User-Photo Contest : "Show Us Your Florida"

Fodor's Travel is partnering with VISIT FLORIDA on a user- photo contest entitled "Show Us Your Florida." Users are invited to submit their photos and the stories behind them at www.fodors.com for a chance to win a three-night/four-day Miami vacation package and the opportunity to appear in the next edition of Fodor's Florida guide which will be published in four-color.

"We find that user-generated photographs and their stories create a strong connection with the destination and a better sense of the experience you might have when you visit," said Tim Jarrell, Fodor's Publisher. He added, "Florida offers a wealth of experiences from beaches to birding. I can't wait to see what our users come up with."

"Visitors to the Sunshine State love to share their photos with friends, family and even strangers," said Will Seccombe, chief marketing officer at VISIT FLORIDA. "More and more travelers are posting their photos on VISITFLORIDA.com. It's exciting that they could win a trip to enjoy everything our beautiful state has to offer."

The contest is open to U.S. residents and photo submissions will be accepted at www.Fodors.com/contest/florida/ through February 16th, 2009. Prize sponsors include AirTran Airways, South Beach's Shelborne Hotel and the Miami Seaquarium.

7 Sure-fire Ways To Lose Money In Your Photography Business

Having a passion for photography and actually making a living from it is as different as night and day. The problem is that many newbie photographers mistake equipment, talent and skill for income generation ability.

According to Rodney Washington a.k.a the Photo Marketing Mentor who says, "There are 7 common, but easily avoidable mistakes that if corrected will greatly increase your chances of generating income from your passion for taking photos".

Mistake#1 - Not getting proper training – When you make the decision to go "pro" in your own photography business you are going to encounter situations where you’ll need to have the skills to execute the job you’re hired for. Remember your client isn’t paying you to learn, they’re paying you for results.

Mistake#2 - Not projecting a professional image – You need to present yourself as a professional if you plan to be taken seriously that means having a functioning website, proper stationary, a separate business phone line and a polished personal image.

Mistake#3 - Having too many images in your portfolio - Your portfolio represents the type of work you’re applying for. Don’t confuse clients by showing everything you’ve ever shot. Only show the best images for the kind of work you desire.

Mistake#4 - Focusing too much on technical ability - Your prospects aren’t interested in your technical ability they just want to know you can get the job done. You need skills to complete the job, but there’s no need to inform the client of all the technical stuff.

Mistake#5 - Not having a sales goal - For example, if you want to close 10 sales this month how many prospects do you need to close ten sales? You may realize that for every 5 contacts you close 1 sale. So that means you need to make 50 contacts in order to close new 10 clients.

Mistake#6 - Failure to network - Next to prospecting for new clients, making contacts with referral partners is the number one way to fill your pipeline with new leads. Do you know the key players in your speciality that can refer new business to you?

Mistake#7 - Not offering packages and programs - You should have at least two, preferably three pre-designed packages that bundle your services with set pricing so when you have the closing meeting with a prospect you can provide pre-packaged offers.

The website, http://www.startaphotobusinesstoday.com/, provides low-cost photography marketing & business solutions to help you avoid costly mistakes and move quicker towards running your own successful photography business.

Presidential Photographers Team Up with All Americans to Produce Official Obama Inaugural Photo Book Project

Epicenter Communications, an official licensee of the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC), announced details of the official inaugural photography book project, which will commemorate President-elect Barack Obama's upcoming inauguration. The project will include images from some of the world's most influential photographers and ' for the first time ever ' feature photos submitted online by everyday people documenting their personal celebrations of President-elect Obama's inauguration festivities.

Photos can be submitted starting today at either the book's official site (http://www.obamaphotobook.com/) or in an inaugural photo site on Photobucket. A selection of photo submissions will be chosen for inclusion in a large-format book, published by Five Ties Publishing, New York, which will be available for purchase nationwide on April 29, 2009 ' Obama's 100th day in office.

