I know that the ‘down’ time is when everyone in the photography business regroups and updates marketing, websites and focus on all those tasks that they hate to do the rest of the year.The best thing about this time is you can take a few minutes to breath, read and update things.

One of the most neglected tools we have is our splash page. There is so much that can be done to optimize your page, and the best part is that FlashPalette has a tool to let you do just that! We have our splash page editor. This is an easy to use interface, that you use to create your custom splash page. The best part is you only pay for the months that you use the editor. So if you only update your page every few months, you are not paying for software and services you don’t use.

Creating  a great page visual is just the start. You next need to figure out what you want to do to optimize your page.  A great resource for this is the Photographers-SEO-Community!  This is a great way tool and since it is a community about SEO just for photographers there are bound to be so many who are in the same boat as you are!

What do you think? Is SEO important to you?

I thought I would feature some of the sponsors here at Beyond because they all have a amazing templates and I just love looking at their sites!

I know I am always looking for great resources.  There are literally hundreds of places, but not all vendors allow you to use them for clients or what is known as commercial use.  Some even have a restriction that you can not buy from them unless you are a photographer and going to use them only for your clients.  This is a hard one because sometimes you don’t know what you will use something for and so many photographers are doing their own personal thing as well.  Just try to be fare and pay for the upgraded fee if you think you MIGHT use it for client work.

Now that we have talked about use where do you get mucis can templates from?  I have talked about music before, so today I will focus on great template websites.  We are so lucky here at Beyond to have such amazingly talented sponsors.

My Lil Creations by Tina Parker — her work  is vintage and simply stunning.  I love that she sells sets of elements that you can use to make/create your own cards/albums or other projects.  I also love that she will frequently sell just single cards, so I don’t end up with a whole set,t hat is left unused, when I really just needed one~  One of my favorite sets to date are her vintage frames. I have used them many many times to dress up an album but still keep it simple.

Photographer Cafe: Their simple styles and diverse collections will aide you in everything from marketing to getting client products that reflect you and your brand, like CD cases and images boxes!  I wish I had more clients so I could justify more, ok ANY of their templates because I adore them!

Jamie Schultz Designs – Her work is contemporary and and in particular her senior templates are more edgy. If I did seinors I would be looking to invest in her yearly book/grad cards each year she has an amazing set.  I also love her holiday cards! I am still working with a set

LCH Designs:  Leah has an amazing aesthetic she creates simple yet beautiful templates that remind you of another error. Although her style is similar to Tina’s they are worlds apart in what they deliver!  I just love her border set — again somethng I use often on proof images and proof books.

That is all for today! More templates and resources for brushes, textures and other things coming next week!~

So here are a few of the things that have been saving me time lately, some are fun and pretty and others are just practical.

The first is PROOF MAKER.  This action makes it SO EASY to get my clients galleries loaded. I LOVE that I can add the image/file numbers right to the image and they are also a watermark deterrent too!  Who wants to print an image with #101 right on it.

The next time saveer for me is Backblaze. It’s an online backup service.  What I like about it is that it backs up my main drive AND externals (as long as I connect them to the hub).  This has been a lifesaver in terms of peace of mind. It does not replace doing a manual back up to disc for client images, but it does help in the long term should I have an issue with my drives or computer. At just $50 a year it’s one of the least expensive but they have been great to work with.

Another time-saver is my new desktop planner, this planner from Mom Agenda is a life saver. IT’s pretty but also practical. I love it so I note everything in it.   It helps to keep me on time and organized.  The best part is the planners are now 30% off but there is still much of the year left and better yet sign up for their newsletter e: to get a 10% additional discount.  If the washing machine had not broken I would be all over this as gifts for friends this month!

For online organization I love the Flock browser. It  designed to let me view all my social media feeds at one time, this is blogs, facebook, twitter, flickr you name it I can put it there!   I love seeing it all a once, this lets me decide what to respond to quickly and easily.

More later –
Shannon

The first is try to leave a comment on the blogs you read.  Search engines use the number of comments to help rank the relevance of a topic, so this is important not only as feedback for the blog writer, but it will also help them with their search ranking.

The next question asked is do you leave a link to your website.  This will depend upon the blog and you own personal feelings. Leaving your url and using your business name can help you in your search rankings.   It can also allow the blog writer to view your site and also give you some “blog love’. However, you want to also be careful that if you comment on photographers who are local to you that not leave your website out of respect.  I have not concrete reasons for this belief other then professional respect.

