Important Update: Within the next two hours (currently 3PM PST), we'll be performing some software updates to our email servers. Email/Webmail may be unavailable for a few minutes. Websites will not be affected.

This update should improve mail server reliability and webmail access.

Thank you.

This weeks highlighted photographer is Jose Villa of Jose Villa Photo. A Brooks Institute graduate, Jose makes his home in Solvang, CA.

What is your primary camera body?

Medium Format Contax 645

Two lenses you use the most:

With my Contax I use the 80mm 2.0 and for my Canons I Love the 24-70mm 2.8

Do you shoot RAW?

I shoot RAW FILM Baby!!!

How would you describe your photography style?

I would consider my work to be more of a Fine Art approach as well as a more lifestyle look. I love the moments captured at a wedding. As I tell photographers all the time " I love to compose my images and not just take them."

Do you normally employ assistants or 2nd shooters?

I have an assistant that goes with me to weddings. If I need a second shooter or maybe a third I will hire great friends of mine I met while at Brooks Institute of Photography. They all are Pro. Wedding Photographers in Santa Barbara now.

What do you remember about your first (or one of your first) wedding?

Well I remember thinking this is too much fun!! Except when it came down to the family portraits.. then it was more like.. "this sucks". That was 5 years ago.. now I love every second of it. Even the Family Photos ;)

If you were getting married this year, who would you want to shoot your wedding?

Ummm, a ton of photographers.. lets see.. Meg Smith, Liz Banfield, Mallory Samson, Elizabeth Messina, or John Dolan.

What advice would you give to someone just beginning their career as a wedding photographer?

Don't follow what every other photographer is doing. Create a nitch and hammer that in, soon you will be a busy photographer. As long as you are a great person and a great photographer you will succeed. No questions asked!! Best to you.. call me if you wanna chat.. ;)

This weeks highlighted photographer is Daniel Newcomb of Architectural Photography. Daniel is our first featured architectural/ interior design photographer. We are excited to hear a new perspective.

What is your primary camera body?

Canon eos-1 Mark II

Two lenses you use the most:

24-80mm 2.8 and 24mm PC lens

Do you shoot RAW?

Yes I shoot raw. Raw files have given photographers the single most important aspect of photography. CONTROL.

How would you describe your photography style?

I am an architectural/Interior Design photographer.

Do you employ second shooters or assistants?

Yes, I employee an assistants who comes on every shoot with me. His job is to aid in lighting and to help us be as un- intrusive as possible.

What do you remember about your first (or one of your first) commercial shoot?

I originally started out in 4x5 film, I can remember the cumbersome act of unpredictable photography. I was shooting small homes with wide lens trying to capture to much info. I started with 2 monolight strobes and two hot lights and thought this is what architectural photography was. My equipment and knowledge has sense grown, to an outfit of over 13 monolights with over 20 different hotlights. I have developed a great deal from the film days and enjoy shooting projects much more in this digital age.

What advice would you give to someone just beginning their career as a photographer?

Train under a photographer that knows what he is doing in there field, schooling can only take you so far. Also invest in your equipment and company. Lastly advertising via the Internet is a must. The digital age is everywhere.

Although not worth as much, frankincense was much more popular than myrrh in ancient times. Because of this, we are going to use it as the coupon code for our last discount before Christmas.

Use the coupon code FRANKINCENSE when signing up for any Premium template to receive $400 off the setup fee.

View and choose a template here.

Note, the discount ends at the end of the day on 12.20.06.

The $100 off all Standard templates special will end at the end of the day Sunday. Get them while they are hot.

Note, more specials to come next week as well.

This weeks highlighted photographer is Chuck Arlund of Arlund Imagery. Let’s see what Chuck has to say.

What is your primary camera body?

Canon 5d

Two lenses you use the most:

50mm 1.4 / 17-40 f4

Do you shoot RAW?

No

How would you describe your photography style?

Editorial

Do you normally employ assistants or 2nd shooters?

Assistants

What do you remember about your first (or one of your first) wedding?

Being very nervous. Trying to remember everything I needed to know and almost running out of film.

If you were getting married this year, who would you want to shoot your wedding?

Jerry Ghionis

What advice would you give to someone just beginning their career as a wedding photographer?

Always strive to outdo your last shoot, you are only as good as your last photograph. Keep with trends and have fun.

Congratulations to Cindy York for winning our 'name that template' contest. Cindy's submittal was 'Moonstone Drive'. What a great street in the beautiful town of Cambria, CA.

Cindy, keep your eye out for the UPS man bringing you your iPod Shuffle and 10lb. chocolate bar from Trader Joes.

We're proud to announce a new service here at BIG Folio: Flash website optimization for professional photographers.

The service includes a thorough analysis of your Flash website, enhancements that will improve your site's reach and search engine rankings, and a plan for ongoing improvements.

The service is available immediately from our website. We are currently in a pilot phase and are only accepting a limited number of customers.

The Best Part

Here's the great part: you do not need to be a BIG Folio website customer in order to purchase this service.

Ok, lets cut to the chase here. The setup for a Standard template is normally $149. We have hacked off $100 of that fee for all sign ups from now until the end of the day on 12.17.06. When signing up for a standard template use the coupon code 'MYRRH'.

Thanks and Merry Christmas.

UPDATE: Sorry about the typo, the code is 'MYRRH'.

Time for another weekend special and mini contest. This weekend's theme: the iPod Shuffle. Our CEO uses one. Shouldn't you?

Name that Template

Have you always wondered where we get the crazy names for our templates? Well, it goes like this: (a) every standard template is named after a city or town near our headquarters (think Santa Maria), while (b) every premium template is named after a popular street near us (think Price Street).

