FOCUS OREGON - V1 Issue 2

VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 2 

SUMMER 2018 

Mark Fitzgerald, M. Photog., Cr. 

OREGON PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION 

SUMMER 2018 FOCUS OREGON • 1

2018 OPPA BOARD 

President - Lisa Dillon 

M.Photog.Cr., CPP, FP-OR, 

PPA Councilor 2013-2021 

Vice President - Sam Tarrel 

M.Photog.Cr., CPP, FP-OR, CPP Liaison 

Immediate Past President - Aaron Hockley 

Cr.Photog., FP-OR 

Secretary - Bryan Welsh 

M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, FP-OR, 

PPA Councilor, 2016-2021, CPP Liaison 

Treasurer - Aaron Hockley 

Cr.Photog., FP-OR 

Bylaws, Rules, & Ethics - Bryan Welsh 

M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, FP-OR, 

PPA Councilor, 2016-2021, CPP Liaison 

Connie Mintz 

Competition - Rekha Varghese 

Education - Raj Sarda 

AFP-OR 

Marketing & Communications - Julie Countryman 

Member Value - Nancy Steele 

CPP 

Director at Large - Alexis Dowdle 

CONTENTS 

3 Presidents Message 

4 Fees and Licensing 

6 Salmon Pin 

7 Mentorship 

8 Awards Overview 

9 Northwest Cup 

10 Cobalt Studios PDX 

13 5 Tips for Instagram 

15 Selling With Emotion 

18 Luminate 2018 

20 Shooting Manual Focus 

22 Mirrorless VS DSLR 

23 Cover Photo 

FOCUS OREGON 

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2—SUMMER 2018 

Published by the 

Oregon Professional Photographers Association 

14925 SW Barrows Rd. 

Ste. 109 #501 

Beaverton, OR 97007 

Send editorial queries to: 

Lisa Dillon 

president@oregonppa.org 

Magazine Designer: Julie Countryman 

Editors: Julie Countryman, Lisa Dillon, Alexis Dowdle 

Contributors: Lisa Dillon, Alexis Dowdle, Tracy Page, 

Steve Whittaker, and Christine Yodsukar. 

@oregonppa 

2 • FOCUS OREGON

Lisa Dillon, President 

Another FOCUS: Oregon issue is at hand. We thought we’d spend some magazine real 

estate this time around explaining some of the great things about OPPA that people 

might not know about, including an overview of two new things we’re rolling out this 

year—the Northwest Cup and the Salmon Pin. We are shining a spotlight on our newest 

Vendor Partner, Cobalt Studios PDX, a wonderful resource for our members and the 

location of Luminate 2018. And speaking of Luminate—hold the phone! There’s a quick 

overview of what to expect this year for Luminate—dates, speakers, pre-event classes 

and more! And in case you’re wondering what OPPA is doing with Mentorship, there’s an 

article that covers the upcoming mentorship speed-dating event at Lagunitas Brewery 

TapRoom. 

We have some guest contributors as well—ASMP President Steve Whittaker shares 

some useful information on commercial photography bids and contracts and Christine 

Yodsukar gives some useful information on Selling With Emotion in preparation for her 

class on July 25th. 

If you’re in the market for a new camera or perhaps you’ve been wondering how a 

mirrorless camera stacks up against a DLSR, we’ve got an article for you comparing the 

two different systems to help you decide what is best for you and your needs. 

And last but not least, we’re exploring the world of Instagram—are you using it for your 

business? These tips will help you make the most of your time there. I know that I haven’t 

been using Instagram to its greatest potential but I’m feeling better equipped to use it 

now! 

Thanks for taking some time to read through our magazine—and if you’d like to be a part 

of our magazine team (or be a contributing writer), email me at president@oregonppa. 

org. There’s a Salmon Pin point in it for you! 

--Lisa 

President, OPPA 


Fees and 

Licensing 

Rising Above That Downward Spiral 

By Steve Whittaker | www.whittpho.com 

Commercial photography has a very different level of pricing and licensing from real 

estate, portrait or wedding photography. Each market segment is different and gaining 

an understanding of that proper licensing is a key factor. 

Unfortunately, too many photographers are undercharging and may not be aware of the 

value of their images or the lost revenue stream they could have had. 

Those actions create a downward spiral of pricing. By undercutting each other and transferring 

their copyright to clients, just to stay competitive, they are on a race to the bottom. Who 

wins? 

Case in point: “real estate” photographers have a specific value 

to the residential real estate market. They are licensing only to 

the realtor with a very limited usage. When those same “real 

estate” rates are applied to the commercial or architectural 

photographic markets, too many emerging photographers 

are charging a fraction of what they should be and might be 

including their intellectual property as part of the contract. 

That action allows the realtor to potentially transfer that usage 

and let others profit from the photographer’s work such as the 

architect, the builder, the owner, etc. When that copyright is 

transferred to a client, any future potential income from the 

images the photographer created is lost from that revenue 

stream and once you have given it away, it’s gone. The same 

issue is evident with retail photography such as portrait, event 

and wedding photographers crossing over to the commercial 

market. 


Some clients are not willing to change and 

at that point, it’s up to the photographer to 

decide what is in their best interest and focus 

on finding clients that are willing to pay for the 

value we create. 

It’s important to create 

a higher standard in 

our profession. During 

tough economic times, 

the temptation to 

charge below your true 

profit margin just to get 

the assignment is there. 

Downward pressure 

is very real. Especially 

if the client keeps 

demanding more each 

time, pays less and the 

precedent is set for future expectations. 

Learning how to negotiate both fees and terms 

that are in your best interest as a commercial 

photographer is a key factor in staying in 

business. Turning down unreasonable demands 

can take courage but it is just part of doing 

business. The key factor is finding common 

ground where both parties can agree to with 

responsible terms and conditions. 

