SEO for Bloggers: Analytics
Now that we’ve talked about having quality, keyword-rich content, linked both internally and across websites with tags and SEO-friendly URLs, it’s time to talk about something that will pull it all together so you can find out what your next steps will be: Analytics.
SEO Basics for Bloggers
In my day job I split my time between the marketing and web departments as I work to help spread the company message and produce online conversions. I am part photographer, part graphic artist, and part web designer.
One of my main tasks on the web side of things, aside from general site maintenance, is to implement various strategies for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes. With that experience, I felt as though you all could benefit from some tips and tricks that will help raise your own rankings and drive some more traffic – and, hopefully, more customers – to your site or blog.
Photo Inspiration Thursday: The Lonely Pixel
Last week I shared with you a process for Using Textures with Photos on a shot of the Eiffel Tower I took a couple of years ago. It’s a style that I haven’t used that often but has really drawn me in and provided a great deal of creative energy for me.
When I was going through my comments recently, weeding out the spam, I found a comment that seemed legit but was picked up by the filters. I visited the site that was included and was really taken by the imagery that I was presented with by an art photographer that uses this technique perfectly in her work.
Event Photography Tips
I have recently been asked to consider shooting a class reunion this summer by one of my wife’s colleagues. Always wanting to make sure I’m covering all my bases and that I know what I’d be getting myself into, I reached out to a few wedding photographer friends of mine to see if they had any insights that I might draw from as I make my decision and, potentially, prepare for the job. (more…)
Guest Post: One Lens – By Jessica Sweeney
He knows what you have in your camera bag!
I love my photography gear as much as anyone. And I have a good reason to do so, because if I didn’t have any gear I wouldn’t be able to take any photographs. Ever. Even for sketching you need paper and a pencil, or the wall of a cave and some sort of pigment, if we want to go back even further. And talent. Which is why sketching has never really worked out for me.
So, gear is necessary. However, at the same time, choice creates confusion. It slows us down. Should I take my point and shoot with me? Or should I take my DSLR? Or do I want to bring my film SLR with me? And what lenses? Extra batteries? Lens hoods? What camera bag should I put them in? Do I need a tripod? A monopod? And once I’ve made these choices, packed my bag and gone out into the world to shoot, I’m still not done.
If you’re like me you can’t bear to leave lenses at home. Tripods, yes. Ugly, heavy things only slow me down! Extra batteries I’ve been known to forget. Lens hoods have been lost in the wilderness and I didn’t even mourn. (True story.) But my lenses are my pride and joy. I cherish them. I don’t go anywhere without at least two. Because what if I need that wide angle shot? What if I see some rare beast 500 yards away and I couldn’t get a shot without my longest telephoto? What if I need the delicious blurring ability of my Lensbaby? It would be a tragedy to miss the shot.
Or would it?
Hopes & Dreams for 2010
*NOTE: Apparently, when you don’t set the publish time when you thought you did, the post won’t appear when you planned… I wrote this one for yesterday’s post and messed it up. So I hope you enjoy it today!
Now that we’re into the new year we are starting to see how all the resolutions and good intentions are either starting to slip already or, at the very least, the reality is sinking in about whether or not you can follow through.
I never really make resolutions with the new year. I tend to set goals for myself, things to work towards, rather than deciding to do things that I’m not really all that committed to.
Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program
After a brief hiatus I am now back to my normal schedule of daily posts between now and Christmas.
Before I get too far, I want to remind you all that the next Points of View Photo Project will be posted this Friday. If you would like to participate, and it’s open to everyone, please head over and grab the source image for this week. All you have to do is download it, process it, and send it back to me at pov@jasondmoore.com by Thursday at around 8pm (Eastern) so I can include it in the gallery with the other contributors from across the country and around the world.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way… (more…)
Blogging Break of Sorts
As the holiday season is upon us and the dawn of the new year with new opportunities and new beginnings is on the horizon I feel like I need to take a little time to refocus and plan for the future.
Over the next week and a half or so there will be some limited blogging as I devote the time I would normally spend developing content to other things that will help with the long-term goals I have set. (more…)
Book Review: Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Book, Volume 3
A couple of weeks ago I finally received my copy of Scott Kelby’s The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3 which I was given for being a Worldwide Photowalk leader again this past summer.
Just as with the previous installments in this series (reviews for The Digital Photography Book and The Digital Photography Book Volume 2) we readers are allowed into the inner sanctum ofpro photography with the help of our enlightened guide, Scott Kelby.
