Category: Photography

Posted on

Weaning Myself from Social Media

SEO should resolve to my websites – not someone else’s.

Yes, that’s me at the controls of an AT-6 “Texan.” Now I need to take control of my own marketing efforts.

Content that I create should benefit me and my business. Whenever I post on Social Media that content helps attract visitors to the benefit of the stockholders of Facebook or Twitter or wherever. When I post to a forum, the basic SEO benefits go to the owner of that forum. There is, however, a compromise in that some judicious posting to a forum or social media may have the residual effect of sending a visitor to my site(s). Therefore I am not abandoning…just making changes and redirecting the bulk of my efforts.

My aim is to wean myself from a lot of social media and from posting on forums (quite so much). I’m not talking about a “cold turkey” removal from social media but, instead, a re-focusing of my posting efforts. I have have begun a rigorous campaign of article publishing (blogging) on several of my sites (mostly BillSwartwout.com and USPictures.com) that support my art photography. I am sharing photographs and places of where we have traveled. I am also sharing some marketing insights – here on “my site” rather than there on “their” sites. My goal this year is to publish one new piece per day ( on average) for 2022. At the end of January, as I write this, I am ahead of my goal by a half dozen new blog posts.

Posting on SM and forums is good SEO for “them/those.” I am striving for increased search engine clicks for “me” and my photography. So far it is working – I am seeing a two-fold increase clicks from Google and Bing this month compared to December (and there is still nearly a week to go in January). Unique visitors and page views are up, as is bot traffic (the stats on my server separate the two so I can see “real numbers” of visitors).

I want to create articles and photographs that help me, both in the short term and long term. I’ve had some success on Facebook, but I’ve never been able to fully monetize it. With all due respect to the owners of Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, I have to focus on my own business. I have to be more deliberate in what I post and how I use social media. While I do have a Facebook page(s) and Twitter accounts, I need to keep in mind: there are no real (do-follow) links back to my sites. So why do I need them? Why do I care about “likes” or comments? What does that do for ME? Well, I do receive visitors from those sites and, yes, some of those visitors buy my art photography. Therefore, I am not being “ungrateful” for the work that these sites do for me; instead, I see it as running in place. I just need to keep in mind that the ultimate goal for SEO is rank well on search engines by creating original content that people want to read and share (link back to).

With that said, I am using FB and Twitter to help promote my new articles. For example, an article I published two hours ago (just before I wrote this paragraph) has already had 31 views, with 24 of them coming directly to that post from Social Media. The others were likely me (for one or two) and some from people landing on the home page of BillSwartwout.com where “The Making of a Classic Bridge Photograph” was that first article.

Bill Swartwout Photography USPictures Header
Bill Swartwout Photography at USPictures.com
Posted on

Fried Bologna Sammy in Myrtle Beach

If you like fried bologna you’ve got to try the sandwich at Duffy’s B&G.

On our most recent trip to Myrtle Beach we visited one of our “must” places on the first night – Duffy’s Bar and Grill at The Bowery, 9th Ave and the Boardwalk. While Duffy’s is known for having outstanding burgers (that’ll be another story), I found solace and a great sammy in “Tammy’s Grilled Bologna Sandwich.”

Fried Bologna Sandwich at Duffy's and The Bowery
Fried Bologna Sandwich at Duffy’s and The Bowery
Duffy's Bar and Grill at the Bowery
Duffy’s Bar and Grill at the Bowery

I suppose it’s a recipe created by Tammy – or it may be a menu item named after a customer or a celebrity (I’ll have to ask next time). They (back in the kitchen) take a thick chunk of bologna and grill it, as they say, to perfection. Then it is flash fried for a delectable crispness and serve it up on lightly toasted white bread slathered with mayo with lettuce and tomato. The kitchen staff must take pride in their work because it truly is a work of art. That’s why I included this photo in my “Food As Art” Collection in my online gallery. Oh, yeah, I washed that sammy down with a couple Bowery Beers, their own brew, that’s not far off from a “Bud” – but tastes a good bit better.

Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and SkyWheel from the 14th Street Pier
Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and SkyWheel from the 14th Street Pier

So, if you get the munchies when visiting Myrtle Beach the Bowery’s version of a classic Bar and Grill is Duffy’s. It’s easy to find – a few blocks south of the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel and half way down the block from the Boardwalk. It actually fronts on the “empty” space that, years ago, was the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, where the lights went out in 2006.

Yes, believe it or not, this “Food as Art” image is available in my on-line gallery. Click the links below to see more.

Link: Fried Bologna Sammy in Myrtle Beach

Link: Myrtle Beach Oceanfront from the 17th Street Pier

Link to: Bill’s Gallery at Fine Art America

And that’s no baloney! Right?

Posted on

Charcoal Rendition Makes these Fighter Planes Pop

Done in post-processing some creative filters can really enhance some photographs.

Of course, you have to start with a good image with proper exposure, clarity and composition. When those criteria are met it can be rewarding to explore some filter options and the effect they can have for the overall, artistic presentation.

I love airshows and airplanes of all kinds. I have been a Private Pilot for half a century and here is one of my personal favorite show pictures. I shot this over the beach in Ocean City, Maryland at the airshow in June, 2015 and shows a 60+ year evolution of military fighter aircraft. A World War II a P-51 Mustang World War II fighter airplane is flying in formation with an F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet.

Here is a simulated Charcoal Sketch presentation that gives a bit more “pop” to the two airplanes. That is likely because the “charcoal” sky is more textured and not the clear/plain blue in the original photograph. There is also more apparent detail in the fighters, themselves. What do you think? (Please respond in the comments section.)

Mustang and Raptor Military Aircraft in Charcoal
Simulated Charcoal Sketch of a P-51 Mustang and F-22 Raptor Flying in Formation

The charcoal rendition here of two different fighter planes are meant to be more tonal sketches and express the idea of a plane as a fast-moving machine. True to their nature, these images were “blasted” with a charcoal filter in Topaz Studio2 to minimize details and add a dramatic effect that suits the aggressive, potent look of war pilots in the skies.

Here is the original photograph of the two military fighters flying north over the beach in front of an estimated 100,000 viewers.

Mustang and Raptor Military Aircraft in Formation
P-51 Mustang and F-22 Raptor Flying in Formation

Going one step further is an Expressionism presentation where much of the detail is converted to fluid lines and colors. This provides a more abstract rendition of these two aircraft but also illustrates the fluidity of the design allowing the airfoils to slice through the air at incredible speeds.

Mustang and Raptor Military Aircraft Expressionism
Mustang and Raptor Military Aircraft – Expressionism Presentation

Links

Link: Raptor and Mustang in Formation Charcoal Sketch

Link: Raptor and Mustang in Formation

Link: Raptor and Mustang in Formation Expressionism

Link to: Bill’s Fine Art America/Pixels Gallery

Link to: Bill’s Pictorem Gallery

In the photographs above 75 years of aviation history are represented in the P-51 Mustang World War II fighter airplane and 2009-15 F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet flying in formation over the beach in Ocean City, Maryland.

The P-51 Mustang was built to serve in the skies over World War II battlefields. It was developed and produced by North American Aviation in 1940. It could attain speeds over 400 MPH and carried 6 50-caliber Browning Machine Guns.

The F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet was built by Lockheed Martin in 2009 and (obviously) still flies today to provide defenses for the United States Armed Forces and carries a variety of modern weaponry.

Note: The images for sale are proportionally “sized” for framing in 8×10 up to 16×20 inch sizes and would look great on a wall in your home or office.