Wedding Photographers - Aj Photographs

When it comes time to arranging a wedding, couples should give serious consideration to the services of one of many professional wedding photographers in Edinburgh. Wedding memories are meant to last a lifetime and it is a single day to be cherished and appreciated by the blessed couple for many years to come. The couple will want perfect wedding pictures that they can review and enjoy, and the one sure fire way to get perfect wedding photographs is by hiring one of several professional wedding photographers in Edinburgh.Seeking out professional wedding photographer in Edinburgh is indeed a task. A lot of effort should be put into the act of choosing the professional wedding photographer for your special day.

Professional wedding photographers in Edinburgh have different ranges of experience, different ways of taking photographs, and every photographer has a unique personality. The couple seeking the skills of professional wedding photographer will need to assess the photographer’s communication skills, review the photographer’s portfolio, and determine if the photographer is capable of meeting the couple’s demand.Some wedding photographers provide their information on websites. Along with contact information, the photographers may provide client testimonials, information about wedding photo packages too. If the photographer supplies wedding photo samples or access to their professional wedding photo portfolio online, it’s advised that the couple view the portfolio together to see if they both appreciate the images, the lighting, the poses, the colouring, and the highlighted moments within the photos offered for viewing. If both the future bride and groom are not in agreement, it may be necessary to review the portfolios of other professional wedding photographers in order to find a good photographer for the job.

Album Cover Art-Part Two

Album cover art software allows you to explore this pop phenomenon

In the last article, we discussed some of the elements of album cover art and I would like to continue the discussion with some more details and an album cover finder that is a must for any fan of album cover art.

As I stated previously, many famous artists have been commissioned to design and produce album covers. For example, the Rolling Stones and pop artist Andy Warhol are famous for the cover art on the Stones’ album “Sticky Fingers.” As the story goes, at a party in 1969, Andy Warhol casually mentioned to Mick Jagger that it would be amusing to have a real zipper on an album cover. A year later, Jagger proposed the idea for “Sticky Fingers.” But, there was a flaw in the shipping process, the zipper would press onto the album stacked on top of it, causing damage to the vinyl record. The solution? The zipper had to be pulled down before the album was shipped, then it would only dent the album covers. However, they never figured out how to keep the zipper from scratching the other album covers. Additionally, some department stores refused to display the album, feeling it was risque and not family oriented because of the model’s snug jeans and the zipper display. But this album is historic because it broke new ground and also saw the debut of the now famous Stones logo: a caricature of Jagger’s lips and tongue.

If you are a Janis Joplin fan, then you would probably know that the famed cartoonist Robert Crumb designed the cover for Joplin’s album “Cheap Thrills.” This revered, yet misunderstood artist, drew the cover as a favor to Joplin, who he befriended in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood where they both resided. He was paid 0 for his work by Columbia Records, which later sold the artwork. Crumb was asked to do a cover for the Rolling Stones, but refused because he did not like their music. Crumb is also the artist for the “Keep On Truckin’” poster and “Fritz The Cat,” and has more than seventy covers to his credit.

The Internet is full of sites related to album cover art and is just too numerous to list. There are sites devoted to fan favorites, the weird and unusual, particular decades and so on. Many users have turned to ebay to find lost art treasures from their childhood. But I want to share a website and album cover artwork finder that is not only convenient, but a must have for any art lover.

I recently spoke with Richard Nicol, the program designer and owner of “Album Cover Finder.” (http://www.albumcoverfinder.com) The program has been available for more than two years and is a godsend for anyone interested in album cover art.
“Album Cover Finder” allows the user to not only find specific searches for interesting album cover art, but also allows the user to download selected songs from the release. I asked Richard about his fascination with album cover art.

“I’ve always been interested and loved album cover art and wanted to create a database where the users could not only look at album cover art, but experience it as well. The program allows the user to browse through the cover art of a particular band and also lets the user to download particular songs through iTunes as well. The main feature is convenience, you can utilize iTunes and not only get more of an experience for the music, but the great artwork involved with the music and artists.”

