Recently we had the opportunity to work on a new WordPress Blog site for Christian from Seattle Sound Live.  Seattle Sound Live specialize in high quality and definition music, concert, event and promotion photography.  Christian writes to us:

Why to you like photography ?

“To me photography is a way to share a story. Images captured at that perfect time that display emotion or passion, being able to bring the viewers into the scene and share that emotion is what make photography so special.”

What is your favorite type of photography ?

“Concert, Tour documentation and promotional images for the local Seattle/Tacoma musicians.”

Share a photography trick or tip…

When doing what I do there are a few things I recommend… 1st and foremost…. Don’t forget the drummer! but here are some other things I have learned.

Shoot in RAW -  RAW images give the photographer the most flexibility and the best possible quality… If you are not comfortable for some reason in RAW mode at least RAW+JPEG…

Crank the ISO – Again, this pertains to what I do as a photographer… I personally think that a certain level of grain makes for an amazing image… cranking the ISO also allows for you to increase shutter speeds which is vital when covering live music… A grainy, sharp image or a blurry image without grain… you decide. There are also several ways to mitigate noise or grain in your post so crank the ISO.

Auto White Balance -  There are no words to describe some of the lighting at some of these shows… Take a step back and forget about your ego… you will never be able to keep the correct WB during a liver performance… Auto white balance will get you close enough to where you want to be and if shooting in RAW you can correct the rest of the way in post.

Why do you love jR Customization ?

jR Customization  simply gets the job done and provides a level of customer service second to none.

What is your major goal or photography project for 2013 ?

The one thing I would love to do this year is revive, in some small way, the glory days of the Seattle live music scene.  In promoting the local, not national, music scene it allows for more intimate relationships between me and the subjects… I am hoping that this translates into the images and shows the true emotion these local musicians have for their craft.

How can readers learn more about Seattle Sound Live ?

Just go check it out… www.seattlesoundlive.com … Leave me a note and tell me what you think

Also check out Seattle Sound Live on your smart phone – responsive wordpress design!

Kelly Taylor Photography, Inc. is a diversified, award-winning commercial photography business located in Central Florida. We are licensed and insured, and committed to providing only the highest quality of custom digital photography, specializing in portraiture, events and commercial assignments.
Kelly Taylor Photography, Inc. is celebrating five years in business, officially opening on May 16, 2008. Owner-President Kelly Taylor Frazier freelanced during the two years she attended school, and graduated with her commercial photography degree also in May of 2008.
In celebration of their five year anniversary, here is a little “look back” in history, as to how KTPI came to be.

Kelly considers herself first and foremost an “artist” with a strong commercial art and design background. She is a graduate of The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with a degree in Interior Design, followed by a twenty-year career as a designer, with her forte being architectural design and drafting.
During her career as a designer, she married and worked as a designer full time for almost ten years before she had two children, after which she was able to freelance and stay home with her children. Then family tragedy struck when her mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in three very short weeks. Shortly after the unexpected loss of her mom, her father endured severe brain damage from a car accident, and was permanently disabled. Kelly then helped care for her father for seven years before he passed, all the while assisting and helping care for her grandparents until their passing a few years later. The family losses took a toll on her 17-year marriage, and she became a single mother of two young children. With that painful decade behind her, she experienced a bittersweet time wherein she was able to re-focus on her own life.
In keeping with her “artistic life path” she decided to incorporate her love for photography with her art, and made the decision to return to school to study Commercial Photography.
The love of photography was instilled in Kelly from her father when she was a child. Clayton Squibb was an award-winning amateur photographer.
Kelly’s passion to preserve her own family’s life and history through the medium of photography only grew stronger in the advent of her own personal experiences of losing loved ones.
Kelly feels that “Genuinely loving people and valuing life gives me true joy and a sense my life’s purpose. When I am bestowed the honor of being the author and creator of another’s family portraits, I know I am capturing special moments in time that will be cherished by their families for generations to come!”
“With my strong design, art and architectural background, I enjoy all types of photography, regardless the subject. Above and beyond type, what truly touches me is the emotion or message expressed and portrayed from a photo, whether it be a breathtaking sunset, parents holding their newborn child, or the bold visual statement of a commercial advertisement” Kelly said.
From the beginning, Kelly had a vision of her business; not just to buy a camera and hang out a sign, shoot and burn digital images. She thoughtfully planned her education and her business with professionalism and passion. Her business is incorporated, licensed and insured.

