Veronica Nesmet meets "3001: A Space Odyssey" As mentioned in the previous blog, "The Nuts & Bolts of Entertainment"...I'm currently playing the role of Veronica Nesmet in the spaceship comedy, Cosmic Con at Central High School on July 14-16. This dynamic playwright by Dinah Toups, will take your adventures to new and greater heights. This is where my real life character meets Veronica, the movie actor. All for the Livingston Parish Children's Choir fundraiser! Can you think of a better way to share time and talents? Come see me as, Veronica "movie actor" and this adventurous cast. Fly me to the moon! Promotional Photography for a cause! Alan Knight with Captured by Knight dedicated time to capture many shots from a recent rehearsal. One particular snapshot, is now featured in the Arts & Entertainment *Front Page* section of The Livingston Parish News, which also features Minnesota tourists... Tenya Ingalls and Ken Nance. Todd and I captured several photos along the way, including the featured headliner of variety cosplayers. Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions believes in giving back through community fundraising opportunities. We are thrilled to be a vital part of this comedic production! So, how can I get on-board to this awesome show?
Tickets are still on sale for $35 a seat or $240 for a table of 8. Go to www.LPCCsing.org (Paypal) or call/text Barbara Walkers (225) 247-8555. Get your tickets now, as we are selling out fast! This includes a dinner buffet catered by Bantaa, choice of several entrees/sides and dessert. Not to mention, door prizes and raffles! Many surprises are in store. Join us and stay tuned! Star Roberts Singer, Actress & Writer Editorial & Marketing Assistant Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions
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The eyes have it! In this week's blog post, I'm going to cover another one of my pet peeves...catchlight. So, what exactly is catchlight? A “catchlight" is simply the highlight of a light source reflected off the surface of the eye. This highlight adds depth and dimension to the eye, and gives the eyes life in a portrait or snapshot. In this short blog post, I'll share light sources that easily produce catchlight including:
featured photo Cathy Imson's Images Proper catchlight... Catchlight has existed long before any of our DLSR cameras or cameras for that matter. See the portrait painters of that time, knew where to place that little white reflection of light above the iris. While many argue the placement between either 11:00 to 1:00 o'clock or 10:00 - 2:00 o'clock, this I know ; Without some degree of catchlight, your model or client will appear like the walking dead. Not the most flattering when trying to have your images stand out, right?
How can I become a communication vessel of social media? Building an online presence and being able to interact effectively online is becoming an increasingly important skill in every area of life. Social media continues to provide people with endless benefits and opportunities to empower yourself in an expansive variety of ways. Because of those expansive forms of communication made available, we can now maintain social connections and access more information than ever before. Such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Ultimately, it's invaluable for establishing long term business and personal relationships. So, I know you're asking yourself..."How can I become a communication vessel of social media?" And to answer that pondering question, let's move on to...my position as Media & Marketing Assistant of Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions. Following, you can then get a clear understanding of not only how to use online communication to it's fullest potential, yet learn how to become an ambassador of social media. One of the most important factors in what I do, As Media & Marketing Assistant, I always start each day by mapping out a detailed marketing plan, which includes editorial writing across all social media outlets. To ensure these things get implemented, the mapping out process sets the overall tone for the day. Each administration Monday, we collaborate new ideas and marketing strategies to keep things flowing in the right direction. One of the most important factors in what I do, is scoping out updated content and data on Music Entertainment and Promotional Photography. The four communication vessels... This helps to deliver the most precise and engaging information. I've always said, "Know who your audience is. Know your business. Know your services and products. Most of all, know how to provide the best quality at reasonable prices." That being said...rather you utilize social media for business or personal, keep in mind these four communication vessels...
