Anyone in Taiwan interested in photography would surely know Craig Ferguson. Craig is a professional photographer and his blog features great images of Taiwan and Asia. Craig won both the peer-judged and online vote for Best Photography Blog in the 2009 Taiwan Best Blog Awards. Taiwanderful spoke to Craig about life in Taiwan and his experience as a blogger.
Blogger - Craig Ferguson owner/creator of Craig Ferguson Images | Cultural Photography
About the blogger - Full time photographer, part time teacher of photography through Taipei Photo School and Light Your World workshops.
Blogs - Craig Ferguson Images | Cultural Photography
Years in Taiwan - 7
Years blogging - My current one is 3 years, but I had a couple of small ones before that. Maybe 5 years total.
Blogging platform - Wordpress running a customized Graph Paper Press theme. GPP has a direct integration with Photoshelter which hosts my image archives.
Country of Origin - Global Citizen.
Age - 30s
Could you please tell us little about your background? What brought you to Taiwan?
I started traveling in Asia in early 1997 and for the next 4-5 years shuttled back and forth between Australia (Melbourne and Sydney) and southeast Asia. Around 2002 I decided to set up a permanent base in Asia and looked at Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan. Thailand was a country I was already familiar with, and setting up would have been quite easy, but I was also keen on something new. I checked out Hanoi, Vietnam, where a friend was living, and also Taiwan, where another friend was. Taiwan won out.
What do you like about living in Taiwan?
Taiwan is a great place to live. As a cultural photographer, it's especially exciting sitting as a kind of crossroads between the modern, developed world and the ancient, developing world. Living here is easy and convenient, with a great range of amazing food, tradition and activities within easy reach. In many ways now is a very exciting time to be in Taiwan, with the lessening of cross-strait tensions coinciding with the global rise of China which gives us a kind of front row seat on the goings on.
How long have you had a blog and why did you start blogging?
My current site has been around for almost three years. I started it as a way to draw extra traffic to my portfolio site, but now I've rolled them into one integrated site.
You blog about photography. What are some of the most interesting things you have photographed in Taiwan?
Some of the abandoned places that I've photographed are definitely up there, places like the old prison in Jiayi, the pod village in San-zhr, an abandoned school in Changhua and the old amusement park in Taichung. Others include the past three presidents, the Oasis tour, the Deaflypmics opening. This week I'm shooting Diplo at Luxy which I'm really excited about, and then we're doing a pro-bono group event in conjunction with Taiwan Photographers for the Taiwan SPCA this weekend.
How has your blog helped you promote yourself professionally?
It has helped as part of a greater whole. As well as traditional promotional avenues, blogs, social media and so forth are an important aspect of modern marketing and need to be a part of every self-employed creatives toolkit. My interview with portfolio consultant Selina Maitreya goes into this in much more depth, and applies to any creative field, not just photography. All of these opportunities together have opened doors and brought me new contacts, both professionally and personally.
Have you had any special or unusual things that have happened as a result of writing your blog?
Nothing too strange, although it is kind of weird when complete strangers come up to me knowing my work and telling me they are fans. That's happened to me a few times and I'm always taken by surprise.
Do you have any advice for new bloggers?
Before you start blogging, decide what you want the blog to be about and who the audience is. If it's just to record your life and experiences with your family, then dive right in and get started. Blog as often or as little as you like.However, if you want it to be based on a certain topic for a certain audience, then stick to that, especially if you either work in that industry or have a desire to . Don't stray too far from your genre. If you feel the need to rant or get off-topic, start another blog and keep it separate. Update your site on a regular basis - maybe start with weekly posts. Keep an eye on comments - I've had to delete out of place political comments from time to time even though my site is not political in any way.
What are some of your favorite Taiwan blogs?
In no particular order:
