Making Money on Stock Image Sites

Selling stock images is a great way to make use of unused images in your online photo galleries that are just taking up space. You can make a nice chunk of money if you get your work out into the marketplace.

As a photographer, you will make more money if your photos are leased as opposed to being sold. A one-time sale can be really tempting, especially if it’s a big sum but the lease will provide a continuous source of income off of that one photograph. It can make sense to diversify your income by leasing some images and selling others through a lease arrangement. Both arrangements have positives and negatives and it will really depend on your goals and needs.

To begin making money in stock images, start researching current stock photography sites. Find one that offers the leasing option to customers and also has an easy-to-navigate site. This is an easy way to start testing the waters with your work. Don’t empty all of your web photo album images immediately. Start small, learn the ropes, and then work your way up.

To figure out what will sell, look at other stock photographs that are selling. What do they have in common? Are the pictures clear? Can you make out all of the features of the photo? What qualities are people looking for? This can be difficult because every buyer is looking for something different.

Don’t forget stock photography companies are out to make money too. Don’t be afraid to try some new ideas for pictures. You’ll receive feedback on what does or doesn’t sell either from the company you’re selling through or through your sales figures.

To better market your work create a website with links to the stock photography sites featuring your work. This will send more people to your work.

Tips for Setting up Your New Website

You’ve taken the big step to create your own website. Maybe it’s for professional reasons, you want an online space to share your thoughts, or you’re starting a small business. Whatever the reason here are three tips to make sure you start off on the right foot.

Think it Through

Before you start adding loads of content, think through what you want your page to be about. Sit down and create a statement that sums up your page. Then brainstorm as many potential topics as you can. All of the information you add should relate to this overarching goal and theme. It’s easy to stray off path but you’ll end up with a website that is a mess and readers who are confused. You may want to implement a content calendar to make sure you’re staying on track, keeping users informed about sales, or other pertinent information that relates to your business or topic you are writing about.

Appearance

You want to make sure your website looks nice and is easy to read. Avoid dark colors and styles that include too much to look at. Your readers want to be able to find and read the information you are posting and if there’s too much clutter they won’t be able to find it – and the won’t come back. You may want to hire a graphic designer to help you with the layout and appearance of your site.

Visual Aids

In today’s online world images and video are important. Create online photo galleries to house the images that you plan to use. You might have one dedicated web photo album that shows up on your actual website. Incorporate video if it adds to your site but be careful with any video that automatically plays. It’s better to let the user decide if they want to click play or not.

With web photo albums and online photo galleries you can even separate them into special folders to house important information for your customer base.

Preserving Your Summer Harvest

Summer is a time of abundance and if you have a high produce yield this year you will want to save as much of it as possible from going bad. You also may want to replicate your success this year to following years. There are several ways you can do this. First, keep copious notes of what you have done. When did you plant your seeds, what did you sprout ahead of time and what went right into the ground? How often did it rain or when did you water your plants. Take pictures and add them to a web photo album as your plants grow so that you can see the progress year to year. Don’t forget to label and date all pictures! You will love the fact that you can go back and review your web photo albums.

Once you begin to pick fruits and vegetables decide what you’ll use right away and what you might want to preserve for later. Many fruits can be made into preserves or frozen. There are several different ways people do this. Try a few different methods if you’ve never done it before. Then stick with the way that works the best! For vegetables pickling and freezing are two of the most common methods for putting up items. For root vegetables like potatoes, beets, and onions a dark, cool cellar may be all that is needed to keep vegetables several months to use in their natural state. You can also make your produce into things like breads or muffins that can then be frozen and pulled out to use later on.

If you still have more than you know what to do with, chances are good you have a neighbor or two that would love to have some of your excess! You might consider setting up a road side stand and making a small profit on some of the food you have remaining!

Last Minute Summer Road Trip Ideas

If you’re still hoping to get away this summer consider a last minute summer road trip as a fun activity and a way that you can actually save money on your vacation. You often don’t have to look very far to find something fun to do and depending on where you live summer can actually be the low season, allowing you to snag great deals.

