Congratulations to PPA member Anna Kim of Anna Kim Photography in Paia, Hawaii! She landed the May cover of Lemonade and Lenses, a monthly photographer magazine, with this beauty of an image.

PPA member Kathryn Rutherford, M.Artist.Cr., of Heirloom Art Studio in Sevierville, Tenn., received one of the East Tennessee Historical Society's 2012 Awards of Excellence on May 8. Judged by committee, these awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in programming, publications, preservation and other achievements in history.

In Rutherford's case, she was honored with an Award of Distinction in recognition of her research and creation of original "Spirit Paintings," which capture the cultural history of the Great Smoky Mountain area. Most notable to the award are a series of four unique oil paintings that were created to record the ancestral residents associated with the Headrick Chapel in Wears Valley, Tenn. She also donated a portion of each reproduction print sale to the Friends of Headrick Chapel Restoration Fund to support the chapel's preservation.

"I am incredibly surprised and deeply honored to be recognized for my fine art and efforts to raise funds to preserve East Tennessee history," commented Rutherford. "As a portrait and restoration artist at the Heirloom Art Studio, it is always my hope that my work will bring joy and fulfillment to my clients and create heirlooms for the future. The Headrick Chapel Spirit Paintings have not only allowed me to capture a moment in time, but often put the faces of Wears Valley ancestors into the hands of descendants throughout the United States who, only through the purchase of my paintings, were able to view their ancestors for the first time."

These Spirit Paintings are just one of Rutherford's many specialties, combining the stories and histories of ordinary lives into one-of-kind, original fine art. Family members, historical figures, and people long gone are depicted as transparent ghosts forever captured as unique heirlooms that "bring back memories of another time," as Rutherford's website says.

Rutherford has been a PPA member since about 1986 and has earned her Master Artist and Photographic Craftsman degrees. She specializes in providing high-end photographic and fine art restoration, original portraits and paintings in oil and watercolor, photographic retouching, and original digital fine art to other pro photographers and specialty clients in 17 countries throughout the world. Rutherford holds a long list of prestigious awards from PPA and others, including Eastman Kodak Co. She was also awarded the Fuji Masterpiece Award for the invention of a process that captures and restores the images on blackened tintypes.  

More of Rutherford's work can be viewed at www.heirloomartstudio.com.

You never know what one photograph will lead to. Take PPA member Steve Schindler's experience as an example! On New Year's Night 2009, Steve (of Schindler Photography in Lake Charles, LA) noticed kids playing with sparklers--writing their names in the air and so on. He put his camera on a tripod to capture some long exposures of it. Later, he posted one of the pictures on National Geographic's "My Shot" website. In May 2011, he received an email asking to use the picture in the book, "Visions of Earth" and in October 2011 the book was released! Congratulations, Steve! (Image ©Steve Schindler, Schindler Photography)

PPA member Barry J. Taratoot of Atlanta, Ga., has been selected by the Artists in Exhibition program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to exhibit his photographic works of fine art. His exhibit--"The Les Fleurs Collection" (French for "The Flowers")--is on display until May 16 in the airport's Atrium Gallery.

The exhibit consists of framed images ranging in size from 34" x 46" to just shy of 4ft. x 6ft. Given the fact that Barry's photographs are floral, the Atrium now bursts alive with subtle splashes of color that could not be more appropriate for an Atlanta spring showing.

Barry is one of eight Atlanta area artists invited each year to exhibit a photographic body of work at Hartsfield-Jackson. He does all of his own printing and finishing work in his home studio in Dunwoody, Ga. In fact, it's Barry's unusual way of photographing his floral subjects that makes them so very unique.

Although the images themselves are digitally captured and created, no special effects software is used to finish a photographic piece. According to Barry: "After the plants are photographed using a special lens and lighting technique, the images are imported to Adobe Photoshop to undergo color balancing, dust and dirt removal, and then positioned to create a perfectly beautiful photograph. The pictures are not digitally manipulated in Photoshop to any significant degree or any other professional application other than this."

The International Photographic Council (IPC), a non-governmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations, announced the eight recipients of its 2012 IPC Professional Photographer Leadership Awards. A good number of PPA members made the mark! The award recipients will be honored at the 14th Annual IPC Pro Award Luncheon, which will be held at the United Nations in New York City on May 17.

As it does each year, the IPC Awards Luncheon kicks off International Professional Photographers Month, saluting professionals around the globe. "The winners, nominated by professional photography organizations, are chosen for best representing the groups' criteria and ideals," says IPC President James Chung.

Congratulations to the 2012 IPC Professional Photographer Leadership Award recipients (especially our PPA members!):

• Professional Photographers of America (PPA): Louis Tonsmeire
• Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA): Ralph Romaguera (also a PPA member)
• Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI): Jennifer Hudson (also a PPA member)
• American Photographic Artists (APA):  Michael Grecco
• American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP): James Cavanaugh
• Federation of European Photographers (FEP): Bernd Gassner 
• National Press Photographers Association (NPPA): Yunghi Kim
• White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA): Chip Somodevilla