Written by Elizabeth Villa (Pictage Blog Team)

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 classic, traditional feel, the inside has a very minimalist look.  People have also said that my photography is fresh and new, but is classic enough to be able to stand the test of time.  My interior studio setup reflects the style of my wedding photography: clean, simple, modern, high-impact, and lots of emotion.  When guests walk through the door of my studio, I want them to stop in their tracks when they see the 5 spot-lit 40×60 canvases on the walls.  I chose each image for their emotional quality.  One is sweet, one is fun, one is dramatic, one is romantic, etc.  I invite my guests to walk around the space, past the fresh flowers, and into each room, before they settle onto the comfy sofa in my meeting room.  Here, they are able to enjoy a cold beverage while they view my wedding slideshow on a flat-screen TV and look through a variety of albums.  They see my front office and my assistant, but what they don’t see is behind-the-scenes, where I have 6 Mac workstations set up with an equal number of editors, as my other company, EditTeam (www.editteam.com), is based in the back-half of my studio”.

Take a look!

Brian Adams PhotoGraphics Studio Tour from Edit Team on Vimeo.

If you are interested in participating in our Studio Tour Video Blog, we ask that you send us a short email to blog@pictage.com with your name, the city you live in and a few photos of your studio. Every month we will choose one studio to share their space with us and we will feature it on the next month’s blog. We want to see whatever you think viewers would find most interesting, unique, beautiful, inspiring, hilarious about your studio - you choose! Whether you work in a studio like Brian’s or if you work in a Starbucks regularly, we want to see it! Also, you can show us in whichever medium you choose - stills, video (even home video type footage), etc. Thank you for your participation, we are so excited to start touring your studios!

Hey everyone, don’t miss out on this episode! In this episode Sara talks with Melissa Jill about a variety of great topics — including the power of having a studio manager and the value of outsourcing (with specific examples from both personal and business perspectives). Melissa also discusses adapting to the wedding season among different climates and shares her experiences and insights with Destination Weddings & learning how to grow as a strong business person.

Make sure to give Melissa some comment love!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 6th “Admired by Beckstead”, our twice-monthly David Beckstead image contest!

We are so excited to announce this round’s winner… FIRST place goes to Matthew Whitlock of South Bend, Indiana. Congratulations!

David’s Comments on the winning image:

“I get excited when I see this shot! Makes me want to get up right here next to my computer and dance some Dixieland! What a great angle Matthew took to give some drama and life to the composition and story! It looks like he flashed or took advantage of some other light source because the main element that got me really going here was the shadows on the ceiling. Wow! Talk about a great eye or cool planning to see this!! I would have liked this shot but the shadows give it a whole new meaning for me. Did I say great?! Yes I did.  Just look at this for a while and you will understand how cool it is!”

SECOND place goes to Chris Williams of New Orleans.

David’s Comments:

“Perfect exposure!!!  The hand and sparkler on the right leads this viewer’s eye over to the couple, balanced perfectly by the light and people on the left. Great emotion and energy! I have done many sparkler shots and I know how hard it is to get one that really works well. The B&W conversion eliminates the color depth and chaotic elements by helping our eyes find the center and to the most important subjects: the couple. Nice!”

THIRD place winner is Diane Askew of Sonoma, Ca.

David’s Comments:

“What a nice peaceful moment and a great composition! All the lights create lines that lead the viewer to the couple. Great mood with real feeling!”

HONORABLE MENTION  goes to Lauren Rutten of South Orange, NJ.

David’s Comments:

“Honorable Mention! Beckstead’s Abstract Pick! I have to give it to Lauren for taking a real risk and entering this here. I love all things abstract, well at least if I can understand what is going on! Love this shot and the moody feeling of it. I love motion so this is my kind of shot!”

*** Next contest round is now open! We’re accepting submissions through Monday, July 13th. We’ll then present the winners Friday, July 17th.  This round’s theme: What shots do you want in your portfolio? Send in your best!

And…be sure to leave your feedback and congratulatory notes in the comments here.

Written By: Scott Anderson (Pictage Blog Team)

Photos Courtesy of Mark Wangerin

Scott Anderson: You’ve been a Pictage photographer since the very beginning. Tell us a bit about your recent transition from wedding & portraits to fashion and high school senior photography.

