A felony assault charge against a FOX 7 Austin photojournalist has been dropped, according to the photojournalist’s attorney. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) had charged photojournalist Carlos Sanchez with assault against a peace officer, a second-degree felony.

Prairie Rapids Audubon Society invites the general public to hear Ty Smedes, nature photographer and world traveler, at their next meeting. The event is May 9 at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the First Presbyterian Church, 902 Main Street in Cedar Falls. To join the meeting virtually, viewers may open a Zoom meeting and enter ID 581 087 8571 and passcode 1999.

Ty will narrate his slide presentation, “Mongolia – Land of the Nomads.” Mongolia lies between Russia, China, and Kazakhstan. Ty had the opportunity to explore the beautiful Mongolian countryside and rich culture while a guest of local nomadic people. The nomads, who are superb horsemen, celebrate a time-honored tradition of hunting fox and hare from horseback with trained Golden eagles. Ty will also show his photographic work from the renowned Gobi Desert, where seemingly endless sand dunes and the Bactrian Camel herders reign.

Ty’s photos have been published by many major magazines and book publishers. He specializes in landscape, wildlife, and prairie wildflower images. His best photo credits include the BBC, CNN, and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. As a freelance feature writer for the Iowa DNR’s Iowa Outdoors Magazine, he has written and photographed articles about many of the lesser known birds, animals, and places in Iowa. Ty has taught nature photography classes and has led nature photography tours to Yellowstone and Teton parks, the Eastern Sierras, and Africa. Information regarding Ty’s three books, Capturing Iowa’s Seasons, The Return of Iowa’s Bald Eagles, and Iowa’s Wild Beauty, can be found on his website at www.smedesphoto.com

Like it or not, in an age of digital portfolios and marketing through social media, if you want to be successful as a photographer you need to go beyond just taking photos. And building a strong social media strategy, particularly on Instagram, is one of the most crucial parts of how you do this.

This great video by Taylor Jackson is built around a conversation with Angela Shae, a social media expert and founder of Social Templates, and looks at how you can adopt a successful social media strategy.

Their discussion dives into the importance of being consistent (you can’t just post once a month and expect people to engage with you), embracing features like Reels, and creating ‘authentic’ content that resonates with your audience. 

One of the most interesting points is how Shae emphasises “showing your human side” and building a relationship with your followers. The example she uses to illustrate this is an interesting one: a bride following three photographers.

As Shae explains, the photographer who actively engages with their audience through stories, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and commenting and liking is the one more likely to be chosen, as they have already established a connection and built trust.

One thing Shae also speaks to is the idea of lifting the lid on the creative process – as humans we love to see the story behind something or the less glamorous side to being a creative. This is why high quality behind-the-scenes footage is so important.

You can watch the full video above. 

Cover image: Getty