The bf/Stop

… so the holidays are coming and the end of the year write-off’s are approaching, so what’s on YOUR wish list?

What new gear can you NOT live without for 2010? Hoping Santa packs your stocking with some sweet new glass? Eyeballing some new software you’ve been dying to try? What about that new camera body you’ve been promising yourself ? We want to hear what’s on YOUR dream list. Here’s a few things we think are just snazzy. (Ok, it’s really just me… the  guys here really couldn’t care less.)

Keetsa Recycled Leather Belt Camera Bag

Fuji Instant Camera

Wacom Intuos 4

Portraiture for Lightroom

Nikon D3x

… again, we love it when our amazing clients come from various industries.

Check out a few of our favorite people who are using BIG Folio designs in unique ways.

Rain Shadow Homes

Country Feeling Surfboards

Pangea Initiative

… the guys in the office will send me a link to something I think is actually cool. Typically, links to fast cars, some random band, perhaps the stats from last nights game… but this one actually kept my attention for longer than 2 seconds. Not to mention… kinda digging their clean and fresh branding.

Check it out. We’d love to hear what you think about it!

Hey everyone! We’re in New York City this week for the DWF Platinum Party, hosted by Jason Groupp. This is a pretty awesome get together with all of the country’s finest photographers in attendance. This year is shaping up to be even better with a DJ, numerous industry icons, a fully stocked open bar and a fun Photobooth provided by Simply Canvas !

If you’re going to be there, be sure to look for Erik and his darling wife Kate. If you flick him in the ear for us stuck back in the office, we promise to give you $100 off a premium site!

We’ve given ourselves a bit of a face lift around here… if you haven’t taken a peek yet, hop over to our site and see how we’ve spruced things up a bit. We’d love any feedback on ease of use and navigation.

Happy clicking!

The really cool thing about our industry, is how interlinked so many wonderfully creative people are. Especially amongst the wedding vendors, there are endless veins of creativity branching out everywhere. We come across some pretty cool stuff.

Crystal Kluge

Uppercase

Petite Alma

Blue Pool Road

HomeGirl

What inspires you as an artist/photographer?

Many things contribute to my inspiration. Light, fashion photography, life experience, Photographers, cinema, passion and drive, success and more I guess.

What a typical work day like for you?

A typical day for me would definitely involve Red Bull somewhere in it ! We always start work with a coffee, then I will deal with admin stuff like answer emails, marketing, branding, talking Joe (my editor intern) through his work for the day etc. Then I will go onto retouching and editing of some sort.

What’s one thing you will always splurge on?

I don’t really splurge on anything apart from my business to be honest! I have been very fortunate to invest every penny the business earns back into the business, which has played a huge part to our swift success.

If not a photographer, you would have considered being?

I have never wanted to be anything else so although this question has crossed my mind from time to time, I have not really thought about it in depth. Now thinking about it, I guess it would have to involve helping people or something very interesting like a deep-sea diver !

What the strongest and weakest part of your business?

The strongest part of my business would have to be my work style and the rate it’s growing. The weakest would have to be my lack of ability to stop working after a certain time.

What’s in your camera bag?

Ok here goes:

2x Canon 5d mk2

1xCanon  70-200 2.8 IS L

1xCanon 85mm 1.2 prime

1xCanon 24-105 f4

1xCanon  16-35 2.8

1xCanon 50mm 1.4 prime

1xCanon 25mm macro lens

2x video lights 100watt

4x pocket wizards

2x canon 580 exmk2 speedlights

Apple 17” display

All batteries

80GB of CF Cards

Tilt heads and many other small bits!

What your best advice for an up & coming photographer?

Hang in there, its tough.  Starting any business is tough, but we work in the best industry in the world so it’s worth everything you can put into it. It’s forever changing and evolving so we need to evolve with it, and that takes investment of all types. Always think out the box, never get relaxed, and invest in time and money to your brand. Establish your own style, always be honest and it will never backfire on you!

What’s your most successful marketing concept?

Referrals are the best! We invest a huge amount of money on exhibitions, branding, web design etc but ultimately we find the best way to market your brand is through people. Build on your people skills, network with your peers, showcase your work on a website that reflects you and your style and work will find you.

List 3 blogs you frequent and are inspired by?

The b\f stop

J Garner

xsight

What’s your most favorite product in the industry?

That’s a hard one! It has to be my camera! Although I have used the Hasselblad H3Dll 60 and that simply blew me away!

