Carlisle Photography

Open Mic Nite @ Bare Bulb!

2011-05-10T17:00:00.002-04:00

I had the privelege of shooting some of the performers at the Bare Bulb Coffee House on Saturday 5/7/11! It was a blast! The performers were great and the owners were very hospitable! I will be posting some photos of that night right here on 5/11/11, so come back and check'em out! Also, when you get a chance, go by and checkout Bare Bulb's Facebook page HERE and be sure to say I sent you. While you're there "like" them and share the love.

As promised, here are some select shots from that night. Open Mic Nite @ Bare Bulb, tag your friends and everyone you know at my FaceBook page here. More photos are available on my website under "view your proofs", then choose "events". Enjoy.

PS. be sure to stop by Bare Bulb and show'em love at: 1117 Hwy 96 Kathleen, Georgia 31097 and their website at www.barebulbcoffee.org.

AJ

Prom 2011 Photos

2011-05-02T18:31:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos from the 2011 Senior Prom!

Sometimes you just gotta DIY!

2011-04-27T12:24:00.003-04:00

Here are some photos of the Ring Light/Beauty Dish I created in response to Larry Becker's (larryscheapshots.com) cheap shot idea. I have also uploaded 2 videos explaining how this was done:

Part 1

Part 2

Finished mylar/emergency blanket version (best for ring light)

Mounted on SB800

Frontal view of mounting

Copy of Larry Becker's version ( best for beauty dish)

Painted version mounted to SB800

Frontal view of Larry Becker's version (painted)

This first show was straight on with a Stofen diffuser.

Manual mode, ISO 100, f8, 1/200 sec, 52mm

Same Stofen diffuser but flash bounced off ceiling.

Manual mode, ISO 100, f8, 1/200 sec, 44mm

This one is with the ringflash I made with the highly reflective material. Notice with highlights in the hair and on the cheek bones, down the neck and how the lips really stand out.

Manual mode, ISO 100, f8, 1/200 sec, 46mm

This final image is with the ringflash but with the satin paint on the inside. The overall contrast is lower and the eye sockets have less definition. Also, I increased the power output on the flash to full power.

Manual mode, ISO 100, f8, 1/200 sec, 52mm

Successful Photoshoot!

2011-04-12T11:32:00.001-04:00

My good friend Michael Williams and I had an awesome day of shooting yesterday! It turned out even better than I hoped. My daughter played an excellent model for us as well as we drove around Macon. We're planning another outing in May but hope to have more photographers involved. I personally learned a great deal from watching and being around Michael 's talent and skill. My daughter was a great help and very willingly changed clothes in the car and trekked across parks, wet grass, and parking garages without complaint! I will post some pix soon!

Update! I told you God is good!

2011-04-07T22:46:00.000-04:00

In the way of a quick update...I am so excited about the goodness of God. I scheduled a portrait photoshoot for a billboard today. The client came in at the appointed time and all went very well. Some photos of the shoot are below as well as posted on my Facebook page. The extra blessing however, is that when the client showed up, she immediately told me about two others that need photo sessions and her daughter was there and needs to have photos for her CD done!! Man, I told you, God is good and good at what He does! I have an appointment scheduled for Monday night from this appointment!

Pastor/Prophetess Rivers:

Upcoming events!

2011-04-07T12:55:00.000-04:00

Friends and readers, this is just an update of some happenings with Carlisle Photography. I believe that when one door shuts, there is at least another waiting to be opened. Well in my case it was no less than 3! Yes, God does it again.

I recently lost a client (due to event cancellation), and I was really looking forward to it. Well, as God would have it, in just a matter of days, that one cancellation made room for 2 more weddings, a new business client that wants a regular photographer for their authors, a portrait session (for tonight) for a billboard ad and another bride interview on the 16th! God IS good and all that He does is good!

On this Monday, I will be working with Mr. Michael Williams of Michael Williams Photography doing some "around the town" model shooting in Macon, GA. The model is my one and only daughter, and we're looking to have some great photographs. Keep checking back for the photos to see what we've done!

Thanks for all of your for your support and prayers. I'll be in touch!!

#1 photography resource!

2011-03-29T15:02:00.000-04:00

To all my photography friends out there... Check out the link below for the #1 Photo Subscription I would recommend to EVERY photographer. Use code PVFAN at the checkout and save $150 off the regular subscription price, which is still well worth the investment. I personally watch the DVDs every week! Seriously, I do.

