I can not tell each of you how inspiring it was to be asked and how scary it was to do… Following in the footsteps of such great photographers is always hard to do, especially when you put everything you do out there to be looked at under a microscope and picked apart at the cellular level.

More than posting a guest blog, I am humbled that Scott thinks enough of my work that he asked me to share it with his many readers. I hope that is might have somehow inspired you and gives you hope that anything is possible with hard work.

Should any of you find your way over from his site, let me say thank you for taking time to read my Guest Blog and showing enough interest in my work to come here. I have never been an in-your-face type of guy, and I am sure you will take notice that this blog is quite sparse.

For those that are looking for more information on my DAM Solutions, I will be happy to share them here or on Scott’s Blog. However, since it is his Blog, I have been very conscious not to intrude and make it a marketing ploy for me or my work.

I look forward to 2010 being a great year… I am venturing into areas of photography that have not been what I am known for. Still, it is what drives me… My goal is to continue my photographic journey and growth into advertising/commercial, architectural and entertainment. No matter where we are, we all hit walls… As our brothers in Rascal Flatts once said, “If one door opens to another door closed, keep on searching till you find a window.” That line says a lot, and it is something I always look for in my everyday life.

Thanks again for your interest, and most importantly, thanks to Scott for this great opportunity to show my work and share my photographic journey with yo all.

Cheers,

Paul Abell

Lately, things have been crazy for a good reason: lots of cool assignments:  Chick-fil-A College Kickoff (for Atlanta Sports Council), NFL (for AP Images) , NCAA (for US Presswire), Gospel Music Channel (Many Thanks to Ben Rose), BET (for Picture Group: Pay if Off, Monique Show & Monica) and Ludacris & President Carter (for the Associated Press).

Yesterday, I booked an assignment for Houston Sprints, Active Adult Community; I have provided photos to Houston Springs in the past, and I am very excited to be working with them again, thanks to Malanie Lewis and and Lauren Messmer of By Design Solutions, in New Jersey. This will be a 2-day mixture shoot that consist of lifestyle and architectural photography. I am stoked to get going on areas of photography like this, as it gives me an ability to use the creative talents I once had as an award-winning graphic designer (BFA Graphic Design, University of Georgia).

NOTE: I have been dealing with major computer and storage issues. Over the last month or so, I have had 2 computers fail and a DROBO fail; At present, both my new 15″ MacBook Pro and 24″ iMac are at Liberty Technology being repaired.

The story surrounding my DROBO is for another day, however, I will say that we determined that a bad Firewire port on my iMac must have been the culprit (constant recycle mode). DROBO CS has been great thus far, as replacement DROBO was quickly sent; once the drives were loaded in the replacement DROBO, they began crashing, one-by one; Luckily, I had just purchased a new DROBO, so I am using it until my issues are resolved. As for the date on the drives that were in my old DROBO, I am unsure it is will be recovered. I have had 1 drive cloned, and the DROBO booted up… Upon copying it to another drive, another drive failed. Two other drives are being cloned now… The results on the second drive are not looking good, as Liberty Technology  has reported numerous errors. Once everything is completed, I will post the final results of the cloning and if the data on the DROBO was able to be salvaged. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but feel sure of the final outcome!!!

This weekends games: (NCAA) West Virginia @ Auburn & (NFL) Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons; Next weekend: (NCAA) Arizona State @ Georgia & (NFL) Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens. I am praying for a day game in good light… Not sure it is going to happen; first chance is Cleveland @ Baltimore; Let us hope it is prefect weather!!!!

Burns Family photos coming ASAP; first of next week!!!!

The music here is from the last band I was in before I went back to the University of Georgia to earn my BFA in graphic design. Yes, I had long hair and those were the days… I was going to be a rockstar, and nobody was going to stop me; Well, unfortunately, music did… As it changed, I lost interest and moved to Athens; while in Athens, I never found the right situation and pretty much gave up playing for nearly 10 years. My daughter has shown interest in playing and singing, and I have missed it, so here we are… Looking back on a time that was pretty good!

This music is from the 1994 version of Soul Shaker: Paul Hand (vocals), Todd Kirkland (guitar), Cheney Brannon (drums), Phil Folds (Bass) & Paul Abell (guitar). To the best of my recollection, the drums and bass tracks were recorded at our rehearsal studio — Black Box or RTM. All vocals, guitars and final mixing took place at Todd’s apartment in Atlanta. We did this an a very low budget — $0.00.

