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The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

• August 03, 2009
• 20:07

  Packing up and moving out...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  ... 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.

• July 31, 2009
• 6:54

  Summer School & Learnfest

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  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!

• July 29, 2009
• 6:13

  NextProof Revisited

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  

  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.

• July 27, 2009
• 5:46

  Congratulations

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  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.

• July 24, 2009
• 8:00

  What would you do with $10,000?

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  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!

• July 22, 2009
• 4:00

  BIG Folio wants to know...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  ...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.

   

• July 20, 2009
• 7:21

  Photograph of the Year

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  

  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!

• July 17, 2009
• 5:54

  Kiss the Groom Needs Your Vote

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  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!

• July 15, 2009
• 6:13

  Burlington Place is Here!

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  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.

• July 13, 2009
• 6:14

  BIG FOLIO WANTS TO KNOW...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  ...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.

• July 10, 2009
• 5:31

  Cover Shots

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  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.

• July 08, 2009
• 5:04

  Burlington Place

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  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.

• July 06, 2009
• 6:04

  Customize It

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  
  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.

• July 03, 2009
• 5:34

  Style

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  

  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!

• July 01, 2009
• 7:00

  Holga (pt. 2)

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  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.

• June 29, 2009
• 5:06

  Bent in Suncadia

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  Join us for another great learning opportunity in beautiful Roslyn, WA for our newest workshop:

  

  Here are the important details:

  WHEN: Sept. 1-4, 2009
  WHERE: The Suncadia Resort located just 80 miles from Seattle in Roslyn, WA
  WHAT: The Bent in Suncadia Workshop will feature two full days of shooting instruction with Jim Garner and Bambi Cantrell and an evening session with SEO Specialist Erik Dungan.

  The instructors:

           
  

  The Experience:

  Tuesday Sept 1

  • Afternoon golf with BIG Folio (optional)
  • Hosted evening welcome reception featuring beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres

  Wednesday Sept 2

  • Breakfast at 8am (included)
  • Morning photo instruction from 9am to 12pm
  • Lunch at 12pm (also included)
  • Afternoon photo instruction from 1pm to 4pm
  • SEO workshop from 4pm to 6pm
  • Evenings are open to enjoy the resort, shoot, and dine locally

  Thursday Sept 3

  • Breakfast at 8am (included)
  • Morning photo instruction from 9am to 12pm
  • Lunch at 12pm (also included)
  • Afternoon photo instruction from 1pm to 5pm
  • Optional Web and blog workshop at 5pm
  • Evenings are open to enjoy the resort, shoot, and dine locally

  Friday Sept 4

  • Departure (checkout at 11am)

  And if all of that wasn't enough... BIG Folio is also giving each attendee a ONE YEAR NextProof proofing account (a $280 value), a Search Engine Optimization DVD (a $79 value), a $25 ProDPI print credit, and even future discounts on other BIG Folio services and products. Plus, there will even be prizes given away during the workshop.

  Remember, there is only room for 40 workshop guests, so reserve your spot today. And we will see you in September for Bent in Suncadia 2009!

• June 26, 2009
• 6:25

  And the Winner is:

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  The judges agree that this image from Tod O'Driscoll is the best representation of LOVE. The smiles on the face of the bride and groom are genuine and you can just see how much they care about each other and how happy they are to be married. Congratulations, Tod!

  We received over 30 submissions for this contest and narrowed the selection down to seven Finalists. Here are the other six Finalists, each receiving an honorable mention:

  
  Photo by Ryan Graham

  
  Photo by Royce Rolstad

  
  Photo by Lauren Aves

  
  Photo by Kelly Baxter

  
  Photo by Jemma Coleman

  
  Photo by Andrew Jordan

  Thank you to everyone who participated in this BIG Folio contest. And a special CONGRATULATIONS to all of our finalists! We have a few more giveaways up our sleeves, so keep reading the BF Blog for more chances to win.

• June 24, 2009
• 6:04

  BIG Prizes

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  It's June. It's wedding season. It just feels like the right time to host another contest. And the prize, well, it is BIG.

  

  That's right, BIG Folio is giving away a 16-GB iPhone 3GS for the best image of LOVE. Not the love shared by family members, but the swept-away sort of love felt between a bride and groom on their wedding day or a newly-engaged couple. It seems like a broad category, and it is, but we are leaving the creative component up to you photogs out there. Send us pictures from weddings, from engagement sessions (even from random events) and we will determine which image best represents true love.

  THE RULES:

  • Only two submissions per photographer will be viewed by contest judges.
  • The image must contain a couple showing how much they love each other.
  • Send images to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com.
  • Image size should be no larger than 400px wide.
  • The photo deadline is Thursday, June 25th at 11:59 p.m. PST.
  • Have fun and be creative!

   

• June 22, 2009
• 5:44

  Back to Basics

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  THE HOLGA...

  

  This unassuming, simple, easy-to-use camera has garnered its fair share of praise around the globe. Designed in 1982 by T.M. Lee, the Holga was originally introduced in Hong Kong, but eventually became a worldwide success. It was even at the epicenter of the first, big street photography trend.

  The Holga, in all of its simplicity, is still capable of taking some amazing, artistic shots. Photographs taken by Holga's have even gone on to win some major photography awards. In fact, this image of former-vice president Al Gore was featured in a White House News Photographers Association "Eyes of History, 2001" exhibit. It was shot by David Burnett with, you guessed it, a HOLGA.

  

  So, why are we talking about the Holga on a blog for professional photographers? The answer is simple: we want to know if any of you Photogs have ever used a Holga during a wedding or portrait shoot? And if so, how did the pictures turn out? Please leave your responses in the comments box, and as always feel free to submit your Holga images to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com.

• June 19, 2009
• 5:49

  Try it for Free

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Is your online proofing system not all it is cracked up to be? Do you wish there was something better out there? What would you say if you could try it for FREE for a full 30 days?

  NextProof is BIG Folio's online proofing platform for professional photograhers and every NextProof plan comes with a FREE 30 day trial.

  

  With SIX available themes and FIVE available plans, there is something for everyone with NextProof. And if you want to do your own thing, NextProof can be easily customized to suit your personal style or match your existing website design.

  

   

   

• June 17, 2009
• 5:50

  BIG Folio Wants to Know...

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  ...what YOU think about photography. We would like to know your opinions about what turns someone with a camera into a PHOTOG. What turns a shot into THE SHOT. And what sets a GREAT photographer above the rest?

  

  Everyone knows photography blends art with skill, a natural talent with actual training. But which do you think is more important to have? The art or the skill?

  And what attributes must a really great shot possess? What is more important, the composition, the subject, the lighting or even something else?

  And how does a photographer become The photographer that is booked out months in advance?

  We want to know what all you photogs out there have to say. So, please leave us your answers to these questions (and any other photography-related ideas) in the comments section. We look forward to reading your thoughts on the matter.

  Also, if you have any images you think really capture the essence of great photography, send them to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com for your chance to appear on an upcoming feature.

• June 15, 2009
• 5:56

  As You Like It

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Did you know that creating a custom website that fits your own personal style and taste can be as easy as 1...2...3?

  BIG Folio's web services allow YOU nearly limitless control over page and gallery layout and design. If you can dream it, your site can be it. Check out the following example of a one-of-a-kind site design in only three simple steps:

  1.  Lay out your design (we like to use Photoshop)
  2. Upload the design to your BF admin as the "page texture"
  3. Turn off the Page Text and Page Image

  

  We encourage you to get creative. Come up with something you love or something you think the world has never seen before. Integrate your personal flare or the overall style of your business. Design your site around that one favorite shot, or use something as simple as a piece of office decor as your inspiration. The possiblities are as endless as your own creativity. The sky is the limit, folks. Enjoy.

• June 12, 2009
• 6:37

  Logo Design

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  Are you rethinking your current logo? Do you want to add something new to your website? Or are you just getting started in the business world?

  BIG Folio has the answer for you. We recently teamed up with photographer and designer Jen Thompson to offer you a brand new, full-service Logo Design Package.

  The 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

  Want to see some sample logo designs? Check them out here or visit our official Logo Design site for more information or to sign up today.

  

• June 10, 2009
• 4:38

  QT: Follow UP

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We had several responses to our post from Monday about finding and shooting hidden moments at weddings. We think the following image truly captures the raw emotion of the bride's father. The description sent to us by the photographer says, "This is the father of the bride, divorced, sitting alone in the row behind his [ex]wife, who is now remarried, as he watches his only daughter take her vows." We are guessing if you didn't already know that, you might have been able to figure it out from this captivating image. 

  

  To see more work from Erin J. Photo, click here. Have an image you wish to submit? Send it to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com.

• June 08, 2009
• 5:45

  The Quiet Times

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                 Photo by Dan O'Day

  Everyone knows weddings can be so fun that sometimes they get downright wild. But what about all the quiet moments tucked in between the funny toasts, the cake cutting and the Thriller-dancing grandmas?

  We'd like to hear your stories about photographic the moments of tenderness between a bride and a groom stolen away during a reception, or the doting glances of the bride's father as he walks her down the aisle.

  Send your images of wedding quiet times to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com and post your stories to our comments page, and you might see your work featured on the blog in an upcoming post.

• June 05, 2009
• 4:39

  Seasons Change

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  It is the first official weekend of June, which undoubtedly means the summer WEDDING SEASON is in full force. We keep hearing a lot of good news out there from wedding photographers who say the wedding business is just as booming as ever, despite the economy and trends in other industries.

  So, BF wonders how many of our photog friends will be out-and-about this weekend doing what they do best, shooting weddings and documenting the events of a joyful day. If you are a photographer and you have plans to shoot a wedding this weekend, leave us a comment with the date and location and any extra details you would like to share. Who knows, you might just earn yourself an upcoming blog feature...

• June 03, 2009
• 6:55

  Tweet

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio announced a while ago that we had started a Twitter account. We have been thrilled by the number of people who joined in to follow our Tweets. And just in case you are new to BIG Folio or new to the Twitter game, we'd like to recommend a few folks to check out.

  @bigfolio
  @callmeed (BIG Folio CTO)
  @mikecaston (BIG Folio CEO)
  @goboda (Jim Garner)
  @JenThompsonFoto
  
  @stevebebb
  @napcp_tweets
  @BobDavis_1
  @angelicaglass
  @AudreyWoulard
  @designaglow
  Do you Twitter? Leave us a comment with your Twitter info and we'll look you up. Sign up to follow @bigfolio for exlusive announcements from BF.
  
• June 01, 2009
• 6:30

  Get Ready

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio is gearing up to launch a new, incredibly cutting-edge design along with some new design elements. Want your site to be more customized? Well get ready, because these BF additions will do just that. And stay tuned to the BF Blog for more information about these upcoming releases.

   

• 6:19

  We asked, You answered

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Thanks to everyone who responded to our post last week about must-have photography equipment. We got several comments that made us nod our heads in agreement and a few that just made us chuckle.

  

  Among the lists of popular equipment was the 5D Mark II (see above), the 50mm 1.4 lens (see below), and various lighting tools.

  

  And among the responses that made us smile were eyeglasses, husbands, champagne and pez dispensers.

• May 28, 2009
• 15:39

  Time for a BIG Birthday Sale

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Time flies when you're having fun. Believe it or not, May marks BIG Folio's 5th year providing websites and solutions for professional photographers. While it's tempting to wax nostalgic and get teary-eyed, let's cut to the chase: a couple days of BIG savings.

  Between now and the end of May (that's only 4 days, FYI), we're celebrating BIG Folio's birthday with the following special offers:

  Save Over $200 on Any Premium Site

  Use the coupon code HAPPYBIRTHDAY at BIG Folio.com and receive:

  • $200 off any premium site or $30 off any standard site
  • Free SEO DVD for photographers ($79 value)
  • Free NextProof Mini Plan ($9/month value)

  Save 20% on Any NextProof Plan

  Use the coupon code HAPPYBIRTHDAY at NextProof.com and:

  • Save 20% off any NextProof paid plan

  Special Thanks

  Thanks to you–our wonderful customers. Many of you have been with us for 4 (or even all 5) years. We appreciate your trust and loyalty. We've got great things planned for the future, including more great products and more great workshops.

  Happy Birthday to Us

• 7:43

  Learnfest

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  BIG Folio is a proud sponsor of the upcoming learnfest for portrait photographers. The next workshop will take place Sept. 14-17, 2009. The 3-day, 2-night learnfest is all-inclusive and will be located at the beautiful Chateau Elan just miles outside of Atlanta, GA.

  Visit the official learnfest site for more information on how to be a part of this exciting opportunity to learn from four of today's top portrait photographers: Lena Hyde, Tamara Lackey, Laura Novak and Audrey Woulard.

• May 26, 2009
• 4:41

  BIG Folio wants to know...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  What's in your camera bag?

  

  We were inspired by this article to pose the question, "What must-have equipment do you take to a wedding?"

  The article focuses mostly on Canons and Nikons, but is there something different that you just can't live without? We'd like to know.

  Post a list of your top three favorite, can't-live-without pieces of photography equipment (anything from camera bodies to lenses to light stands and everything in between) here on the BF blog, and you might even see your pics featured in an upcoming post.

• May 22, 2009
• 7:32

  Coming soon..

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  The Wedzip Affiliate Program!

  

  Stay tuned to the BIG Folio blog for more information on how you can become a part of Wedzip's NEW Affiliate Program. And don't forget to check out the Wedzip site and its blog for more information on this great new service for wedding professionals.

   

• May 20, 2009
• 8:40

  Got Video?

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio proudly announces video integration is now a feature of six of our Premium website designs.

  York Street:

  

  Atwood Avenue:

  

  Newport Avenue:

  

  Burnside Street:

  

  Butler Market Road:

  

  Aurora Way:

  

  That's right, all of these designs now feature our new video integration system. To learn more about all that video integration can do for you, click here. Plus, you can always get more information about each of these designs, upgrading from a Standard design to a Premium design and much, much more at the official BF site.

   

• May 18, 2009
• 5:02

  The Future is Now

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  While browsing the internet over the weekend, there was one blog article that seemed to jump off the monitor and scream "Read Me!" It was posted on Gizmodo (a very popular technology blog) during May 2005. The article is titled, "Future of Wedding Photography," which is why it was so interesting. What were the predictions in 2005 for the wedding photography industry? Well, not good, apparently.

  

  The funny thing is the Gizmodo blog post was actually a response to an article on another techno-savvy blog, Techdirt, which actually got the idea from this other article. Anyway, the point is that in 2005, the predictions for wedding photographers were pretty much doom and gloom.

  Basically, the bloggers wonder if once everything goes fully digital (remember this was written four years ago), professional photographers will be in far less demand. The main reasons for such claims:

  1. Anyone can go out and buy a really nice digital SLR camera and have some random person they know take the wedding pictures. The camera will make up for the lack of a professional photographer.
  2. Brides and Grooms will only want digital images, not prints, rendering another aspect of the wedding photog's job obsolete.
  3. Brides and Grooms won't care about spending money for expensive albums when they can keep the images online or make a much cheaper album online themselves.

