Pinterest Matters: The Next Social Supersite.

I spent my weekend at a social media conference, hosted by Sree Sreenivasan , Professor and Dean at the Columbia School of Journalism.  I felt like the newbie in the room, to be sure.  I have all of the requisite social media accounts: Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, but I am far from proficient at using any one of them.  

I am a photographer.  My world is beautiful pictures, and for that, one of my favorite sites is Pinterest.  I joined in March of 2011.  That makes me an early-ish adopter, though I quickly learned that Pinterest is the sort of 'time suck' site that a good business coach will likely tell you to shed from  your schedule.  I use it less than I would like and try to limit my time in the candy store.


But my first question this weekend, in a room full of serious social media experts was "What do you think of sites like Pinterest as social media sites? As a photographer I have more followers on Pinterest than I do on Twitter" (Note at the end of the weekend, I had more followers on Twitter!).  Pinterest was clearly not yet a household name, and some people had never heard of it.

My sense is, this is about to change.  A few minutes ago, I saw a tweet by Guy Kawasaki asking "Is Pinterest the next social commerce game changer?  He has nearly half a million Twitter followers, so even if "No one will hear most of what you have to say on Twitter"  as Sree told us, I am pretty sure a few people heard that one.
 

I use Pinterest with caution.  I already suffer from information overload, and this site feeds one of my core addictions: the consumption of beautiful imagery.  I also see  how Pinterest can be leveraged by bloggers, designers, photographers and beautiful thing makers of all sorts.  I could post a lot more photos on my lowly little blog, then pin them selectively and strategically on Pinterest, and drive a LOT more traffic to said lowly blog (think store/website/widget maker).  There are already posters with followers in the hundreds of thousands.  What is that exposure worth?

Love my dancers page!!  Note one of these pins came from my own blog...

I hear this shameless self promotion is becoming a bigger and bigger problem on Pinterest.   In time,  I expect the retailers who see the value in Pinterest will get more clever and subliminal with their 'advertising'.  This is still a relatively new world. 

Sree says "The scarcest resource in the 21st century is human attention".  If so, Pinterest manages not only to grab our attention, but to push more information through that tiny window faster. If you believe that a picture is worth 1000 words, then Pinterest is a shortcut to high speed communication.  You are lucky if you can get a reader to stick with you for 1000 words.  Why not say it with a picture? Or three.

I love the way Pinterest allows people to paint visual pictures of themselves in a way that Facebook can't.  Rather than only posting images you have taken (let's face it, we aren't all photographers), or linked to on Facebook, Pinterest allows users to gather (steal?) truly stunning imagery from anywhere and everywhere and make it your own by creating infinitely clever "boards".  I love the way people identify their hopes and dreams and aspirations by the images they choose to post.  Of course, big posters tell me they are also big time wasters!

I think a great next step for Pinterest would be to allow people to print these boards in mural size (on self stick paper!) so we can put an "instant inspiration board" on our walls at home....but one that is drawn from the world wide web instead of the magazines we happen to have on hand. (Did I mention I am a bit of an idea factory?)

If I had more time on my hands (or an intern!), I would certainly have a much better developed Pinterest profile.  In the meantime, I have added my Pinterest link onto other bio pages.  I think 2012 is the year Pinterst pops into the mainstream.

My Photography Heroes: Mark Shaw Capturing Everyday Life

 One of my photography heroes was Mark Shaw.  Anyone who knows me will certainly see a bit of him in my work.  I believe in simple pictures that capture simple moments....the kinds of moments that change and disappear with time.


Mark Shaw was a Life Magazine photographer and it shows.  With a journalist's eye he captures moments that speak to us all.  Children being children, rather than posing and smiling for a Sears portrait.  These are the kinds of photos that are so meaningful to me personally.  These are the days we forget to capture on film because they are so routine, so ordinary.  In time, I find them among the most valuable.

For me, the ordinary is almost more special and important than the big events.  Yes, I will always love weddings and birthdays and big celebrations....but I wish I just had more photos with my dad on the beach.

Jackie Swings Caroline with a Young Kennedy Cousin Looking On, ca. 1963

I recently saw this photo for sale at a local gallery.  I wish I had the $5,000 to buy it. (Please feel free to buy it for me!)  To me, this image is timeless and universal.  I remember my dad doing this with me.  I wish I had a picture of it.  I would settle for these two strangers, who feel like people I know.

I take photos like these for my clients, because I know deep in my soul that in 20 years from now those same photos will be absolutely priceless.  I take the photos I wish I had of my own life.  They aren't the most original or clever photos you ever saw.  I don't go Photoshop crazy.  I don't make people hold strange objects.  I let kids run, and swing, and giggle and cry.  We play and have fun (and yes we get that 'perfect' shot for the Christmas card!).  Mom and dad get involved.

I realize just how extraordinarily lucky I am to be invited deep into the lives of my clients (who I universally think of as my friends).  We are creating history together.  We are growing up together.  Every year, I feel like my photos get more valuable,  particularly the ones I took ten and twenty years ago.

Alex giving Olive some love.

Rarest of them all: my family in Shiraz, Iran 1970.  Posed, but barely so.

Wish I had more of these! 1970 candid and perfect.