But “Album Cover Finder” is more than just iTunes and album cover art. The program allows users to look at different art work from different countries as well. Some of the art work involved in a US release may be different from that of a UK release or German release, only adding to the experience. The program also allows users to review artist biographies, read reviews of a particular release and add the artwork to their iTunes library and an iPod. “Album Cover Finder” also allows users to find additional cover art from a particular artist or band, copy the artwork to a clipboard and has artist videos and applicable tour information. “Album Cover Finder” is a fully functional way to search for album artwork and includes free updates for registered users and is available at http://www.albumcoverfinder.com.

Now, I have only had the program about a week, but I have to admit spending literally many, many hours looking at historic artwork and listening to the songs associated with the acts. This software gets a hardy “thumbs-up” and is a “must have,” affordable program for album cover art connoisseurs and anyone with a fascination with art and music.

Needless to say, there can be a lot more written about album cover art and the impact it has had upon music and pop culture and cannot be summarized in a couple of articles. There are countless books, (I actually own one that talks about and illustrates naked vinyl and the images used to try and sell albums!) that detail album covers and the impact upon pop culture and music.

Additionally, there are so many web sites and blogs associated with album cover art, they are to numerous to list. Why there are even web sites devoted to preserving this treasured art and frame it for display.

Furthermore, did you know that June 1, 2007 marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band?” Not only is the release one of the most influential albums of all time musically, the cover art itself is iconic as well.

I spoke with Gary Freiberg, owner and operator of http://www.rockartpictureshow.com about “Sgt. Pepper” who related to me that the album “broke new ground and challenged the industry.” Gary and I talked about album cover art and the influences it has had on our culture. He also told me of a recent poll conducted by http://www.vinylrecordday.org that voted the “Sgt. Pepper” album cover the favorite album cover of all time. Gary is world renowned for his work in the album cover art industry with his patented record album frame and his work has been cited and used by the Smithsonian, Home & Garden TV, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and thousands of satisfied Internet customers. And if you interested in getting your great album art framed, you may visit http://www.rockartpictureshow.com and tell Gary you heard about him from an article posted at http://www.isnare.com

The Top Beatles Albums

The Beatles were only an active recording band for about 8 years. They first started recording in 1962 and the final Beatles recording session was George Harrison working on “I Me Mine” on January 3, 1970.

Although they were really only an active band for rather short period of time, they recorded many of the greatest albums in rock history. In fact they recorded so many great albums that I will have to shave off some really good ones to keep this list at a mere seven greatest albums.

#1 The White Album

The Beatles self titled double album quickly got the nickname “The White Album” upon it’s release in 1968 and the name has stuck even 40 years later. While many find fault with this album due to it’s sprawling nature and experimental tracks like “Wild Honey Pie” & “Revolution #9,” I find the album endlessly enthralling because of these very same points.

It has so many great songs in so many different styles. It’s like taking a walk through popular music history at that time. And when you get to “Revolution #9″ it’s like falling into a black hole or opening up a secret pathway to some strange alternate reality. I think it’s a distant future we cannot yet envision. Some look at the stranger, more difficult tracks on this album as a fault. As reasons why it’s not as great as Revolver or Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I look at them as a strength.

But certainly the album has a lot more going for it than experimental music. It’s got beautiful ballads like “Blackbird,” “I Will,” & “Julia.” It’s got great rockers like “Everbody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me & My Monkey” & the ground breaking “Helter Skelter.”

It’s got one of George Harrison’s most powerful songs in “While My Guitar Gentley Weeps” which features a young Eric Clapton on lead guitar. It’s got “Dear Prudence,” “Happiness Is A Warm Gun,” “Cry Baby Cry,” “Back In The USSR,” & “Sexy Sadie.”

So many truly great songs in so many differing styles. It’s a truly mesmerizing record that only gets better the more you listen to it. In my view it’s the pinnacle of rock music to date.