First, do a little research to look at nearby areas – within driving distance – that are of interest to you and your family. Many websites allow you to put price alerts in for different locations. Do this for your selected spots. You’ll now get an email whenever a hotel is available at or below your listed price. Each week set aside some extra money to purchase gas cards. This way when it’s time to hit the road you will have a good chunk of money set aside for gas, one of the biggest expenses. You can even store photos of the places you want to visit in an online photo gallery.

When it’s time to hit the road don’t forget your camera or smartphone to capture memories for your online photo galleries. You’ll also want just the essentials so that you’re not weighed down with lots of luggage. Contact the tourist office at your chosen destination to find out what there is to do in the area and hopefully pick up some last minute discounts on attractions and food. Along the way stop in the small towns or interesting restaurants you see advertised. Make the trip as much about the journey as the destination. You won’t be going out of your way and you’ll have a great time exploring places you normally might not visit.

If you’re still not sure where to go, a local lake may be just the thing to see. Or perhaps there’s a waterpark nearby that you’ve never visited. Be creative!

Preparing Your Child for College

For many parents, this is the time of year that they start to prepare for their newly graduated student to go off to college. It can be stressful for parents and children. While there’s no way to alleviate all of the worry there are some things you can do to send them off on the right foot.

A lot of time and attention is paid to registering for classes, securing housing, and purchasing items to decorate a dorm or room. All of these things are important but parents can also take time to create something for their children to have after the dust has settled. Spend some time putting together a web photo album your child can pull up when they get homesick – because they will get homesick. Gather some of your favorite pictures and memories and organize them. Write notes and captions that are memories of the time or place. When your child is homesick or just needs a little bit of something familiar this will be an easy way for them to be comforted.

Along with all of the physical preparations for school you also will want to take time to prepare your child mentally for this new change. Different children are at different places of maturity when they prepare to go away to college. Some may be more than ready while others are more apprehensive. Reassure them that everything will be fine and give them solid, honest advice about the situations they may find themselves in. No longer are they under mom and dad’s roof but they are largely on their own and need the knowledge and skills to make the best decisions possible. Most importantly let them know that no matter what you’re still there for them and that they can always call you when they are in need and when they are just missing you a little they can glance at their photo album.

How Technology Can Improve the Lives of Those with Disabilities

Technology is an amazing thing. It has allowed things to happen that previous generations of people could only imagine. It has done the impossible; sending a man to the moon, putting amazing computing capacity into the palm of our hands, and even creating electronic robots that can perform highly precise surgery. It also has made life much easier for those who have disabilities. For people who were born without the ability to see or who faced an injury later in life, technology has made a big impact on their quality of life.

For those who have mobility issues electronic devices like joystick controlled wheelchairs have meant a new found sense of independence. Parents of children who have autism or other sensory processing issues have found that technology has meant breakthroughs in their child’s ability to communicate. Children who cannot speak have also found a voice through technology. Type to talk programs mean they can type what they want to say and have the program speak their words for them. For children who can’t quite type yet, having online photo galleries available on a touchscreen device allows them to point to what they want to say.  Web photo albums are a great way to store point and say word cards.

Every day new advances and solutions are being invented. Technology like EyeMax systems take communication to another level. Those who can’t talk or use their hands to type are able to communicate what they want to say through eye tracking through text and picture prompts. Cars are being developed that will allow those who can’t see to safely drive. In fact there might be a completely driverless car in the near future – in fact it’s already street legal in Nevada. Maybe you’ve seen videos of children receiving cochlear implants? This technology advance has delivered the gift of hearing to many and further technology advances are making it even better.

Inexpensive Ways to Show off Vacation Memories

You’re home from an amazing week in the Caribbean or month in Europe. Now it’s time to unpack and sort through the hundreds of images you took to remember your time. Don’t fall victim to leaving the pictures for months on a memory card or stuck in your camera! Instead try one of these ideas.

Upload Them

The easiest way to save your pictures is to upload them to online photo galleries. You can create your own web photo album quickly and easily. Break down the pictures by destination or event. Add as many notes as you can so that you won’t forget what was happening. As time fades, so will your memories!

Shadow Boxes

Even though printing photographs has decreased in a big way, why not print off a few of your favorite pictures and include them in a shadow box. Add in shells, receipts, tickets, and other odds and ends that remind you of your vacation. You can then hang this on your wall and have an instant reminder and conversation piece.

