Glamour Photography in Michigan, So Why Do You Blog Mary DuPrie?

Glamour Photography in Michigan… more wonderful images of Cori from yesterday

Model Photographers in Michigan are wonderful sexy people. (this is quite a “long tail” keyword phrase) I’m in information overload.  It comes from everywhere.  I look for it, friends and cohorts send it to me, it’s all over the place.  You can find and read as much information as you want to ingest these days.

  • Photographing Models in Detroit can be a challenge
  • Headshots in Michigan business is really picking up
  • Photographers who photograph Comp Cards are wonderful people
  • Detroit Photographers who are sexy!  (in case anyone is looking for a sexy Detroit photographer I’ll show up on Google)
  • This will all make sense in a minute

I was sent a great little e-book on blogging today.  Lots of lists and tidbits.  Asking all kinds of questions and giving suggestions for successful blogging.  Way more than you want to hear.

  • Why do you blog Mary DuPrie… you’re such a fabulous writer
  • Who do you want to reach Mary DuPrie… your hands are so soft
  • What do you want to say Mary DuPrie… I want to rant a little
  • Do you want to sell products Mary DuPrie… I have wonderful DVDs
  • How to write great copy (keep it positive) Mary DuPrie… I had a dove bar for dinner
  • Always keep SEO in mind Mary DuPrie… thanks Search Engine Optimization Blake Discher
  • Blah Mary DuPrie… sarcasm doesn’t translate well
  • and then some more blah Mary DuPrie… no, I haven’t run out of things to write about
  • … i really like using three periods in a row!

It was suggested in the article I need to use more key word phrases in my titles, do more lists, use bold and to put my key word links early in my post!  (so see above, blatant SEO going on here.  I threw my name in for good measure, even though no one is Googling me)

All very good points.  Well my blog is all over the place.  It’s just me chatting about my little day to day struggles.  I’m a middle of the road photographer trying to make a living doing photography.  I never intended to be a professional photographer so I tend to do it kicking and screaming.  Financially in the past I never had to consider making a living… I just spent money, lots and lots of money.

I started, accidently, by shooting models.  It wasn’t my intention, it just happened.  So I’m branching out these days into the public realm and I have to say it can  try my patience.    I don’t bend over backwards to book shoots, it’s just me.

It definitely puts a damper on things when you need/want to make a living at this.  People are uneducated to what we do and how we do things… I get that.  But really.

So since this is my blog I can rant a bit.  So many people would love to have a great studio and do this full time, I get it.  You don’t really want to hear me complaining, too bad.  It’s part of the job, we complain to each other.  Since you want to know about photography this is part of the package.

Case in point, an email from tonight.

hey!
Is this actually a place for modeling? I went to one source talent but that was a rip off so i didnt do that. But do you guys actually want models?

my response

Hi XXX

I’m a photographer not an agency

here are the legit agencies in town (which I then copy and paste for her)

her response

ok thank you so much!! that really helped!! do you get paid? sorry im asking a lot.

Wow, I don’t even know how to take that.  Do I get paid?  So I ask you, am I missing something?  Does my website say, I do this for free?  Does it look like I’m an agency?   This is the second time this week, so maybe it does?  I’m cheap?  Do I look like a hobbyist?   Ok, you can fill in all the blanks for me.   What am I doing wrong?  Help me out here people.
(making my blog more interactive)

Models, a great place to do research about the modeling  industry would be www.newmodels.com

I’m having another delete delete delete night.

Please take all this with a grain of salt, or some sand in your shoes

6 comments category: Photographing models

1 Mary DuPrie September 3, 2010 at 12:32 am

you guys just love it when i rant a little, i know i shouldn’t but i couldn’t help it…you all made me feel better though…

love these dots, they are so cute, i can’t stop using them, i’m addicted, any excuse… … …

Reply

2 Jeff September 2, 2010 at 5:15 pm

Hi Mary,

Never commented before but have followed your blog for a bit now.
I am local to you and do weddings/portraits but find your blog a bit of inspiration to use when I actually can do a bit of setup and am not running and gunning during a busy wedding. Take what you can get with weddings.
I do enjoy reading and learning from the fashion point of view as no matter how good you are there is always more to learn.

