Professional Photographers of America (PPA) proudly ushers in the new council for 2012 - 2015. As a non-profit, member-driven association, PPA's membership ultimately governs the association through these PPA Council representatives! 

Councilors are professional photographers who volunteer their time and service to guide and act as the voice for their state's PPA members. Duties include discussing and voting on changes to the Bylaws and Adopted Procedures and the leadership of the association (via the election of the board of directors and the Nominating Committee). They also play a crucial role in sharing the PPA message to existing, new and prospective PPA members.

Wendy Newman, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, recently earned both her Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees from PPA. One of her reasons for pushing herself toward those degrees was her clientele. "My clientele are predominately professionals, such as physicians, lawyers and pro athletes...all of whom are familiar with what it takes to become a 'professional,'" she says. "In all of those fields, it takes a lot of hard work, practice, dedication and continual testing or trials to validate their abilities. My PPA degrees assure my clients that they are dealing with a qualified photographer who is at the top of her game. "

Curious about PPA's degrees and how you can earn them (and use them), too? PPA has created a website that walks you through the what, why and how of those degrees and merits: www.ppa.com/degrees.

AT&T is performing routine system maintenance on Thursday, May 26, from midnight to 6:00am EST. This will affect PPA.com, ImagingUSA.org, and other association-related Web services. Please note that PPA online content and services like event registrations may be unavailable during this time. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Stay tuned to your email inbox next Friday (May 20)! PPA is updating our system to provide more streamlined and efficient services, which will require a new login and password to access your PPA records and content. These updates will occur during the week of June 6, and more information (including your new login and password) will be emailed to you on May 20. 

Are you ready to compete in PPA's International Photographic Competition (IPC)? Don't wait too much longer because the entry deadline is April 27!

Entering IPC is easy--just click here for rules, entry forms and tutorials: www.ppa.com/competitions/international.php.

A few things to remember:

• The entry deadline is April 27, and the entry fee is $95. The late entry fee for submissions between April 28 and May 10 will be $155.
• Both digital images and prints are accepted. Get more details in this week's Vital Signs email.
• Be sure to choose your Grand Imaging Awards (GIA) entry category when you register. Last year's GIA winners were recognized at the Grand Imaging Awards celebration at Imaging USA and earned trophies and cash prizes!
• Earn Exhibition Merits for your winning images and start your path to earning a PPA degree. If your image received a Seal of Approval at your District Competition, you must enter it into the IPC to earn your PPA merit.

Enter and continue your journey toward image excellence. Rules, entry forms and tutorials can all be found here: www.ppa.com/competitions/international.php.

A few days ago, PPA asked if (and why) you registered your images with the U.S. Copyright Office, so we could share your thoughts with those on Capitol Hill. Here is what we found from the 2,830 photographers who responded (March 24-28):

How often do you register your work with the Copyright Office?

• 2,392 (84%) of respondents said they NEVER register their work.
• 41 (1%) of respondents said they ALWAYS register.
• 324 (11%) of respondents said they OCCASIONALLY register.

Of those who always register their images:

• 210 (38%) want the additional protection offered by copyright registration.
• 111 (20%) wanted to establish their copyright ownership.
• 16 (2%) specifically registered to pursue an infringement suit.

Of those who choose not to register their work or register on a regular basis:

• 651 (25%) of respondents said they never heard about registration.
• 636 (24%) of respondents said it is too time consuming.
• 355 (13%) of respondents said it is too expensive.

These results were presented during a discussion about photographic copyright protection with Maria Pallante, Acting Register of the Copyright Office, on March 28. To read more about this meeting, check out "PPA Heads to Capitol Hill March 28-29."

To learn more about copyright registration, download the 2010 PPA Copyright Kit and watch the free Member Essentials Webinar "How to Protect and Register your Images."

You can start uploading and registering your images for the 2011 International Photographic Competition right now! Remember, whether you choose to enter with prints or digital files (the newest time- and money-saving option!), all entries must be registered online by April 27.

NOTE TO ALL DISTRICT COMPETITORS: If you are participating in any of the 2011 district competitions, please wait one week after your district competition has completed before registering for the international competition. This is to ensure that any seals you may earn on a entry in district competition is successfully transfered to your international entry.

PPA has been helping photographers grow for over 140 years, and our resources to help you and the industry have only grown stronger. Take a walk in the past to learn about PPA's beginnings (and photography itself) via the History of PPA video. You'll see why we're proud to be PPA...and you will be, too! (Feel free to share this video on your own blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed or website.)

Do consumers know the difference a professional photographer can make? Professional Photographers of America (PPA) has taken several more steps in spreading that message. We have launched additional online advertising programs in support of the See the Difference consumer awareness campaign, and we're making the video we're using available to members for use on your websites, social media sites and in your studios!

All of the See the Difference materials explain the value of photography and, above all, why to choose a PPA member. Focusing on wedding photography, senior photography and family/children photography respectively, the campaigns encourage prospects to search our online PPA database--Find-a-Photographer--to find their professional photographer.

You also may see our ads on Google, Facebook and other online sites, pushing consumers to those landing pages. Please don't click on the ads (we know it's tempting) because we will incur costs for those clicks and it will make our tracking data inaccurate.

Want the spread the word yourself? Download the See the Difference video now and use it on your blog, Facebook page and anywhere else you'd like. Include it with copy about your professionalism and PPA membership to drive the message home.

Together, we can help the world see the difference a professional photographer makes for those once-in-a-lifetime memories.

We'll be adding more resources and new videos throughout the year, so stay up-to-date by reading PPA Today or joining us on PPA's Facebook page for all the latest news. Learn more about the start of the See the Difference campaign here.

Congratulations to all of you for taking the time to get involved and help pass H.R. 4! Making your voices heard in the halls of the U.S. House of Representatives helped ensure the bill reached the outcome we desired: passage.

The vote was 314-112 with only six members not voting on this important measure. To see how your representative voted, go here:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll162.xml

Our work to ensure the repeal becomes law doesn't stop here--it continues in the U.S. Senate. We are delighted to report that this bill has already been placed on their calendar for a vote. Once PPA learns the timing of how the Senate will consider H.R. 4, we will let you know what steps you can take to achieve another victory on this key piece of legislation. If you're ready to contact your senator now, visit the Contact Congress page.

Again, thank you for your hard work...and congratulations on making a difference in the outcome of this vote!