C1 Design and Photography

Discovery Church Photography and Welcome Brochure

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:33:00 -0500

A few months back I had the honor of going out to Discovery Church in Simi Valley, CA to photograph multiple services and events. Loved the chance to see all of the incredible things they have going on, and the opportunity to meet their amazing staff and members!

Here's a look at the recently completed Welcome Brochure (cover plus inside spreads). It's very rewarding as a designer/photographer to be able to fully concept and create a piece with all of your own photography and design. The brochure will be included in a new Visitor's Packet, but also as a resource for members to give away when inviting others to check out Discovery Church. We're all so excited about how this turned out and can't wait to see the printed piece!

Phos Lighting and Electrical Website Design

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:35:00 -0500

Phos Lighting and Electrical, based in Tulsa OK, recently came to me with a request to redesign their website.

Main Design Challenge:
Merge two existing websites, one for Outdoor Lighting and one for Electrical Services, under one site and the Phos identity. The company started with only Outdoor Lighting services but have now grown to specialize in five different areas within the company that all needed equal emphasis when visiting the new website.

Here's a quick look at the newly redesigned Phos Lighting and Electrical website. You can also view the full website at www.phoselectric.com

Design and Photo Gear List

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Wed, 4 May 2011 12:25:00 -0500

Graphic Design Vs. Photography Expenses

Graphic Design is certainly a less expensive field to keep up with. The 24" iMac that I purchased in 2008 has been great, although with 2011 tax deductions in mind, it was a good time to upgrade to the brand new 27" iMac. The only other major recurring expense is software, every other year I upgrade the Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium package, currently running CS5.

Photography can be quite consuming, always something more you just can't wait to get, and nothing good is cheap. One great company to look into that I've mentioned previously is AlienBees.com – I highly recommend their products and they are much more affordable than comparable products.

Here is a full list of gear to date.. certainly adds up over time.

Computers and Software

• 27" iMac 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 / 12GB Memory / 1TB Hard Drive

• 24" iMac 2.8GHz Intel Core Duo / 4GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive

• 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 4GB Memory / 200GB Hard Drive

• 1TB Hard Drive for Backups

• 500GB Hard Drive for Backups

• Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium

• Adobe Lightroom 3

• Slideshow Pro for Lightroom

• Firewire Compact Flash Card Reader

Photo Gear:

Camera Bodies, Lenses, Flash Cards

• Nikon D700 Camera Body

• Nikon D200 Camera Body
• Nikon 16mm f2.8 Fisheye Lens
• Sigma 20mm f1.8 Wide Angle Lens
• Nikon 50mm f1.8 Lens
• Sigma 24-70 f2.8 Lens
• Tamron 90mm f2.8 Lens

• Gear Bag - holds 1 camera body, 5 lenses, 1 Flash Unit, and cards
• 1 - Lexar 4GB Compact Flash Card
• 2 - Lexar 2GB Compact Flash Cards

• 1 - Lexar 1GB Compact Flash Cards

Lighting
• Nikon SB900
• Nikon SB800
• 2 - AlienBees B800 Studio Flash Units
• 1 - AlienBees B400 Studio Flash Unit

• Radio Popper Remote Triggers - 1 Transmitter & 2 Receivers

• AlienBees Vagabond 2 Portable Power System

• 3 Light Travel Case
• 1 Light Travel Case

Light Modifiers
• 86" Silver Parabolic Umbrella with White Diffusion Cover
• 47" Foldable Octobox with a Grid

• 35" Octobox

• 20" Softbox
• 22" High Output Beauty Dish with White Diffusion Cover
• 2 - 45" White Umbrellas (shoot through and reflective)

• UBR White Shovel Background Reflector

• 1 Large, 2 Small Collapsable Reflectors (Silver, Gold, White, Diffusion)

Stands and Backdrops

• 9' Dove Gray seamless paper backdrop
• 9' Thunder Gray seamless paper backdrop
• 9' White seamless paper backdrop
• Premium Heavyweight Solid Muslin - Black 10' x 12'

• 3 - Heavy Duty Light Stands
• 1 - Small Light Stand
• Wescott 6.5' Boom Arm with Counterweight
• 12' Background Support System with Travel Case
• Reflector Kit Mounting Arm

"Love God. Love People." Campaign | Discovery Church

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:30:00 -0500

This week I'm excited to be heading out to Discovery Church in Simi Valley, CA for a multi-day shoot, covering the youth services, women's and men's events, and Sunday morning services. The photos will all be used on the website and in a new visitor's brochure we are currently working. My favorite projects are the ones where I am able to do the photography in combination with the design work, so I'm really looking forward to sharing the project once it's complete. Until then, here's a look at a new campaign recently completed for Discovery Church called "Love God. Love People." that will be used in various print and video elements to really emphasis the heart and mission behind the church.

