Are keywords in your images important?

Part 1 :

In one word: yes. Before we talk about how and what to use for your keywords first you need to work out your particular situation and what will work best for you.

For instance, if you are just keywording for your own use to find images easily in the future then that makes it fairly easy but if you are keywording for a stock image library, agency, magazine etc you need to be more specific.

Many agencies and stock libraries have specific guidelines and if your images are not keyworded no one will ever fine them, you’ll never make a sale and it’s a waste of time uploading them to the agency. These days it is important to find these guidelines and take note of the length of the captions and the quality of the key words used. For instance a stock library I submit to also has cartoons and graphics in it so the word photograph is very important in that collection of keywording. Many have limits on the number of keywords or total characters (this may or may not include spaces) you can use. If you exceed that then the keywording may be cut off and never be seen.

Take your time when keywording. Research what others have done: what works and what does not. Look at your image if you were a buyer: what would you type into a search engine? This is another reason captioning (which we’ll cover later) is important to be keyworder-friendly. Just because you think it’s a logical process does not mean others will.

Pom Pom Positively Turtle Heaven

By Danielle Lancaster

Pom Pom Island is an idyllic paradise.

Relatively unknown, this tiny tropical island around 45 minutes by boat from Borneo’s coast, is picture perfect postcard material. White sandy beaches, turquoise waters teeming with tropical marine life and on land, lush vegetation with brilliantly coloured flowers provide a safe habitat for birds, their feathers as vividly tinted as the flowers that their bills pierce seeking nectar.

For Melissa Mangalis, Pom Pom Island’s Resort Marine Biologist, it’s a perfect office.  Melissa is working hard for change. Not unlike any other island in the world, rubbish is a problem even on this uninhabited (except for the resort) island. Years of plastic use has caused a never ending rubbish problem. And here on Pom Pom its item like plastic bottles and bags washed up on the sandy beach. While yes an eye sore, the foremost problem this plastic waste presents is for the sea turtles. For them it’s a killer. And for Melissa a war that must be won. 

 Melissa at the turtle hatchery on Pom Pom Island

Working hand in hand with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Melissa is an advocate for change. ‘If we can educate the children, we and the turtles have a future,’ she told me today as we sat in the shade by Pom Pom turtle’s hatchery.

Behind us school children from three schools (two from the mainland and another island) are playing games on the beach. Each game has a deep message. Along with their teachers and WWF staff they are being taught through fun the effects of plastics and illegal fishing practices such as dynamite and cyanide fishing have on the environment.

‘Some of these children’s father’s may be fishermen, they all use plastic and the children are our key for change. It’s how we can work for change together, and save our precious environment,’ explains Melissa.

Children from schools on the mainland and a nearby island play games to learn
about the impact of rubbish on marine life.

In one afternoon I counted 12 sea turtles just outside my bungalow on Pom Pom. Green and Hawksbill turtles regularly use the beaches of Pom Pom to lay their clutches of eggs. In the water Melissa is just as active and so is the diving team at Pom Pom. 

There are regular reef clean-ups and work removing Crown of Thorn Starfish, coral painting and the team works closely with the Marine Police in Semporna for any breaches in fishing protocols they see or hear. Dynamite fishing is still being illegally undertaken and a group of divers told me over lunch today of a large blast they heard while diving far off Pom Pom this morning.

 A green turtle in the shallows of Pom Pom Island.

Back on land the team on the island are every bit as proactive. Daily beach clean-ups keep Pom Pom’s beaches as pristine as they can be. Visitors are encouraged to join in and there are regular talks and activities aimed at educating.

It’s a great case of every little bit helps, and with people like the young and energetic Melissa coming up through the ranks we can feel positive these magnificent ancient sea mariners the turtles, will be visiting Pom Pom for many more generations to come and its beaches have a chance of staying white and not becoming just another rubbish dump.

Why I no longer buy my camera gear online

Guest blog by Aleisha Hudson

I love the tech savvy world in which we live for many reasons but one of my favourite things would have to be that ability to buy nearly anything with the click of a button. I have bought everything from vintage cigar boxes to gazebo umbrellas using online shopping and 97% of the time I am happy with my purchase - especially the number at the end of the dollar sign. Now I consider myself to be pretty good at doing my research before purchasing from sites especially international ones. Some of the key things that I look for before making a purchase are is the store legitimate, are the products in good/new condition and the big one are the products genuine/authentic brands? Another big question (with a couple of spin offs) is does this item have a warranty/guarantee and if so how do I redeem it if I have a problem, where do I send it and at whose expense?

