I just can’t stay away from vintage photography

I just can’t stay away from vintage photography

For TOO LONG I did my retro photography as ReverieRevel, and sold vintage as VintageReveries, which was not the best idea as far as branding and marketing goes. There were lots of things wrong with doing retro photography as ReverieRevel: Mainly it was stupid to split it from my vintage clothing and fashions, considering that retro styling and photography so obviously compliments vintage fashion. Also, ReverieRevel the name was difficult to pronounce, difficult to spell, and too obscure in meaning for anyone who doesn’t have an exceptional vocabulary.

Starting back in June, when I rebranded my corporate services and website design services business, KMurrayCreative, I also began going through all the retro and vintage styled photos that I’ve taken since 2011.

Sometimes you look back at your old stuff, and think that it was crap. I looked back at my old stuff, and realized that I somehow lost my focus, and that I was more focused than I thought a few years ago.  I think that I hinted at those half formed thoughts in this blog entry, when I first announced that I was rebranding my vintage styling and photography, and redirected ReverieRevel.com to this site.

What have I learned? I’m in a list making mood today, so here’s the bullet point version, in no particular order:

  • Being an artist is fickle business. I realized last year that selling vintage fashions is not my passion, and I burned out on it.
  • I plan on getting rid of all but my costume clothing and my higher end fashions, and only selling higher end fashions. I really love luxury!
  • Taking and styling retro photos IS my passion. I love dressing other women up and taking pictures of different looks that I create. I love following old advertisements and re-creating different looks that I see in old publications.
  • I’ve found that vintage wardrobe isn’t necessary for most 20th century looks. Hats, gloves, and accessories are necessary. Often, modern dresses fit better and are more flattering. Decades tend to repeat themselves every thirty years or so, it’s the natural fashion cycle.
  • Boudoir photography is not the same business model as pinup photography as a service. For one, nude/sexy photos are private by nature, and I don’t want to get a reputation under the same name that I design church websites, as a gal who posts barely clothed pictures of anyone.
  • Adding boudoir photography, at the insistence of LivingSocial for the ad I ran last year, and personally being on the artistic high of having watched some awesome boudoir tutorials…  totally diluted my brand as a retro/pinup photographer.
  • It is really hard to do retro photoshoots as packages, although please consider the rates I’ve posted as general guidelines as far as what to expect for a fully custom session. I am considering taking all pricing off and only offering customized packages. I really want to see the outfit first, then find the perfect setting and accessories for it, and then have a carefully planned and styled photoshoot. My roots are in product photography and website design, and I prefer to treat my retro styled photoshoots the same as building a website or shooting jewelry.
  • I really need to have more confidence in my skills, my work, and my art!!!
  • I really really need to improve marketing myself!

To showcase my old and my new work, all of which is pretty awesome, I’ll be posting more blog entries and pictures! So that I don’t post everything all at once, over the next few months I am scheduling some blog entries with galleries of my notable, but not quite portfolio worthy, self-styled retro photoshoots since 2011. I had started on this back in June, and need to find where I was in posting the photos from my project with the Carondelet Historical Society.

Be sure to like VintageReveries on Facebook, to get notified as soon as new retro pics and blog entries are posted!

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