So I updated my website last night and now it’s in shambles.

Honestly I don’t feel like fixing it today.

Maybe tomorrow?

A2Z Keywording is currently looking to hire a Visual+Interaction Designer for work on a revamp of our main product. We are looking to enhance the user interaction experience while giving the program a more modern look that compliments the variety of software tools photographers use everyday.

As a UI Designer, you have a strong technical background and work closely with Engineers and Product Managers to design products that are simple but great for the user, focusing on interaction and visual design. Using your keen design aesthetic you design and conduct experiments with real users so that improvements to the user experience are based on real user behavior. Your job is to make sure that our products are intuitive, accessible and usable to our millions of users.

As a Visual Designer, you will design delightful, polished products that excite users. Your work will involve designing interfaces that solve complex interactions with elegance and simplicity. You’re ardent about technology and know how to work alongside engineers, researchers product managers and other designers throughout all stages of the product cycle. You can tell compelling stories about users and products to support your work.

Responsibilities:

• - Create a look consistent modern photography software – while pleasing our users.
• - Communicate effectively in a cross-functional product development team and present ideas and designs effectively.
• - Present the user interface visually so information is easy to read, easy to understand and easy to find.
• - Market and promote products and features so users understand what they’re getting and what the benefits are.
• - Help to define the user model and user interface for new and existing products and features. Develop high level and/or detailed storyboards, mockups, and prototypes to effectively communicate interaction and design ideas.
• - Gauge the usability of new and existing products, and making constructive suggestions for change.

Minimum Qualifications:

• - BA/BS in Graphic Design or related field (In lieu of degree, 4 years relevant work experience).
• - 2 years of relevant work experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• - 3 years of experience designing outstanding web-based products for a consumer-oriented website.
• - Solid knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
• - Previous experience designing for Filemaker Pro based Databases and Applications.
• - Understanding of Stock Photography, Keywording, and Digital Asset Management
• - Proven ability to act as a leader in communicating conceptual ideas and design rationale, all within a user-centered design process.
• - Must be self-motivated to prioritize and manage work load and meet critical project milestones and deadlines.
• - Must be an effective problem solver.
• - Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build good working relationships.

If you are interested in the position, please send a brief cover letter, links to or images of work samples, and a copy of your resume to studio@dansteinphoto.com, and CC: alex@a2zkeywording.com .  If you succeed in sending the email to both of us, that will win you some points in the technical ability category.

Organizing Visual Databases for More than a Decade

A2Z Keywording has created keywording databases for stock photography houses and publishing companies for over a decade. Whether tagging photos of products or projects, detailing complex conceptual shots, or converting editorial captions into searchable keyword matrixes, A2Z Keywording can transform all your images into language.

Our keywording is tailored to your needs, and we pride ourselves on creating customized easy-to-use keywording databases. Publishers, stock photography houses, and media companies employ our services to organize and better utilize their visual archives.

As technologies have changed and evolved, so has A2Z Keywording. Two decades ago, we indexed books and catalogues; now we create intricate keyword matrixes for both web sites and digital image archives. Our clients include:

• Meredith Publishing
• Reader’s Digest
• Images.com
• Direct Stock
• Hemera Inc.
• American Showcase
• Solus Images
• Corbis
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Chelsea House Publishers

Tried to showcase some real-deal camera phone bokeh, but didn’t manage much focus as a result. I still like it, and that flower is pretty cool.

BabyVision Clothing

We’re back and preparing for a summer photo shoot at our new studio location!  Here is the casting info from BabyVision Inc. :

CONTACT: Art Director – Sarah Kimmel – BabyVision Inc, skimmel@babyvision.com

We’re now searching for several babies to model baby clothes, shoes and blankets. We are also looking for a few mom-and-baby pairs to model a baby carrier, some diaper bags, and for some general mom-and-baby pictures (without products) to be used for the purpose of promoting our brands.

The baby who will be modeling the carrier should be 6-12 months old, AND 12-20 lbs. The other babies should also be 6-12 months old. The baby selected to model the carrier may also be asked to model clothing and accessories.

If you are interested in modeling the carrier, feeding items or general mom-and-baby pictures, please submit a recent photo of yourself and your baby, along with your baby’s age and weight. If you are interested in only your baby modeling, please submit a recent photo of your baby along with their age and weight.

Models will be compensated with the various products they model with or with gift certificates from babymallonline.com

Parents may also choose to purchase all of their pictures from the shoot burned to DVD for the discounted price of $85.  No purchase is necessary to participate.

BabyVision Clothing

Models will be required to sign a release allowing use of their likeness in catalog and promotional material for BabyVision Inc.

The photo shoot will be on Saturday, August 13th, 2011 in Tucson, AZ.

Please submit recent pictures of you and your child along with their current age and weight. This information is required to help match the appropriate products to you and your child.

BabyVision Clothing

BabyVision Clothing

PROJECT: BABY CLOTHING & ACCESSORY CATALOG/ PROMO AD/ WEB

CASTING CALL CATEGORY: PHOTO SHOOT

LOCATION: TUCSON, AZ

CONTACT: Art Director – Sarah Kimmel – BabyVision Inc, skimmel@babyvision.com

BabyVision Clothing

My favorite Tucson performance troop, The Wonderfools! have another exciting event this weekend and it’s FREE!

The Tucson Juggling Festival is taking place today April 10th, 2011 @ 2pm over at Himmel Park.  Himmel Park is located at 1000 N. Tucson Blvd between Speedway and 3rd St. and the performance will be taking place near the big hill between the tennis courts and the children’s playground.  You may also catch performances by Flight School Acrobatics while you’re there.

You’ll find a little more information in this article featured in a recent issue of Zócalo Magazine.  There is info about additional events going on this weekend at Catalina Park, a few choice quotes from Becky of The Wonderfools, and a couple of pictures from our photo shoot featured in the gallery on this page.

Below are a selection of images from a shoot we did recently, which was obviously a ton of fun (just look at the pictures!).

Related Links:

• The Wonderfools!
• Zócalo Magazine
• Flight School Acrobatics

Please click an image to see an enlarged version. Clicking the right or left edges of an image will take you forward and backward, respectively. Feel free to leave feedback below!

So now I’m being a bit more daring with an iPhone post. Trying to post a larger image along with some text and a whole heap of tags. We will see how it goes!

This image is from a recent shoot done for the University of Arizona Foundation. It was taken on location at Dr. Herbst’s home in Tucson.

The image will be appearing in the publication titled – “Gifted”.