SEO for Bloggers: Links
Building on the foundations laid by quality content filled with solid keywords and phrases, posted regularly, is the proper use of links both from other sites and within your blog itself.
Society of Photobloggers
Friend-of-the-Blog Dave Beckerman of Beckerman Photo has just started a new project that I think a lot of photobloggers out there might be interested in.
Monday Blog News
I thought I would start off the week with a few invitations and updates to help everyone get more involved here at Jason D. Moore Photography.
Special Thanks to You All!
For my final post of the year, I’d like to take a moment to express my deepest thanks to some really great people who have made 2009 such an awesome year here at Jason D. Moore Photography.
Monday News
Well here we are, the last Monday of the year. I’m looking forward to the coming year and would like to get some input from you about what you’d like to see more of from the blog.
After the jump you’ll find some ideas of what we did in 2009 (both successfully and not so much) and some things that are already in the works for 2010 to get your mind working. So please, let me know!
Guest Blogging at Towner Jones Photography
As my buddy Rob Jones and his family welcome their new twins home and make sure everyone is settled and has some proper bonding time, he’s asked some of us to help keep his blog running by coming up with some of the creative content over the next couple of weeks.
So, to help support Rob, today’s post can be found over at Towner Jones Photography and it’s all about presenting familiar things in a new way. Go check it out!
An Invitation
I have been blessed by the longevity I’ve had so far with my writing online (over 7 years and nearly 1,100 posts). It hasn’t always been easy coming up with new and interesting things to say but with the encouragement, support, and participation of my readers I have been lucky enough to continue on down this exciting road.
Whether it’s through comments, submissions to my various projects or contests, or sponsorship it is because of all of you that this blog has grown into the Photoshop & Photography Community that it is. And I couldn’t have done it without you!
As my regular readers know, I am always striving to pay forward the knowledge and opportunities I have received by giving my readers a forum to show their work, connect with experts in the field to share their insights, review photos, software and books, and provide training, all in an effort to help you grow in your own work and become a better photographer, Photoshop user, and a more creative person.
If you’ve been coming here for news, information, and inspiration, for any length of time, I’d like to invite you take the next step to help make this site even better. First off, I’d like to ask you to share it with others you know who might be interested in what we offer. Put up a link, write a post, send out an email talking about what you’ve gotten out of this blog. The more people we have here, the more the community will be enriched.
I’d also like to invite you to leave comments or send me emails about what you think about a post, any Photoshop or photography questions you might have, ideas, whatever! I always love hearing from all of you, and I assure you that I read every comment and email that comes through. Let me know what you think!
Participate. Send in a shot for the Points of View project. Submit a photo to be reviewed. Enter my monthly photo contests. I invite you to take a more active role here on the blog. Have something you’ve created that you’d like to share with a wider audience? Write up your workflow and send it in! Have some thoughts about a certain topic, program, or service? Put together an article and email me! I am always welcoming of guest bloggers with interesting perspectives to offer.
Finally, I would like to invite all of you to consider sponsoring this blog in some way. Whether it’s a small donation to the site, a prize for an upcoming contest, a sponsorship for a particular series, or a general blog sponsorship with a leaderboard, sidebar, or a footer ad on every post – whatever you feel comfortable doing – I would like to ask for your help as I continue to bring quality content each and every day. Through a sponsorship you will also be putting your site, brand, or product in front of thousands of visitors every month. To find out more about sponsorship opportunities and to contact me directly, please check our my sponsors page.
As I work to turn my passion into my profession and share the joy of Photoshop & Photography with a larger and larger audience of creative people, please think about how you can help enrich our community with your support through one more of the avenues I mentioned above.
Thank You!
7 Years & Counting!
That’s right. I am now into my 8th year of writing online. Last Saturday marked my 7th anniversary of what started out as a simple way of sharing an amazing semester abroad with my family and friends and has since become the Photoshop & Photography Blog Community that we have today!
