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Certification and What It Means

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Certification and What It Means

One year go I started a personal journey in my photography career. A year ago I declared my candidacy with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) to achieve my Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) certification.

I know you’re asking, ”What is a CPP?”. This is a program that assures others that photographers have the knowledge, experience and the desire to learn new skills and techniques on a continual basis. In other words, it is not a one time thing. We have to go thru recertification every three years to retain our credentials. It is also an acknowledgement of my professional qualifications. The CPP credentials serve to distinguish professional photographers who have demonstrated technical skills through a written examanation and an image submission. Image submission consists of 15 images, six (6) are compulsory and the remaining nine (9) are client based. The compulsory images must show certain lighting techniques, which compliment the subject well. There are about 15 judges during each round of image submission. I was shocked and even more nervous when I discovered this information.  Just imagine being interviewed by a panel of 15 judges. There are less than 40 in the state of Oklahoma. That is a very small percentage compared to all the photographers in Oklahoma.

Being a CPP is similar to a quality assurance certification, a credential consumers and businesses understand. It was really neat to watch my transformation over the last year. I could see myself improving in so many ways, from posing to lighting and understanding what I was seeing and performing. Most of all my confidence improved.

I chose to earn my CPP certification as way to set myself apart from the average “Joe”. I wanted to grow and challenge myself. I’ve never had any formal training and wanted to fill in the holes where I lacked knowledge. Was I scared, you better believe it. Was I challenged? Yes, most definitely, I had a lot of failures in this process, but in the end it was all worth it. I never gave up, there were times I wanted to, but then what would that serve? It would have meant time was wasted by me and I would have wasted my clients time. I don’t want to settle, I want to succeed. “If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing,”, I heard this quote a couple of years ago at a conference and it totally blew me away. That quote has stuck with me ever since. It’s a reminder that if I am feeling uncomfortable then I am growing which is always a good thing.

If you want more information regarding the CPP program or PPA, I would be happy to visit with you over coffee.

Let a Certified Professional Photographer show you the difference and capture your families memories. Email me and we will set up a time to visit over coffee and danish too.

Special Thanks to Jennifer Tiffany of Jen Tiffany Photography for the awesome images and a Huge Thank You to all my clients for helping me achieve my certification. I could not have done it without you.

Last but certainly not least, a heart felt Thank You to two people who pushed me, advised me and just told me NO, go back and redo. I so appreciate their honesty in this journey. Dawn Muncy of Muncy Photography and Tony Gatlin of Tony Gatlin Photography you both are invaluable to this industry. Thank you for keeping me accountable, pushing me and for believing in me.

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Have you ever...

Have you ever seen anything so gorgeous and beautiful and instantly knew you needed to visit the location. 

Well that happened to me back in February of this year.  I attended the Open House of The Grand Canadian Theater in Purcell. It was a decision I made on the spur to the moment.  I had never been there nor had I ever heard of them. It sounded intriguing to me and I wanted to visit the theater and meet new people.

I walked in the door and boy, was I blown away by its beauty and grandure.  The owner Gisela designed the entire inside and has put in her blood, sweat and tears into refurbishing the old theatre that used to be an antique store that was piled high with stuff into an elegant venue for wedding and parties.

Time went on and I just keep thinking about the beauty of the theatre.  While sitting and having coffee one day trying to plan, I called the theater and set a date to meet Gisela and discuss a styled shoot. I was so excited and I still am to this day.  While scrolling Instagram I came upon a gorgeous dress from RL Bridal. They agreed to collaborate with me and let me borrow a couple of dresses.  If you need a bridal gown I recommend RL Bridal, they will work with you to find the perfect dress. Tony Foss did an amazing job on the exquisite bouquet that showcased some fabulous fall colors.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed creating them.  

If you are looking for a wedding photographer feel free to check out my Portfolio and give me a call. I would love to sit down and have coffee with you and talk about the vision you have for your big day.

