Norman Scott volunteers his photographic skills to the community

Hello all,
On Sunday October 3 from 9:00 am until about noon I will photographing the Ocean County walk to raise funds, raise awareness and find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes at Seaside Heights Boardwalk.
This walk is sponsored by The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International The Central Jersey Chapter.
Any one not busy come on by. Register for a walk and help the children.
Here is the link for the registration form:
https://walk.jdrf.org//index.cfm?fuseaction=walk.walkeradd&chapterid=4376&eventID=6388

An equally wonderful association that helps to make life easier for kids  Is The Make A Wish Foundation

There mission is to  Grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

On Sunday Oct 17 from 8:30 am until about noon I will be photographing their Walk For Wishes Walk/5K run.

This will take place at Liberty State Park. 
So once again I ask to come on by and get some exercise and help To Make A Wish Come True. 
Thanks
See you all soon
Norman Scott

Please check out my new website!

Hello everybody,
I just put up a brand new website. I made it in Mac's Iweb. This site is separate from the site you all know.
This site talks about portraiture only. I do not mention weddings, or Bar-Mitzvahs or any type of party photography.
It is still a work in progress. I will be adding more photos, slide shows, and enhancements as  time goes on.
Please pass the word to near and far tell all the world to check out the new site.
The site is www.normanscottportraits.com.
You must put in the www for it to work properly.
Thanks and my regards to all,
Norman

Savanah and her baby brother Cole what a team

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph Shannon and Dom's children in my studio.
2 year old  Savanah went from shy to magnificent and Cole's age is measured right now in weeks. He didn't do much except look great.
I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do.
Regards,

Norm Scott

Debra and John a Fantastic Wedding

Hello,
I photographed the most wonderful wedding this past Sunday Debra and John. The wedding was at Merri Makers Waters Edge. The ceremony was on the beach. Please look at the photos and you decide was it Long Branch or was it the Caribbean. The weather was hot but there was a summer breeze a blowin.
Jason the man in charge at the Waters Edge was an absolute gentleman and directed the party flawlessly.
Debra and John had a huge band called the Rhythm Shop which was unstoppable in there entertainment.

Everyone danced there tootsies off and had a magnificent time.

New 4X6 advertising card

Hello folks,

I just finished the design of a new advertising counter piece. I think it looks great. I hope every one gets the picture ha ha.

Early this morning 8:00 AM which is very early for me Judy and I went to the Apple store at Freehold mall. We took a 2 hour seminar on the new IPhone 4. Judy read in the New York Times technology section that Apple will be making the IPhone for Verizon in January. We decided to check out it's features. The phone is a magnificent tool. Great print very easy to read. And there are zillions of aps for it.
If it come s to Verizon I think we will be making a purchase.

Always more to learn

As everybody knows today's world is computers. And what runs computers? Software. This past Friday I was in Manhattan for an Adobe Photoshop CS5 seminar. It was sponsored by NAPP which is the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. Scott Kelby was one of the speakers along with Matt Klokowski, RC Concepion, Corey Barker and others. There were a least a thousand people attending. The line to enter stretched the length of 34th street from 8th Ave to 9th.
The information to be learned is staggering.

On Sunday I was in Manhattan once again to attend a LIghtroom seminar presented by Adobe and given by Tom Hogarty the Adobe Lightroom project manager. The seminar was at Adorama in there 5th floor presentation room.
Once again I was dazzled by the information and more importantly what I can accomplish with and to my photographs. Amazing simply amazing.
After the Sunday seminar I walked up to 25 street and did some flea marketing.
It was the Gay rights parade on Sunday, the parade route is from 36 ST. to the village on 5th Ave.
Walking up to the 25 St. flea market I walked along 5th Ave, the amount of people on the street as well as the diversity of the marchers was just fantastic.
The marchers were dressed in as many outlandish, funny, interesting costumes as you can imagine.
There were parade floats from all over the world and I even saw a giant Macy's float.

I stay up on all the technology this is something that must be done.
Norm

A charming sentiment that somes up what I do

I have had this cartoon for a very long time. Before blogs and computers. Now there is a great way to share it with every body, my blog. I hope you feel the sentiment as I do.

Best wishes Norm

A beautiful Albanian wedding Saranda and Amon

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to photography for my great friend and fantastic videographer Bo. He asked me to photography a relative of his. 

Albanian weddings are very different from an American wedding. There is a separate reception just for the bride and her family and friends. 

The bride wears a beautiful gown but will not be actually getting married until July 5th where the wedding will take place in Albania.

I take must of the portraits before the reception then the bride is lead to into the reception area by one of her brothers and another family member. Once at the reception she dances traditional Albanian dance and then by custom she is to remain standing at the head table for most of the reception. She sits down just for a while to eat. The groom does come to the reception, in my case his family is composed of just his two sisters. 

Except for some more traditional dancing the groom does not interact with the bride.

