Marketing/Business

Logo Design, final destination

June 22, 2009 by Younes

I’ve commissioned the design of a new logo at http://99designs.com, a crowdsourcing company, to my great pleasure (and agony) I have way too many great entries than I can handle. I have narrowed them to only 10 out of 330 submissions, but I would like to hear your opinion on the subject…

Here is the shortlist. Which one do you think works best?

Thanks!!

Logo poll #2

June 8, 2009 by Younes

Well, I am going to beg for your help yet again, hopefully for the last time on this topic (hint, hint, wink, wink). Last week, I presented a couple of logo designs for my website and the response was fairly unanimous: get back to the drawing board. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen. So, with no further ado, here are a couple more designs that I have come up with. The two are actually a mirror of each other based on the same design, with only variation in color. I’d love to hear what you think. I am looking for something that is both classic/elegant and bold/distinctive. A logo you would recognise and remember.

This one is completely different…last minute inspiration

Do they work for you? Anyone you prefer? Your opinions are highly valued.

Logo Poll

June 3, 2009 by Younes

Here it goes: I am trying to come up with a new logo for my brand and would like to run a few options by you, see which ones appeal to you. So, here I am begging you for your help.

Design 1

Design 2

Does either work for you or should I get back to the drawing board?

Thanks!

Out of Focus podcast: Jack Hollingsworth

May 26, 2009 by Younes

Today’s post comes as a logical continuation of the recent entries I have been posting on the use of social media to develop a photographic business. Only this time there is a bit of a twist: this is not a written post, but rather an audio file, a podcast! A first ever on Out of Focus. I am looking forward to see your reactions on whether you actually enjoy the experiment and if you want me to continue with it.

Last week, Richard Wong addressed how Twitter can be harnessed to develop one’s brand and business. This week, renowned stock photographer Jack Hollingsworth speaks about the future of photography (and stock in particular). Jack also explains his views on how he sees the photography business evolving and the influence social media will have on photography.

Jack is one of the most well known names in stock photography. An early and very successful pioneer in royalty free stock, Jack sells stock through Getty, Corbis as well as through the many companies he has created and driven. A true pioneer, he continues to be an influential and outspoken voice in the field.

Please join me in welcoming Jack to the first ever Out of Focus Podcast!

Jack, your turn . (length: 27min 35″)

Twitter for Photographers: An interview with Richard Wong

May 20, 2009 by Younes

Richard Wong (URL: http://www.rwongphoto.com) is a California-based photographer that loves to travel and enjoys the great outdoors. Not only is Richard an excellent photographer, but he is also most generous when it comes to sharing his knowledge and insights of the photographic industry. In this respect, Richard has graciously accepted to answer a few of my questions regarding the role that social media, in general, and twitter, in particular, can play in today’s photographer business strategy. Please join me in thanking Richard for sharing his thoughts with us.

1) “Field Report: The Non-Glamorous Side of Photography” is your second blog. Tell us a bit more about this project. Why do you run two blogs in parallel?

My friend, Jim Goldstein writes a lot of provocative photography industry material on his blog so I wanted an outlet for this sort of thing without alienating the non-photographers who view my site. That was my original idea anyway. But as I started thinking of a concept for the blog I kept getting reminded of the common business questions that people ask on the photography forums and all of the misconceptions out there so I thought that I would just create a resource for all of the information that would help people get started on the right track with their photography career.

Though I am a younger photographer myself, I’ve always believed in having fundamentally sound business strategies. That includes assigning proper values to your work, having integrity while out shooting, and giving back to the community. Most of what I have learned has come from photographers that I respect both professional and personally so I feel it is important to pass the same qualities onto others. There are a lot of great people in this industry that have worked hard for everything that they have.
So basically what it comes down to is that my photo blog is a travelogue for promoting my photography brand while this blog is about compiling solid photography business information. In fact, I’d be interested in having some other photographers contribute articles for the blog with the only guidelines being that they share similar business ideals. Read More »