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Social Media Addiction: Are You at Risk?

“We’re just doing a few lines of Twitter!”

This totally cracked me up — but it is also a good reminder that sometimes, you need to turn it all off and take a break. As much as I love social media, the times I’ve chosen to be offline this year have been a good thing! At the end its addiction, its just healthier than drugs or alcohol, if you are addicted to alcohol, you should read what alcohol does to your body, because many people don’t understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a strong will, learn more on http://fherehab.com/news/stone-sour-guitarist-opens-up-about-secret-xanax-addiction/. Drug addiction and substance abuse is becoming a big problem in the states, if you are addicted or know someone who needs help, please visit this article about pompano rehab center. I know people who have been alcoholics and after reading this article, they stop drinking. Most people prefer going to The Recovery Village, it´s where everybody goes to get rid of their addiction and come out a brand new person so they can start of a new life. When someone suffers from drug addiction the best way to help them is to take them to a rehab center, learn more about rehab programs on discoverynj.

Many people don´t know what to do once they are stuck in an addiction, that´s why The Recovery Village is the first place people prefer to go and get the help they need, because drugs aren´t going to help anybody improve in life. If that won’t help get past your addiction then go to Atlanta rehab center and they help you with treatment where they walk people through the entire process of addictino. Many people also find the alcohol detox in florida state center very helpful. As you probably already know many people suffer from addiction. Click here to check your Optum Health rehab insurance benefits covers rehab treatment.

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BlahBlahBabble

What a Beautiful Way to Start the Day…

My friend Sarah posted a link to this video on Twitter yesterday, and I finally listened to it. Taylor Swift’s Love Story meets Coldplay’s Viva La Vida by Jon Schmidt – it is *gorgeous*. Check it out. Wonderful!

(Although Mike & I think they cheat in the middle with some cymbals overlaid on the track, but whatever – it is still awesome.)

Mike told me he could learn how to play it for me on the piano. Crap. I think that means I have to learn how to play the cello.

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Everyone is Beautiful…

As women, we’ve all become too conditioned to not see ourselves as beautiful, and it is a sad thing. All of us – every single one – has a wealth of beauty. Most of us have just taught ourselves to ignore it and only pick on our own faults.

I have discovered an amazing power when I do boudoir photography sessions. I can make women see their true beauty. Almost every woman starts the session nervous, worried about her own personal flaws. By the end, after a lot of laughter and silliness (because every session is better with laughter!), every single client has told me how empowered she feels. How beautiful she feels. How excited she is about the previews I’ve shown her on the camera.

Many of my clients (but not all!) have done sessions originally as a gift for someone else. In the end, they all take away a gift for themselves too.

I think this would happen outside of boudoir sessions as well – I’ve been trying to encourage women to come in for an empowering portrait session even if they don’t want a boudoir session. Something to celebrate their beauty. Something to make them feel strong.

We are all way too hard on ourselves. Everyone IS beautiful.

Thank you to Katherine Center for the link to the video and the inspiration to write the post. I look forward to reading your book!

What do you find beautiful about yourself? (Hard question, isn’t it? It shouldn’t be that way.)

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BlahBlahBabble

My Former Co-Worker?

I think I may have worked with this guy. Actually, I’ve worked with several variations of him.

I love the fact that I don’t work with people like this any more…

Speaking of which, I’m having a Grand Opening at the studio next week! Come on out and join me – it should be lots of fun!

When:
March 6 (Friday) – 11am – 8pm
March 7 (Saturday) 10am – 4pm

Where:
1024 Studewood, Houston, TX 77008
(In the Heights, between 10th & 11th St, just across from Hello Lucky and 10 1/2 St. Green building, has a large sign that says “Clover” over the door.)

What:
All the details are over on the wedding & lifestyle photography blog. FREE mini-sessions to anyone who attends! FREE!!!

Hope you can join me! I’ll be working a lot harder then in the video, I promise!

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BlahBlahBabble

Embracing Change in a Fast Moving World…

Things happen at an amazingly fast pace these days. Something happens, someone makes a video, sticks it up on YouTube, before you know it a meme has been born, and it is remembered for a long time afterwards.

(If you don’t care about all this business stuff – watch the video. It is pretty awesome.)

As photographers, we’re putting photos out there in a digital form. Our clients then take the photos and use them, maybe in ways we didn’t intend originally. What should you do? Should you embrace it? Enable it? Or be angry?

How you choose to react can impact how people feel about your brand for the long run. More & more people think that if they have the files, it is ok to upload them all to Facebook, Flickr, or wherever else. Sharing them with their friends. From their perspective, they’ve done nothing wrong. Even though your license may not authorize them to post them online at all.

I plan to provide all of my 2009 clients with a web-ready DVD, along with instructions that those images can be posted anywhere and everywhere. I *want* them to post them all over the place. I use the Mogrify2 Plugin for Lightroom and put my logo on every file on the DVD. Whenever someone sees the images, they can easily look me up and hire me for their own great photos. My clients love the idea, and I love that I’m giving them a way to spread the love.

I’ve been thinking about all of this for a few weeks now. Peter Shankman, the man behind Help A Reporter Out – aka HARO, came to Houston recently to talk at an ISES meeting about things like Twitter, Facebook, and your business. You know I couldn’t pass that opportunity up!

At the end of his presentation, he closed by showing us the following video. First he told us the backstory. Basically, there was a mime. Everyone hates mimes, probably even more than clowns. So the mime came up with a routine to this song, Torn, by Natalie Imbruglia. Originally, when “the Man” got word that he was doing this performance to a song, they were not happy. Copyright issues, performing to a song without the proper license (you know, sort of like when people put your digital files on Facebook even though the license doesn’t cover that), and cease & desist letters were going to go out. But then the artist’s manager found out about it. It was already a hit on the internet. They stopped and realized that they could take the other route. They could tap into the buzz already generated, and use it to turn it into something so much more.

(I’m such a dork. I get goosebumps every time I watch this video!)

What are you embracing as technology moves at such a breakneck speed? What are you doing to make sure your clients have the best experience possible while working with you, and that makes them want to shout from the rooftops about your work?

(Posted over on PhotoLoveCat too, but I wanted to share it here as well!)