PhotoVision Video

Just a quick update

2011-03-08T15:24:00.001-05:00

Wow, it's been a good little minute since I last posted. I apologize for that. A lot has gone on since this the last time I've blogged, but instead of sending the readers through "all that stuff", I'll just give you the latest.

So far this year (2011), I've shot one wedding and have 3 upcoming (Apr, Jun, & Aug), thank The Lord for that. The wife and I celebrated 21 years on Feb 19th! Woo Hoo! Praising God for that too. You can see a little clip of the resort.

I've been trying to dabble in the video realm a little here lately and it's been going pretty well. Have a look at this clip and leave your thoughts for me.

The bride and groom really enjoyed the video clip and I had a blast creating it. I got turned on to TrakAx (http://www.trakax.com/) and it's been a real pleasure to learn. It's very very simple to catch on to and it works pretty quickly on my machine. All the other video editing programs struggle to work smoothly, but not this one and on top of all that, it's only $24.95!

Ok, let's see, this past weekend I attended (for a short period) the Georgia Bridal Bash & Wedding Expo put on by Georgia Bridal Bash & My Fair Wedding. Mr. David Tutera was the guest speaker/presenter and from what I heard, he did a great job. By the time I arrived, he was doing pictures and handshaking and the brides were just flocking to his side. Next year, if it's not on 1st Sunday, I will plan to have a booth of my own. You can see more of the Facebook page on the event HERE.

Ok, that's it for now, I'll try to give more updates more frequently. Also, I'm working on some DIY projects and I will certainly put them up here as well when I'm finished with them.

In the meantime, check out these links:

Make it cake (bakery)

Shannon Stubbs (baker)

Tryphena's Garden (venue)

The Hay House (venue)

Geri Sims (drapery)

J Royalty Designs (graphic design)

Royal Signature Event (event planning)

Mobile Media Memories (video production)

Lawrence Mayer (florist)

Latest happenings

2010-09-15T20:08:00.000-04:00

Well friends, things have been going well, no complaints. I will say I could be doing a little better though. Again, not complaining though. I received an email last weekend from a bride that needed some photos done at the end of the month. She and her fiance are getting married at the courthouse. I put together a good deal but the day we were supposed to meet, she had to cancel. Oh well, I hope everything is going good for them anyway. You never know why somethings happen but, I'm good with it. I don't want to run into a situation where they find out they still need photos and I have made other plans and may not be available.

Then, I had an appointment to do some family portraits for a client on that same day...Well, the wife went into labor and they could not of course go through with the appt. I'm very happy for them but wish I could have gotten the shoot done for them and documented her pregnancy with photos and maybe the baby pictures after. Well, I wish them all the best as well and hopefully they'll call on Carlisle Photo when they're up to it.

My favorite photography resource.

2010-08-11T23:51:00.000-04:00

I've been receiving the DVDs from Photovision and they have SO much information in them!! You will see photographers on actual shoots, lighting techniques, great composition ideas, and much more!! Sign up today and receive a full year for only $39.00, (regularly $149.00) click on this link http://fansof.photovisionvideo.com/AJ/054585 and use the code PVFAN. You will not regret this purchase!!! I just keep watching them over and over!!

You can also go to the site PREVIEW and click on the Preview Video from 2010 and see a sample of what you'll get on the DVDs.

You will not regret this purchase!!! I just keep watching them over and over!!

New levels in photography

2010-08-11T23:46:00.001-04:00

I've been working on some textures for my photos. I've been pretty pleased with the results. Here are a few examples.

The will be more to come later. Thanks for looking.

Nations Photo Lab Review

2010-08-07T14:47:00.001-04:00

Many of you photographers out there no doubt use or have a Facebook account. If so, you'll know that on the right-hand side of the page, there is a space for advertising. Well, three days ago (Aug 5th), I noticed an advertisement for Nations Photo Lab? Well, I figured the least I could do is check out the site and see what they're all about. I currently use WHCC for all my printing and I love them. My thoughts were that I would like to have another vender in case they offer some perks, sales, or options that are not available with WHCC.

After looking around the site for a while, I found they offer evaluation prints (like most quality labs do) for a shipping price of $7. Not a bad deal considering they send you your five 8x10 prints uncorrected for color and both in glossy and matte. However, they also send you their color corrected versions in the same glossy and matte papers!! That's 20 samples!! Ok, $7, no problem! I sent the files on the 5th and received them back today, the 7th.

Two days later (just like WHCC), I received my package and I think I'm in love. Below are some pics I snapped with my camera phone to show the package. It's quality packaging too. I'll give my score of each below the photos.

