My Top 10 Tips for Successful Social Media Marketing

The times they are a changin' – Bob Dylan, 1964

Yes, the times are changin'. Social media marketing is “where it’s at” if you want to grow your business. Here are my top 10 tips to help you along the way.

1 Take the Time to Tweet – Spend an hour a day on twitter.com – your small investment in time will result in a wider audience for you and your services and your products.

2 Be a Good Blogger – Don’t blog about you and your coffee or dog. Blog about stuff that will help people – or that, at least, will be of interest to most folks. (See Jim Harmer's comment below. He says the same thing this way: Content is King.)

3 Get Face-time on Facebook/Have Fun on Flicker – Use Facebook and Flicker to show off your work – for free! Expand your audience – again, for free.

4 Have Fun on Forums – Participate in forums that can help others in your field and that can help you get your message across.

5 Be on Bit.ly – A must. Use this site to track the number of hits on a link. Cool!

6 You Do It On YouTube – Post videos that relate to your business. Keep them fun, entertaining and informative. And short.

7 Invest in Being Interactive – Do all of the above as often as practical to maintain your visibility.

8 You Snooze You Lose – Don’t do all of the above as often as possible, and you’ll lose out on an increased audience – and maybe even lose part of your existing audience.

9 Keep Up with Technology – Stuff like twitter and bit.ly are relatively new. Keep up with technology so you can keep up with your competition.

10 Know Your Audience – As with all marketing efforts, it’s important to know your audience. Don’t waste your time, or anyone’s time, on relatively useless information.

Hey, leave a comment about your involvement is social media marketing - even if you are just getting your feet wet. I'd love to hear what you are doin' - in these changin' times.

5.28 Photo Thoughts for Thursday

Hi All

The first Thought for Thursday comes from my buddy (and wonderful photographer/artist and instructor) John Paul Caponigro. Click here and Learn To Be More Creative.

My Thought for Thursday: One out-of-focus picture is a mistake, 20 out-of-focus pictures is a style. :-)

Hey! If you have a thought, please share it here.

Take care,
Rick

Each week I will try to post:
• Monday’s Inspirational Message
• Two Tips For Tuesday
• Where in the World? Wednesday
• Photo Thought for Thursday
• Friday Fun Photo
• Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session
• Sunday Speedlite Secrets

Subscribe to my blog and join the fun.

5.27 What and Where In The World? Wednesday

Okay, so this Wednesday's post is not only about "Where in the World?" (as usual) but rather, "What and Where in the World?" Hey! It's my blog. I can do what I want :-)

Here is the question: What in the world am I doing- and where am I doing it?

The answer to the "what" part of the question is actually a very good photo tip.

The person who gets the 1st correct answer (or comes closest on both accounts) gets a copy of PhotoTools from onOnesoftware. PhotoTools is a cool Plug-in for enhancing your images - and your image among your friends.

US shipping only. Insurance, tracking, custom forms and postage makes shipping internationally too complicated.

Hey, if you don't win, you can still get 15% off all onOnesoftware products if you use this code upon checkout: ricksammon.

Good luck,
Rick
P.S. No pros, please.

Each week I will try to post:
• Monday’s Inspirational Message
• Two Tips For Tuesday
• Where in the World? Wednesday
• Photo Thought for Thursday
• Friday Fun Photo
• Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session
• Sunday Speedlite Secrets

Subscribe to my blog and join the fun.

5.26 Two Tips for Tuesday

Top Photo:
Long Lens See Thru

by Eddie Tapp
www.eddietapp.com

Using a telephoto lens, try shooting through leaves or any obstacles that might add some mystery to your images. Be sure to use manual focus to keep your subject sharp and your foreground element soft.

This image of Nikki and Renee was created using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and my favorite lens, the 28-300 f/3.5-5.6L IS USM at 120mm f/6.7 at ISO Speed 100.

Hey, I have a brand new educational DVD from Software-Cinema. If you use this code at checkout you'll get a 15% discount on your order "ETCS4.” Check it out from my website at www.eddietapp.com.

Bottom Photos:
Think “Flashy” Outdoors Pictures

by Rick "RAW Rules" Sammon

Compare these two images, which I took during Carnevale in Venice, Italy. The picture on the left is a flash shot. Notice how well you can see the eyes in that image compared to the natural light shot on the right.

When setting out to photograph people, don't leave home without a flash – and a reflector and diffuser – to control the light.