Mark Wangerin: When I joined Pictage, I was strictly a wedding and product photographer. As I progressed in skill and artistic sensitivity, I found more satisfaction in the connective process of shooting people for portraits, publications and fashion. Although I don’t consider myself a “fashion” photographer, I do consider myself a more mainstream commercial beauty and glamour photographer.

Of course the more I was involved in beauty and glamour, the less time and emotional energy I had for weddings, which as most wedding photographers agree is more about energy management than being immersed into a conceptual, creative project such as magazine submissions and portraits for publication.

SA: I’m particularly interested in how Pictage fits into your new workflow? Can you explain how you optimize Pictage to work best for you within these markets?

MW: I’m a creature of familiarity and comfort. I only change when I’m forced to. So rather than using Pictage for my wedding events (which I still do on occasion), I now am starting to use Pictage for proofing and ordering my senior portraits and some commercial portraits and very soon for my modeling portfolios. It is a very simple process that allows me to step aside from the negotiating process when it comes to print buying. We all know that everyone wants a “deal” and we photographers work a little too hard to be constantly engaged in a bargain matinee scenario.

By setting my prices reasonably, I have found that I really make more by letting clients order through Pictage in the comfort of their own home than to have to sit down with a client, go through proofs, then sit with them while they agonize over their budget.

Consistently, I find that the customer always wants my opinion. Within their event, I can easily make a folder of my favorites to help them in their selection process. Sometimes, I retouch one or two to give them an idea of the finished product. When my wife creates the event, she sets it up with a subtitle stating “Proofs only – not for purchase – please select favorites.” She also sets the event with a special Price Catalog for Proofs Only, which has only one size available for purchase, that is a 3.5 x 5 for $125 – this is to guarantee they don’t order in accident. (Pictage has always been excellent with quick resolutions when requested – maybe they’ll provide in the near future a way to create a generic “proof” catalog in which no products are available for purchase.) Once they choose their favorites, I retouch them and upload them to a new event from which they can make their final orders of prints, albums, etc.

When I go through a session, I use Adobe Lightroom 2.0 for almost the entire editing process. And now that Pictage and Lightroom are in a collaborative team effort to streamline the full workflow process, I can now complete the entire process in Lightroom and upload straight to my Pictage FTP account without having to break my editing stride. It’s all done in the Adobe Lightroom 2.0 environment.

(more…)

Hey everyone! Don’t miss out on an awesome podcast episode featuring David Wittig. In this episode Sara talks with David Wittig about a variety of great topics including how his own recent wedding changed his perspective on his Studio’s products and services.  David also delves into the world of Search Engine Optimization. Don’t miss the one tip that can change the way you blog today and get you better ranked on the search engines.  Also, wondering what David says is the one tool that helped him get through the challenges of running a business?  Tune-in and find out the answer…and much more!

Listen to David’s Podcast here and be sure to leave him some comments!

Written By: Elizabeth Villa (Pictage Blog Team)

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 Community, you have this incredible resource and I encourage you to join and actively participate in these forums.

Many of our members aren’t fully aware of what the forums have to offer and exactly how they can benefit you and your business. All of the options can be a bit overwhelming so I’ve outlined some of the various features and even have testimonials some of our active participants.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE …

1. Advice on almost anything you could imagine…really.
2. 2^nd shooters (even free ones). Critiques on websites, logos, branding, and much more!
3. Our Pro Consultants run the monitored section. It’s just another way to get your questions answered.
4. Used gear – buy and sell equipment in our Classified forum.
5. Recommendations on equipment, vendors, services, and even how to deal with some sticky situations.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW…

1. Jim Collins, our CEO posts almost every day. If you have something to say, he’s there to listen.
2. There is a Pictage Product Update forum. This section is the first place our product team announces updates, beta versions, and the need for feedback.

WHAT ARE THE FORUM BEST PRACTICES?

1. Subscribe: You will then be notified via email with a list of new posts and threads daily, weekly, or monthly.

· Go to the General section of the forums or individual posts.

· Click forum tools and scroll to subscribe to this thread/forum.

· Chose how often you want to be emailed with updates.

2. Check out New Posts: At the top of the page, click new posts or today’s posts (under quick links) to see what’s being said in the most recent conversations.

