Tag: meeting people

U4D: Social Media for Photographers

Last week on U4D we looked at social media in a general way. Today, I thought we could look at it for photographers and how you can use it. I have been trying to find lists of the top 5, but it seems everyone has a different opinion on the matter. Also many articles are quite old and social media is changing so quickly that what was relevant a year ago, is not now.  Perhaps, I will just talk about what I use and why.

downloadInstagram

This would have to be the number one platform for me right now. It is amazing, and is bringing lots of new opportunities. It has provided a good incentive to work on photos and put them up. It has been one of the best social platforms I’ve seen as far as the social side goes.

It has been around for a few years now. When it started it was for putting photos from you mobile phone up on it. It still really is only for the phone. Though some things have changed over the years, and you can view photos on the computer, you still can’t load photos, except on your phone.

The photography has come a long way as well. While there are still many people who use photos taken with their phone, there are many more putting up images taken with their cameras. It means that the variety is incredible and really inspirational.

There is a real social side to it, in that I have met so many other photographers from Melbourne through it. I’m finding out places to take photos and then meeting others as well. It really is a social platform.

download-1Blogging

While many don’t include it in social media, it shouldn’t be underestimated. Blogging platforms give you an opportunity to let people know more about you. You can say more, and show your images.

More and more people are writing and using blogs to showcase their work. There are so many out there now that it is hard to stand out. Still worth doing and finding your own niche in the world.

One aspect that really helps is the ability to use your blog as your website as well. People can find out information readily as well, especially if you are trying to run a business.

square-facebook-512Facebook

While people seem to be turning away from Facebook, it is still a fairly important platform. Though, I’m not sure for what. My experience is that it seems fairly ineffective these days, except to keep up to date with friends. It is hard to be social when you only see a fraction of what people actually post. The messenger or chat function is probably the best thing about it.

Some of the problems with Facebook are the way it is monetised now and how do you find people to follow you. The only way, it seems, to get people to look at your posts is to pay to have them boosted. I haven’t found that boosting works, but others say it does.

Most social media platforms have a way to almost advertise yourself, hey I am here. However, that doesn’t seem to be something that Facebook have. You have to let people know about your page on other platforms, or, pay for it. The second option is not something that is recommended.

download-2Google+

This is quite an under estimated platform. It is easy to forget that Google is the biggest search engine in the world and then there are Google images. You want google to find your images and show them in searches that people make. They won’t tell you how they do things, but it can’t hurt to have an account and put your images up there.

Google+ are pushing more for their collections now. They want you to create collections, which are basically galleries of your images. You will get more hits and it is shared more. It isn’t that hard to do either.

Google+ is said to be great for photographers, and it is. You get to see some wonderful work. There are also many groups and such that you can join as well. There also don’t seem to be pay to use things that Facebook have.

There are the rumours that Google are going to shut it down, but since they just created a whole new interface that does seem unlikely. Though I asked my husband about it and he said the rumours have been around for years.

download-1downloadFlickr and 500px

I’m putting these together because they seem to work the same. They both show your work beautifully and can be used as a portfolio of  your work. Though with so many other places it is hard to see how they are going.

Flickr is a more general platform and you will find people of all sorts of levels there. Those that are photographers and those that aren’t. I am not sure how effective it is anymore, but it still looks good. I tend to only put my best work up. I was told it was a great place to get work, that has never happened for me, but I’ve heard it has for others.

The platform for 500px was designed for photographers to use. I have used it and do have an account, but I don’t use it. I found the whole competitiveness aspect of it a bit of a turn off. I didn’t need that, but there are many people that think it is wonderful.

Which is for you?

Only  you can decide. The reality for many of us is that you can’t do it all, unless you don’t want to have a life. It is recommended you pick about 3 and concentrate on those. So you can see what my three are, the first three. I post on the others, but rarely. I like to see what happens from time to time, but I know that I have to work on the sites that bring me the most reward.

This is a just a brief overview and in the coming weeks I will try to do more comprehensive articles on most of them.