Hardbound Album

It is possible to order a printed photo book of your vacation pictures for a lot less than you might think. Sort through your online photo galleries and pull out your favorite images. You can either print them and add to a traditional photo album or you can use an online program to create a physical book. Some programs give you a lot of options on how you want to set up and edit the pictures, what text you want to include, and even more. Your imagination is the only limitation!

Whether you opt to put together a web photo album, hardbound photo album, or a shadow box be sure to take the time to preserve your most treasured vacation memories.

First Day of School Checklist

Will you be experiencing a first day of school this year? Maybe your child is just starting school or maybe they’re old pros. Whatever the case it’s always an emotional time for parents. Be prepared for the big first day with these tips;

* Does your child know their teachers name? Spend time getting them prepared especially if they’re just starting school. You may even be able to take them to school for the first day or an orientation day ahead of time.

* Purchase the items on the back to school list and have them labeled and ready in your child’s backpack before the first day of school.

* Sit down with your child and explain in simple terms what the first day of school is going to be like. You might show them your school pictures in your online photo galleries. Allow them to ask questions and answer them the best you can.

* Fill out and have on file an emergency contact card for your child. This is critical for the school so that they know who to contact in case something should happen.

* Get the school lunch menu ahead of time and talk to your child about what lunch time is like. You may want to send cold lunch with them if you’re unsure if they will eat. Or, if you’d rather don’t make it a choice off the bat and see how they fare with hot lunch.

* Take pictures of the first day for your web photo album. It can be easy to forget in the excitement of the first day but you’ll want to save these memories for the future!

You can help to ensure your child gets off to a great start by making sure they are prepared.

7 Tips for Beginning Photographers

If you’re just getting started in the field of photography you have likely found yourself overwhelmed with all the choices. Just choosing which camera to use can be a headache, and a heartbreak on your wallet. Believe it or not you don’t need to purchase an expensive, fancy camera. But there are some helpful tips to keep in mind while you begin to fill your web photo albums.

1. Carry Your Camera. Yes this sounds like a no-brainer but the best way to get better at photographer is to practice, practice, practice – and you can’t do that if you’ve left your camera at home. Having it with you at all times will make sure you have it at the ready should a great opportunity present itself.

2. Don’t Max Out Your Card on Equipment. There are a lot of very expensive cameras on the market. Don’t go out and buy top of the line equipment if you’re not sure yet what you’re looking for. Spend some time getting a feel for the practice so that you know what you want and then make the purchase.

3. Don’t Neglect Everyday Objects. You don’t have to travel to exotic places or have only unique images to take. Practice your skills of composing pictures and learning your camera functions on everyday objects you find in your backyard or in your home. You might be really surprised to find what amazing images you can capture.

4. Know What You Like. Not all people like to take pictures of the same thing. Maybe you really love landscapes or you have aspirations to become a wedding photographer. Whatever you enjoy shooting is what you should spend your time doing and practicing. For example if you want to be a portrait photographer but all you take pictures of are flowers you might struggle when your human images sit down to be photographed

5. Understand Composition and Staging. Sure some photographers are able to capture the perfect image as it unfolds, but many others rely on basic techniques like composition and staging to take their pictures from good to great. Take some time to research and learn more about these two techniques and begin to apply them in your photography.

6. Lighting. The photographer’s best and worst friend is lighting. Too much and you’ll have images that blow out, not enough and they’ll be dark and lifeless. Learn how to adjust your camera for different types of lighting and learn which angles are best to work with the natural light you have.

7. Keep Track of Your Progress.  Those first shots you took may be awful but ignore the urge to just delete them. Create a web photo album that’s devoted to uploading a few of your images every week or every month. Don’t just add your great images but a mixture. Spend time looking through them to see what you do and don’t like and how you can improve them. If you have a friend who is a photographer or know someone that would be willing to sit down and look at them with you even better. Two eyes and opinions are better than one!

6 Tips for Photographing Babies

The newest bundle of joy is one of the most popular objects to photograph. But also one of the most difficult! The little guys aren’t too keen to be posed and aren’t very responsive to being moved! But you can capture the joy and excitement of a new baby and fill up your baby’s web photo album quickly with the help of these tips.