Venue The Grand Canadian Theater

Dresses provided by RL Bridal

Stella and York Style 6541

Stella and York Style 6353

Bouquet provided by Tony Foss Flowers

 

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The Five Characteristics of a Diamond

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The Five Characteristics of a Diamond

She knows that you love her, but now you want the world to know you love her. You’ve heard the saying, "diamonds are a girl's best friend and a man’s worst enemy."  They don’t have to be your enemy any longer! Shopping for the ring - you know, THE ring - can be overwhelming. To make it a little easier, here are are the Five Characteristics of a Diamond you should know: Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat Weight and Certificate.

Cut is the Most Important

Ask a girl what kind of diamond she wants in her engagement ring, and she'll tell you the cut she likes. Princess, round, marquise, etc. Not only that, but it's the only characteristic of a diamond that is totally dependent on man. It refers to not only the shape and style, but its proportions, polish and symmetry. A diamond's cut is crucial to the stone's final beauty and value. The cut of a diamond also determines its brilliance. The better a diamond is cut, the more sparkle it will have. You know how much girls LOVE sparkle! While most important, cut is the most complex and technically difficult to analyze of the five characteristics.

One of the things diamonds are graded on, is the quality of the cut. Those grades are Excellent, Very Good and Good. You definitely want the most sparkle in the diamond, so choose the best cut grade that your budget can handle.

Then There's Color

The human eye detects sparkle first and the color second. The "color" characteristic of a diamond is actually used to describe the absence of color in the stone. A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond has no hue and no color, similar to a drop of clean water. The color of a diamond is determined by comparing it to a registered set of master diamonds in a lab under controlled conditions. As a diamond's color grade improves, its price increases. Want to maximize your budget? Choose "near-colorless," because the naked eye will not see traces of color in this particular diamond.

Don't Forget About Clarity

Clarity refers to the presence or absence of inclusions and blemishes. Diamonds are formed by an immense amount of heat and pressure deep below the earth. This results in a variety of internal characteristics called inclusions and external characteristics called blemishes.  Diamonds with the least and smallest inclusions receive the highest clarity grades. Clarity - sometimes called purity - is just another factor that determines the overall diamond quality and value. To get the most bang for your buck, choose a diamond that is “eye-clean.” This means it does not have any visible inclusions to the naked eye.

Carat, Not Carrot

Carat weight is the term most of us are familiar with and is the most misunderstood. Most of us think in terms of size, but the measurement of a diamond is weight-specific only. A diamond's cut can impact how much the carat weight will be. However, smaller carat weight diamonds will appear larger with higher cut grades. The price of a diamond increases with carat weight, because larger (and heavier) diamonds are scarce. That scarcity makes them more desirable. Two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values (and, therefore, prices) depending on three other factors of the diamond. Color, Clarity and Cut.

The value of a diamond is not just determined by the carat weight, but by all characteristics. Consider choosing a diamond just below the full and half-carat weights. Prices tend to jump at the full and half-carat marks. Diamonds just below those weights cost much less and the small size difference is practically impossible to detect with the naked eye.

Certificate - It's the Blueprint of Your Diamond

There are only 4 true characteristics of a diamond - the ones I've discussed above. There is, however, a fifth category that needs to be considered. The certificate is a complete, accurate report that describes the specific characteristics of a diamond. It is issued by a recognized and independent diamond grading laboratory. A diamond certificate, known as the Diamond Grading Report, lists all the characteristics of a diamond. This determines its current appraisal and fair market value. A diamond certificate is not an appraisal and does not contain a monetary value but can be used as proof of the diamond's quality when obtaining an appraisal. It's a must-have, especially if you're going to add the ring to an insurance policy.

If you would like more information regarding any of the Five Characteristics of a Diamond, visit the Gemological Institute of America.

You will spend hours looking for the right diamond to define your love for her. This is only the first gift she will receive after she screams, “YES!”

There will be tears of joy and lots of "I love you's." I know you'll want to remember that moment forever. Contact Meto help you plan the perfect surprise proposal.

Special Thanks to Jewels By Simpson for the beautiful jewlery.

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