How To Upload Audio File To YouTube?

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Guides for Uploading Audio to YouTube Successfully

Tagged as one of the most powerful marketing tools in today’s Internet field, YouTube is undoubtedly an avenue of stars. These days, some of the popular performers like special singers and actors are first discovered on YouTube. With this video hosting site, users can upload not just videos but originally created audios as well. You can upload Acapela songs, cover albums, your own version of popular songs, and many more. Although, bear in mind that the way to upload audio files to YouTube is different from uploading videos. The process is much more difficult, complicated and sometimes confusing.

Luckily, audio creators do not need to worry because there are several tips and tricks on how to easily upload songs on YouTube. If you want your music to be heard worldwide, check out these efficient audio uploading methods below.

Being an exclusive video hosting website, YouTube doesn’t accept or recognize common audio files such as MP3, WMA, AAC, and all others. If you want to upload an audio on the site, it only means that you need to create a simple video file which contains your audio clip with an audio editor. Currently, YouTube accepts the following video formats: MOV, MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, 3GP and Webm. Alternatively, you can utilize a third party uploader for uploading the audio. Now, let’s learn the two ways for uploading audio to YouTube.

1. Windows Live Movie Maker

The Windows Live Movie Maker is a free video editing software provided by Microsoft, you need to download Windows Live Essential then install it. This tool can edit videos, merge clips, convert audio files to video formats, create complex video effects and more.

Let’s see the steps to upload audio on YouTube using it:

Open the Windows Live Movie Maker, drag a photo into the window. The photo can be your very own cover art or any photo you wish to be seen on the screen.
Click “Add music” – “Add music from PC” then choose the song or audio file you want to upload on YouTube.
Hit “Open” and then click “Project” – “Fit to Music”.
Click the “YouTube” icon on top and choose the video resolution you want.
Sign in your Microsoft Account as well as YouTube account.
After that, you need to input the title, description and tags for the file.
Wait for the video uploaded completely on YouTube.
edit audio for uploading

2. Tunestotube

http://www.tunestotube.com/ 

Tunestotube is an online application which aims to help users upload audio files to YouTube without editing or other preparations. It is free to use but you need to link your YouTube account first to the site allowing them to access info from your channel.

Visit their website and click “Connect YouTube account”.
After successful linking your YouTube account, go back to the site.
Select the audio file and photo you want to share on YouTube.
Click “Upload files” and input the necessary info for the audio track.
When you are done with file uploading, click the “Create video” button on the side.
songs to YouTube uploading

The site is easy to use and doesn’t require the special video editing tools which makes it perfect for novice and non-technically adept audio uploaders. However, you can only upload up to 50MB of file. Besides, security issues have been a major concern to many users since the website will automatically access your own YouTube account.
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Extracted From: https://www.apowersoft.com/upload-audio-to-youtube.html

How To Create Animated Gif With GifMaker.Me

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Create Animated Gif With GifMaker.Me

GIFMaker.me allows you to create animated gifs, slideshows, and video animations with music online freely and easily, no registration required.

1. Go to the web site

www.gifmaker.me 

2. Upload Images

Find the upload images button (refer picture above)

Click the button.

Select your images.

Wait for the upload process to finish.

3. Preview the uploades images

4. Select Output Option

5. Get your output.

6. Sample

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iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Which is the best?

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The iPhone X is finally out, which means Apple’s best iPhone ever will be put through various real-use tests, including speed test comparisons against the fastest Android handsets out there. But because the iPhone X packs exactly the same kind of internal hardware as the iPhone 8 Plus that was released in late September, you shouldn’t expect results to be much different.

We already saw a slew of iPhone 8 Plus vs. Galaxy Note 8 speed tests, and they all painted the same story. The A11 Bionic chip is miles ahead of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, but the Galaxy Note 8’s extra RAM can come in handy.

YouTube channels EverythingApplePro and SuperSaf performed similar speed tests, looking at how fast the two phones load apps and how fast they load apps from memory, but also at browser speeds, boot speeds, and benchmark scores.
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Read Further: http://bgr.com/2017/11/06/iphone-x-vs-galaxy-note-8-speed-test/

iPhone X stress test: Watch an iPhone X get hit with a hammer and stabbed with a knife

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The video begins at the 1:24 mark when TechRax starts stabbing the iPhone X’s rear casing. I’m not exactly sure what this test is supposed to measure, but the iPhone X more or less emerged unscathed. The real fun, though, begins at the 2:30 mark when a 3-pound hammer is repeatedly dropped on the iPhone X from an unknown height. Shortly thereafter, our fearless tester begins actively pounding the iPhone X with a hammer before the front glass ultimately shatters.


The entire video can be viewed below.

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SOURCE: http://bgr.com/2017/11/05/iphone-x-video-stress-test-hammer-knife/

Branding Checklist for Creative Entrepreneurs

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1. Clear Mission:

Find your why. Do some business soul-searching and figure out what the core mission of your business is. Remember, each of us have unique strengths and gifts. Don’t try to do what everyone else is doing because your efforts to make your brand stand out won’t make a difference if they are not authentic. Do your research by learning the needs of your target audience and deliver services and content that will genuinely help them.

