CPP?

I was asked what the initials, CPP behind my name stood for.  It stands for Certified Professional Photographer.  I had to go through a rigorous program that included passing an extensive written exam and passing the approval of submitted work from a pristine panel of judges.  It is similar to receiving your CPA or National Boards for teachers.

Not many photographers are willing to put themselves through the ordeal of becoming certified.  Many do not pass it and some fail to maintain the requirements to keep their certification during each 5 year renewal period.  Read more on the certification process and what it means for you as a client.

There are only two Certified Professional Photographers in Burke County (me and Chris Garner) and just a few others in our surrounding area.  We all worked hard to earn our certification.

If you use someone other than me (why I don’t know) for your family portraits or even the images that will represent your business, then take a moment and ask them if they are a Certified Professional Photographer.  You can see if they are certified on this website.

Does it sound as if I am proud to be a Certified Professional Photographer?  Well, yeah I am.  Soon there will be even more initials after my name, but we will save that story for another day.

Who’s up for a parade?

As a mom, I get the joy of watching Sarah to learn, enjoy and grow.  As a photographer, sometimes I get to do that and participate at the same time.  When I can, I try to help out at Sarah’s school.  I have to admit it is very rewarding and I highly recommend it to all parents and business owners. 

A recent event I was able to help out with was the annual Dr. Suess birthday- Read Across America parade.  I spent the morning helping blow up and tie hundreds of balloons for the balloon launch with some fellow moms (oh, and Thurman Roe).  Every year at the end of the parade, the students all go out on the football field and pledge to always read and they do a mass balloon launch.  It is an awesome site to watch.

Tied on the end of each balloon is a note about Dr Suess and reading.  It also includes the student’s name and school information.  Each year the students are amazed at finding out how far their balloon went when they get a note from the person that found it.  This year several have been found around the Statesville area.

If you missed this year’s parade and balloon launch here are some images from it.   Mark your calendar for next year’s.  It is the best parade around.

A cowboy song

This year I have had the pleasure of watching Sarah find something she seems to really enjoy; chorus.  At the Soaring Eagles program at George Hildebrand Elementary School, the chorus gave a great performance.  It was a cowboy theme and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

Here is a little video of some of the images I took during the performance.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did the chorus performance.