2012: A New Year!


A new year is a new beginning with new goal and achievement that are ready to be concurred. Do you have any goals for 2012?

Happy New Year!

The Best Marry Christmas Present Ever!

This year I gave my nephews a gift that they really wanted for Christmas!  I sat them down and told them I bought you guys a gift that you would like, i have worked really hard  for it and I have been saving up for it. And i want you  to enjoy it and take care of it! They guessed it was a dog! So I went to the car to get it! They where so excite and thought it was a dog! I was like no it is not!  I have them the package and told them to be careful it will break! They where so excited and surprised! Because I  wrapped the present put it in a box and then wrapped it  with tissue paper the but it in the bottom of a box with the same color tissue paper in the bottom. Then on top I put the wall charger and car charger covered with issue paper and put it a box with the package supplies. When they opened the box and saw the charger, the look on their face was priceless. It was like are joking what is this! So I hold them to  look in the box their is more. They discovered it and opened the present! They were like it was the best present ever!
The moment and expression on their face was priceless!
It  an Apple Ipod Touch!

How To Clean Battery Acid

I  follow other photographer's blogs! One of the  blogs is  Photo Sister! I came across the this post on how to remove battery acid from your electronics by using Coca-Cola and alcohol! The youtube video on how to remove the acid from the flash is here.



Andrew Zuckerman

Andrew Zuckrman  is a New York  photographer, who has this project called Wisdom! Here is a link to the video of Andrew Zuckerman speaking: Andrew Zuckerman: Curiosity, Rigor, and Learning As You Go. The video makes me want to watch documentary movie and purchase the book.

Good Books

Some great books I have read and is a must is the following:


Thanksgiving Dinner

   It was a great day filled with joy, family and great food. My Grandma and Mom made Thanksgiving Dinner. The turkey  and cookies was delicious!






Exposed:The Magazine Has Arrived!

     I purchased the Jasmine Star Magazine called Exposed: The Magazine . I so excited to get the magazine in the mail onThursday! The magazine has 160 pages (75 page of information and the rest is some amazing photos) and it is filled with information on each page of writing. The magazine tells Jasmines story as she becomes a photographer, with inspiring quotes and knowledgble information that every photographer can learn from even if you are new to the field or been in the game a while.
      I am little ways through the magazine and I learned so far your blog or website bio should be about you, what makes you special and stand out, make it personal and be yourself.  The magazine was worth every penny.  The magazine is amazing and every photographer should get their issue, even if you are not in the wedding photography field!



Have a great week!

What did you do today at 11:11 a.m on November 11, 2011?

I was watching creativeLIVE pre-show interview with Matthew Jordan Smith!  Today kicks of 1 of 3 days  of Beauty and Fashion Photography with Matthew Jordan Smith with CreativeLIVE. Here is a link to the Pre-Show Interview with Matthew Jordan Smith on YouTube.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

    On November 5, 2011, we celebrated my Mom's 50th Birthday Party. It was the party of the month and Mom's day to shine. It was cold outside and when you entered the party there was excitement in the air. The house was filled with decorations, great company and yummy food that was created with love. I think everyone had a great time and I took some great photos!




Some details from the 50th Birthday Party!


L to R: Jennifer (Me), Nathan, Mom, Christy, Dylan and Jessica


-Love Jennifer

Amazing Halloween Party!

Last weekend was the Halloween party I plan. It was a great evening filled with games and sweets! More detail is to come soon.


Getting Ready for Halloween Party!

I made these cool 3-D Haunted House invitations from Etsy.


Creative Juices

Here is 29 Ways To Stay Creative!
-Enjoy

Wasabi Japanese Restaurant


Last weekend, I went to Wasabi Japanese Restaurant  for the first time for a surprise birthday party! It was a blast and I took some great food photographs.  It was very amazing watch them cook the food and interact with  the audience. For example, the Chief tossed a piece of egg in each person mouth! 
I think I am falling in love with food photography! I was trying to use what I learned on CreativeLIVE course,  "Food Photography with Penny de Los Santos". I like taking pictures of the details!


