Time For BP To Step Up

Social media campaigns thrive over the internet. The purpose for campaigns like these are to attract more people. What if the campaigning draws attention, however the attention mostly negative, what's the point then? BP oil needs a miracle to reestablish any amount of credibility they once had. Nevertheless, BP recognizes when the need for impeccable marketing strategies is critical. Recently, I read in Wired that:

BP didn’t begin its social networking campaigns in earnest until one month after news of the spill broke, says David Binkowski, senior vice president of word of mouth marketing at the MS&L Group. Wired

I am thinking BP may be a little late with their campaign efforts. BP's campaigning attempts have only fueled (no pun intended) the media to mock BP with counteracting comical campaigns. An example:



It makes sense that BP would want to regain trust from the public, but it may be smarter to salvage the reputation of the business by focusing more on helping those that were directly affected by the oil spill. The resolution to the oil spill is so complex the answer for fixing the problem is not easily answered. Rather than focus on attracting more business (because I think BP has that part fully covered) with marketing campaigns, a more proactive approach is in demand and just take accountability.

Pitching For Pictures

Elevator Pitch Idea A

The internet, an integral part of most aspects of our lives has become a necessary component in order for us to function from day to day. Undeniably, we have benefited from the internet, but while it has connected us globally it has also disconnected us in many ways also. Today, professional photographers are no longer necessary to hire, because availability and retrieval of images through online stock photos is so easy. As a result of this there is not such a demand for professional photographers, but should remain as a recognized skilled craft even though all of us have the means. Snappy Story, a useful online resource to professional photographers, offers as a hub for them to connect with businesses'. These businesses' are requesting for specific types of photographs to be created. The photographs typically will involve a strong message to be conveyed through a visual creation. The hub will foster and support an ongoing working relationships between the professional photographer and businesses'. Snappy Story meets with potential clients to further discuss ideas and all other possibilities.

Query Email Idea A

From: Julie Heffernan [mailto: julie.heffernan@quinnipiac.edu]
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 4:47 PM
To: _____(potential sponser)______
Subject: Images To Empower

Hi ________(potential sponser)_______,

As more and more content is received and delivered over the internet, our attention span for stories becomes shorter with each passing day. Professional photographers deliver images based on a code of ethics and standards. Snappy Story wants to link professional photographers and businesses' because as technological advancements continue to occur we are gradually losing professional photographers in today's world where everyone is a photographer.

I believe professional photography is a skilled profession that should be a distinguished group of its own, as well be given the opportunity to thrive. If you are interested in help making this possible, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Julie Heffernan
(Business name and address), Hamden, CT
(Business phone number)
(Business email)

One Sentence Pitch Idea A


Snappy Story fosters working relationships between business and pro photographer. The outcome: a creative image with a telling story and an important message.

Elevator Pitch Idea B

Do Gooder is an online community portal for the amateur photographer who wants to be part of a social cause to promote positive change in the world. Idea B is slightly similar to Idea A in that it is also an online portal for photographers to use as a networking community. Do Gooder however is aimed towards an amateur photographer and is more like a source for photo contests that are solely focused on social change, which their will always be a need for. Do Gooder website will have most of the global issues that exist today and will be organized in categories. Any amateur photographer can link to a desired cause and then just follow the instructions. Each cause will have different requirements for its contest. The winner of the contests will be guaranteed a public spot on Do Gooder website for 1 full month. This spot will be their own space on Do Gooder webpage to display personal work samples. Also, Do Gooder would feature a story on the up and coming photographer on one of the major photography websites Do Gooder is affiliated with. In addition, the winner may also receive a separate prize from the organization of the featured cause.

Query Email Idea B

From: Julie Heffernan [mailto: julie.heffernan@quinnipiac.edu]
Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 4:47 PM
To: _____(potential sponser)______
Subject: Doing Good Things With Your Photos

Hi ________(potential sponser)_______,

Many social issues are addressed by a number of charities, but the need for support for social change is never enough. Do Gooder is a non-profit website that provides opportunity for everyone involved. The target audience: amateur photographers will have the opportunity to select from a number of affiliated organizations that work for a cause to change. The idea is to provide opportunity for an important cause and also for an aspiring photographer.

If you are interested in help making this possible, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Julie Heffernan
(Business name and address), Hamden, CT
(Business phone number)
(Business email)

One Sentence Pitch Idea B


Do Gooder is an online non-profit organization that supports both amateur photographers and various social issues. Creating opportunity and recreating images. Addressing issues and making change.

Viewfinder

Life is all about trial and error. The challenge is not to dwell on the mistakes we've made, because this only clouds our focus; keeping us in a kind of stagnated realm of state. This is easier said than done. Writing and re-writing is self searching. It parallels with the discoveries we encounter throughout life.

When I began thinking about my online presence and how I wanted others to view me I really had no idea where to begin. I was constantly changing my ideas even before I put it down on paper. I wanted to get it just right in my mind first, and then I could ascribe my thoughts in any formal way. For me, declaring a pseudonymous identity meant I needed to evaluate myself and I don't think I ever looked at myself in such a truthful way.