You can find that information at seminars and 

on-line through professional photographic 

associations such as PPA or ASMP - 

American Society of Media Photographers: 

www.asmp.org 

Pricing software such 

as Cradoc software, 

fotoQuote: www. 

cradocfotosoftware. 

com/fotoquote/ 

fotoquote-pro-demo 

or books such as 

Best Practices for 

Photographers by John 

Harrington: https:// 

amzn.to/2NlmIAm 

Steve is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, moved to the Portland area 

in 2013 and covers local, regional and national assignments. His assignments 

cover everything from aerials, life style, and interior spaces to illuminating the 

exterior surfaces and interior space of buildings for dramatic dusk images. 

His clients include architects, interior designers, advertising agencies, graphic 

designers, construction, hospitality, editorial and corporate direct clients. 

Steve is currently President of ASMP Oregon, served two terms as an ASMP 

National Director and is a past President of the ASMP Northern California 

Chapter. He encourages both emerging and practicing photographers to get 

involved as advocates in promoting best practices in business and in advocacy 

to further the interests in professional photography. 


Salmon Pin 

By Lisa Dillon, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, FP-OR 

Hello OPPA members! We have an exciting new program for everyone called the OPPA Salmon Pin. 

What is the Salmon Pin, you ask? Well, it’s a representation of your participation in OPPA events 

and competitions in a single year. To earn a Salmon Pin, you’d need to acquire 12 Salmon Pin Units 

in one calendar year. You can earn these units for attending paid workshops and classes, entering 

competition, and volunteer service. In fact, you’ll need at least one unit in each area to qualify. To 

track your Salmon Pin Units, you’ll click here to download your Salmon Pin Passport. Bring this to any 

and all OPPA events to get a stamp or a sticker for participating and helping out. Any workshops, 

competitions or volunteer service you rendered this calendar year (even back to January) is eligible 

for inclusion. Bring your passport to a meeting and I’ll personally fill it up for you based on your 

activity. At the end of the year—before November 15th—you’ll need to apply for your Salmon Pin. 

Applications will be reviewed and pins will be distributed at the Member Appreciation Banquet in 

December. 

So how do you get Volunteer Service units? There’s LOTS of opportunity for that. Here are some of 

the things you can do—but this list is not exhaustive—any service you render may qualify. If you have 

questions, talk with a board member to find out. 

• Formal set up/tear down NWP 

• Committee Service 

• Board Service 

• Temp. Committee Service 

• Speaker Host 

• Gift Bag Coordinator 

• Luminate Volunteer 

• Mentorship or Student Participation 

• Class Instructor 

• Magazine Article Writing 

• New Member Packet Mailing 

• Above and Beyond Recognition 

You may be wondering what Above and Beyond Recognition is. That’s when a board member 

recognizes that an OPPA member has made an extraordinary contribution to the running of OPPA 

and deserves extra recognition for that. It may or may not be granted in any given year but the 

opportunity is there for the taking. 

I hope to be one of the inaugural Salmon Pin recipients. I’ve already printed out my Salmon Pin 

Passport and I’m filling it up! Get busy and get your 12 units so you can stand with me at the banquet! 

Remember, OPPA is what *you* make of it—so make it great while you earn your OPPA Salmon Pin. 


Mentorship 

It’s a Member Benefit! 

Hey OPPA members—did you know that our Mentorship Program is a benefit 

of membership in our awesome organization? We are kicking it off this year with 

an awesome social event at the Lagunitas Community Room in Portland! Come 

on out for pizza and beer and sit down with different mentors who are eager to 

meet you. This will be a speed-dating-style event that gives you the opportunity 

to interview different mentors in short intervals, and spend the rest of the time 

socializing with your peers 

and colleagues while 

enjoying delicious pizza and 

Lagunitas beer! If you’ve 

wanted to the opportunity 

to learn from the best in 

the industry, now is your 

chance! Our mentorship 

event is shaping up to be 

a fantastic time. You’ll have 

the opportunity to sit down 

in person with some of the 

best photographers the 

Northwest has to offer, and 

if you hit it off, you’ll get a 

3-month mentorship with 

them to soak up as much 

knowledge as you can! 

Remember, tickets are $5 

for pre-registration but if 

you wait, it’s $10 at the door 

(so don’t wait!). AND your admission price includes pizza and your first drink. 

Each beer after that is $5. Click here to register now and we’ll see you on the 

22nd. We are very excited to host this event and look forward to seeing you at 

Lagunitas on July 22 from 5-8pm! 

Note: While you don't need to attend the 

mentorship speed-dating event to participate 

in the mentorship program, preference will be 

given to those who attend for match-ups with 

their desired mentor. 


Awards Overview 


In October, we will begin taking applications for two very special awards named for beloved 

past members of our parent organizations, PMPA, PPO as well as OPPA. If you know someone 

who fits the bill on either of these awards, keep your eyes peeled for the email that announces 

when applications are open. 

These awards are given annually at our Member Appreciation and Awards Banquet. One of these 

awards honors someone who exemplifies the spirit of our organization and the other honors a 

member who exemplifies the spirit of mentoring. Both of these awards recognize a member who 

truly gives back to the community. You can nominate yourself or someone else for these awards. 

Jerry Auker was passionate about providing photography services to the Muscular Dystrophy 

Association. For at least 7 years, he photographed all the children and their counselors at the 

MDA Camp they attended and provided prints of the images he captured on the last night of 

camp. He used his photography to bless the lives of others. The Jerry Auker Community Service 

Award is presented to the member deemed to have contributed the most significant amount of 

photography related value (services or physical assets) to community service during the year. 

