perfect design

Excited to have another guest / vendor post with giveaway today by Design Aglow! Yes, I said Design Aglow!

Design Aglow’s Ultimate Album Builder is all your studio will ever need to create amazing albums time and again with ease. In addition to breathing any type of album into existence, this generous, 302 pages of album templates and five optional background textures is also fantastic for marketing, holiday cards, portfolios, slideshows and any application your studio can dream up.

Simply select your desired layouts and create an album or project with as many pages as needed by simple drag-and-drop for the easiest workflow yet! A seriously stunning tool for serious studios, don’t hesitate to incorporate this robust product into your arsenal. Build your best albums today with our instant download.

PERFECT FOR:
• Photographer’s portfolio
• Unique and flexible client album
• Baby album
• Studio marketing
• Card or postcard (one page), a tri-fold card (three or more),
  or more for a studio brochure
• Show one page at a time for a DVD slideshow product
• Frame several pages for a wall display
• Holiday cards
• Thank you notes

PRODUCT DETAILS:
• 302 pages, 12×12 square design
• Fully automatic. Bundled actions make inserting images a breeze
• Five optional background textures
• Suitable for any album company
• Includes bonus InDesign version of the templates for a speedy
  drag-and-drop workflow
• Compatible with Photoshop CS and newer, InDesign CS3 and
  newer, Photoshop Elements 6.0 and newer (templates will work,
  actions will not), Windows and Mac

*Special thanks to Anna Mayer Photography, Sarah D Harper, JG Photography, Angela Weedon Photography, Paul Johnson Photography & Untamed Heart Photography for the lovely images.

Click here to check it out in the shop with introductory pricing through March 29th at 5 pm EDT.

To celebrate the release of the Ultimate Album Builder, Design Aglow is giving away a $100 gift certificate to one lucky Paperie reader! How do you win? Easy!

1. Like Design Aglow on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Design-Aglow/100326373364376?ref=ts

2. Follow Design Aglow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/designaglow

3. Post the following to Facebook or Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
I want to win a $100 gift certificate to DesignAglow.com / @designaglow over at PaperieBoutique.com / @paperieboutique – http://is.gd/heq8QX

4. Leave a note in the comments here saying what your favorite Design Aglow product is.

Each entry requires its own separate comment. (In simple terms: If you want FOUR chances to win, you have to do all four things listed above, and then make four separate comments here telling us how you did them.)

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, March 28th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have met all four requirements in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to four times total – one entry each for the options listed above. (PLEASE NOTE: Comments are held for moderation and may not appear immediately. Please be patient! They will show up eventually.)

You have four chances to win, but only one chance PER OPTION – please do not post the same link multiple times. Duplicate links will be removed. Each entry requires its own separate comment to have multiple chances to win!

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24-72 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Good luck!

P.S. From the Design Aglow Twitter account today: a Facebook fan and a Twitter follower will win a $75 gift certificate today…tell your photog peeps! (nothing to do, just join us)

Check it out!

P.S. If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. If you are a photographer and are interested in having your packaging featured – or are a vendor and are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured – please contact robyn @ this domain to be added to the posting schedule.

I would like to subscribe

The digital edition of the February 2011 Professional Photographer Magazine is now online for digital subscribers. And read on for a very special guest / vendor post givaway from the Photographer Cafe !

For this month’s article, I reviewed royalty-free, rights-managed and stock music options by: SongFreedom.com, Music Bakery, Frances England, JewelBeat, Ear Candy Digital, Triple Scoop Music, Red Beard Music, Stock 20, and metta audio.

Click the magazine pages above for larger versions. You can find the article on pages 60 through 62 of the print-version when it hits mailboxes. And you can also download the digital edition now if you’re a PPA member or digital subscriber.

Photographer Cafe is known for its practical, stylish products that save you valuable time. From marketing materials to card templates to album templates to an inspirational blog, Photographer Cafe is a phenomenal resource for photographers of all levels and experience.

Photographer Cafe recently introduced its BASIC Newsletter content and templates. You instinctively know how powerful a newsletter is for keeping in touch with your clients and attracting new clients, and you understand how important it is to keep up your marketing efforts in this very competitive industry. However, if you’re like us, “send out newsletter” is always on your To Do list, but it somehow gets moved lower and lower down the list as other, more pressing tasks arise! Or, you may actually take the time to sit and draft a newsletter, only to find yourself plagued by writer’s block.

Photographer Cafe is here to rescue you! 2011 is the year you will send out the gorgeous newsletters you’ve always envisioned. Photographer Cafe makes it so simple – you can customize and send out a newsletter within a matter of minutes! With 12 beautifully crafted mini articles, you will have enough content for a year’s worth of quarterly email campaigns. Our content is especially designed for lifestyle child and family photographers and allows you to effectively communicate your style, expectations, and promotions with an upbeat, yet professional voice.

