My blog has officially moved!

Check out my new blog at:

www.joshnewtonblog.com

its comPLETEly more epic over there, trust me! =)

Is twitter useful or just annoying?

So, my good friend Bobby Earle (and AMAZING photographer that I love and adore who is married to someone much more lovable and adorable ;)) recently blogged about twitter, and I found his blog rather interesting. His main thoughts pointing out the benefits of Twitter were thus:

1. A couple weeks ago, Tim Nosenzo helped me out big timeby responding to something I posted on twitter. I had been looking for a very hard to find lens for about 6 weeks. Because of my twitter updates on the matter, Tim kept his eye open for the lens and emailed me when he found one. Long story short, I got the lens!!
2. Another time, I was headed out to Australia. I asked if anyone knew of a place within five hours of Sydney where I could find wild Kangaroos. I got a ton of awesome recommendations, but my friend, Steph (from New Zealand), responded and told me about Morriset hospital with thousandsof wild kangaroos! It was a dream come true for me (spent every day in Oz at that hospital - one of the best experiences of my life!)
3. My friend and fellow photographer, Luke, lives out in Australia (if you've never heard of it, it's a small island off the coast of New Zealand - that's for my Kiwi friends :P ). It'd bereally expensive for me to text him all the way out in Oz. We catch up all the time on there - and then mutual pals likeAmanda in Canada or Bob in England can freely join in on our chats to each other - almost like free group texting! It's so valuable for this feature alone.

His philosopher friend Garrett Miller (also a bud of mine) wrote a blog in response and here's what he said:

1. Bobby's benefits are genuine fruits of Twitter and worth acknowledging as such, but
2. Bobby's benefits ought to be recognized as valuable largely because of their usefulness to Bobby and
3. that Bobby's benefits depend strongly on his popularity.

What do you think? It'd be beneficial to read both blogs, they're full of really good info!

ps here's a taste of my sense of humor (i.e. I LOVE these girls' sense of humor and thought this was hilarious!! they saw me doing a *real* prego shoot with a couple, Alice and Bryan, and they thought it'd be funny to recreate ;) little did they know I love facebook and (now) blogging)

Photoshoot with Amie

This shoot was a lot of fun for many reasons, but the main one was that we didn't have an agenda or anything we "had" to do - we just wanted to shoot for the fun of it and let creativity take its course. What also made it fun was that over the course of the 12 hour day, there were lots of funny/silly moments where we could do nothing but laugh - for a while. It made me think of this quote...

"Portraits often speak more about the photographer than the subject. Think of the person you're photographing as a canvas onto whom you project yourself. A great portrait tells the world about yourself as much - if not more - than the person you're actually photographing."

I think it perfectly describes why I like doing photography - its an outlet for my creative, fun, artistic side of my brain... but there is a lot of technical thought that's required to make a good photograph, and thats the chemistry major side of me. Also, its an absolute blast and I thoroughly enjoy all the people I get to meet and work with, and thats my love of people coming out.

I think my favorite one from this series is one above. For me it represents completely letting go of everything and just enjoying the moment for what it is. I think if I were to have a goal in photography, it'd be that =)

And when I get to work with people that are as passionate for what they do as I am about photography, way cool things are possible =) So, thanks Tess, Katrina, and Amie. I love my friends and the awesome people in my life! Can't wait for the next one!

check out all the full res pictures here!

Interview with Israel Johnson

The other day I was interviewed by Israel Johnson and I thought it'd be kind of fun to share it with everyone!

Tell me about yourself and your business

I started my business in 2006 with zero photography training or background. My dad made our sauna into a dark room growing up and he has always loved photography, so thats probably where i got my exposure to it (no pun intended ;)). He made huge prints and put them up in our house, gave them to family as gifts, and always had a good eye. I have always loved good photography and it always inspired and captivated me, but only when I saw the business aspect of it did I become interested. I absolutely love people and when I saw I could combine my passion and energy with something that I loved doing and could support me, I instantly jumped on that train.

How did you get started?

I got started by meeting a select few who were really inspiring to me and told me I had a real talent and gift, so I went for it!

What was your greatest challenge in starting your business?

The hardest part has been doing the whole "business" aspect of things. Paperwork, money, taxes, bills, what to spend on fun, what to buy for equipment, etc.

