This means that the problem isn't necessarily identifying which category your work belongs in but how you bring all the work together while still conveying a clear message to prospective buyers.

That is exactly what liveBooks does for its clients. We provide custom Web site creation, management and marketing services for photographers requiring a rich, image-intensive online presence. Using our tools photographers are able to control all the content on their Web site allowing them to tell the story that most clearly defines their creative vision.

This includes defining the organization of their work, the pairing of images and the naming and order of their content pages. In addition, the time spent on the custom design and the general look and feel of their site, also aligns to this vision.

David: What are the commonalities that cut across the various disciplines of photography?

Andy: The commonalities that cut across various disciplines of photography have more to do with what most photographers want to share with their audience as opposed to the common aspects of the images themselves.

It is difficult to find a common "theme" between a news photo and a commercial advertising photo. However, both photographers are creating a "message" with their images. The news photographer may want to convey the need for social change with an image while the commercial advertising photographer is trying to get you to buy his client's product or service.

They both have a common need to share their images in a manner that is exciting and compelling and that is what a liveBooks Web site can do for all types of photographers.

David: You told me a great story about a portfolio and the iPod. What was that about?

Andy: Technology is playing a major role in the photographic industry today. It used to be that technology was mentioned in photography specifically when talking about how a photographer captured their images either on film or digital. Now, with the growth of digital imaging both on the professional and consumer level, there are many other ways that technology is affecting the profession.

We already talked about the importance of an online presence to effectively promote oneself and there is no doubt that this is a requirement. Other technological advancements are also playing a role in how photographers conduct business.

It used to be that a photographer took images for a client but then it was a week or more before the client saw these images based on the time to process the film. Now, clients can see images immediately on a digital back or through quick download to a computer. There are even companies that allow the images to be transferred wirelessly from the camera to the computer.

Lately, we have been hearing of photographers who are using iPods in interesting ways. As you probably know, the higher end iPods also allow photo and video viewing on the iPod. Some photographers are using this as a way to send proofs of their images to their clients.