Newborn and Baby Photography

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:44:00 -0500

Some of my absolute favorite things to shoot are babies. You just can't go wrong with such adorable models! Here's a look at some super cute little ones that I've recently had the opportunity to shoot.

Also, big news around the Siegrist house is that we're expecting our first kiddo this October. We couldn't be more excited and I'm definitely looking forward to lots of photo experimenting with our own newborn.

Matt Hires "Live Sessions EP" Album Cover Photography

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:56:00 -0500

Last year I had a great time shooting the Matt Hires, Caitlin Crosby, and Jason Castro concert here in Dallas for Atlantic Records. Loved seeing this: Matt Hires just released his new "Live Sessions EP" which is now #10 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart, and one of the photos I took was used as the cover. Here's a look at the Live Sessions EP cover and the original photo.

Recent Projects: Pearsons Ministries Part 2

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:35:00 -0500

As a follow up to the last post, here are a few recent projects completed for Pearsons Ministries International. The first two items are for the upcoming "BEHOLD" conference (main promotional artwork and a billboard design). You can also check out www.BeholdTheLove.com to view a beautiful video created by Matthew Kurth. The last two items are cover designs for two recent message series by Jeremy Pearsons.

Can't say enough about Jeremy and Sarah Pearsons... unbelievably loving and gifted people, both on stage and off! Check out their full website at www.pearsonsministries.com.

Time to catch up!

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Thu, 3 Mar 2011 18:23:00 -0600

It's been a crazy busy, but great year.. time to do some catching up on the blog and website! Before I pull together my thoughts for a new post, here's a quick peek at the new website we just launched this month for Pearsons Ministries International.. LOVE these guys!

Catch22 Branding | The Young Adult Gathering at Northwood

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:41:00 -0500

Here's a quick look at a recent Brand Development project I completed for Catch22, the young adult gathering at Northwood, in Fayetteville NC. Projects included: logo design, stationary set, postcards, pocket invite, banners, shirts, table cover, web splash page, and slides. A big thanks to Tommy Chester over at Northwood for being so great to work with and getting all of this completed well before the Launch Event!

Sarah Hart Pearsons Photoshoot

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Fri, 2 Jul 2010 11:00:00 -0500

Wow, it's been a crazy busy summer! Lots of fun design and photography projects going on. Just finished a shoot this week for Sarah Hart Pearsons and her new worship album, "Strength and Beauty." I heard a sneak preview of the album and I can't wait to pick it up when it's released, absolutely beautiful!

Really excited about how the shoot turned out. Sarah is absolutely stunning and I had such a great time working with her. Below are a few of my favorite images, first one with the color tone added will be the cover shot.

For anyone interested in the lighting setup, for the first two shots I used only one AlienBee 800 with a shoot through umbrella behind her, camera left, and a white reflector to the front right of her. The other shot was done with the AlienBee 800 bare, straight behind her. Love the soft wrapping light it created!

Sammy Morris Football Camps | Photography and Design

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:57:00 -0500

Just recently finished a photoshoot and design work for Sammy Morris Football Camps. The camps are led by Devin Lemons, former line backer for the Washington Redskins, and Sammy Morris, running back for the New England Patriots. They have been a ton of fun to work with and gave me complete control over the design and photography from start to finish... love clients like that! Below are several images from the photoshoot and a look at the poster, brochure and website designs.

All images © Rebecca Siegrist and MorrisLemonsInnovations. Unauthorized use prohibited.

Additional rotating images for the large spotlight area on the main page:

Architect Portrait Shoot | Dallas, Texas

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:37:00 -0500

Just finished a portrait shoot for Architect Josh Nimmo, at his studio in Dallas. These shots will be used for his new venture called "Iron House Studio," which will focus on his individual residential design work. Very talented architect.. for a look at some of his work visit www.bloc-ds.com.

Below are just a few of my favorite shots. First one was done with all natural light, coming through a large window just outside of the frame. The next two were done with a single Alienbee 400 Studio Flash and Beauty Dish with diffuser cover. Loved incorporating the wall textures and shadows in these images!

FC Dallas Soccer Game Photography | Frisco, Texas

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:35:00 -0500

Today my husband and I headed up to Frisco, Texas, to enjoy the FC Dallas season opener. Let me start by introducing you to the biggest soccer fan I know, my husband... yes, it's 80 degrees outside, and yes, he's wearing a scarf :) He assures me this is normal.

