Photographers and Their Blogs. The Quantity is a Good Thing, the Problem is Context. by Busola Laditan

Kinyo 1:50 PM

Photography blogs are an understandable area of contention for anyone who spends a lot of time looking for good media to enjoy online. The problem is there are so many out there. It's a problem precisely because so many of the blogs are good and contain high quality photos, it starts to beg the question what the hell am I really looking at and why.

I think everyone I know is somewhat cynical about photography blogs. Nobody wants to see just another photography blog anymore, even if it is your personal blog, and you are proud of your work. It's no longer acceptable to put together a blog of photos tied together by loose artistic themes, or as a representation of your artistic expression. People want context.

To an extent this has always been the case, it's a concept that anyone who has a bachelor's degree in photography, or has studied to become a professional photographer understands. Context is everything. It's a lot easier to sell photos of celebrities and even more wedding photos than artistic silhouettes or landscapes. Why? Context. People already believe celebrities are a part of their lives, so it's easy to capture their interest with a photo of Ryan Gosling walking a dog. People buy wedding photos because there is perhaps no greater recognition of context than an event of profound personal relevance.

Photo by Marcellus Murdock

So how does one go about creating context that allows people to value the experience of visiting their blog. The simplest way is to have a clear theme. A theme can be a color scheme, or a particular subject, or lifestyle. Another way is to create a book or otherwise sell your photography as a product. Show people they should take your work seriously by taking it seriously yourself.

If you are active offline and your work is in galleries, art magazines, etc, you'll find an audience that is ready to really focus on your work. All that could be in article of it's own. On the subject of creating an engaging photography blog the most important things is interaction. Interaction is a two way street. If your photos are artistic focus on explaining them to a general audience in as personal a way as you can imagine and implement. Allow a place and method for the audience to respond, and be ready to reply.

"Design is a Signal of Intention" - William McDonough

In the process of designing your blog or website, pay attention to what your blog or website design says about how you intend for your photography to be perceived.