Make Baby Comfortable

For newborn shots the first few weeks after birth are ideal. Babies are pretty chilled out at this time and still tiny. They quickly start growing! Make sure that the room you’re in is warm, especially if you plan to take pictures of baby with little or no clothes. Have soft blankets and/or pillows for props. Avoid putting on clothing that they’ll be uncomfortable in.

Be Prepared

The last thing you want to do is waste time setting up shots after baby is ready to be photographed. Have everything set up. Your camera charged, lights adjusted, tripod set up if you’re using it. Any changes of clothing should be ready and nearby. Don’t forget extra diapers and blankets in case there are any accidents.

Simple, Natural Shots

Stick with pictures that show a baby as a baby. Sure babies dressed up as flowers are cute in calendars but that doesn’t mean you’ll want those images to remember your baby. Keep low to the baby and get close so that you can really focus on the subject instead of the space around him or her. Of course some pictures that show size differences can really make for good images but limit them.

Black and White

Babies are normally a mixture of colors when they’re first born. They may have flushed skin, small blemishes or scratches. Try changing to black and white images to cover up some of these blemishes. Black and white pictures also have a dramatic effect and can make up for lighting that is less than perfect.

Group Shots

Taking picture of your baby’s first visits with family member is a beautiful addition to your web photo album. It also is a great gift to give the family member. Document these firsts! You’ll also want to take pictures of baby with siblings and the parents. Try to capture images that show natural interactions with baby instead of trying to sit baby up in an unnatural way.

Sequence Mode

Instead of shooting a single picture at a time, set your camera to shoot in sequence mode. You’ll capture 3 or more images in a short time. Because babies move so subtly (and yet so quickly!) this may help you capture the “perfect” image that you would have missed if you were only taking a single shot at a time.

Having a newborn is a lot of work but you’ll quickly forget these early moments. Taking the time to capture as many pictures as possible will help ensure that the first moments don’t escape! Don’t forget to get out from behind the camera and have someone else be sure you’re in the picture too!

Great Image Editors to Help You Enhance Your Online Photo Galleries

Few of us possess the natural talent to consistently take amazing photographs. Even the best professional photographer’s user editing programs to make their images even better. There are many different programs for all levels of comfort with digital editing and what you want to accomplish. Take your online photo galleries from good to great by using one of these programs.

PicMonkey

This is a free service available online. You’ll be able to upload only a single image at a time and it has basic services like resizing, recoloring, and retouching. You can overlay text onto the images, include frames, and “stickers” to make your pictures enhanced even more. Even those brand new to image editing will be able to easily use the program. It also offers a royale option for a small fee of $4.99 a month for even more editing tools and options.

Canva

Many people who want to do more than simply edit their images but add an additional dimension to them such as posting the image and text online, or creating a brochure or other type image enhanced item like canva.  This program is also free but there are some paid templates and options included. The program still has a few bugs but is a good option.

Adobe Photoshop

This program is not online, making it a good choice for people who want to edit photos without needing to be online. The downside is that it does have a fairly steep learning curve and a high price tag. While some people find it easy to use and quickly learn how to make it work best for them, others struggle with the terminology and plethora of options. If you simply want to do basic photo editing this program is probably overkill – not to mention you’ll have to purchase the program, it’s not free. However, if you want to do a lot of retouching or are interested in learning how to retouch photographs this might be an option worth considering.

GIMP

GIMP is a free, open source photo editing program that is similar to Photoshop. You download this program directly to your computer and do not need to be online to use it. Just like Photoshop there are a lot of options with this program and it has a steep learning curve. The plus side is the program is free so if you don’t like it, you aren’t out any money. If you want the options of Photoshop but aren’t ready to make the big purchase give GIMP a try.

Apple Aperture

If you’re a Mac fan then Apple’s editing software should be of interest to you. This program integrates into the Apple suite easily and costs much less than Photoshop. The plus sides of this program is the quick loading and editing times, and that it efficiently organizing your images until you are ready to upload them to your online photo galleries.

Whichever program you select, spending a little time touching up your pictures for your web photo album will be worth it in the long run. 

