Monthly PUG

We had a GREAT Pictage User Group this month. Thank you to Rudy Arpia for being our Studio Spotlight. I was so impressed by the Spanish Wedding Photography Forum he created, Foro De Fotografia.







Our speakers, Michael & Anna Costa gave a lot of great information! Thanks for coming down from Santa Barbara to speak to our group, guys.





Anna was getting ready to sing for the American Idol auditions, so we asked her to sing for us, and she did!! She has such an amazing voice. Best of luck, Anna!

Labels: networking, photography

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Before & After

After checking out my blog last night, my sister asked what I did to the following image. For all you photographers who follow my blog, I thought I would go ahead and share with you as well.

My thought process:

When I first saw Julie's colors (red tones) I was excited because I knew there was a red wall in the parking lot level of the Walt Disney Concert Hall where she was getting married. For this image, I asked them to hold hands and look at me. I wanted them to simply stand quietly together because I was trying to capture something that might evoke feelings of a vintage wedding image like this one:



How I shot it:

I was shooting in RAW with my Canon 5D and my new 50mm 1.2 lens. This image was shot in manual mode at 1/80, f 1.6, ISO 500.

Because it was rather dark down there, I used my Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 and had Shannon hold my 580 EX flash to light them. She was off to my side on a short staircase at about a 45 degree angle to the couple, and she held the light above her head pointed down at them.

My post-processing:

I used my own custom preset, "jb bluesy", to process the RAW file in Bridge and then applied Kevin Kubota's action, "The Look" to the jpg. I used The Boutwell's Totally Rad Action, "Yin/Yang" to get some of the detail back in Julie's dress and to pop a tiny bit of light back into their eyes. I then applied Jesh De Rox's Fine Art Texture, "He Loved Her Italian Accent" to create the velvet wallpaper look in the background. The last thing I did was add an 85 warming filter set at 25% and remove the shadow behind Yas in Photoshop.

Wah lah!!

before (straight out of camera)



after

Labels: photography, wedding2008

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June Pictage User Group

June's Pictage User Group was very informative with Justin Kifer of Gigbooks as our speaker. If you are looking for very comprehensive ONLINE business organizational software, you should definitely check them out!

Thank you to Jennifer Disney for being our Studio Spotlight for June. She is so talented and it was great getting to hear her story and learning a little about her.

As usual, our host, Ann Kelley made an amazing spread (including rootbeer floats!) for us to snack on.

If you are a photographer in the LA area, you are welcome to join us! Email me for info!







Jennifer Disney













Justin Kifer

Labels: networking, photography

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Light & Fast Two

The second Light and Fast Seminar took place yesterday, and it was a great success! This time the group was much smaller, so John Mireles and I were able to give a lot more personal attention to our attendees. Check out this super nice email that Jeanette Sanchez sent to me today! You can check out more about her experience here on her blog.

"Hi Jules,

I want to thank you again for all the info. you shared with us yesterday regarding weddings. I was really confused before I came to your seminar and now I feel confident that I CAN do off camera lighting in a dark church or dim reception, THANK YOU. I love how you sat on the floor and let us peek into your bag, ask a ton of questions, and laugh with you like we were old friends. It was worth every penny I spent and time I had to put aside to attend. I am going to recommend this seminar to any photographer who desires to see the LIGHT!

Warmly,
Jeanette"

Well thank YOU, Jeanette, (and everyone who came) for attending our seminar!

John, the Lighting Master, giving a demo.



I loved how John's images came up on the screen for everyone to see what he was doing.



Here I am giving my portion of the Seminar.



Thank you to Youkeun Oh for taking this snap of me showing my lighting set-up.



A little outdoor hands-on demonstration.



Everyone chimping over John's shoulder!



The whole gang!

Labels: news, photography

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Monthly Pictage User Group

We had a fantastic turn-out at last night's Pictage User Group. This is the monthly group that I lead where photographers get together to learn and network. Last night's speaker was accountant Mark Varshawsky of Mark S. Varshawsky & Associates. He really knew his stuff, and if you are looking for a great accountant, I recommend giving him a call.

