Scott Fillmer

Freelance Photographer and Internet Developer

welcome .statement

I specialize in live events photography, website and blog development, and ecommerce business management, with a strong focus on customer service. Previous experience includes freelance photography, consulting, marketing, revenue generation, customer acquisition, content writing, business development, and ecommerce analysis.  I have over 15 years of real world business experience, I take great pleasure in serving and helping others and look forward to discussing any future opportunities to serve your organization.

In additional to Internet business I am a freelance photographer that specializes in live events and performances in the southeastern United States, specifically the Auburn-Opelika metro area.  I currently own Auburn Images Photography, and I offer extensive, professional, photographic coverage, for private and editorial use, of a wide variety of subjects from Auburn University, local sports and events, to bands and performances from the surrounding southeastern United States and beyond.  One of my goals for my photography, is to work with ministries and mission groups to combine my passion for photography with the passion for my faith in some meaningful and significant way.

For special booking or shooting assignment inquiries please contact me for scheduling and availability. I operate out of my office located in Auburn Alabama (about 90 minutes from Atlanta Georgia), but I will be happy to meet with you through email, phone, or in person.

education .details

1992-1996: B.A., University of Alabama at Birmingham, (Birmingham, AL), Completed B.A., Business Administration in Accounting

1994: FAA Licensed Pilot - Single Engine Aircraft (Dallas, TX)

1995-1997: Photography, University of Alabama at Birmingham, (Birmingham, AL), Photography field and studio studies in wildlife, nature, b&w, color, digital imaging and processing and editing

1996-1997: MBA Work in Business Accounting, University of Alabama at Birmingham, (Birmingham, AL), completed one year of MBA study before being hired by a software company.

2005-2007: Patriot Bible University, Biblical Studies, (DelNorte, Colorado)

2007: FCC Licensed Amateur Radio Operator, KI4WLR, Technician Class License, completed in 2007 (Atlanta, GA), General Class License, to complete in 2008-2009

2007: Emergency Management Institute, (FEMA Independent Studies), Incident Command System Studies (ICS), National Incident Management Systems (NIMS)

experience .details

2008-Present: Cornerstone UMC, IT Director (Auburn, AL)

• Director of the technology aspects of in-house and Internet services
• Leader of photography and archiving group for church’s photographic services
• Blogging creation and implementation for staff members

1995-Present: Auburn Images Photography, Freelance Photographer (Auburn, AL)

• Live performances, local events, Auburn University, and images from the surrounding Auburn-Opelika
• Assignment availability for local news, stock, editorial, or photojournalism coverage
• Booking available for product, event, or business photography creation

2007-2009: Minor Details Inc, Internet Consultant, Marketing and Customer Acquisition

• Contributed to significant increase in sales revenue for 2007
• Maintain existing Internet sales channels and develop new revenue opportunities

2006-2008: Island Zephyr Books, Co-Owner (Auburn, AL)

• Started Island Zephyr Books: online used bookstore with over 30,000 used books
• Consulting Services: online sales channels, marketing & traffic utilization (SEM and SEO)
• Content Writer & Image editor: site development, video & image production

2006-2008: Harvest Evangelism Ministries, Volunteer Service (Opelika, AL)

• Volunteer 10-20 hours a week in organization and presentation of donated materials
• Manage and maintain inventory levels and overstocks for specific department

1993-2007: Pieces of the Past, Co-Owner (Auburn, AL)

• Started and operated retail and online business
• Invented and manufactured several products used and sold worldwide
• Increased revenue and expanded inventory for 10 consecutive years
• Sold business in January 2007, trained new business owner

1996-1998: McLeod Software, Installation & Training Specialist (Birmingham, AL)

• Installed UNIX hardware servers, implemented upgrades on existing systems
• Trained customers on network and software systems

1991-1994: Southwest Airlines, Customer Service Representative (SFO, DAL, SDF, BHM)

• Provided highest level of customer service for traveling public
• Awarded for consecutive employee attendance three years in a row
• Skilled and trained at handling constantly changing situations at the ticket counter, gate departures/arrivals, and baggage claim.

experience .specialties

Photography / Image Editor – (see also work portfolio for more information) published photographer in nature and aviation magazines, with extensive image editing experience. Produced highest quality professional images to be used for editorial use, in newspapers and magazines, and in marketing and product development. Areas of experience include sports, nature, wildlife, aviation, transportation, travel and studio product photography. Over 10 years experience in photography and photo editing procedures. I use the latest editing programs like Photoshop CS3, Adobe Bridge, Adobe Camera RAW (ACR), Adobe Lightroom, and Nikon ViewNX and Capture NX2, and I am familiar with editing processes on Apple systems like Apple Aperture and iPhoto, ftp, and file transfer protocols.

Experienced in color management profiles and details for web publishing and print based images and photography. An example of a wide variety of images can be found in the Auburn Images Photography portfolio.

