Tuesday, October 9, 2012

I Need Help With A Name

I've been prattling on and on about cruising and photography, among other things.  I follow and read many cruising blogs.  The ones that ramble on and on about going out to lunch just aren't too interesting to me.  The ones that relate about the cruising/liveaboard lifestyle are, and I think good photographs add immensely to their stories.  You regular readers know that I sprinkle a liberal dose (oops!) of photos here whenever I can, and how I've strived to learn as much as I can about photography to improve myself and this blog.

I've been encouraged by the feedback I've gotten both here and at digital-photography-school.com, where I've been learning the craft.  Last Saturday, this photograph I took tied for first place in their weekly photo contest.



Now, I have no illusions of being another Ansel Adams.  I take photos for fun.  But I think that my itinerant non-working lifestyle often gives me an opportunity to visit interesting places and take interesting photographs.

I applied and was accepted at DepositPhoto.com, a stock photography company that sells photos online.  They represent thousands of photographers and have hundreds of thousands of photos... nay, millions of photos available for download.  So far, I've sold five.  I've raked in $1.42.

Hmmm....  not exactly what I was hoping for.

So I decided to bite the bullet, and I paid $300 and signed up at SmugMug.com to set up my own site.  They offer photographers customizable templates to create nifty websites to sell photos online.   They also provide a shopping cart where customers can purchase prints, canvas copies, coffee mugs, mouse pads, tee shirts, and anything else you can think of to stick a photo onto.

I uploaded a batch of photos and utilized their free trial software and liked it, so I bought it.  Here is a link to my website - http://thunderbirdphotography.smugmug.com/ although I'll probably change the name.  Thunderbird is probably a trademark and Ford or Navahos will sue my ass off.

So what do you think would be a good name?  Drift Away Photos?  Hobo Photography?  Wandering Bum Photography?  Lazy Bum Photographs?  I-don't-work-so-I-take-pics Photography?  I need some help here.  Please post suggestions in the comment section.  The winner gets a free Navi-Nut (patent pending).

By the way, any photos I post on this blog are free for the taking.  Right click, download, and use them any way you want to.  A friend of mine (hi Kat!) confessed to downloading and printing some Jekyll Island driftwood photos and framing them for her new home, and that's fine by me.  If you'd like a high-resolution copy, just let me know and I'll email one to you.  It's my gift to you for reading this blog.  It's the least I can do if you've stuck with me this long (hi Kurt!)

8 comments:

  1. I'm just curious why you never seem to go anywhere on the boat. I'm seriosly considering selling my home on Cape Cod and buying a Grand Banks to live on. I own and operate a sign business here so I can't travel too far or for too long, but you can bet that that boat will leave the dock pretty much every day even if it's just for an after work harbor cruise!

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    Replies
    1. That's a fair question, one I'll ask you too once you're a full time liveaboard.

      The first year we owned Drift Away, we spent all of our time getting it running. The second year, we traveled from Albany NY to Brunswick GA, where we're pretty happy. We have our vehicles here, so anything we want to see, we can drive to. We like to settle in a community and then explore.

      We're not cruisers. We're liveaboards. Cruisers are liveaboards who mostly travel. Liveaboards are cruisers who don't move too often.

      At Isle of Hope Marina, we met many folks who've been cruising for years and had stopped at Isle of Hope often, yet had never visited Wormsloe Plantation just one mile away. We've met many here at Brunswick Landing Marina who've summered here for years yet have never been to the Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island.

      Clear now?

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  2. Name your web DAVE'S PHOTOS kiss

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  3. Hi Dave,

    Before we retired, we spent 32 years in the professional photography business. A tip I was given before we started our own business was to establish an identity with the name... and preferably, your name. Just a consideration, though one from a couple who made a good living in the imaging business (allowed us to retire in our early 50s).

    The biggest problem with getting started in the photography business is the fact that it is something that MANY people do for a hobby. I always joked that in my "next career", I'd do something that NO ONE does for a hobby... like brain surgery. You never hear anyone say, "My cousin has a good scalpel and does surgery for friends and family - maybe he'd slice you guys for your anniversary?" :-D

    And, now... as a seasonal boat captain, I'm doing what? Oh, yeah - driving a boat. No one does that for a hobby. ;-) Heck, I wouldn't even be doing that if the Blonde didn't have this need to "do something constructive."

    So, back to the photography... seems that few people can make a living selling pretty scenic images. Lots of folks try. It's that old line: the best way to make a small fortune in photography is to start with a big fortune. The best way to sell photography is by doing something that others can't do as well... understand lighting, learn about design and composition. See the image in your head, then make that happen through the lens. More about create than capture. The majority of people out there can't or won't do that. I made my living photographing people and products. I had photographers who worked for us that loved doing scenic or wildlife photography, but couldn't survive doing just that (and they did very nice work).

    Just some things to think about. I am not suggesting you not do this - just go after it like you would any business building. There are a lot of photographers out there who understand f/stops and shutter speeds, can make nice images, but don't understand how to get people to want to buy their images.

    Best wishes,
    Jim

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    1. Good advice, Jim. Luckily, I don't need to sell photos to make a living, but a few extra bucks once in awhile would be nice. Photography gives me something to do while I put off boat projects. :)

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  4. Gibson Digital
    Pam Handle Photography
    Po Boy Pictures
    Beach N Photography
    Seen by the Sea Photo
    Second Scene Photography
    Daves Dreamin' Photo's
    Shots by the Sea Photography



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  5. Click Away Photography
    Drift n'Click Photos

    How about taking a central NY (forgive me if I've got the wrong area name for your new homestead) phonetic spelling of Thunderbird - Thundahburd or somethinotherah) :-)

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  6. Click Away Photography
    DriftNClick Photography

    or a central NY (or northern tier? or Adirondak) phonetic spelling of Thunderbird - thundahburd? Thundureboyd? I actually can't hear the right tonal quality in my head but you get the idea I hope?

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