Breaking News: Print Packages Now Available!

Picture Your World Photography is now pleased to announce a new client offering: exclusive print packages available for order directly from your private gallery!

The user-friendly feature has been a long time in the making. And now, finally, after endless hours of hard work by SmugMug programmers, my clients get to enjoy the convenience of crafting their own multiple pose packages and having them directly delivered. Ordering is a snap when you have one price for a whole heap of goodies.

So far, I've created four primary packages geared to satisfy everyone from the budget-minded to the big spenders!



"The Perfect Package," featuring two 8x10s, four 5x7s, 2 sheets of wallets, six 3.5x5 and an 11x14 is great when you can't decide which poses you love the most. Cost: $150

"You're So Popular," featuring six sheets each of 8 die-cut wallets is great for graduation announcements or thank you cards. Cost: $50

"The Starter Pack," featuring two 8x10s, four 5x7s and a sheet of wallets will tied you over when you are watching your budget.

"The Waltons," is for those blessed with an extended family. There's enough big photos, regular sizes and wallets to satisfy everyone from grandparents to cousins. It features a dozen 4x6s, six 5x7s, six 8x10s, two 11x14, two 16x20s, one 20x30 and six sheets of wallets. Cost: $750

Package options will appear under your gallery's "Buy button." Once you select the package from your list, you'll be taken to an area to select multiple photos. Mix and match your favorites by clickin and dragging your chosen images into place. When each item in the package is matched to a photo, you can add the package to your shopping cart and check out. Packages make buying so simple! But if you have any problems, feel free to call me directly, and I will walk you through the process!

Don't forget to stack coupons and special promotional offers for even more savings. Join the studio's Facebook Fan Page today to qualify for discounts and giveaways.

Get the Job Done: New layouts for business website and blog

If you've taken the time to visit either my blog or my business website today, you will notice some drastic changes that have been made to accommodate my new logo designed by photographer and graphic artist Paul Martin. As a side note, if you need a business logo, I would highly recommend contacting Paul to purchase one of his custom designs. He had that logo ready for me in just a few hours!



I think the new look is clean, streamlined and modern. I can't tell you how hard it is for me to have a white background instead of a black one. I'm the kind of person who has seven pairs of black paints and 5 black shirts...even if other colors were available for me to choose from. But Paul's design as well as fellow photographer Jason Peckovitch's new layout inspired me to try something different. As tough as times are right now, I believe in the power of colors to affect our moods....ie, brighter colors can bring about happier emotions. I think the white offers a sense of something new, a blank slate to recreate the life (or business) that you want. I am still tweaking the page to look similar to my website by using the same color, fonts and coding. Look for more changes to come as I learn how to the CSS coding for them! If you are a Smug Mug member, look over this great thread to get tips on how to streamline the look of your blog and business site.

Long story short, after some long reasoning and most likely overthinking the issue as I'm prone to do, I finally decided to go wit the "no skin" logo version for all the reasons my most trusted allies explained. I think it's more prudent business decision for me right now to have the boudoir photography just be a service among others that I offer without bumping it up in prominence just yet. So far, I've only had four clients who have wanted those services, which is a good start, but definitely not enough interest for me to promote it yet over my general potraiture and weddings (which is the bulk of my paid sessions).




I also decided to move the boudoir gallery away from the family portraiture, as was suggested by photographer Mark Hayes. I think it fits there better because those galleries are all about the sexy and glamourous nature inherent in fashion and modeling. Plus, in order to beef up my boudoir gallery, several Model Mayhem members have contacted me asking for a chance to TFCD to improve their portfolios. If I can generate more interest in this type of photography, I will consider Mark's idea of creating a separate business simply for my boudoir and artistic nudes! Thanks for the suggestions Mark, as well as that cool idea for a new domain name for the boudoir site.

Have some suggestions for bettering the layout of the blog or my website? Please share and I welcome critiques!

Breaking News: Finally snagged a top-level domain for my business!

After more than a year of waiting, I was finally able to secure a top-level domain name for my business.

Out with the old: www.picture-yourworld.com

IN WITH THE NEW: www.pictureyourworld.net

I originally tried to purchase the .net domain, but it was already taken. But last night when I was changing some CNAME code on my Godaddy account, I checked to see if the .net and .com versions were available.

Pictureyourworld.com is still owned and being used, but the .net was free and in the clear! So I quickly purchased it and will have it be renewed for the next five years. Goes to show you that you should check back often if you are clamouring for a top-level name.

So what does this mean for you? The new domain is currently up and running on my Smug Mug business website. So you can access all my galleries at: www.pictureyourworld.net

It will take another 24 to 48 hours before the DNS changes will begin forwarding traffic from the old domain to the new, so don't be worried if you try the old domain and all you get is the Smug Mug home page instead of my business site.

Get the Goods: New Smug Mug Products to Offer My Clients

I can't tell you how pleased I am that I am a Smug Mug client. Their staff is amazing, and they continue to be a very innovative group of people who are up-to-date with the latest industry technology. They are also very responsive to the needs of professional photographers, particularly in offering products to help our businesses flourish. You can bet that if they don't offer a service you need right now, it won't be long until they get it.

The past few months have been stellar for the company, as it has introduced so many wonderful new items I am pleased to now be able to offer to my clients.

A few days ago I blogged about the new holiday cards. More specialty card designs are on the way.

Smug Mug has also introduced:

1) Metallic prints -- With a glossy finish and unique metallic appearance, these prints have extra visual interest and depth. They are printed on long-lasting Kodak Professional Endura Metallic paper.



This paper uses a proprietary combination of film laminate layers that produce striking, three-dimensional, lasting images on an ultra-bright background. The effect is sometimes described as "chrome on paper." You'll see extreme sharpness, brightness, and color saturation with an intense black density that increases its appeal. The proprietary laminate layers also increase the durability and tear resistance of the final print, increasing the opportunities for display applications. Available in 11 sizes, you're sure to find one that makes your photo pop!

2) Frames, poster collages, and new photo books --SmugMug has teamed with Imagekind and MyCanvas to provide very high quality framing and publishing options. (Take a look.) We are working on ways to add them to the pro pricing page for selling at a profit in the future.



I have had a lot of fun making holiday cards out of my own images, and I found the software a breeze to navigate. I can't wait to learn how to work with the newer products and make these a part of my client offering.

Smug Mug regularly take suggestions from members and are always looking to beef up their services. They are in the process of making print packages right now, which are definitely needed, and I hope they hook up with a company to provide slideshow dvds as well. One of the best business decisions I ever made was to set up my website with Smug Mug and participate in their photography forum, dgrin.com.

If you are looking for a site to host your business website, then I highly recommend Smug Mug. I look forward to having my company grow with their services.