Happy New Year

Happy New Year from DSP! 2010 was hard to let go of - thanks to some great fans and creative clients it was DSP's most successful year yet! For those of you laughing, yes it was the second full year but the business has planted some serious roots here in Colorado and the future promises to be brighter than ever.

I finished out 2010 in Michigan with some much needed time off visiting family and friends in the town I grew up in. Santa still found me though, and brought me an iPad under the condition that I use it for good and not just old YouTube reruns of South Park. So far so good - its a great way to quick view my images when I'm in the field and makes it even more difficult to avoid writing about myself for my friends to chew on. So, like a good Apple slave I'm sitting in the living room drooling over the latest toy instead of typing on one of the other three computers in the studio...

Back in the "Mitten" I had the opportunity to photograph Ghosts of August, an up-and-coming hard rock band getting serious airplay on Detroit radio. The group took me to the Lafayette Grand, an old Masonic Temple turned banquet facility in Pontiac. The building is huge, one of the tallest in the city - with at least one floor haunted part-time by some spirits reluctant to leave now that the party is getting good. No spooks in the martini lounge where we started, but the basement had me checking my back on more than one occasion.

There was an old cement coal chamber filled to about 15 feet with rust stains dripping from high above. The guys were pretty comfortable in front of the lens though and climbed right up for a great group shot. The old blast furnace in the next room had burned out long ago and the nail boards strewn about threatened tetanus but no one listened, the scene was too perfect.

It's sessions like this that make a photographer grow and inspired me to push my creative boundaries in 2011. I hope to focus more on the commercial music industry rising in Denver - starting with another hard rock outfit that came close to winning "Best Band in Denver" in 2010. More on that later, but thanks again to all my supporters for making the last year such a pleasure to live. Do me a favor and subscribe to the blog, I can use the encouragement to keep writing - even if it's just to keep me off YouTube.

My Xmas gift from little sis and her husband. A vintage film camera and President Obama. My guess is only one of these is going to work as advertised...

Beauty and the Breast

National Breast Cancer Awareness reigns this month so DSP and Misha Photography are hosting a fundraiser for the non-profit, Sense of Security - a compassionate organization that provides relief from financial hardship for Colorado breast cancer patients who are in treatment.

We’re donating a generous portion of the proceeds from our gorgeous boudoir sessions to the cause.

Contact Misha Photography at 720-540-3316 for details.

Another year has zipped by, and another birthday has forced some serious reflection and professional focus on my part. First, I am grateful to be in a creative profession – commercial and portrait photography – where I’m ‘living the dream’ among other Coloradans who chose this magnificent lifestyle. I’ll never take it for granted.

My professional dreams are getting bigger. It’s time for creative leaps, fresh sources of inspiration and infinite possibilities. Watch for modern techniques, crisp imagery, and edgy compositions bursting with color to be added to my portfolio.

I’ll be flying out this month to NYC to attend the pdn PHOTOPLUS International Conference and Expo. It’s billed in the industry as the top tradeshow for photography and imaging, with mega exhibitors, innovative products, and informative seminars. I always return from these trips with more ideas than I can handle, but this year I’ll be posting some of them on the blog so fans can keep me honest!

I’m boosting my social network communication, so expect regular blog posts and website updates, Facebook which includes my Dustin Sheffield Photography Fan page where you’ll catch all the breaking business news, promotions and contests.

Add me to your business network on LinkedIn and I’ll do the same. Recommend me, or share your connections, and I’ll give you a percentage off your next studio session.

Interested in photography? Not sure how to get started? Subscribe to the blog and you’ll be the first to watch me shoot on location or in my photo studio via future YouTube posts. Nothing fancy, just a look into my world and some insight into how I do what I do.

I blame the heat.

What a crazy summer! I've been shooting so much I'm considering hiring someone just to keep the blog going... any volunteers? But seriously between the seniors, children and family sessions and the weddings in Michigan (Little Sis is taking the plunge in July!) I haven't had a spare minute to post even a few pics. For those of you faithful fans out there, I just posted a bunch of new stuff on the fan page - and I PLAN on revamping the seniors gallery by the end of the month. Maybe I would get more done if I wasn't insanely picky about the website, but I don't see that changing anytime soon...

I've just started on an Equestrian Series for a friend out in the Chatfield Resevoir and I can't get enough of these beautiful animals. I'm considering doing a small number of Equestrian shoots on location for clients wishing to be photographed with (what my mom calls her "Other Son") their horses. I'll post more images later, but it's absolutely stunning out there in the summer - let me know if you're interested!

2011 DSP Senior Model Program Official Guidelines

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS - It's that time again!  The 2011 DSP Senior Model Program is underway and we are taking applications for Seniors graduating in 2011.  We're looking for outgoing, image conscious students that want to make an impact this year with their work - and be rewarded for it!

The Program is simple.  We're searching for models to be the focus of our senior marketing pieces next year.  Models will be featured on the website, fan page and mailers as well as some specialty pieces so we want the most intriguing looks and we're ready to pay for it!

Sessions:  Each senior model will get the best of ALL worlds when it comes to their locations. Participants will get to book out three locations - One outdoor (Red Rocks, Botanic Gardens, Chautauqua, etc.)  One Downtown Denver (Little Raven, Art Museum, Graffiti Art, etc.) and One In-Studio session.  These sessions have extended hours for a total FULL DAY SHOOT! Locations are specifically chosen to compliment each models unique style, so a planning session is required.

Post-Session:  Models will view their images at DSP Studio and select their favorite five images for their custom Comp Card.  This card will be designed and posted on the DSP Fan Page for fans to vote on!  There's a limit of one vote per fan per candidate but Models can recruit as many new fans as they like to vote on their work!  This is why personality is just as important as looks for this contest, you've got to want it!  

Now for the good part - the PRIZES:

Grand Prize:  (One Girl and One Guy)  $200 Visa Gift Card 

     50 Pearl Quality Comp Cards

     100 Custom Graduation Announcements

Runner Up:  (One Girl and One Guy)    65 Custom Graduation Announcements

Like Free Stuff?  Well there's more good news.  Model program participants receive $25.00 off their order for each successfully booked referral they bring in!  That means if you get each fan you recruit to book their session at DSP, you could get your order for free!!  

Votes will be tallied in early September.  All model applications must be submitted by July 15th, 2010.  Model sessions are very time intensive and therefore require a $100 deposit to reserve their appointment.  Deposit will be applied towards total order.  

Mallows

A good friend of mine shared this video with me.  Nothing to do with photography, just hilarious.  Which kid were you? 

 The Marshmallow Test