Happenings

The HCHS Prom Night went well with the two sessions I had.  The pictures came out great and I believe that I will be using one of the young ladies for some modeling work in the future.  She has nice height and looks for some ideas I have in mind.  This young lady also stated that she wants some senior portraits as well. 

 

The next day, I had the monthly Gospel Music Hour session to do.  There were three guitarists that go by the name “Street Connection” and they were awesome.  I took some nice photos and they can be viewed on my site as well, just go to (view your proofs > events > gospel music hour).  Be sure to leave comments.  After the session was done and I looked over the photos, I started having a lot of musician photo ideas go through my mine.  I will likely be contacting these gentlemen for some future work.  Keep coming back for updates on the musician series I’m going to put together.

 

Next up is the Christian Fellowship Academy on 9 May 09.  I will be on-site for this event taking photos.  I am looking forward to making some possible future contacts.  I am considering making my own display for the portraits but I may go with a “pre-made” setup from a prom décor provider.

 

Keep Carlisle Photo in your prayers, there’s a lot of things yet to do!

AJ

This week's happenings and updates

Well, let’s see.  The headshot photo session I had with Dabar Ministries went VERY well even though I did not have my son there to help with setup and teardown.  He is so valuable to the way things run on location I really felt his absence.  I was originally planning for two headshots and when I arrived it turned out to be three.  That was a pleasant surprise.  I found out as well that they are going to need more photos taken for the rest of the church leadership.

 

Before I left the session location, I was asked to do their photos for their 13^th Annual Mother’s Day luncheon in May!  I was honored.  I thought I was booked for that day, but I will be available after all.  The luncheon is in the early part of the day and the other appointment is in the evening.

 

While I was there I received a call for a “same day” photo session request that I was unable to accommodate.  My wife and I had already made plans to be out of town during that time.  “….I will pour you out blessings that you won’t have room enough to receive.”

 

I shared with my friend David that the visitors to my site last week exceeded 200 and he was very excited for me.  I then reminded him that those same visitors could have stopped by his site since I have his link on my own.  He commented that I would be blessed and he was correct.  Though I did not do it to be blessed in returned, I just am.  It’s how God works.  Yesterday (Tuesday) I received an photo order from Saturday’s session!  I was also informed that there would likely be more.  See how good God is?

 

I received some intriguing ideas for networking/publicizing Carlisle Photo.  I am considering getting on Twitter and Facebook.  I don’t have a lot of time for just “being on the computer” and chatting or socializing, but, I may have a few mins a couple times a week to network.  I will keep you all informed of those things as the weeks unfold. 

 

Be blessed.  AJ

 

 

 

How God works....in business.

As many have seen, I try to do what I can to help others.  I believe in the Word of God that says to do unto others as you want them to do unto you.  As well as "give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together will men give unto your bosom".  I don't do things to get a blessing, I'm blessed to be a blessing.  I just love helping people and it turns out that I am receiving blessings in return.

I had a photoshoot this past Saturday and it was supposed to be 2 headshots.  It turned out to be 3 headshots!  Before I left the shoot location, I was asked if I could do a photo session for their Mother's Day luncheon on the 9th of May!  As well as, I found out that all the leaders in their church need to have headshots done.  

Praise God for His promises!

Website tips for photographers

Some things I’d like to share with my fellow photographers. These are some tips I’ve either come up with myself or received from someone else. I decided to share this with you because of some of my findings while surfing the web today. Here they are in no particular order.
 

1. If your site does not have content on a particular page, do not include the page. Many times you go to a site and there will be a page where the owner has intentions on filling it with content but instead you see “under construction”, “coming soon”, “in works, bear with me”, etc. These are turn offs and the viewer will many times feel like you’re not doing anything. If you must include the page because of a template requires it for example, provide dates on the status of the content. Ie. Come back on April 30th to see the more on this topic. User’s want to know that you’re busy with updates and not feel like they’ve reached a dead end.  

2. Only use your best photos. If you need to just put photos up for general purposes and share with friends and family, use some of the free sites such as: Flickr, Pbase, MySpace, Facebook, Fotki, Opera, etc. You get the idea. Your business website is a site full of photographs serving as business cards and you want to know that they are saying the right things. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say, what are yours saying about you? Some things to pay attention to: Are my color balances correct? Are they cropped correctly? Is there any blurring in the photograph? Any of these things will disqualify the picture for entry on your bus. Site. Just because everyone like it, does not mean it should be included. Ask other photographers for their opinions about your photos you want to include, tell them be honest and give reasons. Most of all don’t be offended. The final decision is always yours.

3. I got this one from my friend David Jones….Get a blog. A blog allows you to make quick entries like this one you’re reading and include what you’re working on. If you’re not updating your site regularly with photos, the viewers will see that you’re site is fresh because you are commenting on the blog regularly. This lets them know your business is not dead.
Send out requests to have people view your site. This will drive traffic to your site and in return some possible business.

4. Use your site to promote others. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You can impact a lot of people by simply helping others.

