Friendship and a Photography Gift!

January 22, 2016 by Carl Kerridge

2015

Plays back like video film, spotlighting highlights in my friendship, personal life, and business growth. I can honestly say that we hit all of our goals last year, and I learned more about myself and the breath of my business than in any of the past 15 years in business. Becoming the Regional Director for South Carolina’s Professional Photographers of American has also added it’s charm, stressing the importance of staying inspired and recognizing the need to grow with a community of photographers.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the quality that comes from separating the person from the contract.

I want to talk, for just a minute, to all the lovely couple’s I had the pleasure to document this year. You have been inspirational to me. I want to let you know that I recognize your love in it’s many shapes and forms and that I see it’s most important element is friendship. Friendship is the foundation for hope and gratitude, it unlocks the door allowing for a deeper and more human connection. You were the greatest of friends to each other, that’s how you impacted me. If there was a theme for 2015, for you guys it would be rain…and the good omen it brings.

Every couple I met, I saw you and your stories of triumph, even against the odds. You would be able to hold it down even if it was in the midst of a hurricane. In your happiness, you all reminded me how grateful I am to have found my partner and how deeply rooted our friendship is at our love’s core.

So I want to say a special ‘Thank YOU’ and I want to pay it forward.

When you guys met me, I wanted to provide something for you that is so dear and special to me, something that goes beyond the business/client relationship. It’s called a ‘human experience’ and I have been creating more emphasis on building a friendship with my couples because I want it to be that personal. Getting personal allows me to get closer with confidence, to get to know who you are, and to be able to tell your story instead of only handing you pretty wedding images.

So let’s have some fun together to start off 2016. As a token of appreciation, I want to offer a special give away to my remarkable couples:

The couple with the greatest number of voting comments on this post will receive a stunning retouched 16×20 print for their first year as newlyweds. In addition, any couple that has over 50 votes will receive a $50 gift certificate to our A La Carte menu items. To all my readers, feel free to leave some love too because your are equally valued to me.

Tay and Roosevelt

Sarah and Davis

Wendy and Joe

Kathy and Alan

Hillary and Adam

Allison and Roddy

Mary and Stoney

Amanda and Cash

Emily and Joey

Stefani and Justin

Michelle and Patrick

Every individual who comments will be entered into a separate giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card. Share to Facebook, Tweet about this post, and get creative with spreading the word!

I love a good laugh and I’ll be counting comments on ONLY this page’s comment section – one per person – until February 11th.

The Winner will be announced Friday, February 12th!

Everything isn’t about the perfect pose or the magazine-style shot. For me it’s about creating a memorable experience, one that my couples and clients will remember forever. I do this in hopes it will lavish a future that distinguishes between a photograph and a memory.

Cinemagraphs and Vlogging – From our Blog to Yours!

January 6, 2016 by Carl Kerridge

To Vlog or to blog ’tis the question, but did you ever wonder if there was something more?

You’re scrolling through Facebook, what do you do first? Do you stop to watch the videos or do you read through a status update that is a paragraph?

The attention span of a modern internet user has diminished severely since the days of Thomas Paine. This is why video has emerged as a favorite among a majority of consumers. A viewer sees the content of your video, gets the info quickly, then can proceed at the pace they like. If you are promoting an educational aspect, your video can direct and teach the viewer (possibly) faster than if they had to sit down and read the information to transcribe it into memory.

Vlogging, essentially, is saying what your blog would contain, but through video. Earlier this year, I researched business trends and drivers for the photography industry. All of my sources pointed towards the same direction. The internet will most likely fully encompass our future generations. Tech companies are designing protocols for equipment that would allow us to have true virtual realities of our web experiences. Here’s a fun fact, artificial intelligence just got a financial boost from supporter Mark Zuggerburg. So, yes, the monetary needs are being met to fund this innovation.

Future clients and professionals will need video in their business and products. Why? Because of how we interpret the world around us and how we want our world to be. Our brains have three main methods of interacting with information and experiences. Those three methods are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. We learn from the world around us by seeing, hearing, and doing. With the internet playing so much into our consumer’s visual experience, a vlog gives its viewer a human face to connect with. That is the one thing words can’t do. A video has quick information that brings traffic to your site and has the closest one-on-one feeling the internet can host. This is why video and vlogging can be empowering for photographers and entrepreneurs who want to be known individually. Words connect the audience to a mind and ideas, a face connects the audience to the person.

