Happy Turkey Day, Everybody

I just wanted to wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. I know that I'm going to eat until I can't hardly walk today, and I hope you will too.

So, instead of writing a nice, long blog, I thought I'd just give you a little Adam Sandler love today. Without further ado, here's the "Thanksgiving Song"

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Putting the effort into every image

As many of you know, I believe that every image deserves time and attention to detail. It's important to make folks look fabulous in their images. In that vein, here's a little standard workflow I put together for the design|house learning center

Yep, I shoot weddings.

Look, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Weddings are probably the hardest events that I shoot. I'm usually dehydrated and completely exhausted the day after I shoot a wedding. It's hard work to properly capture a couple's special day, and any photographer who tells you differently probably isn't doing it right or does't really care.

Weddings are difficult, but the reward for doing it right - oh my, it just amazes me sometimes that the images I create for a couple are going to spurn a lifetime of enjoyment that their children and children's children will share.

For more information on my wedding photography philosophy and my pricing, please visit: my weddings page.

My daughter at Halloween

Yep, that's my little evil cheerleader. She's 10 now. She'll be 11 at the end of Decemeber.

More from my latest session...

Heather Levitt (the model in these pics) has been one of my best friends for ten years or so now. We always have fun when we shoot a session.

Getting a Little Funkified...

The crazy wig was Heather's idea. The crazy post work was my idea. We shot these with a ringlight and just a plain old hotel wall. What fun.

A few fashion glamour videos...

Falling in love with Corel Painter

So, I have a new software toy. It's called Corel Painter, and quite frankly it's one of the most amazing artistic programs I've ever seen (other than Photoshop). This program let's you use every type of paintbrush, pen, marker, crayon or pencil known to man.

Here's an example of what can be done. Imagine this on a canvas.

Your wedding day is a special day...

...why not remember it with incredible images?

I find myself drawn back to the images I shot of Morgan and Jamie at their wedding this summer. It was such a beautiful day and such a beautiful wedding. And though I'm not a member of their family and I didn't know them at all before their wedding, I feel like somehow I am a part of their life in a way that will last forever.

Ah, the things I'll do...

...to make people laugh. These images are care of Tina Poppa who participated in my Grind workshop in Nashville, TN. In the first photo, I was sneaking into the back of the frame and trying to make Tina relax and laugh...and yes, I admit it freely. I look a little freakish. LOL

Chisa, me and Julie - posing with the Krispy Kreme, and then they shoved it in my nose.

Because your family doesn't live life in front of a blue mottled background.

Few things are as precious as the family portrait. In fact, most people say that if they had only a few minutes to gather belongings from their homes before an imenent disaster, they would grab their family photos. Why? These are precious moments of our lives saved forever on a piece of photo paper - a glimpse of who we were and how we became who we are.

Let me be blunt for a moment. I am not a fan of the department store portrait. You know the kind. The ones where we put on our Sunday best and our fake smiles, and someone with the same training as the person who might sell you a tie in another department snaps a photo in front of a mottled blue background.

While they are an accurate account of what we looked like in that year, these photos tell us nothing about the people in them. They show no interaction, and they never show the real us.


You don't live your life in front of a blue mottled background.
Why remember it that way?

What makes a family is the interaction between family members in a setting that is comfortable to them. How a toddler takes his mother's hand. How a daughter snuggles into her Daddy's neck when she's feeling shy. That's who we are, and that's exactly what I want to capture when I shoot family portraits: Your family the way it really is.

If you're looking for a standard family portrait that you might get at one of those photo factories in the yellow pages, then I'm probably not the photographer for you. If you're looking for someone to tell the story of your family's life through photographs - if you're looking for more than a standard family portrait - if you're looking for a timeless piece that hangs in your home and is the starter of conversation, a source of joy, and brings a twinge of longing to go back to that time in your family's history - then I'm here to capture that for you.

Glamour & Boudoir images are becoming popular gifts

It's no secret that men love photographs of beautiful women, but what you may not know is that more and more women are creating a special gift for their significant others.

Glamour/Boudoir photography is the gift for your man that just keeps on giving, and it's easier than you think. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and ages. I've photographed women in their 20's and their late 40's. I've photographed women who were size 0 and women who were size 15. All of them were beautiful, and their husbands absolutely loved the special gifts they received.

The key to getting great glamour/boudoir photos is finding flattering light and apparel for your figure, and then working with me to find the best pose for your body. I recently shot a session with a woman who describes herself as a "heavier person." She was uncomfortable with how her legs looked, so we hid them and not only did SHE love her photos, she knows her husband will fall over when he gets his Christmas gift this year.

There are lots of options with glamour/boudoir photos. You can find more information about my glamour/boudoir sessions here: http://www.andyarmstrongphoto.com/pricing-glamour.htm

Changing the Blog

So, I've spent all day fighting with this blogger blog, and I think I've finally gotten it the way I like it. I wanted people to be able to see bigger photographs and less junk.

If you scroll all way to the bottom of any page, you'll find the recent posts, archives, and subscription feed.

Feel free to tell me what you think about it, but if you don't like it and don't tell me, then talk to the hand.

When good models go bad!

Of course I'm kidding. Sometimes you just have to let off a little steam during a shoot! This is Miss Leighann hamming it up for my camera at The Grind: Remix in Nashville.

I like to have a lot of fun at my fashion/glamour shoots. I find that laughter helps put people at ease, and it causes models to loosen up and have a great time. The more comfortable you are in front of the camera, the better my images will be.

Thanks for being a ham, Leighann.

The Power of Krispy Kreme

Ah yes, that hot, round, melt in your mouth, OMG I could eat half a dozen without even thinking about it that we call Krispy Kreme. It's one of those things that if you haven't tried it and don't live near a Krispy Kreme store - you shouldn't try it. You'll crave it forever.

At my workshops in Nashville we had many participants who hadn't had the glory of tasting a Krispy Kreme, so we bought three dozen each morning. Mmmmm. As always, they were a huge hit. Even the models loved 'em.

Back from the NoBS Inferno in Nashville!

I'm back from the NoBS Inferno in Nashville where I conducted The Grind and The Grind:Remix (pre/post glamour workshops for photographers) and was a featured presenter during the NoBS Inferno.

I must say that we had a blast, and I have to give a shout of thanks to all the participants and a few folks especially.

First and foremost, thanks to everyone who participated in The Grind and The Grind: Remix. We had two outstanding groups of photographers and three great models: Chisa Meador, Leighann Nitzband, and Kaitlin Walker.

Second, let me thank Rob Provencher and James Hodgins of NoBS Photosuccess. These guys put on a great seminar and provided me a stage to present to their membership. I can't thank them enough for their encouragement, direction, and hospitality. If you haven't checked out NoBS Photosuccess, then you should.

I'd also like to give a major thanks to my assistant (and sanity keeper) for the week, Julie Lowry of Chanterelle Photography . Julie is an incredible source of knowledge on how to build a photogrpahy business and how to market that business. Her Monkey Business mini-sessions during the workshops were full of great information for all who participated. So, thank you, Julie. I truly appreciate your time, energy, and support.

Here's a group shot.



And me getting goofy during The Grind. Special thanks to Josh Carter of Carthage, Missouri for providing this pic to me (and using some killer designhouse effects to make it kick some butt).



That's me competing as a digital retoucher during the Inferno Shootout!




Here's some model shots from the workshops!