Well I am running over a week behind on submitting a new image for my 52 Week project but I have to say I have been quite busy the last couple weeks launching my new website which went live last week: www.craigboltonphotography.com.

This blog isn’t going away – I am committed to completing my 52 week project and will continue to post images here!

So why a new website you might ask? Well, photography has certainly become a passion of mine and I don’t see that ending until the day I’m no longer able to hold a camera to try and capture images. Photographs are a way to capture memories, emotions,  a point in time that go beyond just the memory of that single experience – it provides a tangible thing to view, to hold and to share with people. It always amazes me how I can share a picture with 5 people and often times I will get 5 completely different takes on an image. It is this subjectivity that brings with it an opportunity to see things in a different way and also a responsibility to continue to evolve my skills as an artist for images the create debate, stir an emotion or just something you plain enjoy looking at.

The opportunity to shoot more, to network with new people and to share my passion with others may not sustain a business  but at least I am going to give it all that I can. I am frequently asked for a business card by people who see me on the street shooting here in Phoenix or other places that I have been and now I have the place to send them to for examples of my work. You will notice that if you click on “archive & prints” on my website that it opens a new window to my PhotoShelter account. The PhotoShelter account is still very much a work in progress but it will be my image archive where you will eventually be able to order prints of my photographs and download full resolution digital copies for commercial or personal use.

I’m still wrapping up all the business paperwork, tax requirements, etc that need to be in place before I can implement the commerce piece of my PhotoShelter account and I am finding out quickly there is a lot to learn in that space. Fortunately I am surrounded by a lot of people that have been down this path before so I’m grateful that I am not doing this completely in the dark. I definitely have some ideas on areas I’d like to focus on in the business of photography and as part of the business plan I still have to sort through what areas I intend to focus on and then tighten up those areas on my website. For now, I am going to shoot as much as I can and I expect those experiences will help guide me on this journey.

To all my family and friends that have supported me from the day I picked up a camera – thank you, your support has been greatly appreciated and I’ll still need it from here on out  I also need to recognize a few peoples here in particular:

• My wife Michelle who not only put that first camera in my hands but has been extremely supportive of my photography from the start and also has the unfortunate perk of being my frequent test subject.  
• My friend Mark who taught me how to use that camera but also has been challenging my assumptions, my abilities and my goals in this space.
• My friends Rob, Michael and Kayman – all have been extremely supportive of my photography from technical assistance for the website launch, business setup and planning and looking at a lot of pictures over the last couple years.

I will be catching up on my 52 week project so expect to see new images here this weekend!