This blog is as much for me as it is for my followers. I wanted to share an update on some of my recent photography work and outline my plan for the future…
500px
After searching for a while to find a more professional, photography-focused site I think I may have finally found a solution. I love DeviantART, but it isn’t as respected as other sites, mainly due to the proclivity of ‘selfies’ and unspeakable fan art/fiction. The community has been amazing and I have racked up innumerable views, favourites and comments, which I am very grateful for, but I was looking for a more (and I can’t think of a better word for it) ‘grown-up’ site.
500px.com provided the answer. I have created a profile on there and started to share some of my best work. I feel somewhat inadequate sharing my work alongside some of the truly amazing photography on there, but the community has been very kind in welcoming me and said some nice things about my photos nonetheless. I highly recommend checking it out.
New Gadgets
In an effort to take some better photos, I’ve splashed out on some new photography gadgets. I plan to replace the standard stock lens that came with the camera at some point, but I need to save up and find a good deal for that!
I recently acquired a Manfrotto LED light panel, which is designed to sort of replace a flash gun (and was also cheaper!), as well as a GorillaPod tripod. I’m in the process of experimenting with these shiny toys and will post a mini-review of each one soon!
Other Sites
I will continue to update my other sites too, my Facebook Page and DeviantART Page in particular. I won’t be posting to Instagram as much, because, since the videos update, I just haven’t been getting as much action on there as I used to, plus compared to other services it is very limited. I plan to sign up to sites like PurplePort or PureStorm at some point, but I need more practice with modelling shoots before I can join them…
Going Forward
One of the main reasons for posting my pictures online so far has been to try to get some feedback on my work, to try to get myself noticed and to establish myself as a sort of brand. I have kept track of the pictures which people seem to like most and trying to find more similar ones to share that I think will be popular. The reason for all this is that I plan to start selling prints, digitally and physically, at some point over the next 12 months. The last six months has essentially been experimentation, research and preparation for doing so.
I now plan to produce two versions of each photograph, one lower-quality version with borders and a watermark (for display on social media sites) and a full-quality version (without border or watermark) for sale. (I am forcing myself to do this now, as many of the unmarked pictures from my early experiments have now been lost). I plan to make more of my newer images available as prints through 500px and DeviantART, and hope to build up a good enough set of prints to sell at a local market stall at some point.
I also plan to work with a few of my friends, including Kitty Quinzell, to improve my skills and build up a modelling portfolio alongside my existing work. I also plan to attend more weddings and events with my camera, so look out for photos from there…
Final Thoughts
Well, I think I’ve said what I wanted to say. This has been a sort of early New Years’ Resolution about the future of my photography. I hope I can stick to it and that I can improve my work and produce some truly great photos for you to enjoy. Stay tuned!