Friday 28 May 2010

At last, the 1st of my new websites is born with a side order of SEO

A good looking website is vital to the success of a photography business as it is one of the main ways that my clients get a first look at my work and then make their decision about whether to pick up the phone, pen an email or move on to another photographer's website.

I've spent lots of time on & off over the last several months tinkering with the old website but I just couldn't get it how I wanted it so in the end I started from scratch and finally after a lot of head scratching and reading of poorly written documentation it is ready to be thrust, blinking into the world

A large part of the effort I have put in has been in the area of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to ensure that over time my site will work its way up the search page position it achieves on Google, Yahoo and Bing.

It doesn't matter how wonderful a website is, nor how fantastic the words and pictures on it are, if prospective clients can't find it because it is on page 15 of their web search. So I have my fingers crossed that the cleverness contained within the Google search algorithm will do its magic over the coming days, weeks and months

This first website covers the commercial and automotive photography side of my business, very soon I should be able to publish the updated website for the Wedding photography services that I provide together with Antonella Muscat

It's been difficult typing this with my fingers crossed so I will finish not with a song but with a link

The new website for Paul Davis Photography

Monday 3 May 2010

Bank Holiday Weather

Well we certainly had typical Bank Holiday weather today

My windows were lashed with raindrops the size of golf balls mid morning and then as quickly as it started it seemed to stop and the sun came out.

I quickly headed out camera in hand to see what there was to see

My 1st stop was an image I have been meaning to capture for sometime but have either been in a hurry or have been without a camera (naughty me), I liked it so much I have decided to make it a new profile picture on my Facebook profile

I continued until I reached the top of the big hill in the middle of Hitchin which is called Windmill Hill and what do you know it used to have a windmill at the top now it has Hitchin Girls School and a large water tower instead. I sat down at the top of the hill on a rather breezy bench but my rest didn't last too long as I was soon assaulted by very heavy hail, the blast effects of which soon had me speeding down the hill to shelter in a shop door way

Once the hail turned into rain and started to ease I decided it was time to head away from the town and look for some proper signs of spring

And I think I managed it, yes folk spring is hear despite the look of those clouds

Sunday 2 May 2010

The Scarborough Flyer gets me into print again

It's always nice to get one of my pictures into the papers

This time it was an image of the A4 locomotive Bittern as she hauled The Scarborough Flyer from London Kings Cross to a day at the seaside in Scarborough

Bittern was in use from 1937 until 1966 when she passed from British Rail ownership into the hands of the Drury family who own her to this day.

After a long period of restoration she started hauling steam specials in 2007, the one on Thursday last week was run by UK Railtours.  I took my shots from near to Cadwell crossing just outside Ickleford near Hitchin in Hertfordshire

The trouble with taking pictures of steam trains is that they pass by in about 20 seconds so it does take careful setting up before hand and good choice of location.

Next time I will have to treat it more like photography from my days as an accredited motorsports photographer - hmmm that gives me ideas for some forthcoming blogs




The very brief article from the online edition of Comet - the print edition is out on Thursday next week

Green Steam Machine Powers through Comet Country