What is a Contributing Photographer?

With over 15,000 photographers using PhotoBiz, we realized that there is an abundance of talent and knowledge here. The goal of our blog is to share our news, share industry news, and educate. With that said, what better way to educate than to utilize some of the best photographers in the world.

Hiram Trillo Art-Photography

About Hiram: I have been involved with photography for about 15 yrs. I have always been infatuated with photography. From childhood I use to love the photography of the 1920’s thru 50’s. All the images where so captivating, from cinema to the great depression every image told a story. I bought my first camera at the age of 17 from a pawn shop. Most of my early photography was shot and developed guerilla style. I would buy old film (yes film) from camera stores and would develop them at the univeristy campus darkroom even though I did not have a photography class. I got caught a few times, but I paid my way in by helping clean the room or anything they needed. I finally ended up taking a position at the university news paper and worked my way to becoming one of the sports editors. A professor at the university saw some of my photographs and added me to an art exhibition that his senior students were having at a local gallery. It was there that a soon to be bride approached me and asked of I would do a bridal portrait, I had never shot a bride before, but I gladly said yes. After that I decided to learn more about the industry and just felt in love with the idea of creating art pieces for such a great occasion.

After working and learning under some great wedding photographers I decided to do it on my own. I began honing my skills by learning everything in sight about wedding photography the likes and dislikes of it all and how I would take my artistic approach to this industry. We created a couple of stand alone pieces for a friends’ wedding soon after that we had our first client and Hiram Trillo Art-Photography was born.

Visit Hiram Trillo Art-Photography

Hiram Trillo
Hiram Trillo Art-Photography
www.hiramtrillo.com
806-252-3952
htrillophotography@sbcglobal.net

Are you a “VisionMonger”

Hiram Trillo: book review

-First off, I want to thank everyone for the great comments, emails, and friend requests I have received since I started writing these articles. I really enjoy it and you guys have been very kind. This month I thought I would write something a bit different. In the other two articles I touched on two subjects that we can all relate to. Developing a brand or name is always a work in progress. Why? Well it takes time to develop that name and recognition, and once you have it you have to work hard to maintain it. The other is gear; we all need it, however it’s not how much gear you have, but how much you do with what you have.

-This article is going to give you another tool. Last month I purchased a copy of the new David duChemin’s book VisionMongers. As many of you know duChemin is a professional photographer who specializes in humanitarian projects and world photography. His first book “With in the frame” was well received in the photographic community and it also helped cement deChemin as a true visionary for his knowledge and passion for photography. VisionMongers is a real, stay true to the art read. From the introduction the author tells it like it is. That is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. The tone of the first chapter set the tone for the book. Many will take it as a negative, duChemin through out this chapter warns amateur and hobbyists about the negative side of going into photography as a profession. I have had many tell me that it was discouraging to read about how negative the book sees the professional photography world. I completely disagree. The author warns of the negative side of becoming a professional photographer. He does not sugar coat the facts, he just presents them. It is hard to make it in this industry with out (as Larry Perez’ article read) finding your niche. You must educate, build, and discover yourself before heading out to venture into an industry that is saturated already.

-Once you get passed the first chapter you will discover a world of knowledge. VisionMonger, short of doing it for you, is a blueprint for how to as the title says “make a life and a living in photography.” David dedicated a great portion of this book in developing your personal brand. Branding is everything now and duChemin gives you the tools to develop it, with advice on your logo, business cards, and social media such as website, blog, and twitters. David is an active blogger and twitter (@pixelatedimage). He recognizes the importance of trends and following it. Social media is heading in a direction where it will soon surpass traditional media such as print and television. We literally have the power at our fingertips. More and more people are going online to find what they need, and unless you meet them there you will be missing key clients. It is wise to establish your web presence. Remember it’s free so use it.

