Did you see this in the press herald’s art section?

Maine Chapter of the Professional Photographers of America Awards Will Wenzel, of Focus Photography, Top Prizes for Portrait Shots

  February 1, 2008 (FREEPORT, MAINE) –

 Old Port photographer Will Wenzel has won top prizes for excellence in portrait photography from the Maine Chapter of the Professional Photographers Association. 

“These are prestigious awards,” Wenzel said, “and I’m proud to have earned the recognition of my peers.” 

Wenzel won the Kodak Gallery Award for technical and visual excellence in a portrait, as well as a Court of Honor Award – the top prize given by the chapter – for excellence in technical and visual impact in a portrait. All told, Wenzel walked off with a Blue Ribbon, six Red Ribbons, and the Judges Choice Award, in addition to the pair of portrait prizes. 

“What I’m most proud of is that all seven of these images were created for our clients at Focus, and not just created for competition” said Wenzel. 

The Maine Professional Photographers Association award the prizes Jan. 29, at its annual awards banquet, held this year at the Hilton mbna america credit cardcard credit debt elimination programcard credit debt free helpapplication canada card credit in,credit card application canada,application canada card credit onlinefree prepaid credit cardbad card credit creditcard consolidation credit debt keywordairline mile visa credit card,airline miles credit card,airline mile credit card no feemobile credit card wireless servicecard consolidate credit debtinstant decision credit cardbalance card consolidat credit transferchase credit card,pay chase credit card online,card chase com creditwal mart credit card,card credit mart wal,card credit mart prepaid walprovidian bank credit cardbad card credit gas,bad card credit credit gas peoplestudent credit card applicationbank secured credit card,well fargo bank secured credit cardshell gas credit cardcard credit discover offer,discover credit card offerbad card creditamerican black card credit expressc139 motorola ringtones,c139 monophonic motorola ringtones,c139 keypress motorola ringtonessony music box ringtones,box music ringtones sonycaller download hotlink ringtoneschristian free music ringtonescingular go phone ringtonesfree motorola razr ringtones v3free funny ringtonesfree lg ringtones tracfoneringtones yahoo yodel,messenger ringtones yahoo,yahoo ringtonesmake your own ringtones,verizon make my own ringtones,make your own ringtones programfree ringtones software,free ware ringtones software,free ringtones creator softwaresony music box ringtonesfree motorola polyphonic ringtonesfree motorola ringtones,download free motorola ringtones v300,free motorola ringtones softwarecreate phone ringtones send,send ringtones to your phone,send ringtones to your verizon phonecell free phone ringtones wallpaper,cell phone ringtones and wallpaper,cell game phone ringtones wallpaperinfo nokia personal remember ringtones,info nokia personal remember ringtones tamil,info nokia personal remember ringtones verizonfree mobile game and ringtones,free mobile bollywood ringtones,free mobile ringtonesfree nokia tracfone ringtones,nokia ringtones,nokia 1100 ringtonesmotorola razr v3 ringtonesringtones for sprint phone,cell phone ringtones sprint,cell pcs phone ringtones sprintdownloadable ringtones for tracfone,tracfone ringtones,download info remember ringtones tracfonecheap mobile ringtones virginmusic real ringtones ringtonesinfo polyphonic remember ringtones,downloadable info polyphonic remember ringtones,info polyphonic remember ringtones sagemringtones for prepaid cell phone,cell phone prepaid ringtones,cell free phone prepaid ringtones sprintverizon wireless mp3 ringtones,prepay ringtones for verizon wireless,ringtones verizon wirelessfree nokia 1100 ringtones Garden Inn in Freeport, Maine. 

Wenzel is the principal photographer at Focus Photography, Maine’s only boutique portrait studio, located in the Old Port, one of Portland’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods.

Okay, I’ve got to tell you, I’m feeling a little pleased about this.  We always try to give each of our clients the best images we can create, but to have only client images do so well in competition, really says a lot for our clients.  Here’s a few of the cool people we got to work with this year, who’s images received awards this weekend:

Okay, this is Laura’s second appearance on this blog.  As one of the Trash The Dress participants, she had great images in a waterfall. But I haven’t shown you any of her other sessions, and she’s way too cool to not share.  Look at the incredible variety of looks she has - from sweet and innocent with her puppy, to blazingly hot in that red dress.  

Incredible stuff from Laura.  Thanks for looking - Will

So whenever we get male athletes in the studio, we try to keep a ball in their hands to keep them from getting fidgety. With Malcom, he didn’t bring a ball to his studio session, but made up for it by bringing it on his downtown session. He could have made a ton of cash if he’d set a hat down for donations. But will he help lead Cheverus to a perfect season?

