Honest Thoughts on LensLife and Hashtags

Thoughts

Throughout this brief, I have questioned the need for this app.

I understand that, because it is in the early stages of development, the app is clunky, and often breaks; however, this app is not necessary. It contains a messaging stream, which already exists in the likes of Facebook Messenger, as well as Instagram. It contains a camera function to allow the user to share photos in these messaging streams – features which already exists in Messenger and Instagram.

It also seems very counterintuitive to expect clients and practitioners to immediately start working with the app – something which is unlikely to happen. If, as a practitioner, I start working with the app, and a client picks me up to work with/for them and I asked them to use LensLife as that is what I will be sending them updates and work on, I would be laughed out of the building. As the photographer, I would expect to work to the guidelines and with the technology specified by the client, and would likely stick with using email as the principal form of communication.

Emails, again, can do everything that LensLife is able to do. Email apps even allow you to take photographs within an email and send those too.

From the latest meeting with LensLife, I was introduced to the idea of being able to scribble, annotate, and provide linked comments on photos which are sent. This is something which is possible to do with most mobile phones anyway, as the built-in photo apps allow you to make copies, scribbles, and annotations.

I do agree that this app could have some benefits. As it is cloud-based, phone storage space is increased by removing the need for other editing and networking apps. But this raises another issue – networking.

This app will only work well providing it is rapidly adopted by the industry. The vast majority, I feel, will not. Until LensLife incorporates some kind of ‘practitioner search’ feature, the ability to network via the app will be next to impossible, and will just add yet another pointless step in the process of establishing networks and contacts.

LinkedIn exists as an app, it contains a feed, and a messaging feature with the ability to send images. It does everything that LensLife does. However, this is geared towards more white-collar businesses, rather creative practitioners.

LensLife has the chance to become a Creative LinkedIn, however, this already exists in the form apps like The Dots, or Cherrydeck. The Dots even brands itself as:

The professional network for people who don’t wear suits to work.

As this already exists, then LensLife could be a new collaborative working platform, however, this already exists in the form of apps and web clients like Slack.

Slack brings the team together, wherever you are.

The systems and apps which already exist to create, maintain, and collaborate with a creative network work perfectly well and don’t need to change.

Hashtags

In terms of hashtags, I find that they are fickle and do not tend to work well without a pre-existing network, which is something LensLife does not appear to currently possess. In this case, I have found a hashtag generator, and input several key terms in relation to each image. The generator created thirty hashtags (Instagram’s maximum) which combine high-reaching with niche hashtags to maximise exposure.

 

Client Meeting

After having some time to test the app, I have come up with this list of issues and suggestions, which I was able to forward onto the researcher for LensLife.

We ended up discussing about what the app was trying to be, as we were all confused. Eventually, we gave pointers and suggested that the app try harder to be more like a creative-aimed LinkedIn, which allows creative practitioners to connect and collaboratively. It wasn’t until later that I realised that an app like this already exists, The Dots. At the next call, I will raise this to them.

The Shoot

Given the workspace I had to work with, and the limitations in props at my disposal, I would say that the shoot was successful.

As this imagery is not what I enjoy shooting, naturally I do not like the images I have made, however, I feel that these fit the brief, and what I set out to create at the pitch last week.

Issues

As I am so used to photographing outdoors, with my camera settings pretty much set the same each time, I had trouble getting out of that habit while shooting indoors. For several of these images, I was shooting at f4, before moving onto an image which I intended to shoot at f8. These images were eventually reshot.

The image I was intending to make for the ‘joy of working from home’ section was due to involve my dog, however, she was not cooperating, and refused to sit still. I changed this image to my backup plan, which showed a view of the outside of my WFH space.

My home office space is very dark, unfortunately. It isn’t helped by the fact that the desk is black, the monitor is black, and that, even with open blinds, very little light reaches the room. There is little I can do to change that, so the images are naturally a lot less visually appealing than what I imagine is expected.

Cropping

I made sure to consider cropping when shooting my images. As they are for social media, it is likely that a 1×1 crop will be needed at some point. I have done my best to centre the main subject of the image, or place the main subject in such a way that it would not be affected by a 1×1 crop.

Image 1 – Work From Home Space

I shall remove the hanging birds from the top right corner and increase the exposure by half a stop.

