William Boyd Photography

Business Decisions

2012-02-05T10:49:00.000-06:00

I made a financial decision and closed the office this month. William Boyd Photography is still in business but without a formal meeting location. On average, I met with one to two clients a month last year, wasting a ton of money in rent and upkeep. The majority of my clients are out-of-towners (New Orleans, Ascension, Iberville, and North Shore), so I have been traveling to meet and deliver. If business picks up significantly, I will reconsider, but until them just give me a call or email me!

Ramon y Yokasta ... décimo aniversario

2011-12-17T14:50:00.000-06:00

Alex y Amanda ...

2011-10-17T23:45:00.001-05:00

más por venir ...

Revisiting a very special engagement session ...

2011-10-17T16:35:00.000-05:00

I never got around to posting my sister-in-law's engagement photos. They were taken on our trip to the Dominican Republic in 2010. These images below were actual pages in their custom GuestBook.

New Website coming soon! Hopefully!

2011-10-17T10:48:00.000-05:00

Flash is out ... sort of. My current website is coded in Flash. Unfortunately it cannot be viewed on your phone - iPhones, Droids, and Windows phones. I am cooking up a JQuery-based site that should work across the board. If I can stay focused and reorganize my galleries, hopefully I'll be up by the end of the week. In the meantime, I am sprucing up my blog. Wish me luck!

Never thought ...

2011-10-11T22:21:00.001-05:00

Never thought I'd do this ... pet photography!

Couldn't have said it better ...

2011-10-11T21:13:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine sent me this Craigslist 'ad' to me ...

Photographer Looking For People to Do Their Job Without Pay (Atlanta)

Date: 2011-10-09, 1:35AM EDT
Reply to:

I am a photographer and since people are always looking for free shoots I assume that they must also do their job, or provide their services, for free.

I am looking to hire all types of people to do all sorts of jobs for me, as long as I do not have to pay anything. Just think, you will gain more experience, and I will put the word out for you and let everyone know what wonderful work you do. This opportunity will bring you a ton of unpaid work, but everyone will love you. So if you have a job or service you provide, and will do it for free, please let me know, because I am sure I have work for you and will hire you in a second.

Feel free to email me with the service you can provide, when you can start, and please include references.

I look forward to you free service.

Thanks,
:)

Duhhhh ... phone problems

2011-09-18T18:44:00.000-05:00

I know that the economy is bad, but my phone stopped ringing not because of economic reasons. I set up my rollover number with a discontinued number. To make a long story short, I screwed up! If you dialed my 225.612.0935 number, it rolled over to a discontinued number. So, for about a month I have been giving people the impression that my line was down - good one, William ...

Back in the saddle again ...

2011-08-16T06:40:00.000-05:00

I've taken about a two-year hiatus, mostly shooting only friends and family. I am back to work now - new office, new attitude, and a renewed spirit. I will be posting more images soon!

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T17:19:00.003-05:00

Easter with the Reyes clan ...

2010 Reyes Family Photo

2011-01-08T18:05:00.003-06:00

Normally we all get together around Thanksgiving to take the Reyes family photo. Since the wedding was the weekend of Thanksgiving, I put together a montage of the wedding photos instead of creating the "one" panoramic image. This was a lot easier than merging five images into one. Carlos, Aylsia, mom and dad - why can't we do this for our side of the family!

White Castle c/o 84 - Christmas 2010

2010-12-19T17:37:00.001-06:00

Always a party! Thanks for thinking about us every year!

Micah y Johana

2010-11-28T17:12:00.003-06:00

Yo estaba tan feliz y tan eufórico! Y yo estaba tan cansada! Micah and Johana's wedding was all that we planned. Two beautiful families came together - a beautiful ceremony and two receptions! Because Susana was the matron of honor, I kind of flew solo on this one. I am actually in a few pictures! Micah and Johana, we love you and we hope that you enjoy the photos!

Torry and Lori

2010-11-20T16:56:00.000-06:00

Congratulations, Lori and Torry

This was truly a beautiful wedding! The St. Louis Hotel in the French Quarter provided a rich and elegant backdrop. Susana and I truly enjoyed ourselves.

