Casual business portraits – what does your Linked In or facebook profile image say?

Does your Linked In profile image say, boring, uninteresting, average or worse?

Every day I see stodgy and stiff portraits as well as just plain bad photos or snapshots of people on their Facebook profiles, on Linked-In profiles and on business websites. Everyone has heard the old saying that a picture can say a thousand words, but what words is your picture saying about you and your business?

Here are recent portraits taken for Danielle Deramo, the owner of Just Say It. She is a marketing and branding consultant here in the Dayton area. She has a great outgoing personality, but she has been using snapshots for her web site and other business networking websites. She almost canceled this session because she just does not like to have her picture taken. I encouraged her to go ahead with the session, which normally only takes about 30 minutes, because she needed some nicer pictures for her Linked-In profile and other internet business networking venues. These were taken conveniently at her home. She likes the middle image best because she says she looks happy. I am pleased with several of the portraits.

    

Upgrade your image on-line business networking sites

Is it time for you to upgrade your image on business social networking venues or even on your own website? Rather than a formal business portrait, would you like a casual setting and a more relaxed portrait? Maybe it is time to call Peter DeMott Photography.

Learn more about casual business portraits made here: Business Portrait Photography 

Peter DeMott Photography • peter@photosbypdemott.com • 937-478-6222

Now go to my Facebook page. Click here to go to my Facebook page and join the conversation.

Or you can go to my Testimonials page and see what people have to say about their portraits and their session.

You can also join me on Linked In

Fall portraits with color for seniors and families and children

Gone are the days of 95 degree heat with 90 humidity here in the Dayton area. Suddenly the crops and the trees are showing us that fall is here with small bursts of color. Because of the heavy rains over the last two weeks, the grass is all greened up again too. Good grief, I had to mow my grass twice already even though its cool outside.

Time for fall portraits with horses

If you have a horse and you want fall portraits, act now before they start getting their heavy winter fur. Actually, I’ve seen many great portraits with horses and their human companions when they have their winter coats. Cool evenings make for some more interesting clothing choices like sweaters and scarfs and hats. Perfect weather for something different for senior portraits as well with furry hooded coats, scarfs, and long-sleeved sweaters.

    

Time for family group portraits

Cool evenings make for some good family group portraits. However, the days are shorter so scheduled times are more limited.

Like the slogan of a major manufacture of athletic shoes

I was just talking to a woman today about having some portraits done. She has seen my work and knows she will love her portraits, but she dreads having her picture taken. My job is going to be to get her to relax and enjoy herself so that I can capture, not the stiff and fearful person, but the wonderful outgoing person that I know her to be. She even was considering canceling her session, but with some gentle prodding, and the “JUST DO IT” attitude she is going forward with the session.

So many families have very few portraits of themselves in relaxing outdoor environments and enjoying each other. Is it time for you to “JUST DO IT!” ? Time moves so fast in families and in no time you kids are going to be going off to college and starting their own families.

  

Peter DeMott Photography • peter@photosbypdemott.com • 937-478-6222

 

 

Commercial photo session in support of A Bit of a Bite Salsa and our good friend Pegge

I was just exploring around A Bit of a Bite Salsa company’s website and Facebook page and I was pleasantly reminded of the photo session we did a while back to give her pictures to use on her web site and Facebook page for her business.

Go to here for Facebook page photo gallery: A Bit of a Bite Salsa to check out the gallery of image I created for her

Go here to find out more about the BEST SALSA ever: A Bit of a Bite Salsa Website

Peter DeMott • Peter DeMott Photography • 937-478-6222 • Peter@photosbypdemott.com • People photography in Dayton, OHIO

The start of a Salsa business, that is salsa you eat not how you dance

A good friend of ours (Patty and me) has become an entrepreneur. She has started a salsa business.

