The importance of photo keywording...

We have discussed photo keywording here in the past, but want to discuss it again during this series to drive home its importance and offer you more resources on the subject.

First, let's debunk the myth the you only have to worry about keywording if you are a stock photographer - NOT TRUE!

If you have a blog and/or website search engines will "spider" them on almost a daily basis and if your images don't have titles, descriptions, and keywords you have just missed a golden opportunity to be listed in the millions of searches that are going to be conducted on any given day.

And to be clear, I am not talking about just the photographs you post, you should tag every image (borders, headers, backgrounds, etc.) that make up your website as well.

Here are some articles that you should (seriously) consider reading:

1. Effective Photo Keywording Step by Step (Photopreneur)

2. Photo Keywording 3.0 (Photopreneur)

3. Keywording for Stock Photography (Story Hour Photography)

4. Keywording and Broccoli, Parts 1 & 2 (Keyword Compiler)

If you want to get an idea of what other folks are doing with regards to image tagging there is a waaaay cool tool from Yuri Arcurs (the undisputed king of microstock photography) that allows you to search shutterstock for images similar to yours and then see how that image was tagged by its owner.

I am not suggesting you "steal" from others, but if you are new to the task of tagging and keywording images this could help you better understand how the process works.

And finally there is a free tool called iTag that will help you automate the process of embeding titles, descriptions and keywords into your images.

LAUREL & MICHAEL GET MARRIED!!

Laurel & Michael got married at their beautiful home in Brockville on Saturday September 5 2009. Coordinating their wedding was such a wonderful experience! With a total head count of 16 not only do you have the opportunity to develop a close bond with the bride and groom, you bond with the family as well.

The intimate ceremony was followed by a seafood cocktail hour in their backyard. Come 7pm their guests moved inside and were treated to a mouth watering five course plated dinner. All food was catered by the talented Ken Harper of Chop Chop Catering.

Creative Edge Studio did an amazing job with the flowers and decor. What a great team they are to work with! Thanks to Paul Cheney of 360 Photography for all the fantastic shots of Laurel & Michael's big day. Here are a few of Viva la wedding's favorites.

Thank you from the bride ~ "I wanted to let you know how much we appreciated your help in getting our wedding organized especially in such a short time frame. Everything turned out just perfect. Your calmness was what reassured me my wedding day would actually be as beautiful as we dreamed it would be..."

Flowers and Decor: Creative Edge Studio

Catering: Chop Chop Catering

Photography: 360 Photography

KRYSTEL & IVAN GET MARRIED!!

Krystel & Ivan were married at the rustic yet elegant Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello on Saturday August 22 2009. While I'm always excited when the wedding day of one of my fabulous couples arrives, I was especially looking forward to Krystel & Ivan's wedding as it was taking place at the same venue I was married one year earlier.

The ceremony was held by the gazebo outside with the Ottawa River acting as their backdrop. After exchanging their vows, Krystel & Ivan went off for post ceremony pictures with their wedding party as their guests sipped champagne by the gazebo. The reception followed in the historic Canada Room and after an amazing meal and some very sweet speeches, everyone danced the night away!

Venue: Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello

Officiant: All Seasons

Flowers: Flowers Talk

Linens: Simply Covered

DJ: Prime Time Entertainment

Photography: Melissa Johnston Photography

Facebook...

What is the number one visited website?

Facebook!

What is the number one photo sharing website?

Facebook!

That should be enough to drive home the point that a (your) Facebook presence is important.

This leaves you with two options, getting on Facebook and fumbling around, hoping you get it right, or letting someone guide you step by step though the important features making sure you nail it from the very beginning.

I went for the step by step guided tour with Rod Evans "Facebook Marketing Tutorial".

Rod shows you how he uses Facebook to book senior sessions for around one dollar each in advertising cost.

He not only explains the three areas of Facebook that we need to concentrate on (our personal profiles, photo pages, and advertising), he walks you through each settings page, explaining what settings are important and which ones are not.

The Facebook Marketing Tutorial is a series of three videos (about 70 minutes total) and one of the things I really liked about them is when Rod was discussing page settings you saw the actual page (and settings) he was working on, so it could not have been easier to follow (and understand). And he didn't just share "this is what the setting should be", Rod also explains clearly why it should be what it is.

