More on that....

So - what sells? It depends entirely upon your audience. Fine art buyers want that one-of-a-kind image that nobody else has. Casual buyers and decorators want something that matches the decor. Travelers want photos that show the places they've been. Magazine editors want images that illustrate the point - something that will clarify the argument they are making with their article, or strike a chord with the viewer. The list goes on and on...

This image is being considered for the upcoming issue of National Parks Magazine for an article about Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Why? It's hard to know - but I suspect that the reason is because it shows what people can expect to see when they visit the park... the typical heavy fog that is so much a part of the Smoky Mountains. No spectacular, blazing colors in the sky... no dramatic, blinding light... just the sense of depth and silence that fog brings.

It's hard to balance the needs of the buyer with an artistic eye - but if we are going to succeed in business, we have to be able to sell our work. So, we try to shoot for everyone. We set up photo shoots in our studio to shoot stock images. We visit the iconic locations to shoot for magazines and gift shops. And we follow the light... because those are the images that mean the most to us.

I have to admit that I love all these photographic markets. Photography allows me to explore something different every time I go to work. Locations and light conditions, angles and compositions... and ideas.

-Varina