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How to Use Facebook Ads to Reach Couples as a Wedding Photographer

Facebook ads are some of the best and cheapest sources for advertising a new wedding photography business.

When I first started wedding photography a few years ago, business was slow. I got all my inquires through Gumtree (an English version of Craiglist) and organic search traffic, and I only booked around 8 weddings in my first year. I still had a day job at this point, so could still get by.

17 of Apple’s Favorite iPhone 6S Portrait Photos

With each new iPhone model, Apple has been gathering some of the world's best photos captured with its phone for its global "Shot on iPhone" ad campaigns. Last year we shared 20 of Apple's favorite photos that were captured with the iPhone 6.

Today Apple is launching a new World Gallery titled "Shot on iphone 6S." Here are 17 of Apple's favorite portrait photos captured with its latest phone camera.

These Horrifying Camera Death Scenes Will Make You Die a Little Inside

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Accidents Happen. We've got you covered!Canon is offering complimentary CarePAK protection coverage for select gear purchases at B&H through January 9, 2016!Details: http://bhpho.to/1PTopmqPosted by B&H Photo Video Pro Audio on Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Canon is currently running a special promotion in which photographers purchasing gear through authorized dealers will receive a free 13 months of CarePAK priority service and accident insurance (which protects from accidents such as careless drops and spills).

To promote CarePAK coverage of its products, B&H recently published the video above that shows careless and unlucky photographers having their gear damaged and destroyed in all kinds of painful ways.

Canon’s New Billboards Provide Real Time Photo Tips

Canon's latest billboard ad campaign in New York City does more than promote the camera brand: they can actually help you shoot better photos. Each of the fixed and mobile truck billboards is updated in real time with useful photo tips you can use on the spot.

17 Ideas for Marketing Your Wedding Photography in the Off-Season

Weddings are a seasonal thing. They really pick up in spring, roll on at a steady pace through summer and then spike into the fall. But then comes November, when the frenzy of peak wedding season slows down, it can be tempting to hibernate until spring. If you’ve had a particularly busy year, it may actually be necessary for you to cool your heels for a minute.

Way Beyond the Deadline: Shooting ASU Football’s Ad Campaign

There are deadlines and then there are deadlines… this is the latter.

Arizona State University’s advertising campaign is one that I have now shot for 10 years. It is one that I always use to push the logistical boundaries that I had previously been inflexible towards, for the sake of art and knowledge. Photographing it is a practice in embracing the unknown and evaluating previously conceived notions of what is possible and what is not. This year’s photoshoot existed well within the impossible…

Creating a Composite Car Photo Using a Parking Lot Snapshot

A couple of days ago, photographer and retoucher Clint Davis shared a guest post about how he created composite photos for a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 brochure. Turkish photographer and retoucher Burak Erzincanli was also recently commissioned to create a composite with a Mercedes Sprinter.

BTS: Shooting Lifestyle Photos for Jeep on 35mm Film

Los Angeles-based photographer Dave Hill was recently commissioned to shoot a print campaign for the 2015 Jeep Wrangler. He ended up doing most of the shoot on 35mm film after doing some test shots on digital.

The 10-minute video above is a behind-the-scenes look at how the photos were made.

Did I Just Give My #Permission? Hashtag Consent for Photo Usage is Trending

The New York Times published an article about brands using user generated content (UGC) without explicit permission. When a woman named Shereen Way posted a photo of her daughter to Instagram with the hashtag #crocs, Crocs pulled the photo and posted it to their website with other user photos.

It was only much later that Crocs sought explicit permission from Ms. Way, which she declined. And how did they ask for permission? “Please respond with #CrocsOK.”

When Photographers Become Endorsements

Photographers are used to being behind the camera, but the prominence and rise of photography – particularly through social media – has created emerging opportunities for photographers. No longer relegated to pimping camera gear and workshops, the contemporary photographer has many more possibilities to endorse everything from cars to credit cars.

A Clever Camera Store Ad on the Side of a Bus

Over in Japan, the electronics chain Yodobashi Camera places these creative ads on the sides of buses that turn the rear wheel into a lens for a giant camera. Kevin Warnecke spotted this one in Kyoto, Japan.

KFC’s New Tray Liners Let You Take ‘Fakation’ Photos

KFC Romania wants to help you make your life appear more exciting on social media. The restaurant chain's new 'Fakation' campaign features new tray liners that display photos from vacation spots around the world. You're supposed to use the photos as backgrounds to create fake vacation photos for sharing online.

1970s Olympus Trip 35 Commercials Starring British Photographer David Bailey

Back in the 1970s, Olympus launched an advertising campaign for its Trip 35 35mm compact camera that featured renowned British photographer David Bailey. The 46-second commercial above is one of the ads that was aired: it depicted the popular racing driver James Hunt being confused for Bailey because of the Trip 35 he was shooting with.