  

  It is now 2009 and it seems to us at BIG Folio that the wedding photography industry is thriving. And it all basically comes down to the responses to the three predictions of 2005.

  1. A professional photographer is still a PROFESSIONAL. Not many brides want to risk getting some fuzzy prints emailed to her by her cousin after her special day. She wants to know that a real photographer will be there to capture everything (with his or her expensive, digital camera, of course).
  2. Wedding Photogs figured this one out a while ago and have pretty much stayed on top of the issue. If the happy couple wants digital images, work out a contract so they can have some digital images if they pay up front for services and sign a licensing agreement (or any number of other caveats).
  3. It turns out wedding albums aren't really deal breakers. If the photog and Bride/Groom can settle on the first two items, then they can figure out a way to make the album work too.

  

  What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think the 2005 predictions hold water? Or has the industry already tackled most of these issues? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

• May 15, 2009
• 4:52

  And the winner is...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  

  Richard & Christa Galloway of Isis Photography- Congratulations! Of all our entries into the "Take the Cake" contest, this was our favorite image.
  Thanks to everyone who participated in our latest photo competition. We enjoyed viewing all of the images sent to us. Stay tuned to our blog for more contests from BIG Folio.
• May 13, 2009
• 4:26

  Presenting: Wedzip

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  BIG Folio is excited to launch a new web-based business tool for wedding professionals, planners, florists, venues, caterers and DJs (and really anyone else who might find it useful). What is Wedzip? Well, it is THE place to go for a great website that will launch your wedding business into new heights.

  

  Wedzip offers three fully customizable designs:

  Atwood Avenue
  York Way
  Aurora Way
  (with more designs coming soon).

  And if you thought the features mentioned above were great, wait until you see what else Wedzip can do for you.

  

  Here's what people are already saying about Wedzip:

  "Classy, innovative designs. Nearly immediate customer service responses. What more could a girl ask for?"               -Lawren, Manzanita Designs

  For more information about Wedzip, including an online Video Tour, please click here. We hope you enjoy.

   

   

• May 11, 2009
• 4:40

  take the cake

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We are stoked to offer another exciting contest for BIG Folio site owners. All you have to do is submit your best shot of a wedding cake and we will handle the rest. There can be people in the shot or other items, just as long as the cake is the focal point. And don't forget, the more creative the image the better- we love to see unique approaches to photography.

  The Rules:

  • Submissions will be accepted only from photogs with existing BIG Folio sites.
  • Each photog may submit up to TWO images.
  • Please make all submissions 450px wide.
  • Send them to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com.
  • Submissions are DUE by 10pm PST on Thursday, May 14.

  The Prize:

  • Six months of FREE hosting with BIG Folio. (That's right, half a year, 26 weeks, 182.5 days, aka- a pretty rad prize).

  We will select our favorite CAKE image and post the winning photo on our blog Friday, May 15. Good luck to all, we can't wait to see who will take the cake.

   

• May 08, 2009
• 6:17

  Artist Spotlight: Jane Johnson

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio presents an interview with celebrated photographer Jane Johnson. Jane has been kind enough to answer a few of our questions while on the road and even included a few of her favorite images from this year. Having made a name for herself as Central Oregon's premier portrait photographer, Jane can be found dazzling her clients (from babies to brides, and everything in between) at Ethni Photography in Bend, Oregon. And if she didn't seem busy enough already, she also has her own Etsy Paper Shoppe.

  

  BF: You are based in central Oregon, do you do any international work? How often do you travel? And where are some of your favorite places to go?

  I knew I was called to photography after shooting during a mission trip in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  That was the last time I traveled internationally, but I am slated to go to Burundi, Africa with our church (www.antiochchurch.org) to provide photography and design resources for a new bible college the church is partnering with there.  I do also regularly travel domestically to shoot, particularly to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.  We also just recently traveled to Alabama to shoot a wedding, and have a few more out of state weddings slated for the future.

  BF: Did you have any other occupation before becoming a professional photographer?

  I have quite the variety of jobs on my resume.  Mostly office work, but I have been known to work at Baskin Robbins (when I was 16), Hallmark, Starbucks (a few different times), and at a makeup counter.  The most recent occupation I held before this was as a graphic designer.  I am a self-taught designer, and it's become a large part of my creative workflow, and I now do almost as much freelance design as I do shooting!

  

  BF: So when did you realize that you could make a living shooting pictures?

  I was standing on a street corner waiting for a bus in Brazil.  Camera around my neck.  20 rolls of shot film in my bag.  Wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my life.  It was a very natural decision.
  

  BF: Was there a photographer (or anyone else) that inspired or influenced you?

  A friend who was with me told me a verse that solidified everything for me:  "The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good your whole body will be full of light." (Matthew 6:22)  As soon as he said those works, I was hooked.  In terms of other photographers who have influenced me, there are many who's blogs I frequent: Jinky Art, Jose Villa, Carrie Sandoval, Heather Morrow.... I love the rich, moody black and whites of Leah Zawadzki (www.lilyblue.com) and the vibrant contrast of Breanna Graham.  Most recently, Ryan Phillips has taken me under his wing to mentor me in my business, and that advice has been huge!

  

  BF: How would you best describe your style?

  Vibrant, punchy color.  Warm black and whites.  It's so hard for me to define my style, and I'm actually curious to see how others would define it for me.

  BF: What is your favorite story from a photo shoot?

  My very favorite part of photography is telling the story with the photos on my blog!  Having said that, coming up with a favorite story isn't an easy task.  I suppose my favorite story is the background on a photo that wasn't even an actual shoot.  My husband and I were in Redmond, Seattle for a Focus on the Family Weekend to Remember marriage conference.  We were walking around the outdoor mall one of those evenings, and I spotted the cutest little asian girl who had the wobbly, about to fall over, I just learned how to walk, unbalance about her.  Of course, I had my camera with me, and I stopped the couple to ask if I could take a few photos of their daughter.  I got my shots, and was chatting with the parents for a few minutes, when Josh took my camera and got his own shots.  Of course, his photo had to be better than mine, and to this day it's one of my favorite shots featured on the main page of my website and the slideshow on my blog.

  

  BF: Do you ever do any photography just for fun? If so, what are your favorite things to shoot?

  I've recently been having fun documenting daily life--little snippets of my world, that are of absolutely no value to anyone else, but mean something to me.  It's fun to put that on my blog, and add some personality to it, breaking up all the business talk.
  

  BF: Any predictions on the next big trend in the photography industry?

  I've been thinking about this question for a few days.  I feel so much pressure to have the right answer!  :)  Obviously, the big buzz right now is video, which I think is a very cool feature that can be worked in to slideshows and websites in really unique ways.  I think the next big trend will be jogging photography.  (Have you seen Yes Man??)

  

  BF: What type of local publications or resources do you advertise in? What about national publications?

  The only local publication I am currently advertising in is True North Parenting, Central Oregon's parenting magazine.  I've just heard so many well established photographers say that their main source of business if word of mouth referrals, and it really is so true.  I do see a value in advertising, but it's just not very high on my priority list right now.
  

  BF: What are you working on next?

  I currently have a handful of big projects right in front of me: The first is a re-branding of my business.  I am changing my business name from Ethni Photography to Jane Johnson Photography, and that involves an overhaul of my logo, website, marketing materials, etc.  The second is creating a website for my custom blog designs.  I currently just have them showing on my blog, and with a handful of custom designs ahead of me, it's time to break that into its own website, and start marketing the designs to other photographers.  To see an example of the sites, go to my blog (www.ethniphotography.com/blog), click on "archives" in the top menu bar, and then "custom blog design" in the bottom left corner of the archives list.  Finally, I'm doing a women's retreat for phtographers in August here in Central Oregon.  It's not a workshop by any means, but a few days for us to get away as believers in Christ to fellowship together, and seek God's heart for our businesses.  I'm really excited about that one.  For more information on it, visit www.bemyvision.org.  Every attendee gets $100 off a premium Big Folio site....  :)

• May 06, 2009
• 12:11

  A little about York Street

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  As you know, Chorro Street was one of our more popular designs. We felt we needed to update it to be running off of our newest set of control tools. 

  We took it upon ourselves to take the best of Chorro Street and make it into something new, different and better. 

  For those in love with Chorro Street we kept the layout, the classic menu option, the thumbnail grid and other features you will well recognize. 

  

  We also took it upon ourselves to allow for some changes. In the control panel you can chose to use the Classic menu (above) or the new menu below. You can also chose to have a grid of thumbs or a single column of larger thumbnails. So, please enjoy the many control features this design allows you. 

  

• 6:13

  York Street is here!

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  That's right folks- our newest site design, YORK STREET, is ready. Here is a sneak peek of the design, in case you missed it last week:

  

  York St. will be available to the public starting Friday, May 8. You can visit the BIG Folio site for more information about this newly-added design starting then.

• May 04, 2009
• 11:47

  "THANKS ALOT !!! Everything they say about you guys are true in DWF; you are the best customer service in the World, period." - Keith Hammock Photography

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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• 6:18

  Jackson's Smile (Pt. 2)

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  For any of you who missed last week's blog post about Jackson's Smile, we wanted to offer up another chance to support this wonderful organization. Click the above link for more information, and in the meantime, check out this cute little video of Jackson. Thanks.

• May 01, 2009
• 6:25

  Introducing York

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  Our newest website design is called York, and we think you are going to enjoy it. 

  

  York is everything you liked about Chorro and so much more. We have tied the design into the newest version of our admin system too, which will provide you with additional services.

  

  The updated admin allows for complete video integration, improved image management, along with all the BIG Folio features you already know and love.

  

  Stay tuned to the blog and the BF site for the official release of York and, as always, for more great information from BIG Folio.

• April 29, 2009
• 7:26

  Jackson's Smile

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  "Where photography and compassion meet" is the slogan for this truly endearing cause called Jackson's Smile.

  Little Jackson was born with the very rare Simpson Golabi Behmel Syndrome (SGBS), and already in his first year of life he has had a series of surgeries and procedures just to allow him to eat, drink and smile. Jackson's parents are doing everything they can to ensure he gets to lead a healthy life, and there is something we all can do to help as well.

  The medical expenses for Jackson's family have already reached hundreds of thousands of dollars, and without insurance and financial gifts from others, the cost would be nearly one million dollars. A group of photographers have gotten together and offered up their time, money and talent by providing beautiful images that can be purchased with a portion of the proceeds going to support more children like Jackson at the Craniofacial Center at Children's Medical Center Foundation of Central Texas. 

  The photographers who have joined the coalition are:

  Lisa Lefkowitz

  Amelia and Justin Lyon

  Gabe McClintock

  Sarah Rhoads

  Riccis Valladares

  Joel Flory

  Jose Villa

  Cameron Ingalls

  By clicking the above links, you can view each photographers Jackson's Smile Gallery and purchase pictures to help the cause. We encourage everyone reading this blog to get involved, as this is a truly remarkable way to help little Jackson and other children in need.

   

   

• April 27, 2009
• 5:48

  The TTD Finale

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  Thanks to everyone who responded to our TTD posts of last week. We have put together a few of our favorites from the images you sent, and here they are:

  Dusty Brown

  

  Isis Photography

  

  Vicki Loader

  

  Now to change the subject... We have got something new, something different, something really exciting up our sleeves. What is it? Well, you will just have to wait and see. Stay tuned to the BF Blog for the BIG announcement on Friday, May 1. You won't want to miss it.

• April 24, 2009
• 5:58

  TTD: Part Two

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We have had a lot of positive feedback on our recent TTD post. Thanks to everyone who has submitted images or sent emails. It looks like TTD is certainly a trend worth talking about. And to clarify one point, we realize that trashing dresses has been going on for a while, but we were surprised to find out about the number of brides who still do not know how big the trend has become. We received on email from photographer David Freund in Australia who informed us that "in places like England, the idea of trash the dress photography equates to run of the mill photography." He also supplied us with some images and video footage from TTD sessions he has shot over the years.

  An image: (We aplogize if the image does not load. We are having an issue linking to it, but it can be viewed separately by clicking the link to David's blog in the above paragraph. Thanks).
  

  

  A video:

  
  

  
  

• April 22, 2009
• 5:20

  Trash the Dress

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  A new trend in wedding photojournalism is gathering steam, and it is called Trash the Dress (or TTD). As preferences of brides and grooms everywhere shift toward a more photojournalistic style, this raw and edgy means of capturing amazing shots is starting to occur more and more.

  So what is TTD? Simply put, after all of the wedding photos have been shot, the bride and groom make their way somewhere (could be a body of water, a field, a sports stadium, or up a tree, among others) to get some great images, all the while aware that the dress might get damaged or destroyed. Yes, brides all over the world are choosing to end their wedding photo sessions by wading into rivers, or running into waves as they crash into the beach, to get that one perfect shot and trashing the dress in the process. It is a creative and exciting new facet a broadening and more artistic approach to wedding photography.

  To all the wedding photogs out there, we'd like to know- Have you witnessed the trashing of any dresses lately? And if so, how did the images turn out? Let us know by posting a comment on our blog. And if you have some great TTD photos, email them to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com and you might even see them up here next week.

   

   

• April 20, 2009
• 2:00

  In the spotlight

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  We are proud (and very excited) to announce that BIG Folio has been named #33 on the Photo 100 list of "The Best in Photography" by Web100.com!

  Web100's Brittni Zotos had this to say about BF: "Providing photographers with an online forum for presenting photos, BIG Folio offers striking, flattering website designs. BIG Folio makes it easy to set up a personal website, providing an audio and video tutorial that details the process, start to finish." Thanks to Web100.com for this honor. We couldn't be more excited.

  To read the rest of the BF write-up or to check out the complete Photo 100 list, click here. 

   

   

• April 17, 2009
• 4:00

  Get to Know Big Folio

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  Charlie Ussery has been with BIG Folio for two years. He may have even answered a few of your questions or responded to a support request or two. That said, meet Charlie:

  BF: Where are you from?

  Arroyo grande , CA.

  BF: What is most important to you?

  Jesus, family & friends.

  BF: Dogs or cats?

  Dogs for sure.

  BF: Sweet or salty?

  Salty.

  BF: What is your dream vacation?

  Hmm tough one..probably traveling across Europe.

  BF: Where is the farthest you have traveled?

  New york City.

  BF: Jackie Chan or Chuck Norris?

  Probably Norris, but only because he has those awesome action jeans.

  
  

  BF: Favorite baseball team?

  San Francisco Giants.

  BF: Burrito or sandwich?

  Depends on the place, but probably a sandwich.

  BF: If you were going to dye your hair a different color, what color would you choose?

  Black?..tough one..

• April 15, 2009
• 6:00

  NextProof Updates

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We have already introduced the new and improved NextProof control panel, but did you know we've also added two more updates?