Image 2 – Joy

Image 3 – Product in Context

This image also needs to be brightened, again by half a stop.

Image 4 – Environment

I made a small adjustment to this, and increased the exposure in post by half of a stop.

Originally, I intended for this image to show the phone besides a stack of paper, however this did not look as good as I had hoped.

I thought about how apps are normally showcased in adverts, and most of the time they are shown from above, or facing the camera a lot more than I had shot. That way the viewer can actually see what is being shown on screen.

Hence, I opted to shoot from the top down. I used this image thread with Elle which discusses a fictional shoot in a forest. The idea is that the tree would connote the environmental benefits alongside the app consolidating the paper scraps it is placed on.

Image 5 – Professional Network

This is an example of an image which I intended to shoot at f8, but ended up leaving at f4. It is a serendipitous moment, as I like how the front of the laptop is out of focus, while the focus remains on the conversation and laptop screen. I will reshoot this, so I can remove the monitor from the background.

Pitch

I had worked myself up quite a bit ahead of this pitch, but I feel it went very smoothly.

Next, I need to work on shooting my imagery.

As I stated in this post, I have a solid set of images which LensLife liked the idea of. I have several variants which I can add to.

One suggestion of theirs was to incorporate my mother’s tools-of-the-trade in my first image. She is a fitness instructor, and stores a lot of her gear in our WFH space – so I can adapt my idea of having a ‘messy/tidy’ space into a ‘her space/my space’ concept. This need not even be a composite image, either; but I will try this no matter.

Initial Ideas and Test Images

There needs to be an overarching narrative to this work, however, I have a rough shot list, with variants of each which I can work with should they go wrong.

WFH Space

• A messy environment shared with another working professional.
  • More reflective of my current working conditions
• A tidy space with a clean desk, space for tools/associated props.
  • Perhaps a Before/After composite?

The space in question.

Pleasure or joy that results from working remotely

• Being at home with pets while continuing to work.
• Being able to open windows and relax without the need for a commute.
• Being able to work, professionally outdoors.

Trees outside the window instead of concrete, or another office/place of work

Product in context

• Workspace to be tidied and the device placed on the desk with various props (cameras/harddrives) and shot from above.
• Handheld, potentially.
  • Will be trickier to do without a tripod available to me, but it will remain an option.

Sustainability benefits

• Surround the phone with various paper scraps (with no personal information present), shoot from a lower angle.
• Printing stress?

Develop and sustain a creative network 

• Host a zoom call on a laptop, while showing the app close by, with a photographer to ‘discuss’ a project.
  • Have notes on display on a second screen too, potentially.
  • Use props again, to make the space more ‘creative’

Working With A Client – Brief and Initial Thoughts

I knew from the moment of the lockdown that any briefs would be much trickier to carry out, even if they were adapted to the new working conditions.

That being said, I’m not sure how I can even carry this brief out.

The client we are working for, LensLife, is ‘an image-centric communications platform’ which is ‘designed to assist creatives to collaborate on visuals while working remotely’.

It operates as an iOS app as well as a cloud-based web client, where the image is prioritised.

It is targeted for millennials (18-34), with an emphasis on facilitating collaboration between students and lecturers/tutors, as well as private interactions on ideas, and to act as an interactive portfolio.

This seems promising, and I am keen on this kind of app. I lead to believe this is a more professional form of Instagram, almost.

The client has asked us to assist with the social media marketing strategy by creating five images which can be used on the LensLife Instagram page.

• Illustrate what a photographer’s working from home (WFH) space looks like.

This will be tricky, as I do not have one.

• Capture a moment of pleasure or joy that results from working remotely, which can involve subjects or props of your choosing.

I’m unsure how this will work, because personally, I don’t find pleasure or joy in working from home.

• Illustrate our product in context on a phone, in an attractive home office environment, or surrounded by props that are associated with remote working.
• One photograph illustrating the sustainability benefits of our app, which draws attention to the amount of paper printing that can be avoided by using the product.

These two are likely the easiest ones to complete.

• Illustrate how our product can be used to develop and sustain a creative network.

Without access to other people, this will be next to impossible apart from simulating a Zoom call.

Further from this, we will work alongside LensLife to assist with the development of the app, which I imagine will be fairly fun.