After the reception just the bride and groom and myself went to the park for some portraits we had fun.

Because the groom only speaks Albanian I needed to use plenty of had gestures.

Take a look at the photos for a small glimpse into an Albanian wedding

Had fun at the water shooting the Elkins family

I had a great time photographing the Elkins family for their family portraits.
We went to this wonderful spot I know by the water. It has beach and rocks and all types of photo ops.

Brad the dad, Liza the mom and the twins Sam and Justin.

Look what I found at the Flea Market

I am a flea Market junkie. I never know what will turn up. I was perusing the Englishtown flea market one weekend. I noticed this strange looking chair sitting on top of the cab to a big pick-up truck.
I meandered over towards it and immediately thought (I had never seen anything like it,  it would be great and work great in the studio). It was relatively inexpensive but I did not purchase it right away.
I did my flea market thing and walked all around. Because the chair was so high up it could be seen from all over the market. I kept checking it was still there. Finally I was ready for home this chair was weighing on my mind. I decided you have to buy one of a kind things when you see them or so long item.
I bought it and  brought it to Marty the upholsterer at Englishtown in the blue building.  He did a great job and a great price. I am going to use this for kids, pets, brides, it is perfect.
Take a look.
See ya soon,
Norm

Great Dinner at a great price

Judy and I recently had the opportunity to dine at the new Texas Road House restaurant on Route 9 South in Old Bridge. Texas Road House replaced what used to be the Old Country Buffet.
You can choose your own steak from a refrigerated case or order from the many many choices.
Service was wonderful and the portion size very generous.
I would suggest leaving waiting time my prediction is long lines.
Menu runs from steaks to ribs to burgers and more.
Check it out you will have a great meal and a great time.
Have fun!
Norm

You are going to have our photo done: Now what to wear?

A photograph is a magnificent thing. It creates feelings and emotions, most times happy sometimes sad. Their value increases as the years pass. They go from valuable to invaluable. As soon as your image is captured it becomes a vital part of your family's history. Photographic images give us the ability to look back into our past, remember it and  experience it again. Photographs give us the opportunity to meet relatives we have never seen.

Once you decide to have a portrait done here are a few tips  that I would like to share.

These tips will help you and the family look great.

But remember regardless of what choices you make, we will create great photos during our time together.

If there are any questions call or email I will very happy to go over your ideas.

My tips:

If the portrait is be be done in the studio bring a number of wardrobe selections. We can capture just the right look.

If we travel to a location other than the studio,  beach or park for instance it is usually impossible to change your wardrobe. It is prudent to choose your wardrobe wisely. Please no sneakers unless they are great. Please wear black socks. Plan on leaving your cell phones, purse, accessories, bags, makeup etc in your car. If your keys are bulky I will carry them for you. We don't want bulky things in your pockets. The one exception is a hair brush. I will carry it for you.

Please make sure your clothing is pressed. An insignificant wrinkle may detract from an otherwise magnificent photo.

Avoid clothing featuring strong patterns, busy prints or logos. These styles will most certainly draw attention from your face.

Multiple layers of clothing can add weight and bulk, this may cause you to look as if you have added pounds.

It is difficult to focus attention to the face when bare arms are competing for attention in the photograph, this applies to very slender people as well as a little endowed. Please avoid sleeveless blouses, sweaters, shirts.

Bras and bra straps often cause problems, please ensure that your undergarments are not visible through your clothing.

Unless we are creating a "rugged man" look, guys should have a relative fresh shave.

A manicure for both men and women a day or two before is a very good idea.

Get a good nights sleep and avoid alcohol.  This helps to limit bags under the eyes. 

Couples, Families, Groups

When your photograph includes more than one person there are a couple of additional pointers to consider.

Creating a portrait is the same as decorating a room in your home. It should be harmonious,  all of its elements should flow and blend. As such matching wardrobe colors would be perfect. Blue jeans and denim shirts, or khaki or softer pastels . It is very important that in choosing a matching color scheme all colors match exactly. A new red shirt and a well washed red shirt will not look the same the color difference will be most apparent.. Put simply, matching works, it is simple and makes for wonderful photographs.

If matching is not your thing you may want to choose clothing in the same color palette (the same hues and tones). As an example everyone in earth tones or the same pastel hue.

However, please avoid highly contrasting colors. If everyone chooses to wear black shirts and one person chooses a white shirt that person will stand out very badly and will very apparent in the finished photograph.

When wearing sneakers the same tips apply they should all be similar in color clean and neat.

The same concept applies to shoes.  Feet will not be all photos, but when the feet show they need to blend into the overall composition.

And here is Maxwell I hope he is looking out for us

Here is our much loved Bernese Mountain Dog.
He was ill for over a year and passed away peacefully in his sleep.
We did not have to choose to do this. It hurts terribly when your pet dies.

Here is Knickerbocker

Knickerbocker was rescued also.
He is much bigger than Callie.

