There is a word... It makes some cringe and it makes others swoon. It can appear to be a natural talent to the more linear minded and straight out repel the carefree. But no matter how much you love or hate this word, it's standing and place in our business cannot be argued. It is paramount to our ability to not only have success but to also resist burnout. It is... Organization.

Organization in your workflow can feel a bit like Goliath staring down at you. Daunting for sure - but - don't forget who was left standing in the end! And for you, little David, we have the perfect stone!!

Check out the FREE workflow board from go4prophotos.com! It is just the rock & slingshot you need to kick Goliath's booty! Not only will it get you going on your workflow organization, but it will also KEEP you there!

So head on over to Facebook.com/go4prophotos to get yours now!! And make sure you watch the short video to see exactly how you can customize and start using yours today!

GET YOUR FREE WORFLOW BOARD HERE!

Memory cards are so compact that unfortunately they can be easily lost or damaged. This anti-static memory card case keeps all your memory cards safely stored so you always know where they are. You won't be digging in the dusty bottom of your camera case or briefcase looking for your valuable memory cards anymore. Memory cards not included.

PURCHASE AT AMAZON.COM FOR $2.16!

Want to save $50?
Use coupon code: FORPHOTOGS at checkout. Tennille just asks that you drop her a note and let her know how CSM for Bento is keeping you organized and helping you to analyze your business!

CSM for Bento is a database template to be used with Bento to assist you in managing multiple areas of your business. 
• Stores data on your hard drive, so no internet connection is required
• One time purchase – no monthly fees!
• Sync with Address Book and iCal to view your Contacts and Calendar on your iPhone or iPad (optional – you do not have to sync)
• No additional app is needed if you choose to sync with Address Book and iCal
• iPhone and iPad Bento apps are available but not required (the full version is required to run the template)
• Video tutorials are included with the purchase of CSM for Bento

CSM for Bento allows you to enter and categorize the following data: 
• Clients, Business Contacts, Personal Contacts
• Appointments – Sessions, Business Appointments, Personal Appointments
• Tasks – Business & Personal To-Do List items
• Workflow Stages
• Referral Program Tracking
• Gift Certificate Tracking
• Birthday Tracking
• Marketing Campaigns
• Projects
• Mileage Tracking
• Invoicing (Order Income)
• Expenses

 Want to see all of the DETAILS? Screenshots, videos and more?? Visit: http://tkbusiness.com/tk/shop/csm-for-bento/

Don't forget! You can save $50!!
Use coupon code: FORPHOTOGS at checkout. Tennille just asks that you drop her a note and let her know how CSM for Bento is keeping you organized and helping you to analyze your business!

Weddings and graveyards always go hand in hand!

If you’ve ever come home from vacation and found your film exposures looked really foggy or strange, your film might have been a victim of x-rays.

Thankfully, there are ways to keep your film safe on its trip through airport security. This is one time you might want the security agents to get more hands-on!

How to Travel with Film

p.s. Photojojo’s on Pinterest! Photo-loving pinners: Follow us to find out how you can win $50 in Photojojo Store goodies!

HOW THE WAVY X-RAY WORKS

If you’ve ever been to the dentist, you probably know that x-rays can expose film just as much as light can.

When the dentist returns with little snap shots of the ins and outs of your teeth, the film he used to make those exposures are similar to the film in your camera.

Although we can’t see x-rays with our eyes, they’re on the same electromagnetic spectrum as visible light. They’re hard to see with the naked eye because they move at a higher frequency than all lovely colours we photographers worship.

HOW X-RAYS AFFECT FILM

As the scanning head inside the machine takes a look in your bag, it’s also exposing your film. This leaves you with exposures that are fogged or have lines running through them, ruining the shot.

Also note that checked luggage isn’t a safe haven for film. Though you might not personally see it, all checked luggage passes through an x-ray scanner, too – and that one is much more powerful than the one your carry-on goes through. The stronger the scanner, the more damage it does to your film.

PROTECTING YOUR FILM

Like at the dentist, lead can be your friend. Instead of a big lead vest though, a little lead bag will act as armour for your film, protecting it from the notorious x-ray.

For about $20 in most shops, the lead bag will be a lifesaver. It can hold about 15-25 35mm rolls, and you can work a few extra in there if you’re okay with leaving the plastic canisters at home.

There is one small caveat, though. Most lead bags will only protect film below 800 ISO/ASA. There are bags that protect higher speed films, but they run more expensive.

