I spent the entire week stressing about my engagement session. Though I know that photographers shoot dozens of these sessions each year, I spent hours upon hours doing everything I could to prepare. And still, when the time for our shoot came, I was nervous and insecure. But within the first few minutes of my engagement shoot, my photographers, Jeff and Erin Youngren, calmed my nerves and set the tone for what turned out to be a wonderful experience. Though I’m not a photographer myself, I know that great photographers do more than just take nice photos. And being in front of the camera for my engagement session, I was reminded again of how important the client-photographer relationship is. Being a bride myself, I know
Archives
Call For Bloggers
In January, excited for a new year, we decided to take the Pictage Blog in a new direction. Our goal for the blog since then has been to make it a place where you, as professional photographers, can go to learn and share about your photography business through instructional and interactive posts. We want to provide content that is relevant and useful for you and your professional development. So far, we have had a great response from the community and are excited to continue this direction. We have been fortunate enough to have frequent blog contributors that contribute enriching educational content. However, on average we post 16 times a month, 12 months a year, and with wedding season soon approaching (if not already upon us)
Tips From a Blogger: Avoiding Writer’s Block
I’m sitting in the new “creative room” here at the Pictage office, on a stool facing a new IKEA tall writing desk. My iPod is in one ear, silence in the other, with eraser dust everywhere, and I mean everywhere. This is the perfect scene for my mad scribbling on a large yellow legal pad of paper- writer’s block gone. For the past few weeks I have been struggling with one of my least favorite things in the whole world, writer’s block. Although I don’t write much on the blog here at Pictage, we are fortunate enough to have great photographer contributors, I do a lot of writing every day at work. For the past few weeks I have been in a creative dry spell,
Open Forum: Small business resource?
(editor’s note: Partner Conference New Orleans recap post coming soon. In the meantime…) Open Forum- What is it? Are you on it? Why? Why not? “OPEN Forum, is an online resource and networking site for small business owners. The site is designed to forge meaningful business connections and provide practical, actionable information and insights from influential bloggers, industry leaders, and savvy entrepreneurs. In addition, the site will aggregate relevant online small business conversations from Twitter.” -American Express Press Release 2009 When I was introduced to the Open Forum I immediately questioned whether or not it had the potential to be a resource for Pictage users as small business owners. The Open Forum is much like the Pictage forums in that it is a community of small
Photography Applications for Your iPhone/iPod Touch
If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, do you use applications for your photography, your business, for fun? I recently came across a bunch of photography app’s for my iPhone (some have been mentioned recently on the Pictage forums) and I can’t seem to decide which ones to use. I have gathered together the following applications that look fun and useful, they are listed along with their price and star rating according to iTunes. Which ones do you use and why or why not? I have started a thread on the forums like this, check it out and let the Community know what you think! In no particular order… ColorSplash $1.99…….. 4 Stars ColorSplash lets you quickly change any of your photos into a
Images and Stories — Photographer Images Adorn our Walls: Phase 1
Recently Pictage CEO Jim Collins posted on the Pictage Forums asking photographers to send in images that we would be able to hang on the Pictage walls. He asked for images that the photographers felt were not typical wedding or even wedding at all, but most importantly had stories behind them. We are in the process of putting all of them on the walls, but want to say thank you to everyone who submitted photos… we love them and can’t wait to put them up. Here is the first batch that we want to share with you. Matthew Grazier of Grazier Photography While shooting Justin Marantz and his groomsmen at Justin and Mary Marantz’s wedding, Justin showed me an old 4×5 camera in the back
Pictage Cribs featuring Brian Adams
We have decided to give Pictage photographers the opportunity to share their studios with the Pictage community. Every month we will be featuring one of your studios in our Studio Tour Blog. We are interested in viewing and being a part of studios all across the nation as each month our very own photographers take us on a tour. For our first tour we will be featuring Orlando Pictage User Group leader Brian Adams. Brian Adams Photographics, Inc. is located in Orlando, Florida. He describes his studio as… “My studio space is a juxtaposition of sorts, which is a lot like my photography. The building which houses my space is an 85-year-old restored bungalow in the middle of downtown Orlando. While the outside has a
The Pictage Community Forums: Are you there yet??
My first week at Pictage, I spent most of my day browsing the Pictage Forums trying to get a feel for Pictage and Pictage photographers. As I read thread after thread I was amazed at the sincere community that was available within the forums. I noticed the questions posted, the instant genuine responses, the ability to candidly share to a group of people that truly understand, the opportunity to showcase images with peers as they critique and affirm, and so much more. I learned later that the Pictage Forums are designed to let you learn, network, and grow within your community and industry. They are convenient, insightful, and beneficial to all members, whether just starting out or seasoned veterans. As a member of the Pictage
Beyond the Wedding: An Interview with Anna and Spencer Clark
Hello again! Thank you for such a warm welcome into the Pictage community! I have recently had the privilege of interviewing Atlanta wedding photographers, Spencer and Anna Clark about their exciting new project Beyond The Wedding. We believe that it is a great opportunity for photographers all over the nation and we are so excited to be sharing it with you today! So, here are the highlights from my interview with Spencer and Anna… (Photos Courtesy of Anna and Spencer Clark) Beyond The Wedding can be found online at beyondthewedding.com Elizabeth Villa: Before we get into the specifics of what Beyond The Wedding is and what it has to offer our readers I would love to know, what is your overall vision for Beyond The
Discovering Italy: An Interview with Kenny Kim
Hi guys! My name is Elizabeth Villa and I am a new member of the Pictage Community team. During my time here at Pictage I have really enjoyed getting to know some really great photographers, and I look forward to getting to know all of you! Recently I got the chance to interview Kenny Kim about his upcoming Workshop/Tour that is taking place in Italy, called “Discovering Italy.” Below, is a quick rundown of what we talked about. (All photos courtesy of Kenny Kim) Elizabeth Villa: Kenny, you recently had the chance to visit Italy, can you tell our readers a little more about your trip and the effect that it had on you? Kenny Kim: Absolutely. I recently visited Italy for two weeks; during