#Hashtags In Google Search

For those of us using Google+ #Hashtags have now been introduced into Google Search. A hashtag - any word or phrase (no spaces) with a # preceding it - is a great tool for people to find and join conversations about a particular topic. Clicking on a hashtag shows related content. Hashtags are now even more powerful. When users search for certain hashtags, they’ll see a stream of related  Google+ posts on the right hand side of Search results. For example, if someone searches for #Photograph in Google Search, they’ll see this:

This means you can use hashtags in creative campaigns; tell your audience to “Search for #X on Google” to see the conversation happening on Google+. Users can join the conversation by clicking into the stream and posting on Google+.

Whenever there is enough detailed data, the Google+ post stream will serve up relevant public posts as well as those that have been shared with circles. Follow best practices to see a hashtag trend on Google+ in order to have it appear in Search. Many hashtag searches will not trigger Google+ posts in Search if there aren’t enough recent relevant posts. Google is rolling this feature out in the US right now with international markets to follow at later dates.

8 Ways to Market Your Photography For Free

1. Facebook – This one is obvious. If you don’t already, start a business page, start a personal page, start friending your clients and tagging them in the photos you share on your business page. That alone can bring you many referrals.

2. Website – It’s worth the investment. Having a corner of your own of the internet that people can link back to and a place that’s searchable online is important. When people search “Los Angeles Wedding Photographer” and you’re in Los Angeles if your website shows up in their search results you’ve just had some free advertising.

3. Craigslist – Yep, I suggested it. There’s absolutely no harm in putting up an ad and regularly searching various sections of Craigslist for people looking for photographers. Sometimes you’ll luck out and find amazing clients. I’ve found one client through Craigslist who comes back time after time for her photos and has recommended many of her friends to me as well.

4. Wedding Websites – All those places like Wedding Wire and The Knot usually allow you to have a free listing there. Go for it, there’s no harm. I’ve not once found a client directly through these websites, but simply having those websites linking back to my website improves my search rank when brides are searching for a photographer.

5. Local Businesses – Look for other small business owners who may be able to trade services with you. Know a groomer? Offer to come by one afternoon and snap some photos of them at work and the cute dogs that come in. Print some of those and offer to put them up in their shop and leave business cards. Offer to let them put those photos online with the catch being that they link to your website.

6. Business Cards and Car Signs – These things are twofold for me. When I go somewhere and get out of my car and someone might see my car sign they might ask for a business card. It’s a great conversation starter, even if sometimes you have to start the conversations. Be friendly, smile, say hi to people when you’re out in public – those simple friendly gestures can be conversation starters and an opportunity to mention your business and give them a card.

7. Contact Local Businesses – This has been a key way for me to market my business. It can also be time consuming. Periodically you can search online for wedding planners, or wedding venues, or midwives and birthing centers. Write down their contact information and make the effort to send each one an individual email telling them who you are, what you do, and that you’d like to offer their clients a discount. If you’re into wedding photography this has been especially helpful. Many wedding planners or venues will link to you from their websites or want to meet in person and get information from you so they can recommend you to their clients.

8. Share Photos – When you shoot at a wedding venue and work with a florist, a wedding planner, a DJ, and more at a wedding make sure you connect with all of these professionals and get their information. I put the photos they might like to use on their websites online for them to download at no cost with only the rule that they must link to my website if they use them online. What a great way for brides to see other wedding professionals recommending you! This can also apply for other types of shoots sometimes. If you do birth photography or newborn photography maybe you want to connect with local hospitals and see if they would like to display some photos in their labor and delivery section. You can print and frame them and give them to the hospital (put your website on the photos). If you do a photo session at a local pumpkin patch give the photos of the kids and families to the owners so they can use those photos online and link back to you.

Blocking The Print Feature On Facebook To Protect Your Photos

Do you know how easy it is for your friends in Facebook to print out your photographs at a local big box store such as Walmart or Target?

In Facebook, one of the best ways to grow is to take your photos, put them into a new album on your page, then tag them with your clients name. They will now feed into their news streams as well, and can potentially bring you in business down the road. Friends flock together and have similar tastes and requirements, so it’s a perfect way of marketing. But you have to keep three things in mind.

1. Be properly compensated BEFORE you release them on Facebook

2. Keep your image size small – a 300 pixel, 72 DPI print isn’t going to print well no matter where your client takes it.

