OK I’ll admit, I spend too much time looking at others blogs. I have regular blogs that I follow and enjoy very much. Informative, insightful, helpful, inspirational or maybe just providing a feeling of staying in touch with someone you find interesting personally or professionally because you find something of value in it. Something you look forward to weekly if not a few times a week.
I’ll be the first to admit there is a knack to maintaining a good blog. The ones I follow regularly have a way of making you feel you have learned something or have a better understanding of the person, place or maybe the making of a particular photograph that you didn’t have before you read the blog. This can only be done by insightful commentary by the person writing the post. Many seem like just story time or a diary. Hey at least throw in a story that starts with “One time at band camp” or something that peaks the readers interest. So why am I writing about photographers and blogs on a blog that is about photography? Simply put, those good blogs with some of the characteristics I mentioned, are far and few between.
I spent some time just today going down a list of members of a well known photography forum and visiting their blogs. I didn’t visit everyone, approximately 1100 plus registered members and of those roughly 20-25% have links to their blogs. So we’re talking in the neighborhood of 200 plus blogs. All setup and maintained by photographers. So the question is, what would you expect to find on a “photographers” blog? Ok, this isn’t rocket science here, why pictures of course! But more to the purpose of a “blog” some text, you know info of some kind. After all they publicize their blog on the forum and other online resources so I would like to believe they would have something a total stranger may find of interest.
More times than not I wonder, would you be interested in a trip someone took to a local lake and see a picture they took while there? Sure that is possible. But does it have to be; “Hi, we went to xyz lake last weekend and it was really pretty, the flowers where blooming and I took these pictures”! Or, “here’s a picture of the neat tree I found”! Or, “Great news, I got my picture in a magazine”! All I can think of when I read such entries in a “photographers” blog is, why do I need to know that? Is it beneficial in some way? Is it worth someones time to visit your blog to find out you won a blue ribbon in the county fair with one of your pictures? Well, yeah I know that it can be, your mom or dad or some other family member I suppose. Things like that are fun for families to know and share. But that doesn’t mean you need to have a website and promote it in professional circles encouraging all to visit so they can find that out.
A blog shouldn’t be something that is self serving but way to often it is just that. You have something that you want other to see or know, I get it. But do you think of the readers when you add a post? That is “when” you add a post. A couple of times a month will not keep readers interest in your blog. Or do you just think of yourself. Do you try to provide a little helpful information to the reader. Simply explaining what kind of flower you took a picture of can be of interest to someone, instead of “this pretty yellow flower”. Your a photographer, learn your subjects and share what you learn so others may learn as well. Share something unique, learn something unique, share your personal thoughts on a subject of interest. After all, you obviously want the world to read your blog so tell them something. No explanation of the pretty yellow flower is needed if all it’s going to be is, pretty yellow flower. It’s a picture we can see that.
Is this post of interest to anyone but myself ? The world may never know. And like many blogs it’s probably better that way.
This post is provided with no pictures. Get the picture?