2. Target Niche:

Identify your strengths. What are you best at? Where are you going to shine the most? Pick your industry, narrow it down to one specific focus area and become the expert.

3. Target Audience:

A brand includes a clear understanding of who your target audience is and what they want and need from you. What entices them? Where are they primarily most active? What is their biggest problem that you can help them solve? When you can identify who your ideal target audience is and what their needs are, you can figure out the best way to connect with them.

4. Brand Values:

Determine how you will do business. Is it based on communication? Trust? Do you value customer loyalty? Always stay true to the values of your business, and be really clear on what you want your audience to know about you.

5. Brand Boundaries:

Create boundaries for your business and learn when to say no to something that doesn’t align with your brand values.

6. Brand Message:

Discover your brand message and ensure you are communicating it clearly to your audience across all platforms.

7. Custom Domain Name:

Choose a name for your business and secure that baby in a custom url ASAP. Stay away from services like WordPress.com or Wix that give domain names like www.yourname.wordpress.com or www.yourname.wix.com. Owning your own branded domain name will immediately establish credibility for your business.

8. Custom Email Address:

Get a personalized email address along with your domain name. This will also establish credibility.

9. Logo:

This one is a major asset as it serves as the face of your business and core of your brand identity. I recommend hiring a professional designer to create a logo for you. If you’re on a budget, there is always the option to DIY or purchase a pre-made logo. Either way make sure it’s high quality, concise and portrays the vision you have for your brand.

10. Website:

If you’re an online business owner, you NEED a beautiful and functional website. This will be the place for your visitors to go to learn more information about you, your mission and your services. It’s like your home sweet home on the Internet! Depending on your budget and experience, invest in a designer to create a completely custom website or purchase a theme and build it yourself.

11. Business Cards:

Do you plan on going to a social events surrounded by other business women who are looking to connect? Even if you aren’t planning on it, you never know who you might run into one day. Handing out your business card is like sharing a piece of you with the world. Make sure it’s something that stands out and has a clear call to action.

12. Social Media Presence:

A social media presence is going to be an essential tool for your brand strategy. Secure your social media handles at the time you secure your domain name. Find out where you target audience hangs out the most. The more active you are on that social media channel, the more likely you’re going to drive traffic to your business.

13. Creative Workspace:

Find or design a space that inspires you and your brand! Whether you have a desk in the corner of your closet, an office room or full-on building, make sure you are letting it be known that this is your space. This is where the creative magic happens, so you want to pour your heart and branding into it as much as possible.

14. Photography Style:

Establish an Instagram theme. If you are taking your own photos, make sure you use great lighting and stay consistent with the style, filters and props you use. You also have the option to invest in branded stock photos. Either way, high-quality images will take your brand to the next level.

15. Professional Headshots:

Use a professional, memorable photo as your profile image/avatar on all social media accounts. Include photos of yourself on your website as well to humanize your brand. You can stage these yourself or hire a photographer.

16. Font Palette:

Depending on the font you use, typography can set the tone for your brand. Are you playful or sophisticated? Bold or minimalistic? Choose two or three fonts and use them consistently throughout your website, social media graphics and other branding materials.

17. Brand Personality:

Ensure your personal branding is a reflection of you. Give your brand a positive character and make sure it shines throughout your business. It’s important for your audience to connect and relate to you.

18. Brand Colors:

It’s been said that color has a deep affect on how you make your audience feel. If you want your brand to reflect a specific style and make your audience feel a certain way, choose a color palette that plays to that emotion and supports the personality you want to portray. For example, neutral and monochromatic color palettes give off a minimalistic, classic vibe whereas vibrant hues are more bold and energetic.

19. Blog Post Graphic:

Create a template for your blog posts. Make sure they are set up using the proper dimensions for your website and social media platforms. If you are using the same template throughout, it will create consistency and make it easier for your brand to be identified as your brand.

20. Email List:

An email list is such an important part of your business. It’s how you directly communicate with your audience. Not many people think about creating a newsletter template that fits your brand instead of opting for a plain-text email. Embed your colors, fonts and images to jazz up those inboxes a little.

21. Community:

Engaging with your audience and building genuine relationships is so important for your brand. Take the time to respond to your comments on social media and blog posts. Join Facebook Groups and find threads where you can offer a helping hand or bits of advice. This is how you connect with your audience, build trust, learn more about their needs and hopefully land your dream clients.

22. Competitors:

Identify the competitors in your industry and differentiate yourself. Discover what makes your brand unique. Figure out what you can deliver that no one else can. Trust me, there is at least one thing.

23. Blog Strategy:

Determine how often you will publish new posts. Start off with once or twice a week and then gradually build up. This sets the pace for your brand letting your audience know when they can expect to see new content from you.

24. Content Strategy:

Determine your primary topics and categories for your blog, website and other content outlets. For your blog, you can choose one main topic and then break them into subtopics. Make sure you stay close to your niche, and don’t worry about running out of things to talk about. Trust me, there are so many ways to generate new blog post ideas.