- VisionMongers deals with the work that needs to be done in order to succeed. The author encourages the reader to stay a hobbyist until one is ready to venture out. He speaks of education and the importance of it, he discusses the business aspect and its operations, such as contracts, negotiation and even sponsorships. You will get a very clear understanding of the business side of photography and how to better yourself as a business person. Business is the backbone of photography. If you are planning on making a living in the industry then you must balance the business side of things with equally great photography.

-One of the things I truly enjoyed about this book is the biographies within. David gives an insight into the beginnings of some of the great photographers in the industry such as: Kevin Clark, Darwin Wigget, Dave Delnea, Gavin Gough, Zach Arias, Karl Grobl, Grace Chon, and Chace Jarvis. All of these are success stories and all have an incredible web presence.

-This book is a must read for any level of photographer. If you have been in business for years, it will refresh your attitude towards your business as well as modernize it, and if you are an inspiring pro photographer then it will guide you through and explain key aspects necessary for your success. Unlike David’s first book “With in the Frame” this book is not intended to better yourself technically, it is a book to help you make a living out of your passion and what you need to support your hobby and make it in this great industry.

-I truly enjoyed this book. I have been a duChemin fan for many years. The only down side to this book is that it was published after I started my own business. It was great to see how on target I was on many things, but also how I could have avoided many headaches. Although I believe you are never truly done building and maintaining your brand, David duChemin hit a homerun with this book, and it shows how dedicated he truly is to the industry. If you have a chance I highly recommend picking up a copy as well as visiting his website and blog pixelatedimage.com/blog. For now I leave you with a quote that has always inspired me to stay creative, “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein.

-As always all comments are appreciated.

Hiram Trillo

What is a Contributing Photographer?

With over 15,000 photographers using PhotoBiz, we realized that there is an abundance of talent and knowledge here.  The goal of our blog is to share our news, share industry news, and educate.  With that said, what better way to educate than to utilize some of the best photographers in the world.

Hiram Trillo Art-Photography

About Hiram: I have been involved with photography for about 15 yrs. I have always been infatuated with photography. From childhood I use to love the photography of the 1920’s thru 50’s. All the images where so captivating, from cinema to the great depression every image told a story. I bought my first camera at the age of 17 from a pawn shop. Most of my early photography was shot and developed guerilla style. I would buy old film (yes film) from camera stores and would develop them at the univeristy campus darkroom even though I did not have a photography class. I got caught a few times, but I paid my way in by helping clean the room or anything they needed. I finally ended up taking a position at the university news paper and worked my way to becoming one of the sports editors. A professor at the university saw some of my photographs and added me to an art exhibition that his senior students were having at a local gallery. It was there that a soon to be bride approached me and asked of I would do a bridal portrait, I had never shot a bride before, but I gladly said yes. After that I decided to learn more about the industry and just felt in love with the idea of creating art pieces for such a great occasion.

After working and learning under some great wedding photographers I decided to do it on my own. I began honing my skills by learning everything in sight about wedding photography the likes and dislikes of it all and how I would take my artistic approach to this industry. We created a couple of stand alone pieces for a friends’ wedding soon after that we had our first client and Hiram Trillo Art-Photography was born.

Visit Hiram Trillo Art-Photography

Hiram Trillo
Hiram Trillo Art-Photography
www.hiramtrillo.com
806-252-3952
htrillophotography@sbcglobal.net

___________________________________

Hiram’s Articles:

Gear Does Not Equal Talent

Your Brand, Your Name

___________________________________

Most Recent:  Are you a “VisionMonger”

Hiram Trillo: book review

-First off, I want to thank everyone for the great comments, emails, and friend requests I have received since I started writing these articles.  I really enjoy it and you guys have been very kind.  This month I thought I would write something a bit different.  In the other two articles I touched on two subjects that we can all relate to. Developing a brand or name is always a work in progress.  Why? Well it takes time to develop that name and recognition, and once you have it you have to work hard to maintain it.  The other is gear; we all need it, however it’s not how much gear you have, but how much you do with what you have. 

