... well not really.

But we did scooch over a bit and are settling in quite nicely at the home of our new blog.

You should come visit. We'd love to see you. We even decorated.

BIG Folio will be participating in two instructional workshops to close out the summer. We will be attending Skip's Summer School at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, August 16-19, 2009. 

BF will also be representend at Learnfest, located just outside Atlanta, GA at beautiful Chateau Elan, September 14-17, 2009.

If you will be attending either of these events, we'd enjoy talking with you. So just find the BIG Folio logo and introduce yourself. See you at Summer School and Learnfest 2009!

NextProof allows you, the photographer, to sell prints and digital negatives for weddings and more. And you can do it all online! A few of the key attributes offered by NextProof are:

• A Secure E-Commerce Platform for Today’s Photographer

• Galleries That Look as Good as Your Work

• Flexibility and Protection

• NextProof Sites work perfectly in conjunction with BIG Folio sites

• A Great Value to Maximize Profits

The best part is you can try it FREE for the first 30 days. Stop by NextProof and check out the designs as well as the many features available.

TO ELIZABETH MESSINA & KISS THE GROOM!

Elizabeth Messina's Kiss The Groom blog was voted "Best Wedding Photography Blog" by WeddingChannel.com. Congratulations, Elizabeth! And thank you to everyone who voted for Kiss The Groom.

For more information about Elizabeth or to see examples of her photography, click the above image. Visit WeddingChannel.com to find out more about the recent Bridal Blog Awards. And as always, feel free to let us know if you are in the running for any photography-related awards.

The 2009 IPA will bestow a $10,000 cash prize to the International Photographer of the Year award winner.

Photo by Elizabeth Messina
(This image won 2nd place at the 2008 IPA in the Wedding category)

Though the entry deadline has already passed, we were wondering what a professional photographer would do with such a large sum of money. Would you put it back into your business? Would you buy some new equipment? Would you give some or all of it to charity? We'd like to know, so just leave your comments right here on our blog. And if you have entered the 2009 IPA competition, good luck!

...WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON FOR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY?

Is it the showers and floral blooms of Spring? The bright sunshine of Summer? The leaves turning color in the Fall? Or is it the snowy cover of Winter?

Tell us your favorite season and why you have chosen it. And as always, you are welcome to send us images that feature your favorite wedding season. Just email them to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com.

Esteemed photographer Marcus Bell has been awarded the 2009 Ilford Trophy, and the above shot was named "Photograph of the Year" at the Australian Professional Photography Awards. For more information about Marcus and his award-winning photography, check out his blog. Congratulations, Marcus!

Elizabeth Messina's blog has just been nominated for TWO awards from WeddingChannel.com. Congratulations, Elizabeth!

Her KISS THE GROOM blog has been selected as a Finalist for Best Wedding Photography Blog & Best Overall Wedding Blog. You can vote by clicking on the links or on the image below.

"I need your help to win. I know everyone has a lot going on. I would be so honored if you would please vote for KISS THE GROOM. I put my heart into my blog & it is so wonderful to be recognized."

-Elizabeth Messina

Remember, voting ends at midnight on July 21, and you can vote for Elizabeth as many times as you want between now and then. So go vote!

The wait is over. Our newest Premium Design, Burlington Place, is now available. 

Want to see a preview of Burlington Place? CLICK HERE

We are even throwing in a Special Offer: Use the coupon code BUR100 and receive $100 off the setup fee. This offer is only good through 11:59 PST on Sunday, July 19, 2009- so sign up now and save!

CLICK HERE for everything else you might want to know about Burlingon Place's design and capabilities.

...Books or experience or both?

That is our oversimplified way of asking what you think is the best way to improve skill as a photographer. In this day of digital imaging, do books really help? Or is experience key to learning the right (and wrong) ways to capture brilliant images? Or is the best way to learn new technique one that mixes methods and uses both instruction and on-the-job training?

Photo by Kelly Baxter

We were inspired to write this post by a Popular Photography article we stumbled across. Feel free to check out all 26 books on the PopPhoto list and let us know what you think. Have you learned anything valuable from any of their selected works? Or has your main focus been getting out there and shooting as many people, places and things as you can?

Leave your comments right here on the BF Blog and let us know what you think.

BIG Folio friend and Photographer Extraordinaire, Bambi Cantrell shot the cover image for the Summer 2009 issue of Metropolitan Bride magazine.

Ms. Cantrell is a world-renowned and highly acclaimed photographer. She has won some of the industry's top honors, including being named one of the "10 Best Wedding Photographers in the World" in 2007 by American Photo Magazine.

Metropolitan Bride is one of the Mid-West's top bridal resources serving Brides and Grooms in and around Southwest Missouri. For more information about the magazine, click here.

And don't forget that Bambi is one of the featured instructors at the upcoming Bent in Suncadia Photography Workshop. If you are interested in learning from the talented Ms. Cantrell, it is not too late to sign up for a spot at this year's Bent in Suncadia (you can find additional details on the sidebar to the right). For more information about Bambi Cantrell, visit her website or blog.

Do you have a cover shot you would like us to know about? Send your information to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com for your chance to appear in an upcoming "Cover Shots" feature.

Here is a sneak preview of BIG Folio's newest Premium Design, Burlington Place. 

This new design will be available soon, so we wanted to give you a chance to check it out ahead of time.

Burlington will come complete with all of the features associated with our other Premium Designs, including:

• Unlimited, pages, galleries, categories and music tracks
• A fully customizable contact page
• Sub-page options
• And a FREE BF Blog

This new design also includes additional Template Settings features, like THREE Menu Options to choose from, as well as the option to have an image sit STRAIGHT or TILTED (as pictured above and below).

More information about Burlington Place, including how to purchase it, will be posted soon on the BF website, so be sure to check back (here or there) for updates.

Jeff Ascough

For those who may not already know, BIG Folio offers a custom web design service on a limited basis. You can read more about getting your own custom design, here. You can also see the other custom-designed sites and learn more about the photographers who have already used this service.

***

And don't forget, we offer another custom-design service with our unique Logo Design Package.

Each package includes:

• 3 original creations based on your ideas and concepts
• 2 revisions to your concept choice based on your needs
• Your final design will be delivered in all popular print and web-ready formats (eps, psd, tiff, jpeg, png)
• A business card template as a layered psd file
• If you have BIG Folio or NextProof accounts, we’ll add your new logo to your website and proofing account

So, whether it is a fully customized site design that fits your own personal style and personality, or it is a new logo that captures the essence of yourself or your business, BIG Folio is capable of meeting all your Custom Needs. Just visit us on the web for more information, availability and pricing.

We would like to take a minute to feature one of our very popular Premium designs: Aurora Way. The classic and elegant style of Aurora comes complete with a multitude of can't-miss features and options for further customization. Some of the features included are:

• Unlimited Pages
• Unlimited Galleries
• Unlimited Categories and Music Tracks
• A Fully-Customizable Contact Page
• Sub-page Creation
• And even a BiG Folio Blog

To see a sample of an Aurora design in action, please click here. For other information on BIG Folio, including additional BF designs and services, feel free to browse our website any time.

AND HAVE A VERY SAFE AND HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

In response to our Holga post on Jun. 22, we received these great images from New York photographer Bia Sampaio:

Each of the six shots was taken by a Holga, and we think it is clear that such a simple, little camera is capable of taking some classic wedding photos. What do you think? Should photogs add a Holga to their camera bag? Or stick with using only digital cameras and super lenses? Let us know your thoughts in our comments section.