Scott picks right up where Volume 2 ended taking us along on a variety of shooting situations – both in the studio and out in the field – to share some trade secrets and offer some insights into how to use our tools to make great images. (more…)
So, They Think I Can Teach Photoshop!
That’s right! I received official word that I was selected as one of the Honorable Mention winners in the NAPP So, You Think You Can Teach Photoshop?! contest! And I would I like to take this opportunity to thank the judges for this honor and opportunity.
Though it would’ve been awesome to claim the top slot and have the opportunity to teach a live session at Photoshop World in March as well as on their podcasts, I am truly humbled that I am ranked along with some other very talented Photoshop instructors. (more…)
Surround Yourself with Creative People
It wasn’t the first time I had heard it but when I read one of the articles in the latest issue of Layers Magazine about creating compelling photographs I was really struck by such a simple and obvious yet profound concept: surround yourself with artists to grow as an artist.
The basic idea around that portion of the article was that there are so many people who are likely, even eager, to be naysayers and messengers of doom and gloom who are probably only looking to build themselves up by making those around them feel small and discouraged. The author of the article describes being around these types of people like being exposed to second-hand smoke. Not only should you not breathe it in, you should run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. (more…)
Review: Second Shootr iPhone App
For those of you looking for the latest edition of the Points of View Photo Project, it will be posted on Monday. If you haven’t sent in your photo yet, there’s still time! Send it to me by Sunday afternoon for inclusion.
It has been a pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with fellow photographer, Tim Collins of Plinkk Photography, as a beta tester for his new iPhone App for Wedding Photographers called Second Shootr. It has been approved by Apple and should be available either today or in the very near future.
Second Shootr is a very cool app developed by wedding photographers, for wedding photographers to help you with all aspects of your planning and execution of your next event. Here’s how it works: (more…)
Light Blogging the Next Couple of Days
I’m into the final stages of my videos for the So You Think You Can Teach Photoshop?! contest and I’m spending all the time I can spare making sure they are right.
The first two are in and I’ll be working on the last one tonight. So, to that end, I will not be able to devote much time to new blog posts until Tuesday night for Wednesday’s posting.
Once the contest closes on Saturday, I will be sure to post the videos so you can see what I’ve been working on.
Walk4Hearing Photo Silent Auction
Back in June, I mentioned how I had the pleasure of going on a photowalk with one of my readers, Chris Stern, while attending a conference in Boston. Chris and I had exchanged a few emails and Tweets and I was certainly aware of his photography skills through his contest entries. So, it was great to finally meet him in person.
As we finished up our time together, Chris mentioned to me that he was going to be participating in the Walk4Hearing to help raise awareness about hearing loss. He shared with me the success he had in the past in his fundraising efforts and that he wanted to really step it up and do something special this time around.
Since then Chris, Rob Jones (Towner Jones Photography, LLC) and I put our heads together and have teamed up to organize a silent auction to help raise awareness for this great cause. To help Chris reach his goal for the walk we are auctioning off a number of limited edition 11×14 prints, through a generous donation of printing by our friends over at Mpix.
We have been fortunate enough to gain the support of some extremely talented photographers who have donated prints including: Dave Cross, Ivan Makarov, Jeff Revell, Laurie Excell, Matt Kloskowski, RC Concepcion, Roger Madsen, and Stephen Zeller. Of course Chris, Rob and I have put up a few prints too.
To get a fuller picture of the real heart behind this auction, and the cause as a whole, why don’t we turn to Chris and hear a little of his story:
Hello,
My name is Christopher Stern. I have been hearing impaired all my life and wore hearing aids until I experienced additional loss of hearing in February 2005. After numerous hearing tests, I was approved for my first Cochlear Implant in June 2006. A year later, I received approval for my second implant in July 2007. I am happy to say that both implants were a success and I am hearing more than ever before.
Here is an example of I how privileged I am to receive this technology. Soon after receiving my first cochlear implant, I was on a ride with my in‑laws. We pulled over to the side of the road and my mother‑in‑law asked if I heard the sound outside the vehicle. The sound was of a cricket chirping and it was the first time I had heard one. The power of this technology is amazing and I can only imagine what is in store for the future.
Did you know that over 36 million adults have hearing loss? Chances are you know at least one person who has been affected by hearing loss and that is why I am taking part in the New England Walk4Hearing to be held at Artesani Park in Boston, MA on October 25, 2009. The mission of the walk is to increase awareness about the causes and consequences of hearing loss and to raise funds to provide information and support for people with hearing loss. I was privileged to participate in the New England Walk4Hearing in 2007 and raised over $2100 to support the hearing loss community. Now, I am looking to eclipse that goal and raise even more money for this cause.
