Jessi & Darren "Trash the Dress"

The day after Jessi and Darren's wedding in St. Croix, we all got up early and met first at the estate where they were staying and later moved to the beach. The goal was to shoot a "Trash the Dress" session.

Now, if you're not familiar, a "Trash the Dress" session is a photo shoot where the bride and sometimes the groom has portraits made doing things in her dress that she could never do on her wedding day (for fear of "trashing" it). Our TTD was a lot of fun, and I think we got some great images. I've got some video of us shooting that I will add later.

If you'd like to see the whole session, simply click this link: http://www.andyarmstrongphoto.com/jdttd/

I'm back from St. Croix...

...and I'm diligently working on the many sessions I shot while there, but first I wanted to share a beautiful sunset and a few little tidbits about my trip with you all. I'll post more and more photos as they become available.

First off, they drive on the wrong side of the road in St. Croix. That's right - er - left actually. The cars, however, are standard American cars with steering wheels on the left side. My Ford Focus was no exception. It really messes with your brain - left turns on red - right hand turns where you can't see anything - and no matter how many times it happens, you still get a little "butt pucker" when you see a Mack truck headed your direction on the right side of the road. I was lucky I survived.

There is an Armstrong's Homeade Ice Cream on the island, and it's incredible stuff. If you ever get a chance to go there, try the Pina Colada flavor. Of course, eat inside and pay attention to what the Cruzans are ordering. "BuhNAHNAH" was my favorite to listen to.

I also managed to dislocate my pinky toe while I was in St. Croix, and no, I wasn't even drinking at the time (maybe I should've been). Nope, I nailed my foot on a stone in flip flops, and when I looked down, my right pinky toe was pointing at a good 45-50 degree angle out from my foot.

If you've never looked down and seen one of your body parts doing something it ought not do, then you don't know what you're missing. I was shocked at first, and then I didn't know whether to laugh or cry... I chose to laugh.

I pulled it as best I could and taped it to the neighboring toe (as recommeded by the EMT groom). It's still a nice color of blue and purple, but it's feeling better.

And finally, I had to make several connection flights on the way home. My first flight from St. Croix to San Jaun was on a Cape Air, twin-engine Cessna. There were eight of us on board, including me and the pilot.

When we got out to the plane, the young man loaded our carry-ons to "balance us out" and then surveyed the group. He pointed to me and said, "You go sit by the pilot." I boarded the plan and immediately asked the pilot, "He said sit beside you. Does that mean here or there?" - He pointed to the co-pilot's seat.

Yeah. I rode for an hour with the optional controls right there for my use, and let me tell you it's an interesting experience to see a takeoff and a landing from the front seat.

More later - I've got to go keep on editing photos.

It snowed!

I can finally show you...

...the work I did for the 2008 Christmas card of fellow photographer, and incredible friend, Julie Lowry. If you recall, last year we did a GAP Ad theme for her Christmas Card, and this year we went whole hog: Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The concept and costume was all Julie, I just decorated the set, set up the lights and shot the images. I can't wait to see what we come up with next year.

The Many Faces of Katie

My daughter, Katlynn gleefully agreed to be my model for this fun session of pop-art style photographs. These turned into some great presents for the grandparents.

Post Processing Fun

Sometimes it's fun to composite a whole bunch of you into one image.

Joy appears eleven times in the pano image above. That's right - ELEVEN times. Creative composite images can be a lot of fun, especially for seniors and children.

Classic Beauty/Modern Flavor

Sometimes I like to try to mix and match classic lighting, posing, and sets with a modern style of presentation. This photograph of model, Amelia Steele is an example of that.

The soft faux window light, the reclined pose, and the chaise lounge smack of classic feminine portraiture. However, the modern textured post-processing and presentation created with designhouse give the overall image a very unique feel and flavor.

Make a book for Christmas

Did you know that you can make a beautiful hardback book of your images as Christmas gifts? I did. And that's just what I did last year. The image below is a "spread" from the picture book I delivered to my parents for Christmas last year.

The book was 10x10 and 20 pages long. When you open a spread like the one below, you have a gorgeous 20x10 photograph to share with your friends and family.

Ask me about creating a book of our images for you. You won't regret it.

Take the time to look around...

A few years ago, I was driving home when I spotted a rainbow on the horizon. It caught my attention, because it has literally been years since I'd seen a rainbow. As I stared at the natural prism of colors that sat in the sky, I wondered why I hadn't seen a rainbow in a long time.

