PWP President, Madeline Ring. Photo © Susan Raab

Greetings from the Board

In this first newsletter for 2010 we want to remind you our website is more than a pretty face – make it work for you!!!!

Our Web chair has provided a tutorial on how to maximize your opportunity to be found in this month’s Web Tips and we all can help each other by spreading the word about the terrific new photographer search capability on the web site. Sooo

please spread the word about our robust PWP Photographers Search to all the art buyers, gallerists, and photographers you know!

Create the buzz! http://pwponline.org/page.php?page=search

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EXHIBITIONS – REMINDER

Time is running out!!!!

Submissions for Americana, scheduled for the MH Art & Framing Gallery April 17-May 22, 2010 are due February 15, 2010

Americana: The dictionary defines it as things associated with the culture and history of America, especially the United States.

In a time of globalization and multiculturalism within and without our borders, how do we define Americana today?

What does it mean to you? Is it a place, an icon, an artifact, a person or group of people, a political ideology, an attitude, or even a state of mind? We are looking for images that reflect your personal vision. When the viewer looks at your image he/she should be able to instantly recognize its relation to being “of or about something uniquely American.”

Please go to the PWP website for more information and to download the call. www.pwponline.org

Submission for this show is for PWP members only.  Interested in submitting and not a member – log on to the web site and join us!!!!

As always, the Exhibitions Committee is looking for PWP members interested in launching future juried exhibitions for our members.  It is a great way to learn about jurying and curating as well as forging great friendships within the organization. Contact Katie Mantell if you are interested Katie8e@gmail.com

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH (and a little quiz)

Looking forward to Women’s History Month, here are a few thoughts from PWP leaders:

“As women photographers we needed a place where we could talk about how to carve out a life for ourselves….  Today we are no longer a minority in this field; we carry equally heavy loads, travel as far, expose ourselves to the same dangers, and hang in museums and galleries all over the world.”

Mariette Pathy Allen, President, 1984 – 1992

“I only planted the seed for the group 25 years ago.  But PWP’s survival and strength has come from all the women who have volunteered their time and enthusiasm over those years, who have continued to nurture and expand the concept.”

Dannielle B. Hayes, Founder, President 1975 – 1977

“It is important to remember that PWP’s goal was to advance photography for all women, not for just a few.”

Dianora Niccolini, President, 1980 – 1984

For what occasion were these quotes recorded and in what publication did they appear?

If you know the answer please contact Catherine Kirkpatrick at firemusedesign@aol.com.

MARCH MONTHLY MEETING

Our Monthly Meeting will be held Wednesday March 3, 2010 at

The Church of St. Paul the Apostle

405 West 59th Street

(second floor)

New York NY 10019

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Our guest speaker this month will be Jill Enfield and the curtain raiser will be Sara Signorelli.

Jill Enfield, one of the country’s most respected hand-coloring artists, is the author of Photo Imaging: A Complete Guide to Alternative Processes, which won the Golden Light Award for Best Technical Book of 2002. She has taught hand-coloring and non-silver techniques at Parsons, The New School, FIT, NYU. Long Island University and ICP. Nikon has honored Jill by featuring her on their website as a “Legend Behind The Lens” photographer as well as in their Full-Line product guide. Her work has appeared in such publications as National Geographic, LIFE, Camera Arts, Fortune, PDN, Hasselblad’s FORUM Magazine, Nikon World, Camera & Darkroom Techniques, Archive Books, Step by Step, Shutterbug, Popular Photography, Digital Camera, The NY Times Magazine, Women’s Day and ZOOM.

We look forward to seeing you there. Come at 6 and enjoy the snacks we have for sale as well as a half hour to connect with other PWP members.

The Board

IMPRINTS

WINTER ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE

PWP’s official magazine, IMPRINTS, has just released its Winter issue on The Art of Photography.  It is another wonderful edition that is a pleasure to read and graced with an eye catching photograph taken by our cover contest winner – Erika Nusser. Copies were distributed at the February monthly meeting and will be mailed to members who were not in attendance.  Articles include Photo-based Collage; a discussion of the art of film versus digital photography; an interview with the artists Jill and Dan Burkholder, a review of the Robert Frank exhibit at the Met and more.

It is a wonderful vehicle for spreading the word about PWP.  Extra copies can be obtained for distribution to schools, libraries, frame shops, photo stores etc. so let us know if you need more.

AD SALES CONTEST HEATS UP

There’s still time to collect valuable prizes and help PWP build revenue by joining other members who are selling ads for the Spring issue of IMPRINTS Magazine.  Our magazine can become an important source of revenue for the organization and is a very good way for photo related businesses to reach an audience of Professional Women Photographers.

Here is how it works -

Sell more than $200 in ads, you’ll receive a one-of-a-kind hand designed tee-shirt from www.civilianbasics.com.

Sell more than $350 in ads, you’ll receive a complimentary business card ad in IMPRINTS, a $50 value!

Sell more than $500 in ads, you’ll receive a complimentary one-year membership in PWP, worth $125!

Sell more than $1000. you’ll receive a triple bonus: the tee-shirt, your own business card ad, AND a one-year PWP membership.