Are you ready to be on board? Are you starting to see how social networking plays such a vital role in people’s lives, talents and businesses? While social networks brings excitement, it also encourage creativity and discovery. We are slowly becoming ambassador's of social media through these many social channels. Who's ready to be on board? The benefits of social media is right in the palm of your hands! We want to hear your thoughts, too. Go ahead and Like, Comment, Share, @ Tweet! Star Roberts
Media & Marketing Assistant Booking Manager Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions [email protected] So, what do I do with my hands? You are the model and this is your first photo shoot. You arrive early, makeup on point and having your best hair day. You greet the photographer and begin posing for a few test shots. Now, chemistry is building and the photographer is asking you to make slight adjustments with your eyes, smile and body language. You start to notice that you feel a little awkward, as your hands seem to just dangle. "Does the positioning of my hands affect the picture?", You ask yourself, "After all, the photographer will tell me what to do, right?" Very possible if the photographer knows the rules, yet what if this is his or her first shoot? Perhaps it's best everyone has a basic understanding of posing. Let's start... There are over thirty five different rules for creating a great pose from the eyes to the feet, where to crop and so on. In this blog post, I'm going to cover one of my greatest pet peeves; the hands. Have you ever seen an image of a beautiful model, yet she looked a little masculine? Or just the opposite, a very muscular man though something didn't seem quite right? As simple as tilting the head and hands may make all the difference. OK, great! So again, where do I place or how do I place my hands? A general rule to start with, is to always keep your hands on different plains. In the image to the left the model has one side placed on her thigh and the other open hand at the base of her hair. Each hand is illustrating her "feminine" side. Which lead's us to our next topic. Feminine or masculine? The Feminine Hand Rule. Of all the rules, the hand rules for me is where the art in my personal images begins. It then is followed by the eyes. In the image to the right, each hand is on different plains as discussed. Secondly, the open side of the right hand is placed to the camera along with pinky side of her left hand. This creates a very natural looking feminine look. If the thumb shows, the thumb would then be curved. When photographing female models, unless you are demonstrating power (fitness, karate, holding tools, etc.)...generally, you'll keep the front and sides of the hands to the camera rather than the back. Hence, feminine. Do you see now where the hands create a softness to the image? The Masculine Hand Rule. Since I became educated in hand placement, I also became very conscious of my own hand positions. When being photographed or even a selfie, I make best effort to display the backside of my hand. This gives a male model a more masculine look, as generally that's what you are shooting for. Depending on the message you wish to send, the sides of a male hand will follow the same rules as a female. For me and I'll leave this here, I prefer the backside or knuckle side when taking pictures unless I'm holding an object, eye glasses or etc... and just a slight tilt of the head...Live or Memorex? Who remembers the 1981 "Is it Live or is it Memorex" commercial? When deciding between booking a DJ or doing it yourself from an IPhone, ask yourself..."Would I rather live or Memorex music entertainment? In this article, I'll be sharing with you the variances between both sides of DJ/Karaoke entertainment. Following this informative overview, I want to hear from each of you. As the Booking Manager for Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions, I continue to see the great benefits of having a live DJ for your events, wedding and venues. Those benefits include: Personalized Set List, announcement of certain guests/family, lighting effects, interaction with the crowd and ease of having to do it yourself. While you're having fun and interacting, your DJ is taking care of the rest! Throughout the years, IPhone's have become an "all in one source." Basically, if you can envision it...there's an app for that. In fact, so much focus is geared toward the easier and non expensive route of doing it ourselves. Nothing can replace *person to person* interaction and through live DJ/Karaoke entertainment, you'll get both the digital and personalized service. Just ask our two DJ's...Kevin Roberts with KR Productions and Robert Brown with Slip of the Disc DJ/Karaoke. They know first hand, what's necessary to keep your evening rocking! After discussing the different approaches to each, wouldn't you rather have a live DJ? I invite you to book your next DJ/Karaoke service with us. Ask me about our *individually tailored* package prices. Booking now for Fall, Winter and even into 2017! Thank you for taking a moment to tune in for "Live or Memorex." Now it's time to share your views! While you're here, let's get that DJ/Karaoke servce booked. Ok? Written & Published by:
