Holiday Fundraier

This past November, I offered to hold a fundraiser for my first aid squad and bring in some donations for the holiday season.  The idea was to have a “Picture with your Pets” day and offer a free print to those who donated $10 or more.  In order to advertise around town and get the word out, I enlisted a family and their puppies to take sample images to use on the flyers.  Here are just a few of the pictures.  It is fairly hard to get a pet to look at the camera and “smile”… but it is much harder to get children to do the same:

One of the bonuses from the shoot was being able to get a great image to put on a sample Holiday Card to show clients. This is the front of the card that was created from an image taken that day:

The fundraiser didn’t bring in a lot of money but it was fun to do and should be a bit more popular next year.  We had about 10 families stop in and take their picture with Santa and their pets.  Lessons were learned about advertising before Thanksgiving, and how hard and fast the message must be spread throughout the community.  If you have any good ideas for a fundraiser or would like to hold one for your organization, please comment.  Have a great weekend!

Senior Portraits

Here in the North East US it is the middle of winter and we are still awaiting our first large snowfall.  So why in the world am I talking about senior portraits? This is to get you thinking about it for the upcoming spring season.  Most high schools have the students take portraits for their senior year the summer before they graduate.  You make a 30 min appointment, show up with your varsity jacket or some of your favorite items, pose next to the numbers of the year you are graduating, and smile.  While this is exactly what I did for my senior portraits (which mom still proudly displays on the wall) I probably would have much rather had something a little more grand like the following:

I introduce you to Mary.  She is a college senior that came to me when she saw the proofs of her college senior portraits.  She reasoned that $200-$300 was too much to spend on images that she only kinda liked.  We got to talking about the things she enjoyed and some of her favorite places. Mary mentioned her love for this cranberry farm that a friend owned and how great it was for scenery.  We found the perfect time in October to stop in as it was the season for harvest.

Wandering around we found a bunch of things to act as props and backdrops that really brought out Mary’s nature loving personality and we had a lot of fun making images.

We even had a little time to stop and reflect on the past 4 years of school:

Ok, that one was bad.  But you get the point here.  I hope that you agree that these are just a bit more exciting and enjoyable of an experience than the standard senior portraits.

Have I convinced you yet?  Here is some more info if you are interested in changing it up a bit.

Senior Portrait Sessions can be up to an hour long at any location.  The session fee includes a password protected online album to share with family and friends.  You can upgrade your session to include a professional hair and makeup artist on location.  These upgraded sessions may also include (1) 8×10, (2) 5×7 images or a 16×22 canvas gallery wrap at a discounted price along with a featured blog entry of your images. Any of the senior portrait sessions you book will include a complimentary half hour session to capture you in your cap and gown before the big day (with a minimum $50 print purchase of cap and gown images).

So what are you waiting for? Think of all the great things that really make you who you are and let me know you want them included in your Senior Portraits!

Welcome Back!

It’s now 2012 and a lot has been going on with Adam Redding Photography.  But how would you know if I haven’t kept up on my end of the deal and updated you on this blog? So here it is… a deal to be made, a promise even.  Every Friday there will be a new post for you to read.  That is once a week, 4 times a month, and 50 times a year.  This is just part of me really taking my business seriously and wanting the best clients in the area to get the most out of a photographic experience with me.

How many fans/friends/followers even knew I had a blog? How did you get to reading this post? Did you see it featured on my FB fan page? Was it in your twitter stream? Did you click on that link on my website? Well, that really doesn’t matter now.  You made it! You have become a part of my promise to you to keep you informed, entertained, or just plain distracted for a few minutes on a Friday.

My Second promise to my followers: I am currently posting one picture per day from my iPhone to my Instagram account.  What is an instagram? It is an app on the iPhone that allows you to take pictures, edit them to your liking, and post them for others to see.  You followers can search through all the images you have posted, or be updated in a twitter-like timeline.  Make sure you click on the little heart to let me know which ones you like, or leave a comment when you feel the need to let me know what is on your mind.  “But you don’t have an iPhone???” That’s ok, I also link each post to my twitter account (@AdamRedding) so that you can still view the image on any other smart phone or your regular computer.

So this is just my first two steps to giving back to the loyal customers and friends of mine.  A 50/366 promise if you wish to call it.  Thanks for taking on the challenge of keeping me accountable this year, and I hope to see you in the viewfinder soon!

-AdamCheck in next Friday to read all about this young lady’s Senior Portrait marathon…

Beachwood Blast 2011

Friday was the Beachwood Yacht Club’s annual regatta. It marks the midpoint of summer and is always a great race bringing young sailors from all over the Toms River and Barnegat Bay.  The race courses spanned two miles along the river and held 9 different fleets of boats.  One course alone contained close to 100 boats from the Optimist class.  It was a sight to see when all the boats break out from the starting line and make their way around the course.  It is a challenge to even trying to consider how to capture sailing images of so many young sailors at once.  The plan, sit on the windward mark (floating object that determines the course to follow) and wait for each sailor to go around.  This makes for some interesting images as they prepare  to sail in a new direction and busy themselves reaching, pushing, leaning, and ducking.  Some of the best images are when they waiting for the race to start and they all crowd the line waiting for the horn:

Other boats (420′s) are a two man crew class and can be a bit faster in moderate wind.  They are exceptionally beautiful when heading with the wind and begin to fly their spinnakers (usually large colorful sails):

Some of the best competition can be found in the laser class where the sailors have a few years of sailing experience and are on some of the faster boats on the water:

The most beautiful in my opinion are the extremely colorful and creative sails of the Sunfish class:

New Logo, New Look!

