By David Gewirtz
Last week, I ran a rant about saving your negatives in a digital world (at http://www.connectedphotographer.com/issues/issue200504/00001528001.html). Apparently, I'm not alone in my belief that it's moronic to throw out negatives, because I got a ton of reader response. A few of those letters are further down in this article.
The responses, though, got me to thinking about Connected Photographer itself. It's really interesting. Whenever we do a "traditional" photo magazine article, like a review of some piece of equipment, there's rarely any reader feedback. But when we do the kind of article that reflects how you use photography in your life, we get a ton of response.
It's become clear to me that in the eighteen or so months we've been publishing Connected Photographer, we've established a "voice" that resonates with readers. Unlike most photo-related magazines, our focus isn't on the thirty or so days before you buy a camera. Instead, we focus on the rest of your life, now that you have a camera.
Our most popular articles are what seem the least serious, but turn out to be the most needed. Three such articles come to mind:
- "The $0.69 budget backdrop for perfect eBay product photos", at http://www.connectedphotographer.com/issues/issue200407/00001331001.html
- "How to make sure your frames hang perfectly level on your wall" at http://www.connectedphotographer.com/issues/issue200409/00001388001.html
- "How to take fabulous photos of your jewelry without using a camera" (written by my mom, believe it or not!) at http://www.connectedphotographer.com/issues/issue200406/00001334001.html
Another example of this is the strong popularity of James Booth's ebook, Do-It-Yourself Wedding Photography, at http://shop.zatz.com/customer/product.php?productid=23, which turned out to be a top seller.
It's clear you're grooving on the real-world stories. But there are only so many James and I are going to come up with on our own. We need your help. We need you to tell us your tricks, your neat ways of doing things, your apparently tiny but oh-so-helpful discoveries.
If you've come up with something cool, write about it. The articles don't need to be terribly long, just long enough to introduce the problem, describe how you solved it (maybe with a picture or three), and some suitably useful conclusion. If you'd like help, we've got a great resource for writers at http://www.authorpower.com. And, you're always welcome to contact me or James.
Consider this an open invitation to share your neat tricks and cool techniques. When you've put something together (or want to talk about your ideas), pop off an email to me at david@ZATZ.com. I know the rest of our readers will get a kick out of what you're doing!
