About Us ...

This website was never really planned. I wouldn't say it was an accident but it certainly wasn't anything I expected to be doing. As it turns out, I've copped a bit of flack for doing it, and while that doesn't bother me, I figure an explanation of sorts is in order.

You may know I'm heavily involved with OzImages Stock Photography Library and have been for over ten years now. We were among the first internet-based photo libraries and it was a fantastic time to be getting out on the internet and exploring the possibilities.

There was no manual for most of what we were doing, so much of it was a matter of watching what was working for other industries and then looking to apply it to our own. There was a lot of trial and error, a lot that worked and even more that didn't.

You can probably imagine, over that time I've picked up a lot of information, ideas and resources all related to designing, building and promoting a photography website, and more general information and tools for running any online business.

I've now got a vast collection of ebooks, software programs, graphics & templates. Most of that was filed away collecting virtual-dust. I knew a lot of it came with various distribution rights -- mostly Master Resell Rights -- but I never had the time or inclination to do much with it.

For those who are new to it, Master Resale Rights are quite common on the internet when a 'product' creator wants their material distributed as widely as possible. Usually they plan to make their money "on the back end", so they give people who purchase it permission to sell it as well ... a pretty good incentive to keep it moving!

Anyway, in October 2007 I decided to put a selection of the items I used most often into an ebook, to give away to our mailing list. The resources were mostly geared around 'doing business online' and 'photography' simply because those on the list were photographers and they were all looking to do business online.

I was also aware that a lot of the photographers we came into contact with through OzImages weren't ready to start selling stock photography, and others simply weren't interested, but most wanted to do 'something' with their photography online.

So we released our first eBook, OzImages 10 x 10 ... the best ten resources in ten different categories of interest to photographers. We send an email out to our mailing list and it got a huge response. What really surprised me was how it kept on generating interest long after that even though we never promoted it again.

In hindsight the original was a bit rough and ready, so I did a rewrite of it early 2008 to fix up some link problems and update the listings, and republished it as the Photographer's Web Reference Guide ... more info, better links and ideas on how to use it all. Again, the response really stunned me.

We gave people permission to pass it on and it literally took on a life of it's own. I'd really thought it would maybe generate a bit of early interest and then fizzle out quietly. Instead, as time went on we were getting more and more emails from frustrated photographers trying to do something on the internet but getting nowhere.

From my vantage point it was pretty easy to see the main problems, so a second ebook came to be ... Websites That Work. A short report addressing the major roadblocks I was seeing photographers run into, and a few ideas of how to get around them or avoid them altogether.

We set this up on it's own website and pretty much left it be. This time we gave people the option to give it away or to sell it, and quite a few people have taken us up on it. Without any outside promotion and just a few cross-links between our websites, we still get 20+ downloads every single day.

And with the downloads come the emails and the questions, and the realisation that there's a lot of photographers who are struggling with the volume of information out there.

And so this website came to be.

My goal here is simply to post new ideas and information from time to time, and to encourage dialogue between interested photographers on various ways we use the internet to market our photography.

I'll also recommend products to those who are interested, if you think you can use them, then by all means purchase through here. If you're not interested, that's fine too.

I also hope to suggest strategies and techniques that I see working elsewhere. Some will be directly related to photography, but chances are most won't. In those cases you'll probably need a bit of lateral thinking.

If you can handle lot, that then I hope you'll bookmark the site and check in often because we're in for one exciting ride. We haven't even scratched the surface yet on what's possible with the internet in general, let alone how we use it as photographers. It's going to be some serious fun!

For me personally, I get the best of both worlds. I enjoy the interaction with the photographers and I think it's an incredibly exciting time to be doing business on the internet. There is so much going on and keeping up to date with it all is more a passion than a job.

I think my involvement in a site like this also adds perspective and depth to my role with OzImages. While that is always my prime responsibility and focus, being able to step back for a spell to toss a few ideas around with other connected photographers can only add value to anything I do at OzImages.

Anyway, I'll leave it there and encourage you to keep an open mind as you explore thge site, get involved when you have something to add, and call back often!

Matt Brading
November 2008.