New York Photo Shoot

10Jul09

Just recently I was in New York on vacation with my lovely girlfriend Jennifer, who is also my favorite model!

We were visiting the Finger Lake area and of course had to set up a shoot. This place is beautiful.

Here are some of my favorites from the day…

Thanks for taking a look and please let me know what you think in the comments.

Filed under: michaelwill photography   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: finger lakes, jennie, michael will, michael williams, michael williams photography, michael williams pittsburgh photographer, michaelwill, michaelwill photography, michaelwillphotography, new york, pittsburgh photographer

Dr Braden for Allegheny West Magazine

09Jul09

I just started shooting for Allegheny West Magazine and my first assignment was the 100-yr old Doctor Frank Braden… who is still practicing medicine!

Below are some favorites from the shoot, but the majority are on my website here: http://michaelwillphotography.com/drfrankbraden/

It was a fun shoot and definitely cool to hang out with someone that has been alive that long. Definitely a unique perspective!

Hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think in the comments…

Filed under: michaelwill photography   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: 100yr old man, allegheny west magazine, editorial photography, michael will, michael williams, michael williams photography, michaelwill, michaelwill photography, michaelwillphotography, oldest person alive, pittsburgh photographer

Featured on the 3WS Website!

09Jul09

Good news!

The pictures below (from the 4th of July party) were recently featured on the 3WS radio website.

MICHAELWILL PHOTOGRAPHY ON 3WSRADIO.COM

(…you might have to scroll to find it)

Jim Merkel and producer Theresa Colaizzi (who I met at the party) liked my photography from show and decided to feature some of the pics on their site! They are really great people and I appreciate their help and compliments in this. BTW, Jim did an amazing job on the fireworks and I would strongly recommend seeing the next one in Adams Township this September.

That’s all. Thanks for taking a look!

Filed under: michaelwill photography   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: 3ws, 3ws radio, fireworks, michael will, michael williams, michaelwill, michaelwill photography, michaelwillphotography, pittsburgh photographer

Picnic Photography

09Jul09

Here are a few shots from a picnic/grad party I attented on the 4th… and yes… there were fireworks.

I got some really interesting shots of the fireworks too, some of them look like a laser show in outer space!

Thanks for taking a look. Please let me know what you think in the comments!

Filed under: michaelwill photography   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: 4th of july, fireworks, michael will, michael williams photography, michael williams pittsburgh photographer, michaelwill, michaelwill photography, michaelwillphotography, photography, pittsburgh photographer, pittsburgh photography

michaelwill photography [dot] com

22Apr09

In previous posts I had mentioned updating my photography website… I am happy to announce that it is complete!

Actually, it will always be a work in progress. I intend to improve and fine-tune my style, updating the site along the way.

michaelwill photography [dot] com – pittsburgh portrait and wedding photographer

pittsburgh portrait and wedding photographer

–

The site was designed by Chris Davis and myself. I am currently in the process of implementing some SEO best practices and will be running the Web PR campaign shortly.

Please take a look and give me as much feedback as possible!

–

If you know of anyone looking for a wedding, portrait, band, or editorial photographer PLEASE let me and them know. These are rough times we’re living in and every good report and positive WOM (word of mouth) helps.

Also, be sure to pass the info along and feel free to link to my site!

Have a great day and ENJOY!

Filed under: on the side   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: michaelwill, michaelwill photography, photography websites, pittsburgh photographer, pittsburgh portrait photographer, pittsburgh wedding photographer

What am I Doing?!

19Feb09

Hello.

One of the downsides of not posting for a long time, is that when you come back, you feel the need to be EPIC! Like I need to blow this post out of the water to make up for my lack of content… To show you, the reader, that I STILL GOT IT! Or something like that…

Anyway, I have resolved that the best thing to do, would be to summarize what I have been up to in the past couple months or so. To catch everyone up… this might be a long post!

Someone once used the word “enterprising” to describe me. I think it works! My entrepreneurial nature gets the best of me at times and I find myself wearing many hats. I like this though, and I have successfully learned more in this time, from management, to negotiation, sales, and leadership, etc. than most jobs I have had in the past. It’s exciting.

Enterprising

1. ready to undertake projects of importance or difficulty, or untried schemes; energetic in carrying out any undertaking: Business is in need of enterprising young people.

