Get the Job Done: My 5280 ad campaign for Ignite Matchmaking Services

The second photo in my first ad campaign featuring my photography will be appearing in 5280 Magazine in July!

Earlier this year I shot photos of several of Ignite Matchmaking Service's real clients so they could appear in the company's new advertisements. I worked along side Ignite's executive director Sheryl Williams and ad director Chris Faria of Ad Genie Creative.

See this ad on page 136 of July's 5280 Magazine Issue

Get the Job Done: My 5280 Ad Campaign for Ignite Matchmatching Services

My first ad campaign photography will be appearing in 5280 Magazine in May!

Last month I shot photos of several of Ignite Matchmaking Service's real clients so they could appear in the company's new advertisements. I worked along side Ignite's executive director Sheryl Williams and ad director Chris Faria of Ad Genie Creative.

Chris took this photo I shot of Mary:


and used it to create this great ad:


Chris specifically said he wanted it to look like the sun was shining down on Mary' right side, hence I would need some strong specular highlights to simulate sun rays. So I used two Alien Bees, one for the main light and one for the "sunlight," only that one was set several stops higher than the main light. Chris had a great idea in mind, and I simply had to follow his direction to achieve the shot he wanted for the ad, and I think it worked out well.

More advertisements will appear in 5280 issues throughout the year!

Get the Job Done: A photo spread in the Denver Post!

Sorry I've been remiss in my blogging duties! Usually this is my slow time of the year. But late season senior portraits and the success of new alter ego photo session projects with Independent Consultant Lisa Young has kept me so busy that I'm even thinking about hiring an assistant to help me stay on top of my work schedule.

But today's post is such great news, I had to take the time to share it with my readers! Five of my photos appeared in a Denver Post photo spread on Saturday! Last Tuesday, I drove to Fairplay to do an article on the "Bristlecone Dome" home owned by Keith and Sylvia Wortman. Since it was a quick turnaround (ie the article was due by end of business on Wednesday) my editor asked me to also take photos that would run with the article. I love with when my day and night jobs intersect so beautifully!

To keep both the written and photographic aspects of my journalism job separate, I spent about an hour interviewing the Wortman's on the phone and about an hour going on a tour of their amazing 4,000 square foot. Then after a quick lunch, I took about another hour wandering through the house taking photos. Because the house has such amazing views and a ton of windows, I had plenty of afternoon sunlight streaming through for some great naturally lit shots with a just a touch of fill flash. Here are the photos that ran in the Denver Post, on page 4D of the Saturday Oct. 16 Feature's section "Inside Out."











Want to see the rest of images that the page designers had to choose their favorites from? Check out this gallery. The password is: Wortman.

Turns out 700 people toured the Wortman house over the weekend after they read my article! Love it when my articles have such a great positive impact. Can't even begin to express the pride I felt in having both an article byline and a photos credit! The lovely page design helped make my article one of the most widely read lifestyle articles all weekend long and my editor told me my ability to write and shoot at the same time on a tight turnaround was one that "only a true pro could handle!" I'm just glad she had the faith in me to get the job done! Ultimately I'm hoping that with more work and more time, one of my photos can appear along my story on the cover of a section front!

Get Out There: Get your wedding photos published for free!

While thumbing through a recent edition of the "Brides.com/Colorado" magazine, I discovered a wonderful and FREE opportunity to help get some sorely needed advertising for my wedding photography.

"Brides.com Magazine" just started printing a local Brides magazine for the Colorado area called "Brides Colorado." Every issue, they have a special section called "Real Weddings," and "Real Engagements" that highlight local nuptials and engagement stories and feature images by Colorado wedding photographers. There are easily a dozen photos showcased in each two-page spread, highlighting lovely wedding locations and vendor information, including a list of wedding photographers. Real Wedding articles are also printed online offering more exposure, while there are 16 local editions in various cities throughout the country to help get the word out about your business.

Here's an example of a "Real Wedding" shot at the Denver Botanic Gardens by photographer Suzanne Wille, A Photo Opportunity

It's free to submit photos and details about the wedding and it's a great marketing opportunity for my company to get published in a magazine. I have asked all of my newly wed and soon to be wed couples if they would vouch for me, allowing me to share the details and photos about their wedding in hopes of having my photography featured in Brides.com.

The response was phenomenal:
"That would be great! We would love to help you in any way!! You are so great at what you do!!" says Jessaca, who's wedding I will be covering in Dec. 2009.

"Sure, I think that would be awesome. Just let me know anything we need to do," says Krista, who's wedding I will shooting next year.

Thank you ladies for your unwaivering faith in my abilities and I haven't even shot your special day yet!

Get the Job Done: Photos Published on Denver Post Blog

Several of my photos appeared on the Denver Post Home Girls Blog last week. My editor, Elana Jefferson, asked me to take pictures while she toured the 33rd Junior Symphony Guild Designer Showhouse, an event gives decorating divas a chance to peak inside one of the city's most celebrated homes, the Phipps Mansion. The above pic is my favorite from the set, featuring a stenciled, leafy, art deco pattern by painter Cathy Gibbons near a brick entryway leading to an outdoor patio.

Overall, I enjoyed this assignment because it was a great chance to try blending my print and photography journalism skills. While reporting and taking notes, Elana pinpointed some architectural features and furnishings she wanted me to shoot so the images could accompany her blog entry. I dig design myself, but getting to photograph it was a challenge under these circumstances because I had to navigate between tour participants who always seemed to be in the way of my shots.

Working with flash indoors continues to vex me. I really need to work harder at learning how to blend existing ambient light with flash. There was a tremendous amount of natural sunlight filtering in through the windows throughout the mansion, but I still needed to use a touch of fill flash to fill in shadows.