The Bob & Arlene Welsh Mentorship Award is presented to the member deemed to have 

contributed the most significant amount of time and willingness to mentor others in their 

photography during the year. Bob was well known as a teacher and mentor to young and aspiring 

photographers throughout his professional life, passing that legacy down to his children, one of 

whom is an OPPA board member, Bryan Welsh. It was important to the whole Welsh family to 

give back and be part of something greater than themselves. 

In addition to these special awards, OPPA offers an award to the Member of the Year. This 

award recognizes a member who is active in providing service to OPPA through teaching or 

participating on committees, who attends workshops and enters competitions. Only non-board 

members are eligible to receive this award. 

For years, OPPA has presented image competition awards based in entries in the Members 

Only competitions (Photographer of the Year and Division Awards—Best Portrait Photographer, 

Best Illustrative/Commercial Photographer, Best Landscape/Nature Photographer) and also on 

the Annual Open Image Competition (Best Portrait, Best Landscape/Nature, Best Illustrative/ 

Commercial, Best Black and White, Best Color, etc.). But this year, we are adding five new awards 

called the “Elements Awards” to the Annual Open Image Competition. These awards 

celebrate five of the twelve elements of a merit image: Impact , Composition, Creativity, 

Technical Excellence, and Storytelling. These images will be awarded to five different images 

that score an 80 or above in the Open Competition. Judges will we looking specifically at 

how the images embody these elements and will choose the one that best exemplifies each of 

these characteristics. I hope you’re as excited about these new awards as I am! We will have the 

opportunity to reward images that might not otherwise be recognized for their fulfillment of a 

single aspect of the twelve elements. 


Northwest Cup 


You’ve all heard of the World Photographic Cup, right? Just last month, Team USA won 

the WPC when the judging occurred in Australia. Well, here in the Pacific Northwest, 

we thought that a little friendly competition sounded fun so in the spirit of regional 

camaraderie (and state pride!), OPPA has joined forces with the Professional Photographers 

of Washington (PPW) and the Professional Photographers of Idaho (PPId) to participate 

in an Image Competition called the Northwest Photographic Cup. Each state will select a 

team of images/participants to represent that state in the competition. OPPA will use the 

3 highest-scoring images in each category as our state’s slate of entries. All 27 images (9 

from each state) will be judged as part of the November Annual Open Image Competition 

at Luminate. The judging panel consists of jurors from outside Oregon, Washington and 

Idaho for maximum fairness. 

Besides bragging rights, there are prizes to be won! At the end of the competition, 

each state’s images will be tallied and the highest aggregate score will be the Winning 

State. The maker of the highest scoring image in each of the three categories will receive 

a lapel pin and a check for $75. Second and third place in each category will also be 

announced and awarded a ribbon. The single image with the highest score will be the 

Individual Winner of the NW Photographic Cup and will receive an additional $200 in 

prize money and a lapel pin. Prize money has been generously donated by one of our 

OPPA Sponsors, Howard Burkholz of Allstate Insurance. 

What does this mean for you? Well, it means that anyone who enters the Members-Only 

images competition in the 3 categories (Portrait, Commercial/Illustrative, Landscape/ 

Nature) is eligible for selection. It also means that if you think you have what it takes 

to be one of the top three, you MUST enter one of our Members-Only competitions— 

there’s one in June and the last one in September. We will also consider images that were 

entered in the March competition for inclusion in the NWC. 

As always, images will be judged using the Twelve Elements of a Merit Image and using 

the same scoring system as in place at IPC. Get your images ready and go forth and 

compete! 

OPPA NEEDS YOU! 


Cobalt Studios 

PDX 


It was already a sunny 75 degrees on Saturday 

morning when I met up with Sam Tarrel to 

tour Cobalt Studios PDX on SE Clinton Street 

in Portland. We were met at the cobalt blue 

door (see what they did there?) by owners 

Bill Linn and his wife Tammy. Bill has shoulderlength 

hair and sported bare feet (to protect 

the floor of the cyc wall) and was hustling to 

prepare the studio for an upcoming hip-hop 

artist shoot that afternoon. He ushered us 

into the small but nicely appointed lobby. The 

lobby is the scene for rotating artist displays 

but was between displays when we visited. 

Cobalt Studios PDX is a full-service, rentalonly 

studio in the inner SE area, just over the 

Ross Island Bridge, off Division. What makes Cobalt Studios unique is the level of service and the 

tremendous bang you get for your rental buck. The space is divided up into three main areas for 

shooting. Upstairs there is a boudoir 

space complete with a lovely bed and 

night stands, and a flexible newborn 

area with dozens of props and 

blankets to choose from as well as 

a variety of backdrops and surfaces 

to shoot on. Also included in the 

upstairs area is a 6’ wide FOBA Dibre 

shooting table for doing product 

photography. When you rent the 

product photography studio area, 

the three Rotolight NEO 2 LED lights 

come as part of the package giving 

you continuous light with adjustable 

color temperature from 3150K to 

6300K. 


Located under the boudoir studio 

is the spacious and well-equipped 

dressing room. For added security, 

the closet is large enough to change 

clothes in giving any occupant a 

double layer of protection from prying 

eyes or accidental walk-ins. Inside the 

closet, you’ll find an assortment of 

fancy dresses and outfits from prior 

shoots that are available for use. 

The main part of the studio is broken 

up into two sections. From the door, 

if you turn to the left, you’ll see the 

natural light stage with a bead-board 

wall and simulated paned windows for natural 

(or faux-natural) light use. When the weather is 

warm, the garage door can be lifted to give you 

true natural light but when it is dark or raining, 

you can simulate window light with a beauty dish 

behind the window wall. There is also a claw-foot 

tub available for use there (or anywhere in the 

main studio area). A rolling wall with corrugated 

tin on one side and graffiti on the other side can 

be moved to various locations around the space. 

