tunnel vision.

many of you know i spent the last few months working and travelling around california. it was an awesome time to connect with friends and clients alike and to begin building relationships with people beyond my santa barbara network. and it afforded me the freedom to take on some projects i would not have otherwise been able to and i found myself strengthening some of my long-time friendships along the way. and i learned a ton to boot.

one of the things that has been on the forefront of my heart and mind as of late has been the importance of connection. (you might remember a post a made a few weeks about actively seeking out a point of connection with the people around you). and well, i have a few more thoughts to share with you about maintaining those connections--those relationships--that we form.

so often i find myself caught up in all my busy-ness--in the everydayness of my life. you know, the phone calls and e-mails, chores and errands, naps and dinner dates, editing and shooting, blah, blah, blah. and i get so busy that tunnel vision sets in, and i find myself feeling alone and isolated. and then i feel guilty for being a crappy friend and for neglecting to be intentional in the lives of the people around me. i hate that, and i realize that there is a choice to be made here. intentionality and staying connected is a choice, and it takes work and commitment, effort and strategy. but most importantly, it takes time. in order to maintain healthy, enriching, relationships, we have to be willing to make room enough for them in our schedules. and this goes for any type of relationship. and of course, the time we commit to any give relationship is contingent on it's importance and value to us or our businesses and of course, that the other party needs and expects from us. every healthy relationship should maintain reciprocity--balance and quality in the relationship. you call me, i call you. i visit you, you visit me. now, this is not something we have to tally on a sticky note but rather something we can activity choose to bring to our relationships from our end. do you have that photographer who always sends you encouraging e-mails about your work, yet you never write back? how about that friend who always calls you but you fail to call her back? or that relative you hardly visit?

beyond reciprocity...relationship requires presence. here's what i mean by that. it requires that we be there. we need to be a actively engaged in what our friends, colleagues and clients are doing if we want to maintain connectivity. there is something so powerful about taking the time and energy to pay attention to what someone is doing and then asking them about it. and in today's world of social media this is far easier and accessible than ever. i can't tell you how much it means to me when someone takes the time to read my blog and leave a comment or when a friend calls to just say hi. yet so often i neglect to do that same. but if we want to maintain healthy connectivity we must engage.

further, we can learn from our own disappointments and make choices to improve upon the ways in which we feel neglected by others. one of my pet-peeves is when people simply don't respond to me. i feel burned every time. and sometimes it legitimately hurts and other times it's just frustrating and annoying. so i work hard at not doing the same to others and never want to get into the habit of ignoring or neglecting people. sure, when i'm busy, my response time is slower, but i always try to respond in some capacity in a timely manner. even if it's just a "hey, i'm super busy, but i love you and will write or call soon". especially with my nearest and dearest. if i'm committed to a maintaining a solid friendship, i have to make the time and put forth the effort to stay connected. and really, i think when people say "i'm bad at keeping in touch," it's just an excuse and that's no bueno.

my friend and personal/professional coach, michele, invites us to be ruthless with our rationalizations: "being ruthless looks like refusing to excuse your tardiness one more time by saying you’ve been running late all your life. the same with other unattractive habits—sarcasm, white lies, forgetfulness. these are not genetic flaws, you were not brought up that way, and you don’t have to do it anymore.

are you terrible at returning phone calls? whether it’s because you never have time, you’re just busy, you never answer the phone when you are with another person, or you think that if people really need to talk to you then they’ll keep calling?

when you mentally give yourself a pass every time (“hey, that’s me. that’s how I roll”), then understand that you are practicing a form of “the lie of exceptionism”. the lie of exceptionism is when we take our own comfort too far. it’s when we believe that we are the exception to the rule of how people should behave, and that the rules which apply to others don’t apply to us because for us to change would be to contradict the deepest, truest and most essential part of our inmost being. When we think that to change would mean that we would cease to be our most genuine self and thus would betray everything we have been working so hard to discover and evolve into.

one person who who i think stays connected particularly well is wedding photographer jasmine star. she's responded to every e-mail or facebook post i've sent her with a personal, authentic response. and i know i'm not alone, she responds to the hundreds of comments she gets on her facebook page. sure, it's short and brief, but it's sweet and heartfelt. and every time she writes back, i'm stoked and i feel like she cares about me. and i know she really does. and when you're talking to jasmine in person, you feel like you're the only one in the room. she is present and engaged and she's intentional. sure she has an uncanny ability to remember people and details about them, but she works at it. she invests time and energy into connecting and staying connected and to building and maintaining healthy relationships with her friends, family, colleagues and clients alike and her brand, client experience, and life is exponentially bolstered by it. i'm quite sure of it.

