Portfolio
I am using Squarespace for my WIP portfolio assignments as I liked the simplicity of the pages and presentation. I have spent this past week teaching myself to restructure how the information and galleries are accessed and have got so far. I am enquiring about investing in someone to set it up ‘properly’ for me so that I can concentrate on making and presenting images rather than learning programming languages. I have invested in a student subscription as Falmouth University is approved as an establishment with Squarespace. So far the help line has been very helpful and easy to access.
https://sarah-newton-77zw.squarespace.com/
Web site
WordPress has been my initial choice for the written work for the course as it was free and recommended by tutors. Again teaching myself how to set it up I initially ran into issues and engaged help (it turned out not to be my incompetence but a glitch in the template I had chosen). Although I can post and add images I have not been able to successfully tame the galleries option in order to put my WIP portfolios there, hence having these on Squarespace. I have now subscribed to a personal account for a year to see if that helps. I hope that it gets rid of adverts that others see on my site. I have been wondering about transferring it all to Squarespace.
https://sarahnewtonphotoblog.com
I remain unconvinced about Instagram and the value of followers and likes as indicators of what of my images might sell and to whom. However, on the plus side I am realising that by making it a focussed site dedicated to my research project Beauty and the Beach… I may have found a way to contribute to the rising tide of activists and more recently politicians and superstars who want to clean up our oceans for the benefit of wildlife, ourselves and the planet as a whole. I now have a strong core of followers and follow others who are active in this area. Thus one of my project goals, to raise awareness, could be achieved if people new to the movement see my images and those of others, and as a result do something, however small, in support of the campaign. I am not linked to any other social media sites.
@sarahnewtonphotography
Meeting
I am not sure who to meet with to share my portfolio or even what should be in it at this stage. I do not think there will be much interest in straight images of rubbish. There has to be something novel in the way the images were taken and/or processed. I could set up a portfolio of wildlife or plants if I could find a source of interest such as local craft shops.
Perhaps creating products rather than showing mounted or digital images would be the way to go. For example, my images of birds flying on kites, flowers decorating flower pots, rubbish and beach images on jute bags and flip flops will show what potential my images have for various products. Taking this approach I can start to see that manufacturers of such products might have an interest. I will need to do some more work on this.
Sarah Newton Photography 