  First, we improved customer order emails:

  From now on, NextProof will send out HTML emails to your customers after they place an order. With the HTML, emails are easier to read and contain more detail for your customers regarding their purchases.

  Secondly, we added gallery and image sharing options:

  With this additional feature, visitors to your NextProof galleries can share a gallery or selected images with their friends and families. The sharing feature can be turned on or off due to your preference for each gallery (the default setting is Off).

  The sharing feature, enabled by clicking the "share this gallery" link, will allow visitors to your site to email a gallery link to their friends or family. The same works for images. Simply view the image you wish to share, click the "share this image" link and it will provide a link that can be emailed to the intended recipient. It also adds a thumbnail of the image to the email.

  This new capability will help visitors to your site share galleries and images with other friends and family, generating even more visibility for your product.

  

  For more information about NextProof, click here. And stay tuned to the BF blogs for more updates and additional information about NP and more.

   

• April 13, 2009
• 7:00

  BIG Folio wants to know...

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  What are YOUR predictions for the next big thing in the wedding photo industry?

  We just wanted to take a minute to find out what you think. Post your thoughts in our comments section and read what others have to say as well.

• April 10, 2009
• 7:00

  Get To Know BIG Folio

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  Eric Bjella has been a developer with BF for over a year. We wanted to take a few minutes to introduce him to the world, and let you know a bit more about our team here at BIG Folio.

  

   

  BF: Where are you from?

  I grew up in Appleton, WI.  Yes, I am a Packer fan.

  BF: What is the most important thing in your life?

  My wife, daughter, and cat... and my bicycle.

  BF: Who is your favorite superhero?

  I was always a big fan of the green lantern; he's just a normal guy with an awesome ring.

  BF: What is your favorite food?

  I'm on a big Indian food kick right now.

  BF: Jackie Chan or Chuck Norris?
  

  Chuck Norris, for two reasons: The beard, and he wasn't in movies with
  Chris Tucker.
  
  BF: M&Ms or Skittles?
  M&Ms. Specifically the peanut variety.

  BF: What is your favorite part of working for BF?

  I get to be creative every day.

  BF: What would you do with $1 million?

  I would probably use it to open a bicycle shop of my own... In Costa Rica!

  BF: If you could be a professional athlete, what sport would you play?

  Table Tennis.  I have a mean top spin... Watch out!

  BF: If you could win any type of award, what award would it be?

  The Spicy Curry Award.

• April 09, 2009
• 11:44

  And the winners are...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Marysol Flores

  

  
  

  Denice Woyski

  

   

  Dusty Brown

  

   

  Gedas Girdvainis

  

   

  Sherry Bailey

  

  Thank you to everyone who participated in our most recent contest. We had some truly wonderful submissions, and greatly enjoyed getting to look through all the images.

  A quick note to our winners: Please contact BIG Folio at lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com so that we can get the proper, square-formatted file (for the print that will hang on our wall), and don't forget to send us your mailing address, so we can send your iTunes card.

  Congratulations to our five winners. And stay tuned to the BF blog for future chances to win some great prizes.
  

• April 08, 2009
• 7:35

  Deck the Walls (Pt. 2)

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We are having a great time looking at all of the shots we are receiving, please keep them coming. Remember, we need all photo submissions by 5:00 (CST) Tonight and we will announce and display our TOP 5 favorite pics right here, tomorrow.

  Don't forget, all five winners will get a $50 iTunes gift card as well as the honor of having their work displayed in our BF home office (we will contact each winner via E-mail and request and actual print- we aren't going to try and hang up the tiny 450x450 images).

• April 06, 2009
• 5:00

  Deck The Walls

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  OK OK, we know it's not Christmas, but we had this great idea to redecorate our office with some of our clients' BEST work. So, we are having a (you guessed it) contest!

  Here is how it will work:

  • Select 3 of your very best landscape or object shots.
  • Make sure the files are 450 x 450px. 
  • Send them to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com.
  • We will vote and pick our top 5 favorites and hang them on the wall.
  • We will announce the winners on Wednesday (Apr. 8)**.
  • Each winner will receive a $50 iTunes card.

  We can't wait to see what you send our way. Let the contest begin!

  **CONTEST UPDATE: Due to the volume of submissions we are receiving, we are going to extend the deadline to Wednesday at 5:00pm CST, and we will announce the winners on Thursday, April 9.

• April 03, 2009
• 6:11

  New NextProof Design

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We have updated our NextProof control panel with an all new design that will improve usability. We are certain the improvements will speak for themselves, so here is a look at the new NextProof CP.

  The Login Screen:

  

  Your own personal Client Dashboard:

  

  Your Galleries:

  

  For more information about NextProof, click here.

• April 01, 2009
• 5:10

  Atwood Avenue

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  That's right, BIG Folio is rolling out a new design, and we're calling it Atwood Avenue (all site images courtesy of Poser and Jeff Newsom; video by Lumiere Bridal and Bebb Studios; and logo by Jen Thompson).

  

  Atwood Avenue offers all of the great BF features you love. The design offers customizable colors, text, images, textures, calendars, and even contact forms.

  

  Dragging and dropping images in your gallery is just one of many ways to organize and create the perfect site that you have always wanted.

  

  We are also excited to announce that Atwood Avenue will also include our new Video Integration system (as seen on the Mar. 25 blog post).

  

  And don't forget about integration with NextProof! Really, could it get any better?

  

• March 30, 2009
• 4:25

  Jim Garner's Photography Boot Camp

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio is excited to announce an upcoming workshop with renowned photographer, Jim Garner.

  

  WHEN: June 8-11, 2009

  WHERE: Various, Beautiful Seattle, WA locations

  WHAT: This four-day event will address how to be a better artist through better business practices. Jim's focus will be placed on how you can shoot more effectively while providing a superior experience for your client, which will ultimately lead to higher sales. This includes managing your studio to its highest potential. You will learn how to be a better artist and a better business person. For more information, CLICK HERE.

  PRESENTED BY: GoBODA

  DETAILS: This class is limited to 15 students, so BOOK NOW!

  Please contact katarina{at}jgarnerphoto{dot}com with any queries.

• March 27, 2009
• 6:00

  ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: jeff ascough

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio presents an interview with acclaimed photographer Jeff Ascough, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions and include a few of his brilliant images. We think the photos will speak for themselves, so without any further introduction: Jeff Ascough. 

  

  BF: You are based in the UK? Do you ever travel for work? And where are some of your favorite places to go?

  JA: I used to cover around 20,000 miles a year traveling to weddings all over the UK. These days I try and keep my business pretty local to me, as it's becoming harder and harder to travel to weddings now as our roads are slowly being choked to death. I also only cover one overseas assignment a year. My favourite place to go is France. I love the light there, it has a magical quality to it. No wonder so many artists and painters were inspired by it.

  BF: Did you have any other occupation before becoming a professional photographer?

  JA: I became a photographer at 21, so I didn't really experience another occupation. Apart from a couple of dead end jobs that I took on to earn some beer money.

  

  BF: So when did you realize that you could make a living shooting pictures?

  JA: When my first client bought a couple of 40" black and white prints!! The hardest bit was printing them, as we only had a basic enlarger. I seem to remember that we had to set it up on a shelf and project it across the darkroom to the wall on the opposite side to get enough distance to make a 40" print. He was thrilled with them, which gave me the confidence to see if I could make a living from photography.

  BF: Was there a photographer (or anyone else) that inspired or influenced you?

  JA: Henri Cartier-Bresson. His work still inspires me. He is the reason why I am a photographer.

  

  BF: How would you best describe your style?

  JA: Photojournalistic and voyeuristic, with a strong emphasis on composition and natural light.

  

  BF: What is your favorite story from shooting a wedding?

  JA: I have lots of stories and don't really have a favourite. At least not any that I can share in the public domain!! One of the most interesting things that happened to me was during the meal at one wedding; we were due to get fed by the caterers. After a while the food wasn't forthcoming, so we chased it up. Still nothing. Eventually the caterers came to us with a plate of food. However, we were sitting outside in the pitch black and couldn't see what they had given us. So I got a small torch out of my bag and looked at the plate of food. The caterers had simply scraped all the finished plates from the guests onto this big platter, and gave it to us!! Just shows how important people think wedding photographers are!!

  BF: Do you ever do any photography just for fun? If so, what are your favorite things to shoot?

  JA: I take landscapes for my own enjoyment. It's a release from weddings. I live right next to the coast, so nothing pleases me more than to walk along a beach with my camera at sunset taking pictures. I utilise the same approach to my landscapes as I do for my wedding work. I just walk about looking for pictures. I don't use a tripod, or wait in one position for the light to change like many landscape photographers. I see a picture and just take it.

  

  BF: Any predictions on the next big trend in the wedding photo industry?

  JA: The integration of video and stills into a multimedia package, possibly given as an alternative to the wedding album. Some are making this happen already.

  BF: What type of local publications or resources do you advertise in? What about international publications?

  JA: I advertise in one high end national magazine. That's pretty much it. I haven't any interest in working overseas, so I don't worry about international publications. I get asked to do interviews for different mags in the UK, mainly dealing with photography, and we've been asked to comment for some of the other bridal mags, but it's not something that we rely on for marketing.

  

  BF: What are you working on next?

  JA: At the moment I'm working hard to complete my latest Photoshop Action set. I think I've finally achieved a realistic film-like black and white conversion, and this is really the backbone of the Action set. I've also updated a lot of my older actions to work effectively with the higher resolutions that we are using now. After that, I'm hoping to start a project photographing the North West coast in England. I'd love to do a book on the landscape and characters of this region.

  
  

• March 25, 2009
• 6:00

  BIG NEWS FROM BIG FOLIO

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BF announces Video Integration! We are stoked to be able to offer you this functional tool. And if you thought things could not get any better, the new Video Integrator will be coupled with our soon-to-be-released NEW DESIGN. This new design will be available within the next week, and we will also offer the Video Integration system on four more brand new designs by the end of April 2009.

  

  Basically, anyone with one of our upcoming new designs can go into his or her personal admin and upload videos (just like he would with pictures). Videos are stored in the video bank, and each one gets a unique thumbnail image. Video categories and galleries can be created (just like the pictures again). The supported file types are mp4, m4v, mov and flv and all videos can be ordered (and re-ordered) with the standard "drag and drop".

  

  Stay tuned for our NEW DESIGN announcement, and as always more great features brought to you by BIG Folio.

   

   

• March 23, 2009
• 7:55

  A Day in the Life of a Photog

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  From time to time, we at BIG Folio stumble across something addressing the day-to-day concerns of photographers everywhere. While browsing the WPPI newsletter a while back, we found a handy article about the issue of pricing points. We know that choosing appropriate pricing points can be tough for a photog just breaking into the business, as well as for someone whose career has taken him off to new levels of work.

  So, with all that in mind, we would like to offer up this article by Pro Photographer Daniel Heller. He has some good advice- especially about not looking in the first place most photographer expect to find the answer to the ever-present pricing question. Check out the article here. And enjoy.

• March 20, 2009
• 6:00

  Artist Spotlight: Randy Kepple

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  BIG Folio is pleased to present a conversation with the talented Mr. Randy Kepple . Randy has kindly agreed to answer a few of our questions for another installment of the series we like to call "Artist Spotlights." So without further ado, the work and words of Randy Kepple.

  

  1.  You are based in Vancouver, Wash., do you ever get to travel for work? If so, how often and where are some of your favorite places to go? 
  Traveling was one of the reasons I wanted to become a photographer. I've been fortunate in my career to have traveled all over the country. Lately, it's up and down the West Coast for destination weddings. Last year I traveled to Vermont for an incredible wedding weekend and the year before that to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 
   2. You were a musician before becoming a photographer. Do you find the two artistic fields have much in common?
  As a society, we keep our memories in music and photographs. Both are a touchstone to a moment in time. As an art, there are many parallels. Both require a dedication to practicing the discipline of the art. This practice translates into a vocabulary, a set of tools that you reach for without thinking to express your vision. I find it interesting that so many photographers are inspired by music. Personally, I can't imagine a world without music. There is a magic to both arts that transcends the moment.
  
  
   3.  So when did you realize that you could make a living shooting pictures?
  Ironically, when I was a musician, my day job was working as a custom printer. I printed black and white art prints, wall prints and even worked for an aerial photographer a few years. That inspired me to go back to college and get a degree in commercial advertising photography. I had been in so many bands over the years and they always ended up falling apart. I could see the writing on the wall, it was a natural progression for my artistic sensibility.
   4.  Was there a photographer (or anyone else) that inspired or influenced you?
  When I started assisting, I was fortunate to work with some of the best photographers in the business. From Michael Grecco to Chris Cuffaro to Stephane Sednoui, all of them inspired and influenced me. In school, I found that I related to the work of Josef Sudek and Alfred Stieglitz. Recently, the photographer who has been a profound inspiration is David Williams from Australia. His dedication to the heart, soul and passion of photographing people has forever left it's mark on the way I shoot.
  
  
   5.  How would you best describe your style?
  Style is always a tough one to describe. For me, it's a point of view. The voice of the artist. I watch a lot of movies and find inspiration in the way they frame the shots to the lenses used to create a feeling in the film. So many photographers come into the industry armed with an arsenal of actions and textures and camera gear, emulating everything they see that catches their eye. Somewhere along the way, you learn to trust your personal vision. This is the development of style. That point of view is always there, from the beginning. It just gets lost in the noise of inexperience. I'd like to think my style is cinematic, emotionally honest and intimate.
  
  
   6.  Any horror stories you'd like to share? Something bad that happened during a shoot?
  I've heard some great horror stories that have happened to other photographers. If you do this long enough, you're going to have a horror story. It's just the way life is, no matter what you do. The challenge is to be prepared as much as anyone can and build in a system of checks and balances. From the way you pack your camera case to all the other rituals you develop. 
  However, there was a wedding back when I was shooting film with a Hasselblad. The shutters were built into the lenses. They break. It happens, but you'd never know unless you were using a flash or shooting Polaroids. At this particular wedding, I was using a long lens for my formals. We were using natural light and a reflector to light them. For the rest of the wedding, I used my normal-wide lens. A week later when I picked up my film from the lab, I was told there were 10 rolls of blank film! The shutter broke on my long lens and many of the formals portraits were lost. We were able to put together a very nice set from the 35mm images my second shooter captured during the formals of the family. In the end the album was amazing, but that was one of those moments you never forget.
   7.  Do you ever do any photography just for fun? If so, what are your favorite things to shoot?
  Photography for fun? I love being behind the camera! However, it's easy to lose sight of the reason you became a photographer in the first place, given all the demands of running a business and staying on top of constantly changing technology. Last year, I decided to start doing art walks. Taking a day and going out with my camera and photographing whatever inspired me. I used to do this when I was in photography school. It was a great exercise and very challenging. I was very happy with the body of work that I produced and would like to do this more often. I think it's a necessary part of practicing and developing your artistic vision. I posted three of these journeys on my blog last year.
  
