While aimlessly walking around the trade show floor of Imaging USA, I came across the oh so cool Finao booth. After seeing the same old wedding albums over and over again, their album displays really caught my attention... refreshing to say the least !! I immediately became a member and have been up to date with the releases on all of their new products.... like this image preview box you see here :
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
My First with Finao
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Precious Little Gift
Several years ago my older/only sister Amanda and her husband Brian were ready to start their family. After consulting with numerous fertility doctors, following ALL of their instructions.... they just couldn't get pregnant !! So they took the next step and looked into adoption.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
THAT GIRL : unplugged


Tuesday, May 6, 2008
My First Motion Graphic... woo hoo : )
Okay I was WAY too involved in an album design today and decided I needed a break, so what did I do to ease my mind ??? Created my first motion graphic...
Thanks to my friend Corey Barker (this guy is ridiculously talented) and his Photoshop CS3 Extended Photoshop in Motion DVD. I watched it once and got down and dirty with my own. Remember before you press play... this is my first one... they'll get better. I say it everyday... the possibilities are endless !! Enjoy : )
Sunday, May 4, 2008
It was a good week.... ; )
WOW !! I'm just getting back from the 2008 TPPA School in College Station, Texas. What an amazing week. I took a week long class from the legendary Ralph and Ryan Romaguera. There was some classroom time where Ralph taught us everything from lighting and posing, that was immediately followed by Ryan showing us how to apply it in the studio and on location. We had speakers come in from Nik Software, Ron Nichols Digital Solutions, Canon USA, and PPA just to name a few. Each speaker was full of useful information to help make our (photographer's) life SOO much easier... that's what I'm talkin' about !! If you're interested in taking your photography skills to a whole new level, I would definitely suggest Texas School... well worth the investment !!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Applying the KISS Method...
I was talking with one of my friends yesterday about photography and design (surprise surprise)
and he asked me "have you ever heard of the KISS method ?"
KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID
Because we all know what it's like to be WAY too emotionally attached to our work, and we end up over analyzing everything... So the KISS method just works. Remember, the next time you start on what seem to be an overwhelming project.. Keep It Simple Stupid
: )
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Natural Highs....
- Falling in love.
- Laughing so hard your face hurts.
- A hot shower.
- No lines at the supermarket.
- A special glance.
- Getting mail.
- Taking a drive on a pretty road.
- Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
- Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
- Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
- Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
- A bubble bath.
- Giggling.
- A good conversation.
- The beach
- Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
- Laughing at yourself.
- Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
- Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
- Running through sprinklers.
- Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
- Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
- Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
- Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
- Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
- Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
- Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
- Playing with a new puppy.
- Having someone play with your hair.
- Sweet dreams.
- Hot chocolate.
- Road trips with friends.
- Swinging on swings.
- Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
- Making chocolate chip cookies.
- Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
- Holding hands with someone you care about.
- Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
- Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
- Watching the sunrise.
- Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
- Knowing that somebody misses you.
- Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
- Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.
Monday, April 7, 2008
I'm Back....
WOW !!
Just as expected, Photoshop World ROCKED !! It looks as though all I did was take pictures of my sister and myself, but I did attend several awesome classes. For an overview of the week my friend Jenn Bontempi updated a daily blog for everyone that wasn't able to attend. You should definitely check it out right here. Also go ahead and start clearing your calendar for Photoshop World Vegas. Seriously if you want to take your photoshop/design skills to the next level... this is the place to be !!
Click on the photo to view more of my pics from Orlando !!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
I'm off to Photoshop World....
Yep !!
I'm off to Photoshop World in Orlando, Fl. This will be my 4th one in a row. Like I said in the "about me" section of my blog, I'm a total dork when it comes to this stuff. If you're unfamiliar with Photoshop World, to sum it up... it's where the world's best photography/photoshop instructors gather in one place and bring you the latest in photography and design. I have to say, it's my FAVORITE conference that I attend all year... I'm gonna try (yes, I said try) to keep you updated while I'm there... if not, I'll fill you in when I get back... Maybe I'll see you there : )
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Golf Golf Golf
I had the opportunity to photograph David Robinson a few weeks ago at the Twin City Country Club golf course. I had an awesome time and I have to admit that David was the most pleasant golfer that I have ever photographed....well he's the only golfer I have ever photographed actually. So that makes him the greatest : ) He's also my best friend Lauren's husband... so that helped too !! Anyway, I just wanted to share some of my images from that shoot and brag on David just a bit. He is a Pro Golfer... (poor thing, huh guys?) and he is currently on the Tarheel Tour, where he just won the first tournament of the year , and also on the Hooter's Tour. I have no doubt that he'll be on the PGA tour in 2009 !!
You go D-Rob
: )
Click on the image to view more from this session : )
Monday, March 17, 2008
Web Conferencing with BRIO
Adobe is now offering a service called BRIO. With this service users are allowed to host/attend a live web conference. So of course after reading Terry's Post about this, I immediately signed up and started using it...
Since I've become somewhat of a Photoshop Help Desk ( I love you guys, keep em coming ) this was perfect for me. Rather than staying on the phone, and going "no, select all, edit....." (and I hate to admit I would actually point to the screen where I wanted them to click, like they could see me) I can now share my screen and show them how it's done... or take control of their screen and work on their computer. This is just one of the features (my favorite), but there are several others that you can read about, download, and start using right here.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
PhotoPresenter : )
Hi again : ) Okay it's hard to begin these posts and not sound like a total dork... so here goes
This morning I was reading my friend RC's blog over at Layers Magazine and saw his post on this really cool photo presentation software... so... I BOUGHT IT !! It's such an easy way to share your photos... it's just basic drag and drop. A couple of minutes and you're done !! If you would like to know more about this software click here.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Check out my Wedding Album Design...
What's not to love about my job !!
Take a look at my latest wedding album design... and let me know what you think !! : )
Photography by John Michael Hannan.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Woo Hoo, I went to Mac World : )
I was also able to attend Mac World in San Francisco in January !! It was a busy month for me....
Okay so Mac World was an incredible experience. I attended the keynote where Steve Jobs made the big announcement about the MacBook Air (and some other stuff, but this was the best to me). I was overwhelmed at the Expo !! It's like as soon as the keynote was over, everyone rushed to the Apple booth and never left THAT booth. WOW !! I also met up with my friend Terry White
and went shooting the city. That totally ROCKED !!
Imaging USA
Okay, so I was able to attend Imaging USA in Tampa Florida in January. Wow !! What an incredible experience. The classes rocked and the trade show was unbelievable !! As you see I was able to meet up with some friends while I was there, which is always nice : )