He is also very agile loves to chase for things.

Here is my Precious Cocker Spaniel Callie

Judy and I rescued this beautiful Cocker Spaniel. She is the best.

In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.
The average one-hour portrait session
First, let's look at the actual work involved:
    •    Travel to the session
    •    Setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc.
    •    Shoot the photos
    •    Travel from the session
    •    Load images onto a computer
    •    Back up the files on an external drive
    •    2 - 4 hours of Adobe® Photoshop® time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and backing up edited photographs. Proof photos are also ordered.
    •    2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship.
    •    Possibly meet clients at the studio to review photos and place order. Meeting and travel time average 2 hours.
You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into an eight-hour day or more from start to finish. So when you see a personal photographer charging a $200 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $200 per hour.
The eight-hour wedding
A wedding photographer typically meets with the bride and groom several times before and after the wedding. And it’s not uncommon to end up with 1,000 - 2,000 photos, much more than a portrait session. Many photographers spend 40-60 hours working on one eight-hour wedding if you look at the time that is truly involved. Again, when a wedding photographer charges $4,000 for eight hours of coverage, clients are NOT paying them $500 an hour!
(Don’t forget that the photographer runs the wedding day to some extent. A comfortable, confident wedding photographer can make a wedding day go more smoothly.)under $1,000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.
Most personal photographers take years to go from buying their first camera to making money with photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera, there is a mountain of other equipment and software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc. And don’t forget backdrops, props, rent, utilities, insurance, etc!
In addition to the financial investment, photographers actually have to have people skills to make subjects comfortable in front of the camera. Posing people to look their best is a skill by itself. You could argue that posing is a more important skill than actually knowing how to use the camera. A poorly exposed photo can be saved, but a badly posed photo cannot.
The chain store photo studio
Chain stores do have their place. For a very cheap price you can run in, shoot some quick photos, and be done with it. But you get what you pay for.
Consider the time and effort that a personal photographer puts into photographs, compared to a chain store. Store sessions last just a few minutes, while a personal photographer takes the time to get to know the people, makes them comfortable, makes them laugh. If a baby is crying at a chain store, they often don’t have the time (or the patience) to wait because everyone is in a hurry.
The truth is that many chain store studios lose money. In fact, Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios in 2007 because of the financial drain. What the chain stores bank on is a client coming in for quick, cheap photos…and while there, spending $200 on other items. They are there to get you in the door.
The real deal
Professional, personal photographers are just that—professionals. No different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician. But a personal photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished memories.
Maybe we need to help clients look at it this way: A pair of scissors costs $1.50 at the drugstore. Still, most people will gladly pay a lot more to hire a professional hair dresser to cut their hair.
The added attention and quality that a personal photographer gives is worth every penny.

Windows on the Water at Frogbridge

I am so happy to say that I work with Scott a great guy and head man at Windows on the Water at Frogbridge in Millstone Township.
The main room was recently renovated and is very elegant and refined.
The view over the lake is magnificent.
The food is top notch with service that cannot be beat.
Windows on the Water is a one event at a time venue.
It will surpass your expectations!

A sales pitch from an amateur photographer

Hi,
Getting married is one of the most important days in your life, so why not trust it to someone who is willing to work from free to cheap?

I have had a slr digital camera for a few good years now and I can take great pictures of landscapes and flowers.

I am wiling to do a few free weddings then I will be charging only $250.00 to spend all day with you.

I do not have insurance or backup equipment.
I do not have many different lenses and lighting equipment like the professional photographers have so I can do your photography much cheaper.

I also have not paid lots of money for training courses so I do not have to make the money back on that (beware that most of these photographers take continuing education courses every year keeping there skills up to date and learning what is new and trendy, but it is you the customer that pays for it).

Most professional photographers have lenses that cost as much as $1500.00 or more, and they have more than one.
I know the lens that came free with my consumer camera and a couple of others purchased cheap from Ebay do just as good a job!

Anyway I have not photographed any weddings before but I have been to many of my friends weddings so I know how it works and I need photos for my portfolio so I can start charging.

If you are interested please email me at letmepracticeonyourbigday@hotmail.com

If this interests you you might try a high school student or someone who was just laid off from a long career having nothing to do with photography.

But it is true you most certainly get what you don't pay for.

Well it has been quite a while since I placed a scoop.

Hello everyone,

It was a crazy time for us. Judy and I moved our location from Willow Pointe to a wonderful new place at 800 Tennent Road in Manalapan. We are located on the second floor right above the Brace Place. This location is just at the intersection of Tennent Road, Gordons Corner Road, and Route 9.
Our new location has warm cozy feel and everything is neat and uncluttered.

Over the winter our beloved bernese mountain dog Maxwell passed away. He was ill for awhile.
He died peacefully in his sleep.
We still have our two cocker spaniels. Callie and Knickerbocker they are wonderful and great fun.