A Closet Photographer Exposed to The World

What does it mean to be a closet photographer? How many times have you thought to yourself that you would like to share your work. Only to follow this thought with. Who would want to see my pictures?

I know there are 1000's plus photographs available on the market. But there is really only one of you. I used to be a closet photographer. And there are probably some people out there who would say I should have stayed in my closet:)

But there are those who feel inspired by my work. Part of that inspiration comes from the fact that I did it. I've sold enough to know that I'm doing something right. That is why I decided to create this blog. If I can do it, you can do it.

I know there are photographers and artists out there who are better than I am. I have a friend who has a site to share his photos from travels to national parks. He has business cards that says he is a photographer. But he confided in me that he doesn't put a price on his work because he feels the market is too saturated. So he doesn't even give people the opportunity to make that decision.

I met another woman at the park one day who calls herself a photo enthusiast. We were talking about our shared loved of photography and I mentioned my site. I was surprised at her reply because of the equipment she carried and the time she took to learn the art of photography. She said to me, "Well you are way ahead of me in that area."

When I saw the work of both of these people I felt almost embarrassed to show my own. Oh I have created some photos worth mentioning. And I would say that I am even proud of a few. But I still have a long way to go. So you see even when you succeed you can still find falt.

And what about the realm of the "real artist". Okay, I'm kidding! But you know the ones? The artists who choose traditional canvas, clay.... They too often remain in their closet sure that no one would really want their art. Or they just don't want to deal with what seems like such a complicated process of putting their work online.

I have many friends who have expressed an interest in selling more art. And yet when I mention going online the answers always seem to be "Oh I could never do that. I wouldn't know where to begin."

So I guess what I'm saying is there are many "good" excuses for remaining in our closet. But just think of the lives you will inspire when you dare to fling open that door and expose your heart to the world!

And if you think you just can't do it alone, let me make a little recommendation. There is an online course that will take you by the hand:) You may have heard me mention them before. I started my business with Site Sell and I loved every minute of it. Now they have ELearning which is a 12 Lesson Course you complete right at home.

Enter a student and graduate a successful business owner, Guaranteed!

Isn't it time you stepped out of that closet?

Light, Love, and Gratitude;

Sally

Help! My Inbox is Too Full!

Finding Time To Keep Up With Email

Don't miss another important email again! Today I noticed that my email in box had topped the over 1,000 unread emails. And I have many of my friends and family who complain about the same thing. Well this email is going to follow right on the tail of the importance of organizing.

As you become more and more successful in your online business, you are going to find you have more email that is important and needs to be answered. Or as you build your business and do research and join lists to keep up with your competition you may find that your email's inbox becomes too much to handle.

There are many ways that you can handle this and some of them mean you will be putting off email that you know in your heart you will never read. I know it's hard to get rid of any of it. And some of that mail you don't want to delete. It could be the one you need next week when someone says, "You need to pay me now!" And you know you paid that bill.

What is a good mix?

Only you can decide what email you need to keep for later and which email needs to be answered. And everyone has a limit. You probably know what that limit is already. For instance today when I looked in my inbox I felt a real sense of overwhelm.

To clean up the mess I sorted my email alphabetically. You would be amazed at what you find this way. I discovered email that I had been expecting but missed more than five days old. Since my policy is to answer email within 24 hours I felt really bad.

So it is apparent that my limit is well under the 1000 mark. But what do we do?

Create Folders

Yes, it's that old folder thing again. As you might guess, I am a great fan of folders. They make life so much easier. And as you may also guess, these folders can also get out of hand.

Not every email server allows you to create folders. And some may call them something else. Gmail calls their system of organizing "Labels". It is still the same thing. Except when you place a label on your mail in Gmail you have to take another step. That is to "archive". This takes them out of your inbox but not to the trash.

Don't worry they are easy to retrieve. Just click on the label list for the particular group of email you want to sort through and they will all be right there for you to find the one you need.

Yahoo uses folders but the concept is pretty much the same. One difference is when you have placed an email in a folder it moves out of your inbox.

