Senior Versatility

High School Seniors are always encouraged to bring several looks and outfits to their session. Kaylee did just that. Here she is, elegant as ever in her prom dress, as well as having a bit of fun in something casual. Two absolutely different looks that worked! Thanks Kaylee!

WE’RE OPEN!!!

You want to know what moving a photography studio is like? Imagine changing Halloween costumes while riding a motorcycle… after a few glasses of wine… Oh yes, it’s that intense. HOWEVER, we’re pleased to report no lives were lost (a few other things are still missing), and we are now in our new digs at 11738 N. DALE MABRY HWY. Still in Carrollwood, at MAIN STREET PLAZA, next to Mimi’s Cafe and Michael’s Grill.

Our first client in the new studio today was a repeat client and UK citizen, Lizzie, who needed a US Visa photo. So here, my friends, is the VERY FIRST image taken at fifth location of Newsome’s Studio of Photography!

Just in case you didn’t know, Newsome’s Studio can handle all your passport, immigration, citizenship, Visa, Weapons Permit, Student ID, and DV Lottery photos for ANY foreign country.

So next time you’re in the neighborhood (C’wood), stick your head in the door and you just might walk away with a masterpiece of posing and lighting just like Lizzie here!

Jessica Frech’s Star is Rising

Over the Christmas holidays I noticed a Hyundai commercial with a young, pretty, guitar playing, singer. Intrigued by the sound and curious if she was really playing that guitar or just an actress faking it, I did a bit of Goggling and found Jessica Frech.

Turns out Jessica is quite the YouTube sensation. She’s a 20 year old college sophmore at Belmont University in Nashville majoring in song writing (yes, she was really playing that guitar). She put words and music to a series of images from the web site http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ and in no time at all, it went viral (over six million hits to date). An astute ad exec saw The People of Walmart video and convinced Hyundai to let her write, produce, and star in her own Hyundai commercial. In fact, she did two of them!

Shortly after that she partnered with a company called Kickstarter.com, which specializes in finding backers for projects. Jessica’s project was to produce an album of songs she’d written. She needed $8,000 – she raised $29,000 (she has quite a following on her YouTube channel). Those who contributed in the financing of her album were rewarded with items such as signed CDs, signed posters, and props used in some of her other YouTube videos. For her largest backers, she agreed to write a song or company jingle (this is where I got really interested).

We jumped in with both feet and are anxiously awaiting the master version of our song – (hint: senior portraits at Newsome’s). I know Jessica has a large following on YouTube, and most of her followers are likely closer to her age than mine (although they really do span many decades), but I’m curious how many of my readers/clients have already heard of her. So, please, let me know by completing the poll below, and feel free to comment on how or where you first saw her. Her album “Reality” was released on iTunes last week and I can tell you now that she is destined for stardom. If you don’t know her yet, you surely will very soon!

New Studio Coming Soon!

Newsome’s Studio will be moving soon (our 5th location in 26 years). Still in Carrollwood, we’ll be in the Main Street Plaza (where Michael’s Grill and Mimi’s Cafe are). New address is 11738 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.

I don’t necessarily enjoy the labor involved in moving a business, but the thrill associated is more like a new adventure. We took possession of the place yesterday and have a target date for a grand reopening of May 1st.

Here’s a quick pic of the interior, which MUST be painted quickly because it makes me nauseous to look at!

Passport Photos for Any Country

In my early years of business, we owned a “passport camera.” It was a Polaroid. We only did a few passports and immigration photos in a given week. One day the camera broke. It was going to be very expensive to replace that camera and would take quite a while of doing passports to cover the cost, thus, we quit doing passports.

A while back I heard a very wise person say “Find out what your competition can’t do, and do it.” Taking a good look at the evolving business model of professional photographers these days, it was obvious they can’t do passports – they don’t have studios and the term “millimeters” confuses them.

So, thanks to the versatility of digital cameras and good quality printers, we once again began offering passport photo services. Over the last year or two, we’ve provided weapons permit photos, passport photos, immigration photos, citizenship photos, student ID photos, DV Lottery photos, and residency photos for dozens of foreign countries.

