Name of your website?Andre Blais Photographer
Your name?
Andre Blais
Your Location (city, etc)
East Providence, Rhode Island
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Andre Blais, located in Rhode Island, specializes in wedding and commercial photography throughout New England.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
The need to instantly show a portfolio of work to people on a daily basis.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website was launched two years ago and was a display of great images and not so great html script.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Deciding on a name for my website was easy enough, I originally considered a more general name such as Ocean State Photography, but I want people to realize that they’re dealing first and foremost with an individual and that I personally work every event as the lead photographer.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
What sets Andre Blais Photography apart from other photographer’s comes from my distinct style and where I draw my influences. I’ve always been heavily involved in fine art and view every image as it’s own work of art. My technical training as a photographer comes from commercial, fashion, and advertising photography. I strive to combine these two mediums to create visually stunning images. Something so abstract as images doesn’t translate to words, I encourage you to view my portfolio!
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
My eventual goal is to someday photograph the wedding's of generations within a family.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I’m very fortunate that I can make a living at doing something that I love, sometimes I find myself in front of the computer a bit much but such is the nature of the game with photography these days.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I'm very happy with my website, it's shocking that the best form of advertising is really one of my lowest expenses.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I shot a limited number of weddings and events each year to ensure that each project reseves the attention that it deserves.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
I've learned that even the best hard-drives fail, and to back up all digital media three times in different locations.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The biggest chalange for has been breaking into the destination wedding market, a fair amount of clients still prefer to work with a local vendor when possible.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Print advertising combined with good old fashioned word of mouth.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I can't believe the number of hits I receive; the power of the web never ceases to amaze me.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
My latest website revision was launched about a week ago, I've already developed a pipeline of clients and have no plans at all of slowing down.
What activites unrelated to your business do you enjoy in your free time?
I love illustration, painting, and music. I play and write music, and love to play tennis and ski.
What is your website address?
Andre Blais Photographer