Directly in front of the door is a reclaimed wood 

wall with mirrors, lights and adjustable beauty 

salon chairs for use by hair and makeup artists. 

But the best part is that the entire beauty bar 

can be disassembled quickly to allow use of 

the reclaimed wood wall behind the mirrors. 

Everything in this space does double (or triple!) 

duty. 

Off to the right is 

the largest part of 

the studio—there’s 

a massive 20’ wide x 

16’ deep x 13’ high 

pure white infinity 

cyc (cyclorama) wall, 

multiple bays with 

seamless paper and a 

bay with a 14’ wide matte black backdrop option. 

There is also a mobile green screen option. The 

space is huge—you can comfortably use a 200mm 

lens in the space without having to hug the back 

wall. There are V flats, booms, reflectors, free 

WiFi and a tethering dock and external monitor 

(Mac only). The spacious main studio offers 360 

degrees of shooting possibility. It is so large, in 

fact, that recently one photographer wheeled a 

race car through the garage door and onto the 

white cyc wall space for photographing. There is 

also a stair case in the corner that is suitable for 

shooting. The mezzanine office area allows you a 

different vantage for shooting from as well. 

Bill enthusiastically showed off his space, 

describing how everything is movable and 

changeable so that the space can be easily 

customized for each customer. What makes 

Cobalt Studios so unique, he tells me, is the level 

of service you get for 

your rental dollars. He 

invites first time renters 

to come in early— 

either days before the 

session or on the day 

of the session to learn 

how to use the space 

and to get familiar with 


Cobalt Studios 

PDX 

the lights. There are lots of lights available for 

use as well as triggers and modifiers and gels 

of all sorts. Or you can bring your own gear if 

you’d prefer or use natural light. There is always 

someone on-hand during rental hours (and the 

rental hours are almost around the clock) and at 

the end of your session they clean up after you! 

Not many rental studios give you that level of 

service! 

Coming most recently from a background in 

advertising and public relations, Bill cut his 

teeth on photojournalism in the SF Bay area 

in the 80s. His first love is and always will be 

black and white storytelling photojournalism. 

Bill’s eyes sparkled as he regaled us with stories 

of his salad days in San Francisco shooting for 

the AP and San Jose Mercury News, among 

other news outlets. He sequed from that 

into marketing/PR/advertising and spent the 

majority of his work life doing that until he sold 

his business in 2017. He said he woke up on 

December 27th, 2017 and said to his wife “I 

want to build a rental photography studio in 

Portland.” And thus, Cobalt was born. Bill and Tammy like to give back to the photography 

industry as well and open their studio at no charge to nonprofit photography organizations 

like OPPA and local meetup groups and camera clubs. They are giving us the studio for two 

full days in November to host our Luminate event at no charge! 

At the end of our tour, Enkay 47, a hip hop artist from Salem, came in for his publicity session. 

It was fun to talk with him and learn about his music and his plans for the future. And as a good 

host should, Bill and Tammy began getting things set up for the upcoming shoot. We said our 

goodbyes and walked out into the blinding sun and promise of a beautiful Saturday, excited 

about all the possibilities before us, both individually and for OPPA, now that we know we 

have a resource like Cobalt Studios PDX right in our own backyard. 

As a vendor partner, Bill is offering OPPA members a discount code for a free hour of rental 

at Cobalt Studios PDX. Watch your OPPA email for that code and specific details on how to 

use it. 

12 • FOCUS OREGON 

Cobalt Studios PDX is located at 

1030 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202

5 

Instagram Tips 

for Photographers 

By Alexis Dowdle 

Guy Kawasaki, a marketing specialist and Silicon Valley venture capitalist said this 

of social media, “A large social media presence is important because it’s one of 

the last ways to conduct cost-effective marketing. Everything else involves buying 

eyeballs and ears. Social media enables a small business to earn eyeballs and ears.” 

As a relatively new photographer I realized that I needed to understand social media 

and more specifically Instagram and how other photographers use Instagram to build 

their businesses and brands. What sets their accounts apart from others and how do 

these things contribute to their success? I was able to ascertain 5 things I could borrow 

from these photographers that made their accounts stand out. 

1. Create a Consistent Look 

The accounts that were organized, polished, and consistent were the ones that 

stood out. In order to create this consistent look you need to ask yourself, “What 

is my aesthetic?” “What colors do I like and want to feature in my work?” “What 

filters or presets can I use to achieve this consistency?” Many photographers will 

also use planning apps such as Planoly or Unum in order to see in advance what 

photos will look good next to one another in Instagram’s grid system. 

# 

2. Use Hashtags 

Hashtags are a powerful marketing tool. According to sproutsocial.com, “Hashtags 

make your content discoverable and put you in front of users you may have never 

successfully targeted.” It can also help you target more of the type of business you 

want. For example if you are a wedding photographer based in the Northwest and you 

want to travel. You might use hashtags such as #destinationweddingphotographer 

or #californiaweddingphotographer or #portlandweddingphotographer, etc. This 

lets other users to find you and lets them know you are open for travel to certain 

places. 


3. Post Regularly 

The really successful accounts create and post content consistently. Many photographers 

will plan when to post photos, captions, and hashtags in advance. This helps you to gain 

new followers, and allow those who have been following you to get to know you. Then 

once you’ve created a following people will tag and repost your content. 

4. Follow and You Shall Be Followed 

If you follow accounts that you love and that inspire you, you will be followed in return. 

