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!!

January 2010 Featured Photographer of the Month

Chris & Elisha Stewart

Website :: Facebook

1. What equipment you do you use?

It depends if we’re taking it in the water or not! ;) For weddings we us the Canon 5D MarkII but are firm believers that its not about equipment, but how you use it. Some of our best shots came from our starter days on a 40D and a Rebel with kit lenses.

2. How long have you been shooting?

Two years. We bought our first two digital cameras when we started our business (Abby Photography) in January 2008. Thank you to all of our first summer clients who trusted us as photographers even though our business was young.

3. Where are you located?

CANADA, EH?! We are based out of Kelowna, British Columbia but have had the privilege of shooting all across the country.

4. What type of photography do you take?

We focus primarily on wedding photography. We also offer family, maternity, engagement, and Trash the Dress sessions. We one day hope to retire from weddings and do product photography for Snuggies on the Shopping Channel. Kidding!!

5. Price range of events?

Since our business is so young, we’re still trying to figure that one out. Our weddings currently start at $2500 and go to $6000.

6. When did you notice that you had passion for photography?

When we realized that we could make money while doing it. JUST KIDDING!! It began as a hobby and appreciation for the arts. Photography then developed into a passion when our parents stopped seeing our work as “just a hobby” and began to recognize it as a profession. The tremendous support of family and friends gave us confidence and transformed our hobby into passion. We truly love what we do.

7. Is there anything unique about what you do?

Apart from being a husband and wife team…Once we capture the location of where the couple tied-the-knot, we try to take them to as many different locations as possible. You can take 1000 pictures in a park and they will all look like a park! We try to have a different location for every page of their wedding album. Couples love having a variety of settings, moods, and environments to choose from in their final product.

8. What’s the funniest thing that ever happened during a shoot?

A wasp went down the front of the brides dress during the ceremony. She instantly FREAKED OUT! In a panicked attempt to release the wasp, she flipped out the boning in her dress – totally exposing herself! No joke! The minister lost it! He was laughing so hard that he took several minutes to compose himself. This picture was taken right after the incident.

9. Most awkward moment during a wedding?

The wasp in the wedding dress mentioned above was also the most awkward.

10. What’s the scariest thing that ever happened during a shoot?

Almost getting ran over by cars. They seem to always be in our way.

11. How many events do you photograph each year?

We don’t know yet… In 2008 we did 8 weddings, then in 2009 we did 30. For 2010, the more the merrier. We’ll probably do a thousand ;)

12. Have you had to change anything to adjust in current economic times?

Nope. We actually started our business right in the middle of the recession so there was nowhere to go but up.

13. Describe your shooting style?

We try to have our wedding images come across as “romantic” with an emphasis on location.

Past Featured Photographers
2009
February : March : April : May : June : July : August : September : October : November : December

Are you interested in becoming a featured photographer of the month with PhotoBiz? 

Send an email to:  Blogger [at] photobiz [dot] com.  Include a paragraph stating why you think that you should be considered for this feature and a link to your website.

Meta Tags for Photographers

There’s a lot of debate in the SEO community about the effectiveness of the Meta fields. In this SEO Corner, we’ll take a look at Meta tags and what they can and can’t do for your PhotoBiz site. We’ll also look at ways to maximize your Meta Tag effectiveness.

What Are Meta Tags?

Meta tags are HTML codes that are inserted into the header on a web page, generally after the title tag. The purpose of the tag is to provide information for programs such as browsers or search engine crawlers to interpret about your website. PhotoBiz natively supports three types of Meta tag in the Search Engine Optimization section: Meta Title, Meta Description, and Meta Keywords.

There are two places in your PhotoBiz site where you can build Meta information: Globally, and per page. Global meta tags can be found in your Flash/HTML Control Panel by clicking on the Search Engines icon. Meta information you add in these fields will become the default Metas for your entire site. You can also configure Meta Description and Keywords for individual pages, including your Splash Intro. These can be found generally on the Details tab of any page in your site, under Search Engine Optimization.

You do not need to fill this information out for every page of your site. If you leave these fields blank, they will use the default Meta Tag information you have set up in your Search Engines section. However, if you want to have different keywords or descriptions on specific individual pages, this is where you set them up.

  read full blog entry…

Congratulations to John Edgar!

:: Your PhotoBiz Featured Photographer of the Year (2009) :: 

With over 15,000 photographers, 2,300 votes submitted and almost 400 comments on our blog; we have determined a Featured Photographer of the Year for 2009.  John Edgar finished on top with 553 votes, edging out Josh Blumental and Michelle Moore by less than 80 votes.

Click on the above image to view his PhotoBiz Website

John’s Blog

What is a Contributing Photographer?

With over 13,000 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.

Visit 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′2 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.

Gear Does Not Equal Talent

Who are we kidding, most of us are “gear” heads.  Some of us can’t wait until the newest and most expensive gadgets hit the market.  But, when the impulse kicks in ask yourself, do I really need it?  Is my photography going to look that much better?  Most of the time the answer is no, talent has nothing to do with your gear.

We all like shiny new stuff to carry along on shoots, but is it necessary.  After a few years of shooting and much money spent, I have gotten rid of most of the equipment and gotten back to the basics.  To tell you the truth on most shoots I carry everything in a single Tenba backpack.  That is all I need.

Equipment List for an average Bridal shoot:

• Two Canon 5dMKll
• 70-200mm f2.8 SI
• 50 mm f1.2
• 24-105mm 4.0
• 24-70mm 2.8
• 2 Canon speedlites 580 EXII
• 2 Quantum turbo battery packs and cables
• Honl grid set, color Fx, and straps
• 2 Alien Bees transmitters, 2 receivers and cables
• Ray flash
• CF cards
• Color calibration target
• 3 in one reflector
• iPhone
• Mac book pro
• All inside a Tenba back pack

I do not let my equipment dictate were my talent will go.  I have learned that expensive does not equal great photos.  Sure I have new equipment, but I limit myself to the essentials (cameras and lenses).  In this business, you should be on top of the game or you can be left behind. What I am saying is, you choose your gear not the other way around.  Purchase equipment that fits you. 

The greatest tool we as photographers can invest in is education.   Learn about your trade, even as a professional one must stay updated on techniques and equipment.  With tons of information at our fingertips, it is extremely easy to keep up to date.  If you are reading this then you have a tool already working for you, your website.  Use your site as a tool, direct traffic to it, keep it updated and fresh.  Blogs and social networks are also great tools to use to direct traffic to your website as well as trying to network with for potential clients and other photographers.  Use the gear and tools you already have and use them well.  The biggest mistake photographers are making in their business is not having an understanding of their numbers.  Keep track of what comes in and what goes out.  As mentioned before, choose your gear and think about the return on every investment. 

As the economy improves there will be a large influx of new photographers.  Many of these are looking to make a quick buck.  Separate yourself by knowing your trade and putting the equipment you own to work.  There are no magic words or secrets to success. In tough economic times, diversify, expand into new markets and most of all be ready to work hard.