1. ProPhoto: Probably the most popular one by far for photographers! With good reason though because this template gives so many options to make your blog tailored to your business. Customize layout, font, colors, navigation…the whole nine yards. Plus, my favorite, is that its super easy to use on the backend. Very user friendly! Cost: $199

2. Tofurious: This blog became a hit when they released the free version for photographers to use a few years ago. It is now upgraded to its second version and now costs (although minimal and free if you want to code yourself). This is a really nice look with the ability to customize some (not as much as ProPhoto). The new version has a more user friendly backend than the first installment and offers fun options like hiding tags and adding contact buttons to the end of each post. Cost: $50

3. PortfolioSitez: They offer quite a few templates that you can choose from to match your brand. These are flash sites/ blog hybrids that work on wordpress so your header can do fun things:) Typically the set up the site for you and then you go in and add in things to it. There is a pay per month option or a one time fee. They have it set up to where you go into your specific admin panel and change things so pretty user friendly although if you are tech savvy probably not as much control to change things as you may want. Cost: $5-$16/month or $100-200 depending on what you get.

4. Into the Darkroom: These are blogs that look at little more custom. Into the Darkroom is a custom web and blog designer but have released a few templates that can be purchased and installed on wordpress. They offer customization as far as colors and logos and even have a template for a blog that scrolls horizontally that I can see being the new rage of photographers who are trying to be different. Fun times! Cost: $250+ depending on your choice, the horizontal one is $450

There are many many more templates out there. Have one you love? Leave a note in the comments! Alot of the free and cheap templates you come by that are for general wordpress users are not as user friendly on the back end and require some knowledge of coding. Just a forewarning:)

Hope you have enjoyed the little sample of blog templates you can use for your photography business!

• Julie Poole is our speaker and she’s talking about pricing, selling, and marketing! Woohoo!
• It’s at Remedy Coffee in the Old City…a super fun place with yummy coffee to drink if you want!
• We’ll have cookies.
• The SMUG (and cookies, networking, laughs, etc..) are all free!
• Its a great way to connect and learn with other local Knoxville photographers!
• It’ll be air conditioned
• We’re nice!

Head on over to our meetup page to RSVP and we’ll see you there!

So not only does a lucky winner get a $75 gift certificate to The Album Cafe, they were generous enough to give all our Knoxville photog’s and readers a coupon code! Yay for coupon codes! So use the code Knoxville20 until June 15th to get 20% off your entire order!

Last night after the shootout we drew for a number for the winner of the gift certificate. The number corresponded to when the photographer signed up for the shootout. The number drawn was #8. So the 8th person to sign up was Ron McConathy! Congrats Ron and it was a pleasure meeting you there!

Questions:
What is your business name?
Bleu Dauphin Studios

Do you have a specialty?
Fine Art

What drew you into photography?
I’ve always been an artist, but I first truly fell in love with photography
during a Studio Art course at the University of Tennessee. A few years
later, I followed that up with a Photojournalism course and from that point
on I was completely and unequivocally convinced that I wanted to share my
Art with the world.

Canon or Nikon?
Totally Canon!

What is one place you want to visit and photograph?
Only one place? Really?? I have a huge list, but if I have to choose, then
I pick Paris, France. “La Ville-Lumière” (“The City of Light”) has to be
one of the most romantic and inspirational places on Earth!

Who is one of your photography crushes?
Again.. what’s with this picking one?? I have a long list of those from
whom I find inspiration, but to narrow down the list to just a few: Joe
McNally, Annie Leibovitz, Moose Peterson, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Ansel
Adams.

Why do you love Studio 317?
I love the sense of community between all the artists associated with Studio
317. It’s wonderful to have such a resource and even more amazing to be
blessed with the camaraderie of fellow photographers.

Any promo’s or specials that you have going on?
We are currently offering a Military Appreciation Special. With a valid ID,
any service member or spouse can book a session until July 31, 2010, for the
astoundingly low price of $40.

What is your fave food?
Seafood!!! More specifically oysters!

What is your fave season?
S-U-M-M-E-R!!!

Studio 317 would like to welcome Joi Dunn of Joiful Memories Photography as one of our newest VIP members.

We thought that a Q&A would get the ball rolling and let you get to know her!!

Check out her site and blog and leave some love!

