by Cameron Ingalls

Thanks for visiting and helping to create a community here at the bf/ stop. This is a shot my lovely wife, Anna took of our nephew Ethan. Hope you are having a happier Halloween than he is. ;)

Stay tuned because I have been receiving lots of emails full of great advice from some of my favorite photographers. I will post the article on Friday. It will be called ‘How to Find Your Voice –Advice for New Photographers {Part 2}’.

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Real Life Wedding Photographer

by Cameron Ingalls

I have a profound respect for film. I always will. Film cameras are like Grandpa. He may be old and dusty, but he can still whoop your butt. There is a respect, appreciation and a fear that should fill your heart every time Grandpa is in your presence. Film is the same way. So many photography people want to debate these days. Film vs. Digital. RAW vs. JPEG. You say toe-may-toe I say toe-mah-toe. When it comes down to it our camera is simply a paintbrush. Sure my new ‘paintbrush’ has mega pixels and an LCD screen, but if I was ever lost in the wilderness of Yosemite caught in a shoot out with old-man Ansel Adams, you could be sure who would get the butt-whooping; yours truely!

I love art. I see photography as art; but I also love people who can create art through other mediums. I happened to see this piece at an art show in Oklahoma City (of all places) and just had to buy it. I talked to the artist {Jered Smith} a bit and asked him about the heart behind the piece. It is called ‘Into The Digital Age’. He shared with me that he was inspired because his girlfriend is a photographer; a film photographer. She loves film and wants to continue to shoot film, but it seems to be quickly fading into the digital age. This piece was created on the inside of a vintage book cover. Totally rad!

I used to shoot film. That’s where I started. I did the whole B&W processing in the darkroom business and really became obsessed with the entire photography process. Perhaps that’s why I work so much on all of my images even though they are digital. I actually work on them especially because they are digital. I want my work to have the look and feel and color that film is so generous to put out while having the immediate gratification that digital offers.

Hope that you enjoy Jered’s art. Who loves film? Please share your thoughts!

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Real Life Wedding Photographer

On a regular basis, and with permission from the stalked photographers, we will borrow random blog posts of theirs and post here at the bf/stop.

Are You Hospitable?
by Laura Novak

Today I received this email from one of my wedding clients:

Laura,
I just had the pleasure of going to an event where Danny Meyer (CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group) spoke about business and how, in today's economy, it's not longer just about performance and service--but about hospitality. He's written a book Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business--I haven't finished it yet, but I immediately thought of you while he was speaking and how you're always talking about the "brand" of your business and how important customer service is for distinguishing yourself from the competition. This takes it a step further and discusses how you have to find a way to help the customer feel like your doing things for them, not to them in order to succeed in today's competitive landscape.

Having never heard of Danny Meyer, I went to a few articles on google and find out the following tidbits:

• Each of his restaurants is very distinctive, and each strives to distinguish itself with warm hospitality and consistent excellence
• When asked about customer service he responds "I can write what extraordinary service is, but extraordinary hospitality is not something I can describe. It is a process of making people believe "I'm on your side."
• his restaurants cook a meal every Wednesday at Beth Israel Hospital to serve the hospital unit's nurses, doctors and to families of dying patients.

When googling Danny Meyer, I found some articles on the type of food he serves but mostly about the philosophies of his approach to business and customer service. I even found an article interviewing one of his employees.

So are you a photography company or a customer service company who happens to deliver photography? I'm sure the 'artist' in most of us would like to think of ourselves as the former but based on what I've written so far today it seems Danny Meyer has made his success as a hospitality company who happens to provide culinary delights.

We'll be recompiling some system software and rebooting server I (bigfolio.textdrive.com) tonight at approximately 9pm ET.

Sites on server I and bigfolio.com will be unavailable for a few minutes during this time.

On September 30, 2007, and after much ado, baby Samuel Wyatt was born to BIG Folio Prez Mike Caston and his wife Gena. Baby Samuel arrived without a hitch and at a hefty 6lbs, 12oz.

