Interview with:Tristan Hall [photocomment]
PHOTOGRAPHY
 | Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sigma, Olympus, Sony, Pentax...which do you place your bets on and why? A camera is a camera, the tool of the trade. I currently use Sony as it offered me what I needed at a reasonable price however in the last 11years I have owned probably 30 cameras from lots of the camera brands out there. |
| Describe your current equipment: cameras, lenses, computers, accessories... Sony Alpha A850, 50mm and some old film cameras. As I run a photography magazine I get to use gear on loan often too. |
JOURNALISM
| What is your specialty? What subjects do you deal with? Photography, reviewing cameras etc are my strong points though I am keen on technology generally. I also enjoy doing some travel writing. |
| In which media do you presently work or have you worked? http://photocomment.net/ which is an online photography blog and magazine.
Camera & Image, a South African printed photography magazine http://camera-image.co.za/ |
| Please list a web address where where one can view an example of your work. http://photocomment.net/ |
| To you, what is objectivity? Honesty to your readers. With one of our publications we have a great deal of support from a particular brand however when we review a product we don't only talk about the plus points. If there are weaknesses with the camera we highlight that as well. My view is that advertisers use you because they know your readers trust you, you cannot afford to break that trust. |
| Will the paper press disappear? I think there is a place for print, in photography for example, people like to see the images in the medium of print. |
BLOGGING
| What is your blog address? What subjects do you deal with? http://photocomment.net/
Its a photography blog and online magazine based in South Africa. |
| What was it that made you create your blog? On what date did you start it? I have been in the photography industry in various capacities and felt there was a need for a local photography news blog. That was back in 2008 is I recall correctly. From there things have just progressed and today we even publish an online magazine at PhotoComment.net |
| What blogging system have you adopted and why? Wordpress. For a time we ran Drupal but we just find Wordpress easier to work in for what we need and do. |
| Have you created relationships with other bloggers or readers of your blog? We certainly try to do so all the time and regularly try and feature photographers work online in our reader gallery as well as in the magazine. |
| How often do you post? Does regular posting of your blog require a lot of effort on your part? Its can get very busy and sometimes we slip up on making a regular post. We try to at the very least publish a photography tip each Tuesday, feature a readers picture for the week on a Friday and highlight a photography website we like each Saturday. The magazine goes live once a month as well. |
| How do you promote your blog? We have done some advertising online with Google Ad Words or Facebook but social media is still the greatest driving force plus good content. Just recently we posted a review on the Sony Alpha A55 and it was picked up by a few other sites across the world. They referred their readers which was a great compliment for us. |
| How would you define your readers? Have you got a faithful audience? Passionate about photography, eager learners, experienced pros... I think we have a mix. We certainly see a large number of return visitors. |
| What advice would you give to someone who wishes to begin a blog? Just do it and be consistent. |
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467 visits Whohub
Tristan Hall
Johannesburg - South Africa
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