Comprehensive Policy Manual Revised 10/25/99 This manual was first compiled by a special board committee in 1990 and 1991 as an effort to organize all the various policies and procedures that have been enacted and employed by the PPWM board over the years. It is intended to be a quick reference to decisions mad by previous boards, and should be updated whenever a new policy is enacted or an old policy is changed. Please keep policies and procedures up to date by writing changes, additions, or clarifications on your copy, along with the date those revisions were approved.

Board Positions - Ascension to the Presidency is to be a three year process. The first year one serves on the board is to be in a position other than President elect/Program Chairperson, which is of coarse, a prerequisite for the position of President. This ensures that he or she will be experienced and familiar with the working of PPWM. This also assures that on of the to or three candidates elected each year will eventually become President. The only exception to this basic policy might be for someone who has already held the office of Program Chairman and President at some time the the past, and therefore has the experience to step right in and do the job.

Programs -

January - Annual Print Competition April - Annual Senior Portrait or Wedding Album Competition July or August - President to host October - Annual Raw Print Critique December - Christmas Dinner and Awards Banquet PPWM Outstanding Member Award President's Plaque to immediate Past President Speaker awards (to our own members who serve as speakers) Board member recognition The Traveling President's Plaque, though traditionally presented at the Christmas Awards Banquet, will now be given to the new President as soon as he or she takes office. PPWM Photographer of the Year Award (approved 3-25-92)

Membership Application Processing -

Upon receiving and application for membership the Membership Chairperson is to: Review application and attachments to make sure application is complete. Contact applicant to confirm receipt of application and, if incomplete, request required information. Inform applicant that their membership status is considered "pending", and will be acted upon soon. Ad applicant's name to membership data base and mailing lists as "pending". Send name of applicant and their studio's name and address to the newsletter editor. Bring the application and pertinent materials before the whole board for review at the next board meeting.

The Newsletter Editor is to run the following notice, with the applicants name and address, in the next newsletter.

New Applicants for PPWM Membership Application for membership from the following individuals will be reviewed by the board at its next meeting. This list is published for input and comment by all members in accordance with current PPWM policies on membership. If these applicants meet all qualifications and no objections are received by the Membership Chairperson, in writing, within ten days of this publication, the membership of these individuals will be accepted.

Once and application has been approved by the full board, and the time for contesting the granting of membership has expired, the applicant officially becomes a member, and their status is to be upgraded from Pending to Active. The Membership Chairperson is to: Send him or her a Membership Certificate. Send the new member a letter of welcome (provided by the President). Send him or her a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws. Send him or her a copy of the Membership Policy Manual. Send him or her a Membership Roster. Order him or her a name badge. Send the Editor the necessary information to publish a welcome / introduction in the next newsletter.

Pro Rated Dues - As stated in the Constitution and By-Laws (Article 6, Section 4): New first time members when joining and time during the first six months of the membership year shall pay full term dues; and when joining at anytime during the second half of the membership year shall pay one half full membership dues.

Guest Fees - The guest fee for "regular" meetings is $15.00. Regular meetings are all meetings except those the require a higher registration fee, such as an all day seminar or a special speaker, etc. Guest fees apply to anyone who is not a member of PPWM, with the following exceptions:

Model or Assistant of the speaker. Spouse or escort of a member, uninvolved in the photography industry in any way. Members of other affiliates (Mid Michigan, Triangle, Detroit, and Northern) pay only $5.00, except for special meetings noted above. Employees of active members pay only $5.00, except for special meetings noted above. Guest fees will not apply to the annual picnics or Christmas dinners.

Guest fees are to be charged to those who intend to apply for membership, but may be refunded or applied toward membership dues, at the discretion of the board, upon approval of the applicant's membership. Since the real purpose for allowing nonmembers to attend PPWM meetings is to give them the opportunity to "check us out," there is a limit of two visits allowed per person per calendar year.

