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• MDPPA Annual Picnic

  • When
    September 21, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    Patapsco Valley State Park, 5120 South Street Halethorpe MD 21227
  • Registered
    30 registrants

  Register

  JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL PICNIC!

  
  

  It's time for our amazing Annual Picnic!

  Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025

  Time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm - Grilling from 12-2!

  Location: Avalon Area Picnic Shelter 105, Patapsco Valley State Park, 5120 South Street, Halethorpe MD 21227 - As soon as you turn off Highway 1, look for the park entrance immediately on your left.

  
  

  We have two ticket types available when you register; please see the details below.

  
  

  1. MDPPA Member Ticket: The picnic is free to MDPPA members and their families; please indicate the number of guests when you register (dropdown menu). MDPPA will be providing all the main items (hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks, a few sides/desserts, snacks, and ice). Please make sure you register and include the number of guests to help us with planning quantities. We know we have some talented chefs among us...we have fond memories of your past delights. Consider this an invitation to show off those skills! If you would like to contribute to the side dishes/desserts for the event, you can let us know what you are bringing via the SignUpGenius link. 
  2.   Visiting Guest Ticket: Part of the Photography Community, but not a member of MDPPA, this ticket is for you. This ticket costs $10, and no food sign-up is required. You can bring guests; each guest is an additional $10 to help offset the cost. 

  
  

  Entrance and Parking Fees are Already Covered—do not pay at the gatehouse! If you are asked, tell them you are attending the Maryland Professional Photographers picnic. The entrance and parking fees have been covered for you.

  
  

  Get ready to snap, search, and smile! Join our wild and wacky Aperture Adventure Quest! Let your lens will be your guide through the diverse landscapes of Patapsco Valley State Park. From our pavilion, you're within easy reach of a world of photographic opportunities. Watch for the dynamic motion of mountain and road bikers as they navigate the winding paths and roads, offering a perfect chance to practice your panning shots. Just a short walk away, the gentle flow of the Patapsco River invites you to capture tranquil reflections or the drama of moving water.

  
  

  Six categories, six chances to win a prize ($25 gift card). Straight out of the camera, picked by your peers, an adventure that can be as mild or wild as you can imagine…within legal, moral, and ethical boundaries, of course. Enter as many or as few categories as you like; the goal here is to have some fun, show off your creativity, and make some memories with your fellow photographers. Everyone who participates will be entered into a prize drawing, so get ready for a picture-perfect adventure filled with laughter and friendly competition! More details to follow!

  Categories:

  1.      CLOSE-UP/MACRO: The main subject should dominate the shot and make viewers feel close to it. The goal of a close-up is to show a sense of immediacy and highlight detailed features of the subject.

  2.      INTENTIONAL CAMERA MOVEMENT: A photo taken with deliberate camera motion during the exposure to create artistic or creative effects. This technique can produce images that appear impressionistic or abstract. It may involve shaking the camera, moving it in a straight or curved path, or zooming the lens while the shutter is open. In-camera multiple exposures are permitted.

  3.      LOOKING UP: Tilt your camera upward and capture the world from a different perspective. It could be a ceiling, flowers from ground level, buildings, trees, or anything that requires your camera to look up.

  4.      Long Exposure: Capture an image that shows a long-exposure effect or uses a slow shutter speed. This technique may use time-lapse to capture stationary elements of a scene while blurring or obscuring moving elements (e.g., flowing water).

  5.      PANNING: Panning involves tracking a moving subject in the camera while using a slow shutter speed. The goal is to keep the subject in focus while blurring the background, highlighting motion in one shot. There may be some motion blur in the subject, but it should be less than in the background (i.e., it might not be perfectly sharp). Panning can express emotion and tell a story by showing the movement of a subject relative to the background. A panning motion is like how a person turns their head from left to right.

  6.      PATTERN: Your challenge is to find a subject where repetition is the dominant visual feature and to compose your shot to emphasize that sense of rhythm, order, or design.

