TWiP Talks

In this interview, I chat with San Francisco, CA-based music, and concert photographer Jay Blakesberg. Jay shares a few of his lifetime of stories that come from photographing a veritable whos-who in the music industry.

Jay is a San Francisco-based photographer, filmmaker, and visual anthropologist whose work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, Relix, and many other magazines. He has worked with countless musical artists, including Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Phish, moe., Tom Waits, the Rolling Stones, Carlos Santana, and, of course, the Grateful Dead to name just a few. Blakesberg attended his first Dead show in September 1977 as a 15-year-old kid.

Thirty-seven years later, he went on to become the official Fare Thee Well photographer for the band’s final five shows. Secret Space of Dreams is his 15th coffee table book of music photography.

https://youtu.be/ga_SuHFVlVQ

Jay Blakesberg

To learn more about Jay please visit:http://www.blakesberg.comhttps://www.rockoutbooks.comhttps://www.instagram.com/jayblakesberghttps://www.instagram.com/retroblakesberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Blakesberg

In this interview, I'm joined by Imagely Chief Community Officer Scott Wyden Kivowitz. Scott is a father, photographer, blogger, and educator in New Jersey, who considers himself a storyteller with a camera. He is also the Chief Community Officer at Imagely, The WordPress Photography People.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VpyZYiKWU6A

Scott is the author of numerous books and a regular YouTuber. He can be found teaching photographers about photography, WordPress, and online marketing on his website, the Imagely website, and other venues like Photofocus.

Scott believes in sharing his knowledge in any way possible and educating without fluff, in a straight to the point easy to understand style.

Learn more about Imagely here:

https://www.imagely.comhttps://twitter.com/imagelyhttps://facebook.com/imagelyhttps://instagram.com/imagelyConnect with Scott directly here:https://scottwyden.comhttps://youtube.com/scottwydenhttps://instagram.com/scottwydenhttps://twitter.com/scottwydenhttps://facebook.com/groups/wordpressforphotographers

In this interview, I speak with SmartAlbums & SmartSlides creator Daniel Usenko. Creating slick, professional-looking slideshows and albums has really never been easier. And now Daniel Usenko and his team at Pixellu.com have managed to make the process fun!

https://youtu.be/dadENeqympo

I was amazed at how fluid and polished their software is, and how they're able to take two of the most tedious tasks (album design and slideshows) and not only make them enjoyable but also create an end product that would likely rival what you could do manually.

In this chat, Daniel discusses his company and also demonstrates this amazing software.

http://www.pixellu.com

Stephanie Pham and Matt Granger join the show to discuss the art of implied nude photography. How do you get started in this type of art? And what are the challenges and barriers to entry? How do you plan a shoot? And how do both the photographer and model ensure they are working with professionals and not just another "GWC"?

https://youtu.be/xYeJ0KQMfT4

We discuss these topics and many more in this important discussion. We also tackle the importance of professionalism on both the part of the model and the photographer during booking, during, and after the shoot.

Stephanie Pham's Action Reel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwdnBrsrx6Y

Connect with Matt Grangerhttp://www.mattgranger.com

Stephanie Pham and the Art School Dropout projecthttps://www.youtube.com/user/artschooldropouts

Check out their Implied Nude Photography coursehttp://www.mattgranger.com/implied

Creating fandom isn’t just for actors, athletes, musicians, and authors. Fandom can be rocket fuel for any company or organization that chooses to focus on inspiring and nurturing true fans. Photographers and creative professionals NEED to learn these valuable techniques so that they can stop gathering fans, and develop a strategy to turn those fans into real revenue.

https://youtu.be/QmyTuMwNj54

David Meerman Scott is a marketing & business growth strategist, entrepreneur, advisor to emerging companies and the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 11 books including Fanocracy and The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

In this webinar, you'll learn how you can turn fans into customers, and customers into fans.

Links mentioned in the webinar:

Fanocracyhttps://www.fanocracy.com

Chat with David one-on-one...Project Live Fanocracyhttps://www.livefanocracy.com

New Marketing MasteryAlign your marketing with the way that people buy. An online learning program that has been accessed by over 1,000 entrepreneurs.http://www.newmarketingmastery.comUse code "photo" for $900 discount!

In this interview, I discuss the fine art of professional photo retouching with world-class retouching and compositing artist Pratik Naik.

https://youtu.be/vjnfUbmDQWg

Pratik Naik runs Solstice Retouch and is a high-end retoucher, educator, and industry entrepreneur. He is the main educator behind The Retouching Series and creator of the Infinite Color Panel. He also travels the world teaching workshops and seminars. He's been retouching for 10 years, with a start in Photoshop and photography 20 years ago. He is also a photographer as well, being involved in a variety of genres.

Grab Pratik's Infinite Color Panel!

http://www.infinitecolorpanel.com

Use the code "TWIP40" at checkout, at get $40 off!

It's a panel that works in Photoshop (Creative Cloud). It's a smart color grading tool that expertly randomizes a set of adjustment layers to create a unique look to your images. In length, it's a lot more than that. Be sure and see the video below to explore what it truly is about.

https://youtu.be/gJImSHfgQwo

Some examples of Pratik's retouching...

Photo educator Darlene Hildebrandt from Digital Photo Mentor joins the show to discuss the current state of education in the photography industry. If you want to learn how to shoot, should you be enrolling in a traditional photography school? Should you binge on online courses? Should you dive into YouTube tutorials? Books? All of the above? Darlene and I discuss the best ways to get up to speed on making great photos, and some resources you can use to sharpen your skills today.

