I recently received an email from Google+, the social media site that is was all the rage with photographers. Back when it started, I posted often and grew a following. Then something changed on the site and I didn't quite understand it, and I quit interacting. My blog posts continued auto-posting, but I haven't even visited the site in at least six years. On the other hand, I know several photographers who continued through the changes and kept a strong following and interaction with their audience. I liked Google+ because the interactions … [Read more...] about Google+ kicks the bucket
Photography Marketing: Asking for a review
in previous columns, I've discussed the importance of getting reviews, especially on platforms like Google and Facebook. So what's the best way to do it? How do you ask for a review without sounding desperate? Why are reviews important? Reviews on both Google and Facebook are important because they help build your reputation. Whether it be a simple star rating or an in-depth recommendation from a client, having these is important as you continue to build your business. Whether it's the case or not, having no reviews might show that you're … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Asking for a review
Photography Marketing: How to enhance your Google presence without Google+
For my very first marketing column, I wrote about how to get listed in the Google "yellow pages," or rather, have a professional-looking listing on its search pages. While that recommendation still holds true, the process has been expanded upon recently, to hopefully ease the burden that businesses might feel after Google+ meets its demise. If you took my recommendation and got listed on Google, you probably know about Google's My Business website and app. This is a dashboard that shows your website traffic performance, searches, reviews, … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: How to enhance your Google presence without Google+
Showing up where it matters, part three
Building online visibility Visibility online is built with a bit of patience, a lot of care, good content and most of all… links. It takes a while to draw enough traffic to your website, and most of us would love to cut a corner or two and get there quicker. This week we look at a few more ways, besides blogging, to get the clicks going and the visitors flocking. Landing pages If you run an offer, a promotion, a presentation, a new project, or whatever else you want to explain in detail to potential clients, you will need a landing page. … [Read more...] about Showing up where it matters, part three
The Nik Collection Gets a Potential New Life
For fans of the Nik Collection, big news just crossed our desk. Software maker DXO has purchased the Nik software tools from Google. They have announced plans to develop them into new products. The current tools (albeit outdated and not updated for several years) can be downloaded here for free. A new version is planned for mid -2018. It sounds like the handoff was mutually agreeable (but no information on how much the intellectual property sold for). “The Nik Collection gives photographers tools to create photos they absolutely love,” … [Read more...] about The Nik Collection Gets a Potential New Life
You Can Be the Photofocus Photographer of the Day
Every weekday Photofocus publishes a photograph that our curators have chosen for its impact and excellence. The creator of the image becomes the Photofocus Photographer of the Day. On Sunday the Photographer of the Week is announced. That individual is selected from the Photographer of the Day honorees from that week. Curators & Category Schedule Monday: Lauri Novak curates Travel Tuesday: Kevin Ames curates Beauty Wednesday: Rob Sylvan curates Outdoor Thursday: Bryan Esler curates Sports Friday: Bryan Esler curates … [Read more...] about You Can Be the Photofocus Photographer of the Day
iOS 11 Photos – A New Image Format?
In the past few days since Apple’s keynote at WWDC June 5th, a bunch of articles have popped up around the web about a new image format coming to iOS. Indeed, Apple plans to fully adopt the HEIF image standard on iPhone and iPads running iOS 11. What is it, how does it work, why change everything? Keep reading… What is HEIF? HEIF is short for High Efficiency Image Format and is a new image “wrapper” just like a JPEG or a TIFF. With the new “wrapper" comes a new compression algorithm, or codec, known as HEVC. We know HEVC in the video world as … [Read more...] about iOS 11 Photos – A New Image Format?