5. Do not get too overly graphic with your site. I’ve seen plenty of sites that has a nice look to them but because of all the “stuff” going on, I just left without viewing the site. People want to get in, see where they’re going and enjoy their time there and leave. If they have to click on too many things to get to their pictures, you site now has a bad reputation. It’s not worth it. 

6. Avoid pop-ups if you can, unless they are for viewing the photos themselves. Advertising on your main site is not attractive to a client.

7. Make corrections quickly. Everyone will make a mistake in spelling or grammar when posting. Review your pages and correct your mistakes quickly. The quicker you do this the less chance you have of showing your errors to the world.

8. Allow users “one-stop-shopping”. If they are able to view, order, pay at your site, you will sell more photos. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve canceled an order online because I had to go through too many steps trying to pay. Remember, if you take pictures of a baby (for example), grandma, grandpa, and all the rest of the family from around the world are looking at those photos. They may not be web-savvy and need to be able to just get in, view, order, pay, and get out.

9. If you have music playing, please make sure you’re not playing “your favorite song” just because it’s your favorite. It should match the mood of your photos and almost be unnoticeable . The word I’m feeling here is “soothing”. It should make the user want to stay on your site and purchase, not start dancing and forget why they’re there in the first place. It should not be too ethnic either. I don’t think I need to explain that one too much. You want to attract everybody from everywhere and every background.

10. If you do not have several models to choose from or events, don’t have too many pictures of the same person. You’re son may make a great model and your girlfriends daughter may be beautiful, but too many pictures of the same person will cause the viewer to feel like you’re not doing a lot of work and not getting clients. That may be true, but don’t help it out. You’re basically trying to build trust in your abilities without getting the face-to-face interview. If you have a lot of skill and experience, your site should have some variety.

11. Try to avoid having too many photos in your public gallery. Yes, you can have too many. If you have a lot of pictures, try to show variety, not just quantity. Instead of loading the viewer down with just a sheer number of photos, rotate them regularly. For example (not real numbers, just an example). If you have 100 photos of a single model, but in different scenes, use 25 photos in the first month and change them the next month.

 

Enough for now. Thank you for viewing.

Website & business compliments

Some  of the most encouraging and sought after sources of inspiration come from comments from clients, website visitors, and fellow photogs.

 

Since I’ve updated my website and gotten serious about my photography, I’ve received some very encouraging comments.  Some of them humble me and others make me smile.  All of them, touch me deeply.  I have been blessed to be able to be around and communicate professionally with others in the business and draw from their knowledge and experiences.  I try to do the same for them as they continually do for me.  It is a desire of mine to see others excel and succeed and in return be inspired to press on to success.

 

Some of the comments I have received, both verbally and written, I have included below (names include when I remember).  This is not for any boasting or praise, just to share what God has allowed me to personally receive because I try to do what He has me to do…inspire, encourage, and help others.  Also, while I am doing so, I know that since I represent Him, I must put forth my best efforts and show forth excellence, so the great comments I get for my website or my work, I give praise to God for them.

 

I cannot include all of the comments that encourage me from my wife, they are too numerous to even try, but she is the one that makes me want to be the best of the best.  My children come in a loud screaming second.  They sing praises about dad everywhere they go.  I try not to let them down.  It’s not worth it all without them.

 

“Your website is one of the best I’ve seen.” – Michael Williams

 

“I was like “oh my God, this brother is serious.  This work is beautiful!”” – Wilbert Johnson

 

“It’s like you’re in my head! Thank you man, you really encourage me.  You said all the things I needed to hear.  You’re a real friend.” – David Jones

 

“I loved all the photos, thank you.” – Juan Wilder

 

“I am humbled by what you said about me on your site.  It is so heartwarming to read something like this in such an otherwise often cold and indifferent world that I can't wait to show it to my wife tonight.

I left feeling the same way.  You made me feel renewed when I came home.

Bless you for you have not only tremendous talent in photography but incredible leadership skills that I hope you and others recognize.  I have been feeling a little down lately.  But after last evening, I came away feeling refreshed and renewed. … Thanks for everything.  You are a Prince.

” – Michael Williams

 

“I knew you took pictures, but I didn’t expect this!” – Millicent Stillman

 

“I take snapshots, my son take pictures” – Mr. Lee Johnson (my dad and then one who put my first 35mm in my hands)

 

“This is award winning work here” – Samuel Lumpkin (A fellow professional photographer in FL when he was looking at a wedding album I had produced.  He has been doing photography professionally since before I was born.)

 

“Man, those pictures are incredible, we’re buying all of them!” Art Parris (about his daughter’s Senior Portraits)

 

To God be the glory!

 

AJ

 

 

Business Contacts and Inspirations

www.jfxdigital.com

 

Probably the most inspiring person in the business I know, is Mr. David Jones.  He has done the un-thinkable (for many of us).  He left a full-time job to pursue his passion of photography.  This is how I met him and found out his purpose and goal.  David and I served in the same reserve unit on Robins AFB, GA.  He was a loud and charismatic individual and it made me want to do what I normally do, pick on people!  So, he was now a target.  Of course, the real goal was to find out if he knew Christ as his personal savior. 

