Maine Professional Photographers Association upcoming events

76th Maine Photographic Convention (April 17, 2026)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Join us for 3 days (and 1 BONUS day) of fun, education, and networking!

Registration includes classes (except bonus day) and welcome/after parties. Attendees earn 1 PPA Merit

Full convention details available here

All sales are final and non-refundable.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17th

4:30 pm

Registration Opens

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Kristin Jones

Night Portraits

9:30 pm - 11:00 pm

Welcome Party at Hotel Suite TBA

SATURDAY, APRIL 18th

8:30 am

Registration Opens

9:00 am - 9:30 am

MainePPA Annual Meeting

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Jen Stitt

7 Steps for Client Experience

12:00 - 2:00 pm

Lunch on your own

1:00 –1:45 pm

Better know a Member Networking

2:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Patrick Wine

The Big Picture: Wildlife

6:00 pm

Convention & Speakers Group Photo

6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

MainePPA Award Ceremony & Banquet with DJ Rob Burnell

$70

Register here: 76th Annual MPPA Awards Banquet

9:30 pm - 11:00 pm

After Party at Hotel Suite TBA

SUNDAY, APRIL 19th

5:30 am - 8:00 am

Patrick Wine

Landscape Shoot Out at Portland Headlight

8:30 am - 9:45 am

Rebekah Wheeler

Breakfast with MainePPA President

9:30 am

Registration Opens

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Meg Loeks

Elevating the Ordinary: Portraiture

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Lunch on your own

1:00 –1:45 pm

Better know a Member Networking

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Meg Loeks

Elevating the Ordinary (Continued)

4:15 pm - 4:30 pm

Silent Auction Closes & Announcements

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Image Competition Feedback & Discussion

6:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Dinner on your own

9:30 pm - 11:00 pm

After Party at Hotel Suite TBA

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BONUS DAY

MONDAY, APRIL 20th

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Aaron Nace

The Art of Photoshop

MainePPA $249 / PPA $299 / PUBLIC $399

(PPA Merit Class)

REGISTER HERE

Lunch Buffet Included

All sales are final and non-refundable.

76th Annual MPPA Awards Banquet (April 18, 2026)

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 22:30:00 GMT

2026 MPPA Convention Banquet & Annual Image Awards

An Evening of Celebration, Recognition, & Community

Wear your best gold and glittery attire

About the Evening

Our Convention Banquet & Annual Image Awards Night is an evening of celebration, recognition, and connection—where we honor the photographers who entered our annual image competition and celebrate excellence in the craft. Join us for a night that blends inspiration, community, and a thoughtfully curated meal in a beautiful banquet setting.

Guests will enjoy a delicious buffet served with warm dinner rolls and whipped butter. A cash bar will be on-site as well.

Reserve Your Ticket

This special evening is a highlight of our convention, and seating is limited. Banquet tickets are $70 per person and must be reserved online. Tickets are non-refundable.

When reserving your ticket, please be sure to share any dietary restrictions so we can accommodate your needs and ensure everyone enjoys the celebration.

Reserve Your Ticket

Please also register for the full convention—it's included with your Active Membership Dues!

Event Details

Date Saturday, April 18, 2026

Group Photo 6:00 PM

Banquet & Awards 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Dress Code Gold & Glittery Attire

Ticket Price $70 per person

Bar Cash Bar

We look forward to celebrating achievement, excellence, and community with you on this unforgettable night.

Intermediate Photoshop with Aaron Nace (April 20, 2026)

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Join us for BONUS DAY with Aaron Nace covering photoshop topics:

Nondestructive editing techniques
Layer Styles and Blending Modes
Gradient Maps
Benefits of Smart Objects and Filters

Camera Filters for Global Adjustments
Dodge and Burn Techniques without color shifting
Advanced Compositing in masking with Refined Edges
Layer Blending, Photo Stacking

INCLUDES LUNCH BUFFET / PPA MERIT CLASS

MainePPA $249 / PPA $299 / Public $399

ABOUT AARON NACE:

Aaron Nace is the founding father of the platform Phlearn – a learning community dedicated to helping photographers and graphic designers learn and improve their craft. Phlearn has 21.7M subscribers on Youtube. Phlearn was created in 2011 and is one of the largest photography-based platforms of its kind.

Sit, Stay, Smile and Woof: Pets & People Workshop with Travis Patenaude (June 06, 2026)

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Sit, Stay, Smile and Woof

Learn the tricks of the trade to photograph people and their dogs.

