The Future

We all know the internet is a vast and complex web of information. We have seen trends such as, viral videos, websites, memes, etc., rise and fall since we first discovered how to dial in to the internet. What person in 2000 would have thought that AOL dial-up internet would one day be considered slow? What pre-teenager would have predicted the demise of AIM or MSN messengers? And no one thought that MySpace would one day have a competitor that would take over the social networking market. The internet ebbs and flows like waves, but those few giants, such as Yahoo! or Google, have stuck around. So, here are my predictions for the future of the great bank of knowledge we call the internet:

• Social media will be come exponentially more incorporated into our every day lives. Facebook that connects to your DVR box and lets people know what you're watching? Possibly. Twitter connected to your refrigerator that can "tweet while you eat"? Maybe. A chip that is implanted into your head and tweets all of your thoughts as they happen? Probably not... but no one knows what the future holds for us.
• With the constant impending doom of the SOPA laws, I expect some sort of restriction will eventually find its way into censoring the internet. I also predict that if/when this happens, the outrage of the people will be heard far and wide.
• Some sort of merger/consolidation between websites. For example, if Facebook is around in 150 years (I'm not saying it will be, and I'm also not saying it won't be, this is simply a hypothetical statement), who will really need Ancestry.com? My great-great-great grandchildren could just go check out my Facebook and see exactly what I was thinking/doing/etc. at any exact moment in time. Ancestry.com would be obsolete, except in the cases of family members who weren't around during Facebook's time. I expect something similar of other websites as well.
• You know the lack of privacy that celebrities always complain about? With the internet heading the direction it is, I'm guessing that lack of privacy will soon be the same for all of us. Right now I can google anyone I want, and I'll probably find at least a small amount of information on them. In 10, 20, 50 years, when the internet has had more time to collect its goodies, who knows what information people could find about others.

It's hard to tell whether the advancements in the internet will be positive or negative. Or even if there will be more advancements. Who knows, maybe the world will be okay with where the internet is now, and just let developments stop. That's pretty unlikely to happen though, humans are curious creatures, always striving to do something bigger, better, and more awesome than the last person. Only time will tell!

Access and Equity

Despite the fact that the internet is growing before our eyes, there are still quite a large number of people across the globe who don't have access, often or ever, to the internet and social media. This inequity in access to the world's most useful form of communication, creates a gap between those who are "wired" and those who aren't. I mean think about it, how many things have YOU found out about through social media? Here is an EXTREMELY short list of the events I remember learning about through Facebook/Twitter/MySpace (what's that?)/etc.

• Osama Bin Laden's death
• Whitney Houston's death
• Michael Jackson's death
• Brittney Murphy's death
• Deaths of long lost friends from school/work/etc

While it might be depressing that everything I just listed is about me finding out people are dead, it proves the point that, 1. these events stuck in my mind, and 2. I learned of these events on the internet. So many more things I have learned through my extremely easy access to the internet. It is amazing to think that there are people across the world who don't even know who Michael Jackson WAS, let alone the fact that he is dead. Access to the internet in today's world is necessary for me. The week that my computer was in the shop felt like torture. All I could think was "Thank GOD I have my iPhone." What about all the people in the world who don't have a computer, an iPhone, or internet access at all? How do they interact with people in their lives and learn their important information? Think about that the next time you're complaining about your 3G connection being slow.

Social Media and Learning

Social media is becoming an integral part of every day life for the younger generations of this world. Now, it can be integrated into so many aspects of life, including learning! With the information on the internet, as well as the ways to share this information, growing exponentially every day, it makes sense that social media could be used to boost learning! This easily translates into photography! There are so many photographers using social media, and social media sites directed towards photographers, it is easier than ever to learn about photography, whether you are a new photographer or a seasoned photographer!