3. Use the search function: At the top, right corner of every thread and or forum, you can search this thread.

4. Update your avatar: We’re visual people! We want to see what you look like.

WHAT’S GOING ON TODAY…

Ta-da! The last pricing formula you’ll ever need…
http://forums.pictage.com/showthread.php?t=31728

How important is your blog now that there is Facebook craze going on?
http://forums.pictage.com/showthread.php?t=31960

What do you wear to a black tie wedding?
http://forums.pictage.com/showthread.php?t=31962

We’re taking care of your customer with an additional 8×12
http://forums.pictage.com/showthread.php?t=31918

STILL NOT CONVINCED, DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT…

“I started to read the forums and was very quickly intimidated at how much knowledge and experience the regular contributors seemed to have.  So I read and read and learned a lot but didn’t feel comfortable enough to post.  One day I decided to come out of my shell and introduced myself, told everyone a little bit about me, put up a picture of myself, and thanked everyone for sharing so much.  Even if they didn’t know they were helping me a reader who had never posted, I found so much of what was shared invaluable.  I truly believe that Pictage and especially the forums are the main reason my business took off so quickly once I decided to really pursue shooting weddings, and for that I am truly thankful”.

-Shawn Reeder, Shawn Reeder Photographer & Music
Pictage Member Since 2006

“I would say the forums have been one of the most important keys to the success and growth of my business and my photography as an art form.
It’s through the Pictage forums that I have met and formed amazing friendships with other photographers. The friends I have made by being an active part of the community are absolutely priceless.  This network of photographers and the Pictage staff have not only been a huge support, they are family. I can imagine no better place to find encouragement and motivation. I honestly don’t know where I would be as a person, an artist and a business woman without this amazing community, it really does
mean the world to me”.

-Sarah Hodzic, Blink Photography
Pictage Member Since 2007

HOW TO GET STARTED?
Go to forums.pictage.com and log in.  Don’t know your username or password? Email blog@pictage.com. Be sure to use the same email that you used when signing up.

Written by: Elizabeth Villa (Pictage Blog Team)

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 Wedding?

Spencer Clark: Our overall vision for Beyond The Wedding is to have a place where wedding photographers can come together, locally in their area and online, to learn and grow as photographers and artists.

EV: What has inspired the vision for Beyond The Wedding?

SC: Well, really - Anna and I found that we rarely ever received real feedback or critique on our wedding photographs. We had tried all the groups we could find in Atlanta for photography critiques - and, well, honestly, they simply didn’t fit. After exhausting all of the options, we decided to simply start our own group for photography critiques - specifically, wedding photography critiques.

We feel it is a very missed and needed aspect for us and to most other wedding photographers. Of course that was the initial inspiration, but after deciding to start Beyond The Wedding, we tried to think of other things we could do, other items to push photographers further - to think beyond the wedding.

EV: What are the different ways our community can become involved?

SC: Ah, now, this is an easy question. There are several ways everyone can become involved (I should mention, this is a completely free organization to join). There are monthly meetings, monthly challenges, monthly beyond the shoots, and online critiques.

EV: Can you share a little more information about the monthly events?
SC: Absolutely, every month we hold a local meeting where all wedding photographers are welcome to bring their photographs in order to have them constructively critiqued in person (this is SO helpful when you’re trying to grow as a photographer). Also, at these meetings is where any one can bring in photographs for the monthly challenges - voting takes place by everyone there, and the winner is featured on beyondthewedding.com’s home page and blog post.

We have four challenges every month - ‘Abstract’, ‘Technical’, ‘Theme’, and ‘Specific’. Past that, there are the local beyond the shoots held once a month - these are very informal practice shoots. We actually just had this idea recently - it was a ‘why isn’t anyone doing this?’ type of idea. Basically, it is literally photographers getting together to practice. No formal agenda, no formal item any one photographer needs to practice - we figure if someone wants a structured, organized, agenda that there are plenty of great workshops they can attend. Beyond the Shoot is just a way to practice together - share ideas and techniques and push each other to become better photographers.

Photo Courtesy of Beyond the Wedding April 2009 Challenge Winner John Schafer

EV: You originally were not intending to have an online presence, but focus on local monthly events, why did you change your mind and what opportunities are now offered online?

You are correct, we actually stayed away from an online presence at first- we really wanted to focus in on local meetings and actually going through the process of printing our own work (something we admit we didn’t do on a monthly basis before). However, it became very clear very fast that online critiques are definitely something that everyone would benefit from. So, now anyone can request a critique of any of their photographs on beyond the wedding under the ’submit’ section.