25. Brand Language:

This is how you communicate. Whether it’s playful and energetic, or sweet and polite, make sure your brand communicates a clear message that your ideal audience can easily understand and relate to. And remember, don’t be afraid to be yourself! Each voice is unique and everyone has their own way of portraying their own message.

26. Brand Story:

Share your journey. Every business has a story about how they got started. It’s nice to connect your audience to the history of your business and show them how you got to where you are today.

27. Brand Balance:

Find a perfect balance of personal and professional posts on social media. Sometimes it’s nice to share the not-so-glamorous side of your business. Throw in some posts of your pups or kids every now and again if you feel like it. It’s a great way to interact with your audience on a deeper level.

28. Writing Style:

Discover a style of writing blog posts, emails and newsletters. Will it be informal or formal? Do you use lots of emojis, icons and color? Are you a storyteller? Do you include audio recordings, videos or lots of example photos? Developing your own writing style is a great way to establish your brand and attract people with similar styles.

29. Email Signature:

Brand your email by including an email signature that contains an image of yourself, your logo or your digital signature. You can also include a short bio, your contact information and a website URL.

30. Brand Buzz Words:

If you could sum up your brand using three key words, what would they be? Think about it. These three words quickly define your brand and are great to have on hand if you’re ever trying to decide if something is in line with your vision.
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Extracted From: http://www.brandedbybritt.co/ultimate-branding-checklist/

Checklist to Evaluate Your Brand

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To succeed in branding, you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects.

It is achieved by integrating your brand strategies through your company at every point of public contact. Think of branding as the expression of who you are as a company or organization and what you offer. Sound difficult? Think of it like this if a brand could speak it would say:

I am  ________________.


I exist because ________________.

If you relate to who I am and why I exist you might like me, you can buy me, and you can tell others about me. 

As consumers begin to identify with you, your brand will live within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot. 

Branding can be confusing, so how do you know if your brand is strong enough to give you the internal and external value that you need in your marketing? 

Does your brand relate to your target audience?  Will they instantly "get it" without too much thought?

Does your brand share the uniqueness of what you offer and why it's important?  

Does it reflect the brand promise that you are making to who you are targeting as well as to your internal audience?  

Does your brand reflect the values that you want to represent as a customer?  

Let these questions serve as a guideline in the development of your brand.  If the answers are not clear you may want to return to the drawing board and refine the branding process.  A brand should be an instant "ah-ha" it should require very little thought and contemplation. 

Time To Rebrand

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If your business does not yet have a consistent brand, or you don’t like what your brand currently stands for, it’s time to rebrand. Here are some steps to take to shape public perception for the better:

Identify what your customers love most about your business. 

What makes yours stand out? What are your strengths?

Create a brand message that conveys what your business aims to do for its customers

 – what you’re best at. Geico promises to save you 15% in 15 minutes. That’s its brand promise. Marriott promises quiet luxury. What are you promising your customers? And are you delivering?
Make sure your visual elements match your message, and your brand. If you’re promising innovation, don’t use greys and boring images.

Develop standards for employee dress and behavior that support your brand promise. 

Make sure they understand what your brand is and can support it.

Apply your visuals

Apply your visuals across every marketing tool you use, from advertising to signage to store displays to mailings to shopping bags.

Branding is a complex process, mainly because its success or failure is determined by your customers’ reactions to the act of doing business with you.
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Extracted From: https://www.shopify.my/encyclopedia/branding

Effective Brand Strategy

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Once you've defined your brand, how do you get the word out? Here are a few simple, time-tested tips:

Get a great logo. 

Place it everywhere.

Write down your brand messaging. 

What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Every employee should be aware of your brand attributes.

Integrate your brand. 

Branding extends to every aspect of your business--how you answer your phones, what you or your salespeople wear on sales calls, your e-mail signature, everything.

Create a "voice" for your company that reflects your brand. 

This voice should be applied to all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and off. Is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it ritzy? Be more formal. You get the gist.

Develop a tagline. 

Write a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your brand.

Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials. 

Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don't need to be fancy, just consistent.

Be true to your brand. 

Customers won't return to you--or refer you to someone else--if you don't deliver on your brand promise.

Be consistent. 

This tip involves all the above and is the most important tip on this list. If you can't do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.
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Extracted from:https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/branding

What to Consider When Developing a Brand

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1. Identify Target Market

What type of customers are you trying to attract? The success of your company's branding efforts will rely on the customers you are pursuing.

2. Legalities

Research your ideas so you do not infringe on another company's brand. Developing your brand is a long term investment. Register your trademark legally to protect your company's name from imposters and possible customer confusion.

3. Logo and Color Scheme

Choose simple color choices and an easy to read font for your company logo. Choosing a graphic that says something about your business helps in creating your unique brand name.

4. Develop A Character

Visual stimulation will help prospective customers remember you. Grab their attention with ads and commercials using a recognized person or character.

Alternatively, create your own character. If you are uncomfortable using actual photos, consider turning your picture into a cartoon. There are several photo programs that can transform a picture into a sketch with the click of a mouse. You could also hire a professional to animate your likeness and use it on all of your advertising.

