The bf/Stop

by Cameron Ingalls

Cre-a-tive: relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work. -Oxford American Dictionary

I don’t claim to be completely original all the time. To do that would be impossible. But I do try my best at every wedding to be cre-a-tive. I empty my mind of all my preconceived notions and ideas I have about how a shot should look or how a couple should be. I draw from the environment I am shooting in, mix it with the personalities of the people I am about to photograph and I try to imagine something original in my attempt to produce an artistic work. The result is usually something simply creative.

If you want to share one of your more cre-a-tive shots from the year enter the contest by emailing BF!

[Cameron Ingalls, Inc. Central Coast of California Real Life Wedding Photographer](http://cameroningalls.com/)

[BIG Folio](http://bigfolio.com/) has received some good press from both clients and newspapers today.

John Michael Cooper of [AltF](http://altf.com/blog) wrote a little blurb about us on his blog today and the local paper, [Bend Bulletin](http://tinyurl.com/2nyjz6) did a nice little spot on the ‘new business in town’.

Psalms 92:1 says, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.” So, Thursday the BIG Folio gang will be doing just that. We will be thanking Him for our salvation, for our families, for the business, and for His lovingkindness.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

by Lawren Ussery


For all you [Office]( http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/) fans out there (including the BIG Folio Team) who are saddened to hear the show has ceased filming until further notice, here’s a little something to lessen the blow.

Top Five Office Quotes to Date

“Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information.” –Michael Scott

“Do you watch Battlestar Galactica?”
“No.”
“No? Then you are an idiot.” –Dwight Schrute

“I lost Ed Truck, and it feels like somebody took my heart and dropped it into a bucket of boiling tears and at the same time somebody else is hitting my soul in the crotch with a frozen sledgehammer. And then a third guy walks in and starts punching me in the grief bone, and I am crying, and nobody can hear me because I am terribly, terribly…terribly alone.” –Michael Scott

“When my mother was pregnant with me, they did an ultrasound and found she was having twins. When they did another ultrasound a few weeks later, they discovered, that I had resorbed the other fetus. Do I regret this? No, I believe his tissue has made me stronger. I now have the strength of a grown man and a little baby.” –Dwight Scrhute

“When you become close with someone, you develop a kind of sixth sense. You can read their moods like a book. And right now, the title of Michael’s book is, “Something Weird is Going On.” Colon, “What Did Jan Say? The Michael Scott Story. By Michael Scott, with Dwight Schrute.” –Dwight Schrute

by Cameron Ingalls

[Cameron Ingalls, Inc. Oregon Real Life Wedding Photographer](http://cameroningalls.com/)

by Cameron Ingalls
After I got finished shooting this epic engagement session the bride said something that really caught my attention. “Let’s do something fun and goofy, that is more us!” I don’t know why she waited until the very end of our session to let the fun rip, but we spent a couple more minutes shooting and got a few more full-of-life shots that were like icing on the engagement cake.

I don’t know what to do to convince each new couple to completely be themselves during the shoot, but sometimes it takes me calling it a day for them to take a bit of creative license. Everyone is different. Some couples are firing off ideas and really presenting their true character right off the bat. Others are shy and tend to let me have full creative photography leadership rights. In this couples case, it took me fully backing off for her to spark up and suggest having a little bit of fun.

Sometimes it takes having fake endings to portrait sessions. I get some of my best pictures after I tell a couple that we are done. They let out a sigh of relief and let down their poses. On our way to the car I spot some crazy light or a sweet backdrop and suggest just another couple of shots. They don’t care because it’s already over and I get the shot of the day! I love this picture of Sam and Grace’s eyes peeking over the couch. It is the Picture of the Day! It pays to be sneaky sometimes.

[Cameron Ingalls, Inc. Southern California Real Life Wedding Photographer](http://cameroningalls.com/)

by Lawren Ussery


Oh, the Holidays. The time when we get together for mirth, merrymaking, and good eats. I’ve been reading lately about how bad the holiday excesses are for the environment (increases in paper/plastic trash, food waste, and gasoline). The cool thing is that there are many ways to offset your projected Thanksgiving excesses. Here are a few super easy ideas to decrease your ecological footprint this holiday.

Get a Heritage Turkey.
Unlike the mass produced Broad Breasted (Butterball) variety, Heritage Turkeys are free range and help mitigate farmers’ pest problems, decreasing the need for pesticides. Oh yeah – they taste better than grocery store turkeys, too.

Buy Veggies Locally.
Buying local produce not only supports your region’s economy, it also reduces emissions produced by trucks transporting produce across state lines. If there is no weekly Farmer’s Market near you, check out [Local Harvest’s](http://www.localharvest.org/store/) website. Plug your zip code into Local Harvest’s website and find the grower/producer near you for almost any type of produce. Most of the farms listed on their site are organic and sustainable (an extra bonus).

Dole out Leftovers to Guests Like It’s Going Out of Style.
Ok, so this one is a no brainer for most (unless your holiday crowd manages to eat all that yumminess in one night). If not, get (recyclable) to-go boxes ready for your guests to pile up the leftovers with. If you’re a guest, bring your own to-go boxes in case the opportunity arises. Not only does this save you from post-holiday cooking, it reduces food waste.

You don’t have to stress and implement all of these ideas; even choosing just one makes a difference. For more ideas on a Green Thanksgiving, click [here]( http://www.greendaily.com/2007/11/15/tip-of-the-day-have-a-happy-and-sustainable-thanksgiving-day/).

Happy Thanksgiving from the BIG Folio Team!

by Cameron Ingalls
I don’t know about you but my winter has begun. I have just a few more weddings before 2007 is all said and done. It feels great to slow down a bit and focus on aspects of my life other than photography, weddings, and oh, working my tail off.

Life is all about balance and so is owning a business. I absolutely love my job! It’s my passion, my gift, and my obsession. But sometimes it can be a bit of a burden. My mind and heart can become heavy with the endless ‘to do’ list and the financial strain that comes with building a photographic empire.

I am in it for the long haul, therefore, I must maintain balance in my life and in my business. I don’t know about you, but it is a challenge for me to rest at times. Thank God I recently got married to an amazing woman who loves to rest and play. She balances me and helps me to appreciate some of our most valuable resources; people and time.

Today is all we have. Tomorrow has will bring its own worries. A good friend of mine asked me recently, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

And this is why I went surfing with my friend Mike yesterday for almost the whole day. It’s time to rest and its time to play. To enjoy a little bit of slowness and to reflect on an amazing year of photographing life and love. I want to do a lot of that in the next couple of months before my 08 weddings hit. For me surfing is something I do that has nothing to do with photography. It is pure fun and exercise. I still feel like a poser out there when I get stuck on the inside for 30 minutes, but I always walk away refreshed from enjoying a big piece of wet creation and time with good friends.

This is a bit of my winter play list that I am working on.

-Spontaneously take my wife on a bike ride downtown to get ice-cream cones

-Hike mountains I have only driven by

-Go to the drive-in

-Read a book at the park and have a picnic

I want to breathe in and appreciate the gift of today. What about you? Have you thought of fun activities to reward yourself for working so hard on your business this year? Drop a line and share a creative idea. Perhaps you will inspire me and others towards a winter filled with rest and play.

[Cameron Ingalls, Inc. Southern California Real Life Wedding Photographer](http://cameroningalls.com/)