Thank you to Juan Turcios for being our May Studio Spotlight. He showed a slideshow of really lovely work and told us a little bit about himself and how he became a wedding photographer.



I really appreciate Ann because she allows us to use her home each month to host the PUG. Here she is introducing Mark.



Also, congratulations to Michael Andrews who won the Jules Café Kevin Kubota DVD RAW workflow contest by sending us the best tip or trick. Visit Jules Café to see some other tips and tricks that were sent in!



Jules & Robert Evans.

Labels: networking, photography

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Last few days of the contest

The Jules Café contest is ending on May 25th and for those of you who use Lightroom, you'll want this prize...Kevin Kubota's award winning RAW Workflow for Lightroom.

THE CONTEST:
Since Kubota's mantra is to EMPOWER PHOTOGRAPHERS, we want your best photography tip, or your worst nightmare. Email Joy at joy@julesbianchi.com the story of your best practices or what NOT to do, and we'll pick the winners from the stories, as well as share some of them on Jules Café! Title of email: Kubota contest. Deadline: May 25th.

Labels: contest, photography

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Jules Bianchi speaks for the PPGBA

Tonight I gave a presentation as part of the Professional Photographers of the Greater Bay Area's May Four Nights. This marks the third time I have spoken for the PPGBA. I am always so flattered when they ask me to speak, but this time I was especially honored to be included in the line-up because the other three speakers are the talented Marc Benjamin, Gene Higa and Anna Kuperberg.

Thank you to everyone who attended and for participating in my talk. I had a really wonderful time!

Labels: news, photography

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Another Jules Cafe contest

You might remember that I spoke at Kevin Kubota's Digital Photography Bootcamp last month. Man, that guy's got skills! I have been using his actions for years...Check out the online store if you want to pick some up for yourselves:

The Jules Café contest is going to be a fun one. The prize is Kubota's latest product-- the award winning RAW Workflow for Lightroom!

THE PRIZE:
This new tutorial, available as an interactive program on DVD, helps photographers learn how to efficiently use Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom!". Kevin Kubota's comprehensive, easy-to-follow teaching technique streamlines the process of working with RAW files in Lightroom. Kubota RAW Workflow for Lightroom takes the user step-by-step from proper organization, to efficient editing, to quickly adjusting the images, to enhancing, to final presentation. Kevin shares his insider tricks that have made his workflow tutorials and workshops an overwhelming success. More than just another Lightroom "Manual", this interactive instructional is based on a proven workflow system used daily by busy digital studios.

THE CONTEST:
Since Kubota's mantra is to EMPOWER PHOTOGRAPHERS, we want your best tip, or your worst nightmare. Email Joy at joy@julesbianchi.com the story of your best practices or what NOT to do, and we'll pick the winners from the stories, as well as share some of them on Jules Café! Title of email: Kubota contest. Deadline: May 25th.

Labels: contest, photography

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Jules Bianchi on the Pictage Blog

So Pictage started their own blog a while back featuring tips for photographers and the latest goings on at Pictage. I just found out that a tip they taped at the September PartnerCon is the feature today! Check it out on the Pictage Blog

Labels: news, photography

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Olive wants to be a Star

Being from Hollywood, Olive and her friend, Oscar, decided to try their luck at becoming movie stars. First they went to a fabulous photographer to have their headshots made:





Then they headed on down to the famous Paramount Studios on Melrose Avenue to try their luck!





An uniformed guard stopped them before they could even get in.



They gave him their shiny 8x10 headshots and their most winning smiles....







...but apparently dogs are not allowed on the Paramount Lot.

Labels: hollywood, olive, personal, photography

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Olive Goes to Lassie's Star

Today Olive and her friend, Bear, decided to check out some of the scene on Hollywood Boulevard. They had heard Lassie's paws were in the cement, but all they could find were hands, feet and horsehooves... before too many shots could be taken, they were asked to leave. Well!



Six blocks down or so they found Lassie's star! In the shade!

Labels: hollywood, olive, personal, photography

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Congratulations to our winners!

