PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - 2021

Well the year 2020 is finally behind us all and I hope that 2021 is treating you more kindly. In any other year, I’d just be returning from Imaging USA along with 10,000 of my closest photography friends. But much like everything else in life, Imaging USA looked very different this year but it was still packed full of great speakers. Last week was the annual PPA Affiliate Leaders meeting and although it was virtual this year, many of your OPPA Board members were in attendance. It is a unique opportunity to share and train with other PPA Affiliates from around the country. 

Some noteworthy accomplishments for our OPPA members this year - Beth Brinston, Suzanne Hambleton and Mike Busby all earned their Master of Photography degree and Sam Tarrel earned his Master Artist degree. Bryan Welsh earned his Educational Associate from ASP. Our members also had a great showing at IPC this year. 52 Merits, 17 Loans, 4 of our members earned their very first Loan and 6 members entered IPC for the very first time. Thea Martin and Suzanne Hambleton earned a gold medal, going 4 for 4 with 2 Loan Images. Beth Brinston earned a platinum medal, going 4 for 4 with 3 Loan Images. Congratulations to everyone for all of your outstanding achievements this year.

Coming up on January 27th, I’d like to invite all members to join our free mini class, taught by Aaron Hockley. He’s going to cover what we all need to look like a pro on Zoom. There are 2 different time slots available, an afternoon session and an evening session. Moving into February, our first Members’ Only Image Competition of the year is February 10th. Also look for  the return of our Zoom Social hours. Hosted by our Social Chair Tori Gonzales, our first Zoom Social hour topic is off camera flash and is on February 8th. Our Education Director Bryan Welsh and his team have a great lineup of speakers planned for this year, be watching your email for more details as they become available. OPPA EVENTS

We are gearing up for another round of Mentorships in April. Be on the lookout for a call for Mentors, followed by a call for Students. Did you know that you can do both? Did you know that members get 1 free mentorship per year? 

While 2021 continues to be a bit strange for us all, I am excited for what OPPA has in store. I also hope, that by year end, I can see everyone’s smiling face again, in person. I am grateful to all of you, our members, along with our dedicated Board of Directors. The Board of Directors puts in countless hours of volunteering to bring valuable programs and benefits to you, our members. I am thankful to each and every one of them. Each Director also leads a team of volunteers, our teams are growing and are always looking for more help. I encourage you to reach out to me or any Director, if you are interested in helping make OPPA even better. 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

-Julie Countryman, CPP, AFP-OR
President, OPPA