Posts tagged coolfoto
Spotlight on CoolFoto
Jan 4th
Today 100Club Member CoolFoto takes the Squidoo Spotlight and tells us about her passion for photography, her favorite lens, and even talks a little about the birds and bees.
Tell us about your Zazzle store, and your passion for photography.
My husband and I are freelance stock photographers and opened Kphotos at Zazzle, in May 2009. We had been happy selling products at Cafe Press until they changed their shopkeepers agreement this year. When we could no longer make a fair profit on our work we moved to Zazzle.
Animal, bird, and flower pictures are silhouetted out from our photographs and used to decorate clothing and household products. Some travel and animal pictures are available as posters and framed prints. We have designs for mothers, grandmothers, and Christmas, too. POD income from Zazzle supplements money received from direct photo sales to magazine and book publishers. Our publishers and the publications in which our photos appear are listed on our website Kuyper Photography .
I love making Squidoo lenses that use my photography. My SLR has its own lens My Nikon D700FX. Last Christmas I received a tiny Flip Mino camcorder. It has its own lens Customize a Flip Mino. A flat tire that occurred while on a shopping trip resulted in HowTo Fix a Flat Tire. Well, you get the picture. Every week I find something to video, upload to YouTube, and include on a lens.
My Squidoo lenses reflect the fact that I am primarily a photographer and secondarily a writer. It took three tries to become a Giant Squid. The criticism was made that there are too many pictures and not enough writing on my lenses.
Unfortunately, search engines can’t see pictures, so I try to add enough words to describe them.
Which of all your lenses is your favorite?
Myakka Park Wildlife is my favorite lens. My husband and I have been making late afternoon visits and seeing wonderful wildlife. There have been families of wild deer, pigs, and turkeys all scavenging for food. Yesterday a turtle was covering her newly laid eggs by the side of the road. A red-shouldered hawk perched for five minutes on a tree top while a group of black vultures sat in nearby trees. We will continue to visit the park and digitally record more of its creatures eating their dinners.
The light is too poor to make the high quality pictures used in the print market. And wildlife rarely poses long enough to set up a tripod. But, the
results still work well on the internet and make a good Squidoo lens.
Birds or Bees?
I have photographed many more birds than bees. One special place to photograph wild birds nesting hasn’t made it to a lens yet, but, thanks to this question, it soon will. It took four separate trips to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm to capture the complete egg to chick cycle of wild night heron, tri-colored heron, ibis, roseate spoonbill, giant egret, cattle egret, wood stork, and more.
The alligator farm has an extensive raised boardwalk winding around ponds and mangrove trees. The wild birds have chosen to use the trees as an aviary. Some species like cattle egret build nests within a foot of the walkway. Herons, ibis, and spoonbills prefer the tree tops. The steady stream of bird watchers and photographers doesn’t bother the birds at all.
Here at home in Sarasota County, Florida, we have two bird feeders outside our kitchen window. Migratory birds visit us as they escape the northern winter chill. Sandhill Cranes often walk down the street forcing cars to stop or swerve around them. Two varieties of woodpecker have nests on our street. And vultures can be seen circling high in the sky overhead at least once a day.
Promoting OP Lenses
Jun 4th
In the spirit of my previous post, I’ve offered the Giants a chance to promote another lensmaster’s work right here at the Showcase.
Giant Squid lensmaster and super photographer CoolFoto wasted no time in sending me two of her favorite OP (Other Peoples) lenses.
Coolfoto suggests you pay a visit to Green Bedroom Accessories by Giant lensmaster mbrownauthor
“I am in the Fashion Colors group so I visit the other group members. That’s how I found Green Bedroom Accessories by mbrownauthor.
Green was my favorite home decorating color for years. Remember the old avacodogreen kitchen appliances?
Green Bedroom Accessories lens includes info about the color like its meaning and Wikipedia definition balanced with modules selling green decorating products. She includes a Twitter follow me at the bottom of the lens. I like the cute green squidoo at the end, too. “
Coolfoto also recommends Capitol Reef National Park by Giant Squid Kiwisoutback.
“Kiwisoutback writes about the Capitol Reef National Park in a way that makes me want to visit it. She found beautiful photos to high light the Park’s unique features. Kiwi uses frames around the Flickr photos for a nice custom touch.
The Things To Do module uniquely links to sections of the Park’s website with more info. The lens is well rounded out with places to stay, weather report, poll, links to CafePress Park design products, links to other Squidoo related lenses, and guest book.”
And I’d like to recommend you pay a visit to Coolfoto’s lensography because besides having good taste in OP lenses she’s created quite a few fine lenses herself!
Would you like to surprise a Giant Squid by promoting their lens here? Send me the link to your favorite OP lens and tell me why you recommend it. I’ll do the rest!
robin (at) squidoo.com
