| | It was all about YouTube 📺One of the highlights of this month was Tube Fest, held in Birmingham, where a bunch of YouTubers gathered to listen to talks on the creators' or business stage, and networked during the breaks. I wasn’t really expecting much (apart from free goodies, which there were plenty of), but I came away with so many notes and ideas. I expected it to be more about YouTube, but it was actually really useful for my business in general. I always go somewhere thinking that as long as I come back with one piece of information, I will class it as a result (I find this helps me focus and find the positive). But I wasn’t expecting to come back with pages and pages, but I did 📃 | | | |
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| | How Google Detects AI Content (and What SEOs Should Do About It)Everyone’s asking the same question right now: can Google detect AI content? The short answer is… that’s not really what matters.
Google isn’t sitting there trying to “catch” AI. What it’s actually doing is evaluating whether content is useful, original, and worth someone’s time. And that’s where a lot of AI-generated content falls down, not because it’s AI, but because it’s often generic, surface-level, and lacking real insight.
The article breaks it down well: patterns such as repetition, vague explanations, and a lack of clear firsthand experience are the real red flags. Not AI itself.
Which means the opportunity is pretty clear.
AI isn’t the problem; how people use it is. The brands that will win aren’t the ones pumping out the most content. They’re the ones combining AI with real perspective, real experience, and something genuinely worth saying.
Because in the end, Google’s not ranking content based on how it’s made… it’s ranking it on whether anyone actually cares. | | | |
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| | | | Photography of a legendary cricket bat makerSome products tell a story, others are built on one. For this project, the focus was on capturing the craftsmanship behind a legendary UK cricket bat maker. From the workshop floor to the final product, the aim was to document not just what is made, but how it’s made, highlighting the skill, precision, and dedication that goes into every bat. | | | |
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| | | | FOOD!!!!As everyone knows, I’m not a self-described food photographer because it’s a specialised skill, knowing which glue looks like mayonnaise, how to create steam with dry ice, and so on. However, I am a product photographer, and if the chef handles the food styling, I’m happy to take the photos and ensure they look perfect. From selecting the ideal location to rearranging tables and stacking them on beer mats to achieve the right height 😳. | | | |
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| | | | Peaky BlinderI had the absolute pleasure of taking some photos of World-renowned micro-artist Dr. Willard Wigan MBE’s latest creation, within the eye of a sewing needle. YES, you read that right, the eye of a sewing needle. I could not even make out what he had created without the help of a microscope. To photograph it, I had to connect my camera to the microscope and manually adjust it to focus-stack the image and capture enough detail. | | | |
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| | | | Wickens Video
This video took a considerable amount of time to create, involving numerous site visits across the UK to document impressive industrial storage solutions. A detailed case study covering everything from the initial concept to final production will be released soon. For now, simply enjoy the video. | | | |
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| | Headshots and portraitsAgain it's been a month of headshots and portraits, and upon speaking to people (especially about the portraits) I think it’s got to do with coming across as human rather than AI. There has been a massive increase in the use of AI, and I’m no exception, but people are trying to stand out from the crowd and show they are real people who can help their customers. People buy from people after all. | | | |
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| | | | Behind The ScenesJust a few photos from on location so that you can have a peek into my world. | | | |
| | Capturing the blue bells in the early morning light. | | | |
| | Fresh notebook, old skool is still being rocked here at TLP 😳 | | | |
| | A very expensive cable to replace a damaged very expensive cable. Not sure why they are that expensive, it’s certainly not for their robustness. These cables are used to tether the camera to the computer, so you can see pictures in real time. | | | |
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| | | | | Previous newsletters are available, providing a treasure trove of marketing advice and some delightful pictures, too! Take your time to check them out and enjoy a few extra minutes of reading. | | | |
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| | | | This month's Landscape‘Single Bluebell Bloom' A close-up of a single bluebell flower in a forest setting in Shropshire, England. Green leaves surround the bloom. | | | |
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| | | | Well, that’s it for this month and I hope there has been something in this which has sparked an interest for you. If there is something you would like to see in future, then just let me know. | | | |
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“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all."
Michael LeBoeuf
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