Effective keywording is one of the three most important ways to get your site or post found on the internet - along with title and description. But I’ve always found keywording a disorganized chore. Here’s a way to make the job simpler, quicker and more logical.

Remember how in composition 101 class you had to make an outline of topics, content, facts etc.? We used to do this on index cards, one card for each separate fact or topic. We wrote these in no particular order, just as they came to mind or emerged from research. Then we rearranged the stack of cards to create the logical skeleton of the essay. Done this way it was easy to see if there were any gaps in the content or if further rearrangement were needed.

I’ve found this analog approach works well for proposing, editing and sequencing keywords.

Once you’ve done your research, possibly on Google Adwords, to propose keywords, then you’ll also try to think inside the head of your audience to imagine what they might search on. I always make a big list of potential keywords, even if some seem a bit far out or not fully on target. For something as important as your website, you can never have too many keywords to start the edit process. Don’t forget keywords that speak to business products or services you may not do right now, but are targeted in your business plan.

Here’s my system to edit and organize your search keywords. My example is done on a blank file folder, easily preserved for future reference or for colleague comment.

• Write down each proposed keyword “candidate” on a separate sticky note. I use the smallest size sticky notes and cut them in thirds to save space.
• Arrange the stickies on your desk or a white board to get a good look at the total field.
• Re-arrange them, grouping categories like Photo services, Photoshop, Album design, etc. (or whatever is your business)
• Select the 2-5 most important keywords, then second tier from ones to be discarded.
• Re-arrange again in a logical, customer-friendly sequence.
• Generally choose no more than 25 keywords for your main core list (federal governments site limit). This is hard for us because we do so many things related to video, stills and productions.
• Rearrange as many times as needed, because individual pages or blog posts will need different, specific keywords than those for the site in general
• Keep a dated record of your final edit, and don’t throw away the de-selects, because they will eventually find a use - no need to rethink totally from the ground up

I’ve posted a detailed video about what makes Photo Mechanic a must have program for many journalists and sports photographers before. But many people also like the easy adjustment tools of Adobe Lightroom. This video walks you through how to setup a workflow that incorporates the best of both of these programs.

An great opportunity for an amazing (and legal) culture and people-to-people travel experience awaits a limited group of lucky photogs Everybody knows the mystique of old Habana. Colorful past, music, art and poetry. Incredible 50‘s and 60‘s cars carefully maintained. Beautiful old houses. Glamorous show clubs and equally glamorous tropical paradise. But Cuba has been out of bounds for Americans for decades. No legal travel permitted. Fines and potential imprisonment.

Canon surprised many people with the introduction of this camera last week.  A large (1.5′) sensor camera with a fixed zoom lens is a unique product in the marketplace and I can see it being a popular solution with their target audience being people who already have a pro DSLR.  At CES this week in Las Vegas I was able to get my hands on a G1 X and also to have a quick chat with Canon representative Ben Thomas about the camera.

For full press release info and all the official photos head on over here.  For my first impressions please read on.

At the beginning of January Nikon launched their new flagship pro camera, the D4.    At CES in Las Vegas Nikon had a predictably large presence with the D4 and various other cameras with a strong push towards DSLR video production as well.  I was able to get some hands on time with the D4 to check out some of the new features.

At CES JVC officially launched the GY-HMQ10 which is said to be the world’s first handheld 4K camera.  A walk through the JVC booth also yielded a further surprise though, tucked away in a corner, behind glass was another 4K camera but this one had a Nikon F-Mount.  This is the first time the camera has been shown in public and whilst it’s very much a work in progress , the interchangeable lenses and larger sensor than the HMQ10 make this look like a very interesting proposition with a possible price point of $10,000.  I took a few minutes to talk with Craig Yanagi from JVC about both of these cameras.

Here at CES Fujifilm launched what is set to be one of the hottest cameras of 2012, the X-Pro 1.  All the specs and press release can be found on yesterdays posting but today I was able to get my hand on one for the first time.

Adobe has opened up a free public beta for Lightroom 4.  Once downloaded, users will be able to use LR4 for free until March 31st.  For users of Lightroom 3 it looks to be a fairly gentle upgrade so far, though Adobe have been known to keep back some killer features until launch time.  The biggest feature, that I guess we were all expecting, is the ability to make simple adjustments to videos.  Exposure, tone, contrast and white balance can all be adjusted and the files can be trimmed.

