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11/16/2012 11:15:21 AM · #1 |
There's plenty of good, bad, and ugly when it comes to FB, whether you are using it personally or professionally.
If you are using it for your photography business, you really need to make sure that everything you do is planned and on purpose. Here are some things to keep in mind:
* Don't just post stuff willy-nilly. You public posts should have a primary purpose of giving people a reason to want to do business with you.
* Think your posts through, edit them for spelling, grammar, and wordiness. They represent your attention to detail.
* Keep your opinions to yourself. Unless your opinion is going to bring you business or solidify your business, it should be kept to yourself.
* Know your audience. If your post is a communication with a client that can also serve as a marketing message to the public, then it's ok to make it public. Otherwise, keep it between you and your client.
* Be smart about the photos you post. Yes, FB can give you extraordinary reach, sometimes in ways beyond any other means. But don't give in to the temptation to throw everything out there. Be selective. Use it as a teaser with links to galleries where people can see everything else, as well as have the opportunity to make purchases or book you. Remember, once it's on FB, it is pretty much gone forever from your control.
Here's one more caveat about posting images on FB. This is just simple logistics and operations.
-> You upload photos to fb. People 'like' them. Some people want to get prints or larger files. They email you the image or images they want.
-> How the heck do you find it, given that FB renames the file when you upload it?!?
-> Who has the time to scour folders and files, looking for a particular image BY SIGHT?! I don't. Do you? Does anyone else you know?
Unless you charge a library fee, you'll never recover the time and energy spent looking for photos that people saw on FB...
Also, in terms of posting images, I typically post images that I export from Lightroom at 720px 72dpi and either Quality=60 or file size limited to 125kb. Those low-res images are fine for email and social media, but unless you know what you're doing, they're not good for much more. Over the years, I have found that very few people have the ability to turn a low-res image into a decent print. This means you aren't necessarily giving away the farm when you post them, that you do still have the option of offering to provide prints or printable files for a reasonable fee. |
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11/16/2012 11:43:39 AM · #2 |
one thing that drive me nuts with Facebook is the images. i know i used to judge a photographers ability based on the image quality until myself realized that their compression technology is terrible.
my wife even commented to me on a couple of occasions after seeing some of her friends post images they got done they i could take better pictures becuase they "looked" that bad. turns out there is nothing wrong with their ability, its just the quality one is able to get from posting to FB.
i actually have a disclaimer about the equality that appears in my FB portfolios isn't indicative of quality that i can produce.
but again great port Skip, as always, informative.
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11/16/2012 11:48:09 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by mike_311:
...
i actually have a disclaimer about the equality that appears in my FB portfolios isn't indicative of quality that i can produce.
but again great port Skip, as always, informative. |
Are you sure it was port? Seems to me it might have been sherry. (and a lot of it judging by your post. ;) )... |
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11/16/2012 11:50:19 AM · #4 |
Hey skip,
Thanks for this. I m getting ready for a decent sized online push for my work to gain some publicity. I think i have an approach in mind and have prepped some material towards getting it done. I'ld be interested in hearing your thoughts if you have a few minutes, let me know and I'll PM ya. |
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11/16/2012 01:12:03 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Devinder:
Hey skip,
Thanks for this. I m getting ready for a decent sized online push for my work to gain some publicity. I think i have an approach in mind and have prepped some material towards getting it done. I'ld be interested in hearing your thoughts if you have a few minutes, let me know and I'll PM ya. |
fire away :D
and thanks,  mike_311! i believe i'll have some, too ;-)
that is a great point you make, though, about quality and compression. it's amazing how dumbed down people are becoming.
Message edited by author 2012-11-16 13:14:42. |
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11/16/2012 01:25:03 PM · #6 |
i have no problem with the quality on Facebook., i uplad high quality but watermarked images and they look fine even almost full screen on a 27"
//www.facebook.com/GlbPhotography
although im not after work i pretty much follow all of the principles skip posted
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11/16/2012 01:51:24 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by Giles_uk:
i have no problem with the quality on Facebook., i uplad high quality but watermarked images and they look fine even almost full screen on a 27"
//www.facebook.com/GlbPhotography
although im not after work i pretty much follow all of the principles skip posted |
there must be some science to to, i came across a photographer my wife knows and was looking at her work and the pictures looked great on Facebook, i need to talk to her to find out how she gets them to look so clean, mine do look so good.
luckily lots of people access FB on their phones so the crap quality doesn't appear so bad. |
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11/16/2012 01:55:33 PM · #8 |
Great post as always Skip!
One thing I wonder about is the way in order to deter image theft you say you not only upload files of minimal resolution but also set the quality somewhat low at 60. I wonder if limiting to 720 pixels is enough without limiting the quality that Facebook will stomp on even a more?
For Facebook images I usually set the quality as high as possible even when the resolution is low because I want the images to just look like small high quality images rather than small and of questionable quality. I see your point in posting something jaggy enough that it won't upsize well, but is that worth doing at the risk of not impressing people with your quality? I guess it's a delicate balance between giving enough to emphasize your quality yet not be victimized :P
You can now upload images quite large to Facebook (think the limit is 2200 pixels) and occasionally if I'm not concerned about theft I have uploaded at 2048 pixels and on a Retina iPad with 2048 native resolution they look pretty darn good. |
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11/16/2012 02:11:45 PM · #9 |
| if its your photo page as opposed to your own page why limit the size to stop theft? just watermark the image |
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11/16/2012 02:24:56 PM · #10 |
to me, it's not as much about "theft" as it is in trying to minimize lost revenue. once an image is post on fb, watermarked or not, you've pretty much lost control. it can be copied, reposted, utilized, etc, and you'd probably never know it (unless it made the 5 o'clock news in denver). and i personally don't look at fb as being the platform where i'm trying to show off the full breadth and width of the quality of my work. to me, fb is about quick connects and teasers.
i get where some of you are coming from, but that's why i don't post big photos on fb. at least if it's an image i feel has some hope of turning a buck. if i don't care, then i'll upload a larger image.
and lately, i haven't been watermarking images. i might go back to that, but haven't felt the need to. maybe it's just the nature of what i've been shooting and whom i've shooting for. |
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11/16/2012 03:54:21 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Skip:
lately, i haven't been watermarking images. i might go back to that, but haven't felt the need to. maybe it's just the nature of what i've been shooting and whom i've shooting for. |
LOL! I've just started watermarking EVERYTHING |
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11/16/2012 04:10:36 PM · #12 |
Good post and excellent discussion. I see FB for business as a couple things: another channel to drive business to your website where you either move the lead to the next step (contact or sale) AND/OR another avenue and content repository to help with SEO. This really applies to any business use of FB. I would question whether anyone is closing deals via their fb page - unless you have some sort of exclusive discount offering there.
For photography, what are the thoughts on the photos you post: Quantity (it's free after all) or Quality (meaning the best of your best shots)?
IMO, quantity and variety give you a better chance at capturing the attention of a broader market, but risks overwhelming and putting people off, while quality would do better at positioning you within a niche.
Regarding theft - I think basic protections should be in place (relatively small without compromising quality, and watermarking) are enough and it's not worth obsessing over it. |
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11/16/2012 04:56:28 PM · #13 |
| once you get enough likes (40 i think) you can view the metrics to see how many people get reached by your posts and activity, its not nearly as comprehensive as google analytics but its cool nonetheless |
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