Technology Activities for Kids

Lots of of parents today are looking for ways to get their kids away from technology.  Everyone is so connected it is important to take a break. However technology can really aid with learning. Instead of completely eliminating technology activities consider allowing children set amounts of time for specific activities. This way you know what they're doing, how long it is for and can be sure it's of value as well. Educational games, research projects based around their interests and watching short, educational videos are a few technology based activities worth considering.

If you have an iPad or tablet, select and download the games you feel comfortable with. Don't allow any apps or games you wouldn't want them spending time on. When they are permitted technology time they can only choose from the items available to them.  What interests do they have? Let them do research and create a web photo album to document what they have discovered and learned or put together a slideshow to share. If you're planning a family vacation out each child in charge of researching a destination and present it to the family.

With a web photo album they can also track things they want to do with an online wish or bucket list.

Finally allow them a short amount of time to watch educational videos. You'll be able to find many on YouTube but be sure to supervise that that is the only thing they are watching. There are other video apps that only show educational videos as well. You might also consider free time where they are permitted to do as they choose for a specific time. Let them roll over their unused time to a large chunk if theres something they really want to do like play a long video game or watch a full length movie. You'll need to make adjustments to these suggestions based on your child's age and needs but setting good technology guidelines early will make things easier later on.

Planning a Picture Perfect Picnic

Do you want to pack a picnic worthy of the coveted cover shot for your web photo album? It's much easier than you might think. Taking a little time to plan and select items to complete  your delicious food will ensure a picture perfect event you won't soon forget.

First, decide how many people will be in attendance and what if any food and drink restrictions they may have. Create a list to keep on hand as you menu plan and shop so that you don't forget. Next make a menu plan. What you pick for food may depend on the time of day for your picnic and the time of year. Try to choose foods that can be kept at room temperature instead of items that must be kept cold or hot. It is difficult to regulate temperatures when you are outside and you don't want to deal with the hassle of keeping lots of ice at hand or finding electrical plugs to keep things hot. One other consideration is to choose foods that can be eaten with hands instead of needing utensils. This is not the time or place for fancy items! Sandwiches, food on sticks, cut up fruit and vegetables, and dips are good ideas.


After you have the menu set it's time to consider the presentation. For a traditional picnic gather plenty of blankets to lay on the ground. You may also want to first cover the ground with a tarp.  Nothing will ruin a picnic faster than a soggy bottom! Next find some cushions to lean or sit on. Outdoor dinnerware, cups, and utensils that coordinate are a nice touch. You may decide to arrange some low tables with pitchers and cups for drinks. A radio or MP3 player with some soft music is a nice touch. If the picnic will stretch into the evening, have some lights like candles or tiki torches to provide light and keep away insects.

If your picnic will be  held in a park pavilion or another structure, you can be a bit more inventive. You may have access to electrical outlets so that some more hot items can be included in your menu. If your guests have tables to sit at, the food choices can be a bit more creative and use more utensils.

During the picnic invite your attendees to take pictures with a digital camera you provide. You can always curate the photos taken and shared for your web photo album. Consider setting up an outdoor photo booth with props to dress up. You won't be stuck as the photographer throughout the event and will still have lots of pictures to remember the event.

When you're finished encourage everyone to help clean up by providing plenty of garbage and recycling receptacles. To thank them for a nice evening, send thank you cards with a link to your online photo galleries with pictures from the event. It may take a little more  planning and work to set up a picnic party in comparison to a house party but it's one sure way to have lots of unique memories.

6 Tips for Backyard Camping

Summer is here and that means lots of picnics, swimming, and vacations. If you find yourself a little strapped for cash this year, don’t fret. You can still enjoy the season without breaking the bank. One fun way to “take a vacation” is to set up a tent in your backyard and go camping! This is an inexpensive way to make memories to fill your online photo galleries, relax, and enjoy summer. Here are six ways to get started.

1. Set a Date. Yes this seems obvious but like all vacations if you fail to put it on the calendar chances are it simply won’t happen. Treat this just like a vacation where you’re headed out of town to ensure you have everything completed so you can enjoy your time. Take care to get everything out of storage ahead of the big campout. You may want to double check the weather too!