Business

Social media has exponentially changed the business world we live in today. With smart phones, Facebook, Twitter, high speed internet, etc, people nowadays expect instant gratification in the form of fast, easy, immediate results. As a photographer, and essentially business person (you ARE trying to get yourself and your photography out there! That makes you a business person!!) social media will affect your business and the relationships you have with your customers and potential clients. Make sure you are checking all social media sites you use daily-- your customers will enjoy the immediate response they get from you, and the longer it takes for you to respond, the more time they have to find someone to take your job! Also, the phrase "the customer is always right" comes into play a little bit here, as today's business world is driven by consumers. Your customer service online can and WILL affect your relationships with them. Also, social media makes it possible for you to directly connect with customers on a one-on-one basis. Someone complaining to you about something? You have the ability to directly contact them through social media and address their complaints. Something that will gratify them, solve your problem, and reap positive benefits. A happy customer who feels that their needs are being met will come back to a photographer who takes their photographic needs into consideration!! Definitely something to always keep in mind when dealing with customers online!

Politics

Photography and politics have always gone hand in hand. Photographs can bring out the best or worst in a person, and politicians have used this to their advantage for centuries. Through social media, politicians can take advantage of photography even more.

The following photographs can have a positive effect on a politician's campaign:

Obama's photograph on Facebook advertising entry to a raffle to win "Dinner with Barack" for a campaign donation of any size.



However, photographs such as the one below can have a negative effect on a politician's campaign:



A very important thing to remember in this day and age is that with social media, photographs such as these affect politics more than ever. Now, it is not only the politicians that can use pictures to their advantage. ANYONE can post a photograph to the internet. ANYONE has the ability to edit or change the photograph to meet their agenda before posting it publicly. It is incredible the amount of influence a picture from an average citizen can have on a person's campaign!

Advocacy

Advocacy for organizations, causes, and issues around the world are seen in the media often these days. A big part of this advocacy is photography! As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words," and when it comes to advocacy, it couldn't be more true. Something as simple as a single photograph is enough to spark talks and debates from people around the world. Here are a few examples of photographs that advocate a cause or purpose, or have sparked international debate:


This picture was taken anonymously during the Vancouver riots last year. It sparked an international debate about peace and love being essential to overcoming human nature's draw toward violence.


This image was taken by Eddie Adams during the Vietnam War. It is one of the most iconic and controversial images of the 20th century. It speaks of human nature and sparked international debate about the atrocities committed during war time.

This photograph was taken by Nick Ut during the Vietnam War Napalm bombings in the village of Trang Bang, Vietnam. The image speaks of the horrors of war, and caused international controversy. The picture is said to have "ended the Vietnam War," and became one of the icons of the 1970s Peace Movement.

This final image was taken by Mike Wells in Uganda. It speaks as a reminder of the huge wealth gap that separates developed and 3rd world countries. It also shows the extent of the poverty and starvation that plagues most of Africa's population. It created international controversy about the need for food and aid in Africa.

As you can see, 1 picture is enough to advocate anything you stand for. This doesn't mean that with one photograph you are guaranteed to start a revolution, change national policy or completely change the world, but it does mean that you are capable of speaking to a large audience of people and impacting someone by harnessing your talents and using them for good!

Collaboration

This week I am going to give you some insight into the world of Crowdsourcing and Collaboration. Crowdsourcing is a lot like outsourcing... it involves every day people, like yourselves, using the internet to create content and solve problems. Crowdsourcing also involves a website I touched on briefly last week, iStockPhoto. Like stated before, iStockPhoto is an online stock photography website where you can sell your photographs to people who need them for a reasonable price. iStockPhoto has a few competitors, including Shutter Stock, and Dreamstime. Businesses use these websites to crowdsource some of their work for a cheap price. This provides an opportunity for you to make some money and have your photographs shown in a professional environment; whether in a company's office lobby or on their website. Furthermore, there are websites available for you to discuss stock photography with other photographers, such as the Stock Artist's Alliance.