Back in 2007, I was introduced to photography by my mother and have been hooked ever since. I can usually be found taking photos on the weekend and editing my photos during weekdays. I share my photos with the online community via Flickr or contests through various photography blogs. Early this year, I participated in the Towner Jones Photography and Jason D. Moore Photography monthly contests. I have been fortunate enough to win a few of the monthly contests, which continues to provide me with inspiration to take even more photos. It was through the communication with Rob and Jason that I was able to connect with them on a personal level and gained their support for the Walk4Hearing.
We are very excited about this opportunity and hope you will join us to help raise money for the Walk4Hearing.
Thank you for your time and remember, “Hear now and always.”
Full details on how to bid on the prints and to support Chris, whether you try for one of the prints or not, can be found on our Walk4Hearing Silent Auction page on the Towner Jones Photography Blog.
*100% of the proceeds from the silent auction will go to the Walk4Hearing.
What Are You Looking For?
To continue with what seems to be our theme of the week, I’d like to pose another question to you: What are you looking for in a video tutorial?
When you’re searching around on YouTube or Lynda.com or Kelby Training or wherever for Photoshop tutorial videos what separates the great ones from those that are only so-so? Is it the production values (video quality, sound quality, nice intro graphics, etc.)? Is it the personality of the presenter? Is it the language used (laymen’s terms vs. technical terms, “geeky” vs. down-to-earth, etc.)? Is it the unique nature of the tutorial itself? Is it how smooth the workflow seems to be? What is it?
I know, for most people it’s a combination of all of these factors, and I’m sure it’s true for you too, to a greater or lesser degree. But I’d like to invite you to examine your criteria for judging these sorts of tutorials a little more closely and share with all of us what exactly it is that makes a tutorial video stand above the rest.
At the same time, it’s easy to spot what we don’t like. It may be hard to know why, exactly, but we know it when we see it. Here, too, I’d like you to think about what tells you that a tutorial just isn’t worth your time.
Describe 2 tutorials: your ideal video and what differentiates it from the crowd, and what turns you off straight-away.
As you may have guessed, I’m doing a little market research as I prepare my entries for the So, You Think You Can Teach Photoshop contest. It’s true, that I want to do everything I can to create the best videos I can so I will, hopefully, win the contest. But even more than that, my interest lies in furthering the value of such videos so that regardless of any sort of prize that may be at stake, the videos I produce will help others become better Photoshop users and more effecient artists.
So, any input would be greatly appreciated!
And, again, if you have any techniques, concepts, or sources of inspiration that you’ve always wanted to know how to do, please let me know!
Thanks!
How Do You Learn?
Before I get into today’s post, Kim and I would like to send out a word of thanks to everyone who has commented either here, on Facebook, or Twitter congratulating us on the news of our pregnancy. It is such an amazing time and your words have really enriched an already exciting time. Thank you!
Now, on with the post…
I’ve always found it fascinating how everyone seems to learn different things in different ways. What can click almost immediately for one person could never get through to another simply because the information wasn’t communicated in a meaningful way. Some people are visual learners. Others are aural. Some have to read or memorize, while others have to be more hands-on before something really sticks.
In college, I would sit in a lecture and just watching the slides and listening would give me so much more than reading the book ever could. Sometimes the physical act of taking notes – whether I reviewed them later or not – would help solidify how it all fit together.
With photography and design, it’s a similar story. Reading about it doesn’t help all that much. Listening to others is good, but it doesn’t quite get me all the way there. I find that I have to engage the subject matter in a visual way before I will truly understand the concepts. Also, it helps to get my hands dirty and do a lot of trial and error to figure it out for myself before it all comes together.
When it comes to learning Photoshop I find that it is, once again, a combination of watching a demonstration while listening to the instructor’s explanation, and then trying it for myself works best. At the same time, turning around and trying to teach it to someone else becomes another layer of hands-on learning as I work it out in my mind how to explain it so someone else can understand.
Particularly with Photoshop in mind, how do you learn best? How do you need information presented in order for it to stick? What resources out there work best for you? Videos? Books? Seminars? What is it about them that does it for you? What doesn’t work?
From Whence Does It Come?
Inspiration is a fickle force.
