Checking out the Iowa Photographers

Off To Iowa

I just got back from a fantastic week in Iowa, hanging out with the Iowa Professional Photographers Association.

I spent the first few days serving as a juror in the North Central District print competition.  The North Central District is made up of 10 states and part of Canada.  The best photographers from those areas sent their best images to be judged by yours truly and his PPA Juror buddies.

Trophy selection after the judging

It was a great chance to work with some top-notch judges and we had the pleasure of judging some incredible images.

It was a mentally draining couple of days, but the fun didn’t stop there.  Instead of heading home after the judging ended on Saturday, I stayed around to put on a program Sunday evening.  Actually, there were TWO programs!  The first was on the do’s and don’ts of print competition and the second was on optimizing the home studio.

Speaking

We had a packed room for both programs and I got some very positive feedback from everyone afterwards.  How anyone can sit through 6 hours of me talking in one evening is beyond me, but they did it.  Its always fun to speak to a packed room of people, because you can feed off of the energy.

Of course, this group also likes to party – so I ended up having a few late nights as well.  Of all things, they had an 80s themed party Sunday night.  Those of you who know me, know that the 80s are right in my wheelhouse.  I just wish I hadn’t been completely wiped out from doing back to back programs.  The whole evening was just a blur.

Time To Head Home

My battery was just about run down by Monday afternoon as I headed to the airport.  I’m a big fan of travel, but there is nothing quite like the return trip home!

Of course, now I’ve got a week of catching up in the studio – but the weekend was definitely worth it.