It is a day we set aside to celebrate the independence of the United States from Britain. We also celebrate and remember the sacrifices made by those in our history to secure the freedoms we now have. So what do you do to celebrate the 4th of July? Is it going to the fair, setting off fireworks in your driveway (assuming that is legal where you live), bbq with friends and family?

A few years ago my family and I spent the afternoon (starting at about 4pm) until 10pm at a park several miles from our home. That fact that I was getting paid to shoot pictures figured in to the decision as to where to go <grin>.

I thought I would share some pictures from that day. Make sure you visit the link at the bottom. When I read it, it really made me think about our celebration.

The park we went to was in the City of Chandler. I thought it was appropriate to get a picture of the park sign with a tumbleweed next to it. Maybe you just have to be me to see the humor in that. No the city didn't plant it there. In fact they come through and remove them because when they dry out and "tumble" they get to be a hazard in wind storms and usually end up piled up against a fence somewhere.

Our local National Guard unit brought out some of their hardware and hoisted the flag.

Some of the members from the local National Guard.

In spite of the 104 degree temperature, people still come out for a 4th of July party.

After sunset, folks started to settle somewhat waiting for the band and eventually the fireworks.

The band Plastic Gladys entertained the crowd until it was time for the fireworks.

Yes that is former leader of our church worship band rocking out. It isn't that different on Sunday mornings except for the hats and shorts.

Finally the fireworks started. These were set to music, but I don't now remember what the songs were.

In closing I would like to wish you a safe and joy-filled independence day celebration.

I came across this article on another website and just felt I had to share. The title is A Visitor From The Past.

If you care to share, I would like to know what you think about the article, or just about anything else.

Until next time....

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
Preserving memories for all time
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com/

Bellies & Babies

Paul Rogers — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:48:15 GMT

Hello again,

Those of you that keep coming back and reading my blog....thank you. If you have any topics (preferably about photography) you would like to see covered, simply comment to any of the blog posts and I will put it on the list of things to blog about. Now if I know little or nothing about it, like sports, I probably won't write anything. After all that would be a rather boring post.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I went to hear a Master Photographer, Sandy Puc', talk about Bellies and Babies. She mostly covered the babies part and it was a great seminar. The only downside, besides being almost out in the wilderness, at least it seemed that way, was the fact that after 5 hours, it seemed like she was just getting started. I don't know if I could have lasted another 5 hours, but I would have loved to try. Getting up the next morning for work would have been tough, but worth it.

Not only did Sandy give lots of good information, she shared part of who she is with the group and why she does some of the things she does. She shared how her business has grown from being just her in her home to having many employees and a spacious studio.

Sandy arranged to have a demonstration shoot with both a newborn and an expecting mother. I think that was awesome. I wish she had more time to work with the expectant mother but stuff happens.

Sandy has two more tours in the next couple of years. God willing I will be at both of them. She is an excellent speaker, accomplished photographer and a great teacher.

Until next time,

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
Preserving memories for all time
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com/

Drew

Paul Rogers — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:31:14 GMT

Hello again,

I had lots of fun capturing Drew. I tried several different backgrounds and different angles. He was just learning to sit up so in some of them it almost looks like he has no midsection.

I was a little disappointed when his mom showed up to view the images without him. She is a very nice lady and all but I was hoping to see Drew again. I just love babies. Unfortunately Drew had pink-eye and mom thought it best to not share that. So yet again, "Mom Knows Best". As much as I wanted to see Drew again, I didn't want pink-eye. Been there done that. Don't want to do it again.

Enough about me and my attachment to babies, let me show you some of the pictures from the session.

Drew was real happy to get his hands on a stuffed Joey that I have at the studio. I used the kangaroo on my head and near the camera to draw his attention towards me.

Drew has eyes for mom. He didn't seem to mind sitting on the table
but was frequently looking for the familiar face he knows and loves.

Drew's daddy is a major Cardinals fan. Drew seems pretty happy about it .

With that dashing smile and stunning good looks, I'm sure that Drew will drive the girls wild. Of course it will be several years before that happens. Unless of course he turns out to be like the little boy in my daughter's preschool class. He asked her to marry him at the ripe old age of three! What scares me more....she said yes!

But that is another story for another time.

Until next time,

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography
Preserving memories for all time
http://www.MemoriesForAllTime.com/

Congratulations Alex

Paul Rogers — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:39:14 GMT

I had the pleasure a month and a half ago to finally meet up with Alex for his Senior portraits. Procrastination, getting stuck in the sand and my knee surgery all contributed to doing this session later in the year than we wanted to. Fortunately, when we finally did get together, we were able to get some great images that mom really liked.

By the way it was Alex getting stuck in the sand and procrastination in booking the session. The knee issues were all mine but now I am pain free and my knees are getting stronger so I am thrilled that it was done.

I finally got around to picking 4 images from Alex's senior session to share with you. Without further delay.....here's Alex!

We started off with some indoor shots.

I did manager to convince him to take off the had for a few of the images.

Then we took it outside. These were taken at the Riparian preserve which is behind the Gilbert Public Library.

And finally, I got a picture of him sitting down

Until next time...

Paul
Owner - Paul Rogers Photography