This week is all about professional social media. Now, I'm no stranger to social media. I've wasted more hours than I'm willing to admit perusing my social media accounts. I love seeing what my friends and family are up to, sharing what's happening in my crazy life, and connecting with awesome people.
But in my heart of hearts, I am an artist. And I use social media as an artist. I love to share to images that I create, and I love to connect with other artists and see what they are creating. There is an entire community of photographers on social media who share work, inspire each other, and band together to help one another improve our craft.
When this week's assignment was to dig into LinkedIn, I have to admit I was reeeaallly skeptical. LinkedIn is the "business suit" of the social media world. What value could it really have for me, the artist? But I was pleasantly surprised. I did in fact find a photography network on LinkedIn, although not quite as strong or bonded as found on other platforms. What I found really beneficial was the ability to connect with other business owners. Hampton's Chamber of Commerce and Norfolk Young Professionals are both really strong groups on LinkedIn that I have joined. As much as I pride myself on being an artist, I am also a businesswoman. And LinkedIn gives me some great business connections.
So, this self-confessed artist may have been a bit quick to judge, and I'm planning on keeping my LinkedIn up and running and tap into my businesswoman side a little more often.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Video Blogging!
Video blogging is something that I've always been a bit intimidated
by. I mean, I'm the photographer. That means I'm supposed to stay behind
the camera. It's my happy place. But I'm also quite intrigued by the
idea of video blogging. I love the idea of being able to give ya'll a
"behind-the-scenes" look at what my photo sessions look like. And I
think it would be a fantastic way to really connect with you fabulous
mommas.
One of my favorite video bloggers is Ana Brandt, of The Art of Pregnancy and Newborn. Ana has really got this video blogging thing down to a science. Her behind the scenes videos are always so interesting, and I love how she is able to seamlessly integrate her video across all of her social media platforms. The full videos are hosted on Youtube, but she takes smaller snip-its of the video to share on her Instagram feed and Facebook page. So you can see at least part of her video on all of her social media accounts, and head to Youtube if you really want to see it all. And her consistency! It's awesome. That is one of the key things I will need to work on for future video blogging. It's tough to come up with original content on a consistent basis, but Ana does it beautifully. But enought rambling from me. Here's peek at Ana's work...and EEK! Twins!
One of my favorite video bloggers is Ana Brandt, of The Art of Pregnancy and Newborn. Ana has really got this video blogging thing down to a science. Her behind the scenes videos are always so interesting, and I love how she is able to seamlessly integrate her video across all of her social media platforms. The full videos are hosted on Youtube, but she takes smaller snip-its of the video to share on her Instagram feed and Facebook page. So you can see at least part of her video on all of her social media accounts, and head to Youtube if you really want to see it all. And her consistency! It's awesome. That is one of the key things I will need to work on for future video blogging. It's tough to come up with original content on a consistent basis, but Ana does it beautifully. But enought rambling from me. Here's peek at Ana's work...and EEK! Twins!
Friday, November 13, 2015
Interesting Blogs...
The blogosphere is a wide, wide world all it's own. If you can dream it, there is a probably a blog somewhere devoted to it. Cosplay, Street Magic, Fans of Harry Potter - yep, there's a blog about that. So how in the world are we supposed to wade through all of the blog noise to find what really matters to us? I haven't the slightest idea, really.
Me, well, I've wasted many many hours jumping from blog to blog, picking out pieces that I found interesting, or humorous, or helpful. Most of them only had a couple posts I could relate to, and were pretty quickly forgotten. Some, however, managed to make the permanent cut. These are blogs that consistently post content that I enjoy reading, and that relates to me. So, without further ado, here's my top five blogroll....
Psychology for Photographers
This blog may be called psychology for photographers, but really, it's packed full of info for anyone who owns a small business. It's especially helpful for those who don't want to compete on price, but rather want to find the customer who values their business, regardless of what your product costs.
Creative Live
Want to go to artists college, for free? Yea, me too. And that's basically what creative live is. You can go to creative live at any time on any day, and watch free seminars for artists. They have classes on almost everything any artists could want. From "how-to" photography, to marketing, to running a small business, it's a photographers dream. Not into business? There are classes on scrapbooking, quilting, cooking, floral arranging paper making, money management.... need me to go on? There an awesome, FREE, online class to fit everyone's needs.
Becoming Mom
While this blog is written by a fellow photographer, it's not really about photography. It's about being a mom. I love this because, well, it's real. Ariana talks about her struggles with infertility and IVF, and cataloged her journey to motherhood. She writes touching posts to her children that make me tear up. What I find most inspiring about Ariana's blog is that it's honest, and so deeply personal. It feels as if she's allowing me to be a part of her life. That type of honest blogging is something I hope to accomplish here on my own blog.
Inspire Me Baby
I am a photographer, so of course there's going to be a blog that is about nothing but photography. I heart Inspire Me Baby so so much. It has awesome interviews with other photographers in a baby business, and great links to prop shops. But mostly, it's just filled with dreamy baby photos. And I'd be lying if I said I haven't wasted so so many hours just scrolling the posts, drooling over the stunning images. It's session research, so it's not wasted time, right? Right???
