Randy Olson & Melissa Farlow

Challenge: Editorial and advertising photographers Randy Olson and Melissa Farlow needed an immediate solution for the loss of data that occurred when their archive and photo delivery service shut down. Although they were busy—and are contract photographers for National Geographic Magazine—they were also taking stock of today’s realities: greater competition for work, ever-changing dynamics of editorial photography contracts and rates, and the overriding issue of the “future of print.” Randy and Melissa reached out to me to develop the best solution for distributing their vast collection of photographs, revamp their online presence, and devise a plan to increase their website’s visibility.

Solution: After a thorough exploration of who they are, their resources, and what they wanted to accomplish, I designed a clean and sophisticated site that showcases their powerful “issue photography” and stories. The goal was to create a user-friendly and search-engine friendly website that specifically appeals to the audience they want to reach: art directors, editors, politicians, educators, and researchers. I moved them away from a static brochure website to a dynamic web presence by integrating WordPress and the powerful image archive platform, Photoshelter.

Results: Randy and Melissa are able to upload, update, and manage new content as well as sell images directly from their website. Blog integration enables them to communicate with and build a relationship with their audience. Immediately after launch, traffic skyrocketed and they were showered with compliments. Soon after, they were featured on the home page of Photoshelter.com.

Visit Olsonandfarlow.com