so i invite you to be strategic and intentional about how you strengthen those new connections and maintain and deepen your existing relationships. it's worth the time and energy and will prove to enrich your life and the lives of those around you in a surprising way. pick up the phone and call your friend. or stop by and visit your grandma. today. and tomorrow.

say something.

i took a test whilst i was in college for a leadership class taught by the now photographer, speaker, and author dane sanders. the class changed my life. his insights have a way of doing that. don't believe me? read his book: fast track photographer or just hear him speak. he's the real deal.

and i digress...back to the story. so this test...it's called the strengths finder. it's pretty sweet. and tells you a ton about your, uh, strengths. awesome, right? SO, one of my strengths was "input." "you are inquisitive. you collect things. you might collect information--words, facts, books, and quotations--or you might collect tangible objects...whatever you collect, you collect because it interests you. and yours is the kind of mind that finds many things exciting. yhe world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity." AND, i'm a "learner." "you love to learn...you will always love the process of learning. the process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. you are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence." (markus buckingham, now discover your strengths"

this is as true today as it was 5 years ago when i took the test. i am constantly collecting. i have a collection of twisty-ties that i started when i was a kid. it's awesome and impressive. jealous? you should be. and i have quite a sizeable rubber band ball. haha. okay, really, i'm not so much a collector of such things, but i am constantly inputting in myriad forms. i surf the web for goodies. i read articles and books about marketing, social media, design, and photography. i flip through magazines for shoot concepts and ideas and window shop for cool display design. and i have a folder on my desktop for the sole purpose of storing my collections. this is all fine and dandy, and i do think it connects with the whole "learner" gig. i am always seeking more knowledge, understanding, experience, inspiration and wisdom. i crave it in fact. i was always that kid in class (and in life) who asked a lot of questions and always wanted to know why? how? i love that show on the science channel, "how it's made." i always watch it when i'm at home visiting my family and trip-out about how candy canes and cheese puffs are made. it's useful information for a cocktail party. trust me. everyone wants to know about how cheese puffs are made. see, little did you know, i'm a wealth of useful information. i input and i learn.

all that to say...methinks i all too often just take-in information and forget to disseminate it. and sometimes i neglect to even process it as much as i should, i just collect and store it away just in case it might be useful later. but i got to thinking about it and came to the conclusion quite quickly that this is, well, LAME. what's the point of all this "learning" and "inputting" if i don't always synthesize and share? it's silly really. and entirely selfish.

i've decided to change that and to share more. part of the reason i hesitate to do this, however, is because all too often i feel like no one cares or like i don't really have anything that interesting or insightful to say. i'm insecure i guess and feel like you have to become somebody before you can say something about anything. but then my friends and advisors tell me, "shut-up, get over yourself and start sharing. maybe you'll at least help one person, with one thing and then you'll know it was worth it to say something!". i think it's time i embrace my strengths and begin to use them more intentionally and wisely. alas, i'm gonna start living my dream. now. not someday, but today. my dream (and my heart) is to notice that which goes unnoticed, and to help people become more of who they are and to live more meaningful stories. being part of that process, in some form at least, is what truly excites me.

what all this will look like exactly, i am not quite sure. but i have me some ideas. and i will keep you in the loop as they come to fruition. and in the meantime, i am going to endeavor to at least share some of my finds here on the blog. and of course, i will keep "tweeting" about them over on my twitter page. but rest assured, that i am always scheming ways to live that dream, and to choose my own meaningful story.

so, what do you think?

j. shipley +sites.

i have kept you waiting long enough. so alas, i give you a new and exciting perk i am offering my 2010 couples: wedding websites. i imagine these custom, fresh and unique sites will be a huge plus for my couples (and their guests alike) allowing them to share photos, stories and wedding information. say "goodbye" to the cheesy, advertisement-laden, commercial sites, and say "hello" to these custom, modern and beautiful flash +sites.

plus one: lauren + nick's wedding website.


