Need Advice, Feedback Requested

We all have various sites and blogs that we check daily. The internet has become more about routine these days than discovery. Let's face it, when most of us were younger and the internet was still fresh and relatively new, we spent more time finding new sites than we did revisiting ones we already knew about. The world wide web was wide and fresh with info. Nowadays though, through syndication of content, most people really only need to check a small handful daily. Thanks to things like MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, and the like, a lot of what we're interested in is already indexed for us daily and spoon-fed. Sure, it's great because it saves a lot of time, but how often do you really come across a new source of info that you decide you will go to daily (and I don't mean by adding it to a bookmark site or RSS feed)?

Since my blog is relatively small, with few viewers as of this writing, I need people's opinions on how to drive up the number of people that come here.

I'm no slouch, but it can be difficult at times to provide quality content that I can be sure people will be interested in. Leave some advice in the comments section below and let me know what would make this blog (and the related website) more worth your time on a daily basis. Do you want to see more pictures? Do you like more of the how-to stories behind a shoot? Are you interested in product reviews or gear articles? I've got some ideas lined up for some new entries but I want to make sure that I can get people's attention.

I think part of my problem is that I'm too concerned with my own personal privacy. I don't like the idea of putting photos of myself on the internet, despite the fact that it's been proven that it helps make people feel more comfortable contacting you. I also don't like to put too much personal info out there, even though that helps people feel like they know you. Lastly, at times I can be overly concerned with being as professional as possible, which sometimes causes me to lack a sense of humor about things, or at least that's how it can come across.

Some of my favorite photographers, who are very successful at what they do, are very accessible in the sense that they communicate directly with their fans/followers, they put out videos and do seminars and workshops, they use photos of themselves, and they know how to let professionalism go when necessary. Don't get me wrong, I'm no square, and can be as ridiculous as the next guy, but I think I'm still trying to find my public voice.

Zack Arias, one of my big influences and photographic role models, just released 2 videos that I personally find hilarious. I start to wonder if I'm using the wrong approach to my self-promotion. What do you think? Take a look at these videos and you be the judge.

Workshop World
Sucksessful Commercial Photographer


Don't forget to leave some comments, I would really appreciate feedback. You can also find me on Twitter

All Hope is Not Gone

So since my last blog post about Peter Steele I haven't been able to whip up any new writing. I wanted to stay on a more frequent blogging schedule this year, but it's hard. I'm trying some new things now and hopefully I can deliver more content, quality content, more frequently.

But, it would be very wrong of me to continue on from this point and not acknowledge 2 more great losses felt by the Metal world. Since Peter Steele's death we also lost the great Ronnie James Dio, and Paul Gray of Slipknot.

I do have to admit, I wasn't always a big Dio fan. As far as Black Sabbath was concerned it was always Ozzy and that's it, to me. It's not that I didn't appreciate what Dio and the other intermittent vocalists contributed, but the Ozzy lineup was always my favorite and there couldn't be another. But about a year ago I got to witness what nobody could have expected to be the last concert Heaven and Hell would ever play in New York City. It was at that show that I truly felt the power and talent behind Dio's voice and stage presence. I was a changed fan as of that night. I got some good photos of the band and was able to check Tony Iommi off the list of guitar greats that I want to photograph. I wasn't given a ticket, so I only got to witness about 3 and a half songs. The last one, "Bible Black" is the one that really changed my opinion of Dio, since then I listen to it constantly. Just a few days before his death there had been rumors that he already died, to which his wife and family responded to as being false. Unfortunately merely a few days later it became truth. The Metal world will miss you Dio, I only wish I had grown to appreciate your voice and style sooner.

I have been a fan of Slipknot since I first heard them back in 1999 at Ozzfest. I really enjoyed hearing the band's sound evolve over the years. They'd come a long way from the arguably sloppy first major label album (there was an album before that, but I think they only had about 5 guys at the time). Being a bass player myself, I always liked Paul's style. Slipknot changed the scene, whether you liked them or not, and that's a powerful feat for any genre of music. At this point it's unclear what will happen to Slipknot. Some bands slink away after a member's death, and others continue on with the "He would have wanted it this way" attitude. As a fan, I support any decision the band makes, as I understand how hard it is to replace somebody when your band's image as a whole is just as important as your sound.

I was lucky enough to have shot Slipknot when Subliminal Verses came out, but unfortunately it was on my old Olympus point and shoot camera (I shot in manual mode, but it just wasn't a great camera) - I have to dig and see if I have any decent shots of Paul, if I find any suitable for posting I will add them here.

I tip my hat to all the great musicians we've lost this year. It's a sad year for music, and actually, it's a sad year in general. So much loss this year all around, it seems people are dropping off left and right all around me and everyone I know. I hope it stops soon, for everyone's sake.

Well, that's all for now, I should be back with more frequent posts, until then, enjoy the photos, and don't forget to come on over to Twitter and follow me there for daily updates and general stupidity.

More soon,
Rob