IPC to Honor Six Photographers at UN Luncheon

IPC to Honor Six Photographers at UN Luncheon

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In celebration of “May, International Professional Photographers Month,” the International Photographic Council (IPC)
is holding its 12th annual Professional Photographer Leadership Awards luncheon at the United Nations on May 20. Each year since 1999, IPC—a non-governmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations—has honored a select group of photographers chosen by their respective professional organizations for excellence.

This year’s six winners will step up to the podium in the Delegates dining room to receive their glistening medallions and statues before a packed room of industry leaders, press, photographers, family and friends. Against a backdrop of their signature images, the honorees will fill their five-minute presentations with anecdotes, insights and personal connections to photography, the photo industry and the scores of people who have made their careers so rich and rewarding.

“The winners, nominated by professional photography organizations, are chosen for best representing the groups’ criteria and ideals,” says IPC president James Chung. This year, six associations designated honorees: Advertising Photographers of America (APA); American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP); Professional Photographers of America (PPA); Professional School Photographers Association International (PSPA); White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA); and Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI). 

The 2010 IPC Professional Photographer Leadership Award recipients are:

Advertising Photographers of America (APA): Jim McHugh 

American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP:) Eugene Mopsik 

Professional Photographers of America (PPA): Dennis Craft 

Professional School Photographers Association International (PSPA): James Pool 

White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA): Jon Elswick

Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI): Andy Marcus

I recently interviewed the 2010 winners to discover what they consider the primary reasons for their success and which products and services they have relied upon over the years. Highlights of those conversations follow.

Jim McHugh, known most recently for his large-format Polaroid photographs of vanishing urban landscapes and portraits of contemporary artists, has been photographing common things in an uncommon way for over three decades. The vice chair of Advertising Photographers of America, L.A., he has exhibited his work nationally and internationally, with solo shows at New York’s Farmani Gallery, the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the James Corcoran Gallery and Timothy Yarger Fine Art in Los Angeles. This past year the Galerie Transacmer – Bibliothèque d’Architecture in Paris exhibited a series of prints titled “L.A. Skies.” A selection of his images was also at Art Miami 2009. On May 22, 2010, a new show titled “Let’s Get Lost: Polaroids from the Coast” will open at Timothy Yarger Fine Art in Beverly Hills, California.

McHugh feels he owes much of his success to a few people, each of considerable influence, who supported him when he most needed it. “It’s really important to find people who support your work. No one does this without help from so many people. There are several people who made my life as a professional photographer possible with assignments, encouragement and introductions. I am forever grateful to them,” he says.

His most important products include: Speed Graphic, Nikon (D3, D3x, D700) and a PhaseOne back on a Hasselblad; Capture One software; Hensel Strobe packs, DynaLite, Norman 400B and California Sunbounce; Epson printers and inks; Innova paper; Apple (MacBook Pro, iMac); Drobo for backup, Raid V, Delkin Devices (storage cards, Gold DVDs and Blu-ray discs), LaCie and G Tech; and Finishing Concepts for mounting, laminating and framing.

McHugh won the International Photography Awards’ first prize for Fine Art Photography 2007 and Best of Show by the George Eastman House in 2008. He also received first prize at the Prix des Paris 2007 for Fine Art Photography. He is active on the board of the APA’s Copyright committee.

Eugene Mopsik has served as executive director of the American Society of Media Photographers since 2003. Under his leadership, ASMP has played a pivotal role in Congressional discussions on Orphan Works legislation, in the visual artist opposition to the proposed Google Settlement, and received a three-year $422,000 Library of Congress matching award under the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). 

In 1970, he graduated from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with a basic understanding of corporate and financial issues that provided a solid foundation to managing a small business effectively. Determined to be a professional photographer, he got his first assignment with Penn’s alumni magazine, then Philadelphia magazine. A series of business contacts and serendipitous meetings led to his winning the Mack Truck account, which ultimately led to enduring client relationships with Mitsubishi-Fuso, Ingersoll-Rand and Hyster companies. 

Throughout his 32 years as a corporate/industrial shooter, Mopsik combined his love of photography with his desire to work as a partner rather than as an employee or contractor. “To me, photography is as much about relationships as it is about images. When the people I work with succeed, I succeed.” The products he relied on as a film photographer include: Nikon, Hasselblad and Toyo View; DynaLite, Speedotron and Chimera; Agfa and Besseler printers; Brewer Cantelmo portfolio; Chroma Imaging; Lightware bags; Gitzo tripods; a Leaf back on a Hasselblad; Calumet; Gossen light meters; and Minolta flash meters.

Relationships remain the key to his success at ASMP. After joining in 1975, he assumed various local and national positions before serving as president in 2000–2001 and becoming executive director in 2003. Currently, he is on the boards of the Copyright Alliance, Picture Licensing Universal System (PLUS) Coalition; Eddie Adams Workshop; and the Young Photographers Alliance’s advisory board. 

Dennis Craft opened Craft Photography, a portrait studio in Marshall, Michigan, in 1979. Well known for his imaginative children’s photography, Craft has been a Michigan Top-10 Photographer 12 times and Photographer of the Year in Michigan, 1992 and 1996. He earned his PPA Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees and a Fellowship degree from the American Society of Photographers. A speaker at many national, regional, state and local events, he also has taught at Winona International School of Photography, West Coast School, MAIPP Professional Photography School, Mid-Atlantic Regional School of Photography, Texas School and Georgia School.