Packaged safe and sound! Rating: 10

Blurry pic but you can see the padding. Rating: 10

Separated for easy review. Rating 8.5 because of the brown paper bag. I don't know if this is how all the prints will come though.

A little hard to see, but the file name and copyright are printed on the back. Custom text is available at NO additional cost. Rating 10

Now, when I compared the color corrected prints to my uncorrected prints, I was very very happy. The only "real" correction is they removed some magenta tonality in the skin tones. On some of the prints it was more noticeable and desired, on others, not so much. In my opinion, I could easily predict what kind of print I would receive if I go with them.

All in all, this company is a winner with me.

Two other things that make this company a real consideration for my business... 1. They have album design capability right inside their ROES program! Big plus!! 2. They currently have a sale going on for prints larger than 11x14 through October!

I hope this help you in your business. Drop me a line if you end up using them and let me know what you think.

Meet Mr. Tevin Riley

2010-07-31T09:11:00.003-04:00

These are a few shots of my recently graduated nephew Mr. Tevin Riley. Watch out world, here comes success.

My best photography resource secret

2010-07-31T09:09:00.000-04:00

To anyone that wants to get better with their photography skills.

This is the deal you've been looking for. I'm not a salesman or on payroll with PhotoVision. I'm an Profession Amateur Photographer. I struggle with having time, funds, and opportunities to attend the better photography conferences. Many of you are in the same boat.

Well, PhotoVision to the rescue! I don't want to spell it all out here because the website and the samples on the site will tell you all you need to know. But, if you are in to wedding, infant, portrait, senior, family, model, whatever photography, you need this. If you want to know about workflow, studio design, business marketing, WHATEVER, you need this.

With a Photovision subscription, you get a 2 hour DVD ever 2 months with a load of information! I am always excited when mine comes in the mail. This is not a joke. If you think this is a sales tactic, go to my website, www.carlislephoto.com, get my cell number and I will tell you personally.

The subscription normally goes for $149/year and worth every penny. You cannot attend most seminars for that amount. But.....From now until September 30th, PhotoVision is on sale at 70% off, just $39 for the entire year when you use the promo code: PVFAN. Check PhotoVision out for yourself by going to: http://fansof.photovisionvideo.com/AJ/054585 you won't regret it!

Ansel Adams comment

2010-07-31T09:08:00.002-04:00

I found this quote and thought it was great!

{"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." -Ansel Adams}

Love it and had to put it somewhere to be seen.

2010-03-05T19:21:00.000-05:00

To all my fellow coffee drinkers out there. When you have time, check out www.aromacup.com. It's a site for coffee and coffee maker reviews. It's primarily about Keurig Coffee makers. I found out about this site a couple week ago when I was searching for coupons to buy a Keurig single-cup brewer for my office. As God would have it, I was given another brand coffee maker free and I started using it. While on the site however, I registered for a drawing for a $139.00 Keurig brewer and a few days later, I WON IT! Ain't God good?! The brewer arrived today along with a 22 piece sample of various coffees and teas. So, when you have time, check out Aromacup.com.

Dec '09 news

2009-12-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

All is well. I thank the Lord for a beautiful year! With all the ups and downs, health issues and other things, He’s still keeping me and the family! For all the things that I see Him doing and the things that I’m not aware of, I’m grateful.

I recently had a chance to help my good friend Michael Williams of Michael Williams Photography, get his new website designed. He’s ecstatic about “going-live” in the next two days. It’s been a blessing to be able to help him get his redesign done.

Friday the 18^th of December, our church had an adults only Christmas party and it was great! My wife looked fantastic too! I took a couple photos of us at home that evening and they’re below for you to see.

BUSINESS UPDATES:

I received a call on Saturday evening from a young lady that is wanting to put together a portfolio for her modeling career! She’s supposed to call me later today (Mon).

I have a family photoshoot on the 23^rd for a local family. A portion of this family found me on the net and made contact. She orig. wanted the 24^th, but I’m busy that day.

I shot a couple hundred photos of a prominent IT figure’s retirement this past week. It was not immediate money, and I just did it to help out, but it was a opportunity for networking! I expect it will bring some business in the future.

Ok, enough for now, thank you for reading.

Remember, Christmas is about Christ. Blessings unto you.

Updates!

2009-10-13T06:51:00.001-04:00

Well, I can say that I’ve been busy! I have not been as busy with taking photos as I may have desired to be, but I have been busy with redesigning some aspects of Carlisle Photography.