Moreover, we’re trying to take online critiques a step further - we allow audio comments as critiques. It’s actually really easy to do - anyone with a mic can record one with just the push of a button. I feel this is the real thing online critiques have been lacking - actually hearing other’s voices and inflections. So much can be lost with writing … so, we figured, why not have audio? Most people have a mic built into their computer, and those that don’t can pick one up at any local store (even Target) for less than $20. This is still a new feature on beyondthewedding.com that we’re really excited about.

EV: You mentioned, that Beyond The Wedding is not only for Atlanta photographers, but the vision is for Beyond The Wedding to be active across the nation. How can our readers in other parts of the nation become involved in local Beyond The Wedding activities?

SC: Besides the online opportunities, we’re still looking for individuals in different areas that might want to start up a Beyond The Wedding group in their area. All they have to do is contact us and we’ll help them get one started.

EV: This might be an obvious question but, what makes Beyond The Wedding unique?

SC: Well, as far as we know, we’re the only organization out there hosting local photography critiques specifically for wedding photographers on a monthly basis. Beyond that, there are the local beyond the shoots, monthly challenges, and online critique via the audio comment system.

EV: Finally, What are you most excited about for Beyond The Wedding?

SC: This is a great question! So, everything. Really - everything. To us, this idea wasn’t a hard one to come up with - rather, it was a ‘why not?’, ‘why aren’t people doing this?’ What we’re truly excited about is the vast potential, the potential to ‘raise the bar’. We believe that monthly critiques are SO valuable. Honest feedback is SO valuable. Getting feedback, getting a chance to practice, having a local group and community that you can share with and learn together … all of this … basically, the ability to help everyone become better photographers than they are today and build a strong community for wedding photographers as a whole - that’s what we’re excited about.

EV: As I mentioned before, we are so excited for Beyond The Wedding and wish you the best of luck as you continue with this new endeavor! Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me and tell our community about the exciting new opportunities at Beyond The Wedding (beyondthewedding.com).

On this week’s episode Lauren Hillary talks about her secrets for getting published (and quickly).  She also discusses her photography education and how it brought her to where she is today. Wondering where Lauren gets her inspiration and what her dream photography job would be?  Don’t miss this week’s podcast to find out that and so much more.

Listen to the podcast below and make sure to give her some comment love!

Thanks again to to everyone for participating in the fifth round of ”Admired by Beckstead” — our twice-monthly David Beckstead image contest!

We’re thrilled to announce this week’s FIRST PLACE winner: Chelsea Nicole of Las Vegas, NV. Congratulations Chelsea!

David’s comments on the winning image:
“This shot has such simple compositional elements yet conveys everything it needs to quickly and beautifully! The composition is great!  The shoes laying there seemed unplaced and natural. They quickly grab your eyes and then give you the starting path to the couple further on in the story. The body positioning is so natural for the couple and sets a romantic mood. The image makes you want to be that couple sitting there overlooking the ocean. This image executes perfectly the idea I had for photographing a detail with secondary storylines. Plenty of simple uncluttered negative space around the couple and shoes helping tell the story effectively.

Great shot!!”

SECOND place goes to Kerry Brooks of Huntsville, AL.

David comments:
“You see the rings and then the background that helps highlight the rings and then you are surprised by the reflection of the couple. Whether reflected there or placed there in PS really does not matter to me. The cool secondary storyline is just great and adds to the overall effect! The background and negative spaces around the rings is uncluttered and help the viewer find everything the photographer intended you to see.  Nice!!”

THIRD place goes to Amber Shoop Felts of Shoop Shutter Photography.

David’s Comments:
“I like the storyline direction and path the photographer used in this composition: the shoes lead you to the couple and you follow through to the flowers that help frame everything in.  The flowers give you one more storyline to help you understand what is going on. Cool shot!!”

*** Next contest round is now open! We’re accepting submissions through Monday, June 15th. We’ll then present the winners here on the blog June 19th. Head over to our Admired by Beckstead Facebook Group and submit your entry.  Note: This round has a theme — “Reception imagery!”

And…be sure to leave your feedback and congratulatory notes in the comments here.

In this episode Kevin Swan shares his insights and tips on effective marketing. With a background in marketing, Kevin has developed a unique perspective toward his career in photography, as well as running both his studio and album businesses. He expresses the importance of focus and standing out in today’s market, as well as how these traits have contributed to his success.

Don’t miss out on this interview and the chance to learn more about Kevin’s marketing expertise and tips!

Listen to the podcast below and make sure to leave a comment for Kevin!