Congratulations to Meg Perotti of Los Angeles, CA, Crystal Verhoff of Auburn, WA, John Borobia of Murrieta, CA. & Norman Enquito of San Diego, CA who won the Jules Café newsletter contest.

Don't be too disappointed if you joined the mailing list and didn't win... we will be running a new contest very soon... I can't reveal the exact prize at this moment, but here is a little hint:

Labels: kudos, news, photography

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Olive Goes to the Hollywood Bowl

This weekend, Olive and her longtime friend, Matilda, decided to make another page for the "Olive Goes to Hollywood" book with a visit to the famous Hollywood Bowl.





Unfortunately, the season doesn't really start until June, so no shows were on, and no snacks could be obtained.



Still, it was cool to check out this Hollywood Landmark!

Labels: hollywood, olive, personal, photography

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Personal Projects are good for you

One of the things I spoke about on Monday night was finding personal projects to keep inspired. In fact, here are a few I've done in the past:

The Alphabet at Disneyland

The Colors at the Farmer's Market

Today Kevin had the group go out and shoot a personal project around the Ranch. I decided to join in and use it as a good excuse to play with the Lensbaby. Can you guess what I decided to do mine on?































If you haven't guessed already... I figured since I was here with MY twin, I would find other twins!!

Labels: personal, photography

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Hanging out at the Kubota Bootcamp

Even though I am finished speaking, I'm just hanging out here at the bootcamp for a few days to spend time with Joy and soak up Kevin's amazing PhotoShop knowledge. Since Joy's in-laws are in Bend, her whole family came up for the week to stay with them. Yesterday, Joy's girls came out to model for the group. The girls loved it! I couldn't help myself... I joined in to snapped a few shots, too. Later it was fun to see the hundreds of cool shots the group took of my nieces.

Labels: kudos, networking, personal, photography

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Win a Shootsac on Jules Café!

Jules Café has teamed up with the fabulous Jessica Claire of Shootsac and she is donating Shootsacs for our lucky Jules Café winners! Thank you Jess! I love my shootsac and use it all the time. You will love yours too!

All you have to do to enter is this: sign up for the newsletter here. If you are already on our newsletter list, you are already entered in the contest. When we get back from Oregon next week, we will randomly choose the winners and they will be announced in the newsletter that you are signing up for.

Don't worry, we don't like spam any more than you do, and there is always an unsubscribe button if you wanna get out. But you won't.

Jessica Claire put a lot of thought into her bag because she made a bag that she herself wanted to use. It is the first lens bag designed to pick up where your camera bag leaves off--it's designed just for shooting. Lenses, batteries, flashcards & necessities are comfortably at your fingertips. Can a camera bag really change the way you shoot? Shootsac thinks so. I think so, too.

My favorite shootsac cover: Festive!

Labels: contest, news, photography

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Monthly PUG

I love being the Los Angeles Pictage User Group leader. Its such a great way to meet other local photographers and hear great speakers. Last night we had our April meeting. Thank you to Ann Kelley for being our Studio Spotlight. The PUG always takes place at Ann's house, so she was able to show us all of her cute products and how she uses her house to demonstrate to her portrait clients how their prints might look when hung on the walls.





Thank you, also, to Erik Johnson who was our speaker for the night. His discussion on the key categories of a balanced life helped us to identify what would really lead to our increased happiness and success.





Thank you to Michael Andrews for these cute photos of me leading the group!

Labels: networking, photography

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Mike Colón on Jules Cafe

Check out the little video that David Escalante shot to promote Jules Cafe. Holy COW I talk fast....If you are interested in any of Mike's awesome DVD's, Jules Cafe is offering discounts for a limited time!!

Labels: news, photography

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PINK'S goes to the dogs

Olive made a new friend today! Ann Hamilton is in town from San Francisco and she brought her adorable Pug, Bogie, with her.

Olive and Bogie became fast friends and they decided to take a little trip to the Hollywood landmark, PINK'S hotdogs.

















I have actually been wanting to make a book called "Olive Goes to Hollywood" for years now. The book would be about Olive taking her dog friends to various landmarks around Hollywood, and I think I'm going to try to start it now. Those of you who read this blog who know me personally and have dogs that know Olive, be sure to contact me to be in the book!

