7 Tips for Starting a Photography Blog

Creating and consistently updating a photography blog is critical if you’re running a photography business. If you’re only an amateur photographer, a photography blog is still a nice outlet for showcasing your work, getting feedback, and learning from others. If you don’t have a photography blog, here are some tips to help you create one and a few things to keep in mind to make it rock!

-A Photography blog should be stylish, yet simple: First and foremost, any blog with a lot of clutter or flashy distractions will drive a visitor away. A photography blog’s main purpose is to showcase your photos, thus anything else that seems to “get in the way” should be avoided. A simple, but somewhat stylish template for your blog will add the necessary emphasis to your photos. When creating posts you should keep your text to a minimum, but also using the same consistent font, will help in not scaring away visitors. A lot of big bulky text will create a competition between it and the photo. (WordPress.com is a pretty good site for hosting a first-time photography blog.)

Photo by Dhodge

By: Bubus666

-Photography blog background: The overall style of your photography blog should be kept simple, thus the background will be a critical element in the design process. Typically, photography blogs will be featured on a solid black or white background without any kind of logos or photos set there. If you do choose a color, a neutral color is recommended. This allows for all the attention to be directed to your photos and nothing else. It can also help in making your photos really stick out. Another thing you can do, when using a solid background, is put your photos in frames, giving them a more distinct presence.

By: AshleyxBrooke87

-Photography blog captions: It is always a great idea, even if you’re keeping your text to a minimum, to provide a caption about  the photograph. This will allow your viewers to get more than just a nice visual, but also a story to go with it. If you are thinking about really rocking a photography blog out, providing information will be very beneficial to you. Furthermore, somewhere within your photography blog  you should list or provide photos of the equipment that you’re using (you can do this by creating an “about me” or “equipment” page). This can be anything, tripods, camera bodies, all the different lenses you use, filters and you can even add special techniques you find helpful. You might find, that by releasing a little information like this, your visitors will ask you questions about it.

By: Stridsburg

-More Photography Blog Features: Some things to keep in mind when you’re putting the photography blog together, is to keep an archive. Many visitors will want to track back  your earlier photos to see your progress or to check the different kinds of shoots you have done. You can also add categories to your photography blog so in the event you have nature photos, portraits, and landscapes, they can all be in their defined place. Also, adding an RSS feed isn’t only for blogs with articles. You can also add a subscription feature so your fans are emailed when you post something new.

By: KoolKris

-Spreading the word & getting photography blog visitors: Depending on the purpose of your photography blog, whether it’s a hobby you want to share, you’re building up your skill, or if you’re a professional photographer, there are several different ways to get traffic to your photography blog. The first, and probably one of the most important methods, is keeping the blog consistently updated. You don’t have to post photos every day, but the more you do it at a regular pace, the better your chances are of having visitors returning to your photography blog.

By: HobbitMob

-Social media and bookmarking for a Photography blog: Taking advantage of free social media networks, like Facebook and Twitter, can help you find people that you know, or new people who are also interested in photography. Together, you can share each other’s photography blogs, receive and give feedback, and update everyone when you have a new post. Social bookmarking sites like Digg, Stumbleupon, Technorati and Reddit can generate a lot of traffic, especially when your content is interesting. TO use a social bookmarking site, you usually have to create an account, and then just submit a URL from your photography blog.

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-Photography Blog Commenting: When you’re creating your photography blog, it’s always a good idea to take a look around at other photography blogs to see what aspects you like and which you don’t. When you have a few posts up, commenting on blogs is a really great way to share that you also have a photography blog. When visiting another blog, leave your name, a relative comment to their post, and a URL to your blog. Most likely, the photographer of that site will come and visit yours, as well as others who are visiting their site. Equally as important is when visitors comment on your blog, be sure to respond. People like to know that their comment was received and sometimes, they might be asking you a question.

These 7 tips will certainly help you on your way to creating a photography blog and sharing it with friends, family and other photographers.