I’ve been doing photography work for her so that she would have materials for her Word Press blog/web site. I thought I would share some of the images and encourage you to go visit her web site to learn more about her home made all natural salsa. Here is the link to her web site: http://www.abitofabitesalsa.com . In addition you could visit her facebook business page here: A Bit of a Bite Salsa . We’ve known Pegge Bellamy for a long time and we have her salsa often. Now rather than making 3 gallons of it at home she making 30 gallons at a time in an entrepreneur assistance kitchen. It’s official now, it is a real start up business by a local woman who lives right here in Miamisburg, Ohio.

The journey of starting your own food business in Miamisburg, Ohio

She has working with SCORE consultants here in the Dayton area who meet with her regularly to counsel her on her progress. I have been providing input for her about creating a page on facebook, setting up her web site, and blogging along the way. She is such a fun person, that I am sure she will soon have many followers. This is an example of a video clip that I took for her for blogging and facebooking. This video clip is just before leaving to make her first official batch of salsa.

Headed to Columbs, Ohio to the Entrepreneur Assistance Kitchen

Food Industries Web site for Entrepreneual Assistance

Pegge had gathered together several friends and a couple of her children (High school and beyond) to help her in the making of her first official batches of salsa. It was a good group and they had lots of fun. It was hard work and Pegge learned a lot. Next go round things will go much more smoothly. Here are a few of the images from the day. Note that the video clips are just quick little clips from the day, not professionally “produced” videos.

Pictures above, Patty DeMott and Pegge Bellamy. Pegge is the owner of A Bit of a Bite Salsa Company

Hair nets are required of everyone at all times in this kitchen.

Pegge’s son Andy and Patty’s sister Pam pictured above

Ann Kniess, Patty, Pegge, and Andy get to taste the first batch. Sarah works in the background.

Pam tries out the label machine as Sarah looks on.

Pegge sees her first official complete jar of salsa with label.

You can see how she feels about her product in this short video clip.

Pegge responds after seeing the first official jar of A Bit of a Bite Salsa

My next photography project for this good friend is to take pictures of each of three kinds that she makes so that she can have images for her web site shopping cart. Follow Pegge on her journey here  Pegge’s web site and blog or here Pegge’s facebook page. She will be blogging about each part of the day with more pictures and a description of what was happening and her feelings starting her business with the support of good friends and family.

Peter DeMott Photography • Dayton portrait and equine photographer • Senior portraits, families, and children • peter@photosbypdemott.com • 937-478-6222

Our good friend Pegge Bellamy and her vision to create a great homemade organic salsa company

Pegge Bellamy is a great friend. She is just plain fun to be around because her energy and loving personality. Actually, I would not know her except that she is a lovely friend to my wife Patty. As a result, I can say that she is my friend too. I did senior portraits for her daughter Sarah and will be doing portraits of her younger daughter as senior year approaches.

Pegge has a vision to start a natural healthy organic salsa company. For 11 years she has been making salsa and giving it to friends and family as gifts. Now she has a vision to make a company around herself (full of energy and enthusiasm) and her fatastic salsa recipe. Recently, we had a portrait session with the goal of coming up with photographs that can be used on her labels, her web site, facebook and her brochures about her product and company.

What I want to know is did we capture some of that energy that her friends know? If you knew that Pegge was the chef for a natural healthy organic salsa, wouldn’t you just want to at least try some. Can you see her joy in living and her great healthy outlook on life?

In this portrait she is wearing an apron that she has used for year when she prepares her secret recipe for her salsa. I have suggested that she meet with my web guy Larry Davis to set up a wordpress web site and blog to tell her story as it progresses. She has a group of retired businessmen providing her with advice and direction. After they met her and tried her salsa several of them said they would want  to invest in her company when her plans were set and she was ready to go forward. Everyone who meets her and hears about what she wants to do is inspired by her outlook and energy about her product and her vision for her company.

So, if you see Pegge’s label with one of these pictures on it would you be intrigued and want to buy her salsa? Use the comment  with a click on the “leave a comment” link near the title of this entry. Do you have advice or connections for Pegge to help her get started as a woman entrepreneur? Please use the “leave a comment” link at the top of the page just under the title of this post.

