Member of the Month
Ken Cook:
A Golden Time

By CharMaine Beleele

It's early morning in Salinas, CA, and as Ken Cook strides down the street, he is a stranger to no one. In fact, the townspeople who greet him have known him all their lives. The oldest surviving business in the downtown area, Cook's Photography has been on the same street for four generations. And over the years, Ken has certainly developed lasting relationships. A prime example is a waitress at his favorite coffee shop, the Cherry Bean; Ken photographed her mother and her grandmother, and this spring, he will photograph the three generations together. His storefront is across the street from the Cherry Bean and his show window displays his work. He is known for classical, painterly images that almost appear three-dimensional. His senior and bridal portraits are reminiscent of Rembrandt beauties. Cook's Photography combines Ken's 60-year career as a photographer with his son Jason's fresh perspective, which establishes the studio as one of the few father-son photographic teams.
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Studio of the Month

Lito Sy Photography:
Maintaining Success in Four Studios and Beyond

By Linda L. May

The Republic of the Philippines is a string of over 7000 islands located in the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of Southeast Asia. Situated just north of the equator, this lovely island nation has a humid, tropical climate with little variation in temperatures year round. In January it's about 75 degrees Fahrenheit; in June, it's 82 degrees--making the islands ideal for outdoor photography. This tropical paradise stretches 1152 miles from north to south, and boasts rugged mountains, rivers, thick jungles, and lush green plains perfect for agriculture, as well as large bustling cities teeming with industry and commerce.

One popular photographer in the Philippines, Lito Sy, was first introduced to photography in 1986 when he was still attending college at Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City, majoring in electricity. While in college, Lito worked as a production assistant for his brother-in-law who owned a wedding studio. Soon after, Lito discovered how much he loved photography. He says he was hooked when he held his first camera. While he has no formal photography education, he learned his craft through endless practice and experimentation and by attending countless workshops and seminars. After 18 years in this industry, though, Lito says he is still learning: "When one stops learning, one stops growing and improving."
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In Studio & On Screen
Top 5 Ways to Increase Your Studio's Profit in a Lower Economy

By Kathleen Hawkins
Images by Jeff Hawkins

In this changing economy it is evident the photography industry is transforming and your client's photographic needs are constantly changing. What makes one studio suffer and another successful? Photography studios that hone their marketing methods continue to thrive while the studios that fail do this, see their business flounder. Consider the following top five ways to increase your studios bottom line during troubled times:

#1 Target Your Market
Many photographers take pride in their ability to diversify their photography by shooting weddings, seniors, families, commercial and special events. However, stretching yourself and your advertising dollars too much can create a marketing identity crisis. Identify which market you want to make a priority and go after it. Once your market has been successfully captured, consider moving on to your next forte. Nevertheless be cautious and try not to spread yourself too thin.
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Business Landscape
Customizing Your Leased Space

By Fred S. Steingold

You're not likely to find rental space for your business that is perfect in every way. Maybe you'd like the interior walls to be positioned just right. Or maybe you'd prefer an oversized restroom or a ceiling with special lighting. How do you deal with the landlord regarding these issues?

Let's start with a building under construction. Your lease should define what the landlord will do before turning the space over to you. At the very least your landlord should agree to pay for a "base building" or "core shell." This covers the cost of finishing the building so it is ready for any tenant.
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Member News
Important News for WPPI Members

• What's new and improved about WPPI in 2009? A LOT!
  
  New Venue: For 2009, we are moving to the beautiful MGM Grand! With almost 600,000 square feet, we've packed the week full of programs, a trade show and amazing events--all in one location!
  
  New Dates: Make sure to mark February 12-19, 2009 on your calendar for the 2009 WPPI Convention and Trade Show and get those airline tickets booked!
  
  
• Southern California photographers, circle August 4 on your calendar for the barbecue event of the year-it's welterweight Carey Shumaker vs "slightly more" than welterweight, Skip Cohen, in a battle of culinary grilling skills guaranteed, if nothing else to make you laugh! Nobody has figured out where the trash talk started, but the gauntlet over who can grill the best steak was thrown down at WPPI last March. Cohen claims Shumaker doesn't have the skill set to be creative on a grill and Shumaker mentioned something about Cohen being too old to remember to season the steak-and the banter went on and on. Visit www.bbqsmackdown.com for full details.
  
  
• Kicking off the first series of Rangefinder Radio podcasts, WPPI member Tamara Lackey shares more details behind her stunning and elegant portraits of the Democratic candidates that were featured in the June issue of Rangefinder. Check out her blog, www.tamaralackeyblog.com, for more information about her work and recent press.
  
  
• Top wedding photographer Kevin Jairaj joins forces with top children's photographer Alycia Alvarez to offer two unique workshops titled Rings to Rattles, which focus on the entire spectrum of professional photography. Beginning with marriage and continuing on to the development of a new family, Kevin and Alycia will teach the importance of cultivating and nurturing the relationship with a client. With the necessary knowledge and skills, a photographer can easily keep a client for life.
  
  
• Moab by Legion Paper and WPPI announce the 2008 "JUST PRINT IT" contest. Click on the image to the left for more information on contest registration and other rules. Visit the "JUST PRINT IT" contest site at www.moabpaper.com/justprintit.
  
  
• AsukaBook announces the Show Us Your Best! contest, in which entrants design a book of photographic images that meet the specifications of any AsukaBook. Winners will receive a myriad of prizes from AsukaBook and other sponsors. Registration opened on June 1st and will continue until August 1st. Go to asukabook.com/contest_2008.html.
  
  
• First Person Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to memoir and documentary in all its art forms, has launched its annual, national competition for memoir and documentary photographers, videographers and writers--First Person Impressions. All entries must be new works that have not previously been published, exhibited or screened in the United States. For more details about guidelines and how to submit entries, go to www.impressions.firstpersonarts.org.
  
  
• July is the portrait issue of Rangefinder. In addition to being filled with intriguing profiles on some of the best portraitists in the industry, this month's issue contains the results from the Nikon Take Your Best Shot! portrait cover contest. See www.rangefindermag.com for more.
  
  
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