Christy Lee Cee Lee Communications · impression of tablets and uses of social media have been...

Sept.

LPC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEChristy Lee, PresidentCee Lee [email protected]

Don Norton, First Vice [email protected]

Angie Denton, Second Vice PresidentHereford [email protected]

Scarlett Hagins, Secretary-TreasurerKansas [email protected]

Kathy LaScala, Immediate Past President Lee [email protected]

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Amy Bader (‘16)American [email protected]

Carey Brown (‘15)Cow [email protected]

Jay Carlson (‘14)[email protected]

Jennifer Carrico (‘14)High Plains [email protected]

Cindy Cunningham (‘14)National Pork [email protected]

Mike Deering (‘15)Missouri Cattleman’s Assn. [email protected]

Keri Geffert English (‘15)[email protected]

Greg Henderson (‘15)Beef Today/[email protected]

Kent Jaecke (‘16)Focus Marketing [email protected]

Leanne Peters (‘14)CattleBusiness in [email protected]

Shelly Sitton (‘16)Oklahoma State [email protected]

Diane E. Johnson, executive director910 Currie St. Fort Worth TX 76107

[email protected] • www.livestockpublications.com office: 817/336-1130

Newsletter of the Livestock Publications Council, an international organization serving the dynamic livestock communications industry.

2013

Advancing livestock media professionals

ActiongramSurreal. That’s really the

only way to describe the feel-ing of typing the first words ofmy first editorial for theActiongram as LPC president.

For years, I have admiredand respected the men andwomen to hold this positionbefore me. Goodness. They’veleft a huge role to be filled.

To work alongside theincredible LPC Board ofDirectors, Executive Director,and you many amazing mem-bers is an honor. And it’s notsomething I take lightly.

Our industry is varied.Many skills are required forthe many responsibilities weeach are required to fulfill.Let’s face it: it’s a lot to han-dle, at times.

During my term as presi-dent, through this column, Iplan to bring you the top tipsand tricks from accomplishedLPC members – and those out-side of the livestock publica-tions industry, too. We willaddress a variety of topics.

I look forward to experienc-ing several “ah-ha” moments,and I hope you do, too!

At the American Royal inKansas City next month, wewill unveil the first-ever “LPCPhoto Showcase” contest win-ners. A panel of esteemedjudges will select the topentries to be displayed for anentire year in the LPC

Heritage Center, located in theAmerican Royal facilities.And next fall, these imageswill be sold to benefit LPCactivities and programs. Youcan learn more about the con-test on our newly redesignedwebsite: livestockpublica-tions.org. (And take a look atthat site. Isn’t it great!)

So, it seemed only fittingthat my first editorial wouldfocus on the area most nearand dear to my heart: photog-raphy. I’ve asked some prettyphenomenal photographers toshare their favorite tips andtricks for capturing their great-est shots. Their specialtiesrange from livestock to generalagriculture to portraits. All ofthem make my jaw drop withtheir creativity and talent.

Enjoy! Steve Werblow, SteveWerblow CommunicationsWhen you go into a shoot,take all the basic, functionalshots first – the ones you knowyou have to have, the usualones we always take to tell thestory. Then, before you wrapit up, challenge yourself tofind one really differentapproach – something youdon’t typically see or do.Climb up on top of somethingand shoot down, or get underit and shoot up. Change to awildly different lens – a macro or a wide – and give yourself

and your reader a differentlook at the subject.

You’ll find yourself lookingforward to that new angle...and your skills will keepexpanding.

Also, challenge yourself toshoot a familiar subject with adifferent lens. Use a mediumzoom for most shoots? Try itwill a 50mm normal lens, or a105mm macro. You’ll findyourself thinking your wayinto some interesting shots,and shaking up “just anothershoot” into something morechallenging.Jake Gankofskie, UrbanPrairie PhotographyStay ahead of the trends, andwatch the direction the indus-try is heading. (For example,in portrait photography, if I seeanother vintage suitcase or

Framing the year to comeTop photographers share their best tips

Christy LeeCee Lee Communications2013-14 LPC President

chevron print, I’m going to have a high-speed come-apart.)

Don’t forget the detail shots. They areoften overlooked, but in the end, theybring the shoot together.

Shoot from different angles, and don’tbe afraid to look dumb. If you’re inside,shoot up towards the light, where thereare fewer background objects to takeaway from the subject.Harlen Persinger, three-time AAEAPhotographer of the YearWhile photographing subjects, I set myown standards of perfection and give itmy best shot to meet them. I’m alwayslooking at a new perspective or a differentangle, something I can fashion into photoart. Taking on the challenge makes mework harder.

I try to make the camera an extensionof myself and always attempt to have funtaking pictures. Not only do I want to cap-ture a scene, I want to interpret it andbecome involved emotionally, and I hopethe final results bring pleasure to others.