Clients will follow you, you will follow them and that cycle continues. This goes along 

with engaging with those who follow you. Tag people, respond to comments, reply 

to messages, ask questions, and so on. This will solidify your following and show your 

clients especially, that they are a priority. 

5. Post Only the Type of Work That You Want More Of 

I learned this while listening to an Instagram live (often a live Q&A or free education 

session) put on by a photographer whose work I admire. This photographer has 24.4 

thousand followers. She said “Only post the type of work that you want more of.” This 

advice is key to building your brand and attracting the kind of business and clients that 

you are most interested in and that fuels your creative fire. 

I hope this helps you in your endeavors to build your businesses and not just buy, but “earn 

those eyeballs and ears.” 


Selling With 

Emotion 

How I Built My $4100 Portrait Session Sales Average 

By Christine Yodsukar 

titled my article with my portrait 

I session sales average to grab 

your attention. I want you to see 

that number and get excited. 

I also want you to know that as 

much as I like to refer to myself 

as a unicorn, when it comes to 

having great sales numbers, I 

am in fact one of many. There 

are many photographers in our 

industry selling pieces of art 

to their clients and being paid 

thousands of dollars for it. 

I never would have believed me 

though. Back in January of 2016, I 

had a one month old newborn and 

I shut down my luxury wedding 

photography business to open a Portrait 

Studio that focuses on getting amazing 

artwork in my clients lives. I had never sold 

artwork to a portrait client before, so you 

can imagine that I would never dream of 

averaging $4100 per session. It is possible, 

and I want you to know that you can do it 

too. I want everyone to have a killer sales 

average. I want my 1 on 1 photography 

coaching clients on the east coast to have 

an amazing sales average, and I want 

the photographer with a studio down 

the street from me to have a killer sales 

average. By reading this article, you’ll be 

one step closer to reaching that goal, and 

if you come to my Half Day Workshop with 

OPPA in July, you’ll have all of the tools 

and strategies I use with my clients. Even if 

your current sales average is zero, you can 

start the very next day. 

As you read, my sales average used to 

be zero. When my husband and business 

partner Rich and I had our son in December 

2015, we realized our business was 

changed, because we were changed. The 


Selling With 

Emotion 

extremely long life-span of wedding clients, 

along with the stresses of serving the luxury 

wedding client was weighing on our souls. 

We both enjoyed our video and commercial 

production so much more because of the 

relaxed nature of working with our clients in 

controlled environments, and this led me to 

decide to stop taking weddings and open a 

Portrait Studio at the drop 

of a hat. Was this insane? 

Yes. Was it necessary for our 

happiness? Also, yes. 

I spent months learning 

sales. I read some of my 

favorite books during this 

time, like Never Split the 

Difference by Chris Voss and 

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by 

Gary Vaynerchuck, and I also 

studied both in person and 

online with Steve Saporito. 

He teaches sales specifically 

for photographers, and I was 

able to take a lot from his 

methods and meld it with my 

techniques and strategies as 

I developed them. 

My first sale was also a huge 

lesson for me. In the end, 

the total sale was just shy of 

$15,000. I didn’t even photograph anything 

for it. What I did do, however, had a much 

bigger impact on the final sale. I served my 

client. I listened to him. I gave him what he 

wanted. All too often, we as photographers 

try to photograph what we want; the epic 

skies, the three-light setups. Those things 

are amazing and beautiful, but are they what 

are meaningful to our clients? They aren’t 

meaningful to mine, and I used to spend a lot 

of time setting up those lights and paying my 

editor for sky replacements. So what did my 

client want? He wanted to honor his father. 

This particular client called because he 

wanted someone to photograph the stunning 

murals his father had painted in each of the 

children’s rooms growing up. These murals 

were intricate floor to ceiling frescos that 

mean the world to these now adult children, 

and the home was about to be torn down, 

taking the father’s art with it. Despite my 

fear of doing this for the 

first time, I told my client 

that we would not only 

photograph his treasured 

art, but that we would 

create stunning custom 

artwork that he could hang 

in his home, and then pass 

onto his children someday. 

He loved this idea, and 

the first time I quoted him 

(or anyone) $1500 for a 

single piece of art, I nearly 

passed out saying it. There 

was a long pause. And then 

he responded, “OK.” That 

‘OK’ gave me permission 

to move past the numbers 

and simply serve him the 

way I knew how. 

Following that phone call, 

we hired a photographer 

local to him to photograph 

the murals, and then we prepared the photos 

for the Design Consultation. As my husband 

Rich and I sat at our computer during the 

Virtual Design Consultation we watched the 

client add piece after piece of art. After 

the total came to just under $10,000 (the 

remaining $5,000 was sold days later via 

another Virtual Design Consultation), and the 

client once again said the infamous, “OK”, 

Rich and I closed the chat window, turned to 

one another with our jaws on the floor, high 

fived, and said, “We can do this!” 


What is it that I learned from this $15,000 

session that I didn’t even shoot? It’s not 

about me, it’s about them. These murals 

mean so much to this client that he wanted 

to fill his home with them and make sure he 

had something to pass onto his children in 

memory of their grandfather. These murals 

mean so much to this client because they 

embody his father. These murals mean so 

much to this client that he paused the demo 

and sale on the house until he could get 

them photographed and printed (yes, he 

waited until the artwork was printed before 

he allowed the demo crew in). They mean so 

much to him that he invested in them. 

People invest in things that bring value into 

their lives. This session was such a huge 

lesson to me because the value was already 

built in. I didn’t have to do the work beforehand 

of rekindling a relationship or reminding 

them why they wake up each morning. All 

I had to do was provide a tangible way for 

them to celebrate what they already valued. 

