AT LAST! Google have significantly revamped their image search engine. I honestly don’t think it’s changed since I first used it which must be at least 10 years ago. With the arrival of Bing I’ve switched my preferred image search Microsofts way. Bing offered more options for customising the display, the search fiend stayed visible and you don’t have to click on any silly little ‘o’s at the bottom, keep scrolling and Bing just keeps serving up images.

Google have followed suit. It’s not often that they’re lacking behind the competition. They’ve replied with a handy little ephasis on mouse over, much like iStock Photo. They’ve removed the old fashioned ‘frame style’ preview when you click but I still don’t think they’ve got it quite right.

As a partial designer I’ve always liked Google’s colour filter but for now I think Bing still has the edge for quick and easy results just how you want them.

Google Image Search Results for MOUNTAIN

Bing Image Search Results for MOUNTAIN

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzRKEv6cHuk

I’m a fan of both stop motion and viral advertising. This does both very well. The amount of planning and travelling involved in making this must be phenomenal.

One thing a photographer often needs is a third hand. Whether its a reflector, a light of a camera, guranteed you’re going to need to hold something at some point.

I rigged up this little camera mount in a kitchen to shoot the fun stop motion video below, purely for my own pleasure. It’s comprised of a mini tripod and a unidirectional ball and socket clamp. See what you’ve got lying around that can become a photography prop and don’t be afraid to get the hammer and nails out. Some of the best photos are not made by cameras but by behind the scenes ingenuity.

Also, check out this video by Chase Jarvis. He’s got some great tips on how to get good photos with simple equipment. His latest blog post is about Levis latest ad and it uses stop motion.

In our increasingly digital-centric world it’s important to be aware of the flaws. The boss of Trip Advisor suggests ignoring the very best and the very worst reviews and focussing on the majority. The trouble is, it can only take one bad review to ruin a business.

I’m all for technological improvement but you just cannot underestimate the value of good old fashioned word of mouth and a relational customer base. I love what I do because I get to work with people, why let the internet rob me of that.

It’s time to re-embrace Twitter.

I stopped sending blog posts there a while ago as I wasn’t tweeting anything else so it was just a stream of blog entries. The intention behind this blog is to create interesting and relevant posts at the right frequency. Social Media is here to stay and it’s useful for business let alone connecting with fiends. But, there’s always a but, I’ve not been sold on the frequency that such networks require your input. Morover, when you don’t have anything to say. The last thing I want to happen is sitting there with my phone thinking, I’ve got to tweet, what shall I say? And then come out with something dull and irrelevant.

Is this post interesting or relevant? Who knows. It’s just one in a sea of billions and trillions floating through the air. If you’re struggling too, think about who you want to connect with. At the end of the day, it’s all about people, even if you only see their feed and not their face.

If ever there was a story to encourage you to spend that little bit extra to get a pro in, this is it. We all count the pennies, and that’s great. I’m sure all the self made millionaires have done that. But you just gotta know where your own expertise reach their limits. Do what you do well, even do it amazingly, and let other people help you.

Client: “That’s way too much money to charge for an email campaign. It’s not hard to put a few graphics in an email.”

Designer: “I charge based off of my regular hourly rate and that’s how long it will take to complete the project.”

Client: “Forget it. We’ll just do it in house. We have a copy of Dreamweaver.”

[Phone call 2 weeks later]

Client: “Can you talk for a second?”

Designer: “Sure.”

Client: “OK. We made that email campaign, but I can’t figure out why all of the links take me to the unsubscribe page.”

Designer: “I’m not sure. Is this a test email you’re talking about? I can finish the project for you based on my hourly rate.”

Client: “Well…no. We already sent it.”

The client sent an email campaign to a list of 74,000 customers with every link in the email being a one-click unsubscribe.

I couldn’t help but get this shot. This sweet old lady was wandering around the back of the church during a wedding ceremony with a bright yellow high vis jacket, very subtle. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t collecting for the couple but if you’re charitably inclined, it’s not a bad idea for your wedding list!?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqy8MaYTiog