Hijack : Golf Event for Midwest Wedding Professionals

TOTALLY wish I could be at this event next month!!!  If you live anywhere near this event please let other wedding professionals know about it!

From the blog of Splendid Communications:

Golf Event for Midwest Wedding Professionals

If you’re a wedding or event professional in the Midwest, here’s an event that helps a good cause (proceeds benefit Pink Initiative) and lets you network with other professionals in a fun way.  If you’re not a golfer, not to worry – the barbeque is open to everyone.  Here’s some more information:

Engaging Events and Gerber and Scarpelli Weddings invite you to the Midwest Wedding and Event Professionals

First Annual Charity Golf Outing

Proceeds benefitting the Pink Initiative

Monday, August 17th

Crane’s Landing Golf Course
10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, IL

12:30 PM | Shotgun Start
5 PM | BBQ

Support a great cause, play golf, enjoy a BBQ and even win prizes while networking with other wedding and event professionals in the Midwest.

Register Here

For sponsorship information, please contact Ali Phillips | 773.777.2299 Or Kurt Gerber | 312.455.1144

disclosure: I serve on the board of directors for Pink Initiative.

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Roots Workshop & ShootQ scholarship contest!

Photographers:
In this economy, what are you doing to diversify yourself from your competition? Get a leg up by investing in the craft of storytelling and watch your bottom line flourish.

News Wedding Photographers has teamed up with ShootQ, the online studio management system we use and adore, to offer one lucky photographer $500 off the Roots Workshop tuition (7/19-24) and 6 months of ShootQ for free!!!

Here’s how:
Tell us why you think you are the worthy candidate by writing on the wall of the Roots Workshop Facebook Fan Page by Friday, June 12. Spread the word to your family and friends, and have them support you by clicking the “like” icon beneath your post. If you receive the most “thumbs-up” on your wall comment, you win!*

What are you waiting for?!

Even if you aren’t our big winner, I urge you to take advantage of this special offer: Claim your seat for the workshop now with just 4 easy payments of $800 now through December!! Now there’s no excuse not to attend the workshop that has been described as “pivotal,” “powerful” and “life-altering” by last year’s attendees.

Looking forward to spending a week on the Cape with workshop mentors Rachel LaCour Niesen and Mark Adams from ShootQ, and all the other crazy good talent we’re importing for the workshop, SOON!!

Thanks, ShootQ and News Wedding Photographers!

** Contest closes at 10pEST 6/12/09. Photographers already enrolled in the workshop or ShootQ may still qualify.

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Pink Initiative Cards offered by Invitation Consultants!

Invitation Consultants now has a Pink Initiative offering for some of their cards! Very cool!

Pink Initiative by Invitation Consultants

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Hijack : What Art Buyers Might Look For

Thanks to Leslie Burns I found this article on an Art Buyers site and thought I would pass it on.  It is on An Art Producer’s Prospective.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

What Art Buyers Might Look For

In many of the portfolio reviews and calls I’ve been having with photographers one of the big questions being asked is What does an art buyer look for?

There is no exact science to what each of us is looking for. It greatly depends on the client and the project and trying to match the best talent with the client’s brand and messaging.

To be completely and utterly honest you have to have great imagery. With all the competition out there, if your work is considered run of the mill or does not stand out from the pack (so to say) it won’t get called in. I know this may sound harsh but it’s the reality just like if an ad agency goes after a client and their brand book does not have stand out items or campaigns, the client passes on to the next “competitor”.

I’m always interested in seeing something visually arresting… whether it’s a lighting technique, an angle, the talent chosen, off the cuff set ups, etc. If what you’re presenting is flat or looks (pardon the expression) “too pedestrian”, there’s a good chance you’re work may get passed over.

To be blunt, presenting a local corporate portrait or a portrait from an annual report is not going to get you the next ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana. Art Buyers are super picky when it comes to imagery, especially the imagery we’re recommending to art directors, creative directors, and clients.

