From April 15th through April 23rd, the National Park Service celebrates National Park Week, an annual celebration of ‘enhancing America’s best idea—the national parks’. Obviously, we here at Resource Travel are big fans of the United States National Parks (just check out some of these incredible photos and stories), so we wanted to give you some reasons why this would be a great week to support YOUR National Parks and the National Park Foundation. Also, we will be sharing National Park specific content all week to celebrate, so make sure to sign up for our newsletter to get a recap of the Resource Travel’s National Park Week! All photos by the author, Michael Bonocore. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and his website. Redwood National Park, California Admission is freeYup, you heard that right. This weekend, April 22-23, admission to all National Parks is free! Last time I checked, I think a day pass to a National Park is around $20 per car, so spend that $20 on a campground instead! But even though this weekend is free, if you plan on visiting a National Park or two in the next 12 months, you cannot beat the Annual Pass that will get you into every National Park and monument for 12 months, for only $80. And are you a current member of the military or a dependent of a military member? Well, then how about a free annual pass? Are you 62 and over? How about a $10 Lifetime pass? The incredible rock bottom prices of Park passes just further prove that these National Parks belong to us, the people. Zion National Park, Utah The skies will be extra dark, making the stars look extra amazingFor both photographers and star gazers, this weekend will be one of the best of the month to look up to the skies and see millions of stars. For starters, all U.S. National Parks are far away from major cities, which are the cause of enormous light pollution. The National Park interiors are built with as little light as possible, therefore giving visitors access to some of the darkest night skies in the country. And this weekend’s moon status will just contribute to those incredible dark night skies, as the moon doesn’t rise until after 5am on both Saturday and Sunday, guaranteeing an exciting view of millions of stars providing the weather cooperates. And photographers will be happy with the fact that the Milky Way’s bright center will become visible at 1:30am, granting us some great early season Milky Way conditions. Glacier National Park, Montana Glacier National Park, Montana Yosemite National Park, California Yosemite National Park, California Yosemite National Park, California They won’t be too crowdedBeing that it is late April and much of the U.S. is still thawing out from the record-setting winter we experienced, don’t expect to wear your shorts and t-shirt to many of the National Parks this week. But, as a fair trade off for wearing layers, you won’t have to be surrounded by too many other visitors who are scared off by chilly weather, and the fact that many people used vacation time for Easter Weekend. In the summer, for better or for worse, U.S. National Parks can get a little crowded. Personally, I try to avoid more popular parks in the summer and try to go to some lesser visited parks, BLM land, or State Parks. In 2016, 331 million people visited National Parks, which is up 7.7 percent, or 24 million visitors from 2015. The trend is expected to continue, which has led to some discussion about smaller parks limiting the number of daily visitors. So in other words, this week will be a great time to visit if you prefer to avoid big crowds, but as the weather gets warmer each week, expect to have alot of new friends around you as you explore the parks. Yosemite National Park, California Spring has some amazing sunrises and sunsetsI am no scientist, and I failed to find scientific proof, but I have always thought that Sping had some of the most colorful skies of any season. Andy Towle from Digital Photo Buzz backs my assumption up, although Fall is pretty amazing too. But whichever is scientifically better, there is no denying that we are going to be getting some great sunsets as Spring mid-day thunderstorms break up as the sun lowers to the horizon. And obviously, with some of the incredible foregrounds that National Parks provide, photographers of all levels should walk away with some steller shots this week, whether it is with an expensive DSLR or an iPhone. Glacier National Park, Montana Yosemite National Park, California Yosemite National Park, California It’s Wild Flower SeasonWhen I think of Spring, I think of Baseball, BBQ’s and Wildflowers. And the National Parks have some incredible wildflowers that are either blooming now or will be soon. From Death Valley in California to Acadia in Maine, most National Parks have some form of wildflowers, and after this wet winter, they should be pretty incredible. It’s the perfect place to contribute your time while you celebrate Earth DayNational Park Week just happens to fall over Earth Day, which is April 22nd. What better way to celebrate Earth Day then by volunteering to help keep the National Parks clean and safe for all to use? Check out volunteer opportunities or make a donation to help preserve the parks in celebration of Earth Day. But if you can’t do either of those, just make sure to get outside to hike, bike or road trip to celebrate Earth Day. And if you are near a National Park, there are few better places to appreciate the beauty of the Earth. Yosemite National Park, California Get the Kid’s off of the iPad and into NatureLet’s face it, in this digital day in age, most children spend more time looking at a screen than an outdoor landscape, especially one in a National Park. In fact, 6th graders in a UCLA study performed almost three years ago said they spent more than four hours a day either texting, playing video games or watching television. I can’t imagine what a 2017 study would look like. So while this week is a great time to introduce children to our beautiful National Parks, don’t let it be a one time thing. Try to get them outside as much as possible, even if not to a National Park. National Parks are some of the most beautiful