Saturday, July 10, 2010

On sponsorships and entrepreneurship

A number of bloggers these days have been seeking for sponsors to sponsor them items/services through listing their wishes and wants on their blog. These services/items may range from wedding gowns and accessories to plastic surgery.

Is there really such a thing as free lunch in this world today? I mean I do consider it free since you pretty much don't have to do anything except blog about the sponsorship. That's quite a good deal isn't it? Blogging about these sponsorships is a part & parcel of your life, and it won't take up much of your time.

For me, I'm not seeking for sponsors for expensive things. I just need a good high-performance camera for my Goddess owner. So Nikon or Canon, if you are reading this, I hope you can do some kind donation.. I can help test your camera and publicise how good it is over at Paper Polly. Though it isn't some big establishment, we have 600+ fans and counting.. tsktsk..

Guess unless you are some celebrity blogger, small fries like me will never have our wishes fulfilled, unless the sponsor's initials is BF or ME.

So, getting past all the dreaming, I'm not photography junkie. I can appreciate the beauty of the pictures, but I ain't no creative or artistic person who can frame such good shots. The reason why I think I should get myself a high-performance cam is that I think the photos of Paper Polly are not looking professional enough that it may turn some people off. You think so?

Let me show you some egs which I think why my Goddess' current Olympus cannot make it:


Pics taken from Olympus is still not too bad. And with a photographer directing, at least the lighting is still there and the pictures clear.


And luckily for my Goddess, her photoshop skills are not too bad, so the pictures turn out clearer and better.

But when my Goddess do self-shots, really cmi. Stood at the wrong position with no lighting. And to minimise the hassle of always having to set the timer, she used her hp camera, thinking that it has the same number of pixels, and hence will generate the same quality of pictures, she was totally wrong.

The pictures turn out really pixelated. And in a lot of the shots, the colour setting was totally off and she looked green and sickly.


But oh well, she already spent 3 hours on the shoot, so she can only salvage the pictures as best as she can.

She's been thinking if she should get a better camera. Which brand is better eh? Nikon or Canon?? Any comments?

And also, we've noted that focusing on getting the product right is not enough. Though it's the most essential step to take, getting people to know about your product is more important. There are so many considerations to running a blogshop, especially in this competitive market with low barriers to entry.

Is the range of clothes ok? Are the prices too steep? Is the layout user-friendly enough. Does the website gives a pro & fashionable feel enough to be a blogshop? What are your thoughts on Paper Polly?

My Goddess really hopes that one day Paper Polly will make it big and be in the league with blogshops like Bonito Chico, Love & Bravery, Runway Diva etc. Wonder what was the special secret recipe to their success? Time (as in first-movers advantage)? Marketing? Product offerings? Wished she had taken up marketing/econs in the first place so this will come in handy.

But oh well, until she finds the right formula, she's still far from meeting her target.

Guess we just have to take things in its strides. But do come visit Paper Polly if you can and share it with your friends and family members.

Thanks so much for your support!

3 comments:

Evonne said...

You can try getting micro four thirds (Olyumpus PEN-1, Panasonic GF-1) if you don't want to invest in a too exp camera, or get a high end point and shoot like the Panasonic LX3 / Canon S90. These should actually be sufficient...

I have a DSLR myself and it's a joy to have cos of the picture quality but the lenses are expensive. A great set up is also essential, try getting good lamps to brighten up so you save less time on photoshop. : D

If you are thinking of either Nikon or Canon, best thing is to look at what your friends have - you can probably borrow their lenses to try it out ;)

The thing about DSLRs, other than the cost, are that they are too heavy to carry out unless you have a car or a very willing BF to help you carry it around. So the LX3 should suffice if you couple it with good lighting!

Hope that helps babe!

Anonymous said...

just my 5 cents worth
1)
lack of models. I think with just 1 model for the product, it dosen't bring out the liveliness. would be quite boring. usually famous blog shop like those u mentioned has at least 2 models. E.g. models wearing their clothes playing with each other bringing out sunny look for sunny outfit.

2) Pattern of clothes/ Lack variety
Too much floral print patterns. Most clothes on blog shop, if u noticed, again like those blogshop u mentioned has a good mix of plain and floral prints. They usually have more of plain patterns in fact.

3) poses
Can try posing in more relax and casual way. So as not to look "artificial".

Ching said...

Thanks Evonne & Ms(?)Anonymous for your really helpful comments!

I didn't expect to receive such positive feedback for my boring rantings. Am really grateful :)

Hi Evonne, I will give the Panasonic LX3 / Canon S90 a try. Not a camera geek myself, so not sure if lugging a DSLR which I won't know how to make full use of its features is a good idea. Can't wait for the next IT fair to come so i can get a good deal then~

Hi Anomymous, your comments are really useful. My partner and I will look into bringing in more plain and basic structured clothes as suggested! Will also start hunting for suitable models, and in the meanwhile relax more in front of the cam.

Thanks so much babes once again!