Ross Benton,
TPPA President 2019

If you’re anything like me, you probably have systems for just about everything you do. At my studio, we have a system for scheduling appointments, a system for reaching out to clients, a system for engaging new clients, and, of course, a system for delivering not only the best possible product to our clients, but for offering the best possible overall experience for our clients. Systems are critical to success!

There is a danger, however, inherent in our systems. Whenever we do the same things the same way each and every day, it’s all too easy for our systems to slip into ruts. We develop a system that works, so we stick with it because it works. But what works is often different from what’s best. Even if it’s not broken, it’s sometimes still worth fixing, because what we fix, we can also improve!

In the New Testament, a man named Peter invites us to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). I can’t think of two more important things in life than these. Being gracious to others – not only to the clients we serve, but to the family we love, to the friends we have, and even to those who have wronged us – is critical not only for the sake of our craft as photographers, but for the sake of our character as people. And the desire to grow in knowledge is critical if we hope to improve and remain competitive in the world of photography. It is critical in our personal lives as well. When was the last time you stopped to listen and to learn from your spouse, or to glean a new insight from your faith tradition? Every facet of our lives offers us an opportunity and a challenge to grow.

Ruts sap us of our graciousness and lure us into feeling comfortable with what we think we know instead of being curious about what we have yet to learn. My invitation to you, then, is this: Take intentional steps to identify ruts in your life and, then, step out of them. In everything we do, we want to be better today than we were yesterday!

At TPPA, we are devoted to your growth. This is why Summerfest is so important to us as photographers and our families. Save the date, June 30 through July 3, at the beautiful Inn of the Hills in Kerrville. This year’s event will feature world class presenters along with our annual photography competition, and, of course, plenty of social time so we can grow in our relationships with each other. For more information, and to register, visit tppa.org.

I hope to see you there!

All the best,
Ross Benton
TPPA President