Kelly saw her business being a unique environment wherein people receive personal attention and custom photographic images that are created artistically and uniquely for them, resulting in pieces of art to be valued. She genuinely cares about her clients, has a strong work ethic, and highly regards her business as being a direct reflection of herself, putting her whole heart into all she creates.
A big part of her vision for her business has and does include a visibly impressive, user-friendly website, to display her portfolio and be found on the internet. For the past five years in business, Kelly has been using SmugMug as the foundation of her company’s website, and experienced it to be an excellent hosted site for photographers, amateur to professional. In hopes of updating her site, she wanted to keep her existing SmugMug account and add additional aspects such as a blog and an opening slideshow. She found jR Customization in an article authored by SmugMug.
After being impressed by jR Customization’s portfolio, Kelly choose them and began working with them on her dream vision of her website. “Working with jR Customization was a breeze – jR Customization made everything easy.  They are  extremely professional, personable, creative and knows what they are doing! I couldn’t be more pleased with the final result!” The new look and additional features on KTPI’s website are just one more step toward\ success!    Kelly is very grateful to jR Customization for taking her vision and making it real.
Kelly’s business and her family are growing one step at a time. She recently married her high school sweetheart, who now serves as Vice President of KTPI, and she is expecting her first grandchild this year.
To learn more about Kelly Taylor Photography, Inc. please visit www.KellyShotThis.com

Cassie Rae Gigstead Photography (aka CRG Photography) specializes in Portrait, Wedding and Fine Art Photography in the Door County Wisconsin area.

Website highlights include:

- Left side navigation

- Full screen home page slideshow

- Dynamic Portfolio with ability to add descriptions/keywords to slideshow images (SEO friendly)

- Information pages such as Meet Cassie, Seniors and Weddings

- Blog with the ability for site visitors to share blog articles via the social media platforms as well as add comments via disqus

- SmugMug client galleries with same look/feel as the blog theme

example : click on client login (client login : apple  password: apple)

- Blog and SmugMug site can be customized to match your branding

Check out the site and Cassie’s wonderful photography and art at http://crgigstead.com/

As a nature and wildlife photographer, your website is your online business card and marketing tool.    Several photographers have taken their nature and wildlife photography the next level by appearing in museums, publications, winning awards, etc.  No matter if you are amateur or professional, your web site is the perfect way to show your view of the world to others and have the ability to sell your work on-line. Take a look at some examples of nature and wildlife photographer web sites and their art.

Features include:

• SmugMug Customization – professionally customized website with an unique brand.
• Portfolios – “non-flash” slideshows and galleries of the artists best work.
• Site Navigation – specific to the website  – one/two clicks to photo galleries or content.
• Content such as About, Investment, Contact information.
• Ability to use SmugMugs powerful shopping cart to sell images via a variety of print labs (Bayphoto, WHCC, ezprints, Loxley Colour).
• Ability to implement paypal shopping cart opinions.
• WordPress themes that are branded to match your SmugMug Customization for seamless integration.
• Ability to share blog articles via a variety of social media platforms.

Click on the below images to view the website and the photographers art!

You can see more examples of Nature and Wildlife Photographer websites as well as other photographer website by visiting the jR Customization Portfolio.

Questions ? feel free to contact jR Customization.

Tawnya Marie Photography specializes in Portrait and Wedding photography in the East Bay California area. Tawnya writes to us :

1. Why to you like photography ?

I love photography because as time goes by, and as we get older, it is amazing all the things we forget.  Photography is the key to never forgetting!  I love capturing infants with their tiny features, and then doing sessions later with that family, or seeing them on facebook.  It is simply amazing to see how quickly they grow.  Those little details, just don’t stick in your mind.  Going back thru photos is like having a hard drive in your brain!  I have a 12 year old son and a 9 year old son.  They are trading in their little boy looks for the looks of young men.  So having those photos of them with chubby fingers and cheeks is just wonderful.

2. What is your favorite type of photography ?

I love portraits.  I love newborn photography.  I am a full time daycare provider.  So I find that I am able to help the parents to have a very relaxed shoot.  If the baby cries or pees or is just fussy, we work thru it, and are still able to get amazing photos.

