Facebook Hashtag, iPhone Microsoft Office and More

There is a lot going on in the tech world as always and of course we can all use some of it to improve our photography businesses.

Finally Facebook has joined the hashtag craze! In the usual way of facebookness it is slowly being rolled out. Anyone with a Twitter or Instagram knows that hashtagging plays a huge part in being seen. I’m not so sure if it will work as well for Facebook.  I’m willing to give it a shot, anything to get the business in front of new eyes!

Microsoft Office for iPhone, well there is some bad news that goes with that. According to CNN : “The app, which launched Friday in Apple’s (AAPL, Fortune 500) App Store, has a catch. It’s available (and free) only for users who subscribe to Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud-based Office program that costs $100 per year. That means if you’re using Office 2010 or Office 2013, you’re out of luck.” Personally I’m not sure how often one would actually use the app but it’s good to have the option if you’re among those that can.

Social Media Marketing. We use every resource when can when it come to marketing and Facebook is a large part of it, we run ads, sponsor posts etc…. HERE is a great quick article on some tips for Facebook marketing!

MetaRaw Plugin- For those with conversion issues DPReview posted “The Plugin Site has created the MetaRaw plugin for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements that allows the conversion of Raw files not supported by the associated version of Adobe Camera Raw. The MetaRaw plugin offers access to three Raw conversion methods – ACR, DNG Converter or its own, dcraw-based converter. It also allows Elements 10 and 11 users to access ACR’s lens correction and chromatic aberration tools. The MetaRaw plugin gives uses the ability to open a Raw file in Adobe Camera Raw (with access to more features for Elements users), to run it through Adobe DNG converter and open the results, without leaving the software (giving access to Raw support for more cameras than their version of ACR offers), or use a built-in, dcraw-based, Raw converter, which adds support for 13 formats and 50 cameras not supported by Adobe. This includes support for Sigma’s Merrill models.

Lightroom 5- It’s here with new adjustment tools like the Advanced Healing Brush. Right now it looks like you can get it without joining Adobe’s new cloud system. So if you are hating the new system you should probably grab your Lightroom 5 now!

And let’s wrap up with a great photography quote!

 

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20 Websites Every Photographer Should Visit

There are thousands of amazing websites that photographers should visit at least once. Sadly listing them all would take up most of my life time. However we do a few favorites that we think every photographer should visit! Ranging from resources, workshops, vendors to works of other talented photographers! Take some time this week to visit these awesome sites!

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Here we go…..

  • Jesh de Rox- Beloved- With workshops you don’t want to miss and stunning textures to give your images a beautiful makeover this is one site you don’t want to pass up!
  • Perfect Pose Backdrops- We love being able to provide you with double-sided wrinkle resistant backdrops that you are gonna love!
  • Memory Lane- Portraits printed on your choice of Porcelain or Marble. Order your sample pack from them so you can see how beautiful they are like we did. You will def be adding this option to your print packages!
  • CSI Rentals- For most of us there comes a time when we have to rent some gear. Renting gear is also a great way to try something out before you make the huge investment of buying it. CSI has fantastic prices and a HUGE selection.
  • Devoted Knits- OMG adorable newborn hats, blankets and wraps that is guaranteed to make your newborn sessions a smash!
  • Mozi Magazine- A wonderful photography magazine you will want to add to your collection
  • Flash Mob Cartel- Who doesn’t love a great deal….Flash Mob Cartel is a mega awesome deal site for photography related deals!
  • Keepsake CD & USB Cases- Branding is so very important and this is a great addition to your branding.
  • CreativeLIVE- My favorite place for workshops! CreativeLIVE is live online workshops on everything from posing, business, editing, lighting and more. Trust me this is a must, must visit site!
  • Shutter Bag- I think these are more for the ladies but we can say they are totally stylish!
  • Zookbinders- There are a lot of album companies out there and Zookbinders is still one of our favorites!
  • Album Cafe- We love templates, we have hundreds, i think we may be addicted to them! Album Cafe is one of our top favorite place to get them from!
  • Squijoo- Only $10 a month for unlimited templates! You know you just have to sign up for that deal!
  • Joey.L - One truly inspirational artist!
  • Brooke Shaden- One of Ann’s favorite artist and inspiration!
  • Joe Buissink- Classic, Amazing, Beautiful wedding photography by a true artist!
  • Jen Rosenbaum- Boudoir photography that really inspires!
  • Pretty Presets- For those who love to do it all with Lightroom, this site is a must visit!
  • Design Boutique- More fab goodies for template addicts!
  • Pinterest- Follow us on pinterest for quick posing ideas!
  • Animoto-  Taking the complicated out of offering beautiful videos for your clients!

That’s all for now but if you know more feel free to message us on our Facebook Page and we will add them to the next list!

 

 

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Great Porcelain Print Portraits News from Memory Lane

Remember our awesome friends at Memory Lane. They offer beautiful prints on porcelain and marble!

From Memory Lane “Our Professional Photographer clients have found that adding a Memory Lane Porcelain Portrait to their existing wedding, engagement, newborn, holiday, etc. packages is an easy way to not only provide their client with a beautiful keep sake, but to also make an additional profit. Because our porcelain is imported directly from Italy, we are able to provide the highest quality product for the lowest price in the entire United States. With the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price being anywhere from 100-200% higher than our prices, you are able to determine the price best suited for your company and clients, while still making an impressive profit. This also allows you to offer discounts and specials without sacrificing your profit. As a photographer, all you need to do is offer the porcelain portrait to your client while presenting your portrait packages, fill out the order form provided to you in your Sales Kit and then email or mail the order form along with the image your client wishes to have reproduced in porcelain. All that’s left to do is wait the 3-4 day turnaround time for the porcelain portrait to arrive! What could be easier?”

