Thanks for yet another great State Fair Social Shoot! The event went very well with a large turn out… not to mention the fair was PACKED with people, which added to the challenge. From early reports, it sounds like everyone had a wonderful time and if nothing else, got to enjoy the State Fair for an evening!

For those of you who are wondering what the event was all about, here are some background details:

• The IPC Student “Social Shoots” are a perk of being an IPC student, current or past. Put simply, we get together and photograph something interesting (an event, location, project, etc.). An instructor is usually available for questions and advice. Students learn from each other and pick up techniques by observing their peers. Past events have included the Indy Cultural Trail, several parks, Mass Ave, Race For The Cure, and many more.

   

• The IPC State Fair Social Shoot took place on August 17th. It was a 24-hour competition. Participants were introduced to the competition specifics and categories around 6:30pm. The deadline for their photo submissions was 8pm August 18th… just over 24 hours later. The event was designed to mirror an actual photography assignment with a strict deadline (ie: a client with a contract). Prizes are awarded for 1st place in each category, along with one “Best of Show”… a total value of over $350 in prizes.

Without further delay, here are the judging results from this year’s event:

Best of Show: Lisa Weartz

Prize: $50.00 cash and an Indy Photo Coach Private Lesson

Category 1: Year Of The Pig

First Place: Katharine Jensen

Honorable Mention: Kate Bordenkecher

Category 2: Red, White & Blue

First Place: Kate Bordenkecher

Honorable Mention: Lisa Rooney

Category 3: Lights

First Place: Nathan Rhoades

Honorable Mention: Katharine Jensen

Category 4: Creative

First Place: Lisa Weartz

Honorable Mention: Matthew Carroll

Full Results

Slideshow of all entries (Click here)

Entries were scored by 5 judges, based on:

• Artistic Merit & Composition (1-10 points)
• Technical Quality (1-10 points)
• Originality (1-10 points)
• Level of photographic challenge (1-10 points)
• 10 = Perfect, 5 = Average, 1 = Below Average
• Total: 40 possible points per judge, 200 points total
• Total scores: 200=Perfect, Above 100 = Above average, Below 100 = Below average

If you’d like to view all the entries, click here for a slideshow. Again, thank you to everyone who participated. Awards will be mailed to the winners within a week.

If you’d like to participate in our next Social Shoot events, remember, these are a “perk” of being an IPC student! Join our community!

YOU gain experience and a portfolio shooting an actual wedding, without the stress and responsibility of going it alone.

Join IPC for a rare opportunity: IPC instructor and well-known Indianapolis wedding photographer, Sarah Newman is your coach through an entire wedding, from start to finish.  Opportunity limited to FIVE students.

Experience includes:

• Pre-wedding preparation
• Day-of guidance
• Coaching through the entire wedding
• Post-shoot editing instruction

Details about wedding: ~150 attendees for a beautiful, outdoor wedding in Carmel, followed by an outdoor reception.

Pre-requisite: IPC Wedding Photography Course (September students are eligible) or IPC Wedding Private Lessons

Criteria:

• Must be available for the entire event (Saturday, October 2, 1:00p-9:00p)
• Must provide IPC a small portfolio which demonstrates capabilities (no wedding photos required)
• Must provide a file/CD of edited images to bride & groom after wedding

Cost: $175 for more than 10 hours of instruction, shooting experience, portfolio images and editing instruction.

Opportunity limited to FIVE students.

Email us today if interested: weddings@indyphotocoach.com

One of the benefits of taking an Indy Photo Coach class or lesson is our Social Shoot events.  These are monthly gatherings of past/current IPC students to socialize, practice photography, critique photos, share knowledge, learn from others and have fun.

Last month, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail (ICT) requested that we host a Social Shoot on the trail.  The cultural trail connects several of the Indianapolis art districts.  It is a partially finished walk/bike trail which is receiving international press attention because cities like Paris, France cannot figure out how Indianapolis was able to remove a lane of traffic and replace it with 20 feet of sidewalk devoted to art installations.  With all this press attention, they have NO PHOTOS to provide the press outlets.  Providing the ICT with photos for promotional use was the goal of the Social Shoot.

The Social Shoot event was a blast and the photos were submitted to the Cultural Trail.  They plan to use a few of the shots in an upcoming spread in Indianapolis Monthly!  Here are two of their choices:

Photo by David Scott, past Indy Photo Coach student

Photo by Sarah Newman (Indy Photo Coach Instructor)

Congratulations to David and Sarah!

Social Shoots are only open to current or past students!  If you are interested in joining the IPC Social Shoots, make sure to sign up for the next class or contact us for a lesson.

