JEFF SEDLIK

APA Advocacy Award – Presented to Jeff Sedlik (APA LA) www.jeffsedlik.com 

Professor Jeff Sedlik is the President and CEO of the PLUS Coalition (Picture Licensing Universal System) www.useplus.com, a global non-profit organization for picture licensors and licensees, dedicated to the development and implementation of image licensing standards and systems.  APA is a charter member of the PLUS Coalition.  Sedlik has served in APA leadership as a volunteer for more than 13 years, including a term as National President of the APA (2000-2002), during which Sedlik led APA’s legal and legislative efforts in the areas of copyright, anti-trust, insurance, and sales tax regulation reform.

As APA President, Sedlik also developed collaborative relationships between APA and other organizations, and was responsible for drafting the APA’s “Alignment Agreement,” and for negotiating its unanimous approval by the chapters, thereby formalizing the APA’s federation structure and aligning the membership structure, policies, visual identity, mission and programs of all APA chapters. The Agreement also established the funding of APA National from membership dues for the first time in APA’s history, thereby allowing the chapters to pool their resources and share their strengths.

Sedlik currently serves as the APA’s Chief Advisor on Licensing and Copyright.  A leading commercial photographer for more than 21 years, Sedlik is an authority on image licensing and metadata, and provides expert witness and consulting services to clients in the photography, design, advertising and publishing industries. A Professor at the Art Center College of Design, Sedlik teaches courses on business and technical topics and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Sedlik received the 2005 "Photography Industry Leadership Award" from the International Photography Council, and was named the 2006 Photo Media "Photography Person of the Year" by PhotoMedia Magazine.

BOBBI LANE 

(photo credit: Ray Ng)

APA Education Award – Presented to Bobbi Lane (APA NY) www.bobbilane.com

Bobbi Lane is a commercial photographer specializing in creative portraits in studio and on location. Lane's multi-faceted approach to photography incorporates over 30 years of technical experience with innovative artistic interpretation. Lane shoots primarily people for editorial, corporate, and advertising accounts as well as photographing "real people" and travel for stock. Her stock photography has sold worldwide for ads, posters, and billboards.

Bobbi's clients include: Charles Schwab, GE, Warner Bros., PricewaterhouseCoopers, Samsung, Bose Corp., Neutrogena, Mattel, Maui Music Festival, McDonnell/Douglas, Sears' Tower Skydeck, and the Morro Bay Natural History Museum. She is a regular contributing photographer to both Ridgefield and Bedford Magazines in Connecticut.

As a dedicated photo educator, she brings insight and enthusiasm to her fun-filled workshops. Bobbi's excellent rapport and communication with her students inspires and motivates, while her straight-forward teaching style reaches students of many different skill levels. Her students nicknamed her “Mistress of Light.”  Bobbi teaches her own Bobbi Lane Workshops in Connecticut, at the Santa Fe Workshops, the Maine Workshops, the Julia Dean Workshops, and the International Center for Photography in New York City. She is Chair of APA’s Education Committee, and creator of the Successful Emerging Photographer’s program.

Bobbi is a Contributing Editor to Photo Techniques magazine, and author of the book, “Creative Techniques for Color Photography”, published by Amherst Media. Her new book, co-authored with fashion photographer Lou Lesko, is “Advertising Photography: A Straightforward Guide to a Complex Industry”, Thomson Publications. She developed the content and filmed two instructional DVDs, Portrait Lighting Techniques and Portraits Unplugged, which are available through Calumet Photographic. 

Photography is my profession, and teaching is my passion. When I was a photography student, the schools did not teach much in the way of business practices, just technique, so I was unprepared for the reality of being self-employed. Every step was tough and I learned many lessons by making mistakes that were painful and costly to overcome because I had nowhere to go for help and advice.  When APA was created, it provided this forum for communication and camaraderie that has helped strengthen the community as a whole. I’m truly dedicated to enriching the technical, business and artistic knowledge of budding photographers, whether they are students or adults making the transition into photography.