Collaboration is also a big part of online photography. If you remember the social networking site I mentioned a few weeks ago, Picture Social, that is a great way to collaborate with other artists. Perhaps photography isn't your strongest suit, but Photoshop is. Picture Social is a great way for you to find photographers who perhaps are better at the act of taking the pictures than the processing necessary afterwards. This allows you to collaborate with those other artists and combine your strong suits to come up with some amazing photographs. Don't be afraid to try new things!! You never know, but helping someone with what they are weak at may in turn help you improve your weak points!

Communication

This week I’m going to focus on social media tools that help you create content that web users can browse. There are certain social media tools that allow you to exhibit, and even sell, your photographs. One site, Pinterest, was discussed briefly last week, but I’ll go into further detail today. The other site, iStockphoto, is a great tool for selling your photographs.

Pinterest

Pinterest is an online pinboard style photo-sharing site. As I stated last week, Pinterest requires an invitation to participate. If you visit the site, you can request an invitation via your e-mail address. The site allows you to set up your pinboards however you like—you can have as many boards as you like, and can organize them into any topic or category that interests you. Furthermore, you are able to pin other people’s pictures to your own personal pinboards. This is a great way to gain inspiration for photograph ideas, poses, locations, etc. Furthermore, Pinterest allows users to follow other users, meaning a user will see everything pinned by any user that they follow. This is a great way to spark communication between yourself and other photographers, professionals, and potential clients. Possibly the most important part about Pinterest, for a photographer such as yourself, is the ability to pin your own personal content. This means you are able to upload any of your own photographs straight onto Pinterest for the world to see. The only downside of this is you eventually may not get credit for your photos! Try Photoshopping a watermark or personal symbol in one of the corners of all of the photos you upload to keep your name on your work… what is the point of taking great photographs if no one gives you credit for them?

iStockphoto

iStockphoto is an online stock photography provider. This means that iStockphoto provides photographs for websites, businesses, etc, to use at a low cost. Photographers are able to create an account, upload photographs, and sell them internationally for companies to use in presentations, on websites, etc. This means that you, yes YOU, can be paid for your photographs! It is a great tool to communicate your skills and talents with people across the world. Perhaps if a company likes your photographs a lot, they will hire you to take pictures for them more frequently! The possibilities are endless once you get yourself started! The only downside I see to this site is the amount of money the pictures are being sold for—since this is a “stock” photo site, pictures are sold at a very low cost, which means low income for you. While it’s not a site I would base my intire monthly income on, it is a good way to get started and a fun source of side income!

These are just two of the many great tools available on the internet to communicate with your audience! People, songs, photographs, etc. go “viral” every day, and spark conversations everywhere! Get people talking about you and your great work, and you could see how useful communication can be to becoming successful! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there—this is only the beginning!

Networking and Relationships

Relationships in the world of photography are an interesting and difficult concept. While photographers tend to flock together or find each other easily, it’s hard to know where those relationships stand on a creative and professional level. You might ask yourself things like, “how do I get my friends to recommend me for a job?” or “how do I start to network my business/pictures/ideas through the Internet?” or even something as simple as, “where do I begin?”

Don’t worry, there is great news for you: the Internet today is teeming with so many ways for you to market yourself and you photography. However, anyone and everyone are doing it, so you’re going to have to get creative. Luckily, creativity should never be a problem for an artist such as yourself!! Before I get into detail about all the different sites available for networking, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. What is your intended audience? Are you trying to market your business? Are you trying to build an online portfolio? Maybe you’re just interested in having people see your photography? Or perhaps you’re up for some freelance gigs every once in a while? Any way you look at it, you need to think about your intentions first. This will help you figure out what you want your page to look like, how you want your readers to view your page, and ultimately, what site you intend to use.
2. Is your page well organized? No one is going to take the time to look through what you have to offer if they can’t figure out how to see your photographs or how to read more information about you. Organization is key.
3. Is your contact information easily accessible? Even something as simple as an e-mail address should be easy to find. How do you expect to get clients if they don’t know how to contact you. In all reality, your contact information should be at the top and bottom of EVERY page on your site. Not only will this will really drive the point home that you are available to contact for any reason, it will plant the seed to hire you in potential clients heads. People like easy. Make yourself easy to contact.
4. Social media, at its core, is about interaction. Don’t be afraid to interact with people on your website!! You will have people coming back for more if they feel welcome on your page.
5. Be patient. Your website isn’t going to get a million hits overnight. But if you keep at it, network yourself, invite people to join your page, etc., eventually you’ll find yourself with a ton of great followers and great relationships between fellow photographers!