5.Catchy Tag line or Jingle

What does your company offer that can help the consumer? Your tag line should be short, easy to remember and send a message to your customer. Turn your tag line into a musical jingle and your company will become the brand consumers will remember.
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Extracted from: http://www.businessdictionary.com/article/432/what-to-consider-when-developing-a-brand/

What Is Branding?

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What Is Branding?

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In order to understand the concept of branding, first we need to know what products and brands are.

Product definition:

“Broadly, a product is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a want or need, including physical goods, services, experiences, events, persons, places, properties, organizations, information, and ideas” (Kotler & Keller, 2015).

This means that a product can be anything from a hotel stay, a flight, a language course, to clothes, food, a toothbrush etc.

To illustrate the definition of a product and the role it occupies in defining branding, we will use the example of water:

Water is a free resource that every human being needs to live and survive. Yet it became a product the day humans and companies started to commercialize it, for example by selling mineral water in glass and plastic bottles.

But water always looks the same, isn’t it? It is liquid and transparent. So, how can different companies sell the same product but still convince people to purchase their bottled water instead of the one from the competition?

The answer is: by creating a brand.

Brand definition:

“A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers” (American Marketing Association).

You can consider a brand as the idea or image people have in mind when thinking about specific products of a company, both in a practical (e.g. “the shoe is light-weight”) and emotional way (e.g. “the shoe makes me feel powerful”). It is therefore not just the physical features that create a brand but also the feelings that consumers develop towards the company’s product. This combination of physical and emotional cues is triggered when exposed to the name, the logo, the visual identity, or even the message communicated.

A product can be easily copied by other players in a market, but a brand will always be unique. For example, Pepsi and Coca-Cola taste very similar, however for some reason, some people feel more connected to Coca-Cola, others to Pepsi.

Let’s illustrate this again with our water example. The product sold is water, but in order to convince people to purchase a particular water, companies developed different water brands, such as Evian, Perrier, Fiji or Volvic. And each one of these brands provides a different meaning to the product water:

– Evian makes you feel young

– Perrier is refreshing, bubbling and sexy

– Fiji Water is pure, healthy and natural

…and so on.

In the end, a brand is a person’s gut feeling about a specific product or company. Each person creates his or her own version of it, and some brands increase or decrease in popularity because of how consumers feel about them.

Branding definition:

What is it?

“Branding is endowing products and services with the power of a brand” (Kotler & Keller, 2015)

Branding is the process of giving a meaning to specific products by creating and shaping a brand in consumers’ minds. It is a strategy designed by companies to help people to quickly identify their products and organization, and give them a reason to choose their products over the competition’s, by clarifying what this particular brand is and is not.

The objective is to attract and retain loyal customers by delivering a product that is always aligned with what the brand promises.

Who does it affect?

1. Consumers: As discussed above, a brand provides consumers with a decision-making-shortcut when feeling indecisive about the same product from different companies.
2. Employees/shareholders/third-parties: Besides helping consumers to distinguish similar products, successful branding strategies are also adding to a company’s reputation. This asset can affect a range of people, from consumers to employees, investors, shareholders, providers, and distributors. As an example, if you don’t like or don’t feel connected to a brand, you would probably not want to work for it. However, if you feel like the brand understands you and offers products that inspire you, you would probably desire to work for it and be part of its world.

How can it be done?

Companies tend to use different tools to create and shape a brand. For example, branding can be achieved through:

• advertising and communications
• product and packaging design
• in-store experience
• pricing
• sponsoring and partnerships
• the visual identity of the brand (logo, website and colors, are just some examples).

In our example of branding water, packaging design and advertising are perhaps the most powerful tools used by marketers:

– Packaging design is the silent salesman that will grab busy consumers’ attention in-store. It informs consumers about the product’s properties and visually differentiates the brand from the competition on-shelf. A successful example in my eyes is Fiji Water, which managed to create a beautiful bottle design that perfectly reflects the brand’s values: purity is reflected through transparency effects and nature is perceived through the image of tropical flower and leaves in the background.

– Advertising is a powerful tool to create and shape a brand universe as it is very visual and tells a story about the product/company. Here are some examples of branding water through advertising:

Evian makes you feel young:

Perrier is refreshing, bubbling and sexy:

Fiji Water is pure, healthy and natural:

Conclusion:

In very simple words, a product is what you sell, a brand is the perceived image of the product you sell, and branding is the strategy to create that image.

I hope this article helped you to have a clearer idea of what branding means. If you have any comments or suggestions to improve the article, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Pictures from: Dribbble.com, Washingtonians

Sources: Kotler & Keller: Marketing Management (2015), American Marketing Association (AMA)

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Extracted From: http://www.thebrandingjournal.com/2015/10/what-is-branding-definition/

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8 things we just learned about the iPhone 8

For its 10-year anniversary, Apple is widely expected to redesign the iPhone yet again -- and another leak may have just spoiled some of the phone's new features.

Last week, the company seems to have mistakenly pushed out a firmware update for the new HomePod smart speaker, a device that won't even be available until December. And when iOS developers Steve Troughton-Smith and Guilherme Rambo dug through that code, they found buried treasure.