The APA Successful Emerging Photographer program was born from my desire to help people get a solid foundation in good business practices and to understand the value that they as creative visual artists bring to their clients. I’ve been in the commercial photography business for many years, and as it changes and grows, so do the questions and problems that the newcomer has to face.

I really love being a photographer and I want to do what I can, not only to give back, but also to help the long term health of the photography industry. Information is powerful so communication and education is immensely important on a variety of issues that affect us as business people and artists. The more equipped emerging photographers are with facts on rights, licensing, copyright, estimating, etc., then the stronger each one will be. The strength of each supports the group and that makes for a healthy and vibrant profession. BL

Bobbi Lane interview at PPE on receiving her APA Award: HERE

MICHAEL GRECCO

(photo credit: Paula Lerner)

APA Professionalism and Integrity Award – Presented to Michael Grecco (APA LA) www.michaelgrecco.com

For over a quarter century, photographer Michael Grecco has been taking images and making impressions. From advertising to editorial, Grecco's dynamic work is continually raising the photographic bar.  Advertising clients have included NBC/Universal, GE, Pfizer, HBO, Kodak, ABC, IBM Yahoo! and others. His editorial work is extensive, shooting for ESPN, Wired, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Premier and MAXIM.

Grecco has been featured in Communication Arts, American Photography, Photo District News, Photo Insider, PHOTOgraphic, Studio Photography and Design and American Photo. In addition, books by Raygun magazine, Esquire and the cover shot for California 24/7, from the prestigious Day In The Life series. His Los Angeles showings have included the Louis Stern, the G. Ray Hawkins and the Fahey Klein Galleries.

Michael is a frequent speaker on the Canon Explorers of Light and the Hasselblad Masters nationwide lecture programs. He has appeared on the television news show Extra and is the photography expert for KNBC News.

The short list of awards includes multiple International Photography awards, numerous Photo Design awards, The AR 100, New York and Los Angeles Art Directors Clubs, The Maggie Awards and Creativity kudos.  Michael has created a critically acclaimed and best selling book titled, "Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography." He is currently working on his "found beach people" series in Miami and Los Angeles for his newest publication.

Michael Grecco works with an unrivaled technical ability and a rare sensitivity. He couples this technical savvy with a personally engaging style that draws out the people and the potential. Grecco is a photographer's photographer, always ready with hard-earned advice and willing praise for others. The image he has created for himself is authentic, composed and always striking.

APA gives me a chance to give back to the community that I myself work in and love. Since I was a little kid I have always thought of myself as a photographer – my whole identity is wrapped in the appreciation of this beautiful medium. So it is of great self interest that I am determined to help our industry be successful and to have a contributing role in our society as a whole. MG 

PETER KROGH

APA Innovation in Technology Award – Presented to Peter Krogh (APA DC) www.peterkrogh.com

Peter Krogh is the author of “The DAM Book” (O'Reilly, 2005), the most widely used reference on digital asset management for photographers.  His system cuts the often overwhelming task of managing digital photos down to manageable size with a solid plan, practical advice, and a workable system for filing, finding, protecting, and re-using photographs.

A professional and avid personal photographer for more than twenty years, Peter is a passionate advocate for both the photographer and the photograph. As an Alpha Tester for Adobe, with a specialty in archive and workflow issues, his contributions can be seen in some of the features available in Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Bridge, and the DNG RAW storage format. His handiwork is also integrated into iView Media Pro3 after many workflow sessions with their programmers. Peter is on the ASMP Board (American Society of Media Photographers) and instigated the push for digital photographic standards that is now UPDIG ( www.updig.org).

Most recently, Krogh was named a Microsoft Icon of Imaging. The Microsoft Icons of Imaging photographers are recognized around the world as leaders in their specialty area of photography. Created by Microsoft, the Icons of Imaging program recognizes photographers and digital imaging industry leaders who use a Microsoft Windows-based digital workflow. Their web site, http://www.microsoft.com/prophoto/icons/ is dedicated to showcasing the members of the program and to displaying a sample of their incredible imagery.

