B. Farnum Photography

Pocket Wizards: Better TTL Flash All The Time

2011-03-25T10:18:00.001-04:00

Pocket Wizard is changing the way photographers use their flashes, I love the ease and portability of being able to setup and shoot anywhere within a couple of seconds. If you want to create better images and get your flash off camera, using Pocket Wizard is the best way to create dynamic lighting. Adding light to a scene has never been easier, because with Pocket Wizard you do not have to have a direct line of sight from camera to flash. Pocket Wizard uses radio waves to transmit the signal from camera to the flash unit.

Increase Your Presence, Increase Your Business

2011-03-09T12:42:00.000-05:00

I have been working hard to obtain all of the links for page 1 on Google for my photography business B. Farnum Photography. I have finally achieved that goal. Here are some steps to help you obtain Google, Yahoo and Bing nirvana for your business.

Just having a website will no longer get you all of the links that you will need to show up everywhere in Google. You need to expand your marketing all around the web. This does not mean that you will have to spend money, I have spent very little over the past year. I use twitter, facebook, blogger and tumblr to take up more real estate on the web.I think of it kind of like the game Monopoly, if you have more properties and can branch of to railroads and utilizes. You will win the game!

Twitter:
I generally use twitter for posting links, and re-tweeting things I deem important information on photography. You should keep personal thoughts, opinions and religion off from your tweets if you don't want to offend people. Posting images links on Twitter can be helpful, you can target who you want with "#", example #portrait, #wedding, or a certain region like #Vermont, #NewEngland.

Facebook:
There is a lot of controvery surrounding Facebook and their photo usage policies, but if you are marketing to high school seniors or young brides than you really should be posting photos and useful content on a facebook fan page. I am really upset however, that currently Facebook took away the "suggest to friends" link on all fan pages. This was a great way to ask people to help market your photography business.

Blogging:

A Blog is a place where the content should always be changing, this is important because search engines rank sites higher when the content of the blog changes on a frequent basis. Make sure to include back links for all of your sites that you are trying to promote. Blogs also let you share information, that you would not want to include on your professional website.

Social Bookmarking and its coolness.

One of the best ways I have found to get people that wouldn't normally see or visit your website or blog is StumbleUpon if you are looking to increase traffic to a specific page, you can "like" on Stumble Upon and you get to use 5 tags to categorize what it is you are posting. I have used this in great success on my Flickr account to gain more views of a certain photo, it does work you should try it.

If you consistently post to each of the vehicles that you choose to market your business you will be surprised how the links will build up and you will gain rank in Google and other search engines. This can only help you get your name out there, which is the ultimate goal in all types of marketing.

Some 2010 Portraits

2011-02-28T09:47:00.001-05:00

5 Photography Blogs You Should Read

2011-02-22T12:10:00.001-05:00

Hey Photogs,

Searching the Internet for quality content seems to be a daunting task these days. Here are five photography blogs that I read and enjoy for leading information on photography industry. Photography is always evolving with new technologies. These blogs can help you stay informed and stay relevant in the fast paced industry of photography.

5 photography blogs you should read & follow

B. Farnum Photography

Follow Me: @bfarnumphoto

Rent Your Photographic Equipment

2011-02-16T11:22:00.000-05:00

As with many emerging photographers or even seasoned pros sometimes budgets are tight when you need to purchase a new piece of equipment for an upcoming job. Sometimes equipment can fail, break or can even be stolen. What do you do when you have a shoot in three days and no equipment? I turn to the awesome people over at Borrow Lenses

B&H does not even offer rentals, Adorama and Calumet both place holds on your credit card.

Adorama "a major Non-Debit Credit Card with enough line of credit available to hold the full replacement value of the equipment you are renting. Once we receive your equipment back and if there are no damages or losses, the Security Deposit on your card is released."

Calumet "A deposit for the full-replacement cost of the equipment is required unless other arrangements are made in advance.We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Optima and Discover cards. Sorry, we cannot accept Visa or Mastercard check/debit cards or overseas credit cards drawn on non-USA banks. A valid driver’s license or, current passport is also required."

I see from a business stand point why they put a hold on a credit card for the full amount, they need to make sure that in the event of you not returning the item, it being broke or misplaced they can cover the whole cost of the item. It would make more sense to me if they put a hold on the credit card at their cost not at the retail value of the item. But then the public could see what the percentage of markup on the camera equipment is.

My answer to this dilemma is to check out BorrowLenses.com Website, they have all of the major camera brands such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus and all of the accessories to go with all of the cameras. If you are looking to rent lighting, backdrops, tripods, strobes, pocket wizards or external flashes you can also get them at BorrowLenses.com

Photos on Flickr

2011-02-14T12:19:00.000-05:00

I have been experimenting with how Flickr can help promote my creative side of my photography business, I profit from weddings, portraits, and commercial photography jobs. I have found Flickr to be very useful in the same way how twitter has different topics that are trending on a daily basis. I use Flickr's Explore to see what might be trending in the photography industry. I would say more often than not, I wonder why is this photo getting so many views, comments or favorites.