That said, it appears that we know a lot more about the next iPhone now than we did just a week ago. Here are our eight big takeaways.

1. The bezels appear to be going away.
2. It seems to have facial recognition, aka 'Pearl ID'.
3. There's apparently no home button...
4. The fate of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor is unclear, too
5. Your status bar may never be the same
6. Apple's augmented reality seems to get a boost
7. There's a tiny shred of evidence for wireless charging
8. The new iPhone probably won't be alone

Extracted from: https://www.cnet.com/news/iphone-8-rumors-leaks-8-things/

The Laws of Photography

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The Laws of Photography

Laws regarding public photography have always been a gray area. In the United States, photographs that are taken for editorial use in a public place generally enjoy Constitutional protection under the right of free speech. There are exceptions, however. Here are just a few of the gray areas:

• Police crime scenes, disasters, fires or riots are considered secured emergency areas. Photography isn’t legal in these situations without permission.
• Even editorial photographs can come under scrutiny when a caption is added. If photo captions imply something false or libelous about the person in the photo, then they aren't legally protected free speech.
• Photos of a person in a public place can’t be used to promote any goods or services without permission.

The controversy surrounding anti-paparazzi legislation comes down to the question of where to draw the line between legitimate news gathering and invasions of privacy. If laws are left as they are, a celebrity's privacy -- and, in some cases, his or her life -- may continue to be endangered by the ruthlessness of some photographers [source: LaPorte]. On the other hand, if the laws become too restrictive, then the freedom of the press could be jeopardized, and for that reason, a judicial tension remains between the two.

With the cultural appetite for celebrity voyeurism, it’s questionable whether the public is even concerned about anti-paparazzi legislation. As long as images of the rich and famous committing foibles both minor and monstrous continue to arrest our attention -- and sway our online traffic and magazine purchases -- the paparazzi mobs will continue to swarm and snap. After all, they’re only giving us what we want: proof that celebrities are imperfect, just like us..

Are Photographers & Paparazzi The Same?

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Are Photographers & Paparazzi The Same?

Submitted by Andrea Feczko on Sat, 02/10/2007 - 5:47pm.

After reading this NY Times article profiling Johnny Nunez, a well respected hip-hop photographer, my perception shifted on the label paparazzi.
Rarely is a photographer deemed such when dealing with celebrity clients, instead they are negatively coined as a vicious paparazzo. But some paparazzi, like Mr.Nunez, are in fact well respected and loved. Sure he is aggressive and pushy at times, but don't all photographers- and journalists- act the same way? Why aren't journalists and hard news photographers labeled as paparazzi?
Maybe Mr. Nunez is given a good review because it's fashion week where contrary to popular belief, the attendees are very open and excited by the press. It's a place where celebrities and press gain mutual benefits from one another.
I understand that press events and daily celebrity life are two very different worlds, but why can't we draw the line on the photographers' labels as well? In a place like fashion week where image is everything, great pictures sell more than just tabloids. Photography is first and foremost an art and I believe photographers should be given credit for their talent and labeled accordingly.
Maybe if the media and public collectively expected excellence from photographers, rather than invasion from paparazzi, then we could all benefit from increased quality and happy celebrities.

Jonas Pelli @ Sat, 02/10/2007 - 7:13pm

"Photography is first and foremost an art and I believe photographers should be given credit for their talent and labeled accordingly."
I totally agree. I think the difference between photographers and paparazzi lies in the difference between intent of the shooter and the desire of the subject to be shot. Paparazzi pry, probe, and violate privacy of subjects who don't want their picture taken. Photographers, on the other hand, have an authentic desire to create something mutually positive for both themselves and their subject. Fashion week is a good example; there's no exploitation because both sides are benefiting, and couldn't do so without each other.

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Source: https://journalism.nyu.edu/publishing/archives/wewantmedia/node/245
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12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Paparazzo

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12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Paparazzo

It's not glamorous.

1. You need to be really skilled at more than just photography. Paparazzi shots are a really technical style of photography, and I guess I can compare it to war photography or animal photography. You have to have a crazy amount of street smarts, because you're basically a spy. You need to be quiet and behind the scenes. You have to understand the way people think, how they work, which way they're going to go. You think ahead of the people that you're following or other paparazzi in order to get the celebrity as they reach their destination.

2. If you're going to work freelance (as opposed to being fully staffed with an agency), it will be hard to make a living. I was papping from 2006 to 2009 and I actually made a lot of money doing it. But there's not very much money in paparazzi right now anymore. With the rise of Instagram, celebrities have the power to take the shots themselves, sometimes making paparazzi shots worthless. If you're really good, you might be lucky and make $75,000, but you probably have $20,000 or $30,000 of expenses a year on top of that. In addition, you probably can spend $30,000 in equipment. You spend a lot on gas. You spend money on tips [people who call you to tip you off to where a celebrity is are oftentimes rewarded with money as a gesture of goodwill]. Your office is Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica, which are awesome but expensive places to hang out because you're spending a lot of money on food and all that kind of stuff. You need a really reliable, good car, which is another $30,000.

