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.

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

A few fashion glamour videos...

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.

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.

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