I’ve been hinting at this for awhile, but today Silver Shadows II is getting official. This is a collection of LR presets for black and white that is like no other and I think it’s going to set a standard.
Black & White was my second ever presets collection and after some refinements and updates it became Silver Shadows. A collection of effects for black and white that kept getting better with free updates over the past few years. But I felt we needed something more.
Note, that anyone who buys Silver Shadows v1 after Sept 20th 2011 will get a free upgrade to V2. So even if you get v1 today, you’ll get an email with that free upgrade when v2 launches.
I’m passionate about black and white. I mean I’m really fanatical about it. I want to take digital images and make silver art from that that sings. There’s some great tools our there for B&W, but they can slow a workflow and usually require that you leave your RAW file behind, that throws away information and dynamic range that can be really valuable in making a great silver image.
This is just a little teaser I had made up. But the full collection is releasing soon along with all the details. SSII been remade from the ground up and will be the only toolkit you need for black and white.
So what’s five dollar fandom like? It’s just like buying advertising, right? Well, I have to confess something today. I did pay for Facebook fans. I know, sick, right? No, I don’t mean I bought an ad in order to get people to my page. That would have been fine. Wait, is it any different? Well, yes. When you pay someone to spread the word in order to gain “real interest,” it’s different. It’s like paying for an ad in the personals or joining a dating site. It may be a little cheesy at times, but it can still be genuine, and sometimes it’s a working approach.
But that’s not what I did today. I went to a site called Fiverr. It’s an interesting place where anyone can sell pretty much any item or service for five bucks: bracelets made of soda tops, video promos, ads on Twitter accounts, people suggesting Facebook pages to their friends, etc. Kinda interesting.
Then I found an offering that promised more: an immediate growth in fans. The one I picked promised at least 250 +Likes for just $5.00. I know, it was self-serving. But 250 fans? I paused. I’ve always been about good content. The slow nurturing of quality followers. My Seim Studios photography page already had over 1500 real fans. But I wanted to know how this worked. I wanted a taste of rapid growth. So I did it. I bought into five dollar fandom. And I got what I paid for.
A couple hours later, my fans skyrocketed. Yep. Just as all the previous buyers on this offering said. It was for real. In about two hours, I went from around 1510 to 1776. Passing by two centuries in a blink. I had done it. I had new fans, and I was flying. Flying…but not so high. In fact, for a few moments, I was flying low enough that I think my belly button was skimming the weeds. I even confessed to my wife. The reviews didn’t mention that the fans gained were completely without gratification.
It was like a time machine in a bad movie. I may have arrived at the destination, but the plot was no better when I got there. I felt dirty. As though I had paid for fans… Wait, I did pay for fans. I keep telling myself I did it for you. To test the waters and make sure it was safe. To protect you from…. O.K. Honestly, the business side of me simply could not resist the idea of so many new fans, in so little time.
So, what’s the scoop? As far as I can tell, this is not some hacker. The new fans come from FB accounts that have few friends and odd foreign names. And they come fast. I’m guessing there are either a ton of accounts owned by one person (yea, shady), or some sort of fan network where people agree to fan pages for each other. Either way, these people have no real interest in me and will probably never think of me again.
So, the bottom line is this: it’s NOT the best way to gain fans. Yes, you can grab some quick cred on your page. Particularly if you have a new page, this is VERY tempting. It’s not illegal or anything like that, but I speak from today’s experience. It does not feel gratifying. I have pages like Seim Effects with more than 5k fans, fans I worked to get by offering value and sharing ideas. That feels good. Buying fans, not so much. My studio page is still a quality place. These irrelevant fans won’t change that. But every time I look at my numbers from now on, I’ll be mentally deducting those 250 or so fans that “didn’t really count,” and I’ll never be able to forget that I paid for for it.