2. characterized by great imagination or initiative: an enterprising foreign policy

Now I am not trying to “toot” my own horn or anything, I just do a lot. Like Gatorade, it’s in me.

MICHAEL WILLIAMS ENTERPRISES

Motivational Speaker

I have been trained and certified by Monster.com to be one of their 200 speakers for the Making It Count program.

I have spoken to over 3,800 students at 17 High Schools traveling over 5,000 miles… in just the past month.

Michael did a great job connecting with the students and keeping them on task. He had a very relaxed style of presenting which works well with students. I really liked his use of “call and response” and the students seemed to enjoy it too.
Sandy Valley Jr/Sr High School, Magnolia OH

What I liked best was the speakers energy and personality. He made the program interesting and fun.
Warrensville Heights High School, Cleveland OH

I liked the energy, and interaction.
St Vincent/St Mary High School, Akron OH

Photographer

I have built an online presence, including Myspace, Facebook, Krop, and this little gem I’m working with Chris Davis (programmer elite) to put the finishing touches on!

I purchased the domain http://michaelwillphotography.com and have created a pricing platform and online store for the upcoming season.

I have done several portrait shoots (examples below), including locations, direction, and processing.

Search Engine Marketing Consultant

I just finished consulting work for Avatar Digital Publishing Solutions. Identifying online competitors, areas in need of improvement, outlined an intensive SEO strategy, and recommended immediate actions.

I have pitched PPC campaign management to Avatar DPS and Landslide Sales Production System, both currently pending.

Graphic Designer

I have designed a logo, theme, and print materials for Allison Park Church’s upcoming retreat, FUSION. I also utilized my document design experience to format a book and logo for their youth.

Every month I brainstorm, design, and format a monthly newsletter for Linda Williams, an Independent Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics.

I have designed the logo, all print materials, and currently the website and blog for pointB ministries.

I have designed backgrounds to work with Twitter to promote blogs and websites for individuals.

Business Development

I will be starting March 2nd in a business development position with the superb design shop, Sewickly Graphics & Design. In this position I not only hope to sharpen and grow my sales/marketing experience, but also gain invaluable insight into the sales process, negotiation, account management, and business growth.

I will also be utilizing my past experience in SEM and social networking to grow SG&D’s current offerings and boost customer/client relationships and loyalty.

Volunteer

I have organized 3 events with local churches for pointB ministries, including: the recruitment of volunteers, advertising, logistics, promotion, and overall project management/leadership.

Extras

I traveled to Seattle, WA for 7 days to expand my network and meet with some awesome people from companies like Microsoft, Razorfish, Amazon, PPR, and Tooth & Nail Records (to name a few).

I purchased the iPhone to successfully utilize technology to help streamline my life, while staying constantly “connected”.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this post is very long! But, now you know what I have been doing and how I am developing my experiences and expertise to prepare for the future.

In today’s economy it is VERY important to make yourself marketable and take opportunities when they present themselves. If anyone is looking for an enterprising professional to fill a marketing/business development role, please drop me a line. I am ready to undertake projects of importance or difficulty, perhaps untried schemes. All while being energetic in carrying out any undertaking.

Thank you.

Filed under: about me, accomplishments, michael williams   |  3 Comments
Tags: enterprising, hire me, michael williams, michaelwill, pittsburgh, pittsburgh young professional, update, young professional

My Personal Review. From a Dale Carnegie Trainer.

21Dec08

This blog post is about me!

http://dalecarnegietrainer.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-all-this-got-started.html

You know the guy that wrote “How to Win Friends & Influence People”, if you don’t his name is Dale Carnegie, and his book has had tremendous influence on many of the leaders in our world today! It is also one of my favorite books…

Dale Carnegie’s legacy is lived out through Dale Carnegie & Associates and the Dale Carnegie Training Program. Just in case you don’t know, I grabbed some information about them from their website. BELIEVE ME, these people know what they are talking about.

• “Dale Carnegie Training emphasizes practical principles and processes by designing programs that offer people the knowledge, skills and practices they need to add value to the business. Connecting proven solutions with real-world challenges, Dale Carnegie Training is recognized internationally as the leader in bringing out the best in people.”

