One of my most pressing tasks for 2009 is getting the photos locked on my hard drive to a viewing (and buying) public. I've looked at several sites, and finally went with Photoshelter (www.photoshelter.com).
I had been on the site's free area for about three months, testing out the programs. But after a webinar in December, I decided to bite the bullet. I purchased the service that gives me a web site, e-commerce, and 35GB of space.
It took me about a half a day to get the site how I liked it, and another couple of days to populate it with some photos. The site claims you can have it up and going in 5 minutes, which is probably possible, but I'm slow.
I'm nowhere near the 35GB of space, but so far it's working well. I have e-commerce for a relatively small fee, and I can give full access to "preferred" clients and bill them how I have in the past.
What it really does is give me a presence on the web that's searchable and looks nice. It's also much easier to post photos to my site (original size) and have clients look there as opposed to sending low-resolution photos.
There are probably easier sites out there, but Photoshelter seems to work well.
My next step is to get my own domain name. I can then link my Photosheter site directly to my own domain, so the client doesn't have to type in a long web site.
Here's the site: http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/moorecommunications
Feel free to look around. I'd be interested in hearing your feedback.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Sorry for the lack of posts
I apologize for being away for a couple of months. The blog is still private until I get a sense of if there is a need, or desire, for such postings.
Feel free to email me so we can populate the postings and take it live to the masses!
Feel free to email me so we can populate the postings and take it live to the masses!
When are photos allowed?
Some recent discussions by AAEA members related to a situation we've all probably faced at one point or another: we're at a field day, lugging around our photo equipment, then told we're not allowed to take photos of the newest product. It can be frustrating, especially if you're looking for something other than the stock shot provided by the company.
So I asked one veteran PR person if there's a logic behind the no-photo requests:
"When we take reporters to test plots where we're providing access to crops with traits that are not yet approved through the U.S. regulatory system, we limit photography. We do not allow full freedom to take photos of crops with traits that are not yet approved. This is primarily for competitive reasons. We don't want our competitors to see photos of all our test plots before the trait is approved for the marketplace. These are tests, after all, and we're testing for successes and failures; some plants look great and others don't. Consequently, we provide photos to reporters in most cases that show limited number of plots."
"Also, there is prohibition by the regulatory agencies against promotion. We are required to only provide information. What's the difference you might ask - as it relates to promotion -- between giving reporters photos and allowing them to take photos? Not much."
I can see the company point; after all they are giving us a behind the scenes look at new technology, they are technically still in the test phase, and the companies are under some really strict, and really picky, government regulations.
It's been my experience that most company folks do a good job of telling you ahead of time what you can photograph and what you can't. And even if they don't, I usually ask ahead of time. They usually do as much as they can to work with your requests.
So I asked one veteran PR person if there's a logic behind the no-photo requests:
"When we take reporters to test plots where we're providing access to crops with traits that are not yet approved through the U.S. regulatory system, we limit photography. We do not allow full freedom to take photos of crops with traits that are not yet approved. This is primarily for competitive reasons. We don't want our competitors to see photos of all our test plots before the trait is approved for the marketplace. These are tests, after all, and we're testing for successes and failures; some plants look great and others don't. Consequently, we provide photos to reporters in most cases that show limited number of plots."
"Also, there is prohibition by the regulatory agencies against promotion. We are required to only provide information. What's the difference you might ask - as it relates to promotion -- between giving reporters photos and allowing them to take photos? Not much."
I can see the company point; after all they are giving us a behind the scenes look at new technology, they are technically still in the test phase, and the companies are under some really strict, and really picky, government regulations.
It's been my experience that most company folks do a good job of telling you ahead of time what you can photograph and what you can't. And even if they don't, I usually ask ahead of time. They usually do as much as they can to work with your requests.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
CF cards on sale at SanDisk
SanDisk (www.sandisk.com) has 4GB compact flash cards on sale through September 28. The Exteme III is under $70.
**PLEASE NOTE**
This is not an endorsement of SanDisk, I'm simply passing along some information I received in my inbox.
**PLEASE NOTE**
This is not an endorsement of SanDisk, I'm simply passing along some information I received in my inbox.
Have camera, no photo op
Ever been at one of those field days where you spend the entire afternoon lugging around your camera equipment, then find out "no photos can be taken of this (field, greenhouse, plant, etc.)?
Yes, it happens. And just because you can "see" it at a field day, doesn't mean it's camera ready. It can be frustrating, but we also must realize that companies are bound by strict rules when it comes to certain new products.
I'll ask around to see if we can get a "list" of what can be photographed and what is off limits. In the meantime, I'd simply ask ahead of time. Field day staff are usually pretty good about telling you ahead of time if photos are verboten.
Mark
Yes, it happens. And just because you can "see" it at a field day, doesn't mean it's camera ready. It can be frustrating, but we also must realize that companies are bound by strict rules when it comes to certain new products.
I'll ask around to see if we can get a "list" of what can be photographed and what is off limits. In the meantime, I'd simply ask ahead of time. Field day staff are usually pretty good about telling you ahead of time if photos are verboten.
Mark
Welcome to the blog!
Welcome to AgShooter, a blog specifically developed for AAEA and LPC members!
This is my first time hosting a blog, so please be gentle. We're hoping that this blog can become a photo resource for AAEA/LPC members. Currently, the site is only available to invited members. While we may open up the blog in the future, for now we'll just focus on our members.
Feel free to contact me directly if you'd like to become a member, or let me know of others who might want to join.
For now, we'll simple share thoughts, ideas and news that may be of interest.
Questions and comments are always welcome.
Mark
This is my first time hosting a blog, so please be gentle. We're hoping that this blog can become a photo resource for AAEA/LPC members. Currently, the site is only available to invited members. While we may open up the blog in the future, for now we'll just focus on our members.
Feel free to contact me directly if you'd like to become a member, or let me know of others who might want to join.
For now, we'll simple share thoughts, ideas and news that may be of interest.
Questions and comments are always welcome.
Mark
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