Photography conventions have always been a source of inspiration for me, beginning with programming by industry leaders, a world-class tradeshow, and an extremely large International print exhibit.

But the most inspiring part of this weekend were the people. Everyone I met was a source of inspiration. I remember being one of the younger photographers at these conventions. I looked up to the older, more experienced generation of professionals and worked hard to compete with them in the quality of my images and the success of my studio.

Over the past five years our industry has experienced a large shift in both age and gender of professional photographers, attracting an incredibly large number of females under the age of 40. Suddenly, I find myself not only being older than a majority of my competitors, but something of an “old man” among a sea of “young women.”

While at the convention, I attended the Annual Awards Banquet of the American Society of Photographers. The ASP membership is by invitation only, consisting exclusively of Master Photographers (print competition award winners) and Photographic Craftsmen (Speakers and Competition Judges). By virtue of the time it takes to earn either or both of these distinctions, a majority of the ASP members are over the age of 50 (my playgroup).

Seventy Five percent of the images in the International Print Exhibit were created by ASP members. That alone speaks for itself as to the high caliper of work this small group creates.

Needless to say, that while walking the tradeshow floor or attending programming among all the young, female newcomers, I felt akin to a third wheel or a fish out of water. This inspired me to want to create better images and give the young guns a run for their money competition-wise, not to mention show them how a photography studio is meant to be run.

Then, while attending the ASP banquet, I was inspired again - on a major scale! How could I NOT be? That room was full of my idols - the photographers I’ve been looking up to for 25 years!

Ultimately, the PPA convention was a huge success for me. Good programming, great images, and people who inspire. Whether they inspire me to create better images, or to outwit, outplay, and outlast my competition – I drew inspiration from all of them.

We’ve seen many returning clients recently who, as a result of a sour economy over the last two years, had responded to another photographer’s Groupon ad or just hired a brand new photographer who practically gave their work away in exchange for experience.

As has become the norm for newcomers with little to no professional experience, they do all their work at a local park, use “all natural light” (they own no lighting equipment), and they fancy their “style” as “photojournalistic” (which has become industry code for knowing nothing about posing or composition).

They use the “spray and pray” method of shooting – firing off hundreds of images in the hopes of getting one or two good ones. Then they cover up bad technique and deplorable lighting with any number of Photoshop tricks, plug-ins, actions, and gimmicks, and burn it all to a CD to give to the client, leaving them to figure out how and where to have prints made.

Not exactly what would be described as a “professional” business model. Not at all.

It was great to see these returning (and some new) clients again this fall. They weren’t at all shy about telling us their horror stories either. Sad, what so many are promoting as “professional photography” these days. Unfortunately, that clock can’t be turned back, but there’s still hope for the future. There are still quality professional studios out there, and we’re thrilled to welcome you back.

Welcome back to Quality. Welcome to Newsome’s.

Let’s face it; the preview window on the back of the camera was the game-changer. It supplied an awful lot of false confidence to the untalented masses that they too, can call themselves a “professional photographer.” Toss in a “fix it in Photoshop” mentality, and add a double dose of praise heaped on them by their facebook friends (“Awesome pics!” “Beautiful photos!” “Fantastic images! You should GO PRO!”), and you have a recipe for disaster, playing right into the psyche of bored, unemployed mothers of young children everywhere. (Don’t get mad at me, the demographics back me up on that one).

The reaction within the industry to “Missy MWAC” has been split, with an advantage going to those in support of her videos and begging for more (she’s acquired nearly 900 facebook friends in just over two weeks). Her YouTube channel – with only five videos – has received over 100,000 views in the same amount of time, with many photographers and bloggers reposting links on their facebook pages and blogs worldwide (yes, I’m now one of them).

Viewer reaction can be categorized in four ways:

• You “get it” that it’s satire and you love the humor (typical reaction from a long-time pro);
• You “get it” that it’s satire and you’re insulted, thereby hating her (typical reaction from an MWAC);
• You “don’t get it” as satire and believe she’s really who she says she is and you hate her for being an MWAC (typical reaction from a really dense long-time pro who can’t believe anyone would give advice like hers); or
• You “don’t get it” as satire, believe she’s really who she says she is, and you love her and want to be her (typical reaction from a totally clueless MWAC).

*A footnote here… her flawless performances have fooled and angered MANY, yet after they caught on, fell in love with her*.

At least one blogger who fits into category #2 (with the exception of having the wrong genitals) has labeled her a “cyber-bully” and stated that anyone who thought it was funny “should be ashamed of themselves.”

Sorry Pal, not me. I think she’s hysterical and I see it as satire on a genius scale (that makes me category #1). If Kristen Wiig did this on SNL the world would be doubling over in laughter.

At any rate, this is a few minutes of fun, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

CLICK HERE →  MWAC ATTACK – Episode 1 – The Camera  ← CLICK HERE

Missy MWAC

It’s this simple – UPGRADE YOUR IMAGE FOR ONLY $89! Call South Tampa and Carrollwood’s BEST PHOTOGRAPHER 2011! See you on the 14th!