I started with a Biosketch introduction of myself: I am Julie Marie Heffernan, a photographer and artist who sees the real world every night shift in the Emergency Crisis Unit where I provide mental health assistance. I have a BA in Psychology from the University of Arizona and am pursuing my Master’s in Interactive Communications at Quinnipiac University.

Over the next several weeks I would think about the kind of online presence I would exemplify and how it related to the niche I had not yet discovered.

A Sample

The sample writing I chose to use at the beginning of this writing course: Holism Helps Others was a paper I did when I was in nursing school. The premise of the paper was synergy. After reviewing this written sample of mine I realized it only highlighted things about myself I didn't want highlighted, such as being too wordy. I did not write in my own voice because this was never asked of me. My writing was predictable and safe. This is seen below in the excerpts I've extracted from my writing sample.

The Synergy Model helps the patient identify personal intention, providing a higher sense of awareness, internally and externally. Integrating aspects of one life area to another is important, because immediate competing demands and/or preferences may arise, and one’s well-being is dependent on environmental factors (social influences), which may involve interaction (interpersonal influences), and potentially prompt a response; affecting the outcome.

The larger ideas from each theory contribute meaning to the term of Holism. Holism is the idea of a “sacred space” that is so impressive that it permeates a certain kind of confidence. I hope to reach this pinnacle point someday by maintaining a positive outlook on life’s unexpected events; seeing them as opportunities.

As I continue searching for, essentially my identity, I start to worry that I will not find it anytime soon. Nevertheless, I just kept peeling away my many layers, one layer at a time.

For the Love of Research

As I began my research I realized it fostered self learning. It reflects self-autonomy and a desire and permits for self-growth.

Today's Modern Painter

Enriching images help us to understand the societal changes as they occur. Applying photography with painting is just another visual way to tell a story from a different perspective. Although recognized as separate disciplines, photography and painting combined bring a new kind of mode for expression that reflects our everyday evolving world.

In 1827, photographs were first produced by a device called the camera obscura. It was the beginning of an optical revolution. The idea of using both photography and paintings to create a more realistic expression is a practice that's been in place since the invention of the camera.

My Photographer's Eye

The topic of interest I selected focuses on the subject of photography. I always hear a good picture is all in the "photographer's eye". I consider myself a serious photographer and I appreciate the creative variety it brings to light. Not only does it allow for creative self expression, it also helps to develop my eye for art.

The People's Eye versus The "Photographer's Eye"

Photographs allow us to always remember a certain memory of someone or something; maintaining a legacy. Today, paprazzi dominate photography, but it is important to recognize that they are not the ones to choose what to photograph, the people are. Paparazzi just deliver the goods. Photography is considered art only when the photographer's intentions for taking the picture in the first place is of their own motivation.

Story of Truth

Visual influence has become an integrated part of our everyday society. Today, there is a relentless craving for attention that seems to exist. Images that once shocked seem to only desensitize us more.

The things we choose to photograph tell a story. The question is: is it going to be a photograph that tells a story of truth or one that bends the truth? I think in this day and age-the truth may actually be more shocking.

Memorable Pictures

When a picture is taken with intention, your viewers will be much more intrigued. An image is much more than just visual aesthetics, you want it to convey a meaningful message. The objective for this kind of artistic expression is to tell a story.

Try using the following mnemonic:

POISE

'P' stands for Panoramic

'O' stands for Object

'I' stands for Interact

'S' stands for Subject

'E' stands for Emotion

Start by PANNING the scene of the location of the shoot. Then observe how either how the OBJECT interacts with the SUBJECT (or vice versa)? WHat is the EMOTION being conveyed?

The composition, the surrounding space of the photograph, should not distract the person from the picture's main focus, rather it should enhance it.
 
More Niche Pondering

I like the idea of editorial photography because it delivers a story through a visual medium with the goal to evoke emotion among its audience. Macro photography, also referred as micro photography, is a type of close-up shot. Even though this type of photography requires a lot of time and patience, the end result is a magnificent closeup shot that is precise and accurately focused.

From this point on I have made the decision to live my life with eyes wide open. I have many interests and am curious about many more. I am an honest writer who likes to learn new things and share new found knowledge with others. I will focus on writing about editorial and macro photography, but I will not limit myself to other areas of interest if it appropriately fits with my niche.

Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.
Ashley Smith

 

A Little Closer To Finding My Niche

After much searching I have shaved my interests in my chosen niche down to: Editorial Photography and Macro Photography. The difficulty I found in narrowing my niche down was something many photographers often struggled with. Just like many other photographers I enjoyed shooting a wide range of subjects and objects. To simplify would be difficult, but something that would eventually have to be done. It is common for photographers to earn a living in more than one market. I chose Editorial Photography and Macro Photography as the current niches I will toggle between.