Labels: hollywood, olive, personal, photography

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i love the internet

Between Facebook, My Space, my blog, everyone ELSE'S blogs, OSP, DWF, the Pictage Forum, the Jules CAFE daily special... its definitely hard to keep up. But I still love it all! My new favorite is Twitter. I'm totally addicted now. I have my close friends and family on mobile phone alert and it feels like ESP - even though Joy and my mother live 400 miles away from me, I always know what's going on!

Check it out! Follow me on Twitter! I discovered today there is even an RSS feed if you aren't a Twitterer yourself.

Labels: news, photography

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last day before the special ends!

Adam Lopez and I are doing a seminar on May 21st called "Two Worlds Collide." He is a financial specialist and I will be focusing on photography. TOMORROW is the last day to take advantage of the special being offered right now on Jules CAFE, so if you were thinking about signing up, NOW is the time to do it!!

Signing up by tomorrow also qualifies you to win a free Tea for Two with me!!

Labels: news, photography

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Two Worlds Collide Workshop

Adam Lopez and I are doing a workshop from May 20-22!! There is a "Bring a Friend" promotion going on at the Jules CAFE DAILY SPECIAL right now, so you both get $50 off!

ALSO, sign up before April 15 and qualify for a FREE one hour phone consultation with either Jules or Adam ($200 value)

What the workshop is about:

Integrate the Opposing Worlds of Your Photography and Your Finances

Photography: Top Photographer Jules Bianchi brings you inside her creative workflow, starting from the initial consultation with potential clients to the finished wedding album. Shooting, lighting, backup, processing, blogging, online slideshows, and album design are all covered here!

Finances: Creative Financial Consultant and photographer Adam Lopez brings ease and clarity to your business. Identify your business goals and develop a simple, clear understanding of your business and financial workflow. You will begin to create a customized business and financial plan that you can use right away.

This workshop is designed for you to get your creative and business questions answered by the experts. Limited Tea for Two sessions with Jules and private consulting sessions with Adam available by reservation in advance.

TUES - MAY 20th: 7- 10pm
WED - MAY 21st: Full day
THURS - MAY 22nd: Individual sessions by appt. only

Check out the Jules CAFE DAILY SPECIAL for the itinerary and promotions!

Labels: news, photography

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L.A. PUG

As many of you know, I am the leader for the Los Angeles Pictage User Group. Last night's PUG was really fantastic. Every single person participated and we either shared something we learned at WPPI or shared a gadget or gizmo that we use at every wedding. I was thrilled with how much I learned!

Our speaker and Studio Spotlight was Roberto Valenzuela, a fantastic photographer who had 11 award winning prints (including first place for the "wedding photojournalism humor" category) and two award winning wedding albums at WPPI!

Roberto compared practicing music with practicing photography to become perfect. We were thrilled with the bit of music he played for us. His presentation was very thoughtful and chock-full of fantastic images and information.







One great thing about having the PUG in LA is that we have lots and lots of samples of the latest Pictage products. Last night we got to check out first hand their cool new "Art Books" now available for consumers!





Thank you to April Rocha for this cute pic of me facilitating the meeting.

Labels: networking, photography

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The real reason we all go to WPPI

I always tell the photographers that I mentor that WPPI is a fantastic experience. The first time you go, you'll want to take all the classes and visit every vendor on the tradeshow floor. When that's all done, though, going to Vegas is just as much for the FUN and all the parties! Pictage threw a great party, Livebooks had a really cool dinner, Blu Domain rented an amazing house, Pixel-to-Cavas even had a live boudoir shoot! Sara France, Robert Evans and Becker threw a grand time at their respective parties as well. Its all about networking, right?? For me, I'm just happy to have a chance to hang out with my sister and my friends.

Labels: photography

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Jules Bianchi speaking for Livebooks

On Tuesday, I spoke on the WPPI traderoom floor for Livebooks. That was really different for me because rather than having a room full of people, there were a few chairs in front of the screen and then the whole traderoom floor around me! I think the talk went well, however, and I was very excited to show off my brand new Livebooks site!