Olympus DSL-ARM Ad Pokes Fun at the Heaviness of DSLRs

Olympus has launched a bizarre and humorous new ad campaign to promote its mirrorless cameras at the expense of "heavy DSLRs." The ads feature a made up medical condition called DSL-ARM: "the affliction of having your arm stretched by using a heavy DSLR." Check out the 30-second ad above.

Nikon Made a Doggy Camera Mount That’s Triggered by Heart Rate

Photographers often take pictures of things that touch them emotionally. Nikon wanted to help dogs do the same.

As part of a new "Heartography" project, the camera company has created a doggy camera mount that uses a built-in heart-rate monitor to snap photos of things that excite the dog.

How NOT to Do Slow Motion for an Advertisement

A couple of days ago, the bourbon whisky brand Jim Beam posted a video to its Facebook page to promote its popular spirit. It was a repeatedly looped clip of its bourbon being poured into a glass with the pouring slowed down for effect. "Everything looks better in slow motion," the caption read.

Sony Fires a Shot at DSLRs by Shattering Mirrors

Sony Australia has launched a new "Move to Mirrorless" advertising campaign that aims to lure people away from DSLRs and to the Alpha line of mirrorless cameras. To get its point across, Sony released the 60-second video above showing large mirrors shattering into little pieces in the desert in order to make way for "a new era in photography."

BTS: Photographing Jimadors in the Agave Fields of Tequila, Mexico

NYC photographer Joey L was recently tasked by Jose Cuervo, the best selling tequila brand in the world, to shoot advertising photos in its agave fields in Tequila, Mexico. The behind-the-scenes video above, part of Joey's Dudes with Cameras series, offers a look into how the shoot unfolded and the different challenges Joey and his team faced (warning: there's some strong language).

Eh? DJI Advertises the Phantom 3 As a Way to Capture Wedding Ceremonies

DJI announced the Phantom 3 yesterday, updating the world's most popular line of drones with much fanfare. However, one of the "filmed on Phantom 3" videos is drawing some ridicule and laughter.

In a short film titled "Lasting Love" (shown above), DJI touts the Phantom 3 as a great way to photograph and film indoor wedding ceremonies.

Shooting a Portrait of a Man with a Cloud of Falling Lemons

Israeli photographer Ronen Goldman was recently commissioned by UK-based premium luggage manufacturer Redland London to shoot a series of advertising photos promoting an upcoming line of luggage. The company wanted to show the durability of the product and how it helps you "be prepared for anything," so Goldman created a photo of a man protecting himself from a cloud of falling lemons. The video above is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how the image was created.

Top Instagram Users Making Thousands Per Photo by Promoting Products

It pays to have a lot of Instagram followers -- literally. Top users on the photo-sharing service these days are finding that their simple picture snapping can be turned into real dollars, and a lot of them at that. The numbers may astound you: some users are receiving thousands of dollars in exchanging for sharing a single photo that promotes a company's products.

#PictureBelfast Challenges You to Tell the Difference Between a Smartphone Filter and Analog Film

Online content studio Rubber Republic recently created something called #PictureBelfast, a photography-based viral campaign designed to showcase their city on behalf of Tourism Ireland.

But this isn't just a set of pretty pictures -- it's an interactive challenge that wants to see if you can tell the difference between a film photograph, and a filtered wannabe taken with a smartphone.

Samsung Will Give You a Free NX30 if You #DitchTheDSLR on June 4th in NYC

If you've been thinking of swapping out your old DSLR for a more nimble mirrorless camera, but you just don't want to go through the hassle of selling your old kit and raising the necessary funds, Samsung has one hell of a deal for you.

On June 4th between the hours of 12pm and 6pm in Times Square, Samsung will GIVE you an NX30 for free if you're willing to hand over your DSLR (any DSLR) in exchange.

Using Body Painted Models to Create and Photograph a Fiat 500c Abarth

Editor's Note: This video is a tiny bit NSFW. All nudity has been censored, but the models are at times very scantily clad so you may want to wait until you're at home to watch it.

While The Body Issue of ESPN Magazine usually keeps the focus on bodies in a sporty sense, Fiat wanted to make an impression in its advertising pages as well.

And so, taking the Fiat 500C's motto "Made of Pure Muscle" to its most literal sense, Fiat used 15 circus performers, acrobats and artists to turn human bodies into a car without the help of Photoshop.

Photographers Upset at Wedding Blog for Offering Paid Facebook and Pinterest Posts

The popular wedding blog The Wedding Chicks has become the focus of much of the photo community's ire today after an article on the popular photography blog Fstoppers brought attention to one of their business practices. Namely: that they offer "social media packages" in which photographers can pay the blog to have their work featured on the Wedding Chicks Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter.

BTS: Making Epic Advertising Composites with Erik Almas

Purists might not take to all of photographer Erik Almas' work, and in particular the work featured here, but if you can get over the fact that these are composites that necessarily need some help in the computer to come to life, Almas' advertising photography will blow your mind.