Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

This is a page from the Charlotte Daniel and Kieth Carr wedding. I am currently up to page 32 on their Album Showcase which will be posted online.

I am running behind on getting the Album Showcase files designed and uploaded for Rachel Blondheim and the wedding for Brittany Gay and Daniel Land. So just bear with me, I am working as hard as I can.

The Album Showcase files take a great deal of work and are just simply time consuming. As you can see from the time stamp of this blog entry...I am working.

More updates later, but if you need to call, please do so.

What it takes...

Some people have voiced concern, or just a little anxious when stuff will be posted online.

To clarify that issue and to let everyone know I am not just wasting idle time, I have put together a list of what has to be done everytime I shoot a portrait, or a wedding. In the recent weeks, that means multiple weddings and portrait shoots happening extremely close together.

1. Download the cards. This can take minutes, or if the wedding has a lot of
   pictures...days

2.  I then do a preliminary review of the raw files and edit of all the
   pictures discarding some that did not come out, out of focus, etc.

3. preliminary lighten/darken some as needed

4. export as .jpg files (this is what I work with and print from) so I can
   import them into Photoshop for additional retouching and enhancing.

5. process the files to eliminate or reduce "noise". Digital files contain
   "noise" or artifacts that need to be reduced or eliminated. This makes the
   pictures cleaner and sharper

6. Renumber all the files to show a simple number like "0001" instead of
   the camera file number "DSCF5432.RAF". People would go nuts with a number
   like that. This is the quickest part of the this whole process.

7. burn to DVD all the raw files AND the "raw" jpg files for backup (takes
   forever and many multiples of discs). I cannot do anything else while those
   discs are burning.

8. copy all Raw JPG files to folders to begin Photoshop work

9. review and selection of the final webshow files

10. final retouching and enhancing of JUST those files

11. creation of the final webshow and posting online

12. creation of the animated .gif files (moving pictures that you see on
    the homepage and her Wedding Spotlight page.

13. begin process of selection of images for the Album Showcase

14. enhance and retouch those images, usually as I select them while I am
    creating the Album. The album can literally take 3-10 days to create depending on
    its complexity and what else is going on.

15.  review all remaining Gallery pictures to do a final edit/cut, retouch
    and minor enhancement to post on the web. May even do some "artsy" stuff
    to some of them to show what can be done.

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding these issues if I have not detailed it enough, so just call.



www.dugganstudio.com

Not a Good Couple of Days

I cannot believe...another computer, etc issue.

If you are waiting to view pictures of your event, there is a problem with the upload functionality for my website. I have a technical call into them. I will get more uploaded as soon as I can.

Website Stats!

Oh my, I think this is the highest ever. My average per day is over 9400 hits on the website! The bottom graphic may be difficult to read, but on Tuesday, June 24th I had just under 100,000 hits JUST THAT DAY!

That is truly amazing. What that translates to (I wish) is...if all those hits represented just $1.00 spent... :)...it could happen...



www.dugganstudio.com

It's Heeerrrrrreeeee...Brittany & Daniel

The WebShow link has been removed at the request of the Bride.

Update...

I have finally completed the download and transfer to JPGs of all the files. The process has taken longer than usual. I got a late start beginning that process on Sunday, and the awesome number of files that needed to be download and processed.

I will start selecting the images for the final WebShow and begin the process to retouch and enhance those. The WebShow will (should) not take long to create since I will be using the same template which was used at the Reception.

I will post it as soon as I get it completed, which will probably be this evening. If I have your email I will send you a link.

I appologize to everyone for the delay.

WHAT A WEEKEND!!!

Wow!

Brittany and Daniel had their wedding this past weekend on the beach(!!) in Fort Walton/Destin area. I thought it turned out really well...albeit...kinda concerned with the weather, but that turned out great too.

I have just completed the initial download of all the pictures. I am behind getting the final WebShow up because of the travel back to Montgomery yesterday, starting the download process and my general brain-dead issues. Just exhausted. I kept finding compact flash cards to download.

There are a total of...are you ready?...1,139 pictures that were taken from Friday at the rehearsal through the reception on Saturday! That is a lot. I will edit those down and take out any duplicates, bad images, etc.

I am going to try and quickly pick out some for the final WebShow, retouch and enhance them and get the Show finished as soon as possible. But I suspect it could be late this afternoon, or this evening.

Check back here on the Blog to see the status of everything. But I will work as fast as my brain will allow.


www.dugganstudio.com

Leaving for Destin Today...

Hopefully we will all miss the rain...yeah. But maybe we can use it for some unusual and fun pictures!

I will be back on Monday.

Album Showcase Links...

Just wanted to post that I am working on 2 online Album Showcase's from previous weddings, and will have a 3rd one from a wedding this weekend that will need to start sometime next week. That means they are going to all take longer than usual, to get up on the website.

