Published: August 17, 2009 10:08 am      

PPWV fall conference headed to Oak Hill

OAK HILL — A good photo includes many different facets, with the photographer’s perspective being chief among them.

That’s something Charleston photographer Clayton Spangler will discuss with fellow members of the Professional Photographers of West Virginia at the group’s fall conference Oct. 11-12 at the Oak Hill Holiday Inn.

During the two-day event, Spangler will lead a group of his fellow shutter-bugs in a walking photography tour of Oak Hill, based on a program initiated by Scott Kelby called World Wide Photo Walk.

Spangler will explore the photographer’s vision during his seminar and during the walk. His workshop and lecture series “focuses on digital workflow solutions, how to see artistically without compromise of vision, the principles of composition, and what role photographers can play to impact environmental concerns. “

He says different individuals can have an entirely different take on the same subject when framing a photo.

While discussing techniques with his fellow photographers, Spangler said such a walking tour might help “get the creative juices flowing.”

“While (the participants) obviously know how to work a camera, what they need is something that challenges them ... in how they perceive ... the area around them,” said Spangler. Viewing different points of interest in Oak Hill will help the participants further perfect their skills. Focus will be on “how to find what interests them in a scene or particular photograph. There may be 50 or 100 photographers and each (resulting) image (of a similar object) may be different.”

Once the walking tour is complete, the photographers will share their images with each other, and the best ones will be posted on the group’s Web site, www.ppwv.org.

“Sharing is a big part of the overall photo walkabout experience,” he says.

The fall conference will focus on giving tips to help a photographer improve his business and his skills, said Spangler, a PPWV member. There will be several seminars and lectures on techniques and other aspects of creating a solid photograph. In addition to Spangler, Lora Yeater will offer a seminar on children’s portraiture, and Danny Leary will lead a seminar on wedding photography.

For more on the Professional Photographers of West Virginia, visit www.ppwv.org or call 1-800-786-6277. For more on the Kelby walking events, visit www.worldwidephotowalk.com. More on Spangler, who is an award-winning photographer, speaker and a Certified Photographic Consultant and owner of Photographic Design, can be found at www.spanglerstudio.com, or by e-mailing him at clayton@claytonspangler.com.

While the conference is limited to PPWV members, newcomers or aspiring professional photographers can contact the group at the Web site listed above, Spangler said.

— E-mail:

skeenan@register-herald.com