3. Share a funny story about your photography…

In Livermore we have this very popular spot for photographers.  It is a hill full of daffodils.  Earlier in my photography career, I was bound and determined to get “THE” shot at Daffodil Hill.  The boys had white shirts on, with jeans.  As I wandered the hill, looking for the best light and best spot, my oldest yells, MOM!  I found a really cool log. Not really paying attention, I said, Cool!  Then called them over for pictures.  The “cool” log had at some point been burned.  So my “picture perfect” boy had black ash all over the front of his shirt.  This was a great lesson.  So he’s dirty.  That’s just what he was that day.  A picture of the real boy that was in that white shirt.

4. Share a photography trick or tip…

One of my favorite tricks/tips when photographing children is to just talk to them.  As they talk, they loosed up and start acting “normal”.  They show all their little kid habits, twisting their hair, swinging their feet, giving you a very natural feel that captures their personality.

5. Why do you love SmugMug and/or jR Customization ?

I don’t really “know” SmugMug without jR Customization.  I love how well they work with what you have in mind.  Almost as if, in asking just a few questions, they already know what you want. And it always comes out perfectly.  I love the ease of navigation and how clean and professional it looks.  I get many comments on my site, and have since my first design.  I just did a “revamp”, and it is simply gorgeous!  I just love it.  I love being able to put up new images so quickly and easily.  I hear others talking about how hard their website was/is to run.  I have zero trouble with my site.  I upload new photos often and it keeps my clients interested.

6. What is your major goal or photography project for 2013 ?

My major goal is to shoot my own family more.  I recently did a photoshoot with my 12 year old.  It was quite eye opening.  I started to think, how many “sessions” do I have with them individually?  So that is my goal.  To put more time getting my own kids in front of the camera.

7. How can readers learn more about Tawnya Marie Photography ?

www.tawnyamariephotography.com

The 2013 spring Wedding season is upon us!

As a wedding photographer, your website is your online business card and marketing tool.  When a bride visits your online portfolio you want her to be inspired by your photos. You want her to immediately fall in love with your look & style as a wedding photographer. Take a look at some examples of wedding photographer web sites and their art.

Features include:

• SmugMug Customization – professionally customized website with an unique brand.
• Portfolios – “non-flash” slideshows and galleries of the artists best work.
• Site Navigation – specific to the website  – one/two clicks to photo galleries or content.
• Content such as About, Investment, Contact and Testimonial information.
• Client albums and client login features.
• Ability to use SmugMugs powerful shopping cart to sell images via a variety of print labs (Bayphoto, WHCC, ezprints, Loxley Colour).
• WordPress themes that are branded to match the SmugMug for seamless integration.
• Ability to share blog articles via a variety of social media platforms.

Click on the below images to view the website and the photographers art!

You can see more examples of Wedding Photographer websites as well as other photographer website by visiting the jR Customization Portfolio.  Questions ? feel free to contact jR Customization.

Charlotte of Photography by Char writes to us :

1. Why to you like photography ?

Photography has always been a passion of mine.  I used to photograph my brothers participating in sports and moved on to take some photography courses at a local community college.  I fell in love with developing my own 35 mm film and creating black and white prints in the dark room when my kids were young.  I started to seriously photograph sports about 7 years ago and found myself having to learn how to use a digital camera and process my prints on a computer instead of using a dark room.  Once again, I have fallen in love with a whole new process of photography.  To photograph teens and young adults participating in sports and other activities has been a real joy of mine.  Not only do I get to do something that I love but I am also able to provide memories of accomplishment for teens and young adults that otherwise they may not have had a record of.

2. What is your favorite type of photography ?

My favorite type of photography would be Freelance Sports Photography.  I love the action and excitement of a competitive game and event.  Not only do I get to share in the accomplishments of athletes and teams but I am preserving those memories for them.  I strive to capture the dedication to a sport and a teams by not only the athletes involved but also the coaches and officials.

3. Share a funny story about your photography…

I actually sunk to my knees in grouse black muck on a photo shoot!  I was on a Senior Portrait shoot with 2 seniors at the Historic Bridge Park located in Calhoun County, Michigan.  This park had been closed for over a year due to a major oil leak in the area contaminating the local river and creeks.  It had been a wet few days and we were already fighting some sprinkling throughout the day.  The 2 Seniors thought it would be neat to get a specific shot that required me stepping off of the normal pathway provided.  I thought it would be a cool shot too until I took my second step off the pathway!  That second step sunk that leg to my knee.  I tried to use some leverage with my other foot to only sink with that leg too.  To say the least, we did not get the shot they wanted, I ruined a good pair of shoes and I stunk all the way home!  I did not get my camera dirty though…  not a speck of muck on the camera or lens!!