It’s been a labor of love, especially over the past 3 years or so that I’ve been focusing almost solely on digital imagery, and I’ve been blessed to develop some great friendships along the way. One such friendship, which I mentioned a few weeks back, has been with Rob Jones of Towner Jones Photography. Rob and I share a similar philosophy for our work and I am always inspired and encouraged when I meet other like-minded Photoshop & Photography enthusiasts. In case you missed that post, the guiding principle for me is something along the lines of “pay it forward.” When I learn new things about Photoshop, I love to pass it along. If I see something and wonder how it was done, I am driven to figure it out both for the challenge of it and so I can then show others what I’ve learned.
I’ve been fortunate enough to develop relationships with some notable figures in the larger digital imaging community and have been blessed to receive some notariety myself. It is all a bit surreal for me because I see myself more as a just a guy who loves photography and needs an outlet for it. If my only readers were my mom and a couple of friends – like it was back in the day – I’d be happy, so I keep having to pinch myself that I get to do this everyday and share my thoughts and work with so many of you. (If only I were able to do it full-time!)
Because I never want to let any attention because of the blog go to my head, I do my best to share the spotlight (for lack of a better term) with my readers through projects and contests and other regular series so that others have some opportunities to reach a wider audience just as I’ve had over the last few years. Again, always trying to pay it forward and build community rather than toot my own horn.
There have been a lot of changes since I first began this endeavor, especially in the last year, and there will be more to come. Some of my series have fizzled out – due to lack of traction, time/development constraints, or they were just bad ideas – and others have risen higher than I had ever thought they would. Instead of taking a more nostalgic tack, which would be very tempting and easy to do, I thought that this milestone would serve as an excellent opportunity to look forward so we might do some brainstorming together to see where we might go from here.
First off, I want to lay out a few goals that I’d like to work towards with the blog, in no particular order:
- I’d like to continue to build this site as a place where creative people can share their work, inspire each other, and find unique opportunities to participate in creative projects.
- I’d like this site to be a resource where others can come for help and feedback so they can grow as image makers.
- I’d like this site to be an outlet for my own work with an openness for comments and critiques so I, too, can continue to develop my craft.
- I’d like to have an ongoing dialogue with my readers (through the comments or otherwise) not only so I can have a clearer sense of who they are, what they do, and why they come back, but more so we can all learn from each other and push each other to be better.
- And, if I’m being totally open and honest here, I’d like to see the blog grow in terms of being a source of income so that I can move closer to my dream of doing photography and Photoshop training full-time so that my passion might become my profession.
Next comes the more tricky part: How? Here is where I would like to solicit your input and ideas for how to turn the goals into realities. Maybe there’s something you’d like to see by way of a project/series/contest or other program here on the site. Maybe you have ideas about how to improve on what’s been started already. Here’s a few things to get the ball rolling (again, in no particular order):
- The Points of View Photo Project has been quite successful, in my opinion, and those who participate are constantly telling me how much they enjoy the new challenge each time around. I will certainly be continuing the project as long as I have original source images to share. I’m always open to reader-submitted source images, so if you’d like to see how others might interpret one of your shots please send it in to pov@jasondmoore.com.
- Workflow Fridays has fallen off somewhat, mainly due to how tough it’s been this summer to coordinate it. I’d like to see it continue because I think it’s a great way to get a glimpse into the process of someone else so we can pick up tips and tricks we might be able to incorporate into our own work. If you’d like to contribute, please send me an email and I’d be glad to review it for posting.
- Photo Reviews have been a fun way for me to flex my creative muscles and share my thoughts and opinions so others might improve in their work. I’d like to see this continue as well but I just need people to send me their shots. If you’d like your photo reviewed, email me at reviews@jasondmoore.com.
- Ask Jason is along the same lines and is off to a good start with yesterday’s post. If you have questions, send ‘em along to askjason@jasondmoore.com.
- Photoshop Tutorial Videos have been really fun for me to do in the past and it’s been such a crazy year that I haven’t been able to get back to it. There’s a new contest over at NAPP that I’m going to talk about more down the line that will hopefully get me back into it.
- Contests have been going quite well lately, especially with the BIG Photo Contest last month, and they are a great way to highlight some excellent photography. I’ve been approached by a few people with some really unique prizes that you will hopefully be seeing in the coming months.