-This article is going to give you another tool.  Last month I purchased a copy of the new David duChemin’s book VisionMongers.  As many of you know duChemin is a professional photographer who specializes in humanitarian projects and world photography.  His first book “With in the frame” was well received in the photographic community and it also helped cement deChemin as a true visionary for his knowledge and passion for photography.  VisionMongers is a real, stay true to the art read.  From the introduction the author tells it like it is.  That is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much.  The tone of the first chapter set the tone for the book.  Many will take it as a negative, duChemin through out this chapter warns amateur and hobbyists about the negative side of going into photography as a profession.  I have had many tell me that it was discouraging to read about how negative the book sees the professional photography world.  I completely disagree.  The author warns of the negative side of becoming a professional photographer.  He does not sugar coat the facts, he just presents them.  It is hard to make it in this industry with out (as Larry Perez’ article read) finding your niche.  You must educate, build, and discover yourself before heading out to venture into an industry that is saturated already. 

-Once you get passed the first chapter you will discover a world of knowledge.  VisionMonger, short of doing it for you, is a blueprint for how to as the title says “make a life and a living in photography.”  David dedicated a great portion of this book in developing your personal brand.  Branding is everything now and duChemin gives you the tools to develop it, with advice on your logo, business cards, and social media such as website, blog, and twitters.  David is an active blogger and twitter (@pixelatedimage). He recognizes the importance of trends and following it.  Social media is heading in a direction where it will soon surpass traditional media such as print and television.  We literally have the power at our fingertips.  More and more people are going online to find what they need, and unless you meet them there you will be missing key clients.  It is wise to establish your web presence.  Remember it’s free so use it.

- VisionMongers deals with the work that needs to be done in order to succeed.  The author encourages the reader to stay a hobbyist until one is ready to venture out.  He speaks of education and the importance of it, he discusses the business aspect and its operations, such as contracts, negotiation and even sponsorships. You will get a very clear understanding of the business side of photography and how to better yourself as a business person.  Business is the backbone of photography.  If you are planning on making a living in the industry then you must balance the business side of things with equally great photography. 

-One of the things I truly enjoyed about this book is the biographies within.  David gives an insight into the beginnings of some of the great photographers in the industry such as: Kevin Clark, Darwin Wigget, Dave Delnea, Gavin Gough, Zach Arias, Karl Grobl, Grace Chon, and Chace Jarvis.  All of these are success stories and all have an incredible web presence. 

-This book is a must read for any level of photographer. If you have been in business for years, it will refresh your attitude towards your business as well as modernize it, and if you are an inspiring pro photographer then it will guide you through and explain key aspects necessary for your success.  Unlike David’s first book “With in the Frame” this book is not intended to better yourself technically, it is a book to help you make a living out of your passion and what you need to support your hobby and make it in this great industry.

-I truly enjoyed this book.  I have been a duChemin fan for many years.  The only down side to this book is that it was published after I started my own business.  It was great to see how on target I was on many things, but also how I could have avoided many headaches.  Although I believe you are never truly done building and maintaining your brand, David duChemin hit a homerun with this book, and it shows how dedicated he truly is to the industry.  If you have a chance I highly recommend picking up a copy as well as visiting his website and blog pixelatedimage.com/blog.  For now I leave you with a quote that has always inspired me to stay creative, “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein. 

-As always all comments are appreciated.

Hiram Trillo

So a quick trip to Madrid and we’re off to Barcelona!  This is sure to be a crowd favorite with some of the unique design concepts that are being captured from this beautiful Spanish city.  The Barcelona template’s layout is based off of the same layout structure as Madrid with a “banner-like” frame that stretches from end to end of your monitor.  Working off of this NEW layout that is inspired by Spain, let us show you what is unique about Barcelona!

The most unique feature that you will notice is the frame that surrounds each image to the left and right.  If you have a large panoramic image that stretches from end to end, you will notice this frame stretch with it.  This is great for photographers that would like to use both portrait and landscape layout images.