Spend More On Your Camera's Lens Than Its Body

2011-01-25T20:50:00.000-05:00

Lenses are a longterm investment... camera bodies are not.

There are so many different camera bodies on the market with even a $600 camera body a photographer can produce a brilliant image. With the advances in sensor technologies and image processors, really any mid-range DSLR can produce an amazing photo.

I think what matters more than the camera body is the actually the lens that you put in front of the camera body. The lens is the cameras eye, you really want to have 20/20 vision instead of less than perfect vision. So spend your photography budget on quality glass..

Investing in high end lens will yield a better return on your photographic investment, because as fast as you buy a new camera body. A camera company could come out with a newer model body tomorrow, but they don't tend to update their lenses as fast.

This is why I would recommend putting the bulk of your photographic monies towards buying quality glass.

Remember to learn something new each day, a learning and practicing photographer is better than a photographer who sits around thinking about taking the shot. Be the photographer that goes out to make the shot.

2 Australian Photographers

2011-01-24T11:43:00.000-05:00

The work of these two photographers astounds me, and I thought that I should share my love of their work with others. Both of these photographers happen to be from Australia, which I thought was interesting. I have never been to Australia. But after looking at Steve Coleman's photos, I really want to experience the beauty that Australia has to offer.

Steve Coleman:
Steve is always helpful and inspiring to his fans on his Facebook he encourages photographers to do better, engaging them with his thoughts on a type of film, website or even equipment. Steve is probably one of my favorite photographers. Stunning images, his new work on his website, is mind-blowing please check it out.
Website: http://lightinframe.com
Blog: http://www.lightinframeblog.com/

Colin Anderson:
Colin Anderson's style reminds me of one of my favorite surreal artists Salvador Dali, breath-taking images are only part of Colin's vast talent set. Check out his website and blog, one of Colin's photos is the cover of Digital Photo Pro's August 2010 issue. Congrats Colin!
Website: http://www.andersonproductions.com.au/
Blog:http://colinanderson1.wordpress.com/

7 photographers to follow on Twitter

2011-01-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

When looking for new trends and quality information on the photography industry, I look to these following photographers. There are so many photographers on Twitter its hard to sort out who really has something to offer their followers. Here are my seven must follows on Twitter.

Jeremy Cowart : @JeremyCowart
Chase Jarvis : @ChaseJarvis
Scott Bourne: @ScottBourne
Rick Sammon: @RickSammon
Bambi Cantrell: @BambiCantrell
Jack Hollingsworth: @Photojack
David Hobby: @Strobist

B. Farnum Photography: @bfarnumphoto

3 Great Photography Podcasts

2011-01-12T10:17:00.000-05:00

Do you want to learn quality information about photography for free? There are some good podcasts on photography and then there are some great podcasts on photography. I am going to recommend only the great podcasts that I found to date, that are still producing new content on a regular basis. Here are my top three podcasts.

Going Pro 2010 This podcast is presented by @ScottBourne and @SkipCohen
The Digital Photo Experience This Podcast is presented by @RickSammon and @JuanPons
PhotoFocus presented by @ScottBourne with various special guests

I listen to these podcasts and suggest them to everyone who has an interest in photography and wants to improve on their skills. All three of these podcasts have special guests who specialize in certain types of photography. These are never boring and guaranteed to teach you something.

Wedding Photographer Marketing-Facebook Fan Pages

2011-01-11T13:41:00.001-05:00

Marketing Your Wedding Photography-Facebook

I have spent money on radio ads, websites that promise a lot yet under deliver every time. But one avenue that has been successful for me is the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
To get started in the vast arena of social media start small and stick to one path. I started with a Facebook fan page. Start by going to the Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business. Fill out all of the information that applies to your business, such as hours of operation, your contact info, and make sure to provide some type of photo or graphic for your profile picture. You should have some examples of your work to show off. But make the images small so that it cannot be pirated, yet big enough to show the detail in the photo. I tend to water mark all of the images that I post to facebook.
After you have all of the information that you would like to share with your potential clients, then you should start focusing on who you want to reach, how you are going to draw more people to your fan page. I focus on trying to get as many 18-35 year old females to "like" my fan page. I have found that more often than not the bride or wife will make the decision on whether or not to hire you as a photographer.
One place to start gaining "likes" from is your own friends list, when someone "likes" your page it will then show up on their profile page, as Brian likes B. Farnum Photography (Professional Service). Which could turn into more likes, and helps build your presence on Facebook.
Facebook will help you grow your business, you just need to be patient, it does take time to start building a following.
Hope this helps.
Brian Farnum
B. Farnum Photography