The demigod and the wizard

2010-10-24T17:19:00.000-05:00

It's Halloween again. This year my son wanted to be Perseus and my daughter chose Alex from Wizards of Waverly Place.

A family wedding!

2010-08-29T21:26:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law is getting married!

The Limited Fashion Show

2010-08-23T20:02:00.002-05:00

Earlier this summer I received a surprise phone call from The Limited to shoot the last leg of the Jodi Arnold Store Tour. For those of you who shop The Limited, Jodi Arnold needs no introduction!

Go to The Limited's Facebook page to see the photos - Jodi Arnold Store Tour - Baton Rouge ...

My new 'bestest' friend!

2010-08-23T20:00:00.002-05:00

Normally I don't rave about cameras and especially Nikon bodies, but the D700 has changed my attitude completely. I've been shooting mostly Fuji for the last 8 years (S1, S2, S3, and S5). At my last event I carried both my D700 and my trusty S5 ... didn't fire a single shot with the S5 ...

I just need one more for Susana to use. I'll keep my two S5s for backup and sale the rest to buy new glass.

The secret powers of time ...

2010-08-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

A very interesting presentation ...

We are back!

2010-08-08T08:14:00.002-05:00

After a two weeks of visiting family in the Dominican Republic, we are back ... somewhat refreshed but tired. I did not have internet access while I was out so I feel extremely behind. We will be working feverishly over the next few days to play catchup!

We're Closed ... for two weeks

2010-07-18T10:46:00.004-05:00

Our offices will be closed for about two and a half weeks (7/20/2010 - 8/6/2010). We will actually be out of the country and will not be able to respond to phone calls and email. If it is a true emergency, go ahead and send an email. I can't stay disconnected for too long so I'll be trying my best to find internet access.

Miles' First Communion

2010-04-30T06:06:00.002-05:00

My son will be celebrating his First Holy Communion on May 16th at Christ the King Catholic Center on LSU's campus.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

Maui ...

2009-11-25T14:11:00.014-06:00

Ten years of wedding 'bliss' celebrated in Maui! Here are a few photos from various activities!

10 Year Wedding Anniversary

2009-11-08T08:27:00.005-06:00

Friday, November 6, 2009 was my 10 year wedding anniversary. Susana and I were married 10 years ago at the St. Julian Eymard Catholic Church in Algiers. We had a traditional wedding with traditional photography. I received a traditional wedding book of 4x6 proofs and an order form ... we never ordered any of the proofs. A few years ago, I purchased the negatives from our photographer a few years ago hoping that I would be able to create an album for my wife. I am not a traditional photographer and of course the pictures were not at all what I 'needed' for my wife's album - a lot of flash and traditional, static poses. I'm not complaining about the photography, but ten years later, we do not shoot this way anymore. After scanning the negatives and a lot of color correctin', I finally put together a flushmount album for Susana. It's actually a 10X10 leather bound book with a canvas image cover and silver gilding. Ten years from now I will be criticizing my work, too!

A house full of kids ...

2009-10-25T12:42:00.003-05:00

My brother-in-laws spent their birthday weekend in Miami for the Saints game and Marc Anthony concert. We 'took in' three of the big kids! We had a lot going on this weekend to say the least ... two soccer games Saturday morning, homework projects, Boo At the Zoo, (I had a shoot Saturday night, also), mass on Sunday, and another soccer game on Sunday afternoon.

Boo at the Zoo ... even though they didn't make it ... too many people!

Catherine's homework project ... it's an Indian pumpkin!

Mario, Luigi, and Miles!

2009-10-05T23:03:00.006-05:00

Miles will be 8 on October 21st ... wow! He's been wanting a Mario party for some time and he's really excited. So, this evening after school, I fired up the camera, lights, and Photoshop to create his invitation.

My little girl will be 6!

2009-09-15T17:37:00.003-05:00

We are having another themed birthday party - Camp Rock. Instead of the traditional invitations (as if I'm traditional about anything), I designed a postcard instead - serves as both invitation and souvenir.

