Praise Report

Trameisha's Capture Session

The D.ivinely I.nspired and V.irtuously A.nointed Ms. Trameisha Smith explored downtown Houston with an aura of optimism. 2011 sent her on a whirlwind of emotions but promises to end on an upbeat! She brings good news, both temporal and eternal, to anyone who will listen.

 Jacque Cousteau said that no aquarium, no tank in marine land, however spacious it may be, can begin to duplicate the conditions of the sea. And no dolphin who inhabits one of those aquariums or one of those marine lands can be considered normal. Trameisha is that dolphin; she is not normal. The world is her sea and you can find her exploring every nook an cranny on her quarterly vacations.

When she is in the city, Trameisha works as a life skills teacher, equipping her students with both book and street smarts. With passion she guides the next generation of leaders into their future. She infects them with the audacity of hope for more than they can think or imagine which gets them dreaming big!

In addition to her career, Ms. Smith devotes her time and talents to Real Life Christian Center. You can find her singing in the choir, dancing with the praise team, and doing whatever else the Lord guides her to do.

See more of Trameisha's session by clicking here.

Are You The Next Marketing Professional?

An organization's effectiveness greatly depends on the degree to which its targeted public supports its goals and policies; consequently, they  need someone who will serve as an advocate for clients seeking to build and maintain positive relationships with the public. This role requires an individual with superior communication skills and a history of working with diverse groups of people. Your current customer service, marketing, community relations, and administrative experience combined with extensive education in communication may make you into the type of individual any company wants as a representative.

Many people in the aforementioned functions, excelled in those roles because of the requirement to take steps to understand the attitudes and concerns of the company, the target audience, and how to correspond those attitudes and concerns. You had to establish and maintain cooperative relationships.

Besides give you credentials, earning degrees, develops an appreciation and ethical concern for the professional values and effects on an audience of utilizing such techniques will accompany both practical and theoretical instruction. Additionally, you learn the skills needed to perform the research and writing functions that precede actual production of media programs as well as performance studies

When preparing your resume or getting ready for an interview remember I  that you posses all the skills needed to perform adequately in a marketing role.  Your customer service, community relations, and education process provide the transferable skills needed to help you excel!

Top Ten Tips for Tip Top Candid Shots!

"Taking a great picture is about self-awareness." -JRochelle

ByJRochelle specializes in capturing you JUST the way you are. This does not mean we don't work from a plan or script, it means we love to put natural moments in their best light. These encounters that any viewer can relate to will put your audience in a familiar place, making it easier for them to hear what you have to say. Most people cringe at the notion of “candid shots”, but the problem isn’t the shot.  The problem is many of us don't put our best foot, face, or anything else forward! So in this blog we want to help you take the best candid shots ever!  After reading ByJRochelle's top 10 tips for taking the best candid shot ever, you won't be embarrassed to be caught off guard again!

10. Location! Location! Location! 

The first step in putting your best face forward is knowing which way “forward” is! Stealthy photographers remain ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. Remain cognizant of where the photographers are so you can choose a comfortable position to mix and mingle. That million-dollar smile won’t do you any good if the photographer is behind you. But just in case he is behind you be sure your clothing fit properly, you’re standing up straight, and you’ve taken a moment to tease that coif. 

9. Know YOUR Angles

Once you know where the photographers stand, you can then adjust yourself to a comfortable position to mix and mingle in which displays your best angles. Now I can’t tell you what your best angle is so this will require that you experiment in the mirror. Once you find that angle lean slightly toward the camera and look straight ahead. Avoid looking down because your eyes may look closed.

8. Cover Your Mouth

Every time you feel the need to open your mouth, cover it first! In reality, we only open our mouths for a few moments in a day, but a camera can put that social faux pas on display for an eternity. Yawing, eating, and laughing present a prime opportunity to position you for the unsightly “mouth wide-open” shot. So do your self a favor and  slip your hand over your mouth.

