Google gets "image conscious" - Here's a fun game - wanna play?

Google recently updated the Google "images" search engine, and since I spend a decent amount of time on the Internet researching new ideas for Frameable Faces Photography, checking out blogs, and yes - finding artwork to fill in my cover flow blanks in my iTunes using Google images, it occurred to me that while I don't think I love the new "images" format so much it could make for a very fun game to pass around...

Go to google, click on images in the upper left hand corner of the screen, and google yourself. The game is to find out 1) how many images show up in the results before you actually see a picture of yourself, 2) what is the picture of you a picture from, and 3) what is the most ridiculous image or images that appear in the results before you actually show up? This could be fun to do on facebook and feel free to tag 5 friends to see what their results are... In Frameable Faces terminology I guess you could say that this is Google's search engine measure of how Frameable you are? I showed up in the 38th image in a picture from my 20th high school reunion with Julie (Garczynski) Lewis and Amy (Meneilley) Bloom. No idea how that showed up as the best result of me on the web - quite random... although I could have done much worse than being displayed with two beautiful girls! Oh and there was a picture of Gollum from Lord Of The Rings and one of Dick Cheney before they actually got to me.... Yeah yeah I know - I look a little like Gollum I'm sure. Save your comments... :-)

Have fun!!!!

- Doug

Frameable Faces - What's In A Name?

For some time Ally went by "Allyson Cohen Photography" before changing the name to Frameable Faces Photography. At the risk of sounding a little corny, Frameable Faces for us genuinely means many things and we thought we would share...

Community

It's not just about Ally which is one of the reasons the change was made in the first place. Frameable Faces is a place - it's a physical studio and a business true, but it only works because it's more than that. It is really a community - all of you! The smiling and frameable faces of the people who pass in front of Ally's lens make up Frameable Faces Photography. You are all a part of it and it wouldn't exist without you. You ARE the frameable faces.

Lifestyle

Sure we take pictures and capture memories here, but we try to promote the idea that being "frameable" is an attitude and even a lifestyle. People are here because they live life to the fullest - otherwise they wouldn't be looking to have it photographed. Sometimes people walk through our doors hesitantly - they don't think they are photogenic. Those people deserve a lot of credit for overcoming their doubts and getting in front of the camera, and they end up discovering how frameable they really are. Is your attitude, your family, your life, your smile, your face worth displaying on a wall (or on a purse or in an album)?

Fun

We think the name is fun. It makes us smile, and taking pictures should be fun. We even think our little flower in the logo is fun (don't ask us how it evolved into our little trademark symbol because we're not really sure - but it seems to fit). We enjoy meeting so many wonderful people and getting to know our peeps, staying in touch, watching their children grow and celebrating life's milestones. Sometimes it's downright hilarious (like when a newborn baby poops on Ally).

So there you have it. Yep - it's sugary sweet but it is what it is!

Why is Professional Baby Photography Worth the Price Tag?

We thought this was a good article and here is why... The article goes into detail about some things to consider when deciding to invest in professional photography and what the value is, and we take all the elements described here very seriously. This applies not just to babies, but to maternity, children, families, high school seniors and all the rest. We love doing what we do and we love our people - as some of you reading this already know we have become very close to many of you and we appreciate you letting us into your lives to help capture all the great moments that have happened in front of Ally's camera!!!

Why is Professional Baby Photography Worth the Price Tag?

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Boosting women's self-image | ajc.com

Boosting women's self-image  | ajc.com

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Top 6 things I've learned about facebook (mostly in the past week)

So it's social right? Demented and sad, but social. Okay so it's not really demented and sad, but I watched The Breakfast Club twice in the last week and I just needed an excuse to use that line - maybe my next post will be my top 10 favorite lines from that movie...but I digress... The topic for this blog post is facebook - the most popular social media site on the Internet. Actually it's the most popular site period - overtaking Google last week for the number one spot.

You have probably noticed that we launched a new facebook page this week, and there are many reasons for that. I've been doing a lot of research and and I thought I would share a list of 6 important tidbits I've picked up in my research that we've applied to our own web presence:

1. There is a HUGE difference between a facebook group and a facebook page (or public profile depending on what they are calling it this week). Bottom line - a page is best for your small business if you are a business owner and/or are authorized to create a page for your employer as the facebook administrator. NOT a group.

2. Pages are searchable outside of facebook. Groups are not. That's just one of many reasons to stick with the page.

3. Every page you manage can have its own facebook URL. It's simple - just go to www.facebook.com/username and choose "Set a user name for your pages". The rest is self explanatory. Ours is www.facebook.com/frameablefaces. Please become a fan and suggest the page to your friends (especially if you live in the Metro Detroit area)!

4. App developers charge more than I expected for facebook page design.

5. www.allfacebook.com is a great blog for all things facebook

6. Most "social media experts" will tell you that having a social media presence is critical and that facebook is probably not enough, but trying to have a presence on every single social media site is too much and to "just make sure you are where your customers are". I agree with them on all counts. We stick to facebook, twitter, YouTube, the blog you are reading now, and our official website.

This barely scratches the surface. Part of the genius of facebook is that it's a platform that everyone can use - from the Internet and computer novice to the most advanced developer, and it's constantly changing - they are tweaking features (many of which the average person won't notice) on a daily basis. It's incredibly powerful, incredibly complex, and yet incredibly simple to use all at the same time. You can gain much on a personal level and you cannot afford not to use it for your business - end of story. If you are a small business and don't have a social media presence you will likely be left in the dust...

What a sweet little angel!

On Saturday, I got to work with such a pretty little girl. Baby S was so good in the studio. She pretty much let me do whatever I wanted and even though our session was shorter than I typically like newborn sessions to be, we did get some absolutely beautiful images.

So, without further adieu, may I present "S". I hope you enjoy her images as much as I did capturing them.

Until next time,
Ally

Too Sweet Sisters

I'm loving my play on words for the title here! Go Ally!! So this is a little slide show we created from a session with two of the prettiest, sweetest, most fun sisters. Enjoy!!