and peaceful places on the planetIt really is hard to believe that in this fast paced and crazy world, quiet and solitude still exists in the remarkable landscapes that live in the National Parks. I cannot count how many times a solo adventure to a National Park cleared my head of the stress of everyday life. Put the phone down, put the headphones away and just sit and listen to the quietness and natural sounds that surround you while you take in some of the most amazing scenery in the United States. Yosemite National Park, California Who Knows How long they will be around…Obviously, we are in a very strange time in the United States. Alot has changed regarding the status of the country’s National Parks in the last 100 days. A budget proposal is calling for a 12% slash of funding for the Department of Interior, which manages the National Parks. Additionally, an executive order signed in late March makes it much easier for oil and gas companies to drill in National Parks. At this point, it’s anybody’s guess how the next four years will play out for the National Parks, but it is obvious the Trump administration will not be continuing Obama’s environmental policy, which protected 550 million acres in his eight-year administration. So really, what better time is there than now to visit as many of the 59 United Stats National Parks as possible? They may never be the same…
Yosemite National Park, California via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2oFyI43
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Release Yourself from Their Expectations
4/17/2017
She asked me, “What is the biggest lesson you have learned from founding your own company?” Release yourself from people’s expectations of your decisions. If you’re looking for people to “get” you or applaud your career-switching decisions, you may be searching for a long time. The vast majority of people are afraid of trying something new, but–more so–afraid of failing publicly. Most people don’t want to be vulnerable and run the risk of closing the doors to a dream. Your responsibility isn’t to handle the naysayers, nor is it to convince others that your decision is right. Your only job is to do what you’ve been created to do. You must stand in the rightness of your vision and let your success silence their doubts. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2pIwYWM Videos of a MOAB Bomb Explosion
4/13/2017
The U.S. Military has dropped a gigantic bomb on Afghanistan, according to four US military officials with direct knowledge of the mission. CNN reports that a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, nicknamed MOAB, was dropped at 7 p.m. local time Thursday. The MOAB is also known as the “mother of all bombs,” and is the US military’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb, weighing 21,600 pounds with GPS-guided munition. It’s reported that the target of the MOAB was an ISIS tunnel and cave complex, as well as personnel in the Achin district of the Nangarhar province. This is also the first time a MOAB has ever been used in battle, as it was developed during the Iraq war. There are numerous videos on the internet claiming to show a MOAB bomb explosion, many of which are unconfirmed or falsely stated. Here are two video that we’ve confirmed show a MOAB bomb explosion. [via CNN] via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2obZCyz Albert Dros has always had a fascination with volcanos, and that only increased the more photography consumed his creative brain. And his brother provided a spark in that creative mind recently when he sent Dros images of the erupting volcano ‘Fuego’ in Guatemala where his younger sibling was backpacking and studying Spanish. Dros knew that moment that this was a scene that he wanted to capture. But what if he could capture the lava-spewing volcano with the Milky Way in the background? Determined, Dros pulled out his favorite photography planning app, PhotoPills, and began planning. Dros talks in more detail about the specific mindset and planning that went into this adventure on the website Lonely Speck. With his plan in place, Dros traveled to Antigua in late March, when the Milky Way looked to line up perfectly from a vantage point on neighboring Acatenango volcano, which, luckily is dormant. After a steep hike, Dros was in place.
Throughout the night, Dros waited for the darkness to descend and the Milky Way to rise, hoping his luck with clear skies would stay intact. And then, just as his planning told him, the Milky Way was in the perfect position at 2 A.M.
While this photo alone made the trip worth it, Dros wasn’t done. On Lonely Speck, he talks about his secondary shot. A close-up view of the Milky Way and the eruption.
Dros has had many incredible photography adventures, but I was curious how this one stacked up in his lifetime.
via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2pbch9k Baseball, BBQs, long days…spring is officially here! And with the arrival of spring comes the wanderlust of road trips, camping, and sun-soaked adventures. So this week’s Art of Visuals Travel Photos of the Week selections find the balance between warm and cold. We found just enough winter scenes to make us miss the beauty of snow capped mountains, but also found just enough warm scenes to get us excited for the weeks and months ahead! Each week, the team at Resource Travel and Art of Visuals will select our favorite travel photo of the week and the winner will receive the complete Resource Travel Lightroom preset bundle ($100 value) as well as a one-year subscription to Resource Magazine ($30 value, available to US residents only). Even better? The photo will be shared on both the Art of Visuals and Resource Travel Instagram and Facebook accounts, allowing your awesomeness to be seen by almost one million people (Value: Priceless) To have your photo considered, Download the AOV app and submit your favorite travel photos, and make sure to include the photo location to be considered! Simple as that. For those of you with an Android phone, upload the photo to Instagram with the hashtag #ResourceTravelAOV. So what are you waiting for? Download the AOV app and get entered today!