Other mail systems may have different ways of organizing your mail. But one thing remains the same. It is important to start this organizing when your business is new. Otherwise you may be wondering if you need to higher someone to read your email.

Too late you say? You may have let those unread messages just get out of hand, like I did. You will find that the weight of the world is lifted off your shoulders if you take the time to place all that mail in it's proper folder, answer (hopefully you won't be too late:) the ones that need answering and put all of the ones that you just can't decide what to do with in a temporary file.

What is a Good Name or Label?

Be sure and label your folders with names that are relevant to the email you are saving. Sometimes the best name is the person writing the email. Sometimes it would be better to name them by the subject or Newletter name. It really depends on the From name and if they have a common subject.

Choose a name that will make it easy to remember where to file. But most important keep it simple. Group if you can. For instance I have one file that holds all of my Contact email. And one that holds all email from Family.

Once I tried naming a folder newsletters but then I discovered that was too full to sort through. You could break that down to types of newsletters or groups that you receive mail from.

Believe me once your inbox is clean you will feel like you have conquered the world. It is like being given a grace ticket. Now you can read and file that mail on a daily basis in a fraction of the time.

To your business success!

Sally

How to Organize Your Photos And Art Work

In this new world of digital photographs staying organized is a number one priority. Computer files have now replaced those old shoe boxes where we used to stash family photos. Well okay maybe you are one of those ones who likes keeping your photos in beautiful photo albums where you can pull them off the shelf and browse through the pages of your memories.

Well now we have moved into the digital camera age and your digital photos keep hiding on that box they call a computer. Imagine taking all of your pictures and throwing them into boxes then trying to find a favorite memory to share with someone.

This is what happened with me while visiting my family. I wanted to show everyone a picture that I used to create this digital art image. It was a piece to a puzzle for this beautiful artwork I was so proud of.

"How did you do that?" was the question everyone was asking.

I consider myself fairly organized but I never found the pieces that had gone into this particular Digital Art Creation. I had actually taken two separate photos and combined them to create this picture. And I really wanted to share the process that had gone into a fun project.

So if you are an artist, the first step to take in your move into the world of digital art is getting organized.

Don't worry, it isn't hard to do. It is just a matter of creating file folders. That is what they call sections of your computer space.

Steps to Organizing

Picture a library with shelves of books. When you go to the library to find a specific book you can browse the shelves in a leisurely fashion or you might be in a hurry and looking for one specific book. On those times you are in a hurry you look in the card catalogue or even type the name of that book into a computer. And through the magic of that database you are given the exact location of the book you want out of tens of thousands of titles you would otherwise need to sift through.

To be able to do that someone had to begin the process.

Aren't these modern conveniences wonderful? Well sometimes they can be frustrating too. Welcome to the world of digital pictures you can print as you like. And just think of all the trees we are saving.

Its a wonderful way to store photos of your favorite places, friends and loved ones. Do you happen to be one of many people who used to have drawers of film waiting to be developed? Sometimes the film would get so old that the pictures lost their color.

But now that drawer full of undeveloped film has been replaced by a computer full of digital files.

Have you ever thought of a picture you want to share with friends or family? Picture this: you turn on your computer and you start sifting through the ever growing list of images that are loaded on your hard drive. You know the ones sitting there with funny looking names like

✓ 100_2456.jpg
✓ HP1268.jpg
✓ img_456.jpg
✓ DSCF2345.jpg
✓ 1025.jpg



The name of the file that your camera gives these images has many variables as you can see.

That name is probably familiar to you because it has always been the same format since you bought that new camera. But do you know what it means? Notice there is one thing that is consistent in each name. They all end with a .jpg. This is what is known as the file extension in computer language. The jpg is always related to pictures.

There are other extensions that you may use in the future as you get more confident in your file naming and how you will be using the pictures that you have on your computer. But for this article we will stick with .jpg. All of the numbers and letters that come before that final dot (.) are ways of telling your computer which picture it has in it's system.

