I noticed Mary Hanson's website, "blogs of photographers" some two years back. She highlights and reviews blogs that photographers publish. And clearly there are a lot of them to go through.
"There is a long list, and it takes a tremendous amount of time to visit, read, and review so many great (or not-so-great) photography blogs."
So, it came as a pleasant surprise and a genuine honor when I heard from her today through Twitter that my wedding photography blog had been chosen to be featured.
Check out the screenshot below, but please visit her site to dig around and check out a slew of other awesome photographers.
Beantown Bride launched today and I asked Brittany Blando, the site's creative director and fellow wedding photographer a few questions about the new website for Boston brides planning their wedding.
What can you tell me about it. Why did you start Beantown Bride?
About a year ago, I woke up in the middle of night, thinking “How cool would it be to start another wedding related business (in addition to my photography business) that brings the Boston wedding community together? I’ve worked as a local wedding photographer for almost eight years and have seen the Massachusetts market change rapidly. It presently feels saturated with many levels of talent and lots of information and resources that can be confusing for brides and grooms. I wanted to create a sort of guide to the market that recognized exceptional local talent by highlighting high-end wedding vendors and the real weddings they were helping to create in and around Boston.
I got to thinking that what Boston really needed was a wedding resource tailored specifically to the needs of Boston brides. With the recent closing of Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, and InStyle Weddings, brides are turning more and more to the Internet for information and ideas. An online magazine seemed ideal, but one that is specifically local in focus, rather than national site, like most of the wedding blogs already out there.
Beantown Bride will publish fresh, new stories five days a week. Each one will feature a new topic, such as Real Weddings, Tips and Trends, Inspiration Boards, DIY ideas, and more. This will give brides a direct link to some of the most exceptional talent in and around the city. Additionally, all of the vendor advertisers we work with have stellar reputations and portfolios. They must be in business for at least 3 years, and are selected on a first come, first served basis, with limited space available for each category.
Where do you want to take it?
Our goal is to create a website filled with fresh, fun content that readers will come back to read on a daily basis. We want brides to feel the utmost confidence in the vendors we feature and the stories we provide. I'm excited to see where Beantown Bride goes – I’ve got a very open mind and am up for anything, especially when it relates to weddings. I always have weddings on my mind and love nothing more than thinking about them creatively.
Who is your target audience?
Our target audience are brides and grooms looking to create a high-end wedding with top-notch vendors. Every bride and groom wants to create an event that is unique and representative of their style as a couple – we will be their ultimate resource.
In the September 2009 issue of PPA's monthly magazine, my work was again published. I submitted a few images and answered a brief set of questions about the kind of professional photographic equipment I use to captures weddings or portraits. It was a fun experience.
As I joked to a friend, I started out in the back of the magazine and I'm making my way on to the cover. Someday!
Check that interview out below and please do comment. I really enjoy hearing from you.
I would like to thank Suzi Craig of Fathom for introducing me to Chris at a Connecticut TweetCrawl, or a get-together, in New Haven.
If you didn't catch the interview, check out the embedded video below. You will likely see a short commercial before the interview commences.
As always, I welcome your comments. More importantly, I would be thrilled if you could help me spread the word about Phases + Faces: The Kids of Connecticut. Thank you!
From a casual Twitter introduction, I "met" Simply Canvas CEO, Adam Fried who in turn put me in touch with marketing manager, Christine Merch at their Ohio-based company.
Simply Canvas, thank you very much for believing in this Connecticut portrait project. I look forward to working with you!
Coincidentally, two of my favorite detail images grace the cover of this next issue. See below. If memory serves me right, this is either the second or third cover I have contributed to India New England's WEDDINGS issue.
Jules Bianchi and Joy Bianchi Brown are sisters. Identical twins, in fact. But the awesomeness doesn't stop there. They are a dynamo duo based in California who manage a wildly popular wedding and portrait studio.
Like so many talented photographers in my network, I came to know of Jules and Joy through the Digital Wedding Forum. I recall seeing a blog post, regarding a piece of lighting equipment that Jules had used at one of her weddings. Intrigued, I wrote to Jules directly and a few hours later, I had her response in my inbox! In an industry that can be somewhat guarded about techniques or tools, Jules was so generous with her time and information. In some respect, she sets the bar high for other photographers to do the same.