- Sponsors have been a great support for both the contests and this blog as a whole. I’ve been blessed to receive donations of prizes for the contests as well as monetary donations to help keep this blog going in one form or another. And I am so thankful for those of you who have done that! I’d like to invite all of you to consider either donating via the PayPal button in the sidebar or sponsoring the site or one of the ongoing projects. Find out more by visiting the Become a Sponsor page or by emailing me at sponsors@jasondmoore.com.
- Jason D. Moore Prints are available for purchase through my Zenfolio Store – powered by Mpix. I am adding new shots as often as I can so you can have a fine art print and support the site at the same time. Check out the store for Jason D. Moore Prints.
- The Jason D. Moore Photography Apparel Store has recently opened as well. You can pick up your very own shirts, mugs, stickers, tote bags and more to show your support of the blog as well as the larger community it represents. And I’m adding new items all the time. If you do buy something from the store, be sure to send me a picture of you wearing it so I can post it here.
- Photowalks have been a tremendous source of inspiration for me as well as a great way to meet my fellow photographers. I’m planning on holding more in the future, for sure.
- Photoshop & Photography Workshops have been something I’ve done in the past on a smaller scale and something I’ve been toying with doing again.
- Supporting Causes is a good way to increase your visibility, yes, but more importantly it’s just the right thing to do. There are a couple of things in progress that will be announced in the coming weeks that I think you would all be able to join me in supporting.
- Others? What are your thoughts on all of this? What else can you think of? No matter how far-fetched, off-the-wall, outlandish, mundane, basic, ambitious, or just plain good your ideas might be, I want to hear them! So please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.
I really want to make this site more than just another photoblog and I want to make sure that everyone from the hobbyist to the professional feels welcome and able to be a part of it. So please, give me your input and help this community grow!
“A Capitol Idea” via Gordon McGregor
I almost wasn’t going to share this one until I tried it for myself, but it’s just an interesting concept that I had to. This comes from Gordon McGregor of the blog Photo Expressions, a source I will often go to for inspiration and projet ideas.
Gordon shares with us how he was on a recent photowalk around Austin, TX that headed straight for the capitol building (above) – a location he’s shot countless times. In an effort to capture a familiar subject in a new way, Gordon shot about 200 frames at differing EV values – with the same white balance – and used some fairly “non-standard settings, to make it work badly” using Photoshop’s photomerge.
The result is this visually stimulating photo that keeps you in the image longer than if it were just another pano of an old building. Well done, Gordon! I’ll have to try that one sometime!
“Ask Jason” Reminders and a New Regular Column
First off, I’d like to remind you that I am still accepting your submissions for photo reviews wherein you send me one of your photos (800px on the longest side) and I will look at it and write up my thoughts here on the blog. Just if you’ve read any of my other photo reviews you will know that I try to bring out all of the positive aspects of your shot while also pointing out what I would do differently or what you might consider doing for future images.
I have found that it can be a great learning experience and a chance to get your images out in front of a new audience as well. However, if you are nervous about using your name, just ask and I’ll make sure it is listed as anonymous. So send in your photos today!
Now that one project is over it’s time for another one to begin! Starting today, use the “Contact” button up at the top to send me Photoshop-related questions that you would like to know more about and each week I will answer them here on the blog. Whether it’s a question about technique, composition, shortcuts, or whatever! So start sending me your questions and see them answered right here in the coming days!
New Sponsor: User 40.0
With the first posting of “On the 4th” coming up next week, I am proud to announce that the project is now sponsored in part by Marc Benton of the blog User 40.0! And I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Marc and to say how excited I am for this new partnership!
Marc is a web developer who is working to share his own education in digital photography as it happens with others who are new to the medium so that they too may learn how to be better photographers and become more adept with the growing and more complex modes of communicating in a digital age.
Community has always been a main focus of this blog and I am always excited to see other photographers that are out there to share their knowledge and experience so selflessly.
So please leave a comment of welcome to Marc and head over to User 40.0 to see what he is all about! And make sure you are here next Tuesday to see the first collection of photos to be featured as a part of the “On the 4th” monthly photo project!
If you are interested in sponsoring any of our weekly or monthly series, or if you would like to advertise on Jason D. Moore Photography, visit our sponsorship page to learn how!
