Mary Virginia Swanson makes it her goal to help photographers find the strengths in their work and identify appreciative audiences for their prints, exhibitions, editorial and licensing placement. Swanson has a diverse professional background, having coordinated educational, publication and exhibitions programs for a wide range of institutions and businesses in our field and is considered an expert in the area of marketing and licensing fine art. It was during her tenure heading special projects at Magnum Photos that she recognized the opportunities for artists to develop second markets for their work, and in 1991 she founded SWANSTOCK, an innovative agency managing licensing rights for fine art photographers.

Swanson currently works individually with photographers as a marketing consultant and is a sought-after Portfolio Reviewer at events such as Review Santa Fe, Fotofest and PhotoLucida. Her workshops and lectures on the subjects of marketing opportunities and awareness have proven to aid photographers in moving their careers to the next level. She also consults with business and agencies in our industry to aid in their awareness of contemporary photography.

Swanson contributes articles to many print and on-line publications, including PND and PDNEDU, Digital Journalist, Nueve Luz, The Education of a Photographer and teachingphoto.com, among others in the US and abroad. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Fe Center for Photography (SFCP) and the ASMP Foundation, and aids numerous other organizations in an Advisory capacity. Swanson maintains a blog about marketing at www.marketingphotos.wordpress.com, and she is the author of her self-published THE BUSINESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PRINCIPLES and PRACTICES (2007) is, available through this website.