Challenge yourself and experiment with personal projects. Get to know art buyers and some of the clients they work on, if you start to develop a rapport with that person, they may be more likely to give you a chance (whether it’s a pro-bono or smaller project) to get in the door. Most of all continue to develop your work.

additional note:
I also wanted to add this little bit that I thought of this afternoon. Make it real and make it your own (your images should speak to who you are as an artist). And by real I don’t mean lifestyle or “slice of life” situations, I mean real as in the feel of the image.
Just like with some bad reality TV shows, the audience can tell when someone is fake or coming across too contrived. If your imagery is too propped or too staged it doesn’t feel real and can drive people away. Art buyers will go to the stock sites if they want that feel. No offense but the typical image of the growl face with hands in the hair has been done so much that it turns me away from a portfolio.

Posted by Caitlin at 8:17 AM

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NYC tonight and tomorrow!

I will be in New York City tonight and tomorrow.  If you know of anything tonight photography oriented…let me know.

I will be speaking at B&H Tuesday afternoon on Successful Websites for Photographers:

Date:	Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Time:	11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Hosts:	J Sandifer & Lou Manna
Location:	B&H Event Space 420 9th Avenue New York, NY J has been with liveBooks for 2.5 years this month! He has the pleasure of traveling the country speaking to photography groups of all types. He came to liveBooks as an expert in the wedding industry, and says he continues to learned a ton about the commercial world by sitting on panels with creative directors and art buyers, by speaking to many liveBooks clients on the phone and by swapping secrets with his counterparts who shoot commercially. He truly enjoys consulting photographers on how to grow their businesses. He and his fiancé run a wedding studio in Portland, ME. This past year, they raised their prices by 25% and shot 43 weddings (crazy!). They did this by developing a strong brand and have recently done something quite unique: video testimonials. In today’s market it is important to stand out from the crowd. J loves helping photographers grow their businesses and come up with great ideas to make you remarkable! Lou Manna is an award winning Olympus Visionary photographer whose work has appeared in national ad campaigns, major magazines, and more than forty books. After shooting for the New York Times from 1975 to 1990, he went on to establish his own Fifth Avenue studio, where he works with corporate, advertising and public relations clients to create photos that can only be described as “exquisite”. He has a sense of style, color and composition with an inherent sense of beauty. Lou recently authored his first book, Digital Food Photography, the only book on the art of food photography devoted exclusively to digital technology. He is currently writing another book and teaching digital food photography workshops and private hands on classes in his studio. View Lou’s work at

I will be on hand to answer any questions about websites, marketing or SEO at this event Tuesday evening:

What if Everything You Have Been Taught About the Marketing of Creativity is Wrong?

Date:	Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Time:	6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Host:	Ian Summers
Location:	Calumet Photographic 22 West 22nd St. New York, NY (between 5th & 6th Aves) Ian Summers has been a lot of things: art director, creative director, painter, poet, investigative journalist, think tank operator, teacher, and publisher, to name a few. Ian was Creative Director for The Black Book, Leber Katz Partners, and Random House and has taught at Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, and New School for Social Research. He has lectured on creativity at many colleges, including Syracuse University, UCLA, and The Portfolio Center. He has written 14 books and he has had three solo shows of his paintings in the last 2 years.

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Jet Blue…the best airline out there!

Ok…not often that I will post something about an airline, but I love flying with Jet Blue.  Their planes are top notch and the crews are terrific!  It is easy to win award flights by flying cross country 4 times or by charging to the AmEx monthly.  With this promo you will be halfway to getting a free round trip…so if you need a new CC apply below.

Jet Blue Promo

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CIPNE : Waltham MA Tonight

Tonight I will be in Waltham, MA for their CIPNE event with John Harrington.  If you have not seen John speak, it would serve you well to hear what he has to say.  These will mainly be commercial shooters, but the topics he will cover will certainly transer to any photographer.

Info here and here.

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Retreat at French’s Point Stockton Springs, ME

This venue just hits it out of the park! The beauty of the seaside setting, the elegant facilities and the amazing staff. We certainly look forward to shooting more Retreat at French’s Point Weddings.