  
   8.  Any predictions on the next big trend in the wedding photo industry?
  Don't we all wish we could predict what the next trend was, especially in this economy? Obviously, things are very tough out there for everyone. During times of recession, people return to classic styles. Look at fashion magazines and you'll see trends in imagery that show up in wedding photography. Trends are cyclical. Eventually, everything come back in style. I think timeless black and white will make a big comeback and that's great. My roots are in black and white film and printing. I've been fortunate to have that background as it gives me a sensibility for how my black and white digital images should look to emulate that classic style. Trends keep the industry fresh and that's what makes being a wedding photographer so exciting.
  
   9.  What type of local publications or resources do you advertise in? What about international publications? 
  I advertise regionally with a national wedding site and locally with ISPWP, which is an amazing group of talented wedding photographers. I have tried print advertising, but it never really works for me. Word of mouth from satisfied clients has always been the best form of advertising for me. 
  
  
  10.  What are you working on next?
  I'd like to work on a tan, and I may get that chance if the economy doesn't start picking up soon. I recently put together a collaborative blog project called My Portland Photographer. 24 photographers joining together and committing to post one new image every week showcasing our unique styles. It's a great resource for brides, wedding planners and a unique opportunity to drive traffic and bring exposure to our individual sites. Together, we are joining to elevate our profession. Other projects include a lighting workshop that I'm creating with Kevin Focht. 
  This year I'm taking a step back and evaluating my business. It goes in cycles. I have 2-3 years of creative inspiration and then I spend a year working on the business. Updating the galleries on my Big Folio web site and evaluating my pricing, products and services are the next steps for my business. I'd like to travel to Germany with my father and explore our family genealogy. You never know what life has in store. Most important is trusting the process and continuing to strive for something.
• March 18, 2009
• 8:20

  BF FAVE: COLOR SCHEME DESIGNER 3

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Every once and a while, one of us here at BIG Folio will stumble across something we all think is pretty cool. One of our most recent finds is this Color Scheme Designer.

  

  It is not only user-friendly, but it's also designed to assist a person of any skill level. Another great feature is the associated web application (API). Folks like us can use it as a "color palette picker tool" for web design by simply integrating it into current development systems. And the best part- it's free. That's right. The use of the Color Scheme Designer and API are free to both commercial and non-commercial entities. Though, if you really like it, you can always make a donation by clicking the donate button in the bottom left corner of the CSD site. So, go ahead and check it out and then tell us what you think.

• March 16, 2009
• 8:02

  COFFEE FOR PHOTOS WINNER!

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  The race was tight, but in the end there could be only one winning photograph...

  Congratulations to Jenni Lillie for her winning outdoor wedding shot. The BIG Folio team agreed your image was the most creative, fun and original shot we received in this competition. For your prize, we will be sending you a $100 Starbucks gift card.

  

  Thank you to everyone who participated in our "Coffee for Photos" contest. We got a huge number of submissions, and we really enjoyed looking through all of them. We hope you will stay tuned to our blog for upcoming features and, of course, more contests!

• March 13, 2009
• 7:00

  Artist Spotlight: Chuck Arlund

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio is delighted to share our interview with Nashville-based photographer Chuck Arlund. His photographic philosophy is simple: capture the art and essence of the subject. When he shoots a wedding, his images tell the story of two people in love. In his own words, "at Arlund, photography is an art form. The Art of Being You." Without further ado, we present Chuck Arlund.

  

  BF: You are based in Nashville and Kansas City- how does that work? Do you travel often? And where are some of your favorite places to go?
  
  I am based out of Nashville but I am from KC and it is a very inexpensive flight back and forth. My whole family and a lot of my friends all live in KC. I had a pretty decent business when I left for Nashville so I wanted to hold on to that. I do not travel as much as I used to. With 2 pretty new kids I hate being away. When I go to KC, I bring them for the family to see. My favorite place I have traveled to is the Napa Valley area. I fell in love with it.
  
  BF: Did you have any other occupation before becoming a professional photographer?

  I was a professional Rock guitar player. I also did some web and graphic design part time for my Church.  I worked for a year as an Advertising photographer for some magazines and the Kansas City Star, while I lived in KC.
  
  
  BF: So when did you realize that you could make a living shooting pictures?
  
  Funny story, I was working in a Camera Pro store and kept getting asked questions about flash and lighting. The people who were asking me were making money shooting weddings.  The thought of shooting weddings had never crossed my mind, but I saw they were making a lot more than I was at the camera store and at the paper. I always said, "If I'm not on the cover of Rolling Stone then I am going to shoot the cover of Rolling Stone." I am still trying to shoot the cover, since I gave up trying to be on it four years ago. But in all seriousness, even back in 2001-2002 really before Digital was so common, there were still not very experienced photographers shooting weddings and making a decent income. We also processed film, and I swear half the time the negs were so badly underexposed. It was sad. I set aside my commercial attitude towards wedding and portrait photographers and became one of them.
  
  BF: Was there a photographer (or anyone else) that inspired or influenced you?
  
  The first photographer that I really identified with and made me start looking at photography as a real profession and not a hobby was Herb Ritts. He is still a huge inspiration.  Recently, I have been drawn into Santa D'Orazio, His images have soul. Norman Parkinson is another great influence.  
  
  
  BF: How would you best describe your style?
  
  I would like it to be something else, but I think my style is bold and a little dark. I hear the term "artistic" thrown around a lot, but I am personally still trying to find that. My style is constantly developing. I am hoping I get a little cleaner, airier images, but I have a feeling that I will end up making them look like my typical stuff. I like to push myself. I think I see my style differently than what others see it. So I think that it might all be correct. So, My style: Dark and artistic with lots of personality bordering on humorous. Retro Contemporary (there is an opposite for you, but what is old is new, right?)
  BF: Any horror stories you'd like to share? Something bad that happened during a shoot?
  
  This one is not much of a horror story but it is kind of funny. I'm at a wedding in January, and I start seeing a dark line across my images on the screen. It looks like really bad sync problems with a flash, but I am not shooting flash.  When I am shooting vertical the problem goes away. It was just strange. I pick up my backup but this church is REALLY dark and I really need my better camera for the high iso. I start thinking about it and try shooting the camera upside down. Sure enough the problem goes away. My camera's mirror was getting stuck. by turning the camera over, gravity was helping pull the mirror down and the images were fine.  The couple and guests just thought I was a little eccentric, which I probably am. So I shot the rest of the wedding with the camera upside down. I am trying to figure out how to tell them there album will have to be looked at in reverse in order for it to look correct. (That is a joke).
  
  
  BF: Do you ever do any photography just for fun? If so, what are your favorite things to shoot?
  
  Yes, I like to shoot buildings, the inside of bars during the daytime. It is interesting to see places that are only really seen by anyone when it is dark. There are some wonderful colors that you probably never pay attention to at your favorite pub or music cave.  I also love photographing women and models. I was drawn to fashion photography as an art form and that is what I love to photograph, every time I pick up the camera it is fun.
  
  BF: Any predictions on the next big trend in the wedding photo industry?
  
  I can't say because I don't want anyone to steal my idea. :) It involves video. And with that I can say, I think photographers will be shooting more video. I have been saying this for about 3 years now. It is kind of strange.
  
  BF: What type of local publications or resources do you advertise in? What about international publications?
  
  I advertise in only one local wedding magazine. They have been really good to me, although I do not think it really generates much business. As I pursue my commercial career, I am sure I will be looking at Black Book and publications like that.
  
  
  BF: What are you working on next?
  
  Commercial. I have been shooting a lot of music industry type of stuff but have never really gone after it. We shot Hootie and the Blowfish last year and it was exciting to work with a bigger named artist. I also do family portraits for some country artists like Little Big Town and they have mentioned me getting into more commercial stuff. So that is what is next, I am working on my new Big Folio site specifically aimed at recording artist and editorial fashion. There is a buzz in Nashville that I need to grab a hold of. Hopefully next year, I can report that I am having some success. I think one of the first things is finding a good agent that is willing to represent me. If there are any takers please give me a call... www.chuckarlund.com should be live in 2 weeks.

   

• March 11, 2009
• 8:33

  COFFEE FOR PHOTOS

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio enthusiastically announces another rad contest for you photogs out there:

  Send us your best outdoor wedding shot featuring either trees or water somewhere in the photo [see below John Michael Cooper photo as an example] for a chance to win a $100 Starbucks gift card.

  

  We will choose our favorite photo over the weekend and post the winning image (and a nice tribute to its photographer) right here on our blog on Monday (3.16.09).
  
  E-mail your submission image to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot}com. We will be accepting only ONE image per photographer, so make sure to send your best work :) And don't forget, all submissions must be received by Friday, March 13th at 10:00pm (PST). 

• March 10, 2009
• 8:49

  Bent in Bend update

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Just a quick update for all those interested in coming to the Bent in Bend workshop in April– we are allowing a 'payment plan'. If you sign up this week (3.9-3. 15) you can break the payment up into 2– 1/2 now and 1/2 in one month from now. 

  No more excuses, come on out and get the most bang for your buck at Bent in Bend 2009. 

• March 09, 2009
• 8:51

  THE BEST FROM THE BEST

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  The ladies of Junebug Weddings recently announced their selection of the "most stunning images of 2008." The best part is that five BIG Folio photogs made the list, and we are very excited to showcase their work. 

  Congratulations are much in order for the ever-talented: 
  
  Elizabeth Messina

  

  Marcus Bell

  

  
  Jose Villa

  

  
  Jim Garner

  

  
  Lisa Lefkowitz

  

• March 06, 2009
• 2:01

  Artist Spotlight: Erik Clausen

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio recently got the chance to interview Dallas/Fort Worth-based photographer Erik Clausen. Erik has shot his fair-share of weddings and is not afraid to admit he is a poser. What exactly does that mean? Check out the about page on his site for more information on his expressive approach to shooting. You can also get a glimpse of what he is all about by reading the interview below, which we think you will enjoy.  

  

  BF: You are based in the D-FW area, but do you ever get to travel for work? If so, how often do you travel? And where are some of your favorite places to go? 
  
  I travel for probably 50% of the weddings I currently shoot and am booked for.  I absolutely love to travel.  when I met my wife, I was getting prepared to go backpacking through Europe.  Although, things change when you fall in love ;)  Still haven't had the chance to go to Europe, but I'm betting I'll get the chance soon.  I am partial to beaches, so anytime i get to shoot on an island or a beach somewhere, I am very happy.  My favorite destination to shoot so far was definitely Bermuda- an unbelievably beautiful and clean place. 

  BF: Did you have any other occupation before becoming a professional photographer?

  The only thing I had ever really done before starting in this industry was serving and bar tending. I cannot tell you how excited I was to put in my two weeks notice when I started the business!

  

  BF: So, when did you realize that you could make a living shooting pictures?

  It was June of 2005.  I was making an iced tea and a girl named Autumn Krueger was to my side making some bread while I was working at the cheesecake factory.  I had just gotten back from a table and was showing them some photos of my family that I had in my waiters book.  She had seen me and made the comment, "I envy you."  I asked her why, and she said,  "because you can totally do that for a living."  Now I had been interested in photography for a few years at that point, but I didn't know what and SLR was, heck i had never even heard the terms "aperture" or "shutter speed",  but in that instant, I knew photography was exactly what God had in mind for me to do.  There is , of course, a very long story attached to that, but there is not enough space to go into that here :)  I would love to sit down and share a cup of coffee with any of you if I get the chance and tell you the entire story.  

  

  BF: Was there a photographer (or anyone else) that inspired or influenced you?

  First and foremost, I get my inspiration and influence from my Jesus- the Creator of creativity.  All things were created through Him, and so it only makes sense that I would go to Him for any inspiration.

  As for photographers, I would definitely say that there are some influences.  I like to think that Ben Chrisman, Sean Flannigan and Jesh de Rox have had a significant influence in my current work.  I am ever finding new amazing imagery as inspiration.  One of my latest finds is a freaking-stud photog named Jeff Newsom.  I'm sure, judging by the traffic homes gets on his blog, that I am late to the party, but I am glad to have gotten on the bandwagon. 

  BF: How would you best describe your style as a photographer?

  I'm not really sure.  I suppose there is a fashion sense attributed to my work, but there is certainly some PJ as well.  Heck, even the poses I create are sometimes intended to look PJ.  As far as I'm concerned, there is no "style", I just shoot what looks good to me.  I haven't been formally trained, so honestly, I wouldn't even know what to call it if I did have a style.

  

  BF: Any horror stories you'd like to share? Something bad that happened during a shoot?

  The only moment that really made my heart fall into my stomach was when I handed my 50 1.2 L lens to my assistant, put a different lens on, turned to shoot, and heard "crack!"  he had dropped it on the hard parking lot concrete.  And he's a tall chap, so it had a ways to fall.  Worst part was, when I shoot portraits, I use that lens probably 85% of the time.  And that was within the first five minutes of the shoot!   It was only a few hundred bucks to get it fixed, and the shoot ended up awesome, so it turned out OK.

  BF: Do you ever do any photography just for fun? If so, what are your favorite things to shoot?

  ALL photography is fun to me.  I desperately enjoy every bit of what I do.  and I can say that, hands down, my favorite thing to shoot is weddings.  I love marriage.  I love being married.  I believe marriage is the best way God reflects and reveals His full presence here on earth (as all things, both feminine and masculine were created from Him, He must contain both qualities).  When a couple gets married, they become "one flesh".  To get to document that union, is the greatest thing I can imagine :)

  BF: Any predictions on the next big trend in the wedding photo industry?

  No idea.  Trends are one of those funny things.  It's "trendy" to do something that's not trendy.  So I just shoot/process what looks cool to me.  Sometimes I may be falling into a trendy category, sometimes not, but I will always love what I am doing because it's coming from me.

  BF: What type of local publications or resources do you advertise in? What about international publications?

  I just put an ad in Southern Weddings Magazine. I'm on the inside cover (thanks ladies!).  The only other publication where I am currently found is the knot.  That was the first place I ever advertised, and it has served me very well.  Probably 90% of all the weddings I have shot I booked from the knot.  But as my business has grown, I am getting more referrals and leads from other places, i.e. being published on blogs and magazines, I am scaling back on some of my paid advertising.
  

  

  BF: What are you working on next?

  Currently I have some extra time, as I am still in the off season, and I am going to try to actually work on some of my family's photos.  The cobblers son has no shoes ;)

• March 04, 2009
• 6:51

  BENT IN BEND 2009

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Join BIG Folio at our headquarters in Bend, OR April 15-16, 2009 for a two-day Workshop featuring instruction and presentations by: Susan Stripling, Matt and Kristal Radlinski, and our very own Erik Dungan. We will cover topics from natural-light shooting to album design to search engine optimization (and almost everything in between). 
  