The key is to balance the light from the flash to the available light – so that your picture does not look like a flash shot. You might get that on the first try if you set your camera to the Av (Aperture Priority) mode and set your flash to E-TTL. However, you'll have more control (over the flash and natural light exposure) when you set your camera to Manual.

For a quick how-to on fill-in flash photography, click here.

Thanks Eddie for being part of Two for Tuesday.

Thank YOU for stopping in. Post a comment if you like this kinda stuff. And, scroll down to the bottom of this page to subscribe to this blog.

Best,
Rick
P.S. Check out Eddie cool book, Practical Color Management. And don't miss Eddie's Photoshop classes on Kelby Training.


Each week I will try to post:
• Monday’s Inspirational Message
• Two Tips For Tuesday
• Where in the World? Wednesday
• Photo Thought for Thursday
• Friday Fun Photo
• Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session
• Sunday Speedlite Secrets

Subscribe to my blog and join the fun.

5.25 Monday's Motivational Message

Good Morning!

Like stuff like this? See this.

Have a nice quote you'd like to share? Post it here - and share.

Keep a smile,
Rick

Interested in Learning How to Shoot/Edit HD Video?

Hi All

I am thinking of adding a HD video shooting/production component to my Croton Workshops.

Emmy Award winners David Leveen, who shoots/directs/edits all my DVDs, and Andy Young, known for his outstanding documentaries, live here in Croton and are interested.

Click on the above links to see their work.

We'd do a two-day, weekend workshop: 1 day shooting, 1 day editing.

Let me know if you are interested.

I'll be the first sign up: with my Canon 5D Mark II.

Rick

5.24 Sunday Speedlite Tip: Diffuse the Light

While working on my studio/on-location lighting book (due out in September) with my co-author,Vered Koshlano, we had a blast creating the lighting setup for the top photograph, taken at the Explorers Club in NYC.

The lighting set-up: one stand-mounted Canon Speedlite 580EXII was fired through a stand-mounted Westcott diffuser that was positioned above eye-level and off to camera right at about a 45-degree angle.

A similar flash/diffuser setup was positioned to camera left.

A third flash was positioned on the red couch (out of camera view) and pointed toward the rear wall to illuminate the background. Our assistant, Hector, held a fourth flash below eye-level and to camera right to light my face.


All flashes were fired from our hot-shoe mounted Canon ST-E2 wireless transmitter. The ST-E2 works great indoors. Outdoors, and indoors when a flash is "hidden" in a soft box, I use the Pocket Wizard.

So the tip for today: Explore the lighting possibilities with camera flashes – and diffuse the light to increase and soften the light source.

I teach stuff like this on most of my workshops. Good fun - no matter what camera system you own :-)

Good news! Joe Brady from the MAC group will be a guest instructor on my Croton Shoot.

More info on Speedlites.

Cool book on flash photography.

And here's a bonus flash tip.

If you have a quick flash tip, post it here. Got flash questions? Post 'em to me/Scott Bourne on Twitter for our PhotoFocus podcast.

Keep a smile,
Rick

Each week I will try to post:
• Monday’s Inspirational Message
• Two Tips For Tuesday
• Where in the World? Wednesday
• Photo Thought for Thursday
• Friday Fun Photo
• Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session
• Sunday Speedlite Secrets

Subscribe to my blog and join the fun.

5.23 Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session: Play With HDR Plug-ins

This week's tip: Play with HDR Plug-ins.

Two of my favorite HDR plug-ins are Photomatix and Topaz Adjust.

Photomatix

Photomatix, a very popular HDR program from HDRsoft, is both a plug-in and a stand-alone application. First, you take several pictures over, under and at the correct exposure with your camera mounted on a tripod (set to the aperture priority mode) and fired with either the camera’s self-timer or a cable release to avoid camera shake.

Then you use Photomatix’s Detail Enhance and Tone Compressor, along with the options in their sub menus, to create images that go way beyond the recording capabilities of a digital camera’s image sensor. I used Photomatix to create the top HDR image.


Topaz Adjust

Enter the Topaz “Twilight Zone.” Topaz is relative newcomer to the world of High Dynamic Range (HDR) image making. It offers an easy, not to mention very effective, method for creating a HDR image.

Topaz Adjust allows you to create an HDR image using only one image (if the contrast range is not too wide), as opposed to most other HDR programs that combine several images over, under and at the correct exposure. I used Topaz Adjust to create the bottom HDR image.

Check out my mini-movie on HDR at the bottom of this post.

