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Get a Blog:
One Photographer’s Insights
By Ethan G. Salwen
Ian Shive
Please visit photoblog.waterandsky.com
A little about me: I was recently nominated to the Board of Directors for ASMP Los Angeles as their marketing and business development chair to help incorporate cutting-edge marketing initiatives that make the LA chapter more edgy while still maintaining the pedigree of the ASMP national brand. Also, beginning in November, I am featured in the new Nikon commercials which will air on television across all of Europe and also on the Nikon website. This opportunity with Nikon is also a big part of why I rushed to launch even a simple blog so that I could begin a dialogue with people around the world.
ES: How long have you been blogging?
IS: I just recently finished and launched a text and photo blog for my business as part of my Web site. I hope to achieve a better dialogue with art buyers — both fine art and assignment/commercial — as well as the mainstream public, where I hope to achieve some level of general awareness. As a relatively young photographer for my genre — I’m a 28 year-old nature and landscape photographer — I also hope to reach out to a younger demographic. I’ve only been blogging on my site about a month, but have had a great response so far.
ES: Your blog is simple and clean.
IS: Yes, blogs can be very simple. They don’t need to be ornate or have links to a gazillion other sites. I want the focus to be simple: images, words.
ES: Why did you start your blog?
IS: For me, photography is about sharing an experience. I added the blog because it developed on that theme. It allows me to share — almost in real time — experiences from a day or a shoot. If I’m traveling in a National Park or some other location the blog allows me to open a window to my day where I can share images and thoughts and also engage viewers on the site into discussion. Inevitably, viewers become more invested in my work. Regular posting also drives people back to the site on a regular basis, which increases traffic and creates a regular following.
ES: So you are really blogging for personal satisfaction more than as a business strategy?
IS: If you are doing what you love in your career, isn’t every success satisfying, both business-wise and personally? I do the blog for business in the hopes that it makes the average, casual buyer make me a regular stop. But it’s also nice to have some instant feedback for the instant gratification generation. I do admit I get personal satisfaction out of it, but no more so than every time I see an image of mine run in a magazine.
ES: How does blogging relate to your marketing efforts?
IS: Blogging is marketing, plain and simple. Viewers become engaged and invested in you as an individual. Whenever an experience becomes personal, you feel comfortable. If a client or art buyer is comfortable with you, it isn’t as much of a leap of faith for them to put you on the payroll.
ES: Do you worry about your blog creating another responsibility that you have to keep up with? Many photographers are overwhelmed by keeping up the advances in digital photography.
IS: I love digital technology. Overwhelmed for me was sitting in traffic to pick up my transparency film. Now my workflow is streamlined and clean. Within a day I can have images to my stock agency and online for sales. Also, I can sit in bed at 1 AM and fire off a few words and throw a photo up on the blog. I don’t see it as a chore because I enjoy sharing images with people. And it takes less than fifteen minutes.
ES: Do you think your blog will result directly in sales or new clients?
IS: After just a month, I’ve already had one fine art sale of a print of the Point Reyes image, and a stock buyer asked to see an image of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, which led him to contact me for other similar images.
ES: What is most important for making a blog successful?
IS: I have three criteria for making a blog work. These are fundamental, and not necessarily the only ideas, but I believe they are definite musts.
Update it regularly. There is no point in updating it only once a month. The goal is to get people to become invested in you and your work. Only people who consider you a regular stop on their “favorite places” on the Web will really become familiar with you.
Express more than just a photo. Write about the image. If you speak about your image, it will inspire people to begin a dialog and ask questions that will give them a little insight into the photo or photographer. A blog isn’t a gallery. It’s an ongoing conversation with your biggest fans.
Don’t forget it’s also about business. For some people, personal blogs might be a place to vent or let off steam. But your clients are reading this. Be warm and inviting but don’t forget that these are people who want to trust you with a job contract, deadlines and superior performance. I’ve read blogs where people have discussed their struggles with mental health problems, and this is fine. But I wouldn’t say that is one of their finer selling points.
ES: Is blogging worth your time?
IS: Blogging is worth my time because I hope that looking at my photos is worth a viewer’s time. Photography is an ongoing education. Blogging is a medium to get regular feedback on your most recent work.
ES: Do you have any suggestions for ASMP members who want to start blogging?
IS: I highly recommend Hostway.com’s services for hosting a blog. It allows you to update the blog from anywhere and it’s part of your actual Web site versus being hosted away from your Web site at a service. Your online presence is self-contained. I’m the kind of person that likes to streamline my workflow and have everything in one place. I can update my blog, check my Web statistics and read my email all from a remote computer anywhere in the world.
ES: Do you think your blog will become more important over time?
IS: I do not think blogging will become the big money maker for my business. It’s like any good business model: you diversify. Blogging is one of many channels to generate income and interest in my work. I believe in making long-term investments in the people who enjoy good photography. Students today will be the photography buyers tomorrow. The world is small and blogs bring us even closer together as a community.