Another extremely important piece of information that is discussed is Facebook etiquette, without knowing it is extremely easy to find yourself outside the acceptable "rules of engagement" which will get you more than a slap on the wrist, it could end up getting you booted!

I think the coolest thing I learned from this DVD is what I need to do to an image before giving it to a client for their Facebook page that will drive potential clients my way (you'll have to watch the video for the details).

It's likely that you could learn everything that is taught on this DVD on your own, but how long would it take, how many mistakes would you make, and how much business would you miss out on before finally getting it right?

You could walk for free and would eventually get to Washington DC, or your can spend the money on a plane ticket and get there MUCH quicker.

Choice is yours, but I picked the plane ticket and could not be happier that I did.

The good folks at Evans Creative Training are making it easier for you to get there faster too by offering $30 off Facebook Marketing Tutorial, simply enter the coupon code "weekly" when ordering to receive your $30 discount.

INSPIRATION - THE BRIDAL SHOWER

Your bridal shower is one of the many fun events you get to attend leading up to your wedding day. Looking for inspiration? Who better to turn to than Hostess With The Mostess. Here are just a few of the themed bridal shower ideas featured on their site.

Love In Paradise

Beautiful orchids, a little sand, and a vibrant palette of lush greens and rich purples & plums are all you need to create a simple, elegant, and modern version of paradise that bride-to-be is sure to love!

Butterfly Meadow Bridal Shower

Elegant butterflies and earthy greens give a fresh, "New Beginnings!" vibe to this wedding shower. We used white butterflies to play up the bridal aspect - but bright colors would look fabulous as well!

Citrus Twist

Citrus meets sweet in this hot-hued shower theme! You'll find vibrant shades of orange and yellow, adorable flower pots with mod ribbon bands, mini orange blossoms, fruit-lined vases, romantic quote displays, fresh-squeezed OJ...and more!

Something Blue

Give bride-to-be her "Something Blue" a little early! Vintage-mod patterns, elegant ribbons, sparkling champagne, and the ever-enticing "little blue box"... Something Blue = something she's sure to love!

Natural Bride

Photo Credits: Hostess With The Mostess

It's time to talk social media & online marketing...

For the next two weeks we are going to spend a good deal of time on social media, social networking, SEO (search engine optimization), and we hope to cover the important aspects of what we as photographers need to do to maximize and capitalize our online presence.

As I mentioned a few posts back, if you don't know where you are now it makes it extremely difficult to get directions to where you want to go.

Seriously, if someone called to ask directions to your house the first thing you are going to ask is "where are you coming from?" and if they respond with "I don't know" it would be impossible to guide them to your home.

So before you start mapping out your "directions for success" find out where you (and your website) are now with the free SEO tool "Website Grader".

Some of the resources we will will talk about are products and resources you can get for free, and some you will need to pay for, but today we will kick it off with some (really good) free resources.

1. New Media Photographer - It is both a blog and podcast produced by Rosh Sillars (a photographer and teacher). Rosh talks about the business of photography and social media (Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn).

2. Google Analytics for Photographers - Is a free 50 page pdf from PhotoShelter that walks you through everything you need to know about using Google Analytics to sell more photography and book more work using your website.

3. Social Marketing Playbook - This is another free 56 page pdf download dedicated to getting you started down the road to social marketing.

4. Seo Photo - I think the title pretty much covers it, I do like the fact that they provide a good deal of information on how to optimize for the new Microsoft and Yahoo search tool Bing.

I know, I know, this kind of stuff is not "sexy" and some of you may find it mind numbingly boring, but if you ignore this (very important) aspect of marketing you will have yourself to blame when the only person checking out your website is your mom.

And the flooding continues...

The rain, wind, and flooding continues.

We even ventured down to the beach to see what was happening there, nothing like running the risk of being washed away!

Despite the weather the rehearsal was a fun and loved fill event.

Time to get on the "wedding day game face".

Can't you just see me with black smudges under my eyes and bouncing up and down just before "the game"?

;)