Not only is Big Brother Ian stoked to have someone to teach “how to be Super Heroes”, but Little Samuel is also a big help to the BF Kids boys vs. girls average (BF Girls: 6, BF Boys:2).

Congratulations, Mike, Gena and Ian!!

Check out some cute pics below. Oh, and the professional one above, courtesy Kenneth Morgan Photo

On a regular basis, and with permission from the stalked photographers, we will borrow random blog posts of theirs and post here at the bf/stop.

karlin | the bridal session
photographed on location at mashes sands, florida.
by Susan Stripling

by Cameron Ingalls I shot a wedding in Lemoore last weekend. To say it kindly, Lemoore isn’t one of the Top 10 Most Desirable California Wedding Locations. However, I am always down for the challenge. Some of my favorite pictures have come out of a wedding I shot in Bakersfield earlier this year so I have learned to never underestimate a location and especially to never underestimate a couple.

Places like Lemoore force me to throw out my bag of comfortable photography techniques and to use my God given creativity. When there is no trees-lit-on-fire-by-the-sunset-backdrop to shoot the couple in front of I am simply out of my comfort zone. I have to think. I squirm and sweat, but I think hard and try whatever idea I can come up with on the spot.

One thing I am starting to do more is what I like to call ‘pre-scout’. It is especially necessary when I’m not sure that I can rely on the beauty of the natural surroundings nearby wherever the bride is getting ready. It is kinda like ’Getting Lost’ but I tend to pre-scout just before the wedding especially when it is out of town and at an unknown venue.

We arrived to Lemoore exactly a half an hour early. We drove straight to the hotel where the Bride and her maids were preparing. As we got closer to the hotel I peeled my eyes back and examined every side street and building that we passed. And then I saw it. A roll-up door covered in a spray painted American Flag mural. I immediately thought it might work simply because the groom is in the service.

We drove past the fence that stated ‘No Trespassing’ to check things out. It happened to be a high school maintenance yard. In situations like this, it is better sometimes to check in at the pre-scouted location before you drag the bride into an uncomfortable law breaking scenario. We were immediately approached by some guy who asked us ‘Can I help you?’. I kindly introduced myself, explained our need for cool spots to shoot the Bride in about an hour, and told him how much I loved the American Flag roll-up door. He was thrilled to help out and asked if we wanted him to move the fork-lift that was parked in front. ‘Thank you very much,’ I exclaimed and just like that we had possible location #1!

After we parked at the hotel we looked across the street to the dead field of grass and a random row of a dozen 100 foot tall trees. We decided we could take the girls there first and hit the American Flag on our way to the venue where we had to meet the guys for groomsmen shots. It felt good to have a plan!

The wedding turned out to be at a complete oasis in the middle of the desert of Lemoore. The venue had an old stone barn and a saloon surrounded by tall green trees and a peaceful pond full of ducks. It was a great place to photograph the couple as well as the bridal party. In the end I had my back-lit-on-fire-trees for a backdrop, but I also had some random slightly creative shots of an otherwise ugly flag painted roll-up door. It’s all about the art of pre-scouting!

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Real Life Wedding Photographer

by Cameron Ingalls I was driving to my friends house the other day when I decided to try and get lost. As I put my right blinker on to turn down his familiar street, I glanced to my left and looked up a street I had never driven. Spontaneously, I flipped the lever and went up the hill. It dead-ended at a trail base of the back side of Madonna Mountain (a spot I had never been before). The hole in the fence and the ‘No Trespassing’ signs all the more confirmed that this would be a sweet location for an engagement session. I mentally logged it in my photo-location-memory bank.

I try to make a habit of exploring the town I live and photograph in. New environments inspire me as much as photographing new couples. It forces me to be fresh and see them in not only new light, but a new location.

Yesterday my photographer friend Mike Larson asked me to shoot some last minute pictures of him and his wife on their two year anniversary. I asked him where he wanted to go and like most people said, “Wherever you want.” I had just the place!