#2 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

While The White Album is sprawling landscape, Sgt Pepper’s is more like a trip to the carnival. It’s a far more cohesive album. But that’s not to say it’s without it’s unexpected turns, in fact every song on this album is quite different than the one that came before it. The difference is that on Sgt. Pepper’s the songs all somehow feel connected despite being so different from each other.

While the album has more than it’s share of great songs, it’s really the overall feeling of the album that keeps me going back to it. I know it’s become hip to hate on this album and to say it’s overrated but I really feel that the people who say that aren’t truly listening. This is a special album. Every song fits into the whole and more than any other Beatles album in my view, it has no weak tracks. Even Revolver (which I think is their second most consistant album) has “Yellow Submarine” which while a fun singalong does grate my nerves with it’s placement right in the middle of the album.

As far as being “overrated,” in my view any album that ends with the greatest song of all time cannot possibly be overrated. And “A Day In The Life” is exactly that, the greatest song of all time.

#3 Revolver

Revolver is a lot like Sgt. Pepper as far as song quality and the variety of styles without the same feeling of album cohesiveness. It sounds more like a collection of excellent songs. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with a collection of great songs. Some of Paul McCartney’s most unforgetable songs are on this album including “Eleanor Rigby,” “Here, There, & Everywhere,” & “For No One.” It ends with the mind bending “Tomorrow Never Knows” which even 42 years later, still sounds like the future.

My one gripe with Revolver is that at this point I am a bit sick of “Yellow Submarine.” Don’t get me wrong, I like the song for what it is. But it doesn’t work very well as an album track, it grows tiresome with repeated listening. I feel the same way about Ringo’s rewrite on Abbey Road, “Octopus’s Garden.”

#4 Abbey Road

Abbey Road’s second side may be The Beatles greatest achievement. It’s an incredibly smooth but exciting ride. What I like about the suite is that it’s not overdone. It’s not heavy handed. It’s all connected but they don’t beat you over the head with that fact. It done in a more subtle manner and I really think that makes it more enjoyable.

But there’s more to the album than the celebrated second side. The first half has some of The Beatles greatest songs such as “Oh Darling,” “Something,” “Come Together,” & “I Want You (She’s So Heavy.)”

#5 Magical Mystery Tour

Magical Mystery Tour was originally released as an EP in the UK but is now officially an album release in the Beatles discography. It was released as an LP in America using some previously released singles (the great “Strawberry Fields Forever” & “Penny Lane” most importantly) to pad the British EP into a full length album.

Because of this background many people don’t consider it when ranking the albums, and I do think that history does somehow take away from the album somewhat. Psychologically it makes it feel more tacked together.

But when forgetting all of that, it’s really an incredible trippy journey. It’s The Beatles at their most purposefully psychedelic. To many they probably took it too far with some of the songs on this album (“Flying” & “Blue Jay Way” for example) but I love the “studio as an instrument” ideal. These songs still hold up today as great pieces of psychedelic music.

#6 Rubber Soul

Rubber Soul has a rather ridiculous amount of stunning songs on it. “Girl,” “In My Life,” “Nowhere Man,” “Michelle,” “I’m Looking Through You,” & “Norwegian Wood” are just some of the great tunes on this album. But that being said, it doesn’t rank quite as high as the albums above

for me because of a few clunkers (by Beatles standards anyway) that bring down the album. In particular I’m talking about “What Goes On,” “Wait,” & “Run for Your Life.”

#7 Let It Be

Let It Be is often looked upon as a failure or as one of The Bealtes worst albums. You know you are doing pretty good when an album that has songs like “Two Of Us,” “Across The Universe,” “Let It Be,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” & “Get Back” is considered a disappointment.

But it wasn’t so much the songs that disappointed people about Let It Be, it was the haphazard sounding production that turned people off. Personally, I now think that’s very endearing.

But with “Dig A Pony” not being among The Beatles greatest and “One After 909″ actually being one of The Beatles most annoying recordings in my opinion along with George Harrison’s somewhat subpar offerings this time around (“I Me Mine” & “For You Blue”) the album does indeed not stack up as high as the albums I’ve ranked above it.