Want more HDR info on Photomatix and Topaz Adjust (and on plug-ins in general)? See the Plug-in Experience. Check out the how-to page for info – and discounts.

Love that HDR? I'd be interested to know which HDR plug-is/programs you use – and why.

Best,
Rick
P.S. If you live in the NY area, I will be giving my full HDR presentation at B&H on June 14 at 1 PM: presentation and demo. Link on my workshops page. Yes! I teach HDR on my workshop. Great fun.

Each week I will try to post:
• Monday’s Inspirational Message
• Two Tips For Tuesday
• Where in the World? Wednesday
• Photo Thought for Thursday
• Friday Fun Photo
• Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session
• Sunday Speedlite Secrets

Subscribe to my blog and join the fun.

5.22 Friday Fun Photo

Hi All - TGIF

After teaching the benefits of using a reflector during one of my workshop (top photo), one of the participants came up with the idea for the bottom photo.

Here are two quick videos on how to use a reflector/diffuser kit. Just scroll down on that page and click the play arrows. One video for outdoors shooting, one for indoors.

Wanna jot down a quick caption for the bottom photo? All in fun! For ideas, see my Write a Caption post under Older Posts here.

Have a great weekend, pardner.
Rick

Each week I will try to post:
• Monday’s Inspirational Message
• Two Tips For Tuesday
• Where in the World? Wednesday
• Photo Thought for Thursday
• Friday Fun Photo
• Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session
• Sunday Speedlite Secrets

Subscribe to my blog and join the fun.

5.21 Photo Thought for Thursday - Watch the Hands

When photographing people, every detail is important – including the hands.

Compare these two photographs of a woman I photographed in Marrow Bone Springs, Texas. In the dressed-down photograph, the girl is gripping the pole with “man hands.” In the other photograph, she is holding the pole in a feminine manner.

By the way, the woman is a model, and is actually the person who taught me about “man hands.”

You'll find some more people photography tips/photos on the amazon.com page for my book, Face to Face. No! I did not take that picture of the nuns!

P.S. Yes, yes, yes! I know. Every detail is important in every photo. Also, here is a video clip from that same shoot. Post a comment on my video – but not on my skills at riding a horse, please.

Each week I will try to post:
• Monday’s Inspirational Message
• Two Tips For Tuesday
• Where in the World? Wednesday
• Photo Thought for Thursday
• Friday Fun Photo
• Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session
• Sunday Speedlite Secrets

Subscribe to my blog and join the fun.

Where in the World? Wednesday 5.20.09

One of my Rick Sammon On-Location Light Controller and Tote goes to the first non-professional photographer (in the US) who most accurately describes the location in which I took this photograph.

Post your answer here. Don't know? Take a guess. Who knows?

Good luck!
Rick
P.S. Packaging, postage, handling, tracking and insurance make shipping outside of the US too costly. Sorry :-(

Each week I will try to post:
• Monday’s Inspirational Message
• Two Tips For Tuesday
• Where in the World? Wednesday
• Photo Thought for Thursday
• Friday Fun Photo
• Saturday Photoshop Mini-Session

Stay tuned and subscribe to my blog and join the fun

Two for Tuesday 5.19.09

Welcome to Two For Tuesday – where you'll find two tips (one by a fellow pro and one by me) each. . . Tuesday :-)


Freeze It
Barry Zeek
www.barryzeek.com

I try to always plan my shots and not shoot from the hip. In this shot, taken on a bright, sunny day, my goal was to freeze the action.

My subject was traveling at 175 mph – pretty darn fast. Using my Canon EOS 1D Mark III, I chose a high shutter speed (1600th of a second) with the camera set to TV (time value) mode.

The reason to choose the TV mode is that if the light level changes, the shutter speed remains the same, while the camera changes the f-stop to compensate for the change in light level.

I set my camera on the AI Servo focus mode, which tracks the subject right up until the time of exposure.

And because the subject was moving so very fast, I set my drive mode to high speed, which gave me a series of pictures from which to choose.

To help ensure sharp, clean shots of fast-moving subjects, try the aforementioned camera settings. Also shoot with both eyes open, so you can see if any other subjects are coming into the scene.

_____________________

The Camera Looks Both Ways –
In Picturing the Subject, You are Also Picturing a Part of Yourself

Rick

When it comes to photographing people, the most important photo tip I can share with you is this: “The camera looks both ways – in picturing the subject, we are also picturing a part of ourselves.”

“Every picture is a self portrait” is another way of conveying that point. Let me explain.

