Gavin with Ken Whitmire, the Ansel Adams of wall portraits at WPC 2013.

This video is private just for newsletter subscribers, but I will make it public in the future.

Here’s our special Seim Effects freebie video for May 2013. I just returned from a week at Wall Portrait Conference. It’s my 5th year and the principles I learned here changed my entire career. I wanted to record a quick overview of ideas while it”s fresh in my mind. To share a bit of what I have learned and what I plan to apply further this year as I sell more wall prints.

These ideas come from hundreds of years of combined experience. I am not the master of marketing, but I have seen these principles work when applied correctly. I barley scratch the surface here, but here’s hoping this video will get you inspired to raise the bar and go further. I hope to see you at a future Wall Portrait Conference.

Gavin Seim

Want to learn more about using light and making images for walls? Check out my complete films including EXposed, a workshop about all things light and exposure. Also take a look at PHOTOGRAPHICS. My new film on Art, History and Photographic Craft. You can pre-order it now and save.

ColorFlow has arrived. The most complete color presets toolkit available for Aperture users and a perfect complement to LightFlow for Aperture. You can learn more and watch the video here. Below is the official press details and media kit available for download.

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Seim Effects Introduces ColorFlow – Offers More Than Sixty Color Effect Presets for Photographers Using Apple Aperture

Color Alchemy for Aperture – ColorFlow is a presets collection dedicated to flexible beautiful color. Designed to help photographers deliver outstanding work by allowing them to focus more on creativity and less on the science of color.

Soap Lake, WA (March 27, 2013) – Seim Effects Photo Tools has introduced ColorFlow, its newest creative preset collection engineered by Award-winning photographer Gavin Seim. These new color-only presets have been created specifically for photographers who use Apple^® Aperture^® software in their digital photography workflow.

For maximum flexibility, the ColorFlow presets collection organizes more than sixty presets across 5 categories of color tools: Essential Color, Color Story, Film Inspired, Hollywood Cinema and Color Toners. The ColorFlow collection allows photographers to deliver very subtle or bold image variations. For even greater control, users can mix and blend color effects for desired mood or visual theme, all while leveraging the power of Apple Aperture software.

Download Media Sample Kit and Full Press Release ZIP

In form with Seim Effects standard practice, we’re posting a mini set from the collection. A selection of free presets from ColorFlow. Try them out and if you like what you see grab the complete collection. Note: If you use LR instead of Aperture check out Color Fantasies 2.

The complete ColorFlow features…

• 5 categories of POWERFUL color tools.
• Subtle to Bold. ColorFlow is balanced.
• Customize – Mix and blend effects.
• Free updates and effects refinements.
• Organized for workflow and creativity.
• Amazing Seim Real Service & support.
• 60+ presets for Apple Aperture® 3+

DOWNLOAD ColorFlow sampler pack ZIP

Get the complete collection.

I’ve had it with the lack of service from today’s businesses large and small. Rude, non resolving service, people hanging up on you, ignoring your problems, making excuses, rolling their eyes, saying it’s not their job. I get it all the time.

I started working the family store when I was about ten and by age thirteen was the manager of cellular phone sales at Grant’s. Those were the early days of cell phones. Analog hand programming. Customer resolution. I gained an honest understanding of service and I am shocked by the terrible lack of it today.

I’m on a mission to not only improve service at Seim Studios, but to talk openly about Real Service – Bad service is generally done to save a buck. But it’s not worth it. It costs more in the long run and it’s wrong. Real Service always pays off.

What do I mean by Real Service? I mean satisfied customers. Things like our phone number in the upper left so you can contact us directly. Actually caring and resolving customer issues, even if it means we have to put in overtime. I mean not nickel-and-diming people for support, a glass of water or an extra packet of mustard sauce – Give Them the Pickle.

Real Service is the opposite of what companies like Adobe, US Bank, AT&T and countless others are giving me lately. Much like freedom, it seems some are forgetting about it. Not here – I won’t make the excuse that I don’t have the resources to help you or that I only have time for email support. I operate in both retail photography, software tools and education. I’m here to tell everyone that a company has no excuse, none, for not giving full service.

• There is NO excuse for not responding to emails.
• There is NO excuse for not having a contact phone number easily available.
• There is NO excuse for blaming for others and leaving the customer unhappy.
• There is NO excuse for circular phone menus that waste the customers time.
• There is NO excuse for charging the customer in any fashion because your company messed up.

I am Gavin Seim and here at Seim Studios we offer Real Service. Whether you bought a portrait, a workshop, software and anything else. No matter how busy we get. We take this pledge.

REAL Service is not something computers do for you – It’s not something from a book, or a line in a policy manual – It’s not an excuse – Service means YOU raise a finger, a hand and sometimes even an arm or a leg. You do the footwork, you look into the problem and you do your dang level best to resolve it – You make the customer happy. That’s service. That’s what we pledge to strive for – If we miss that mark, we ask that you remind us.

I’ve put in in words. This is the ideal we operate on here. So if you you have a question, a problem or feedback, just visit this page and get in touch. Or just phone be direct. 509-951-4860.

Everyone is welcome to use the Real Service pledge for their own business. I hope other businesses will join us in making a commitment to our customers. And when you find a business that is giving great service, don’t forget to let them know you appreciate it, leave them a great review and keep the momentum going.

Lets put an end to cruddy service and start demanding more.

Sincerely, Gavin Seim, Owner – Seim Effects, Seim Studios, Atomic Feather Engineering.

Recently we released Color Fantasies 2 here at Seim Effects – It’s a powerful collection of over 100 presets like you’ve never seen in Lightroom. It’s color alchemy at your fingertips, from Hollywood style color tones to film inspired simplicity. But we know that not everyone will be ready to jump in and buy a premium presets pack right off. That’s why we’re giving you free presets – Good ones too.

Below you can download 15 premium presets from Color Fantasies 2. No strings attached. Downloaded, install and start seeing what kind of color is possible within Lightroom. We hope you enjoy and when you see how powerful they are, you’ll check out the complete collection. If you have any questions or problems just get in touch – effects@seimstudios.com, or give us a phone call – 509 951 4860. We really are here to help.

Gavin Seim

Check out the complete collection of over 100 tools.

Download the Free Presets ZIP

Watch the video on installing presets.

Below a few before and after examples – See more and try out all the presets in the virtual demo on the Color Fantasies 2 product page.

Color Fantasies 2 just landed taking color processing in Lightroom to new levels.

If you own Color Fantasies V1 you are eligible for the discount upgrade price of just $18 thru Jan 2 2013 ($24 thereafter).

You should have received an email with you special upgrade code for CF2. If you didn’t get it just let us know and we’ll fix you up.

Just email, effects@seimstudios.com