Also, for the first time, individual amateur photographers will be able to send in their photographs and create their own customizable print-on-demand inaugural album using Kodak imaging and printing technologies ' creating a truly personal memento of a 'people's inaugural.'

In addition to user-submitted images, the commemorative works will include images from an elite team of award-winning photojournalists led by David Hume Kennerly, a Pulitzer Prize winner who served as official photographer for the Ford White House, and Bob McNeely, who served as President Clinton's official photographer.

Hallmark Announces Blooper Photo Card Creation Contest

A hilarious photo and a witty birthday wish could land a talented photographer on a Hallmark card!

Hallmark is now accepting submissions for the company's "yourBloopers" greeting card creation competition. "YourBloopers" is a laugh-out-loud card creation contest. The 60 finalists' designs will be sold in more than 10,000 stores nationwide this summer.

From Jan. 12-Feb. 1, Hallmark will accept submissions online at http://www.hallmark.com/you. Hallmark judges are looking for cards that have photos and writing that work well together, could be sent to many different people and are laugh-out-loud-in-the-card-aisle funny. Each eligible photo must be funny, intriguing and in a vertical format. Wording inside the card should wish the recipient a happy birthday.

"This is our fifth card competition," notes Hallmark editorial director Sarah Mueller. "We're finding people have really funny photos that seem to be meant for a greeting card, so this is an opportunity to pair a great photo with a hilarious birthday wish."

Sixty finalists will be selected and announced in March. Hallmark will select 60 finalists, produce their cards and sell the cards online at http://www.hallmark.com, in Hallmark Gold Crown(R) stores and in other stores that carry Hallmark products. America will then vote for the best of the 60 finalists. The grand prize winner will receive $2500 and the opportunity to be a celebrity judge on an upcoming greeting card competition.

New Alternative to Stock Photo Subscription Model

FeaturePics, stock photo web service, announced its new form of agreements with major photography consumers adding significant changes to the way subscription model works within stock photography markets. By signing an individually tailored agreement, publishers subscribe to FeaturePics web service without having to pay monthly fees and having full access to permanent collection of the entire web site. The approved customer can download exactly the required images and pay only at month end.

Typical stock subscription service currently gives consumers access to a block of photographs they do not necessarily need for a limited amount of time. The new FeaturePics agreement is an easier, more reliable, method to buy images that will actually be used.

Agreements have been signed with major publishing houses, independent newspapers, and advertising agencies. The new enhanced subscription-free model came as part of close collaboration with these companies. "The way people consume images has changed. With the constant shift to digital media users no longer need access to endless list of images - value comes from having easy access to a the right image at any given time" said Elena Oryol, development lead at FeaturePics. "Publishers want the freedom to buy whatever they need, combined with the confidence that they do not need to pay for the service, only for images actually used."

FeaturePics has focused on the idea that photographers are able to promote themselves and publishers can always find information they need. The new enhancement to subscription-free service offers extraordinary value for major publishing companies and Internet developers.

Website: http://www.featurepics.com/

Learn To Take Great Winter Photos

New online photography course offers digital photography tips for taking great winter snow photos. The popular course is offered by Learn to Take Photos and taught by photographer Christina Handley. The course includes tips for finding subjects, protecting your gear and getting good exposures in the snow.

No one knows more about taking photos in the winter snow than Canadian photographer Christina Handley. She is an expert, living and working on a beef cattle farm in Ontario about two hours north of Toronto. "I've been taking photos in the snow all my life," Handley says "we get lots!"

Handley is a professional photographer with many credits to her name in horse magazines. Her photos of horses in the snow are popular every winter season and she has thousands. It snows up to 6 months out of the year in Ontario and few photographers have more opportunity or experience shooting in the challenging conditions of snow.

In 2007, she turned her talents to teaching photography. Recently Handley co-founded Learn to Take Photos, an online photography school with Virginia native Laura Cotterman.

The pair have teamed up to offer an Internet based short course in winter snow photography which has become very popular in the first session attracting dozens of students from all over the US and Canada. The winter photography short course includes tips for finding subjects, protecting your gear and getting good exposures in the snow.

