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I've been wanting to focus more on photography for quite some time now, so I decided that it may be a good idea to incorporate photography into my ( freelance web and writing ) business - And, to take myself more seriously as a creator.

The problem is, when it comes to photography I'm a complete beginner and have no specific focus when it comes to what I want to photograph. Therefore, anything I set up online would look more like a "photos of my life" gallery rather than a portfolio of anything that would attract a specific following. And to be honest, this is fine at the moment.

I found this ( https://www.blipfoto.com ) website which encourages you to upload a photo a day, and as you can imagine the photos are quite random - even by established and professional photographers like https://www.blipfoto.com/maxellis?p=9.

I'd like to do something similar - Although I'm more farmiliar with sites like DeviantArt and would really like to get used to using Instagram - But would you recommend using a non-personal or non-business name if it's not specifically going to be beneficial to you in a professional sense.

Any thoughts.

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Selling your images by themselves is a really hard business to break into. Most potential buyers are using Stock Agencies. In recent years, these have been flooded with images, many available at relatively low prices. What you most likely have in your portfolio, there are hundreds or thousands similar images already available.

You could target your shooting to Stock. The example that comes to mind: a person had the foresight to shoot a pile of fish-oil capsules with some fresh fish. This sold very well.

Since you do web design, I would try to combine the two. Offer to shoot the images for the webpages. This is not easy photography, you will most likely need to improve first.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ This. No business wants their brand new website to use stock images from some other business - they want images of their own business. \$\endgroup\$
    – OnBreak.
    Commented Feb 3, 2020 at 17:17
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Decide what you are selling, and build your business and marketing around that

If you have not yet narrowed in on what your market is, and how you hope to make a business out of your photos, then you are going to have a very hard time seeking useful answers to the question of how/where to post your photos.

The first step is probably going to be to either look at how your photography services can tie in and reinforce your existing business practices, or look towards breaking away from your current business into something else entirely. [If your current model has clients and an income, aiming to shake things up entirely is 'questionable at best']

After you establish more details on what you're selling, then it is time to cull and aggressively review your body of work.

Very few people are likely to want to see your "progression" or history of your old work if it offers no reflection on what you'll currently be doing for them or offering. Getting feedback from someone you trust to not blow praise up your backside for every last image is helpful at this point.

Define what kind of images you want to market, then find [and make more of] your best examples.

At that point you can begin looking towards hosting options. But that then loops back to the earlier section: What are you offering, and how does it tie into your current business offerings?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks. You make a good point about looking at how photography can reinforce my existing business. You also mention that few people are likely to want to see your "progression" or history, but lets assume that this is something that you personally want to do. Kind of like an online journal of your photographic journey. I'm guessing this is done by a few people, but I assume that they would use a username for this, as not to put too much focus on their business or themselves as an established artist. \$\endgroup\$
    – user89268
    Commented Feb 3, 2020 at 17:31
  • \$\begingroup\$ Maybe something like facebook.com/chotoos, but not on facebook? \$\endgroup\$
    – user89268
    Commented Feb 3, 2020 at 17:48
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Hello I save a photo every day on Blipfoto. I understand your dilemma. However, for me, beginning the discipline of saving one photo a day has taught me a huge amount about my camera and photography generally. There are also many wildlife opportunities I would have missed had I not begun. I also now sell images successfully through stock sites and have had articles and photos published because I began my journal. If you’re concerned about not wanting it to showcase both the good and the bad, yes, I’d agree with you - create the journal with a name that won’t be linked to you and you can switch off people finding you by name. Use it, like many do, as a way to improve and practice rather than showcase. I’ve used Blipfoto for six and a half years with the added bonus of a huge amount of fine memories to look back on as well as a friendly, positive community of people.

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While an opinion, there are many places to exhibit your work. Most of that depends on your goal, however: If you're looking for feedback then photo contests run through websites might be best. If you're looking for exposure for work, Imgur may be a good start. DevArt is one I used years ago.

Your statement about Random though- That's not helpful for you as you transition from beginner to more studious. You need to pare down your work to the bare minimum and eliminate the stuff that just doesn't cut it.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks J - I completely agree that a "random" gallery is not an ideal way to showcase work. I used DeviantArt in the past and would like to make it my primary online photography presence, but I don't want my page to look like I do Specifically Landscapes, and at the same time I don't want to look like I do Whatever I feel like photographing today. I would like to get a balance, without the need to open too many accounts. \$\endgroup\$
    – user89268
    Commented Feb 3, 2020 at 13:55

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