January, 2012 | Life on a Camera Strap

How to start your mom + photography + blog

Posted on January 21, 2012 by mod Posted in mod, Tips Leave a comment

Moms and photographers share many of the same roles to get their job done everyday…like dealing with scheduling issues, other people’s daily drama and baby drool. They have a lot more in common as well, but one thing we have noticed is there another tie that binds them. It’s the ever-increasing number of moms who blog, photographers that blog and even better, moms that are photographers that blog. Some have done an amazing job at it, but many of them say they want to, but don’t know where to start. So after several discussions, we’ve put together a quick list of ways to start your mom blog, photography blog or better yet, your mom photography blog! Of course, even if you want to have a different blog, we’re sure these will still be helpful to you if you aren’t already using this bag of tricks!

1. Create a plan.

Actually if you Google “Start a Photography Blog” you will learn everything and more about this topic. However, sometimes being overwhelmed is what keeps you from taking the next step, so this is a great place to start to learn how to get focused on the basics and begin building your fiefdom. This will also get you rolling about choosing the right blogging platforms like WordPress or Blogger.
2. Post your portfolio.

First, what’s the goal of your blog? If it’s to share photos you have taken, then a free site like Flickr or even Shutterfly might work for you. Some blog templates actually provide a photo gallery/portfolio for you to load your photos. If you are taking photos and might want to get other people to pay you for it, then you’ll need to also consider an album proofing program. This type of program will allow your customer to look at their photos and select the ones they like.
3. Check out the competition.

We wouldn’t necessarily consider it competition since there’s room for many of us, but like anything, you should check out what other people are up to. Again, we could list tons of these blogs of moms + photographers + bloggers, but a good example that has a great name that sums it all up – http://www.momtog.com.

4. Promote your blog through photos.

We love Pinterest and Instagram, so that should be enough to get you to join, right? Actually the online billboard of amazing ideas and imagery has fast become the newest social media phenomenon. It’s an incredible place for ideas as well as to promote you, your blog or whatever bit of loveliness you are offering. Instagram is a photosharing tool that posts your photos to all your social media sites at one time from your Iphone for free (yes, having an Iphone should also be one of our recommendations as well, but Apple isn’t paying us to sponsor them so we won’t.) Whether you’re clickin’ your kiddos or someone else kids for a shoot, this is a great app to instantly get people excited about what you are doing.

5. Keep Learning.

Being a blogger, especially a photography + mom blogger, the role is always changing. There’s a new app, a new widget, a new trend or something you need to have on your site or learn about photography. There’s no such thing as knowing everything about mom photography blogging, so check out a place where moms can keep on top of learning about blogging and photography with people who know exactly what you are doing like one of our favorites, “Clickin’ Moms.”

Happy Mom + tog + blogging!

Through the Lens: Melissa Darst of Melissa Darst Photography

Posted on January 13, 2012 by mod Posted in Featured Photographer Leave a comment

At mod, we are all about photography, so it’s no surprise most of our fans and customers ARE photographers! Since photographers are busy focusing on other people, we thought we would turn the spotlight around with a monthly feature on the mod. blog, LIFEONACAMERASTRAP.COM. Each month we will focus on a photographer and what makes them tick…or snap as we say in this business! For our first feature, we chose to feature Melissa Darst, a North Texas photographer, who did our last shoot for our new products and does amazing work.

If you would like to be featured for “Through the Lens,” email us at mod@modstraps.com!

Name: Melissa Darst

Company Name: Melissa Darst Photography

Website: melissadarstphoto.com/blog

Tell us how you got into photography:

I’ve had a love of photography since I was a child. I love old photos, I used to scrapbook even before it was a rage, and photographs have always been more than pieces of paper to me. I started with a sweet, hot pink camera as a child in the 80’s and then grew into journalism in junior high and high school, writing, photographing events and serving as various editors on the yearbook staff. I graduated with a Marketing degree from Texas A&M University, and after several years working in both the corporate and agency worlds, I became a mom and found myself being tugged back to my photography roots. Capturing every smirk and quirk of each of my children was my passion, and thanks to a blog and an amazing support system of friends and family, word spread, my business bloomed and I was able to share my passion with others!

Define your photography style:

My approach is simple yet edgy, a fresh alternative to traditional children and family photography. I love to pair the unexpected together. Throw some old furniture out in the middle of a hay field. Mix polka dots with plaid or stripes. I also love bold colors, natural expressions, anything distressed, combining textures and patterns, and of course, fashion and accessories. I love the world of design and all that comes with it, which is precisely what I strive to offer at the Melissa Darst Photography Design Studio. Whether designing your wardrobe, your next wall display, a holiday card or album, we partner with you to bring it all together for the ultimate in details and presentation. We want to document your life, capture the *real* you, and leave you with amazing images and memories to last a lifetime.

Describe your favorite photo:

If you check out my blog, you will see that I LOVE color, but I also find that my favorite images are often in black and white. Someone once told me that color is how it looks and black and white is how it feels. So true for me! My favorite photographs, the ones that speak to me from first glance, are often the candid expressions and moments of life that say so much in black and white.

Tell us your most memorable photography story:

In 2010, I had the privilege to shoot the My Vintage Baby fall catalog. It was an incredible experience full of beautiful children and beautiful clothes – and it led to more amazing opportunities, which included some wonderful press along with the chance to photograph Trista Sutter and family (and even design her Christmas card)!

Reach your 2012 goals with a little help from mod.

Posted on January 5, 2012 by mod Posted in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Is Christmas really over?

Just as quickly as it came in, it was over and now 2012 is already in full swing! Undoubtedly, as we put up those decorations and gift wrap, we all begin to feel one thing: unorganized. Whether you are a stuffer (one who just crams it all into one place) or you are a sorter (you organize each thing perfectly in its labeled box), there’s always room to be more organized. We know every year we make a resolution to be more organized – starting off strong by purchasing baskets, folders and labels in efforts to give “everything” a special place. Then about halfway through the year, it seems that our effort is just a memory and everything is now even more chaotic than when we started…

It’s this crazy cycle and need to get our act together that gave us the idea for many of our recently launched products like the Strap Wrap. Not only did we want to have everything we needed all in one spot, but our arms were hurting from lugging around several bags all over the place. Why couldn’t there be something that was easy to access what we needed, when we needed it and actually be able to find it later? Then in total mod fashion, we added some style to it and taa-daa – the Strap Wrap was born complete with slots for our i.d., our credit cards and business cards!

We didn’t stop there as you can see from our new and expanded website. We decided that being organized wasn’t the only thing we wanted for 2012 – we wanted to be more green, too. So when we learned that 600,000 tons of outdoor billboards are produced each year in the United States – the next step was obvious and the idea for the ECO Strap was created. Made from “up-cycled” billboard vinyl (yep, that huge sign you see every day on the way to the grocery store), we were able to repurpose the vinyl into a unique and innovative camera strap. Not only are we being stylish with our mod. strap, but we’re being responsible, too!

Once the creativity started flowing, we came up with so many different things to make taking photos better! We know that after several hours with a camera around your neck or your wrist, you want something that is comfortable, so the Drop-In Bag, Neck Strap and Compact Camera Collection came to fruition. Now whether you are on the job or just want to make sure to get that shot at your kid’s soccer game, you’ve got tons of options with mod.

We hope you have the best year yet in 2012 – and we hope that mod will help you make it a snap.