3. Being freelance offers a lot of flexibility and freedom, but it can get pretty lonely. One of the main reasons to be tied with in agency is for camaraderie and brainstorming with people about who to work and what to do. Otherwise, you can go for days completely on your own. But there are lots of benefits to being a freelance photographer. When you are really well-established, you can do what you want. I took one photo of Molly Ringwald one time that was really unflattering that I didn't send in. I love Molly Ringwald, I grew up with Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, and so I did not want the tabloids making fun of her based on my photograph. I really liked the autonomy of the [freelance] business. I got paid based on how I performed, and if I wanted to take two months off and go to Thailand, I could and I did! If I wanted to not work Sundays or after 5 o'clock, I could do that too.

4. You'll be in a new place nearly every day. You get up at 9 a.m. and grab a coffee, and at the same time, you're looking for celebrities at the coffee shop. From there, you can do one of two things. You can either doorstep, which is when you are assigned or you assign yourself to a particular celebrity, and you go sit outside their house and hope they leave. You could doorstep a gym or a restaurant or an area of town or a city block that celebrities go to a lot. Or you can troll and just drive around looking for celebs. You start to know and memorize their cars. To be honest, I can recognize a celebrity from a long way away just based on the way they walk and the way they wear their hair. You become really good at people-spotting.

5. You can make great money off a single photo, but you can't expect to make a living taking great photos every so often. There were probably three or four photos I've probably made anywhere from $6,000 to $9,000 each. It's hard to figure out exactly how much you make off a single picture because money comes in really slowly — you make money off residuals over one or two years from a bunch of different sources. I think Paris Hilton holding the Bible right before she went to jail was one of my big shots. I only probably made about $8,000 on that, which, based on the fact that it was all over the world, was not very much money. It's all about working every day. If you decide, "Oh, I can do this job," and bank on three times a month getting big photos, you're not going make it. You have to go out five days a week like a normal job and then you'll end up developing a good library and having shots sell over time.


6. Papping is not for people who aren't competitive or thick-skinned. The absolute hardest thing about the job was the other paparazzi. It's a very competitive business. Until you have established yourself as one of the top dogs and until you've gained the respect of others, then the guys are going to try and get you out of the business. The day that it all changed was when I shot Jennifer Aniston at the beach about nine months in. Ironically, I didn't make any money on that shot because other photographers got the same one, but it was just so valuable to me career-wise and professionally because Jennifer Aniston was such a big star and [usually] so hard to get in photographs, [and] everything changed for me.  I got total respect in the business, and everyone started leaving me alone and even looking up to me.

7. There are almost no women in this industry, and it's really hard to work in it as one. There are only about five female paparazzi at any given time in L.A. I didn't know if the hate would ever stop and I was getting so beat up as a female. It was just so oppressive. The guys were so nasty, so mean. I write in my book that I have been spit on, pushed down, run off the road, and "told on" for things like getting in a shot or poor driving, but this abuse is always done silently. I was never spoken to directly.

8. The relationships between celebrities and paparazzi varies from person-to-person, but generally, the celebs want to work with you. The relationship between paparazzi and celebrities is very symbiotic. A lot of the people that you're working on on a day-to-day basis want to be in magazines and are not nasty with you. I remember one of my colleagues when I was first getting started said to me, "If you can make them smile, you're golden." Most people look at the covers of some of the seedier tabloids and they see really negative stories that make it look like the tabloids are all about trashing the celebrities. But 90 percent of what we photograph, and 90 percent of what the public wants and buys are happy celebrities looking stylish with their head up, smiling. Those pictures are what the tabloids want to buy, and those require us as paparazzi to be non-antagonistic with the celebrities and to actually even develop friendships with them. As much bad press paparazzi get, I have to say, in my almost three years of doing it, I never saw a paparazzi taunt a celebrity to try and get a photo. I'm sure it's probably happened, but I've seen thousands of shoots and I've never seen that.

9. Certain celebrities are much more paparazzi-savvy than others. When I was working, Paris Hilton was the absolute best and smartest. She's a brilliant media goddess who doesn't go anywhere without completely planning the shots the paparazzi will take. Cameron Diaz is another one who I love. She's just brilliant. She uses the paparazzi when she wants to and when she needs it: When she and Justin Timberlake broke up, she wanted to get photographed all the time looking super hot and totally used us. We were all here for the use! We were like, "All right, you're making us money. We'll help you, you help us."

10. A celebrity breakdown is difficult for a pap too. To be honest, when Britney was breaking down, we were her only friends there for, like, a year. She dated a paparazzo! Even though it was kind of sick that she got all her affirmation from us, she did and we were really, really rooting for Britney during that period of time. I wasn't working on her every day, but there was a group of guys who worked on her every day and they became very close with and very protective of her. Not only because they were making money but you start to care about people as human beings when you're with them all the time.

11. Being starstruck gets old pretty quickly. Toward the end, it was so hard to become starstruck, so I would need to see someone like Brad Pitt in order to have a good day. I was so bored of Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron and Paris Hilton and all these people that are very famous but would so not excite me. Having connected with so many celebrities, it would have to be someone really big.