I go through periods of time when I am driven to make images and do my thing. I can see so clearly and the motivation is so strong and I feel so creatively alive.
Then there are those times when I don’t pick up my camera for weeks other than for the day job. I’ve taken maybe 5 shots in the last couple of weeks. They were employee mug shots so we could check off a box for our PCI compliance that we have all of our employees’ photos posted. And believe me, with the run and gun pace we had to do it, there was certainly no art to it at all.
It’s times like those – times like these – when I don’t really feel all that creative. I can’t find my muse and everything I do either starts looking the same or just doesn’t feel right.
I’m never sure how to get myself out of the rut. I look at other photographers’ work, which often makes me feel inferior. I try to think up little projects for myself – finding circles, or the color yellow, or something like that – but it sometimes feels forced. It’s so frustrating!
What do you do to pull your creative self out of moth balls? Where do you turn to get back into it?
A Look Through the Archives
I was looking back through my NAPP Portfolio and thought I would pull this shot out of the archives to share it once again. I remember the time I spent creating the masks to get the effect and how good it felt to get a result that was pretty much exactly what I had envisioned. It doesn’t always happen, but it sure is nice when it does!
An Unusual Street Address
I was looking through my shots from the Worldwide Photowalk in Cazenovia and came across this shot of a doorway on Albany St. that really caught my eye.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an actual address like this and thought it was interesting enough to snap a few. I know it’s not much but I thought the simplicity of it makes it work as a black and white. I also think that it captures a little bit of what I appreciate most from taking the time to intentionally be out there shooting and that is the small, and often unnoticed details of the world around us.
So next time you’re out shooting, or even just trying to make it through the day, take a moment and try to look at something you’ve never really paid much attention to before. You never know what you might find!
Photoshop Interview: Jason D. Moore
For this edition of the Photoshop Interviews series we have quite the interviewee, if I do say so myself. Friend-of-the-Blog Andy Smith of Visual Realia posed a few really interesting questions of me this time around and I appreciate the time and thought he put in. So, here we go!
Andy Smith: Is there a processing technique, camera feature or other photography related item that you don’t get why others are so interested in?
Jason D. Moore: There are a couple of things that pop into my head right off the bat. The Lens Baby. I’ve used one briefly from BorrowLenses.com and have seen a number of shots that others have taken but I’ve never really seen what the big deal was. I can see the draw, and I appreciate and respect the drive and desire to get it right in-camera – even, and especially, when it comes to special effects – but I also think that you can get the same results in post and have more control to get the results you want.
The other thing is certain examples of HDR. Not all HDR, mind you. I really like most HDR images, it’s just when people process the images so much that they look cartoony or like alien worlds that I start to lose interest. You know when you see a gymnist going through their routine and it looks effortless? If you see the effort, the art of it would get lost. And that’s kind of how I feel about HDR. Once you get to that almost over-processed look, I think the art of it gets lost for me.
AS: Looking at your own portfolio, what category(s) of photographs don’t you seem to take very often?
JDM: I’ve got a number of city shots, nature, landscapes, still-lives, etc. but I’d have to say that I don’t shoot a lot of portraits.
AS: Why do you think that is?
JDM: I’m not sure. I really wish I could do more portraits, more photography as a whole, actually. I suppose I don’t do a lot of portrait photography because I know I’m not very good at it. I just wish I had the time to practice.
AS: If time, location and money (if necessary) were not a factor, what would you like to do more of, in terms of photography?
JDM: If money weren’t an issue, I’d do it full time. I would love to have more time to practice and hone my style. I’d like to be able to set up a real studio with proper lighting equipment and a dedicated system for editing, video recording, storage, and backups. I’d also like to get to the point where I could do some writing, more video tutorials, and lead seminars and workshops so I could share my knowledge and skills so others can develop theirs further.
Thanks Andy!
Headed to Boston
This Sunday I’ll be headed out to Boston for 4 days at the Internet Retailer Conference with some of my coworkers to learn more about marketing, SEO, and internet technologies.
We’re meeting this week to talk details of the trip and I’m sure the agenda and our plans as a group will be a topic of conversation but I am hoping to find some time to get out and shoot when I’m not in session or otherwise tied up with my colleagues.
If any of you are in the Boston area, or will be, between Monday and Thursday, let me know and we may be able to find some time to meetup. I’ll try to post updates to Twitter so you can know my availability throughout the week but please drop me an email to let me know if you’re interested and when might work for you.
Hope we can work something out!