 

When he and I got a moment to just talk, I found out that he did know Christ.  Well, one conversation led to another and we began talking about where we came from and stuff like that.  When he got to explaining how he had left the active duty life to pursue his passion of photography, I was lit up!  I had all sorts of questions and that spawned another great relationship with a professional.  After seeing his website and his work, I was certain that I would learn a great deal from him; I wasn’t wrong.

 

Since then, I talk to David (he lives in Atlanta) every week and we keep each other motivated in the business efforts and in prayer as well.  I try to encourage him on the spiritual things and things of God and he keeps me focused on pushing the envelope.  I have worked with him on a project for the Atlanta Power Team photoshoot several months ago and look forward to more events with him.

 

 

www.michaelwilliamsphotography.net

 

I was very blessed to re-connect with an old photo friend, Mr. Michael Williams of Michael Williams Photography.  We have been in contact with each other via email for over a week now and needed to catch up.  We met last night (4/6/09) at Starbucks and started what will be a spread of meetings to get “up to date” on the latest happenings in each other’s lives and businesses.    Michael is a full-time photographer and a very proficient one at that.  He also teaches basic photography skills at one of the local tech schools.  I have admired his work over the years and his professionalism and I really look up to him. 

 

Michael and I talked for an hour and a half on a variety of topics, all centering around “the business” and where we desire to go with things.  I was impressed by how far he’s come in the little-over a year that I’ve been out of touch with him.  His business is thriving and he has made leaps towards being the “go-to” photographer in this area for event and wedding photography.  After leaving the meeting, I felt even more inspired to work harder at making strides and trusting in God to propel my own business to a level that is beyond my imaginations.  Look out world, I’m coming!

 

When you are able, stop by his site and pay him a visit.  You will be impressed with his work.

 

 

www.lastingmemories65.com

 

R. Lee Hamilton of Lasting Memories I have known the least amount of time of the three.  I worked with her for several months in the IT directorate on Robins AFB, GA.  She has a beautiful eye for photos and I’m impressed with her work.  When it comes to personality and desire, she ranks at the top in my book.

 

She has a wonderful site as well, stop by and see her work too.

My gear

I’ve been blessed over the last couple years and months to be able to have “nice” gear.  As I’m always looking to improve and mainly get “newer/better” lens, I’ll accept donations. 

 

Shooting equipment

Nikon D300 – This is my main camera

Nikon D70 – Backup camera

Nikon SB600 Flash

Sekonic L-358 Light Meter

Sigma 24-70, 2.8 > My favorite

Nikon 18-70, 3.5-4.5 > Kit lens (D70) and another great piece of glass

Nikon 50mm, 1.8 > Good for group shots and room shots

Nikon 70-300, 4-5.6G > Good lens for sports and such

Quantaray 24-90, 3.5-5.6 > Good backup to the 28-70

Sigma 24-90, 2.8-4 > Needs repair, blades sticking

It's been only a little while (it seems) since Carlisle Photo has taken serious strides to keeping busy with photo sessions and events.  In a very short period of time, God has done great things.  Some of the latest developments for Carlisle Photo are below.  I will be trying to keep this blog updated with new business and/or projects we've been working on.

• Last month we started working with The House of Prayer and photographing their musical artists that come in for the "Gospel Music Hour".  The idea is that the artists would have professional photographs done of them while they perform and hopefully use them in a portfolio.  The Gospel Music Hour takes place at the House of Prayer in Warner Robins each 3rd Sunday at 3PM.

• Recently, we traveled to Orlando, FL for my sister-in-law's wedding.  Although I was not the primary or hired photographer, I took a lot of nice pictures.  I made a good business contact with the hired photographer and I hope that turns into something really prosperous.  He has a lot of experience and a drawer full of contacts!  He was very impressed with the wedding album I creaed for my own sister.  I am very excited about the business contact I made.  The photos will be up on the gallery in a few days.

• One of the Single's Valentines Day Event clients scheduled her Pastor's headshots with us and that is scheduled to happen on the 11th of this month.  Additionally, 2 clients from that Valentines Day event ordered packages.

• March 3rd, I rented the conference room of Simply Storage for the first time.  The plan to be able to use the conference room to allow for reduced setup/breakdown time was a good one.  The clients preferred the location as it did not require their house to adjusted for lights, stands, backgrounds, etc.  We preferred it because of the labor reduction.  Additionally, the location is very close to home and allows for privacy if necessary when changing.  The sessions went great and we are expecting to make more than enough to cover the costs of the room rental.

• We have two prom portratis sessions on the 11th, a HS Senior photo session on 19th, & a full prom event to do on the 9th of May.  We have a wedding to shoot in Chicago on July 11th and a 55th Wedding Anniversary with vowes on the 25th of July.

Please continue to pray for Carlisle Photo and its health and success.