Intro by Skip Cohen

Every week there are new posts shared on the Photodex blog, and often they're not what you'd expect. While Photodex is the leader in presentation software, and their ability to help artists easily create slideshows is legendary, it's their focus on education that makes them different from so many other companies in imaging.

I love to go through their archives looking for interesting posts. Well, this one was just shared earlier in the week. It's the perfect post to get you thinking about who's looking at your images. While a great website and blog are necessities today, you need to get your work in front of more eyeballs and this new post from Kathy is a great list. She originally listed eleven, but I'm taking the liberty of adding one more, ViewBug.

ViewBug.com isn't just a hosting site for some of the most talented artists in the world and stunning images, but it's also a contest site, with new themes every week. In fact, we've shared a few of the contests right here on SCU. Check out their current contest page and you'll find dozens of contests with prizes from some of the most respected manufacturers in photography. They've combined a hosting feature with your opportunity to simply have some fun with your images.  There's that word, "fun" - too often forgotten with the day-in-day-out stress of business today.

So, check out ViewBug and then wander over to the Photodex blog. You'll find great content and might even be surprised at some of the directions they send you in to expand your brand, creativity and business. And, if you haven't checked out the new ProShow8 just click the thumbnail on the right. Photodex has added some incredible new tools, each one designed to make your presentations even better!

by Kathy

Looking to get your photography out there or maybe just looking for a little inspiration? Check out our round up of 11 sites to start getting more exposure for your photography.

Search photographers and connect, join photography categories, showcase your work, and more. Discover what’s out there and share your creativity with everyone.

• 500px: 500px offers a variety of ways to get your photography out there for the world to see. Create your own account, enter contests, or join a gallery with other photographers based on similar themes and styles. It’s a great place to find inspiration in a community of people sharing the same passion.

• SmugMug: SmugMug allows you to customize your page and make it your own. Easily share your images with the SmugMug community and set up shop if you want to sell your images too. It even gives you an inside look into your stats and analytics to see how much exposure and traffic you’re getting on your page. Get the most out of SmugMug and upload any and all images, they have no limit, regardless which plan you choose!

• Instagram: Easily share your amazing photos on Instagram and other social networks in a fun and creative way. With filters and video editing you can transform you images to get professional looking results. By coming up with your own personal hashtag you can create a separate gallery of all your images. Whenever anyone uses or searches that hashtag they will see all your photos giving you even more visibility and interaction with other photographers or fans.

• Zenfolio:  Create your own custom photography website and upload as many of your photos with unlimited storage. Easily sell your photos to clients using the built-in marketing tools that Zenfolio has to offer and also send your products to print to one of the leading partner labs.

• SnapKnot: SnapKnot is a great way for couples and photographers to connect in any area, the options are endless. The directory includes all the criteria right at the client’s fingertips to help them make the best decision. Photographers can showcase their work online, provide links to all their websites and social media, contact info and more all in one place.

• ImageShack: ImageShack gives you a variety of options to display your work. Customize privacy controls and share an image or an entire album to whoever you want. You can use it for your business or request to become a featured photographer and have your images seen worldwide. Your images can be hosted, linked to forums & websites, and more. Discover, share, inspire or be inspired.

• Photocrowd: Join PhotoCrowd, a photography community of talented photographers and display your work for everyone to see. In addition to having your own gallery, you can also enter challenges, sell your work, and connect with other photographers around the world.

• 1x: To be published on 1x you must be selected by a team of professional curators. To help all photographers reach their full potential, 1x offers critique forums to receive expert feedback on your photos so you are able to grow and improve. There are also many online tutorials offered for you. 1x will publish a few of the highest quality photos every day to give them the exposure they deserve.

• EyeEm: “EyeEm builds technology to showcase the best images from the world’s leading photo community. We reinvent the way brands and agencies license authentic, royalty-free images and share all revenue with the creators.” Join the EyeEm community to get discovered and published.
  
  
• Flickr: Flickr is a place for amateurs and professional photographers to showcase their photos and find some great inspiration from others. They make it super easy! Upload from any device from anywhere in the world and search for that one photo you’re looking for with Flickr’s great organization method.