Some of the changes are already evident in the package pricing for the senior portraits. I’m very proud of what I’ve come up with for the pricing structure but it is not of my own imagination or creativity. I actually got the structure idea from Mr. Kirk Voclain, a brilliant photographer from Louisiana and from Kevin Kubota and also, Sarah Petty. You can probably guess that the WPPI Atlanta Road Trip had something to do with it. You’d be right! I am still going back over my notes and getting some new ideas for enhancing what I provide to the clients.

One of the biggest changes I have made is that I’ve done away with packages! Kirk made it so clear; why limit your clients to package-based sessions? It’s your money, spend it how YOU want to spend it! I could not agree more! Soon to come, no packages for portraits or weddings!

Another good piece of news is that I recently received an email from Mr. Laymon Hicks, a motivational speaker from Tallahassee. He is scheduled to speak to some high schoolers on 13 Oct (today) and needed a photographer. He contacted me last week and we were able to make an appointment for the shoot of the event! He is a great young inspirational speaker and you should look him up some time! I’ll let you all know how it goes later on in the week (time permitting).

I’d like to send a thanks to Rhonda & Michael for allowing me to document your wedding day in photos. I had a great time with you all and your families. The photos are beautiful and will be available soon. Thanks again and many prayers and wishes for a lifetime of love and happiness.

Some things in life really make a difference

2009-09-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

This past Monday I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Atlanta WPPI Road Show! Mr. Michael Williams of Michael Williams Photography went with me. It was a day of incredibly valuable information!

Bambi Cantrell (www.cantrellportrait.com) was the Master of Ceremonies and as a bonus taught on creating impactful albums. She was not listed on the schedule of speakers and she spoke to us at the very end and if everyone was like me, we felt so honored to hear her talk! In-between sessions, she was so approachable and down-to-earth, it was great. She is a wealth of knowledge and experience, as all the speakers were.

Sarah Petty (is tall!) (www.thejoyofmarketing.com) started of the presentations and from the start, had you thinking about your business in a new light. She really caused you to reflect on how you were growing and presented your products and services without losing your shirt.

Tony Corbell (www.tonycorbell.com) is so passionate STILL! Oh man did he take us back! He made us fall back in love with the craft again. Those of us that felt like they were sometimes just going through the motions to get paid, got their money’s worth. I enjoyed him for his honesty and passion and raw “give it to them in the face” approach. Eye-opener for sure.

Kirk Voclain (www.kvphoto.com), hmmmm, how many ways can you say CRAZY? This guy was incredible and his talent is over-the-top! He kept us entertained (for sure) and educated us in so many different areas. His approach to senior photos and his pricing structure, his mobile home beginnings, made you feel like anything is possible. His prints were simply amazing. The way they pop off the screen on his site are the same as the huge prints he brought in!

Kevin (class-act) Kubota (www.kubotaimagetools.com), what can I say? He’s so laid back, it wasn’t until he was up presenting that I recognized him. Yes, he looks like his photos but he just blended it with everyone else. He’s a little crazy too (throwing door prizes from the stage) but so professional it was jaw-dropping. I was sitting and just honored to have the opportunity to see the amazing photos he’d taken and how his workflow made so much sense.

Icing on the cake…….I took a moment and sent all the presenters a personal email, thanking them for their time, talent, and willingness to help us “little-guys”. At the bottom of each of the emails (the main content was different) I asked that if they had time, to stop by my site and leave me a note, or just respond to the email. Well to my surprise (definitely pleasant), Kevin Kubota was the first to respond. Not only did he comment, he complimented. He did not send a “canned” response, he actually visited my site! That is why I call him “class-act Kubota”. Below is his comment back to me.

Message: “Hey AJ! Thanks for your GREAT note! Made my day for sure :-) I'm thankful you came to the workshop and that it was helpful to you. I enjoyed looking at your site too, great photos! I love the story of how you got your dads cameras too :-) I inherited the photo bug from my dad too and he gave me my first camera, an old Nikkormat, to start my photo biz. All the best!

-Kevin”

Oh, and the mini trade show was great too! I won a white balance tool ($99 regularly)! During the breaks we would go into the trade show room and visit the vendors. Color Right (www.colorright.com) was located in the corner of the room and it was crowded. Through the people, I noticed a jar on the table and business cards being placed in it. I did NOT know what it was for, I could not see the paper that stated there would be a drawing. I figured it was a sales tactic for them to put you on their contacts listing or send you coupons. During one of the later breaks that day, I received a call and noticed it was an Atlanta number. I answered and the voice on the other end explained she was at the WPPI show and I had entered the drawing and won! I asked her to raise her hand so I could see where she was located. I walked over and to my surprise I had won the “original” colorright White Balance tool. What made this really cool is that I was wanting to buy one anyway! God is good!