Now I don't know about you, but those numbers and letters mean absolutely nothing to me. I have figured out that they go in a sequence. So if you took a series of pictures while walking in the park then uploaded that set of pictures on your computer they would have numbers in the order they were taken gradually moving up beginning with 001.jpg if this is the first picture you have ever taken with your camera.

The longer you have the camera the higher the numbers will go. But then I discovered there are a few things that will change those sequence of numbers like the software you use to upload your pictures, or changing the settings on your camera.

And if your computer likes to number things in a simple IMG_001.jpg style you can actually upload pictures with identical numbers. When you do that you might be asked if you want to replace the older version that is already on your computer?

Be very careful answering that question because if you say yes, you have just lost favorite picture of Aunt Sally doing the limbo. The computer doesn't actually see a picture it only sees the numbers and does what you tell it to do.

Creating Computer Photo Albums

Creating an organized photo album on your computer is pretty much the same as placing all of your precious memories into beautiful photo albums. You are simply creating file folders with the name of your occasion, or family, or event. There are as many names to call your files as there are reasons to take pictures.

[Note:] Being a nature photographer can be quite overwhelming if you do not organize in the very beginning. Artists also need to consider what is going to happen when they start getting more and more artwork out on line. How do you track what has sold and what people are really looking for.

Creating File Folders

How to organize: Let's take a minute to organize those pictures you already have on your computer. When you upload pictures onto your computer they will usually be saved in a folder called "Pictures".

Every computer comes standard with this folder already in place for you. Computers like to put things in folders that hold files (your picture is considered a file to the computer) that are the same type. Picture files include a common file extension of jpg, png, gif, tiff and bmp.

First you want to create folders for placing your pictures in. One example might be a folder called "Flower Art". You want to give the folder a name that is easy to remember. Creating folders can be a real time saver.

So how do you create a folder? First double click that "Pictures" folder already on your computer. Now you are inside that folder. At the top of your computer screen you should see the word "File".

Click on that word and a menu drops down. Move your pointer down and click on "New Folder". Inside your pictures folder a new file folder appears. It will be hi-lighted and the name "untitled folder" is below it. Click inside those words and type the name you want to give your folder.

And that's all there is to creating and naming a folder. Now how do you put stuff in that folder? You can click on pictures already on your computer and drag them over the folder with your mouse.

When the folder hi-lights again just drop the image and it is now in that folder. Just continue till you have all your favorites in there. You can create as many folders as you need.

Give Your Digital Photographs a Name That is Easy to Remember

Another important step for organizing your photos is to give them a name. Give your picture a name that is relevant. To change the name simply click on the space just before the number. It is a good idea to keep the original number adding a word name you will remember. Use dashes to separate words.

For instance say you name a picture "pink daisy" the original name is 001.jpg. With your cursor left of the 0 you type pink-daisy-001.jpg. The jpg is the file extension.

Finding Your Pictures Just Got Easier

Now finding your pictures just got a whole lot easier. Of course, depending on how many pictures you have and how many folders you created. You may still have to do a little more organizing. Like making a list of names, and maybe even creating a data base. But keep it simple. Your computer's search function will come in handy for locating pictures you can't quite remember the name of.

Hope this helps,

Sally

Online Photo Editing

If you have ever done a search for online photo editing, you know there are many to choose from. Most people will simply pick the first one at the top and hope they get lucky.

But there really are a few things you want to consider when it comes to photo editing. Number one would be easy to use. I don't think I would get any argument there. Digital camera's usually come with software for editing photos but it usually falls short on the easy to use department.

Well I found one online photo editing program that is really easy to use. And best of all it's free. You don't have to worry about loading down your hard drive with yet another software program.

Once you find this marvelous easy editing online there is another problem that comes to the surface. And that is how do you get your photo's into the program? That is another reason I think this one is the best.

Okay, okay...I hear you. The best online photo edit is Fotoflex. If you have visited my Nature And Flower Pictures, you will notice I use Image & Video Hosting at Photobucket. I have a pro account which is the best deal I found. But their basic account is free.