Star Roberts Editorial & Marketing Assistant Booking Manager ~Actress, Singer & Writer~ [email protected] How valuable is your time? You've heard the ole saying, "time is money?" In this week's blog post, we are going to focus on effective time management. I mean let's face it, every time you turn around another social media channel is being created. When is enough; enough? Text message, voice messages, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram & Twitter. What ever happen to just having a website & email address? How does one keep up? How do you manage all of these channels effectively? Let's face it, you have a life too, right? Do you feel your anxiety starting to build? That's where this week's story begins. How to utilize technology to make better use of your time. Arrange, organize & prioritize! It wasn't long after I came into the auto sales industry, I learned my first sales word, a "lead". In today's world, over 90% of car buyers shop online. They browse popular websites, they enter their information (inquiry) and submit. As a professional salesman, my position is to then determine which are qualified to buy or a qualified lead. In a days time I effectively manage over 100 leads because they are all arranged, organized and prioritized. OK, so I'll leave the car sales for my day job. Let's begin, you wake up on a Saturday morning, you have Facebook messages, text messages you notice your inbox is full. How do you prioritize who you respond to first? How do you keep up? As mentioned, the first step is to arrange your contacts "leads". I mean, the majority of these messages are people wanting to hire you, right? If not, we'll cover that later down the road. How to prospect! OK, so here are a few suggestions. I recommend searching for task management apps or utilizing your existing calendar program, such as Google ICal, Outlook or the likes. There's plenty task management tools out there. In it's most simplest form, your smart phone probably has this capability such as daily reminders, calendar and contacts. I take it a little further. I used a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) application called Insightly. I'm currently using the free version which allows up to 3 users, 2000 records and 200mb of storage. Even with weekly activity I'm a ways from a paid subscription; though missing out on email campaign capabilities. Choose what's best for you. So, great! You've now learned how to arranged this wealth of information coming at you. It's time to organize. This leads us to the most effective time management tool there is. Now last yet not least, you need to arrange time to manage this. This is what I call administration day, as many of you reading this have seen on Facebook. Primarily this day is Monday's for me. I created a generic agenda and chose Monday. The first day of the week. See, given I'm involved in entertainment, I'm generally very busy towards the weekend. Mondays for me is my most productive day of the week. Great, what about my day? Maybe for you a Saturday works better or even a Wednesday, regardless of which day it is, the process will be the same. Alright Todd, great so what do I do next? So, in my day planner under notes, I've created an agenda that I follow every week. Here's a sample of how yours may look.
Of course you would create an agenda that is tailored to you. You may be more active in other social channels. This is a generic template that I use. Notice that finances is part of this? This may look similar to a content calendar though for me it's more of an agenda. I generally start out by opening multiple tabs from a desktop computer. Given I'm also involved with booking management, this is a guideline to keep on track with my goals. An uninterrupted morning is typically 2-3 hours. So, you've now received leads through out the week. You've learned how to organize them and even established a specific time weekly to focus. Now it's time to prioritize. For this, I'll let you decide which is priority to you as you may have offers that either include income or opportunities for exposure. Both have significant value! Remember, Time is Money! Stay tuned for more blog post each week, as I dive deeper into using Social Media more effective to network, prospect and get hired. Models featured: Faith Webster, Ashley Bush. Photography by Brian Wright Photography.Have you ever wondered how all forms of entertainment are closely related? For example, Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions focuses on multi platform entertainment varieties, such DJ/Karaoke, Live Music and Promotional Photography. Each resource intertwines to make what I like to call..."The Nuts and Bolts of Entertainment." Recently, I was contacted by Tracey Pears Ardoin to fulfill the roles of Veronica Nesmet and Cosmic Dancer in the upcoming LPCC Dinner Theatre 2016 "Cosmic Con." Prior to this remarkable opportunity, I've spent several passionate years as an Actress, in both Theatre and Movie Screen. Cosmic Con is written by Writer and Director, Dinah Walker Toups. No matter your field of expertise and talent is within the entertainment industry, you can clearly see the connection between all involved in this great art. A prime example is this ultimate definition... Entertainment: *The action of providing or being provided with amusement or enjoyment. *An