May God bless and keep you all!

I got my camera back from the shop!

2009-08-20T06:41:00.000-04:00

It’s been a long 3 weeks! I received a call from Peachtree Camera Repair in Marietta, GA at 12:30pm yesterday. They notified me that my D300 was ready for pick up. I was more excited than I can say. I will admit that while it was in the shop, I was forced to “re-learn” my D70. I found that although I did not want to necessarily go back to it, I remembered after doing a photoshoot with it, just how nice and sharp it was. I appreciated the D70 again and was able to do my session without any issues.

My wife Tabatha and I left for Atlanta as soon as I got off work at 2:30-2:45 and high-tailed it up I75 so we could miss the Atlanta traffic. We were blessed to be able to get all the way through downtown Atlanta and up to Marietta in a timely manner. The traffic was good all the way until about 2 miles before the exit I needed to take. We arrived at the shop just before closing and I was so pleased to check the camera out and see it focusing like it was supposed to.

We left and had dinner at the Marietta Diner (seen on Food Network on DDD) and that was nice. We both had to bring food home, they give you A LOT of food! We bought two slices of cake (Carrot and German Chocolate) and I tasted them when we got home and by the way, they are gigantic slices. The cakes are delicious and worth a trip up there by themselves.

I took a few test shots once I got home and they were sharper than ever, even more than I when I first started shooting with it! I was very impressed and I’m very happy.

August 2009, it's been a while.

2009-08-09T00:40:00.006-04:00

Life is good. I recently went to Phoenix, AZ for a week with my wife. It was very VERY hot! I enjoyed the time away but there is not much at all to do in Phoenix but to try to fine a place to get cool!! I walked around downtown while my wife was in a class one day and I felt like I was going to pass out, but God kept me.

I also took a trip to Sedona and that was great! The way it came about was, as I sat in the foyer waiting for my rental car to be delivered, another hotel visitor mentioned to me the red mountains of Sedona should not be missed. My wife was in class that day, so I drove there on my own. While I was there I took some very nice photos of the red mountains.

Even with the heat, I would go back if we were going to stay in Sedona at a resort and do some hiking and travel to the Grand Canyon.

While I was in Phoenix, I took my camera to the shop there to get some things checked out and found the contacts on the camera bodies and the lenses were in real need of cleaning. Also, I have noticed as of late, the photos seem soft, to the point of being out of focus at times. I tried everything I knew to fix the problems myself but I was just out of luck. Once we returned to GA, I took my D300 to Peachtree Camera Repair in Marietta to get an estimate. The repair company called me with a $400 repair that I was not ready to pay out, but, can I do right? Apparently, there is a bracket or something that hold the image sensor is cracked and needs to be replaced. The biggest problem with receiving that news was that I had a wedding shoot in a week, which leads me to this next topic..

You know, it's good to have good friends! I found that the friends that I have are good friends. When I was in need for camera body, I could go to my good friend, Michael Williams of Michael Williams Photography and he allowed me to use his D300 to complete this assignment. It was a great thing to me to be helped like that! I'm so grateful to Michael for his friendship and trust. Thanks Michael!

All the weddings (3) that I shot in July went very well. The one I shot today at Hilton Garden Inn in Warner Robins for Wanda and Willie Pickett was a lot of fun and should bring some more business. I made some good business contacts and Carlisle Photography is now on the preferred vendors list with the hotel! God be praised.

Do unto others; a testimony.

2009-06-10T12:28:00.002-04:00

Luke 6:38 [KJV]

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete, withal it shall be measured to you again."

Friends,

I am a believer in God’s Word as you can no doubt tell, but, I just have to share this short and very recent testimony.

I believe in giving, blessing others, and doing so without expectation of a return blessing. In other words, from the heart. I have a good friend in the business by the name of Michael Williams of Michael Williams Photography. I have known and respected him for years now and you’ll see references to him in earlier blogs I’ve made.

He is a professional full-time photographer in this area and by some expectations, should be a competitor of mine. I simply do not subscribe to that thinking. I believe that what God has for me is for me and likewise for others. I cannot take EVERYONE’S photos! I don’t want to try either. But, not too often will you hear of people in the same profession or skill passing on or giving away business. Well, in Luke 6:38 it says that what you give out will come back to you in return.