Earlier versions of Soul Shaker had different band members, with Jummy Hayes on drums and Steve Tuggle on bass. Though we considered the band from Atlanta our first show was opening for Jackyl in Macon, in January of 2003. This band could have really been special…

Soul Shaker – 1994 (Advisory – Some lyrics my be offensive)

1. Give-you-my-love
2. Distance
3. What-do-ya-do
4. New-Tomorrow
5. My-Kind

Where is everyone now?

• Paul Hand: he is still playing around Atlanta… very talented, check him out!
• Todd Kirkland: I have stayed in touch with Todd since the band ended in late 1994; Todd one of my best friends and is an Atlanta area photographer and sound engineer.
• Cheney Brannon: Cheney stuck with it and played in several great bands following Soul Shaker; it paid off as he is the current drummer for Collective Soul. they have a new CD soon to be released. Congrats to him!!!
• Phil Folds: I have heard he is in Atlanta, but I have not seen or talked to him since 1995, so I can not be for sure. I played with Phil in Trantrum, and Phil was a very talented bass player. It is a shame we lost touch. If anyone knows where he is, shoot me an email.
• Paul Abell: I am an Atlanta based photographer and graphic designer, specializing in architectural, commercial, event, portrait and sports photography; I graduated with a BFA in graphic design from the University of Georgia, and I am the former team photographer for the Atlanta Braves & Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I currently own my own company, Abell Images, and I shoot contract photography for the Associated Press, AP Images, Getty Images, Picture Group & US Presswire.

More to come from Soul Shaker 1993 & Tantrum…

Enjoy!!!!!!

I want to thank creative director, Kurt Tauche, from Tausche Inc. for designing the new Abell Images identity. Kurt is an amazing talent, and I can not thank him enough for the time he has devoted to helping me advance my career beyond being a team photographer.

My Current Sites:
Portfolio: http://abellcreative.com
Archive: http://abellimages.com
Blog: http://paulsabell.com/blog
Portal: http://paulsabell.com

Future Sites:
Blog Home: http://paulsabell.com
Portfolio: http://abellimages.com
Archive: http://archive.abellimages.com

NOTE: As soon as I launch my new Livebooks site on abellimages.com, I will begin forwarding abellcreative.com to my new portfolio.

I have been accepted into Think Tank Photos Affiliate Program… Special Code: AP-274 (Thanks to PShizzy & Think Tank Photo).

Those of you that know me, know how much I believe in Think Tank Photos gear… In my opinion, I think it the best made… Additionally, I think ordering this way is a good option as any order over $50 gives your a free gift…

Follow this link to order from : My Think Tank Photo Affiliate Site

Based in Warner Robins, Georgia, I learned of the Zoégetics concept several months before it was launched and wanted to share it with each of you.

Many of you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with photography, graphic design or digital asset management, and why is it on a blog for such. Simply said, it has nothing to do with any of them, but given the current state of our economy, photography as a whole and many of our daily dietary choices, I thought it might be nice to share a comany that is offering healty and environmentally friendly products for our family and earth.

Is Zoégetics for you?

In the neighborhood I live, just south of Atlanta, there must be hundreds of houses for sale or in foreclosure. Many of these houses would be defined as Luxury homes, ranging from half a million to over one million dollars, and many have been on the market for months, if not a year or more.

When presented with the Zoégetics concept, I bought into the idea right away. You see, I am making a transition from working as a full-time team photographer for the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a full-time freelance photographer. I know that building my own photography business that will stand on its own will take time and commitment, as I am shifting a major part of my photography work away from action sports so that I can focus more on architectural photography, commercial photography and studio/environmental portraiture.

For me, Zoégetics gives me an opportunity to grow two businesses, Abell Creative: Photography, Graphic Design & Digital Asset Management, as well as my own Zoegetics business that is healthy for my family and earth friendly.

I urge each of you to check out the Zoegetics site to see if it might be an opportunity for you and your family. In the coming days, I will be developing a site for my Zoégetics team that will be centered around spreading “the Zoé way of life.”

Should you need more information on Zoégetics, do not hesitate to get in touch with me; I am more easily reached on my cellular phone, though I do check email daily.

Best,

Paul Abell
478.320.3759
paul@abellcreative.com