12. It's easy to burn out. If you wanted to do something wild and exciting just for fun for a few years, you could do it. I knew another girl who was in it for that reason. She was awesome, we were really good friends, but she only lasted less than a year. She was just in it because she loved celebrities and thought it was super fun, but when things got hard and she realized how hard it was to really make money, and how trained and on-the-ball you needed to be to make money, she got out of it. I stayed in the business longer than most people, but toward the end, I barely worked eight hours a day because I was pregnant and I was also so over it. After that, I retired my camera except for baby pictures (and the occasional celeb who crosses my path).

Jennifer Buhl was a top-selling female pap in L.A. from 2006 to 2009 and author of the book Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous. She now lives in Denver, Colorado, and runs Happy Hour Headshot..

Source: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/a45449/things-i-wish-i-knew-before-becoming-paparazzi/

What is the difference between paparazzi and paparazzo?

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A variety of sources define paparazzo as a noun referring to a freelance photographer who specializes in images of famous people for sale to magazines and newspapers while often invading their privacy to obtain such photographs or video. The word “paparazzi” is the plural of “paparazzo.”

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Andy Warhol ‘Soup Can’ Prints Are Stolen From a Missouri Museum

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The F.B.I. is offering a $25,000 reward for the recovery of seven screen prints of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup cans after they were snatched from an art museum in Springfield, Mo.

The prints of the cans, which are among the artist’s most recognizable works, had been part of the Springfield Art Museum’s collection since 1985, and were currently on display in a special exhibit of British and American pop art. The prints, not to be confused with Mr. Warhol’s original set of 32 soup can paintings, were from a later series called Campbell’s Soup 1. They were made in 1968, about six years after Mr. Warhol’s paintings created a cultural sensation (and divided the art world). The F.B.I. estimates that the total value of the prints, which came in a set of 10, to be about $500,000.

But the value could be a lot less now, because the thieves made off with only seven of the 10 prints: the beef, vegetable, tomato, onion, green pea, chicken noodle and black bean cans.

The Warhol prints were a point of local pride in Springfield, according to Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman with the Springfield Police Department. “They were one of those kinds of ‘claim to fame’ types of pieces,” Ms. Cox said.

The soup can prints were more than three feet tall and two feet wide. They were displayed on a wall in white wooden frames. Because they are delicate, they had been displayed only a handful of times over the years..

The prints are believed to have been snatched after the museum was closed and the doors were locked around 5 p.m. Wednesday, Ms. Cox said.

The museum does not have a security staff after hours, and when the doors were opened the next morning around 8:45 a.m., employees noticed that the prints were missing. The Springfield Police Department and the F.B.I.’s Art Crime unit are working together to investigate the thefts.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/arts/warhols-soup-cans-stolen-prints-springfield-missouri.html

The fascinating story behind Andy Warhol's soup cans

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Reflecting on his career, Warhol claimed that the Campbell’s Soup Can was his favourite work and that, "I should have just done the Campbell’s Soups and kept on doing them ... because everybody only does one painting anyway." Certainly, it is the signature image of the artist’s career and a key transitional work from his hand-painted to photo-transferred paintings. Created during the year that Pop Art emerged as the major new artistic movement, two of his soup can paintings were included in the landmark Sidney Janis Gallery exhibition, ‘The New Realists’.

In the spring of 1962, Warhol had been working on his new renditions of ads and comic strips when he saw Roy Lichtenstein’s comic-strip paintings at Leo Castelli Gallery. Soliciting suggestions for subjects to paint, he asked a friend, who suggested he choose something that everybody recognised like Campbell’s Soup. In a flash of inspiration he bought cans from the store and began to trace projections onto canvas, tightly painting within the outlines to resemble the appearance of the original offset lithograph labels. Instead of the dripping paint in his previous ads and comics, here Warhol sought the precision of mechanical reproduction. At this time he received a return studio visit from Irving Blum of Ferus Gallery, Los Angeles, who was expecting to see comic-strip paintings and was surprised by the new soup cans, immediately offering the artist a show that summer. Expanding his subject, he decided to paint one of each of the thirty-two varieties of Campbell’s soups. Blum exhibited the cans on shelves running the length of his gallery.

The exhibition caused a mild sensation in Los Angeles. The more daring members of the youthful art and film community were intrigued by their novelty. Most people, however, treated them with indifference or outright disdain. A nearby art dealer parodied the show by displaying a stack of soup cans, advertising that you could get them cheaper in his gallery. Blum had sold five of the paintings before he recognised that the group functioned best as a single work of art. He bought back the works already purchased, including one from Dennis Hopper, then offered to buy the set from Warhol in instalments for the modest sum of $3,000.

With his Campbell’s Soup Cans installation at Ferus Gallery, the artist realised the possibility of creating works in series, and the visual effect of serial imagery. He continued making variations on his Soup Cans, stencilling multiple cans within a single canvas and so amplifying the effect of products stacked in a grocery store, an idea that he would later develop in the box sculptures. He also realised that the serial repetition of an image drained it of its meaning, an interesting phenomenon most poignantly presented in his Disasters, in which the constant exposure to their graphic displays of violence numbs the senses. And, perhaps the most significant outcome of this series was the artist’s push towards printing to achieve the mechanical appearance that he sought in his paintings.