Since it was such a beautiful day, I decided to bring along my camera and get a few shots of the crazy/fun FC Dallas fans. Soccer fans are truly a unique breed! Makes for some fun shots :)

All images © Rebecca Siegrist at C1design.com | Contact: info@c1design.com

I also had a chance to go up to the Press Box and get some great behind the scenes, documentary style shots of commentators Bobby Rhine and Steve Jolley. It was particularly great to get shots at this game since it was their debut as the new FC Dallas TV Commentary Team. Here are just a few of my favorite shots.

Jonathan Tyler Concert Photography | Granada Theater, Dallas TX

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:13:00 -0500

Just finished shooting a concert for Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, at the Granada Theater in Dallas. Concerts are one of my favorite things to shoot, love working with the stage lights and it's all photojournalistic style shooting.. no posing subjects! With my Nikon D700, I shot this entire concert at about 2000 ISO, f2.8 and 250th of a second. Here are just a few shots out of over 250 images total.

All images © Rebecca Siegrist at C1design.com and Atlantic Records. Unauthorized use prohibited. | Contact: info@c1design.com

Logo Design

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:13:00 -0600

I was making updates to the C1 Design website last night and ended up browsing through some of my old projects. I've had so many great clients over the years.. so many great projects that I'm thankful to have been a part of! Below are a few of my favorite logo designs from the past several years, as well as a few links to where I find a lot of great logo design inspiration. If you have other great logo design sites, please share them here as well!

LOGO DESIGN INSPIRATION:

logolounge.com
This site is on the top of my list. You have to have an account to access the entire site where you can search through thousands of logos, but there are some free areas to browse as well.

brandsoftheworld.com
You can actually download the Illustrator vector art for most of the logos here, very helpful if you want to analyze how a logo was created.

logopond.com

Caitlin Crosby, Jason Castro and Matt Hires Concert Photography

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:36:00 -0600

Just finished shooting an amazing concert from artists Caitlin Crosby, Jason Castro, and Matt Hires, at The Loft in Dallas. All three performances were incredible which made this shoot all the more amazing. Below are a few of my favorite shots from the concert as well as a link to view a slideshow of the entire shoot.

All images © Rebecca Siegrist / Atlantic Records. Unauthorized use prohibited. Contact: info@c1design.com

Click here to view the full Concert Slideshow

I'd recommend also checking out their websites, as well as Caitlin Crosby's awesome campaign called "LoveYourFlawz.com"... LOVE the video she made herself and her song "Flawz!" Here are the links:

Caitlin Crosby
http://www.myspace.com/caitlincrosby
http://www.loveyourflawz.com

Jason Castro
http://www.myspace.com/jasoncastromusic

Matt Hires

http://www.myspace.com/matthires

A Website Facelift

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 11:18:00 -0600

Personally I like change, just for the sake of change at times. I rearrange furniture, repaint wall colors, change out my desktop image, and change work environments (Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, backyard, etc.)... keeps things from getting stale (love Webster's definition: "tedious from familiarity").

When it comes to a website there is typically a large investment of time and money up front to establish the look and framework. If designed and programmed well initially, the layout and functionality should work for years to come, so a complete redesign should not be necessary, nor would it be financially smart. However, I love a website facelift and often recommend for my clients to do one yearly. Small changes and updates, made within the existing framework, can add new interest and life to an existing site, all for a much smaller cost than a complete redesign. If a return visitor notices even small changes they are likely to browse through your entire site again, reinforcing your brand and content in their memory.

Below is a simple example of a facelift I recently worked on for the Northstar Church website. First image is the current website, second is the updated version.

Arora Launch Photos

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:01:00 -0600

Last night I went out to Frisco, Texas, to shoot the grand opening launch event for Arora, Northstar's Student Ministry. I had an incredible time during the entire event! With my new Nikon D700 I shot the entire evening between 640 ISO and 2000 ISO which would have been unheard of on my old D200. Can't say it enough, love my D700! Here are a few of my favorite shots from the stage performances. Shooting into the stage lights created some amazing effects.

Arora also had special guest Dennis Rogers, pound for pound the World's Strongest Man, out to perform some incredible feats of strength.. he is nothing short of incredible to watch. Here are just a couple shots of him tearing a phone book and bending a horseshoe into a heart shape.

Northstar "Big Top" Design

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:09:00 -0600

Just finished the artwork and a 4"x4" folded invitation design for Northstar Church's "Big Top" series/event coming up next month. Fun project to work on and I really love how it turned out. Here's a sneak peak at the invite...

New C1design.com Website + Slideshow Pro Highlight

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:19:00 -0600

Finally finished the C1design.com website redesign and updates! I'm not a web programmer by any means so it's quite the effort for me to do my own website. Still a few rough edges to smooth out but if you have feedback or suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Just to note, I do not do any of the programming on my client websites. I bring on one of several trusted programmers to work with... I keep my personal focus on continually growing in design and photography.