Many websites say they're Australian/Australian owned but if you go through and have a look at the fine print more often then not the company is based overseas usually somewhere like Hong Kong or China where knock offs are abundant. Just because the company say they are selling "genuine" products does not mean they are genuine distributors for that company. I often hear "It all comes from the same factory just a different label." now it may come from the same factory but that doesn't mean the parts are the same.

We have a family friend who does the electrical side of things for a large building company and they sent him to Hong Kong to inspect and choose what parts to order. He was taken to a large factory and presented with containers in front of him filled with parts, for each item they had three-four "identical" types each varying in price - same factory, same look, DIFFERENT quality. And sometimes they don't even bother with the parts to make it look authentic - some just have the audacity to sell you junk and there isn't anything you can do about it.

Now why as an avid online shopper am I personally against buying my camera gear off the Internet/Internet based companies? Simple answered I've been burned - by more then one site.
There are a couple of experiences I've had with filers for lenses all looking like they were the real deal until you use them or have a very close look and realise you may as well use them for drink coasters because the quality is atrocious especially when it comes to polarizers. The worst experience I have had is with a flash unit that I bought from overseas it would last about five shots and then die but that differences weren't just mechanical, when I had a chance to look at a genuine model next to my import the difference in quality was notable even from the outside including screen colouring. When I emailed the company in regards to mechanical warranty I was informed they would have to check it out but the only way for that to happen was for me to post it back to them registered post at my own expense (over $100) - it simply wasn't worth it.

I want to clarify there is a difference between shopping from an online store like eglobal digital and shopping from a tangible store that has an online option such as camera pro or teds.

I can't say I wasn't warned about shopping online for camera gear but as a 23yr old with all my infinite wisdom I clearly knew better - WRONG! I had even heard other stories but I figured I had done my research and I'm sure xyz from Hong Kong only has my best interests at heart and was really just trying to help save my bank account. When it comes to online camera gear there is a direct correlation between price and quality.

So at the end of the day I'll continue to buy my nik naks and iPhone covers from online but if I want quality and reliability I'll head on down to the camera store and save myself the money in the long run.

 Aleisha during the Bluedog Photography Outback Tour

We are back blogging!

So we’ve been a bit light on in the blogs lately. Many apologies and as the buck stops with me I accept all responsibility. However we have been busy, very busy, in other areas.

We’ve been delivering a wide range of workshops across many regions, preparing for some OS soon: roll on Siem Reap at the end of June, attending a few ourselves, doing run throughs for new offerings here at Bluedog and plugging away at contracts, travelling, and having some fun exploring with photography.

Over the past 7 weeks we have entered the video world and let’s say it’s been an interesting little foray. We are trying to produce a weekly Vlog, ‘Kennel TV’, maybe a big ask weekly, but anyway we are trying.

To check it out click Bluedog Kennel TV we’re now up to#7! You can subscribe to it so an email alert comes into your in box each week when we upload.

Along with that we’ve started uploading tips, reviews, tutorials and even some funny ones like our D4 unboxing.

Popular ones have been the first of our Rainforest Photography tips, What's in the Bag and the promo on our new specialty workshop High Octane and the first of our Australian Wildlife Photography Tips. We look forward to bringing you more soon.

Anyway back to the blog. We have not forgotten you and coming up soon is: ‘M’s fulfil local Photographers Passion’, a review on the Leica M9 and the Fuji X-Pro 1Fujifilm ISO comparison (you'll find our video review here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4K50n3riuQ), planning a holiday for safety and well that for starters.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Danielle and the crew in the kennel at Bluedog Photography and Travel

CHASING YOUR DREAMS

Guest blog by David Alexander

“Don’t be afraid to chase you Dreams”. I have heard this saying all my life but only in the last few years have I realised how much satisfaction you can get by doing exactly that, your outlook on life will change.

With determination, hard work, support from family and friends and the right guidance/teaching from Bluedog Photography I have seen my dream of calling myself a photographer coming to fruition. I have been offered the opportunity to have one of my photo’s (taken at a Bluedog Test Workshop) made into a poster that will be handed out at V8 Race Meets during the 2012 season.

The SP Number 9 car is driven by Shane van Gisbergen who is currently running fourth in the 2012 V8 Supercars Series. The young Kiwi has driven the SP car for SBR racing since 2008 and is one of the up and coming stars of the V8’s.