 

 

U4D: Revisiting Why We Blog

Another aspect of switching over to this blog is that I can revisit old posts and update them, or just post them again. The following post was one of my first Up for Discussion (U4D) posts on my old blog. Once I publish it here I will delete it from the old one.

This post looked at why we blog, or why I blog. It generated a lot of discussion and it was fantastic to read what people thought. So I am reposting it, and at the bottom I will update with now. Why I’m still blogging.

Why I Blog 

from February, 2015

I wrote my first blog post on WordPress, in September 2010, however it wasn’t my first blog.  I originally started in January 2010 on Blogspot, First One.scharcourt20120527-0890

I started a blog for a couple of reasons, one was because I was photographing cycling and trying to sell the photos. A guy who worked with my husband suggested that I start a blog, that people liked blogs.  Well it never helped with the cycling, but then it had a second effect. Suddenly I wanted to post, I wanted to share my photos, and over time I realised that the photos I was taking for the posts was changing.

I changed to WordPress in September because I liked the stats better. WP had much better stats, still do, you could really get an idea of what people were looking at, it scmplc1_8933was good.  Then I started meeting people, I started making friends.  I have met some amazing people virtually, I love seeing what they do. It has been such an incredible experience.

I really came to WP and blogging with the intention of using it to help me produce work.  In September 2010 I was trying to do lots of things, art wise that is, painting, printmaking, drawing and taking photos.  I thought having the blog would make me do work for it, but it really didn’t work out that way. Within a year of starting this blog I made the decision to give everything else up and concentrate on photography, I have never regretted that decision.

Then in November 2011 I decided to challenge myself to see if I could do a post every day, and post a photo each for the month of November, and since that time I have done a post nearly every day since.  With the exception of the odd here I still post everyday.  It works for me.

Posting each day makes me to go and take photos. Being a relatively lazy person, going out to take photos can be hard, so with the threat of a blog and the need for photos, I have taken far more photos than I would have otherwise.  I have found the blog a fantastic incentive to take photos.sctara20110731-0003

Conclusion

The blog has meant I have met people who I would never have met otherwise.  It drives me to get out and take photos to show people.  It has been an incredibly positive experience for me.

My blog now

October 2016

I have left WordPress.com and moved to a self hosted site, that would have to be the biggest change.  Part of the reason for that was so I would have more control over what happens. I can charge money for advertising if I choose and don’t have to worry about WP shutting me down.

scpointlonsdale-hdr7600-2Another reason was because so many people were confused between the two sites and many thought it would be better if I just had one, and I have to say, it has been much better. It is easier for people to find me, but also only doing one blog is much better to manage. It has taken a while to find my feet here, but it is slowly getting there.

Why do I still blog, well the answer is simple, I love it, and I love the people I have got to meet through it. From blogging I have been given some amazing opportunities. I have meet some wonderful people who are now friends.

Blogging still remains a worthwhile activity for me. It is still helps me to get out and take photos. I just hope that you still find what I have to say interesting and enjoy my photography.

So why do you blog?

NB: photos are from the first couple of years of blogging, nice to look back.

Almost Missed Catching Up

Yesterday I told myself I had to do the post then got so carried away playing with the Lensbaby lenses I have that I completely forgot about it. I do love the Lensbaby lenses though, they are so much fun, I think I might be becoming addicted. They are different to use, so a bit of a learning curve, I think my MM photo tomorrow will be one taken with them.

Dynamic Range Magazine

Most of the articles are in. We are now editing and working through them. Looks like a great collection once again. We are publishing next month, hopefully around the usual time, but somethings have happened and it may be a little later.

We do have some interesting articles. We have interviewed Lori Nix and got some insight into the way she works and how she comes up with her ideas.  We are also looking at conservation and as photographers what we can do. There is a trip to Africa and some other things. I’ve written a tutorial on how to replace a sky. You will also get the image and a some skies so you can do it yourself.