Thank you, Joy, for taking these pics of me speaking.

Labels: news, photography

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Jules Bianchi on the "Ladies of Photography" panel

On Sunday, Pictage had a mini PartnerCon in Vegas. I was so honored to be a part of the "Ladies of Photography" panel with Me Ra Koh and Pepper Nix. Unfortunately, although Liana Lehman was supposed to be on the panel too, she was too sick to join. Sara France was the moderator, and there were about 700 people in the audience! We covered a bunch of different topics from what it was like being a woman in the photography industry to how blogs affect our lives. I had a great time.



Thank you to Joy for all the pics of me speaking!







Immediately after the panel, I was interviewed to be on Mike Colon's blog. The interview was all about Jules CAFE! Speaking of which...check out all the tea cookies Joy and my mother prepared to announce the Jules CAFE launch. How cute are they?

Labels: news, photography

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Funny Movie Trailer Starring Industry Icons

I just flew back from Las Vegas and WPPI yesterday, and I am exhausted. Joy and I arrived on Saturday afternoon, and the very first thing we did was join Ron Dawson to shoot another hilarious Cinematic Studios spoof. This one involved photography industry icons Bambi Cantrell, Joe Photo, Michele Celentano, Joe Buissink, Yervant, Jim Garner, & Matthew Jordan Smith. I was the set photographer. Here are some stills from the shoot, and below you can watch the trailer that was created that day!

I will be posting more from my trip to Vegas so come back again soon!

Labels: news, photography

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Jules Café

I'm sooo excited to announce that Jules Cafe is finally up and running! First and foremost I want to thank my sister, Joy, and my best friend, William, of Cobalt Kitty for designing and implementing the whole thing. YOU TWO ARE AMAZING!!!

So! Initially Jules Cafe was meant to be a place for photographers to sign up for my Tea for Two and purchase the custom presets that I designed. But its become so much more than that. Joy decided that it really needed to be a place for folks to visit and see what is new not just with ME, but with all of the fantastic photographers who are out there with amazing things to share.

Please check out the site and see all of the cool freebies and discounts and things that are being offered by both me and great photographers around the country! There are also tips, tricks, & goodies for you to enjoy, and we'll be adding more all the time.

I am leaving for Vegas and WPPI tomorrow, so please come find me! I will be speaking at the Livebooks booth at 2pm on Tuesday and helping John Mireles man his booth as well. Come by to say hello and pick up some Jules Cafe tea cookies!!

Labels: news, photography

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Light & Fast Seminar, once again.

The Light & Fast Seminar that I taught with John Mireles this past January was such a success that we've decide to hold it again! This is a comprehensive seminar about lighting. John gets through the technical stuff, and I go through what I look for and how I light a typical wedding.

Here's the info:

Light & Fast Seminar
Thursday June 12, 2008
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Melrose Lightspace
7600 Melrose Ave Ste. N
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Don’t Wait! The cost is $300, but register before April 15 & save $100

CLICK HERE if you'd like to register now, or CLICK HERE for more info.

Here are some of the nice compliments we received from the last seminar!!

"I learned more than my college courses in only one day! wooo hooo! I wanted to thank you so much for all that you showed me. You're an incredible girl with a enormous heart. I admire the fact that you will share what you know with others, not many people like that in this world.... I will forever keep the information I learned as my foundation. " Christina - Bakersfield, CA

"Valuable 'how to' information. I love John & Jules' work and feel they provide excellent perspectives on lighting." Matt - Virginia Beach, VA

"Jules covered exactly what we were looking for! This seminar was absolutely perfect!" Meg & Charles - Pensacola, FL

"Helpful, comprehensive lighting info!" Jennifer - San Luis Obisbo, CA

"I believe that this information will make me a better photographer!" April -Rancho Cucamonga, CA

"It was really great how you both were so open to show how you did things. The best was just the seeing the little nuances that you do while shooting." Jan - San Diego, CA

Labels: photography

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Getting excited for WPPI

This post is to get all you photographers in the WPPI mood!!! I'm SO excited to be going to Vegas for WPPI to participate on the Pictage "Ladies of Photography" panel (Sunday, 2:10pm), to speak for Livebooks on the tradeshow floor (Tuesday, 2pm) and to just hang out and party it up for a week!