plus two: courtney + matt's wedding website.

plus three: jenelle + marc's wedding website.


as you can see, the sites can be use pre-wedding for sharing engagement photos, hotel, travel and registry information, and even rsvp-ing (which could be a huge money and tree saver). and the sites can be used post-wedding for sharing wedding photos, saying thank you and could even be used to share wedding how-tos with your friends and fellow brides- and grooms-to-be and photos from your honeymoon and new life together. cool, eh?

on relationship.

recently i have found myself thinking about relationships and how they relate to my business. my friend david jay often invites me to invest lots of my time and energy in people. he believes it is on of the most valuable uses of time and has the greatest return on investment. i agree. and i have been blown away but how inspired and productive i become after spending some quality time with creatives who share a similar artistic vision and who invite me to push my proverbial envelope and who challenge my ways of thinking.

similarly, i am finding it entirely rewarding to spend time with my clients and build a meaningful relationship that goes just beyond a simple business transaction. this allows me to really connect with them and to get deeper understanding of who they are and what they are about. of course, this only results in photographs that are more meaningful and more representative of who they are. if i want to be a storyteller, i need to be willing to listen and learn my subjects story. this is fascinating and without fail results in better photographs. it also creates a better experience along the way. i can't tell you how much easier it is to photograph someone you know (even in the slightest) versus someone who you don't know at all. it is way more fun and relaxing all around. we are more apt to be ourselves if we are comfortable and have a relationship with the people we're around. the groundwork ahead of time is necessary and benefits everyone involved.

one of the things i do early on in my relationship with my couples is to have them complete an introductory interview of sorts that lays the foundation and allows for me to fill in the in between facts and factoids about them as individuals and as a couple. this comes in extra handy when creating a custom engagement shoot and acts as a platform to work from. i strongly believe that the more informed i am, the better i can tell their story and capture the essence of who they are.

some questions i wrestle with often...how are you building relationships with your clients? what choices are you making to truly connect with them? what difference does that make for them? for you? and for their experience? how does that thereby strengthen your brand and create word of mouth marketers?

i would love to hear any thoughts you have on this subject...feel free to join in the conversation. also check out david jay's related post about why SEO is NOT a both/and game.

an iris book.

yesterday, i received the album i designed for micah and claragrace. and i am so pumped about it. i photographed their wedding back in june up in san francisco and i still get all sorts of excited when i think about all that was their special day. i got the chance to photograph in some of the coolest parts of the city all because micah and claragrace wanted their wedding photos to be epic. they tailored their wedding day schedule to accommodate as many on-location shoots as possible. they wanted each shoot to be somewhere unique, meaningful and simply bad-ass. i was spoiled. they even had me drive them 30 minutes through traffic to a pier that was on the opposite side of the city just to get this one shot micah had envisioned for quite some time. it was totally worth it. and the result was one of the coolest series of wedding photos i have ever created. and now, they are forever preserved in a beautiful and delightfully modern iris book. how cool is that?!

check this thing out...

this is an 10x10 iris soul book with a linen cover in taupe and beautiful hand-made end papers.

the custom de-bossing with no foil is a subtle and modern touch.

i love the simplicity and feel of a coffe table book style album. it feels like you're flipping through an art book. the pages are crisp and clean. and there are 100 of them to boot which allows the inclusion of many more images than most albums.

i couldn't be happier with the result and i am so excited to now offer this book as an option in all of my wedding photography collections. so cool.

photographers, if you're on the prowl for something fresh and modern, check out IRISbook. they are onto something to be sure.

the video.

a while back i posted a detailed explanation about the creation of jshipleyphotography.com in order that i may shed some light on the subject of the importance of having a customized, cohesive and relevant web-presence. i hope that it proved to be helpful to many of you who are on the brink of starting your businesses.

now, i wanted to take a few minutes and discuss my intro video...

as i sat in the beloved green chair at my parent's house up in crowley, i schemed. i thought of ways to build a strong brand. i pondered the power of good design. i read. i researched. i sketched and dreamed. and i schemed what would be one of the most pivotal and invaluable components of my brand: my intro video.

since it's premier in april, i've received e-mail after e-mail and remark after remark about how amazing my video was and how it captured the my personality and how it spoke to the essence of j. shipley photography. people often said it left them feeling as though they had gotten a chance to get to know me and to experience what it's like to work with me. they got a sense of my vision, dreams, style, energy, passion, creativity, drive and playful lifestyle all in the short four minute video. wow.