James Gerritson Memorial Library -

January 1989 the James Gerritsen Memorial Scholarship was discontinued, and a library was established and named in his honor. The Board decided that a library would be a better educational tool and a more just use of PPWM funds because it could benefit all members of the organization equally rather than merely benefiting one individual member per year. Funding for the library is to come from: Raffles Late fees from library. Fees from special functions such as swap meets. A percentage of dues as determined by the Board's Budget Committee (April 30, 1990, the Board agreed that at the beginning of the fourth quarter [October] of each membership year the total income from dues should be calculated, and an appropriated percentage of that sum would be allocated to the library. In 1990, 15% was determined appropriate. In subsequent years, because other sources of funding provided adequate additional support, 10% has been used). A one dollar library enhancement fee per each item checked out of the library (approved November 28, 1990).

Library checkout and return policies: Only one item per person per month may be checked out. Items may be checked out for one month only, unless the library is not "open" on the month that the item would have been due (such as the Christmas Banquet). There is a one dollar library enhancement fee (rental) per each item checked out of the library. A five dollar late return deposit is to be placed on each item checked out. This deposit will be forfeited if the item i not returned by the due date. Arrangements must be made in advance to return items if borrower cannot personally attend the meeting. Exchanges are to be made only through the librarian. Whomever checks out an item is liable for its safe return, and must pay for its replacement if it comes up missing for any reason.

Items in the PPWM library are intended for the exclusive use of PPWM members and may not be loaned to nonmembers/ Copying of any video or audio tape is absolutely prohibited.

Newsletter -

Newsletter should be published monthly. Newsletter should contain: Welcome to new members with a short biography on them. President's message. Up-to-date program schedule. Classified area. Spotlight on a member. October and November newsletters to solicit nominations for Outstanding Member of the Year Award. Notice of next Board of Directors meeting. Editorials and Articles submitted by members. Prospective member announcement - to give membership an opportunity for comment on an applicant.

New Applicants for PPWM Membership Application for membership from the following individuals will be reviewed by the board at its next meeting. This list is published for input and comment by all members in accordance with current PPWM policies on membership. If these applicants meet all qualifications and no objections are received by the Membership Chairperson, in writing, within ten days of this publication, the membership of these individuals will be accepted.

Allied members should be mentioned in the way of thanks each month. Advertising rates for display ads (based on 8 1/2 X 11" page): Full page $50.00 Half page $30.00 Quarter page $20.00 Eight page $15.00 Classified listing up to 50 words free as a service to members. Classified ad over 50 words and classified ads of any size by non-members require a $10.00 contribution to the educational fund.

PPWM Photographer of the Year Award - The "PPWM Photographer of the Year Award" is separate and distinct from the "PPWM Outstanding Member of the Year Award" which is basically a meritous service award. The purpose of the PPWM Photographer of the Year Award is to: 1. Give special recognition to the Photographic achievement of our members; 2. Elevate interest and participation in print competition; 3. Create an opportunity for our members to receive some good positive publicity in their local media. The PPWM Photographer of the Year shall be the member who accumulates the highest combined point total in one calendar year. Here is how points are earned: Total of one's scores in the Annual Print Competition. Twenty bonus points for "Best of show" prints in the Annual Print Competition. Total of one's scores in the Senior Print and Folio Competitions. Total of one's scores in the Wedding Portrait and Album Competitions. Ten bonus points for each print chosen in the Print of the Quarter contest. Ten bonus points for each article (not editorial) one has published in the PPWM News. In the event of a tie score winners shall share the title.

Rules for Annual Print Competition -

To be eligible to enter, you must be a member in good standing, and you must have paid your membership dues at least two weeks prior to the print competition. You may enter up to four prints. Only fresh images please. You may not reenter images from previous PPWM annual print competitions. No two images of the same person allowed unless treatment is substantially different. Minimum image allowed is 100 square inches. Prints must be permanently mounted on 16x20 mount board. Creative matting may also be used, but combined thickness of print, mount, and matts shall be a minimum of one eighth inch to a maximum of one quarter inch. The following items must not appear on the front of the entry: Title, name of maker, tape covering the title or name, awards, seals, or ribbons. However, titles that are an integral part of the photographic image are permitted. All entries must be titled. Not doing so will disqualify the entry. PPA rules and scoring will be used. Ribbons will be awarded as follows: Prints scoring 80 and above will receive a blue ribbon. Prints scoring 76-79 will receive a red ribbon. Prints scoring 74-75 will receive a yellow ribbon. Prints scoring 70-73 will receive a white ribbon.

