Great Photo Business Links 090620

From Scott Bourne: How to write a sample query letter. Rather than long winded explanations of the hows and whys, he gives you a very interesting, real life example of one of his own query letters.

From Black Star Rising: Are you adding context to your photos? “Extreme close-ups can have an impact on viewers — but often do little to advance a story. Relating the subject to its surroundings can provide context, but without impact, the image will never find an audience.”

From PhotoShelter: Photographer Websites: The Basics. A good primer on what you should have in your “to be considered” folder when building or updating your photography web site.

From Phillip Colla: Metadata, Photography and Workflow for the Web. A great article by a wonderfully talented underwater and nature photographer on how important including the various metadata aspects are into a professional work flow.

And one from the Absurd & Ridiculous files, courtesy of the New York Times: Flickr as an Interior Decorating Tool. How do you turn calm and happy go-lucky photographers in to an angry pack of blood-thirsty rats? Simple; write an article on how cool it is to just print photos off of flickr to decorate your house. And while your at it, don’t worry about something as trivial as copyright, because, hey, it’s not commercial, and it’s not like you’re harming anyone. (The same logic kids use when telling their buddies to steal the candy bar from 7-11.) Be sure to check out the reader comments. Update: Due to the outcry of comments, the author has posted a new “follow-up” article where she attempts to explain herself.

Bonus Link – From Digital Photography School: A two-part interview with Art Wolfe. A legend in the landscape & nature genre, and although not totally a business post, he does discuss the issues of making money and choosing photography as a career path. Having worked for a legend myself; it always pays to lend an ear when they offer words of wisdom based on their years of experience. (The link goes to Part One of the Interview. You can access Part Two from here, or at the bottom of the page on Part One.)