now, the real genius behind all that was nathaneal matanick of heschle video productions. he got it. he got me. he spent lots of time and energy getting to know the ins and outs of me and j. shipley photography. he understood my vision and then translated it into video form. pure genius. such work requires that you find someone who shares a similar artistic vision and who is truly gifted at their craft. nathaneal is just that. and naturally we worked really well together. and the result was a video that truly speaks to my brand and clearly communicates why i do what i do.

some said it was risky to endeavor on such a project so early on in my career. they asked, do you really have a clear vision for you brand? do you have enough material? will it really make that big of a difference? is this necessary? and from the outset, i was confident in my decision and knew that it would be worth the investment. and indeed it was. it gave my business and brand the direction and boost it needed. coupled with the new site and the launch party and art show, it gave me a jump-start so to speak. it gave people a window into j. shipley photography that has truly been invaluable. and if anything, it garnered some much needed buzz around my brand. mission accomplished.

i think so much of branding is realising the importance of the whole package. people expect and appreciate consistency and unity. it's essential to make sure every aspect of your brand is dialled-in, from you web presence, to your packaging, to your correspondence. and for me this has been the fun part. i am fascinated by this process and by its outcomes. and i love learning more and more about it as i truck along.

what are some of the key decisions or investments you have made to strengthen your own brand? what is it about your favorite brands that keeps you coming back again and again?

and for those of you who have yet to actually see the video...click here.

oh and here's the awesome trailer, nathaneal created to promote the release of the full version...click here.

finally, here are a few production photos i dug up out of the archives.

than and christi at the epic jessica iverson bridal shoot in a parking garage.

interviews after the santa barbara lifestyle shoot.

and this is just too funny not to share. haha. oh the woes of convertibles.

miscellaneous monday. be inspired & go forth.

as an artist, i am often in need of some inspiration from worlds beyond photography. i quite enjoy surrounding myself with good design, architecture, food, film, and the like. it inspires me, revives me and compels me to think beyond myself, beyond my world, beyond my craft and to push the proverbial envelope. such wanderings invite unique possibilities for new-ness, for an epic fusion of art forms, or perhaps for some a sort of profound (or small) revelation about what art is and what is does for our world. if i stay in my comfy photo-bubble, i get all sorts of boring, typical and cliche. i don't push myself. and i miss out on an opportunity to create something fresh and to experience something new and different.

so to keep alert and inspired, i made notcot my homepage. a daily perusal of all sorts of aesthetically delightful stuffs is bound to give me a little creative boost. i am just sayin'. so i invite you to join in the artistic wanderings in both your physical and cyber worlds and force yourself out of your proverbial creative bubbles.

alas, here is a nugget i came across recently...

the levi's go forth campaign is sheer genius. it has been beautifully executed and gets at something profoundly American. one of the many short films created as part of the campaign and truly one most brilliant pieces of film i've seen in a while was created by the duckduck collective is truly awe-inspiring. the crew over there is certainly a force to be reckoned with. and there is lots we can learn from this campaign that is for sure. you can watch it below (be sure to watch it full screen to view it in all its glory), and then let me know what you think about it.

Short Film - Levi's "Go Forth" from John Carl on Vimeo.

anyone have any goodies they have come across recently that inspired them? please share.

the montecito inn collection.

blast. i have neglected my lil blog for almost a week. ah. who i have a become? my deepest apologies blog. i am inclined to justify my absence with some dramatic tale of how i have been traveling the world or a proclamation of my busyness. and while i have been quite busy and have been traveling the world of Los Angeles, there is still no excuse, no reason, no cause to neglect a friendship i have become so fond of. only thing i can say is that i am lame, and i am sorry. forgive me bloggy-mc-bloggerton.

now, that we are all-good, i shall proceed...

in the past few weeks, i have been hard at work on several different projects in the midst of editing photos, planning upcoming shoots, and scheming other business endeavours. namely, of said projects, is my montecito inn fine art photography project. now i have hinted at this project a time or two here on the blog, and of course, have told many of my friends tales from the epic saga. but now, i get to fill you all in. this my be utterly boring to you, or perhaps insightful and amusing. you tell me. ha.

the short version. after image-creating, editing and perfecting, photo-proofing, frame-designing, and art-installing i am proud to present to you the montecito inn collection. inspired by the simplicity, subtlety and beauty of santa barbara landscapes and seascapes, the collection offers a calming presence in the newly opened tower suite and luxury apartment. with hues and tones that compliment the imported carpets, fabrics, and furniture, the images softly whisper the essence of the natural santa barbara many of us are so fond of.