If you find yourself getting bored of shooting in the same old spots, then don’t for crying out loud! Go explore a little during your daily driving from here to there and maybe you will find yourself getting lost in a town that is overly familiar.

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Wedding Photographer

Only 3.5 days left to submit your picks for the 3 Most Overplayed Songs Ever. If you missed the fine details, click here.

Here's a couple of overplayed songs on my list. Note: I still really like 2 out of 3 of them.

Natasha Bedingfield::Unwritten

Duran Duran::Hungry Like a Wolf

Modern English::I Melt With You

~Lawren Ussery

by Cameron Ingalls I was just thinking the other day, I don’t really do much ‘personal work.’ I have my reasons. For one, I don’t get much pleasure photographing things or landscapes or sunsets even. I only love to shoot people. I try my best to not break out the big gun while on vacation and such because the vacation turns into a full on photo shoot. It’s hard for me to take it easy. So I guess that the closest thing to my personal work would be my new family. This is my niece, Kate. Cute as a button, but growing so fast that I feel compelled to capture each little stage of her existence. When my wife and I were dating she insisted that she be my girlfriend too. We even took her on her own dates away from her siblings. She was a bit confused, however, when we got married and she couldn’t get married too. I had to convince her that having me as an uncle instead of a boyfriend was a way better deal. Some of the shots of my wife Anna and I were taken by little 6 year old Kate. She loves using my camera even though she can barely hold it. The lens we were using is my fixed 35mm. It’s taken me awhile to get the hang of it, but it is quickly becoming on of my favorite lenses.

So, what do you shoot during your personal time? Please drop a comment below and be a part of the conversation.

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Wedding Photographer

Since we’ve been talking about music a lot lately, we decided we’d like to hear what you think are the Top 3 Most Overplayed Songs Ever. Think broad spectrum here, they can be of any genre, played at any venue. We all know that there are countless amounts to pick from, so choose wisely! The winner will be receiving one sweet iTunes giftcard.

We’ll be deciding who has the best picks on Oct 25, 2007, so get your entries in now! Submit them to contests@bigfolio.com by 11:59 PST on October 24, 2007. Be sure to include your name and email address, and have fun!

Next Thursday, we'll host our first weekly "Newbie Chat". Learn how to manage your new site, ask questions, and make new friends. If you've purchased a new site recently, you wont want to miss this. If you'd like to be a part of this, simply comment on the blog post below.

I like to think that I listen to a wide array of music, but there are a couple of tracks I just can’t stop listening to.

Check ‘em out for a little workday fun.

“Young Bride” :: Midlake

Midlake has been and will probably remain in my top five favorite bands. They have the most bizarre and intriguing lyrics about living in cabins and what it would be like to exist before the Industrial Revolution. They’re fun for when you’re feeling contemplative.

“Postcards from Italy” :: Beirut

Beirut is one of my most recent addictions. The lead singer, Zach Condon, has this amazing, delicate voice, and their Eastern European gypsy sound is intoxicating.

“Soft Rock Star” :: Metric

This is just a good rock song all around with a super catchy chorus line and it WILL get in your head. But hey, that’s not always a bad thing.

“Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors” :: Editors

Editors sound like Interpol + Muse put together (two other really good bands). I love the depth of lead singer Tom Smith’s voice and the energy in their sound. I always run a little faster on the treadmill when I’m listening to them.

“Se Lest” :: Sigur Ros

I never knew how therapeutic it was to listen to foreign language music until my brother introduced me to this band from Iceland. Oh yeah, and they are one of the few bands that used a xylophone in almost every song, which I LOVE.

by Cameron Ingalls Every week I get emails from photographers who are just starting out. They usually comment on how much they like my work and/or website and follow-up with a slew of questions about how to get started. These are some real life questions I have received over the past couple of months.

-What equipment do you use?