Retreat at French's Point

These terrific vendors make our jobs easier:

venue: Retreat at French’s Point Stockton Springs, ME
accommodations: Belfast Bay Inn Belfast, ME
florist: Judy Bourgeois Flora Fauna
ceremony musicians: Bel Isle Trio
reception dj: Denise LaCarubba Dj Deja
make-up: Mary Carpenter From This Day Forward
dress: Spoil Me Portland, ME (Nicole Miller)
bridesmaids: Jim Heljm
invitations: Fresh Pulp Turner, ME
rings: J Dostie Portland, ME
first dance: “Ice Age” by Pete Yorn
photographers: Emilie and J
videographer: Morgan

Wedding Photographer

We also have started to add video presentations with our images known as photo fusion multimedia.  You can see an example from this wedding’s photo fusion and certainly let us know if you have any questions about how to add it to your 2009 package for maine wedding photography.

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A Web entrepreneur helps young photojournalists focus on injustices worldwide.

E-commerce success fuels photojournalism fund

Our very own CEO of liveBooks Andy Patrick is featured on CNNMoney.com small business section.  Those around Andy know how terrific he is and how much passion he has for the photo journalistic community. Now the world is starting to take more notice too!

A Web entrepreneur helps young photojournalists focus on injustices worldwide.

By Lawrence A. Armour

Last Updated: January 22, 2009: 11:56 AM ET

Photos

Shine a light

FiftyCrows, a foundation started by entrepreneur Andy Patrick with proceeds from the sale of his company, funds emerging photojournalists. Below is a selection of images from What Matters, a recent collection FiftyCrows helped sponsor chronicling urgent issues around the world.

View photos

Serial entrepreneur Andy Patrick, FiftyCrows’ founder.

(Fortune Small Business) — According to a Native American myth, crows look back with one eye and into the future with the other. Serial entrepreneur Andy Patrick, 47, applied that philosophy to create FiftyCrows Foundation, a nonprofit that funds photojournalists who document injustices throughout the world.

Patrick’s first venture, a shopping service for his snowbound neighbors, was a success before he turned 11. His biggest triumph was Adjacency Brand New Media, an e-commerce Web site developer that he launched in 1995. Patrick and his partners sold Adjacency in March 1999 for $67 million in stock, which proceeded to triple in value over the next 12 months.

“Being lucky is a big part of success,” he says. “I decided to turn my good fortune into something that could bring about positive change.”

The sale of Adjacency provided the capital for FiftyCrows. In October 2001, Patrick set up the foundation with $740,000 in seed money. Today FiftyCrows uses proceeds from the sale of works by established photographers (think Bruce Davidson, Eve Arnold and Sebastião Salgado) to fund photojournalists whose work shows potential to improve the world.

Over the years, FiftyCrows has raised and distributed roughly $300,000 in grants to young artists such as Stephanie Sinclair, who produced a searing photo essay about child marriage in Aghanistan, and Victor Sira, who documents the hardships of illegal immigrants from Central America and Mexico.

In addition to cash grants, FiftyCrows provides young documentary photographers with media tools to help showcase their work more effectively. Each grantee receives a free Web site hosted by Patrick’s most recent for-profit venture, liveBooks.com, which creates Web-based applications for professional photographers. And the FiftyCrows Foundation – along with National Geographic – recently sponsored the publication of David Elliot Cohen’s book What Matters, in which noted writers and photographers (including Sinclair) zero in on crucial contemporary issues such as genocide, poverty and global warming.  

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5 Survival Tips for Small Studios by Rachel LaCour Niesen

5 Survival Tips for Small Studios

Rachel LaCour Niesen of LaCour and ShootQ…who better to get tips from for your studios survival!!

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Recent Newsletter

j sandifer at liveBooks

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Photography Workshop

Photographers: Roots Workshop returns for another week next summer with more staff and less students for more personalized instruction!

dates: 7/19-24, 2009
location: Cape Cod, MA
website: www.rootsworkshop.com
staff include: Emilie (emilie inc. photography), Greg Gibson (Greg Gibson Photography), Arnold Miller (multi-media editor at Newsday), Jennifer Domenick (Love Life Images), Mark Adams (LaCour), Tyler Wirken (Wirken Photography), Rachel LaCour Niesen (LaCour) and volunteers ME (liveBooks) and Eric Laurits (:e:).