Iceland by @thephilnguyenEvergreen, Colorado by @misledrejectHebo, Oregon by @dustykleinerFaroe Islands by @simonsfictionSeattle, Washington by @kyle.r_bowmanGreat Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado by @ markdingeeLake Louise, Alberta, Canada by @3to2Big Sur, California by @jasonjkoPiemonte, Italy by @samfiore72Hong Kong by @timothyma___Owharoa Falls – Waikino, Waikato, New Zealand by @ryan_domenicoCapovalle, Lombardia, Italy by @andrycuriousChicago, Illinois by @elusion6Italy by @thephilnguyenBaikal, Russia by @ted.nsEl Bolsón, Parque Ingles – Molina, Maule Region, Chile by @claudiomirandadiazRickenbacker Causeway – Key Biscayne, Florida by @spacebypixelHong Kong by @vincelimphotoMoscow, Russia by @tomrusTuscany, Italy by @florianploegerYosemite National Park, California by @a_guy_named_ericBrittas Bay, County Wicklow, Ireland by @cmcfotoIceland by @buchowskiPoland by @jumpingsoleSeppeltsfield, South Australia by @safromaboveZion National Park, Utah by @mindz.eyeNorway by @jackhardingO‘ahu, Hawaii by @roadlesstravelerPacifica, California by @jonnybgreatLos Angeles, California by @sttephenMount Tamalpais, Marin County, California by @lucstevenvia RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2o72yMG I have a problem with bird photography in the way that an addict has a problem with drugs. That is to say, I’m hooked. This isn’t a new problem; my interest in birds is an affliction I’ve suffered since I was a kid. But don’t feel bad for me, my... The post Bird Photography Basics: How to Take Great Photos of Birds appeared first on Expert Photography. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2p7drmt Lomography Gallery Store in New York City is celebrating Film Photography Day today from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. These “lomographers” created this Festival of Analogue to have film and photography lovers come together and share their ideas, push creative boundaries and embrace inspiration from each other. During this celebration, Lomography locations across the world will be launching their Lomo’Instant Automat Glass, a new instant camera, holding special workshops and online competitions where you can win some sweet prizes. There will also be some awesome deals on films, chat cameras and scanning techniques. At the NYC location, party-goers can get a free tattoo (with purchase of $30 or more) to show their analog love between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. by tattoo artist, @AlishaGory of Sacred Tattoo. The only catch is it must be chosen from one of Lomography’s designs, which has yet to be revealed on the internet. To continue showing love and appreciation for analog and photographers’ work, the gallery collaborated with Pursuit of Portraits to create an exhibit showcasing experimental creativity. LOMO is welcoming film and analog lovers of all ages, background and levels of experience. They want people to know that whether you’re a young student just starting out, or a professional who has been in the industry for years, experience doesn’t matter, only your passion to create does. For more information about this event, check out the Lomography Gallery Store’s Facebook event. It is going to be a celebration of “epic proportions,” and you definitely do not want to miss it. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2ptLGAQ
Michael David Adams and his wife, Viktorija, have always had love and respect for the water, from the gorgeous, exotic beaches and the smell of rain to the vast allure of the sea. Growing up, Adams studied martial arts for 10 years, and to this day lives by a Bruce Lee quote he discovered in his youth: “Be like water…,” Lee said, because according Adams, “Water always knows what to do and where to go. It adapts and survives everything, it gives life, yet it also can take it away.”
Today, Adams is a New York-based photographer who showcases his love for water by combining it with his passion for photography. He’s shot for both international and U.S. versions of popular magazines, such as Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, and Glamour, and has led fashion and travel photo shoots around the world. We caught up with Adams to learn more about what it’s like to shoot beneath the sea.
Somewhere along the way, you apparently became interested in underwater photography, which is quite a niche area. Can you tell me about that?