"Exposure is the trickiest part of photographing snow scenes," says Handley. "We teach step by step how your camera sees the snow and how to get a correct exposure."

The online photography course consists of a written lesson with lots of examples and a photography assignment. Students upload their photos and receive helpful feedback and advice. The learning environment is supportive, fun and creative. Everyone is encouraged to ask questions, discuss ideas and participate.

Learn to Take Photos offers a free short course each month for new students. With ongoing enrollment you can join anytime. The Winter Snow Photography course begins Monday Feb 2. New students can use the coupon code SNOWINFEB at checkout and the course is FREE.

Go to www.learntotakephotos.com/winter for the course outline and to join the class.

How to Participate in The National Photo Preservation Month

Did you know there are more than 3.5 trillion analog photographic pictures - representing generations of families' historical "Kodak moments" that have not been seen in years and are clamoring to be digitized? Created by ScanMyPhotos.com (www.ScanMyPhotos.com) to help call attention to and preserve all those shoeboxes of treasured photo snapshots, the National Photo Preservation Month [NPPM begins on January 1, 2009. Its goal is to draw awareness to and showcase the obligation of protecting those special photo memories before they fade away.

The month of January was selected to coincide with the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This is the world's largest consumer trade show, where new consumer products are introduced and often the seed for innovations that surround digital imaging.

Using Kodak digital imaging technology, it is possible to affordably and quickly digitize all those snapshots "Using Kodak digital imaging technology, it is possible to affordably and quickly digitize all those snapshots," explained Mitch Goldstone, founder of NPPM and president and CEO of ScanMyPhotos.com, an international ecommerce photo imaging service that was founded in 1990 by its parent company, 30 Minute Photos Etc, based in Irvine, California and a nearly 20-year member of the International Photo Marketing Association.

Goldstone said, "The demand to digitize pictures is mandated by the span of time which leads many older photos to fade away or become misplaced. The month-long NPPM campaign will also help connect entire families with their past, as they revisit, share and create new ways to preserve and have fun with their snapshots."

Why was the National Photo Preservation Month created?

The idea was sparked from National Geographic Traveler magazine's Jan/Feb 2009 front cover headline, "Preserving Your Travel Photos" which featured a lengthy article by Scott S. Stuckey on how to make your travel photos truly timeless. Traveler's senior photo editor, Daniel Westergren explained that "the short answer is to scan your old pictures." This advice guided ScanMyPhotos.com to help promote making all your photo memories timeless through the establishment of NPPM to draw attention to preserving photos.

How to get involved with National Photo Preservation Month

1) Collect all your old (non-copyrighted) photos. Get your entire family and circle of friends involved as a treasure hunt to track down those Polaroid snapshots, shoeboxes of pictures and photos stacked away in draws and on closet shelves.

2) Use your favorite social networking website, from MySpace, Twitter, FaceBook, Blogger and others to ask your relatives and friends to find those old (non-copyrighted) school pictures, vacation shots, wedding and other special occasion photo memories.

3) Share your stories. Write to local newspapers and blog about your experience as you revisit those special photo memories. Once your photos are digitized, tag each one with descriptive messages and narratives. Write a story about who was in the picture and note something special about the person, scene or event so future generations can keep those memories alive.

4) Keep the momentum going. According to reports by ScanMyPhotos.com customers, the average household has about 5,000 photo snapshots. Once the pictures are pooled together, get it scanned. There are a variety of photo scanning services available, from independent photo imaging retail labs to high-volume, bulk scanning services like ScanMyPhotos.com

5) Share your story and ask the experts for help to preserve your photos. As part of NPPM, the ScanMyPhotos.com website is extending is free Live Support Help Desk to assist with instant answers to questions on how to preserve and digitize your photos. Profiles recounting how people are preserving their photos will be posted at "blog.ScanMyPhotos.com" and gathered to share with tech, consumer and lifestyle reporters.