Archive for April, 2009

Jackson’s Smile

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

“Where photography and compassion meet” is the slogan for this truly endearing cause called Jackson’s Smile.

Little Jackson was born with the very rare Simpson Golabi Behmel Syndrome (SGBS), and already in his first year of life he has had a series of surgeries and procedures just to allow him to eat, drink and smile. Jackson’s parents are doing everything they can to ensure he gets to lead a healthy life, and there is something we all can do to help as well.

The medical expenses for Jackson’s family have already reached hundreds of thousands of dollars, and without insurance and financial gifts from others, the cost would be nearly one million dollars. A group of photographers have gotten together and offered up their time, money and talent by providing beautiful images that can be purchased with a portion of the proceeds going to support more children like Jackson at the Craniofacial Center at Children’s Medical Center Foundation of Central Texas

The photographers who have joined the coalition are:

Lisa Lefkowitz

Amelia and Justin Lyon

Gabe McClintock

Sarah Rhoads

Riccis Valladares

Joel Flory

Jose Villa

Cameron Ingalls

By clicking the above links, you can view each photographers Jackson’s Smile Gallery and purchase pictures to help the cause. We encourage everyone reading this blog to get involved, as this is a truly remarkable way to help little Jackson and other children in need.

 

 

The TTD Finale

Monday, April 27th, 2009

Thanks to everyone who responded to our TTD posts of last week. We have put together a few of our favorites from the images you sent, and here they are:

Dusty Brown

Isis Photography

Vicki Loader

Now to change the subject… We have got something new, something different, something really exciting up our sleeves. What is it? Well, you will just have to wait and see. Stay tuned to the BF Blog for the BIG announcement on Friday, May 1. You won’t want to miss it.

TTD: Part Two

Friday, April 24th, 2009

We have had a lot of positive feedback on our recent TTD post. Thanks to everyone who has submitted images or sent emails. It looks like TTD is certainly a trend worth talking about. And to clarify one point, we realize that trashing dresses has been going on for a while, but we were surprised to find out about the number of brides who still do not know how big the trend has become. We received on email from photographer David Freund in Australia who informed us that “in places like England, the idea of trash the dress photography equates to run of the mill photography.” He also supplied us with some images and video footage from TTD sessions he has shot over the years.

An image: (We aplogize if the image does not load. We are having an issue linking to it, but it can be viewed separately by clicking the link to David’s blog in the above paragraph. Thanks).

A video:





Trash the Dress

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

A new trend in wedding photojournalism is gathering steam, and it is called Trash the Dress (or TTD). As preferences of brides and grooms everywhere shift toward a more photojournalistic style, this raw and edgy means of capturing amazing shots is starting to occur more and more.

So what is TTD? Simply put, after all of the wedding photos have been shot, the bride and groom make their way somewhere (could be a body of water, a field, a sports stadium, or up a tree, among others) to get some great images, all the while aware that the dress might get damaged or destroyed. Yes, brides all over the world are choosing to end their wedding photo sessions by wading into rivers, or running into waves as they crash into the beach, to get that one perfect shot and trashing the dress in the process. It is a creative and exciting new facet a broadening and more artistic approach to wedding photography.

To all the wedding photogs out there, we’d like to know- Have you witnessed the trashing of any dresses lately? And if so, how did the images turn out? Let us know by posting a comment on our blog. And if you have some great TTD photos, email them to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com and you might even see them up here next week.

 

 

In the spotlight

Monday, April 20th, 2009

We are proud (and very excited) to announce that BIG Folio has been named #33 on the Photo 100 list of “The Best in Photography” by Web100.com!

Web100’s Brittni Zotos had this to say about BF: “Providing photographers with an online forum for presenting photos, BIG Folio offers striking, flattering website designs. BIG Folio makes it easy to set up a personal website, providing an audio and video tutorial that details the process, start to finish.” Thanks to Web100.com for this honor. We couldn’t be more excited.