White Castle High School Class of 1984 - 25th Reunion

2009-07-19T21:07:00.004-05:00

The evening started out rocky because of an electrical storm - the power was out for TWO HOURS - so everything started two hours late ... BUT they did it BIG ... congratulations - my 25th is two years away!

Yaindry's Baptism

2009-06-28T19:42:00.013-05:00

My niece's baptism was held earlier this year and I put together a quick keepsake of the photos taken that day. Unlike a wedding album that takes me weeks just to fine tune, I put this one together using a "bought" scrapbook template - pink leather cover, of course! No, it's not an original piece, but it works! Here are a few pages from the album ...

Chelsee's Senior Album

2009-06-26T21:59:00.014-05:00

Another wonderful White Castle senior ...

I bet your Senior album doesn't look like this one!

1st Communion

2009-06-26T21:24:00.010-05:00

My nephew had his first communion a few months ago at Immaculate Conception in Marrerro. His mother wanted me to create a custom card, so I set up shop in my mother-in-law's living room. The end result was a bi-fold card.

A bilingual education ...

2009-03-27T21:13:00.005-05:00

My kids are both students at South Boulevard Elementary Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet (FLAIM). This is a full immersion program for either Spanish or French. All subjects with the exception of English Language Arts, Physical Education, and Music are taught exclusively in the target language by a native speaking teacher ... i.e. full immersion. Although Spanish is spoken in my home (not by me!), this program is certain reassurance that my children will master both English and Spanish. My son is in the first grade and is reading both English and Spanish fluently (no chunching!) - see video below. If only I could speak and comprehend as well as them. Don't criticize the quality of the video - I had a big, stupid smile on my face when he was speaking and plus, I'm not a videographer.

tiffany blue ...

2009-03-14T15:43:00.005-05:00

I can't wait to start on this album ... click image to see the couple!

A few custom albums ...

2009-03-14T15:21:00.010-05:00

Since I'm still in studio limbo, here are a few albums that I've created over the last few months ...

Finally ... it's up ...

2009-01-28T22:34:00.003-06:00

The new site is finally up. It has been in the works for months, but I've been fighting with albums and orders. Maybe next month I'll get around to adding and updating the image galleries.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:29:00.004-06:00

The Proposal

2008-12-02T19:30:00.004-06:00

A beautiful, rainy day ... a deceptive day ... a special day ...

I had the pleasure of witnessing a very romantic, thoughtful, and creative proposal. My couple flew in from Atlanta to Baton Rouge for the Thanksgiving holiday. I was in New Orleans visiting with my in-laws and convinced Justin to drive to New Orleans to take photos for his 'Christmas' card! The day started out beautifully, but as soon as they drove up the rain started. My wife and my monsters were nearby at Cafe DuMonde so we decided to wait out the rain. About an hour later we started our stroll through Jackson Square and finally to the Omni where the actual surprise took place. I have photographed proposals in the past, but this one seemed truly special (side note - fellas, please do not propose at someone else's wedding - that's disrespectful to the bride on her day!). This was a family affair - his sister, Ebonis, and parents were there hiding in the wings. He and I both were in constant contact with Ebonis during the entire event!

Crystal and Sean

2008-11-27T14:47:00.005-06:00

I keep running into these wonderful couples - they make my job so easy. Sean and Crystal's engagement session was perfection and their wedding day was full of highlights!

Engagement:

Wedding:

Brooks and Trinette

2008-11-04T21:58:00.006-06:00

What a wonderful couple ... the photos say it all ...

While fighting with the kids tonight, I designed a custom save the date card for the couple:

LIMBO ...

2008-11-02T17:36:00.004-06:00

Limbo as in 'between' home and no studio ... I finally moved out of the studio at 12:30 a.m. on November 1st - I actually mopped it for the last time later that morning at 7. For those of you who had the privilege to visit me there are probably saying 'what took you so long.' Shortly after Katrina, commercial property rates in Midtown/Downtown Baton Rouge skyrocketed at least 40%. As a part-time operation, either I had to increase my fees, book more clients, move into a less-than-desirable location, or drive across town. I took option C for 18+ months - now don't get me wrong, the few sessions I actually photographed in the studio were awesome. But, parking, the neighborhood, maintenance, and "perception" were just too much to continue. I'm looking at two properties right now (Florida and Industriplex). Neither are close to my residence, but parking, maintenance, and perception are all positive. So hopefully in the next two weeks or so, I will be in a location and if I carve out a little time, I'll roll out a new web site.

