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How to Strengthen Your Online Experience

How to strengthen your online experience we're talking about the why and they were gonna get into the house so I want to connect with people without having to be there in person so nicky has mentioned that you want to start shooting more destination weddings correctly yes great so what you want as well please forgive me for overstepping boundaries but you want a website to help you connect with people when they're not here in the seattle seattle seattle area right great so my web presence gives viewers a really good idea of who I am and what I do how how I do this is broken down into two ways how I show people what I do two ways first way written words now this does not have to be everybody's way but I'm talking about my streets wants me to focus on your strengths we're gonna get to your strengths in a minute and for those who are watching online I think in the back of your mind what are your strengths and take a time out this is not planning my notes a couple days ago I had a conversa...

tion with these three lovely people and I talked about what I felt my strengths were my first year of business and they were silly and they were ridiculous and also talked about what my liabilities were my weaknesses my weaknesses were that I didn't have any money I didn't have any photo knowledge and he didn't have a photo network, there weren't people I could ask all of those three things were directly related to my dream, my strength, my strength were that my personality? Not everybody likes me, but I was newly married bride I'm going to the wedding process and people can connect being that way I thought my name was a strength I felt like I could market my name because it popped off the page and I also felt that writing was a strength if anybody were to hear what my strengths were at the time, they probably would have just been like all, sweetheart, good luck with that. If you have strains that you think don't relate to the photo world, we're going to show you how non sequitur strains are going to parlay directly into your business in a second so as you're watching at home, please, in the back of your mind, what are your strains? Because one of my strengths was written word, I wanted to work that into my website and my block are we here now? On the same page, we talked about how did two ways first way we're ten words and how I do this is my bio section, I just don't have a bio section that says I was born here, this is what I love doing, and I develop film in my grandfather's basement I want to get really into the nitty gritty of who I am I talk about my little ponies talk about reebok shoes I talk about highlights at my dentist's ofthis how I loved all lose things as a child and I love photography more than all of those things combined that might rub somebody the wrong way but if somebody read highlights growing up in the dentist's office they're like like right there are fish there ago also photo gallery wanted about me is that what you wanted teo twitter I think twitching I mean one of my favorite things in highlights was like find the pick what do what do they just you connected connected I attracted that's exactly what I wanted to do how I also use written word is in the photo gallery I use my ideas of love and they get these words and they write them over pictures so on a scale of one to ten she ranks hot she's she's the girl you call your mom about and these are I sat down one day and I wrote all my weird quirky ideas of love and then I found a way with my graphic designer to superimpose him over pictures using my strength to make myself different I have a star struck section which is this section is when people are talking about me but I get their words and put them over there photos tio encourage other brides and grooms to connect with me through a third party. This is a great validation, and I know that some of you guys have done this and this is wonderful. And lastly, through the block, like I said, I've logged five to six days a week. I talk about everything and anything as a byproduct of who I am so that's one way this second way is through videos which goes back to the question that we had answered before I do have a video section, I tried to create a video once every year no more than a year and a half it really showcases who you are as a person who you are as a photographer, what you wear, how you talk, how you laugh, people just want to see who is this person you want to get inside your head. Now we have to understand that the connection is created through emotions. We have to understand that what we provide is a service, but it's also a luxury, so the more that you can get connected with people through emotion, the more they're going to be willing to splurge on what they want. What if what they want is you now? Ah, strong web presence also solicits validity from industry insiders this is what I want your website in your blawg and ancillary things like facebook and twitter all those social media aspects we're going to get into an episode three we're gonna be talking about your direct web presence today web site and block it solicits validity from insiders because editors, bloggers, photo organizations they're eager to shed light on up and coming photographers. Yes, they like the established photographers, but they want to see the next generation and it's easier to endorse your work. It's. Easier to promote you when you are put together, because if you have this awesome blogged and then your website is lacking or you have this awesome website and then your blog's locking its hard to endorse somebody who is not put together that's just straight out an honest feedback like I had mentioned before and I'll say it again. My website is my handshake and my block is my voice. I want a very firm handshake, and I want a very soft voice. I want people to know who I am, but I also want them to know that I'm a strong business person and that's done through the online presence that's what I want