BF Stop 2

WPPI Roadshow 2010 – Seattle

Jen — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:31:36 +0000

If you haven’t heard, the 2010 WPPI Roadshow is in full effect. Again this year, BIG Folio will be on site at the vendor tradeshow in Seattle. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, this is a great one-day event to hit to soak up some amazing industry greatness. Mark your calendars, next Monday, August 30th at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront!

Check out this line up!

Be sure to swing by the BIG Folio booth to meet a few of us, slap us a high-5 and to take a peek at some of our new and amazing projects. We’d love to show them off to you and while you’re at it, score a sweet discount on a new site. See you there!

Featuring new client, J.A. Taylor Photography

Jen — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:40:52 +0000

www.jataylorphotography.com

What inspires you as an artist/photographer?

Hands down, my kids are my first and foremost inspiration. And the fact that I’m donating ALL of the proceeds to children’s charities provides a whole different layer of inspiration that is almost hard to describe. Knowing that there’s a child who will benefit from what I’m doing is a reward that keeps me going like nothing I could ever imagine.

***Sidenote from BIG Folio***

Did you know that their artistic fee for true black and white film photography (250 dollars) will fully repair a child born with cleft lip or palate? FULLY REPAIR! $250 and that child will never again be the same. EVER! http://www.smiletrain.org/site/PageServer

What a typical work day like for you?

Well, that’s kind of complicated. I enjoy a successful career outside of photography that is also very challenging and rewarding. It’s what allows me to do this on a 100% non-profit basis. When I’m not at my “day job”, however, you can usually find me with my camera, pouring myself into something that I hope will have lasting impact on a child’s life. My two “jobs” compliment each other very, very well.

What’s one thing you will always splurge on?

I will ALWAYS splurge on a NICE vacation!!

If not a photographer, you would have considered being?

A scuba guide on the Great Barrier Reef. I know, random. But can you imagine?!!

What the strongest and weakest part of your business?

I think the strongest part is the 100% non-profit aspect. The fact that what we’re doing here has a higher goal. Yes, we want to make SPECTACULAR images. But, there are kids all over the world who are hurting. They are fighting devastating battles, and virtually without exception, they find themselves in situations that are far beyond their ability to help or control. Attempting to help those children is what drives me, and I think my customers, also.

The weakest part is probably the fact that because of what I do in my “other life”, I cannot devote myself to this every single day. That may change over time. We’ll just have to see how it goes. It’s still very, very early in this process.

What’s in your camera bag?

Canon 40D. Canon EF 50mm 1.4. Canon EF 24-70 2.8.

Hasselblad 500cm. Carl Zeiss 80mm f2.8.

Ilford HP5 Plus (400). Kodak Tri-X 400. Kodak Tmax 100. Kodak Tmax 400

Sekonic L-358 light meter.

Canon SpeedLite 580EXII (but very rarely used, if ever!)

What your best advice for an up & coming photographer?

Just go for it and keep your head up! There’s no room for self-doubt, hesitation, or worry. Just follow your dreams and where they take you. Be yourself. Take photos that inspire you and they will find an audience.

And be patient.

What’s your most successful marketing concept?

For me, it’s really been all about word of mouth. I try to give my clients the very best I can give them every single time, believing that this will generate more future clients and more for my charities. It works.

List 3 blogs you frequent and are inspired by?

I don’t really spend a great deal of time on blogs. BUT, I love flickr! Although it can take a little looking around at times, there are artists/photographers on there who are simply amazing. I can get lost on flickr for hours…there’s enough inspiration there to last a long, long time.

What’s your most favorite product in the industry?

Well, it’s funny. Here lately, I’ve been going retro and loving the look of true black and white film photography. There are a lot of good ways to replicate the “look” of film in Photoshop, but at the end of the day, they are just that…”replicas”. The more you look at true black and white film photography, the more you realize that for black and whites, it’s almost impossible to duplicate the look of film. And although some would say “film is dying”, there’s actually quite the sub-culture of photographers out there who are keeping it alive with photos that are breathtaking.

So, currently, I would say that my favorite product is one that has been around for AGES! Ironically enough, I have a feeling that the less and less people are exposed to film photography, the greater the likelihood of it making a comeback. That is to say, people will be more likely to say, “Wow, that’s a really cool photo. How come I never see stuff that looks like that anymore?” And like everything else, it will very likely cycle back around and become “in-style” again. People will start seeing true film photos in their friends’ houses and want that “vintage” look for themselves. Every other industry shows a similar pattern of trends cycling over the years. I really think that would be good for the art of photography. The digital age of photography and Photoshop has a chance of “watering down” the art form, and many would argue that indeed it already has already begun to do that.