Additionally regarding the layout of the Spanish inspired templates, is how the re-sizable template feature is used.  Usually, when you add “border padding” to a template, it will re-size the entire template down and add a border around the outside.  This border can display and color or background that you would like.  However, with both Madrid and Barcelona, the sides do not add this border.  Only the top and bottom will add this “border padding” to keep the image and color shifting frame consistent with an end to end look.

Another unique feature that you will notice about Barcelona is the round frames that hold the thumbnails on the left of the website.  As Madrid incorporated a square frame here, we wanted to give a slightly different look.

Lastly, utilizing the unique color shifting capabilities that we used with Milan, you will notice that the navigation bar is placed at the bottom as well and color shifts as well.  This NEW navigation bar is built with the roll-over capabilities so that you do not need to click on it to pull up the drop down navigation bars.  Some people are concerned with a navigation bar being located at the bottom, however, there is no need to worry with PhotoBiz.  Our Templates automatically re-size to fit each viewer’s monitor.  Whether you are looking at your website from a 6″ screen or a 36″ screen, your image and entire website will recognize this and adjust appropriately!  This way your navigation bar will ALWAYS display.

Another great feature with this series of templates is the fact that the logo can be placed on the left OR the right. With just 1 click, you decide. As this series is a part of the larger “Full Screen” collection, lets look at some of its other fully customizable attributes:

• Complete Color Customization
• Best SEO in the Industry
• Custom Background Upload
• Re-sizable Image Frames
• 32 Changeable Fonts and Styles
• Unlimited Galleries

The Best SEO in the Industry is of course included for FREE! This includes page specific Meta Tags, deep linking URL’s, Automatic XML site mapping, an HTML Splash Page, an automatic HTML mirror site (One-time $45 fee) and unlimited free access to SEO specialists here on the PhotoBiz team.

All of the images in this template are provided by:

Loren Callahan with Alante Photography

Give us your Feedback and let us know what you think.

Feel Free to Re-Tweet, Share, and Re-distribute this article! http://bit.ly/87muuF

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A LIVE SAMPLE!!

The PhotoBiz Template Collection is very excited about its trip to Spain.  We will be making our first appearance in Madrid where we introduce a brand new layout structure and sleek new designs.  The best part about this is that if you are a PhotoBiz customer, you get to join us for FREE!  …Let me explain.

As a PhotoBiz customer, you can switch from anyone of our 70+ current designs to a new one with a single click of your mouse and no additional cost.  All of your images, customized color schemes, logo, etc… will transfer right into the new template without any work or $$ necessary!  So, if you would like, join us on our journey to Madrid and switch your template TODAY!

I want to start out by explaining our new layout structure that will be applied to the Madrid Template and soon to be released Barcelona!  You will notice a “banner like” layout that displays your large (re-sizable) image, framed with the unique PhotoBiz color shifting ability.  The incredibly unique “re-sizable” layout allows your “banner-like” layout to always stretch across the viewers monitor and simply add more space to the top and bottom of your website.  This border will be added to only the top and bottom and will allow you to choose any color or background image to be displayed.  This is a very unique feature that is different from all of the other PhotoBiz templates!

You are able to customize and choose each color that transitions to the right and left of your image.  Further the border on the top and bottom will automatically shift to a coordinated complimentary color.  This is one of the first templates that you will notice the navigation bar color shifting as well!  The color shifting ability is very unique and creates a highly customizable appearance.  You can insert any HEX value, choose one of the color swatches or even use the “eye-dropper” to select a color from your image.  This color can be chosen for each and every image as it is displayed!

The logo placement can be anywhere across the top in Madrid.  If you would like it on the left, right, or center; that’s not problem.  You can make these changes with a click of the mouse.  The logo is placed just off of and above your image to emphasize the main focus, your images!