3. Understand your rights to your images greatly diminish when you release them to any online social site.

And now once again, Facebook is making things a little easier for the average member, and a little more difficult for the photographer.

If you’ve tagged a client in a photograph, your client now has access to printing that photo at any of the big box locations – Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Shutterfly. With just a couple of clicks, they can see their albums and any of their friends albums in the application, select an image and hit print. It will be ready and delivered to them in no time. Unless you opt out of this feature.

Tagging is good for showcasing, but gives them access to your photos through the Facebook print feature at many labs, including Walmart, Walgreens, etc.

• Walmart
• Target
• Walgreens
• Shutterfly

Visit these pages, and under the application click the Block Application button. You will then opt out of this application, which means your clients will not see your name if they try to use this application.

Did we miss any? Any other photo apps out there that we need to block as photographers?

How To Blog About Senior Portraits With A Questionnaire

Blog about senior portraits, with sample pre-session questionnaire. I suggest creating a questionnaire for your senior client to fill out before the session begins. You can either ask them to complete it via email or request that they come in early to their session to fill it out and then you can take some time to look it over. The disadvantage of not doing this means you have to try to spend the entire session getting to know your senior. 

1. What is your favorite memory from your high school years thus far?

2. If you could go see any band, living or dead, in concert who would that be?

3. Who would you say is your best friend? How long have you known them? How did you meet?

4. Were you nervous about beginning high school?

5. What would you say is the first thing people notice about you?

6. What type of music is on your iPod?

7. What was your favorite movie growing up?

8. What is your favorite outfit?

9. Are you in any extra curricular activities?

10. What would be your dream car?

11. What memory of high school makes you laugh the most?

12. How would you like to be portrayed in your senior images?

13. What is a must have item for any high school student?

14. Is there a part of your body that your uncomfortable with (most of us have one)?

15. What are you passionate about?

16. Are you a fan of any sport teams or athletes?

17. What brand of clothing do you own the most of?

18. Where do you buy most of your clothing from?

19. What can you be found doing on the weekends?

20. Have their been any images that you have seen that you have liked? You can describe them to me instead of writing them down.

21. Okay, you’re probably sick of answering questions by now. Let’s finish this up with this last question; what is the most important thing to know about you?

After they have completed the questionnaire you can take time to glance over it and now you have conversation starters. On top of that, at this point your senior client will begin to feel more comfortable. Good luck with your senior session!

Creative Ways To Use The iPad In Your Photography Business

1. In-person Sales. There is nothing like in-person sales. A gallery review with a client is a great opportunity to offer excellent customer service and even an opportunity for some print sales. I simply add a folder of all my clients photos so they show up in the iPad’s photo viewer and run a slideshow that way. I can hand my clients the iPad and they can flip through the photos, pick out their favorites and enjoy reliving their photoshoot or wedding. It’s a nice way for clients to see their photos and hold them in their hands. It’s also a great way for clients to envision what size they may like to hang on their wall.

2. Model Releases. There are a few apps that are great for contracts and model releases on the go. Easy If you’re out and about on the street shooting and captured a really great image and would like to be able to use it in your portfolio or sell it as stock you would want to have the subject’s permission. If you carry your iPad with you that’s easy.

• Release - Model Release App $9.99
• Top Model Release $8.99
• iRelease - the pro model release form app $8.49
• Model Release FREE
• ASMP Releases FREE

3. Useful tools.

• White noise app – I love using the WhiteNoise Light app during my newborn sessions.
• Music – I use Pandora for all non-newborn sessions.
• Weather – You can check the weather and sunrise/sunset easily using The Weather Channel for iPad app.
• Appointments – Use the integrated calendar to say on top of all your bookings.
• Learning – You can subscribe to photography magazines, purchase photography books digitally, or just follow your favorite blogs.

4. Square-up! The iPad allows you to take payments using tools like Square. It is free to get an account and a credit card reader from Square. They do charge a small fee to use the service, but in my mind, the convenience is with the price!

5. You can use it to share your portfolio on the go!



6. Some wedding photographers also use their iPads to produce same-day wedding slideshows. 

• PASS Fee

7. For productivity, Dropbox is a great way to keep documents synced between your different devices and it’s free. I like QuickOffice Connect to open, edit, and create Microsoft Office documents, and also Pocket Informant for a great calendar and task manager app. Both are very full of features and look great. Oh and for the most part all my apps sync with the Dropbox account and email, keeping everything easy.