Thoughts on PhotoBlogging...
I thought this article was kind of interesting!
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“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.”
- Ansel Adams
“Just as written blogs have transformed journaling from a private activity to a public one, photoblogs have made it possible for the enthusiast photog to find an audience. Just like any artistic endeavor, if it doesn't have an audience then the pursuit of photography is an indulgence or therapy. Those pictures sitting in boxes in your closet or as files on your computer need to be seen in part to justify the work that you put into producing them.
People start photoblogging for various reasons; some to show work they already have created, others to encourage themselves to produce new work. Some are looking for validation, some seek out constructive criticism. Some want to share their world in the visual light in which they see it. Make no mistake about it, there is an element of ego in all photoblogs as there is in most art. If you have a photoblog you are, in essence, declaring to the world, ' Here is my work - come and judge me.' It will cost you time and money so it is best to know your motives before you begin.
Will having a photoblog make you a better photographer? Maybe. If your photoblog forces you to take more pictures in order to feed it, hopefully it will be making you improve and grow as a photographer in the process. It should help you to edit your own work; you should be able to look through a day's shooting and find the one or two images you want to display on your blog. It should make you think about your own work and the work of others; being a photoblogger makes you part of a community whether you like it or not. Hopefully you will not be just maintaining your own photoblog in isolation but you will be regularly visiting the photoblogs of your peers. This allows you to judge your own work in a larger context. It also allows you to riff off other photobloggers work, ideas, themes and methods.
Will having a photoblog make you rich and famous? No. A few photobloggers try to make up a little of the money that they have invested in their sites by selling prints, calendars, courting gigs, etc. but no one is a professional photoblogger yet. Most (if not all) photobloggers are not full time professional photographers. Many want to be, and a few get the occasional commission but every photoblogger has a day job.
Professional photographers tend to like full control of their work so gallery or portfolio sites are more their style. Ansel Adams famously said; “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop” and he was a pretty good photographer. Assuming you shoot as much as Ansel and you get your share of good shots in a year, even if you only post a picture twice a week, what are you going to post to your site the other 90% of the time? If you have a gallery site that you only update every few months you can stick to your A list shots. If you are a photoblogger it means that you are going to have to dip into your B and, perhaps, C lists of photos. You have to be a little brave to show the world work which you know isn't your best.”
..........................................................
“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.”
- Ansel Adams
“Just as written blogs have transformed journaling from a private activity to a public one, photoblogs have made it possible for the enthusiast photog to find an audience. Just like any artistic endeavor, if it doesn't have an audience then the pursuit of photography is an indulgence or therapy. Those pictures sitting in boxes in your closet or as files on your computer need to be seen in part to justify the work that you put into producing them.
People start photoblogging for various reasons; some to show work they already have created, others to encourage themselves to produce new work. Some are looking for validation, some seek out constructive criticism. Some want to share their world in the visual light in which they see it. Make no mistake about it, there is an element of ego in all photoblogs as there is in most art. If you have a photoblog you are, in essence, declaring to the world, ' Here is my work - come and judge me.' It will cost you time and money so it is best to know your motives before you begin.
Will having a photoblog make you a better photographer? Maybe. If your photoblog forces you to take more pictures in order to feed it, hopefully it will be making you improve and grow as a photographer in the process. It should help you to edit your own work; you should be able to look through a day's shooting and find the one or two images you want to display on your blog. It should make you think about your own work and the work of others; being a photoblogger makes you part of a community whether you like it or not. Hopefully you will not be just maintaining your own photoblog in isolation but you will be regularly visiting the photoblogs of your peers. This allows you to judge your own work in a larger context. It also allows you to riff off other photobloggers work, ideas, themes and methods.
Will having a photoblog make you rich and famous? No. A few photobloggers try to make up a little of the money that they have invested in their sites by selling prints, calendars, courting gigs, etc. but no one is a professional photoblogger yet. Most (if not all) photobloggers are not full time professional photographers. Many want to be, and a few get the occasional commission but every photoblogger has a day job.
Professional photographers tend to like full control of their work so gallery or portfolio sites are more their style. Ansel Adams famously said; “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop” and he was a pretty good photographer. Assuming you shoot as much as Ansel and you get your share of good shots in a year, even if you only post a picture twice a week, what are you going to post to your site the other 90% of the time? If you have a gallery site that you only update every few months you can stick to your A list shots. If you are a photoblogger it means that you are going to have to dip into your B and, perhaps, C lists of photos. You have to be a little brave to show the world work which you know isn't your best.”
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Excerpt from this article.
Labels: photoblogging
posted by Ryan H at
1:37 PM
1 Comments:
"If your photoblog forces you to take more pictures in order to feed it, hopefully it will be making you improve and grow as a photographer in the process."
I find that to be so true! In fact, just yesterday, my mom and I went for a walk, and I kept thinking, "Will this make a good post on my blog?" Thanks! The article was really interesting!
By
Goldfish, at 9:16 PM
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