Using images to help motivate and inspire

I love using my creative juices to help motivate others through fun images.  Every photo I take with my phone I see as a potential inspiration or motivator piece.

Here is an example, I am currently on bed rest from a recent surgery and I am covered in a pink blanket. I took a quick picture, added some words and boom...something that gets someone to push play tomorrow morning!

It makes something like working out more fun. Some folks have a long, hard journey ahead of them and positive motivation and things that help inspire them are huge.  I know they were important for me to keep at the front of my mind at 250 lbs. What was I working so hard for? What was going to make me get up every morning and push play?  This is my why! My daughter has helped to open my eyes and transform my life.

She has amazing energy and all I wanted was to be able to grow with her and keep up with her, to show her all that this world has to offer her.  Thoughts like that made me create this image...

There are so many images and sayings out there ... all I have to do is to match my audiences attitude. To provide them that knowledge that it is going to be a hard, up hill road but I am here to help them, to push them, to support them and to pick them up when they fall.  We all have bad days, heck; bad weeks and it's fine.  Just remember to get up, brush yourself off and dive in full steam ahead again.

Other things that I create are from the shirts I might be wearing or what I look like after a hard fought run.

I like to share what I am doing in my fitness journey, to show my followers my before and after pictures because I am no different than any of them.  I just found my 'why' and focused on it and determined to succeed.  Decide. Commit. Succeed.  Of course, always remembering my goals.

And something to always keep in mind. Keep it light...sometimes you need to sit back and laugh a little. Laugh at your form. You know, that form you just can't get, that move that Shaun T is doing and you have watched over and over again and still find yourself just jumping around for the whole 30 seconds he is doing it because you don't get it.  #TrueStory :) 

You could freak out and throw stuff or keep calm and workout :) 

Do images like these help motivate you? Do you like funny, serious, spiritual or a good mix of different kinds?  

Can photos help your level of engagement?

There are tons of statistics out there showing that including photos in your posts whether it a Twitter post or a blog significantly increase the number of clicks and helps build the creative aspects of each post you do. Read 6 ways why via this [INFOGRAPHIC].

Here are some examples of photos that I included in some of my recent tweets and I will also feature in a recap blog of this event. Engagement was not increased, I tend to question if it was due to my followers not being interested in the topic and that a number of attendees although interested did have actual Twitter accounts to spread the word.

What are your thoughts on including pictures?
I still feel they add a sense of 'being there' for those not able to attend.  Also pictures are able to show more than what 140 characters could ever describe in a Twitter post.

Looking to add some flare to your every day photos?

I guess this week is a 'photo focus' week for my blog.  I have come across a new photo app on my phone, thanks to family from afar for using it in your Facebook posts and making me want that awesome functionality too.

It's called Pip Camera.
(This link opens to the Android app but it is available for Apple, PC and more).

Simply put; it makes your pictures more fun and creative.

To help sell this feature here are some before and after pictures of my daughter and I at the top of Mount Sunapee in July.

And another application with my daughter in the flower garden at a local ice cream / farm stand in Hopkinton, NH

I love it. I think it adds 'a little something', especially when sharing on social avenues like Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

It also allows you to apply different filter options to the background picture and the foreground picture separately.  And there a number of different overlay options.

I think the only thing that turns me off is that the photos aren't in HD so come across as a little grainy compared to the original. Other than that, you can expect to see all of my photos include a unique and creative twist to them going forward.

Do you use apps like this on your camera? What do you think?

Do you need a fancy camera?

As the proud owner of a Nikon D60 camera and a Samsung Galaxy S4 droid phone I take a lot of photos.  You might say that I am a hobbyist of sorts.  I have also been known to hold up a hiking trip or two to stop and take photos of the beautiful scenery.

My real enjoyment is applying filters and effects to my photos. With today's technology I find myself turning to my S4 more frequently. The phone is always with me and more convenient than bringing the more bulky Nikon on day trips out or hanging near the pool.

The S4 has a very impressive 13MP autofocus camera that I believe would make anyone feel like a professional photographer. With all of the applications available online such as Instagram and CameraAce the photo potential is unlimited.

With Instagram you can quickly take a photo with the app on your phone and apply different filters and focus points.  You can then add a comment and choose to only post to Instagram or also select to share on Facebook or Twitter.

You can take a picture in the bathtub with bubbles all around apply a black and white filter and get a pretty amazing picture with texture.