In your business, what is your desired end result? After that, then what? Where is your niche?

If you’re going to vlog, is one video hosting site better than the other? Video has a huge boost in gaining traffic in a Google search engine, especially if its a Youtube video. Why? Google bought Youtube, and Youtube gets millions of viewers every day which guarantees traffic to somewhere. One of Youtube’s biggest competitors is Vimeo. So, what’s the debate of Vimeo verses Youtube?

Youtube

Pros
- It is the most popular viewing platform.
- It is great for SEO because Google Owns it.
- It does offer a free platform for hosting videos
- Does have paid advertising solutions
- Does give royalties to music artists (that’s why you have ads on many videos)
- You are allowed to dispute interruptions if you have rights to the music in the first place.
Cons
- Can have low quality with your content in video.
- You might have competitive advertising in the side bar of your video (no way to truly monitor/control this).
- Competitors can place ads on your video in hopes of steering audience. (Rude? Heck yeah, only way to get around this is if your audience has the Red Program, but this is never going to be a guarantee.)
- Employees may not be able to see your content at work (some businesses still restrict sites to deter unproductively at work).

Vimeo

Pros
- No video advertisements
- Cost Effective business account
- Maintains visual content quality
- It is more niche oriented, which means it has a strong community presence in that niche.
Cons
- Less traffic than Youtube
- Possible interference with Google search engine.
- Does have a limited amount of uploads
- Might have lagging when uploading

It’s taking your content to a higher level. What professional wouldn’t want the most optimization?

In addition, I am very interested in “Moving Stills.” It’s the “break out of the box” moment! It’s making a photograph move as a single art piece, which can be put on display by itself and in a video. It’s called a cinemagraph. As a fine art photographer, I’ve contemplated how this could be incorporated into my current social media and marketing.

How cool is it to have your art actually breath?
Would it make me stand out amongst my peers?
What is it going to do to the products my clients are looking for?

If you’d like to learn more, look towards Jaime Beck and Kevin Burgs. They coined the phrase “cinemagraphs,” and they have been pioneering the field since 2011. Personally, I think the idea of taking one of your fine art pieces and making a detail of the image move slightly is an added attention grabber. That difference could drive more clients to you because you have the capability to produce a product that stands out from the crowd.

The skills of blogging, vlogging, and cinemagraphs will become more competitive as time progresses.

Blogs and written text can’t be replaced, it’s tradition for a reason. It would be beneficial to have a vlogging channel because short and concise videos are shared more often than links and text. Which means Cinemagraphs are on track with the competition and will likely become more popular in the future. The fashion industry has already embraced them. Fashion photographer, Lindsay Adler has a great blog experience that demonstrates the production of one of her cinemagraphs. When I look at this particular blog, I’m thinking WOW, SEO hotspot! She has written text that meets the advised word count for blogging(plus it is clear and concise), she has pictures and video that demonstrates her educational tutorial, then she has the cinemagraphs. When it comes to social media outlets, she covered the diversity spectrum.

She can post to Facebook, the cinemagraphs play with Facebook’s automated video player scroll control and can be shared.
She can post to Twitter, the cinemagraph continuously plays like a GIF and can be retweeted.
She can post to Pinterest and Instagram using the included photos, and her audience can repin the content.
She can post to LinkedIn and Google+ by using a traditional blog and video sharing.

She literally hit the social media sweet spot, able to post and interact with stunning content in every platform. Specifically, her post to Facebook and Twitter might catch viewers attention for effectively because of its automated playing format. Take this into account as well, the iPhone 6 has the capability to add video to a picture for its owner. The new phone records a few seconds of video before the image is actually taken. This is a phenomenal new way to capture a memory too. Undoubtedly, this will influence the amount and quality of future social media posts. Also, it’s going to change client preference, taking a toll on the demand for prints, how clients want to document their moments, and the new “frame” that’s going to be able to display this product.

While something may seems as if it is the next perfect solution for your business, don’t forget about

You and Your business.