So what I have discovered is don’t be afraid to step-up to the plate – tell the world you are a photographer (if that is your dream) be proud of what you produce and keep learning your craft and your dreams can come true.

 Image by David Alexander

Who is the Cunnamulla Fella?

Stan Coster was ‘ringing’ (working as a sheep-shearing “ringer”) around Cunnamulla in the 1950’s when he wrote the words of the ‘Cunnamulla Fella’.  Slim Dusty later recorded the words as a song.

So who is he? Well locals in Cunnamulla say he is the larrikin in all Australian’s. When Stan was in the region working on stations during the 1950’s and 1960’s Cunnamulla was enjoying steady prosperity due to high wool prices and increased demand for the fine merino clip produced from the Mulga country. It was the days, they claimed, when Australia was riding on the sheep’s back. Wool was fetching a pound for a pound and cattle were worth their weight in gold.

Friday and Saturday nights saw the young ringers and shearers hit Cunnamulla for a weekend of ‘drinkin, lovin and fightin’. After a week of working hard – 15 or 16 hour days were not unheard of - they also played hard. 

Mike Nicholas, an artist, was based in Cunnamulla as a policeman in the 1960’s and these young men inspired his drawing of the ‘Cunnamulla Fella’. A young man with pannikin in one hand, sitting on his rolled up swag having a yarn at the end of the day. He later recalled seeing boys as young as 14 sitting on their swag waiting for the grazier or mail truck to pick them up for another jaunt on one of the huge stations.

Since then the character The Cunnamulla Fella has grown into the legend it is today. So when you next venture west into the mulga country with its orange tinted soils and friendly outback folk check out the huge bronze statue sculptured by Archie St. Claire. He sits on the green lawn in front of the Paroo Shire Council gazing down the main street. 

There may not be as many ringers, shearers or even pubs for that matter that once overflowed with these men cashing in the weekly cheques as back when Stan was amongst them but one thing is for sure, there are still the larrikins, the yarns and the colourful characters out there.

‘Well I’m a scrubber, runner and a breaker too,

I live on damper and wallaby stew,

I’ve got a big cattle dog with a staghound’s cross,

I never saw the scrubber we couldn’t toss,

Cause I’m the Fella from Cunnamulla

Yes I’m the Cunnamulla Fella”

Easter in Australia!

By Danielle Lancaster

Tomorrow is Good Friday and the start of the Easter holidays for those on our time clock down here in Australia. Some of you may already know that those of us here at Bluedog Photography support Easter: specifically, the Easter Bilby!

You see, a while ago we adopted, along with many others, that it should be the native Australian Easter Bilby hopping into our children's lives here in Australia not the feral rabbit.

Did you know bilbies breed like rabbits but it's the unfortunate presence of the fox and cat (and once man) that forced the lesser Bilby to extinction and the greater Bilby to  within a breath of it: by the way we have no malice to cat owners either. They are just best indoors at night).

My personal story with the Bilby was kicked up a gear on a trip to outback Queensland, some 18 years ago. I'd been showing my children the work being done through journals, scientific papers, news paper and magazine clippings and a very different internet than we have today about this cute little animal. We had the fortune to call into Charleville EPA headquarters and catch Peter McRae, the scientist behind the long hard studies and attempts to save the Bilby there.

 Peter and a Bilby at Currawinya National Park

John, my eldest son, a mere 8 at the time, emptied his entire pocket money and savings that day into Peter's palms. As the coins dropped onto Peter's work ridden hands, the skin creases encrusted with dirt from a good days hard work in red soil country, there was a moment. Peter accepted this stream of coins with as much dignity, as I later saw him accept thousand dollar cheques.

In the recent opening of my exhibition 'Across my Path' Peter features checking out the Bilby Fence within Currawinya National Park. And he is happy to report that inside the fence the Bilbies are breeding like rabbits!

So if you don't do it already consider changing to the Bilby for Easter. And make saving the bilby one of the most delicious things to do. Australian chocolate manufacturer and retailer Darrell Lea has been making chocolate Easter bilbies since 1994 raising in excess of $225,000!

Did you also know that in 2003, bilbies outsold bunnies by eight to one here in Australia! But be aware: it's only Darrell Lea bilbies that donate sales from their bilby chocolates back to the fund.

Have a safe and happy Easter everyone!

 Peter checks out the Bilby fence at Currawinya National Park.