Dear Missouri Photographers,

I hope that this issue of IMAGES finds you busy and taking good care of your customers. I also hope that you have set September 14th and 15th aside to attend the Missouri Show Me Workshop that will be held at the Tan-Tar-A resort in Osage Beach, Mo.

In my last article, I mentioned the necessity to work hard at becoming a true professional in our industry. The overall function of the Professional Photographers Association of Missouri is to offer education to our members so they can become a better photographer as well as a true professional in the industry. Our one and only scheduled State Association event is the Fall Show Me Workshop in September and is priced at only $75 registration fee. Besides the outstanding speakers and hands on photography safaris, registration also includes our annual print competition judging, a trade show and the Awards Luncheon at noon on Monday. Talk about VALUE !!!

With many, many new photographers in all of our communities and the need for them to learn about our profession, I am amazed at how many learning “opportunities” I get in my email box every week. These range from webinars to brief 2 hour “classes” to several day schools ranging in costs from $50-$80 on up to hundreds and hundreds of dollars at far away places! There is no doubt that any and/or all of these “opportunities” would be worthwhile for the beginner photographer, but it is not practical to try to take advantage of them all.

What IS practical is to attend a conference such as the Show Me Workshop and get a diverse variety of program classes, hands on opportunities, print competition AND the chance to network with other working professionals. This is what your Association is offering to its members for only $75. This is what many business people would consider as being “cost effective”.

I hope to see you at the Missouri Show Me Workshop in September.