This is the first update in a long time, and the first of many this summer.  Time away from blogging has been spent on preparing for a ton of changes and improvements to the business.  One of the most noticeable changes is the new logo.  I have had this idea since the inception of my business and finally it has been created.  This has allowed many other materials to be put into production including business cards, hand out cards, shirts, and banners.  Finally, my website www.AdamReddingPhoto.com has finally been updated with new albums, and images.  Included are pictures of two very important people who’s support has been extremely helpful in moving my aspirations as a photographer forward.  Take a quick trip over to the updated site and see what’s new at Adam Redding Photography!

A Lesson From Starbucks

I am currently (Monday night) sitting in my favorite Starbucks sipping at my Pike’s Place coffee and watching as the entire crew is staging new products in order to be ready for their 40th birthday early this morning (Tuesday).  It’s All Hands On Deck!  Each person assigned a task and handed a package to unwrap and set up.  And that’s when I noticed something.  Each worker was busy breaking down current displays, cleaning, then constructing the signs and setting displays according to a picture included in the kit.  Their store displays come with instructions that have to be followed exactly as to where a product must be placed.  Take a look next time you wander into a SB store and try to find a difference in the way things are placed.  A display may be on the other side of the door, or a basket of products may be under the ordering counter, but they are all displayed the same.  What would happen if the manager could make the decision as to where to place products?  Would they sell MORE?  Would they feature things that may be more popular in their location than what Corporate decides is important?  How many sales does a store lose out on because someone in a study group in an office somewhere thought that their idea was going to be best when they don’t live 3000 miles across the country?

What do you do in your life that has been dictated to you by a higher power?  Could you change it just a little to make it better, or even A LOT better or more effective?  This is one reason why I love photography.  I learn the basics of what to do and not to do, then I can go out and shoot any way I like.  If the rules work then I get images that some people will really like and others will think are stale.  If I break a rule, I chance losing the traditionalist fan, but can gain a new crowd that loves when the rules are broken.  Owning my own business I am “corporate” and can make the decision as to which works best at that moment.  But I am on the front lines, I can see the conditions around me and can adjust accordingly.  Would your boss be willing to listen to your feedback if you told him that you could make sales increase by having him give you freedom to make a decision?

One of my Favs… She can make any drink taste amazing…

Sailing Season is Upon Us

Just received the West Marine “Sailing Sourcebook 2011″ in the mail today.  Almost every two page spread has at least one image of sailors or sailboats or something similar in action.  My first reaction is to be in awe of what other photographers are able to accomplish.  My second thought is “I can do that!”.  And this is where motivation kicks in and sends me into dreamland.  I picture an entire summer season hanging around the docks, hanging off of power boats, hanging over lifelines capturing the true images of real sailors in the heat of battle during a regatta, or at rest on a relaxing sail in the bay.  I want to be known as the go-to photographer to get that famous image of a skipper steering his vessel around the mark, the crew in full action in the background tending the lines as the massive sheets roll with the wind change.  I want to capture the smiles on the faces of the young crew hanging over the lifeline as the A-Cats gracefully slide over the water in the bay.  How amazing would it be to live your dream, to spend the fall organizing thousands of images of your passion, reliving every moment from your perfect summer, knowing that it will happen again when the sun climbs the sky, the water warms, and the wind returns to the shore.  Check back over the summer and hold me to this post.  Remind me to upload images of this dream.  Keep me accountable to my goal of owning the Bay with my cameras.

It’s Official

As of February 1st, 2011  Adam Redding Photography is officially a business in the state of New Jersey!  This is an exciting time around here knowing that all my planning, hard work, preparation, and ambition has finally come together.  There are still a few steps to complete such as business insurance, checking account and such, but they will be taken care of in the next week or so.  Midterm plans for a new website and some more samples for display are set, as are pricing guides for the full assortment of services and products that are offered.

In other news, there is another birthday party this weekend, and many leads into spring sessions.  The local First Aid Squad that I volunteer for, and my town’s Fire Company are taking steps to make me an official photographer for each, with the intention of using photos and videos for training, and outreach during special events.  Next on the list is to create a sales pitch for the local yacht clubs for summer sailing coverage and publicity.

Can you feel the excitement in this post?  I can =)

Idea Generator

If you were to open up a news paper and read an article written by yours truly, what expectations would you have?  Would you want something light and refreshing, serious and full of helpful information, or something in between?  This spring and summer season I will be looking for new ideas, places, camera techniques, and things to share with a very general audience.  I could really use your help here, and need suggestions for topics, or things you thought were very entertaining when you were out an about.  It could be a favorite place to take a walk, a special hidden spot to sit and read a book, or a place to go just to enjoy the atmosphere or people.  What types of things would you have loved to have known about how to capture those moments with your camera?

Going to steal a friend’s picture here, but she will be glad I did.

Paige Lorraine Photography:  LIKE IT HERE

Weather

This winter, as the last winter was, has turned out to be cold and snowy.  But, even with the inclimate weather, it is a beautiful time of year.  After this last storm, in which the wind was blowing a heavy wet snow out of the North, I came across a very interesting scene on the way to work.  When facing south, everything was whitewashed, but when facing north, there was not a trace of the storm.  The trees, bushes, and building were their normal selves.  A quick glance in the other direction and they were all gone, lost into a white background.  Just another reminder that I should always carry my camera with me… to bad I didn’t.