  Last but not least, what kind of gathering would this be without an educational component? We plan to have a short member-led program that our hikers will enjoy! Those ready for a short quarter mile trail climb from the swinging bridge parking lot will enjoy the Cascade waterfall – a perfect subject for long-exposure photography. MDPPA President James Corbett will lead a short excursion departing at 10:15 am from the Cascade trailhead parking lot by the swinging bridge. James recommends a tripod and a lens somewhere in the 14 - 24 mm range. If you have a neutral density filter and remote trigger, bring them along. Waterproof hiking boots and a change of socks are recommended in case the shot required stepping into the water. The trail to the Cascade waterfall is a quarter mile with some roots and rocks in the path. You'll appreciate good traction and sturdy soles. And yes, the images you take are eligible for the Quest! 

  
  

  Like a game of chance, and the opportunity to support the Association at the same time. We have a 50/50 raffle planned for you! That's right, take a chance for just $5 a ticket to split the pot with MDPPA. 

  If the Picnic isn't enough to get you motivated to join us, we are including a Gear Swap as well! So, bring your old gear and wallet! Don't miss this chance to clean out some space to make room for that new stuff you want!
  

  Entrance and Parking Fees have been paid for you!
  

  Click Here for more information about the Patapsco Valley State Park - Avalon Area!

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• Scanning Business Tour and Photo Tips Member Connect with Dave Anderson

  • When
    October 13, 2025
  •  
    11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    134 Holiday Ct - Ste 303 (3rd Bldg - Ground Floor), Annapolis, MD. 21401
  • Registered
    5 registrants

  Register

  
  

  Join Our October Member Connect: Scanning Business Tour and Photo Tips

  
  Ready to explore a fascinating aspect of photography and pick up some incredible new tricks? Our next Member Connect is happening on Monday, October 13, 2025, at 11:00 AM in Annapolis, MD at PhotoScan Express.  You won't want to miss it!

  
  We're excited that fellow member, David Anderson, Cr. Photog. CPP, will lead us on a "show and tell" tour, demonstrating how his small business digitizes everything from photos, videos, and slides, to negatives and movie film. This is a unique chance to see behind the scenes of a specialized and valuable service. 

  But that's not all! Dave will also share some fantastic tips, tools, and tricks to make your photo shoots quicker and easier. Imagine learning how to retouch and even change backgrounds in seconds—all while you're shooting!

  
  Drinks and snacks will be served, and for those who want to continue the conversation, there will be an optional group lunch at a spot just a 2-3 minute walk away.

  
  Details on how to register will be provided soon. Mark your calendars and get ready for an insightful and inspiring Member Connect!

  PhotoScan Express

  134 Holiday Ct - Ste 303 (3rd Bldg - Ground Floor)

  Annapolis, MD 21401

  443-333-1076

  
  

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• Annual Image Competition

  • When
    October 22, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom
  • Registered
    6 registrants

  Register

  ANNUAL IMAGE COMPETITION!

  
  

  Join as an entrant or observer to learn and enhance your skills by hearing the judges' conversations, seeing the scores, and listening to challenges.

  When: October 22, 2025

  Time: Judging starts at 10:00 a.m. EDT.

  Where: Zoom

  Join via Zoom to view and hear the judging live. Viewing the event is free for everyone who registers!

  Entry Details:

  • You may enter up to a maximum of ten entries in any one category

  • Digital entries only via www.printcompetition.com. We will announce when the portal is open for submissions. The deadline for entry is: 10/19/25 at 11 p.m. EST.

  • Zoom information for the event will be provided after registration. 

  
  

  Entry fees:

  Members $12 
  

  Nonmembers $20 

  Our Annual Competition is different than our quarterly competitions, so please be sure to carefully review our Image Competition page for the updated rules.

  
  

  Judges: 

  
  

  
  

  Bob Coates M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP EA-ASP

  Coates started taking photographs with an SLR borrowed from a friend for a vacation back in 1983. After successfully managing other peoples businesses for 14 years while photographing on the side, he decided to follow the quote "Do what you love and you will become a success."

  In March of 1994 Bob left the restaurant business and took the leap to become a professional photographer. According to Bob, “The wonderful thing about photography is the continual learning and growth. Every day is a new discovery, a new way of seeing and new way of processing images to see my reality come to life. Coates constantly challenges himself to expand his knowledge of photography and shares that information with others.

