Not Really the End

Hey everyone,

I have some exciting news…at the end of this week my school journey is finally done. I will be finishing up my last two classes! As many of you know I started this blog as part of my social media class assignment so I wanted to make this blog about my experience in the class. First, let’s talk about what I learned in the class which was a lot. I honestly didn’t know there was so much strategy and planning when it came to personal branding. However, I did know there was a lot of that for businesses, but it never clicked that you needed to plan when it is just your own personal account. I learned a lot about different social media platforms and how they can be useful in my case LinkedIn. I have said this, multiple times, but I never used or liked LinkedIn until this class. I now so the benefits of this social media site and I hope to use it to further my connections in the photography world.  I enjoyed creating blogs and vlogs and looking up and writing about other people’s personal brand and how they can help me, but my favorite assignments had to be podcasting. Even though I wasn’t a fan of doing the actual podcast I really like creating one and figuring out, the behind the scenes of it. One thing I wish we touched more on was the how-to. We discussed a lot about other people in our fields and how we can use their accounts to help our own personal brand, but we never made a Twitter, or Instagram, or Facebook, post. Even though these are the more popular sites I think we should have done at least one post on each. Also, we missed out on new social media apps that are up incoming like Snapchat. A lot of brands and celebrities use Snapchat for branding, and I think we should have gone into how Snapchat can be useful. Overall, I really like the class and would suggest it to anyone who is going to school at Columbia College. Well, I have other assignments to get done so I will talk to you guys later. Bye!

Podcast News

Hi Everyone,

As my personal brand grows so does my use of different social media platforms. I wanted to announce to you guys that I plan on starting a podcast with my husband, first about our food experience, then we will see where it goes. I’m really hoping you will join us on this fun culinary adventure.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/episodes/1496815-teaser

Making Professional Connections

Hi guys!

These past few weeks I have suggested blogs, vlogs, and described my personal brand. So this week I wanted to talk to you about professional social media and how I chose to create my profiles. There are many different social media outlets and there are quite a few professional ones but a popular one I chose was LinkedIn. When I first started setting up my profile, I didn’t understand how LinkedIn could help me but as I was looking at other photographers and photography businesses I saw that putting essentially a resume out there for the public is beneficial. LinkedIn is a great and easy way to spread your business by word of mouth. It is also a great site to make connections with either other photographers or even some people in similar businesses such as videographers.  I even joined a few groups which I will list below in hopes to grow my reach as a photographer.

Anyways as for creating a professional-looking social media page is important because that is not only your advertisement but also your resume. I wanted to make sure I picked social media websites that could benefit my business like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. On my “about me” section on each one, I make sure my description is clear and short (not everyone wants to read an entire blog about me). I want my followers and possible clients know what they should expect on each of my media pages. I make sure my content is appropriate and consistent. I advertise my work by posting pictures I have recently have taken or even taken in the past to show my growth as a photographer. These are just a few things to consider when creating a profile even a personal one because anyone can google you and find your social media pages. Well, that’s all I have to say so have a great week and go make connections on LinkedIn or check out the groups I found!

Sidejob photographer: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/156413/

Non-professional photographer- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1961350/

Ask the Photographer- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4794332/

Blogs and Vlogs

Hey guys,

Last week I mentioned a few blogs that I like or even inspired me. They were similar to my personal brand or just what I hope my personal brand will eventually become. This week I wanted to go on a similar theme and I wanted to go ahead and mention a vlog that I really enjoy. For those who may not know what a vlog is I will explain. A vlog is like a blog but in video form. Some say it is more personal and you can communicate with your audience better than a regular blog. The vlog I have been enjoying recently on Youtube is done by Craft and Vision aka David duChemin which you may notice was on my blog list last week. David DuChemin is a great photographer who uses his vlogs to show his audience behind the scenes of his photography. In his videos, he will talk about the photos he has taken, which gear he has used, how he edited them, and answer audiences’ questions. This is an awesome vlog for someone like me who enjoys taking photos of nature and life.

David duChemin vlog is on Youtube which is the same platform I would choose if I started a vlog. The reason for this is because it would be easier for you guys to access because of their large library of videos and easier for me to upload links. Also, duChemin is similar to my personal brand because in my blog and eventually vlog, I share photos about life and explain how I took the photo and why. I will share the link below to Craft & Vision first Youtube video. I hope you enjoy him as much as I do and maybe find some inspiration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl1S_9LIFDc

Inspirations

I wanted to start this blog today by introducing a couple of other blogs that inspire me. Each one of them shows how important it is to be genuine, consistent, and how networking with others in your profession can be beneficial. 

Jessica Lauren - http://jessica-lauren.com/blog/- 

 Jessica is young wedding photographer in St. Louis, Missouri and I have learned many things from her. The more important thing I have learned from her is that age doesn’t matter. You can be doing something you love no matter the age and experience are in the proof of your work. She uses her social media such as Facebook, Instagram, a blog, and a podcast to promote not only her business but her own personal brand. I know when I click on any of Jessica’s social media posts, I’m not only finding beautiful photos but a genuine post. So, the main thing I receive from her is be yourself and be consistent. 

David duChemin - https://davidduchemin.com/

David’s blog is something similar to mine; getting the most out of life and photography. David uses his blog to share photos and tell the story behind them which usually gives you a life lesson. He also uses his blog to sell his photography which is smart since it’s at the end and more of an “afterthought”. As a reader it makes me feel like I’m not being pressured into buying his work. Since David’s personal brand is similar to my own I know there is a market for it and I also could use his as a guideline to see how to market my own business into my personal brand.

Chase Jarvis - http://www.chasejarvis.com/blog/

The last photography blog I would like to mention is Chase Jarvis. Even though Chase is a photographer his blog is more about making connections with other people. This is what I learned from Chase is the importance of networking and sharing others work. When he collaborates or interviews others he is not only reaching his audience but his guests’ audience as well as creating more views for his work. 

Dashing Dish - https://www.dashingdish.com/blog-

Katie Farrell uses her blog, Dashing Dish to share healthy food recipes and her faith. She uses her social media to help spread these messages as well. She has free recipes on the blog that entices people to sign up for the subscription part of her website. Through Katie’s blog, I have learned how to use my social media to spread my personal brand on several different platforms. 

The Blog Abroad - https://theblogabroad.com/2019/03/30/moved-to-malta/

The last blog I would like to mention is The Blog Abroad which is about life, travel, and spreading joy. Gloria Atonmo, the author of this blog, is very open about life and travel. She uses multiple media outlets to help her connect to a wide variety of possible readers. She also uses her social media to network and connects with other travelers and bloggers. 

The similarities of all these blogs are consistency, knowing your audience, using social media to help spread your personal brand, and lastly networking and making connections with others in your field. To become successful in the business world you need to know and understand your audience. Once you have this figured out you can use your social media and networking with others to reach a much wider audience. 

Lets Talk About Me

I figured if I wanted to start a blog I would probably need to introduce myself and what you would expect to see. Here goes nothing...Hi, I'm Gabby. I'm 25 years old, married for two years, and my husband and I have two dogs. I'm currently finishing up my last session of school to graduate with a bachelors in HR. The reason I'm starting this blog (not only because it is a school assignment) but I wanted to share my love of photography and everyday life. My dream job would be some form of a photographer and honestly, a photojournalist would be amazing. However, that is not currently my reality so I'm writing this blog to share not only photos but the story behind it from portrait photos of babies to realism photos to silly photos of my dogs. I may even throw in some food photos and recipes just to mix it up. I enjoy taking photos of my everyday life and sharing not only the photos but the stories behind it seemed like a fun idea. Can't wait to share my adventures with you.