Social Media

If you're trying to build a fan base for your Facebook page, continually inviting people to like it most probably isn't the best way to accomplish this. What people don't realize is that using the invitation feature built into Facebook is close to useless. There is an art to making your Facebook page flourish.

Instagram has just released some of its most significant photo editing features that we have seen from them since the release of video sharing. Instagram is making it clear that it has no plans of fading out in the near future. By offering some more tools to help edit pictures and reach out to the photography community, I think they will continue leading the way for one of the top social media platforms.

It’s a rather controversial subject in the photography industry; should I sell my digital files? There isn't a right or wrong answer; it depends on your business model. If you are in the high school senior market, digital files are like gold and highly sought after by the senior.

In photography - and in anything else, really - it seems as though when we first discover something new, whether it be a new camera, a new technique, and/or a new system of doing things, it’s fairly natural I think to want to use it all the time. When I first “discovered” photography, I immediately gravitated toward those photographers like Emily Soto, Zach Arias, Joey L, and Syl Arena.

It all started with a conversation between filmmaker Justin Gustavision and I this past Friday. Justin works for Nadus Films who just released a brilliant award-winning documentary “BBoy For Life” which shows how break dancing has provided teenagers a way out of Guatemalan gang life. The film has been picked up by Starz and Discovery Channel, yet their social media presence could be considered dry, when it should be arousing a well-deserved tornado of hype.

Reaching high school seniors on social media isn't as easy as one might think. First, you have to attract a following, then you have to appeal to their interests. I quickly found that Facebook is not popular among 16-18 year olds. I could still reach my wedding clients through Facebook, but the 16-18 year old crowd had gravitated elsewhere. Why? Their parents are now on Facebook and they want to keep their privacy. This age group is using other forms of social media; one of the most popular, Instagram.

Photography-related groups on Facebook are growing exponentially along with the exploding industry. As with many things in life, there are pros and cons when participating in these groups. One can experience valuable feedback, expertise and positive reinforcement from peers, while also experiencing nitpickers and people who pull you down. There are far more important elements often missed when discussing groups that could change the way you benefit from them... forever.

About four years ago - or about a month or so after I picked up a camera and decided I was a photographer - I thought it would be in my best interest to start up a Facebook Fan Page (as they were called back then). I assumed that because a few friends were liking the random collection of photos that I was posting to my personal Facebook page, strangers - and eventually clients - would find my Fan Page, like it, and then money and fame would come rolling in.

If you have been prepping for the busy season with high school seniors, your first step is to find quality senior representatives or models that will endorse you and your business. This article will provide you a few easy networking tips for finding and screening senior reps for the upcoming year.

Although it would seem like common sense, proper motivation is key toward not only getting things done, but getting things done well. This is true in any creative field and this is especially true, it seems, in the over-saturated everybody-with-a-camera-is-a-photographer world we live in.

Dear Google+, you have some great features and someday I hope we can have a better relationship. But right now you are bugging the heck out of me by allowing anyone and everyone to spam my inbox. Please knock it off. In the meantime I am using this article to tell my friends how to turn off this setting, like I just did, so they won't be susceptible to getting G+ spam every day.

Whether you’re a fan of social media or not, it’s definitely here to stay and constantly evolving at lightning speed. It’s completely changed the fabric of how we (photographers) do business: from publicizing images to marketing tactics and communication, our daily life is inundated with a constant barrage of notifications and a conditioned head-down-to-phone routine. Unfortunately, if you aren't using social media to its fullest, then you may be left behind.

Yesterday PhotoShelter shared a list of 9 rockstar photographers who you should most certainly be following, and we think they did a pretty darn good job narrowing down the field to just a handful. It's stacked with some big names and maybe some you haven't heard of.

Dropbox posted today on their blog about a new mobile gallery they are releasing called Carousel. The gallery will be for displaying photos and videos from your life and they are claiming it is "unlike other mobile galleries." The size of your Carousel isn't constrained by the space of your phone, so no more worrying about losing your life's memories as they will always be in one place.