Discount stores who offer passport photos are only able to accommodate US passports, not Canadian, UK, or anywhere else. Most foreign country specs are measured in millimeters, not inches, and some have different specs regarding background color, size, paper finish, etc, leaving the consumer to rely on professional photography studios who can customize their passport type images.

We still work by appointment – yes, even for a passport photo – yet we use professional lighting (to make you look your best), and will guarantee our images pass muster at your given consulate. Give us a call when it’s time to update your passport photo.

Executive Board

Sometimes, everything falls into place, but the place is all wrong. In this case, the Executive Board for Corporate Financial Associates out of California, looked spectacular, but… the curtains were the wrong color, they didn’t close or extend far enough, there was a wall on the left that crowded the image, the chairs were so orange it hurt my eyes, and the orange hue in the floor didn’t help. Fortunately, this sort of thing can be corrected in post-production, and I knew when shooting it that it was going to need some major help. Here’s a little before/after for your visual enjoyment!

“It’s funny because it’s true!”… Homer Simpson

Sent to me by a very good friend, I’m not even going to comment on this chart, except to say that however exaggerated it might be, it accurately reflects the mindset of a majority of long-time professional photographers in my industry.

Something to ponder when vetting a photographer for your next family portrait.

PPA Convention Provides Inspiration

Kaye and I just returned from a long weekend in New Orleans, attending the 133rd annual convention of the Professional Photographers of America.

Photography conventions have always been a source of inspiration for me, beginning with programming by industry leaders, a world-class tradeshow, and an extremely large International print exhibit.

But the most inspiring part of this weekend were the people. Everyone I met was a source of inspiration. I remember being one of the younger photographers at these conventions. I looked up to the older, more experienced generation of professionals and worked hard to compete with them in the quality of my images and the success of my studio.

Over the past five years our industry has experienced a large shift in both age and gender of professional photographers, attracting an incredibly large number of females under the age of 40. Suddenly, I find myself not only being older than a majority of my competitors, but something of an “old man” among a sea of “young women.”

While at the convention, I attended the Annual Awards Banquet of the American Society of Photographers. The ASP membership is by invitation only, consisting exclusively of Master Photographers (print competition award winners) and Photographic Craftsmen (Speakers and Competition Judges). By virtue of the time it takes to earn either or both of these distinctions, a majority of the ASP members are over the age of 50 (my playgroup).

Seventy Five percent of the images in the International Print Exhibit were created by ASP members. That alone speaks for itself as to the high caliper of work this small group creates.

Needless to say, that while walking the tradeshow floor or attending programming among all the young, female newcomers, I felt akin to a third wheel or a fish out of water. This inspired me to want to create better images and give the young guns a run for their money competition-wise, not to mention show them how a photography studio is meant to be run.

Then, while attending the ASP banquet, I was inspired again - on a major scale! How could I NOT be? That room was full of my idols - the photographers I’ve been looking up to for 25 years!

Ultimately, the PPA convention was a huge success for me. Good programming, great images, and people who inspire. Whether they inspire me to create better images, or to outwit, outplay, and outlast my competition – I drew inspiration from all of them.

Facebook Friday for Executives – Oct 14th!

Mark your calendars NOW! Friday, October 14th, from 9 to 5. Call 813-968-2810 to give us a heads up that you’ll be here, but no appointment is necessary. We’ll take a limited number of head and shoulder shots, you select your fav, and I will fully retouch the image and email you a high res, printable 5×7 JPEG (digital file) and a copyright release.

It’s this simple – UPGRADE YOUR IMAGE FOR ONLY $89! Call South Tampa and Carrollwood’s BEST PHOTOGRAPHER 2011! See you on the 14th!

 

THANK YOU CARROLLWOOD!

And the hits just keep on comin’! After posting my thanks to my South Tampa clientele, I was informed by another client that we were also voted BEST of CARROLLWOOD as well! You can’t beat that for a mandate from the public! THANK YOU CARROLLWOOD, WE LOVE TOO!