On my honeymoon in Croatia in 2010, my wife’s friend from her youth, who is a scuba instructor and underwater nature and wildlife photographer, introduced me to underwater photography. She took us to an ancient shipwreck off the coast of the Omis, where my wife grew up. The depth was only around 10 feet, so we could easily hold our breath and get to the bottom with the help of a weight belt. The surface of the water that day was very choppy, yet when you got underwater it was calm and serene. It was there, standing on the bottom of the sea in the crystal clear waters of the Dalmatian Coast, a place where the human body is not supposed to be, with schools of fish swimming around me, that I became obsessed with taking my personal style of photography to the underwater world and making it a reality. Photographing for intentional results underwater can be very challenging, but the imagery you can achieve is unmistakable. Well-executed underwater fashion photography is beyond inspiring to say the least.
You and your wife, Viktorija, are also a husband and wife photo team. Can you tell me about that?
Viktorija and I started our careers independently, but we met early on and developed our skills, talents and vision together. Creating images and all sorts of things together has been the underlying theme of our relationship and is one the joys in our life. One main goal of ours is to always better ourselves, personally and professionally, so we have the respect and ability to be more honest with each other about our shoots and what we would like to achieve, or what we can improve on in the future, perhaps more so than other creative partners. Having been born on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, Viktorija has always had a love for water too, but it’s more me that had the desire to explore it as an environment for photography. We’re excited to work together on anything, and the thrill of water work is an added bonus.
Have you ever encountered any dangerous situations, especially working with models that are perhaps untrained, on underwater shoots?
When shooting underwater, safety is the utmost importance. Many things have the potential to go wrong or not as planned on any shoot, and working underwater raises the level of things to be prepared for. On my first shoot, I had a scare for myself, when in a moment of exhaustion, I almost couldn’t get back up to the surface when I needed to breathe. I was in only about 4 feet of water but was practically laying down on my back on the bottom and I had weights on my arms, as I hadn’t known fully yet the best places to wear weights. I didn’t realize how tired I was, but couldn’t get my footing to get up. I had a minor panic moment, but quickly realized I needed to calm down and just roll over to get feet and legs under me. So having experienced that myself, I always make sure the models and crew are safe and explain everything to them about the shoot requirements and safety aspects of working underwater.
I don’t always use compressed air to breathe when I shoot. It really does help, but if not everyone is using air, it can potentially be a little bit of a communication barrier between the photographer and models. If I’m the only one who has air, I still like to start out the day with the models doing breathing exercises for them to get the hang of controlling their heartbeats and breathing to keep them relaxed. It can be exhausting work and confusing at times, so communication is really important.
You’ve built an impressive portfolio of underwater work. Is there a particular shoot or image that stands out to you?
I’m super in love with the SnowDrop series I’ve just finished. I had a vision of depicting SnowDrop, which is the original title of what’s become known as Snow White, while she was unconscious in the forest after being poisoned. I’ve wanted to begin incorporating my underwater photography into our Story-Tellers project, so what better way to show a person in suspended animation then to be floating underwater.
I also really love the Breath from Another series, a story of lovers who depend on each other to share their breath of life. I enjoy working with multiple people, capturing the interactions or tensions between them. I definitely want to shoot more multiple people underwater in the future.
On your website, you say Story-Tellers is “a very special project by the husband and wife team.” What makes it so special?
This project is special for many different reasons. The first one is for our daughter who is 2-and-a-half years old. She has brought so many wonderful things to our lives, so projects like this take on new meanings and understandings. Viktorija, having grown up in Eastern Europe, was raised with a respect and teachings of fairytales and folklore that isn’t really taught too much here in the U.S. anymore. She was shaped by Hans Christian Andersen stories and various Grimm fairy tales, among other local folklore. Unfortunately, during the war in former Yugoslavia, that precious book was lost and she always had a dream of creating her own book as an homage to her childhood and others who grew up with fairy tales and legends as learning tools.
The project is our way of interpreting fairly tales and folklore in ways that visually speak to us, and ways that we would love to see. Our lives in the industry have always been about telling stories through photography, either in the realm of fashion or beauty or commercially in advertising. This project allows us to approach image-making from a more artistic side of the craft. Although we still love to incorporate fashion and the other industry specialties we have access to, this project is also very much about collaboration of artists and creative minds.
Can you elaborate more on some of the specific stories and tales you’re interpreting?
The concept of the project is not strictly stories that have been previously written or documented, for example, the first image we did is a vision of Viktorija’s, which she called “Rush.” She wanted to portray what it felt like when you’ve been emotionally frozen for a long period of time, and something or someone comes along to help bring those inner butterflies back to life and bring color back into your world. Another one of her concepts we brought to life is called “When I grow up,” which is the dreams of a little girl who sees herself breaking free from her cage that holds her, flying free with the birds among the vibrant colors of her new and future world.