  And it gets even better! Each of the attendees will also receive:

  • A BIG Folio Premium Website + 12 months of hosting (a $650 value)
  • A 6-month NextProof Basic account (a $144 value)
  • An SEO DVD created for professional photographers (a $79 value)

  We will even throw in some Mt. Bachelor LIFT TICKETS if you join us early on April 13-14 for some excellent skiing/snowboarding. 
  
  Space is LIMITED to only 20 people, so hurry and Sign Up today. We can't wait to see you in April for what we know is going to be an amazing event. 

   

• March 02, 2009
• 6:48

  Jose Villa Workshop Give-away

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BF announces a NEW contest with a HUGE prize. Here is how it works: 

  

  The first 30 people to sign up for a Premium BIG Folio site will be entered to win a seat at a one-day Jose Villa workshop, and we'll even throw in some travel money. The winner can choose to attend the workshop either in Santa Barbara, CA on Apr. 20, 2009 or in Boulder, CO on May 19, 2009 - the workshop alone is a $750 value. But like we said, we'll also toss the grand-prize winner $250 in air credit to help get you there in style. 
  
  So hurry and sign up today to secure your spot in the running- we know you won't want to miss this amazing prize package. 

• February 27, 2009
• 0:42

  Entry Page Builder

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  This week we're launching the beta version of our new Entry Page Builder–a great new tool that allows you to build a custom, search engine-friendly, HTML entry page for your BIG Folio website.

  

  With the entry page builder, you can select the number of images and links that will be displayed, add your logo (or a text title), customize your fonts, and include an introductory description of your business (great for search engines). Even add your most recent blog and twitter posts to your entry page!

  

  The live preview window allows you to preview your changes as you work on your new entry page. Once, you're ready, just click Save and your new entry page is deployed to your site.

  The best part is, the Entry Page Builder will be available to Mattingly and Puckett admin users. Look for it in the Pages tab of your admin.

• February 24, 2009
• 20:28

  New Help System

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  To our BIG Folio friends and photogs: have we got some news for you! If you've asked for help this week, you may have noticed a few changes to our support system. On Monday, we rolled out a new version of BIG Help- our customer support and ticket system. It has some nice, new features like improved emails, support for file attachments, and links to common questions. Other features only apply to our support staff–you wont see them, but we'll be able to answer your requests even faster. Our great support (yeah, we said it) will be even better. 

  

  BIG Help also has avatar support. Now you can put a face (even if it is a cartoon face) with the name when one of our staff answers your request. 

  In case you're wondering, BIG Help is a Ruby on Rails app developed by our staff. In fact, it's even an open-source project on GitHub. If you've got a business that needs a support system, give it a try (just don't submit a ticket for help:) ). 

  

  So,  if you have submitted a help ticket, we hope you found the improvements useful and the new system easy-to-use. Also, feel free to leave us some comments on your thoughts about our new system. As always, we love to hear what you have to say. 

• 8:49

  Tweet

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  Hey everyone, BIG Folio announces our brand-new Twitter account. This way, you can better keep track of what is going on inside the BF world. Let the tweeting begin. 

• February 23, 2009
• 13:17

  BIG FOLIO HELP SYSTEM MAKEOVER

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We are giving our support/ticket/help system a nice remodel. To deploy the new system we will need to take the existing one down for about 30 minutes. We will be doing this today, February 23rd, at 2pm PST.

  At that time you will not be able to submit a ticket/check on existing tickets/etc. 

   

• 8:33

  Big Folio Introduces the Built-In Image Combiner

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We are really excited to introduce our new image combiner. This tool will allow you to combine multiple images on to one canvas and save it as a new image.  This is especially helpful with vertical images; now you can show two vertical images side by side to better fill the container space on your site.

  Once you select two images from the image bank, hit the Combine button on the Image Bank Actions panel.

  

  This will load the image editor where you can adjust the canvas resolution using the handy '3:2' button or by manually entering width and height values.  

  

  You can also select a background color for your canvas.

  

  Simply drag and drop the images to the desired position.  You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to fine-tune each image's placement.  

  If at any time you need to revert back to the original layout, you can hit the revert button to do just that. Once everything is set, you can hit the save button and enter a desired file name. That's it. Your image is saved to the image bank. We think you will find it very useful. Enjoy.

  The image combiner is currently available on the following sites: 

  • Cascade Lakes Highway
  • Butler Market Road
  • Newport Avenue
  • Burnside Street
  • Aurora Way
  • Bandon
  • LaPine
• February 19, 2009
• 21:46

  ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: MATTHEW CLARK

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio had the pleasure of interviewing the inspiring Matt Clark for this week's edition of our Artist Spotlight series. He was awarded the coveted Follow the Light Foundation Grant in 2007, and we think you'll see why when you check out his work. Matt is certainly making a name for himself in the photography world, and he's only 25. 

  

  BF: You are based in New York, but do you ever get the chance to travel for work?  If so, how often and where are some of your favorite places to go?
  Living in New York and having roots in surf photography has actually been a huge advantage in my opinion. Not only have I had the chance to travel for work, but that's what I do for personal enjoyment too. I love what I'm doing right now. I do about 15-20 short trips within the United States, and then between 2-4 out of country trips a year. I'm not sure I can pick one place that I consider a favorite as every trip has lifelong memories attached to them. I truly did fall in love with the highlands of Peru and that has given me even more motivation to photograph the world.   BF: Did you have any other occupation before becoming a professional photographer?
  I can't say that I've dabbled in anything but photography and videography since graduating college. I've worked summer jobs for a bit more travel money but other than that it's just been photography.   BF: So when did you realize that you could make a living shooting pictures?
  I've recognized photography as not only and art but an occupation since obsessing over National Geographic when I was old enough to comprehend. I've always understood photography to be a profession. For my own personal occupation, I recognized it as a viable occupation when I was awarded the Follow the Light Foundation grant in 2007 by the most elite surf photographers in the world.   BF: Was there a photographer (or anyone else) that inspired or influenced you?
  This is my favorite question to answer because I know their are people out there who may not have heard some of the names I've been influenced by. Nick Brandt and Bruce Davidson, as well as countless other well know photographers are a given, however, photographers who I know personally would have to be Brian Nevins, Nick Lavecchia, Tom "Snapwater" Colla. All three of them have given me insight and inspiration when I needed it most. Also my college professors, Rob Toedter and Rose Desiano have provided me with mountains of information and I can never thank anyone enough for the gift of knowledge. My friends and surf travel partners, in particular Bob Baldwin, the owner and operator of atlanticbodyboards.com. Please do check all of their sites, you'll be amazed. I'd also have to say my family and especially my girlfriend, Jackie, who has been the backbone in everything I do. I can't say I'd be doing what I do now if it wasn't for her. She's beautiful...and a world class traveller haha.   BF: How would you best describe your style?
  I'm obsessed with the timelessness of some photographs, images that last decades, and possibly hundreds of years, images that capture more than what's on film, the ones that capture an entire day/week/ or extended period of time with just a single photograph. The ones you remember. I am always striving to get one of those photographs, and I'll never know if I do because I am the image maker and its a memory for me. Thinking about every photograph I've taken is mind boggling to me and truly makes me think. I have lived every moment that I've photographed, I was there. It makes me feel like I've done a lot in my life. BF: What is the best thing that ever happened to you on a shoot?
  A couple of times while shooting water photos in freezing cold heavy surf I didn't drown, which was great! Haha. I think I'd have to say the best moments happen months later after a shoot and I go back over the images and find something I didn't see back then. Some new perspective, something that inspires me in future shoots.   BF: Do you ever do any photography just for fun? If so, what are your favorite things to capture?
  Everything I shoot is fun, I've never been miserable with my camera, if it seems like something boring to shoot I'll find a way to make it interesting for myself by challenging myself photographically. If I'm not having fun doing what I do, then it will translate into my photographs and they will look dull and pointless.    BF: What type of local publications or resources do you advertise in? Any international publications?
  I don't advertise in anything.   BF: What are you working on next?
  I have a couple of trips I may be taking in the coming months, I'm looking into Romania, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Argentina, Tasmania and possibly somewhere in central/southern Africa. I've not yet made a decision but it will be for personal travel photography, exploring people and places, what I enjoy most.
• February 18, 2009
• 10:36

  This Blog's For You

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  BIG Folio would like to take a minute to ask you, our readers, what content you would like to see on our blog. Would you like more client profiles (like our "Artist Spotlight" series)? How about more product overviews or tutorials? We will, of course, always have new product announcements, and we will even throw in a contest or two each month, so no need to worry about that. We would just like to get your valuable input, since the bf-Stop exists for you. Feel free to leave us some comments with your opinions or suggestions. We can't wait to see what you have to say.
  
  Thanks,
  The BIG Folio Blog

• February 16, 2009
• 9:13

  Feature Site Design: Burnside Street

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Burnside Street is one of seven Premium Designs we currently have available. It comes complete with the BIG Folio service you know you can count on, as well as many added features to better suit your needs. One of the unique features of Burnside is that the design allows you to change the menu orientation from horizontal to vertical, depending on your own preference.

  The design allows for background textures, as well, further personalizing your own unique BIG Folio site. Basically with Burnside, you can create the customized website you have always dreamed of having to showcase your individual photographic and artistic style. So, check it out, along with the rest of BIG Folio's designs here. 

• February 13, 2009
• 9:06

  Artist Spotlight: DAN O'DAY

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio is honored to present a conversation with the brilliantly-talented Dan O'Day. Dan has graciously agreed to answer a few of our questions for the first post of a new blog series we like to call "Artist Spotlights." So, without further ado, Mr. Dan O'Day. 

  

  BF: You are based in Australia, but you work internationally. How often do you travel? And where are some of your favorite places to go? 

  I have only (this year) advertised myself as being available internationally, the good news is that since doing this, I have secured a booking in the Cook Islands, as well as receiving two other inquiries from Tokyo and New Zealand. Hopefully, I will secure these bookings as well. I spent some time in New York last year and am returning for a month in June. During my stay I am hoping to take advantage of this trip to team up with some photographers and shoot some weddings and personal work.

  BF: Did you have any other occupation before becoming a professional photographer? 

  Yes, it is a time in my life I am trying to block out: a place of blue and gray carpets, smelly air conditioning, artificial smiles and whispers over coffee in the hallways. Photocopiers are also involved.

  

  BF: So when did you realize that you could make a living shooting pictures? 

  About a year ago. I guess the trick is looking at the results you have been getting, believing in yourself and your work, and then...  taking that leap of faith.

  BF: Was there a photographer (or anyone else) that inspired or influenced you? 

  Yes, I am inspired by many things, photographers, painters, music. I like to think that all of these influences stimulate my creative juices. To give you some examples, some of my favourite wedding photographers are Marcus Bell and Tony Marin, lately I have been loving the work of Justin DeMers, Jose Villa and our own Samm Blake . Art photographers Sally Mann, Gregory Crewdson, and Trent Park are but only three in a VERY long list of art photographers that I admire and that inspire me. Painters: Jean Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Gerhart Richter and Cherry Hood. Music: Sigur Ros. I also do a lot of my post to the sweet sounds of the cinematographic masterpiece BARAKA.

  

  BF: How would you best describe your style? 

  Illustrative and expressive. I love faces! I like to try and capture "that thing" that a family member, or a friend "does" that makes them "them" to the client. I will jump at any chance I can get to make a piece of art out of a moment.

  BF: Any horror stories you'd like to share? Something bad that happened during a shoot?

  Who me?! Ok. Ok.. Back when I was first starting to shoot weddings, I used to have my assistant back up my flash cards to a laptop as the day went on and on occasion re-use the same flash card if I was running out of space toward the end of the day. On one occasion, I cleared a card that had not been downloaded successfully to the lap top and I lost about 200 shots. Thankfully, they were probably the nicest couple I have ever met and were extremely understanding, in fact, they tried to console me! To this day we remain good friends.

  

  BF: Do you ever do any photography just for fun? If so, what are your favorite things to shoot?

  Yes, I do. I exhibit heavily with my fine art photography, a lot of this imagery consist of lone figures in urban and natural landscapes, usually in ridiculous times of the morning to put emphasis in the "stillness" of a moment. In 2007 I also worked on a fun project where I photographed (from my mobile phone) people sleeping in public places from Barcelona to LA. This series is called "sleepers" and is an ongoing project.

  BF: Any predictions on the next big trend in the wedding photo industry? 

  With the way camera technologies are going, I anticipate (unfortunately) a trend where wedding film makers and wedding still makers will begin to venture into the others worlds. For example, the still cameras coming out of late with High Def video recording options are making it easier for photographers and videographers to explore the option of trying to take on both. This may create a blurry line between some filmmakers and still makers. Hopefully we all stick at what we are good at and focus our extra energies and technology into making us even "gooder" at what we already do well. But who knows, In the future, you might even see Dan O'Day Photography (and High Definition digital DSLR video studio) opening up on a street corner near you.

  

  BF: What type of local publications or resources do you advertise in? What about international publications?

  There are two local Canberra publications that I advertise within, the rest I leave to the internet. I would love to start shooting a lot O/S so maybe advertising in international publications might be the next step.

  BF: What are you working on next? 

  Well next on the cards for me is an exhibition of my fine art photography opening at Catherine Asquith Gallery in Melbourne next week. The week following, I will be undergoing an intense designing regime of my fine art wedding album options. I am really looking forward to this! And then hopefully, I will be organising meetings with some fellow shooters for the short time I will be in New York this year- fingers crossed something exiting will come of this.
  

• February 11, 2009
• 8:51

  Liquid Layouts...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Big Folio is excited to announce another tool that we have designed to better suit your photographic needs. 

  
  Introducing the liquid layout concept
  
  This new feature will allow Big Folio customers to view additional columns of thumbnails within your image galleries. The standard image appearance is two-wide for large thumbnails and four-wide for small. Our new liquid-width concept, easily accessible with the click of a button, will increase the width of thumbnails to better fit your browser size. This tool was uniquely devised for photographers with larger or multiple monitors, so that you can view more image thumbnails within the same browser.
  
  Liquid-layout is now available to all v3.0 BF customers. No need to upgrade. Simply sign into your site control tools and you will find the Switch to Liquid button in either your galleries or image bank. 

   

• February 09, 2009
• 9:14

  And the Winner is...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  
  
  Congratulations Jamie Waters for sending us the best image of a family at a wedding. You have won a free BIG Folio Standard Website. Our judges loved your photo. In fact, here is what they had to say about it:
  
  "Love the simplicity of the image, and the genuine communication from father to daughter, its such a real moment and the photographer was at the right place, at the right time." - Jose Villa

  "real, great composition. love the negative space." - Kenneth Morgan
  
  
  Big Folio would also like to congratulate the runner-up, Christie Pham, for your creative contribution as well. We are excited to reward your efforts with a $100 Starbucks gift card. 
  