Fuji has launched their brand new camera system with a new camera, the X-Pro 1 and three fast primes lenses.  The camera follows on from the ever popular X100 with a classic retro styling and is outfitted with a 16MP APS-C sized sensor.  Initially three lenses will be available (18mm f2 , 35mm f1.4 , 60mm f2 Macro) but Fuji has already spoken of two more lenses to come this year and several zooms next year.  It’s only January but this already looks like it could be the hottest camera of the year though it has a $1700 body only price tag that puts it squarely in the pro market.

With the mirrorless camera market undeniably in expansion Canon have been the only major manufacturer not to join the party.  Nikon took their time with the 1-Series and rather than battling it out with Olympus, Panasonic and Sony they decided to create their own space for the V1 and J1 cameras by implementing a much smaller sensor than Micro Four Thirds (or APS-C in the case of the Sony NEXs).  This was a smart move on Nikons part as it likely prevented 1-series sales from cannibalizing lower end DSLR sales.  What Canon have chosen to do though is entirely different…

Just in time for CES 2012, Lexar has announced their new 1000x line of cards. Capable of transfer speeds of 150 MB per second, they can handle HD video uncompressed, very fast flushing of the buffer of any still camera, as well as lightning-fast downloads to a computer. It’s the equivalent of a class 20 card.

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Datacolor®, a global leader in color management solutions, today introduced Spyder4, a line of highly advanced colorimeters able to calibrate monitors, laptops, projectors, TVs, iPads and even iPhones. Designed to provide photographers and creative professionals with accurate and consistent results, Spyder4 makes quick work of the color correction process.

I’ve had the chance to use HP’s new Envy 110 e-All-in-one printer/copier/scanner/fax, and I love it. It’s amazingly easy to set up, has it’s own touch screen to walk you through connecting it to your Wi-Fi (and a LOT more, but we’ll get to that in a bit).

Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past 20 years, you use computers. And if you’re like most of us, you’ve replaced, upgraded or just added new hard drives. And you’ve kept the old ones. There’s stuff on there you’re using for a backup, archiving specific projects, or just saving it. How do you keep those drives safe and organized?

Nikon have just unveiled the new D4 and with it comes some significant improvements in the video functionality.  When Canon launched their new EOS 1D X they too included a large number of video improvements, enough for a full article about them.  Canon arguably started the so-called DSLR revolution with the 5dMK2 but can Nikon beat them at their own game ?  Let’s take a look at what the D4 has to offer in this area.

Just a few days before the PMA / CES show in Las Vegas, Nikon have unveiled their latest flagship camera, the D4.  Featuring a 16MP full frame sensor capable of shooting photos up to 11fps and iso 204,8000.  Perhaps the biggest surprise though is the development of Nikon’s HD video capabilities.  Among other things the D4 can not only shoot 1080p to the camera’s onboard cards, but also output an uncompressed video signal through the HDMI port for high quality recording on an external recording device. 

I recently overhauled my personal portfolio website using a combination of services from Graph Paper Press and Photoshelter, two popular Photographer’s solutions, and I wanted to share my experience about the product and service that both companies offer.

Creating a firm relationship with a retouch outsource removes the fear of placing your image files in unknown hands. Strangers no longer! Art professions are traditionally perceived as hands-on, hand made, raw materials to finished art work. Digital photo and video just changed the tools and expanded the options - otherwise art is still art.

Shortly after the launch of the Canon C300 I interviewed one of Canon’s technical staff about the camera.  At the time he mentioned to me that on top of the announced 3 EOS Cine prime lenses there were also two more in development.  One wider and one longer.  I now have a photo of these two prototype lenses, see below.  It’s rare that unannounced lenses are shown so I thought it worth a mention.  No focal length is known at the moment, if I had to guess I would say 100mm or 135mm and 18mm are quite likely, and just like the other three these will be EF Mount.

A beautiful presentation awaits the visitor at Larry Johnson’s gallery. Landscape photographers may be a dime a dozen, but the moment I walked in, I recognized quality work displayed with all the panache of a Tiffany’s window.

Today, Nikon Inc. announced the addition of a new flagship speedlight, the powerful and capable SB-910 speedlight. Building on the versatility of Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS), the SB-910 incorporates an enhanced intuitive operating system and graphic user interface (GUI). The SB-910 speedlight comes equipped with a wide zoom range covering the most popular focal lengths as well as FX/DX-format identification that optimizes zoom settings based on the camera body. This new speedlight also provides more efficient battery usage as well as an enhanced Thermal Cut-Out function.

If you have a photographer in your life, you may have a tough time finding the perfect gift for him or her for the holidays. Never fear, we have a useful list to help in your search and help them enjoy photography and take it to the next level.