So is buying ads and trying to gain reach all bad? No. But few things are free, quality clients least of all. So think about what you really want. Will numbers really satisfy you or do you want real people who actually are interested in what you do and will spread the word to others? That takes time. But as for me, I plan to stick with quality +Like’s from now on. That’s not to say I won’t ever buy advertising (though it doesn’t usually work that well either). But I want followers that actually are relevant and who are interested in what I do. On that note, if you want to read my notes for cultivating a quality page, read my 10 Tips for Taming the Power of Your Facebook Page.
My confession has ended. The grimy weight is sliding off my shoulders as I strike these square keys. I am moving on.
Gav
UPDATE/TIP:
At this same time of my craving for fans, I spent another five bucks on another promotion. Five dollars to have someone actually suggest my page to “their” friends. I gained another nice chunk of what seem to be “real fans” from this. Nothing like the 200+ useless fans, but 20-30 actual users, which is far better. The difference is that this is not a promised number where non relevant profiles +like your page, simply for the sake of your ego. Those are real Facebook users, who saw my page suggestion on the sellers wall and decided to +Like it. Would I sell a page suggestion on my personal profile for $5. Not a chance, but I see no problem with buying one if someone is offering it. These seem to be honest-to-goodness people, who, if you provide relevant content, may take a genuine interest in your page. Just like buying an ad.
by Gavin Seim – I’m more a still than a video man myself. Maybe it’s because I’ve not found a way to print videos yet. Still, their value can be unrivaled and the quality that’s come about in the past few years is stunning. Not long ago ago DSLR video was a new toy. That has changed very fast.
This is a neat 25 minutes behind the scenes at Timefest 2011 and gives an inside look into Tom Lowe’s impressive TimeScapes project. And an almost equally good look at some very impressive video gear, including some brand new stuff from Kessler. To top it off, the guys hanging out are experts like Vincent Laforet, Shawn Reeder, Tom Lowe, Carson Garner, Ben Wiggins and many more.
I have to say I love the planning they put into each sequence and wish it happened a bit more in the world of stills. These guys know that if they don’t plan right, they won’t get the footage. What’s next? How about time lapses on 4×5 film drum scanned and rolled into footage. OK maybe that’s going too far. Or is it? Well just enjoy the video. Then share some thoughts about how your using DSLR video… Gav
I have something new for you all that I’m really excited about. HDR and dynamic range is something I became passionate about years back. Since then it’s become more than a “look”. It’s become a way for me to better understand and manage light on every level. I think understanding dynamic range is an everyday essential for the serious photographer. It goes deep.
People have been asking for a recorded segment on HDR for years now. I’ve finally got a collection finished. And it’s more than basic HDR. Enter, HDR Magic. Over 2 hours of fully downloadable HD videos where I show you how I make HDR images and manage dynamic range. Their divided into sections, looking at every aspect, from bold HDR to gentle dynamic pushing and pulling. And going forward I plan to refine the set even further and send out free updates.
Head over to the HDR page for all the details and and the first video. It’s time to see light in a new light. I think you’ll enjoy them… Gav
I don’t post here for every Seim Effects product I come out with, but I have something new today that I’m pretty excited about. HDR and dynamic range is something I became passionate about years ago. Since then it’s become more than a “look”. It’s become a way for me to better understand and manage light on every level. I think mastering dynamic range is an everyday essential for the serious photographer. It goes deep.
People had been asking for a recorded segment on HDR for years now. And I’ve finally got a collection finished. Enter, HDR Magic. But it’s more than Basic HDR. Over 2 hours of fully downloadable HD videos where I show you how I make HDR images and manage dynamic range on more subtle levels. This is the 2nd of my video training collections (the first is Cloning Magic). I love live workshops, but there’s something to be said for watching a workshop whenever you like.
There’s lots more info on Seim Effects if you’re interested. Of course as always, you readers can use code PPS to save 15%. Head over to the HDR page for all the details and and the first video. Hope you enjoy them… Gav
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