Photography Marketing: The New Yellow Pages — Having Marketing Success with Google
"The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!" Steve Martin's character in "The Jerk" would croak if he knew that the physical, print phone books — while still in existence — are no longer used by "millions of people every day." Despite this, the yellow pages are still very much alive in today's modern world, albeit through a completely different medium. The Importance of a Google Listing Several years ago, Google introduced a service called Google Places. This allowed any business to create a profile with their contact … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: The New Yellow Pages — Having Marketing Success with Google
Instant Replay: Making Great Black and White Photos in Lightroom
Black and white photographs can be very impactful, but there's so much more to making great black and whites than simply removing the color. In this episode, Adobe's Bryan O'Neil Hughes is back to help us demonstrate all the great tools Lightroom has for helping us make the most of our monochromes. Hosted by: Rob Sylvan and Levi Sim Produced by: Rich Harrington and Photofocus.com https://youtu.be/IsmIa1KXTPk?t=5m12s https://youtu.be/yuOLQva1iZs … [Read more...] about Instant Replay: Making Great Black and White Photos in Lightroom
Free Webinar – Landscape Photography: Shooting and Making Compelling Images
photo by Scott Bourne Don't miss this free educational event. We'll be tackling how to make the best looking landscape images, from shoot to post. Join Scott Bourne and Richard Harrington for this free and informative webinar. You'll learn how to shoot better landscape photos by exploring composition, time of day, and pre-planning. You'll also learn a few production tips like HDR and tack sharp shooting. Once captured we'll develop images in Photoshop and Lightroom and show you how to use Perfectly Clear to enhance your images. All … [Read more...] about Free Webinar – Landscape Photography: Shooting and Making Compelling Images
Lightroom Hangout: Practice Makes Perfect with Pete Collins
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday 3/21 at 2:00 pm Eastern, 1:00 pm Central, 12:00 pm Mountain, and 11:00 am Pacific. 3:30 pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Practice … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Practice Makes Perfect with Pete Collins
Free Webinar: Running a Professional Photo Shoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Have you ever wanted to drop on to the set of a top pro and see how things really run for a shoot? Don't miss Running a Professional Photo Shoot. Matthew Jordan Smith is going to join us live from Tokyo and walk us through some recent projects. Learn how to plan for a shoot, get practical tips on gear setup, and how to manage clients and talent during the shoot. We'll also explore tethering and onset processing using Lightroom and Perfectly Clear for instant access to polished photos. Join us for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free … [Read more...] about Free Webinar: Running a Professional Photo Shoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Lightroom Hangout: Powerful Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday 1/18 at 2:00 pm Eastern, 1:00 pm Central, 12:00 pm Mountain, and 11:00 am Pacific. 3:30 pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Powerful Portrait … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Powerful Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk
Lightroom Hangout on Monday: Powerful Portrait Retouching
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday 1/18 at 2:00 pm Eastern, 1:00 pm Central, 12:00 pm Mountain, and 11:00 am Pacific. 3:30 pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Powerful Portrait … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout on Monday: Powerful Portrait Retouching
Instant Replay: Portrait Retouching Like a Pro, with Kevin Ames
In case you missed it live, here's a chance to see Kevin Ames delivering an incredible workshop. He'll show you how to making portraits look their best with a bunch of insider techniques. Kevin will show some basic techniques as well as advanced techniques; fortunately, the hangout will be viewable anytime on this page so you can come back for a review, but you'll have to tune in Live to enter the raffles for some terrific prizes from our sponsors. … [Read more...] about Instant Replay: Portrait Retouching Like a Pro, with Kevin Ames
Photofocus Hangout: Portrait Retouching Like a Pro, with Kevin Ames
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear for Lightroom and Photoshop. We kick off Wednesday 12/30 at 1:00pm Eastern, 12:00pm Central, 11am Mountain, and 10:00am Pacific. 2:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. Kevin will show some basic techniques as well as … [Read more...] about Photofocus Hangout: Portrait Retouching Like a Pro, with Kevin Ames
Lightroom Hangout: Deck the Halls with Lightroom Tips
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Photomatix from HDRSoft. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Wednesday 12/23 at 1:00pm Eastern, 12:00pm Central, 11am Mountain, and 10:00am Pacific. 2:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Deck the Halls with … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Deck the Halls with Lightroom Tips
HDR Hangout: Creating Natural Looking HDR Images
In this free webinar, you'll learn how to create HDR image that look natural and not over-processed. It's perfect for all photographers (even if you shoot only a single exposure). HDR Hangout: Creating Natural Looking HDR Images In this hangout we'll explore how to use high dynamic range shooting and developing techniques to create natural looking photos. This is perfect for shooting real estate, product photography, and landscapes. If you think you hate HDR (but love those shadow and highlight sliders) then this workshop is perfect for … [Read more...] about HDR Hangout: Creating Natural Looking HDR Images
Lightroom Hangout: Liberating the Local Adjustments
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Photomatix from HDRSoft. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday 11/23 at 1:00pm Eastern, 12:00pm Central, 11am Mountain, and 10:00am Pacific. 2:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Liberating the Local … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Liberating the Local Adjustments
Join Us For a Free Webinar on Wildlife Photography with Scott Bourne
In this free webinar, you'll learn the essential skills and advanced secrets to make great looking wildlife photos. Free Webinar: Making Compelling Wildlife Photographs with Scott Bourne Scott Bourne will share secrets and practical advice that went into the making of some of his favorite and best-known images. He'll discuss both shooting and postproduction techniques that make his images stand out above the rest. Scott will also show how he's using Perfectly Clear to enhance his images to improve contrast and clarity while removing … [Read more...] about Join Us For a Free Webinar on Wildlife Photography with Scott Bourne
Lightroom Hangout: Demystifying Import
You gotta join us live for our next, totally free, Google+ Lightroom Hangout! Not only will you learn terrific tips and techniques, but if you tune in live you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Photomatix from HDRSoft. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Friday 10/30, 12:00pm Eastern, 11:00am Central, 10:00am Mountain, and 9:00am Pacific. 1:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Demystifying … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Demystifying Import
Free Workshop: Getting Started with Perfectly Clear for Photoshop and Lightroom
Join us for a free webinar to learn more about the Perfectly Clear Plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom. This amazing tool offers one-click corrections to perfection to bring out the best in your photos. Getting Started with Perfectly Clear for Photoshop and Lightroom (with Rich Harrington) This webinar will walk you through all of the essentials from working with presets, to customizing adjustments, to batch-processing your own photos. If you're looking to save time, then don't miss this session. You'll learn why 30 million prints a day are … [Read more...] about Free Workshop: Getting Started with Perfectly Clear for Photoshop and Lightroom
Lightroom Hangout: HDR for FUN!
