| Volunteers Needed
Get involved & help build PPO by volunteering in any of the following areas:
Print Committee
Fund Raising
Training
Events
Handyman
and more...
Contact Laurie Gift or Emily Andrews for details!
Executive Board
Andy McDavid
President
Emily Andrews
1st Vice President
Larry Ericksen
2nd Vice President
Laurie Gift
Executive Manager
Bonnie Hamilton
Treasurer
Neil Haugen Secretary
Board of Directors
Adrian Klein
April Cullett
Dan Harlacher
Dan Christopher
Ben Vallejos
Justin Stevens
Lisa Dillon
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PPO Member Spotlight
This month's member spotlight is April Cullett. April resides in Roseburg, Oregon, where she is owner/operator of Studio Gagliano. She is an active member of PPO and serves as a board member. You can visit April's website for samples of her work. www.studio-gagliano.com
Interviewer: Did you have other jobs before your career in photography?
April: Before I was a photographer, I had gone to the Art Institute of Atlanta for Interior Design. I worked with a builder in Atlanta before moving to Oregon. After working a couple corporate jobs I decided to return to my first love which was photography. I started working in a couple local labs.
Interviewer: What is your earliest memory of photography?
April: My earliest Memory of photography was looking at my dads images. He was a photographer in the army and he had some amazing images he took in the New England states. I used to love looking at those.
Interviewer: Tell us about your first "professional" assignment? Success or failure?
April: My first "professional" assignment turned out pretty good. Up until this wedding I was just taking images with a point and shoot. When this couple approached me to cover their wedding I told them I wasn't outfitted to do it. My 35mm had been stolen right before I moved to Oregon and I was saving to buy one. They asked how much I needed and they bought me my camera to cover their wedding. I have never looked back. I have been through quite a few cameras since then.
Interviewer: Who would you say has been, or is, the most influential to you, artistically, or creatively?
April: There are several. The first would be my dad’s images. That ignited something in me. After I moved to Oregon and started in the labs there was one photographer I admired a lot, Her name was Traci Lowry at the time. She was amazing. She put up with all my questions and foolishness. We are real good friends to this day. The next would be Vicki Taufer and Heather Kalhoff. Both of those women did the kind of work I wanted to be associated with. I had ideas that weren't so conventional and I loved including design with my images. When I found these women I knew I could do the kind of art that was in my heart to do.
Interviewer: What energizes me the most?
April: I would have to say the ability to take an image and create something for my client that goes beyond words, that catches a moment in time and makes it last for generations. To be able to make a person trust you enough to get the images that show their true self, one they are happy with. There is something powerful in what we do as photographers and a good photographer can gain capture in one image the amount of trust your client will give you. To me that is amazing. To become a part of someone’s family for that moment.
Interviewer: How has PP of O helped you in your success?
April: PPO has helped me the most in giving me amazing friends who share the same passion that I have. Friends that can share ideas and where we can help teach each other. I love the technical advice I get at seminars and conventions and it has helped me to hone my craft. But what I enjoy more than that is the people.
Interviewer: Looking forward, where do you see your photography going? Plans? Dreams? Aspirations?
April: Right now the direction of my photography is home...We just bought some land and over the last year have been building a portrait park. It has been the most exciting thing so far. I love designing my own sets and creating new things. My clients have loved the uniqueness of it and the location has been great.
Interviewer: Any final thoughts?
April: I have found over the last year that I really enjoy teaching so I will be doing more of that. Other than that I will continue building relationships with my clients and enjoying the fact that I get to do what I love everyday. Talking to people :-) and creating art!
Continuing Education Opportunities
Mark your calendars now for these upcoming education seminars:
September 21 Portland area- Justin & Michele Stevens Engagement Portraits
September 21 Roseburg area- April Cullett Album Desgin and Templates
Online registration begins Sept 1!
Save The Date!
PPO Annual Convention Feb 19-22
 We're excited to announce Cliff Mautner as the keynote speaker for the PPO's Annual Winter Convention! This years convention will be held at McMenamins Edgefield and is shaping up to be HUGE! More details and speakers coming soon!
Cliff Mautner’s career in photography spans 28 years. After 15 years and 6000 assignments as a photojournalist with the Philadelphia Inquirer, and working for an eclectic array of commercial clientele ranging from Comcast to Subaru, Cliff launched his wedding photography career. After 750 weddings, he hasn’t looked back.
Cliff was named one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world by American PHOTO magazine. He won the 2009 WPPI Grand Award for photojournalism, and he's the global wedding photography spokesperson for Nikon and Nikkor. He’s been recognized by WPPI as “one of the top photographers and educators in the world” and has shared his concepts and ideas across the country speaking for Nikon, Photoplus, WPPI, PPA, Digital Wedding Forum, and other photographic organizations. He’s perhaps best known for his ability create quality images in some of the most difficult lighting conditions encountered. Rangefinder magazine describes him as having “a freshness and imagination that is new and important” and is the founder of the highly successful "Lighting and Skillset Bootcamp".
Registration details coming soon!
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