What are you excited about at this current moment?

More and more, I've found that people are a lot more excited to have me photograph them and thats been a lot of fun. They find real value in my work and are stoked with what I can give them.

What have you found most effective for finding new clients? What marketing/promotional strategies work best for you?

I am all word of mouth and word of mouse. I do some marketing but its all pretty simple. I like it when my work speaks for it self and when people can be around me, see how I shoot and interact with them, and then be able to recommend me. Thats the best way to get clients that I get along with and that get along with me - they know what to expect and they know what they're getting when they hire me. I use facebook, my website, and my blog (not really my blog... but I try!) to connect me with my clients, as they love being able to share their images with everyone.

How is changing technology affecting your business?

Changing technology just improves my ability/ease in editing photos, getting my work to my clients, and getting exposure. It hasn't hindered my ability to improve in a business sense, it usually just adds to my business and gives me a little bit more of an edge.

What do you/your company look for when considering hiring someone as staff? As an independent contractor (IC)?

I don't hire "staff" because that involves a completely new business license, getting insurance for my employees, paying taxes for them and making sure they're reported... but I do have plenty of independent contractors. I definitely recommend hiring people that are better at doing parts of your business that take the photographer a lot of time. Editing, making albums, booking travel, working out expenses and contracts - all that is better for someone else to do. Its obviously harder to do that if you don't have a lot of income to spend on independent contractors, but its good to focus on what you do best - shooting and providing a rockin' experience for your clients.

Do you recommend using agents or representatives?

I am going to be bringing on a full time manager, but a lot of details still remain to be worked out. I think its a brilliant idea and more photographers should pursue it - I love outsourcing and I think its essential in succeeding in the business world.

What advice do you have for a student desiring to enter the business world?

Photograph tons. Get your work out. Do some stuff for free (or for a meal or something!), provide a good service and make your clients feel relaxed and that the photography experience was a lot of fun. Do photography because you absolutely love it and you couldn't do anything else. Do photography because its your passion, not because it could make you money or give you status. Be creative and do crazy stuff - don't ever let yourself get stuck in a routine. BE YOURSELF! =)

Free Website!

So my really good friend and colleague, David Jay, announced recently that he is making a FREE version of Showit Sites! It's not the full version that I used to create my website www.joshnewton.com but there are MANY rad things about it. You can publish 5 pages, host 30MB of data, get a free vanity URL... its brilliant.

I couldn't be happier with a program, its honestly changed my business a TON. I've been able to update my website whenever I want and I built it in only a couple hours. If you haven't seen this amazing piece of wonder yet, go to http://showitfast.com/ and check it out =)

Rock on!

Cambodia Update =)

Travels and thoughts in Cambodia

Life here is really slow and it's wonderful. Sometimes it makes me think that this is the way life is supposed to be lived. Just expanding Jesus' kingdom and loving the people around us. The people who support this children's center are wonderful and they allow for that to happen. I hope they know how much their gifts are appreciated and what they are providing. The kids don't have to work nearly as hard to eat or get water here and they appreciate what they've been given. They are truly thankful at every meal for what's been provided to them and they are so diligent and responsible with their time and resources. How many things do we do every day that are pointless and have no eternal impact? When everything that's fruitless in life is done away with and all that exists is living for Jesus, it's amazing what happens and what you look forward to. We pray and read scripture multiple times per day - and even though I can't understand the language - I absolutely love it. I am also convicted in that I should be doing at least that in my own life, and I'm thankful I get to witness these kids' faith.

I want to do great and big things, but I've learned that God doesn't function within our time frame. God does not view time as a crutch and I need to be more patient. I need to fill my entire life with Him and that needs to be first. The love that these kids have for Jesus and for each other is astounding. They are so full of passion for Christ and they love Him with their whole being and hold nothing back. And God is rewarding them greatly - He is using them in a vivid and powerful way, it's awesome to see. Yesterday a 15 year old and an 18 year old taught a whole town about Noah's ark and a verse out of Proverbs. They were singing and dancing with the kids, it almost brought tears to my eyes. The kids were laughing and enjoyed it so much. They also got to color a picture with crayons and take it home, it was really great to see those two kids lead.