Slideshow Pro - Slideshows in a Snap!
Slideshow Pro is a Flash based slideshow application for creating and displaying slideshows.. without having to know or use Flash! I used it to create all of the slideshow galleries on my new site. Best part, it was only $35 to download the Adobe Lightroom version! Check out their website for all of the application options and uses: slideshowpro.net

Texture Use and Overlays + Free Downloads

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 10:48:00 -0600

Whether doing design work or photography, I love using textures. In design, when done in a subtle, appropriate way, it can add depth and interest to an otherwise flat and stale piece. Recently a client and friend of mine, photographer Kimberly Jarman, asked me to work on an update for her blog background. Instead of the typical full page "repeating pattern" background, I used a mix of textures over a gradient. Both Kim and I love how this turned out! You can view her full blog at www.kimberlyjarman.net.

Texture Use in Photography
Years ago I started to notice different fine art photographers use of texture and began working with some on my own photography. I love the way it can transform an image into an art piece, create an aged look, or simply something unique. Below are a few examples, showing the original photo and the textured version. These were all created using either one simple texture overlay in Photoshop (typically the Linear Burn, Multiply, or Overlay Blending Mode) or in some cases I used multiple textures with additional dodging, burning or edits to the image.

Free Textures
Whether you're looking for textures to include in design or photography here's a free, high-res texture to download (shown in the first image set above): Click Here for Free Texture Download

Also, a simple Google search for "Free Textures" will bring up dozens of freebies online... here are just a few that I've used:
Free Textures on Flicker
Free B&W + Grunge Textures
CGTextures.com

Motter Family Photoshoot

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Tue, 5 Jan 2010 13:57:00 -0600

Just recently did a photoshoot for the Motter family. David is an old friend and former co-worker of mine from our days at COTM in Tulsa. He's an amazing graphic artist.. incredibly talented at hand drawn artwork. I had a great time hanging out with them and their adorable son Elliot, which by the way David even created a logo for him :) Awesome. Here are just a couple of my favorite shots.

A Special Holiday Greeting

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:20:00 -0600

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from the Siegrists & C1 Design!
Click here to view a special Holiday Greeting

First D700 Shoot

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Mon, 7 Dec 2009 14:49:00 -0600

Recently finished my first photoshoot using my new Nikon D700 and new lenses. Love them! Not only is the image quality superior to my old D200 but there are several new features on the D700 that I'm really loving:

• Nikon Picture Control Settings: Advanced color control settings with fine tuning options. I've been using a custom "Neutral" setting for portraits that creates a more natural and even skin tone.
• Active D-Lighting: Captures previously lost details in shadows and highlights while maintaining normalized contrast. I've set this to auto.
• ISO Sensitivity Auto Control: When shooting in Auto Mode this really comes in handy. You set the maximum ISO and minimum Shutter Speed and when this option is turned on the camera will automatically adjust the ISO for the correct exposure.. if it cannot reach the correct exposure with the highest ISO setting it will then drop the Shutter Speed to the lowest preset. My settings are a maximum ISO of 6400 and minimum shutter speed of 100.
• Incredibly Low Noise in High ISO Settings: As mentioned in my initial post about the D700, the broad ISO sensitivity, with incredibly low noise up to 6400, is the most impressive part of the new camera.

Below are a few shots from my shoot with the Blount family using my new D700. I had such a fun time with them! Really looking forward to using this camera in my upcoming shoots as well.

New Camera & Lenses

info@c1design.com (Rebecca Siegrist) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:20:00 -0600

I have finally decided to bite the bullet and upgrade from my Nikon D200 to the full-frame Nikon D700! In a nutshell, the camera offers a much higher level of detail, but most impressive was my testing of the high ISO clarity... I did a test shot at ISO 6400 and the image was incredibly impressive, comparable to shooting at ISO 400-500 on my D200. This will be of enormous value when shooting weddings or events in low light.

So, after much saving, budgeting, and taking on as many extra jobs as I could fit in, I have now placed my order! I've also added two new lenses to my collection, a Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens and a Tamron 90mm 2.8 lens.

Last year I ramped up my computer equipment and upgraded to Adobe CS3 software. This has been my year for adding/upgrading photography equipment and I can definitely say I'm finished for a long time! Photography is way more expensive over the long run than Graphic Design... and to be honest I make far more doing design work than photography. But for me, I enjoy the personal connection with people and families that photography offers. Nothing like hearing a great response to photos you did for a family and it's a lot of fun experimenting with new lighting techniques or interesting locations.