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photographer's Plan, as well as Photomatix from HDRSoft. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday 9/28, 3:00pm Eastern, 2:00pm Central, 1:00pm Mountain, and 12:00am Pacific. 3:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: HDR for FUN!
Getting Started with HDR Photography (Free Event 8/26)
Don't miss our next Google Hangout. The event is Wednesday, August 26, 2015. Its absolutely free to attend thanks to HDRSoft. It starts at 1PM Eastern/10 AM Pacific. You've probably heard about HDR photography... but do you really understand how to shoot it properly? In this informative and free event, top experts will share with you strategies on how to increase the dynamic range of your photos to make great looking images. Learn how to merge multiple exposures together to make great looking photos that tell the "whole story" of the … [Read more...] about Getting Started with HDR Photography (Free Event 8/26)
Lightroom Hangout: Brushable Gradients and Other Local Magic with Colin Smith
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We kick off Tuesday 6/23, 5:00pm Eastern, 4:00pm Central, 3:00pm Mountain, and 2:00pm Pacific. 5:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. I've been so jealous of Photoshop for the last year: it got brushes added to the gradient tools in ACR, but since Lightroom wasn't … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Brushable Gradients and Other Local Magic with Colin Smith
Practical Advice for Wedding and Portrait Photographers
Did you miss our last Google Hangout on business? It was filled with great advice for all photographers (especially wedding and portrait). Lisa was so helpful and honest with practical advice. On this hangout were focused on practical dos and don'ts to attract new customers to your photography business. Well also shared strategies to develop new business from existing customers through referrals and additional projects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YVtvwj_Kew … [Read more...] about Practical Advice for Wedding and Portrait Photographers
Two Chances to Learn and Two Chances to Win
We have two free Google Hangout events this week (you don't need to be a Google+ member to watch). Mind Your Own Business Tuesday, May 26, 2015 Don't miss our next Google Hangout. The event is today. Its absolutely free to attend thanks to Adobe. It starts at 2PM Eastern/11AM Pacific. Note: We'll be giving away a copy of the Adobe Creative Cloud for Photographers Plan to one lucky winner who's in attendance. You must attend the live hangout in order to win. On this hangout we're going to focus on practical do's and don'ts to attract … [Read more...] about Two Chances to Learn and Two Chances to Win
Lightroom Hangout: Diving into Cinemagraphs with Rob Knight
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We kick off Wednesday 5/27, 4:00pm Eastern, 3:00pm Central, 2:00pm Mountain, and 1:00pm Pacific. 4:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. If you like shooting the same subjects in the same way that have been shot for a hundred years...then this hangout is not for … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Diving into Cinemagraphs with Rob Knight
Live Hangout with onOne Software and Matt Kloskowski!
When: Monday, November 17 at 11:00am PST Where: Google+ & This Post (Live streaming in the video below) Watch LIVE for a chance to win a copy of onOne Software's Perfect Photo Suite 9! Click Here to Sign Up and Watch! To learn more about how Google Hangouts work, click here http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/. Joining the hangout will let you ask questions and chat with attendees. The video will also be recorded and rebroadcasted if you are unable to watch the live stream. … [Read more...] about Live Hangout with onOne Software and Matt Kloskowski!
Lightroom Hangout: Deep Dive into Lr Mobile
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win a Creative Cloud subscription from Adobe, as well as some incredible tools from onOne Software. Wednesday, November 19th @1:00pm Eastern, 10:00am Pacific, and 1:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here. We're so excited about this one: we've got Sharad Mangalick, Lightroom Product Manager, joining us again to help us dive into Lightroom Mobile. If you're like us, you're using the Creative Cloud … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Deep Dive into Lr Mobile