 Here are my two favorite images from that night!  The soup was good it tasted like chicken noodle soup and I had the plain chicken in the first photo that was delicious! The first photos show the detailed smoke that adds motion and texture feeling. The soup show the detail by showing what utensil is being used.






SEEK and PEAK: Cement and Mpix


This weeks highlights!

SEEKS are……..
  • It need to stop raining so I can get some branches off a tree to create a center piece for the Halloween party!
  • I dropped my camera on the cement and it still works! 
  • I went to use birthday rewards at Express and could not use a coupon and birthday rewards on the same transaction!
PEAKS are…….
  • I placed my first order of photographs from Mpix, for a client! 
  • I finished planing a Halloween Party for this month and it is going to be FUN!
  • I really like the Things app, it save paper and helps me organize my projects.

Happy Birthday, Me!



I have had a wonderful day. I woke up from the  happy voice of my little nephew! I made some delicious cinnamon rolls with icing dripping off the side! It was a great breakfast to start the day off. Had a family gathering that was a blast! The cake was awesome! It was vanilla cake that was nice and fresh!  Thank you Mom and Nathan for the fun party! Here is a peak of the cake!



If you are wondering why the cake says, "Happy Birthdya Jessica, Jennifer and Mike", because I share my birthday with one of my sister and her boyfriend! If you did not know! O yah, Doug Gordon (photographer, flow posing) 

Little Jacob: 6 months


Jacob is such a sweetie pie! Luckily, his mom helped out alot throughout the shoot. She was up for anything, and it made for some pretty cute pictures!
I had fun capturing Jacob's 7 months milestone! The photoshoot was on a fall chilly day of September 17th. As I enter the living room, Jacob is ready for the spotlight. He is a very lovable baby who always happy and has a smile on his face. Jacob love to roll! He is starting to get in the  crawl position, but  he has not figured it out yet! But he will! 

What a blast! Thanks again for all the help Christy, enjoy the pictures!



Today Jacob sat up by himself! The day after the photoshoot! Congrats, Jacob on the little moment! 

But You Will!

Here is an Amazing Quote from Adidas that I wanted to share.

''You Don't Know Me, You Don't Know Anything About Me,You Don't Know What I Am Made Of Or Just How Much I Am Capable Of, You Don't Know Where I've Come Form Nor Where I'm Heading. You Know Nothing Of my High Or Lows,You Don't Know How Fast I Am Or How Strong I Am, You Haven't Got A Clue What Breakfast Cereal I Eat, What Fragrance I Wear Or Who I'm Dating.You Don't Even Know My Name. BUT YOU WILL.'' -Adidas

Posters

    Well, I can cross of number 28 on my Photography Goals for 2011! Yes, I finally put the 3 poster in a frame and hung two up on the wall! Can you believe I had the poster since 2009! O yes! I said it, for a long time! At least  know I can show them off! The vintage camera posters is by designer Rob Hunting in Chicago.  The poster is 24'' by 26'' and was hand screened on french paper.  The line drawing of 14 vintage cameras from around the world. Here is  the evidence that I  did hang the poster on the wall! They look great together! Don't you think?


Have a great week!

SEEK and PEAK: Pen and Instagram app


This weeks highlights!

SEEKS are……..

  • My number of images that need to be tagged in Adobe Lightroom, keeps on growing!
  • I was taking note when watching CreativeLIVE and I wrote on my blanket with a red pen! Shout will take it out!
  • I lost a lens cap! No worries, I have an extra one.

PEAK are……….

  • Love watching CreativeLIVE, Anatomy of a Photoshoot with Mark Wallace! It is FREE education, to watch  the live and you can also watch the  rematch  usually most of the night! If you do not have time during the day to watch the show. Itt started at noon and the rewatch started at 8 o'clock at night.
  • I just discovered and love the Instagram app!
  • I think THE WAR OF ART book is a great book, going to finish it next week! You can purchase it on Half.com, for a great price! 

