What is aspect ratio?

  By Amy Cham | Mar 11 2013 - 7:02 pm | ,
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Just a few minutes ago, a client asked me what “aspect ratio” really means.

“Aspect ratio” is a term used to describe the proportions of something rectangular, most commonly an image, a video, or a tv/computer screen.

Here’s what I told my client:

Aspect ratio is the ratio of length and width (or height).

For example, by default, my camera produces pictures with a 2:3 aspect ratio. So they will print–without cropping or stretching–at 4×6, 8×12, 12×18, etc. For every 2 on one side, there is 3 on the adjacent sides.

A square picture has a 1:1 aspect ratio–length and … Continue reading →

Simple web tips newsletter

  By Amy Cham | Dec 20 2012 - 6:32 pm |
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For a while now, I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a web tips newsletter. Let’s do it!

Every couple weeks, I’ll send out an easy-to-follow web tip to make your digital life easier, safer, or just that much more fun.

First newsletter runs next week! Topic: turning on dual authentication in Gmail (this makes your email harder to hack)

Sign up for my Web Nibbles Newsletter here.

How Not to do Email

  By Amy Cham | Feb 11 2012 - 7:19 pm | , ,
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Today I am doing something that is long overdue. I am engaging in the tedious task of going through my bulk email and unsubscribing from most of the senders.

Looking at all these emails all at once has brought all the most irritating email practices into sharp focus.  Message to senders: if you do these things, the odds of my actually engaging with your “offer” is essentially nil.

Also note, I am not speaking as a marketer. I am speaking as your audience.

Here’s my Email Ick List:

The Pricing Puzzle

  By Amy Cham | Sep 29 2011 - 2:18 pm | , ,
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Just what do I think I’m worth?

One of the things I learned quickly upon starting Paper Swan Photography was that figuring out what to charge–and what to provide–is one of the most difficult parts of the job.  When I first started, like so many others, I simply took whatever I could get–or worked for free–and was (truly) grateful for the opportunity.

Now I am in another place altogether.  I’m not a world-famous ‘rock star’ photographer, but I’m not a baby anymore either.  In this middle ground, where so many of us … Continue reading →

A snowy morning in NYC

  By Amy Cham | Jan 27 2011 - 2:21 pm | ,
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Growing up in Bernhards Bay, NY…what, never heard of it? No way!!  It’s here.

As I was saying, growing up in Bernhards Bay, there weren’t too many people, but we were surrounded by two things–trees, and snow. Lots of both.

Since moving to Manhattan, I don’t generally see quite so much of either.

This morning as he was heading out to work, my husband called me and said to get outside with a camera, because he had never seen the snow on the trees quite like it was, and I should get some pictures. … Continue reading →

Facebook Marketing for Moms, Friends, and Cheerleaders

  By Amy Cham | Feb 07 2010 - 2:23 pm | , ,
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Know somebody with their own business? Betcha do! And if you’re like most people with entrepreneurial friends and relatives, you would love to see their venture be a success.

You may have emailed their web address to your friends, talked about the business, or passed along their business card if you have one. But did you know that if you are on Facebook there are a couple of powerful tools that are quick and super-easy to use, and could give the entrepreneur (or, for that matter, job hunter or house seller) in your life a big boost in reaching a … Continue reading →

Monday Malaise…GTD to the rescue?

  By Amy Cham | Jul 07 2008 - 2:28 pm |
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I have a confession to make.  I’m harboring an Inner Slacker.  She’s about 19, prefers to sleep until 11 or so, and would eat pizza and cheeseburgers every day if I let her.  I keep her pretty well in check during the week, but if I let my guard down, she runs rampant on the weekend.

It’s the same deal every week…around 5:00pm Sunday the realization strikes that the weekend is almost over and the work week is about to start again, and the Slacker gets cranky.

Last Monday morning, I was sitting in the taxi listening to her complain, … Continue reading →

Setting Goals for Content Sites

  By Amy Cham | Dec 10 2007 - 2:26 pm | ,
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If you’ve been reading up on internet marketing, you’ve no doubt seen many articles talking about improving your site conversions. On a sales-oriented site, this is very intuitive…what portion of your visitors end up buying something?

For a content site, though, it can be difficult to decide what a “conversion” might be, much less how to measure it and optimize for it. As this is something I have struggled with on some of my client sites, I thought it was worth a post and hopefully some discussion.

This article is not intended to be a definitive, all-encompassing guide…rather, my hope is to get the wheels … Continue reading →

Web 101: Copyright, model release, and the Internet

  By Amy Cham | Sep 24 2007 - 1:35 pm | , , ,
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This morning as he was heading out to work, my husband called me and said to get outside with a camera, because he had never seen the snow on the trees quite like it was, and I should get some pictures. For Manhattan, it was, in fact, a rare and beautiful sight!
Continue reading →