The time is now, it had been brewing behind the scenes for some time since 2016. There were times when I looked back and reflected on myself, whether things could have been done faster. In life, sometimes, many things don’t go according to plan.
Sometimes, the people around you understand or make a point to seek first and understand, sometimes, there are also people around you that doesn’t want to understand and know what were the circumstances and situations.
As I took the first step into opening my own small business in photography on the 1st day of 2017, there were a lot of things behind the scenes to get things up and running for my small photography business. From setting up a new photography portfolio website, to restructuring and realignment of my other photography sites. The economic conditions are slow and very challenging for year 2017 and 2018. Taking the first step into operating a small business, is a huge leap of faith and courage. I am and I have to work a lot extra harder and smarter, taking on 2 more jobs (helping my friends business in legal services and forex/stocks trading) beside growing and building up my small photography business.
First and foremost, let me introduce to you the updates and changes below:
New photography portfolio website using Format platform – http://www.tghphotography.com
First and foremost, I thought I had a photography portfolio. Yes and No.
A fellow photographer friend commented that my photography and travel interest site (probably in 2015) was messy and people can’t see my true portfolio. He was spot on and I took note of that, without going full steam ahead into making the changes, that was before some things happened in 2016.
In 2016, after personal setbacks and fell right into the bottom of a well. I started to plan and make changes. While picking myself up, licking my wounds and handling personal losses to my loved one and 2 close friends in year 2016.
The process was much slower than I what planned and wanted it to be. Finally, I pieced all my jigsaw puzzles and planning together, giving rise to my new photography portfolio.
Photography and travel interest site – https://blog.photojournalist-tgh.tv
This website used to double up as my portfolio, with more than 10 years of photography and travel content (since 2006). It had accumulated a pretty rich amount of photography and travel content. With the establishment of my new photography portfolio, this would be relived of official photography portfolio duties.
She will continue to serve in her capacity as a photography and travel interest / social media / blogging website, my digital marketing, social media and blogging arm for my photography and travel.
Hosting/sharing of photographs in photography/social media communities
~ 500px – https://500px.com/tangenghui
~ Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/tangenghui
These two photography communities are where I have uploaded and shared my photographs from my past years of photography adventures. These two communities are closely linked to my photography and travel interest site, whereby I wrote about the events that I attended, camera reviews, travel etc and visitors can visit Flickr or 500px to view more of the photographs that I took.
With the establishment of my new photography portfolio, my 500px and Flickr would be restructured and realigned them to be secondary photography portfolios.
There might be people who question the need for multiple photography sites to host and showcase my photography works. They each have their goals, objectives and directions in terms of my outreach, engagement and sharing of photographs. Having a presence in the two different photography communities help to expand and diversify my photography presence, outreach and branding.
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/TanGengHuiPhotography
My Facebook page will remain status quo, no major changes to its direction and usage. This is part of my social media outreach, digital engagement, marketing and publicity platform for my family, relatives, friends, clients and supporters on Facebook.
This Facebook page is not just about sharing my photography works, it’s also a sharing platform for photography tips, news, interesting events taking place and my travel segment as well, from travel news, travel tips and travel events.
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tangenghui
My Instagram currently is a personal Instagram account, therefore, it’s not specially and specifically curated photography portfolio. This is a pretty carefree Instagram account, not bounded by too many of my own rules and regulations.
I might setup another Instagram account, purely for photography portfolio purposes. Until this takes place, my current Instagram account would take on the role on the Instagram platform, as part of my social media outreach, digital engagement, marketing and publicity platform for my family, relatives, friends, clients and supporters.
Final closing and personal thoughts
A new established photography portfolio, along with a strategic restructuring and realignment of my other photography sites, all these new changes and movements allowed me to streamline and manage my business, marketing and social media outreach.
Nothing in life is perfect, we just have to learn, grow and pick ourselves up from our mistakes and failures. At this juncture in time, all of the above would serve me well in running my photography business and growth in the near future.
Today, reaching this milestone, opening up this new journey, the route leading me towards this post today, was never straightforward and smooth going as I thought it would be. The setbacks in year 2016 spurred me to create and carve my own future. Being stuck at the bottom of the well, climbing my way up and out of it, this was another huge learning and growing curve in my life, to pick myself up from all the hurt, damage, anger, disappointment, lost of confidence and self belief.
Some said, I am slow in doing all these things together. True, no doubt about that and I do not deny that point. I do things a bit slower than others because I am more prudent, plan and strategise further ahead. How many people really knew about the recovery curve that I went through?
Most people don’t want to know the things behind the scenes, the “blood, sweat and tears”, they only see the end results and money, this is the capitalist economy that we live in.
Everything above is a huge leap of faith, it’s a new hope. No matter how much or how detailed planning in life that a person can do, in whatever areas they take on, there are no guarantees in life, I used to learn that there are only 2 guarantees in life, they are death and taxes, now make it 3 ~ Change is the 3rd guarantee in life.
This new journey actually started on 1st January 2017, it’s only with the launch of my new photography portfolio that I can write all my plans, happenings and thoughts here.
I know this is quite a bit of lengthy read, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, for taking your precious time to read (when most people are not reading much) and for your continuous support, if you have read till the last line here.