Family

      This weekend was a blast with family! We had a birthday party for my Grandma,who turned 87 today. I was the party planner for the event! Everyone had fun! The event had a photo booth and I made my first watermelon keg with a kid proof drink!




Who is your best photography workshop instructor?

According to PDN Readers Survey Zack Arias is the best workshop instructor!!  Zack is an amazing instructor, who is very funny and knowledgeable. I saw Zack on CreativeLIVE before and I loved it. I have wrote about the experience on my blog, CreativeLIVE with Zack Arias!  The genius Jerry Ghionis made the list to! I think he know how to rock the stage, I blogged about that event to.

Are you in a funk?

     Here is an inspiring video  about being creative! The video is  "Ira Glass on storytelling" on Vimeo.
 Let's you know that you are not the only one that is in a funk and that you will get through it! 

SEEK and PEAK: Papers +Itunes Wish LIst

This weeks highlights!

SEEKS are……..

  • I Just discovered, I have 2194 images to tag in Adobe Lightroom. Can I say way behind!
  • I have CreativeLive notes I have to type.
  • I have a pile of magazines,  book to do a review on, papers, binder to clean out.


PEAK are……….

  • Just finished scanning Scrapbook number 2.
  • I like the Lightenupandshoot V-Book. It is only 15.23.
  • Itunes Wish List. You can put songs in Wish list and think about it. To find your Wish List: Click on the upside down triangle, next to your name and then click on Wish List.

50/50

I accomplished another goal from 2011 Photography Goals! I can now cross of number 18 off the list! 50/50 means 50 photos with my 50mm prime lens.  I just left my 50mm lens on my camera for a few day. After I uploaded the photos to Adobe Lightroom, I discovered I had over 50 images! I learned quick that it is a great lens and amazing image when you want shallow depth-of-field. Also, with the prime lens you half to move around to get different angles and prospectives. Below is a moment in the squirt gun fight when everyone was picking a Super Soaker. 







Cleaning

 I am cleaning out my bookmarks tab and I came across this "Symmetry" by Everyone video on Vimeo. I think it is inspiring and interesting! I figure I would share it with everyone!


#5 is Creating a Slideshow Fast!


I have learned how to create slideshows fast and accomplished number 5 of  2011 Photography Goals! One more off of the list! 

The first time I decided to create a slideshow it took me hours to  complete a basic slideshow, because I was learning the software as I go along.  I learned by trial, error and help from Youtube. I also had to learn how to save it on a DVD. So others can watch it on a TV. It took me 5 dvd's to get the process right.  

After learning how to create a slideshow with my images, I learned how to add video to a slideshow. Adding photographs and video in one slideshow looks amazing. The first time I added video to a slideshow with my images it looked funky. I learned the quality of the video and the photographs did not match. Because I used a FlipVideo to capture the action and used my Nikon SLR camera for the photographs. Then when I combined the to works of art, they did not mesh well, the quality of the photos was higher then the FlipVideo recording. From this experience, I learned to use a better video recorder. One that will match the quality of the photographs. 
Adding music to a slideshow sets the tone and plays an impact on the mood of the slideshow. When adding music you can have the photographs transition to another photograph by the beat of the music.

By completing this goal I feel that learning how to creating slideshows brings my photography to another level and allows me  to showcase my work in another form!

SEEK and PEAK: Tagging + Super Soaker

 This weeks highlights!
SEEKS are……..
  • Scanning scrapbook 1 of 4 done!
  • Tagging images in Adobe Lightroom 3 and edit photos. I am trying to get caught up.
  • Gap dose not have size 1 petite available any more!
PEAK are……….
  • Jerry Ghionis pickpockets action and reaction came in the mail, finally  found time to look at them! Amazing.
  • Beyance album came out Tuesday!
  • I purchased 8 Super Soakers! The squirt gun fight was a blast today!