I received an email yesterday (Tuesday) about a 50^th Wedding Anniversary event at the end of the month. I will not be in town that day and responded to the person with a recommendation for them to contact Michael Williams. When I sent the email, I (in a playful, aww geez, kinda way), said “Man, I won’t be here to do this”. But, in my heart I was so glad to be able to send a possible client to a trusted friend and colleague. Well, just as Luke 6:38 says….it was measured back to me in less than an hour! I received a call for a wedding job in July! That job is on a day that I will be available! God is so faithful!

Luke 6:38 [AMP]

Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.

"Lift as you climb"

What a blessed week I've had!

2009-05-20T14:45:00.000-04:00

Where do I start?? I have been so amazed at God’s faithfulness, it blows me away! I will try to put this down succinctly so as to show how God is just putting things together.

May 7^th, I received a call for a wedding photoshoot for July 11^th. I met with Michael Richardson of Hustle Inc. to give him an outlet for his ideas and help him with clarity in his thoughts. I believe we’ve made a good connection and some future business collaboration will come from it!

May 9^th, Shot the CFA prom along with my son’s help. It went very well! My son took 300 photos and I was very impressed with how he flowed with the night and captured precious moments.

May 10^th, Gave tithes and offerings off the earnings of the on-site orders at the prom the night before.

May 11^th, received a NICE order from the Prom shots on my website from a mother of one of the attendees.

May 13^th, I had a dollar figure in mind of what I wanted to give in the Tithes and Offerings at Bible Study. After calculating what I was supposed to give, I was saddened that it was less that I had in my heart to give. I gave what was in my heart and by the end of service, I received a call for a Senior Photoshoot!! Can’t beat God giving.

May 15^th, I shot the Bailey photoshoot I had schedule for their baby boy, the senior photoshoot which was to be a very low earner and got triple what I expected in orders!

May 16^th, Scheduled a wedding photoshoot for July 25^th and I got my wife some real estate business from the same couple.

May 17^th, I gave my tithes and offerings. I shot the monthly Gospel Music Hour at House of Prayer and made several business contact.

May 18^th, I received a call from someone looking for a local photographer for a Maternity Shoot. I scheduled it for the 25^th of May!

May 20^th, I scheduled two new clients for the 25^th of May as well, a young baby photoshoot and 3 children (brothers and sister).

All glory and honor to God for His goodness and faithfulness.

Update of 9 May events!

2009-05-11T12:42:00.001-04:00

Although the photoshoot for Dabar Ministries fell through, the photoshoot that evening for the CFA prom went very well. For our background, we used the Tiki Hut the planners had created as a “theme” centerpiece. They had set up a nice Hawaiian theme and I did not want to change it or add “another” centerpiece as a background for the photos.

The overall event and the photography went very well and I am sure the participants were please and will be happy with their photographs. A very special thanks to my son Aaron for all his hard work and dedication to Carlisle Photography. He really makes things run smoothly for me on location. As I was taking the formals and posed shots, Aaron was roaming around taking candids and impromptu photos. I’m very glad he was there to capture what I would not have been able to get.

Ups and downs

2009-05-04T10:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I don’t really have too many downs, but, some things come along that we don’t care for. On the positive side, I received an order for photos the other day out of the blue! It was a great surprise and it was from someone in another state that knew the client. Thank you Lord.

On the negative side, the photoshoot I had scheduled for the 9^th of May at 11am was cancelled because of a scheduling conflict with the hotel the event was to be held at and the client. But, even that was ok, because after speaking with the client, she assured me that they have been discussing Carlisle Photography and that they will be utilizing my services more in the months to come! God is so good!

I met again with Michael Williams of michaelwilliamsphotography and we had a very, very prosperous meeting. We both left with excitement for what is to come for both our businesses. While there, we met Mr. Michael Richardson of Hustle Ink. And found out that he and a couple other local designers will be having a fashion show in a few months. It was a surprise that our conversation was overheard and birthed another business contact for the two of us! Praise God.

Well, thank you all for visiting and reading. Catch me on Twitter, Facebook, and this blog regularly. I have also signed up with linkedIn and soon to be with Flickr if I think I can keep up with the posting.

Till next time…

Happenings

2009-04-22T16:43:00.000-04:00

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!

This week's happenings and updates

2009-04-15T09:19:00.000-04:00

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.

2009-04-13T23:07:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-10T13:36:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-10T11:25:00.001-04:00

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!

Business Contacts and Inspirations

2009-04-08T15:14:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-07T15:23:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-05T21:48:00.002-04:00

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.