Christine M Chalko

This world is a funny place.  This world is centered around technology and social media these days.  For some people, they could care less about blackberries (or is it blueberries?)...talking to Siri - a woman trapped inside a phone - is just plain strange...and Facebook has gotten way out of hand with grandparents "Friend-ing" their best friend's child's best friend and their friends (got it?!).

 For photographers like me, this is world of connectivity and social media is amazing.  While I have been "Google-ing" and "Friend-ing" for quite some time now, one of my most recent discovery is "Pin-ning"...  That's right, Pinterest has most recently joined the ranks of Google and Facebook, and I'm sure the definition for "Pin" in Webster's dictionary is about to change (if it hasn't already!).

Pin:  


- A link to a particularly inspiring item (food, clothing, home decor, photography ideas, etc...) that can be found on a person's "board" and can be liked, commented on, or re-pinned to your own "board".


(see also: pin-ning, pinned, to pin, p-interesting...)

Pin-ning has become a daily activity for me lately - visit my boards!.  I love using it to find inspiration for all sorts of photography topics.  I pin inspiring photographs from other professionals, and there are all sorts of pins for tutorials on posing and using light, and tips on how to your camera and editing software to their fullest potential.  My pins lead to blogs, website, videos, Facebook sites...you name it, they are all connected!

Here's what my page looks like:

As you can see, I have many boards relating to various interests in my life, but this post is about my Photography boards in particular.  I started out with a general "Photography Ideas" board, but I have recently begun to categorize these pins on to more specific Boards - Engagement,  Family,  Maternity,  Newborn, etc...


This way, I can easily find inspiration for whatever session I have in mind.  By selecting the appropriate board, I can simply print the board and use the images to help create a photo flow for a particular session, as well as pick out coordinating clothing  and backdrop ideas.  Like I have said before, some of these pins actually link to people's websites and blogs, where you can find even more inspiring images and video tutorials, but often times there are very good and inspiring pictures right there on the face of the pin that you can use to be inspired.  While I study these boards before a shoot in order to prepare, sometimes having the printout of your board can act as a great reminder of the direction you hope to take in a particular session, especially if your mind goes blank (happens to the best of us!).

Another great part about Pinterest is that it is visible to the public, so anyone can see my pins, and I can see theirs.  This is the ultimate game of "sharing"!  I can often find my clients on Pinterest and check out any ideas they have pinned for their photo sessions.  This is a great way to get a feel for your client's interests, taste, and style.

Do they have a lot of Pins of children playing outside?  Then they probably aren't interested in studio sessions or rigid poses...


Do they have a lot of Pins of black and white images?  Then that's probably what they enjoy seeing most on the walls around their home...avoid a lot of super-saturated color images.


Have they pinned a lot of nude or semi-nude maternity pictures?  Then they are probably very comfortable with showing off their belly and want to capture all the beautiful curves that have blossomed during their own pregnancy (obviously, double check with them first before asking them to disrobe!!  haha, because they could just be Pinning "wishful thinking" images!).

You get the picture...pun intended :-)

Pinterest has changed the way I do business.  And I hope it can make life a little easier for you, too!

So, find this icon on my page and start PINNING!