New Site Goes Live and First Flyer Revealed

I made a life decision a few weeks ago – I want to be a photographer. That may sound obvious to readers of this blog, but for years I have been a web developer who takes photographs. Now I have decided that I’ve had enough of web development, and I’m going to focus my attention on making a living from my photography. Of course, if the right web job comes along for the right money, I won’t turn it down. But this decision was all about changing how I saw myself.

Since making this decision I have been working hard to make it a reality. I have done a complete overhaul of my web site ( http://neil.creek.name ) which had only ever been a half-hearted effort, and have started brainstorming ideas to find work. One of those ideas has come from friends and family who have recently had children. They have often said “We love the photos you take of our children, and I’m sure you could sell your services to other parents we know.” With that thought in mind, Naomi and I have worked on creating my first promotional flyer.

New Web Site

The new web site is built around a collection of six subject-specific folios of my work. Along with the collections of photos, for the first time I am promoting my services as a photographer for hire, with actual prices, and the facility to submit a quote request. The six folios on show at the moment are: portraits, nature, weddings, costuming, commercial and special effects. I may add other sections in the future, the next one to be added will probably be panoramic photography.

Writing marketing copy has never been something I enjoy, and I find it difficult to try to convince people to part with their money. However I am confident in my skills as a photographer, so I don’t feel that I am offering something that isn’t worth what I am asking.

I have received a lot of help with the site redevelopment, most importantly and most effectively from my darling wife Naomi. She has supported and encouraged me every step of the way, and that has helped me more than anything. The Twitter community have also helped me in various ways for which I am grateful. I am especially grateful to Glenn Murray (twitter: @divinewrite web: http://www.divinewrite.com) for the detailed thoughts he offered on both the “voice” of the copy and on making the site search-friendly. I still have some work to do on the site to polish it up and complete Glenn’s suggestions, but that should be completed in a week or two.

Please take the time to have a look through my new site. Enjoy the folios, send the link to friends, and please consider me if you live near Melbourne, Australia and are in need of a photographer.

Family Photos Flyer

Download flyer as a PDF file. (785Kb)

This is the first tangible result of my new self-promotional push. This flyer design will soon be printed and handed in large bundles to everyone we know who knows people with families. Hopefully when the word gets out, the work will come in. I plan to do other flyers in the future, especially for weddings, but I’ll see how this one goes first, and learn from any mistakes we make this time around.

Feel free to download the PDF of the flyer yourself and print it off for yourself or friends, if you know someone who might be interested in my services! Who knows, I might even be able to think of some kind of referrer bonus or something. It’s early days!