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
TRIGGER WARNING - INFANT LOSS
This one - this one is really heavy. NILMDTS is an organization of newborn photographers who volunteer their services to parents whose babies are stillborn, or who are lost shortly after birth. It's heart-breaking, the posts are hard to read, and it reduces me to tears every.single.time. But it's also incredibly important. It reminds me how trivial my daily problems are. And it's a way to give back to those who need me. In the scope if their loss, I can't do much. But I can provide them with memories, with the recognition that, yes, their baby lived, and he/she was beautiful. And as mothers, as women, as human beings, I think it is our responsibility to be there for mothers in their greatest time of need, and do what we can to make their loss a little easier to bear.
Me, well, I've wasted many many hours jumping from blog to blog, picking out pieces that I found interesting, or humorous, or helpful. Most of them only had a couple posts I could relate to, and were pretty quickly forgotten. Some, however, managed to make the permanent cut. These are blogs that consistently post content that I enjoy reading, and that relates to me. So, without further ado, here's my top five blogroll....
Psychology for Photographers
This blog may be called psychology for photographers, but really, it's packed full of info for anyone who owns a small business. It's especially helpful for those who don't want to compete on price, but rather want to find the customer who values their business, regardless of what your product costs.
Creative Live
Want to go to artists college, for free? Yea, me too. And that's basically what creative live is. You can go to creative live at any time on any day, and watch free seminars for artists. They have classes on almost everything any artists could want. From "how-to" photography, to marketing, to running a small business, it's a photographers dream. Not into business? There are classes on scrapbooking, quilting, cooking, floral arranging paper making, money management.... need me to go on? There an awesome, FREE, online class to fit everyone's needs.
Becoming Mom
While this blog is written by a fellow photographer, it's not really about photography. It's about being a mom. I love this because, well, it's real. Ariana talks about her struggles with infertility and IVF, and cataloged her journey to motherhood. She writes touching posts to her children that make me tear up. What I find most inspiring about Ariana's blog is that it's honest, and so deeply personal. It feels as if she's allowing me to be a part of her life. That type of honest blogging is something I hope to accomplish here on my own blog.
Inspire Me Baby
I am a photographer, so of course there's going to be a blog that is about nothing but photography. I heart Inspire Me Baby so so much. It has awesome interviews with other photographers in a baby business, and great links to prop shops. But mostly, it's just filled with dreamy baby photos. And I'd be lying if I said I haven't wasted so so many hours just scrolling the posts, drooling over the stunning images. It's session research, so it's not wasted time, right? Right???
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
TRIGGER WARNING - INFANT LOSS
This one - this one is really heavy. NILMDTS is an organization of newborn photographers who volunteer their services to parents whose babies are stillborn, or who are lost shortly after birth. It's heart-breaking, the posts are hard to read, and it reduces me to tears every.single.time. But it's also incredibly important. It reminds me how trivial my daily problems are. And it's a way to give back to those who need me. In the scope if their loss, I can't do much. But I can provide them with memories, with the recognition that, yes, their baby lived, and he/she was beautiful. And as mothers, as women, as human beings, I think it is our responsibility to be there for mothers in their greatest time of need, and do what we can to make their loss a little easier to bear.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Welcome to my blog!
Hi there! I'm Melinda. Welcome to my blog!
I
wear many hats, and I love each one! I am a wife, a mother, and a small
business owner. I am a sister, a friend, and a dog-lover. I am a
dreamer and a creative soul. I am photographer, and I'd love to be your
photographer.
I love being a photographer because it allows me to meet other awesome mommies like you. I've met moms who breast feed, baby-wear, and cloth diaper their little ones. And I've met moms who formula feed, use disposable diapers, and rock out a BOB stroller. I've met moms who co-sleep and moms who put baby in their crib from night one. I've met stay-at-home moms, working moms, and work-at-home moms. But no matter how different all of our mommy choices are, there is one continuous thread that ties us all together - OUR CHILDREN ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS THING IN OUR LIVES.
When it comes to our babies, our hearts are overflowing. And that is why I am honored each and every time one you amazing mommies trusts me with your baby. It is truly a gift to be able to photograph your darling babies, from their first few weeks through all of their milestones. It is a privilege I never take for granted.
Aside from a photographer, here are a few tidbits about me:
- I live for my children's laughter. Seriously, every little giggle is the greatest sound I've ever heard. I could listen to it all day long.
- Sunday is for football and family. I'm a die-hard Steelers fan, and hubby is a Giants fan. It gets a little, um, rowdy around here when they play each other. If it's Sunday, I'm rocking out my football jersey, yelling at the TV, and hanging out with my little ones.
- I will cheer for the underdog every.single.time. Seriously, if someone ever tells you "you can't do it," just give me a call. I'll tell you how awesome you are, and be your biggest cheerleader. I believe to my very core that if you want something bad enough, then you can do it.
- I'm a complete sucker for rescue animals. All of my dogs have been from rescues, and my biggest wish is for every shelter animal to find a loving home. Check the blog often, and you'll be sure to see some of my volunteer work with our local shelter. If you're considering getting an animal, please please please consider adoption from your local shelter. And if you adopt an animal - let me know! I'll give you 30% off my session fee because you just became someone's hero.
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