It has been a month since my last blog entry, and what a busy month it has been.

The 2015 USA National Miss Massachusetts and New Hampshire Pageant took place for the first time in Milford, New Hampshire on 28 March. It was a small Pageant with 9 contestants. Several of the young ladies took advantage of the special mini-portrait shoot that I was offering. I had brought my Studio to the Pageant and set up a backdrop and two lights. I was very happy with the resulting portraits, as were the

Sophia Joyal2015 USA National Miss Pageant Jenny Gould2015 USA National Miss Pageant

subjects and their mothers. This shoot pointed out the need for additional backdrops, which I have since acquired. I try to learn something with every photo shoot I go on. Sometimes it is about posing, sometimes about lighting, but it is always about striving to be a better photographer.

The weekend of 10 - 12 April was the annual convention of the Maine Professional Photographers Association. A weekend traditionally filled with classes from well known speakers from around the country. This year we had Steve Bedell, Carl Cox, and Mary Ann Talamo. Saturday is the day for the Print Competition. It is interesting to just sit through the day long judging and learn what makes a good competition print. This was my first year of entering, and I wish I had done better but I did manage to get one Red "Above Average" ribbon. Not to worry, I will do better next year. It is all about learning.

Sunday was dedicated to a full day of classes on posing and lighting by the well known expert in the field, Craig LaMere from Pocatello, Idaho. What a dynamic and energetic person, full of ideas and with the ability to teach them to others.  Wow, what a weekend.

Monday was a day we had arranged with Craig to have a special day long session with him, reserved for the first 20 photographers to sign up. Craig set up 4 stations with different light situations in each one. One of our members, Lauren DelVecchio, had lined up 10 models (9 female and 1 male) to do fashion and boudoir. It was a fast and furious day, exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I learned a lot about lighting and posing on Monday. Now I just need to shoot more to keep improving on those skills. Here are a couple examples of the Fashion models from Monday's shoot.

McKenzie BennettCraig LaMere Lighting Workshop Craig LaMere Lighting WorkshopCraig LaMere Lighting Workshop

Oh and did I fail to mention, I was elected to the Board of Directors for the Maine Professional Photographers Association. It is a great organization, with some great folks involved.

Keep shooting, and keep learning... Until next time.