Just a few thoughts.

So, business seems to roll in surges, and currently I am on a lull. I am at the point of seeking ways to add business, and would like to find anything reasonable. So, tomorrow I will try my hand at photographing then printing on location. A good friend of mine is going for this trial run with me, so we will use his booth location on Church St. in downtown Burlington.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a day of Corvettes in Stowe, but somehow it got canceled, and now I have a day to fill and hopefully earn something. We have thought up a few possibilities for making this work, and we now have a location and electricity. It is intriguing to see if this will work, or for that matter, if it is even worth my while.

For the future, I am planning to make a setup for inside my car to print and display images, and be able to setup at a popular location for tourists to offer professional portraits and landscapes of them while in VT. It is interesting, and seems that it could be rather lucrative. So, lets all cross our fingers and hoe that it does well tomorrow.

See you on Church Street!

Scammer Emails!!!

Ok, So I know we all get emails of this sort from time to time. I find them rather funny and entertaining, but they are always annoying to get. So, I thought I would post a rather humorous one for everyone to see.

Hello,

Hope you're having a nice time! I am getting in touch with you concerning our wedding taking place this year in Burlington VT , Rhode Island . My name is kelvin Jones from united state of American (currently working and living in London , United Kingdom ).
i just got a new job in Burlington VT , Rhode Island and we have both decided on moving down to the state.We will be getting married on the 29th of august, 2009 .
more so,i have made provision for transportation .......so you shouldn't bother about the location.
We will need a very good and experience photographer to take care of the picture aspect of our wedding occasion both ceremony and reception for our guests' convenience because we require the best for memories for our children and as a matter of fact we have made a good budget for an outstanding event. Please let us know if you can help plan a wonderful occasion.

Regards
kelvin Jones

It is rather entertaining to read of such a place as Burlington VT, Rhode Island, especially since the man is from the United States of American. I have played around with these posts in the past, and have gotten them to give me these pay numbers to call that according to google originate in some middle eastern or African country.

Go figure. It is interesting to see how far people will go to earn an extra buck. So, what is your take on the matter?

Wedding and After...

Ok, so I have now seen the world of weddings from three perspectives, as a photographer, as a guest, and now, finally, as the groom. I must say, it was very interesting watching the photographers work at the wedding. I had fun watching, and was very fascinated watching them work. I noticed things that I may not have picked up on as a photographer, and realized how important those photos of guests really are. Everyone always says that the wedding goes by in a heartbeat, and that is not a joke. I remember only a few things from the day afterwards, regarding the wedding, and the biggest was how fast it went by.

It is crazy to think about how weddings work, and then to think about how this new knowledge can apply to my wedding photography. Some major points I must keep in mind are simple, but very meaningful. First, what you do and say as a photographer really counts, it is crazy, but there were some comments that were made that left an unsettling feeling among my wife's bridesmaids. I cannot seem to think of a time when I would have made such an unsettling feeling among my clients, but none the less, it has made me think about what I say and do much more. Afterall, I don't want any of my clients to be upset with me, especially because of something I said.

I had also noticed how crazy things were when we were trying to get our photos taken. I hate to say it, but to speed things up, I am now going to request that there be no spectators photographing along side me. Yeah, everyone wants great photos, but I need my clients to be looking at my camera, not to mention if we finish 10 or 20 minutes earlier than expected, they will be happier to join up with their friends and families at the reception. Above and beyond that, I see the importance of an off-site location for wedding photos. I see it as being more relaxing if the bride and groom can enjoy their time with the photos rather than hearing their lively and energetic guests partying in the distance. I know it made us feel less friendly about getting our photos taken, and more anxious to go to the party. It is frankly amazing what little gestures need to be made for such an ordeal.

It is crazy how much things need to be structured for an event like this to work smoothly, and in a timely manner. Most of all, I have to say that a wedding can be a ton of fun from all perspectives I have of them. I love working with the great people at weddings, and I have enjoyed the great selection of food that accompanies them.

Weddings are fun!!!

Traffic is UP!!!

Ok, so this may be a geeky thing to be bringing up in my blog, but I was looking at my websites' analysis of visits over the last month. I gasped when I saw the numbers... So I took a screen shot to share. Can you believe it, With the exception of my dglphoto.com, my web traffic to this blog and my smugmug have risen tremendously!

Wow, in the last month my smugmug traffic has exploded to an almost 300% increase in traffic. I am nearly receiving as many hits to my smugmug as I have to my portfolio site. So, then how do I bring this back around and turn it into business. That is the next challenge.

Well, the weather is nice, and I am still couped up inside... Time to get out.

It is almost here!!!

Well, the wedding is almost here. Just brought the Marriage license app down to the town hall... Hopefully we remember to pick it up next week. Still lots of wonderful things to take care of before the wedding. Looking forward to all of the last minute plans and changes.

Anyway, the table seems to be coming out well. It is drying from a coat of polyurethane, and will need another or two before I am done. It is looking good!!!

I guess I will have to post some photos as I finish the darn thing. And soon, there will be wedding photos to post. Well, just trying to keep on top of things...

On another note, last week I ordered one of those "el cheapo" ebay radio triggers for my flash and it still has yet to arrive. I am starting to wonder if I will ever receive the damn thing. I was hoping that I would get it and be able to modify it to play with before and after the wedding, but at this rate, it will be here next may...

Anyway, this is the model I hope to play with. I have found a few sites that give instructions on how to make it more reliable. We will see how they turn out. I would like to have something that I could throw behind a wall and have it fill from the side. Not to mention something that can effectively work in daylight.