Knowing when you are not good enough

[Bob G]

Many of you would know that I operate the Seaview Resort at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast.

http://www.seaviewresort.com.au

When I first came here 8 years ago my colleagues in the industry all had web sites although they were pretty ordinary in todays terms. It was common practice when building a web site that the web designer who had next to no experience in photography would offer to take the snaps with a point and shoot. The end result would be some happy snaps from the resort operator plus some from standard Tourism Queensland stock library and the balance by the web designer.

I am always telling my colleagues they need more than just a web designer. i.e. an SEO specialist, a photographer skilled in this field, a wordsmith as well as a web designer, etc.

They will spend thousands on brochures and print advertising and then skimp on web which has become the prime marketing vehicle.

For some reason I thought I was a bit different having had an interest in photography for many years and some reasonable photographic gear. My web site which was built about 4 years ago is mostly my own photography, Tourism Queensland stock and some local stock shots from the web site builder who was also an advanced amateur photographer. It is still better than a lot of the photographers my colleagues engage who might be skilled in other ares of photography but not in this field.

It's about mood creation and getting the themeing right and I tell them not to get a professional photographer, but to get a professional photographer skilled in this field and be prepared to pay for models, make up artists and props etc. My advice usuallly falls on deaf ears, funnily enough that includes myself.

The time has come to set the ego aside and use someone with a flair and passion for the job.

So I have taken some steps towards getting this lady to put the photography together for me over the coming months on days and at times when the weather is on our side. I will offer to work as her assistant and the resultant images will be used to construct a complete new website optimised by an SEO specialist.

Here is a link to her site
http://www.anastasiakphotographer.com/

. . . . . and as for my colleagues . . . . well . . . all talk/ no action . . . is moving on to . . . . all action/ no talk.

I would welcome some views on both her photography and any issues raised in this post in general.

[Willy wombat]

Its good to see you taking a critical look at things from a business point of view Bob. Anastasia certainly has a very good feel to her photography. Very marketable and inviting images.

I certainly agree about the need to get your website right.