Using images to get your social media message across - a beginner's guide.

I thought I'd post the presentation on using photography in social media on my blog. The talk I gave was divided into sections;

1 - Why use photography?

2 - Basic tips on taking better pictures.

3 - Using image processing programs such as Picasa and GIMP.

4 - Where to put our images on the internet.

5 - Where can you find other peoples's images on the internet (Creative Commons Search)

6 - Legal aspects of taking pictures in public spaces.

7 - Turning still images into video clips.

The idea is to teach beginners all the practical skills necessary to take better pictures using everyday, simple tools such as mobile/cell phones or compact digital cameras and then how to use those images to get their message across in a more effective manner than by just using text.

The seminar takes about three hours and is focused mostly on learning by doing rather than just learning theory. At the end of the session participants will be able to immediately apply what they have learnt in any kind of social media based campaign.

As this is a practical seminar I can only give a general outline of the points covered. To get into more detail then it's necessay for me to do it in person.

Camera updates

As promised I thought I'd let everyone know what has been happening on the camera front. Last week I tipped out my tip jar (which totalled 550 euros and after deducting transfer fees and a tips for the site I was left with just over 500 euros which I sent to my friend, Eleni's bank account. Since I still don't have a passport to replace the one stolen I have no way of retrieving money from my own account.

In the next few days I will use that money along with my own to buy a replacement for the D80 Nikon which I lost. I have come to the conclusion that the best camera would be a Nikon D90. If anyone has any ideas about where I could get one at a reasonable price please let me know.

In addition D H Morton has also given me one of his cameras along with memory cards and a manual. As you can imagine I'm like a kid on Christmas day. It's just the kind of compact camera that I need for situations when having a big DSLR hanging round your neck can be a liability.

As anyone who follows this blog knows the coming months are going to see a lot of upheavals in Greece and hopefully I will be able to record them and give the kind of background to what is happening that a lot of the international media is unable or unwilling to.