The IPC is put on by the Professional Photographers of America on an annual basis. Thousands of submitted entries are judged against a standard of excellence, with only a small percentage receiving the ultimate honor – inclusion in the Loan Collection. The loan collection images will each then be published in the much-anticipated “Loan Collection” book, which is published by Marathon Press on an annual basis.

Per Marathon Press’s website: PPA’s prestigious Loan Collection comprises all images judged to be the most exceptional photographs entered in its annual International Judging. Regarded as the “best of the best” from thousands of entries, these images are viewed throughout the world as setting the standard by which excellence in photographic imaging is judged.

I am so incredibly honored to have had my image, shown below, selected for inclusion in this prestigious collection!   And yes, you may recognize the subjects:  my four boys – it definitely made for an easy model release

Title: “Last But Not Least”

So, it is with this final image that I am admitting defeat, and will no longer be blogging images from my recent sessions.

But with the increasing popularity of social media, I will be trying my best to upload a session favorite or two to my business page on Facebook (starting with several from this past summer and fall that were neglected from my blog).

So if you’d like to continue to see some session favorites (and I hope you do!), please take a moment to “like” my page on Facebook to stay connected, and also to receive news and updates on any possible upcoming specials or business news! You can access my page by clicking on the following link or by simply searching for “Melissa Balthaser Photography” within Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/MelissaBalthaserPhotography

And now, the final image… quite possibly my favorite photograph ever taken to date (and yes, it is of my four sweet boys). Hey, it is MY blog, after all! And besides, who couldn’t use a beach image right about now?