In general, there are some fine details you need to think about before scheduling out the time to do vlogging, a cinemagraph, or blogging. If vlogging isn’t for you or you don’t have the means for cinemagraphs, there are clients out there who will love your blog and be loyal subscribers. There are going to be the book lovers who prefer and enjoy reading and researching in a traditional manner. There are people who are going to be there to support you because they love you, what you do, and want to know what you have to say regardless of the format style! Narrow down what’s right for you because at the end of the day you’re going to have to be the one doing it and your passion deserves your best. You need to know yourself, who’s not your client, and who is your audience. There’s no right answer here, even though one of these ideas sounds like the new golden ticket…

Are you ready for a consistent stream of public speaking and public relations?
Can you construct AND commit to a marketing calendar with content that interacts with your audience?
Are your prepared for the hours of pre and post production it takes to make a professional video and cinemagraph, or write and review a blog?
Do you believe you can make an effective impact on your audience through this medium?
Can you afford the cost to design and create what you want to do? If not, how can you get there?

I believe artists that can incorporate and design all three mediums will help show us that our creativity is limitless. They will be the inspirationists who learn and teach us to do this in the most cost effective and visually stunning manner. They will carve out and conquer this new road in our industry.

Look for our upcoming blog where we interview experts from Fuel Your Photos and Superstar SEO for tips, tricks, and enhanced education for businesses. Post questions you’ve always wanted to ask, topics for discussion, and any other ideas in the comments. Interviews will be happening in the next two weeks, so we’ll engage your ideas until January 19th. We will collect and direct as many inquiries to our professionals to be evaluated and answered!

Carl Kerridge is a location and destination photographer based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He specializes in wedding, event and commercial photography. He is passionate about the fine art and photojournalistic aspects of photography. Traveling in and out of the United States, Carl has dedicated the past 15 years to studying/experimenting with his craft, teaching educational workshops, and advocating a global awareness through art. To learn more, visit his Website, follow him on Instagram or connect with him on Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

e3 Studios: Architectural Photography

December 21, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

#Cameraliftinglife: e3 Studios

Founded in 2008, e3 Studios is a woman-owned business that has dazzled the Grand Strand with their style and class. Haven’t heard of them? Well, I guarantee you have seen their work with their interdisciplinary design in the local and interior architecture and interior design services. Their vision and mission are forces to be reckoned with. Not only do e3 Studios understand the technical details of building designs in relation to its space, but the reason the buildings are being built in the first place – for people. All of our business offices and spaces are for people to work in, for people to have comfort in, for people to be inspired by, and for people to be taken into tranquil settings.

I have had the pleasure of documenting this year’s completed projects and laughing with Erin Blalock and Ashley Goheen. These two women rock e3 Studios and I love capturing their bubbly personalities and friendship, especially when Erin limits Ashley’s caffeine consumption! Some of my favorite memories include the girls lifestyle shoots. I call them my little “goofball kids” because they were just super fun, giggly and had a hard time keeping a straight face. Remember I said that architecture is in my blood? Well, it comes from my Father, a self-employed Architect for the past 40 years. Walking up to meet them, the jokes would start and they’d get me every time. I’d be teased that if my dad came to work for them, they’d double their profit just because of his accent! You know? They possibly could because even I jive with their sense of style and color theme choices. I can really relate to e3 studios, and I can see their commercial color schemes in my home. Not to mention, my assistant has begged for a few of their pieces as well – specifically their rainbow lounger and glass sculpture designs.

I am thrilled and fortunate to have met this dynamic team. Building their business on passion and dedication, these two ladies are remarkable!.
Check out their awesome new website designed by The Brandon Agency in Myrtle Beach to see tons of my commercial and lifestyle photography.

Carl Kerridge is a location and destination photographer based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He specializes in lifestyle, commercial, and event photography. He is passionate about the fine art and photojournalistic aspects of photography. Traveling in and out of the United States, Carl has dedicated the past 15 years to studying/experimenting with the craft, teaching educational workshops, and advocating art for a global awareness. To learn more, visit his Website, follow him on Instagram or connect with him on Facebook.