  
  
  Our judges had many compliments for your image as well: 
  
  "a moment that you have to be on your toes to catch. i can hear her laugh. a photo she will love forever." - Jose Villa

  "[this moment] is real and funny. Great pucker on Grandpa." - Kenneth Morgan
  
  Thanks again to every one who participated in our latest image contest. We really enjoyed looking at each and every submission. Stay tuned to the BIG Folio Blog for new product launches, useful information, announcements, and of course more contests!

• February 06, 2009
• 9:31

  The Images Are In

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We would like to thank all of the photographers who submitted images for our Photo Contest. And we wish each of you good luck!
  
  Here are the nominees:
  
  

  above photo by: Alexandre Borges

  

  above photo by Amanda Padgham

  

  above photo by Amy Glover

  

  above photo by Anna Sawin

  

  above photo by Ashley Truckey

  

  above photo by Betsy Brody

  

  above photo by Christie Pham

  

  above photo by Christie Pham

  

  above photo by Cindy Chen

  

  above photo by Dan O'Day

  

  above photo by David Pinacho

  

  above photo by Evan Tardy

  

  above photo by Jamie Waters

  

  above photo by Jamie Waters

  

  above photo by Jane Johnson

  

  above photo by Jenn Galloway

  

  above photo by Jessica Wright

  

  above photo by Laura Ashbrook

  

  above photo by Laura Ashbrook

  

  above photo by Leah Tan

  

  above photo by Mariana Maya

  

  above photo by Otto Schulze

  

  above photo by Otto Schulze

  

  above photo by Sheila Schmid

  

  above photo by Tabitha McCausland
  
  Our judges Kenneth Morgan, Jose Villa and Jim Garner will submit their votes for Best Family Image at a Wedding over the weekend. Stay tuned to the Big Folio Blog, as the winner will be announced Monday, Feb. 9. 

• February 04, 2009
• 10:22

  Big Folio Announces–  Improved Image Bank

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We know many of our photographers have hundreds of images uploaded to their admin panels, so we wanted to re-design the image bank to be more conducive to organizing larger numbers of images at the same time.

  The new additions include the ability to create an unlimited number of folders to better categorize and organize your images, as well as a floating tool box that will more easily allow you to arrange and sort images without needing to constantly scroll from images to the top tool bar.

  It is just another way we are working to make your experience building a Big Folio website even more rewarding. 
  
  
  The new and improved image bank is available to all new Big Folio sign-ups. 

• February 02, 2009
• 10:39

  BF Photo Contest

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We want to showcase some of the talent of our photographers with a bit of a contest. We have rounded up some incredible judges (see below). So, we are looking for a creative image of a family at a wedding (sample below). It could be a bride and her parents or a groom and his brother, or a bunch of aunts and uncles at a reception. We would love to see submissions of both classic and contemporary photography. Please send your submission photo to lindi{at}bigfolio{dot} com. 
  
  We will be accepting images through Thursday, February 5 at midnight. 
  
  The selected entries will be posted to the blog on Friday afternoon, voting will be conducted by Kenneth Morgan, Jose Villa and Jim Garner. The winner will receive a $100 gift card from Starbucks or a free BIG Folio standard website. The announcement will made here on the blog first thing on Monday morning. 
  
  Good luck!

• January 30, 2009
• 10:44

  Time for Something New

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  As for the Something New, we would like to announce our Font Manager, which comes with all new BIG Folio sites (not Chorro Remixed or Grand Avenue). This new feature allows you access to dozens of different fonts and the ability to use them at three levels (title font, navigation font, and page font) further adding to the many ways to fully customize your unique photography site.  Don't forget to take advantage of the current upgrade offer - any upgrade to a new premium site will get you the font manager free of charge. 

  

  We are also very excited to announce our new Auto-Resize Feature*. With this new tool, you will have the choice to auto-resize each image to the specifications for your individual site when you upload images in the admin panel. This, we believe, will help you save valuable time and energy, by not sending you back into Photoshop to edit all of your images to fit the site specifications. It is just another way BIG Folio is looking after our customers; after all, we know how busy you can get. 
  
  *The auto-resize feature is currently available with the following site designs: 

  • Burnside
  • Cascade Lakes (coming soon)
  • Butler Market (coming soon)
  • Newport Avenue (coming soon)

   

  

• January 28, 2009
• 10:40

  Something Bold from BIG Folio

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  

  Looking to boost sales in 2009? We would like to help. BIG Folio announces a special offer for our valued customers to help you make the most of the new year. 

   

  • Upgrade your old premium site to one of our new premium sites for only $150 BUY NOW
  • Upgrade your old standard site to one of our new standard sites for only $125 BUY NOW
  • Upgrade your old standard site to one of our new premium sites for only $300 BUY NOW
  • Save $5 off your monthly NextProof subscription

  And if you thought it could not get any better, think again. Each of the above offers also includes: 

  • Free migration of your current site's content 
  • Free instructional SEO DVD 
  • Free texture pack which can be used to style any of our new sites 

  
  To learn more about this special offer, click here. Please note that these offers for existing BIG Folio customers will be available for a limited time only.*
  
  
  *Offer expires at midnight on Sunday, February 15. 

• January 22, 2009
• 13:48

  NextProof Holiday Contest Winners Announced

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]
• January 20, 2009
• 15:37

  Blog Down for Maintenance Wed at 10pm EST

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We're migrating the BIG Folio Blog server tomorrow night at 10pm EST. Blogs will be unavailable at this time. We expect the migration to take less than an hour.

• January 16, 2009
• 12:34

  AltF teaser...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  john michael cooper is working on a tutorial that will cover his SFMF (Single Flash Multiple Frame) technique. when it is complete, it will be ready here. For now, check out this teaser...

• December 23, 2008
• 15:56

  Merry Christmas

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

   

  Merry Christmas everyone. BIG Folio will be out of the office from now until 12.29. We will be checking in on emergencies. 

  One additional note, stay tuned for a new design to come busting on the scene at the beginning of the new year. Newport Avenue, we can barely wait!!!

  

   

• November 25, 2008
• 7:58

  Time for Holiday Sales...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  are you all aware of the big contest going on over at NextProof? it is high time to make some print sales for the holiday and win some prizes while you are at it. 

• November 20, 2008
• 13:22

  go.bigfolio.com – the new home for all things BIG Folio

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We launched go.bigfolio.com with you, our customers, in mind. We have designed the site to meet your comprehensive Big Folio needs, and we are certain you will like what you see.

  

  From your own client dashboard, you can sign in to any of your big folio products with the click of a button.

  

   

  We even included a personal web mail option for quick access to the Gmail log-in page.

   

  The "important news" section is where we, Big Folio, will share important announcements, promotions, features, etc. (who knows what you might be able to win someday?).

  

   

  The support center lets you get more information about any and all BF products and even submit a service request if you can't find the answer you were looking for.

  

  To top it all off, we even included information about other BF products that might be useful to our current customers. 

  
  The dashboard is available to all new Big Folio, Next Proof, BIG Show and BF Blog sign ups, as well as to existing customers who upgrade their template selection.

• November 17, 2008
• 16:19

  Thanksgiving Schedule

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We wanted to make you all aware of just when we will begin and be through with watching a lot of football, eating too much and sleeping a lot. This year the BIG Folio staff will be off work from 5pm on 11.25 through 8:30am PST on 12.1. Note, we will be checking in for emergencies and ensuring we monitor the servers as well. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. 

• November 07, 2008
• 12:57

  join us at PPA in Arizona

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  click the link to download a PDF that will get you free access to the PPA Expo in Arizona this January 2009. 

  big folio

  Get your own at Scribd or explore others:

   

   

• November 05, 2008
• 11:52

  Introducing Bandon: Our New Site ... and a Chance to Get it Free

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We're proud to introduce a new standard website design: Bandon. Bandon has a clean design, big thumbnail previews, and gorgeous transitions. But what really sets Bandon apart is the wonderful integration with NextProof, our online proofing platform. Thumbnails and links to your NextProof galleries are automatically loaded into the site, allowing customers to easily find their wedding or portrait proofs.

  You can preview Bandon here. It's available for purchase now on our website for only $150.

  Get Bandon free for the next 24 hours

  We're really excited about Bandon and its tight integration with NextProof–especially with the holiday sales season fast approaching. We're going to give you a chance to get the site free for the next 24 hours. Simply sign-up for a NextProof "Pro" or "Max" plan, then drop us an email and we'll get your new Bandon site up right away. No setup fee. No additional hosting fees.

  How-to and terms

  • Sign-up for a NextProof Pro or Max plan (which is free for 30-days)
  • Email us with your NextProof domain name and the domain you'd like for your new Bandon site
  • Your new Bandon site will be setup within 5 business days
  • Offer expires Thursday, November 6 at 12:00pm Pacific Time
  • Offer is valid for new accounts or standard/free accounts that upgrade
  • Your NextProof account must remain active for at least 3 months after the free trial period

  

• October 30, 2008
• 15:23

  Bandon Beach design coming soon...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  ok, finally another Standard design out by BIG Folio. Bandon Beach will be ready for sale by Wednesday November 5th. have your credit cards ready. 

  a big thank you to Sean and Mel at McLellan Studio for allowing us to showcase their images in this design sample. As you can see it has really brought the design to life. Gorgeous work everyone. 

  

   

• October 24, 2008
• 13:45

  Butler Market design

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  

  Yet another gorgeous design from the team at BIG Folio. There is no lack for features in this design. You have unlimited pages, categories, galleries, images. You have a customizable calendar and contact form. You can add textures to the site background or individual pages. 

  Enough talk, take a peak here: Butler Market sample

• October 18, 2008
• 17:05

  NextProof video

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  A big thanks goes out the Alex Fagundo of Candidly Elegant Photography for donating his time and thoughtson how he integrates NextProof into his business. 

   

• October 16, 2008
• 10:39

  Design Possibilites

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  Below are a few screenshots and links to sample Aurora Way designs. Clients have the freedom to add textured backgrounds, change colors, add a logo, add images, add music files, change the slideshow speed for intro and gallery images, link to external sites, and more. 

  So, please check out the sites below and see how one design (Aurora Way) can be made to look so unique. 

      McLellan Studio

  

      Samm Blake Photographer

  

   

      Aurora Way Sample

  

• October 14, 2008
• 8:55

  Burnside design launched

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  This one is gonna blow you away. Near total control is now given to you the photographer. Check out this video. If you love it, sign up here

  
  Burnside Street from BIG Folio on Vimeo
• October 12, 2008
• 11:30

  BIG Folio News

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  big things are happening at BIG Folio. 

  New Site Control Tools: we have designed a completely new version of our site control tools. 

  

  Retirement: we have retired all designs (about 15) that leverage the previous version of our site control tools.

  

  New Designs: we currently have three brand new designs out and will have a total of six inside of a month. 

  Price Reduction: we think it is a good time to offer a price reduction of both our setup fees and our hosting rate. you can see the new rates here:  [www.bigfolio.com] . if you have any questions about all of this, please don't hesitate to contact us,  [www.bigfolio.com] .

• October 11, 2008
• 20:58

  music sources

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  i just came across a couple new sources for licensing good music. check em out: 

  

  [rumblefish.com]

   

  

  http://pumpaudio.com/

   

• October 02, 2008
• 14:47

  Cascade Lakes design

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  OK, it is high time we have some new designs to chose from. Cascade Lakes is a true beauty. We have put in lots of hours making this one just right. It will be available for sale at BIG Folio on Monday 10.6.08. 

  

  The new Cascade Lakes supports the addition of your logo, a texture, mp3 music, a calendar, a customizable contact form and more. 

  The site has a nice Email this Image feature allowing your site viewers to email favorites of theirs to other friends who might enjoy your work and in turn book you for a job. 

  Something nice the developers did was to overlay the main part of the website whenever an item of importance is chosen. For example, if you open the gallery menu or the thumbnail menu, the rest of the site 'grays out'– highlighting the menu you are currently using. 

   

• September 29, 2008
• 10:47

  BIG Folio Premium Site Sale

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

   

  It is time to get in on the 'going away' party for some of our most faithful site designs. We are retiring ALL Premium sites with the exception of Aurora.

  The promo code is PREMIUMSALE ... takes 54% off the setup fee. This allows you to checkout with a $299 setup fee and $25/month hosting rate. To take advantage of this deal:
  a. visit BIG Folio
  b. chose any design but Aurora Way
  c. enter the promotion code: PREMIUMSALE

   

  THIS SALE ENDS at the end of the day on October 5th. 

  
  

  note, we are releasing three new Premium designs one on Monday October 6th and another on October 13th and October 20th.

   

• September 18, 2008
• 13:15

  7 Things You Didn't Know About NextProof

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We know there are several options when it comes to online proofing for your wedding and event pictures. We think NextProof is evolving into one of the best proofing solutions available.

  I thought I would take a moment and elaborate on a few of NextProof's lesser-known features.

  NextProof has built-in registration and email features. You can require registration for any NextProof event. Even better, you can send an email campaign to any event's registered users. This makes it easy to notify them of specials or upcoming gallery expirations.

  You can collect email addresses before an event is available. When creating a NextProof event, you can set the event to open on any future date. However, visitors to the event's URL can register right away. You can then use NextProof's email tool to contact all registered visitors when the gallery is ready.

  You can embed event slideshows on your blog. Every NextProof event can automatically create a Flash slideshow of your featured images. Not only is the slideshow displayed to visitors, but you can even embed the slideshow in your blog. No downloads or tedious editing. Just paste some code and the slideshow appears with a link to your event.

  You can automatically display events in WordPress. NextProof has a free WordPress plugin. Once installed, the plugin will display your current events on your blog's sidebar. Completely automatic.

  You can automatically display events in a BIG Folio blog. Our most recent blog updates included NextProof integration. Much like the WordPress plugin, you can automatically display event links in your BIG Folio blog's sidebar.

  You can automatically display events in your website. Our most recent BIG Folio websites offer NextProof integration as well. You can append your event links to any page on your website. We have plans for even better site integration in the future, so stay tuned.

  We don't take a lot of your money. One of the biggest arguments against hosted proofing is the price–and for good reason. Some proofing solutions take 15% or more of every transaction. Not us. NextProof accounts take only a 5-7% transaction fee on your orders. Considering you never have to buy an SSL certificate, pay additional merchant fees, or purchase/upgrade hosting, we think NextProof is one of the most affordable solutions around (hosted or otherwise).

  Why not give it a try? NextProof is free for 30 days.

• September 16, 2008
• 15:13

  Sale Ending Shortly...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  The current sale ends Thursday the 18th at 12am PST...
• September 15, 2008
• 22:45

  BIG Folio blog improvements

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  We've made some nice improvements on our BIG Folio blog solution. We've fixed some bugs and added some features we think you'll love. Here's a quick rundown of what's new and what you should do next.

  What's New

  • Improved RSS feed (with images)
  • Improved admin interface (you're looking at it)
  • You can now categorize your posts
  • Rich text editor for your articles, collages, and sidebar
  • Improved comment and post management

  UPDATE: we had to pull the rich text editor temorarily. We plan to add a new one soon. Next Steps

  If you have a BIG Folio blog we recommend making the following updates as soon as possible. (if you don't, get one!!)

