Starting a Photography Business: Part 10 – It’s Just the Little Things

In the last few weeks lots of little yet important questions have come up as regards the site. Mainly what mood and ethos should the site take, what should it say? I guess by now you know me well enough to know that I’m a heart on my sleeve kind of person and that I am quite happy to wax lyrical about why I love photography and how being in the moment when I’m taking pictures grounds me and helps me appreciate the countryside and subject. Yet does my customer need to know this? Does my customer even care?

If they know this will they buy more photos? Or will they turn tail and run? Hand on heart, I was going to go in this direction; this is me, this is why I do this and this is what the photos mean to me. I’m finding it hard to take a step back on this one, a friend and I have discussed this many times and although I understand and now agree with his opinion that it’s not important for people to understand why I take photos to buy one I still wonder if I’m being authentic by focusing totally on the commercial.

Sometimes I find it hard to come away from the passion of a picture and put my commercial hat on as when I surf the internet looking at other photography sites and I read the about pages well some are just beautiful and I know when I’m in an art shop I quite like knowing about the artist or photographer, but does it make me want to buy their work? Well no, not always.

I stood in an art gallery the other day looking at a beautiful painting of a boat bobbing up and down in a bay with mountains lining the horizon. It reminded me a of a place where I had taken some photos a few weeks beforehand and as I stepped forward to look at the label and see where the scene was, I disappointed to find that it didn’t tell me. An artist who worked in the shop suggested it was better this way, ‘Let people bring their own memories to a picture.’ I only mention this because this week I have been busy uploading my photos to the site and working out what if anything to write about the photos.

I have been to art galleries taken what I want from a painting, then read the notice next to it and had things pointed out that I hadn’t seen or been told the artist had actually had a particular thought when he painted it and it’s completely changed my opinion on the painting, sometimes making me dislike the sentiment with which it was painted.

I remember years ago listening to singer George Michael say how much he regretted having made a programme about his songs in which he explained their true meaning. By revealing something deeply personal to strangers it had in some way to his mind tainted his work. And I can totally empathise with this, I used to write songs and still do sometimes and to explain what they mean the emotions that were flooding out in that moment would feel wrong, it would be like explaining a diary entry – if I ever remembered to write one after January that is!

As I’ve written this it’s become a therapeutic piece, a work in progress; I now realise it would be totally wrong of me to impose my thoughts about a photo or my reason for setting up the business onto my customer who will have their own thoughts and feelings and that includes not giving place names to my work. Thank you for taking the time to read this and listen. Now though it occurs to me that if I don’t have too much writing under my photos or maybe not any, I wonder if I should change the design of the add to checkout pages! Ooh, did you hear that sound? I’m sure I just heard the web designer switching all phones and computers off.

Notes

• Working out what is important; it’s good to know what style and feeling you want for your site, yet take a step back. Whilst you are busy putting your beliefs onto it are you making it feel to your customer that if they don’t agree with your vision they aren’t welcome? Have a chat with some trusted friends who are already in the commercial world and get their opinions

• The photo isn’t the place you thought it was does it matter? Imagine you have had a fantastic holiday on the coast of Italy, a few months later you come across a photo that is almost definitely the same place, yet the name of the print tells you otherwise, will you still buy that image? Have you just lost a potential customer?

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Photo Credit: © 2010 Ruth Bayley

Living in the beautiful rural county of Yorkshire it was perhaps natural for Ruth to have an affinity with the countryside and its wildlife.  Creativity is Ruth’s driving force finding an outlet in television & radio she worked for many years as producer for BBC & ITV.

However a love of photography and for being surrounded by nature called her to go back to her photography training and bring pleasure and joy to people through her connection with our planet.

Staying in the moment when taking her images allows her to experience the natural magnificence unfolding before her eyes.  It is this moment of mediation, of gratitude, that she evocatively conveys through her images.

Company: Ruth Bayley Landscape Photography
Website: http://www.ruthbayleyphotography.co.uk
Twitter: @iaminthemoment
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ruth-Bayley-Landscape-Photography/134360899943964

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3. Starting a Photography Business: Part 1 – From Conception to Birth; a Business is Born
4. Starting a Photography Business: Part 5 – Starting the Website Design
5. Starting A Photography Business: Part 6 – Looking After You!