Linifotto is the New Company Name. Progress strikes again!

Seems like I forgot to mention that I changed the name of the company.  Yep.
All that lamenting and whining and I forget to even mention it? <sigh>

Lini-fotto.  Think Motorola's 'Hello Motto'.
The thought process was simple.  Find a name that is unique, short and simple.  Beauty & the Beach Photography was fitting but too many Beauty & the Beach companies. So finding me on Facebook became a maze of Beauty & the Beach pages.  Thirty letters became too long, I felt people would get lost in the hunt for me.

Criteria was simple name. Short.  Easy to spell.  I didn't want a .NET or .BIZ I wanted a .COM. So Linifotto came fell into place.

On Facebook and trying to find my galleries?  Here's the map.

LJ Masty = personal page
Linifotto = new business page -
Beauty & the Beach Photography = Original business page

Eventually, all photos will be in albums on Facebook until I build a website.

Anatomy of a Jamine's Mega Shoot- Part 1

These are the many faces of Jasmine Harper from our 2nd shoot in April, 2011.

This is what my thumbnails look like in Aperture 3, after culling, editing, cropping, studying, repeat.  


When I first met Jasmine in February she surprised me, she was tiny. Without her halo probably 59 inches.  We did a small shoot at that time and scheduled a full senior's session for April. 

On the left is before tanning, makeup and new hair color.


Her skin is the color and texture of what every red-blooded anglo saxon woman in America wants. It's olive and tanned to perfection. It's fresh and dewy with youth and vitality. 


Her smile? Huge. Big white teeth and after getting blinded with that she pops out a dimple or two just to crush your heart. I feel sorry for all the hearts she's going to break without even realizing her effect on people. Such is life when you are seventeen, beautiful and reaching your first major accomplishment in life. 

You didn't happen to notice the eyes, right? (Told ya they were gorge!)  But look closely at the catch lights. See yellow?  Thats my top.  I do INDEED choose my clothing with that in mind. I also bring an alternate top for that reason.  Blues, purple, green or white. Hmmm, I never thought about pink. I wonder what a fuschia top would have done with her green eyes?  Going to make a note on that one.




Other Information & Links:

See the Animoto video of Jasmine link here for the pictures from that session.

Subscribe to all Linifotto videos on Youtube here.

A word on the videos. The narration in the video have thus far been essentially fictional yet based on what I imagine.  The idea thus far is to see how far I can take the videos - the storyline I believe adds interest and humor and might be more valuable than originally thought. 

It's not pitch perfect, but the 'Sami Loves' video clearly shows promo potential and the second,  'Sami Plays' video has a personal viewpoint that shows the same controlled elegant person laid back and having fun.  There is something here that's working. 


There must be a way to have a catalog of my videos on the blog. Maybe I just need a website?  Nah....time to go to bed....


nite lini

Noodle-ing, Waffle-ing & Stuttering

So much to learn!  Banners, pictures, websites.....pdf's, links....I never I knew there was so much to this blogging thing. I'm not trying to be a blogger.

(Blogger are very cool people who are very clever with words and are great grammatical writers and even speakers. I'm not. I just want to be a photographer, and told I need to blog in order to have a market for my work. To shoot.  That from blogging I will attract and repel, by design, clients. The right clients. People who see things the world similiary to me. If I  repel you, that just means we wouldn't make a good business transaction anyways.  And all the more so for an artistic relationship. So, that's my blog-orientation.) And, I love to start a sentence with, 'And'.  

My husband just walked by, I saw him peek at my screen.  I know what he's thinking.  'She's on the same screen she was hours ago. She's noodle-ing and waffle-ing. Ahh-gain.'  

But does he say anything?  Nope.  Does he remind me I might be obsessive?  Nope. 

A couple minutes later a long arm reaches over with a toasted bagel on a tiny plate. The arm disappears as quickly as it appeared. I'm thrilled, num num. He smacks an audible air kiss and I hear it trail behind him as walks down the hall. That's the 'All Clear' sign we ping to each other in passing.  It says different things,  tonight it said, "I love you and it's totally fine that you've been on the computer for 16 hours, I hadn't noticed.'

