livebooks blog

Congratulations to liveBooks client, Stephen Guenther, for winning a Silver Award in the Graphis Photography Annual 2018!

This image was taking on the Bahama Island of Andros. Stephen describes the inspiration behind the image:

“I have alway been drawn to spectacular light and the Bahama light is just that. The truth is that the light many time will wake you in the morning, and I happened to grab my camera as I went out to find a cup of coffee. On the way back the path, this image simply presented itself., I am sure both the quality and color of the light only lasted a few minutes. This image has stayed with me and represents the best of a Bahamian landscape.”

Stephen’s photography functions in a few different genres: Travel, nonprofit and fine art. He has more than twenty years of creative direction in film, video, interactive and print. Functioning as Design Director, Film Director, Executive Producer and Creative Lead. He tries to inspire creativity in both his crew and clients, to function as a creative instigator.

Congratulations, Stephen! See more of Stephen’s work here.

Wendy Hope began with her photography background rooted in “music and celebrity” driven campaigns and advertorials. Eventually she segued those relationships and my body of work into “beauty and cosmetics” which is her current arena.

Wendy studied abroad and while in Paris she was introduced to a photographer who mentored Mark Seliger and at the time Mark was Chief Photographer of Rolling Stone Magazine and on contract. When she returned, she landed an internship with him! She learned the business & etiquette, lighting, cameras & film, and all things darkroom. Then, Wendy branched out and began assisting other photographers until she learned enough and was able to make the jump with my own identity.

Q&A with Wendy Hope Photography

Q1: How would you describe the aesthetic of your website?

WH: Clean and Chic.

Q2: How often do you typically update your website?

WH: That depends on how busy I am and the schedule and release dates of new published work. I try to update monthly however it’s more often a bigger overhaul bi-monthly.

Q3: How do you choose the photos that you display on your homepage?

WH: It depends which opening image looks modern & fresh and which is my favorite at that moment. I also consider where I am (NY vs. LA) and who I’m targeting at that time. Usually I look for something with whites so it works with my design and also has a bit of graphic punch for high impact.

Q4: What is your favorite feature of liveBooks?

WH: It’s easy to update manually with options to change fonts and design.

Q5: What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to someone designing their website?

WH: Keep your design clean so the focus remains on the content and the work itself. Keep in mind loading time as well, it’s important.

Victor Koroma is based in Los Angeles and considers himself a mixed media photographer that thinks like a painter. His work aims to find the beauty in everyday recognizable objects. Transforming them beyond their banality into objects of desire that encourage you to think of them in new ways.

Mixed media photography. Contemporary pop. It blurs the boundary of what photography is by mixing it with other mediums. Utilizing elements of paintings, illustrations, and photography. He started hovering around the photo industry when Hearst Magazine International reached out to him with a request from Esquire Ru to published some photographs in print from one of his series on one of their issues. But overall, he would say that at times, he thinks he was genetically born with an eye for photography that skateboarding, art school, and working have helped him develop.

Q&A with Victor Koroma

Q: How would you describe the aesthetic of your website in three words?

VK: Minimal. Organized. Clean.

Q: How often do you typically update your website?

VK: Though my eyes aggressively tend to comb over it weekly in attempt to spot any aspects I find annoying or irritating that I want to adjust there’s not a specific time frame I have. Apart from that I normally only make updates on either two occasions. One. I have brought a new series to fruition which i would like to share. Two. A new piece of information presents itself that needs to be either added or corrected in some fashion.

Q: How do you choose the photos that you display on your homepage?

VK: This was a head ache inducing issue I thought about for sometime actually. I approached the design of my homepage by placing myself in the perspective of the person viewing it. I asked myself, what images would entice a viewer to spend more time on my website? What images would best represent my work and communicate my overall vision? The images on my site currently answer those questions. Whenever I come across new images that are more of a representation of that vision, i replace them. In totality, the images on my homepage are a means to the end of alluring.

Q: What is your favorite feature of liveBooks8?

VK: I mostly enjoy the amount of control I have with the seemingly endless customization tools.

See more of Victor’s work: www.victorkphotography.com

Tara O. became interested in photography around age ten, when she began setting up photo sessions of her younger sister in their bedroom, using a play 35mm camera, play clothes to dress her sister up and stuffed animals as props. She participated in elective photo classes in high school, where she fell in love with the dark room. Her passion continued as she pursued her degree in Fine Art at Arizona State University where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Photography in 2008.

As she ended her formal art education, she started to narrow in on portraiture exclusively, and simultaneously continued to fall into the niche world of retro styling. She has specialized in pinup portraits most of her ten year professional career.

Q1: How would you describe the aesthetic of your website in three words?

TO: Babes, babes and – babes!

Q2: How often do you typically update your website?

TO: I update my website whenever I have a new image that I feel exemplifies my work really well, it’s so easy to add an image to my galleries whenever the feeling strikes me!

Q3: How do you choose the photos that you display on your homepage?

TO: It’s so hard to decide what to feature on the very front page of my site, but I picked a handful that I feel really shows the type of images I strive for with my clients. I love working with women of all shapes, sizes, colors and in varying levels of modesty.

Q4: What is your favorite feature of liveBooks8?

TO: I love the template designs for liveBooks. They are clean and crisp, which puts the attention on your images- which is important to me as a photographer. I want my photos to be what is the most prevalent and noticeable on my website, without extra frills distracting from my work.

Q5: What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to someone designing their website?

TO: Reach out to colleagues or mentors to help you edit your images. Sometimes less is more and a well curated website is vital.

I’m so lucky to have been using liveBooks for several years. Adding and updating my website couldn’t be simpler and doesn’t take up time I need for so much of the other work that goes into being a photographer!

Check out more from Tara O. Photos: http://taraophotos.com/