Ross Benton,
TPPA President 2019

While beginning my term as TPPA President, I’m well aware of being an heir to a long and storied tradition of excellence in photography. This is a tradition I have witnessed close up during my previous years on the TPPA Executive Council, beginning as a counselor and moving up as secretary, treasurer, vice-president, and now as president. This is a position of honor which I take seriously and cherish dearly. While looking forward to continuing TPPA’s great tradition, I also look forward to discovering new ways to make us all better together.

A verse from the New Testament Book of Hebrews invites us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” This ancient preacher invites anyone who will hear him to encourage one another – even to push one another to grow in what matters most in life… caring for and loving others, not just in what we say, but in what we do. When I think of what has led to the greatest growth in my own life and what has led me to get better, I think of three things.

First on the list is my faith. My highest goal in life is to live for something greater than this life. This changes the way I see everything. While snapping a picture, my faith encourages me to not only look at my work technically… lighting, shadowing, positioning, coloring… but also artistically. The purpose of photography is to capture beauty and I can’t help but think there is Someone behind that beauty who has worked caringly and lovingly to craft and to create a beauty that we could never have conceptualized or composed ourselves.

Secondly, my thoughts are of my family. Before I am a photographer, I am a husband and father. My wife, my son, and my daughter have taught me lessons about tenderness and strength, patience, and joy. The pictures I treasure most are not only the ones archived in my camera, but held in the deepest places of my heart.

Finally, I do think of my vocation. For me, photography is more than a job. It is a calling. Thinking back over what I’ve learned, how I’ve changed, the new friends that have been made, and the business I’ve built, and my experiences over these past few years, I am humbled to serve others by working in a craft I truly love.

One of my goals over the next few months is sharing with you things I’ve learned that will hopefully be of benefit to you. But I’m also looking forward to learning from you and walking with you as, together, we make each other better, not just in photography, but for the sake of all of the clients we serve.

All the best,
Ross Benton
TPPA President