Studio Lighting Equipment - For Sale

We're in the process of upgrading all of our studio lighting gear, so we have some great, near perfect condition, equipment available for sale. We'll be putting this up for sale on EBAY and craigslist in about a week, but wanted to give our readers and friends of Towner Jones, "first dibs." As an incentive to find it a good home with someone who follows the blog, if it's purchased by one of our blog readers, TJP will pay the shipping. (A big deal, some of this stuff is pretty heavy)

What we're selling is a perfect intermediate studio starter kit. All of the products are from Paul C. Buff's "Alien Bees" line of studio lights. These are well built, and if taken care of (these have been babied as the photo shows), they will last long time.

(Sound good so far? More details are a click away...)

A Little Late - Jones Family Christmas Card

I was having a discussion earlier with Rosie about tonight's blog entry, when I realized that (as usual) in the craziness that is the Christmas season for photographers - we had failed to send out our Christmas card. This has sort of become a tradition in the Jones house since usually the time around the holiday is filled with rush photo orders and card designs for friends and clients.

Not wanting it to go to waste, I thought I'd post it here. I had just finished up a session in the studio for some friends when one of my daughters wandered into the studio and wanted her picture taken. One by one, they all decided they wanted a turn in front of the camera. (This is an exceptionally rare occurrence so I had to seize the chance)

For those of you that don't know, the virtues listed next to each child also happen to be their middle names. :-)

We hope that you had a very blessed Christmas, and very happy New Year. (Good tidings are good tidings even if they're a little late in delivery...)

For The Photographers:

Camera: Nikon D3, Nikon 24-70mm (52mm), 1/200s @ f/11.0, ISO 100, Lights: AB800s

Post: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe Lightroom 3.6

Portrait Photography (Maternity) - Melanie

I started taking a look around the image library in order to see where I should pick back up with the blog. To be honest, it was a little depressing to see just how little we posted last year. I feel like I should apologize to those of you that kept stopping by, as I think we only post about a dozen times all of last year! In any event, we'll pick back up with a lovely shot from a maternity session I did last May. Melanie (you may remember her from the river shots) was a beautiful mom-to-be. Both her attitude and comfort in front of the camera came through in the shots. Throughout the entire session I was able to see the anticipation in her eyes with each 'Gentle Reminder' of what was ahead.

For The Photographers:

Setup: Nikon D3, Nikon 24-70mm (60mm), 1/80s @ f/9.0, ISO 100

Post: Adobe Lightroom 3.6

Towner Jones Photography - Five Year Anniversary

We're back! As promised we've reenergized the business and reentered cyberspace in celebration of Towner Jones Photography's Five Year Anniversary! As small business owners, we will certainly vouch for the fact that five years is a major milestone for a little company and we want to say thanks to all of you for your contribution. We feel extremely blessed for the growth that we've experienced, for the good times we've had, and for the wonderful relationships we've established as a result of Towner Jones.

Our first big news item for 2012 is that thanks to our sweet wedding clients and their reviews, we've been named one of The Knot's "Best of Weddings" 2012. This is a huge honor in the highly competitive Washington DC wedding photography market, and we're extremely excited to have been picked. Be on the lookout for the official announcement from the Knot at the end of this month, and thank you to all our clients for sharing your wedding day with us!!

With that news, and all our grand plans we're extremely excited about what the next five years have in store. We're expanding our offerings to our clients, tailoring our business processes, and reaching out to the photography community and today I'd like to share a little about what's going on.

The Blog

First off, you've probably noticed that the blog has been "refreshed." We're trying to make it a little more friendly for our customers as our research has shown it's one of the main avenues to our shop. We'll be advertising our specials here on the blog as well as well as proofing some of our client work (so make sure to tell your friends!)

We're still in the process of reorganizing, but if you're a fellow photographer, you're going to want to keep an eye on the "Features for Photographers" section, as that's going to be your go to location for all of our photography resources. Here you'll (eventually) find a consolidated list of our contests, tutorials, photowalks, etc.

Shout out to my buddy Chris, talented owner and lead photographer of Christopher Breedlove Photography in Lynchburg, VA who shot the photo of Rose and I in the left sidebar of the blog. Thank you brother for the awesome shot!

The Website

Like the blog, the main website (www.townerjones.com) is getting a facelift as well. It's going to be rolled out sometime in the next two weeks. This will still be the primary location for our clients to find information about the business and contact us for an appointment.

The Galleries

We've upgraded our preview gallery software (galleries.townerjones.com) so client galleries should be easier to navigate with bunches of new options available to customize your purchases.

Social Media

Our facebook and twitter pages are back up and running. (Please "Like Us" on the facebook tab to your right on the sidebar) We're going to start using facebook more for our marketing (with some specials only listed there) - the twitter, no promises, but we're going to try to use that too.

Lots of Photos

The one advantage of my pathetic blogging record over the last year is that we've got TONS of new photos to share with you all. So be on the lookout. ("A likely story" says your inner monologue, "there's not even a single photo in this blog entry..." - Trust me.... lots of photos)

Sponsor Deals and Goodies

We've regaged with our sponsors and will be offering more goodies on the blog. Gift certificates, photo gear, books, prints - all kinds of stuff - in addition to more reviews and product info. Thanks to continued support from B&H, onOne Software, and WHCC - we love you guys!!! Be on the lookout for some new sponsors too!

Business Practices

I mentioned in a previous blog post that we're doing a even more behind the scenes than what you see on the surface. From turning around photos more quickly for our clients, to our methods or organizing and archiving clients' work, to simplifying pricing structures and adding product choices - there are a LOT of changes rolling out in 2012. For our clients, we're looking forward to sharing them with you. For our fellow photographers, we're planning on sharing tons of it right here on the blog - in the spirit of building a supportive business community.

That's All For Now... THANK YOU FOR FIVE GREAT YEARS!!

Merry Christmas - Share the Love

Hello All.

Our blog is experiencing a "Kelby Bump" as is usually the case when Scott mentions us over at the Photoshop Insider. We want to take the opportunity to share the love this Christmas by requesting that you visit Springs of Hope Kenya and make a generous donation to support children desperately in need of a little love this Christmas.

The support we in the photography community provide during the photowalk each year is certainly a blessing, but the need  is great, and your support all year long will help continue the mission of taking care of these great kids.

Thank you for your consideration, and have a very blessed Christmas.

- Rob and Rose