Photojournalism

You may be asking yourself (because I did): how does this niche differ from photojournalism?

The niche's, similar in function, with some even considering editorial photography as a subtype of Photojournalism. Both deliver a story through a visual medium. While photojournalism and editorial photography both potentially evoke emotion among its audience, editorial photography most always strives to do this.

Editorial photography offers a diverse selection of opportunities for photographers to get their work seen and published. Many businesses' utilize photographs through a stock organization, which the internet makes this easy to do.

Macro Photography

Macro photography, sometimes referred to as micro photography, is a type of close-up shot of something. The technical skills to obtain an image that is the same small size as the object/subject requires time and patience. The end result is a magnificent, precise, and accurately focused closeup shot.

The Layers of Researching

The older I get I seem to love researching on random information. I imagine their are many reasons for this, but the most distinctive one is that it foster's self learning. Each time anything grabs your attention it is a healthy implication that your interests surpass the scope of your everyday routine. It reflects self-autonomy and a desire to discover and reveal self actualization.

Although I admit the last module on researching was not the easiest assignment for me. For some reason I had the worst case of writer's block. I eventually was able to find the words I wanted to voice, at least in a first draft kind of way. Little by little I found myself peeling away the layers of myself and the preferences I have developed up to this point. The assignment forced me to open that door and to take the first step inside to an otherwise untraveled terrain of myself.

I learned a little about history, art, and the many niches that fall under the genre of photography. Abraham Maslow defines self-actiualization in, A Theory of Human Motivation, to be

"the desire for self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming."

Researching not only fulfills a curiosity for something, it also permits for self-growth. Through researching I scaled my chosen niche down to Editorial Photography. Even though I am declaring this to be my niche now, I recognize the likelihood it will evolve or it will change completely. Only time will tell as I continue on with my journey.

Today's Modern Painter

Unique experiences and technological advances promote opportunities for more creative expressions, as well as accommodates to modern day standards. The experiences that shape our world as we know and perceive it is kept alive through images brought to us by both photographs and paintings. Photography, a mode to visually communicate is the creative process of capturing a moment in time with a recordable device, such as a camera. Lighting and exposure are key factors in producing a descent photograph. Painting is another type of visual communication used throughout history. Although recognized as separate disciplines, photography and painting combined bring a new kind of mode for expression. Over the years, the two mediums have been the cause for controversy, raising the question to whether photography should be considered an art form. Photography and painting should not be viewed as counterparts to each other, but rather a synergistic model that reflects our everyday evolving world.

Photography As An Art Form
Today, a photographer has a plethora of creative tools to work from than in previous years. The first documented attempt to freeze an image in time was about 330 BC when Aristotle questioned why the sun could make a circular image when it shined through a square hole. At the time Alhazen had invented the pinhole camera or camera obscura, which functioned as a mode to view things and assist artist in drawing. It wasn't until 1827 that the camera obscura was used as a way to produce photographs, which at that time photographs were referred to as either heliographs or sun prints. This event signified the beginning of an optical revolution.

Since this time the camera has evolved in its ability to produce astounding photographs. The idea of using both photography and paintings to create a more realistic expression is a practice that's been in place since the invention of the camera. Photographs often helped the painter to create a more accurate depth of field. And then their were some artists who felt that,

"Photography has greatly disturbed the imagination, because one has seen things devoid of feeling. When I wanted to get rid of all influences which prevented me from seeing nature from my own personal view, I copied photographs(Quote by French artist Henri Mattise, 1933)."

Today, photographs are utilized with paintings much differently. It is common to see art

"mimic paintings, some paint pictures based on recognizable photographic source material, and some violate photographs by painting or drawing on their surface (Columbia College, 2005)."

Modern technology makes it possible to capture a more accurate image. For example software tools like Photoshop make it easy to take a photograph and upload it and use it as a template to paint over. It is important to note, images taken by another person other than yourself need to be properly credit for.

The ease of obtaining the creative work of another person should not be abused. It is a right and a privilege to share our ideas with one another. Enriching images help us to understand the societal changes as they occur. Applying photography with painting is just another way tell a story from a visual perspective. The modern painter is keen to recognize and utilize resources when necessary in order to effectively communicate ideas. Creative ideas are the result of our experiences combined with the ideas from previous thinkers, but is unique because it comes from our own perspective.

References:

-About.com Guide, Bellis, M., (2010) History of Photography
Pinhole Cameras to The Daguerreotype
http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/stilphotography.htm

-Ask.com (2010), Painting and Photography
http://www.answers.com/topic/painting-and-photography

-Columbia College, Museum of Contemporary Photography (April 2005),Painting on Photography : Photography on Painting, Chicago.
http://www.mocp.org/uploads/PaintingPhotographyPR.pdf

-Kleiner, F.S., (2009) Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective Wadsworth Publishing, Boston.

-Phaidon (1994) The Art Book, Phaidon Press, NY.

-Wells, L., (1996) Photography: a critical introduction, Routledge, NY.