I did encounter some new bird species today though. More to add to my life list. I saw a handful of Greater Scoups in breeding colors, and some Canvasbacks. One of my favorite waterfowl species is the Hooded Merganser, and there were a handful of them too.

www.nightowlphotography.com

Well, I’m starting to at least.  I’m not really sure it qualifies as fine art, but that’s where everyone else classifies things that don’t fit any other mold, so I’ll play along too.  Anyway, here is an image from the gallery.  Click the image to follow it to the whole gallery.  Right now I’d call the gallery the “Industry” gallery I think.  I dunno?  Tell me what you think of the gallery.  Is it fine art?  Do you like the images?  To much photoshoping?  Does the photoshoping enhance the images, or degrade them?

I’ve also uploaded a few new sunsets.  Hope you like them.  This one I captured while stalking a sunset on the way from one family gathering to another on the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I just spent a good half hour removing those power lines from the image, and then when I looked at it full size again, I didn’t like it with the power lines removed.  D’oh!  I don’t know why, but I really like this sunset.  Maybe because it’s so different with the silhouette of the railroad gate?  Anyway, click through the image to go to the full gallery.

www.nightowlphotography.com

Lets say this person who called me is named Jim.  Jim called because every year, he buys his wife a bald eagle calendar for christmas in their local community in Michigan.  It’s a tradition for them.  This year though, no one has bald eagle calendars, to his amazement.  So he goes to the internet and types in “bald eagle calendar 2011″ in Google.  Who’s link shows up at the top of the list?  Mine does.  (If he typed in just “bald eagle calendar” sometimes last years shows up, sometimes next years shows up.) So he finds my blog (listed a few articles below) with my 40% off coupon and the link to my Lulu.com site.  He loves the calendar, but he’s afraid it may not arrive in time for Christmas, so he then Google’s some more and finds my website, where he found my phone number.  He called and asked if I had any bald eagle calendars I could send directly that might arrive before Christmas, and I do.  He sent payment and I’ll send his calendar out tomorrow. 

Now if I didn’t understand keywording, my link would not have been number 1 on Google.  Jim was in a hurry, so he noticed the first link and that’s what he clicked on.  I would not have gotten the lead or the sale had I not understood keywording, and the customer may not have found someone as accessible as me who could help him make his wife smile on Christmas morning.  People who shop online almost always go with whoever is at the top of the search results, because it’s to much trouble to investigate all the other links that are listed.  (Meaning most consumers are lazy.  That’s ok, but you have to market to them understanding that.) 

If you found this article about keywording for photographers helpful, please comment below, and feel free to review the rest of my blog articles for more about keywording and metadata. 

(p.s.  Let’s see how high on Google this article shows up when you Google “keywording for photographers”.)

***************************************

Update:  It’s only been 1 hour, and I’m already listed at number 6 on a Google search for “keywording for photographers”.  See how that works?  Now go back and study my article, and try to figure out why that happened.  (I actually planned it that way, if you can’t tell.  I expect it go higher after a day or so too.)

www.nightowlphotography.com

Some of you may recognize some of the images in this slideshow as being from Resurrection Cemetery, which as you know, is famous for Resurrection Mary. All of those images were created with trick photography, NOT with photoshop. There’s zero photoshoping in those images. Those images could have been created with a 30 year old camera, and ISO 800 film.

My YouTube page has a few training tips videos, some nature and wildlife slide show videos, some client videos and I’ll be adding videos about every month from now on.  So go check it out at http://www.youtube.com/nightowlphotography

Below is an example video for you.

For immediate release:

Quad Cities American Bald Eagle Calendar 2011

Night Owl Photography Releases 3^nd Annual
Quad Cities American Bald Eagle Calendar

Suburban Chicago, IL – 21 Nov 2010 – Midwest area photographer Richard Nagle of Night Owl Photography has published his highly anticipated third annual Quad Cities American Bald Eagle Calendar for 2011 on Lulu.com, the online market place for digital content. 

 Mr. Nagle spent many of the coldest winter days of 2010, in cold weather gear, photographing eagles, when everyone else was inside staying warm.  Through many hours of editing, composing, and writing, Mr. Nagle created next years high demand calendar in plenty of time to purchase for the holidays. 

 Sheila Johnson says “You know we have a house full of Eagle stuff!! So of course he had to have your calender!”

 Mr. Nagle’s Quad Cities American Bald Eagle Calendar is composed of photographs taken entirely in the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois.  Mr. Nagle’s ability to capture moving eagles, and literally freeze them in time is stunning.  Magazine worthy images mark each page of his calendar.  

 Mr. Nagle says “I’ve been photographing the American Bald Eagle on the Mississippi Riverway in the Quad Cities for many years now, and I’ve finally learned enough about eagles, photography, and light, to be able to get the images I want.  This calendar is my American Bald Eagle portfolio for your home, for a steal of a price.”

 Mr. Nagle’s calendar can be ordered at Lulu.com at the following link:
http://www.lulu.com/product/calendar/quad-cities-bald-eagle-calendar-2011/13407056

For a limited time, use code “CALENDARVIP305″ during checkout for 40% off!!!

# # # 

Lulu.com is the premier marketplace for digital content on the
Internet, with over 300,000 recently published titles, and more than 4,000 new
titles added each week, created by people in 80 different countries. Lulu is
changing the world of publishing by enabling the creators of books, video,
periodicals, multimedia and other content to publish their work themselves with
complete editorial and copyright control. With Lulu offices in the US, Canada the
UK and Europe, Lulu customers can reach the globe.

Richard Nagle is sole proprietor and owner of Night Owl Photography.  Richard learned his craft from his father, and godfathers as a young teen.  Richard’s favorite tools of the trade are his Nikon D300, and his Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Lens.  Night Owl Photography can be located online at http://www.nightowlphotography.com/.

 Use code “CALENDARVIP305″ during checkout.
 
http://www.lulu.com/product/calendar/quad-cities-bald-eagle-calendar-2011/13407056

For more information about Night Owl Photography, please visit his website at: http://www.nightowlphotography.com/.

Richard is one of the wonderful local artists who will be sharing his work at the Garfield Farm & Inn Museum’s Homespun Holidays Craft Show & Sale on December 4-5, 2010.

 Garfield Farm Museum
Homespun Holidays Craft Show & Sale
December 4th & 5th from Noon – 7PM both days
(Click for Map)

So anyway, now I’ve got my prints, my mattes, my calendars, and need to get busy assembling everything. I’m still waiting on my business cards, and still want to get some postcards printed.  Thinking about getting a banner done too.  I’d like to start doing shows more frequently. 

I’m proud of myself that a Logan 450 matte cutter I’ve been coveting for about year, was NOT purchased today even though it was 25% off at Blick Art Supply. Boy I want that thing though. I have this weird desire to matte and frame my own images instead of paying someone else to do it. It feels like it would mean so much more to do it all myself.