So how do we translate this into our family 

and couples sessions? We find the value, and 

we photograph that. 

Finding the value in our clients lives takes a 

great deal of skill and experience. You need 

to be intentional and also open to anything 

at the same time. You need to listen without 

influencing while simultaneously guiding. 

You need to be empathetic, but you also 

need to remain the leader. In order to 

provide the kind of value that changes our 

clients lives, you need to understand what 

they want and what they need, and give that 

to them. This is how you sell with emotion, 

and this is how I built my Portrait Session 

sales average to $4100. I focus on each and 

every client and what they need most. I know 

how I can provide that value and I give them 

the opportunity to invest in it. The reason 

I believe they invest the amount they do is 

because they aren’t investing in me at all, 

they are investing in themselves and what 

matters most to them. 

You can learn how I take my clients through my 

Portrait Experience, as well as my thoughts 

on opening yourself up to accepting large 

amounts of money in my Half Day Workshop 

with OPPA on July 25th at ProPhoto in 

Portland, Oregon. You will walk away not 

only ready to change your clients lives, but 

with tangible steps and strategies to do so. I 

hope to see you there, and I hope this article 

has given you excitement that you can do 

this too. 

Christine Yodsukar hails from Boston and currently splits her work/live/play time between 

Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and the rest of the world. Along with her husband 

and business partner, she took her photography business from $100 weddings to a six 

figure income in just three years. You can see her frequently on WEtv, and Photography 

magazines like Rangefinder and Shutter as a wedding and portrait photography expert. 

She is passionate about teaching others to grow their businesses so they too can live their 

happiest life. 


Let There Be Light—LUMINATE 2018 

Is your photography business all you want it to be? Are clients pounding down your door? 

Are you satisfied with the level of work you are producing? Do you want to stretch yourself 

and expand your abilities as a photographer? Then LUMINATE is the place for you! What? 

You’ve never heard of Luminate? Luminate is Oregon’s premier photographic competition 

and education event and it will be held at Cobalt Studios PDX on SE Clinton Street on 

November 10-11. 

Running a business is a complex! There are a many moving parts with dozens of internal 

and external factors that affect each part. LUMINATE can help. With the guidance from 

nationally recognized speakers Bob Coates, M.Photog. Cr, CPP and Tracy Page, M. Photog, 

Cr. CPP you can learn new skills and ideas to make your business sing. Classes are held 

Sunday, November 11, 2018. 

Bob’s class is called “Personal Projects—Why, How and How to Make 

Money by Doing Them,” and he describes it this way: You got into 

photography because you liked it. Enjoyed the challenge of creating 

new images… Then you turned it into a business and photography 

wasn’t quite as much fun anymore. Marketing, sales, building websites, 

printing, framing, retouching started to suck the joy right out of your 

life. Personal Projects can get you juiced again and help your business 

too! Bob will show you how he used these ideas to make photography 

fun again and earn money while you are at it. This is a program of 

creative ideas and techniques along with simple business marketing. 

They go hand in hand to help put your business back on track to the 

joy you first felt before you turned photography into a business. 

18 • FOCUS OREGON 

Tracy’s class is called “The Secret Guide to the Entertainment 

Headshot.” The Entertainment Industry in Portland is growing—more 

and more shows are choosing to film and do business in Oregon which 

means more and more actors are swelling our ranks and the one thing 

they all need is a killer headshot. Tracy can guide you through the 

vagaries of the Entertainment Headshot with her class. She describes 

her class this way: You know you can nail a corporate headshot but 

why are entertainment headshots such an unknown beast? Tracy will 

teach you the secrets of what the industry expects for an actor or 

entertainer for their most important marketing piece, their calling card, 

their headshot. She’ll discuss how to find the right light, background, 

posing and communication with the client as well as delivery of files.

November 10-11th 

These two class are only half of Luminate—the 

other half is the November Annual Open Image 

Competition which takes place before the 

classes! This is the big mack daddy competition 

in Oregon and this year we are adding 

something new—the Northwest Cup! If you’ve 

been to our annual Member Appreciation and 

Awards Banquet held each December, you’ve 

seen the presentation of trophies for Best 

Portrait, Best Black and White, Best Illustrative 

Image, etc. These awards are selected from 

the entries at the November Open Image 

Competition. If you’ve been playing the game 

all year, you’ve submitted your images to the 

Members Only competitions and have curated 

your best—top scoring—images to send to the 

Open. Or perhaps you’ve decided to create 

new images for the Open—that works too! And 

remember that you can enter images that have 

merited at IPC as well, as long as it was from 

the current year (2018). There will be a full day 

of judging on Saturday the 10th followed by a 

celebration in the evening where we reveal the 

Northwest Cup winners (and cash recipients!). 

game. In this class, you’ll learn to better 

understand Image Competition from the 

judge’s side of the equation—learn how 

scoring works, how to apply the 12 Elements 

in critiquing an image, learn judging etiquette 

and how to verbally critique an image in this 

full-day judging class. You’ll learn how to 

evaluate your own images (as well as others’ 

images) using the PPA Image Competition 

standards. You’ll also learn what is new in the 

process and better understand the IPCC rules 

changes for the upcoming competition season. 

Even if you aren’t interested in entering OPPA’s 

Juror Development Program, this class will 

help you with your own competition journey. It 

will be held on Friday, November 9th at Cobalt 

Studios. 

So mark your calendars now—we’ve got a 

great line up and a great slate of classes for 

you to become a better photographer, better 

competitor and better business person. There’s 

nothing else like it in Oregon! I’ll see you there. 

