Update: I've added one person to the circle so far, +Vivienne Gucwa She exactly fits the guidelines. I have also gotten about 25 requests today (some via comment, some via my G email), but have only looked at a few so far.
One thing that turns me off is if the photographer doesn't have any images on G+. Another is if the profile isn't even filled out a little bit. The idea is to have photographers that are working to extend their reach. It isn't enough to just have a link to a store, you've got to have some reason for a G+ viewer to visit your store.
This shared circle has a very narrow scope. It is for photographers who are struggling to make a living through their fine art photography and who have put some work into showing their images.
It doesn't mean that you need to be a full-time photographer (though that is a plus) but you will need to have an online presence that shows your attempts to make a living through your photography. For example, for G+ users: have a profile picture (of some kind); fill out something that potential customers will be interested in on your profile page; and please you need to upload pictures at a decent size (at least 800px) and open to the public.
I believe that anyone that reads this – knows what I'm talking about. It certainly describes myself (selling and living from web photography sales since 1999). It is a very difficult task and I would like to have a shared circle of people who have really sacrificed to live this life.
If you have a few hundred thousand followers on G+ this list isn't for you. Sorry. This is for photographers that really need a boost.
I'm only going to respond to requests that I can understand, i.e. you need to have an English language version of your bio somewhere that you can point me to.
Here are the requirements in a nutshell:
1. Send a link to your online store, or wherever you make contact with potential customers. You can be selling Print on Demand Books (for example) or prints or high resolution files.
2. Look at your bank account and make sure that you are a struggling fine art photographer and it helps if I can see that you've been at it for a while. This is not a whim.
3. Your typical customer wants to buy prints or high resolution files for their office, an institution, a gift, etc. I am currently not including "event photography" in the circle.
4. You've got to have put some work into G+. Fill out your profile. And post some photography for the public to see. Be working to have a presence here.
I'm not going to do critiques, and I'm not going to get into why you were or weren't included. Email me your storefront links with whatever other information you are comfortable sharing.
Believe it or not – I am a human being with likes and dislikes that may not always be rational.
The fact that you weren't included should mean nothing to you. The fact that you were included just means that I thought you met the criteria and and sensed that you were an artist – or working towards becoming one. But if you are put off by not being selected, you just figure that I'm wrong.
I realize this all sounds strict and formal but I'm writing this so that I don't get overwhelmed with junk or with requests by photographers who are already on a million lists or photographers who just got their camera last week and expect to be making a living at it already.
I hope to populate this circle with good but relatively unknown struggling artists that can be shared with the art buying population.
Best regards,
Dave Beckerman
Dave Beckerman shared a circle with you.
p.s. If anyone has a better name for the circle – just let me know. Maybe we don't want to be known as Struggling Artists. The struggle part has to do with that thing called money. It has nothing to do with your art.
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chrisgachot.com – working on book
+ Vivienne Gucwa is an excellent choice, she is a wonderful photographer and one of the nicest people on Google +.
I don't qualify (maybe someday?) but I think this is a great idea!
checked the bank account this a.m. not sure what everyone's idea of struggling is . . . but Ghandi got nothin' on this ol' boy
how u get in it lol i am not a good photographer, just do it for fun :) but i hope the good ones get noticed
great idea… I like your reasoning.. if everyone does this for their shared circles (i.e. went through very specific, hard filter) there won't be much noises caused by circle sharing..
and no, I'm not asking to be put on the list.. I'm definitely not qualified for this purpose…
I'll bite and hope for the best. Like the three you have so far. Good choices
I like that you included Vivienne.
I don't know if I would meet the criteria, but I don't have much money and all the money I'm currently making is from photography. I sell both prints and a bit of stock, I like to have people contact me directly mostly but I also do business through Imagekind here http://www.imagekind.com/GalleryProfile.aspx?gid=83947788-b027-4aa1-baef-20cbabca70dd
Since I finished by bachelor's in Chemistry and Biology I'm trying to pursue my passion in photography.
Hey +Dave Beckerman , how about UVA for the name of your circle?
Under Valued Artists or Under Viewed Artists ;-)
~Peace
I too don't yet qualify. I'm struggling to develop my photography so that I can retire from teaching. I am working on a book, have a major photography project & some new things I'm working on, but have to do it part time. Love the concept and hope you'll continue to share the circle as it grows so that I can follow all of you.
qualified on all accounts (especially the bank one)…
struggling at photography…so close, damn prepositions, where's a 'for' when you need one? I dig this idea, Dave. I look forward to seeing who's got what where. If you ever come up with a 'Monkey plays (badly) with camera' circle, I want in.
Struggling means that within the last year you've gotten to a point where you are in the middle of the month and haven't figured out how to pay the rent yet.
Struggling means that you go out for dinner with family and tell them that you can't afford to pay your portion of the bill.
Struggling is only about financial problems that are caused by choices you made regarding your photography.
You may be very appreciated, but still "struggling."
