[Mike Cash]

I am not american...

No.....you just spell like one.

[I shoot people]

That's because I spent some time in the states but I am French. So does anyone have any advice for me?

[eddie1960]

I still haven't heard back from any of my friends in London but did send a message. Another good resource for doing a web site on a budget would be any of the colleges offering programs in web design etc as these students need to build their portfolio

[ajoe]

My advice:

Stay off the Internet!

Do the one thing you do best. Raise your prices and grow the business in the manner you clientele expects. I doubt that includes a web site with their pictures on it.

If you feel it essential to have a web site, do something like your business card that is elegant with only contact info.

You are in an elite group of people, and IMHO, nothing you do on the web can help that in the slightest. In fact, it could portray you as something less than what your clientele expects.

You've got a great market, go with it.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

[eddie1960]

My advice:

Stay off the Internet!

Do the one thing you do best. Raise your prices and grow the business in the manner you clientele expects. I doubt that includes a web site with their pictures on it.

If you feel it essential to have a web site, do something like your business card that is elegant with only contact info.

You are in an elite group of people, and IMHO, nothing you do on the web can help that in the slightest. In fact, it could portray you as something less than what your clientele expects.

You've got a great market, go with it.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

This is probably good advice. If you want to expand your horizons by going on the web and accepting other commissions and shooting other subjects the web will be beneficial. for your current Clientele it may cost you business.
There are a lot of creative fields you can apply your talent to, but not all will be what you want to do. For the majority of us we couldn't turn down many paying gigs. I personally will not shoot weddings, but If I'm asked to shoot a band I don't like I've done it. If I turn down bands i don't like i may not get the gig for the ones i do.

If you are in the position to be able to pick and choose and it won't matter if there is a return than it's great, and in that case i would just spend more time networking and avoid the web. Either that or have a private site with a few pre approved by the subject examples of your talent (family members may be the easiest to get this from without disrupting your reputation) and have everything else password protected for just the clients eyes and yours only

[Ira]

That's because I spent some time in the states but I am French. So does anyone have any advice for me?

My advice is if someone wants to wear a belt when they're having a picture taken, let them.

You seem to think that you're more important than the subject, and believe me, you're not.

I still think that this whole thread is a goof, but if it isn't, I have some more advice:

Find yourself a decent psychiatrist ASAP.

[I shoot people]

I still haven't heard back from any of my friends in London but did send a message. Another good resource for doing a web site on a budget would be any of the colleges offering programs in web design etc as these students need to build their portfolio

Thanks!

My advice:

Stay off the Internet!

Do the one thing you do best. Raise your prices and grow the business in the manner you clientele expects. I doubt that includes a web site with their pictures on it.

If you feel it essential to have a web site, do something like your business card that is elegant with only contact info.

You are in an elite group of people, and IMHO, nothing you do on the web can help that in the slightest. In fact, it could portray you as something less than what your clientele expects.

You've got a great market, go with it.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Most aristocrats don't have a lot of money nowadays unfortunate but true! Only royalty seems to be still swimming in a sea of cash! Therefore I would like to shoot rich industrialists and such as well and a website on which they can see whom I shot and how I shot them might be a good tool I think.

My advice is if someone wants to wear a belt when they're having a picture taken, let them.

You seem to think that you're more important than the subject, and believe me, you're not.

I still think that this whole thread is a goof, but if it isn't, I have some more advice:

Find yourself a decent psychiatrist ASAP.

Ira, when I take a picture I capture a moment, an expression and therefore by printing the image I express something even if it is for a customer. I don't want to promote things I do not like.

[eddie1960]

T
Most aristocrats don't have a lot of money nowadays unfortunate but true! Only royalty seems to be still swimming in a sea of cash! Therefore I would like to shoot rich industrialists and such as well and a website on which they can see whom I shot and how I shot them might be a good tool I think.
.

Whole different kettle of fish these guys. a lot of it is for corporate work so goes hand in hand with producing images for annual reports and the like. or shooting them for Business week and other mags. one way or the other you will end up having to loosen up about what you will and won't shoot

A friend of mine here has shot many CEO's etc for both magazine work and corporate work. He's done some very good work and they call him back pretty consistently but I don't think he's been called on to do much private work for these types. Not in most of their natures i don't think.
I'm pretty certain he really doesn't like that work but it pays bills and allows him to pursue other work that may not pay as well (like fine art shows)


Good luck with it in any case if I get any useful suggestions I'll let you know

[I shoot people]

My idea is to use my client base as a marketing tool to attract social climbers. They will look at the website and think "Oh, he took pictures of this and this princess, I want a portrait taken by the same guy and I am willing to pay £10000 for it!"

[Ira]

Ira, when I take a picture I capture a moment, an expression and therefore by printing the image I express something even if it is for a customer. I don't want to promote things I do not like.

Can you post some of these images you've taken that you DO like?

I wait with baited breath.

And I really hope that none of them are wearing belts.

[Ira]

Ira, when I take a picture I capture a moment, an expression and therefore by printing the image I express something even if it is for a customer.

So exactly what is it that you think you do that is different from what the rest of us do here? Even though our subjects wear belts?

My God.

I finally understand the French Revolution.

[I shoot people]

So exactly what is it that you think you do that is different from what the rest of us do here? Even though our subjects wear belts?

My God.

I finally understand the French Revolution.

No I don't have anything against belts, but there are rules such as "No brown in town", "No belt with a dinner jacket", "No gold after 6PM" (That excludes signet rings and wedding bands it seems), "No Dark Shirts" etc... I don't want my photographs to portray vulgarity such as tatoos and whenever I have shot a Portrait of someone I have told them what I wanted them to wear. I am very specific about that if I know that the person does not dress properly. My grandfather was a painter and whenever he was asked to paint someone the customer would always pose and dress as my grandfather pleased.

Ira, you are a bit of a provocateur are you?

[Voytech]

Hey, if you can get people to dress specifically for you, then that takes a lot of problems out of the picture taking aspect. I can (to some degree) understand why you would not want to portray the "vulgarities" as you call them. In YOUR case, it seems like it would cheapen your brand/style.

[I shoot people]

Hey, if you can get people to dress specifically for you, then that takes a lot of problems out of the picture taking aspect. I can (to some degree) understand why you would not want to portray the "vulgarities" as you call them. In YOUR case, it seems like it would cheapen your brand/style.

Thanks Voytech!

[C-Factor]

Equipment doesn't make the man! I don't think I'd want a Nikon D3S if I could afford it, I am happy with my Pentax and good at using it and that is what matters I think!

Epensive clothes and nobleness doesn't make the man either. This post reminds me of "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens with so much emphasis on being a gentleman and individuals with strong breeding. All joking aside though, Do you currently use a photo posting archiving site that can handle sales, such as SmugMug? Not sure if they do international accounts or just USA, but surely there are others like this in your area. Having a website built to be integrated with a company like SmugMug can take some of the headache out of the sales part, but you do have to pay them a commision for the service.