The bf/Stop

We had five (5) quick sign up’s and thus need to end the giveaway.

Please stay tuned here as we have a big December planned. We are going to:

- release Price Street (Premium)
- release Template 11 (TEN Bricks)
- release Template 12 (TEN Bricks)
- release Version 2 of BIG Show
- do some big discounts
- give away some BIG prizes

Click the RSS button in the top right of this blog to ensure don’t miss any of our new posts here.

The first 5 sign up’s today (11.30) for any Standard or Premium template will have their setup fees refunded tomorrow (12.1). Monthly hosting fees still apply, but your setup fee ($149-599) will be refunded.

[Click Here](http://bigfolio.com/templates.php) to chose a template and get signed up.

The final tweaks are done with the new TEN Bricks template, [T10](http://tenbricks.com/samples/t10_new).

This template allows for:
- control eight different colors
- 5 songs in your play list
- nice movement of the menu between pages and galleries
- slideshow view for all galleries
- a nice contact form

We are offering the template for $900 for the first 5 days. After the first 5 days it goes to the standard $1,200. If you are interested in licensing this template, email mike [at] bigfolio [dot] com.


Today BIG Folio, Inc. was announced as the “leading company being considered for the task of designing and developing the website for the new publication, AfterCapture”. Brought to you by Rangefinder Publishing, AfterCapture is an entirely new venue in imaging education. Starting with the first publication of AfterCapture magazine in January, the new project will focus entirely on what happens to an image after it’s captured.

Stay tuned here for updates through the month of December as the site goes live on 1.1.07.

## Introducing pixelicious

We’ve launched a new site this week. [pixelicious is a free tool allowing professional photographers to find, share, and attend photography trade shows, conventions, workshops, seminars, and events](http://pi.xelicio.us). We built pixelicious to be a community resource – finding and submitting events will always be FREE. While our database is sparse at the moment, please come back regularly as events and features will be added often.

If you are an event coordinator or photographer who teaches workshops, please use the [submission page](http://pi.xelicio.us/events/submit) to add your event. All events – big and small – are welcome as long as they are aimed at professional and aspiring photographers. pixelicious is not just for wedding photography either. Did we mention its FREE?

## New Admin Features

Most of our recent announcements have been focused on new templates – but we’ve quietly released some nice new features to our admin tool as well. For templates with contact forms, all form submissions by your visitors are now saved in your site’s database. If a form submission never reaches your inbox or is inadvertently deleted, backups are always available.

Additionally – and this is really cool – contact form submissions can now be sent to your mobile phone. Simply enter your mobile information when editing your profile and turn on SMS in your contact form options. Never miss a potential customer again, even when you’re on the road.


To all of our clients who are still on Version 1 templates (Cambria, Santa Maria, Avila Beach, Morro Bay) you can upgrade to the new [Santa Maria template](http://www.bigfolio.com/samples/santa_maria2/) for only $50. if you would like to do this, simply email me at mike {at} bigfolio dot com.


This weeks highlighted photographer is Daniel Weiss. Find below Daniel’s response to our common questions:

###What is your primary camera body?

Canon 30D. I am wrestling with getting the 5D and I know in the end the 5D will win.

###Two lenses you use the most

85mm 1.8 hands down is my favorite lens. I love the crispness of the images combined with the shallow depth of field when I am shooting wide open. When I am not using that I love the 35 1.4 for ambient light images, especially during the reception. Can I say a third? I don’t love zooms but the 17-35 really does come in handy during the ceremony and “getting ready” images.

###Do you shoot RAW?

Yes. Saying that I have spent all this year trying my hardest to get it right in camera (basically pretending that I am shooting jpegs).

###How would you describe your photography style?

Evolving J. I guess if I had to pinpoint it, I would say I am striving for an editorial/lifestyle look to my images.

###Do you normally employ assistants or 2nd shooters?

For the most part I am on my own. But I always enjoy having another set of eyes on the wedding. To be frank, I have had a hard time finding someone reliable…which is even more important then the images they take.

###What do you remember about your first (or one of your first) wedding?

Well, it was a million dollar affair for a NFL player. I was asked to be the third shooter for this very sought-after LA wedding team. It was at the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach…and I remember thinking, “Yeah, I could get used to this.” I was naïve then—I didn’t realize it might take some time before I get to shoot such high-end weddings. I think the flowers alone cost 100k.

###If you were getting married this year, who would you want to shoot
your wedding?

Um, that’s a hard one. First name to pop into my head: Joe Buissink. When I saw his work, I realized what wedding photography could be about. I decided to become a wedding photographer as a direct result of seeing his images.

###What advice would you give to someone just beginning their career as
a wedding photographer?

Since I am just beginning myself (I am 10 months into this), this is what I have experienced so far: You shoot way less then you think you will. Also, this business is first about being likeable (to vendors, other photographers and EVERYONE at a wedding) and second about delivering the goods. A smart photographer told me, “If they like you, they will like your images.” I have also learned that going digital ain’t cheap. I have spent way more then I expected to on hardware, software, gear, classes, books etc. The learning curve can be overwhelming at times. Also, and maybe this is just my personality, but I think you have to be obsessed with making this work. In the beginning, it is a herculean effort to get started and I can’t imagine it not overtaking your life. Next year I am aiming for some more balance. Oh, and one more thing…join the Digital Wedding Form (DWF). That’s a must.

Well, most of you are probably already in bed getting your rest for Black Friday- or, for the few dedicated folks, you are sleeping in a tent on the sidewalk in front of BestBuy.

Good luck on the mad rush tomorrow. Stay safe and save yourself some moo- lah.