The very latest image I finished is a concept I photographed with our daughter. A friend in Croatia, who is also a photographer, asked if I would participate in an upcoming show for National Geographic, where photographers he knows from around the world would contribute an image to a projection wall installation that pertain to his overall show. The images all show a person with a finger to their lips, to say “shhh,” and is a comment and contemplation on global warming for an Earth Day event. I immediately knew I wanted to use our daughter as the subject to represent youth and the future of the planet, as well as a composition of NYC buildings with the tide rising around her. It was great to photograph her as well as the city, and perfect for our project with such an important and relevant message behind it.
Can you tell me about the post-production process behind your work?
Post-processing can be a big part of some of the images from the project, but it depends on what the vision is for the final image. I’m not opposed to composition work and even enjoy the aspect of the images being a new “multi-media” endeavor, but I do try to get most of “the shot” in camera when ever possible. For example, the image of “When I Grow up” is photographed all in-camera. For that image, we collaborated with the amazing costume designer, Miodrag Guberinic, who designed the headpiec, (as well as created the butterflies for “Rush,” and Viktorija painted the watercolor background, then created the makeup to feel the same as the paintings, as if she was painted too. I do, however, have a lot of ideas that have to be done as composites, as it’s impossible to do otherwise or without a million dollar budget.
“Snowdrop,” which was partly a collaboration with the New York Fashion designer Morgane Le Fay, took a bit of time to do from concept to finish. I photographed the forest during December two winters ago, and then had to wait to do the underwater part until it was warm this past summer. I did have tree branches in the water for the closer shot, but then as the editing process progressed, my vision for the shot concept became much more than originally planned, so more post-processing than originally thought went into that one as well.
We have another image series coming, which we photographed in Venice while on a Fashion shoot. It will also become a composite shot with other elements needed to make it convey what I have in mind, being that we really couldn’t close down Saint Marks Square for a few days. But that would have truly been amazing to do and would have had stories of its own!
Check out Adams’ underwater site for more of his work.
via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2owMRTd I still remember the first photo I ever took with a Sony camera like it was yesterday. It was March 21st, 2014. I was fortunate enough to be in Arctic Norway with Chris Burkard, where we were making a SmugMug Film on his inspiration behind photographing surfers in extremely cold conditions. On our first morning in camp, we were knee-deep in a blizzard of Herculean proportions when pro surfer Brett Barley paused for just a split second while walking to the ocean to catch his breath and survey the surreal and frosted scene that laid in front of him. I put my fresh out of the box Sony A7r to my eye and captured what is still to this day, one of my favorite portraits that I have taken. And just like that, I was hooked. I slowly started phasing out my Canon 5d Mark III from my photography arsenal. My biggest reason for the switch was the massive dynamic range advantage that Sony had over Canon, which was a savior in my fast moving life as a full-time travel photographer since I didn’t always get the exposure correct. Now, as much as I love the image quality, there are still some things I would like to see improved, like a much more rugged build, but all in all, the Sony A7 series has been my daily camera system for years. So, when I got the email inviting me on a ‘Sony Spring Breakation,’ I was ecstatic.
At first, I thought maybe I was one of the chosen few to get my dirty paws on a pro rugged body, but even if that wasn’t the case, the backdrop they chose for this epic adventure couldn’t have been more perfect. Beautiful Lake Tahoe, California. Lake Tahoe was my winter home away from home for over 20 years as I lived in the Bay Area. Last year, I moved to Idaho where the winters are exceptional but found myself reminiscing about my early years shredding some of the west coast’s best mountains. So, to be invited to the home of the 1960 Olympics, Squaw Valley, to play with Sony cameras wasn’t something I was about to turn down!
When I arrived, I was slightly disappointed to learn that we did not have a super top-secret rugged body to play with, but I was excited that I was going to each have two of Sony’s newest additions, the a6500 and Rx100 Mark V all weekend. Both of these cameras have been on my wish list for quite some time. As a traveling pro, I have found that my super light weight mirrorless A7 systems are getting heavier by the day as Sony upgrades their lens line to accompany the pros, which is a welcome addition. But the real weight in ‘pro’ gear doesn’t actually come from the camera bodies themselves, but rather the lenses. And we want top of the line, fast lenses, so at the end of the day, my camera bag doesn’t really feel much lighter than my Canon days. But that all changed in Lake Tahoe, as the a6500 and its lenses are significantly lighter than I am used to, since it is an APS-C sensor, as opposed to the full-frame A7 sensors. And that is what worried me. I am a pixel perfectionist. I haven’t shot with an APS-C in over 8 years. How could the image quality possibly match what I had become used to? Well, to my amazement, they came very close, especially the a6500. I was able to pull a lot of detail out of the shadows in the RAW files, which is something I have become very accustomed to in the last couple of years. Also, it’s high ISO performance far exceeded my expectations, and I was able to shoot handheld in some very low-lit conditions and not see too much noise.