“Photography is all about relationships,” says Craft. “My college degree is unrelated to photography; I stumbled into photography, as a matter of fact. But the everyday people I’ve met, the family stories I’ve heard are so fulfilling. No two days are ever the same. That’s why I enjoy coming to work each day. I feel blessed.”

Craft’s favorite products include a Nikon; MAC products—Profoto, Sekonic light meter, PocketWizard and X-Rite Eye-One; SanDisk storage cards; Kodak inkjet paper and inks on Nexpress from Burrell Colour; PCs and Dell server (backup); Photoshop, Nik plug-ins, Topaz, ProSelect, PhotoOne Granite Bear, Ron Nichols Palette, and BackUp & Burn; Tenba and Tamrac; and Renaissance Crown, Culver Art & Frame, Great Lakes Albums and Excel.

James (Jim) Pool, over a 55-year career, photographed 1,000,000 school children and owned two portrait studios with his wife, Betty, for 18 years, photographing high school senior portraits, weddings and commercial events. In 1990, he retired from Lifetouch as corporate director of photography, after 35 years of service, the last 10 of which he served as national sales manager of school yearbooks and product development. A member of PPA for many years, Pool joined PSPA in 1959, served as its president in 1987–88 and was awarded the PMA Distinguished Service Award in 1991. 

For Pool, success came in response to his dedication and hard work. “From the time I opened my first portrait studio in 1961 until I retired in 1990, I was dedicated to helping people and the photo industry. Since 1991, I have been PSPA’s technical advisor,” says Pool.

For years, Pool relied on an 11×14, 8×10 Kodak View camera, Graflex Speed Graphic, Koni Omega and Mamiya RB67; Minolta flash meter, Gossen light meter and Photogenic strobe lighting; contact printers, Apec printer and Sterling easel; Top Flight, GNP, Leather Craftsmen and Carlson wedding stationery; and Miller’s Color Lab. 

Jon Elswick has been a photo editor for the Associated Press for over 20 years, spending the first eight of those years in Chicago and the past 12 years in Washington, D.C. He is responsible for planning day-to-day coverage of events in and around the area, with emphasis on the White House and the Capitol. He serves as treasurer for the White House News Photographers Association and cochair of the annual black-tie Eyes of History gala. 

Elswick began his career as a freelance photographer with the AP while studying at Indiana University and became chief photographer at the LaSalle, Illinois, News Tribune before joining the AP in Chicago, where he covered NBA championships, Major League Baseball All-Star games, boxing and World Gymnastics championships. In 1998, he moved to Washington, D.C., and was instrumental in opening the AP State Photo Center. “I try to respect the people I work with and recognize their strengths,” says Elswick. “Simple courtesies such as saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ have helped me build relationships over the years.”

Elswick uses a Canon for his commercial work and a Nikon for his personal work; Speedlights or available light; Epson printers, paper and ink; Apple (MacBook Pro), Mini, MacPro tower and MacBook; Final Cut, Photoshop, Aperture and Photo Mechanic; PNY Technologies; Domke bags; and Adorama.

Andy Marcus is president of Fred Marcus Photography, a third-generation wedding and portrait studio in New York City. Photographing weddings for over 40 years, Marcus has built his reputation as the photographer to call in the New York area for the highest quality and finest customer service. Along with his son, Brian, and several associate photographers, he covers 250 to 300 events each year. His “A” list wedding clientele includes Eddie Murphy, Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Mary Tyler Moore, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Billy Baldwin and Chynna Phillips. 

Marcus considers consistency the key to his studio’s success. “I was trained by my father and enjoy the ability and privilege to capture the special moments in peoples’ lives,” he says. “At the same time, we try to stay one step ahead of our competitors. We’re now shooting videos mixed with photographs shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, coming up with new ideas in album design, and finding innovative ways to frame and display our images.”  

Among the products his studio has relied on are: Canon, Leica and Hasselblad cameras; DynaLite and Lumedyne; Epson printers, paper and inks; Apple (Mac PowerBook) and Dell servers; Photoshop CS4, Nik Software, onOne, Imagenomic (Portrait and Noise) and FileMaker; David Jay’s ShowIt, David Cheung’s Quick Keys, GNP, Lost Luggage, Leather Craftsmen, Collages.net and Graphistudio; Lexar cards, LaCie and Drobo (offsite backup); Tamrac bags; Cullmann tripods; CPQ and PC Color (in L.A.); B&H; MAC (PocketWizard, X-Rite and Profoto); and Tiffen. 

Frequently featured in the trade and consumer press and a popular speaker at the Hallmark Institute, Imaging USA, photokina and WPPI, next month Marcus will address Dallas PPA, and in August, he will speak at the Florida State PPA Convention. A retrospective of three generations of Marcus family work will be on exhibit at the Leica Gallery in Manhattan, June 10 through August 10. 

IPC Profile

Since 1974 the IPC has been dedicated to increasing worldwide recognition of photography as a universal means of communication, as reflected in its motto: “Peace through Understanding, Understanding through Photography, the Universal Language.” A multinational, nonprofit, noncommercial organization, it is composed of representatives from every major sector of the photographic industry. By 1979, the United Nations had officially recognized the group as a nongovernmental organization associated with the UN. 

The only photographic industry organization that communicates the benefits of photography beyond the industry, the IPC promotes and encourages photography with scholarships, through key business and professional speakers, and time-sensitive programs. ipc-un-ngo.org

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