When you are looking through your camera’s viewfinder, viewing and framing a subject, if you realize that the feeling, the emotion, the attitude and the energy that you project will be reflected in your subject’s face – and eyes – you’ll get a higher percentage of pictures that you like. That’s because by your actions, you are subconsciously “directing” the subject to mirror the way you feel.

In looking at this picture of the three school girls in Costa Rica, I don’t have to tell you how I was feeling at the moment when I snapped the shutter. Well, even though I don’t have to tell you – I was having a blast!

Pros: Share Your Business Philosophies

Calling all pros. Share your business philosophies here - help aspiring photographers.

Here are my top five:

1) It takes a lot of peanuts to feed an elephant.

2) The harder you work, the luckier you become.

3) When it comes to pricing a job: Lots of fun, I don't charge a lot; little fun, I charge a lot.

4) Devote time to social marketing: twitter, facebook, etc.

5) Never give up.

P.S. Here are two valuable business lessons.

Your Most Important Photos

This post is a quickie: Take those everyday photos that someday will be important to you and to your loved ones - more important than your best-selling or top-rated image.

Don't miss an opportunity that may be gone forever. Always have a camera with you.

Also: save old photos in a safe place, or scan them for archival storage.

Bottom Photos:
Here's a 63 year-old-photo of my parents and a recent photo that I took of my 91-year-old dad - one of my favorite family photos.

That wedding photo is still one of his favorites. The portrait of him brings back a special moment that we shared together on a chilly winter afternoon.

Top Photo:
A portrait of the man who got me interested in photography. I actually used that Linhof 4x5 and developed the negs in our family's basement.

Rick
P.S. So, take tons of photos of your kids, but don't forget your parents :-)

Way to Much Fun on My Workshops

I always suggest to my workshop students: Stick Like Glue to the Instructor (any instructor).

During my recent gig in Eureka Springs, Arkansas at MAPSYM, a few of us took off for the downtown area one night and found ourselves back in the 1800s - at Judge Roy Beans Old Time Photo and Weddings studio. That's the Judge himself on the right. What a cool guy!

In the background is Miss Liddy, a.k.a. Liddy Deshotle, owner of Portraits by Liddie in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

These images are clips from a Canon 5D Mark II video taken by my "partner" at Canon USA, Jerry "cowpoke" Ward. Assisting with the shoot was another Canon "partner, Vinie "six gun" Del Gaiso.

The guy who looks like a gambler? Your guess is as good as mine :-)

Hope to see you on my of my workshops. We lean a lot, and we have a ton of fun.

Rick’s Pick for Plug-in of the Month: Bokeh

Bokeh, from Alien Skin Software, gets my pick for plug-in of the month (5/09). This plug-in simulates the effect of shooting relatively close to a subject with a fast portrait lens set at a wide aperture – which is also the effect you’d get when photographing a subject with a super-telephoto lens set at a wide aperture.

How cool. What fun. How easy.

To create the effect, all you have to do is make a careful selection (a very careful selection, that is) of your subject in Photoshop and then go to Filter > Alien Skin > Bokeh.

Next, choose the fast lens you wish you had used (or wish you could afford) and press OK. You’ll get a professional looking portrait that looks as though you used an expensive professional lens – which is a great way to impress your friends (and clients).

For more info and for more info on Bokeh and plug-ins, see the Plug-in Experience – a web site I started for creative plug-in users.

Hey! Do you have a suggestion for the Plug-in of the Week? Let me know. Also, send me an example of your plug-in work. You’ll find info on how to do that on the Plug-in Experience, too.

Delicate Balancing Act

Check out these two pictures of a saw-whet owl. Because our eyes can see a brightness range of about 11 f-stops, my eyes could clearly see the owl in the scene. However, because digital cameras can only see about 6 stops, a natural-light picture taken with the camera set on any of the automatic modes (with no exposure compensation) would look like the picture on the left.

In the picture on the right, we can clearly see the owl. For that shot, I used a technique called “daylight fill-in flash photography.” Here’s how to do it:

1) First, you’ll need either a flash with variable flash output control (+/- exposure control), or a camera that let’s you vary the flash output in-camera.
2) Turn off the flash.
3) In the Manual mode, set the exposure for the natural light scene.
4) Turn on your flash and make an exposure with the flash set at – 1 1/3. If your picture looks too much like a flash shot, reduce the flash output to – 1 1/2. If it’s still too “flashy,” continue to reduce the flash until you are pleased with the results.