A few more of the portraits are available to review here: Peggy Bellamy’s all natural healthy salsa

Pegge was very happy with connections that she made at the business networking group in Dayton called Rainmakers. She has put up her profile on the free networking web site for Rainmakers: Rainmakers OHIO . Having a captivating image as a profile image for Facebook or Linked In or Rainmakers is important so I helped Pegge load up the last image here as her profile image. It worked perfectly and I am sure will generate a lot of interest to help her with making important business connections as she starts her business.

Facebook photography for your business page and profile

Good photography can “tell the story” of your business

If you have a business and want some free exposure Facebook can be a great tool to get yourself out their and connect with people. While you connect with your customers and future customers it is important to tell the story of your business. As people explore your PAGE, they want to see what your business is about. Photography can play an important roll in helping to present your business as friendly and interesting. Without good photography, your page can come across as boring or perhaps even dull.

I work with advertisers every day selling advertising in REACH magazine here in the Dayton market. So many times we have advertisers that say, “I have pictures to use in the ad”. Many times we find that the pictures they give us are incorrectly exposed, have a color cast, or are far away and out of focus. These are what I call “snap shots” and in most cases we suggest alternative stock images or arrange for a professional photographer to do some photography for their ad. What does a family sports bar do by showing dark, underexposed, poorly lit photos of some folks in their place say? On the other hand, what does a nicely lit, interesting, well composed image say?

Here are two photographs of a salon which have been used in their web site and print advertising

I work with home improvement companies and landscapers as well. Frequently they have bad photographs of projects they have done. I explain that if they had better photographs, they would be able to close more business. People would be better able to say, “Wow, that project looks great” if your share good quality imagery.

Appropriate model releases when using photographs of persons to promote your business

As a professional photographer, I also know about things like the importance to acquiring appropriate model releases from people you photography and use in commercial promotion of your business. I have the appropriate paperwork and am willing to get out there and ask when needed to protect your business from possible liability.

Contemporary, fun, and relaxed portraits of YOU can make a big difference in first impressions

I can provide you will relaxed, contemporary and fun portraits of YOU for your facebook profile and albums on your business page. Give people the opportunity to get a good first impression of you and your business by showing yourself in a good light. I frequently see people with profiles on Linked-In and Facebook and other business networking pages with either a scary or boring snapshot as their profile. Even worse is a profile on a business networking site with NO PROFILE PHOTOGRAPH AT ALL. Nothing is worse than having no profile image at all.

I was networking with Rainmakers (business networking group) here in the greater Dayton market and I mentioned to one person that her profile image “was not doing he any favors” in helping people to want to get to know her or learn about her business. It was a far away snapshot where you could not even recognize her. It left you wondering, “what is that all about?”. Finally I convinced her and some other Rainmakers to let me take their profile portraits. In this one case, the young lady said that people were complementing her about her new profile image for weeks. The first three are Rainmaker networking participants. The second three are Young Life staff members in the Ohio region.

To schedule a facebook mini session or business facebook page session to tell the story of my business, just email me or give me a call.

Peter DeMott

937-478-6222

peter@photosbypdemott.com

FEO group (For Each Other) an outgrowth of Dane Sander’s Fast Track Photography book and training

I am involved in two professional photography groups here in the Dayton area. Each stretch me and help me to grow as a photographer. FEO is for the most part a crew of young wedding photographers. The idea for the group is for everyone to help each other grow as business people and as creative photographers.

I am also part of PPSO (Professional Photographers of SW Ohio) which is a sub chapter of PPO (Prfessional Photographers of OHIO). This is a more diverse group including photographers that work mainly with senior portraits, family portraits of all kinds, wedding photography, and even nature stock photography.

Learning and growth are the key to both groups and I find both groups challenging and helpful.

In the FEO group, I was completely impressed with one young couple making their way in wedding photography. I thought I would share some about them to introduce you to them. Also, at this time I do not do wedding photography at all and for those of you in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus looking for young energetic and creative wedding photography, these two are outstanding.

Braum Photograph is made up of Cameron and Mindy Braum.

Cameron does some beautiful blogging on his web site. The site is easy to navigate and definitely shows off their talent and creative flair.