For the first time ever, OPPA will be hosting 

2 pre-event classes. The first is by renowned 

landscape photographers Doug and Laura 

Bennet. They hail from Colorado and have 

much to share in the realm of landscape/fine 

art photography. During the class, Doug and 

Laura will share elements of photographic 

craft and technique essential to landscape 

photography and to making high quality large 

landscape prints for high-end sales and for PPA 

Competition entries. Doug will share techniques 

to make your imagery communicate more, as 

well as explore the unconscious psychological 

factors that make for appealing landscape 

photography. 

The second pre-event class is by our own Bryan 

Welsh and Lisa Dillon. It is called “Think Like a 

Competition Judge” and it is for people who 

are interested in becoming competition jurors 

or who simply want to up their competition 

Bob Coates 


Shooting in 

Manual Focus 

for Complete Control 

By Tracy Page, M. Photog, Cr. CPP 

made the statement once that I had picked 

I up an autofocus lens and suddenly did not 

know what to do. I focused and composed 

and the camera re-focused! What the 

heck? It’s supposed to stay at where I put 

it! Quite honestly I have now been shooting 

completely on manual focus for the better 

part of two years and I’m not sure I ever want 

to go another way. The complete control 

that I have creatively has made a substantial 

difference in my work and workflow. 

At this point, I am betting the majority of 

you are mentally shaking your heads and 

thinking, “nope, it’s not for me.” “Too much 

work,” or “my eyesight would never allow 

me to do that.” I am going to tell you the 

secrets of how easy this is and hope that you 

will try the world beyond auto-focus. 

First let’s discuss some pros and cons. On 

the auto-focus side, I found that more often 

than not, I would focus on the eyelash 

instead of the actual eye, making my images 

an almost there shot. To remedy this, I was in 

the habit of shooting at least three of every 

image and hope that one of them would 

be completely focused. I don’t do that any 

longer. I am focused. Period. So that may 

leave you thinking, “OK so you are focused, 

but you can’t be fast and you probably 

miss the moment.” No. I anticipate my 

moments with how I have my camera set. If 

I am shooting a toddler for example that is 

moving around a little, I increase my depth 

of field. Instead of missing moments, I find 

that I take my time and better compose my 

shots and then when I am in post, I have less 

waste – both of images to go through and 

my valuable time. 

And then you might be tackling that thought 

that your eyesight is not good enough to 

manually focus each shot. First of all, until the 

last maybe 15 or 20 years, that was how we 

all worked. Our camera focus was manual. 

And we captured beautiful images. You have 


to let that go. And second, there are some wonderful tricks 

of the trade with our newer camera systems that we didn’t 

have when we were manually focusing 15 or 20 years ago. 

So your camera is capable, and does actually, tell you when 

your image is focused whether you are shooting on auto or 

manually. Depending on the make/model of your camera, 

in Nikon it is the two lower left and on Canon it is on the 

lower right, you can check the focus. There is an indicator 

light to tell you when you are focused within the focus style 

you have chosen. I like to use spot focus and move my focus 

point around just as I would if I were using an auto-focus 

lens. When my focus point is indeed in focus, my camera 

tells me. Once you get used to seeing that little point, it is 

second nature to use it. This double-checks my eyes. 

The second part of this equation is that I’m using lenses 

that are designed to be manually focused. The Zeiss Milvus 

and Otus line of lenses have very easy to grip and buttery 

smooth focus rings and the focus is very easy to see through 

the lens. 

The result is that more of my images are in focus than when using autofocus and they are better 

composed. My assistant spends less time culling images and I spend less time in post. The very 

pleasant surprise for me was the boost in creativity that I experienced once I took complete control 

of the images. 

Tracy Page is one of the top headshot and portrait photographers in the Southeast for talent. She 

specializes in working with actors, both children and adults, and has been recognized by LA based 

acting coach Chambers Stevens as “one of the top headshot photographers for kids and teens 

in Atlanta.” She is one of the preferred vendors for headshots for the best Southeastern agencies 

including names like J. Pervis Talent, Houghton Talent, The People Store, Atlanta Models & Talent and 

East Coast Talent. Her clients are repped by LA agents and managers such as Burstein & Co., CESD, 

Carson Adler and Abrams. Among her clients are celebrities such as The Walking Dead’s Chandler 

Riggs. She has clients had clients in hit network and cable TV shows and on Broadway. 

Tracy is a graduate of The University of Georgia where she studied Fine Art, Advertising and Graphic 

Design and is active with the Professional Photographers of America where she serves on several 

committees and is recognized as a Craftsmen Photographer and a Certified Professional Photographer. 

She has won multiple awards including the 2017 Best Portrait for the Southeastern Professional 

Photographers Association. She proudly serves as an Ambassador for Zeiss Camera Lenses. 


Mirrorless 

vs. DSLR 

By Alexis Dowdle 

Several months ago, OPPA was fortunate to have a man named Morgan Stonegrether 

come and speak at OPPA’s monthly event “A Night with the Pros.” His topic was “How 

to Become an Instagram Pro” but of all the great things he said, what stuck out to me the 

most that night was “Your best camera is the one you have with you.” He then went on 

to show us some stunning photographs that he took for the “Come See Turkey” tourism 

event on his iPhone 4. This illustrated a point that as photographers we all know to be 

true—that a camera does not a photographer make. Later in that same presentation he 

said “Be prepared to be lucky.” 

Certainly having the proper equipment for the job is part of those preparations. About six 

months ago I was ready to prepare to be lucky by upgrading my own equipment. When 

I went into Pro Photo Supply, I told the salesman I wanted to look at a Canon 5D Mark 

III and a Canon 5D Mark IV—both very solid, full-frame, DSLR cameras. He let me look 

at those and then said, “What about this?” He proceeded to put a Sony A7rII in front 

of me and explained that this was a mirrorless camera. The question today isn’t “Which 

DSLR should I buy? ”it’s “Should I buy a DSLR or a mirrorless camera?” For the purpose 

of this article I will be using the Sony alpha series since that’s the one I was considering 

in my own use. I want to give a brief overview of what a mirrorless camera is and how it is 

different from a DSLR camera. 