2. Meal Plan. What’s a campout without food? Sure you have your kitchen right inside but make this as real of a campout as possible. Set up a portable fire pit or use an in ground fire pit if you have one. Plan to cook your food over the fire just like you would if you were away cooking. Don’t forget to have plenty of marshmallows on hand for roasting.

3. Games. Shut down all of your technology and instead play games, sing songs, or share stories. This is a great time to disconnect and enjoy the people around you. What are some of your favorite outdoor games? Horseshoes, bean bag toss, and Frisbee are just a few ideas. You could create giant soap bubbles with your kids, build an obstacle course, take a photo walk and see who ends up with the best online photo gallery, or have relay races. The options are really endless.

4. Capture the Event. When you go somewhere on vacation you always make sure to bring your camera to capture the memories – well don’t forget your camera for a backyard campout! Sure you’re not somewhere exotic but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to remember this time. Create a new web photo album to share your summer at home. Who knows maybe you’ll inspire other family and friends to stay closer to home the next time they’re planning a vacation.

5. Don’t let the Fun Stop in the Dark. When night falls don’t crawl into the tents just yet! Spend some time star gazing or playing flashlight tag! Enforce a no bed time rule and let kids play until they fall asleep on their own. That’s what vacation is for right?

6. Rise and Shine. Good Morning! You made it through the night! Cook a hot breakfast over the coals or pack everyone up and head to your favorite breakfast restaurant to enjoy a hot meal. Even the cheapest vacation deserves a little bit of a splurge!

Now that your vacation is done have everyone help pick up the camp and pack it away until next time. Or, make a full weekend out of the backyard camping adventure. Just don’t forget to upload your pictures to your online photo galleries when it’s all said and done!

Creating an Online Time Capsule

When a major milestone occurs either in day to day life or according to the calendar, creating a time capsule is a good way to remember the event. How many traditional time capsules were buried in the year 2000? Or when a town celebrates 100 years of existence-or more? What about high school graduating classes that bury their memories for future generations to unearth.  Today there's no need to bury physical objects when online photo galleries can be created to do the same thing.

Instead of relying on physical objects photographs of important items need to be gathered. This can be done through a web search or by actually photographing the desired objects. Include a good variety of items. What was popular in music? Clothing? What did your city look like? What were people doing for work and for fun? What were some favorite foods? You may want to include recipes too. Think of what people 50 years ago would have eaten, chances are it has changed today. People in the future may want to try making your favorite foods! Don't forget to include highlights of items in the news both Iocal, national, and international.

You don't have to stop at images.  You can also include video. Maybe a short tour of the  local schools, parks, or hot spots would be interesting. Interview some prominent people in your community as well as the everyday “man on the street” to get their perspective. Have questions prepared ahead of time so that you are able to of get an interesting sample of similar questions. You're only limited by your imagination! When everything has been collected assemble it in your web photo album.  Leave directions with your local library or somewhere that it will be remembered and checked on regularly. Over the years updates may need to be made to save the information.

Bedroom Organizing Ideas

Doesn’t it feel like when your bedroom is organized, your whole day starts out better?  Not only is it easier to rest, but you’ll feel more relaxed and peaceful when you come home. Let’s face it a room full of clutter is not comforting! It might seem daunting to tackle a disorganized and cluttered room but once you do, you’ll be much happier.

Toss the Trash

It should be so simple to toss the receipts and scraps of paper that quickly takeover the dresser but what if you’re saving them for tax time or need to return something? For those receipts you need, place them in a basket or box and regularly scan and upload them to an online web photo album. That way when it comes to be tax time you’ll have a digital record of your receipts. Regularly sort through your papers and toss out anything that you truly don’t need or have already been recorded. Keep a trashcan close by to make this task easy.

Have a barrage of photos laying around the bedroom? Why not create an online web photo album.

Revenge of the Clothing Piles

Dirty laundry should immediately go in the laundry basket and once it’s full don’t hesitate moving it to the laundry room. Once the laundry has been washed and dry fold it while taking it out of the dryer or place it on hangers. If you immediately put it away it will be out of sight and out of mind. Avoid the temptation to “do it later.” We all know that time rarely comes!