-Do you market or is it all word and mouth?

-Do you have any advice for getting started?

-I am also a photographer and I am trying to find a good place to start my website. Do you have any suggestions? (bigfolio…duh!)

-How did you make your way to shooting weddings as an occupation?

-Is there any way you can think of that I can shoot a few weddings without the risk of screwing up someone's photos?

I really love helping people out so I try my best to answer each email and point them in the right direction. However, I believe that all of the nitty-gritty details are just that; details. Camera equipment and lenses are just tools. Marketing is just advertising. Lighting techniques are just techniques! All of that biz-nass is not what makes a photographer great. I stumbled upon a anonymous quote a couple of years ago that still echoes in my mind to this day.

‘A typewriter never wrote a great novel any more than a camera took a great picture.’ ~Someone Smart

In this crazy ever-growing industry I find a lot of people that want to discover a shortcut to success or even a get rich quick photography scheme. Sadly enough, there are many new photographers who simply blog-stalk and straight up duplicate other photographer’s creative uniqueness. And there are also a lot of established photographers that are selling their ‘formulas to success’ and banking off of the droves of sheep-ple who will pay any price to be like these rich celebrity photographers. Now I’m not trying to slam blog-stalkers or even photographers that offer workshops or training DVDs. I love both the stalkers and the trainers. Please don’t get offended; bear with me and read on.

As a photographer who spends a lot of time sharing my heart and passion with others, I want to give the newbies some worthwhile advice; find your voice. Take the time to discover how you see the world and people and weddings and photograph straight from your heart.

The world didn’t fall in love with The Beatles because John Lennon sounded like Frank Sinatra. What people are constantly looking for is a fresh take on what has been around for ages; they are looking for a new voice, a new song. The same applies to photography. You could pay heaps of money to sound or look just like someone else, but in the end you will be known for only sounding and looking like somebody else, if not everybody else. As a new photographer you are much better off shooting your heart out and in the process discover what makes you inspired. There is a wealth of tips and tricks to getting a business off the ground, but there are no short cuts to discovering who you are as a photographer. Everybody has got to pay their dues in order to discover their own voice. If you don’t take your time you will risk forfeiting the discovery of your unique identity as a creative photographer.

I really hope that this is helpful to those of you who have a dream to become an amazing photographer one day. And for all those seasoned photographers who are ‘doing it’ could you please comment or email me the advice that you give to up-and-coming photographers? I would love to post your words of wisdom on ‘how to find your voice’. I will certainly give you credit for your profoundness and wit. cameron@cameroningalls.com

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Wedding Photographer

On a regular basis, and with permission from the stalked photographers, we will borrow random blog posts of theirs and post here at the bf/stop.

Lindsey and James at the Carneros Inn
by Anna Kuperberg

Lindsey and James had a beautiful wedding at the Carneros Inn in Sonoma, designed by Cay Lemon. Lindsey was the perfect laid back bride, and of course gorgeous in her Vera Wang. She and James just wanted to have a lot of fun at their wedding, and they did.

The best part about the Carneros is the horses. I took lots of photos-- can you tell I like animals? Horses are so majestic looking, both peaceful and powerful.

by Cameron Ingalls This is one of my favorite shots from the summer. It was taken in the cluttery-est dressing room I’ve seen in a long time. The bride was stunning and really fun to work with. I spotted the green piano off in the corner immediately and just knew that it had the potential to turn the chaos of this dressing room into peaceful elegance. I asked the bride is she was willing to climb on top of the dusty old piano. Without hesitation she responded, ‘yes!’

It has been a personal goal of mine this season to not hold back; to try everything I imagine in my little mind. Or at least to offer my creative ideas to the bride and groom with the option to not accept. This was one such moment. I could have brushed the idea aside with the prediction it would be denied. I could have done the classic bride shot in window light, but I went for it and I am so glad!