Also, I didn’t know what to expect on a ‘press trip’. I had never really been on one before, and I had heard some make you feel like cattle, being herded in a bus from one place to another with some tour guide telling you pointless information that you don’t really care to know. But this trip turned out to be anything but. As soon as I arrived in Squaw Valley, I met Nicole Roberts from Sony and Ryan Hayter from Hayter Comm, who was responsible for the weekend’s adventure. Nicole, Ryan and I sat down for lunch and a pint at the Dubliner pub in Squaw Valley to talk about the weekend ahead. I could tell that Ryan wasn’t your typical PR guy and I liked that, as I am not your typical journalist. As the hours went by, I kept liking that guy until he stripped down to his board shorts and ran into half frozen Donner Lake and submerged his head under the frigid water, all the while carefully making sure not to get the bottle of Fireball Whiskey flooded. At that moment, I went from liking to loving the guy.
In between celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at Squaw’s Irish pub and Fireball fueled sunset swims in frozen lakes, we actually did alot of physical adventuring. A perfect Spring day of strong sun and warm temps made for a very enjoyable 2.5-mile snow show climb that took us up almost 700 feet to overlook the Squaw Valley terrain. And then, for two full days, our team tackled the immensely massive mountain while riding some insanely good demo skis from Line and snowboards from Ride. On our first day, the weather wasn’t the beautiful spring day we had sought, but, Ryan and Jackie from Hayter Comm made us forget that the weather sucked by setting us up with a couple of the world’s best snowboarders, who were at Squaw working with photographer Tim Peare. We spent almost an hour in the half pipe watching these guys go off, which gave me the perfect opportunity to use the super slow motion video recording in the compact RX100.
All in all, recording in super slow motion was maybe the most enjoyable part of my weekend. The camera films up to an unbelievable 960 frames per second, which generates some incredible slow motion. But as with any slow motion, the action has to be moving fast, which luckily came from the skiing and snowboarding which we did under bluebird skies on our final day in Squaw, shortly before I was 20,000 feet in the air returning to my home in Boise. After using the RX 100 for those days, I will easily recommend it to travelers who want a small and well-built camera that will help them take great photos and video, but also not be tied into a large camera and the interchangeable lenses. This camera should be in almost travel backpack around the world. It is that good.
Lake Tahoe is a beautiful region that has everything that makes California great. Sun, mountains and countless outdoor adventures in both summer and winter make Tahoe the perfect getaway from the bustling San Francisco Bay Area. But, the best part of the weekend was the company I had. I couldn’t have been more comfortable around a group of 13 people I had never met before. We shared plenty of laughs, incredible food and drink, and some of the best views on the West Coast, all while capturing it on two Sony cameras that didn’t break my back and helped me bring the adventure back home with some beautiful photos and video. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2nBS50q The ways porn has influenced modern culture and technology is a rather unspoken side of the business. It’s one of the leading platforms succeeding to monetize VR, for example, while many of the lighting techniques used in adult content have been instrumental in fashion photography. But now, more than ever before, porn stars are leveraging the internet to build brands, using social media to monetize and normalize their work by society’s standards. In short, performers are becoming influencers, and like the rest of the internet, influencer marketing is hot, especially when it comes to the massive millennial audience consuming adult content. Perspectively, PornHub alone sees more than 64 million views a day, and millennials account for 60 percent of the site’s overall users, according to a 2017 report. So what does this mean for the adult industry? We spoke with a couple performers to find out how social media is changing the world of porn, and how they’re leveraging it to cultivate their brands and evolve with the digital frontier. Tanya TateTanya Tate is an 11-time MILF of the Year award-winner, who launched her adult entertainment career in late 2008. At the time, she was an office worker, and decided to get into porn “on a whim to spice up her life.” She quickly made mainstream headlines with Sex Tour of Ireland, a sex scene that featured Tate and an Irish pro-athlete. This skyrocketed her career and brought her to LA, where she established herself and began filming for top-tier adult companies such as Digital Playground, Vivid, Wicked Pictures and Brazzers. Among a long list of other achievements, she’s also the founder of Star Factory PR, representing some of the hottest performers in the adult world. Social Stats: 400k on Twitter, 345k on Instagram, 323k on Facebook, and 26k on YouTube, in addition to a growing presence on Snapchat. How did you go about cultivating your audience on social media? As a performer, in what ways has it been most valuable? I like to get out there and connect with my fans, because it’s the fans who watch my work, and often request me for different company movies. It’s very important not only my booking, but for my brand as well. In the past, this wasn’t possible—years ago this kind