Closet Organizing 101

Are your dresser drawers cramped with clothes? Do you have a pile of shoes in the corner of your room or filling up the floor under your bed? Does your closet look more like a tornado came through than a cohesive space? If this is the case then you’re certainly not going to find a sense of peace in your room. Closets are a space to tuck everything away neatly so it’s not causing you unneeded stress. There are many different closet organizers available, just like there are lots of ways to set up your closet. Choose something that is simple and fits all of your needs. That way you’ll be most likely to use it properly! Not to mention that by hanging things up and keeping them tidy, clothes and other items will likely last longer.

Drop and Run

When you’re in a hurry it’s easy to toss things on the bed and run. How many times have you changed your shirt and left the first one at the end of the bed? Or last nights’ jeans sitting on the bedspread after you crawled under the covers? Take the extra minute to put things in the proper space to keep your living space nice and neat.
By keeping your room organized and clean you will be on your way to a more restful nights’ sleep. Not only that you may discover you enjoy spending time with your loved one in the bedroom or time alone relaxing in your room.

Visual Trends Not to Ignore

Digital marketing is important for every business and every year it becomes more and more important. A large part of a good digital marketing strategy is having amazing visual content. This is nothing new. Remember the adage, “ a picture is worth a thousand words,” well it’s still true! People tire quickly of line after line of text – especially when a single image can convey the same thing. Some statistics show that;

• images on Facebook receive 53% more Likes, 104% more comments, and 84% more click-throughs on links than text alone. (Kissmetrics)
• images on Twitter increases retweets by 150% and click-throughs by 18% (Buffer)
• Research on the human brain shows that almost half of it is involved in visual processing. Not only that but we can interpret a visual image in one-tenth of a second.
• Images are shared more often and appeal to a wider audience than text alone. 

It’s pretty evident that the power of an image not only makes a difference with digital marketing but in general!

There are constant improvements being made with visual images – that means plenty of ways to beef up your web photo album! Some general trends to consider;

• Let personalities show through
• Consider using infographics to convey information that would otherwise be presented in standard text
• Use editing tools to create the best quality and most appealing images possible. 
• More and more people are accessing information via tablets and mobile phones where reading is more difficult – this makes the power and need for visuals even greater. 

Social networks are placing more and more emphasis on images, increasing sizes and giving them more weight. Be sure your images are resized to make the biggest impact. Don’t forget to keep fully loaded online photo galleries so that you or your social media manager can access all of the images that are available for use in your web photo album.

4 Ways to Use Online Photo Galleries in your Office

You’re familiar with having picture frames and maybe even albums in your office, but what about web photo albums FOR your office? There are lots of web sharing options and apps available for every purpose but sometimes all you need is a simple way to share images across the office. This is why using online photo galleries can be so powerful. Today’s companies are spread over large spaces, and often include many people who telework from home. They need a way to share without having to come into the office.  Here are a few ideas.

Share Project Documents

How many times have you been working on a project with another team or even a single individual and needed a piece of information or an image that they have on their computer. Today more and more people telework making it much more difficult than just walking down the hall to retrieve the image. Create a web photo album for each project you’re working on and upload the shared documents there. This way both people have easy access to the information.

Create an Image File for Social Media Manager

Your social media manager plays a pivotal role in your organization. The role often needs input from all of the different departments, not just one. In order to provide them with stories and information to share, there needs to be a central repository to gather information. Create separate photo galleries for each department or team and be sure to keep it loaded with fresh images and information that they can pull from. This will make everyone’s job easier and keep the public and potential clients excited and interested in what is going on at your office.

Employee Directory

Do you have a large office this is spread out either on different floors, in different areas, or in different geographical locations? People don’t often have the opportunity to meet those who work with the organization. If they had a place to get to know people, or search for those with the skills they need for a project it might make the business run even better. Create an employee directory using a web photo album! Each person can share a brief biography in the comments and provide a contact email.

Integrate into Presentations

Studies have shown that more and more people gravitate to visual images instead of text. For your next project build up photo galleries to illustrate your points and highlight your findings instead of relying on a long-winded written report. Images can make any report stand out and have a bigger impact. When materials are available for everyone it makes creating these visually appealing components of a presentation easier.