Randomly I went to Oklahoma last week for a little vacation to visit friends. I walk through their door and the first thing I see is this same green piano. Amazing! They happen to have one of the cutest little boys alive so I spent spontaneous moments photographing his every day life. One such moment was when he was sitting on the piano bench. After a few shots of him hanging there he decided to take it to the next level and asked with his grunts and pointing to be placed on top of the piano! I was thrilled and shot my heart out.

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Wedding Photographer

Beginning at 8:30pm Pacific Time tonight, We'll be performing some maintenance on our blogging system (specifically, we'll be moving the blogs to a new, beefier server).

The blogging control panel will be unavailable during that time. Individual blogs may be down momentarily (if at all). BIG Folio websites will not be affected.

Thanks.

On a regular basis, and with permission from the stalked photographers, we will borrow random blog posts of theirs and post here at the bf/stop.

Lisa + Earl, Guasti Villa
by Marc Weisberg

Some times collaboration comes in the strangest forms. Lisa's dad is a fourth generation stonemason. Some time during the reception he told me to check out those stone buildings across the way. We both agreed that they are beautiful. They are quite old and will be torn down soon in the name of progress? Lisa...you'll have to thank your Dad for this awesome image of you and Earl. All i did was push the button. I'd don't think you could have asked for a better wedding gift. The texture overlay is from the walls inside the Guasti Villa courtyard where you were wed.

See images below. Enjoy the Buzz! Mw-

by Lawren Ussery, Manzanita Designs

Somebody has to say it. It may as well be me.

What’s with the abominable music people choose for their website soundtracks? This stuff runs the gamut from Kenny G. to 80’s rock covers and super sappy country songs. I just can’t take it anymore.

The sad part is that this fatal flaw on the face of an invaluable business tool – your website – is completely avoidable. Here are a few pointers to help keep you on the straight and narrow while choosing music backgrounds.

Choose a song that complements the overall ambience of your site.

Consider the feelings and the general experience you’re trying to evoke in site visitors. You can, along with your images, stir up and create moods with music. Do you want visitors to feel introspective and quiet as they view your galleries? Is your style ethereal and otherworldly? Or are your pictures straight ahead rock and roll and you want your gallery viewers to be inspired and excited as they see your images?

Choose tracks accordingly, and make sure they are bold enough to be noticed, yet subtle enough to fit into your overall site concept. One person who I think has executed this perfectly is Canadian experiential photographer Jesh de Rox. Truly, it is an experience to peruse through his pages. His combination of raw, contemplative images, along with the evocative music background he chose transports site visitors into a place of quiet and introspection.

Don’t choose something that has been overdone.

Just because you still love “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s does not mean that your site visitors still do. You can have the freshest, most innovative style around, but choosing a song that has been cycled through a Top 100 radio station one to many times does nothing but add a feeling of staleness and kitsch to a site. Go ahead – branch out! Try something new.

A good place to start shopping for fresh tracks is bleep.com. The beauty of this site is that you can sample brand new, well-crafted music in its entirety for free (yes, I said free). A vast majority of the featured artists are independent and far removed from the mainstream.

Or maybe you have a great music library of your own, but still can’t find anything that quite fits what you’re looking for. Pick out one of your favorite albums, and try checking out what other artists are signed to the same label; it’s likely you’ll enjoy several other artists on that label. There are also a lot of good royalty free music sites to help avoid the hassle of getting permission to use songs. Here are a few you should check out:

triplescoopmusic.com
brokenjoeyrecords.com
freeplaymusic.com
musicbakery.com
truetoneproductions

Okay, everyone, now you’re ready. Have fun hunting for that perfect music background. Chances are with a little determination and patience, you may just find what you’re looking for.