To read the rest of the BF write-up or to check out the complete Photo 100 list, click here

 

 

Get to Know Big Folio

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Charlie Ussery has been with BIG Folio for two years. He may have even answered a few of your questions or responded to a support request or two. That said, meet Charlie:

BF: Where are you from?

Arroyo grande , CA.

BF: What is most important to you?

Jesus, family & friends.

BF: Dogs or cats?

Dogs for sure.

BF: Sweet or salty?

Salty.

BF: What is your dream vacation?

Hmm tough one..probably traveling across Europe.

BF: Where is the farthest you have traveled?

New york City.

BF: Jackie Chan or Chuck Norris?

Probably Norris, but only because he has those awesome action jeans.


BF: Favorite baseball team?

San Francisco Giants.

BF: Burrito or sandwich?

Depends on the place, but probably a sandwich.

BF: If you were going to dye your hair a different color, what color would you choose?

Black?..tough one..

NextProof Updates

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

We have already introduced the new and improved NextProof control panel, but did you know we’ve also added two more updates?

First, we improved customer order emails:

From now on, NextProof will send out HTML emails to your customers after they place an order. With the HTML, emails are easier to read and contain more detail for your customers regarding their purchases.

Secondly, we added gallery and image sharing options:

With this additional feature, visitors to your NextProof galleries can share a gallery or selected images with their friends and families. The sharing feature can be turned on or off due to your preference for each gallery (the default setting is Off).

The sharing feature, enabled by clicking the “share this gallery” link, will allow visitors to your site to email a gallery link to their friends or family. The same works for images. Simply view the image you wish to share, click the “share this image” link and it will provide a link that can be emailed to the intended recipient. It also adds a thumbnail of the image to the email.

This new capability will help visitors to your site share galleries and images with other friends and family, generating even more visibility for your product.

For more information about NextProof, click here. And stay tuned to the BF blogs for more updates and additional information about NP and more.

 

BIG Folio wants to know…

Monday, April 13th, 2009

What are YOUR predictions for the next big thing in the wedding photo industry?

We just wanted to take a minute to find out what you think. Post your thoughts in our comments section and read what others have to say as well.

Get To Know BIG Folio

Friday, April 10th, 2009

Eric Bjella has been a developer with BF for over a year. We wanted to take a few minutes to introduce him to the world, and let you know a bit more about our team here at BIG Folio.

 

BF: Where are you from?

I grew up in Appleton, WI.  Yes, I am a Packer fan.

BF: What is the most important thing in your life?

My wife, daughter, and cat… and my bicycle.

BF: Who is your favorite superhero?

I was always a big fan of the green lantern; he’s just a normal guy with an awesome ring.

BF: What is your favorite food?

I’m on a big Indian food kick right now.

BF: Jackie Chan or Chuck Norris?

Chuck Norris, for two reasons: The beard, and he wasn’t in movies with
Chris Tucker.

BF: M&Ms or Skittles?

M&Ms. Specifically the peanut variety.

BF: What is your favorite part of working for BF?

I get to be creative every day.

BF: What would you do with $1 million?

I would probably use it to open a bicycle shop of my own… In Costa Rica!

BF: If you could be a professional athlete, what sport would you play?

Table Tennis.  I have a mean top spin… Watch out!

BF: If you could win any type of award, what award would it be?

The Spicy Curry Award.

And the winners are…

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Marysol Flores


Denice Woyski

 

Dusty Brown

 

Gedas Girdvainis

 

Sherry Bailey

Thank you to everyone who participated in our most recent contest. We had some truly wonderful submissions, and greatly enjoyed getting to look through all the images.

A quick note to our winners: Please contact BIG Folio at lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com so that we can get the proper, square-formatted file (for the print that will hang on our wall), and don’t forget to send us your mailing address, so we can send your iTunes card.

Congratulations to our five winners. And stay tuned to the BF blog for future chances to win some great prizes.