Well, how many brownie points do you think he earned for those 5 minutes?  Oh, baby, lots! And, no he doesn't read my blog. Which let's me know it's not good enough yet, because if this can keep his attention, then it's a 'Go'! (He has narcolepsy.)

So, focus!!!  I know. I know. I'm noodling. I'm rolling the issues over and over in my head. The issues? Where was I?  Ok, what is troubling me with this new 'business of photography'?  Same ones; branding, who am I, whats my style?, etc. So, I need a tagline to put on my first printing of promotional material.

I want convey 3 things, ok more than 3 things:  I don't know.

Well hell, the things clients have told me are always the same. (Wonderful things, but the same message.) They are always happy. I have never had anyone wish they hadn't done it, regretted it, only regretted not having done it sooner. 

"I feel sooooo beautiful." 

"I feel gorgeous.'

"I've never felt more beautiful." 

"I'm so glad we have it captured forever. I will never look this good again." (not true, but often said.) 

"I needed this so bad. I was feeling down on myself, but now I'm on a high."  

"Finally I feel different, like me but better."   

"Every woman needs to do this." 

"It's better than a day at the spa." 

"I've always wanted to do this but felt I was being selfish." 

"My husband can't believe I did it.  He's sooooo happy."  

"You have a special gift and will go far." 

"You are so talented."

"You are an amazing photographer." 

"I never knew I could look so good."

"I feel like I'm in love with myself. Is that bad?" 

Yes, good stuff but I need a tagline. 

Words that describe Linifotto from others and from how I want to be projected:

Liberating

Magical

Powerful

Original

Unique

Fresh

Exciting

Fun

Colorful

Feminine

Gorgeous

Empowering

Celebratory

Exclusive

Unforgettable

Refined primalness

I want a certain vibe that says all the above through imagery and words. 

"Linifotto, a new brand of photography for ladies who run with wolves and other creatures."   (Okay, okay, it's a little cheezy, right? Is this too contrived?  Too staged?  Straining to be cool?)

"Linifotto, is a photographer, a brand, a vision, a feeling, an emotion a private artist.

"Be the muse for Linifotto and acquire a collection of fine art."  Hmmmmm...that has some potential.  It kinda goes along with the promo card 'Catch up on the charactures, become one..' thing kinda works.

Playing the idea of making videos that have fictional and imaginative narration. Which is a good idea but needs a lot of fleshing out.

I want to appeal to women who have a strong sense of self. A need for adventure and love being a woman. Not afraid to step out from norm. And she definitely had Barbies. And likes to twirl. She sees pictures like these and her mind sails forward with a rush of ideas and inspiration. She. Is. Inspired.

She.

Is.

Inspiring. 

Full Stop.

How cool is this QR Scan?  I wonder if anyone will ever tell me where it takes them?  The technology is sooo cool. (Note to self, need to create the reverse code to bring them back!)

So, this is Lini in Floria.  Good nite Inkernet.
Glod Bless

Past Meets Present

Ok, it seems my Tylenol PM is kicking in...rats!  I so wanted to get this post done before falling out.

Quicky post. Who doesn't like to see pictures on a blog anyways, right?  Besides, these posts don't really count.  So I left off when I was pretending to be Sami's wedding photographer and retrieving her from the past.

Here is baby daddy Chad with 5 month old Zack. And Momi pics.  Details on the shoot will follow.

Then we tucked lil Zack in her giant nest made of tulle (I wish I would have just pulled it out before I shot him because it kept springing back up.

How amazing are these?

Momma Bear and Baby Bear.

Go ahead and say it.  'Awwww....'

Goodnite Inkernet!

Sami's Past Meets Present Shoot

Ok, that's it.  I'm out of excuses.  I have to blog now.  The new iMac is here and she's a bit of smart ass. So, no more, 'Oh I'm so skerred thing'.  We're doing this blogging thing. Period.  We are shooting pictures.   Period. 

RETRIEVING THE BRIDE 

Looking over her shoulder I watched Chad doing the new baby daddy thing. He did the step, rock, bounce thing like a pro and little five month old Zach was limp. Little legs dangling.  I tugged the lacing that ran up the back of Sami's wedding gown - we were just about ready to shoot and Dad had the baby covered so we were good to go. After the dress I took her outside and sat her down.