Back in December, I was the set photographer for a secret WPPI film shoot. You might recall the trailer when I blogged about in January... well sit back and relax... here are Episodes 1 & 2. Episode 3 (the finale) will air at the Awards Ceremony at WPPI on Wednesday night.

Click here for a lot more info about Cinematic Studios, WPPI and hilarious out-takes!

EPISODE ONE

EPISODE TWO

Labels: kudos, news, photography

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I love Livebooks

I am SOO excited to announce that my new website is finally up and ready and live! The site was designed by the awesome Livebooks and if you are thinking to refresh your own site, I highly recommend them.

Also, if you are a photographer and will be going to WPPI, I will be speaking at the Livebooks booth on the tradeshow floor at 2pm on Tuesday. I would love to meet you, so please come by!!

Click here or on the screenshot below to check it out the new Jules Bianchi Photography website. It features not only my work, but that of my new associate, Shannon Lott!

Labels: kudos, news, photography

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Denis Reggie & Joe Buissink at our PUG

Yesterday was an entire day of photography networking. I am the leader for the Los Angeles Pictage User Group, and each month we meet to discuss various topics and all things new at Pictage. This month's meeting was a little different in that the highly regarded and well respected talents of Joe Buissink and Denis Reggie graced our PUG with their presence. There was no real agenda, just two hours of questions and answers, and we combined the OC, Clairmont and LA PUGs for this event. We had a turn out of over 100 people!

My day started out with a VIP (Very Important Photographers!) lunch that was organized by Pictage. In attendance were photographers Denis Reggie, Joe Buissink, Jon Barber, Jared Bauman, Dane Sanders, Robert Evans & Jules Bianchi, Pictage employees Lisa Allen, Scott Anderson, Debra Gerson, Jason O’Hare, Betsy Hirayama, Ian Siegel, Renata Dionello, Jason Kiefer & Michael Caro. The very talented Ron Dawson was there to videotape the event.



Joe, Jules & Denis.



Clairmont's PUG leader, Julie Weaver, and I introduced our speakers.



The first speaker up was Christine Smith of CLS Photography, our Studio Spotlight for the month. She shared how her business really started to take off after her mentorship sessions with Mike Larsen and her Tea for Two session with me! (Thank you, Christine!)



Then Denis and Joe were on! Ron Dawson of Cinematic Studios videotaped the entire thing to feature on his site, F-Stop Beyond. You should be able to check it out there soon! Denis and Joe answered countless questions on many topics including marketing, albums, how to keep your work fresh, the direction wedding photography is moving in, lighting, as well as sharing their own personal stories. Both remarked about the importance of community and sharing. They both had amazing insight and were so open to everyone's questions.



Afterward, you would think there were movie stars in the house! Everyone wanted to talk to them and have their photograph taken with them.



This picture of Denis Reggie and Veronica Slavin cracks me up because Denis is pointing to where he wants me to "foof" my flash.



And to wrap up our day, a bunch of us went out for sushi afterward. This is a shot of me, Debra Gerson, Robert Evans, Jay Goldman & Julie Weaver that I captured in the mirror of the bar!

Labels: networking, photography

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Palm Springs Photo Safari

People always ask me how to stay inspired. I think there is nothing better than choosing a place you've never been before and having a fun Photo Safari. This past weekend, I traveled down to Palm Springs to take a little time off and just shoot for fun.

I fell in love with the Korakia Resort where I stayed. I had been wanting to check it out for the longest time. If you ever find yourself needing a place to stay in Palm Springs, I highly recommend it. It is the most romantic little boutique hotel/bed & breakfast with the most amazing staff you'll ever meet.





I spent the day looking for cool shadows.





Most of the plant life in town looked like this:



This strange fellow was guarding an abandoned Pioneer Town that was used as a movie set years ago.