What’s playing on your iPod currently?

Jamiroquai ‘Emergency of plant earth’ simply the best!

Five goals for 2010?

1-     Keep pushing as hard as I am

2-     Become a better photographer than in 2009

3-     Network and brand even more (so important)

4-     Improve editing time to have more of a life

5-     Take on another full time member of staff giving me more time to expand the business

6-     Win more awards!

I know that’s 6, but I had to put it in!

If you’re interested in some upcoming industry events, be sure to check out the list below. There’s definitely some great stuff coming up !

Oct. 4-20, 9 Canadian cities, Mitche Graf’s Marketing BootCamp Tour www.mitchegraf.com

Oct. 10-12, PP Washington Fall Seminar, Friday Harbor, WA, www.ppw.org

Oct. 11, Fer Juaristi in Action, Montebello, CA, 562-316-6033, monique@puntomagazine.net

Oct. 13, Studio Lighting Seminar at Bliss Studio, Beaverton, OR, 503-292-6996

Oct. 24-27, Intermountain PPA Convention & Regional Print Judging, Salt Lake City, UT, www.intermountainppa.com

Oct. 26, Montana Monday, Bozeman, MT, with Scott Breum, Shannon Buhr, & Heather Martin, www.montanappa.org

Oct. 27-29, Gene Higa and Jose Villa Present a 3-Day Wedding Photography Workshop in Tuscany! www.josevillaworkshops.com or www.genehigaworkshops.com

Oct. 27-29, Cliff Mautner’s Lighting & Skill Set Bootcamp, Haddonfield, NJ, 609-560-0877, cliff@cmphotography.com

Oct. 28-Nov. 6, Guatemala Workshop with Charr Crail, 916-454-1664, ppsvonline.homestead.com

November 2, Montana Monday, Missoula, MT, with Scott Breum, Shannon Buhr, & Heather Martin, www.montanappa.org

November 8-9, PP of Idaho Quarterly, Jackpot, NV, Steve & Shelley Harrington, ppofidaho.com , 208-529-1988

November 8th-13th, Five Pine Lodge, Sisters, OR, Kevin Kubota’s “Digital Photography Bootcamp”, kubotaworkshops.com

Nov. 15-18, Mitche Graf’s Marketing Boot Camp, Neskowin, OR, www.mitchegraf.com , for info on the location see www.rentoregoncoast.com

Jan. 4-6, Senior Portrait Artists, Hotel del Coronado, San Diego, CA, www.spartists.com

Jan 5 – April 24, Sandy Puc’ 20010 Families Tour, 48 US cities plus Canada, www.sandypuctours.com

Jan. 10-12, Imaging USA, Nashville, TN, 800-786-6277, www.ppa.com

Jan. 29-Feb. 1, SYNC – Senior and Youth National Conference, St. Pete Beach, FL, www.syncseniors.com

Feb. 6-8, ProPhotoExpo, Pasadena, CA, www.prophotoca.com

March 4-11, WPPI, Las Vegas, NV, www.wppionline.com

March 27-30, PP of Washington Spring Conference, Everett, WA, www.ppw.org

April 17-20, Montana PPA Convention, Bozeman, MT, www.montanappa.org

May 29-June 5, Ireland with Janel Pahl & Kathi Corder, www.janelpahl.com

Sept. 28-Oct. 3, 2010, PhotoKina, Cologne, Germany, www.photokina-cologne.com

Brrrrrr! It’s freaking freezing in Bend, Oregon this week. We went from uncomfortably hot to frozen solid in a weeks time.

If you’ve been following, you know we’ve been at several industry events in the past few weeks. If you attended either Skip’s Summer School, Learnfest or the WPPI Roadshow you received a postcard of ours with discount code listed on it. Just a friendly reminder, that if you were spending time perusing any of our great designs in an attempt to decide which one was perfect for you, that this specific savings code will expire at the end of THIS month. Hurry, you don’t want to miss out! Lucky you, we’ve had two fantastic designs released in the past few weeks! October 31st is the last day to take advantage of this smokin’ deal!

We’re happy to announce our latest website design, Greer Street, launching today! Want full bleed images? This design is for you! Greer Street features full screen images for the photographer who wants it BIG!

Want to see a preview of Greer Street? Click here!

Just this week, snag Greet Street for $100 off the premium price.  Use the coupon code GREER100 and receive $100 off the setup fee. This offer is only good through 11:59 PST on Sunday, October 11, 2009 - so sign up now and save!