The NEW navigation bar is built with the roll-over capabilities so that you do not need to click on it to pull up the drop down navigation bars.  In the image below, you will notice it displays “The Photographer”, “Unique Features”, & “Our Products”.  As you simply hover your mouse over “Information”, this drop down menu appears.  Less clicking = Less confusion!

Within the gallery, you will notice the thumbnails placed along the left hand side in a square format.  You can select any image and have it display in the gallery immediately.  Is there a limit to the number of images in a gallery?  Not with PhotoBiz, however, we recommend that with any flash website you narrow it down to about 15 or 20 to ensure an effective loading time for your website.

Some people are concerned with a navigation bar being located at the bottom, however, there is no need to worry with PhotoBiz.  Our Templates automatically re-size to fit each viewer’s monitor.  Whether you are looking at your website from a 6″ screen or a 36″ screen, your image and entire website will recognize this and adjust appropriately!  This way your navigation bar will ALWAYS display.

As this series is a part of the larger “Full Screen” collection, lets look at some of its other fully customizable attributes:

• Complete Color Customization
• Best SEO in the Industry
• Custom Background Upload
• Re-sizable Image Frames
• 32 Changeable Fonts and Styles
• Unlimited Galleries

The Best SEO in the Industry is of course included for FREE! This includes page specific Meta Tags, deep linking URL’s, Automatic XML site mapping, an HTML Splash Page, an automatic HTML mirror site (One-time $45 fee) and unlimited free access to SEO specialists here on the PhotoBiz team.

All of the images in this template are provided by Larry Perez

Give us your Feedback and let us know what you think.

Feel Free to Re-Tweet, Share, and re-distribute this article!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A LIVE SAMPLE!!

The PhotoBiz Team has had a great time introducing templates from Italy!  We started in Florence and then took a quick trip to Venice.  Both of these templates turned out absolutely beautiful; but Yes, we have saved the BEST for last.  Rounding out our Italian template splurge, we are taking our final stop in Milan.  We brought along Featured Photographer John Edgar to display some of his stunning shots in the new Milan Template!

Milan is built along the same concept structure that both Florence and Venice were built on.  The elegant layout is based on a clean “minimalistic” design with a horizontal layout.  With the logo placed to the side (left or right) the navigation bar is cleanly placed just off of your photos to provide a dynamic viewing area with little to no distractions.

A common feature that you will notice is the sleek color shifting ability.  I would recommend a .PNG transparent logo so that you can take full advantage of the color shifting effect.  This means that as your images transition, you can have the colors “shift” and change colors to coordinate with predominate colors in each image (or ANY color you wish).  This is a rare, yet powerful customization!

Now for the features that make Milan unique!  You will notice a very functional feature with the new navigation bar that includes a “roll-over” effect.  This means that as you simply roll your mouse over each navigation tab (i.e. Home, Information, Galleries), the drop down menu will automatically appear without having to click on it.  As far as the design, you will notice a drop shadow and rounded corners for stylish look.

Another great feature with this series of templates is the fact that the logo can be placed on the left OR the right. With just 1 click, you decide. As this series is a part of the larger “Full Screen” collection, lets look at some of its other fully customizable attributes:

• Complete Color Customization
• Best SEO in the Industry
• Custom Background Upload
• Re-sizable Image Frames
• 32 Changeable Fonts and Styles
• Unlimited Galleries

For a Full Features List, Click Here

The Best SEO in the Industry is of course included for FREE! This includes page specific Meta Tags, deep linking URL’s, Automatic XML site mapping, an HTML Splash Page, an automatic HTML mirror site (One-time $45 fee) and unlimited free access to SEO specialists here on the PhotoBiz team.

You also have 100% control over the color shifting and color management throughout the template.  If you want a different color, literally anywhere on this template, you can input a HEX number or use our professionally designed color schemes for a quick customized look.

All of the images in this template are provided by John Edgar

Give us your Feedback and let us know what you think.

Feel Free to Re-Tweet, Share, and re-distribute this article!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A LIVE SAMPLE!!