Thanks for looking.  You can learn more about our fourteen different senior photos sessions by following this link.

Wow - we just had Hannah in to preview her images, and in the couple of weeks since I photographed her, I’ve really forgotten just how awesome her images are. Enjoy them - thanks for looking.  Will

Okay, it’s really late, and I’m not going to say a whole lot about Brittney, just that she’s awesome, and her images speak for themselves.

Really love this color guard poster - I like making posters in general, but this one is pretty cool when you see it large.  Thanks for looking - Will

I don’t know if you’ve noticed from my previous posts, but I really love my job.  I feel incredibly lucky that I get to help create artistic images for people on a daily basis, and I’m always trying to find something new to offer my clients.  On Sunday, four girls met me at a waterfall here in Portland, to have a trash the dress shoot - prom gown style.  We didn’t have a ton of water coming down the rocks, but all four of our volunteers made up for it in willingness to lay in puddles and get dirty while wearing a formal dress.  Yeah, I really like my job. 

Okay, here’s Carrie:

Laura’s next.  Love this dress, by the way.  Almost sad to see it get dirty…

Brittney (in yellow), and her best friend Elizabeth (purple), were last.

So, I’m astonished at these images, and I was there.  You’re probably wondering why.  Why the shoot, why would they ruin perfectly good dresses, and why so many pictures.  Art, they’ll never wear them again, and I can’t take my eyes off these images are all I can say. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and I’m really grateful to Carrie, Laura, Brittney, and Elizabeth for agreeing to do this.  You’re all amazing women, and I had a blast.  Will

Here’s the thing - we really don’t have any beach appointment times left for September, so I shouldn’t be showing any of the really awesome sessions we’re shooting at the beach right now, but you’ve got to see some of Jordann’s beach shoot. She came into the studio the week before, and the images were beautiful, sweet, and soulful.  Her grandmother brought her, and told me that she was with Jordann at her first photo shoot at two, and wouldn’t miss this one.

Nice, right?  We headed to the beach a few days later, and Grandma came here as well, and so did Jordann’s boyfriend.  The tide was out, and we took some really pretty shots with the tidepools. Early in a beach session (about 90 minutes before sunset), the sun is still really bright, and sunglasses are both a practical, and stylish accessory.

Then the dress came out.  I always try to get a prom dress from the women at the beach sessions, because I love the contrast between a formal dress, and a casual beach.  We took these just around sunset, and I thought this was as good as the session would get.

Whenever boyfriends, girlfriends, siblings, or other friends come to someone’s session, I try to get them in a few shots.  So I thought I’d have Jordann’s boyfriend hanging out in the background, just sitting on the beach.  And as he was sitting there watching, Grandma shouted from the parking lot to the boyfriend - "Take your shirt off!" 

Wow, right?  Go Grandma, hurray prom dress, and Jordann’s boyfriend (also named Jordan) is her perfect fashion accessory.  Thanks for looking, and Jordann - Awesome.

Wow - I can’t remember the last time I posted babies, kids, or maternity shots on the blog.  I’ll work on that, because we get some really cute babies here, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with them.  Not as much fun as today’s baby has been having - just 12 weeks old, and she’s already caught 3 Red Sox games!  And, fielded a fly ball, from what I hear.  Matt and Chris, today was a real pleasure, and I can’t wait for you to see the rest of Althea’s images.

These are a few of my favorites:

This is Chris’ wedding ring.

Did I mention they were Red Sox fans?  The pink track suit - official Red Sox gear.

Thanks for looking.  You can find more information on our newborn photos on the site, or you can call us anytime.  (207) 772 - 4274

The waterfront session is one of my favorites, specifically because it’s so gritty.  We offer a lot of different photo sessions, and many of them contrast the beauty of our subjects, with locations that are intentionally grungy.  The results are usually spectacular, and give a totally unique look for senior pictures.   These are a few shots from Natalie’s waterfront session, and a couple from the studio to compare them against.  I’m guessing her friends at Catherine McAuley will never look at Natalie the same again.

It’s always the quiet students that surprise me the most.  Cathryn goes to Bonny Eagle, and she had two sessions with us last week, both on the same day.  At her studio appointment, Cathryn was serene, and maybe a hint reserved. Later on at the beach, well, see for yourself.

And two shots with her boyfriend:

Rockin’ good job Cathryn!  You can find out more about senior portraits by following this link: http://www.focusphotography.info/seniors/sessions.html