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How to write an effective bio for your photo site.
I'm getting ready to launch a new web site. One of the hardest things for me to tackle is writing a bio that doesn't sound narcissistic or lame. It's been suggested to write it in the 3rd person and keep it short. My MM profile wouldn't work for my site so I kind of have to start from scratch. I'll have a separate column for credits so I don't really need to talk bout clients or credits in the bio section. I'm wondering if anyone has some examples of what they thing are effective photographer bios and/or some suggestions of do's and don'ts. I appreciate any input. thanks! Patrick Jan 17 09 12:59 am Link A few different photo sites with bios , to give you a taste of what works for different people. Some are short some are long. http://kaitlyngroth.com under bio. http://www.perou.co.uk/biography.php http://albertwatson.com/ under profile These are three examples; one a student, one a professional, the other a legend. - Phen Jan 17 09 01:37 am Link I've found that it's much easier to sit down and write out a list of things you want to include first. Start with the basics such as name and education. From there move to your style or objectives, then finish with accomplishments. You're not writing a paragraph but rather a list of things. Once you have that list you incorporate those items into a short paragraph. Basically this technique allows you to identify the things that you want to include before you try to start writing. It's the same technique that many people recommend for writing a resume. Jan 17 09 01:44 am Link Don't write in 3rd person - doesn't sound personable! How about only talking a little about your photography/you as a photographer - as your work speaks for yourself. Instead try to write stuff people would want to know about you as a person. Or you can try making a list of your favorite things.... Jan 17 09 01:52 am Link My advice is DO NOT do it in the 'third person'. These third person things always turn out badly and are usually hugely detrimental to being taken seriously. Unless you are a very good copy writer, it will always come across as someone trying to buff up their importance. To be honest, whenever I come across 'third person' profiles I just hit the back button. If you are writing about a company that employs a number of people, individual bios should use third-person as it works better in context, but an individual should always be first-person. You are trying to sell yourself and your work; why would people have any faith in you if you can't (apparently) speak for yourself? Just in case you should look and feel that I am contradicting myself! - I currently have a 'third-person' bio on my website. This is a genuine article, since it is taken from a published magazine interview and I have credited the journalist. My new site (when I finally get the thing done) will have a completely different, 'me' version. Interviews and reviews by bona-fide third-parties are great and can add a degree of gravitas, writing about yourself in the third-person, however, makes you look a bit silly and will not be taken seriously. This whole third-party thing is largely an internet phenomenon, most obviously preferred by the semi-literate and the pathologically self-important. Ask not what you can do for your profile; ask what your profile can do for you.. That's what The Rusty Horse reckons, anyway. Now he has work to do and tea to drink..... P.S. Write it. Hide it away for at least a week, then read it - you'll spot any 'horrors' much more efficiently that way. Jan 17 09 02:01 am Link The Rusty Horse wrote: That is similar to the advice I give people when they say they want a tattoo. I say find a design you love, stick it in a drawer for six months, then look at it again. If you still love it, have it done. Jan 17 09 02:25 am Link Patrick Shipstad wrote: 1) Keep it terse. Jan 17 09 10:15 am Link Dbl Post Jan 17 09 09:34 pm Link Get someone else to write it. I had my marketing director write it and it came out great. Check it out on my website. www.DustinDodgePhotography.com Jan 17 09 09:37 pm Link i write in third person. i quite like it too. different strokes for different folkes i suppose. i thought a 'biography' was supposed to be third person anyway Jan 17 09 10:19 pm Link |
