Blogging Pays Off!

For the past three years, I've been pouring time into this blog like a degenerate, two-bit, gambler plunking quarters into a slot machine. Yeah, Lucky 7s have lined up a few times but the tangible payouts haven't been anything to crow about.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining! (Although it might sound like I am.) I enjoy writing. I especially enjoy writing about photography. Make that writing about pretty girl shooting photography. Plus, there's other kinds of payouts, i.e., intangible payouts like psychological, emotional, and ego-stroking payouts. Those kinds of payouts have been numerous. Too numerous to list. In a nutshell, I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of writing this blog and knowing people are reading it. Judging from the comments and emails I receive, many of you genuinely seem to appreciate what I'm doing here. That's very cool! Thanks!

More than a few of you purchase items from Amazon by using the link I've provided in the side column. My commissions, which I take in gift certificates, allow me to purchase a few things now and then... and at no cost to me and courtesy of you, the PGS blog's readers. Mostly, I purchase photography books that help me become more knowledgeable and that I later review. But not always. For instance, I purchased my little Canon Power Shot point-n-shoot with those gift certs.

Two days ago, I wrote something I called, "The Wall." I doubt it stirred anyone to any great extent. I felt I needed to write about something and, as a follow-on to my "The Old Man Who Lives on the Hill" update (which was only vaguely about photography and certainly not about pretty girl shooting) writing about the wall seemed to make sense. In retrospect, it turned out to be a blog update that is already paying off quite nicely.

That night, after writing "The Wall" update, I received an email from the marketing manager of a company called, Innovatronix. The company is HQ'd in the Phillipines and is the manufacturer of the Explorer XT portable power source I mentioned in the "The Wall" article. It seems a lot of you clicked on the link I provided and that got the attention of those 'Tronix people... half-way around the globe!

In the email, Glen, Innovatronix's marketing manager, offered to send me an Explorer XT (mine to keep) in exchange for writing a review of the product and providing them a pic or two -- SFW pics for use on their website -- from a set I might shoot utilizing the Explorer XT as a (no A/C available) location power source. How cool is that? Earlier in the day, I was writing about how much I'd like to have one of those babies for an upcoming shoot and, BINGO! By that night I found out I was gonna get one, courtesy of the manufacturer!

But it gets better.

An hour or two later I received another email from Glen. This time he tells me he had a meeting with 'Tronix's president and they've decided to not only send me an Explorer XT, but they'd also like to send me their Tronix Auxiliary Battery Pack, once again, if I'd later write a review and send them some pics.

Wow!

But it gets better.

Glen and the president also decided they would like to send me their Tronix Portable Air Blower as well as one of their (as yet to be officially released) Tronix Vulcan Battery-Operated Smoke Machines! Yep! You guessed it! Also mine to keep and with the same quid pro quo conditions, i.e., reviews and pics.

Holy smokes! (Pun intended.)

But it still gets better!

In an email back to Glen where I thanked him and 'Tronix's president for making me an offer I can't refuse, I mentioned my plans to promote pretty girl shooting workshops. Late last night, Glen emailed back confirming my acceptance of their kind offer, asking for my shipping address and, once again, upping the ante: He advised me that Innovatronix would be very interested in becoming a sponsor of such events!

I am... really thrilled about this and looking forward to trying out Innovatronix's gear and developing an on-going relationship with them. (I'm already dreaming up some ideas for using a smoke machine and/or an air blower in places where they're normally not used. How so? Because I'll be able to use them without being tethered to an A/C outlet.)

If any of you are planning on attending the WPPI Convention at the MGM Grand Hotel Conference Center in Las Vegas this weekend, stop by the Innovatronix booth and say hi. I attended last year, thoroughly enjoyed it, but am unable to be there this time. Innovatronix will be in Booth 335. Please tell them JimmyD, the pretty girl shooter, sent you.

The SFW pretty girl photo at the top is Kayla from a shoot in 2008. Kayla's got a great profile, no? Here's another of Kayla from a different shoot. This time, with unusual processing (for me) but a more customary PGS NSFW pic.