~ Lawren

by Cameron Ingalls There I said it. It’s true. Here’s the recipe; take two people that are totally in love, mix in a bit of insecurity, throw in some possible sexual tension add a dash of geek-y-ness and then you go and pull out a big hunk of metal and glass, point it at their faces and tell them to ‘act natural’. Der! Photography really isn’t all that natural. It’s bizarre when you really think about it. A small contraption with buttons and dials that records our images and preserves them for the rest of time is pretty extraordinary. So let’s just admit right away that taking pictures of people in love may be awkward. And that’s exactly what you should tell the couple you are about to photograph. Check their temperature. Generally when I start out an engagement session I try to get a read for the couple’s comfort level during small talk and story sharing. Usually, if the bride-to-be is grinning from ear to ear and has a fresh hair style it means she has been highly anticipating getting their love story photographed. If the groom-to-be has his game-face on and merely comments on the size of my computer monitor it may mean that he is the one that will be the most awkward. So I ask them, ‘How are you feeling about being photographed?’. This really gives them the ability to express whatever it is they may be nervous about as well as creating intimacy between me (the photographer) and them (my subjects). Since I will be recording one of their most intimate relationships, they absolutely need to be comfortable sharing that intimacy with me; an otherwise perfect stranger. Opening up is the first step. Pho-to-gen-ic?! Probably about 90% of people I photograph tell me that they are not ‘photogenic’. ‘It’s o.k.’ I tell them. ‘All of the people I photograph say that.’ Then I point to a large framed print on the wall and say, ‘That guy told me he wasn’t photogenic and look how awesome he looks!’ Does anybody even know what ‘Photogenic’ even means? I do. I looked it up. Photogenic: 1. Looking attractive in photographs or on a film. 2. Producing or emitting light. Interesting… Since ‘looking attractive’ is subjective I believe that everybody can be attractive. So now it’s simply a matter of making people feel comfortable in front of the camera and more importantly me. State the obvious. Then I state the obvious just to clear the air. I tell them flat out, ‘having some guy follow you around while carrying a metal contraption and pushing buttons all up in your grill during a ‘spontaneous’ make-out session at the beach is kinda an awkward thing.’ Then I give them a quick run down of how I work. I tell them I want them to just be themselves. That is the goal. Any direction that I give during the shoot I want them to personalize and take to the next level. All they need to do is get the chemistry firing and my job with be a cinch. Speak encouraging words. We snap some test shots at our first location. I tell them not to worry about looking perfect because I am working on my exposure-f/stop-action-technique. It really doesn’t matter what I say as long as it’s confusing and makes them feel like the first couple of frames don’t matter. That should break the ice a bit. After some loose direction, ‘look at each other, kiss, hold hands, walk this way,’ I reassure them that they are doing great and looking beautiful. Just speaking encouraging words has a lot of power to help brighten their countenance and boost their confidence. Remember, being photogenic is not about being beautiful it’s about emitting light and thus looking good in photographs. These are just a few of my techniques. I’m sure that you have your own even if you don’t know that you have them. Hopefully this is helpful to some people out there that are facing off with the occasional awkward clients. Figure out how to overcome the awkward and you will not only help your couples emit the light and love that has brought them together, you will also get fantastic looking photographs! Thanks for listening and please drop me a comment; be a part of the conversation.

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Wedding Photographer

by Cameron Ingalls Picking out my favorite picture from a wedding is like asking me to pick which limb I would want cut off. I know this is supposed to be the ‘Picture of the Day’ post, but chances are with me it will be ‘Picture(s) of the Day’.

These few shots are from a wedding I shot for some close friends on Sunday afternoon. I just love the rich fall colors in the moss covered tree that is set on fire by the dropping sun. Portraits of the bride and groom are what I consider icing on the wedding photography cake. It is my mission to capture not only what happens but also what is hidden. The chemistry between a man and woman in love is a powerful and sacred thing. It has been said that ‘Love is as strong as death. It’s jealously unyielding as the grave.’ How do we as wedding photographers capture a love so powerful with simple instruments such a camera and a lens? That my friends, is the mystery of photography. That is something that can’t be taught; only discovered. Shoot from the heart and let love be your motivator and you will capture the unseen in what is seen.

Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Wedding Photographer