for you guys so now. One more last push and judge because we're getting into how all of this is going to play I want us to keep in the back your mind that as you're going through and redoing your website in the next month thes air the things I want you to consider now you're looking at the whole gamut the whole panoramic picture now you guys have to make it happen so how how to create an experience that is reflective of you my first tip work with a designer I don't really recommend doing it on I really really don't why why I cannot or will not design a blogger website on my own I don't know how to get all the ideas I have from in my head onto a screen and I have a ton of ideas but a graphic designer knows how to do that I have too many ideas and I don't have enough time to make it happen but I can be able to pay somebody and they need to be able to pay somebody to take action because what happens is when you actually spend money you can tell somebody why is this not done? You said it was by this date if you're doing yourself you're like, oh, but you know the game is on or oh real house wives it's the finale you're finding every reason right? Like what e have no idea way find that we find reasons and we're the best rationalize er's as why we should not be working on it with the graphic designer it's a third party who should be accountable to you, I feel and I want you guys to answer this your own way, but I feel like I'm a good editor I could look at something on the screen and say, you know what? This is working for me or this is not working for me, but I'm in the thick of it, I can't see like, does this look good? Or I mean, is this really bad? If you're a good editor and not a good producer, hire a graphic designer, and I like to be honest, I'd like to be able to tell somebody, please do that, and then it happens and not getting rolling on me. And lastly, this's, what something I hope that you guys agree with, I'm a photographer, I'm not a designer. If you are a photographer and you're not a designer, I heavily encourage you not to design your own website or your book. Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do something, so I want you to know what you want and want what you know just that you know what you want that's, right know what you want long. But, you know, there was no way to get your sight to be a very clear description of you without having a clear description of you. No, and we're gonna get into this in a second. We're gonna talk about your photo safaris. We're gonna talk about how that's a presentation of you. So you guys think that I'm a little bit crazy, but there was a method to the madness. Ok, working somewhere seems gold down. Finally position ok? No, you're writing words. Don't expect your graphic designer to fill in the gaps because what happens is when we hired graphic designer were just like, okay, do your stuff. No, we have to know what we want. We have to have our ideas, we have to have our inspiration. We have to know our branding words, and then you have to give all of that over to the graphic designer that's on lee when they could do their work. Since we're gonna be starting with today, see the big picture, bring it down to the opponents. The path to perfection leads to procrastination. This is a quote that I heard a few years ago, and I couldn't think that it was more true if you're waiting for it to be perfect, your site will never get off the ground. I think it would probably suck if I was up here and I was speaking like, I'm a graphic designer, right? Treating as a photographer I should not be talking about design actually talking about the ideas and theories about design and what we could do as photographers. I'm talking about the experience, but I'm excited that I am going to be bringing out a graphic designer to talk about the design process so that's going to be a surprise guest for us thiss designer is gonna come out in a minute or so, but we are going to showcase your photo safaris first so that's the direction we're gonna move into so we're gonna bring everybody up to speed with the photo safaris. So last month we had a homework assignment in episode one, and that was to create an inspiration board and how we were going to make the inspiration board was to go on what I called a photo safari, and this is not a term that I use. I heard it once before, so the on ly rule to the photo safari was that they had to be your own photos. That was the only rule there were people who put together pinterest, boards, but I felt honestly that that's defeating the purpose of what we wanted being behind your camera forces you to make a conscious decisions about what you're shooting and how you're shooting it what happens is that it creates a filter for what you should be doing some pinterest don't you see I like I like I like I like it all of a sudden you have this huge mountain of inspiration without anything to psychic down now when you shoot your your understanding that the discovery process is part of a brand building it's a lot of hard work but as you guys went through it and really proud to see what you guys came up with it was a simple starting point I'm sorry it's a strong starting point as you work with your graphic designer because what's going to happen is you're not going to show up empty handed you're going to talk with your graphic designer who were going to pair you up with and you are going to show them I know done wait you're born more oh my god okay, well they've seen mine yes, that nikki oh yes nikki you're bored okay? We're going to show you're bored, but so this is what's happening when you're going to meet with the graphic designer, you're going to show them your fair photos because we've already talked about branding photos right? You're going to show them your photo safari, then we're going to talk about your inspiration and then we're gonna be able to talk about your bio second because we've already discussed how important it is are you guys seeing how all of this is battling? Okay, so the photo safari that was part of