The Magic Behind the Video!


This is my nephew second session of playing soccer. When my nephew, Nathan started playing soccer in the spring he asked me if I could make a video of him playing soccer. And of course I said YES!  Then Nathan was like, can you put some word in it like you did for Dylan's Birthday video. I said SURE! 

When Nathan said video he really means a slideshow of photos on a DVD. So I was  thinking how can I raise the bar and make this slideshow better then other slideshows I did in the past. I  came up with creative a document type slideshow with Nathan playing soccer, photos, and messages from his fans.

 I put my plan in action, going to his games to capture some great shoot  with my DSLR and put my little FlipVideo with a bag over  (it was raining, incase you was wondering) it  on a big tripod to capture Nathan in action on the field.  It looked quite funny. To create the message from  his fans, I using Nikon D5000 camera with video option. It was my first time and you can tell!  No Joke!  What did I learn from this event? I learned next time I do video, I will purchase a monopod to keep the camera steady. Nathan really like the video. He called me two times to thank me for the video. He is happy and really enjoys it, that is what matters the most!

Check out the link to the amazing video: http://vimeo.com/25537215


Special Thanks To: Uncle Jim for letting me use his Nikon camera for video and all of Nathan's Amazing fans who allowed me to record a special message. 

Nathan, thank you for allowing me to capture your raw moments on the soccer field! I enjoyed every moment of it! 

Genius is for Jerry Ghionis!

    Jerry Ghionis, a famous wedding photographer from Australia, who came to Akron, Ohio as part of  the Akron Photo Series to discuss his greatest hits, favorite tips and techniques that he used throughout his career. Jerry is one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the word by American Photo Magazine, one of the most influential wedding photographers and won many awards at WPPI. 
     I have following Jerry's blog for a while. I discovered his wife, Melissa Ghionis, on Dane Sanders Fast Track Coach. I was so excited to meet Jerry and Melissa Ghionis. I was counting down the days, like a kid counting the days when school is out for the summer. 
    On June 13, 2011, I meet Jerry and Melissa Ghionis. It was a nice summer day, but when you entered the  Hilton Hotel you could feel the love in the room. From all of the photographers eager  to listen to Jerry speak. I arrived at the event early to hear him speak and as I walked in I saw Skip Cohen and some old friends. Melissa Ghionis was very friendly, down to earth and funny. Jerry is a spectacular photographer, more like a genius. The best advice I learned from spending the evening with Jerry was to photography your subject through the eyes of their loved one!  I will never say their is a bad environment after attending this photography event! He showed some of his favorite images and the magic that happens to capture the images.  He also brought up some great points like why capture 5 images of the same person and just  capture 2 amazing images and move on. He had some great ideas for capturing the relationship between two people. For example, the Father and Bride, by simple stating softly, "Are you ready to see your father for the last time as a single girl?" and then wait to capture the relationship.  That example comes from has pickpocket card called action- reaction.  The pickpocket is a series of educationals tools in the form of deck of cards that can be stored in camera bag for  quick references. The card have great tips and is the top selling cards out of  Jerry's pickpockets collection. The quote of the evening was, "Don't think to much, more you think, the less you feel." -Jerry Ghionis.  He even made everyone think about how to use inspiration around you in everyday life. Use inspiration, but have it be interoperate in your own way. And think about the album when shooting.

      I would like to thank Jerry  and Melissa Ghionis for coming to the United States. And can you believe it,  the Akron Photo Series broke the  record, 10000 dollar mark,  in raised donation for the Akron Children Hospital. That is amazing!

Have a great Week!

Light Painting


       Light painting is a creative technique you can  do with  a flashlight, sparklers and glow sticks.This was my first time painting with light by using a flashlight. It was fun and exciting!

Light painting is a great way to play with lighting and you do not need that much stuff to accomplish it.  The room has to be dark and you need a digital camera( can be set to manual), tripod and I used two Pocket Wizards, wear dark cloths.

