I’m not sure what to dub this yet, and it’s weight is unimaginable, but doesn’t it just look amazing!?  Yeah, I thought so too.

And on to more serious topics.  My first post!  Hi, I’m the other half of ATLPhotography and Alex’s wife.  I’m hooked on photography and have been for as long as I can remember.  I really enjoy the artistic side of photography and am doing my best to become more familiar with the technical side of things.  Alex and I work well in that respect, as he’s great with all the technical aspects and tech ins and outs of our gear.  I tend to be the one who tries to explain it through thought process and the feeeeeelings behind the photographs.  I would like to be a better mix of the two, so I’m trying to brush up on the back-end system as I’d like to call it.

I’m very passionate about my photography and really enjoy experimenting with new ideas.  I like to shoot anything and everything.  We’re ramping up for the summer and have started booking weddings for the busy summer season.  The year has been off to a good start for us and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.  In the meantime, stick around as we will have more posts and photos to come!

I have finally arrived in Atlanta.  It took a year and a half to transfer my company to Georgia and get all my equipment here.  It’s been a journey and a half.  So why do I love the ATL?  Here’s why:

Atlanta – The new capital of the South

Atlanta is the new capital of the South.  It’s a young metropolis that is both green and delicious.  It’s also home to some of my favorite brands.  It’s good to be in on the ground floor and I’m excited to be a part of this young, vibrant city.  So why is it the capital of the south?  It’s rated under the Alpha- category of cities in terms of connectivity and worldliness.  While this may seem like a somewhat lower ranking, Atlanta is constantly building infrastructure as well as making a name for itself as a global city with the busiest airport in the world.  In terms of long term planning, I think Atlanta is going to continue to climb the ranks as one of the most advanced cities in the world.  Atlanta is a center for art, business, and banking.  Samantha and I  are currently looking for a place in midtown so the housing slowdown is currently aiding us.  It’s a good time to be in Atlanta and we are both excited to be here.

Brands

There are so many brands in Atlanta.  Atlanta is home to Coca-Cola, AT&T, Home Depot, Delta, Turner Broadcasting, CNN, Equifax, Georgia-Pacific, Holiday Inn, Suntrust, and Waffle House to name a few.  I’m really happy to be where Coca Cola and AT&T are because they are 2 of my favorite brands.  I love to drink Coca-cola products and I constantly use my iPad and iPhone on AT&T.  I have always been a supporter of great marketing concepts and brand recognition since I work as both a photographer and marketer.  As a photographer, I’m hoping to add my brand to the list of Atlanta brands in the next few years.  So what does NOIR Group Photography stand for?  We stand for quality, innovative, inspiring photography that is timeless and produced to make people happy.  So that’s my elevator pitch.  I’m always trying to make my business more transparent and improve quality across the board.

Green

Atlanta is a sprawl.  It’s quite large and not quite accessible by foot.  Coming from large cities like New York City, Hong Kong, and Washington D.C., it’s a disadvantage to have a city that is primarily traveled by car.  That said, Atlanta is quite awesome for that same reason.  I85 cuts through the heart of the city, making everything easily accessible by car if you need to haul equipment or just take a ride.  New York City and Hong Kong by comparison, are plagued with heavy traffic and small roads.  The first time I saw I85 cut through Atlanta was in 2007.  7 lanes on each side or 14 lanes total of a monstrous superhighway races through downtown at a maddening speed.  Parking is always becoming more and more accessible as time goes by in Atlanta.  My favorite areas are Midtown, Little Five Points, and Buckhead because they have constantly developed walking street traffic to where it’s more metropolitan.  At the current rate of adoption in Atlanta, I wouldn’t be surprised if more areas were accessible by foot in 5 years.  So why is Atlanta green?  Just look around.  It’s densely populated by deciduous trees and lush greenery throughout the city.  It’s the first time I have breathed fresh air in a city and it’s a refreshing change from high pollution centers like my other stomping grounds.  Atlantans also pride themselves on being green in their businesses, parks, and urban areas.  As a photographer and business owner, I’ve built a paperless, low carbon footprint office workflow, and am essentially lead and arsenic free.  I recycle what can be recycled and repurpose what I can repurpose.  In other cities, it’s a joke what I do.  In Atlanta, I’m at home in a green workspace.

Delicious

Atlanta is delicious.  It’s a cultural wonderland (Sammy says: for your tongue) that’s based on local produce and sustainable concepts.  It’s also home to James Beard nominee chefs such as Kevin Gillespie, Hugh Acheson, and Linton Hopkins.  In short, Atlanta is a foodie city.  The availability of high grade ingredients from local sources is extremely high.  Food is just good in Atlanta.  Pricing at these establishments are also much lower than in competing cities due to transportation accessibility and local produce.  Atlanta is also known for barbecue which is my weakness.  I’m a huge lover of good food and excellent barbecue.  Yes, not grilled food like people up north normally think, I mean actual smoke rings on the meat, cooked for long periods of time with love and care barbecue.  As a photographer, I love to photograph food.  I have dozens upon dozens of food shots in my repertoire just because I love eating and shooting food.  I also prefer to not style my food before shooting because the results are much more natural and inviting.  So for all you chefs out there, I will photograph your food if you feed me!  Yes, you heard me, I “Will Photograph For Food”.  If you’re a foodie on a budget, Atlanta is the place to be.

International

Most people don’t expect Atlanta to be a major international city.  Since I have been here, I have met more culturally diverse people than in Hong Kong and New York City.  Atlanta is also home to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, lovingly called the ATL, which is the busiest international airport worldwide.  Atlanta is also home to one of the largest Korean settlements in the United States.  All hail Samsung.  As a photographer, I love cultural diversity because it allows for a variety of skin tones and more interesting photographs.  I’m not saying that all my photographs look like ads for the United Colors of Benetton but I like to have a lot of diversity available in my shots.  Atlanta is going to be one of the most international cities in the coming century.

We Have Arrived

So Samantha and I have arrived in Atlanta.  We hope to photograph more, make more new friends, and do some great business here.  Some personal goals include, eating through the heart of Atlanta, drive every road on what I call the Death Star (aka spaghetti junction I-285), have a McGangBang, and go hunting.  Stay tuned for more blog posts and definitely contact us if you need photographs or a photographer.

Customers have already responded to these price and quality changes with the following comments:

“This is amazing! You’ve provided excellent images and marketing which make my business run.  The transfer process was easy and logging in online or on accessing my information on my iPhone or iPad is simply amazing.  It is a REVOLUTION in how I function.  I know that wherever my business goes, NOIR Group is there to support me.” – Mario Rinaldi, Official USA Representative of Paul Goerg Champagne

“You’ve offered amazing service over the years and have been behind me and my business through good times and bad times.  I KNOW that whatever I do, I’ll have NOIR Group behind me supporting me every step of the way.” – Michael Hershkowitz, Principal of Kingsland Group of New York

“You’re an enterprising company with technology that just works.  Your experience with systems and design help our business to get the most out of our technology.”- Chris Fjelddahl, CEO of Eight Partnership of Hong Kong

NOIR Group LLC was founded in 2002 in New York City with the simple mission of providing people with the best photos and services.  NOIR Group LLC has consistently created branding, imaging, marketing, financing, and operational solutions for its customers by using the latest stable technologies and leading the way in mobile communications.  For more information, please visit http://www.noirgroup.org .