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One Of The Most Powerful Weapons In Blogging Revealed

April 1, 2010 By 8 Comments

My life is a series of obsessions strung together in time. Some call that intense…others call it OCD…I call it my life. It is who I am and there isn’t much changing that at this point. Part of that obsession rolls into imagery and capturing life through the lens of a camera. While I am not very good at it right now, I can see the power of pictures through friends that are amazing photographers and that is inspiration to get better. Now that I have about one more line to convince you to read the rest of this article that had a title about a blogging weapon…what is it exactly and does my experience relate to something you can apply to your blogging?

Imagery In Your Blog Posts Set The Mood Of Your Articles

If you are not taking a serious look at how you use images, icons and illustrations in your blogging, you are missing out on a key connection point with your readers. While you may feel that your words can part seas and move mountains, the fact remains that not all of your readers are stimulated the same way you are. By using thought provoking images in your blog posts, you are able to connect on a deeper level with readers that are more visually stimulated. These same images also compliment the content for those readers that prefer to be moved by words.

Images Do Not Stop With Blog Posts

However, the use of imagery on your blog is not limited to complimentary images in blog articles. Through the use of illustrations and icons in your design, you can set the mood of your entire blog and make it a more powerful converting weapon. By using “eye catching” images and icons, you are directing your readers to where you want their attention. This can be newsletter sign-ups, rss sign-ups or advertisements for your paid eBooks. Whatever your most important assets are in your blogging, you can attract attention to those items on the page by using images and icons.

But be careful…

I have seen bloggers use this theory to an extreme creating a cluttered look that generates the opposite desired effect. Too many images and icons can cause a distracting mess that not only takes away from your content, but it also returns a lower conversion rate due to the mind blowing confusion. Like with all things in blogging and design, moderation and planning is generally the best rule.

So How Do I Get Kick Ass Images On My Blog?

Luckily, I have already published a couple of articles for you to check out on using images in blog posts.

And…of course…you can just take your own!

Here are a couple out I have taken recently…

Filed Under: Blogging, Content, Photographs Tagged With: , , , , ,

Back From The Bahamas – 1st Wedding Anniversary

September 22, 2009 By 6 Comments

We are back from the Bahamas and successfully made it through our first year of being married! They always say…the first year is the hardest…so from here on it should be a walk in the park right? Well, at least I kept Jenn convinced that it is a good idea to stay married to me for another year, so that is a good thing. We took our long weekend and set out on a cruise to the Bahamas and it was a much needed rest out in the sun. The cruise left on Friday, so we left Thursday night and arrived in Cape Canaveral, FL around 3am…just in time for me to wake up early and head to the government office to pick up a copy of my Florida birth certificate that I didn’t have…

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Lifestyle Design, Photographs Tagged With: , ,

What did you do this Saturday morning?

April 18, 2009 By 3 Comments

So what did you do this morning? When my two Boxers woke me up at 6:45 am on this beautiful Saturday morning, I decided to head outside and enjoy the sunrise while I worked on some blogging for the upcoming week. I took the dogs out with me so they could play for awhile and instead of working…I ended up taking some shots of them! So much for being productive…

I am not sure what I would do without my dogs. They are always a bright spot in my day and to watch them play is absolutely hilarious. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Boxers, they really do box. I swear my neighbors must think that we are running a Michael Vick dog fighting ring over here, but I promise they are just playing! This shot was taken while my male brindle Hans was “hunting” Hemi…our female. She was just sitting next to me watching as he inched closer and closer. As you can see by the lack of grass in our backyard, our dogs love chasing each other in circles until they are ready to fall over from exhaustion. I don’t think I’ll ever have grass, but it is worth it to watch my Boxers do their thing.

Shot was taken with a Nikon D80 and the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D AF Lens, and edited with Adobe Lightroom 2.

