[10 on tuesday] how to use photography and photo sharing for preservation
DESCRIPTION
"A picture is worth a thousand words," the old saying goes, and in a time where 140 character tweets are increasingly the norm, the additional context provided by pictures has become even more important. This is a boon for us historic preservation-minded folks -- the buildings we love, after all, tend to be pretty, dramatic, or otherwise visually appealing. The high-resolution cameras found on most smartphones, along with the popularity of photo sharing sites like Instagram and Flickr, have made it easy to use photography to create awareness of endangered places and share the success stories when they're saved. Check out these 10 tips for using photography and photo sharing to help save places. http://www.preservationnation.orgTRANSCRIPT
Photo courtesy PreservationNation, Flickr
Tips on Using Photography and
Photo Sharing for Preservation
Include the name of the building, its location, the
name of the photographer, and any other
relevant information. This will help people find
your images when they’re searching.
1. Use captions.
Photo courtesy origamidon, Flickr
Flickr uses tags (descriptive words) and Instagram uses
hashtags (descriptive words preceded by #) to help direct
users interested in topics to related photos.
2. Include tags/hashtags.
Photo courtesy sarah sosiak, Flickr
Ask people to take photos of a certain kind of
building, location, or detail during a particular
timeframe, share it on Instagram, and include
your hashtag. You can pick a winner, or ask your
followers to “like” their favorites. Here’s a great
primer from IgniteSocial Media on how to do an
Instagram contest.
3. Run a contest.
Photo courtesy PreservationNation, Flickr
Flickr makes it really easy to set up an open group on any topic --
broad or narrow -- so you can use groups to collect user-generated
photos of your community, a particular building, or an event.
4. Let others do the work for you.
Photo courtesy Sarah M. Heffern
Just as you can create groups to
gather photos on Flickr, you can
also participate in groups. When you
come home from vacation, share
your photos in groups related to the
place you visited.
5. Share and share alike.
Photo courtesy cogdogblog, Flickr
Organize a tour of a street or (abandoned) building and encourage everyone to share their photos online. This will create a community around the shared love of a place ... and you might even make some new friends.
6. Take it offline.
Photo courtesy PreservationNation, Flickr
Make your photos available via Creative Commons licensing
to allow others to use them in their creative work.
7. Spread the love.
Photo courtesy creativecommons.org
Once you've amassed lots of photos, talk to
local galleries, community centers, and libraries
about the possibility of displaying your photos.
Use it as an opportunity to teach people about a
place you love.
8. Have an opening.
Photo courtesy National Trust for Historic Preservation
Local preservation groups are
always in need of great
photography. Get in touch with staff
and see how you can help the
cause from behind the lens.
9. Donate your skills.
Photo courtesy PreservationNation, Flickr
Share your photos with local community blogs and websites and
see if they are interested in running them as a slideshow. Blogs are
always looking for free, easy content, and this is a great way to
share your story.
10. Get some ink.
Photo courtesy PreservationNation, Flickr
Ten on Tuesday features ten preservation
tips each week. For more tips, visit
blog.PreservationNation.org.