livebooks blog

Jim Vasquez been a photographer for over 30 years.  He was a commercial photographer for 10 of those 30 years, but left due to some disillusionment and burnout.  He was a master B&W printer, and continues to have a great passion for B&W.  He quit printing years ago due to lower back issues from standing in front of an enlarger for hours on end, so needed to look elsewhere.  The new digital age has reawakened his love for doing music photography, especially portraits! To see more of his work, visit his liveBooks website: http://jimvasquezphotography.com

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

JV: Simple, Visual, Graphic.

Q: How often do you typically update your website?

JV: Constantly.  I like to find out what is working for me visually.  I am always taking new images so I want to keep updating on a constant basis to keep interest in my work.

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

JV: I went with a single photo that really says what I am all about.  There are different views about a single image vs a collage.  A single image should make a statement about your work and encourage the visitor to look further, “come on in”.   A collage can be overload and appear busy.  I struggle with this idea of keeping things simple and talk to art directors for their opinion.  We live in an instant gratification age.

Q: What is your favorite new feature of liveBooks8?

JV:  There are so many that it is hard to pick one.  I like being able to individualize my site with customization on fonts, backgrounds, and colors.

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

JV: Show the work that defines you.  In my early days I tried to cover all the bases and it just didn’t work.  I am now doing what I love and I hope people see that in my work.

Art Becker is a multi-faceted photographer based in St. Petersburg, Florida. He believes that photography is about sharing a moment and he uses his Nikon camera with Nikkor lenses to capture his subjects. To see more of his work, visit his liveBooks website now: www.artbeckerphoto.com.

Being a photographer is my job, but it’s also a part of my life. I’m passionate about what I do and I want those who see my work to be moved by it. It’s my hope they will experience what I’ve experienced and “get” what it is I’m trying to say. If I accomplish that, my career will have been worthwhile.

The bonus is, I get to create cool moments as I go along. In some mysterious way maybe it changes a life, an outlook, a mood or even just a few minutes in the day. That is enough for me.

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

AB: Simply, Creative, Graphic. I wouldn’t change anything about it.

Q: How often do you typically update your website?

AB: Choosing the photos that I display on my homepage is simple. The choices I make are based on the visual impact of each image. It has to have a strong composition and light to attract the viewers. The first image – the little girl peeking over the edge, the story behind it is to take a look inside. The second  – there’s beauty in the clouds, just look up. Third – out of a plane window with natural light creating the composition. And last, the magic of twilight – my favorite time of day to photograph.

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

AB: How often do I change the images? At very least once a week. It’s my belief in order to keep your existing audience coming back. To attract new ones, I create new imagery for them to view.

Q: What is your favorite new feature of liveBooks8?

AB: One of the best features of my new website is that it’s easy to navigate. You simply click on portfolios and view the images of your choice. My older clients love it and new clients are sending me requests. I couldn’t ask for better results than that.

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

AB: The one piece of advice if you are creating a new site is to keep it simple, make it visually driven and easy for a client to, as I say, “Find Art”.

Have a website you’d like us to feature? Email us at social@livebooks.com.

Kimerlee Curyl is a photographer dedicated to capturing the beauty of wild horses. She currently resides in Santa Ynez, California with her two horses – a paint mare named Sequoia and a newly-adopted wild mustang called El Regalo. She is represented by one of the country’s largest fine art publishers, prestigious galleries, along with national, international, and celebrity collectors. Her work has been used in numerous advertising campaigns and product branding. Most importantly, it has become a small voice for those who don’t have one…our remaining wild horses. To see more of her work, visit her liveBooks8 website: www.kimerleecuryl.com.

I love all things WILD, believe ‘Art has a voice’ and am ridiculously in love with horses. That is what fuels the core of my work. If I’m not working on a gallery project, editing or out in the wild photographing our iconic wild horses in their beautiful home wild territory, I’m riding and playing with the coolest wild horse you will ever meet. Lucky for me, I’m surrounded by wild horse, the teaching and art of the horse every day of my life. Photography has been a love most of my life, taking my first class in high school and still have the project that earned me probably the only A+ that entire school year. I spent my 20s and 30s studying the art of acting in Hollywood and upon a visit to an orphanage in Tijuana in 2003 with my last coach, a 35mm camera in hand, a shift was made. I feel like I “returned” to something I was very intrigued by in my youth. Once a stunning mare entered my life in 2004 and the plight of our wild horses was revealed to me, I was captured and never looked back. Art and advocacy became my passion, photography my medium, horses my heart.

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

KC: Inspiring, Contemporarily Clean (I hope anyway).

Q: How often do you typically update your website?

KC: I have been with liveBooks since 2006, the initial site layout I used until this year! Colors, sizing, fonts (and images) have changed but I not only loved the simplistic look to my site, I received many accolades regarding it, so stuck with it. With the new platform and new available templates, I wanted to change it up a bit, so it’s been a work in progress this year.

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

KC: I like that I can change the homepage. If I have an opening or event coming up, it’s great to have the option to rotate what is featured here.

Q: What is your favorite new feature of liveBooks8?

KC: I have always loved the fact that I can edit without having to hire someone for each change, can update or change something in a moments notice. And while the new platform had a minor learning curve (for me), it’s now easy to navigate around. I also loved that I could incorporate my blog onto this site versus navigating away to separate site for it. Over the years with liveBooks, I have also very much appreciated the customer service I have received.

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

KC: While you might be inspired by others, be unique and share your voice. That should be the heart of every artist and shine through in your website.

Have a website you’d like us to feature? Email us at social@livebooks.com.

Michael R. Soluri is a New York City based fine art documentary photographer, speaker and author of Infinite Worlds: the People and Places of Space Exploration (Simon & Schuster). His work is widely published, exhibited and in permanent collections. He also has made presentation at a number of national museums and NASA related venues. Michael’s photography has appeared in numerous American, European, and Brazilian print and online publications like WIRED, Smithsonian Magazine, New Scientist, New York Times, Time, Discover, Air & Space, NPR, Family Circle, Mother Earth News, Wired UK, Grazia, Amica, Vogue Brasil and Claudia. To see more of Michael’s work, visit his liveBooks8 website: www.michaelsoluri.com

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

MS: Visual, elegant, graphic.

Q: How often do you typically update your website?

MS: I seek consistency in my visual branding. As a result, there is not any set time. I typically update when I feel a need to revise gallery images, copy text, or make new additions to my Media.

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

MS: Because my website is custom-designed, I use only one photograph. As a result, it is a challenging communication process based on an essential question that I explore from the user point-of-view: What is the visual essence of what I do?

Q: What is your favorite new feature of liveBooks8?

MS: Personal control over the design specifications, aesthetics, and gallery elements of my site.

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

MS: Patience. It’s a learning curve. Be prepared for a creative journey in designing and implementing every aspect of your site.

Have a website you’d like us to feature? Email us at social@livebooks.com.