Finding My Way
I’ve always wondered if anyone would be interested in purchasing prints from me of some of the images I’ve shared on Scooter in the Sticks. And others I haven’t. After I retire at the end of June I’m going to have time to engage some of the projects I’ve been thinking about for a long time — riding, and creation of books, online courses and other products I’ve thought may be of value to people.
Especially people thinking about becoming riders, dreaming of that first motorcycle or scooter. Those who otherwise stumble along as I did. Perhaps I can help smooth the road a bit.
Taking all of this to the next step, I’m asking for feedback and help in steering me toward a plan of action. Or non-action depending on the results. The survey below will be an important first step. If you have a few minutes I would appreciate your feedback and comments.
There are eight questions.
Thank you!
THE SURVEY IS CLOSED
An old retired business colleague uses a site call “SMUG MUG” to showcase and sell the wildlife photos he shoots from world travels. They charge him annually for space. They handle digital distribution he handles prints.
We had a freelance photographer come to one of our motorcycle trail riding events…he uses them too…
SMUG MUG looks like it can do a lot. Thanks for the suggestion. Seems like a viable option. Also looked at Zen Folio. Similar. And I’ve been thinking of printing myself — high end inkjet, archival images on exhibition grade paper. They look wonderful but the time and cost may be prohibitive.
Move research is in order.
My motto came came from the words of George Washington.
“If you have 4 hours to cut down a big tree…spend 3 hours sharpening your axe”
Makes sense.
I love the idea of prints Steve and personally I always enjoy when the author/photographer has penned something in the bottom corner that gives meaning to the photo. I’m not technical minded in the least but I certainly would support your ventures and look forward to them.
After reviewing the survey results, prints seem like a reasonable path. Lots of options and I would like to share them. Funny thing about moto prints — I often see them pinned up in garages and workshops as part of the moto decor.
Stay tuned to see what happens at some point. Probably in the summer.
I, for one, would LOVE a “Scooter in the Sticks” tee shirt!
Very much looking forward to your retirement and the liberated thoughts you’ll be sharing after that kicks in!
I want a tee shirt too! I just have to sort through my ideas.
Retirement opens a world of possibilities.
Steve,
I’ve always enjoyed your pictures and blogs and I find it hard to think of the two separately.
It could be nice to have a small (or large coffee table) book or booklet combining the two in such a way as to interest motorised two wheelers. Have you thought also about collaboration with a biker to attract a wider audience?
You might be surprised at the amount of interest.
I wish you well.
Mike
I’ve considered adding a motorcycle to my riding to expand interest but haven’t thought of adding another author. Mostly because Scooter in the Sticks feels personal. Not sure how I would integrate another voice.
I suspect there are a lot of riders who will dismiss out of hand the writings of a scooter rider. If I had a Harley, or a BMW, appearing from time to time, that might establish another level of credibility.
Lot’s to explore.
I’ve printed for myself (digitally), since about 1998. Exhibited a few times, sold a few prints. DIY is a bit involved, mostly in terms of keeping the printer maintained (in the process of resurrecting an inherited Epson SP R3000; Sig. Other has a bigger SP 4800 in her studio). I really do like the degree of control and “on-demand” abilities having my own printer offers me.
And, since you already have a similar printer to mine, here’s a not-so-big secret: Keep your home-printed limit to 13 x 19 inches, which I believe is your printer’s maximum output size; if you get any requests for something larger, farm it out. (From my experience, I’ve seldom sold anything larger than 11 x 17″ which sort of makes sense when you factor in how large a properly-matted and framed print of that size ends up being.
And, from what I’ve seen here, you’ve got a lot of good stuff to offer. 🙂
Whatever I do with prints I’ll want to keep it simple and affordable. Using a service like SMUG MUG or Zen Folio allows for some easy access and sales at reasonable prices. If I start printing myself the price jumps. I’ve been fascinated by some photographers selling folios of prints in limited editions. I could see selling, or trying to sell, small folios of gelatin silver prints.
No big prints though. The largest I’ve dealt with was 18 feet wide by 9 feet high. Obviously farmed that out. Shot with a Nikon D200 and upsample by One Photo or something to get a huge TIFF file for printing. Looked pretty good considering…
You capture Good Stuff with your forth eye, It would be fun to observe that course of life, after you retire.
I think I’ll move from the workplace to the recliner. Watch TV. Eat pretzels and surf the web. Makes sense right?
Steve I took the survey.
I couldn’t come up with an answer to the question how you might be able to improve the blog.
That’s a tough one.
I’m sure that anything can stand improvement. And yet, when something is already very good, the opportunities are not self-evident.
I have found with software, and web site too, that in the beginning the improvements are really improvements. Later on though, changes are made, but often they either trade four quarters for a buck, or worse, they make things less effective for users and readers.
Of all the things I’ve seen on blogs lately, the one that really stood out for me is Fuzzy’s ‘Ask me anything’ videos. My heavens that was gutsy and powerful.
I believe that the interesting thing about blogs is that you get to meet someone who has something to contribute to improve your life. It might be how-to information, inspiration to try something new and a little risky, or as simple as a distant but very real relationship, a friendship. The more intimate the blogger allows the relationship to become, the more compelling it is.