Scouting normally helps me determinehow I want to photograph varioussubjects. Being able to anticipate differentscenes and then putting myself into theright position to capture that image hasbeen a winning formula. It has taken me

years to study a wide range of lightingconditions and plenty of practice hashelped polish my skills.

Attend teaching seminars, and rubshoulders with and pick the brains of themasters. Maintain self-creativity. Makeyourself an original – from relating theexperience, to conveying the idea, to thecompleted photo image.

No two farms, scenes and personalitiesare alike. You can encounter a differentexperience every day. Practice, practice,practice!

Maggie Martin-Malson, MaggieMalson Photography and Idaho CattleAssociation PublisherTo get more relaxed, genuine expressionsfrom subjects, I suggest getting your sub-ject talking.

Interact with them before and duringyour session. For example, if you’re takingphotos of a family or a person for a featurestory or profile, often you can get themrelaxed, and sometimes even laughing.

At that point, you’re going to get moregenuine expressions. Luke Neumayr, owner of Luke and CatPhotography I’m a cattle rancher turned wedding photogra-pher. My wife and I still live on her family’sworking cattle ranch on the Texas Gulf Coast.

My story from boots and spurs to suitsand ties involves a common undertone – alove for remembering. The easiest way ofremembering where I have been, what Ihave done, and with whom I shared thatmoment is through a photograph. A snap-shot in time that can bring you back tothat moment, if only for a brief second.

When I reflect on my favorite picturesfrom years past and what they all had incommon, I realized one thing. The subjectmatter varied from posed images of cattleused for marketing, candid images of dailyranch events, and the occasional tree.

The common thread: they all returnedme to that moment when I took the pic-ture. The content of the image is whatmakes it the most valuable to me.

The best advice I can give is to makesure to surround yourself in an area thatyou are most comfortable. As a photogra-pher, look for the best backdrops thatcompliment the subject in the photos, andmake sure you have found the best light.

Trends come and go, styles change, butmemories are lasting. Above all, makesure to take pictures of the meaningfulthings to you. That is what you will cher-ish down the road.

Please join us for the 10th annual LPC Royal Galawhich has been appropriately named “ADiamond Event”. This year’s is extra special as a

new event will debut in early 2015 replacing the Gala aswe know it. The new event will still have many of thefeatures of the Gala so this year’s will be the final withthis format. Make plans to join us for this year’s histori-cal event and be sure to stay tuned for the new excitingchapter!

This year’s Gala will feature cocktails and horsd’oeuvres beginning at 7 p.m. followed by the unveilingof the plaques for our 2013 Hall of Honor inducteesincluding Headliner award winner Tom Burke,Smithville, Missouri, and Sherman Berg, Blair,Nebraska, our Hall of Fame Honoree. We’ll announcethe 2014 Hall of Honor Inductees and enjoy a wonder-ful evening of fun, camaraderie and dancing! A silentauction will offer you the chance to support LPC bybidding on unique items. Limited seating is availableand while invitations are in the mail you certainly don’thave to receive one to come! To get your ticket ($50/person) please contact Kaitlyn Lewis, LPC RoyalGala, Charolais Journal, 11700 NW Plaza Circle, Kansas City, MO 64153 [email protected]

Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013 • 7-11 p.m.American Royal Headquarters

1701 American Royal Court, Kansas City, MissouriSecond Floor above the American Royal Adminstration Offices at the main entrance

Map provided with reservation receipt.

More information, contact event chair, Amber Spafford,[email protected]

Afriend recently lent me her Kindleso I could read a story she haddownloaded onto it. To me it was

simply a reading device—one that I needto remember to recharge every so often.And now, since my trip to AMS myimpression of tablets and uses of socialmedia have been forever changed.

AMS provided me with the chance tonetwork and meet wonderful peopleinvolved in agriculture and media; to visitwith past acquaintances, and to pick upnew ideas and insights in design, photog-raphy and the interconnectivity of socialmedia.

Furthermore, for the first time throughthe Dive Deep Design Workshops I sawhow I could begin to link my design workon different platforms. This will not onlyenable me to help my clients, many ofwhom are cattle producers, promote theirsales, it can help me promote my business!

Now I will not just be doing an ad, orsale book as an end it itself, but throughlinking a piece on Facebook, Issuu, possi-bly Blogger, and websites I will not onlystrengthen my clients presence, but also putmy images and work in front of many morepeople. Then there is Twitter to play with ingetting the word out! Before the workshop Inever imagined I could Tweet the sale of ahorse, or schedule Facebook posts.

In the photography sessions I learnedabout adding in various light sources andfill flash, and what accessories are consid-ered necessities: lens protectors, extra bat-

teries, memory cards, two different zoomlenses and a backup camera. These ses-sions consisted of photographers practic-ing a widevariety ofphotogra-phy—every-thing fromarial, field,still shotsand video.Some cov-ered stories,pointing outtheir check-list of important shots for photo shootsand pointers on how to help people relaxfor their photos shoots. Others document-ed equipment with their shots, or capturedvideo for “how to” demonstrations to beposted online. Most all took digital files,destined to become multi-functional asprint and online. Although currently I usea point and shoot with optional video inmy work, these tips will help me as Iexpand my photography in my business.