Flash Required to view this area.

the tower suite.

the apartment.



replica j. shipley signature fine art prints and frames, are available for purchase at a special price for a limited time only. please e-mail me at info@jshipleyphotography.com for more information about availability and pricing. also, visit the fine art site for my complete fine art portfolio.

now, for the rest of the story. several months ago, i was commissioned by the montecito inn to create a collection of photographs that would serve as artwork for the newly renovated luxury apartment and tower suite. after my first meeting with general manager, danny copus, i was excited about this opportunity to a) work with danny and b) push my proverbial creative envelope. the project was particularly challenging because it required that i endeavor to create images that were of native santa barbara subject matter, were contemporary in composition and feel, and were relaxed and muted in color and hue. all the while, they had to be artistic, creative, sophisticated, and as we so often put it, sexy. on top of all that, the photos were going to be quite large and to be floated in a chic & modern custom hardwood frame. so basically, danny asked me to do something i had never done before. and for some reason unknown to me, he trusted me completely. i was intimated by the scope of the project and asked myself "what the hell have you gotten yourself into jeffrey? are you out of your mind?" i was terrified that i would fail miserably and that i would have to relinquish the project to some veteran photographer. but i gave myself a pep-talk. "you got this, jship! no prob!"

i acquiesced to his request, walked away from our meeting, and immediately called my dad. "dad, umm, so. listen. i just agreed to do this crazy, insane, out of this world project for the montecito inn. ahh. 14 custom photographs to be installed into the new luxury units. how cool is that?!! now what?" of course, he calmed my spastic self and helped strategize and scheme my approach.

so first things first, i figured i should, you know, take some photos and then start worrying about how to print, mount, frame and install them. "okay. ready go. think, jeffrey. think. conceptualize. uh...they have to be cool. epic really. and they have to be calming. luxurious. warm. inviting...umm, santa barbara. but not cheezy postcard photos. and they can't be too busy because they are going to be quite large. hmm. simple. clean. modern. greens. yellows. purples. but muted hues, jeffrey. soft. blurry. they have to match the space and look as if they were actually created for that space. and they need to whisper santa barbara but not scream it. gee that's easy. not. epic failure due anytime here. how are you actually going to create photos that do all of that? where do you even start, jeffrey? abort! no, no. that's none-sense. just go. shoot."

alas, i grabbed my camera and headed out to my favorite santa barbara locations. i didn't really know what i was going to photograph exactly, or whether or not these images could work. but i did have a hunch. so i decided to start at the butterfly preserve. here is a expert for the blog post i made about that experience back in february.

"wednesday, february 18th was a day of green for me. and some brown too. in other words, i spent the afternoon frolicking through the foliage and muddied landscape of the butterfly refuge. it is my new favorite place. the butterflies fly. a mass exodus of sorts. and then perch themselves high above the soil clinging softly to the branches of eucalyptus. tis a fascinating process. i very much enjoy the butterfly. so cute. so delicate. so incredibly, well, incredible. so i watched them flutter about their merry way and of course snapped a few shutters of the butters. love em.

then, i wandered about the refuge. through the groves. across the meadow. down the cliffs. my eyes wide. my voice quieted. my ears in-tune. my camera in hand. i wandered and i noticed. have you ever just stopped and tripped out looking at and thinking about the simple intricacies of a flower? or per chance, marveled at how the soil texturizes when it dries or wets? have you ever watched a lil bur-dah (said like bambi, anyone?) frolic about the fields of grass? do it. it is mind blowing. and relaxing, i tell you. i felt much like a small boy again. you know, tapping into that knack for adventure and discovery. for exploration. mmm. and then you pair that with a creative spirit and you are bound to come up with something cool. worked for me anyway. ;)"

the next day, i showed danny the images. he loved them. i was on the right track. actually 5 of the 14 images ended up being from that first experimental shoot. hmm. several shoots later, we had hundreds of potential images that we then narrowed down to 40 finalists. eventually, we weeded out 26 of them to finally come up with the 14 pieces for the montecito inn collection! done and done.

