I received my first camera, as a Brownie at the age of 12. I LOVED it! Shortly after, my uncle sent my brother and I a darkroom kit used by my Great Grandmother. The old-fashioned bottles, trays, and glass plate negatives were a joy to use and we would tie up the bathroom for hours!
In high school, I was yearbook editor and a major contributor to the yearbook. Our basketball team took first place at State my junior year and I became quite the sports photographer. We were ranked last going into the finals and it was a real upset.
I purchased my first medium format camera prior to entering a local community college with a photojournalism major. The professor there had studied under the famous Ansel Adams for five years, and our textbooks were the books Mr. Adams authored. Talk about intense! While Ansel Adams is hands down one of the greatest photographers ever known, his books were very technical and jam packed with information, I still have them.
My mentor, Mr. Lou Ver Baere, deserves much credit for my career as a professional photographer. He opened his studio up to me, continually gave gifts to my children, and taught me a lot about running a studio. I can still hear him saying “Learn to do it my way Cindy, then change it to whatever you want.” Lou was so convinced that membership to the Professional Photographers of Oregon (PPO) and convention attendance was valuable that he paid my convention fees the first year I attended. I went on to serve for several years on the board of directors and later the executive board of the PPO. Lou passed away in November of 1993; he would have NEVER sat anyone on the ground!
I photographed my first wedding in 1976 and have done nothing else for income since 1980. After freelancing for several years I opened Photos by Cindy in Union County, Oregon in 1987. I sold my studio in 2000 and moved to Boise, Idaho for a new job opportunity for my husband. Cindy Sherman Photography opened in 2003.
 
Why be a member of a Professional Organization?
Professional Photographers of America
This organization provides me with outstanding educational opportunities, lobbyies the US Capitol on my behalf, and keeps me informed on new technological advances in the field of photography. This gives tremendous support to my studio portraiture business. But there is more:
Becoming a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is probably one of the most important things I have ever done to support my wedding photography. One of the best benefits of PPA is membership in the Indemnification Trust. This trust provides me with technical support and backup should I ever have a CF card fail, hard drive go bad, or camera fail. The trust provides the very best technicians to salvage lost data, and in the event of missing images, the means to re-stage the wedding if deemed necessary.