And best of all this photo bucket account includes easy access to Fotoflex. All you have to do is click the "Edit Image" tab and choose from the drop down menu. Your photo opens in Fotoflex.

Here are just a few of the reasons I recommend this particular online photo editing and online photo storage.

Basic Editing includes:

• Auto fix - with the click of a button
• Red eye fix
• Crop selections by simple selection
• resize - no need to worry about distortion
• flip - either left to right or up and down
• adjust - Hue, saturation and lightness
• Contrast - adjust brightness and contrast with slide bar

Click on the thumbnails of these pictures to see the larger image. Are you feeling artistic? Have a little fun with the effects tab. A simple click of a button and you can give your photo a blurred edge.

And that is just one of many special effects you can add to any photo. Turn color photos into black and white, sepia, neon and many others too numerous to mention here.

How about adding a little animation to your photo. It takes minutes and the results are simply fun. Choose the animation you like.

Does this all sound too complicated for you? Well help is a click away. And you will even see suggestions to make your work look better. You can even add effects to the animation by simply selecting it then choosing the effect.

And notice that little swirl of the rose? That is under the distortion tab.

This final picture uses the decorate effect. Then choose "frame". I chose a a basic frame just so you could see what it looks like.

But I'm telling you this online photo editing software is the easiest solution when you want to edit those photos without feeling like you need a college degree to understand. First sign up for your free Image & Video Hosting at Photobucket account. Upload your photos and edit to your heart's content. Be sure and save your finished work as a copy. That way you don't lose your original. Downloading back to your computer or sharing with friends is easy too. You can share right from your Photobucket account with facebook, blogger, myspace and more.

Have fun editing,

Sally

We've Come A Long Way?

Here is a little food for thought. If you follow my blog posts at all, you know that I am working on a book. This book is to be a collection of wisdom written by my mother (I call her Mom:). Today as I was enjoying this process, I came across this letter. I had to share because it fits so well in present time.

We've Come a Long Way

Dear Sir,

It is truly beautiful to see so many people reaching out to help one another. Not just in this fair city, but in all areas of the world as well.

Many great minds throughout the ages of humanity have uttered words concerning the vision needed to produce growth and strength with the race. Growth relating to qualities which are pursuant to those causes borne out of loving and caring. Strengths stemming from those characteristics which are undeniably linked to the fundamentals required in the bonding together of all that pertains to right human relations.

It is these qualities carried over from by-gone days that make this Earth the great and magnificent training ground we are privileged to be a part of today. There can be no doubt that those problems facing us presently are as great, if not to some extent greater, than those of our forebears, similar though they may be, yet on a far grander scale, regarding their influential properties.

It can no longer be said that we are a people set apart, for indeed, we are linked as one giant family from one end of the earth to the other. It is evident to all who desire better living conditions that a certain set of responsibilities go hand in hand with the gaining and maintaining of the same. We cannot, as a people desirous of right human relationships, allow room for complacency or bigotry (if I may use such time-worn phrases) in our lives.

Indeed, we must seek, with hearts and minds attuned to those freedoms for which this country was founded, that middle road which holds the keys to a more futuristic plan. A plan designed to uphold truth, setting aside our former fears, anxieties, and posthumous attitudes which not only hinder progress but if allowed would annihilate truth altogether.

The truth is that all humans, not regardless of race, color or creed but rather because of these various backgrounds and their inherent qualities, i.e. culture, creative abilities, willingness to participate in this nation’s growth, whatever it takes, shall be entitled via this nation’s great constitution to those freedoms in their entirety of which we boast.

Granted, we’ve a long way to go before we can realize the completion of the plan, but surely those whose hearts and minds are at-one with those forms we presently call truth, justice and mercy, will agree. We’ve come a long way from the one-room schoolhouse.