event, performance, or activity designed to entertain others. *A theatrical entertainment *The action of receiving a guest or guests and providing them with food and drink. Are you starting to see how each are closely related? No matter what your talent and expertise level is within this wonderful world of "Entertainment," I invite you to share yours with us and comment below with your thoughts. While you're here, be sure to order your individual and sponsorship table tickets. Come see us perform on July, 14, 15 & 16, 2016! See flyers for additional information! Thank you for taking time to read and we'll be connecting with each of you soon. Written & Published by Star Roberts Editorial & Marketing Assistant of TMPP Classical Vocalist, Actress & Writer "I want to be a model!". Often I receive inquiries that goes something like this "... all my friends tell me I should try modeling, so I thought I would give it a shot". No doubt it's a great ambition to always want to expand your talents though, how does one get started? In my humbled opinion, before you even step in front of a camera perhaps ask yourself, "What am I honestly trying to achieve?" Are you looking to be America's next top model or are you seeking local compensated opportunities including promotional modeling, local department stores or modeling for a credited photographer? So, rather than just continue to ramble my thoughts, I've polled this exact question on Facebook and received a wealth of information. So here's what a few members of several popular groups had to say... From a photographer's eye..."A recent credited photographer Andrew Askew wrote, Great topic (working on a similar Blog topic), anyway, here are some areas of concern.
So, are you ready to be a model? I hope you enjoyed everyone's input and this short blog post on things to consider to be the next top model. In closing, here's a little snippet of input. You are the product, so sell yourself first! ~Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions
Breanna is making miracles happen! In 2011 I had the privilege of meeting this incredibly talented singer, guitarist & pageant model. Speaking of talent, we met during her performance after sweeping the competition in her senior year's talent contest. There was no doubt, I knew she was on her way! Speaking of, she's now on her way to achieving her set goal to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. See, Breanna is competing for the title of Miss Louisiana and has taken a leadership position to raise money and work closely with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. If you would like to donate to this great cause click here! and help Breanna meet her goals. Continue reading to learn more... Hello everybody! I am Breanna Collier and I will be competing for the title of Miss Louisiana 2016! With this being said, I have the honor of holding a leadership position to raise money and work closely with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals that raises funds for local children’s hospitals. The money I raise will benefit both Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and the Miss America Scholarship Fund. I invite you to help me touch the lives of sick and injured children by making a secure donation today by clicking on the "Donate Now" button to the left. If you want to see the impact of your donation and who it will help, take a moment to view some of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals incredible miracle stories by clicking here. These are just a few stories out of millions of kids who are helped by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals each year. Thanks so much for your support and for helping me make miracles happen! Published on Jan 19, 2013Breanna Collier, 19, from Bossier City became the 2013 Miss Northwestern Lady of the Bracelet at the 55th annual scholarship pageant on Jan. 19, 2013, at the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium on the Northwestern State University campus. Welcome back to this week's edition of "The Connoisseur". May 2016 was a very productive and fulfilling month for Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions. The month of May was also the release of this blog devoted to promotional photography, booking management and the local entertainment industry. May was a big month for entertainment featuring Todd & Kim Unplugged at many local venues in the surrounding areas including New Orleans Daiquiris, Side Porch Daiquiris, Our Place Seafood restaurant and Boudreaux & Thibodeaux's. Follow hashtag #ToddKimUnplugged for more updates. While Todd & Kim Unplugged entertained crowds locally, our booking management was in full swing for this year's upcoming wedding parties. Both Slip of the Disc DJ and KR Productions entertained local crowds as brides chose Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions as their trusted source in entertainment. From virtually unlimited songs to dazzling light displays, DJ & Karaoke packages are available. Contact Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions via email: [email protected]. Featured promotional model, "Doll Louise Thompson"
Captured late April in Biloxi, Mississippi. Photography by Todd Matherne Photography & Promotions |
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