7. Don’t Be A Cow 

Like number 8, number 7 will help you to leave your tonsils out of the picture. Chew with your mouth closed. This goes for gum chewing, eating, and any other reason you feel the need to chew. Cameras catch moments and if you chew with your mouth closed, then the “cow” moment won’t rear it’s ugly head.

6. Chin Up

Tilt your head and try to position yourself so that the camera is a little above, or at, your eye level. This will slice your double chin in half! If this doesn’t seem natural, then put one hand under your chin as though you’re resting your head on your hand BUT DON”T ACTUALLY REST YOUR HEAD ON YOUR HAND.

5. Mind Your Posture

Turn that muffin top into amazing abs by sucking in that gut and arching you back. Whether sitting or standing up straight you will look more confident, healthier, and more alert. Additionally, LL Cool J says holding your abs in for 15 seconds is like doing a sit-up so if you stick to this tip you’ll add exercise to your daily routine.

4. Dress For Success!

Dressing for success in pictures will turn you candid shot into a glamour shot. Pick the right color for your skin tone, the fit for your body type, and the right style for your personality. Color, pattern, fit all play a role in whether you end up on the best or worse dressed list!

Keep in mind that solids can make you look like a blob of of color so break up that little black dress with a few accessories. White can make your skin tone appear darker since it tends to absorb most of the light, leaving you in the dark deepening those natural shadows. Horizontal stripes can make you appear wide, so if you are wide, then you may want to avoid those.

3. Stiff Upper Lip

Tyra tells her girls on ANTM not to forget the tension. To be honest, this is another one that you will need to practice in the mirror until it becomes natural. No one likes to see a picture with his or her lip hanging passed her chin and flat cheeks. Figure out a way to use your face muscles constantly so that you’re smizing in every shot.

2. Relax!

The more comfortable and relaxed you appear, the better the photo will turn out. Many people end up looking odd in photos because they freeze into odd facial expressions of confusion and/or discontent. The old television show said it best, “smile, you’re on candid camera”! Smile! Don’t give the world that fake wide grin, flash your natural smile and your picture will be awesome.

1. Believe That You Are Beautiful!

If you walk onto the scene believing that you are beautiful self-consciousness will melt away. Proverbs 23:7 says that as you think in your heart, so you are. If you believe that you are beautiful, then you will be beautiful. Further more, since you will have practiced these tips for taking tip top candid shots, you will exercise them naturally putting your best beauty forward!

It is important to realize that taking a great picture is about self-awareness. Make sure to always put your best self forward. Just like anything else you can learn how to do this if you haven’t been so successful in the past.  I can’t wait to see the transformation in your candid shots as you put these tips into practice!

All pictures are the property of ByJRochelle and may not be used without expressed and written consent. 

Train Up a Child With Television

Proverbs 22:6 says that we need to train up children in the way that they should go so that when they are old they will not depart. That's easier said than done, because let's face it the world gives us tough competition for our kids' competition. Flashing images and words faster than we can. Many parents and experts believe that the answer is to turn off the television and the radio. It sounds like a good idea but there are 2 problems with this plan: 1) if you do succeed in sheltering your child from television and radio they may enter the world terribly handicapped, not knowing how to deal with the "wiles of the devil" and,  2) the word tells us that ALL things work together for the good of those who love God. The last statement leads me to believe that television in itself is not bad but the way people use it can be. We should take hold of this powerful tool and allow it to help us train up our children in the way that they should go.

As a video producer I get to make the moving pictures that captivate tweens at my church. We film announcement videos each week using as much creativity and humor as we can muster. In this video, Kenneth, after promising Hannah that he will take the announcements seriously uses green screen to express his imagination.

CREW

Jeanicia Elder of ByJRochelle

Manson Floyd

Hannah Smith

Talent

Hannah Aldridge

Kenneth DeVon

See more work from ByJRochelle by clicking here.