of feedback had to be written with a pen and paper, then sent in the mail. I use a few different networks, mainly Twitter, Instagram and a little bit of Facebook. I also have a YouTube channel and Snapchat. This is how I talk with my fans; it lets them see more of personality than what you see in the movies. I have a lot of different hobbies, for example, such as going to comic conventions to do cosplay or watching WWE wrestling. So I’ll Tweet or post pictures on Instagram from these events, or even post pictures of my dog. Fans get to know me just from the fact that I put it on social media. There are a lot of girls that have really solid followings, but I look at them and see ass shot after ass shot after ass shot. I could do that if I wanted to, but fans can see that anywhere. For me, social media really strengthens the relationship between me and my fans because I get to share a bit about myself. When they see the name Tanya Tate, I want to be seen as a pornstar, but also show that my brand is about much more than making porn, making movies or directing movies. And even further than that, I engage with the fans as well. If I post a picture on Instagram, for example, I’ll see who’s commenting, like the ones I like, or delete the ones I don’t like. And if the person’s really rude, I’ll just block them. So it’s all about maintaining authenticity and transparency. Exactly. I always read the comments—some fans might think I don’t because I only reply to certain ones, but it’s just not possible to reply to all of them. I reply on Twitter too, but I tend to get a lot more comments on Instagram, even though I have more followers on Twitter. I try to build a strong following both personally and professionally, without being bombarded with dick pics. There’s a time and a place to send me dick pics and it’s not on social media. Don’t do it! I also use social media to promote new scenes, things I’ve directed, or if I’m doing something like a radio show. The other day, for example, I was on Vivid Radio discussing the topic of whether you like pussy licking or ass licking. It was a really easy topic for everyone to have a say in and people were relying on social media to weigh in. Unfortunately on a radio show, not everybody can call in because there’s too many callers, so I’ll take time out to read what people are saying on social media, then give them a shout out on the radio. Sometimes, fans really want to talk to you, so I’ll post different ways they can contact me—I have a text service and a call service. I wish I could sit here and interact with everyone, but that wouldn’t be possible. However, it’s great getting to know the fans one on one. There’s one who will call me to talk about wrestling, and another one who’s in the hospital right now, so I sent her a little ‘hello’ video to cheer her up. I don’t know their personal circumstances, if they have a lot of friends or no friends. And sometimes I think it’s just nice that they can reach out to somebody to talk to.
Tell me about your YouTube channel. On YouTube, there are a lot of videos where I show off my hobbies or collections; I collect Funko Pop! and do videos where I unbox them. I also started doing live videos—for example, I had a box of WWE buddies and unboxed them just before a WWE event on TV. That was quite good because people were interested and could talk to me about wrestling, like, who I thought was going to win and things like that. I also do live AMA’s. It’s quite nice to have these things available. Beyond a tool to market to your audience, do you monetize your following on social media? I sometimes do paid posts where I might talk about a company, but I actually do use the products from the companies I work with. If I do get paid to post, it’s for companies that I’m happy to talk about and enjoy using their products. I wouldn’t want to promote something I would never use myself or not interested in. What platform have you seen the most success with? Each different platform brings different things. I like Twitter because you can actually click through the links, and I do put adult content on there so there’s nudity. You have to be logged in and over 18 to look at my feed. On Instagram, I like the fact that you can easily see all the images, and I’ll also do short videos like Boomerang posts. I find the replays on Instagram are much higher than Twitter—for media, Instagram definitely gets the most visibility. Obviously, there’s no nudity on Instagram, but I’m very conservative on it. I’ve had my account deactivated by Instagram twice. When I specifically asked them the reason why, they said, ‘oh sorry it was an error.’ In terms of Snapchat, it’s great because it keeps people coming back since stories are only up for 24 hours, so you’ve gotta catch it before it disappears. I can see how many people viewed it in that time, which is usually quite a lot. I find that when people click on your name on Snapchat, they tend to view everything available. I’m still quite new to Snapchat, and I also have a premium Snapchat, where people have to pay to be on it. With that, there’s a lot more naughtiness. The other day I was doing naked yoga, for example, or this morning, I was dropping the towel when I got out of the shower, teasing my naked body for the camera. I also find that YouTube is the best for live videos. Even when I edit videos to make them more professional, they pretty much get the same amount of views as live videos do. Briana BanksBriana Banks is iconic to the adult entertainment world. She’s the longest reigning Vivid contract star, remaining with the company for eight years and shooting some of their best