You can also apply some antiquing and color filters then focus across one area of the photo to show some amazing bubbles. 

Some of my favorite photos are those in dim light that showcase amazing objects.  Some that might get overlooked in normal circumstances. You end up with a little bit of history shining through.

A picture of a food can actually make people imagine eating it, if it's good enough. But you have to be sure to capture the textures of the food and the true colors.

Here are some other examples of using filters with Instagram:

I have also been experimenting with CameraAce, another great app that allows you to take photos are apply filters on existing photos. Check out my favorite picture taken with this camera app.  It was a dim lite photo with shadows on a sunny day and I applied what I am calling 'twinkles' to my princess.

You can never out perform a real professional grade camera like my Nikon D60. Always taking amazing photos with no filters necessary.

What kind of device do you use to take your photos?
Photos = memories and with today's technology it is easier than ever to capture and share your memories. You can use them to tell stories in a blog such as this or you can share them via social media platforms.  I find that it is easier to keep those we love up to date on what we are doing with our daughter by posting images so they feel like they all shared in her special / fun day.  Before phones with cameras and social media we had to write a letter, print a photo or two and mail it via the post office, taking several days to weeks to share an event.

I definitely appreciate where we are with technology and can't wait to be an early adopter for the next wave to come.

Telling a story visually

It is an old saying and still rings true today; 'a picture is worth a 1000 words'.

This is the whole premise behind #infographics. You can tell a story, but visually using this sort of medium.

Check this one out:
(Hover over the image and select Enlarge for full view)

Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

You quickly and easily learn about building your social media audience but not in the usual block text format.  Visual.ly is a fantastic website that provides inforgraphics such as this one for use but also has a service that will help you create your own visually appealing graphics and stories (for a fee of course). What I think is a brilliant concept that allows you to get your point across. And sometimes can take a relatively complex idea and makess it simple through images.

Have you used infographics before? How do you feel providing content or obtaining content from them?

+Forbes posted a great article on using infographics with all the statistics and reasons for using them and how they can build your audience and credibility.

Who am I? What is my passion; why?

I am very interested in learning as much as I can about all forms of social media.

What makes people congregate to one platform/medium over another. Why people use more than one. How they manage several accounts simultaneously? What makes a person follow someone? What different forms of social are out there, what's new, what's hot, what's not :) and so on and so forth.

I am in the middle of a book that is outstanding. It is taking me a little while to get through it. The reason is that every example given, every story told within it, I want to stop, let it sink in and consider potential ideas of how I might be able to apply it in my current scenarios.

+Mack Collier is the author and the founder of #blogchat as well as #rockstarchat which I try to attend every Wednesday.  What I have learned in the last 30 days from jumping in on these social chats is mind blowing.  Even if you have nothing to add, you can listen and ask questions.  Those involved are there to teach and educate each other, not to sell a product or a service they can offer you.

Mack is "a big believer in the power of teaching your customers rather than simply marketing to them." It's quotes like this that make me pause. Don't you just want to stop and think about that for a minute? If someone teaches me something I now know something I didn't before and continue to turn to them as a resource and on the flip side become a 'fan'.  Whether a person or a brand this concept can be applied.

I didn't know anything about Mack's book until later on in our discussions and never once felt pressured to buy the book. However, after conversing with him and having him share simple insights with me into what makes a customer a fan...I wanted more and +Amazon.com helped made it happen :)

When "Think Like A Rock Star" came in the mail I couldn't wait to start and finish the book, but I found myself hung up on every word. It is triggering ideas one right after another and creating excitement to actually apply what I am learning; at times becoming overwhelming. Where will I start?

The second book I have pictured here is one suggested by a mentor and since I am very much interested in building my personal and professional network; thought it worth the read.  

I believe I have very strong networking skills and that they can assist in furthering myself in my career.  "Your Network is your Net Worth" explains that we all have barriers and it "unlocks the hidden power of connections for wealth, success and happiness in the digital age".  It is what I call, a 'mild self help' book.  Understand who you are, build your networking with your passions, beliefs and values in mind and the sky is the limit.

Reading books like these helps me realize what I know, opens my eyes wide open to other ways of thinking about things and lets me free my mind ... opening the box and thinking outside of it allows you to grow as a person and a professional.

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Thanks everyone for engaging with me! You can also find me on Twitter where I share social media tips & tricks along with some best practices to think about when utilizing social platforms.

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