  Photographer, educator and author, Bob Coates is based in Sedona, AZ with his wife and best friend Holly. See his photographers web site - successful-photographer.com. Check Bob’s photographic work out on his other web sites coatesart.net and bcphotography.com. Bob has Milky Way and Night Sky Photography Workshops in Sedona, Arizona and is available for mentoring.

  
  

  
  

  Thea Martin

  
  

  

  Kathryn Meek M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API
  

  Kathy Meek is co-owner of Gary’s Studio of Photography in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

  Kathy has received her Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees from PPA and is a Certified Professional Photographer. She is also an Approved Photographic Instructor (API) and is a PPA International Juror. She has received the Image Excellence Award from PPA. She has received the Associate Fellowship, Fellowship, and Senior Fellowship Degrees from the Arkansas Professional Photographers Association and the Associate Fellowship, Fellowship, and Senior Fellowship from SWPPA.

  Kathy is active in State, Regional, and National Associations. She is a Past President of the Arkansas Professional Photographers Association. She is a Past President of the Southwestern Professional Photographers Association and the American Society of Photographers. She has served on the Professional Photographers of America Board of Directors.

  She has received numerous image awards on the State, Regional, and International levels. She has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Arkansas Professional Photographers Association and the PPA National Award from the Arkansas Professional Photographers Association, the Southwestern Professional Photographers Association, and the American Society of Photographers.

  Kathy has received the Tom McDonald Award (formerly the Gerhard Bakker Award). The Tom McDonald Award is presented by PPA to an individual, school, company, or organization that best epitomizes outstanding service through education in the field of photography and visual communications.

  Tim Meyer

  
  

  Sandra Pearce

  
  

  If you have any questions, please contact printcomp@marylandppa.com

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• Annual Meeting and Jan Peterson presents, Need for Speed!

  • When
    November 12, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Howard County Center for the Arts 8510 High Ridge Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21043
  • Registered
    10 registrants

  Register

  Annual Meeting and Jan Peterson presents Need for Speed!
  

  When: 11/12/25

  Time: 7:00 - 9:00 PM EST

  Where: Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21043

  Remote Attendance Option: Only the association update and presentation portion of the event will be available via Zoom/recording. 

  Get ready for an Annual Meeting with a fresh twist! This year, we're excited to offer even more opportunities for technical growth and meaningful connections within our MDPPA community.

  First, MDPPA President James Corbett will call the business portion of the meeting to order. The first order of business will be board elections. Next, he will provide a brief association update highlighting how we are utilizing our resources to deliver member value and maintain a strong financial foundation.

  Following the association update, we're diving into a practical "Tech Night." Ever wonder if you're truly getting the most out of your memory cards? Ever asked yourself what hacks would help you get the most out of your valuable camera technology and gear? We will kick off with a presentation and demonstration by our very own Jan Peterson, where he’ll address our “Need For Speed!” He’ll share his insightful findings from testing various memory cards, revealing why speed ratings might not be the whole story and highlighting other crucial factors that every photographer should be aware of. He’ll share some of his wildlife photography and how this knowledge allowed him to get action shots others may have missed. He’ll also demonstrate how to test your own camera.

  When Jan wraps, get ready to connect with fellow photographers in small, manufacturer-specific groups. Each group will have a facilitator to spark engaging conversations, and we encourage you to come prepared to share your most valuable tips and tricks for maximizing your camera and gear.

  To make the most of this hands-on opportunity, please bring your camera so you can explore the settings and give the shared tips a try in real-time. There will also be an opportunity to step away from the tables and test your memory cards. If you’d like to participate in the testing, please bring a tripod and your empty memory cards.

  Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to stay informed, learn practical tips, and connect with your MDPPA community! Register for the event today, and be sure to complete the equipment questions so we can organize the small groups effectively.

  We look forward to seeing you there! Results from the Board Elections will be announced at the end of the meeting. 

  This announcement is an official notice of the Annual Meeting per Article III, Section 9 (F) of the Bylaws.

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