Imaging USA 2017 | San Antonio, TX

IMAGING USA 2017
JANUARY 8-10, 2017 IN SAN ANTONIO, TX

As some of you may know, I LOVE to compete in the annual print competition held by PPA. This year was an extraordinary year for me. I was so glad that my friends and family were there to celebrate with me!

My amazing group of friends surprised me with a pair of diamond earrings right before the award ceremony so I could always remember this wonderful accomplishment.

• I received Double Diamond Photographer of the Year. This means that during IPC, all 8 of my images were worthy of a merit and that all 8 of them were accepted into PPA's Loan collection. I'm the first female to ever accomplish this and also 1 of only 5 other photographers to ever receive this distinction. 
• I earned my Master Artist degree from PPA. This is third degree I've earned through PPA. This is awarded for superior photographic skills—demonstrated through the Artist Exhibition category of the PPA International Photographic Competition (with images evaluated for computer-applied techniques and proficiency), advanced education and service to the industry.
• I received my Imaging Excellence award as well. I was one of only 20 recipients this year to receive this award. This award provides recognition for those rare photographers who have earned their PPA master’s degrees in the field of imaging and have continued to submit images worthy of acceptance into the PPA General and Loan Collections—the best images of PPA’s annual International Photographic Competition.

“To receive the Imaging Excellence Award says two things about the photographer,” explains Randy McNeilly, Chairman of PPA’s Photographic Exhibitions Committee.
“First, they know how to create beautiful images. Many people wait years to get one image in PPA's Loan Collection, but the Imaging Excellence Award requires 13 of those Loan images! “Second, it shows dedication to a goal. You don't earn this in one competition year and some wait their entire life to receive this award. This is one of PPA's hardest awards to earn, and those who have should be proud of the accomplishment.”  

---

Grand Imaging Awards 2017

This year I was astonished to have 4 of my images (pictured below) selected to be in the running for this year's Grand Imaging Awards. The GIAs are awarded yearly at Imaging USA based on the results of the International Photographic Competition. The top 10 images in six categories as selected by International Photographic Competition jurors  and are announced at the GIAs along with the top 3 winners from each category. This is kinda like the Super Bowl for photographers!

I'm so happy to announce that I placed 1st in the High School Senior category and 2nd in the General Portraits category. Just to be nominated for the GIAs is a HUGE honor! The competition is definitely some of the best photographic work in the country.

You can watch the entire awards ceremony (below) to see the other nominees and the winners of the GIAs and the medalist for this year's International Print Competition!

Pointe of Grace

1st Place Winner in the High School Senior Category

Autumn Arrival

2nd Place Winner in the General Portraits category

The Hunters

Placed top 10 in the Artist category

Welcome to the Big Top

Placed top 10 in the Artist category

Never Enough Time

Time comes to us in a finite measure. Our problem as humans is… we always think that we’ll have enough of it. It’s the one thing in life that is equal for all of us. We can earn or buy more. We believe that days will go on endlessly, that things can be put off until tomorrow and that unfinished business is insignificant. Nothing could be further from the truth. The older we get, the more inescapable this concept becomes.

A few months ago I came up with an idea. It was born out of a desperation to hold on to the memories of my last remaining grandparent. My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimers last year and with each passing day, it’s grip becomes more apparent. He struggles to recall the names of his youngest great grandchildren and repeats stories he’s just told you moments before. After watching one grandpa lose his battle with this disease a couple of years ago, I know what is coming. First, it starts out as forgetfulness and then piece by piece, people are forgotten and long term memories fade into oblivion. I decided that I wanted to capture the stories of those I love on film, starting with him. I wanted to preserve his story in his voice and his words.

Yesterday, we packed up all my equipment and headed over to my grandpa’s house. We’ve spent very little time there since my grandmother passed away. Mainly because the thought of being there without her voice wafting in from the kitchen is almost unbearable. She had a bad habit of attempting to talk to everyone a room away, thinking that we would actually hear her. Annoying then but miss it like crazy now. As we stepped into the house, millions of memories flooded into my mind. The familiar smell of coffee and their brand of laundry detergent was all around us, reminding us of how much of our childhood’s happened there.

We set up my equipment in his living room. The only place that felt right to interview him was in his well worn recliner. That chair is a place where we were rocked to sleep as a children and his favorite place to sit and watch his four grandkids play. We had a casual conversation on camera about his life. We talked about what his first job was, his children and grandchildren, and reminisced about some of his childhood adventures with his siblings. Our favorite story will always be about how he met my grandmother. She was the popcorn girl at the Humble, TX movie theater and he worked on oil rigs.  When he would get time off, he would come into town to see a “picture show” and flirt with the popcorn girl.  He was very shy so he has always told me that he had to eat A LOT of popcorn before he finally worked up the courage to ask her out. They got married in 1950 (just two weeks after my grandmother’s 16th birthday) on the movie theater stage between two showings. The original Father of the Bride movie was playing that day.

Some of his stories we’ve have heard my whole lives and others were completely new to us. It broke our hearts to watch him struggle to access the memories of things we’ve heard him talk about for years, but eventually we were able to help him recall the stories for the film. When we finished the interview, we spent some time filming the decor and elements of the house that were part of my childhood recollections. The end product will be a mini movie about my grandfather’s life and a custom designed photo album including his life stories and history.

When we lost our grandmother six years ago, we never saw it coming. It was absolutely devastating to know that all our moments with her were over. If we could have just one day back with her we would have done exactly what we did yesterday. We would want one more day to capture her voice and her spirit on camera forever.

Our hope that our new project inspires those around us to preserve and hold on to their most precious moments in life. We are currently booking Legacy Interviews and photo sessions for 2015. Send an email for inquiries or give us a call at the studio.

Written by Melinda