now, onto producing the actual goods. we decided to go with a photographic print mounted on a substrate for an awesome exposed, simple and clean look. we then wanted to float that image inside of a modern square frames in order to create a sweet shadow line. i, of course, employed the best of the best to create these custom frames. none other than my own dad! when you're looking for high-end, perfection, pure beauty and luxury, s. h. shipley construction is the go-to place. some how he took my crazy ideas and drawings and turned them into utter awesomeness (just like he did for my show). all the while consulting, advising me along the way. he used a beautiful rift sawn oak that was then finished to perfection with a deep, espresso stain. mmm. very nice! and to make it all even better, he hand delivered the frames and helped me install each and every piece. this calls for a quick vignette:

imagine this scene. a gigantic six foot by nine foot photo mounted on a flimsy substrate merely wrapped in cardboard. me. my dad. danny in his slacks & tie. three bellmen from the Inn. a rickety ladder. a make-shift sled like stretcher. a rope. now imagine getting that up a twelve-foot drop and over a tiled roof to get it on the patio. only to then mount the gargantuan thang to the wall while maintain that quarter-inch gap and not prematurely sticking it to the highly adhesive sticky-stuff. haha. somehow we managed not the completely trash the thing. and danny didn't fall off the roof. and i didn't have a nervous breakdown. whew. an accomplishment to be sure.

so after wrestling that beast up there, having to reorder prints because of shipping damage, and cope with the old, antique walls of the inn, we finally managed to complete the project. for me this was a huge relief and of course for my poor dad. but it was even more so for danny after working this renovation project for over a year. done and done.

for information about the montecito inn or for booking, visit their site here.

the site.

so, i thought for my first behind the scenes look into the life of j. shipley photography i would share with you the process of building my completely custom SHOW IT site. i have gotten quite a few e-mails from various photographers asking how-to questions regarding my site and my branding. often, they have been shocked when i tell them i was able to create a fully custom and unique site all by myself using showit. but it's true, people. that is the power of showit. with some commitment, devotion, and creativity, you can create something the speaks to your brand and helps set you apart in that sea of template websites.

i admit that in the midst of all our busyness as photographers, it is tempting to slap up a quick template website (even when using showit) and call it good. this is cool in the sense that the style groups allow for you to at least get something online and makes sense for those of us who are not all that software and design savvy. but for me, i wanted to take the custom approach and start with a blank canvas. so that's what i did.

step one. inspiration. first off, i had to find inspiration, and i had to answer some essential questions about my brand. what are my colors? key words? core values? fonts? logo? goals? what is my target market? what is important to me? why? what inspires me? what sites & designs do i like? dislike? i starting thinking and i remembered something. i went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art last summer with my friend shannon and had a blast. (y'all must got there. it is spectacular). so, i came across a photography exhibition that simply blew me away. it was a polaroid series by an amazing photographer, Philip-Lorca diCorcia. not only did i love his work but also the display itself. since photographs of the photographs were not allowed, i took a mental image of it and purposed to recreate that someday, somehow, somewhere. that very exhibition inspired my site design and a display at my art show. so i got that polaroid gig on the drawing board. good start. and i discovered recently that i love the conversation between the old and new, the modern and the antique. so how could i bring that into my brand and into my website? polaroids? with a modern layout? negative space? and a few modern fonts perhaps?

step two. colors. i love red. a lot. so it is my primary brand color, but i use it as an accent. or for things i really want to pop. you will notice that such is the case with the use of red on my site. brown. i used to like the combo of black, red and white. but i decided it was a little overdone and a bit sterile and distant. and boring. but a dark chocolate brown. now that is just perfect. organic and earthy. rich and elegant. and choclate-y. pair that with a deep crimson red, add in a nice antique white for some contrast and we are onto something, jeffrey.