Were there less rainbows these days? I remember seeing them all the time when I was a kid. Why weren't there the same amount of rainbows in the sky as an adult as there was when I was a child?

Rainbows hadn't changed. I changed. There weren't less rainbows. I had just begun to trudge through my life with my head down, dealing with my daily duties, and worrying about this and that - I had stopped looking for rainbows. I had changed, and it wasn't for the better.

From that afternoon on, I made a promise to myself to take the time necessary to see the rainbows - to remember that life is more than a daily struggle. Try it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the "rainbows" that become visible to your life.

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

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!

More fun with Leighann Nitzband "Okay!!!!!!!!" (with apologies to Jeff Dunham's Peanut)

Crazy, sexy, beautiful...and funny as hell. That's the only way I can describe the real Leighann. That and the fact that Mr. Nitzband (Leighann's husband) is a lucky, lucky man.

Leighann and I shot again last Monday, and she brought her cousin, Brittany on location to help us out (thanks for holding the reflector, Brittany). I don't mind telling you that I've developed an "old man" crush on this model. It's beyond me how anyone can be that fun, that tiny, and that sexy all at the same time.

From goofing off with "Peanut" sayings from Jeff Dunham to jumping on the bed and geese in the esophagus, wow - this session was just too fun. Thank you again, Leighann. I'm so glad you're coming to Nashville to help with the fashion/glamour workshops I'm leading the first week of November. We're going to have a blast... and if you thought the hotel room we shot in was nice - wait til you see the Hotel Preston.

Here's some of the pics from our session and here's the link to the full slideshow: http://www.andyarmstrongphoto.com/leighann1020/index.html

Oh, Miss Ashleigh!

What can I say? It's Miss Ashleigh - one of my favorite models, and it's been way, way too long since we had a shoot together (over a year).

Last monday, we got together at in a hotel room setting and shot a wonderful, quirky, crazy, fun session. Here are some of the results. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Short and Sweet

Well, last Friday was fun, and I don't mean just fun - I mean F-U-N, fun!

I had the pleasure of shooting in the studio with the absolutely tiny (4'11 to be exact) but incredibly lovely, Leighann. Not only is she gorgeous, Leighann has a sense of humor that just killed me. From singing "Scotty doesn't know to making goofy faces" - we just had fun.

Thanks so much for coming out to shoot with me, Leighann. I really do look forward to the next time we work together - and especially at my workshops in Nashville in November.

And, oh, we got some killer images too. Have a look. I think you'll agree.

In case you all didn't know...

...I have released some software in recent months, and I'm getting ready to celebrate the grand opening.

design|house by Andy Armstrong is a collection of Photoshop actions, brushes, custom shapes, and styles, as well as hi-res backgrounds, wallpapers, textures, digital mats, and photo objects. He's also recently released a set of greeting card templates and magazine cover templates for modern photographers. If you get a chance, go check it out. You can see design|house at http://www.getdesignhouse.com. There's a whole bunch of video tutorials in the d|h learning center too.

Ah, it's Brittany... finally

About two years ago, I was lucky enough to be asked to be a judge for dance team tryouts for the Knoxville Ice Bears. I say I was lucky, because that's the very first time that Brittany Rinehart and I crossed paths. During those two days of tryouts, I remember thinking to myself, 'Wow, this young lady is beautiful. I've got to do a shoot with her.'

She made the dance team, and it wasn't long after that, that I asked Brittany to shoot with me - and while she didn't say no, she didn't say yes either.

Well, finally - two years later - she agreed to shoot with me. And, just as I thought - her images came out beautiful. Here are a few from our session at The Cove in Farragutt. Thank you, Brittany for shooting with me, and thanks for bringing your buddy with you to help me out.

The Evans Girls - Always a Joy

It's always a joy to shoot with Angela Evans and her family. This last session we concentrated on her two beautiful little girls. The World's Fair Site is such a nice place to shoot, with so many options. I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed shooting them.

Portfolio Session with Jeni D. Sanabria

Ok, so I was up at the buttcrack o' dawn this morning (4:45am) to get ready and out to a sunrise portfolio shoot with model, Jeni D. We shot at the lake.

First off, Jeni D. was awesome. Sweet, cute, kind, respectful - couldn't have asked for more from her. Secondly - my hope was to do strobe shots with the sunrise.


It was gorgeous when we arrived. Golden orange sun and clouds. I set up the equipment and got through about 20 frames or so, when it started to ran a little. Luckily, Jeni brought another "Andy" with her, and he helped me rush the electrical equipment back to the car.

