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Photographing in a DIY society

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With a little help from Google, there are not many projects that can’t be tackled by yourself with a little time, like powering your skateboard with a cordless drill.

Well, photography isn’t much different for some. Many people are willing to study the basics themselves and and take a simple family shot, and some may be happy with that. That’s fine, because you are willing to do what they are not.

What is the DIY person not willing to do? This is what you have to do. What are you not willing to do? You just might have to push yourself to do that as well.

Natural light is awesome, but you can’t get a photo like this with just natural light:

shot with outside flash
                                                                 Shot with outside flash.                  -Image provided by ShirkPhotography.com

The average Do it Yourselfer won’t carry around portable Lumedyne flashes or put a couch in the back of their truck and haul it to a river to nail the perfect family portrait shot for an adventurous family. They’re not willing to study the nuances of lighting techniques relentlessly and how to compose a shot for a 20×30 vs a 20×10 vs a 5×7. The list goes on and on, but I think you’re getting the point.

Do the easy and fun stuff because it is easy and fun, but also dig into the challenging stuff because it will make you better, more valuable, and more creative. The tough stuff today will be the fun stuff tomorrow, creating more separation between you and the competition.

MorePhotos, Sell Photos Online

Responsible Social Media Posting for Photographers- Image Rights on Facebook

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What are your image rights as a pro photographer after posting to Facebook?

Unfortunately, not much. There is a false sense of control over images posted to Facebook. Many people don’t know there is a download button under each photo which can be used without the original content owner’s permission or knowledge. If you don’t want someone downloading or otherwise using your photo, it doesn’t belong on Facebook. Remember, its primary purpose is to share photos and stories with your friends and family.

A large frustration comes from educated photographers who know that Facebook is arguably a fantastic marketing tool, but in exchange for using it they must sell their soul (or at least give up exclusive rights to the images posted).

We recommend the following advice when pro photographers post images to Facebook

  1. Post a url on fb (not actual image) to link to the images on your own website. This does NOT give fb nor anyone else rights to use your images.
  2. Use www.MorePhotosApp.com to share images on fb. This app was created for photographers to protect images shared to fb. Images actually go to the MorePhotos App servers, not Facebook, and therefore the photographer retains full rights to images posted. There is no download button (unless of course they purchase the digital image from you), an auto watermark option is available, and photographers can post up to 1 GB of images for no monthly fee.
  3. Only post watermarked images that are already purchased. This way you know you already have money for that photo and now you are just gaining marketing attention.
  4. Know that once posted to Facebook, you have very limited control over the image. Its not the way we want it, its just the way it is.

In the words of business blogger Seth Godin, “Once it’s free (such as Facebook), you’re not the customer any more, you’re the product.”

Your professional images are valuable, treat them as such. Facebook is not evil and you don’t have to delete your account. Just use common sense before you post and you can gain valuable marketing exposure without losing image rights.