• “Dale Carnegie Training was founded in 1912 and is represented in all 50 of the United States and over 75 countries. More than 2,700 instructors present Dale Carnegie Training programs in more than 25 languages.”

To make a long story short, I had the privileged to sit next to one of their top trainers on the plane back from Seattle. She was on her way home from a seminar in Vancouver, BC and headed to Pittsburgh, PA. We hit it off and had a great time talking business, social media, and music! I also convinced her that she should be blogging by now… She took my advice, and I’ll let her tell you the rest of the story…

It is encouraging to know that I can make a good impression!

Please let me know what you think in the comments.

Filed under: about me, accomplishments, thoughts   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: conversationalism, dale carnegie, dale carnegie trainer, first impressions, michael williams, michaelwill, networking, recommendations

AdWords Qualified Individual

15Dec08

Are you looking for a Google AdWords Qualified Individual to run your next PPC campaign?

Michael Williams is Google AdWords Qualified

If so… your looking for someone like me!

It’s true. I have been qualified since July 2008. Check out my score… passed it on the first try.

If that’s not enough… check out my resume and look at the clients I have worked with.

Also, keep in mind, I am now working on a project basis and would be happy to discuss SEM possibilities and potentially working with your team/company/organization.

Thanks and have a great day!

Filed under: accomplishments   |  1 Comment
Tags: adwords qualified, adwords training, freelance, freelance adwords, freelance sem, freelance seo, google adwords, michael williams, michael williams search engine marketing, michaelwill, ppc, search engine marketing, sem, seo

Hello MySpace. Will You Help My Business?

15Dec08

Myspace is not new. Neither is Facebook. Not even Flickr or LinkedIn are catching buzz. Twitter is the new thing.. and it is already starting to calm down.

This is why I caught so much flack on just launching a Myspace account. Now… don’t assume I have been ignorant to Myspace (I had my first account in 2003). I just haven’t been using Myspace, I was involved in Facebook and Twitter, and that is how I kept in touch with friends, in my opinion the Facebook UI is much easier to use…

You may be asking “Michael, Why Myspace?”, and “Why so Late in the Game?”. These are good questions…

It boils down to target audience. I am trying to promote Lifestyle Portrait Photography. One of my biggest client bases is High School Seniors. Take a look at this chart (compliments to Rapleaf & their Social Networking Research):

As you can see, my biggest customer demographic, is on both Facebook and MySpace. My lack of a MySpace presence is not helping anything. Yes, the majority of business is word of mouth… but, think how much easier it will be to talk about Michael Williams Photography, when I’m right in front of you! What was I thinking not being on MySpace earlier!?

Thanks also, to the new MySpace upgrades, you can get some sharp looking templates and really bring a professional page to the table. Take a look for yourself: Michael Williams Photography on Myspace

As you can see… The proof is in the pudding (or the research)… Talk to me in a couple months and ask if the new MySpace has helped business, I bet you it will!

Let me know what you think in the comments and add me as a friend already… I’m new on MySpace ; )

Filed under: about me   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: lifestyle photography, michael williams, michael williams photography, michael williams pittsburgh photographer, michaelwill, myspace, myspace dead, myspace for business, myspace photography, myspace portfolio, myspace templates, photography business, portrait photography

Stay Smart. Read.

12Dec08

You are aware. Information is accessible like never before.

People are blogging, news is online, twitter is free, research is digital, time and distance no longer exist.

The million dollar question then… why are you not taking advantage of this?

Everyone, and their mom (and a lot of moms are doing this), can now self-publish. Information is flooding the Internet. Granted, not all of this is good information, most is gibberish and senseless garbage. But, there is gold in them there mountains! Experts and thought leaders, whose brilliant ideas would normally never see the light of day, are now not only accessible, but free!

Due to the information overload, to be noticed, you have to give away the whole kitchen sink… This is to our benefit, because everyone wants to get noticed. I am assuming you can read between the lines. I won’t belabor the issue.

My point: Information is out there, do yourself a favor, take advantage of it. Google Reader is free and painfully simple, you can even link it up with your iGoogle page. Stay smart, read!

Here are even a couple blogs to get you started:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

http://www.seobook.com/blog

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/

Enjoy!

Filed under: thoughts   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: blogs, education, google reader, industry news, learning, michael williams, michaelwill, michaelwill blog, reader, reading