gwyneth colleen photography » portland, or wedding photographer

albums

so…here’s the thing.

i love albums.  i think they’re fantastic, and i have an album company whose materials make me drool.  i’ve got a few samples that i show to every couple i meet with…and they drool, too.

but that’s as far as i go with trying to sell albums.  why?  because they are a LOT of work.  i have been designing every single layout from a blank page in photoshop.  and that takes a loooooong time.  and even though i want people to have these beautiful albums, the dozens of hours it takes me to create them never quite leaves my mind, and i can’t bring myself to be as enthused as i think i should.

i think that is all about to change.

i just purchased software called photojunction…it is album design software, and i think it’s going to change my life.  i prefer really clean, geometric album layouts.  i’ve seen people use flourishes and overlays…i’ve seen it done well, and i’ve seen it done REALLY POORLY.  the great thing about PJ is that i can create layouts that i love, and i can SAVE them…so next time i have a group of photos that i think will fit together in a similar fashion…half the work is already done for me!

today i finished sara & rob’s amazing gloucester wedding, and i immediately started designing their album.  what used to take me, oh, about 3 months of morning till night slaving (shhhh, i know that’s hyperbole), only took me a few hours.

do you hear that?  oh, it’s just a choir of angels singing the hallelujah chorus…don’t mind them.

check out these first few layouts:

there were a couple things that weren’t immediately intuitive (you know, because ALL software USUALLY is…), and it was frustrating that i couldn’t import ONE file at a time…(though it did say that i could…it just didn’t work.)

anyway, a new day has dawned, and i am very excited!

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Amy Gaerthofner15 September 2008 - 21:18

I TOLD you SO!!!! I love PhotoJunction… and now that they are having a deal people are finally giving them a chance! I’m so happy you got it!

jenn16 September 2008 - 09:24

You’re so good at what you do! The album is great, but the photos are fabulous! Looking at them made me feel like I was watching a movie. Strange huh?

Luanne18 September 2008 - 22:46

Oh my…These pictures are AMAZING! I can’t wait to see more….THANK YOU!

Susan Bullen19 September 2008 - 03:23

The choirs of angels are singing I hear them for timing is just right for our sons wedding pictures.They are all so excellentand all so hard to choice for any old album but your new software just changed that.Thank you once again.

Susan Bullen19 September 2008 - 03:30

I want to order my mothers album. What will it cost and how many pictures do I need to pick out? Thank you in advance.

Luanne22 September 2008 - 14:03

Hello from the other mother…How do I order my mothers album? Ditto to Susan’s question??? Thank you!

jenniferL29 September 2008 - 20:50

yeah for photojunction. i had similar issues too but i not any more!

[…] photographed sara’s wedding in 2008.  she and jennie have been best friends for, like, […]

sob story

this is in no way related to photography…

i just want to moan. you don’t mind, do you?

so, this is mildly controversial, but i believe in indoor-outdoor cats. i think, dude…their natural life inclination is to eat small furry things and climb trees. and we have modified them so they like to sleep on pillows…therefore, they should be allowed to indulge both impulses. and let me tell you, these beliefs have been tried and tested, and i have suffered for sticking to them.

my cat mao (mao z edong, to be exact. mao=cat in chinese w/ a different tone. it’s funny. also because he has a super round face.) goes outside and then comes back in. all summer i have been sort of afraid to touch him, but lately, he has been nice and cuddly, and i haven’t gotten up and washed my hands immediately after petting him.

i am paying the price. again.

i have poison ivy all over the underneath of my chin and creeping up the side of my face. stupid cat. stupid living near the woods. stupid sensitive skin that sees a p.i. leaf and breaks out into unbearable pruritous. (i’ve had so many cases of poison ivy that i know all about technical terms and the actual agent which causes the allergic reaction. if you’d care to hear all about it…you just let me know.)

also…i am sick. stinging throat, hacking cough, and dripping nose.
i’m at my friend’s house, and her 2 year old daughter keeps “blowing her nose” to copy me. she handed me a tissue and said, “dwin needs anuvver tisssssue?” i blew my nose and said, “that was a lot of snot, katherine.”

she “blew her nose” again and handed me the tissue, “LOTSA snotses, dwin!”

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meg15 September 2008 - 14:23

ohhhh no… get david talking about poison ivy. seriously. you guys can commiserate.

feel better!

bazaar

*side note…it is totally one of my irrational pet peeves when people mean “bazaar” but type “bizarre”…

anyway, i’m unloading some of my photo gear to fund the purchase of newer and better equipment that will fit my shooting style.  all of this stuff has been well cared for and has helped me make some great photos.

so, whether you’re a photographer popping by or a client interested in photography…this is some great stuff!

canon 30d
looks perfect. around 10k actuations
$550 + shipping (currently $699 new @ adorama)

canon 28mm 1.8
i love this lens…just getting something wider + faster. this has been a WORKHORSE for me this season.
$375 + shipping (currently $420 new @ adorama)

canon 50mm 1.4 SOLD!
just serviced by canon. i rarely used this lens…guess i’m not a 50 kind of girl.  i prefer longer or wider lenses.
$275 + shipping (currently $325 new @ adorama)

please email me (gwyn[at]gwynethcolleen.com) if you have any questions!

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Christina6 September 2008 - 16:57

I’d really love to buy that 28 mm lens, but the funds aren’t in my budget for another 6 months…darn it!