About a month ago i made the decision to open a second photography shop on etsy, "ooh pretty shiny". After various conversations & discussions with other photographer, etsians & bloggers i concluded one of the things standing in my way was a lack of cohesion in my shop. My style can be somewhat eclectic at times & from a buyer's point of view that's not necessarily a good thing. So whilst the timing couldn't possible be worst with so much else going on i opened the new shop & i love it. I love how both shops are starting to look & feel so different, everything seems to make sense. & so far all the feedback i have received has been incredible positive. I definitely made the right choice.
The hard part i have found is the promotion aspect & i'm not spending as much time as i would like promoting both shops with my increasing work locally not to mention the lil dudes imminent arrival. & i know i am not alone in this world ... we all wish we could spend more time promoting & show casing our work, our shops & basically getting noticed out there in the big wide world. So here i am sharing new shops belonging to a couple of other fabulous female photographers on etsy, who's work i admire, who are wonderful women & who made the same choice i did.
The Shabby Photographer (really the name says so much) is the brand new shop run by Natalie French, an incredible talented photographer also from the UK (which obvious adds to her appeal), who's work is simple stunning. No really, she has a wonderful eye & imagination for the small details & putting random objects together in a way that inspires well anybody with a couple of brain cells. Her style is vintage & whimsical, the tones through out her pictures are soft & calming & the final outcome is simple & unique. I wonder at the thoughts that go through her head that enable Natalie to capture the images she does. I would love to one day watch her work, to see the process of setting up the shot. For me i see things already around me, for Natalie the creation seems to be as much a part of the final product as the picture itself.
I wish i could remember how i became friends with Claudia but i can't ... maybe it was just a mutual love of photography. Anyways here we have another inspiration for me, & a girl i talk to on a regular basis about all things photographic. Not to mention we are both in the process of trying to expand our business & going through similar journeys. Well like me she has a second "style" to her photography & a growing love for lomo, film & vintage. So she set up a new shop "a lomo love affair" (don't you just love the name) to showcase this & other similar techniques away from her original shop "a place for twiggs". & i love how it looks, still very much her style but with a totally different feel. Claudia sees things in the world around her, from nature to the random to a bright green bug & captures them in a way that showcases their own specific beauty. How can you not love this girl or her work? & if you have a moment i suggest heading over to her fabulous blog, yes this girl is not just an incredible talented photographer but a fabulous writer!