On June 4th, the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA) will be exhibiting photographs of architect Evans Woollen’s work in Indianapolis.  Woollen is best known for his architecture design in Clowes Hall, the Minton-Capehart Federal Building and the recent expansion of the Indianapolis-Marion County Central Library.

Serge Melki has been a student of IPC’s Experience Builder class, HDR workshop and several other events.  During the HDR workshop, he captured the below photo inside the Central Library.  Serge’s photo has been selected to be displayed at the iMOCA among world-renowned photographers, featuring Evans Woollen’s architecture.

Congrats Serge!

IPC is looking for part-time (40-50 hrs/month) administrative help with the possibility of working from home.

Tasks include but not limited to:

• Answer customer emails & phone calls
• Customer service
• Schedule private lessons
• Send Thank You cards
• Track referral programs, gift certificate redemption, etc.
• Fulfill orders and create shipments
• Various other tasks TBA

Requirements:

• Excellent written & spoken English
• Motivation to work unsupervised
• Past experience with photography, or possess photography knowledge
• Flexible schedule, including availability between 5:30p – 6:15p most weekdays
• Impeccable organization skills
• Internet access, home phone (or cell phone)
• Demonstrates the ability to learn complex organization software quickly.
• Availability for training 4-6 weeknights during first month.

If interested, email a resume or brief list of previous work experience, and a few references to: resume@indyphotocoach.com

Flaunt your photography abilities with an IPC “Photographer” T-Shirt!

Now sold in the IPC store!

Click Here

The name “Connie Etter” should ring a bell by now since she’s been recognized quite a few times over the past few months.  One more award to add to her recognition: Robert’s Imaging  “Best of Decade” !

Orange by Connie Etter

Connie says: “Funny, I bought this flower at Home Depot–I fell in love with the color.  The flower was still in its pot so I was able to move it from location to location within my yard.  The color in the background–The blue is different flower and the green is a evergreen.  The slight color of orange is a daylily.  Fun huh? [...] I increased the contrast on the photo slightly in Photoshop Elements 6 but that was all.”

Connie was a past student of both IPC Private Lessons and the Fundamentals of Photography class.

Angie Deatline is a past student of IPC private lessons, and several classes.   She launched a new website this week. Take a peek!

http://www.gracephoto.us

YOU TOO can kickstart your photography learning process. Enroll in an Indy Photo Coach class, workshop or private lesson!

Click here to enroll

The January issue of Indianapolis Monthly (click here to read article) features a story on venues that offer lessons or experiences to help you gain a skill.  Indy Photo Coach is featured as the venue for photography classes and lessons.  As an example of our students’ work, they chose Connie Etter’s photo, “Orange” (seen below).

"Orange" by Connie Etter

Connie Etter’s  photos are often recognized by rich, vivid colors featuring flowers and insects.  Connie has a definite talent for macro photography.  Wish her a congratulations!

2010 is only a few days away and now is the time to start thinking about resolutions.  Sure you could vow to start saving money or go to the gym more often, but wouldn’t photography be a little more fun?

In our post-class student surveys, the students who took the time to do some homework, practice and experiment during the class were 8 times as likely to gain practical photography knowledge.  Practice pays off!

Day 40/365: Mask by CW Thomas

If you have the time, 365 blogs can be a great way to practice for a year, but can also be a huge commitment, but anyone can find the time to take one photograph a week!  IPC is launching a year long photography initiative for 2010: 52 photos in 52 weeks!  Make it your New Year’s photography resolution!

What is a year-long photo project? Basically, it’s a photo a day/week for a year!  It’s an ambitious undertaking, but achievable: one photo per week – 52 photos in 52 weeks! Our favorite example of a year-long photo project:  C.W. Thomas / “TodayIsForever”

How do I do it? Go out and shoot… stay home and shoot… just make sure you take some shots each week and upload your single favorite photograph at some point during the week to IPC’s flickr group.  They can be self portraits, still lifes, portraits, nature, whatever you want.  You can follow a theme for each shot, or make them all different.  It’s up to you!
IMPORTANT: Make SURE to tag your photo in our Flickr group with “52-10″ That way we can find it.   Write a short blurb telling us a little back story on the photo… what inspired you, where you were, or anything that influenced the particular picture.  It could be as simple as “My dog looked cute this morning and the light was just right!”

Why should I do it? Make it your New Year’s resolution!  Be creative and have fun with it!  You’ll be challenged each week and will grow in and learn more about your photography along the way.  Just think, at the end of the year you’ll be able to look back on a moment from each week of 2010!

At the end of the week, we’ll select a photo or two to feature in our newsletter, website and facebook page!

Again, make sure to tag your photo with “52-10″ (minus the quotes) so we can find it!

If you missed the January 1st start date, don’t worry.  Just continue on until this day next year.  

Happy Shooting!!