The quandary I have however: What store to queue up at; what time should I get there and who is coming with me?

Check out my other life (well Tuesdays/Wednesdays anyway)

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/RESULTSdotcom?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wellington-New-Zealand/Stephenson-Thorner/110897628935053

http://www.hubspot.com/archive/facebook-for-business/

Its official, there will be a Wellington regional Photographer of the Year and it could be you!  Enter a minimum of four prints into this years Epson Iris Awards in September and the (Wellington) photographer with the highest scoring four print total will be nominated NZIPP Wellington Photographer of the Year at our regional meeting later in September.
It would be great to see Wellington take out some of the top awards this year,  so feel free to test drive some of your images at our print critique afternoon  on the 13th. See below for details.

Only 2 Weeks away…this is for YOU!

And if this event is to happen we need your registration now!

Sunday 13th June is print critique afternoon

Where : The Back Bencher upstairs
When  : Sunday 13th from 1.00pm

HOW IT WILL WORK

1. You are allowed to submit two prints,  there will be no charge.
2. Judging will be based on the same lines as the NZIPP Iris Awards (although we don’t have a flash scoring system, but Robyn will average the scores with a nifty little computer program on her laptop)
3 . As per last year, each of five judges will write a score out of 100 on a slip of paper and hand it to Robyn, the average will me recorded against your print number.
4. It is recommended that print presentation should be in  - line with the Iris awards, see http://www.nzipp.org.nz/NzippWeb/Default.aspx?tabid=234
5. You will need to register your indention to submit  two prints in by emailing Robyn robyn.greening@xtra.co.nz  by 4th June 2010. On registering with Robyn,  you will be given two  numbers. This will keep everyone anonymous .
6. Use  one of the supplied  numbers on the back of each print please, only Robyn will know who the print belongs to.
7. When all of the prints have gone through we will announce the top scoring print and also the person with the highest combined score of the two prints.

Time permitting there will be a chance to talk to the judges about your print one to one after the prints have gone through.
Anyone wanting to stay for a meal at the Back Bencher  later in the day will most likely be in good company.

Open to feedback on this… what do you think?

www.timeexposure.com

Photography can be a lonely mistress if its your own business. Who can encourage you up when your feeling down? Who has been through it all before? What about your work? Is it good enough? Could it be better? But then who is going to tell you? How can you help the newbies? How can you contribute to your industry and make a difference?

Any of these questions resonate with you?

Come and join me and others every week and be a part  of our big family.  Share, learn, engage.
we meet every Friday for coffee from 9:30 am and this week we are trying the Lighthouse cinema cafe in Petone (52 Beach Street, Petone, Wellington)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Light+House+Cinema+Petone&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=64.92025,135.263672&ie=UTF8&hq=Light+House+Cinema&hnear=Petone,+New+Zealand&z=17&iwloc=A

Now I am just waiting for Lightroom3 – come on Adobe, lets go.

Well it is always sad to shoot the last wedding of the season and this was no exception. Catherine and Paul’s wedding was a fantastic final shoot for us. I even went up in one of the choppers whilst the rest of our crew had to slum it in my car along the long and dusty Pencarrow road!
The ceremony was held at Old St Paul’s then all the guests piled into busses to ferry them to the reception. I took the bridal party for a saunter around Queens Wharf and they had a picnic of toffee pops and Champagne! Soon after, off into the sky we went and over to the Lodge at Pencarrow we flew.

No “unlikely events” happened and we landed safely on a big H for a real Hollywood entry. More photos were asked for so off we went again battling the promise of poor weather. After some more sauntering around the rugged coastline below the hilltop, the food and guests beckoned from the warmth of the orange glow of the lodge – the kids settled down to some parent approved DVD entertainment on a big rug whilst everyone else ate and drank all they could get their hands on! Great food, great wine and a whole lot of great company.   Thanks to everyone who was there for being accommodating to us and a big congrats and a thankyou to the bride and groom, Catherine and Paul for your awesome patience and generosity.

 Wedding Tips

Helicopters are great fun and make a dramatic entrance but have a back up plan just in case the weather turns for the worse
Before your pick your reception location, decide on the approximate number of guests that you will invite to your reception. The room should comfortably accommodate all your guests, without being too small or too large. A small reception in a large room, which makes the reception feel empty. A large reception in a small room can make for an overly snug evening!
The route to Pencarrow is private and requires arrangement and keys. Speak to the lodge and they will fill you in.

Follow us…
Duo facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Photography-by-Duo/140239369384?ref=mf
wedding facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrian-De-la-Fuente-Wedding-Photojournalism/136549893539

1. Stand out. Be different but speak to your market. It is simply too average to have a stand like everyone else. e.g. If you sell cakes and the average stand has a handful of their best cakes on display that mustn’t be touched, then have a stand FULL of tempting cakes that people are also digging into!

2. Engage. Reactive or proactive? I have seen many good books being read at trade shows! Why not put the book down and engage prospects as they saunter near? It’s not about being “pushy” or about a ”hard sell” but it is about being interested! Remember prospects at shows have given you permission to speak with them via their entry ticket!

3. Find an excuse or reason to follow-up. Competition entry forms is an old favourite, but there are many more strategies, what’s yours? It would be wonderful if people kept their promises and come back to you or called you within the week, but the reality is not like that. People are too busy, they procrastinate, they forget; If you don’t follow-up on the hot lead you had, who will? It may be your competition!

And an extra one…

Have fun! You are your brand.  At a trade show, you are on show. For weddings for example, a lot of the business made is founded on the relationship, therefore it pays to be warm and inviting rather than tired and achy!

We are having fun, being proactive on our mad stand today at the Wellington Wedding show… come and see us!
www.thewellingtonweddingshow.co.nz/

Here’s the mistake we make in high school:

We let anyone, just anyone, judge our work (and by extension, judge us.)

Sue, the airheaded but long-legged girl in Spanish class gets the right to judge our appearance.

Bill, the bitter former-poet English teacher gets the power to tell us if we’re good at writing.

And on and on.

The cheerleaders are deputized as the Supreme Court of social popularity, and the gym teacher forever has dibs on whether or not we’re macho enough to make it in the world. These are patterns we sign up for, and they last forever (or until we tell them to go away).

In high school, some people learn to ship, they learn to do work that matters and most of all, they learn to ignore the critics they can never possibly please. The ability to choose who judges your work–the people who will make it better, use it and reward you–is the key building block in becoming an artist in whatever you do

http://duophotography.wordpress.com/