|
|
Do you limit yourself
to photos of flowers and gardens?
Of course not! I've taken thousands
of photos, of numerous subjects. However, for the time being, I have
decided to concentrate on marketing my flower & garden photos. That
decision has been based on a number of factors, including my awareness
of the large market for such images, and my observation that beginning
artists, photographers and musicians tend to prosper more often when
they have an area of specialization.
Return to Top of
Page
Are
the photos on this site available for sale?
Not yet. At this point (as of
5-3-2002, when this was written), I'm in the process of obtaining my
certificate in Web Design at Truman College. (I've designed this site
during the course of that educational program. Once I get more comfortable
with the process of maintaining and enhancing my own site, I hope to
start doing some freelance web design projects as well.) In terms of
FabulousFloralFotos, I still haven't worked out all of the details regarding
production,
order processing and fulfillment, and other issues which
must be resolved before I am able to turn this hobby into a viable business.
However, I hope to have all of those issues resolved before the end
of 2002, and preferably before then. (I've already gathered a lot of
information regarding options available to me.)
I encourage visitors to this site
to e-mail me information (at mark_w_pettigrew.hotmail.com)
regarding how you can be reached (preferably via your own e-mail address,
since I don't have a huge budget for promotional mailings). That way,
I can notify you as soon as products based on my photos become available.
Return to Top of
Page
What
are your plans for this web site?
Initially, I plan to use the site to
display my portfolio, and to stimulate interest in my photos, so that
when I'm ready to start selling products based on those photos, people
will be aware of me and my work. Later, I plan to offer products (such
as fine art prints, greeting cards, refrigerator magnets, screensaver
CD discs, T-shirts and other garments with iron-on transfers, postcard
books, mugs, mouse pads and more) based on my photos. Chances are that
I'll focus on one product category at a time, so keep checking back
to see how I'm progressing in this regard. (If
you bookmark this site, that will make it easier for you to do so.)
I also hope to use this site to provide
information (such as wholesale prices, information regarding relevant
merchandising display units, etc.) to retail stores, art galleries,
etc. who might be interested in selling products based on my photos.
A couple of art galleries have already expressed interest in my work,
and I'm looking at the possibility of selling products at the Illinois
Artisans Shop (a branch of the Illinois State Museum) as well.
If I am able to persuade retail stores
or galleries to carry my products, I'll use the site in order to furnish
potential customers with contact information regarding the stores which
carry my products. Of course, if those businesses have their own web
sites, I'll also offer links to those web sites.
Return to Top of
Page
When
products based on these photos become available, how can I order them?
That depends on what category of buyer
you fall into.
For customers ordering small quantities
for themselves, their friends and family, or other businesses which
don't plan to re-sell my products, I'll probably provide a PDF (Adobe
Acrobat) order form, initially, so that visitors can order those products
via standard mail order after printing and filling out those forms.
Later, I hope to incorporate true e-commerce capabilities (possibly
using PayPal as a payment option) into the site, so that such customers
can order my products without delay.
Retail stores and galleries which wish
to sell my photo-related products will be dealt with on a case-by-case
basis, in accordance with commonly accepted business standards.
Return to Top of
Page
|