This is the first blog post that I looked at, but he already has another one up. If you want to see more from these folks go up to the menu item BLOG and go through hundreds of outstanding photographs from many weddings throughout the region.

http://blog.braun-photography.com/post/1121321841/amanda-brett-dover-wedding-photography

As a professional photographer it is critical to keep learning. Complaining about competition and problems with the photography business these days does nothing to help you improve and grow. Join an FEO group or other professional photography organization and start attending the meetings.

The power of a self hosted wordpress website/blog for photographers

This post is for my photographer friends.

This is also a follow up to a prior article on the same topic. In less than one year, I’ve gone from 300-500 visits per MONTH to about 300 visits per day to my self hosted wordpress website and blog (very important: this does not work like this if you go get a wordpress.com blog where “wordpress.com” is part of your URL).

As you can see, my URL does not say wordpress.com in it anywhere (www.photosbypdemott.com). That is because I have the entire wordpress program installed on my host and my website landing page is my URL, but this entire web site is a wordpress blog with blog posts and pages. It may not be as slick as some of the flash sites that are promoted in photography magazines, but those sites will never generate this level of activity unless they are heavily promoted. With wordpress each time that I post to my blog it creates more key words that appear in organic searches on Google and other search engines. Since it is a blog, Google also considers it timely information and crawls through the content quickly. When I post something, the next hour or day I have people who have visited my web site about that topic using organic searches (placing words in their google search box and clicking search). 70% of the traffic to this site is from organic searches as opposed to from links that I have placed on various free classified web listings for example.

By using a plugin called WordPress Stats I can see what words and phrases are used to arrive at my web site. When I see traffic that I want, I try to use those words in my next post. For example, as a photographer I want people interested in senior portrait sessions to visit my web site, but I have found that organic searches are many times “senior pictures” rather than “senior portraits”. Using this plugin gives me the tools to focus on the words that will give me the desired traffic to my site. I also mention cities and towns, schools and names of people to increase localized and desired traffic to my site.

Now, I am not that technical a guy. Of course when it comes to photogrpahy, I’m technical. I have a Canon 1D Mark II with a 70-200 IS USM f2.8 lens (and others) for photography. But, with regard to web sites I don’t know HTML or other languages. I don’t even know how to download wordpress and install in on my host. I let others that are very able in those areas do what they know how to do to get me started.

Larry at larry@e-3design.com is my host and web guy whenever I need some help. Larry can host, install, and design a wordpress website/blog for you or can get you started with an install and hosting if you can do the rest. If you want to start with a self hosted wordpress installation, Larry can get-r-done (but, please do not call him and waste his time. If you want him to do it for you, send him a note and tell him you are ready. He will go over his prices and you can do it or not, but don’t call him and use his valuable time with a bunch of questions so you can do it on your own. If you want to learn all that stuff unless you want to pay him, it is not fair to make Larry your teacher. There are also online tutorials about this stuff where you can learn, but personally I want to be a photographer rather than a web site designer).

Next time I will post a list of plugins that send my posts to Facebook and Twitter and provide all sorts of extra benefits.

If you found this interesting, please post a comment. I want to know if I am providing you with information that you find interesting and useful. You can send me a note at peter@photosbypdemott.com as well.

Here is a follow up to my stats graph:

Business portraits / Profile Portraits

Wendy McGlaun is a wellness educator with Juice Plus and a fellow member of Rainmakers networking here in the Dayton area. She needed some portraits for her business and also wanted some of her and her husband Jeff.

After talking a couple of times, we decided that the session should be at their beautiful home in Centerville. The session went very well and her family voted on which images she should use. Here are a couple of the portraits from the session.

This post will appear on my web site: http://www.photosbypdemott.com It will also appear on my facebook personal page and my facebook fan page along with a post on twitter. I am a portrait photographer in the Dayton, Ohio area specializing in on-location portraits of seniors, families and children. I also have a specialty in equine (horse) photography and will come to your farm or stable for your session. If you like my style I encourage you to follow me in any or all the above mentioned areas. If you are a photographer, I enjoy networking with other photographers both professional and amateur.