It's so neat to see what the Pastor and leaders are equipping these kids to do and I know they are going to go far in this life. I pray that these kids grow up to become strong leaders and mighty warriors. That they spread the Gospel far and they never forget what they learned here no matter what happens. That they bring His name glory and continue His work. Each kid is equipped to teach the Bible, lead worship, pray for their peers and family, and are also given chores so that they learn valuable life skills. They take turns cleaning, cooking the food, repairing the well, washing clothes, and other chores. The older ones instruct the younger ones in school, teaching, and also help in running the center.

There have been a lot of new experiences here, that's for sure. I got to take a dirt bike out to some far off village and it was crazy to see how these people lived and what they did to survive. The government here is very corrupt and at any point they can just kick people off their land and sell it to some Chinese or Korean businessman. That had happened to this family so they moved to a new part of the "little jungle" and had to clear acres upon acres of land just so that they could grow one rice crop a year to survive. The government here is supposedly a democracy, but if you don't vote for the Peoples Party of Cambodia, your town isn't given any help from the government.

On a lighter note, the pastor has had us try so many weird things as well. Fried locusts, boiled half grown baby ducks (still in the egg), different leaves, plants, and berries... All of which made me want to puke on the spot. But it would have been rude not to eat them, so I had to eat everything he gave me and pretend that I liked it! Yikes. The kids here love their games - chess, checkers, basketball, soccer, volleyball, domino's... everywhere one of these games are happening if you want to join in. Today was extra interesting because we couldn't use the water in the "showers" because we had run out of water, so I showered outside next to a well while only wearing a sarong. Awesome. I also washed all my clothes by hand today, that was somewhat fun :p

Today was also somewhat hard. Witchcraft is used frequently in Cambodia and one of the girls parents had gone to one and made sacrifices to demons. This made the girl vulnerable to attack and has suffered many attacks from demons since. There was an attack last night and she was screaming and yelling - it sounded like she was being tortured. It woke most people up and it took a couple hours last night and also a lot of prayer this morning to help the girl get rid of it and also not feel guilty. This doesn't exist in the US and it's interesting to be part of a community that's used to it as a normal experience.

There is so much love, hope, and laughter here, however, and these kids have joy written all over their faces. I am so blessed to be here and to photograph them, nothing could be more fulfilling and I'm thankful for the opportunity.

Bridesmaid Photoshoot

A couple of my friends (who of course all happen to be bridesmaids) decided it would be awesome to do a photoshoot before their wedding, and it turned out GREAT! I honestly had so much fun with this group of girls - they were all hilarious together and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing them =) I went over to their dorm yesterday to look over all the photos with them and there were definitely a lot of funny moments. Be sure to check out the rest of them at my gallery!

San Diego, Bobby and Lindsay Earle, Dylan and Kelli Mayer

So on Monday night I decided to take a trip to San Diego and I absolutely love it down here! I love being able to visit all my amazing friends down here and SD never fails to come through. 

The last few times I've been down here I always spend the night at Bobby and Lindsay's house and also at Dylan and Kelli Mayer's house. They are the kindest people that a person could ask for and I am so blessed to have met them! All of them have become some of my closest friends this last year and if any of you get the chance to meet them, I definitely would. Bobby has taught me tons of MMA moves and Dylan is a part time employee for Josh Newton Photography!

Bobby's house is always a huge breath of fresh air and I always feel so comfortable and relaxed here. I've gotten a lot of work done, which most of you guys will love because I've finished 6 weddings and a lot of engagement shoots! But last night was truly phenomenal - not only did we get Chick-fil-a (my favorite restaurant), but we ate there for a couple hours and I have to admit, I haven't laughed that hard in a REALLY long time. My good friend Jennifer and Bobby's friend Garrett met us there and I couldn't have had a better night =) Then to close the night off, Bobby's dog Remmy fell asleep on me and it was the cutest thing ever!! Check out this blog to see pictures

And today I got to go to Dylans baseball game, it was sweet! I've never been a huge fan of baseball as a sport... but I grew some appreciation for it today. Dylan and I got to throw the ball around for a while and I'm not sure why, but thats what of the greatest and most fun things to do! 

Stoked to photograph a wedding this weekend, be looking for pictures on facebook! Until next time~