One especially lucky winner will receive a free Newsletter set of his or her choice. Choose from Retro, Curves, or Contemporary, whatever suits your style. Getting your newsletters done is going to feel soooooo good!

To enter:

1) Leave a comment below telling one marketing effort you plan to make in February

2) Become a fan of Photographer Cafe on Facebook (and report back here)

3) Follow Photographer Cafe on Twitter and tweet the following: Hey! @PhotogCafe / PhotographerCafe.com is giving away a Newsletter Set for photographers over at @paperieboutique / PaperieBoutique.com.
(and report back here)

Each action will earn one entry. A winner will be chosen by Random.org at the end of the day Thursday and announced Friday morning.

Good luck everyone, and thanks once again Photographer Cafe!

ear candy

Today I’m excited to bring you a guest / vendor post and giveaway by Travis Brown of Ear Candy Digital. Need music for your website? Look no further!

Hello Readers. My Name is Travis Brown, founder and artist on earcandydigital.com!

We are a royalty free music site for Photographers and Videographers. ECD offers high quality music written by real artists. No loops. No stock music. Our music will engage your viewers and add to the emotion of your work! Photographers from all over the world use our work on their photography websites and in slideshows that clients go crazy for.

We offer music from a variety of artists in several different styles of music. Jazz, Piano, Instrumentals, Pop, Rock, Urban, and more!

5 Reasons to use Royalty Free Music

1. Instant downloads – You can purchase a license and integrate
    it on your site in minutes.

2. Lifetime license – Pay once and use it for the lifetime of your
    business.

3. Real Artists- No loops or stock music. All songs are created by
    actual artists.

4. Capture your web viewers- Music adds instant mood to a message,
    and helps people bond with the values of your products and
    services.

5. Royalty Free Music is 100% legal- When you purchase a license;
    you are legally allowed to play the music on your website. No need
    to worry about copyright or music clearance.

And just for two lucky Paperie readers I would like to give away TWO free songs – one for each reader – (includes LIFETIME license)!

How do you win? It’s simple! You have four chances to win!

1. “Like” Earcandydigital on Facebook

2. Follow @earcandigital on Twitter

3. Post the following on Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
Win a Royalty Free Track from EarCandyDigital.com / @earcandydigital at PaperieBoutique.com / @paperieboutique – http://is.gd/g3akw

4. Post about the Your Favorite Track from the ECD Library on Facebook (and tell us where you did it)

Then come back and comment here that you’ve done so – each entry requires its own separate comment. (In simple terms: If you want FOUR chances to win, you have to do all four things listed above, and then make four separate comments telling us how you did them.)

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 18th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, followed on Twitter, posted to Twitter (with link), and / or posted to Facebook (with link) – in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

ATTENTION: All links you post must direct to public-access accounts. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed, a website, or forum – or request permission to see them – your entry will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter / post up to four total times – one entry each for the four options listed above.

You have four chances to win, but only one chance PER OPTION – please do not post the same link multiple times. Duplicate links will be removed. Each entry requires its own separate comment to have multiple chances to win!

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24-48 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

UPDATE: The winners have been posted here – check it out!

Good luck and thanks so much to earcandydigital.com for such a fantastic – and needed – giveaway! And for more resources on royalty-free / licensed music for your website, please visit this previous post on Paperie.




And another reminder about F/Stop Breast Cancer — an auction of mentors and photography items to support breast cancer research and awareness. 100% off the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Watch eBay because auctions are going live and run through Tuesday, October 19th. Amazing mentor auctions already online are Kelli France, Ash, Audrey Woulard, Lori Nordstrom, Sarah Petty, The Image is Found, Becker, and more. All mentor auctions come with “Totally Rad Actions Lightroom Presets” (a $99 value). Plus you’ll find other great products like a 1-year membership to ShootQ and the Easy as Pie Pricing Guide and Pastry School. (I’ve even donated the entire Fit to Print store.)

Hope to see you all there and bidding!




Only 71 days left until Christmas… If you’ll excuse me, I have to go swallow a bottle of Xanax now!

Happy (almost) weekend!
-Robyn

P.S. If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. If you are a photographer and are interested in having your packaging featured – or are a vendor and are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured – please contact robyn @ this domain to be added to the posting schedule.

gratitude. journal.

When word got out from a recent post, I can’t even begin to describe the response. My brain, and heart, are overflowing with joy and amazement. How do you truly say thank you for something like this? Or the forum posts full of concern? Or the vendor notes of support (like the one when Moo‘s Vice President alerted several colleagues on staff to make sure I was taken care of just because he could). Or surprise gifts in the mail. Or Tweet DMs to check in – one from Pixel2Canvas on vacation in the middle of the Grand Canyon. Or the dozens of e-mails we’ve received. Or a note from a photographer who had just lost her husband and the father of her 5 children, worried about MY FAMILY. (We are so ok by comparison.) Or the little surprises in our PayPal account just because. I mean, it’s more than the human mind can really wrap around.