For more examples of what happens to film on its journey through an airport scanner, check out Kodak’s sample photos.

TURN ON THE CHARM

If you have to travel with 800 ISO film (or higher), break out your friendliest smile and politely ask for your film to be hand checked. While most TSA and security agents will oblige, some won’t. If the security agent you’re working with insists your film be put through the scanner, politely ask to speak to a supervisor.

According to TSA regulations, you are entitled to having your film hand checked. Let them know your film is 800 ISO+ and you should get your wish.

Different airports and agencies might have different policies, so it never hurts to check the regulations on their respective websites. You can always print out the section on film handling and take it with you, too.

SCAN IT TO DIGITAL & OVEREXPOSE

If you have film that has been through the x-ray scanner, it doesn’t mean you have to throw it out.

Aim to use the film on bright, sunny days. While it may not look perfect, the bright sun will mask some of the x-ray fog and lines.

You can also opt for having your film scanned to digital when you get it developed. Then you can fuss with the levels and colour balances in post-processing to get rid of the fog.

Black & white conversions will get rid of any stubborn strange colour tinges that persist through colour balance adjustments, too!

TIPS FOR GETTING THROUGH UNEXPOSED:

• Find the right sized x-ray bag. Consider how much film you’re bringing and find a bag that will hold it all.
• Some x-ray bags protect films higher than 800 ISO/ASA, but are more expensive.
• If you have to have your film hand-checked, put it in an easily accessible spot of your carry-on. It’ll make going through security faster.
• Get to airport security well before your flight. If you have to ask for your film to be hand-checked, it can take as much as 20 minutes longer to get through to your gate.

CREDITS
(Disclaimer: We do not carry credit for this post nor any of the photographs; we are simply sharing information, you may not otherwise see, in accordance with the copyright laws and under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License of the USA)

We Want More Blur?!

Get further away and zoom in.

A large aperture (i.e. -  f/2.8) will play a big part in how much we blur we can achieve in the camera. Prime lenses are great for this because they can get such a low f/stop number… but what about our affordable zoom lenses that only make it to f/4.5?? We need more blur in our background but our f/stop is maxed at out. So give this a try this:

1. Step back away from your subject/foreground.
2. Zoom in to achieve the same framing you originally intended.
3. Keep the same, low, f/stop number.
4. Meter your light for proper exposure.

Being further away from your subject will help increase the amount of blur in your background, and you will create what they call lens compression. When lens compression happens, you will notice that your background will appear closer to your subject than it actually is compared to if you were to take a wide angle shot of the same thing, up close.

We need more detail!!

Achieving that Deep Depth-of-Field can also be a challenge sometimes! You need your interesting foreground in focus just as much as you need the entire background in focus. So where do you focus?? You want to focus about 1/3 of the way into the photo… which is the lower third.

1. Frame your shot just the way you want it. Good composition and creative perspective will go a long way!
2. Consider the Rule of Thirds and focus where the lower third is in your shot.
3. Increase your f/stop number to around f/16-20 to ensure that from the lower third, and up, is in focus.

By focusing on the lower third, you are telling the camera that you want this area closest to the camera to be in focus! You don’t want to forget that! Your large aperture will take care of the rest of photo because it is responsible to get as much in focus as possible. It just forgets about the area closest to the camera if you were to focus anywhere else, except for the lower third.

We just took your existing knowledge about depth of field and we added to it. Little things like this can go a long way in making better quality photos.

CREDITS
(Disclaimer: We do not carry credit for this post nor any of the photographs; we are simply sharing information, you may not otherwise see, in accordance with the copyright laws and under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License of the USA)

All content copyright Dustin Olsen - improvephotography.com

It can be overwhelming trying to figure out a large-scale strategy to bring new customers to your business. Our advice? Set aside 1 hour per day to promote your business. During that time you can easily: make phone calls, update your social media profile(s), add keywords to your website, ask for referrals, hand out fliers, or send a direct mailing.

You might be surprised at how much visibility you can gain from 1 hour of focused promotion efforts each day.

Last Chance for Starter Packs:

Each year we offer introductory assortments of our best selling products at a discount price for our Trade Show season. Well, the major shows are over and these special offers will expire April 30th.

USE CODE "KIMTOWN" AT CHECKOUT FOR 10% OFF!!

