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The Power of Good SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Posted on August 4, 2011 · 7 Comments

This morning, I was reviewing the traffic from one of my websites and I was very surprised at the annual traffic growth. Early in 2010, I migrated the site over from a static HTML site to an SEO-optimized WordPress site. You can see in April of 2010 when I made the switch and the growth started.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ChartsHere are some keys to growing your website traffic:

  • Build an SEO-optimized website (like a WordPress site)
  • Create a good mix of compelling, keyword-rich content (blog articles)
  • Structure your blog articles correctly for the best exposure
  • Build your social media audience through Facebook and Twitter
  • Engage your audience actively and personally
Filed Under: Business · Tagged: ,
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Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 and the Panasonic AF-100

Posted on July 26, 2011 · 1 Comment

Since purchasing my new Panasonic AF-100 camera, I’ve really enjoyed the functionality and image quality that the camera offers. But, I’ve been disappointed at the limited number of lenses available for its MFT, or Micro Four Thirds mount. There’s not much in the way of high quality lenses.

So, here are my options:

Birger Adaptor for AF-100Birger Adaptor for Canon EF Lenses

My first solution was to purchase an adaptor for my Canon EF lenses that I’ve been using on my Canon 7D, but there’s a problem. These modern EF lenses use electronic signals to change the aperture, and it won’t translate to my Panasonic AF-100. I’ve enjoyed my fast Canon 50mm lens, Canon 85mm lens and my Tamron 17-50mm while shooting video on the Canon 7D, but they won’t work easily on the AF-100. To change the aperture, you have to take the lens off the AF-100, put it on a 7D or 5D, and set the aperture, then put it back on the AF-100.

Currently, a company called Birger is developing an EF to MFT adaptor that would allow me to use my Canon lenses on the AF-100, but it won’t be available until later this year. The adaptor is supposed to run about $700. Philip Bloom did a nice test shoot with the AF-100 and the Birger adaptor:

Using my Canon FD Lenses

Before purchasing my Canon 7D (with its built in shallow depth of field), I was using the Letus 35mm adaptor on my HVX-200 to get the shallow depth of field I wanted. And, I was using some old Canon FD lenses with used manual focus and aperture. They worked great. They were relatively fast lenses, ranging from f/1.4 to f/1.8. And, they were cheap because they were older lenses. The quality was pretty good for what we were using the for.

Here’s a short film we did using the Letus adaptor and Canon FD lenses.

I purchased an inexpensive MFT to FD adaptor ($40) for the AF-100. and I’ve been using my FD lenses on the AF-100. We recently did an interview with President George W. Bush using this setup on the AF-100.  The image capture quality was quite good.

Voigtlander 25mm f 0.95

Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 Lens

Voigtlander announced a new 25mm lens earlier this year, and it is phenomenally fast! f/0.95 is rare, especially for a price of $1K. I ordered it this morning and I look forward to using it on an upcoming project next month. More on that later.

Right now, they only have this 25mm lens. I hope they will soon have a series of lenses at different focal lengths.

Filed Under: Film ·
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Interviewing President George W. Bush

Posted on May 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment

This week, I had the opportunity to interview President George W. Bush for a project here in Dallas. We decided to use the Panasonic AF-100 with Canon FD lenses for the interview.

It was the first time my DP used this camera, and he was very impressed with the quality and the ease of use (compared to shooting interviews with the Canon 7D). We had done quite a few projects using the Panasonic HVX-200, and the controls and usability were very similar as expected.

Overall, I was very pleased with the camera.

George W Bush Interview with Panasonic AF-100

Panasonic AF-100 with 85mm f1.8 Canon FD Lens

George W Bush Interview with Panasonic AF-100

Panasonic AF-100 with 50mm f1.4 Canon FD Lens

President George W. Bush and Russ Pond

Filed Under: Business, Film ·
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Marketing for Online Video Production Company in Dallas

Posted on March 22, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Online Video Production Company in Dallas TexasOnline videos are fast becoming a powerful marketing tool. A well-produced, high-quality video can be used to sell your products and services.

In a recent NY Times article, the power of online marketing videos is clearly explained:

Online video is becoming a first stop for many customers. It is akin to what the Web page was a decade ago — something that can give early adopters an edge over competitors. It gives them a channel to talk directly to customers in ways previously accessible only to large companies that could afford TV advertisements.

The article gives some solid reasons why web videos can be used as powerful marketing tools for all business.

Show your Products

Online videos give customers immediate visual access to your product or service offering. Instead of flying salesmen around the country or paying for costly television advertisements, online video is immediately accessible.

Create a Destination

With today’s various online video platform, it’s easy to build a destination for fans, followers and customers. Through creative storytelling, engaging visual imagery and quality production, you can communicate to vast audiences at a relatively low cost.

Use Analytics and Tools

Marketing online provides high quality, accurate metrics for measuring views, traffic, engagement, and conversions. You can immediate feedback on the response of your content, allowing you to make quick changes and adjustments which will maximize your marketing investment.

Build a Brand Channel

Online videos encourage the public to engage at a much deeper level than traditional advertising. With social media on the rise, people engage differently than they did ten years ago, and videos are the new way of communicating.

Advertise with Video

Not only can you advertise with your video, but you can also advertise around your video. YouTube provides improved ad placement options giving you more exposure.

Offer Instruction

Video is a powerful medium for “show me, don’t tell me”. Through video, you can easily demonstrate the features and benefits of your product or service.

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We are a full service video production company based in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Garland, Plano and Carrollton. We provide turnkey video services for your marketing, tradeshow, corporate, and training needs. Contact us today for more information.

Filed Under: Business, Film ·
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How to write the perfect blog article in WordPress for SEO

Posted on January 26, 2011 · 2 Comments

Your WordPress blog is setup and now it’s time to start creating some compelling content–content that you want Google to crawl through and index so that your website will appear on the first page of Google’s search results.

Having done this successfully for a few clients now, I wanted to share some of the best practices on structuring your blog articles so that Google, Yahoo and Bing will properly index and rank your blogs effectively. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business · Tagged: , , , ,
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