Source: http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2013/february/22/the-fascinating-story-behind-andy-warhols-soup-cans/
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Andy Warhol and 15 Minutes Famous Quotes

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"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." This celebrated quote has become Andy Warhol most well-known statement. It led to the concept of "15 minutes of fame"—the idea that celebrity, from media scandals to memes, will almost always be fleeting.

According to new evidence, however, it very well could be that Warhol never said this.

The original quote seems to trace back to a 1968 brochure Warhol distributed at one of his exhibitions in Sweden. But, according to art critic Blake Gopnik, it could have been Pontus Hultén, a famous curator in Europe, who coined the phrase. There are other claimants, too, including painter Larry Rivers and photographer Nat Finkelstein. Finkelstien insisted that he made the remark in reply to a comment that Warhol made about everyone wanting to be famous, quipping, "Yeah, for about 15 minutes, Andy."

As Gopnik explains to Marketplace, Warhol himself admitted to never saying it in 1980. But by then, the line was firmly his. And as Gopnik points out, it really didn't matter. By that point, Warhol, an artist who explored the concept of branding, was firmly a brand of his own, and the 15-minutes quote fit in with that story nicely. "We've decided it's by Warhol, whether he likes it or not," Gopnik told Marketplace. "We've created and continue to create the Warhol brand for ourselves."


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/andy-warhol-probably-never-said-his-celebrated-fame-line-180950456/#PT8VisUr587po6mz.99
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Who was Andy Warhol

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Best known for his screen prints of soup cans and movie stars, this shy young boy from Pittsburgh shot to fame with his radical ideas of what “art” could be. Working in the aptly named “Factory,” Warhol’s paintings, movies, and eccentric lifestyle blurred the lines between pop culture and art, ushering in the Pop Art movement and, with it, a national obsession. Who Was Andy Warhol? tells the story of an enigmatic man who grew into a cultural icon.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS
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Rachel: Andy Warhol was a very interesting, and eccentric man. This book was a great snapshot into his life, and showed that anything can be turned into art. Follow your dreams!


Emily: A very informative and interesting read. For people, who are interested in Warhol - this is a quick read you cam finish in an hour.
The writing was very simple and the illustrations were very helpful.

Leta Blake: My 9yo says, "It was fun learning about this artist!"

Jentry: This was the first Who Was...? book that I've read and it was a lot of fun! I can see why they're so popular. I'll definitely read more of them. There are so many fun facts interspersed throughout and the life story was well presented.

James: With this book, the popular line of children's biographies known as the "Who Was" series moves into somewhat edgier territory. A nice introduction to Andy Warhol's life and art (hell, even I learnt a few things I hadn't known before), the book focuses primarily on Warhol's childhood and his life during the 1950's and 1960's (with only a few pages set aside for the 1970's/1980's), and it covers most of the basics: the Campbell's Soup Can paintings, the Silver Factory, his films such as "Sleep" an ...more

Amanda: I read this one with my daughter. We plan on visiting the museum soon and I thought it might be nice for her to have a little background. The story gave her most, if it all, the information a 7 year old souls need on this fabulous artist. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 was the mention of the drug use during the times, and Edie Sedgwick's overdose. Although I understand this was a part of the story, I didn't think it was necessary to include it in a children's book and I wasn't quite ...more

Shelli: The Who Was…? biography series are perfect for elementary or intermediate age students interested learning about the featured person for an assignment or just for an exciting read. The afterward portion in this edition has a timeline on one side showing key events in Andy Warhol's life and the opposite page shows worldwide key events during the same time period. Making for an interesting comparison and will help readers get a better feel for what else was happening at those times; a cool extra f ...more

Roxann: Who was Andy Warhol? He was a very inspirational artist. This book gives a lot of details about Andy life. Though his life was not as long as some people, he accomplished a lot in his life. This book is a very quick read. Though it may be a short book, it gives very good details!

Ren: Very short biography of Andy Warhol but I certainly enjoyed reading about his life, quirks, and how his world revolved around art. The highlight of this book would be the illustrations, I did not regret buying myself a copy.

Slow Man: This is truly an engaging read. One can know so much about Andy Warhol in 100 pages. I recommend this series to young readers and avid readers who prefer to read something short. This is a good start before I move on to read the philosophy of Andy Warhol.

Nell TheBookGoddess: It was great that they actually said he was gay but why didn't they mention he suffered from AIDs? Like it's kind of an important thing in someone's life. Other than that it would have been 4 stars.

Ketija: A very cool and interesting way to show a glimpse into major artists biography.

Nathaniel: I liked it. His real name was Andrew Warhol and he wore wigs cause his hair started falling out and he painted pop bottles and other things.

Tina: Now have a strong desire to search for Andy Warhol, Love Boat on Youtube.

Caleb: It was ok. I would have rated it 1 1/2.
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