Name of your website?Photography and Creative Images by Irene Abdou
Your name?
Irene Abdou
Your Location (city, etc)
Germantown, MD
Please give us a short summary of your website.
I have a variety of photography galleries on my website (http://www.photoswithsoul.com) - animals & wildlife, travel (especially Africa), nature (especially flowers), architecture, etc. I sell art photography prints of my images for unique home decor, wall art, and office decor, as well as licensing of stock photos. I've also posted articles from the experts with tips on interior decoration with wall art and photographs.
Even if someone is not interested in purchasing prints or licensing stock photos, I still encourage people to just visit the site to enjoy the photography, either by viewing the slideshow on my home page, or just by browsing the photography galleries.
I also offer on location portrait photography services in the Washington, DC metro area. My website provides information on my portrait photography services, in addition to sample portrait images.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I love photography, and I initially launched my website at http://www.photoswithsoul.com to share my passion for photography with others. Having recently moved back to the U.S. from several years living in South Sudan, I've had more time to spend on my photography, and it's begun to pull more and more at my heart. I started to look at photography as a profession rather than just a hobby, and my website helps me to do that.
Is this your first website, and when did you launch it?
Yes, in fact, this is my first website. I launched my photography website at http://www.photoswithsoul.com just a few months ago in May 2007.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
When I think about what kind of images I love, I realize that I love colorful, vibrant photos. I love photos with soul. And that's how I named my website - Irene Abdou Photography, with the tagline, "photos with soul." My website address is http://www.photoswithsoul.com, with the added benefit of it being easy to remember!
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Let me answer by giving you some quotes from visitors to my site and other people who have viewed my images. I received an e-mail today from a woman who said, "I just love your photography, particularly how you are able to capture emotion in your pictures." One of my images was selected a few months ago as Editor's Choice by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (see it at http://www.photoshopuser.com/members/portfolios/view/image/86929#4742). A viewer described the image this way: "A haunting story told through the eyes of the children-you captured the secrets very well."
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, etc.?)
I only launched my website at http://www.photoswithsoul.com a few months ago, so I know that it has a long way to go. My vision for my website, though is to create a place where people go just to enjoy photography and art - or to learn about photography and get photography tips - as well as find art photography prints that they love and that they use to decorate their homes and offices. Looking at photos makes me happy. I hope that my images bring other people to smile or appreciate photography as much a I do.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I have invested quite a bit of time and money in my business this year. On the other hand, I realize that building a business takes time and effort. I'm willing to devote the time to it, since really, I enjoy it, and the business side is also fun. The thought of spending so much money to build the business, though, with no guarantee of sufficient return on investment, though, is a little scary I admit!
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
The web service that I use (http://www.clikpic.com) is great for beginners. You can actually get a terrific-looking photography or art website up and running within 24 hours or a few days. I would eventually like to have a secure log-in section or private gallery for clients, though, and I would like my site to be more interactive - for example, having a message board where people could post comments and respond to other people's comments, or even a system where people could rate every photo on the site (1 to 5 stars, for example). Also, I'd like to eventually accept visa/mastercard as methods of payment - right now, payment is through paypal.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I think so. I'm pretty technologically savvy, and I'm efficient. I think I can put the right systems in place to do what needs to be done to satisfy my customer's needs.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Well, none...yet... I have found that there are an unlimited number of things for me to spend money on for my business, though, so I do have to weigh the value for money, taking into consideration my income to date.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Marketing. I've heard from many sources that the marketing is more important than the quality of the photography in determining business success. I could have a terrific website, but if no one knows it's there, then it doesn't help me at all. Another challenge has been pricing – finding the perfect price that gives me sufficient return on investment while also remaining competitive and affordable.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
You know, I think it's too early to tell at this point. I only recently started to use Google Analytics to analyze my website traffic and look at the value of referrals and keywords. But I don't think that I have enough data yet, or that I've spent enough time experimenting with many marketing techniques to know what works the best.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Well, I'm learning a lot. Although with the web service I use, knowledge of html is not really required, I am learning it anyway because I've wanted to customize my website in various areas. I suspect I'm also going to need to learn how to work with css style sheets, but I haven't really gotten into that yet. I've also just started to read about search engine optimization, and am working on building my website now with that in mind. In summary, I suppose I didn't realize that I would be learning all of these things along the way, but while it's very time-consuming, I do find it interesting and I enjoy it.
How long will you continue to keep your website up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Well, I only launched the site in May 2007, so it hasn't been very long. Even if the site isn't successful in terms of generating income, I think I would continue to keep it going just because I enjoy playing with it, and I want other people to, at a minimum, just enjoy looking at my image
In addition to art photography prints and stock photos, do you offer any other services?
Well, I also offer on location portrait photography services in the Washington, DC metro area. I really enjoy photographing people, and I love seeing the smiles on clients' faces when they see the finished portraits of their families. Portraits can be family jewels, especially baby portraits, because babies change and develop so quickly. The camera captures the moment – the memory – and once that time has passed, the memory and spirit of the moment are lost forever, if not captured by the camera.
I specialize in posed and candid portraits in natural settings. For example, if there is a particular location that a client likes or that has special meaning for the client, then I meet the client on location for the photo shoot. This is a great way for people to document the daily joys of family life...a day at the zoo, a family barbecue, a trip to the park!
On location portrait photography offers many advantages over studio photography:
- True memories of special days in a person's life, as well as a more natural feel. - With an on-location shoot, I can photograph many friends and family, whereas it would be difficult to assemble all these people at a portrait studio at the same time! - I can also include pets in the photo shoot, which again would not be possible at a traditional studio.
Information on my on location portrait photography services in the Washington, D.C. metro area is also available on my website at http://www.photoswithsoul.com.
What is your website address?
Photography and Creative Images by Irene Abdou
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