We have ad sales packages all set up and ready to go – contact Patricia Gilman at patriciagilman@gmail.com for more information.

SPRING EDITION COVER CONTEST

The fabulous image on the cover of our  IMPRINTS winter edition was by Erika Nusser, the winner of the contest for an image that best described the Art of Photography. The focus of spring edition is The Technology of Photography. PWP members are invited to submit one image that you feel best represents Technology in Photography (either old or new.)

Images must be received by Feb 28, 2010. Details for submission are covered in a separate communication from the Publications Committee.

The Publications Committee will select the cover photograph.  The member whose image is selected will be asked to write a short statement on why she believes their photograph best represents technology in Photography. (The statement may be edited for length before it appears in the magazine.)

Only one image per member will be accepted.

Questions? Please send an email to magazine@pwponline.org.

Thank you!

MET PHOTO CONSERVATION TOUR

SECOND DATE ADDED

PWP is proud to be able to provide its members with an opportunity to tour the Photography Conservation Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The response to the announcement was tremendous and the date set sold out quickly. For those members who were not able to sign up for the special PWP tour  in April, we’re happy to announce that the Met has agreed to repeat the event on Thursday, May 27th.  If you are interested in attending, please email terry.berenson@gmail.com for cost and reservation details.

STUDENT AWARDS EXHIBITION

Awards Reception

The 6th Annual Student Awards competition is up and running.  The submissions are in and this year we have 75 students.  The geographic area has been extended to include Nassau, Westchester and Rockland Counties, and Nassau has come through with flying colors.

March 21 through April 1, 2010

Opening awards reception Sunday March 21 from 4-7PM

The Ernest Rubenstein Gallery

The Educational Alliance

197 East Broadway

New York, New York

Look for your invitation soon!!!!

The opening reception will also have a silent auction. The committee is working hard on getting items.  If you have something that you would like to donate, or would like to solicit from your local business (photography related or not – dinners at restaurants, theater tickets, haircuts, gym memberships, framing, matting, film, cameras) please let us know.  The auction chair is Jan Wetzel  janicewetzel@gmail.com.

Invite your friends and neighbors, gallery owners, teachers, other photographers.  We would like this to be the best awards event ever.

WEBSITE TIPS – FEBRUARY 2010

Keywords

Keywording your images provides the most robust way for your photography to be found on the web, and may be the most important technique you can use to bring editors, art buyers, and gallerists to you.

How:

Keywords live in the metadata of your image file.  Metadata is “data about data” that you provide and becomes part of the File Info fields of your image.  One way to get the information into the metadata is through Adobe Photoshop. Go to File>File Info and up pops a window to populate with very important information about yourself, your business, image title, what location you were on, and the most important fields – your Copyright information, Rights information, and the Keywords fields (boxes). Keywords should be one word descriptors that you want to associate with the image – for example Broadway, or waterfall etc.

What:

What to place in the Keywords field?  Good question.  When you click OK in the File Info area in Photoshop, the words you have typed into this field will automatically be separated with commas since keywords should all be one-word descriptions of something related to the content of the image.  Begin with obvious descriptive terms for the image – ex. blue, ball, beach, ocean, child, beachchair.  To get more strategic, put yourself in the place of a person searching for an image and add terms that might not be literal descriptions of your image – ex. vacation, tropics, resorts, Caribbean, warm, relaxing, sand.

The more keywords you put in your keywords field, the more likely your image will show up in the return results of someone that is looking for the type of image you have shot.

Keywords & your PWP Portfolio:

The new PWP website’s focus was on our members’ success and visibility as a number one priority.  Knowing that most photographers actively populate their File Info>Keywords fields and understand the value of keywords the PWP Member Portfolio photo upload was designed so once you upload your 10 images, your keywords will show in the editing area. Here you can modify your keywords or add to them!

Having keywords associated with your image makes your PWP Portfolio images a very useful tool for connecting art buyers searching the internet with you.  Most specifically, the PWP Photographers search, has a keyword search function.  When they search a keyword that is associated with your image, your portfolio will be in their search return results!

An important tool for you:

PWP is committed to providing tools that expose our members’ talents and professionalism.  And, keywording your images by placing keywords in your File Info (metadata) or modifying the keywords section in your photo uploads your PWP Portfolio will bring more attention to you and your work and your PWP Portfolio!

Spread the Word

Please spread the word about our robust PWP Photographers Search to all the art buyers, gallerists, and photographers you know!

http://pwponline.org/page.php?page=search

2010-2011 PWP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board Nominations & Nominating Committee

In keeping with PWP By Laws, it’s time for a 3 member Nominating Committee to be appointed. Please send your name or a nominee to be considered. Also, send nominations for the next Board that will be forwarded to the Nominating Committee when it’s in place. You may nominate yourself as well. We expect there will be four to five vacancies as current directors complete their three year commitments

New board members will join a dynamic group of fabulous can-do women who are moving our organization forward in so many ways. Work on the Board is collaborative, challenging and fun. Please contact Janice Wood Wetzel at janicewetzel@gmail.com or call her at 212-362-0755. Jan  looks forward to hearing from you.

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The PWP Board