Between digital imaging and the Internet, everything has changed in the way photographers especially promote their work. As an artist today, you've got a level of reach that only a few years ago was exclusive to newspapers and magazines.  What I find sad is how few photographers take full advantage of all of the creative tools available.

Here's a prime example from Ara Roselani. I won't deny for a second that she's become a good friend over the years, so I'm a little prejudice about her work. Yeah, I like it a whole lot, but let's see what you think. 

She sent me her promotional video the other day with a wonderful line thanking me for my support and help in getting her exposed to a long list of great educators and artists over the years. It was all through SCU and Skip's Summer School programs, which is where we first met. Since that first summer program many years ago I've watched her skill set grow and blossom. 

The image above is from one of her sessions shown on the video, along with the additional two images I wanted to share below. Ara can walk the talk and never compromises on the quality of her work or the effort she puts into each client relationship. She does her best to make each relationship an experience.

​If you're not using video, a slide show or both to help capture and share your passion for the craft with your potential clients, you're missing an incredible marketing opportunity. Technology has given you a chance to put a voice to your work and even better a way to share what's in your heart. 

Jeffrey Hall isn't a full time photographer, but I'll match his passion for the craft against anybody I know in photography, full or part time. By day he's a Ph.D. scientist working for the CDC in Atlanta, but his love for imaging comes out through Dr. LAW's Photo Lab, owned by Leigh Willis in Atlanta. I didn't get to meet Leigh, but I did get to watch Jeff in action during this year's Dragon Con.

For those of you who don't know about Dragon Con, it's been going on for close to thirty years. It's held in Atlanta every Labor Day weekend covering 4-5 different downtown hotels. My guess is they broke 70,000 attendees this year, all with several common denominators - a love for gaming, sci-fi, role playing along with TV, radio and movie entertainment. At least 5-10 % of the audience come in costume, some of them pretty amazing.

There's a small park across from the Hyatt and during the day characters wander over to be photographed. I had gone over to have some fun with a LUMIX FZ1000 and found Jeff photographing a group of college students. Meet the "Ninjetti Rangers". They're a group of incredibly enthusiastic college students who also redefine passion.

I love watching artists interact with their subjects, especially when it's an even match of enthusiasm on both sides of the camera. The image above is of Jeff with his subjects. I got them to stand still for a quick group shot. While I'd love to take credit for the image below, they were really captured shooting over Jeff's shoulder. The group shot and the video were shot as they did a quick performance for some incredibly excited kids on the scene.

The images were all shot with the FZ1000. The last piece, a six second video, was just on impulse. No planning, but when the Ninjetti Rangers went into their routine it was impossible not to hit the video button on the camera! Everything is right out of the can. I can't wait to see some of Jeff's images, which will obviously be more professional. 

We all have friends in the photography industry, but just because somebody is a buddy, doesn't mean we always stay on top of what they're working on.  

Meet my good pal, Matt Meiers. We met for the first time at ShutterFest 2014, and the friendship just took off. We rarely get much time together, but it's still great to catch up at the various conventions, especially ShutterFest. The cool thing about Matt is his ability to keep in touch via the phone. 

Recently we had a conversation about things he's doing that fall under the "special project" category. He's shooting for his own pleasure and constantly changing things up. He's started reaching out to gym owners in the area and is focusing on competitive athletes, and those who are working hard to stay fit.

What I didn't know was just how good Matt's work is. He told me about the project and we talked a little about marketing, etc. but I had never seen his work. I caught one of his images on the Facebook page for ShutterFest and immediately called him. The work is terrific and Matt is totally focused, no pun intended, on building his brand within the fitness and bodyscape category. 

From podcasts to guest posts, I've shared comments from Matthew Jordan Smith, Kevin Kubota and Don Komarechka, just to name a few. Each one has talked about the importance of special projects to keep your passion for imaging alive when the bread and butter business might be different from a topic you're more passionate about.

Well, with Matt's work it's only a matter of time until this project turns into a permanent aspect of his business. If you're at an upcoming convention, check to see if Matt's going to be there and then make it a point to just catch up to him. He's a kick to hang out with! Follow him on Facebook so you know where he's headed next.