After tonight I will have submitted three albums in just over a week to Laguna Albums, our album vendor. This is awesome!

So I just wrapped up another wedding album design! Enjoy!

A huge thanks to Big Folio for taken care of some request I had made for our website. They not only did a rockin job but they also did it a week earlier then what we were told. A few little bugs are still being worked out but for the most part everything is up and running smoooooth.

Some of the new features include a new enhanced calendar section, additional bio pages for our staff, and soon to be coming to the site...video!

Jasen

So I have a good friend named Gloria who hooked me up with an AMAZING cd the other day by a new Christian artist named Nate Sallie. I cannot stop listening to this cd. Every single song seems to speak to me in some way or another. He is an artist and every once in a while all artist whether you’re a musician, photographer, painter or what have you have what’s called “artist block” meaning they seem to run out of ideas and they become un-inspired. This is exactly what happened to Nate Sallie and his story is really cool because when he wanted to sit down and write the music for his latest project he just couldn’t come up with anything so he sat down at his piano and just did one small thing….prayed. His wife came into the room and he told her that he had a “breakthrough”. All the songs just seemed to come to him and he felt like he had overcome a huge hurdle in his life. Usually other photographers inspire me, this time it was a musician by the name of Nate Sallie.

Okay, I just have to tell everyone about Big Folio. Big Folio is the company who takes care of our website and who provides the stunning flash designs and various other things for NGP. Signing up with Big Folio is probably one of the best if not the best thing I have done since creating NGP four years ago. Yes all my other vendors rock as well but one of the things that make BF stand out is there client service. The moment I request something they are all over it. In the next week they are going to be adding even more additional features to our website to enhance it even further so stay tuned. I can’t WAIT!! Other photographers out there who are looking for a top notch web design team, look no further then Big Folio. Visit them online at www.bigfolio.com

So for a VERY long time Jennifer and I have been talking about not only offering our clients AMAZING albums and products but also how we can help other photographers get in the game and elevate themselves to a new level. With that said we are going to be creating a whole new company that is going to be based strictly on album design and products for other photographers. There are other companies out there that offer these services as well but we are going to do things a "little" bit differently. I have some WONDERFUL people lined up to help us with this project and I think it is going to be amazing. Please stay tuned for more info and the launch of a whole new album website in the near future. So, with that said WISH US LUCK!

Jasen

One of the things I keep reading about is the return of bright, saturated colors for 2008. No more subdued, dark colors. While I was a huge fan of the browns and deep darker colors, it’s nice to see things “brightening” up. It's just amazing how every year the trends seem to change. I'm just glad that we here at NGP actually "read" about what’s cool and what's not! I can't wait to see what our clients bust out this year and more importantly, what I get to photograph!

Jasen

We have seen the economy change drastically over this last year and with that we needed to reach out to potential clients. To our existing clients this has NO effect on what you may have spent with us here at NGP and for those of you who have booked with us for 2008, you actually even get a little bit of a price break when it plays out on paper. We have decided though to introduce a whole new flex pricing feature which allows our new clients who can't afford a BIG gnarly package to still get our awesome service but with the features that THEY want or need for their individual taste. I feel this is going to be a huge success for both parties involved and it was a much needed change. Check the website for all the new flex pricing feature.

As always, keep it real!!

Jasen

I am going to sit down these next two weeks and bust out some major album designs. I have a few I've let go a little to long and for those I apologize. If you are anticipating seeing your albums I will have most of them done within the next two weeks. Be checking your emails often!

Keep rockin! Jasen

Okay so I've kinda been on this Guitar Hero kick as of late and tonight I ran across this vid....it's hilarious!

via videosift.com

Welcome to 2008! 2007 is officially in the books and as you all know, it was truly an incredible, blessed, perfect season in 2007 for all of us at NGP. Some of the highlights included shooting about 19 weddings, numerous studio sessions including, maternity, families, and even a dog once! We also had the great privilege of being the staff shooter for the brand new Valley Virtue magazine that goes on shelves today! We also picked up some great commercial clients including Bonnadelle Homes, Wathen-Castanos Homes and many others. All of this was going on during the building of our first brand new home. The house has just been perfect because it has its own dedicated studio area so no more moving furniture to do a studio session!! We also picked up some new incredible vendors as well who have made our lives a little easier and who are offering just some amazing products. Then, along came Derek Lapsley who has joined us exclusively for wedding shoots. Derek added the eyes behind my head that I always wanted and captures images that really tell a story through a wedding day. He gets all of the stuff that I don’t see and has just been an incredible asset to our company. He shares the same vision and passion that Jennifer and I have about shooting weddings and has helped me “re-think” the way I want to capture images and has challenged me and helps keep me sharp for sure.

What to look for in 2008: Pricing: Fortunately for everyone we have decided not to increase our prices this year! We still believe that we offer the most product and quality over any other photographer in the Fresno area. It’s our goal to be the best in the area and we all think that we’re on the way to the goal. Albums: Coffee Table Album turnaround is also a top priority for us. Because we were a little overwhelmed in 2007 some of our album designs got pushed back longer than I expected so we now want to have albums designed within in one week of the B&G’s picking their proofs. That’s a huge goal but one that is easy attainable for sure. Style: We now have all the fundamentals down so now it’s time to get even more creative. We are going to be trying new and exciting things this year and pushing the envelope a bit with our style and imagery. Nothing to radical but definitely a little bit different. Today’s B&G’s are always looking for that photographer who stands out and we want to make sure to stand out.

I’ll wrap it up now but again, thanks! Enough can’t be said about our clients and vendors. You all rock!! Prepare to “Elevate in 2008” with NGP!

Jasen, Jennifer & Derek