Well, the warm weather is upon us.  I bet some of you were sweating it as you watched your images being judged at our recent TPPA image competition.  I hope that those of you who participated in image competition got the results that you hoped for and that you received feedback that you found valuable.

Speaking of valuable!  Did you hear that TPPA is going back to Kerrville? For so many of our members, TPPA at Kerrville brings back many warm memories.  Plan on joining us at the family-friendly Inn of the Hills. Alison Carlino is going to teach us how to photograph the night sky in this “Dark Skies” designated area, and Julie Savage will help us to find inspiration in the world around us and guide us in applying it to our art. And… you will hear me say, time and time again, so much can be learned in random conversations with friends and colleagues.

So, mark your calendars for Kerrville. Come learn, come be inspired or just come and hang out with family and friends at the pool! Oh, and while you are marking your calendars, be sure to block out time in October to come to I-Heart!  You will be so glad that you did!

TPPA has had (and continues to have) long-lasting impact on the lives of our members.  We have a rich legacy of impacting their art, their business and their lives. I am a big audio book fan and I was recently reminded that some years ago I listened to the audiobook “Caravaggio” by Andrew Graham-Dixon. Granted, it would have been better if I could have listened to the references of his work with a print of the painting in front of me, but it was still very interesting to hear the stories about his work and his life.

I was struck by the enduring legacy of this man’s work, that more than four centuries after he died, he was still impacting me. It made me think of what legacy means to me: what legacy do I want to leave for my children and my grandchildren? It occurred to me that, as photographers, our legacy-leaving actually has two components. First, our work is our personal legacy, and second, we visually contribute to the legacy of others with our images. My hopes and prayers are for you to be surrounded with inspiration and have a vision towards your legacy.

See you soon at Kerrville in June, at Red River in July and at iHeart in October!

Teri Whittaker, TPPA President