As a blog writer there are some things you can do for those who leave comments.  You can activate your comments to allow search engines to follow the links left, this will help both you and your readers get a better rankings.  You can take the time to follow the links left by commentators and comment back on their blogs.  This alone is one great way to acknowledge that you appreciate their blog support!

The final thing is if you find a blog/photographer you just love, give them the ultimate compliment by not only commenting on their blog but blogging about them and linking back to their website.
Shannon

One of the things I was thinking about getting (but did not get to yet) was to subscribe to the website My Photography Business.  This is a great website. George is a fantastic photographer and an amazing business person.  He is giving you training videos that range in topics from how to see light to how to manage your business. I think this is a must for getting yourself ready and your business in shape for the new year.  It is just $15 and you can access all the videos he complies for the entire year (for an extra fee I think you can get access to last years as well).

This entire month I am going to bring your resources, ideas and ways to organize your business for the new year!

Take care and let me know what you think of Georges site!

Till next time -

Shannon

First up in the Beyond 12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza was Nichole Van with a $75 Voucher giveaway (Congrats Shannon!!)…. and now we have gifts for all the wonderful Blog readers who have supported us all year too!  For the next 12 Days we will share the 12 Days Love with everyone here too!

Nicole’s work is simply stunning!  The wide open plains of Utah, the gorgeous buildings, temple, and superb lighting are all featured in her work, but her style and eye is unique and she has made a name for herself through consistently producing Images that “wow”.  I attended Nicole’s workshop in Australia recently, and was blown away by her honesty, her knowledge and her wonderful sense of humour.  The Workshop book she provided us with, was without doubt the best I have been given at any workshop I have attended…you know what it is like!  your brain is so exhausted after three days of intense information and shooting, that to have something in your hand that you can go home and read at your own pace, is a God-send!  Well that is what she provided!  …and I’m delighted to tell you that she sells it now!   The Workshop in a Box is fantastic…and right now you can get it at $50 off!!!  Just enter code:  BJIBOX122509

Many of our members also use and love her textures, actions and frames….and so it wouldn’t be a celebration if we didn’t give you a discount for the Flourish Emporium as well!   15% Discount when you enter code : BJI122509 (both codes are valid until 24th December!)    Nicole is sharing on the Forum in 2010 and we know it is going to be fantastic….because she is!

Go check out her blog and be inspired!  …and while you are there do some last minute Christmas shopping…for yourself

Another announcement tomorrow!

So let’s start with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).  If you have ANYTHING on the web that requires people to find you….website, business, shopping, etc, then you need to know this SEO stuff.  I totally confess that “SEO” sends my brain into a ‘freeze’.  Whilst I know that it will help me get more business, I also do not want to have to go and study up on what I deem to be a whole lot of  “goobly gook computer jargon”…I want to just cut to the chase (so to speak!) ….have someone tell me WHAT I actually need to know in order for my Website to rank high to the clients I’m looking to book, HOW I do what I now know! ….and WHEN to maintain/change what I’ve just done!  Make sense?

Well that is where Shannon Steffens has come to the rescue!  Her book turned up in my Inbox at exactly the right time for me.  We are going through a change in logo, rebrand, new Studio opening and with it a new website…we also, like many of you, are fighting against people who constantly undercut rates, deliver everything for nothing and all the new professionals popping up each week.  So I wanted to get ahead of the game!

Shannon broke all that “jargon” down into easy to digest parts…she went over the terms and then delivered a step-by-step guide to how to get better results from my SEO.   I no longer felt impaired, or like a complete anti-geek.  Terms like Google, Page Rank and Meta Tags just used to leave me cold…but now I get it!

Included with the Field Guide are details on how to create a basic splash page (no html or design knowledge required), it also includes a template to do your own. Literally this is a basic how-to manual for the SEO impaired!  (anyone like me!)  Her goal was to teach others that while SEO is a huge part of getting ranked it does not have to be a difficult task and I love that she is continuing to work on making sure she keeps you informed with tips and tricks on her Blog.  Things change in the SEO world…but this will help me stay up-to-date.

I can not say enough about this great resource, and right now she has it at a great introductory price. The first 50 people get to purchase for just $50!!  A great book available for those who want to do it themselves.