  • Create some categories for your posts
  • Update your sidebar(especially if you were using Textile to add links/formatting)
  • Update your time zoneto ensure your post and comment times are accurate

  Coming Soon

  There's more on the way. Here's a peek at what's on the roadmap.

  • NextProof integration
  • New and better themes
  • Bigger images
• September 05, 2008
• 9:45

  BIG Folio sale...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  it is time to move our 2008 stock out to make way for the 2009 models.

  

  ok, seriously. we are going to retire 3 of our Standard designs (Redmond, Santa Maria, Nipomo) and want to give you all one last chance to scoop them up at a swingin' deal. we have marked the designs down by 56%. This allows you to checkout with a $99 setup fee and $17/month hosting rate. to take advantage of this deal:
  a. visit BIG Folio
  b. chose Santa Maria, Redmond or Nipomo
  c. enter the promotion code: SEPTEMBERDEAL
• August 22, 2008
• 11:34

  WedShooter revived...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  we put the paddles to [WedShooter] [wedshooter.com] it breathes once again: [click here] [wedshooter.com]
• August 20, 2008
• 10:55

  Site Control v3.0 on its way

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  Wow, you guys are going to love this. The new Site Control stands head and shoulders above our current version. Some highlights: - Image position. You can specify where on the page the image sit. This is especially amazing for your single images. In the past you would have had to photoshop it onto a blank page to get it centered or or over on the right. Not anymore. - Image upload. you can now upload your images direct to galleries as opposed to uploading to an image bank and then moving to appropriate gallery. - BIG thumb preview in the site controls for ease of viewing/managing gallery location of your images. Keep your eyes peeled because with the new control tools comes a new site design as well.
• July 31, 2008
• 11:44

  nice post from Fernando...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  'first and foremost thank you BIG Folio... the ease of use of your interface, the immediate response time, excellent customer service, etc. have helped to inspire me to do things that i always just thought about but always put off because of the daunting amount of time it would have required. I would say that you cut down the time it would take to do this by 95%!!!!!"
• July 30, 2008
• 9:25

  get your iPhone site now!!!

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  BIG Folio introduces small Folio

  

  It is about time you might be thinking. Designed for photographers and creative professionals, small Folio let’s you create a web presence that looks great on one of the hottest mobile devices.

  A Few Important Notes

  1. You do not have to be a BIG Folio client. small Folio is for everyone. 2. It is only $49. That is a one time fee! 3. sign up by clicking here 4. We will begin sending necessary files for non BIG Folio clients as well as doing installs for BIG Folio clients on Friday, August 1st.
• 9:20

  Gene Higa and Jason Groupp in NYC

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  

  Wow, what a great combo in the Big Apple. Check out what they are up to here: I Heart NY
• June 23, 2008
• 12:18

  Announcing the BIG Folio Extended Summer Sale

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  Summer is here. That means sunny days, ice cream cones, baseball, and (here, at least) half-naked people playing frisbee in the park. To celebrate, we're announcing an extended Summer sale on all website designs. The details: All premium sites are now only $500 All standard sites are now only $200 No coupon code required. The new price is automatically reflected when you sign-up. This special will be good through Labor Day–but don't wait too long. Now's a great time to update your web presence and start booking those '09 gigs. Pick a site and sign-up now
• June 13, 2008
• 18:03

  NextProof Slideshows

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  One of the cool features of NextProof is that you can define "Featured Images" for any wedding or portrait gallery. This allows visitors to jump directly to your best images. But, you can do more with Featured Images. You can turn on a slideshow that is presented the first time any visitor views your event. This week, we just added the ability to embed that slideshow anywhere. When you blog a wedding or portrait session, you can embed a slideshow of featured images right in the post. The slideshow will link to your NextProof proofing gallery, allowing visitors to immediately jump to the images and order prints. Here's an example: // If you want to get rolling with the coolest online proofing service around (according to me), visit NextProof.com and sign up. It's free for 30 days, so there's no risk. If you're in the market for a website, we also have half a dozen lifetime accounts left. Don't worry, unlike your mother-in-law, being stuck with us forever is a good thing :)
• May 30, 2008
• 22:03

  A Few NextProof Beta Spots Left

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  by Erik Dungan We're only a week into our public beta release of NextProof and things are humming right along. We've already added features based on your guys' input, We're adding more video tutorials, I've added a cool new theme for you destination shooters, and some photographers have already received print orders. How cool is that? Anyway, if you haven't yet checked out NextProof, now is the best time. We have about a dozen beta spots left before we turn off signups in preparation for the full release. Not only are all accounts free for 30 days, but if you signup during the beta period, you'll save $5 a month if you want to keep using it. Check out the features and signup now. Next week, I'll be using NextProof for the first time myself to post a wedding. I've received some great marketing tips from other photographers and I'll be posting my results on the NextProof blog.
• May 28, 2008
• 15:05

  Mail Status on Server I

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  The email server on Server I went down this afternoon, causing outgoing emails to be delayed in queue (no emails were lost). The system is back up and the email queue is clearing out.
• May 23, 2008
• 21:02

  NextProof.com now in limited public beta. 100 accounts available. 30 days free + $5 off your monthly fee.

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  NextProof.com now in limited public beta. 100 accounts available. 30 days free + $5 off your monthly fee. [www.nextproof.com]
• 1:03

  NextProof Sneak Peek 4: A Video

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  I figure, enough talk–let's watch a video. Here's one of our NextProof demo videos.
• May 19, 2008
• 11:04

  "After using your Rank Higher DVD; I managed to optimize my site for most of the terms I needed. I can proudly say I went from the 3rd page of google, to #4 with a little help from BigFolio."- Aaron Potter

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  "After using your Rank Higher DVD; I managed to optimize my site for most of the terms I needed. I can proudly say I went from the 3rd page of google, to #4 with a little help from BigFolio."- Aaron Potter [onebloom.com]
• May 15, 2008
• 15:03

  NextProof Sneak Peek 3: Order Fulfillment

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  by Erik Dungan

  Let's talk about order fulfillment and the options NextProof offers.

  Fulfilling Digital Downloads

  As we mentioned last week, NextProof allows you to sell high-resolution files. The best part is, fulfillment is totally automated. After completing their purchase, your customers can immediately download. you don't have to do anything. Download links expire, helping prevent customers from unauthorized link sharing.

  

  Print Fulfillment Option 1: DIY

  We know many photographers do their own printing. Others use a favorite lab. Some do both. With NextProof, you decide how to fulfill orders. Every order placed is visible in your NextProof Dashboard and flagged as "OPEN". With a single click, you can see the order details, including all prints and products ordered. Once you've fulfilled an order, simply mark it as "CLOSED". Keeping track of orders is easy.

  Print Fulfillment Option 2: Send to Pro DPI

  NextProof also has the ability to send print orders to a partner lab right from the control panel. The best part is we've partnered with one of the best print labs in the United States: Digital Precision Imaging (ProDPI). I use ProDPI myself–their print quality and customer service is outstanding (plus they're from the 805).

  If you have a ProDPI account, you can send any part of an order right from the NextProof control panel. Simply choose the items to send, select the appropriate product and ... BAM! The print order is automagically sent to ProDPI in the background. You can even replace the high-res file we have on the server if you need to do some retouching or editing.

  

  Let me summarize: step 1. create gallery, step 2. upload, step 3. watch orders roll in, step 4. send to lab, step 5. PROFIT!

• May 12, 2008
• 13:04

  Aurora Way Now Available for Half Price

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Aurora Way, the winning BIG Foliolympics site, is now available on our website.

  As promised, this site is currently half-priced through May 18.

  To purchase Aurora Way and save $375, use the coupon code AURORAGOLD when signing up.

  

• May 08, 2008
• 23:02

  NextProof Sneak Peek 2: The Digital Negative

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  by Erik Dungan

  One of the cooler features we've built into NextProof is the ability to sell high-resolution files from any gallery or event. The great part is: you can do it but you don't have to do it.

  It's a product ... or several products

  High-res files (digital negatives, if you prefer) are simply products that you define in your NextProof account. Simply create a product and check the appropriate box.

  

  You can create several digital products. For example, you may want to charge $100 for files from a wedding, but $250 for files from a senior portrait session.

  Fulfillment is automated & secure

  When a gallery has a digital product attached, it can be added to the shopping cart–just like a print. When a customer purchases a file and completes the checkout process, they are then given access to download the file. It's that easy.

  

  Benefits

  We think the ability to sell and automatically deliver high-res files will have at least two major benefits (I'm sure we'll think of more).

  First, we feel it will increase your profits without increasing your workload.

  Second, photographers can leverage NextProof to license stock, editorial and news photography. You set the price. You set the terms. You don't lose 30% of your revenue to a microstock agency.

  Hey, we know selling digital files is not appropriate for every event or job. When it is, NextProof delivers.

• May 06, 2008
• 15:03

  NextProof Sneak Peek 1: The Philosophy

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  by Erik Dungan

  This month, NextProof–our new online proofing service–goes into public beta. In fact, a small team of photographers is testing NextProof as you read this. I thought it would be nice to start giving some sneak peeks of the service over the next week or two. In this post I'll briefly discuss the philosophy behind NextProof.

  Why another proofing tool?

  Every year, more proofing products and services spring up (the same goes for websites, in fact). Suprisingly, we are still continually asked by photographers if we offer one. Until last year, we hadn't given it much consideration–we just continued building great websites and taking care of our customers.

  Last fall, we conducted a customer survey. It's primary purpose was to gauge customer satisfaction. But at the end of the survey, we asked our customers "if we offered a proofing tool, would you consider using it?" 75% said "yes". That was the clincher.

  Are there several proofing options for photographers? Yes. Are some of them exceptional at what they do? Yes. Is there a need for what we're building? We think so.

  Flexible and simple

  We're not big on bloated software. We want to be flexible but we know we can't be all things to all people. We set out to build a proofing platform with essential features. We want photographers to (a) spend less time and (b) make more sales. We also needed a system that can grow–fast. Given those goals:

  • We built NextProof to accomodate all types of photographers–not just the wedding and portrait segment.
  • NextProof leverages cloud computing platforms, giving us storage that is reliable, affordable, and infinite
  • We designed NextProof to be fast and easy to use–for both photographers and their clients
  • We want NextProof to integrate tightly with our existing websites
  • NextProof should give the photographer multiple options for order fulfillment

  

  Affordable

  Look at the existing proofing landscape and you'll see an array of pricing structures–often confusing (at least for me). There are setup fees, monthly fees, per-image fees, per-gallery fees, credit-card processing fees, and transaction fees. Not to mention the hosting fees, certificate fees, and merchant account fees required if you choose an installed/self-hosted platform.

  Our main goal was to provide a service that is affordable and transparent. With NextProof, you'll choose a monthly plan (based on storage) and pay a low (as in, single-digit low) transaction fee. There is no setup fee, no contracts, no limits on galleries or events, no hidden fees of any kind. Upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time.

  Oh, there's also a free plan.

  The hosting dilemma

  The biggest dilemma we wrestled with was where this application would live. Would this be a completely hosted service? Or, would we allow photographers to install this application on their own hosting account? We even considered both. In the end, we decided to keep NextProof as a hosted service. We know this alone will keep some people from choosing NextProof. For those who have reservations about using a hosting proofing service, here is how we addressed some of the cons of hosted proofing:

  • Seamless: I don't want customers "leaving" my website to view their images. Your entire NextProof account can be mapped to a subdomain of your website. It may reside on our servers, but your clients will not know that.
  • Fees: high transaction fees make hosting your own solution more affordable in the long-run. NextProof transaction fees will be among the lowest in the industry. Combine that with never running out of space, never dealing with merchant accounts, never paying a setup fee, and never paying to upgrade as we add new features. We think NextProof will make you more money, not less.
  • Fulfillment: I don't want my proofing company to be my lab. With NextProof, you choose how to fulfill your orders. If you want, send print orders directly to one of the best labs in the US (more on that later). It's your choice.

  

  More sneak peeks to come.

• May 04, 2008
• 17:03

  BIG Foliolympics Closing Ceremonies

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  by Erik Dungan

  The first annual BIG Foliolympics was a huge success for everyone–except me. The people have spoken and its time to crown the winner.

  The winning sites

  Gold medal: Aurora (developed by Kent)

  Silver medal: Monroe (developed by Eric B)

  Bronze medal: Flagline (developed by Lauren)

  Tin foil medal: Lakeside (developed by Erik D)

  

  New sites available soon

  Monroe will be available for sale today on our website.

  Aurora–the winning site–will be available on May 12 and will be half-price for 1 week only.

  The winning contestants

  A special thanks to the hundreds of people who voted and voiced their opinion. We drew names and its time to announce the prizes.

  Free Aurora site: Nathan Walker

  Free Monroe site: Kate Baker

  

  

  

  

  REI gift card: Ed Stone

  Victoria Secret gift card: Jen Thompson

  Starbucks gift card: Tim Halberg

  iTunes gift card: Cheryl Spelts

• April 29, 2008
• 14:05

  "Getting a BIG Folio site is the smartest thing my photography business has ever done... my BIG Folio website is blowing my prospective clients all away and doubling my bookings."- John Warren

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  "Getting a BIG Folio site is the smartest thing my photography business has ever done... my BIG Folio website is blowing my prospective clients all away and doubling my bookings."- John Warren [warrenphotography.com.au]
• April 22, 2008
• 16:03

  Votes are pouring in ... who will get the gold?

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Votes are pouring in ... who will get the gold? [www.bigfolio.com]
• 14:14

  BIG Foliolympics Voting is Now Open

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Foliolympics Voting is Now Open [www.bigfolio.com]
• April 11, 2008
• 16:02

  A Nice Front Street design

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  It is always exciting to see what clients come up with in their 'vision' of how to use the designs we have created. Today i would like to commend the folks over at [McConnell Photo] [www.mcconnellphoto.com] for how beautiful their Front Street site has turned out. [Check it out] [www.mcconnellphoto.com]
• April 09, 2008
• 15:04

  Announcing the BIG Foliolympics!

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  by Erik Dungan

  Every four years, you can count on a few things: an extra day in February, a ton of annoying political commercials, and the Olympics. In the spirit of competition, teamwork, and winning stuff, we're proud the announce the BIG Foliolympics (previously known as BIG Folio Idol). This month, BIG Folio's 4 developers will each create a cutting edge new website design from scratch. Then, you will vote on your favorite site. Finally, after Erik wins, a winner will be announced and we'll dish out prizes to the people who voted (including new websites). It's just like Beijing-except we don't torture Tibetan monks.

  How it works

  On the week of April 21st, we'll post links to the 4 new website designs. You'll send an email and vote for your favorite (details to come).

  The rules

  None, really. Our developers are basically given free reign-each site must integrate with our website control panel. Other than that, anything goes.