Regarding that girls comment:
I could be wrong but perhaps what your emailer meant was do you get paid to refer those agencies.

Regardless of that, I think you come off as extremely professional and are headed in a great direction. Not much available in Michigan for big fashion such as New York/Paris scene but your work is great so keep it up.

Perhaps one day we shall meet on our paths in the Pontiac area.

Keep well and don’t give up and you will be just fine.

Reply

3 Aurora Vanderbosch September 2, 2010 at 7:46 am

Had to laugh at your frustration with potential clients, Mary–but it’s definitely a case of laughing *with* you, not *at* you. As in, “been there, done that”. 😉

Wish I could say that it’s limited to photography! 😉

Reply

4 antonio toscano September 2, 2010 at 7:15 am

Hi Mary, as I told you one day you have been inspiration for many, your work is really amazing, it’s my favorite post, every day I open my mail, and sometimes when I can not sleep, I hope the 4 in the morning it is time when it appears your post, you’re really an exceptional artist, who like Kris says, you give us the opportunity to be not only a great artist every day, but a great human being who gives the time after their daily work, to describe on how to do what you like and make this information harder to devote to our work.

I just work in Mexico, where industry and fashion photography in its infancy still, I think that these emails you receive are about life itself, where sites like http://www.modelosregias.com exploit human misery for survive, where pseudo photographers living and pay for opening this type of sites that ultimately are profitable but at a cost of mistrust of the real industry, which wants to highlight.
modeling schools open and charge, which is fine, but promises to be both an agency for the model with all hopes enter it without complying with minimum requirements to be, this happens every day in Mexico, the promise to be a model or a model man.

the lack of seriousness of the Mexican designers has led the industry to junk, the gateways are a toy, just a bingo night for the ladies of society, industry of photography and video just a complement for this type of event , I commented that the designers at least in my region pay a cameraman to cover an event of this nature one hundred dollars, to a model to model gives the income of a dress for any subsequent event that has the model and even to agencies “serious” pay 130 dollars for a catwalk model in these large cities, the same are left with the vast majority giving the model about 30 or 40 dollars for the work of hours.

Mary, I again thank you for the blogs you do to see real jobs, so leave a little to see these things that live in Mexico, currently only a small number of photographers we see and photograph across the world to learn as they do in other countries, only a little, we want to grow, and we’re dodging the stones that get us to move forward, I believe that you ARE part of that elite OF PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT THE WONDERFUL WORLD has given us. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING.

tu fan N º 1 mexico ANTONIO TOSCANO

sorry my bad english, I’m used the google traslator, thanks

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5 Mary DuPrie September 2, 2010 at 1:10 am

Wow, Kris travels all over the world…and gets to shoot really cool stuff, including beautiful women.

I’ll have to keep my eye on Kris!

Check out his blog, more beautiful images and info

Kris gets a great link back to his site as a little bonus, because that’s how I roll (or link back)

Reply

6 Kris September 2, 2010 at 12:49 am

Hey Mary,

I have been following you for a while, haven’t posted here yet. I find your blogs inspirational, educational and just plain beautiful! You have a gorgeous studio at your disposal, and you utilise it like it should be.

You put effort into your work and it shows. You shoot naturally beautiful people and the quality of your work is outstanding.

I would say you’re more than middle range. You take the time to teach photographers AND models, which is a tribute to the industry. I am so glad you are who you are, and I’m on the other side of the world. What an impact, eh?

As for the emails you receive, I think it is clear that people don’t engage their brain while they type away. You don’t come across as an agency, you come across as an asset to any agency. You definitely don’t look cheap, quite the contrary actually.

You have nothing to worry about… I think this is just a case of “people not needing any form of training/intelligence to use the internet”.

All the best – keep blogging please!

Thanks,

Kris

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