it, but before we get into your photo safari, I want to bring my friends from the interwebs in and talk about how amazing they are thiss first photo safari was from joshua lee penrod. I looked at his inspiration board and I'm immediately if I was a graphic designer, I would feel inspired we can easily see that joshua is inspired by color blue denham, pops of color and the thing in the middle I thought was such a compelling photo because what he did is he used his own sketches, and in this sketch he sketched his twenty, his seventy two, two hundred lens and then used his writing in that if I was a graphic designer, I would find some way to incorporate his sketches into his personal section because to me it felt like it was inviting masculinity, but we're really curated sense. I looked at this immediately liked it. Now this is more ill is morelli I just want to be her friend. I looked at her inspiration board and I was like you and your friend I especially like tom morello, is incorporated on the typography in the cups in the upper right hand corner, I'm already seeing what kind of letters does she like? I also like I also see that she likes pops of sequence, pops of colors and she's also attracted to a muted palette. As a graphic designer, I'm seeing an already and knowing who she is and what she's about now for those yellow who thought I was crazy. Here's tanya, poor sweet tony, I love her! I'm now really understand the need of taking your own photographs for the safari. It made me realize how drawn I am to certain items, textures, fabrics, colors and that I gathered a whole lot of stuff that really fits my brand, probably because we are brand, if you have time to pin all those pictures, you have time to grab your camera or your phone and go for it. That was great because joshua's pictures were all done with his phone and there was going to be other photographers who did with their phone and or they're legit dslr also, I included there were some people who expressed frustration there, like I just don't know where to begin with this photo safari. I don't know who I am and a suggested start in your closet, and some people were like your crazy there's? No way I'm taking a picture of my closet, and then there was sweet rose, rose writes okay, miss jasmine star here is my scary closet can't well can't wait to hear how this is going to help me. There are a lot of animal prints in here photo safari indeed okay, when I see when I see roses closet, what I'm seeing immediately is a lot of black and obviously the animal prints, so when we see prints and textures, that could be a way to really showcase her personality in a very different and unique way, but also the goal in mind was to look at her closet and then dream of any store that you could shop that no money is not an option dream of your favorite store you can walk in and dress that way once you figure that out, seeing how they market themselves sing the fonts that they choose in their market material, seeing how the types of photographs that they use it serves as a template for you to say this is what I'm naturally doc drawn to aesthetically how then can I help incorporate this into my brand at least is just a starting point for you to get going and have your brain think in a different way we're going to now move into your photo safaris okay? We'll start with ryan so far I like it okay ryan's for any words again more creative, fun and real this one of the things I found particularly attractive was that green leaf in the center that was great! That was good. I want to see I want to see how your graphic designer can incorporate that element that you are so drawn to now what I see here is I see creative and they see rial I don't see too much fun in this inspiration board, but now the challenges for you is once you have this creative your inspiration board, I also want you to send five to six fun photos now yourfriend photos could be different than my phone photos, so your graphic designer needs to understand your version of fun, how he or she can implement those types of things in regards to design. Great start and I also like that you took pictures of the you took a picture of those words on the lower right hand corner because I got to see what type of typography influence your drawing, teo, great starting point. We're gonna move on to nikki safari nikki her burning words are romantic, chic, creative and airy anything I don't know your favorite colors are things a great start for for a graphic designer now I noticed that in the upper left hand corner and in the lower right hand corner you have pictures with typography or fund do you like doing like that funds or do you just kind of like the colors and what it's making you feel you know, I wasn't paying attention to the fun, but the vespa phone I do like perfect and I liked the place it wasn't so much fun, it was more how I felt great. So as you're taking these pictures and you're talking with your graphic designer, make sure because as a graphic designer, if I were to see that life, I might think, oh, she likes this, making sure they either include photos of fonts you like or send your graphic designer a list of funds that you like, but this is a great start. We see so much of your personality and your totally you know, we see her your sheikh glam going on melissa's safari here we have we are her brain ing words are chic connected in classic I think I could see exactly who she is now here's the thing if we were to get your inspiration board and were to send it to a graphic designer along with that board from your style jew from earlier, I think that a graphic designer would know very well who you are and your aesthetic and your vision. Maybe not for who you are right now, but the direction you're headed wonderful start one thing that I really liked was that you should you included a photo of the vanity fair magazine I'm included various typography, ese in that. So now he didn't just give one font. You gave it back to designer. Three fonts to kind of work with which is going to be great.