What’s playing on your iPod currently?

Mat Kearney. City of Black and White. He’s simply an amazing singer/songwriter that I learned about while living in Nashville.

Five goals for 2010-2011?

It really boils down to just a few. 1.) Raise as much money as I possibly can for my charities. 2.) Achieve a balance between maintaining my unique identity as a photographer versus shooting what other people want to see and are willing to purchase. 3.) Be the best possible husband and father my wife and children could ever hope for…while balancing this endeavor and my “day job”.

Now, about my experience with Jen Thompson and BigFolio!

Well, I hardly know where to start! Their products obviously speak for themselves. However, working with them is really about much, much more than that. The customer service is what is so unbelievable. Jen has been the most amazing and patient logo designer I could have hoped to work with during this process. She put up with me the entire way, and seems to know just how important the process is to her clients. I absolutely LOVE the fact that she let me go “back and forth” and put up with the anxieties and stressors that creating a logo/brand can have on one of her clients. After all, this is your LOGO! I felt like I was the only client she was working with, which is obviously not the case, but that’s exactly how she makes you feel. Unbelievable, really.

The support staff at BigFolio have also been literally unbelievable from a customer service point of view. I have no experience with website design. ZERO. But, all of my questions were answered promptly and respectfully…no matter how silly they probably were to the staff. Couldn’t be more pleased and satisfied. 5 stars. No doubt.

Ken Hild … Branded

Jen — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:38:13 +0000

Ken Hild came to us wanting to brand his photography business; having never had a logo prior, this was a fun and exciting project for him. Since 2004, Ken has been a full time wedding photographer on the weekends and during the week, photographs buildings, homes, and interiors for builders in NYC and the Hamptons. Ken needed a strong, clean mark that would work well for both of his clients, both very different. Ken chose a clean typographic design with an easily recognizable icon that would cross over between both male and female clients without pigeon holing him on either side. This mark will work wonderfully as Ken’s business grows and potentially evolves and changes over the years. Thanks Ken, you were great to work with!

To view Ken’s portfolio, visit his site.

Word on the street…

Jen — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:39:39 +0000

If you’re looking to grow your head and boost your creativity … here’s a list of some of the upcoming workshops and seminars we’ve seen pop up. It’s like a smorgasbord of business boosting smart juice.

Aug. 31 – Sept. 2, “Developing Your Personal Vision: A Wine Country Workshop” with Mark Robert Halper, Solvang, CA,studiomark.com/workshops.html

Sept. 4 – 11, Bellies n’ Babies Europe, www.bellies-babies.com

Sept. 12-13, Vancouver, BC, TAoPaN Workshops, “The Art of Pregnancy and Newborn”, link

Sept. 12-15, The Portland Experience,afterdarkedu.com

Sept. 14-16, Love Affair Workshop, Dallas, TX,www.loveaffairworkshop.com

Sept. 26-28, Tustin, CA, TAoPaN Workshops, “The Art of Pregnancy and Newborn”, link

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

Oct. 11-14, “The Professional Portrait” with Mark Robert Halper, Solvang, CA, studiomark.com/workshops.html

Oct. 15-18, “Ann Monteith’s Guerrilla Marketing Workshop”, Deep Creek Lake, MD, link

Oct. 23-27, Adobe MAX 2010, LA, CA, link

Oct. 24-25, PP Washington Fall Seminar, Leavenworth, WA,www.ppw.org

Oct. 25, PPA Super Monday Workshops, link

Nov. 6-7, PPA Studio Management Services, “Business Basics with Ann Monteith”, Atlanta, GA, link

Nov. 7 – 10, After Dark Education, New Orleans, LA,afterdarkedu.com

Nov. 8-10, PPA SMS Business Workshop with Ann Monteith & Mary Fisk Taylor, Atlanta, GA, link

Nov. 14-17, Mitche Graf’s Intensive Marketing Workshop on the beautiful Oregon Coast, www.mitchegraf.com

Jan. 16-18, 2001, Imaging USA, San Antonio, TX,www.imagingusa.org

Jan. 28-31, SYNC, St. Pete Beach, FL, www.syncseniors.com

January 31, 2011 – “Where Urban Meets the Beach” with Tom Deininger – Cabo San Jose, Baja, Mexico,www.tomsdigitaltours.com

Feb. 14-18, Senior Portrait Artists, Palm Springs, CA,spartists.com

Feb. 17-24, WPPI, Las Vegas, NV, www.wppionline.com

It’s contest time!

Jen — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:49:43 +0000

Hey everyone, we’ve been wanting to run a giveaway contest for a bit now and thought getting our clients or followers involved would be the best and most interactive way. After all, we focus on our customer service relationships with you all as our number one priority. We’ll be giving away one Premium or Artist Series design at the end of August, and a year of hosting with BIG Folio when our summer sale comes to a close and the designs go back to full price.

