Engagement Photography: Helper Monkey

Some  pictures I took late last summer while playing the helper monkey for a friend's shoot ...  of which I promptly forgot about.  After rediscovering them today, and doing some quick B&W editing, I think they came out not so bad-ish :).

Thanks to my buddy Mike and 909Photo for letting me tag along ;).

And thanks for reading.

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Happy (Insert Holiday Here) Day!...

It surprises me sometimes, what people pay attention to.  I make a lot of different things at work, and I receive a lot of calls for typos on flyers, or for changes in headlines or images for an e-mail or Facebook graphic.

But lately, with the approach of each major holiday, I've been getting more calls and e-mails.  Not just for revisions or corrections ... but for when the next "themed" logo, or "We're closed" sign will be coming out.  And it slowly started to dawn on me.  People might actually be paying attention to what I'm doing. :-D

Holiday Season

Valentines Day Facebook

President's Day Holiday

St. Patrick's Day Facebook

Easter Holiday Facebook

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I've been seriously neglecting this thing... again...

Apologies.  Just a lot of things going on lately, and I have to admit.  I got a little burned out.  But, I've had a little time to catch my breath now, so to speak.  So hopefully I can get back to being a little more regular again.  On that point,  here are a few e-mail designs I put together over the past couple weeks.

If you'd like to see more,  LIKE me on FB!
Or if you have a question, feel free to e-mail me: atheoryofmadness@gmail.com
  
Last but not least, I expect to have a Twitter page ready soon :).
 
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Graphics on the Fly

Normally things at work aren't very hectic for me.  Our deadlines concerning most marketing materials can be seen pretty far in advance (at least when it comes to the print and e-mail stuffs that I have to deal with).  And I seriously doubt anyone has ever rejected a mortgage offer based on an e-mail blast that wasn't delivered on time.  

So on most days, I have more than enough time to decide which ecstatic jumping family from istock I get to cut and paste in front of that 2 story traditional for my next FHA flyer.

Sweet!  These guys will be perfect in front of that condo!

It's all really pretty easy going… that is… until someone forgets that they need something in the first place.

The following images were put together (from visual conception to completion) in about an hour.  They mostly stemmed from last minute or forgotten job fair/convention type appearances, company functions happening sooner than expected, and a spur of the moment realtor luncheon.  

Team Booster Flyer for a Company Meeting 

E-mail Blast

Flyer for Job Fair or Convention (Don't remember)

Half Page Flyer for a Luncheon

Made yesterday! Now we have 2 weeks to order tickets! Yay!

All I have to say is Thank Goodness for free stock vector sites! :D

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My Favorite Model: The Sequel

Why does it seem like the older you get, the faster time moves?  When you're a little kid, things always take too long.  

"An hour of homework?!?!  Thirty minutes till cartoons?!?!  A second in the lunch line?!?! ... Thats SOOOOOOOOOOOO long!"

Or so my niece reminded me last month when she came to visit.  I can no longer relate.  Lately things have been moving by so fast.  Wake up, drive to work at the start of the month ... only to come home, kick off my shoes, and turn on the news to realize that the months over and I have a credit card bill waiting for me.

But enough rambling.

So last month, my niece came to visit.  The last time she has been around was more or less two years ago.  She was so happy and bubbly back then.  It's true! I have proof!

SEE! Look how big that smile is! And she didn't need to be bribed or anything!

Now, she's still happy enough (more or less)... but I have to work a lot harder to get those smiles out of her.  More frighteningly, I can see the early signs of the "Angsty Teenage Monster" growing behind that goofy grin.

Don't worry, dear.  Some Oxy 10 should clear that right up!

Suffice to say I took some portraits of her.

I used the same uber-simple setup as I did two years ago (see aforementioned Happy Bubbly Proof) ... Not because I'm lazy or haven't grown as a photographer or because she wasn't patient enough for me to work out the kinks of the complex flash arrangement that I tried to arrange the night before.  But because I wanted to do an artsy fartsy retrospective, and compare how much she's grown since then........maybe ....... well that and ... yeah... children aren't very patient. :D

If you'd like to see more... and I know you do ;) ... CLICK HERE.

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Engagment Photography Design

I have to admit.  I like shooting engagement photos. I've only done it a few times, but by and large, they've been really fun to do.  I think part of it has to do with control. With engagement shots, you're not at the mercy of time, the location, and anyone's nagging parents or wedding planner. Not only that, but since it's still the beginning, and all the stress of setting up the event hasn't really built up yet, the bride and groom tend to be on the jovial side.

So when my friend asked me to help shoot some engagement shots and work on a Save the Date postcard, it was easy to say yes.

I played more of the helper role, so I didn't take too many shots, but here are a couple of my favorites.

I added a little aged effect to it. I know it's getting pretty cliche'd now with EVERY Instagram photo using it, but it seemed appropriate with these shots (at least while I was processing them).

And here's the layout I put together for their postcard.

5.6" x 4" Postcard

The background photo is one of mine, and the other photos my buddy took.

A GREAT BIG THANKS, too, to Holly and Gene, for being such fun to work with :).

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What Happened One Day When I Took My Camera to Work...

So a couple months ago, it was kind of discovered around my department at work that I dabble in photography.  And  since then, it has been part of my job responsibilities to take and or update the staff photos for new employees for our website.  For the most part, I just used our cheap Kodak point and shoot with it's built in flash.  That is, until it unexpectedly met it's end at the hands of a hard concrete convention floor and the stampeding feet of a few over-eager job seekers.  Suffice to say, the next time we needed staff pictures, I brought my own camera :-D.

I used my trusty Nikon D90 and an SB-600 flash without a diffuser (not that I didn't want one, I just forgot to pack it).  I ended up using a simple flash bouncing technique (discovered by some random tutorial ... YAYS for Youtube!) off a close wall to diffuse some of the light.



As far as the shots are concerned, lets just say I got a few less complaints than when I used the old Kodak :-D.



You can see more HERE on Flickr.



Thanks for reading.