I have added a new link in the upper top right of this blog where visitors can go and ask questions that I will answer about macro photography. It can be anything from what type of equipment to buy, technique, composition, selling your photos, or running a nature photography business.
I have people from time to time email about some of these subjects, and decided it would be a good fit here on the blog. Hope to help with any of your questions. Don’t be shy.
In marketing the word ”branding” is something that every business wants and needs. If you’re driving down a road and see golden arches you immediately think of McDonald’s, and when you hear someone say “just do it” you think of Nike.
Companies use these logos and slogans over and over in their advertising, product packaging, etc, to tatoo their company name or product into your brain.
Can branding work for photographers?
Yes I believe that you can brand yourself by shooting with a unique stlye that sets you apart from other photographers. Your images are your logo that people will connect to you the photographer every time they see them.
Have you ever seen a photograph that by its style alone you can idenifly the photographer that produced it?
When people view a black and white photo of a landscape from Yosemite they tend to think of Ansel Adams. People in the art world can identify painters by a certain style they’ve created or even the type of brush strokes they use.
Finding a certain look or style that sets you apart from the rest of the photographers will put your brand in the viewers mind.
A few weeks ago I wrote a post on my blog called So you want to be a nature a photographer. I also posted it on two online nature photography sites, NaturePhotographers.net and BirdPhotographers.net which I moderate the macro forums. The view counter on the post has soared to almost 900 views while most posts attracted well less than five hundred views with a few highly controversial subjects that have reached this high or slightly more. The amount of people commenting was also very high compared to the other posts. The one thing I’ve learned in over twenty-five years in three different businesses is you listen and pay attention to what going on in that business. The attention and curiosity of this post made me think that there are a lot of photographers interested in the business side of nature photography. I will post more on this subject and sometimes it will be subjective and controversial, but hopefully a learning experience. So stop back and check it out and hopefully post your opinions. It’s okay to disagree with my opinions as long as you do it in a civil way, if not I have the delete button. 
I had an image that won “Highly Honored” in the 2009 Nature’s Best Magazines Windland Smith Rice International competition. The mag should be out soon, they just posted press releases and the winners on their blog. They pick from over twenty thousand images from all over the world. You can see the winners from the different catagories at www.naturesbestblog.com Here’s mine that won “Highly Honored”