Peter's photographic work ranges from landscapes and architecture to images about light and color, to intensely personal photographs of family and friends. His stock photography is represented by National Geographic Image Sales. He revels in all forms of photographic expression and loves the experimental and offbeat.

I'd like to thank APA for the recognition this award represents.  I've spent quite a bit of time over the last few years working in the interests of the photographer and the photographic image, and it's gratifying to have that work validated by awards like this.  The digital revolution has been a time of unparalleled creative opportunity for photographers. At the same time it has provided challenges in terms of the knowledge we must bring to the table, and the changing business models.  I'm proud to be a part of APA as it helps photographers deal with both issues.

APA's forums are one of the most important resources for photographers tackling the challenges of the digital age. APA National's focus on photographers' issues enables the individuals and small business that make up our industry to speak with a louder and more unified voice than they could individually.  And local chapters, such as the Washington DC chapter I belong to, encourage sharing of resources is an open and collegial atmosphere.

While the challenges are daunting, the opportunities are breathtaking.  Strive to meet both with an open mind and cooperative spirit.  Support and rely on your fellow photographer for a better future for our art and our profession. Make good pictures.  And get up from in front of the computer every now ad then. PK         

GEORGE FULTON 

APA Creativity Award – Presented to George Fulton (APA Charlotte) www.georgefulton.com

George Fulton is an award-winning advertising and print photographer for the major brands everywhere. His work has been published in Communication Arts, Print, HOW, and Archive. Among hundreds of awards to his credit, the 2007 ASICS campaign won his second national gold AddyTM for a photography campaign. If you haven’t seen the ASICS campaign in magazines and on billboards, you’ve probably been on the couch watching too much TV.

Originally trained as a writer, George loves to build image stories around stories, headlines and the raw beginnings of an idea. Building images from the ground up with blank frames and a multitude of layers, he builds images that create unique brand stories for clients around the world. Some call his photographs hyper-realistic, but George simply calls it characterization. Although George’s images have a high level of post-production, it’s the idea, the details of what one puts in front of the lens, and the craft of light that he feels matter most.

George is the past National President of the Advertising Photographers of America. He has spoken extensively to advertising groups and associations around the country, and is also an experienced writer, with articles appearing in many industry publications. He is also a musician of many years and instruments, and a proud father of a beautiful and gifted 10 year old girl. 

Creativity is best served wet. What I mean is you’ve got to get off the safety of the rock. Ideas flow downstream they just don’t sit there and there’s a whole big river out there. The best thing is when you’re collaborating with a fellow creative and you both realize you’re swept up and flying downstream. That’s when you get dripping wet.

I’m still a member of APA because of the talents of its members and the focus on artistic achievement. A culture of creativity where I want to be and it’s a better ride when it’s shared. GF 

WILL MOSGROVE

APA Leadership Award – Presented to Will Mosgrove (APA San Francisco) www.willmosgrove.com

Will Mosgrove is Director of Graduate Photography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has been involved in the photographic community for over thirty years. Having graduated from the Academy, he has maintained a strong tie to the school and has been an adjunct professor for many years.  Will has run and maintained his own successful photography business for the past twenty-six years and was won numerous national awards for his work.

His involvement with APA goes back over twenty years and includes terms as San Francisco Chapter President, National Secretary, Vice-President and National President for three terms.

APA is an easy organization to volunteer for. The opening sentence of our Mission Statement is very clear: “APA’s mission is Successful Advertising Photographers”. If you are a shooter wanting to get ahead, it doesn’t get much better than that!

As a fresh and ‘green’ photographer some thirty years ago, I had a lot to learn. APA has provided much of what I currently bring to the table. And to this day, every APA event, seminar or workshop that I attend, I am provided with useful and relevant information that is vital to my ongoing success. Thank you APA!  WM