Macro Photography and Audience

Yesterday, I'd mentioned that I did not see any macro photography work at the art festival. I had seen several examples during the prior years, though. This made me wonder - am I targeting the right audience with this work?

Macro work is by far my strongest point. Consider these:









That's all well and good, but I haven't seen pictures like these hanging on people's walls - or anywhere else, really - except for in print ads.

Interesting, I thought to myself. I then went to Google a few search terms to see what audience I should target with my macro work. I had to dig through a lot of information, but I realized quickly that I've been missing the mark all along.

Macro photography is best used for marketing (ads), nature, science, and medical photography. I have been entering this work in general contests - not the right target most of the time. Certainly, there's a place for it in the fine art world, but it's not a natural and easy fit. As far as stock photography is concerned, though, it's a great fit - which is why I see macro work in so many ads.

Sounds easy, right? So why did it take me so long to come to this conclusion? I don't know, but I'm someone who looks for those small victories every day. This was a big one for me.

Tomorrow - equipment update!