Category Archives: Sell Photos Online

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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.

MorePhotos, Sell Photos Online

New, affordable photo contest software on the market – Driving traffic to non-profits’ websites now easier and more affordable.

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In the Press

New, affordable photo contest software on the market – Driving traffic to non-profits’ websites now easier and more affordable.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI, July, 2010: PhotoScramble is a new, affordable photo contest software that enables not-for-profits and other businesses to create website traffic and buzz for their organization through online photo contests.

Found at photoscramble.com, non-profits can utilize PhotoScramble to integrate a photo contest into their awareness and fundraising campaigns and as a way to raise additional funds. For example, to build awareness of the many ways it helps animals, a local animal shelter can conduct a “Funniest Pet” photo contest, where entrants post an image(s) to the organization’s website, and then funnel visitors to the site by telling all of their friends and family via social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to go to the website and vote for their image. In addition to the increased visits and added exposure to the site, with PhotoScramble, the non-profit has the option to request a small donation, such as $1, to vote for their favorite image as a way to raise additional funds.

“We’re helping organizations gain awareness and raise money by capitalizing on the popularity of camera phones and the ownership of high-quality digital cameras, not to mention social media,” says PhotoScramble President and creator, Michael Connors. “Our goal is to harness the addiction people have for taking, sharing and looking at photographs. The traffic it can bring to a company or non-profit’s website is just phenomenal.”

With PhotoScramble, non-profits can:

  • Increase traffic to their website
  • Generate revenue via online donations and sales of photo gifts, prints, etc.
  • Add interest and flair to an organization’s own social networking sites
  • Allow site visitors to vote for their favorite photo within a contest (and thus encourage viral marketing via social marketing networks)
  • Avoid complex programming; contests are hosted by PhotoScramble’s secure servers.

Photoscramble charges a one-time account set-up fee of $125 (versus the $495 fee of some competitors), making it more affordable than its competitors. It is available in three per-contest pricing options, including a custom version that allows contests to blend seamlessly with an organization’s website and branding.

“People will find that our contest software is intuitive and easy to use, both for the company or organization running the contest as well as contest entrants,” adds Connors. “We offer live support – and the social network sharing feature is amazing.”

PhotoScramble goes the extra mile in bringing additional traffic to a non-profit’s website by providing access to all of their clients’ contests via the PhotoScramble website (though clients can opt out of this feature), making it a “photo contest portal” for hobby and professional photographers. This added “in link” to clients’ sites is one way in which it differs from its competitors.

“Imagine what will happen when an individual posts an image on your photo contest,” says Connors. “You not only get his visit to your site, but all of his friends on Facebook or his LinkedIn contacts he tells to visit your site and vote for his photo – people who have not yet been exposed to your organization’s website.”

PhotoScramble is the brainchild of WD Web, and sister company of MorePhotos, an internet photo sales resource and LabImages, an e-commerce solution for photography labs. For more information, interested parties can go towww.photoscramble.com.