This month, Erik has started designing a new Premium template. Due to a combination of laziness and excessive egg nog, this template is still unnamed. We're giving you a chance to etch your name in history by naming this premium template. Here are the rules:

• Choose a catchy street name from your hometown that you think is worthy of a premium template
• Email your submission to mike[at]bigfolio[dot]com along with your name and mailing address (not in the comments, please)
• Submissions must be received before midnight Pacific Time on Monday December 11 (i.e. Sunday night)
• Please, only 1 street name per person ... we need some free time this weekend

We'll review all the submissions and choose our favorite. Yes, this is a totally subjective contest. On top of bragging rights, the winner will receive:

• A new iPod Shuffle - the perfect stocking stuffer
• A 10lb chocolate bar from Trader Joe's - yes, we said ten pounds. Do not try to put in a stocking.

Buy a Premium Template, Get a Shuffle

Don't want to enter? Live in a cave not near any streets? Well, you can still get an iPod Shuffle. Simply buy any premium template before midnight Pacific Time on Monday and we'll send you your very own iPod Shuffle. No coupon code necessary.

Change is afoot at BIG Folio. We are working on some great new stuff here. Due to the upcoming holidays, any site customizations will be scheduled for completion on or after January 3rd 2007.

All urgent support requests, new site setups, email account setups, and general questions will be tended to with our usual speed.

Please continue to use our support ticket system for any questions or problems, and keep an eye on our blog for more December contests and specials.

This weeks featured photographer is Mary Crow from Tennessee.

What is your primary camera body?

Canon 5D

What two lenses do you use the most?

• Portraits: 50 and 100
• Weddings: 50 and the 24-70

Do you shoot RAW?

Yes

How would you describe your photography style?

Laid back with an eye for detail.

Do you normally employ assistants or 2nd shooters?

No. It's just me.

What do you remember about your wedding?

The first official wedding I shot was in 1996. It was for a friend of a co worker. I was paid ....gasp....$350. It was at the Opryland Hotel, very traditional. They really gave me total control as to what to shoot. The first official wedding I shot after starting my business was in 2000. It was for a graphic designer, his brother is a commercial photographer here in Nashville. It was a beautiful day, at an historic house in a small town in Tennessee. The things I remember most: the groom being a graphic designer had this awesome timeline set up and gave me loads of time to shoot, the poor butterflies that did not make the trip in the little boxes, awesome food and a fabulous bluegrass band. They had about 50 guests! My kind of wedding!

Who would I want to shoot my wedding?

There are so many photographers that I admire. It is a tough choice. My friends in Franklin- Mel and Shawn McLellan and Jack and Valerie Menard with Silent Light Images.

What advice would you give those starting out in Wedding Photography?

Don't sell yourself short!

It is that time of year again. BIG Folio will be in Texas for Imaging USA in January and in London for SWPP at the same time.

Please stop by and visit BIG Folio in Texas (1.14- 1.16). We will be in booth 220.

Also, for those 'across the pond' please stop by SWPP in London (1.12- 1.14) and visit BIG Folio at Stand 193.

We are releasing 2 new TEN Bricks templates this month. They are both quite nice and will both be on sale for $750 instead of the usual $1,200.

A preview of the first template is below. This template features a unique category menu a cool feature that backlights the whole site with the colors of the image being shown.

Stay tuned...

Price Street is one of our favorite here locally. It is the street that leads down to the Pismo Pier in Pismo Beach, CA.

Please preview it here: Price Street Template

We have knocked $300 off the setup fee from now until the end of 12.7.06. Use the coupon code: HALIBUT when signing up at BIG Folio.

This weeks highlighted photographer is TJ Cameron. Find below TJ's response to our common questions:

What is your primary camera body?

Canon MKII

Two lenses you use the most

My 70-200 IS and 16-35 are the workhorses, but I love the 200 1.8.

Do you shoot RAW?

I'm currently shooting weddings in RAW and lifestyle and fashion in JPG.

How would you describe your photography style?

Fresh, fun, fashionable photography shot mostly in a photojournalistic style.

Do you normally employ assistants or 2nd shooters?

I always have a second shooter with me at weddings. Depending on the size of the wedding, I may bring in an assistant/ 3rd shooter for a little extra help. In the studio, it's just me at the moment. I could use someone part time at the moment though... It might allow me to get more sleep!

What do you remember about your first (or one of your first) wedding?

I remember it very well... I was so nervous! It was at a beautiful vineyard and the weather had been bad all week. The morning of the wedding it was raining and I was really stressed I was going to have to do all the formals inside a dark barn. The rain kept falling through the preparations and just as we were getting ready to shoot the bridal party, the clouds broke and the sun came out just long enough to get all the formals done. In the end, the wedding turned out great and I had a great time.

If you were getting married this year, who would you want to shoot your wedding?

Tough question. There are so many amazing photographers out there that it would be hard to choose. I think it would be cool just to invite some of those who inspire me and tell them to bring their camera's and shoot away. I just spent some time in Vermont with Joe Buissink and 11 other amazing photographers... I know anyone of them would do an incredible job. So, they are invited along with Yervant, Mike Colon, John Michael Cooper, and the Cheung's.

What advice would you give to someone just beginning their career as a wedding photographer?

Accept rejection. Network. Study the work of those who inspire you. Network. Don't be afraid to do things your own way. It's OK to be a perfectionist, but accept the fact there will always be someone better. Love it and don't forget to network.

We had five (5) quick sign up's and thus need to end the giveaway.

Please stay tuned here as we have a big December planned. We are going to:

• release Price Street (Premium)
• release Template 11 (TEN Bricks)
• release Template 12 (TEN Bricks)
• release Version 2 of BIG Show
• do some big discounts
• give away some BIG prizes

Click the RSS button in the top right of this blog to ensure don't miss any of our new posts here.