The Lucky Yoyo and Rabbit’s Foot

December 10, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

When it comes to connection and this new couple, I am lucky and…

I have Mrs. Cheryl Saito to thank for our introduction. She’s a local wedding coordinator whom I’ve collaborated with and created professional photography for in the past, including her oldest daughters wedding. After introducing me to Amanda and Cash, the couple decided to book their photographer a year in advance. To all new couples out there, I highly recommend this for two reasons. One, you guarantee you get the photographer of your choice and two, you have time to develop a relationship with your photographer – something I am lucky to have time for with many of my couples.

Our first meeting was at Abuelo’s and I quickly found out that we had more in common than I could imagine, we had all worked in the restaurant/service industry, liked margaritas, and had the same taste in music. They wanted to put most of their investments into making their wedding fun. Their most important aspects were the photography and having a live band. Talk about lucky, when I heard Tru Sol Band was their choice, it was just meant to be!

We put together a customized package, and Amanda created a Pinterest board to show me her tastes and style. Having plenty of time to discuss all of their ideas and working with them for Engagement photo’s made it super easy to work with them and it allowed me to gain their confidence in my style and professionalism.

Amanda and Cash were initially shy when it came to the camera, believe it or not, I had the pleasure of shooting their first professional portraits together. I couldn’t believe it was their first time! They were so nervous about what to expect, but as we walked through the session, in downtown Conway, they started to blossom out of their uneasiness. By the end they were joking, having a good time and they were noticeably more relaxed.

Then the wedding rolled around, it was so fluid that the day couldn’t have gone any better. We already knew one another, they were comfortable with me, and we all just moved together through their sacred day. It was lovely capturing a traditional Greek Wedding ceremony at The Breakers Resort. The reception? Total party animals! The groom became the party stopper with the wicked dance moves. Where oh where did that shy guy go!. The bride was beautiful and having a blast, and the brother….well the boy was the comedian, that’s for sure!

The most memorable part of their celebration was the line of communication and connection. The father of the bride hit every heartstring in the room, mine included. His toast wasn’t designed as a tissue moment, but everyone was crying as he told the story of him and his wife’s first date. He symbolized how special he thought this new union was going to be. “How special he knew his wife is, and how he felt the same way about Cash being the same person for his daughter.” The he presented the new couple the most unexpected gifts, the very same gifts he exchanged with is wife so many years ago – A wooden yo-yo and a rabbit’s foot.

Lucky tokens handed down from the past to the future. It was a coming together of a new family, a new future, and I was lucky enough to bear witness to the intangible emotional presence amongst us. If there was anything at all that connected human to human, it was there in that room. At that moment and for a split second, all there ever was, was love.

#CameraLiftingLife: Photography for Careteam+

December 9, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

Spotlighting Healthcare Advocate, Careteam+!

Many individuals lack or have no forms of preventative healthcare services. Today, 133 million Americans suffer with chronic illnesses. These diseases demand medical attention. Included are 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS. Healthcare hasn’t always been as inclusive as it is today. Viruses, such as HIV, were discriminated against because we didn’t know how to cure it. The stigma around HIV clouded its hosts, the very people who needed medical help the most. It wasn’t until the Ryan White Care Act of 1994, establishments received grants to take care of these people in need. The Ryan White Care Act reminds us of the fight a mother and son won. They demanded no one be discriminated against. Ryan White and his mother wanted to educate the Nation about HIV/AIDS and have institutions that helped live with it. Read more here…

In Myrtle Beach, that aid is Careteam+. Careteam+ started as a safe haven for uninsured individuals with HIV. They provided aid to Horry, Georgetown, and Williamsburg Counties. After the death of Ryan White, the perspective of HIV altered with more lenient views. The community began to accept and embrace it’s sick members. Instead of calling it a disease, we renamed it a chronic illness. Patients got better treatment and they were living normal, happy, and healthier lives. From there, Careteam+ grew to include other chronic health issues too. Eventually, it branched out to provide primary health care for all of its patients’ families. If you would like to learn more about Careteam+, click here.

As a photographer of Myrtle Beach, I have a lot of respect for the organization. I believe they have amazing rapport and professionalism. So, when they decided to revamp their media and webpages, I was ready to create Careteam+ lifestyle photography. For their business, patients, community, and purpose – it was my pleasure to work with and help bring awareness to our local community.