Within the mix of workshops I enjoyedthe social activities. AMS functions goway beyond normal social mixers! I lovethe way they incorporate local tours toeducate, and their themed socials are greaticebreakers for non-verbal communicatorslike myself. This year’s ‘Roaring 20s’theme was great fun to dress up for (andcertainly made it easier for me to intro-duce myself to new faces).

The folks at the InfoExpo Trade Showhave also found great ways to connectwith contests and handouts. I enjoyed

going back through the displays sev-eral times (could easily have fallenasleep in that Dodge truck on dis-play!)

I cannot fail to mention that thisseemed more like a vacation to methan a business trip. The trip to AgMedia Summit was an experiencefull of “firsts” for me:• my first time in Buffalo (nice city)

• my first time in New York state(beautiful)

• my first time seeing Niagara Falls(Wow!)• my first time in Canada (I walkedacross the bridge to see the falls fromthe Canadian side)The food, workshops, social events and

tours were wonderful. Diane Johnson, andeveryone involved in making Ag MediaSummit happen certainly went the dis-tance to make this event work. If it werenot for the benefit of a stipend, this year’sAg Summit would not have happened forme. I wish to express my deepest thanks toDiane Johnson and LPC for making mytrip available! As a relatively new free-lancer you are helping me to leave the nestand learn to fly, providing me with knowl-ege resources so I can ‘Just Wing it’.

A new LPC program that has just completed its first year is the stipend program which offers LPC members to apply for financialassistance to a professional development workshop, including Ag Media Summit. Up to $1,000 is available to qualified LPC members who complete the application process and then those applications are reviewed by three qualified judges. One of this year’swinners is Katie Danneman, owner of her business, 2 Ponies Equine and Design. Katie chose to attend the Ag Media Summit andher report follows. Watch for more on the applications which are due December 15.

For more information on the stipend program, contact Jennifer Carrico, committee chair, [email protected]

Learning to ‘JustWing It’ on my ownwith a little helpfrom my friends at AMS 2013 By Katie Danneman

Above Katie, (second from right) is engaged in the photoworkshop roundtables.

AMS provided mewith the chance tonetwork and meetwonderful people

involved in agriculture and

media.

Best of the Bunch Photo Contest WinnersJennifer Carrico, High Plains Journal, captured this photo of her son, Klayton, washing his steer and it wasthe winner by popular vote in this year’s Photo Contest. This photo will appear on the 2013-14 LPCMembership Directory which will be in your mailboxes soon.

Congratulations to Jay Carlson, Penton Media- BEEF Magazine who was recently recognizedby the National Agri Marketing Association(NAMA) with the Professional DevelopmentAward in the area of Sales. As regional salesmanager for BEEF magazine and its digitalcommunications properties, Jay is arguably thenation’s top marketer on a volume basis of print and online live-stock advertising. He has been a key innovator in U.S. livestockpublishing, developing a number of key instruments and pro-grams that continue to meet the needs of both U.S. livestockproducers and U.S. product marketers.

Among these is his role in the creation of BEEF Cow-CalfWeekly, the most successful weekly newsletter in livestock pub-lishing; American Cowman, a digital newsletter and website forsmall-scale U.S. beef producers; BEEF Daily electronicnewsletter; and BEEF Vet, a spring 2012 startup print publica-tion for U.S. beef cattle veterinarians that began running quar-terly in 2013.

Jay Carlson has long been a top promoter of livestock pub-lishing in North America. He was awarded the Ed BibleDistinguished Service Award in 2006 for LPC. (source: NAMA news release)

Livestock: 1 - Christy Lee 2 - Holly Martin3 - Christy Lee

Scenic: 1 - Christy Lee2 - Jennifer Carrico

People (and winner of Best of the Bunch):1 - Jennifer Carrico 2 - Christy Lee 3 - Jennifer Carrico

General: 1 - Christy Lee 2 - Amy Bader3 - Jennifer Carrico

Speed Friday, Nov. 1, 2013

T i m e : 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Networking

Join agricultural communications professionals for a fun Speed Networking event at the 2013 American Royal in Kansas City on Friday, Nov. 1 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the American Royal headquarters (second floor above the administrative offices) for an awesome night of networking, portfolio reviews and career-building experiences.

Learn more about the diverse career opportunities available in the field of agricultural communications while gaining leads on internship and job openings for the coming year. We will also offer opportunities for portfolio reviews, too! ACT chapters are encouraged to make the most of their trip to Kansas City. Enjoy the popular Power and Light District after Speed Networking. Set up tours of public relations agencies, breed associations, and magazines in the area. Enjoy a day at the American Royal watching some of the highest quality livestock shows in the country. If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Shike at [email protected] or 217-369-2868.

This event is free, so don’t miss out on this great networking opportunity!

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