Smile for the Camera!, Part II

Buffalo.com photo by Ray Milkowski.

Spotted photographers:

I just wanted to remind all of you that we need "smile for the camera" shots in your galleries.

"But why?" you ask.

"Here's why," I reply. "First, it is important that people at your event know that you are there. We want them to come back to the Spotted site to see their photos. Second, it helps get the Buffalo.com name out there, which also brings people back to the site. Third, when people don't go to an event, they love to see the photos of the people who were there - I can show you literally hundreds of examples of this at our Spotted site. Fourth, when some photographers start to skimp on their 'smile for the camera' shots, then almost invariably the other photographers start to skimp on theirs, too, whether it is consciously or unconsciously. And then we've got a real problem."

"I understand," you say. "All of those reasons make sense. But I don't always like to talk to strangers. Sometimes I feel like I get good photos without the 'smile for the camera' shots. And some of the events I've been too haven't had a ton of people."

"I get it," I tell you. "And everything you're saying is logical. Look, if you go to an event and there are 50 people there, it may be tough to get a lot of SFTC shots - I'm going to say 'SFTC' now, because I am sick of saying 'smile for the camera.' And even if you get shots of everyone in the room, that may only come out to 15 or 20 SFTC shots. And you may want to post a lot of photos, so the percentage doesn't work out to 60-40, which is what we're looking for. My advice in those situations, to be honest, is to post less photos in your gallery.

"I am not questioning the quality of your non-SFTC shots, by the way. Many of them are very interesting. But the bottom line is this - people are going to visit the site and stay at the site to see SFTC photos. They drive page views, site visits, and time spent at the site. Those are numbers that make Spotted money. And if Spotted doesn't make money, there will be no Spotted. So when we get away from our SFTC shots, it may not seem like a big deal now, but it will be a huge deal in the future. I hope this doesn't sound too crass, but at the end of the day, this is still a business venture.

"And finally," I say, gasping for air, "I know that it can be a little awkward asking strangers for photos sometimes. That, however, is part of the gig with Spotted. I can say, that after shooting over 200 Spotted events myself, that it gets easier as you go along. Some nights you go to an event and really don't feel like talking to people. I have felt this way, too. But I find that as I start talking, and get into the event, it gets easier and it starts to be a fun challenge, and I meet interesting people mand make good connections, and I end up with a much better gallery than I would have had otherwise."

"That's reasonable," you say. "I will try to get some more of those SFTC shots."

"I would appreciate that."

"No problem."

"Now," I say, loading my pistol. "Let's go take care of those bank robbers."