Frankie & Levi

2008-10-27T13:10:00.000-05:00

A day full of excitement and emotion - Frankie and Levi's wedding was simply spectacular.

Spiderman 7!

2008-10-22T06:36:00.004-05:00

My son turned 7 on October 21st. After soccer practice my wife brought cupcakes and a candle to share with his teammates. The party will be in Shreveport this weekend. I decided to transform him into a cartoon character. Here's the invitation that we sent out last week ...

Furonia & Dimitrius

2008-09-27T14:40:00.000-05:00

When I was putting this slideshow together, I was simply amazed with the 'photos' - not my work per se, but the couple's performance - nothing but smiles of joy! They did an outstanding job and my wife and our enjoyed every bit of it!

Xana's High School Musical Party!

2008-09-18T22:33:00.005-05:00

I'm getting old ... my daughter will be five on Saturday!

Generator or new cameras?

2008-09-06T20:03:00.006-05:00

Gustav had me thinking lately? Should I have purchased new cameras to replace my aging fleet or purchased a generator for my home? It's been at least two days since we've had electricity at both my home and studio. No AC, not lights, no phone, no internet ... I'm actually on LSU's campus right now in my wife's office using the wireless internet, trying to catch up on email and a few orders.

So for the amount of money that I spent on camera equipment, I could have purchased a generator that would power a good bit of my house (no AC or washer/dryer). Am I suffering from buyer's remorse? Not at all - I love my Fuji S5's!

For those of you who have tried to contact me over the past few days, I hope to be up and running by the end of next week - hopefully power will be back on.

On a sad note, this will probably be my last month in my studio. Sad in that I have to hurriedly find a new and better location.

Melvin and Deidra

2008-08-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

Just another example of why we love weddings ... beautiful couple, beautiful ceremony, and a "purple and gold party!"

Lonnie and Erin

2008-07-26T20:53:00.000-05:00

Everytime I create a 'wedding trailer' for the new couple, I smile. Erin and Lonnie's trailer was no exception. The Sheltons were married at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and held their reception at De la Ronde Hall ... another beautiful wedding!

Amir and Judith

2008-07-12T21:15:00.000-05:00

This wedding and reception was so much fun! Mr. Anderson put on a show for us and of course Mrs. Anderson was as lovely as ever.

My Jet Magazine Couple!

2008-06-28T13:53:00.001-05:00

Joy and Calvin - a truly dynamic couple! Thanks to the submission of their Super Wedding Coordinator Charmaine Williams (Simply Unforgettable Affairs), their wedding photo was featured in the August 2008.

Engagement Photos:

Gregory & Toya

2008-06-22T00:30:00.001-05:00

The party started early at this reception ... the legendary Rebirth Brass Band escorted this couple into the reception and never ended ...

Toya and Mark

2008-05-25T00:49:00.002-05:00

Beautiful couple ... so much emotion in the ceremony ... amazing party!

Seniors 2008

2008-05-06T21:26:00.002-05:00

I'm back ... sort of ... haven't posted in a while ... been busy with work, family, and unexpected travel ...

This is my first year actually advertising for Seniors ... I photographed nine seniors this year - doubling what I've collectively shot over the past 7 years ... it was really fun ... see below:

Dr. J!

2008-03-12T17:52:00.002-05:00

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood. Mr. Patterson's senior session went really well. We shot a few in the studio for mom and finished up outside. I really enjoyed this session because he was really into it ... not passive at all.

Ms. McLauren & Mr. Bennett

2008-02-23T23:23:00.010-06:00

Aviance and Torey couldn't have picked a more beautiful day in Baton Rouge. We took a few in the studio first, but eventually went out and braved the mid-day sun to what turned out to be simply a gorgeous day. Out of coincidence my choice of locations was the same place that this couple met - Louisiana State University.

