The rock hound types are the ones who spend lots of time in the outback enjoying geology and picking up whatever they can find. They go to the show for fun, although some do buy items for their shops, etc. They’re generally a somewhat scroungy bunch. The make-money type are there purely for obtaining whatever they think is a good deal so they can make money, they typically have no love for the subject (picture someone from Taiwan in a pin-stripe suit).

We were standing around in the fossil section, just enjoying ourselves, when this madman dressed in an expensive suit came in, he was very intense, obviously from a large American city (had an accent, will say no more), and was feverously going from booth to booth looking to grab up any good deals he could find. We were in the fossilized fish section just hanging around talking to some paleontology types when he came by and started muttering, “mackerel, mackerel,” as he proceeded to buy up several large and expensive fossilized mackerels. It was pretty humorous.

For some reason, that kind of illustrates to me the differences between over-the-top marketing and doing something you love and hoping it sells w/o having to prostitute yourself.

I guess I’ve come to the place where I see a distinct difference between marketing images and marketing one’s self. As self-employed photographers we have to let people know about our work in-order to sell it. Marketing probably takes up a large part of my time, but my hope is that the marketing is focused on the images, the locations, the things I see and learn rather than on trying to make myself look great. Guy certainly does this extremely well and this approach is very attractive. That’s probably why we are all hear and care to read what he says.

If I was searching for art, I would be much more likely to buy from the guy who had great quality work and a good attitude than the one who is all about self-promotion. I don’t think I could bring myself to buy from someone who is cocky as it would come to mind every time I looked at the image. So, in my personal opinion self-promotion might not always be the best way to do business and I’m not sure the sacrifice of one’s integrity is worth any income.

My original draw to photography was that I did not want to work on a computer all day in a cubicle, plus I liked being outdoors. I now work 80+ hours/week in my small home office (prison?). The irony. However, I still get out an awful lot, especially compared to most “pros” from what I can tell. I think that the photo biz tolerated the reclusive pro shooting in the woods when agencies did all of the work & made them money. I look upon every one of the “old-timers” that I know who lament the loss of the way that it use to be and realize that most of them are just not capable of self-promotion. I admire & respect what they accomplished, but they only have themselves to blame for not adapting to the new business realities.

I think that my credentials are pretty strong among photographers. I will never claim to be the best photographer. I am just out a lot and able to take advantage of when the good light happens. I also genuinely love marketing & sharing my entire process with my growing audience. It is bringing me new sales & clients. I also love being in the middle of NOWHERE 40% of the year. I can not imagine not being able to escape part of the time. I own a sat phone to stay in touch with my wife, but I am going to use it this summer to tweet once/day via text message from Alaska. Do you know anyone else that is marketing while in the bush? Love it or hate it, all my marketing is paying off. My wife is happy that we have some money in the bank, we pay our mortgage (which is not underwater), my kids have food & go on nice trips a few times/year, & I get to play around in the wilderness taking pretty pictures once in awhile.

No complaints here.

I see both sides, and as such, the key is finding personal balance. I can’t make myself into or want to be a carnival hawker, even when there are definite advantages to that approach. Myself, I’m learning I have to (or should) toot my own horn a little bit more than I do, yet everytime I do, I fear I’m just adding to the noise I personally dislike. I see it like the screaming traders on the stock market floor shouting in a frenzy, “Buy ME!” It’s a sound that makes me want to run the other way. Yet if we choose to (or want to) make this our sole business & profession, the market seems to demand that you make noise. (Read: Definition of a Catch-22)

I’m not much for poetry, but the following poem expresses how I would like to live my life: with intention, attention, and nature.

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.


I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
 which is what I have been doing all day.


Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

I once wrote a story, it’s about two fellows living in the desert who happen to meet up with a wealthy doctor. The desert rats are poor but free. The doctor is drawn to their lifestyle but eventually has to return to his life (so he thinks) and drives off wistfully into the distance. That story was based on a real event and real people, and happened some ten years ago. The two desert rats are still out there, living their free but poor life, but the doctor has since had a fatal heart attack.

To me, success is defined by being able to sit by a fire in the outback and not worry about having to go back to work, even if I don’t have much food in my pack. I can live on very little, and I love having the freedom to do exactly what I want every day. And no, I don’t own much of anything, which is a freedom in itself.

Stay positive! Market! Toot your own horn! Most importantly love what ever it is that you are trying to accomplish in photography. When another photographer accomplishes something don’t be jealous or contemptuous, but celebrate with them. Most of us ARE our own brand. My success or failure depends on me.