The  step are the following:
1. Put  the camera on tripod and have the camera on manual and focus on manual( focus on the point your flashlight is going to be). Set the cameras  f-stop to the highest number and shutter speed on bulb. Connect the Pocket Wizard on the camera and turn on both Pocket Wizards.
2. Turn the light off and wear dark clothing. Get your flashlights ready and can grab some friend to makes it more fun.
3.  With the camera on a tripod and one Pocket Wizard on camera.  Have the other Pocket Wizard in hand with the flashlight.
4. Hold down  the button on the Pocket Wizard and be creative with the flashlights. When you are down with your  light painting  release the button on the Pocket Wizard.
5. Check the back of the camera to see your image and make adjustment if needed. Make sure  the light painting is in focus.

The below is one of my photographs.






Be part of the Dasein! Only 2 days left!

Come join the fun! 


Chase Jarvis is a commercial photography, who is also one of the creatures of CreativeLIVE. I blogged about creativeLIVE before.  Chase Jarvis was giving the chance to stay at Ace Hotel in New York and photograph the world around him in a real moments. Also, Ace Hotel allowed Chase full access and complete control of their gallery for a month.
 So Chase created this project called:  Dasein:  An Invitation to Hang. It is where photographer around the world can come together and stand as one. Photogrpahers can capture real moments and be part of the online gallery here invitationToHang.com . You can enter as many images you would like for the online gallery and Chase will select images daily from the online gallery to be hung in a Ace Hotel Gallery in New York. The Ace Hotel gallery images will be  changes every day, sometimes 2 times per day, with 100 to 200 new images.Your photograph can hang with chase and other amazing photographers. Summit your image! Selected images It has a chance to be  printed on 4x5 polaroid paper and can be  selected to be hanging on the wall in the Ace Hotel Gallery!

Here is one of the images I enter!


Join the fun and have a chance  to have your image in a New York Gallery!

What A Creative Marriage Proposal EVER!!!

Very creative!


Preserving a Scrapbook

Do you scrapbook? Create a page around a image? I do! I started scrapbook just before the digital era, to preserve the memories in a persons life and cherish the little moments. The hard work I put into each scrapbook. I am taking it to the extreme and saving each page on 2 DVD's, external drive and in the clouds. To do that, I have to scan each page of the album. I created a 12x12 pages album and my scanner only scans 8x11 image. So I have to scan each page 4 times (the four corners). Then use Photoshop SC5 to Photomerge (stitch the photos together) the four images together and create one image. It takes time, but it is well worth it. When making multiple copy's of a document or image make sure each copy is stored in a different place and location. I look at it as insurance for each image and page I created.

Finding lens sweet spot!



When learning photography you must know the gear you have and how  to use it. "When learning your gear it is about knowing it inside and out. What your gear can do, can not do and it limitation, " Zack Arias.To know your lenses you should find out your lens sweet spot.

What is the lens sweet spot? It is the aperture on the lens that is the sharpest. Changes the lens aperture will change the lens sharpness and will help discover your lens sweet spot.To find the lens sweet spot you have to take a photo of the same image at all of the aperture numbers and find which aperture is the sharpest.

Here are the step I used to find my  50mm lens sweets pot. First put your camera on a tripod, the camera on Aperture priority,  take a picture with all of the aperture on the camera.  Then look at all of the photos a 100% zoom and find the aperture that makes the sharpest image. For example, you have a lens 50mm F.1.4. So you put the camera on a tripod, turn the camera on Aperture priority and then shoot at all of the apertures number (1.4,2,2.8, 4, 5.6,  8, 11, 16,,22). Then look at all the images at the same zoom to see which image is the sharper. That is the sweet spot for your lens.  If you have a zoom lens and what to find the  sweet spot, put camera on s tripod, set camera on aperture priority, put focus on affinity and then shoot at all aperture numbers starting with the widest number (smallest aperture number). 

