By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
It’s not easy keeping up with the latest technology, especially when it comes to photography. Since the digital camera first came out, it seems nearly everyone is trying their hand at photography, whether it be at a wedding, a party or as a professional.
Robert Akers, 46, of Kennebunk, has recently been elected the president of the Maine Professional Photographers Association (MPPA) and believes while anyone can take a good photo, it still takes a professional to consistently produce high-quality images.
Akers, who grew up in Falmouth before graduating from South Portland High School, spent 20 years as a professional disc jockey after graduating from Springfield College in 1980 with a bachelors of science degree in health and fitness. Although Akers has stayed active as a local coach for both the Kennebunk girls’ gymnastics and soccer teams, he said he was glad he didn’t try to make a career out of his undergraduate studies.
“I would have had to start at the bottom as an aerobics instructor,” he said. “It didn’t make sense to me.”
As a disc jockey, Akers primarily performed at weddings, but would also play at high school dances and senior functions, he said. He began taking photographs in addition to playing music at weddings during his final two years as a disc jockey.
“I really just needed a day job,” Akers said.
Photography is relatively new to Akers, who has spent the past four years taking pictures. Originally encouraged by a friend, Akers began attending MPPA meetings shortly after he began taking pictures professionally in 2004.
“It doesn’t cost any money, and you learn a lot,” Akers said.
The MPPA is the state branch of the regional Professional Photographers Association of New England (PPANE) organization, a subsidiary of the national group, Professional Photographers of America (PPA). All of the organizations host conferences and training sessions for professional photographers all over the country.
“I needed to be involved,” he said. “I learned to sit up front in college; I need to be closer to feel like I’m participating. That’s what I did at the MPPA meetings, I was just soaking it all up.”
Akers participated by doing much more than choosing his seating arrangements, as he was asked to serve on the MPPA council in April 2005, after attending only a few meetings.
“It’s not a club, it’s for people who want to make a profession out of taking pictures,” Akers said. Akers said while attending PPA conferences he tried to “get a feel” for all genres of photography.
 “It’s tough to be just a sports or fashion photographer in Maine,” he said. “There’s a pretty sparse population to be able to specialize here.”
Perhaps more important than the lessons learned at the different conferences is what you can learn by the other photographers who attend, Akers said during his self-taught photography study he found himself learning the most valuable lessons from photographers with more experience.
“I needed to know what people knew who had been in the business for 20 years,” he said.
Last year at a week-long PPANE study, Akers said he had the opportunity to work with Sandy Püc and David Junion, two nationally recognized photographers.
“Dave is an artist, with photography as his medium,” Akers said.
Also during his study with PPANE, Akers said he spent one hour with photographer Doug Box, who taught him an “off camera flash” lighting technique, which he now incorporates into his recent work. The technique uses a “soft box” to create a flash in a different location than the lens, which can create unique effects.
“The trick is to make it look like it’s not an off camera-flash,” Akers said.
Akers said he primarily uses natural, outdoor lighting in his photos, which he often shoots at a local beach. He said taking pictures on the shore creates more than just a photo album for families, who explore the beach during the shoot rather than simply posing for the camera.
“Those are the types of pictures I want; ones I can tell a story with,” Akers said. “If you look at a picture and it makes you feel something, it’s not just an image, it has become a piece of art.”
Akers does all of his work digitally, which he said enables him to take up to 1,500 shots at a single wedding.
“I don’t have to pay for the film,” he said. “Otherwise, you could just about figure on paying $1.50 every shot.”
Digital photography and cameras allows Akers to keep up with the new demands of photographers. Akers said often modern couples do not want formally staged wedding photos as much as they do those that “capture a moment.”
“You can take three pictures without having anything move, and one of them will stand out from the others,” he said. “As you get better, you can almost predict the moments coming that people want to see.”
Akers said digital photography also saves him the cost of sending film to labs to be altered, as he does all his own editing work.
“There’s the downside to digital: it makes a lot more work. Rather than sending something out to a lab, I have to spend the time on the project,” he said.
In addition to being elected the president of the MPPA Jan. 28, Akers was elected the winning photographer of the year by the organization. Akers’ new positions follow numerous state awards Akers has received for his work during the past four years.
“It’s like, ‘who’s the man?’” a flattered Akers said.
 As MPPA president, Akers said he is devoted to raising awareness about the benefits of joining, as only a small percentage of photographers actually join the 80 member association.
“Photography can be very competitive, and some people don’t see the benefit of joining. I’m an open book with any photographer who comes to me for advice. I know that they can’t do it the same way because they’re not me,” he said.
Akers said he would encourage all professional photographers to join the MPPA and it’s parent organizations to better educate themselves.
“The rest is inspiration and perspiration,” he said.
    To contact Nate Jones call 282-4337, ext. 233 or email news@kennebunkpost.com.