One piece of news is they have a new blog which is pretty cool. You can visit their blog HERE.

Memory Lane is also running a great Sample Package deal-

“Sample Package makes it easier to explain the product to your clients, which then results in increased orders. The Sample Package currently includes 3 Porcelain Portraits, for which you can either provide your own images or choose from the images we offer. The purchase of the Sample Package also immediately enrolls you in our Preferred Client Program. Our Preferred Clients receive 8 different benefits, one of which is nearly 50% discount in ALL FUTURE ORDERS! From today until Saturday, June 22nd, everyone who purchases a Sample Package will also receive a FREE 5″x7″ MARBLE PORTRAIT with their order!”  Check it out HERE!

Whats even better is their Preferred Customer Program which you are enrolled in after you get your sample pack! Check it out!

 

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What Camera Lens To Buy

I belong to a lot of photography groups and one thing I hear a lot of is “What lens is best for”. So I thought we would take a little look at what lens do.

First off lets look at how a lens works. ”A pinhole camera with a large aperture is blurry because each pixel is essentially the shadow of the aperture stop, so its size is no smaller than the size of the aperture (below left). Here a pixel is the area of the detector exposed to light from a point on the object. Making the pinhole smaller improves resolution (up to a limit), but reduces the amount of light captured. Diffraction limits the effectiveness of shrinking the hole, so at a point, making the hole smaller makes the image blurrier as well as darker (below center).”

According to an article from cambridgeincolour

The focal length of a lens determines its angle of view, and thus also how much the subject will be magnified for a given photographic position. Wide angle lenses have short focal lengths, while telephoto lenses have longer corresponding focal lengths. A zoom lens is one where the photographer can vary the focal length within a pre-defined range, whereas this cannot be changed with a “prime” or fixed focal length lens. 

The aperture (F-Stop) range of a lens refers to the amount that the lens can open up or close down to let in more or less light, respectively. Note that larger aperture openings are defined to have lower f-numbers (often very confusing). These two terms are often mistakenly interchanged. Lenses with larger apertures are also described as being “faster,” because for a given ISO speed, the shutter speed can be made faster for the same exposure. Additionally, a smaller aperture means that objects can be in focus over a wider range of distance, a concept also termed the depth of field. When one is considering purchasing a lens, specifications ordinarily list the maximum (and maybe minimum) available apertures. Lenses with a greater range of aperture settings provide greater artistic flexibility, in terms of both exposure options and depth of field. The maximum aperture is perhaps the most important lens aperture specification.

Portrait and indoor sports,theater, and wedding photography often requires lenses with very large maximum apertures, in order to be capable of a narrower depth of field or a faster shutter speed, respectively. The narrow depth of field in a portrait helps isolate the subject from their background. For cases where extreme depth of field is desired, then smaller minimum aperture (larger maximum f-number) lenses allow for a wider depth of field.

Determining what the lens will be used for will help in deciding which lens purchases are right for you. Someone who shoots strictly in-studio portraits may not have the same lens needs as someone who shoots wedding for instance. The important part of picking a lens is understanding how lens work, In learning the ins and outs of lens you will always know what lens you need for what situation. It isn’t good enough to learn solely about a particular lens, you need to be fully aware of how all lens work as well as knowledge of how your camera and it’s settings work. This is done by mastering the knowledge of how all lens work. There is a general principle to all lens. Understanding that principal as well as mastering knowledge of apertures and lens functions is important. One great way to do this is be experimenting with the lens you do have, as well as looking at the lens at work and understanding it’s function.

So some basics with some tips from DPpreview too

  • F-Stop/Aperture: A smaller number means the lens has a larger maximum aperture and therefore gathers more light; an F2.8 lens collects twice as much light as an F4.
  • Image stabilization systems reduce the blur caused by camera shake
  • The first number used to describe a lens is its focal length; in combination with the camera’s sensor size, this defines the angle of view covered by the lens, with smaller numbers indicating a wider angle. Zoom lenses are named using two numbers which indicate the extremes of the range, for example 18-55mm for a typical kit zoom lens. Fixed focal length lenses which don’t zoom (also widely known as ‘primes’) just have a single number (e.g. 50mm).
  • A standard zoom lens is a general-purpose lens that covers a range of focal lengths from wideangle to moderate telephoto. The most obvious example is the kit lens that comes with the camera (generally an 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 for APS-C), but this can be upgraded to something with slightly more range and better optical quality, or with a fast F2.8 maximum aperture. Often the second lens that photographers buy, the telephoto zoom effectively allows you to get closer to your subject, and is therefore useful for photographing such things as sports, wildlife, or children running around playing.
  • Fast prime lens like the 50mm F1.8 are ideal for shooting indoor natural light. Primes also make excellent portrait and wedding lens! With its fixed focal length (50mm, 85mm, 100mm), it reproduces fairly accurately what the human eye sees – in terms of perspective and angle of view. At higher focal lengths (85mm or 100mm) you have an ideal lens for portraiture, because when coupled with a wide aperture they thoroughly soften any background detail, thus making it less likely to distract from the main subject.
  • A wide-angle lens is a natural choice for capturing outdoor landscapes and group portraits.

Here is an exposure cheatsheet from Hetler photography that looks at understanding your camera settings and lens.

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