Have a great day!

CreativeLIVE with Zack Arias!


I blogged about Zack Arias coming to creativeLIVE, here. The Zack Arias::  Sucksessful Commercial Photographer at creativeLIVE, 3 day workshop was a blast and I learned alot.  The first day of the workshop was on April 29, 2011 and the same day  as the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine.  I recorded the wedding of the century and watched CreativeLIVE workshop all day. The weather during the workshop was cold, sun and some rain, but that is fine with me! I was watching  Zack Arias!

The workshop was fun and very educational.  Zack Arias is very smart and can explain the mechanics of photography and the techniques, so others can understand. He took it back to the basics of photography. For example, when he was talking about compassion and form, he made you think of it as shaped. What repetitive shapes and form do you see in an image?  To find out, get  a photo out , grab some tracing paper and lay paper over the photo. Then start to mark and find lines and shapes in the photo. Draw shapes like circle, triangle, and make anchor points.  Ask yourself some question like:  Is the head in a clean spot? Is their negative space? Is the subject the main focus? Zack knows how to keep it real and blunt. He was straightforward  by said that he buys most of gear used. Then he was asked where to buy used gear? He replied the following: Keh.com (has good review), friends online, Cragslist, Ebay (have to have positive feed back and sold a lot, look up subject to see if they are safe) and B and H used gear.  He also discuses the Business part of photography. The best quote of this section is "Know your number."  That means live with in your means, know your expenses and discover if you can afford it by knowing you numbers. 

Here is 10 quotes from watching Zack Arias that are stuck in my head:
  • "Your lens is your view point." When choosing the lens you want to use for that event or moment and holding your camera to your face and taking a photo, you are allowing other to view the world though your view point. 

  • "Know your gear." Means know what your camera and gear will do, don't do and the limitations.

  • " Head in a clean spot" Has to do with composition meaning  make sure thing are not growing out of the head and in a clean spot.

  • "I do not crop people where they bend." This means when  creating compassion and filling the frame in your view finder, do not crop off ankles or fingers.

  • "Remember your clients is king ( or queen)." Meaning treat your clients like they should be treat  them with respect you should serve them and it is a day to make them shine.

  • "Do something different." Means when looking into your photography industry, be different. Do not follow other  photographers. Need to stand out  from other photographers in your industry. Have different  images and websites.

  • "Your portfolio should not flow like a bad mix tape." Meaning when creating a portfolio the images should flow, be the best, work together, transition from one photo to other and should flow.

  • "Always look up the food chain for feedback on your work." When looking for a critique on your images look for photographers who have been their and done that. Someone who already been in the business for a while and know how the industry works.

  • "Vision and style rises to the top over time." Is takes time and practices to develop your vision and style of your photography. 

  • "If you wait until you are ready, you will never get it done." Meaning do not wait till you understand the technical stuff and  you are ready to step out into the photography world, because you will never get to that point. Just learn and grow as a photographer every time you push the shutter button. 


Thanks to the  creativeLIVE team, you can  watch  part of Zack's  workshop for free!




SEEK and PEAK: Tomaso's + Movie Night

 Last week was fun.  Here are some highlights!

SEEKS are……..
  • Tomaso's restaurants in undisclosed locations. 
  • Tired. I am so tired that I am going to bed early tonight.
  • Me. I can not record Flip Video and take pictures with the camera at the same time.


PEAK are……….
  • Movie night.  Fun time with family and a great concession stand. Everyone enjoyed themselves.
  • Easter. The Easter dinner with the family and the amazing Magic Show that was a blast!
  • Adobe  Lightroom 3. The software is amazing and great for organizing photos.
Have a great week.

CreativeLIVE


CreativeLive is a worldwide free creative education that Chase Jarvis and Chad  Swanson created. Their are courses from technology, photography and fine art of all kinds. You can watch the live webcast FREE . If you are unable to watch or like it so much, you can purchase the download for a great price.  I think this kind of education can open door for photographer and allowing other to network.

