Senior portrait artists is a very unique organization. We pride ourselves on creating an opportunity for you to grow, learn and interact with people in your own studio, photography legends and even with fellow competitors in your state or area. So, this next award is especially valuable because it doesn’t reflect the quality of someone’s work, but instead, the quality of life.

This year we are introducing a new award called spa man (or woman) of the year. The award focuses on one spa member a year who exhibits courage, strength, dedication and honor in their photography as well as personal life.

This year’s spa man of the year is a photographer who opened his life and his studio doors to a fellow spa member and photographer when her life was struck with disaster. This time last year, one of our member’s studios became engulfed in flames and her business was destroyed from the inside out. Tammy Stidham found herself questioning if she could build her business again from the ground up at the age of 41.

However, with the help of a fellow spa member, her business didn’t skip a beat. She was able to freely relocate her business and even use all new camera equipment for six months until she could get back up on her feet. There is only one competing photography business in Tammy’s small town and the owner of the competing studio graciously and selflessly opened his studio doors for her to regain strength. When she gratefully asked him why he helped out – he simply said, “because it was the right thing to do.”

Soon enough Tammy came to the conclusion that they weren’t ever really competing and he will never again be anything less than a great friend and honorable man. She best describes him as a “kind hearted, hard worker, honest as the day is long, Christian man – who would do anything for you if he thought he could”…. Which is why I’m proud to announce the very first spa man of the year award to be given to Mr. Foto, Chris Routt.



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