May 11, 2005
It’s been a while since I’ve written here, I know, but it’s not like there’s been nothing to write about. It’s a busy time of year with work and I’ve been spending a lot of time with projects and events that leave me too tired to write a lot of the time. Also, I don’t want to repeat a lot of the same things I’ve said over and over again..
Lately, the feelings I had about a year and a half ago are creeping back in. I look at my life and the things I’m involved in and the routines I have and I get the feeling that I may be single indefinitely. It’s a hard thought to have and, let me tell you, it doesn’t tickle. As much as I hate it, it could very well be true and I have to come to terms with that. Even if it’s only for a few more years I need to accept it and move on with my life. I need to live to the fullest regardless of the box I check on forms. I was talking to someone about a year or so ago about how I felt as though I would like to have my own house in a few years (I said something like 3 years, then, but I’m thinking now that it would be more like 5). She was taken aback by the thought of it. “How could you do that if you haven’t even met anyone yet?” was her general response. I’ve also talked to people who thought it odd that I would go to the movies alone or how depressing it was that I would travel by myself. The response I give is the same: I need to do things that make me happy and give my life some meaning and fulfillment and I think it’s even more important to do those things as a single person so that my life is more than just… bearable.
As I was writing in my personal journal the other day – also becoming more of the exception rather than the rule – I was noting how it feels as though I am starting a new chapter in my life; I am getting a fresh start. I have been struggling with some personal religious issues over the past months and have recently elected to step down from coordinating the young adult ministry group, which also removes me from the Conference Council. So, I’m relieved from some stress and demands of my time. It’s so easy for someone of my age to be tempted to fill up every possible free day with something to do. I mean, I’m young and single so I have the time and energy to commit to groups and programs and extra work. But that’s how you get burned out, isn’t it? So, I cut out some of the things that drew me closer to burn out. And, though I hate to say it, the struggles I’ve been having with my religious life have made it all the more easy to step away from some of those things. Work is another story. I really enjoy what I do. The combination of being allowed to be creative and the challenge of getting it ‘right’ have given me a sense of accomplishment that I don’t feel elsewhere.
Another thing I wrote about was how I really wish I had someone/thing to come home to at the end of the day. Because I live alone the quietness and solitude of the apartment – while appreciated and certainly needed at times – can get to me sometimes. Some of the only excitement I get from going home is to relax and watch TV. It’s more of an escape from everything than anything else. It’s more like I place connected with running away from rather than running towards. I will be moving this summer to get a change in scenery and also to get a dog. I’ve always loved dogs and I could really use the regular companionship in my life. Hopefully it will be enough to make me feel happier in my daily life rather than what I feel now. It’s not so much depression as it is uninspiration. As a little-known poet once wrote,
“Oh, to be inspired again
And live my life entire
Without regret or want or need
And others I’d inspire.”
March 21, 2005
I don’t know what words are best or if there are even words yet available to me with which to describe, not only my trip, but who I am now that I am almost home. You see, even though I may not know how quite yet, I know that I am different now. I know this, because I don’t feel like I did before I left. I know that part of it is my exhaustion from being constantly on the go all week but there’s something else too. I’ve been mentioning often how I feel this calm that, if ever, has been long away from me. I think that for the first time in quite some time I have a good idea of who I am and I feel good about myself. I’ve known parts of myself for a long time but the solitude, not loneliness, but solitude I’ve had by traveling alone and spending so much time in my own head and heart this week I’ve become further acquainted with myself. And it feels good.
For all I’ve been able to see and feel – all the history and all the growth within myself – I am eternally grateful. I’m glad I came.
March 19, 2005
My time in Ireland is nearly at an end. While one more day might have proved to be good – as I haven’t gotten to a couple of places I’d hoped to get – the timing feels right for me to go. I missed seeing the Giant’s Causeway and didn’t make it to Old Bushmills (the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world) to get a shot glass for Chris, but I crossed a rope bridge, found Tommy, and enjoyed my time in a far away land. They say that regret is nothing but a waste of energy and time and will leave you no better off. And so, while there are a few choices that I mistook, what’s done is done and my experience isn’t lessened for it.
I’ll soon be on to Belfast once again and then to London before I hop on a plane for home on Monday. Soon I shall be chasing the sunset on my way home. Ireland will be missed but I must come back. I haven’t even left Portrush yet and I know that I shall someday return.
I have gained a new confidence from these days though much uncertainty remains. Though, through this experience I know more clearly that whatever may come for me, all will be well.