A "Best of Show" ribbon may be awarded in the following categories: 1. Portrait; 2. Candid; 3. Commercial; 4. Unclassified. if there is no blue ribbon print in a given category, a "Best of Show" ribbon may not be awarded for that category. Prints will be judged under the required 75 foot candles of light (F16 @ 1" using ISO 100).

Rules for "Amateur Judged" Portrait, Folio, and Album Competitions -

Only members in good standing may enter. You may enter up to four prints, two folios (one boy and one girl) and one album in the respective competitions. Only fresh images please. You may not reenter images from any previous PPWM amateur judged competition. No two images of the same person allowed (except for folio and albums of course). All images in a wedding album must be from the same wedding. Only folios with eight openings will be accepted, and all openings must contain portraits of the same person. Minimum image area allowed (for portraits) is 100 square inches, and outer dimensions must measure 16x20. Matting is allowed on portraits, but total thickness may not exceed one quarter inch. Studio sample prints will be excepted, but any studio identification must be concealed. Entries must be submitted by 6:00pm because they must be "previewed" by our amateur judges. There will be a total of seven judges. Five will score at one time with two alternates. Judges will score prints using blue, red, white, and black cards. The scoring system is as follows: A blue card will signify excellent and be worth three points. A red card will signify above average and be worth two points. A white card will signify average portrait and be worth one point. A black card will signify unacceptable and be worth no points.

Ribbons will be awarded as follows 13 to 15 points will earn a blue ribbon. 10 to 12 points will earn a red ribbon. 7 to 9 points will earn a white ribbon

Best of show awards may be chosen from blue ribbon winners using a thumbs up / thumbs down process.

Rules for Print of the Quarter Contest -

You may enter one print (any size) per person, per quarter. One print out of all submitted will be chosen by popular vote of members present. Vote will be taken either between dinner and the program, or during the break. Winning images may not be entered in subsequent Print of the Quarter contests, but it is okay to reenter images that have not yet won. Print of the Quarter themes: 1st quarter (March) - Children 2nd quarter (June) - Family 3rd quarter (September) - High school Seniors 4th quarter (November) - Wedding

A certificate will be awarded to the winner of each Print of the Quarter Competition which shall entitle the bearer to one 16x20 automated machine print (not custom) from the lab of his or her choice. Two certificates may be combined for one 20x24 automated print, or three may be combined for one 24x30 automated print. Each certificate shall have a one year expiration date, except when combined with additional certificates to pay for one of the larger sizes, in which case the expiration date will be extended by one additional year. However, when combining certificates, one of the two or three certificates used must be submitted within it original one year expiration period. The cost of the prints will be reimbursed to the member by PPWM when a copy of the lab's bill is submitted to the treasurer along with the certificate(s). Certificates may be redeemed only by current PPWM members in good standing (1/98).

Miscellaneous -

Immediate Past-President is chairman of nominating committee for elections. Long distant telephone charges for PPWM business related calls may be reimbursed by PPWM. You must supply the Treasurer with a copy of your phone bill with PPWM business related calls highlighted.

Life Membership - (see by-laws)

Elmer Pohler was granted Life Membership upon his retirement from photography in 1987. Marian Shafer was granted Life Membership December 15, 1990. Bob Clark was granted Life Membership December 14, 1992. Jim Essenberg was granted Life Membership December 6, 1996. Paul Burk was granted Life Membership February 8, 1999. Karl VanOostenbrugge was granted Life Membership February 8, 1999.