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damon_billian

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Posts posted by damon_billian

    Increasing Word of Mouth/Business

    in Business of Photography

    Posted

    <p>While not a pro by any stretch, I do have a fair amount of experience in the internet industry. Some things you will need to learn to market yourself online:</p>

    <p>SEO (search engine optimization); The blog will help with this because search engines *do* scrape for updated content (not the only factor, of course)<br>

    SMO (social media optimization, such as Facebook or Twitter)<br>

    Yelp, as mentioned, could be an area to maximize business referrals.<br>

    LinkedIn, believe it or not, has some photography groups where you can get tips from other folks as well.<br>

    If you are going to be entirely local or regional only, you might want to look at some things in your local area (Chamber of Commerce, etc.) to help make you more visible on the networking side.</p>

    <p>Other than that...the best referrals for your business will probably be off-line WOM. If you are at a wedding, for example, you might want to make sure you have business cards available stating that you are a wedding AND portrait photographer (don't want to get pigeonholed into a "weddings only" person). And, of course, quality images from the events you shoot will help you in the long run....</p>

    Started a new blog, now what?

    in Business of Photography

    Posted

    <p>Hi Dean,<br>

    I actually think you have some nice images on your blog.<br>

    Things to keep in mind:<br>

    You will have to learn some SEO basics to get the most out of your blog.<br>

    You will have to be engaged in Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to help promote your blog.<br>

    It will take time to build readers to your blog.<br>

    You should see what some top photographers are doing in the Blogging/Social Media field that *works*. Some folks you might want to look at:<br>

    http://www.chromasia.com/iblog/galleries/<br>

    http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/<br>

    http://www.stuckincustoms.com/<br>

    http://twitter.com/chasejarvis</p>

    <p>I have a photoblog I use largely for work testing purposes & I am by no means a pro (I sadly don't have that much time to take photographs these days). I would also set reasonable expectations around traffic and the like (in other words...don't expect to be a top photoblogger overnight).<br>

    Note: Do the blog if you simply want to share your images online & enjoy doing it.</p>

    what are the laws about selling photos of nascar?

    in Business of Photography

    Posted

    <p>"Why couldn't you sell it? It's not like you are licensing it for advertising. If it was taken in a public place, you own copyright to the photo, and there's no rules against taking it, generally."<br>

    From what I've read, without being an expert by any stretch, the above information is correct. But it probably wouldn't hurt to get clarification (perhaps from another pro doing the same thing) to be safe. I do think tehre *might* be an issue if the event clearly specified no recording devices of any sort allowed (camera, video, etc.). I've seen some concert photographers mention something along those lines...<br>

    Comparison: Paparazzi take pictures of celebrities all the time in public places, and I don't believe they have any concerns with things like copyright or model releases (for the most part).</p>

     

    starting a photoblog.

    in Business of Photography

    Posted

    <p>Blogging does have some solid SEO benefits & I would strongly consider one. If you just want to get your feet wet with one, try using Blogger or Wordpress to play around with the services (both offer a free option). You will have to familiarize yourself a little with SEO, and you will most certainly have to spend time marketing yourself to get noticed (keep in mind that a lot of other people are doing the same thing you are, so getting noticed can take time). You should also take a look to see what top photographers are doing in this arena to see *what works*.<br>

    Some you might want to look at:<br>

    http://twitter.com/chasejarvis<br>

    http://twitter.com/chromasia<br>

    http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/<br>

    Another resource:<br>

    http://photoblogs.org<br>

    "Use other social resources to engage with your audience like twitter, forums, facebook, etc. But be careful: most people online these days have sensitive noses for spam."<br>

    Solid advice, for sure. While I obviously spend time evangelizing the company I work for in many of the arenas mentioned , I also make it a point to make sure any comments I make are (a) helpful and (b) share expertise about certain areas not always relevant to the company I work for specifically (providing tips about promoting a photoblog, for example).</p>

    Indication for good print service worldwide

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>I think the one thing you have to consider would be the amount of time you save, not so much the absolute costs like shipping (time=money).<br>

    Most of the online services (like the company I work for) are going to offer 180-300 dpi. But you're not going to find too many variations in rates for overseas shipping because overseas shipping requires additional time to do things like filling out forms for customs, etc.<br>

    Are you looking at printing for yourself? Or are you looking at all of these options for people that are buying your photographs from you directly or online?</p>

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