I think this shot of me is really funny.



Here is what I was shooting:



I found a bizarre little collection of desert trinkets.

Labels: personal, photography

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Light & Fast Seminar recap

WOW!!! Thursday's Lighting Seminar was such a rush. Big thanks are in order to Samy's Camera and Marty Glickman of Profoto for donating all of the lighting gear that John demonstrated. Thank you to Shannon Lott for taking photographs throughout the day and to Adam Lopez for video taping. Also thank you to everyone who attended - you are the reason the seminar was so great! I can't believe the number of people who flew in (from as far as South Carolina, Florida and Connecticut to name just a few states) to participate. Check out some of the super nice comments!!

"I learned more than my college courses in only one day! wooo hooo! I wanted to thank you so much for all that you showed me. You're an incredible girl with a enormous heart. I admire the fact that you will share what you know with others, not many people like that in this world.... I will forever keep the information I learned as my foundation. " Christina - Bakersfield, CA

"Valuable 'how to' information. I love John & Jules' work and feel they provide excellent perspectives on lighting." Matt - Virginia Beach, VA

"Jules covered exactly what we were looking for! This seminar was absolutely perfect!" Meg & Charles - Pensacola, FL

"Helpful, comprehensive lighting info!" Jennifer - San Luis Obisbo, CA

"I believe that this information will make me a better photographer!" April -Rancho Cucamonga, CA

"It was really great how you both were so open to show how you did things. The best was just the seeing the little nuances that you do while shooting." Jan - San Diego, CA

The fabulous John Mireles:



Here I am wrapping up my presentation:



Our fantastic participants:







John used me as a model for a few of his lighting set-ups, and I loved how the images came up on the wall seconds after he shot them!







And a big group shot to end the day!

Labels: news, photography

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WPPI Secret Movie Trailer

Those of you who attend the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International convention each year in Vegas may remember the hilarious movie starring Joe Photo that Ron Dawson of Cinematic Studios created for the Awards Ceremony. About a month ago, I was the set photographer for the "top secret" sequel, filmed once again, by the talented Ron Dawson.

Here now for your viewing pleasure is the trailer for the sequel of "Meet Joe!"

If you haven't actually seen the original "Meet Joe," click the image below to check it out!

Labels: kudos, news, photography

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I want to take a few minutes to not only wish everyone a very prosperous and wonderful 2008, but to talk for a second about how you might make a good year into a great one.

I spent most of today with my sister and mother writing down our goals for 2008. Goal setting is very important, but WRITING DOWN your goals is just as important. I've heard it said that writing down your goals will make you 80% more likely to accomplish them. I know it certainly helps me shape my days when I have goals to move toward.

I broke my lists up into two groups: personal and business. Then I categorized the goals by date... meaning I wrote down dates and what goals were supposed to be accomplished by that time. Its very exciting!

Its important to set realistic and attainable goals that are as specific as you can make them. For instance, rather than writing down that I wanted to be a better guitar player, I gave myself a specific date by which to learn a new song. This way I can track my progress and put a nice fat checkmark next to this goal after its done.

I think its important to consider small, fun, personal goals as well as big, serious business goals. Both are equally important for a fulfilling life.

I have been in the Bay Area since a few days before Christmas, and because I have my first wedding of 2008 on Janurary 5th, I will be here until then. I have really been enjoying this time with my family. When I'm in Los Angeles, its easy to get caught up in the minutia of my daily life and forget how important it is to nurture relationships with those who matter most.

This is a shot of me and my twin sister, Joy, that my Mom took of us a few days ago. Thanks, Mom!!

Labels: personal, photography

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Growing your business and your photography

I just wanted to remind you that there are only three more days to get the December rate of $300 for the Lighting Seminar that I am offering with John Mireles. We are nearly full, so sign up soon!

click here to sign up

Also, I am offering a 10% discount on my "Tea for Two" private mentorships for those who are also signed up for the Lighting Seminar. The Tea for Two is a really casual, fun way to learn. I have really enjoyed teaching photographers from around the country! Check out the following quotes written both to me and about me from a few of them.

