02/03/2026
We wanted to share this post from a current member Danielle Mackey in hopes of inspiring any non-members to see what NHPPA is all about.
“Hey all, whatever you are capturing with a camera, always be intentional and inspired! Here is a little story from this past weekend, and I can guarantee through my membership with this organization, I wouldn’t be where I am now without New Hampshire Professional Photographers Association and my local organization the Greater Rochester (NH) Camera Club.
I’m always learning. Striving to get the littlest bit of knowledge to improve my craft anyway I can. Even if the subject matter doesn’t relate to what I capture I’ve learned you can always gain some knowledge you can implement in your own work.
This past weekend I attended Jeff Dachowski’s workshop on Image Competition. In googling the location I noticed there was a coffee shop called Flight, yes, the same owner as the one previously in Dover, but that name has since changed and she is now franchising throughout the state. I wanted to make sure I got the best cup of coffee around along with some amazing donuts and bagels. I brought the donuts to the workshop and shared them with my fellow Photographer friends. With the few I had left, I was inspired to take a few pictures because they were so colorful and delicious. Yes, this is a long post, bear with me, there is a point to the story.
I’m not the best photographer, but I have worked hard to get where I am. A few years ago, I was really inspired through food photography, and I’ve been slowly practicing my skills and techniques. The image captured of the donuts isn’t at all the best possible image I could’ve created, but I used the amazing natural light that happened to be coming through the side window of my front door, I layed a faux surface on the floor then stacked the donuts on top of each other to create the below image. When I posted the image, of course I tagged the shop just to thank them and tell the story of why I captured this. A few hours later, I received a private message from the shops owner, asking to work with me as she loved what I captured so much. They shared it on their socials and I was so grateful for the exposure. Does this happen all the time? No, but there’s just a chance that somebody will see it and appreciate your work that you have spent so many years creating and want to thank you for it.
I guess the point of this post is to look at where you are, look at where you want to be and surround yourself with like minded individuals with the same aspirations and passion to help you get there. You could hust be starting out or capturing images for over 20 years, it doesn’t matter. It wasn’t until I became a member of greater Rochester camera club 4 years ago, that I was introduced to NHPPA, and I could understand photography in a completely different light even though I’ve been doing it for over 10 years!! I now have so many people I call friends (and neighbors). The adventures we have, stories we’ve shared, places we’ve been and lessons I’ve learned have helped me not only in my craft, but in business and community. I hope this post inspires you to finally become a member or just join us at a meeting just to see what I’m talking about. Thanks for reading if you got this far! I hope to meet you soon.
Feel free to share your experiences or ask any questions in the comments too!”