In the competitive world of social media experiments it seems companies are coming up with all sorts of tactics to build brand loyalty and interaction. Fashion designer Marc Jacobs is no stranger to the social media game. Earlier this year Marc Jacobs launched a pop-up shop that would trade free gifts in exchange for your tweets, likes, follows, and instagram pictures. Now Marc Jacobs is back with a new proposition. Tag your picture with the handle #CastMeMarc and you could be the new face of Marc by Marc Jacobs.

"Oh, so you're a photographer now...?"

It's a question I'm sure each of us has heard. Coming to us from a friend and/or family member that we haven't seen in a while, maybe those who we're remotely connected to on any one of the social media platforms where we post our work. It rings of sarcasm, and while I don't believe it's meant to hurt us, truthfully, it kind of does.

So there was a big stink a few months ago when Instagram started using advertisements. I remember being angry and turned off when I saw an ad for whatever-it-was pop up in my feed (guess it didn't work). But that first ad is the only one I remember seeing, and I'm on Instagram more than I should be. As it turns out, Instagram is hiding those ads right in plain view.

Tis the season, a new senior class will emerge this spring. Thus, for high school senior photographers, a new class to educate about your business. As a senior photographer, I have already chosen and photographed my 2015 models/representatives, but it isn't too late to get started.

When we first start out on any sort of endeavor, be it creative or otherwise, we all most likely begin same way: a head full of ideas, but a distinct lack of understanding and experience of how to achieve them. Over time, through the benevolence of others, and many hours of Youtube tutorials, our ability catches up and we reach the place where creativity meets experience

Last Friday, during the 4th quarter of Stevenson High School's IHSA Boy's Basketball Class 4A semifinal game against Whitney Young, Jalen Brunson made a three-pointer shot that was "waved off" and instead a foul was called. Jalen, who was clearly upset with the call, threw his arms up in disgust. In that split moment, a picture was taken (among a group of shots) that made it look as if he was giving the finger to the opposing team and fans.

Good friend (and even better photographer) Zack Arias over at DEDPXL.com just kicked out a little Q&A video on how to get your foot in advertising agencies' doors. As usual Zack delivers solid, straight forward, no-nonsense advice and as a bonus you get to meet Carl (the laconic squirrel). There's even a shout out to John Keatley from the Fstoppers' Bahamas Workshop coming up in May.

Some days, as we plod through our respective news feeds, it seems as though the Internet was invented for one thing and one thing only; to share photos. Although the quality of the photos we have to wade through can sometimes be questionable, and at times our feeds can become overwhelming, the relative ease with which photos are shared is in my opinion, the greatest benefit to our seemingly photo-obsessed and Social Media saturated society planet.

I've read plenty of articles online about the sharing of user information, privacy settings on facebook, and the creepy things that someone could do with malicious intentions. In this video, Sam Pepper uses Instagram location tagging to find girls in the area, and makes them believe they know each other by sharing information they posted online.

Want to get more leads in a specific area of your business? Have you heard of PhotogRefers.com? The next big social media platform for photographers is upon us. In fact, it is the only social media platform specifically designed for photographers and our creative community.

Facebook announced that this week they plan on rolling out a new "streamlined" look for Pages that will appear on desktop users. They claim it will make it easier for people to find information they want and that the new style will help the Page admins find tools they use the most. Here is a quick breakdown of what you can expect in the new design changes and features.

Daniel Arnold may already be known to some of you. With over 30,000 followers on Instagram he has certainly built an audience for his work. He has even been called the best photographer on Instagram...after his account was shutdown when he uploaded a topless photo of sunbathers one fateful day. Arnold has since returned and it seems his plans for notoriety on Instagram may have hit a new high when it was reported he made $15,000 in a single day using the platform.

I am getting ready to embark on my third trip to WPPI. As with any convention or continuing education event, you are bound to take home an abundance of new knowledge, motivation, and ideas to enhance your business. What about taking home new friendships with your peers?

If you know Katelyn James - you'll know that she has enormous talent, but more importantly, she has an enormous heart for photographers and her clients! Photographers from across the United States come to Richmond, Virginia to take advantage of her information filled, intimate workshops and coaching sessions. She is an expert in branding and building a community with her brides.

You probably know that getting your uploads to look sharp on screen, in print and on social media goes beyond resizing. Now, resizing is incredibly important in order to retain the optimum quality for sites such as Facebook, but there is an element far deeper than that and it is not often discussed. This is the secret to getting your images looking “sharper” no matter the medium.