They are actually a tremendous amount of work to design. They can take up to a week for each one to be completed and get uploaded, in normal situations. Being behind in all the work, it just makes it a little worse.

I will get them done as soon as possible and I apologize for the delay.


www.dugganstudio.com

Well...It's Almost Time

Brittany Gay and Daniel Land will be getting married this Saturday at the Four Points Sheraton in Destin...!!!

I can hardly wait. Should be a "hoot" for sure! A real beach wedding!

I will be leaving for Destin about noon on Friday, just to make sure I can get there through the complicated route that Mapquest supplied for me. Kinda funny when I do a "Return" from Destin to Montgomery...Mapquest gives me a totally different route on I-85 north. But it is a longer way.

Check back sometime on the weekend, like Sunday...maybe...for the WebShow (I am still preparing that).



www.dugganstudio.com

Charlotte & Keith - The WebShow!

Rachel Jordan Blondheim

Wedding & Bat Mitzvah!!!

Charlotte Daniel and Keith Carr will be getting married at the Rocky Mount Bed & Breakfast in Prattville, AL, at 6:00 pm on Saturday, June 14, 2008.

Should be a nice location for a wedding. Check back for the WebShow, Album Showcase and of course, the Gallery.

Rachel Blondheim will be celebrating her Bat Mitzvah on Saturday also. Looking forward to photographing that, since it will be a first for me. There are a couple events Friday night also.

She's a beautiful girl and I am excited about documenting the celebration.

You can view Rachel's WebShow, Album Showcase and the Gallery by clicking on the "Special Events" graphic located just below the "Wedding Spotlight" graphic in the lower-center portion of the Homepage.

So you will have 2 things to check out this weekend and days to follow. It will take me a few days to get everything up, just be patient.

(Yes, I will be mindlessly busy).

Next weekend I will be in Destin, FL photographing Brittany Gay and Daniel Land Wedding. Should be a "hoot" on the beach and definitely a first for me...I will most assuredly NOT be wearing all black...


www.dugganstudio.com

Album Showcase for Savannah & Jason is Ready!

Click the "Album" link from the homepage on the "Featured Bride" graphic or go to the "Wedding Spotlight" graphic, click it, then click the "S" for Savannah.

Or...click here.

Album Showcase is Ready!

The Album Showcase for Melanie and Robert is now online. You can go to the "Wedding Spotlight" graphic, click it and then click the "M" for Melanie. Click on the "Album" link for the Album to display.

For now you can click here to view it!

Album Showcase Update for Melanie & Robert

I am currently up to page 58 of Melanie's and Robert's Album Showcase. I should finish it up on Tuesday. I will post it as soon as I can.

Savannah's & Jason's WebShow Now Online!!!

Album Showcase for Melanie & Robert

I am running behind on Melanie and Robert's Album Showcase. I will get it up by the first of the week.

Also, I have a few pictures to edit and post for Hunter and Jake...sorry for the delay. Everything else is posted, except for a very few Reception pictures.

Congratulations to Kim & Daniel!!!

Kim Cruz and Daniel Hussey have chosen "wisely"... (get it?!...Indiana Jones movie...yeah whatever).

I will be photographing their wedding on Friday, August 8, 2008 (8/8/08!!!), in Troy, Alabama. That's the magic date for this year...or is it 6/7/08?

Yeah I know, that's REALLY, REALLY soon. I have lots of work to do between now and then.

I will post a photograph of them when we shoot the engagement pictures. I will also post more information.

Later!


www.dugganstudio.com

Melanie & Robert's Tiny WebShow!!!

Melanie & Robert's WebShow Link

The WebShow is ready. You can go to the Homepage and click the "WebShow" link under the "Featured Bride" section, or click on the "Wedding Spotlight" graphic and then click the "M" for Melanie (that part's kinda easy) then click on the "WebShow" link under their name.

You will need to go to the Wedding Spotlight section after Friday of this week since I have another wedding this weekend. The new one will be featured on the Homepage. So if you don't see it there...and are wondering where it is...I just told you.

Anyway here is the link.


www.dugganstudio.com

Melanie & Robert's Wedding

I have F-I-N-A-L-L-Y finished downloading and doing what I need to do with the files, just to be able to begin the editing and enhancement process. I will pick out the ones I want to use for the WebShow first and get that done and posted online as soon as possible.

I will then go to work on the Album Showcase pages. That may take all week. But I need to get it done because I have another wedding next Weekend...yikes!!

Once the Album Showcase is done I can work on getting the remaining photographs uploaded for viewing.

Oh, this is all in addition to the other wedding stuff I need to get done.

Going to be another busy week.



www.dugganstudio.com