Surprise, surprise! #ProjectScouted introduces the wildcard entry

Something that has never been done in a Lee Folkard Photography Project before is going to shake things up immensely this year in Cycle 2 of #ProjectScouted. For the first time, there will be a chance for one of the eliminated girls to re-enter the Project as a “wildcard” entry and have another chance to prove her mettle. Ryan Francis, owner of Shoelaced Clothing, and an integral part in choosing the wildcard entry, tells us more about the process below.

Lee Folkard Photography: This is something completely different for the Project. Why was the wildcard entry introduced?
Ryan Francis: The "wildcard" entry was introduced to give an opportunity to one girl to re-enter the Project. However, it's not just an ordinary call-back to take part in the Project again. It’s a special call-back at the most exciting time of the Project (even if I say so myself!), which is the Shoelaced Clothing fashion show. In my past experience in #ProjectScouted, sometimes girls have an "off day" and don't get to truly show their true and full potential. So this year we will change that. This year the girl that stayed involved in the Project once she was eliminated could stand a chance to be called back to give it a second try.

LFP: How many girls will be selected?
Ryan: Only one girl will be selected!

LFP: What do girls have to do in order to stand a chance of being selected as the wildcard entry?
Ryan: Like, Comment, Share!!! The girl that stays the most active on social media, helping to promote #ProjectScouted will be chosen as the wildcard entry. By all means, even attend upcoming phases.

LFP: Who will be choosing the wildcard entry and how will the girls be judged?
Ryan: I, as designer of Shoelaced Clothing, will be keeping a close eye on all girls that have been eliminated from the Project while keeping the above criteria in mind.

LFP: When will the fashion show take place?
Ryan: Phase Six – Saturday, 18^th April 2015

LFP: Whet the girls' appetite a bit... What do you have planned for the fashion show this year?
Ryan: Hahaha! Well, the girls this year will be sharing the ramp with two amazingly talented professional male models and brand ambassadors of Shoelaced Clothing.

LFP: Any final pieces of advice for the girls or last words about the wildcard entry?
Ryan: Fight for it because it’s worth it! Shoelaced Clothing is a young, unique clothing brand that is all about empowering and supporting local talent. And being a part of this amazing movement is priceless.

Well girls, there is no reason to lose hope! By following Ryan’s advice, your #ProjectScouted journey can continue even after you may think it is over. We wish all the stunning young ladies the best!

Is Google Plus overtaking Facebook?

In a word; probably.

But this certainly comes as no surprise. A lot of the social networking crazes die down with time, like MySpace and Digg did, with people losing interest in them as they run their course and fizzle out. The Google Plus and Facebook debate isn’t a new one, with experts having said that Facebook will run its course and be overtaken by Google Plus from about two years ago. And their prediction is slowly coming true.

Fewer and fewer people are signing up for Facebook and many of those who already have it have deactivated their accounts for various reasons. There was a time when Facebook was all the rage and it led without competition in the social network arena, with Twitter not even coming close to its popularity.

One of the major pros of Google Plus is its customizable news feed which allows you to select the news that you want to see – so you don’t have to see someone post a pre-workout selfie if you don’t want to. Since its launch in 2011, Google Plus has been through countless layout changes to arrive at what it is now. By choosing who you want in your circles, you are able to filter the content that you receive.

Facebook, however, is definitely not going to go out without a fight. Although its users have drastically declined over the past few years, its loyal fans don’t seem to desire any other site for sharing their lives with others. But when Facebook switched from having user Profiles to Timelines, many of its users lost their faith in the site.

It does basically come down to one’s own preferences though. Some think that Facebook is easy and simple to use and allows access to a huge user database. But others think that Google Plus is the better social medium, for its neater interface and simply because it is run by Google – which many consider to be less malevolent than Facebook in terms of privacy and security.

There are immeasurable comparisons between the two social sites. Experts are also now saying that Facebook could lose 80% of its users by 2017, which isn’t too far away. Facebook is losing is popularity with youngsters especially for its privacy risks and its tendency to evoke unwanted social drama. Many feel that it has become a bit of a burden to have. Google Plus was reported by Forbes to be trailing very closely to Facebook last year at number 2 of the most used social platforms, with YouTube at number 3. So only time will tell now as to whether Google Plus is really the next big thing in social networking.

My Thanks for 2012

I would like to thank all those who have chosen Lee Folkard Photography to capture your memories in 2012.