Portrait Fundamentals Course!https://www.digitalphotomentor.com

https://youtu.be/0gJEe8ID564

In this webinar, I'm joined by photographer Marc Charette. Marc also is a co-host to LinkedIn Local Central Coast and as a result, has developed some best practices for photographers and other creatives wanting to get the most out of Linkedin within the social media marketing mix.

Connect with Marc on LinkedIn.Connect with Marc on his website.

https://youtu.be/zoP-YQj8jI0

LinkedIn Basics & Principles covered:

- Why LinkedIn is becoming so important for all businesses - How does that apply to photographers and photography businesses? - Which kinds of photographers are most likely to benefit from LinkedIn & how - What does it take to turn LinkedIn into a good marketing funnel - How do you speak to this audience (it's not Facebook nor is it Instagram - different language) - How fast can I get results with LinkedIn (why it's not a quick fix but has long term value)

Questions asked during the Q&A segment:

Question: What is the main reason for the amount/regularity for posts?

Answer: Think of it as an opportunity to be heard or recognized or appreciated, or helpful. Unlike a retail environment, where people get 'advertised at' and then you wait and hope that they come into your retail space, you're reaching out to start the conversation. The more you post, the more you learn what works and what doesn't. It's also part of the way in which LinkedIn measures engagement. It's pretty hard to have them figure you out and rank you up if you don't have enough content to stand above the noise. That doesn't mean yelling or just putting out stuff for the sake of it.

This is where most people struggle and fail on the content volume question. They post 'junk' or trolling styled comments. Eventually, that backfires. Have a strategy and an intention in mind. Vary your content across newsworthy (often a reshared content piece) something you're working on (get feedback on it - etc) and maybe saying thank you to a past client by showing a shot from the session and tag them - that makes them feel good and you may even get them to re-share it which could improve your visibility.

Once you really get going, it will be easier to be strategic.

Question: What exactly are "ALT tags"?

Answer: Alt tags are like a meta description for a photo and are generally used on your website. You can only have one alt tag per photo but it can be pretty long and descriptive - about 120 characters if I remember correctly.

Hashtags are a way to increase the visibility of a post or content if someone is 'following' or search for it. I usually recommend approx 3 hashtags based on all the stuff everyone else is saying about them.

It's ok to have more or less of them, just as long as they make sense contextually. One thing I do is try an have 2 hashtags that relate specifically to the audience that may search for that content and then one more that is far more distinct to me. My current hashtag to follow is #herdofelephants - it came about as a result of describing the importance of Google My Business for a local business.

One of the best way to figure out both which hashtags to use and how many is simply to do a bit of research. Look at other people who are getting success with post ranking, views and most importantly engagement. That's where you're likely to learn the most about what will work for you.

Wedding and portrait photographer Sara France joins the show to discuss her experiences and challenges with being female in the photography industry.

https://sarafrance.com

https://youtu.be/4787MSAKbgk

About Sara, from her bio:

A funny thing to know about me is that most people call me by my full name. Even my closest friends call me, Sara France. So, feel free to join in on the fun if you like.

I am extremely proud to have been given the honor of being 1 of 5 wedding photographers in the world to be named a Sony Artisan of Imagery. I am also currently a mentor in Sony’s revolutionary Alpha Female program. Sony is an amazing company doing groundbreaking things in the photography industry and I am so grateful to be a part of that movement.

My work as a wedding photographer was first recognized by Apple who selected a few of my weddings to display in Apple stores and online. If you have seen a wedding image used by Apple it is most likely one that I photographed!

However, my greatest accolades so far are the hundreds of thank you letters and hugs I have received over the years from happy couples who have loved their experience of working with me. Connecting with my clients is my favorite part of my job, and when that happens so does the magic. There is nothing greater than the thrill of a happy couple and the joy of being part of the most important day in their lives!

In this interview I speak with social injustice photojournalist Mario Cruz. We discuss his impactful project "Living Among What's Left Behind" — a photo essay covering life along the Pasig River in Manila's economic center.

21% of the population live below the poverty line and are forced to live in their own pollution. Mario's photographs show, in graphic detail, the living conditions and the danger these human beings are forced to endure on a daily basis.

https://youtu.be/y2iHSettfYY

About Mario Cruz

Mario Cruz is an independent photographer focused on social injustice and human rights issues. His projects have been recognized worldwide. Mario's work has been published in Newsweek, International New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, El Pais, CTXT and NEUE Zurcher Zeitung.

http://www.mario-cruz.com

Editor’s Note:

Visual Momentum refers to the flow of storytelling and its effect on the viewer’s thinking process. This series highlights creators who are successfully using their tools and minds to create an impact on the world through imagery with the intent of inciting action. With the support of Fujifilm, we share their stories.

Be sure to also check out the written article on ThePhoblographer.com.

About FUJIFILM North America Corporation (Fujifilm)

FUJIFILM North America Corporation (Fujifilm) is empowering photographers and filmmakers everywhere to build their legacies through sharing their stories. Grounded in its 85-year history of manufacturing photographic and cinema film, pioneering technologies in lenses and coatings, and driving innovation in developing mirrorless digital camera technologies, Fujifilm continues to be at the center of every sto...