Martha Martin,


P.S. From Sally, owner of this blog and Nature And Flower Pictures If I didn’t know better, I would almost say that Martha wrote this article for President Obama himself. What do you think? Actually it was written more in the time when Martin Luther King was alive and our country was going through another set of growing pains. Yes indeed we have come a long way, or have we?

ELearning The Art of Selling Photography Online

There are many sites online that offer a place to upload your photographs for sale. This includes selling art online as well. And most of these places will tell you that all you have to do is upload your image and they take care of the rest.

This is partly true. But the market is full of talented artists and photographers who quickly lose faith in ever making money online. There is only one way to succeed online. And that is getting your art and photography in front of people willing to buy.

It's time to take control of your online business. And one way to do that is with a traffic pulling website of your own. I'm not saying you should not put your art and photography on these sites. Like a friend of mine said, "the more exposure you have, the better."

Now is the time to move your photography service ahead of the crowd. You could higher a webmaster to build a web site for you. But then you are giving your control away again. You have to rely on that webmaster's schedule and expertise. And there is still no guarantee you will have traffic!

Wouldn't it be better to build that site yourself? After all, who loves your work more than you do? It is your passion that shows in those photographs and art. It is your heart and soul that you pour into every piece you create. And it is that heart and soul that people are really looking for.

What's that you say? You have no web building skills? I know because that is what I said when I first decided to build my online business. Then I discovered the greatest web host in the world. That is SBI. You have probably heard of them, since they are the number one all in one web hosting service.

And now they have introduced another awesome solution to helping you succeed. This new service is called eLearning.

SBI! eLearning helps high-achieving people like you to build a sought-after business that best reflects your passion and personality.

How Will Having a Web Site Help People Find Me?

Even if you know how to build a website, that doesn't mean you will instantly get traffic. By now almost everyone has heard about key words and being found by search engines. In case you don't know what that means, key words are the words and phrases that people use to find what they are looking for online.

If you can figure out what keywords people are looking for that are relevant to your art and photography you have won half the battle. But how do you know what key words people are looking for?

With SBI! eLearning you'll do in depth keyword research that matches your passion with a proven demand.

Over the past two years, SiteSell has offered the "Building A Successful Business Using The Internet" course in universities and colleges around the world - Australia, Canada and America, just to name a few. SBI! eLearning was developed to meet the demand from those unable to take a class in their own community.

What this means to you is that you can now learn from anywhere. And you will be learning the same tools and information that is being taught in major universities around the world.

Now you can actually go on vacation and come back owning a successful business. Well okay maybe you don't have time to take a ten week vacation. But that is all the time you need to build that successful online service business. Wouldn't it be nice to say, "I'm sorry, my calendar is full."?


Click here to read case studies of successful SBI Owners

I know what you're thinking. You don't have the money to do something like this. It must be very expensive. What if I told you the cost is less than what you can expect to pay that webmaster to build a website that gets no traffic?

Where else can you take an e-business building class, all the tools to build it with AND get the help of an experienced online entrepreneur for such an affordable rate?

Join The Elite Social Group!

Social networking has created quite a buzz on the internet. And LinkedIn is The place to join when you want to get the word out about your service.

After you take the SBI! eLearning course you'll have access to a special Alumni Relations Group on LinkedIn. Networking with classmates and other SBI! eLearning alumni will become invaluable. The Alumni group helps you take what you've learned and continue to follow through on building your business.

Oh, so now you tell me you don't have time for classes. It's too hard. You have absolutely no technological skills. Soon you will learn that SBI takes care of all that for you. Well all except the time part of it.

If you are able to find an average of an hour a day to keep current with class work and build your business, then you're ready for SBI! eLearning.

You will be able to learn at your own pace. You will be guided every step of the way. And your questions are answered as if you were in a large classroom. If you have ever attended a live webinar then you are somewhat familiar with what to expect.

SBI! eLearning provides a step-by-step guide to building your e-business including checklists, videos, reviews and more.

Take the SBI! eLearning course and finish with a high level of confidence in your business and its foundation.

I look forward to seeing you in the forums.

Sally,
www.nature-and-flower-pictures.com