What Image Do You Have On The Internet?
If you are unemployed and anywhere near the Philadelphia area it’s time to get your portrait taken. In today’s age of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others, potential employers are finding out more about you before and after your interview than they are when you are actually there for the interview!
I learned a couple of years ago that employers were looking at peoples profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn and I thought it a bit odd. Social Media was supposed to be a personal thing. I guess I was wrong. If you are willing to put it out there, they are willing to take a look at it. So why not put your best out there? There are many ways to look professional, good relevant posts about your specialty, white papers about your line of work, the wonders of your career, all are very important.
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Free Business Portraits for the Unemployed (yep, again!)
It has been too long since I last did the Free Magick Portraits for the Unemployed so I am doing it again in January. This time I will be doing free portraits for the unemployed at the Wachovia Center in South Philadelphia.
The event will be held during Fox 29’s ‘Job Shop’s Jobs Gone Wild’ on January 28th from 10am until 2:30pm. You will be able to see all the details after the first of the year at www.myfoxphilly.com and click on “Job Shop” right on the home page. Michelle Buckman, reporter for Fox 29 has graciously asked me to participate in the event and I have to admit that I am honored to say the least.
Free Magick Portraits for the Unemployed is my way of giving back to the community. Since I came up with the concept last summer hundreds of photographers from all over the world have asked me how they can put on their own events. I have had inquiries from Ireland, Perth Australia, Alberta Canada, Mexico, California, New York, Kansas, Washington State, Virginia, to name just a few. Below are just some of the photographers planning Free Magick Portraits sessions; some have been scheduled some are coming soon.
Click the link to find out who! Continue reading
Has your company lost its face?
In the recent economy budgets have been cut, extras trimmed and marketing almost evaporated. But it’s time to update your face – the face of your company.
In today’s whirlwind of social media it is more important than ever to have current, strong images of your key executives. The images your clients and customers see online show the influence and confidence of your people, your product and your company. If these images are old or dated your customers will notice. It’s not just the person they see; it’s the face of your business.
When was the last time the business portraits on your web site were updated? Are these the same portraits your executives are using on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Dreamstake or other social media sites?
If a picture is worth a thousand words yours should say what it is that makes you standout. Current portraits and images representing your product or services need to be concise yet capture the attention of the viewer. Your potential client is going to spend 8 seconds or less looking at your home page or profile. In those 8 seconds you can get a good message across with the right imagery. If your images say who you are, what you do or convey a sense of trust and professionalism your chances of increasing that 8 seconds improve dramatically. This gets your viewer to read the content of your profile or home page and that is what you want them to do.
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HDR Portraits
By now I am sure you have heard of HDR or High Dynamic Range Photography. Usually the images are done for landscapes or architecture where there is little or no movement from the subject. This is because you need to blend several images, taken at different exposures, together to show the full dynamic range of color. Doing this with portraits has been difficult or impossible because of the (however so slight) movement of a portrait subject. Not anymore.
In the tutorial below I show you how I got to the dramatic image above from an everyday image that is well exposed but is nothing special.
Click the link to find out how. Continue reading
Retouching Parts 1 AND 2!
I have been asked many times to retouch images or to “make me look perfect” by clients. Personally I prefer 100% natural images straight out of the camera. The thing is, I’m not paying me, my clients are. Now it is possible to help someone lose a few pounds, or at least take off the “10 pounds a camera puts on you” but is it necessary? With just a little retouching you can make someone look fantastic! You would be amazed at how far just a little bit of skin softening can go.
The problem in magazines today is that many of the people responsible for the content don’t know and they go too far. Way too far. Don’t blame the photographer or even the retoucher, they both know what reality is; however, often the person paying them doesn’t.
To learn how far is not too far, click the link. Continue reading