Unlock your inner dog whisperer and enhance your portrait sessions.

Workshop Overview

Dogs don't just sit for portraits; they share emotion and deep connection with their people. In this all-day workshop with Travis Patenaude, you'll learn how to bring those stories to the surface.

Travis will walk you through his approach to working with dogs of all personalities and how to understand dog body language, guiding you as you photograph real dogs and their humans in a variety of lighting setups. You'll discover how to create comfort, invite authentic expression, and craft images that feel honest and heartfelt. And you'll get to practice these skills.

Come ready to learn, play, and create images that are truly meaningful.

What You'll Learn

How to work with dogs of all personalities
How to read and respond to dog body language
How to guide dogs and humans through portrait sessions
How to create comfort and invite authentic expression
How to photograph real dogs and their people in a variety of lighting setups

Example Images

About Travis Patenaude

Travis Patenaude, a highly acclaimed dog photographer from Stink-Eye Photography, creates unique portraits that foster an emotional connection between the subject and the viewer. He believes emotions and feelings are a vital part of telling stories and have to be put in a form that touches the hearts of people to evoke empathy and to make the viewer want to learn more about these dogs.

Travis is an advocate for animal rescue and animal rights, in particular raising awareness for the plight of the hunting dogs of Spain. He has won international awards and has been published across international print, online media, and magazines.

Bonus

Networking dinner after at the Family Dog in Orono, 6 p.m. with Travis and Deb Bell.

The Details

Location UMaine, IMRC, Orono

Date Saturday, June 6, 2026

Time 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Price $349 (Maine PPA) | $399 (PPA) | $499 (Public)

Class Limit This class has a limit of 8 people

Merit Earn 1 PPA Merit for attending!

Lunch On-site lunch included

Lodging Stay on campus at Hotel Ursa: hotelursa.com. We will share a promo code with you at registration.

Street Photography Retreat with Barbara Peacock (August 14, 2026)

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Challenge the portrait norm with street photography!

This 3 day retreat includes a introductory lecture on Friday evening, daily meetings at photo headquarters, photo excursions with Barbara, and live critique of each student’s work.

Only 8 spots! PPA Merit Class

LODGING OPTIONS

Photo Headquarters in West End: 1 room with Queen Bed, $400 for 3 nights

Holiday Inn by the Bay: 2 Queens, $250/night

RETREAT SCHEDULE (Subject to change)

FRIDAY

12pm Lunch at Honeypaw (optional)

2pm Street Photo Practice (optional)

3pm Lodging Check In (optional)

5pm Dinner on your own

6:30-8pm Introductions & Street Photo Lecture

8pm Social Hour at Photo Headquarters - BYOB

SATURDAY

7am Meetup at Photo Headquarters - Walk to Farmer’s Market at Deering Oaks Park, Shoot streets on the way

8:30am Walk back to Photo Headquarters, Shoot streets on the way

9:30am Image Submission Deadline

10am-1pm Image Review at Photo Headquarters

1pm Group Lunch at Octillos or on your own

3pm Meetup at Photo Headquarters - walk to Old Port/Downtown

7:33pm Sunset

8:30pm Group Dinner at Little Tap House (optional)

SUNDAY

7am Rise & Shooting on your own (optional) maximize your time!

9:30am Image Submission Deadline

10:30am-12:30pm Image Review at Photo Headquarters

1pm Group Lunch at Ugly Duckling or on your own

2:30-3:30pm Review top 3 images from each photographer at Photo Headquarters

6pm Closing Group Dinner at Eventide Oyster Co. (optional)

MONDAY

10am Lodging checkout

Maine Professional Photographers Association upcoming events

76th Maine Photographic Convention (April 17, 2026)

FRIDAY, APRIL 17th

SATURDAY, APRIL 18th

SUNDAY, APRIL 19th

BONUS DAY

MONDAY, APRIL 20th

76th Annual MPPA Awards Banquet (April 18, 2026)

2026 MPPA Convention Banquet & Annual Image Awards

About the Evening

Menu

Reserve Your Ticket

Event Details

Intermediate Photoshop with Aaron Nace (April 20, 2026)

Sit, Stay, Smile and Woof: Pets & People Workshop with Travis Patenaude (June 06, 2026)

Sit, Stay, Smile and Woof

Workshop Overview

What You'll Learn

Example Images

About Travis Patenaude

Bonus

The Details

Street Photography Retreat with Barbara Peacock (August 14, 2026)

LODGING OPTIONS

RETREAT SCHEDULE (Subject to change)