  What do you want in a website?

  Do you have an idea for a killer website feature? Leave a comment here. Our developers just might include your bright idea.

  Stay tuned!

  

• April 08, 2008
• 12:03

  Live SEO Chat Tonight

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  by Erik Dungan

  Don't forget–tonight I'll be hosting the first live SEO chat for users of our SEO DVD for photographers. The chat session will take place at 9pm Pacific Time and last approximately 90 minutes. To get access, make sure to drop into the forum and check the thread.

  If you haven't yet purchased the DVD but you have SEO questions, send an email to erik[at]bigfolio[dot]com. If there is room, I'll grant you access.

  UPDATE: tonight's session has been postponed after a few photogs expressed scheduling conflicts. Next session is Thursday at 3pm PT.

• April 07, 2008
• 16:05

  New and Improved Redmond

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We went back and made some changes to our Redmond design–improving the overall performance and adjusting the aspect ratio to a more reasonable 3 by 2. Check out the new Redmond Remember, this is a standard design–only $250 and you're off to the races.
• April 04, 2008
• 0:02

  Save 50% off your setup fee

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  Is it really April already? Summer is around the corner and this means all you are gearing up for the busy season. We are following suit and coming out with some incredible designs in the very near future. But more on that later. We currently are going through our designs and placing some in the vault. Before we lock them away we are offering them at a 50% off discount. One small stipulation, if you sign up for a design that is being 'locked up', you can't use your 'one free design switch' for 6 months. So, whats keeping you? Go check the designs out [here] [bigfolio.com]
• March 26, 2008
• 18:03

  Need Some Inspiration?

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  All too often we see clients with gorgeous photographs on their website surrounded by some of the worst color combinations on the planet. We ran across a nice design article that should provide some great suggestions to you when it comes to putting together the 'final touches' on your website. [Check it out by clicking here] [tinyurl.com]
• March 25, 2008
• 8:03

  BIG Folio clients part of WPPI 'Young Guns'

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Thanks to [Kenny Kim] [www.xanga.com] for providing the below image of [Jose Villa] [josevilla.bigfolioblog.com] and [Jim Garner] [jgarnerphoto.bigfolioblog.com] Jose and Jim have been BIG Folio clients for about two years now and continue to take the wedding industry by storm. Jose is touted as one of the finest film photographers in the world and Jim keeps shocking the world and taking Album of the Year from some of the very best competition in the world. Congratulations to both of you on your continued success. We are proud to be a small part of it.
• 8:03

  [nt]

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• March 19, 2008
• 13:04

  Your WPPI is Showing!

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Things are rockings here at the BIG Folio booth in Las Vegas. Its the last day of the trade show and this is definitely the busiest WPPI yet. Its been great meeting all our customers and making new ones. Back in the office Friday. Enjoy the pics.
• March 15, 2008
• 15:02

  Get Your SEO DVD at the WPPI Tradeshow

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  Going to WPPI this week? Wondering what to do at night? I can't think of a better way to spend a night in Vegas than curling up with a good SEO DVD. Stop by our booth (1025) and pick up our SEO DVD designed exclusively for photographers–you'll save a few bucks plus you don't have to wait for it to ship. Our DVDs have been selling well and we will probably run out of them in a couple months. So, don't delay. If you need an awesome new website, we'll throw in the DVD (and some other great stuff) for free. More on that soon ... [evil looking toddler not included]
• March 09, 2008
• 13:04

  24 Hour Daylight Savings Special

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Happy Daylight Savings everyone.

  To ease the pain of losing an hour of sleep, we thought we'd throw out a brief special for you guys.

  Use the coupon code SPRINGFORWARD when signing up and receive 40% off the setup of any website design (standard or premium). Plus, if you use the code to purchase a premium site, we'll throw in a free copy of our SEO DVD ($79 value).

  Hurry, this is only a 24-hour special and will expire at noon on Monday, March 9 (Pacific Time).

  We've got some great new designs out, so take a look and grab one with this great deal. There won't be many sales this year, so this is a great chance to snag a new site.

  Keep an eye out for our new website this week as well.

  

• March 05, 2008
• 14:03

  Flash and iPhone Blues

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  For you photographers who have been hoping your BIG Folio site will soon be on your iPhone–don't hold your breath. New sources are quoting Steve Jobs and reporting that Flash Player for the iPhone is not coming during tomorrow's SDK announcement. In fact, it looks like its not coming anytime soon. The primary reason appears to be performance-related. We understand the mobile web is important. We understand the iPhone is now a top-selling handset in the US (#1 for AT&T, in fact). Is a mobile or iPhone-compatible version of your website important? We want to know. Leave us a comment.
• March 02, 2008
• 16:04

  No Website for You!

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  It happens very rarely, and we never take the issue lightly, but on occasion (maybe once a year) we have "fired" a customer or two. Personally, I don't think its a bad thing. In fact, I think every thriving business needs to fire or reject a customer at some point.

  There are at least two reasons I can think of for taking this action.

  Bad Fit

  Let's face it, there are times when your product simply doesn't match up with what the customer really wants. Square peg, round hole. It's as simple as that. Ideally, you want to find this out before the sale, but that doesn't always happen. Our services can accommodate the majority of photographers' needs. But, when we realize a customer's needs extend beyond what we can do or offer, we simply let them know. There are never hard feelings. If anything, there is respect.

  Bad Manners

  Believe it or not, there are few people in this world who didn't learn good manners from their mom and dad. I can't explain it–I can only draw a line. We understand the state of customer service in American business is poor (at best). This makes people frustrated–it makes me frustrated. However, there seems to be a tiny group of people who go beyond frustrated and into perpetual nastiness. There's only so much berating, threatening, and condescension you should allow your staff to take. If everyone's miserable, its best to just break up.

  Tell Us a Story

  Have you ever fired or rejected a customer for one of the above reasons? Tell us what happened.

  Are there other reasons for firing a customer?

  Leave us a comment ... and don't be like this guy

• March 01, 2008
• 22:04

  "My new site has been live for a couple of weeks now and I have received endless compliments from clients and fellow photographers alike. I just want to say thank you to everyone at BigFolio for superior and speedy customer support from the time of my

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  "My new site has been live for a couple of weeks now and I have received endless compliments from clients and fellow photographers alike. I just want to say thank you to everyone at BigFolio for superior and speedy customer support from the time of my purchase all the way through to the launching of my site." –Erik Maziarz [www.erikmaziarzphotography.com]
• February 26, 2008
• 22:02

  "just launched my new website end of last week and have gotten a ton of compliments thus far. I want to thank you and the staff at Bigfolio for your very quick support to my questions. Everyone was extremely helpful!!!"- Ryan Muesel

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  "just launched my new website end of last week and have gotten a ton of compliments thus far. I want to thank you and the staff at Bigfolio for your very quick support to my questions. Everyone was extremely helpful!!!"- Ryan Muesel [justperfectmemories.com]
• February 21, 2008
• 14:03

  Hack Your BIG Folio Blog: Lightbox Your Article Images

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  A few people have asked how to get the Lightbox Effect on images embedded in a standard article. You can see an example of it here on my blog and in the diagram below. If you're not comfortable writing a couple lines of HTML, this hack probably isn't for you. But, hey, if you mess up, just delete the post. Step 1: Resize Your Image To get this working, you need to create 2 versions of the image you want to display. I generally create a small version that is 400 pixels wide and a large version that is about 900 pixels wide. See the diagram below. I usually name my images something silly_small.jpg and silly_large.jpg. Step 2: Upload Your Images Because this is going in a normal article post, the images need to be hosted elsewhere. If you have a BIG Folio site, you can simply upload them to your image bank. If you have a different type of site, you can simply upload them (via FTP) to any web-accessible folder. Something like "images" or "blog" would be a good idea. Now, make sure you can see the images by typing their URL directly in a browser. If you have a BIG Folio site and uploaded them to your image bank, the images will be at: [www.mywebsite.com] If you have a different type of site, they will be located on the domain and in the folder you placed them. Probably something like [www.mywebsite.com] Step 3: Write Your Post I like to write my blog posts in a text editor–then paste it into the blog admin when I'm ready. This gives me the chance to save it, proof-read it, and remove something stupid I've said before posting. If you're more of a "from the hip" kind of blogger, go ahead and type write into the blog admin. Step 4: Place the Image in the Post Here's the only tricky part. You need to put a line of HTML in your post (wherever you want the image displayed) that embeds your small image and links to the big one. Here's what it looks like:

  <a href="http://mywebsite.com/gallery/silly_large.jpg" rel="lightbox">
  <img src="http://mywebsite.com/gallery/silly_small.jpg" border="0" alt="description" />
  </a>

  That's it. You can just copy the above code, paste it into your post, change the ALT description, then make sure to change the URLs of the two images. The first URL (in the a tag) should point to the large version of your image. The second URL (in the img tag) should point to your small version. I added the ALT description because that's a handy way to add some SEO goodness to your blog posts. That should do it. Submit that post and test it out. Good luck.
• February 14, 2008
• 11:03

  Valentines Special for the Ladies

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  Happy Valentines Day from all of us at BIG Folio. Personally, I think Valentines is a made-up holiday for selling greeting cards and chocolates. But that doesn't mean we can't use it to give away some stuff.

  Free Gifts to All Ladies Who Purchase a BIG Folio Site Today

  Ladies, purchase any BIG Folio website today (Feb 14) and you'll receive three awesome gifts:

  1. Our new BIG Folio t-shirt. We've got a new t-shirt design this year and you'll be one of the first to own it.

  

  2. $100 Gift Card to Victoria Secret or Your Favorite Department Store. We'll mail you a $100 gift card to Victoria Secret. If pink lingerie isn't your thing, we'll send you a gift card to a great department store.

  

  3. A copy of our Rank Higher DVD. Boost your search engine rankings with our awesome how-to DVD.

  

  That's over $200 in free stuff. Because we care. Because you're a lady.

• February 13, 2008
• 16:04

  Blog Updates

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  We'll be deploying some BIG Folio Blog updates today.

  Commenting and Spam Updates

  The biggest update will be to the commenting and spam-fighting features of the blog. We dropped the Akismet plugin (we never could get it working right) and have implemented reCaptcha for comments. Not only will reCaptcha stop comment spam, but the service actually helps digitize books. Win-win (well, win-win-lose if you count spam).

  

  Other Fixes

  There are other, less noticeable, fixes as well. A couple themes were updated to display images better.

  Thanks to all our blog users and keep the feedback coming.

• February 06, 2008
• 12:03

  'We would like to thank all the team at Big Folio for all your help and support, can't believe how fast you guys react in helping.' - Dave Nunn

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  'We would like to thank all the team at Big Folio for all your help and support, can't believe how fast you guys react in helping.' - Dave Nunn [creativedigitalimaging.co.uk]
• February 05, 2008
• 12:02

  Short Street is here

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  after hours and hours of design and development the Short Street design is ready to be revealed. check it out here: [Short St.] [bigfolio5.com] and then sign up here: [BIG Folio designs] [bigfolio.com]
• January 26, 2008
• 22:03

  [nt]

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• 22:03

  "Name My Baby" Contest Winners

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  The results are in! Thanks to all the entrants, you guys came up with some really killer names. The big winners are: [Tod O’Driscoll]( [www.odriscollphotography.com] for his “Boston Elisha” entry. Kate and Erik are Red Sox fans and are hoping for a boy so they can use this name! Trina Knudsen for her super creative, unique entry of “Anjuly Erin” for a little girl. I can safely say that Kate and Erik need no longer worry about having to name their baby “Munchkin-Peanut Dungan”. Thank goodness!
• 0:02

  MAC Air... who is getting one?

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  As a matter of fact, as CEO of BIG Folio, I was planning on buying one as my main machine. After I read the below, maybe not. ![MAC Air] [bigfolio.com] I was reading another blog and ran across this astute piece of analysis on who’s going to buy the new MacBook Air: It is a laptop for apple fans and people who rely on material goods to demonstrate their worth to other people. This seems to be an incredibly useless laptop that really only has a market among the yuppies and Mac sycophants with cash to waste on an underpowered,1-USB port, overpriced toy that in the end just looks pretty and nothing else. It is primarily going to be purchased by people with too much time / money to do a little independent thinking (read: Starbucks junkies, college students with allowances from the parents, fashionistas, etc.). I know full well what people i will see with this laptop and they aint the sort of people i get along with. Pricks basically.
• January 25, 2008
• 22:02

  'Just a quick email to let you guys know how much I appreciate how easy you made the process. HUGE thanks for your kindness, your knowledgeable support, and your fast and easy customer service approach.' -Lynsey Peterson

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  'Just a quick email to let you guys know how much I appreciate how easy you made the process. HUGE thanks for your kindness, your knowledgeable support, and your fast and easy customer service approach.' -Lynsey Peterson [lynseypeterson.com]
• January 24, 2008
• 17:04

  BIG Folio is working on an outstanding design for you... stay tuned... launching soon...

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  BIG Folio is working on an outstanding design for you... stay tuned... launching soon...
• January 21, 2008
• 16:03

  'My partners and I decided on Bigfolio to host our new website due in part to the excellent reviews of your customer support. Having been a Bigfolio client for only 3 days all I can say is, Wow. Thanks for all your help. We look forward to a long and

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

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  'My partners and I decided on Bigfolio to host our new website due in part to the excellent reviews of your customer support. Having been a Bigfolio client for only 3 days all I can say is, Wow. Thanks for all your help. We look forward to a long and mutually prosperous business relationship.' - David Pezzat Photographers [davidpezzat.com]
• January 15, 2008
• 1:02

  [nt]

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• 1:02

  BIG Folio Name My Baby Contest

   » ‎ The BF Stop: The Official BIG Folio Blog

  Tags:    [edit]

  BIG Folio is excited to announce that BF Baby #9 is on its way! Proud parents [Erik Dungan] [www.erikdungan.com] and wife Kate are inevitably excited as can be, but there is one TINY catch…coming up with a name for their fourth child is proving to be extremely difficult. To put it bluntly, as of right now, the baby’s name is going to be Peanut. Or Munchkin. They need your help! Here are the specs: 2 Entry Categories: (A) Most Creative, and (B) Kate and Erik’s Personal Favorites. Some hints:
• The Dungans are suckers for first names that have the letter ‘Y’ in them, along with middle names that start with letter ‘E’ (for example ‘Camryn Elizabeth’).
• Dad Erik loves to cook gourmet meals, crack jokes when you least expect, and go snowshoeing. Mom Kate finds her solace in playing music, designing jewelry, and watching 80’s movies.
Both a boy and girl name entry will be picked for each of our two categories. Our lovely prizes include: $75 Barnes and Noble gift card, our (new!) BIG Folio Search Engine Optimization DVD, a (new!) BIG Folio Texture Set, and a super couture BIG Folio Tshirt. Enter to contests@bigfolio.com. Deadline is 12PM Pacific time, Saturday, January 19.