These are just a few of the ways that businesses can use web photo albums to make their businesses work better. Whether you use a remote service or one that is only accessible via a private intranet connection, sharing means more than putting together photo galleries of your latest vacation. They truly can make day to day operations run more smoothly and effectively.

How Authors Can Use Web Photo Albums

If you’re an author you know that in today’s world simply writing a story or a novel isn’t enough. You need to be an evangelist for your work. From getting a publisher to notice you, to actually making sales there is a lot of work to do! The good news is that in today’s world there are a lot of free and inexpensive tools available to make that work easier. One tool that you can immediately begin using are online photo galleries.

Now you’re wondering how this can help you as an author. It’s pretty simple really! Here are three ideas to begin implementing today.

1. Create a photo gallery of your inspirations. If you’re in the process of writing right now, create a web photo album to gather all of the images that are inspiring you. They might be locations that you are setting your story in, or clothing that you think your characters might be wearing – anything goes! Make sure you label your images well – you’ll want to use this folder later!
2. Character Sketches. Another album can focus on your characters. Find images of other people that they are similar to. Find visual images of their attire, the jobs they might have, what they like to have. Again, taking care to fully label and hash out your ideas as you save the images. 
3. A third folder can be a place to save ideas for cover art, text, and other design details related to the final look of your book. The colors that you like, the images that reflect the overall feeling of the book, even quotes or snippets of text you might want to include. 

These photo galleries will help inspire you as you write but they also will be an invaluable resource when it comes time to market your work. Readers love to gain inside knowledge. They are interested in your process, how you crafted your characters and what you were thinking. This information can sometimes be difficult to recall, especially if it has taken you a good deal of time to put the book together. If you established your characters 12 months before the book was released you probably won’t remember the details of how they came to be. Pulling up the images can help spur the memory.

If you plan to use social media to market your book images are a great tool! Share one image a day that inspired you as you wrote. Giving your readers this kind of visual accompanied by some more of your thoughts is a wonderful way to engage them. You might ask a question like, “this is what I imagined Sylvester looked like, does it match what you thought?”

Online photo galleries are a must-have tool for writers from project inception to final marketing. Keep this in mind when you begin your work so that you can create powerful photo albums to fuel your writing process and power you through an amazing advertising push! 

3 Ways to use photo galleries for trip planning

Whether you love it or hate it, trip planning is an important part of making your vacation great. It can feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be! If this is your first trip of your fiftieth, the same steps and ideas can be implemented to ensure you have the best experience.

Many travelers become overwhelmed with all of the information available. Paper lists, digital pinboards, and a dedicated email folder may help organize the information but why not combine all of those ideas into one with an online photo gallery? One way to organize your information is to create three separate web albums and begin compiling information. Let’s use the example of a trip to France and see how web albums can make trip planning easier.

First label three albums with the titles; suggestions, what to eat, and final plan – or something similar to this. Then begin filling the albums.

Suggestions
In this album you will want to put any and all images for things you think you might like to do. If you’re visiting more than one city or region, creating sub-albums can further sort your information. For a trip to France that begins in Paris and will visit Marseille and Bordeaux, you could create an album for each. What sites do you want to see? What museums or historical sites are of interest? Add an image or two of each and include comments on where it is, what the hours are, the cost – really anything that will help you recall why you wanted to visit, at a glance.

What to Eat
If you don’t care much about food, this folder could focus on something else – essentially it’s a single web photo album that includes the very specific details of one genre that’s important to you. If you’re an art lover, this folder could include images of the artwork you’d like to see or architecture. Be very detailed here.

Final Plan
Once you’ve had the time to gather everything you can about what you would possibly like to do it is time to start filtering through the images and information. You may want to draw up a daily plan and sketch out your time. This can help you make more sense of what you actually will have time to do and what might have to wait for next time. You can create sub-albums in this folder that focus on each day. Move over the images to the things you’ll do each day and build your itinerary from there. You can visually see where you have gaps and where you’re overloaded. Don’t forget to add in some images for meals, naps, and other relaxation activities.

When you’re on the road, all you’ll need to do is pull open the online photo galleries and you can view your itinerary in seconds. Rearrange as you go, delete or add in new ideas. No matter how you choose you use your web photo albums during travel, your trip will be organized!