All you have to do is write us and tell us why you think YOU deserve one most and/or submit an entry on why you think someone ELSE deserves one most. If you’re already a much loved BIG Folio client but know someone who is just starting out or struggling to get going, now is your chance to tell us about them. We’d love to help them out!

Between now and the end of the month, send us your entries to: jen@bigfolio.com and if you submit, be sure to retweet:

I want @_________ to win a free site with @BIG Folio. I just sent them a happy note to tell them why and you should to! http://bit.ly/bIykTD

Make sure your entries are thorough and meaty. We want to hear the best stories so we can feature the lucky winner on September 1st! Include images if you like, we’d love it! Spread the word!

Colleen Simpson … Branded

Jen — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:21:32 +0000

Colleen came to us wanting a new look for her wedding and event coordinating business and was a great client throughout the process!

Colleen was very clear in that she wanted a mark that was really simple while still implying her love for nature and the organic elements of the outdoors without losing that impact of style and class.

“I’ve always been attracted to the sharpness/classy look of black, but I also am in love with nuetural/natural colors. Suppose it’s the fresh look I’m attracted too with the natural colors. FYI…I live in the Wenatchee Valley. I love my surrounding of trees, rivers, mountains, and nature. I enjoy the woods and outdoor activities greatly, but also adore wearing a sexy pair of heels and designer jeans.”

This is a very normal response we hear when we talk about what a client wants to see in their creative concepts. They are usually trying to marry two contrasting styles and it’s absolutely doable! She wanted something classy, organic, clean and stylish and I think we nailed it for her.

Be sure to check out Colleen’s work here.

Reminder : SKIP’S SUMMER SCHOOL : Las Vegas!

Jen — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:31:42 +0000

Just a reminder, it’s not too late to sign up for Skip’s Summer School, this weekend, August 8-11 in Las Vegas, NV, and BIG Folio will be there, of course!

Click here to register

In just two and one half (2 ½) days you’ll hear new ideas from Scott Bourne, Joe Buissink, Jonathan Canlas, Tony Corbell, Kay Eskridge, Kevin Kubota, Bobbi Lane, Cliff Mautner, Stacy Pearsall, Dane Sanders, Jasmine Star, Vicki Taufer, Kirk Voclain, Jerry Weiner and coming in from Australia, Yervant!

BIG Folio welcomes, our new design… Sage Street.

Jen — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:46:31 +0000

SAGE STREET

Here’s a few of the cool Sage Street features…

- Unlimited everything (images, pages, music).

- Video support

- HTML5 iPad & iPhone compatible

- Slideshows within your galleries.

- You are able to set the image size. you are able to set if your site sits inside a container or is FULL screen (container-less). Voila!

- Of course, it has our standard set of features (page texture, color, opacity, alignment, deluxe calendar, video galleries and video on pages, unlimited galleries) that come with every BIG Folio premium design

- You can control menu position (top/bottom) along with menu / logo alignment (left/right/center).

- Google analytics built in out of the box (meaning it will track individual page / image / video views if google analytics is used)

See a sample here.

Grab Sage Street now! While our summer sale continues, you can get this amazing new design for only $299. Yes. Seriously.

Upcoming project with YoungLife | Malibu.

Jen — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:53:46 +0000

We’ve got some exciting stuff in the pipeline coming together with the folks at YoungLife. We’re saddling up with our wonderful friend, Ben Becker (our personal video slayer and fellow photographer) as we put together some visual stimuli for the crew up in Malibu. In collaboration with Becker Photography, BIG Folio is helping Young Life, and specifically their Malibu, BC location with the revamp of their website and it’s visual content. More than likely, just a really good excuse for Mike and Ben to take off into the wilderness for some mountain biking and ziplining.

Want to read more about YoungLife and what they do/who they are or how you can get involved? Check them out here. What a fantastic organization helping kids develop the skills, assets and attitudes to reach their full God-given potential.

Funky photobooth stuff we love …

Jen — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:11:51 +0000

For decades, photo booths have dotted the landscape in dime stores, bus stations, boardwalks and amusement parks from coast to coast. If you haven’t noticed, photobooths have made a modest comeback with their vintage and nostalgic feel and some of the recent trends in engagement, wedding, reception and studio photography, have been to duplicate this feel. I personally, love them and look for any opportunity to add to my photobooth strip collection. Check out some of this fun stuff we found!

Images from Squareamerica

Photobooth fun.. found on Etsy!

Vintage style sign boards

Found on Etsy

Thought bubble on a stick!