By Allen McEachern.
Interior Photography for Voyer Construction
Domain St.Bernard, Mont-Tremblant
Arwad, Syria - 1996
By Allen McEachern.
I took this photo on the island of Arward, Syria when I was 22. 19 years later... I am proud to see communities across my country welcoming Syrians.
Syrian Playground. Island of Arwad, Syria. 1996. © Allen McEachern
Mont-Tremblant Interior Photography
By Allen McEachern.
Canadian Photographers - Annual Income Statistics
By Allen McEachern.
Are you thinking about a career as a photographer in Canada? You might want to look at this Statistics Canada page...
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/5221.shtml
Laurentian Corporate Retreat
By Allen McEachern
Late last week I had a wonderful day of work with the international staff of Mirasee. Mirasee teaches internet marketing and social media skills to business of all sizes through an on-line subscription based platform. An innovative company that employs remote workers from around the world. They all came together north of Mont-Tremblant at Blueberry Lakes in Labelle for a week of training, team building, and conversation. I joined up with them for a day of corporate portraits, head shots, team photos, and to create an image bank of technology themed marketing visuals. Here are a few of the portraits.
Searchable Music Image Archive
By Allen McEachern.
Looking back into the music images archive...Paul Banks of Interpol from their live performance in Montreal on July 30th, 2007. Are you looking for images of your favourite band? Keyword searchable music image archive at: http://bit.ly/Allen-McEachern-Live-Music-Photos
Networking Event - Grand Déjeuner de BNI Mont-Tremblant Élite
By Allen McEachern.
Next Tuesday morning, December 1st, BNI Mont-Tremblant Élite along with partner, Chambre de Commerce de Mont-Tremblant, are hosting le Grand Déjeuner - a networking event. A great opportunity to get out and meet the people behind some of Mont-Tremblant's most prominent businesses. Full event details below. Click here to register.
Remember Montreal Fashion Week?
in EVENT, RUNWAY FASHION
By Allen McEachern.
Over the 10 years that I covered Montreal Fashion Week, my favourite venue was the Imperial Theatre downtown Mtl. The lighting was awesome, as was the ambience. The audience was smaller, and more associated with the fashion industry. Here is a shot from one of those shows...Helmer, March 21, 2007. Enjoy! For more visit http://bit.ly/Montreal-Fashion-Week
Family Portraits - Mont-Tremblant Holidays
in PEOPLE
By Allen McEachern.
Christmas is 36 days away, crazy, I know. Everything just seems to speed up at this time of year. Anyway, with Christmas comes family. Why not plan a family photo session when everyone is in town? This is a great way to capture your time together, and makes a wonderful gift for all. Mont-Tremblant offers a beautiful outdoor setting or we can stay warm inside. Professional lighting can quickly and easily be set up at any location. Usually, a 90 minute session is usually enough time to get the job done without feeling rushed. Images are easily shared via a private on-line gallery, with all images downloadable. I can also help you with any custom printing and framing you might like. Do you want to find out more? Let's get in touch and check the dates.
Donating Photography - Working With Charities
By Allen McEachern.
Relais Pour La Vie - Mont-Tremblant. Canadian Cancer Society.
Non-profit organizations sometimes approach me asking for a donation of my commercial photography services. I often say yes, but I do have a structured approach. Here are the main points to consider...
1. Charities operate with very limited budgets. Volunteers and donations are what help these organizations maximize the use of the funds for the people they help. Adding commercial photography greatly increases the organizations brand, market presence, and advertising. Additionally, it helps in their internal communications and community relations. I try to align myself with projects that match my personal values. Sometimes it is ok to say no. Try to refer someone else if you are not available.
2. ROI - Return on investment. In this case, time. Through the organizations I work with I have meet numerous people I would not regularly have access to. Business leaders, other professionals, politicians, celebrities, and so forth. The amount of business generated from these contacts is often substantial. Additionally, increased visibility for my brand comes from on site branding at events, publication of my logo in printed communications, local and national media coverage, photo credits, publication in the annual report, etc, etc, etc. You get the point. The returns are often much larger than the donation.
3. It feels good. Taking a positive, active role in your community is hugely rewarding. Giving of your time and of your expertise can greatly enhance the lives of others. Working alongside like minded individuals creates a silent bond that follows you all year as you interact with your community. I highly recommend getting involved.
Personally, I try to be involved at least once per quarter with a non profit organization. I work with charities that help underprivileged children (something close to my heart), with the Canadian Cancer Society, and with foundations that ease the transit from life to death. What ever you choose, getting involved can have a huge impact on both the organization, and yourself.
3 Ways for Photographers to Use Pinterest
By Allen McEachern.
Pinterest offers the commercial photographer a unique, and powerful tool. Here are three ways that I use Pinterest in my business mix.
1. Create Inspiration / Mood Boards...I use Pinterest to create private mood boards to share images with clients and other team members. These private boards allow me to share images that I like, and that match what the client is describing. The client also shares what they like, what they want to create, sets that match their ideas, etc.. This is a powerful tool for getting everyone on the same page before any shooting starts.
2. Drive Website Traffic / Increase On-Line Sales...Pinterest offers free on-line permission based marketing of my images to a target audience. Carefully use of key wording and strong hashtags allow my images to be found by people who are looking specifically for what I am offering. I use Pinterest to get my fine art prints in front of buyers with back links to my on-line store. My images show up on Pinterest searches for Wall Art, Home Decoration Ideas, Custom Fine Art Prints, etc..Again, a very powerful tool.