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Preparation

February 19, 2009 By 1 Comment

trainThey say that imitation is the best form of flattery. A friend of mine…regularjoe on Flickr…took a picture recently of a train on the tracks. Ever since then…I have been on the lookout for a similar situation because I absolutely love that picture. As I was driving through Panama City yesterday, I saw this train preparing for departure from a large industrial site. It was the perfect opportunity so I stopped for a couple of shots. Ideally, this shot would have taken place during a different hour, but the overcast setting seemed to add a little something for me. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogging, Photographs Tagged With: , , , ,

Nikon D80 + MacBook Pro = Art

February 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Those of you that know me are already aware that I like to step away from reality every now and then and get behind the lens of my D80. I was drafting up blog posts last night and hanging out with the wife when this idea hit me.

We were clearing a table for dinner and I caught the reflection of the Apple logo off my MacBook Pro on the table. Like anyone who carries a camera around with them on a regular basis…I thought…hey, that’s a cool shot. So I grabbed the Nikon D80 and the Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-135mm1:3.5-5.6G ED lens to play around some.This is my favorite shot from the entire idea.

What surprises me on a regular basis is how photogenic Apple products really are. From the iMac to the iPhone, Apple takes an incredible amount of time focusing on form as well as function. Over the years, their products continue to look better and better. They tapped into an area of computing that I believe many overlook…we want our products to be an extension of who we are and what we stand for. The new laptop lineup from Apple is becoming as much of a fashion statement as they are useful products.

If you want to see the complete stats on the images, click on them in the Flickr photo block on the sidebar of the blog.

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Why I Carry My Nikon D80 With Me Everywhere!

December 7, 2008 By 6 Comments

I have gotten into the habit of carrying my Nikon D80 with me everywhere. Why do I do this? Because you never know when you will stumble upon a great shot. The worst feeling is seeing the shot with no camera to capture it.

Nashville, TN Skyline and Bridge

I was driving home to Atlanta from Louisville, KY last week when I saw an amazing sight. The sun was setting behind the Nashville, TN cityscape leaving beautiful reds, blues and yellows. I pulled off the highway when I saw the bridge lit up like a Christmas tree looking for a place to capture the image. It was 28 degrees and windy outside while I was running through parking lots trying to get the right angle before the sun completely set. [Read more...]

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Water Reflection In The Fall

November 10, 2008 By Leave a Comment

My favorite part about fall in the southeast United States is the weather (perfect for mountain biking) and the colors. This year we have an unbelievable amount of fall reds and yellows. I believe this is due to some good rain that we got right before the turn.

On a ride at Fort Yargo over the weekend, I took some time before the ride to walk around with the wife and our dog. This shot of the lake with the fallen leaves really caught my eye. The clarity of the air a day after a hard rain is incredible. Add to that…the yellows of the leaves on dirty lake water make for a great shot. [Read more...]

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Overworked and Underpaid

October 25, 2008 By 1 Comment

Nikon D80
Shutter: 1/30
Aperture: F4
Exp: -0.7
Focal: 24mm
ISO: 1100
Format: Raw
No Flash
Edited with Lightroom 2

I was walking through a production plant the other day when this shot struck a cord with me. So often…we do 100% of the work for 20% of the money. This robotic welder is the extreme…work all the time with no pay, but that is how it feels when you are working your 9-5. The reality is that the 9-5′s have now become the 8-6′s. [Read more...]

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Handicapped without the parking space…

October 18, 2008 By Leave a Comment

My first post on robb sutton dot com…and it seems rather fitting. Do you ever get the feeling that you are handicapped without the parking space?

Sometimes…it seems like you are being held back for no reason while others get the breaks. In reality…you have to make your own breaks in life. The greatest things come out of the people that work the hardest…productively…towards a goal. Those that wait on handouts…will always be waiting.

Make your own happiness in your life. You will be surprised how far you can really get when you put your mind to it. Have one of those ideas that you always though you should try? TRY IT! What is the worst that can happen?

Life is what you make it…and you need  to start making it what you want it to be…not what others are forcing upon you.

The time is now!

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