                                                                                                     

 I built a nest of tulle and hay her lay down in the middle of it. She looked up at me and we got these.

Wow!  Ok, let's just make things more difficult. (why oh why do I do these things?) In my head I wanted to pretend I was her wedding photographer, so I went back in time and retrieved Sami on her wedding day. And like a magic trick there she was in front of me. Bloomed. Gorgeous. Stunningly. 

I pretended she never got her gorgeous 'cover of Bride Magazine shot' and it was up to me to deliver it.  That if it didn't happen right now with me shooting it was never going to happen for her. That she would forever be left with no killer bridal portrait.

I got amped. I started to feel the burden. The full weight of this bride's hopes and dreams in my hands and if I screwed it up she would forever tell the tale of her wedding photographer from hell for the rest of her life. 

I looked harder through the lens. I stepped back.  Forward.  Walked around.  I took more time casing the set in front of me. That despite the imaginary pressure to hurry up, I needed to keep my cool and maybe even slow it down. I needed to really look at her so I could capture all that gorgeousness.  And I did. 

And it worked. The rest is history. This is the shoot that marked the change. It marked a regular day as a special day. A day that would separate all the things before it as the Before.  See my last post.

This was an important shoot for me and I love that I was able to recognize it immediately for what it was, even before the next shoot.  More pictures from this shoot coming up.

Lini in Florida, goodnight inkernet.

I Can Get The Shot

Meet Progress.  Progress is bee-u-tee-ful!  No, Progress is AMAZING. Freaking Gorgeous!  She's elegant. She feels like a cool drink on a Mississippi bayou. She rides along my side and makes me feel like I hung the moon. She's the unknot in the pit of my stomach, she's the 'life-is-good' feeling. She's the swoon in my heart.  Am I in love?

Yep.

The bride, Sami, on this page represents all the above. Progress. Yes, of course I know if you keep putting one foot in front of the other you WILL make progress but I was clearly in the Turtle Lane. After miles and miles of dessert. After a several stampedes through our bank account. After all my doubt, angst and paralyzing fear.  The OMG's!  The horrible internal dialog I've been having with myself (I've always been a terrible best friend to myself.  its a wonder I get out of bed each day.  Well, sometimes I just don't because its THAT's painful.)

Ok, blah, blah, blah, you get the build up...

Back to progress. There was no hint that this shoot would be any different. No perspective to know that after today it would be known as the before. That today is the after.  Today there is confidence that 'I really can ALWAYS' get the shot. I've been shooting since 1979, my first Canon A-1, learning photography has been a manic relationship. A roller coaster of can I get the shot?  Can I control what I'm getting?  Can I go on a shoot and under pressure get the shot?  

Yes.

I.
Can.
Get.
The.
Shot.

I CAN GET THE SHOT!

As for my husband?  His heart doesn't seem to break like mine over pictures, he doesn't get the total OCDness I have.  He's much calmer. Can he get the shot?  He's at the 99% get the shot.  I think he's still in his before, even though he often out shoots me, he's still in his before.

Least thats what I'm telling him.   And, glory be, this B&W of Sami, is his now. And he rocked this shoot too, maybe he's 99.9?  Kind and loving wife that I am knows he's still in the Before, because well frankly, I'm the wife and I know these things.  ;)

I have new eyes

I'm not so happy today.  I seemed to have acquired 2 new things.  My eyes.  My new eyes.

They took a look at some of my own albums in iPhoto from just 4 months ago and guess what?  They kinda suck.  I see one problem after the next with every photo.  Some of the stuff that used to make my heart sing isn't so exciting today.  I see mediocore work. Or things that could have been simply tweeked and been way better.  WTF?

For tonight I'm just going to tuck this in the same file with everything else that's been resisting my progress since December 5th (when my email got hacked and appeared to set off a chain reaction of roadblocks and misfortune). Ok, before I go any further or try to become the newest (but oldest) new photographer in town I think I need to do a marathon shoot spree and just shoot the snot out of anything and everything and take a good look at what I see.


But this one is still good right?  'The Sultress'.