Have you heard of PInterest? My guess is, you probably have. But, if you haven't, and you like looking at cool and pretty things, or you love finding new recipes, or if you're the kind of person that buys magazines to look at the beautiful photos, well then, you should run - don't walk- to Pinterest.com. You will love it. I promise!
I first discovered it last year, and in just the short time that I've been using it, it has grown immensely! I LOVE looking at pretty things, but I also started to see how it could be a great asset to someone like me that has an online business. Some of the things 'Pinned' on Pinterest have gone viral, meaning if someone pins one of my blog posts, or something they see and like in my online shop, it has the potential of being seen by hundreds or even thousands of people. (To get an idea of the sorts of things I like to pin you can follow me here.)
So, naturally, I would love it if people started pinning my products. That would mean my items could be seen, potentially, by a whole new audience.
One way to make photos more 'pinnable' is to have really great shots. Something I constantly try to improve on. My photography skills can always use improvement. That's why I decided to join the 'Pin-tastic Pinterest Photography Challenge' on the SITS Girls site. Courtney, from 'Click It Up A Notch' is teaching it. I had recently discovered Courtney's blog and was thrilled with the way she explains how to use the manual settings on your camera, and thought it would be a great idea for me to join in.
I've been following along with the challenge all week and doing the Daily Tasks that she assigns us and I'm really learning a lot. Our Task for this weekend has been the hardest. We are to take a self portrait and post it to the Forum. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has an issue with photos of themself, but man, it's really hard for me to be happy with any photos of myself. This Task really got me out of my comfort zone! I took about 40 shots of myself, and thought I'd be really brave and post the three shots that I don't 'hate'. Okay, here goes.... deep breath...
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The serious one:
The residual Bells Palsy look:
The 'trying to force a smile' look:
This was a good challenge for me, and maybe if I do this more often I won't be so uncomfortable with seeing photos of myself.