Photographers and artists alike are extremely passionate people. With strict deadlines and hectic schedules, we all have the tendency to jump the gun and act or open our mouth before taking a step back from the situation. There is one word which you will be hearing a lot throughout this article. It is a trait at the core of what we do and it’s very much a necessary virtue: patience.

The much speculated Facebook reader is real, it's called Paper and I have to say it looks beautiful. As shown in the the promotional launch video, the app is all gesture driven (though some of the gestures look impractical) and it looks to be a new and pleasant way to stay up to date with the stories that matter to you, with a design UI that takes a lot from other established reader apps like Flipboard.

Whether you love or loathe Instagram, today's post looks at just how powerful a tool it can be. Last week, a friend took a simple shot from his bedroom window. Within an hour, it was picked up by the AP, and began appearing in major publications nationally. Depending on how you treat it, Instagram can be a firecracker or a stick of dynamite for your business and social presence. The punch it packs is up to you.

Just couple of months ago 'Selfie' was chosen as the word of the year by the Oxford English Dictionary. Now that pretty much everyone have a camera in their pocket, taking self portraits is easier than ever. It seems like everyone are doing it, and you can see it all over social media. The thing is - because the subject controls everything about the creation of the image - from posing to angle of shooting, it's easy for them to hide things they don't like. In this beautiful short film, Dove shows girls how including their insecurities in their selfies can change their opinions about their own beauty.

As many of you who have your own photography pages probably already noticed, Facebook drastically changed their Pages organic reach algorithm on December 3, 2013. We have been living with the changes for a month, analyzing the effects on our brand and how it affects you, and the news isn’t good. With dramatic decreases in reach and engagement, our Facebook community is not nearly what it was. So what can you do about your own Pages?

Each week on Fstoppers Answers, we answer a question asked by the photography community. This week, we were asked - "How do you market to social media? (When marketing your photography on social media, is it more effective to always be trickling out content constantly, or less frequently but higher quality and more content at once. For example, if I do a shoot with a model, should I post a photo a day, or a set a week?)"

Last night on the EDM Photographers Facebook group a member posted a tweet from an upset photographer who wasn't properly credited for an image that famed music producer, Diplo, posted on his Instagram feed. The concert photography collective, Visualbass, tweeted their irritation to Diplo about the uncredited photo and was met with a rather unpleasant and public exchange from the artist.

There are more than a few ways to go about advertising on Facebook, and with Facebook’s increased attention to paid advertising you need to know what you’re spending your money on. Here are the 3 best ways to advertise on Facebook that you want to make sure you’re doing.

It's not a brand new idea to incorporate printing photos on food. Recently we talked about printing photos on coffee with the selfie-latte, but Boomf takes photo printing a little bit more out of the box. Well, maybe more out of the cup. With this product I will preface with one question: do you like marshmallows? Yes or no, this product is for you.

Location, Location, Location. We've heard that for years, but if you're in the right place with the wrong message and the wrong means, then you're doing more damage than good for your business. Wedding Photographers know that our target demographic is on facebook, so let me show you why they are and how you can use this to your advantage.

*** UPDATE - Facebook has just removed the reviews tab as of November 5th *** You may have seen the reviews tab that Facebook recently came out with for business pages. Some people got it automatically, and others have spent hours trying to figure out how to get it on their pages. If you want to get the reviews tab on your business page, look no further.

Do you ever come across someone and think "what were they thinking, why would they even do that?" Well, I will bet money you've scrolled through your newsfeed or Facebook groups and said this at least once. There are three main sections you should probably pay close attention to while using Facebook.

This may not come as a surprise to you, but the more you interact with your fans, the more they will interact with you! Using the replies feature in Facebook pages allows you to easily comment back and forth with your fans and encourage loyal readership, but first you need to turn the option on!

When you’re looking for a familiar brand, it’s amazing how quickly your eye can spot it! Even though there may be dozens of other things to catch your eye, you are drawn to the distinctive colors and look of the brand you’re looking for. Is your brand easily recognizable?

One of our favorite places to grab food on the go is Subway.