Finally if you love the idea of better SEO, but don’t want to do it yourself, pop over and email Shannon. She does freelance work as well and can let you know when she can fit you into her schedule.  This turned out to be a great option for me, because while I loved the book and now “got it” and knew why I was doing the things I needed to do, and what I needed to improve on…time is my enemy!

http://www.seophotoguide.com …be one of the first 50!

Next week is the 12 Days of Christmas celebration at Beyond!  WOOO HOOO!  Every year the Beyond members hang out and party on these last few days before Christmas….most of us have finished our sessions, delivered our final orders and this is our chance to celebrate the past year, and share and discuss our plans, dreams and desires for 2010…all in a great party atmosphere.   Our Vendors really are some of the most amazing people on the planet!  Seriously!  Go check them out!  They all offer amazing products, services and rates!  This year, while the “prize” of the Day is only open to a Beyond member because of the need to have access to the forum….we also wanted to share the love here!  So make sure you keep your eyes open from the 13th to the 25th December…as we post Specials from some of the most amazing Vendors on the planet!  Great discounts on all the things you love and need to take your business to the next level in 2010.

On a personal note, I just want to thank everyone that has made both the Blog and the Forum what it has become over the last few years.  A forum (any forum) is not built by the administration or owner, it is just a “platform” that without members is a piece of computer coding.  It is the members that make a forum a home, a place for others to want to be, and those same members that generously offer their advice, help, experience and support to others day in and day out.  Thank you to all the members and outstanding Teacher’s, that have done all of the above and MORE this year.

May you all be richly blessed this Christmas, and move into a very prosperous New Year!

…two images from Beyond members as well..firstly Dawn Weisenger who has a big announcement coming in next couple of days! and secondly Amanda Andrews…featured photog on the ColorInc Blog!  Fantastic!

I love to find fun and unique things to give them.  Here are a few of the things I found the other night.  I just love the Capture Life necklace and hope that DH got the hint that I wanted it!  If not anyone want to let him know for me? LOL

Scrabble Tile Necklace

Locket:

Magnet:

Earrings:

Charm A:

Necklace and Charm B:

Key Chain:

Fixing these issues are one of the hallmarks of a great photographer, but the take time.  In addition each case is different as each client’s skin type and the color of the cast will be different.  Recently though, Jodi of MCP Actions created two product that will dramatically cut down on yuor processing time for color casts.  They are a color fixing workshop and a color fixing set of actions.

I first took her workshop a year ago, and though I knew the basics of color correction this workshop opened my eyes to tools and tricks I had not thought to try before.  This is a great starting place for understanding color correction and how to fix the issues associated with color problems.

To go along with her workshop she just released a new set of actions MCP’s Bag of Tricks and I was lucky enough to be asked to test them out and give her a bit of feedback.  Well, just like all things she does, they are amazing.  Her actions (all of them not just Bag of Tricks) work by creating editable layers on each image.  I love that they truly do give you control over what you are doing so that it’s really not a one size fits all.

I found them very helpful for a recent session where the wind and cool day made for very rosy checks and faces.  I used her sunburn action (I know who would have thought ) but it worked wonders on the image below!  MCP is a sponsor here at Beyond Just Images, so please check out her blog and actions!  It’s worth the trip.

Until the next time!
Shannon

1. Etsy — where would we be without all the lovely hats and other finds we locate on Etsy. Everyone has their ‘favorite’ vendors and the work is amazing. I just love to support Mom’s who are trying to work and make money for their families.

2. Actions — There are hundreds of resources for these each with their own place and purpose. However here are some of our favorites (and they also are sponsors here at Beyond– we so appreciate their generosity).

Actions

Bohemian Secret Red Leaf MCP Actions Kaleidoscope Life’s colorful canvas – Dale Taylor Brenda’s Actions Life art Actions

3. Where would we be without camera’s and lens — However, when you get to a certain level everyhing is EXPENSIVE -  few places to find used equipment  — B/H photo, Keh.com, Fred Miranda – This is a forum but they have a great reputation.

4. Workshops — well the best one, we think, will be the Beyond Just Images conference.  Check here for more details.

5.  Fun — Forums provide a great place to hone your craft and make a set of wonderful friends. We love our place here at Beyond. If you are not a member, take a few minutes and check us out!