The details:
12 students. 9 staff. 3 teams. 6 life-changing days.

Roots Workshop is an introduction to photojournalism for already-established wedding photographers interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the roots of this chosen genre through hands-on instruction and editorial photo assignments.

While living under the same roof on the water in Cape Cod, students will be divided into three teams of four students, each with a leader and a shooting mentor. Monday is designated as a team building day, with shooting and technical exercises geared toward individual need as assessed by a survey students will take before arriving. Tuesday and Wednesday will be reserved for shooting editorial assignments during the day, each unique to Cape Cod, with group editing sessions at night. Students will be visited by their mentor and/or team leader for a minimum of one hour each day during their assignment. Thursday will be an editing day to prepare for an evening slideshow of the students’ work and a celebratory New England clambake. Friday will be open for students to stay and relax!

While Roots is designed to provide an amazing experience on Cape Cod among a group of passionate, creative minds, it is most definitely not a fluff workshop. Students will work hard and be critiqued hard. The opportunity for personal growth is enormous given our unprecedented small student-to-staff ratio (2-1). Participants who maximize these resources and engage in the experience to the fullest can immediately apply their newly learned storytelling skills to their wedding photography.

I am already looking forward to this week next year like you can’t understand…I wish there were more of these throughout the year

If you are planning to attend WPPI next month, I’ll be there and would love the chance to talk to you about the most beneficial shooting workshop…you can’t afford to miss! In the meantime, be sure to check out the picture stories from the ’08 students by visiting www.rootsworkshop.com.

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WPPI THE BIG NIGHT

WPPI the big night

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OBAMA SONG OFFICIAL VIDEO – Michael Franti and Spearhead

I think this song and video really captures the feeling that we take forward into the next 8 years!

I have been seeing Franti for years and this might be the song that takes him to the masses!

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Laudholm Farm Wedding

One of the best venues in Southern Maine is Laudholm Farm.  We look forward to shooting there in 2009!

Laudholm Farm Wedding

There were some terrific vendors at this particular wedding:

church: The Church on the Cape Cape Porpoise, ME
reception: Laudholm Farm Wells, ME
caterer: Kitchen Chicks Catering Kennebunk, ME
florist: Fleurant Flowers & Design, Kennebunk
cake: Let Them Eat Cake Kennebunk, ME
band: Baby Grand
dress: Andrea’s Bridal Portland, ME
hair: Eddy-Taylor Salon Kennebunk, ME
honeymoon: Italy
photographers: Emilie and J

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CIPNE – Boston – John Harrington!

If you live in or near Boston, you will want to come to this event!  To see more on John check out his blog!  I will be on hand to answer any questions about websites…

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Engage 09 : Something Blue – a high impact luxury wedding summit

Em attended the last Engage and really enjoyed the atmosphere!

Engage 09

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Interview with Seth Godin

This interview is pretty good…especially towards the end when he talks about showing up. During the down turn in the economy people will be rewarded for showing up.  He also talks about why blogging is important.

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2009/01/14/seth-godin-thinks-youre-boring/

Hope you have a few moments to listen

“You’ve set out to be boring”

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Food Stylist

So many jobs in the commercial photography industry! One that many may not have thought of before is food stylist…that’s right someone who specializes in making the food in images look like you want to eat it off the screen!

san francisco food stylist

San Francisco Food Stylist

Andrea Lucich is a professional food stylist located in the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. She specializes in preparing food for photography.

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Church Landing Meredith, NH

Beautiful day and a fun couple in Meredith, NH.  Church Landing has quickly become a venue that we look forward to shooting at!

Church Landing Meredith, NH

Some of the terrific vendors that made their day so great:

venue: Church Landing Meredith, NH
florist: Lyndsey Loring Design
ceremony musician: Paul Warnick
dj: Ernie Houle Locomotion DJ Productions
cupcakes: Jacques Pastries
stationer: Invitation Consultants
gown: David’s Bridal
shoes: Stuart Weitzman
groom: Neiman Marcus Paul Smith
first dance: You Can Have It All by Yo La Tengo (“Juno” soundtrack)
honeymoon: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
photographers: Emilie and J

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