Who says you can't shoot outdoors in the rain?

We were not deterred. I grabbed two golf umbrellas and had the other Andy hold them over himself and me while I continued to shoot through the rain... Special thanks to the other "Andy" at the shoot for holding umbrellas and toting equipment. I appreciate it.

I was using my new 70-200 L IS and my new 34 1.4 L - and yes, I was petrified I was going to get them wet.

Here are some of my favorites, followed by a slideshow link to all the whole set.

http://andyarmstrongphoto.com/jenid08/index.html

Morgan & Jamie's Wedding Photos

I'm just going to say it. I loved this couple, and I loved this wedding. I can't thank Morgan and Jamie enough for letting me capture their special day.

I hope you enjoy looking at the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

A "Cyn" Full Session

So, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and shooting fellow photogapher, Cyn (or Cynthia, but don't call her that yet, she might just kick your butt) last Monday. We had so much fun in the studio that it almost didn't seem like a photo shoot.

I was looking for someone who could do a little "punk glam" for me in the studio, but we got way more than that. Thanks, Cyn. I look forward to the next time.

If you'd like to see the slideshow of the whole shoot, go here: http://www.andyarmstrongphoto.com/cyn200806/index.html

What do buttercups taste like anyway?

I'm not sure either, but little Ryan Finchum certainly does. He was infatuated with the putting the little buggers in his mouth during our family portrait session this past Saturday.

Greg, Katie, Ryan, Jamie, Bruce and Darius were all a delight to shoot with, and I would say we got some outstanding images, but I'll let you be the judge of that. Enjoy!

Doug and Jeanne: An Engagement Session

What fun - roaming around the World's Fair Site in downtown Knoxville, TN - shooting an e-session with Doug and Jeanne.

They make it official on May 17th, and I'll be there to cover it all.

Morgan and Jamie: Engagement Session

It rained, but we didn't care. Not at all.

I had the distinct pleasure of shooting Morgan and Jamie's engagement session today. I'll be shooting their wedding later this summer, and if these photos are an example of how they perform in front of the camera, then I can't wait to see what the wedding photos look like.

I'd like to give a special thank you to Heather who assisted me this afternoon, and to Nostalgia a unique "Vintique" store that allowed us to shoot inside their shop. You can find it on Homberg Drive right beside Jerry's Art-o-rama and right down the street from Side Street Tavern.

Morgan and Jamie's YouTube Video

Mountain Man

I want to give special thanks to Chase Pipes for helping me with a commercial project yesterday. Not only did Chase show up in full "over mountain" regalia with tons of goodies to shoot with, he suggested an excellent location by a waterfall on English Mountain, just outside of Sevierville, Tennessee. Thank you, Chase - for helping me put this all together and being an excellent model.
Thanks also to Jonathan Cox for being my assistant during the shoot. You were a lifesaver on many occassion yesterday.

Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) recognizes my work!

WPPI held it's annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada last week. Besides the excellent trade show and wonderful classes, WPPI held their annual 16x20 print competition, and photographers from arround the world, including Andy Armstrong submitted prints for competition.

Prints that received Accolades of Excellence were hung in show at the convention in Las Vegas. I am pleased to tell you that WPPI gave three of the four prints Accolades of Excellence and three photos got to hang in show at the convention.

Here are the three prints that received awards:

"Dominion"

"Don't Tell Me" - Third Place Overall - Premier Category

"TVMA"

Knoxville Tennessee Photographer Andy Armstrong - Glamour, Fashion, Portrait, Wedding and Commercial Samples

Andy Armstrong is an international portrait photographer based in Knoxville, Tennessee. He specializes in portraiture, but also covers event photography, wedding photography, commercial photography, fashion photography, glamour photography, and family portrait photography. His style is mainly photojournalism, and he believes that his photojournalistic style is the key to good storytelling in his work. Andy Armstrong Photography is based in Knoxville, TN, but also serves, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and surrounding Tennessee counties. He has covered weddings and events nationally and internationally, including, Boston, Denver, and as far north as Canada.

Knoxville TN Photographer Family and Senior Portrait Sampler at GoFish

Knoxville TN Photographer Wedding Photo Sampler at GoFish

Knoxville TN Photographer Glamour, Boudoir, and Fashion Sampler at GoFish

Knoxville TN Photographer Wedding Photographs Sampler at MySpace TV

Knoxville TN Photographer Family and Senior Portrait Samples at MySpace TV