I discovered CreativeLIVE when I  was looking into Zack Aris, the OneLight Workshop guy, who is a great teacher. I was checking out his blog and I found out that he was on CreativeLIve. I missed it!  So I decided to purchase the  CreativeLIVE course "Studio Lighting with Zack Aris".  It is so worth it. 

Zack Aris is back again for another CreativeLIVE weekend! Yes! Zack going to be on  CreativeLIVE on April 29, 2011 and May 1, 2011. The title is "FREE Workshop: Zack is Back"  and  the event is the same day Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married. 

Are you going to tune into creativeLIVE?

Just Do It!

Do you have dreams or goals? I want to one day, get to the point where I feel confident to photograph a wedding and do portraits. I need to get my butt into gear and step up my game. I need to get some guts! Step out and ask people if I can photograph them. But I  do not like asking people for help! What am I afraid of? Failure? No? Let down?  Crummy photo (I would learn from)? Well, I need to get over it, get to work and just do it. I need to practice, practice and practice. As long as I learn and grow, that is what counts. Here is a great quote I really like, "Rather than being the best, I concentrate on being better than last week."-Jerry Ghionis. 


If you can dream it! You can do it!

Fun Fabulous Tuesday!

Jasmine Star, a Famous Wedding Photography from Orange County, who came to Akron, Ohio as part of the Akron Photo Series to discuss her marketing strategies and social media. 
I have a confession! I have been following  Jasmine Star's blog for a while. I came across this amazing photographer by watching Dane Sanders , Escalate LIVE  May 2010 live webcast. I have been so excited to meet Jasmine Star.  I really counted down the days for when she came to Akron, Ohio. No Joke! I really was!  You know how a child counts down the day for Christmas. I was counting Jasmine Days! LOL!

On March 29, 2011, it was Jasmine Day. It was cold outside and the sunny was shining, but when you entered the ballroom it was a different story, it was filled with energy!  From all of  the photographers eager to meet Jasmine Star and network with each other. I arrived at the ballroom half an hour early to hear her speak. Upon entered the ballroom Skip  Cohen ( the brains behind the Akron Photo Series) was their to great you!  Jasmine Star and JD  (Jasmine's husband and second shooter) was very kind and down to earth. Jasmine is an amazing photography and business owner. The best advice I took away from spending the evening with Jasmine was to be yourself, take the tools she gave you and incorporate them in to your own business.Your business is you, stay true to yourself and your brand! A great website is a version of me and a blog is best version of personal me. She even brought up some great points to think about! Like, what sets you apart from other photographer? The quote of the evening was "Be different is powerful"- Jasmine star. She even asked a great question. What makes you different? Showcase your differences! How can you use that? Be unique!  BE YOU!  And best of all  a percentage of every ticket sold was donated to Akron Children Hospital! 





 I would like to thank Jasmine Star for coming to the cold east coast to educate other photographers on marketing. Also, Thanks to Skip Cohen,  for all of his hard work he put into each Akron Photo Series Event. Skips created the Akron Photo Series to bring great photographers to the Akron Area. The next photographer coming to Akron is Julieanne Kost on May 23,24 of 2011! Get your ticket and mark your calendar the Adobe Queen is coming to town!
Have a great day!

#6 and Learn Music Rights

Number  six is one of my  2011 Photography Goals, I can check it of my list!


 I decide to go with Vimeo as a option to share my videos and slideshows. Vimeo is easy to work with and all you have to do is upload your video or slideshow  to share with others.  I use iMove to create a slideshow for my photography and Triple Scoop Music to set the tone for the slideshow. Thanks to Dane Sander's live webcast episode while back, I learned the right of purchased music from itunes or from the store.