step three. typography. i used three fonts on my site. geosans light is my heading font. courier is my secondary font that i used for my menu and copy. the first being a more modern san serif font and the latter being a old school, serif, typewriter font. again, that conversation between the old and the new. and everything (save for the headings) is lowercase on purpose. and you'll notice that throughout the brand: on the blog, in e-mails, and for smugmug gallery titles. i am not fighting with the shift key. i know how to use it. haha. but, i choose not to in most cases. also, you may have noticed my penchant for periods. that's all on purpose. i write with lots of periods. and i put them in grammatically incorrect places. take that grammar book. and i have the whole "j." thing going on too. j period. lowercase j mind you. (the dot is important and period are important, people) so, i carried that motif throughout the design. that is why the menu is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise. i wanted all those periods in a line. and then i took that period pattern and infused it subtly into other places on the site. notice red dots anywhere?

step four. layouts. i knew i wanted something clean and modern. and different, of course. that's how i roll. and it had to reflect my brand. j. shipley photography is all about custom-tailored shoots and products, so the site had to be the same. i used that mental image of the LACMA display as a base for the layout. then, i wanted lots of full-screen photo galleries but didn't want the basic design to be busy or overwhelming. i wanted each component to be intentional and every aspect designed. so i had to play around a ton. i had to constantly experiment with different layouts, and finally, committed to the one you see today. lots of negative space. clean. simple. balanced.


step five. content. i spent hours going through files and searching for my best work. the most compelling and interesting. the photos that best reflected my style and brand. i do have a lot of images on my site, but i didn't put up everything i have ever shot or even every good shot. i wanted all my copy to be informative, but also have me in it. my personality. my humor. my writing style. i wanted people to get a better sense of who i am by reading about my story and learning random factoids about me. and of course i wanted visitors to be able to see me too. hence, the video (which i will discuss in depth in the next post) and all the photos. all of the photos on the philosophy page connect to the text. they are personal and meaningful photos to me.

step six. navigation, organization & animation. the portfolio section of my site primarily consists of 7 different galleries, some of which have multiple sub-galleries. and then i have informational pages as well. i spent quite some time devising a way to organize all the content in a user friendly way. while i was tempted to do tons of cool animation, i decided it would get annoying on the user end of things after a while. there is nothing worse than having to wait for something to re-animate each time you hit the back button. i wanted simple and clean animation and transitions. hence, the fact that i have quite fade-out/fade-in page changes and only animated my intro and menu. i wanted my menu to be a design element. i debated for a LONG time as to whether or not it was TOO challenging to read since it was sideways and quite small. i asked lots of people too in beta testing and eventually decided it was too strong of a design element to part with simply because it was a little tricky to read. sure it requires a bit more commitment on the user, but i think most people don't hate me for it (or perhaps i am disillusioned. ha.).

step seven. beta test. i had my art/design friends review the site and consult me on the design. i ran beta tests with non-photographer friends and had them provide feedback on ease of use, navigation and overall impression. i worked out all the bugs and made sure all the links worked and that everything was perfected before it went live.

step eight. share. i told all my friends about my site. i sent out e-mails. i tweeted about it. i posted links all over my facebook. but first, i created some mystery and anticipation. i made 'em anxious for that launch date. i tried to get people excited about it.

step nine. analyze. i watched my google analytics like a hawk in the weeks before and after my launch. i studied the stats. strategized ways to reach more people. discovered what works and what doesn't. and i watched that traffic increase. since it went live a month ago, my site has had over 7000 hits from around the globe, with 88,000 page views. plus i have had over 2500 hits on my blog. (that is up nearly 2000% percent from my previous web traffic). one of my goals was to reach every state in the US. done and done. now, a lot of those stats are in large part due to david jay and jasmine star's shout-outs, so keep that in mind and take it for what it's worth. but nonetheless, having a unique, custom site made and HUGE difference in my web traffic and in my business.


tips (in no particular order): 1) keep it simple. 2) pay attention to the details & ensure that elements are proportionate, aligned properly and well-balanced. 3) don't necessarily neglect function for form; find a happy medium. 4) infuse elements of your branding into your website. 5) be clear on what those elements are. 6). don't get crazy with animation. that can get annoying. 6) use the SHOW IT support staff. they are fantastic. 7) integrate video into your site. (and when you do use, heschle video productions. 8) pimp your blog with the showit embed feature. 9) make sure your blog, smugmug, & site all match and are a cohesive unit. 10) do beta testing with friends, family, colleagues, etc. before you go live. have them give you honest feedback. 11) create buzz about your site. give 'em something to talk about. 12) be you. you site should reflect your brand, but your brand should reflect you. be authentic and real.