• Two Bright Lights: Looking to get published? Two Bright Lights is the place for you. In just three easy steps, you’ll be published in no time. Simply create an album, submit to publications, and get published. Also available is a free account if you’d like to share and access images, or for a small fee you can offer your work to vendors who work directly with Two Bright Lights.

Did we miss any other helpful sites? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

Intro by Skip Cohen

There's so much great content in the Photodex blog archives. From shortcuts in building your shows to new features in ProShow 8 and on to great ideas from some of the industry's most creative artists, the goal is always the same - helping you build a stronger skill set and business.  I found this post from Lisa Robinson. We did a Building Your Business podcast together last year, which is well worth your time to listen to. However, this is a new topic, recap slide shows.

Here's why I love the idea - even if you were only to create one new show each quarter, it's a great way to showcase your most recent work. A recap slide show gives you a chance to share your best images and techniques with potential clients. It's also a way to show new things you might be trying. For example, you should already be experimenting with hybrid technology and combining single frame images with short video clips and music. 

Imagine a potential client coming in to check out your website, but instead of image after image in a static gallery they've got a recap slide show to watch with some of your most recent images. It's a great way to create a little excitement for your work and separate yourself from the competition.

Wander into the Photodex blog and then bookmark it. The information being shared changes every day.  There's also a lot of great seasonal information with great how-to content and often FREE themed templates.

And, if you haven't checked out ProShow 8, just click on the thumbnail to the right. Photodex never stands still. They're constantly working to make their software the very best and ProShow 8 has so many new features.

by Lisa Robinson
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If you’re at all like me, you struggle to keep up with your daily or (sometimes even) weekly social media updates with your current workload. I know it’s important to share frequently. Admittedly, my day-to-day schedule just doesn’t allow for that to happen. That’s why committing to a monthly recap can be a great solution to creating a balance in your time management juggling act. Albeit not a large quantity, it does however create a regular time frame that is easy to stick to and gives visibility to your current projects and work. Thus, getting your work out there for people to see!
What I like about Photodex, is that their slideshow tools are so easy to use. It makes creating this monthly recap a breeze. Typically, I can pull a video slideshow together faster than I can put out a blog! Here’s how I do it:

1. Once I finish with a shoot, I select my favorites and export them to a “Favorites” Lightroom Catalog. The Lightroom Catalog lives on my Dropbox so I can easily access it anywhere at anytime. It’s just like using ProShow Web.
2. At the end of the month I can filter by date in my catalog and pick a bunch of my favorites (probably 20+ photos) to export.
3. I upload the photos to ProShow Web and then pick a song for my show. I pick the song by filtering by the length of song. For a monthly recap, a 1-2 minute song is the perfect length. It keeps your recap video short and sweet.
4. Lastly, I export a web ready video, and then post to whatever social media I choose.

If you still finding committing to a monthly show a struggle, then perhaps think about doing a seasonal slideshow of your work. For wedding or nature photographers this might be a natural grouping for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Do you have other ideas that you would like to contribute for regular slideshows? I’d love to hear them!

When I started talking with the Photodex team about this series, I had no idea of the quality of content we'd develop, thanks to some pretty amazing guests.  Each guest has been incredibly candid about the ideas they've shared and often some of the challenges they've had in building their business. 

It's time for you to meet Crystal Stokes, a talented and passionate wedding photographer based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. She's made it a point to always focus on her education and the quality of her skill set as a priority in her growth as an artist. She also makes a great point in this new podcast about the importance of finding that balance between her career and her family

I hope you enjoy listening to the podcast as much as I enjoyed talking with Crystal. Check out her website and be sure to wander through her galleries. You'll see some beautiful work from one of the industry's most enthusiastic artists!

As always, a BIG thanks to the Photodex team. They're dedicated to helping artists raise the bar on their presentations/business, and are always dedicated to education! Click the ProShow8 thumbnail on the right and check out the latest additions to their product line!