So what does mirrorless mean? I’ll let Gannon Burgett of Digital Trends explain it rather 

butcher the excellent explanation I received from the Pro Photo salesman. “The mirror 

in a DSLR reflects the light up to the optical viewfinder. In a mirrorless camera, there is 

no optical viewfinder. Instead, the imaging sensor is exposed to light at all times, giving 

you a digital preview of your image either on the LCD screen or an electronic viewfinder 

(EVF).” How are these cameras different besides for the obvious? 

Electronic Viewfinder vs. Optical Viewfinder 

In the Optical viewfinder you are viewing the scene in front of you, in the Electronic 

Viewfinder you are viewing a screen that shows exactly what the image will look like 

before you take it. 

Size 

PRO: No more taking a picture in order to “test the light” 

CON: This takes a while to get used to. It is a little disorienting at first, 

but you can get used to it. 

Because there is no mirror, this allows the camera to be significantly smaller than a DSLR. 

In fact, when the Sony a7rII was put in front of me, I was struck by how small it was and 

felt the need to verify that this was indeed a full frame professional camera. Up to that 

point I had subscribed to the ideology that a bigger camera=a better camera. This is no 

longer true. 


Battery 

This used to be a major issue with mirrorless cameras. According to Imaging Resource.com, the Sony 

a7rii “is rated for 340 shots per charge when using the LCD monitor and 290 shots when using the 

electronic viewfinder.” Improvements have been made in the latest Sony a7riii whose battery is quoted 

to have “approximately 2.2 times the capacity of its predecessor.” By contrast, on the Canon 5D Mark 

III, the lithium ion rechargeable battery is good for “approximately 950 shots.” So this may make 

people pause. 

Lenses and Accessories 

This is an area where the DSLR is the clear winner. DSLRs have been around for longer than mirrorless 

cameras and as a result there are more lenses and accessories to choose from. Furthermore, you can 

purchase DSLR lenses and accessories for less than the mirrorless equivalent. However, the mirrorless 

camera lenses and accessories are catching up slowly but surely. 

Video 

If 4K video is important to you, the mirrorless camera is for you. If you are fine with 1080p then a DSLR 

is more than capable. 

Features 

In general, the newest mirrorless cameras have a few features that 

DSLR cameras do not. Features such as focus peaking, continuous 

eye tracking, and silent shooting to name a few. 

The verdict? OPPA board member, Bryan Welsh said it well when he 

said, “I have both a mirrorless and DSLR kit and think its all about 

using the correct tool for the job.” I ultimately had to choose one 

or the other and I chose to go with a mirrorless camera. I bought 

the Sony A7rIII. It came down to size and features for me. After all 

my research, I also decided that mirrorless seemed like the future. 

OPPA member Derrik Ollar, in a Facebook discussion on this very 

topic, stated “In the last few years Sony has been growing into 

the 500 pound gorilla of the camera industry. As a Canon shooter 

personally for over three decades, I can say that unless Canon starts 

playing the dynamic range game better, they will be the next victim 

of Sony.” I didn’t even get into dynamic range in this article which 

leads me to say, if you are in the market, continue to prepare to 

be lucky by doing more research. There is a lot more to learn on 

the subject. In an article on the subject of mirrorless vs. DSLR on 

techradar.com, Phil Hall posed this question, “Since 2008 when the 

first mirrorless camera came out...have mirrorless cameras done 

enough to be genuine DSLR rivals or, more to the point, are they 

already better?” It’s up to you to decide. For me the answer was 

yes. 

Alexis Dowdle is an emerging photographer who is passionate about wedding and milk 

bath photography, and being a mom. She is currently on the board of directors as the 

Director at Large aka the go-to gal for whatever needs to be done. 


OUR SPONSORS 

Many thanks to our sponsors for their support of OPPA 

Please visit: 

oregonppa.org/Sponsor-Offers 

to see our exclusive members only offers. 

Not a member? JOIN TODAY! 


Rise and Shine 

Portland’s scenic cityscape is most often seen and photographed from the east with 

the Willamette River in the foreground. For this shot I wanted to shoot it from the 

west to show a more atypical view from with the foothills of the Cascade mountains 

in the background and Mt Tabor, an extinct volcano rising in the middle ground. My 

goal was to shoot this at sunrise as the city was waking up for a workday. I had to wait 

for just the right morning with just the right sunrise. There aren’t many places to get 

this view due to trees and shrubs along Vista Drive so I ended up sticking my lens 

through the gate of a private residence to get this open view. This is a three-shot HDR 

image shot on a Canon 5D Mii and processed in Photomatix Pro and Lightroom. 

Mark Fitzgerald, M.Photog., Cr. 

www.ddroom.com 


2ND THURSDAY 

FREE MONTHLY 

MEETING: 

NIGHT WITH 

THE PROS 

OPPA Mentorship Event 

JUL 

22 

SEPT 

13 

Quarterly Image Competition 

Selling With Emotion 

How I Built My $4100 Portrait 

Session Sales Average 

JUL 

25 

SEPT 

15 

Photoshop - Retouching and 

Color Grading Techniques 

OPPA Summer Social 

AUG 

5 

OCT 

6 

The Fine Art of Printing 

Video for Photographers 

AUG 

11 

NOV 

7 

Inside the Competition Workflow 

oregonppa.org

FOCUS OREGON - V1 Issue 2

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