all and all, you can imagine that i logged some serious man-hours building my site. i worked long and hard to get it where it is. now, i realize that many of my fellow photographers and creatives are thinking "neat-o jeff! good for you. but i don't have that kind of time. or energy. or patience. or desire." that's cool. no worries. i will tell you right now, you have options. if you're like me and are design and software savvy, you can allot some time to your site, work at it, and come up with something bitchin'. or you can work from the style groups and tweak things here or there and make it your own. or you can hire someone else (such as myself ;) do it for you. all are commendable and accessible to you and quite affordable with Show It either route you go. but you must make your presence a HUGE priority. today. especially in the media driven culture. you must. so, head over to showitfast.com and sign-up today.

okay, i know that was long, but i wanted to be thorough. post a comment if you have any questions. and i will do my best to answer them all either personally or on the blog. aiight?

happy day.

the bridge.

ever been on a cruise ship? or perhaps another type of sea-faring vessel? have you ever wondered what goes down on the bridge? ever been tempted sneak in so you can see who the captain is and hear all the insider information about the ship's charted course? well, i have. and i have always been the kid who asks all the questions and who wants to go behind the scenes or backstage. i love touring factories and always wanted to sit in a cockpit of a jet simply because i was curious. (well, that, and it is cool to sit in a cockpit). i always wanted to learn the ways things work, and to this day, i love to watch that show "how it's made". such experiences are fascinating and helpful i tell you.

so, one of my friends encouraged me to start sharing some of the inner-workings of j. shipley photography here on my blog. at first, i was hesitant. and quite frankly, resistant. why? well, not because i don't want to share. or because i am scared people will jack my ideas. ha. no, no. but because, really, who am i? i am such a youngen. i am not that seasoned professional with decades of experience. or a big time orange county wedding photographer with 50 weddings a year. nope. i am just a 22 year old kid from crowley lake who decided to become a photographer one day. i say silly things. i really love grapes. and i laugh a lot. i don't have any formal training in photography. and i have a proclivity to always do things differently. i am the guy with all the crazy ideas. yup.

but, i thought it about for a week or so. and i suppose my friend is right. perhaps some people want to hear my story, my process, and all about my photography woes. and since i like the inside scoop and a backstage pass a time or two, i thought i would let you on the bridge of the j.ship (haha. i crack myself up) so you can see what is going on at the helm. (yes, the nautical pun is intended. as always. haha :). in this section, i will answer frequently asked questions and write about marketing and branding and my latest shooting techniques. i shall feature reviews on art shows i attend and reflect on articles and books i am reading. i will share with you my thoughts and musings about business, art, people and photography. i imagine this section will be primarily useful to other photographers, but i do hope that it will be helpful to other creatives as well. so i intend to have both specific and general content here. so, what do ya'll think?

inspiration & organization.

i got me a new desk the other day. it's an upgrade for sure. especially compared to my little tiny one i had prior. this one has baller status for sure. and it is cool. it inspired me to get all sorts of organized. so after picking out my desk, i perused the aisles of office max for various organizational tools and office supplies. i got me some file folders, fine-point sharpies, and a groovy stapler and tape dispenser. it am stoked about it. i am a "j" after all on the myers briggs type indicator. i get a strange high off of organization and office supply stores. i can spend all day in there. true story.

on a similar note, i have been collecting scraps and such from various magazines for quite some time now. but my friend jasmine star reminded me a while back on her blog about the importance of this. so i decided it was time to bring my a-game to this practice. so, i purchased a folder box specifically for things i like or am inspired by. i was so excited to put some new goodies in there, that i pulled out all of my luxe, gq, and destination wine country magazines and tore out a heap of pages. with my new sharpies, i purposed to note what i like about a particular image or design so that when i need ideas for lighting concepts, poses or wardrobes, i know just where to go...how fun is that? i find that as an artist, i need to actively seek out inspiration and surround myself with good design, fashion, art and photography. it keeps me fresh and alert and keeps those creative juices flowing. if we are constantly producing and not feeding and nourishing ourselves, our wells will run dry. and we can't have that now can we? no, no. i find that when i am constantly seeking out opportunities to learn or be inspired, i produce better photographs. and well, i suppose that is a good thing given that i am a photographer or something. haha.