4. Share a photography trick or tip…

In order to really be successful on a regular basis with sports photography, you have to be able to anticipate what is going to happen next.  This means you need to have some knowledge of the sport you are photographing.  You need to be aware of how an athlete plays, a coach coaches and how an official is going to call something or the rules of the game.  It is rare that my first game of a season will be better than the last game of the season of a particular team.

5. Why do you love SmugMug and/or jR Customization ?

I like the versatility of SmugMug for both me as a photographer and business owner but also for my customers.  The ability to offer single prints, packages and downloadable files for purchase to customers really fills the range of need that my customers have.  But even more so…  I like the ability of being able to have my website at SmugMug customized by jR Customization.  I am not stuck to specific templates or website designs but was able to have the website tailored to my needs and personality.  jR Customization does a great job listening to what a photographer wants and expects from a website and creating it with all the bells and whistles!

6. What is your major goal or photography project for 2013 ?

A goal that I have for 2013 is to have at least 2 school districts contracted for traditional athlete and team portraits for all athletic teams for the school district for the school 2013/2014 schoolyear.  This would also include my coverage of athletic events during the year.

7. How can readers learn more about Photography by Char ?

Readers can learn more about Photography by Char by visiting my website at www.photographybychar.com, subscribing to the Photography by Char Blog at www.blogphotographybychar.com, and by visiting Photography by Char on Facebook.

Full Width – Top Widgets Area

Chris Koppel Photography

Additional Examples :
Jeannine Marie Photography (WordPress Theme & SmugMug Customization)
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Reb Orrell Photography (WordPress Theme & SmugMug Customization)
Moments in Time (WordPress Theme & SmugMug Customization)

Full Width – Bottom Widgets Area

Seven Gables Photography

Additional Examples :
Photography by Lacie Marie (WordPress Theme & SmugMug Customization)
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SPC Creative (WordPress Theme & SmugMug Customization)

2 Column – Right Sidebar

Anna Dobrenski Photography

Additional Examples :
In the Moment by Amber Grant (WordPress Theme & SmugMug Customization)
Thomas Gaitley Photography (WordPress Theme & SmugMug Customization)
Seven Summits – Brandon and Kristine Chalk (WordPress Theme)

2 Column – Left Sidebar

Steve & Maria Uffman

XL Width – Full Screen

2 Brides Photography

Small Business – Full Site Theme

Romeo Turns 175

Additional Examples :
FAMS Printing (WordPress Theme)
Game Day Moments (WordPress Theme & SmugMug Customization)
VerdeGenix Software (WordPress Theme)
 
Please click here to view our portfolio WordPress Themes…
  

WordPress Blogs are the most powerful marketing tool on the internet, allowing you to promote your passion and stories through blogging.
 
Your clients, fans, family and friends will now be able to develop an even deeper connection with you and your business. As WordPress design and development experts, let us work with you to make this a reality.
 
 
 
 
WordPress Customization
features and functionality includes:

• Ability to customize your blog to match your brand marketing (from your SmugMug Site)

• Ability to have different ‘themes’ tailored to specific aspects of your business while maintaining a consistent overall brand

• Consistent banner, slideshow (optional) and web site navigation on every page

• Ability to post large images up to a 960 pixels in width with your blog articles

• Ability to embed videos and slideshows within your blog articles

• Ability for you and your site visitors to share your blog articles through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, etc.

• Ability for your customers to comment on blog articles through several social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Yahoo!) with Disqus

• Easy classification of blog articles using categories and tags which make it easy for your website visitors to read blog articles related to a specific topic

• Access to an archive calendar of blog articles

• Announcements Section to easily show your readers and upcoming event or special promotion

• SmugMug integration – your WordPress Blog and SmugMug site have the same design look/feel and are virtually seamless

• Ability to create pages of content specific to your business (examples – about, prices, contact pages)

• Slideshows for your photography portfolio; easy to maintain

• Great search engine optimization features (Google loves WordPress!)

• Creation and editing of blog articles and management of content pages can be easily done – by you – via the WordPress dashboard

• iPhone and iPad friendly; blog articles displayed in the full iPhone screen view

 
 
View a variety of WordPress Blog Themes & designs