Rangefinder Magazine
February 2005

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Insight/On the Cover by Bill Hurter

One of the many noteworthy traits of professional photographers is their thirst for knowledge. Nowhere is that more evident than at WPPI’s annual Convention and Trade Show. Photographers on a budget will splurge for their convention registration and then try to attend every platform presentation given. They think nothing of going all day—from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., when the day’s programming ends. During tradeshow hours, they will go from booth to booth, sometimes looking for bargains on equipment, sometimes attending impromptu demos and workshops on the tradeshow floor. Some come to the convention early to attend the print and album competitions, and many stick around until the last program on Thursday morning. They often will hook up with a pal or two and stay three to a room in order to cut expenses. Some even bring food from home in a cooler to further conserve funds. And they learn. Many consider WPPI to be like a post-graduate program, and they keep coming back each year in greater numbers.

This year’s WPPI will feature a large slate of speakers to choose from. Some of them are profiled in this, our WPPI preview issue. Highly acclaimed Australian wedding photographer Yervant kicks off the issue (pg. 8) followed by up-and-coming photojournalist Cliff Mautner (pg. 16). Alisha and Brook Todd recount photographing Oprah’s Fantasy Dreams Come True wedding (pg. 22). So-Cal wedding photographer extraordinaire, Mike Colón, and senior specialist Ellie Vayo are featured on pgs. 28 and 34, respectively. The father and son team of Martin and Ryan Schembri are the subject of “Generation Next” (pg. 44), and WPPI Plus instructor Marcus Bell discusses how to colorize monochrome images in Photoshop (pg. 50). Fran Reisner recounts the challenges of building an in-home studio and office (pg. 54) and Bleu Cotton and Alison Pierce redefine the mom and pop studio for the 21st century. Monte Zucker discusses classic posing and lighting (pg. 94), while educators Arthur Rainville and Dan Ayotte discuss the state of photo education (pg. 100). Parker Pfister talks about his image “The Wait” (pg 44), and lastly, Mitche Graf’s Power Marketing Super Conference is profiled on page 106. See you in Vegas!

Bill Hurter, Editor

ON THE COVER

PHOTOGRAPHER: Yervant
TITLE: Untitled
COMMENTS: The first time I saw this shot by acclaimed Australian wedding photographer Yervant, was during a walk-through of WPPI’s print exhibit of award-winning prints. Joe Buissink, another acclaimed wedding photographer, pulled me aside and said, “You’ve got to see this shot.” Yervant had outlined the story of the making of the image to Joe. Apparently, Yervant was done shooting the pictures of this beautiful bride, and it was nearing the end of the day when he saw this orange wall in the underground garage. Yervant whisked the bride over to the wall. There was only one light, an overhead can light designed to illuminate the wall. Yervant knew he had to get his bride to look up into the light, so he told her, “Look sexy, darling.” She cracked up and threw her head back in a big laugh, and Yervant made the shot. Yervant will be one of the featured speakers at this year’s WPPI. His program, “Dancing with the Bride and Groom,” will be presented on Monday March 21 from 9:00 –11:00 p.m.

For more on Yervant, see Peter Skinner’s in-depth profile of him and his unique Page Gallery software. The article begins on page 8.