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Classes

I’m trying to work out if I could run small classes for people who want to learn Long Exposure Photography here in Melbourne. The logistics could be interesting, but I think I could work around them.

One thing about Instagram has been how many people I’ve met that are here in my home town. It is starting to make me realise that it would be possible to run some classes here, I just have to find the students.

I am still planning the tutorials on photo editing, but until I get the magazine and book done I’m not sure I will have time for much else.  I am mulling them over in my head and trying to work out exactly what I could teach those that want to learn.

So stay tuned, there will be more on this soon.

Instagram

There is no question that I am enjoying my time on Instagram.  I am getting opportunities to meet some interesting people. I went out on Saturday morning and met a new person. We took some photos around Docklands, there are a couple here for you.

So the photos, as usual are ones that have been up on Instagram. One you have seen before, but I have done a lot more work to it.

[envira-gallery id=”3782″]

How a profile photo can fullfil a stereotype

Finding yourself here on Social Media can be a puzzle. There are so many rules and ideas about what you should or shouldn’t be doing. So I thought I might talk about one aspect today.  Your profile picture.

I’ve been told that I should have a photo of myself as my profile picture, and I thought I would share with you why I a6ef7eb3d6189d54c1280122137c142bdon’t.

My husband says I don’t have one because I am embarrassed about the way I look, and perhaps there is an aspect of that, but for me it has more to do with stereotypes and what people tend to think about when they see a woman of my age and size.

So let’s start with what is a stereotype.

According to Wikipedia “a stereotype is a thought that can be adopted about specific types of individuals or certain ways of doing things.”

That is a basic definition, but basically it means that you judge people on a preconceived idea of what or how they should act. It doesn’t mean it is correct, but you have that idea. We have a stereotype that pedophiles are creepy men, ones who look a certain way, when in reality they can look incredibly ordinary, otherwise why would you trust them with your children.

How is it relevant to me

My problem is that I am, first of all, a woman. Then I am older, I’m over 50 now, and thirdly overweight. I have three things against me when it comes to photography. We know that the world likes beautiful things, it is no secret, so what happens if you aren’t one them?

I have experienced the stereotype first hand. When I have been out and met people for the first time, people who don’t know me, I’ve seen how they look at me and you can tell they don’t think I’m a very good photographer.  They aren’t interested in me at all, as in the photography aspect. They are happy to to talk at me about themselves, but they don’t ask me any questions. It is almost rude.

When I am with a friend who looks more like the stereotype I am ignored completely. Believe it is true, my friends have noticed as well.

I got this from a site that looked at Stereotypes for overweight people:

According to the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, sizeism is the fourth-most prevalent form of discrimination in the U.S. Yet only six cities (plus Michigan) have laws protecting against it.

While stereotypes exist regarding all different body types — short, skinny, tall and so forth — those reserved for larger body sizes are particularly vicious. Fatness is often associated with laziness, poor hygiene and stupidity, assumptions that can have serious consequences on both a personal and societal level.

Profile Photo

So I have to question whether it is a good idea to put up a photo of me.

For me this is a no brainer. If people have these stereotypes of what a photographer is, or what a woman photographer should be and I don’t fit the profile, then I am going to be judged as soon as they see that photo and my work becomes irrelevant. Whereas, if I just have my avatar then it is doesn’t matter who I am and what I do, people fall in love with the work first, well I hope they do.

I know so many are thinking I’m being silly, but it seems to be something that only women who are similar to me understand. When I explain it to them, they totally get it and agree. It is sad to think it happens, but there is no point pretending it isn’t a problem.

My view is use the avatar that I have on all social media, if people love my work and then we meet then hopefully by that stage they don’t care what I look like. I use the same avatar on everything, it is me. I don’t see the point of the face, or the camera in front of the face, or just the camera, there is a sea of those images out there. I like that my avatar stands out and as people get to know me they recognise it.

Hopefully they are silly enough to think that I have to have a photo of me for them to understand I am a real person. You all know that I’m real, right?

What do you think of stereotypes and how people view some groups of people?

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