selling titles, such as Briana Loves Jenna, Heartbreaker, and Briana Loves Rocco. Born in Munich, Germany, she moved to Simi Valley just outside of Los Angeles at seven years old. Her career launched in 1999, spanning over 400 hardcore scenes with a specialty in gonzo, shooting everything from five-on-one gangbangs to double vaginal penetration. She was also the June 2001 Penthouse Pet and inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2010, she took a five year hiatus from the industry and returned in 2015, launching a personal paid membership site. Social stats: 93k on Twitter, 235k on Instagram (Banks’ account has been deactivated since the time of this interview. We will update this article when it is revived.) Can you give me some background on the industry? How do you go about getting work? For me, I’m currently signed with OC Modeling, only because I was with Vivid for eight years, then left the industry completely for five years. I came back, obviously, and everything had changed: there was no contract stars, and I didn’t know how to go about finding what companies are good to shoot for. So for me the best decision was to go with an agent to get my toes wet. I noticed you have a solid Twitter following. Can you tell me about that and how that helps you as a performer? Twitter was really difficult for me. It was just starting to become a trend when I left the industry, then I came back and it had basically taken over. I had no idea how to use it, I didn’t really understand it. So I just kind of looked at other girls’ accounts to see what they were doing. I actually have more followers on my Instagram, which I basically use to promote things. A lot of girls in the industry will do two-minute masturbation videos and things like that on Twitter, but I try to keep mine pretty R-rated because I’m trying to promote my website. If I’m giving it away all for free on Twitter, no one will pay for my site. I also use it to promote any movies I’ve done. Directors will be more likely to re-book you if they see that you’re promoting their product. And of course, other directors and fans will request you more often. What platform have you found the most success with when it comes to building your brand? Well, I had a huge following when I entered the industry in ‘99. I was a two-time Hall of Famer, so I would say it’s just my fans, really. I have diehard fans and I’ve been back one year, and already have almost 250k on Instagram. I’m just trying to keep it semi-classy. I think there’s a way to be successful on Twitter without showing stuff that people would otherwise be paying to see. Speaking of paying for things, do you ever do paid posts for brands or companies? I did Flat Tummy Tea and have been approached by several workout supplement brands, since I lost over 60 pounds in the past year and a half. I’ve been promoting my weight loss and the goals I’ve reached on social media, but I’m careful about what I choose to promote because I don’t want to promote something that doesn’t work, and have people spend their hard earned money on bullshit. I would never promote something that I wouldn’t want my fans to spend their money on. I find that’s a very common precedent for most social influencers. Yeah. You have to be very picky and choosy because that’s your brand and you don’t want to be promoting something false, and don’t want to get the reputation of being a sellout. For someone new to the industry, is it possible to be successful without a large social media following? I believe it is, because when I got back in I didn’t even know what Twitter was or how to use it. It’s taken me eight months to do what it’s taken most girls to do in almost three years. On my spare time, I’m constantly going through social media, retweeting, posting. You have to be very active on it. It’s possible to do well if you put the time in, but if you don’t, no one’s going to know who you are or know to book you, and you’re not going to have a career in the adult industry whatsoever. So would you say that being active and consistently connecting with your fans is the best way of building an audience on social ? Absolutely. At first, I hated Twitter because I was used to conventions where people would wait in line for hours for your to autograph the stuff they had…but now, it’s definitely not like the old-school days. Along with all the people I get to interact with that I never would have gotten to before, you also get the haters using the platforms to hide behind their profiles. There are pros and cons, but I would definitely say I’ve gained a new generation of fans on top of the fans I already had. So it’s really done a lot of good for me. To wrap things up, in what ways do you think social media has transformed the industry as a whole? It’s changed it completely. Adult stars, or anyone in general, are much more accessible. You don’t have to wait in lines anymore to talk to them or send them messages. It’s really a brilliant way to promote and market yourself if done correctly. If you don’t know what you’re doing, like myself in the first few months, it can really be a nightmare. I suggest that girls learn what Twitter is and how to use it before they actually start Tweeting. I look back at some of my earliest Tweets and I don’t even know what I was talking about! Oh, and I appreciate your intelligent questions. If I had to talk about my first scene in 1999 one more time I would have to jump off a balcony! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 http://ift.tt/2ow6xGz |
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October 2021
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