Email me directly at jules@julesbianchi.com for more information on the Tea for Two.

"This past Saturday I flew into my home town of San Diego to meet fab photographer Jules Bianchi. She has these great 'Tea for Two' sessions that allow photographers like myself to learn about topics such as Branding, Marketing, Lighting, Workflow...to name a few. Jules was so incredibly generous with her knowledge and smart about the business. I learned a ton! Jules was also kind enough to take me along to shoot her San Diego wedding with her. It was great to see her at work!" Erin Kate of Erin Kate Photography, Salt Lake City, Utah

"My 'Tea for Two' session was amazing. Having you one on one was invaluable. What else can I say. I'm a better photographer because of it. I've been to several seminars with a few of the greats...Joe Buissink, Bambi Cantrell, Jerry Ghionis...all were awesome, but you gain something different one on one that I don't think you can compare. Thank you for answering my long list of questions, showing me some cool new tricks and for helping me become better than I was. That's huge, and I so appreciate it." Amy Trahant of Take Aim Photography, Connecticut

"Thanks for sharing your time with me, Jules. Talking to you about my specific concerns was like confiding in a friend who not only had my best interest in mind, but also understands photography and business. I look forward to another session in the future. Keep up the positive energy!" Veronica Slavin, Ventura California

"Mentoring with Jules has been a wonderful turning point in my business. She not only helped me see where I was truly at, but she helped me realize what I needed to do to bring my business to where I wanted it to go. She then gave me some steps so that I could begin to take my business to that next level. I am working on making many of the changes we talked about, and I am looking forward to seeing everything unfold. Jules was so easy to talk to because she has such a wonderful, warm and fun personality. I can't thank Jules enough for the time she spent with me!" Michelle Robinson of Michelle Robinson Photography, North Carolina

"Jules’ Tea for Two mentoring session was a great insight to how she has created a very unique brand in a fast growing industry. I feel that the information I learned can be applied to so many different areas of my business and will be a turning point in my business this year." Mike Mijangos of Mango Tree Photography, Hawaii

"Jules, I really enjoyed meeting with you. You were easy to talk to and gave me some great ideas for my business." Melody Farrin of Melody Farrin Photography, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Labels: photography

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The best contracts in the business

As most of you know, I am bringing on a new associate in 2008. Just to make sure we were both covered, I wanted to get a solid contract in place. I am so pleased with my new contract, I thought I would share this fantastic photographer's tip with you!

If you are in need of ANY type of photography contract, whether its for your clients, second shooters, associate shooters or portrait clients, look no further than John Mireles' Photographer's Toolkit. He offers business tools for smart photographers as well as enlightening workshops and seminars.

In FACT, if your loved one is a photographer and you are still looking for that perfect gift, consider sending him or her to the Light & Fast Seminar that I am teaming up with John to provide this January. Cost is $300 if you sign up in December, $350 if you wait until January. We are nearly full, so sign up now!

Click here to learn more about the Light & Fast Seminar.

Click here to learn more about Photographer's Toolkit.

Labels: photography

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Beyond Just Images Contest

The Australian Photography Forum, Beyond Just Images, asked me to participate in their "12 Days of Christmas" Contest. The first prize of the 12 Days is a free set of my custom presets!

They recently added a "Library" area to the forum and are building it up as a resource area where photographers from all stages (just starting out right through to Top Level Professionals) can go to find source materials, training, information, etc. They are looking to help enable members to take and deliver the very best images they can for their business and for the industry as a whole. For the competition, all members have to do is add a link, review, text, etc, to the new library area of the forum.

The members have been instructed to come to my blog to find out the winner for Day One... and the winner is:

Heidi Brand! Congratulations, Heidi! The presets are SO fun, you'll love them!

If anyone else is interested in finding out more about my custom presets, just shoot me an email jules@julesbianchi.com.

Labels: news, photography

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Last Day!!

If you want to take advantage of the SUPER November deal of $250 for the Lighting Seminar John Mireles and I are putting in this January, you need to do it TODAY!!

Click here for the info:

LIGHTING SEMINAR

Hope to see you there!

Labels: photography