I would also like to thank those who have supported my work; those that commented on images and status's via the Facebook Page; Lee Folkard Photography.
Those who have retweeted or "starred" my tweets, via twitter; Lee Folkard.
Those who have read, commented and shared blogposts on the Blog - Lee Folkard Photography.

I would my loyal corporate clients who have made use of my services throughout the year. And also all those who have purchased images from the website; www.leefolkard.com.

I would like to thank all those close to me who continue to support my passion and my work.

Thank you.

Here's to seeing you again and again and again in 2013. Even if it is just through virtual contact.

Photographer: Lara Jade

Lara Jade started her own photography career at the age of 17, originally taking on small clients in England, before becoming a fully fledged Fashion, Portrait & Advertising Photographer in New York City. Jealous yet?

With quality work, came high demand, and Lara has taken it in her stride and her work has been featured in well known fashion and photography magazines worldwide.

Not only is she hugely successful in the social media scene (100,000 fans on Facebook), but Lara is also currently working worldwide and is represented by leading agencies in London, Milan & the USA.

If that’s not enough to inspire you yet, then you should know that she’s sponsored by Canon, Bowens Lighting, Broncolor Lighting, Lensbaby, Wacom, Datacolor, and is currently designing her own range of camera bags for US camera bag brand Naneu.

Some of Lara's work:

Instagram; the phenomenon.

I call it a phenomenon because Instagram is much more than one app the way Facebook is much more than one site.

My First Instagram - and now I am hooked

So what is Instagram and why is it such a huge success? Instagram is an iPhone app that enables the user to snap a photo (or take an existing photo from the phone’s gallery), enhance it with eleven different possible effects, share it on the various social networks, as well as on Instagram itself, which has quickly turned into a social network of its own.
 
Instead of discussing each one of the features in Instagram, I thought I would take a different approach and point out four things that Kevin Systrom, the developer of Instagram did right, while software giants before him got all wrong.

Bullseye

1. True Social Integration: Instagram has managed to add seamless social integration to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, FourSquare, and Tumblr. The main difference between this integration and others is that in Instagram’s case, it works perfectly on both a practical and conceptual level. Others before it could not pull it off the way Instagram has.

2. Utter Simplicity: I cannot stress this point enough. If you are a developer, you might want to run a short analysis on all the apps that have gone viral recently. Angry Birds, Flipboard, Cut the Rope, Real Racing, and many more. The common thread that jumps out at me is simplicity. These apps are not overloaded with fancy features and they do not do extraordinary things, they just work. A user can open Flipboard and begin using it without a tutorial. The same is true with Instagram, and that, in my humble opinion, is why the app is so appealing.

http://www.leefolkard.com/

 
3. Simple Photo Sharing: The thing with Instagram and the reason I did not download it the first time someone talked about it on my Facebook or Twitter stream is because I thought it was just another silly photography app for iPhone. There are so many apps out there like Hipstamatic that allow you to enhance your iPhone photos with cute effects. The thing is with Instagram that separates it from the rest is its sharing abilities. Not only can you easily share your Instagram photos on Facebook or Twitter in one simple step, but you can actually build an entire network of friends around your Instagram photos. What Instagram figured out that others before it did not is that people like to create things but even more than that, they like to show them off.

4. Scalability: Now I am no developer and I do not know how to properly handle the issue of scalability when it comes to the viral nature of iPhone apps. Having said that, if you are a developer and you create an iPhone app, you need to be prepared for it to explode. In fact, if you do not think it is going to take off, then why bother creating it? Take the case of Flipboard for example. Mike McCue, the CEO and brains behind the wildly popular Flipboard app explains in an interview that he doubled the amount of servers his developer told him he needed before launching Flipboard. However, with the help of some major Flipboard evangelists, the servers crashed within seconds and they had to implement a registration program to roll out the app gradually to new signups. Instagram has exploded and continues to grow in numbers, yet the app is responsive, robust, and fun to use. No scalability issues to be found.

vivid

 
All in all, Instagram seems to be taking the crown of the next big thing in photo sharing. I am sure we will see the app on other platforms including Android and maybe even Windows Phone 7, but for now, developers should be taking this app as a case study and learning a few very crucial lessons about getting their app to take off the way Instagram has.

Capture Life

Have you tried Instagram yet? What did you think? Please let us know in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter.

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