Customer Service – Satisfaction and retention of thousands of customers. Over 75% monthly repeat/return customer rate for several years and surveys among the highest in market genre. Extremely customer service oriented and driven to provide the best business experience for the customer.

Business Branding / Development – developed brand names, registered trademarks, products, logos, icons of product branding. Creating and maintaining color schemes and company designs to identify a specific company, product, or business.

Writing / Reviews / Guides – extensive content writing and analysis, reviews and guides to inform and educate customers, potential customers, and other interested parties. Reviews included product testing, image production, how to protect yourself against online fraud, and how to maintain happy customers through outstanding customer service.

Software / Programming / Coding - extensive experience with all office type applications and presentation software. More than 8 years of experience with Adobe Photoshop and several other image and video editing applications. Proficient in coding html, css, and php with a strong knowledge base of Internet code functions, SQL, blog functionality and theme development.

Market Research – comprehensive Internet research into market conditions, trends, and competition. Implementation of marketing campaigns across channels, including direct mail, media / book publications, and extensive Internet promotional service channels

Product Distribution and Order Processing – direct dealings with import companies, distributors, wholesalers, and daily processing of 100-200 orders (or 1,000-2,000 individual product sku’s daily) including inventory management and shipping, foreign customs and international customer development.

Revenue / Financial Management – budgeted and appropriated revenue into key areas of the day to day operations for product acquisition, payroll, marketing, and daily expenses. Managed annual revenues of $500k to maintain and grow customer base and business assets.

photography .information

With more than 10 years experience in photography, I have used a wide variety of equipment and editing software (see above). My personal preference in equipment is Nikon professional digital products but I have used a variety of manufacturers equipment and I am familiar with most aspects of the photography industry.

• Photography education includes 2 years of university study at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) in a wide range of areas including classroom and field work study in nature, wildlife, product, sports, aviation, B&W, macro, image presentation, and marketing.

• Published photographer in nature and aviation magazines in the United States and Europe

• Photography experience is more than 10 years of field work in nature, wildlife, macro, aviation, sports, and studio product presentation

• Image catalog includes over 25,000 high quality images of a wide variety of fields and subjects

• Current concentration is sports and even coverage in the Auburn-Opelika and surrounding areas

• Available for freelance assignments and private bookings, please contact me for details

personal .interests

Hobbies include fitness, music, sailing, sports, travel, technology of all kinds, continuing education, and self taught/learned projects large and small.

Transportation enthusiast: piloted single and twin engine aircraft, large and small sailboats, power boats, personal water crafts, logged over 250,000 miles on a retired greyhound bus to every state in the U.S., driven a tractor, motorhome, car, truck, and motorcycles over a combined 1 million miles throughout the U.S., still waiting to drive the train.

Traveling to other countries has given me a good worldwide perspective and an understanding of multiple cultures and governments. Along with extensive travel to all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico, International travel includes: [Europe] London, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, Prague, Amsterdam [Australia / NZ] Sydney, Auckland, [Asia] Taipei Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Burma, and of course the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands.

To Serve is something I love, and I take great joy to serve as a Christian, husband, and father.  I enjoy finding new and relevant ways to serve others through photography, the Internet, blogs, and worship.

availability .contact

I am available for a wide range of positions, freelance photography, consulting, website, blog, or ecommerce development, marketing, customer service, tech support, and many others. I would be more than happy to meet with you in person, over the phone, or through email to answer any questions you might have.

I operate out of my very professional, high-tech office located in Auburn Alabama, about 90 minutes from Atlanta Georgia. A high speed Internet connection is always available with a backup system, along with fax, phone, and a current large computer network using both pc and mac systems. Please leave a message on my company voice mail at 215-243-7934 for a return call or for a faster response please send me an email from the contact page or either email address below.

Address contact: 300 N Dean Rd Ste 5 #124, Auburn, AL 36830 USA

email: scott@scottfillmer.com

freelance .portfolio

You can view a small portfolio of my freelance work from the links below. You will find small samples of the range of images I have taken and edited from sports to nature to product presentation to aviation, Blog Development, Ecommerce sites I have created, and examples of Content Writing.  All images below were taken and are copyright (c) Scott Fillmer, please contact me if you would like to use any of these images for any reason, thanks.

Technical Portfolio for blogs, ecommerce, please visit
http://www.scottfillmer.com/about/portfolio/

Photography Portfolio and Gallery, please visit my gallery below, or my blog for large high res images under photography posts.
http://www.auburnimages.com

For a photography portfolio specifically of aviation images please visit
http://www.planephoto.net

Profiles also available at @scottfillmer on Twitter, Facebook, Elance and LinkedIn

additional .information

If you would like more information please contact me.  I would be happy to discuss your questions or needs via email, phone, or in person.