When I first opened this site I was hooked!! What an ingenious tool to keep track of inspirational ideas! I was a "pinning maniac". I would spend hours and hours just looking at everything. I used it in my business of photography for posing, clothing and design ideas. If I was stuck at a shoot I could pull out my phone and quickly get another fun idea to jump from. Too bad I couldn't just keep this secret to myself...
The introduction of Pinterest to the world has become an obstacle. What once took a bit of searching and researching for is available with one click. For example: Searching "Wedding Photography" comes up with this...
The difficult part as a photographer myself is establishing and being true to my own style. A little side note here is IT IS SO HARD TO DO THIS! I don't mean to yell but it really is hard to do. I started out shooting everything and I mean everything that anyone wanted me to do and I wasn't good at everything sadly. So, I decided to narrow my emphasis and shoot what I love and shoot it the way I saw it. This meant that wasn't going to shoot every kind of pose anymore, I wanted a "look" that people could identify with and expect.
Back to pinterest, which I really do LOVE. It provided the ideas for the style that I liked. It gave me the inspiration to go further, to go bigger and to be better for my clients...BUT it also was a breeding ground for ideas that weren't my style. It was a place where EVERY style was present and available for the picking. Instead of providing my clients with my own personal style which I strive to be a mix of my very very favorite lighting, poses and emotions I have now become a "glorified tripod" asking which pinterest photo do you want me to do next?
How do we change this? I love that potential clients can give me some ideas of what they like. This helps in a number of ways, it tells me if we are a good fit and if I can meet their expectations. Here is an example of a beautiful photo that I randomly picked off pinterest.com from the wedding photo gallery.
My purpose in writing this article is to make aware the best use of pinterest to potential clients. Remember that the photo you pinned is of different people, in a different place with very specific lighting and conditions (some are also stylized and not real-time weddings etc). Use pinterest to get some ideas on what to wear, it can help SO much with that. Also use it to get some ideas for a type of location you may like to shoot at. Do you love the look of a field full of flowers or a forest full of beautiful trees? I can help bring my style to those locations.
I want to make beautiful pictures for you and your family, that is my First and Primary goal! If we are together with our expectations, I promise I will not only do my best but give you consistent and beautiful memories that you can gush over for years!
Thank you for reading!!
XO
Annie
awesome insight!
ReplyDeleteAnnie --
ReplyDeleteI honestly believe what you are addressing is the difference between aspiration and inspiration. By aspiration, a pinner may be seeking the picture above. Where inspiration comes in is how to capture the tone, mood or even whimsical fancy in your Boise, Idaho backyard. While it won't be the same exact shot, location or even time of day -- there is a way to recreate the feeling the picture inspires within you. That's where your talent lies. That is how you rock it.
I like how you see Pinterest. You pointed out its advantages and disadvantages, but you remain open minded about it. There are some cons when it comes to using this social media platform, but those simply serve as a challenge to you. This will truly test how great you are in catering to the needs of your clients. I hope that through Pinterest, you'll be able to express more your photography skills and let others see your real potential.
ReplyDeleteIf you want your venture to be more successful, you should take advantage of the internet. Engaging on platforms like Pinterest will help your business a lot, especially that you're in line with photography. Feature your works. More and more people are engaging to photography these days, so take that chance to connect closely with your target demographic.
ReplyDeleteLayla Stabile @ Sacramento Marketing Labs