Struggling means may mean that you get called a genius, a true artist, and receive accolades up the wazzoo (sp?) and you are deciding whether you should buy pre-cooked beans or raw beans that you'll have to spend time cooking up for the fourth night in a row.
Struggling means that everytime you talk with your family, siblings etc. the first thing they want to know is how you're doing and whether you need any money (not that they can afford to loan you any).
You can put your own definition here.
What a Great Idea!!!. . . I have found sometimes it's due to poor marketing – of which I am guilty (and not sure how to do correctly).
I live in Brisbane Australia and would like some tips on how to market myself (and for others) better.
Sometimes it's just 1 or 2 things that have to be added or changed in the way we do things.
There is a lot of competition out there, so standing out in a crowd can be a challenge.
you can add me to the list +Dave Beckerman I think that I fit the criteria :-)
+Leanne Staples +Markus Hartel Could you give me links to your storefronts? Thanks in advance.
+Michael van der Hoorn I'll take a look at your work. But I have found that most artistic people are terrible at promoting themselves. One of the things that happens when you put yourself in a situation where you eat or don't eat based on sales is that you quickly learn that you'd better learn that side of the business.
Frankly, I probably wouldn't even be doing this sort of G+ stuff if I didn't depend on sales to make a living. In fact, my life would be completely different. I would spend a lot more time traveling and a lot more time shooting. And yes – you would be amazed at the difference that pricing (for example) can make.
Too low and people think you must be selling junk.
Too high, even by $50 and you can lose all your sales. Unless you are "a name." It's extremely tricky selling art of any kind.
I can't afford a store front
+Chris Gachot You can sell your stuff on Zazzle (for example) for free. I'm sure that others can point you at sites where you can have a storefront on the web for free. Is ZenFolio free? CafePress? But it's a good subject for another post and I'll put it into a separate post for people to respond to.
Great idea, +Dave Beckerman! I don't belong in this circle, but this is a great example of what I like about this community! Thanks!
+Chris Gachot – I have never paid for a storefront. Ever. My online store is on RedBubble (also Zazzle but I migrated away from them as my main store a while back). It's Print on Demand which works better for me and my customers. I know +Dave Beckerman prefers having his own store on his site and doing his prints directly (meaning he prints his work out himself) so it's a matter of preference.
i was just fucking around.
i find this idea of "struggling photographers", that cant afford rent in one of the most expensive cities to live in the world, funny.
+Chris Gachot – Hey you never know re: not knowing about a 'store front'.
+Vivienne Gucwa yes, part of the reason i posted it. it's interesting to me to see how serious people take social networking. especially in this format, where you're interacting with people you really know nothing about.
Social networking is interesting from a psychological and sociological perspective, I agree.
I am new to G+ and don't know if this is really the proper way to respond to a post on here but I enjoy reading your posts and found this one hitting really close to home. I apologize I don't have more information on G+ yet but my only internet is from my phone or my temp job. I do have a site, but it as well as my other attempts to get my work out there have not shown the results I would have hoped for.
Chris. You may gave been fucking around but I got several emails from really poor photographers that can't afford a site.
Well it gave me grist for a good post.
And of course not knowing you I actually tried to help. Also it is the very fact that it's so freaking expensive to live here that makes things tough.
When I had a real job I couldn't imagine that a day would come that I would seriously have to consider the cost if a storefront. Now I can.
I appreciate you trying to help Dave. I am here more for fun rather than business.
I have a shop front at Redbubble, not all that successful, had 2x people buy prints, they were friends . . . so do people really go to these types of websites to buy photos? . . . or do they look elsewhere?
+Michael van der Hoorn why don't you put a link to your store in the comment (yes, I'm asking for it) so that a) you get a bit of exposure and b) others can look at it and maybe offer suggestions or talk about their own experiences at Rebbubble and other places.
I sell my own work from BeckermanPhoto.com and just for the heck of it I do try to sell things at Zazzle – but really I only make a few pennies at Zazzle and have put lots of time into it.
As a general rule, I don't know people who are making serious money at places that are hosting and designing the site for thousands of photographers because you tend to get lost in the crowd. But maybe I'm wrong.
In my view – EVERYTHING – is about finding and understanding your niche. It's impossible (almost) to conquer the world of search engines, or even searches at RedBubble or Zazzle as a Nature Photographer or a Photojournalist etc. My main niche is New York Photography.
My secondary niche is Black and White Photography.
I've been fighting to keep a good presence in search engines for those two phrases.
In short besides having good content it is all about trying to imagine how the consumer who might want what you are selling is going to find you.
What would I be interested in purchasing to find you? How would I find you?
That's the whole deal. If you can't do well in the search for whatever reason, there are only three other ways I know of to get attention: mass emailing (these work well but also annoy people); and to a lesser extent Social Networking (though I have doubts about that); and the way that vendors have been using since the dawn of time: Paid Advertising
Yes, word of mouth can be your friend, but not if you haven't been selling a bunch of things for people to see first.
Hope some of that helps.
thanks Dave – I'm getting very good search results for my niche "street photography" http://www.markushartel.com... sales are done through photoshelter