You go through life trying to do good and just make it day to day. You stumble. Sometimes you stumble hard. Sometimes you even hurt people. You dust yourself off eventually, regroup, reprioritize, remember you’re not really all that (well maybe all that, but often minus the potato chips), and promise yourself that if you don’t learn from those past mistakes what’s the point of the future…so buckle down and get to it… That’s been my 2010. I’ve buckled down and got to it. I had another such gut-check / perspective experience on a CT-scan table just over a week ago to make me even more focused on what’s really important.

In my recent Rangefinder piece, I wrote about the photographer community and my close relationship with my vendors. While being interviewed about this website, the article opened and closed with the following:

I let ‘Fit to Print’ evolve into Paperie Boutique, a standalone blog, through which I’m paying it forward to those who helped me along the way…..What has this experience taught Robyn? “I’ve learned to never underestimate the generosity of people and their willingness to teach and share,” [Robyn] says. “Just when you think you couldn’t possibly be more proud of your professional community, something as simple as a ‘thank you’ or ‘I can help with that’ never ceases to amaze.”

I’m used to being on the organization and donation collection end of things. It’s been humbling to be on the receiving end to say the very least.

Then yesterday the latest ‘random act of kindness’ showed up on my door step.

It’s no secret that I love HB Photo Packaging, but this was just beyond unreal. This was a surprise just for me, just because. You can read more of the details over here at Flickr – please make sure to add to the comments and thank them on behalf of our professional community!

And shop their weekend sale—HB Packaging is having a 10% off summer sale!

And speaking of vendors, we have a winner in the recent Design Aglow contest! It’s Silvine Designs / Silvine Photography:

Congrats to Michelle and another huge round of THANKS to Design Aglow for being such big supporters of this site, and for donating such fantastic prizes! Thanks to everyone who participated as well, and have a great weekend!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

We’re back in limited capacity! Thanks so much to everyone for their well-wishes and support! To our new advertisers, welcome! We’ll do our best to get you added in the days ahead.

I’m happy to announce we have an awesome Design Aglow giveaway this week – their new Studio Newsletter Collection magazine-style marketing tool. Read on and see more!

Want to get in front of your target market and stay in touch with your best clients in the most beautiful way? Our quarterly newsletter collection is a must for the studio who wants to stay at the top of their market!

Pre-designed, pre-written, yet 100% adaptable, we offer up a bounty of fresh ideas for topics that easily market all aspects of your studio. Show off new products, your most current images, and inspire with fab session ideas while you keep in touch with clients and prospective clients.

Four quarterly issues used for marketing with a luxury feel, printed as quadfold and mailed to best clients or used in high-tech yet cost efficient way, online. We have included instructions to make sideways scrolling online newsletter to blow your clients away via the web.

This beautiful product includes:
• four sets (winter, spring, summer, fall) of professionally written and designed pages complete with patterned backgrounds, design elements, and space to insert your own images
• A full tutorial

PRODUCT DETAILS:
• Fully customizable, consisting of unflattened .PSD files to customize all colors, text, fonts, and images
• Each brochure contains 8 – 4 x 5.5 inch pages – easily print as an accordion at your favorite lab
• Includes product images, but not portraits
• Contains directions to make an amazing online pdf with Photoshop, Acrobat and Bridge, and a slideshow with Lightroom
• Compatible with Photoshop CS or newer, Windows and Mac

How do you win? It’s simple! Leave a comment here with a positive testimonial why you love Design Aglow.

Then go to Twitter or Facebook and post:

I love Design Aglow / @designaglow – visit Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog to win a new Studio Newsletter Collection

One lucky reader will be picked at Random by random.org from the numbered comments. Contest ends at 11:45 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 25, 2010. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner has now been announced here – check it out!

‘A father carries pictures where his money used to be.’ -Unknown

Thought I’d help give y’all a head-start on planning Father’s Day photo presentations / slideshows for your clients and spouses.

I’ve had this video by Alicia Price Photography bookmarked for almost two years now. I think I fall in love with it even more every time I see it!

The song playing in the video is called “Daddy-O” and it’s by an artist we featured earlier this year here at Paperie – Frances England. For information about licensing her music, please visit our feature on Frances and her website FAQ.

UPDATE: Check the comments for various slideshow software options.

P.S. Look around the sidebars and say “hi” to several of our new advertisers. If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. If you are a photographer and are interested in having your packaging featured – or are a vendor and are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured – please contact robyn @ this domain to be added to the posting schedule.