*What is your business name? Joiful Memories Photography
* What drew you into photography? I have always had a passion for photography. I
didn’t start actively pursuing the passion though until last year when I bought my
first DSLR.
* Canon or Nikon? Nikon
* What is one place you want to visit and photograph? Africa
* Who is one of your photography crushes? Can’t say that I have one.
* Why do you love Studio 317? Why wouldn’t I love studio317???? Shannon and Becky
are both amazing and are doing great things for photographers in Knoxville! I have
met several AWESOME photographers and learned a great deal in a very short time
from all the great resources. I love the openness of the group and how willing
everyone is to help one another.
* Any promo’s or specials that you have going on? I am offering a free session for
anyone that refers a wedding. Once the wedding is booked with me, they will be
contacted about scheduling their free session.
* How do we contact you? info@joifulmemoriesphotography.com or 865-405-6393
* What is your website? blog? Website is www.joifulmemoriesphotography.com and the
blog is www.joifulmemories.com
* What is your fave food? Chinese. My newest favorite is Kung Pao Spring Rolls from
Wok Hay. YUM!!!!
* What is your fave season? Spring (without the allergies of course)
* Do you have a specialty? Action is what I do and enjoy the most along with
weddings/engagements. There is nothing like capture those moments for others.

Interested in becoming a VIP like Joi?  Head on over to the Studio 317 site and get the 411!!!

]]> http://knoxphotogs.com/2010/05/studio-317-community-studio/feed/ 1 http://knoxphotogs.com/2010/05/smugs-are-coming/ http://knoxphotogs.com/2010/05/smugs-are-coming/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 13:31:10 +0000 admin http://knoxphotogs.com/?p=108 Do you dream in megapixels? Would you consider giving up a kidney for a Canon 5D Mark II?

You’re not weird. You’re one of us! Doesn’t that make you feel better?

And we think you’d fit right in at a SmugMug User Group (SMUG), a mug-to-mug gathering of photographers just like you.

A SMUG is a place where you can learn, teach and meet up with other photographers who share your passion. It’s also how we can tell you what’s happening in our world and discover what’s happening in yours. SMUGs are a great way to connect with other photographers and add a few weapons to your creative arsenal. So, mark your calendars and tell all of your friends. We can’t wait to see you at our next meeting!

Join our page here to stay up to date on all the meetings!

What is a shootout? A shootout is where a group of photographers get together to take pictures, build their portfolio, network, and have some fun!

What is the theme? This month will be a little different than last month. We’ll have a range of kids that will be modeling clothing from locally owned/Etsy sellers. So our focus will be getting good shots for the parents as well as getting detail shots and good ones for the designers.

Your work will then be sent to the designer to be featured on their site too!

When: June 9th, starting at 5:30pm. I don’t anticipate this one going as long only because not every photographer will take pictures of every model, we will be splitting everyone into groups because we are thinking the kiddo’s (and the mom’s!) don’t want to be there for hours on end:)

Where: Cherokee Mills on Sutherland. This is a super cool building with lots of architectural interest! We’ll send out directions to those that register.

What else?

-We’ll be giving away the $75 gift certificate to the Album Cafe!

-Plus all the designers have the option to give out some gifts/coupons so you may get some goodies from them!

-Afterwards we are going to go eat at the YUMMY Dead End BBQ (heard amazing things about this place!) so plan on coming to dinner with us afterwards if you want! No pressure but you’ll get an extra 2 cool points:)

First up, our amazing sponsor for this shootout, The Album Cafe!

One winner at the shootout will get a $75 gift certificate PLUS some other fun stuff from them that we’ll be handing out to some shootout participants!

So, what is a shootout?

We provide the models, line up a fun location and you guys get to come in and get great pictures for your portfolio, practice your skills with other photographers, plus hang out and meet new friends and have fun! Every month we have a little something different and have a different setup which is where this little ol’ blog comes in handy! Find out all the fun details here monthly and don’t forget to follow along on our facebook page! Each month may have a small registration fee (usually $10) to cover incidentals such as providing food/drink for the models, stylist costs if we have them, etc…

All the fun details for June

When: June 9th at 5:30pm
Where: Cherokee Mills (click here for location map)
Theme: children and designers
What: This month is going to be a little different from last month in that we are going to be focusing on product photos of the clothes for the different designers as well as getting some great pictures for the kids. We’ll have different age groups represented and several designers on board. The designers will have access to the photos to use on their site so your photos could be featured!

So, how do I get in? We’ll be opening registration on May 10th here on the blog!

Ready to cash in big and be a VIP member? Email Shannon at info@studio317knoxville.com

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