Down time ... not exactly

2008-02-02T09:22:00.006-06:00

Albums, albums, albums ... I received a 'rush' of album orders right before and after the Christmas holidays. The albums are finally starting to come back from the vendors.

A lot of time and energy goes into album design. I normally ask the bride and groom to submit about 75 images for inclusion in their album ... that's the easy part. Putting those choices into a collection that flows, that's creative and unique, and one that faithfully illustrates their wedding day is the hard part. The better I've gotten, the slower I've gotten - it takes me anywhere from 15-20 hours to layout and finish an album. That equates to 2-3 weeks of scratching my head -- starting, stopping, re-doing, scrapping ideas, etc. Since this is such a large investment on my end, I have to make sure that I get it right the first time. Several of the demo albums that I have in the studio are ones with typos, flow issues ... things that I would not dare pass to my customers. Total design, print, and bind time varies. Depending on the type of album, vendor, and the season, expect up to 6 months. Also, if you order your album after your allotted time, you have to get in the 'album queue' ... your 6 months starts then.

For those of you who are interested in custom albums, here are my suggestions for a successful album:

spread your images across the day - don't clump them all from one part of the day
let those images be mostly about you and the your spouse - don't forget that it is your day
keep the images as dynamic as possible - there's nothing wrong with the formal portraits in the album, but you want to keep things moving
no yearbooks, scrapbooks, or memory books ... keep the number of images down - plan for 1-3 images per page average (30-page book = 90 images max)
let your ideas for the album be known upfront, but at the same time let your photographer/designer be creative ... after all, it is his/her interpretation of the day
the sooner your order your album after then wedding, the fresher it is on my mind ... that's a plus for me

A lot of photographers don't allow the couple to choose the images -- the photographer chooses. That would really make my life a lot easier, but allowing the couple to choose the images adds insurance that I won't choose the wrong images or miss the most important ones. What I like and what the couples likes can be two different things and I can respect that.

I will publish a link to a few of my demos shortly ...

"Buzz Christian "

2008-01-09T23:34:00.001-06:00

What I thought would just be a Christmas card session turned into a superhero session! In addition to the Christmas card with his sister, Christian's parents wanted a custom birthday card with Christian in his Buzz Lightyear costume. Well after laboring and toying with several ideas, I came up with a comic strip with a short story line!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-05T11:24:00.001-06:00

My family and I would like to wish everyone the very best in 2008.

Crozier '07

2007-12-16T19:20:00.000-06:00

The Crozier Christmas Party - one of the hardest shoots known to man. Food, spirits, dancing, ... just an overall non-stop, great party and of course I'm working - running around trying to capture the great moments, trying not to bump into guests, trying to sneak in a few candids, and trying to dela with those that are 'really enjoying' the party. All I can do is smile and shoot!

Thanksgiving in New Orleans

2007-11-25T16:44:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving this year was spent in New Orleans with Susana's family. Don't get me wrong, I love my in-laws, but they eat Thanksgiving dinner later that night. No, it's not a New Orleans thing -- it's a Dominican thing! For 39 years, I have been accustomed to eating around 'noonish.' The most difficult part in the wait is that on Thanksgiving Day, nothing is open (McDonald's, Burger King, Sonic, nothing ...). While I'm waiting, of course I'm taking pictures. Here are a few from my mother-in-law's living room!

The slideshow (music is from a song that my son's class sang at their Christmas program - he's a kindergarten student in the South Boulevard Spanish Immersion Magnet program):

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee

2007-10-22T10:04:00.001-05:00

Another birthday party - a Transformers Party! My son likes Bumblebee but we can only find Optimus Prime costumes. As always, we make the most of it.

Poster for his room ...

Invitation for guests:

a happy compromise ...

My Little Mermaid

2007-09-08T22:45:00.001-05:00

Each and every year, my wife asks my daughter what type of birthday party does she want. This year's theme is The Little Mermaid. Of course that means a custom invitation - so off to the studio we go:

Believe me, we took a million pictures that evening because as you will see, my daughter is a character ...

We had a lot of fun although the lighting was sloppy, I was using the wrong lens, bad white balance--but the images were perfect!