Frame Bag Starter Pack

• 2 - 46x36
• 3 - 38x30
• 5 - 32x26
• 5 - 26x22
• 5 - 20x16

Show Price only $89.95
Choose from Black or Chocolate

Artisan Portrait Case

• 30 - 5x7
• 25 - 8x10
• 15 - 11x14

Show Price only $99.95 - Choose fromPeacock, Papaya, Avocado, andNatural. Sorry, the Hot One Award winning Cocoa is already sold out. Also available in Ebony and White made from machine made paper without the deckle edge.

1/2" Box Starter Pack

• 10 - 11x14x1/2" box
• 15 - 8x10x1/2" box
• 20 - 5x7x1/2" box
• 96 sheets 20x30" tissue

Show Price only $89.95
Choose from Espresso, Kraft, Charcoal, or Black

How I grew The Collective’s FB page 20% in 30 days.

This is the 2nd part in a 2 part post sharing how I grew The Collective Facebook page over 20% in 30 days. The steps are simple, and worth trying yourself. Facebook does still matter!

The first three steps are -

1. Change to Timeline (which is already mandatory).
2. Ask for followers.
3. Advertise.

4. Regularly engage.

While advertising and asking for likes helped to build momentum, a change I made in this area may be the most important of them all.

For several years I used the Networked Blogs app to promote my blog posts on Facebook. It worked wonderfully, but only when the app was publishing to a page with a larger fan base (Senior Portrait Artists). When it switched to The Collective page the bump in pageviews (on The Collective site) was significantly dropped.

I also read recently the updates from Networked Blogs were being buried by Facebook. Not good.

Though I had a lot of followers via the app (over 2000), most of them were not engaging with the app. So, I stopped syncing the feed from Networked Blogs to The Collective page.

My plan was to use Hootsuite, but I ran into a major snag…images.

Everything I read and see first hand shows that posting photos is the best way to build engagement with your followers on Facebook. While, Hootsuite does allow you to post to Facebook pages and profiles, the image function requires you to upload it to Hootsuite, which posts it as a link – also, not good.

Enter Post Planner…

I came across Post Planner through my Facebook ads. I saw the ad at least 2-3 times before I acted. I finally did some research (after realizing the Hootsuite problem) and found it does allow you to post images which show up as images and not links.

After playing with it for a week or two, here is what I love about Post Planner:

• It natively posts images/links/etc in FB (Hootsuite doesn’t look or feel right). Post Planner is an app that runs within Facebook.
• It offers suggestions of what to include to create interaction – quotes, polls, questions, etc.
• I can post to both a personal profile or business pages.
• I can pre-schedule posts to run at a later date/time.
• It’s working. The Collective page has grown about 10% since I began using it.

Post Planner is free if you use it just for a profile page.  I use the “Pro” version which is 4.95/month, and basically just adds the ability to post to my business pages. For 14.95/month you can also post to groups and white label your posts (your website is listed in each post & Post Planner is not mentioned).

5. Run a contest or giveaway.

In both my experience and current observations, a giveaway or contest is the fastest way to grow your page. These promotions force a user to like your page to enter the contest or vote for a friend.

I haven’t run a contest yet, but I plan to do one in conjunction with Graphic Authority in late spring or early summer. I am excited about the possibilities of growing The Collective, but I have a few concerns too.

1. Targeted audience. The main downfall with contests is the distinct possibility of gaining likes from people who won’t ever be your client or even your evangelist. They simply are helping a friend or want to win your prize. The key is to create the contest or giveaway in a way that it most interests your target audience.
2. Facebook TOS. Though I’ve never heard of a business page being shut down for running a contest on a Facebook page, I do know it is against what is written in the Terms of Service. This means Facebook has the right to delete your account if you run a self-run contest. The answer is to use a 3rd party like Wildfire or NorthSocial.

 Let’s wrap this up.

Ultimately your goal with Facebook or any social media outlet should be to create conversation. However, it’s not easy when your following is small.

I just looked at the Starbucks Facebook page (corporate). The page has over 29 million likes! However a post from 2 days ago had only 3500 likes, 189 shares and 127 comments. The percentage of engaged users is very small. Your page may actually do better.

So, no matter what you do to grow your Facebook page, make sure you are working to interact with those who like it. Ask!

Second, make sure to keep in mind what your goal is with a Facebook page. You want to turn those people into clients, which means you want them to go somewhere off of Facebook – your website. Figure out ways to drive people from your page to your website where they will find more, great information about you.

Now, get to work!

CREDITS
(Disclaimer: We do not carry credit for this post nor any of the photographs; we are simply sharing information, you may not otherwise see, in accordance with the copyright laws and under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License of the USA)

All content copyright The Collective.