In Rachael’s case, reading her blog, I got the sense that while she shared her riding experiences openly, she held back in terms of engaging with her readers. For instance, photos of Rachael sans helmet were exceedingly rare and for that reason there was a barrier in terms of getting to know her a little better.
I understand fully that as a woman opening yourself up on the web is fraught with risk, perhaps more so than for men.
That makes her ‘Ask me anything’ videos so much more incredible.
I was trying to access her site, and it may be down. She may have tapped into a source of internet resonance that proved to be overwhelming.
All that to say that the natural way to go is a path that makes deeper more personal connections with your readers.
As to what that might look like, I am sorry but I’m afraid I can’t really offer more specific advice. I do like the idea of selling your art.
My reluctance to invest in photography is that photos lack the inherent scarcity that original works of art have. A painting is essentially unique, even if the subject is one that the artist revisits frequently. The painting remains unique and time (the artist’s time on earth) is where the scarcity comes in. With prints and etchings, the series is limited.
With photography, there may be no scarcity to appeal to collectors. That said an ‘original’ Ansell Adams does have real value. Anyway, those are my thoughts on photos as art.
Then again, the cost of a photograph might be generally much less than for a painting.
I would buy one.
Changes and improvements. Tricky territory. I suppose the best guide, if revenue isn’t a driving force, would be to keep it interesting personally. That way at least you’ll have the energy to keep working.
I like what Fuzzy was doing with the Ask Me Anything pieces. They remind me of the sort of confessional videos I did in art school. Pre-iPhones and selfies, the videos were unusual. I learned that it wasn’t that hard to open up and talk. Whenever I think of video though I get lost now — not sure why anyone would want to watch me. I can see producing video representations of rides, but then still photos may be just as good.
In terms of photography, I’ve long thought photographers want too much for their images. At least in the print selling realm. I’ve sold a handful of prints at high prices. Like music, I’m thinking it better to sell more prints at lower prices. I have boxes of prints that no one will ever see. Wouldn’t it be better for them to have a life in the world?
If I sell prints — they won’t be expensive. My goal will be, in part, to have pictures of that riding life out in the world.
Anyways, that’s what makes sense to me at the moment. Thanks for sharing your comments.
Oh Steve—
The prints would be fantastic! I love the shots you make of the two pups being—-well pups!
The shots of them in the snow is very near and dear to my heart as a past boy from Pittsburgh.
I would be interested in book or some form of printed version of the blog and its articles. I admit I am a book guy. The feel, smell, and turning pages of a book give me pleasure.
I do wish I was closer to you than being in Louisiana. We have many Dnepr and Ural machines here that you and the pups could spin up an adventure on. I think you might enjoy that.
Sorry to ramble. I am old after all…
With respect,
Safetybob
Dog prints. Hadn’t thought of that.
The book is a high priority. While it may take ideas from the blog I really see it as a unique work. Motivated by the blog but different. We’ll see.
Louisiana. That’s a long way off.
No problems rambling. Or being old!
Ok, late to the party because I didn’t want to take the survey and come across as negative, but…
…and take this with a grain of salt because everyone is different, but…
I’ve found every attempt to commodify my creative pursuits highly frustrating and soul-killing; the switch from “here, I have something beautiful that I’ve crafted and want to share — please take it” to “would you support me, please?” is swift and brutal, and, for me, personally, makes me feel smarmy, like I’ve jumped from artist to Amway salesman in one small leap.
Granted, I was raised by preachers and Marxists and so don’t rub up well against commercialism at all, and I know that’s a unique and not always healthy perspective; I have many friends (authors, artists, musicians) who are perfectly happy promoting themselves, and power to them. Still, they *are promoting themselves, constantly, and that’s a very different headspace than basking in the calm of creativity.
In the internet era, when we’re all used to getting things for free, I think it’s especially hard to feel our creative output is valued once we try to put a monetary or professional value on it.
So, again, take my perspective with a grain of salt! But remember, you are riding and writing *for yourself*, and, as you’ve written more than once, that’s a rare and valuable portion of a life in which you already are tasked with many responsibilities — be careful not to turn this free space (in both senses of the term) into just another of those responsibilities.
Hello Tom. I appreciate your comments.
As I think of all the things I’ve done since the beginning of Scooter in the Sticks, the consideration of making money, monetizing or commodifying, that mental conversation has been the most difficult for me for many of the reasons you’ve outlined. I spent many years as a contract photographer for ad agencies and corporations so at that level I’m familiar with trading expertise for cash, my creative soul for the commerce of everything from tobacco and beer to banks and investment firms. While creative tools were in play I never confused it with my personal needs to create.
Scooter in the Sticks is a labor of love to employ a tired old cliche. The survey revealed the same concerns you’ve raised in your comments and echo my own. And the results also showed pretty broad support for a lot of “products” with perhaps a strong stipulation that it does not become a crass example of money grubbing. For some, the mere presence of sales would push things over the top.
I am riding and writing for myself. I don’t want to put a price tag on that. But there are things I would like to share that would cost money.
Your last sentence about responsibilities — I absolutely don’t want to become enslaved to any part of the blog (or products) that would just become another form of the work I’m retiring from.
Time to explore a new approach to things…