I finally got to meet Jules and her sister through Kevin Kubota at Imaging 2009, in Phoenix. Kevin was just starting to use Twitter and I might have stumbled across Joy's account through him. In any case, I followed Joy and she in turn followed me clearly because each of our Tweets engage and inform our audience.
I subsequently followed Jules on Twitter and found a motherlode of great information for photographers at Jules Café. Whenever a new post appeared or a cafe interview was posted, I read and then spread that link around through Twitter. Joy took a shining to the way I was spreading the word and one day offered me a spot on Jules Café. I was truly honored when she asked and of course I accepted. So, check out the Coffee Break with Seshu and be sure to leave a comment on the site.
I urge you all to definitely follow Joy and Jules on Twitter. They are really incredible at what they do and are truly there to help you learn to become better photographers.
Thank you Jules and Joy. I am so very pleased with the way this profile turned out. I really can't wait to meet up with you folks again!
Jeff Kent interviewed me a few months back about Phases + Faces: The Kids of Connecticut, for the magazine's Good Works section. I am so ever thankful to him for helping me spread the word about this worthwhile project.
This article wouldn't have come about without the power of Twitter. Yes, Twitter. Here is how it all happened and I hope this illustrates to you the power and importance of social networking.
Several months back, I began rather casually mentioning to some people who were following me on Twitter that I had launched a project to benefit Connecticut Children's Medical Center. John Haydon, whom I had been following for sometime expressed an interest in knowing more – he helps non-profits and has a familial connection to Connecticut. He suggested that I contact Tim Tracey who runs a unique social networking site of his own called YouGottaCall.com.
We got around in a circle and spent 60-seconds pitching each of our businesses or, in my case, the Phases + Faces project. There must have been at least 25 people in the room and I tried to make a mental note of some people whose work intrigued me. At that meeting was Robin Towle-Fecso from JumpStart, a branding and online integration company, also based in the Farmington Valley. I went up to her, with my business card in hand and filled her in with a few more details that I ran out of time to mention during the introductions.
Robin mentioned that she knew Cameron Bishopp, the Director of Publications at Professional Photographer magazine. She sent Cameron a note that very day and literally by the time I could get home and drop my bags off, I had heard directly from Cameron. Isn't that amazing? We exchanged emails and I was told to expect to hear from Jeff Kent who wrote the article you see below. That's the complete circle!
And, Robin – If you are reading this, you know I am good on my promise. Contact me right away so that I can schedule a photo shoot!
A Connecticut Community Newspaper Profiles Seshu Photography
Back in April 2009, I was interviewed by Avon Life's Natalie Pollock for an article she was writing about my wedding photography business in Avon, Connecticut. I had a great time chatting with Natalie about the genesis of my passion for photography, where I was trained, what I currently do and the community project I have launched. The business profile story published in May.
When it first appeared, I quickly snagged six copies of the paper from the local library. I just received a PDF of the article and wanted to share it with you. See below the low resolution version. For the high resolution version, please click this link.
ProDPI is the nation's leading custom lab that professional photographers like myself come to depend upon for their exacting printing needs. Both Jeffrey and Caitlin are so generous with their time, very involved in the community that they serve and without a moment's hesitation offered to help me print any promotional materials for the portrait book project. ProDPI is where I send all my print orders because their work is professional, have a terrific selection of products, their colors are spot on and their turn around time is terrific. Thank you!
Andrew Funderburg, aka. The Fundy, is a photographer and an entrepreneur. We met on the Digital Wedding Forum. As he was wrapping up his stay in Japan, he and I connected via Skype. He often bounced ideas off of me for his incredible album design and album proofing scripts. I am so proud of what he has been able to achieve in such a short span of time. Whenever he has an upgrade he usually pings me with the words, "Yo, check this out" and usually attached is the full script for me to use in whatever way I please. So, in full disclosure, I have been gifted these scripts but if you were to strip the bias aside, I would still say that hands down these are the best way to build and preview your wedding or portrait albums. I promise to have a more balanced review in a future blog post. Meanwhile, please visit his site: Fundy SOS – poke around the video tutorials and check out the array of solutions he has to offer you.
I am thrilled to announce that Simply Canvas has joined ProDPI and FundySOS as an official sponsor of Phases + Faces: The Kids of Connecticut.
After receiving some local attention, in the Avon Life newspaper, I am thrilled to announce that Professional Photographer, the monthly magazine published by Professional Photographers of America (PPA) has an article about my Connecticut portrait book project. It is in the July 2009 edition (the cover image you see on the right is the issue it is in).
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