This techniques works because even in the Manual mode, the flash operates in the TTL mode. I suggest that you master this technique. It is an essential tool used by most of my nature and travel photography friends.

Sure, you might get a similar shot with your camera and flash set on Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, but this technique gives you independent control over the subject and background brightness: you can darken and lighten the subject by adjust the flash output, and you can control the background illumination with your shutter speed.

Let me know if you'd like to see more Speedlite tips - for shooting indoors and outdoors.

My Favorite Photo Philosophies

Here's a mini-presentation on my favorite photo philosophies. I talk about stuff like this in my books, at my seminars and on my workshops.

You see, there's lots mo' to photography than white balance, ISO settings, color modes, etc. :-)

Take care,
Rick

Stop Munking Around - With Color

I just calibrated my laptop, desktop, printer and projector - all in about 20 mins – with my new ColorMunki Photo. The device is show here hanging on my laptop's monitor.

If you are serious about color (or wonder why the heck your inkjet prints don't match the image on your monitor, or why projected images look yucky) check out this totally cool calibration device.

When you are on the site, don't miss the Training Videos.

So here is the question: How many of you have calibrated your monitor and printer? Now, now, now. Don't be shy or bashful. It's okay if you have not calibrated your digital darkroom gear. I was there at one time :-)

Let me know, I sure am interested.

Rick

Canon Speedlites and Ambient Metering Systems

A photographer sent me a tech question (via the Photofocus podcast I do with Scott Bourne) about the ambient metering systems in Canon cameras when a Canon Speedlite is used.

For the answer, I turned to my pal Rudy Winston at Canon USA. Thanks Rudy! You da man!

Here goes . . .

Assuming that a photographer is using a Canon EOS Speedlite: With most of our cameras, the camera CHANGES ITS METHOD OF AMBIENT LIGHT METERING as soon as it detects a flash ready light.

Regardless of whether you're set for Evaluative, Center-weighted, Partial, or Spot metering, it instantly shifts to a full-area system – but it's NOT pure Evaluative or Center-weighted. Rather, it gives essentially even coverage throughout the frame, to assess the overall ambient brightness in the scene.

Normal Evaluative metering would tend to try to compensate for things like back-lighting, but, instead, this modified "ambient metering when a flash is being used" system tries to make sure the overall scene brightness is coped with – presuming that any foreground shadows on back-lit subjects will be filled-in with flash.

NOT ALL Canon EOS BODIES work this way – there are a select few, like some of the Rebels that WILL preserve the user's choice of ambient metering pattern when the flash is active and in use.

When photographers ask about this, rather than fuss about which camera model they have, and whether it's one of the few that lets the user preserve his or her ambient metering choice, I tell them to expect the ambient metering mode to function in the form that I mentioned above.

Thanks again, Rudy.

The pictures in this post, which I took of my son, Marco, show the effectiveness of daylight fill-in flash photography. Mo’ on that to come. . . if anyone is interested. Lemme know.

Write a Caption

This one is just for fun! Post a funny caption.

Where is this man doing? What is his job?

The first correct answer wins an autographed copy of Rick Sammon's (who else) Digital Photography Secrets.

Good luck.

Rick

Speedlite Set-Up

Hey All

MajorJD on Twitter had a question about using Canon Speedlites with the Canon ST-E2 wireless controller. Hope this helps... no matter what kind of flash you use.

Here are two behind-the-scenes photos: one showing a basic set-up (top) and one showing a reflector in the bottom of the frame (bottom left), and the end-result image (bottom right).

Basically, we bounced two Speedlites that were mounted on Bogen stands into Westcott reflectors that were held by Westcott stands/brackets. We used one more Speedlite as a hair light. All Speedlites were fired by the ST-E2. The reflector, held by an assistant, filled in some of the shadow area below the model's chin.

If you use a set-up like this, experiment the flash output of each Speedlite. One Speedlite should be set on full power (main light). Reduce the flash output of the other Speedlites - espeically the hair light.

If you have a reflector/diffuser kit, you can also use a similar set-up and fire the Speedlites through the diffusers. You can also mount Speedlites inside some softboxes (Westcott offers a few.).

We will be doing stuff like this on some - some - of my workshops.

If you would like to see more Quick Tips about lighting, let me know.

Happy Shooting,
Rick

Where in the World is Rick Sammon #1

Be the first to tell me where I took this photograph, and I'll send you a copy of my latest book, Digital Wedding Photography Secrets. If you win, send me your address at: ricksammon@mac.com.