Now, you may be wondering what kind of sites you can use for your business. There are the obvious picks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. It’s NOT a bad idea to have a page on one of these sites! However, there are other sites you can use as well to market yourself!

· Pinterest

Pinterest is a great site. It works like an online corkboard, where you can digitally “pin” photographs and ideas you like onto your personal corkboard. Others can follow your boards and see what you pin, and they also have the ability to pin things they like of yours onto their own board. Signing up is a little difficult (you have to be invited, or request an invite), but it is worth it! People from all over the world will see your pictures.

· Picture Social

Taken straight from the Picture Social website: “PictureSocial is a new place where photographers from all experience levels can share their knowledge and learn from others. On PictureSocial, you can display and critique photos (unlimited free photo storage), blog about your experiences, ask and answer questions, discuss camera equipment and more. Flickr users can copy all their photos to PictureSocial with one click and enjoy free unlimited storage.” What a great way to meet photographers from all over the world, share insight, gain inspiration, and get critiques from people of all skill and experience levels! You may even build a professional relationship or two that can help you get a job one day!

· Tumblr

This site is great for people who aren’t so Internet savvy! Tumblr is a social networking site that is extremely customizable and easy to use. You can post pictures, follow others, and people can follow you.

It’s important, however, that I mention that you should ALWAYS be careful about what you post (and what you let others post) on the Internet! Nowadays, social media can be as negative for your business or reputation as it is positive. Post things that are APPROPRIATE: you never know who will be looking at your site! I’m not saying censor your page—if you specialize in nude, crude, or taboo photography, then you can’t not post your specialty—but do it with some tact. Be aware that people of all ages and backgrounds have access to the Internet. If your subject matter may be questionable, perhaps put a disclaimer on your page. Don’t let others post inappropriate things on your page! And always be kind, constructive, and helpful in your comments to others. You don’t want to burn a bridge that you may need to go back and cross later!

Good luck networking! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, it may help you more than you think! :)

Welcome!

Hello world! Welcome to f/8 and Get Yourself Out There! This is a blog that will explore the world of photography. A little about myself, the blogger, before I get into detail about the topics my blog will explore: My name is Alyssa, and I am a senior at CSU, Chico. I am studying Communication Design and Anthropology. Communication Design is a specialized major combining all of the aspects of design I am interested in, including photography, film, television, radio, the web, and social media. I chose to also study Anthropology as culture and the way people respond to culture have a direct impact on the topics I study through Communication Design. I have been actively practicing photography since high school. I started out with a hand-me-down film Canon from my parents, and have since then upgraded to a pretty sweet Canon Rebel T1i, that I sometimes refer to as my infant child (I might love it more than I would love an infant child). I've taken many photography classes to help me hone my skill, and even worked as a professional photographer for a while. My professional photography experience taught me as much, if not more, than all of my classes thus far have. I love it!

Moving on to the main focus of my blog. This blog will explore many topics of photography, but will mainly focus on how YOU, a photographer (whether just starting out or seasoned), can use the internet, specifically social media, to gain inspiration, insight, and most importantly, GET YOURSELF OUT THERE! The internet is a broad and vast land filled with ways for budding photographers, budding photography businesses, and anyone with an interest in photography at all, to network yourself and your talents. I hope you are as excited about this blog as I am! I can't wait to show you how you can make an impact on this world with your photography!