3. Research...Pinterest is a great place to start when I am researching a location that I have never been before. A simple search of a place can result in hundreds of images that provide visual cues. I can see how other photographers have captured a place. What light can look like at certain times of day. I find inspiration from looking at the images of others. How did they create that image? What would I do different? What lenses will I bring? Again, often these images will link back to blog posts, and other sources of information useful in my research.
Remember Montreal Fashion Week?
in CORPORATE, EVENT, RUNWAY FASHION
By Allen McEachern.
Do you remember Montreal Fashion Week? Here is a shot from one of the last editions before La Semaine de Mode de Montréal stopped....Click on the image or http://bit.ly/Montreal-Fashion-Week to see more from my 10 years of photographing this bi-annual event as one of the official photographers...enjoy!
A Powerful Marketing Tool for Photographers
By Allen McEachern.
I have been working as a commercial photographer since July 2004. I have been using Photoshelter as one of my business tools since 2005. Originally, Photoshelter launched as a searchable on-line storage / archive coupled with an image stock agency. Today, Photoshelter offers on-line storage for serious photographers. Their site is searchable by keyword, so buyers can find your images. Here are some of the other things that I love about using their platform in my business mix...
1. Client Proofing Galleries...proofing galleries that I can share with multiple people. Each person has a login and their choices are unique. I can then review all the selected images - seeing which choices are mutual.
2. Image Delivery...I use Photoshelter to share images with clients through galleries. All the images can be downloaded in a batch or individually. There are multiple file sizes available, each automatically generated from my master file. This saves a lot of time when multiple people need access to the images.
3. Unlimited Searchable On-line Storage...all pro accounts come with unlimited storage. I can upload my entire archive and remotely access it anywhere in the world. RAW, TIFF, JPEG, PSD, etc. etc.
4. Customizable Website Templates... Photoshelter offers a lot of template options for websites. I can have a custom domain name, or a hosted domain with Photoshelter. Personally, I use this option as a add on to my portfolio site, a keyword searchable archive with a e-commerce back-end. http://archive.allenmceachern.ca
5. On-line Store...I use Photoshelter to sell images, prints, and digital downloads of rights managed stock. Clients can order prints and check out. Clients can license images and check out. There are so many options for print vendors and products. My store is always open, and it is global.
These are only a few of the many powerful features available to professional photographers via Photoshelter. If you would like to find out more please click this affiliate link to learn more.
2015 Gala Excellence - Chambre de Commerce de Mont-Tremblant
By Allen McEachern.
Congratulations to all the winners at the 2015 Gala Excellence - Chambre de Commerce de Mont-Tremblant. The Gala honours local businesses, employees, and self-employed professionals who excel through out the year. A special congratulations to Chateau Beauvallon, winners of Business of The Year.
NOVEMBER PRINT SALE
in FINE ART
By Allen McEachern.
Are you looking for limited edition photography prints for your home or office? Have you started your Christmas shopping early? All Landscape and Abstract Nature prints are 20% off for the rest of November. Visit the gallery by clicking here....and enter PROMO CODE: YJYLMQ2 when you check out.
5 Reasons For A Good Portrait...
By Allen McEachern.
A good portrait can do you a lot of favours. Ask yourself, when was the last time you updated your professional profile picture? Are you using an image from 10 years ago? Are people going to be surprised when they meet you in person? It might be time to update. Here are five reasons to do it now...
1. We all age, it's part of life. Not accepting this is a major mistake in business. Imagine you are to meet someone for a contract. You do your background and look into their on-line identity...usually accompanied by a photo or two...then you meet and the person looks nothing like their on-line portrait. Wow, you have aged...
2. People trust people who are confident. Show a strong, confident and current photo. Establish trust before you even meet.
3. Professional photographers will see things that you don't. Allowing someone trained in looking at people objectively might capture the true you.
4. This one is a bit dark, but nonetheless true. Say you die tomorrow. Could happen. What will be the picture for your obituary? I know, crazy thought process, but listen...I have been contacted numerous times by grieving family members asking me to "photoshop" a picture for a funeral...something to think about.
5. A professional portrait for business is tax deductible. Engaging photographers helps the local economy.
Here is a portrait I recently shot for a member of the Save The Children Board of Directors
Three Images for Tourism Labelle
By Allen McEachern.
Over the last 3 months, I have been working slowly to produce images for la Municipalité de Labelle. Labelle is a small village in the Laurentian mountains of Quebec. The surrounding landscape is gorgeous, and outdoor activities are the main attraction. My mandate was to create two sets of 3 images for both summer & autumn. Here are the three they chose for autumn...also on display in the Labelle Tourism Info Centre in Labelle.
Searchable Photography Archive
By Allen McEachern.
A keyword searchable image bank for rights managed photo stock and fine art prints.
DES LAURENTIDES - EN PHOTOS
By Allen McEachern.
Are you looking for stock photos from throughout the Laurentians mountains in Quebec?...Wildlife, landscapes, village life, autumn, winter, spring, summer, outdoor sports, lifestyle....click the image below to view an expanded gallery collection of Laurentian photography.
