In the midst of all of the renovations going on about me, I’ve been busy working on a project to complete a new media piece to give away at bridal shows, provide to venues for thier clients and anybody who may ask. Rather than create more paper for somebody to lug around with them, I wanted to create something unique and provided value to you, my potential client. With that in mind, I was able to negotiate a usage license to distribute on disk an excerpt from “The Bride’s Guide to Wedding Photography” by Kathleen Hawkins. Since I was able to pick the chapter, I decided the most relevant portion of the book was Chapter 2, “The Selection”. In addition, the publisher was nice enough to provide a $5.00 discount to anybody who purchases the book via the disk!

It turned out getting the book rights was the easy part. Creating the disk took me several days. Every step of the way had a challenge or two which needed to be overcome. But finally the content was ready. But wait, the disk needed artwork. That took another day to create. The hardest part was finding just the right photo to put on the cover of the disk. Anyway, here it is:

To complicate matters, while I was working on the disk, work on the house came to a standstill. We thought we had a design that would work. We were wrong! After a nerve racking weekend, we met with Bill, our designer on Monday and ended up totally reconfiguring the design. The kitchen is out, my office is moving, my old office becomes the bathroom, closets are moved…. I can’t keep track of it all! Anyway we have a design we really like and think it will be a vast improvement! All of this means that in a week or two when the new office is finished, I get to move offices!

Recently on one of the professional forums I follow, another photographer wanted to know what certification was and does it help the photographer. I responded that yes, certification matters and then went onto explain why it matters. To make a long story short, the Commission on Photographic Certification saw my response and asked to use my response as a testimonial.

More and more photographers are realizing how much certification does matter. It protects you, the consumer from somebody who goes into a camera store, buys a camera and then decides to call themselves a professional photographer. Rather than read my words, see what Jen says..

The web site www.mmpix.com, has been refurbished for your future enjoyment. This was kind of like a small home improvement project that just kept growning until the whole house was involved. The web site project started with just a quick change to my sample galleries. Next thing I new, I was completely refurbishing the site.

You’ll notice a new an improved look to the site. The pink background has been replace by a black on. New navigation along the top of the web page will assure that every page is just a click or two away from any other page. Information has been more logically organized. There have also been some new pages added to the site. Most specifically, the Ala Carte Menu, the Bio and what people are saying. There is still some more work to do but the site is functional and ready for visitors!

Well after three years with the same website and the same old design, I’ve decided it is time to replace my website. Like any home improvement project, it started small and is growing bigger as the minutes pass.

First, I decided to change my sample galleries. It was exactly like the woman who looks in the mirror at the same hair style she’s had for years and suddenly can’t stand it. It was the same way with my sample galleries. Suddenly, I just couldn’t stand to have those photos representing me any more! So out with the old and in with the new.

Next, I started changing my logo. You’ll notice the hat is gone. Too many people thought I did parties or was a magician. I also wanted to make my logo more elegant. A change in font was required. The hat just looked out of place. So it was gone. Finally, I needed to add our newest family addition’s birthday and my wife demanded I remove her birthday from the logo. See if I remember her birthday now!

With these two changes, I realized the rest of the website needed to be changed. After spending the day on the site, I’ve got the basic templates done. Now I need to work on the individual pages. I’ll let you know when all of this is done.

Announcing the Valentine’s day special — Schedule an appointment by Valentine’s day and book Magical Moments Photography for your wedding by February 28 to receive the high resolution digitial images from your wedding included in your wedding package at no additional cost. This is a $1000 value!

Getting home from Image was an adventure. I woke up early on Wednesday morning only to have a message from the airline saying my flight was cancelled. They would not be able to get me out of San Antonio until Saturday! Ugh.

Right after I gave up trying to get home, inspiration hit. I found a flight to Dallas for less than another night at the hotel would cost. From there I could get a flight to Chicago. Well I arrived at Dallas Love field with less than 45 minutes to get to DFW airport. When I found the taxi stand, there was a problem and no cabs were leaving.

I reverted to plan ZZ432 (well at least it seems that way), and called my best friend Julie who invited me to stay overnight at her house. Julie’s husband Steve picked me up at the airport and we had a very enjoyable evening catching up. It was the same weather problems which kept Julie from getting to San Antonio the previous Saturday. So I guess it was just meant to be.

The next day, I caught a flight home. After I arrived home, a friend told me that had I been at the San Antonio airport 30 minutes earlier I could have caught a delayed flight home where they were actually looking for anybody going to Chicago. All in all it was a good trip and I got to see Julie.

Well here it is the last day of the show. I’ve made some new friends from across the country and learned a thing or two. The speakers today more than made up for the poor speakers yesterday.

I managed to get a deal for my new sample albums. Wait until you see my new “CoolTure” line. There was some software I bought and then came the most exciting news of the show. I was talking to the publishers of many of the photography “how to” books and was invited to submit a book proposal. How I’ll find the time, I don’t know but I do know that it is now high on my list.

Also, I’m a little worried about getting home tomorrow. We’ve heard that many flights this afternoon and Wednesday morning have been cancelled. So far, my flight is showing on time. However, that can change in an instant. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

The weather around here continues to be rotten, even for Chicago standards. It is cold with a freezing rain. It has been this way ever since I got here on Saturday and shows no signs of relenting in the next day or so.

Today’s schedule of speakers was pretty weak. There were one or two which were interesting but nothing earth shattering. I’ve been walking the trade show floor looking for some new and exciting products to offer my clients. I think I’ve found a thing or two. You’ll just have to wait to see what I’ve found.

It is pretty late and I want to get an early start for the last day of the show. This is the day where I typically make my final purchase decisions and go from there. Also the last night of the show is known for its party to celebrate the next year’s show. Image 2008 will be in Tampa. Maybe we’ll have better weather there.