Every Tuesday, Dane Sanders  (Fast Track Photography Author) has a live webcast , where he has a special guest regarding business or photography.  Episode 107 is Using Music to Transform Your Business and the guess was Roy Ashen, the cofounder of Triple Scoop Music. From this episode I learned that when you purchase music from the store or  itunes, it is  for the personal listening use only. You only get the right to listen to the song and not for commercials purposes. It dose not  cover any business use, such as, advertising, slideshows, websites, video or to give to clients in any form.

I think Triple Scoop Music sets the tone for my  slideshow. Each song you purchase you have single user and lifetime right to the song.  You can use the song as many times as you want. Triple Scoop Music has a verity of songs you can hand pick  to complete  your slideshow! 

2011 Photography Goals

Here are  my goals for 2011.  As I finished  the goals, you can click on the  goals in orange to read  the post about it.
  1. Understand my camera
  2. Take your camera everywhere and don't be afraid to take it out to use it.
  3. Shoot a photograph each day of the month
  4. Do a self photo
  5. Learn how do a slideshow fast
  6. Share photos online ( Facebook, Flickr, Vimeo) (completed on 2-21-11)
  7. 25 Blog posts
  8. Do a photo walk one day of the year
  9. Learn Adobe Lightroom
  10. Learn Adobe  Photoshop
  11. Learn Histogram on camera
  12. Conquer and  understand strobe and flash
  13. Conquer and understand natural light
  14. Do a newborn photoshoot (completed on 2-11-11)
  15. Be a second shoot for a photographer
  16. Finish New York  Course
  17. Get a photo or business mentor
  18. 50/50 do 50 photos with 50mm lens
  19. Shoot framed artwork for myself
  20. Create a portfoilo
  21. Read  and finish two business related books
  22. Read and finish four photography related books
  23. Learn and understand  5 new Techniques
  24. Watch  3 events on CreativeLIVE
  25. Attend 4 workshops
  26. Enter a contest or in a gallery
  27. Purchase 3 new pieces of photography gear
  28. Frame the 3 poster I purchased

PEAK and SEEK: Julieanne + Rain







Everyone  knows the fabulous wedding photographer, Jasmine Star. I adopted this ides from her. She has a weekly blog post called Kisses and Disses. They are random entries dedicated to her life highlighting the great part (Kisses)  and the bad parts (disses). I liked the idea. So I created my own called PEAK and SEEK. The PEAK is, as you probably guessed it, the high parts and  SEEK  is the bad parts. 
    PEAK
    • Julieanne Kost is an great teacher for  Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3. She can show you the features and tools of adobe photoshop Lightroom.
    • Fleeces. They are very worm and cozy for a snowy or rainy days.
    • Cool Ranch Doritos. They have been my choice of a snack lately.



    SEEK
    • Rain. It  has rained for two days strait. 
    • I smashed my left thumb in the car door when going to a Bambi Cantrell event. My thumb hurt so bad, I stuck it in the snow. Did I tell you that I am left handed. No Joke!
    • Noxzema face cleaner. I went to clean my face with Noxzema, a few hours later, my face had a rash.

    Have a great weekend!

    Nathan: Birthday


    The first time Nathan visited Pump It Up Party Center was when he attended a birthday party, he had so much fun, he wanted to go back. He asked his Mother if he can have his party their, who  would have know that his birthday party would have been at an inflatable arena. He told some of his friends to mark the calendar for February 26, 2011. He was so excited for the day to come, he would talk about it every chance he would get, while insuring his brother he would have fun. The talk at school  was about a new inflatable, the Slippery Slope, it was all of the craze, who can reach the star first. With a little help Nathan is the first and only person to reach the star at the party. He kept it funk and fresh while playing in the rooms filled with inflatable slides, bounce house, optical course and the slippery slope. Who would have know that party room had a Large king chair, where he opens his presents and blew out 7 candles. As a thank you gift, everyone received a goody bag and a balloon.

    I 'm honored to be a part of his day and capture little moments in action! Here is a link to a sideshow of the exciting day and some of my favorite photos!