How to Find the Blog Service that’s Right for Your Photoblog
In this post Natalie Norton shares pieces from her interviews with 8 successful photographers where they shared all kinds of resources to help you find the blogging service that is right for your photoblog.
I’ve spent the week thinking over this article. . . it’s the final part of a 3 part series. We began with a WHY TO BLOG installment: Blog Power. We followed up with the WHAT TO BLOG installment: Building Your Blog, and now we’re wrapping things up with the HOW TO BLOG piece you’ve all been waiting for. Though I am currently in the process of designing a custom blog, my blogging experience thus far has been with Google’s Blogger for my personal blog, along with my brief moments with WordPress when I’m blogging here at DPS. As many of you loyal DPSers have been inquiring as to what blog service to use to best showcase your work, the conclusion I came to was that I am COMPLETELY incapable of offering a balanced response to this complex question on my own. Thankfully, I recently asked 8 successful photographers 4 simple questions. Their broad range of answers will rock you to the moon and back if you’re serious about starting your own photoblog, so this week. . . we’re gonna learn from some friends of mine. I hope you enjoy.
ME: What service do you use for your blog?
- Michael and Anna Costa: We have two blogs! His & Hers? Anna’s blog is a “Blogger” blog and Michael’s is “Big Folio Blog.”
- Jonathan Canlas: Blogger.
- Jasmine Star: I had my blog custom designed by the world’s best blog company, Infinet Design - www.infidesign.com . The designer, Brock Martin, was a dream to work with and designs for many serious photography bloggers.
- Leo Patrone: Blogger.
- Ed Pingol: I use Blogger for all my blogging needs.
- Sakura Photography: I host my Wordpress blog on my site.
- Michelle Ellis: I use Wordpress. It’s uploaded to your own server so you host it yourself. I actually bought a template that is designed for photographers. I had seen a lot of really cool custom blogs out there and looked into getting one. The starting price quote was $1500. I’m not at a place right now where I could spend that kind of money on a blog. I found a wordpress template by this really cool company called Pro Photo it has all the elements I was looking for and at the price of $99? A STEAL!!! Really, the best money Ive spent for web presence. The owner/creator is so wonderful. He’s got all these tutorials and stands behind his product. http://www.professionalphotographertheme.com/
- Pascal Wowak: I use Typepad, premium service-no ads.
ME: Do your images appear true to what you imported from your computer once they’re published on your blog?/Do you feel your blog allows for a good representation of your work?
- Michael and Anna Costa (Blogger/BigFolio): Yes! We love how both our blogs show off our work accurately.
- Pascal Wowak (Typepad): I use the biggest format to allow for the biggest images posted = I only post the completely processed file as presented to my clients and ust a frame/logo border rather than a watermark on top of the image. I thin watermarked images ruin the feel of the image so I stick to a black frame with copyright info at the bottom.
- Jonathan Canlas (Blogger): In the beginning yes, lately, there seems to have been a change and I can’t figure out what it is. The images look good on the blog but they look SO much better in print…
- Jasmine Star (Custom): Yes and No. Yes, when I view them on my MAC computers. No, when I view them on my dad’s PC computer.These issues may have to do with calibration and monitor size, but I’m okay with it. More than anything, even if my images don’t look exactly how I want them, I understand it’s more about getting my work out there, not the idea of perfection. Afterall, I HIGHLY doubt Picasso would like the idea of having his fine art paintings printed on 4×6 postcards and mass-produced for consumers, but it’s about familiarity and exposure. **Please note: In no way was I trying to equate myself to Picasso…it was just an example!! :)
- Leo Patrone (Blogger): Blogger allows me to get a good representation of my work. I can upload images, text, videos, pretty much all I need.
- Ed Pingol (Blogger): I never upload any images through Blogger because the image gets automatically resized if it’s too big. So to get around that, I use Photobucket.com (the professional version) which only costs $20 a year to be able to host an unlimited amount of images with an unlimited amount of bandwidth. We average about 85gigs of bandwidth per month for you geeks out there. =) In addition, you can upload any images as large as 2mb! Awesome!
- Sakura Photography (WordPress): Since I convert to sRGB, size down to the actual size that I have fitted for my blog (650 pixels in width), and sharpen the newly sized-down image (just the simple “unsharp mask” in PS really makes the image pop), the images show up exactly as expected.
- Michelle Ellis (WordPress): Absolutely! I save directly to my own server so the images are exactly what I upload. There is no 3rd party resizing or sharpening. I love that! I have complete control over how my images appear.
ME: What do you LOVE about your blog service?
- Michael and Anna Costa (Blogger/Big Folio): With Big Folio - we love the clean, designer layout of it. It is a seamless transition from our website to our blog because the looks are so similar. I love the Blogger blog because it’s user friendly and everyone is comfortable posting! Since so many people have a blogger blog it’s very familiar to use. Anna’s blog was created to interact with clients/friends/family & fellow photographers more - so it’s been great in that way, the Bigfolio blog is more an extension of our portfolio.
- Jasmine Star (Custom): I LOVE the personal attention I receive from Brock. He answers every email in 24 hours and sets aside time to talk and develop design ideas together. I totally dig this guy! :)
- Jonathan Canlas (Blogger): That it is Blogger, which is Google and which helps a ton with keywords. Like for example, if you Google “Becca Chico, CA” I show up on the second page. What the heck is Becca Chico, Ca? I have no idea and don’t care as long as it puts me up in searches. I just booked a wedding outside of Chico, CA because when you Google “Chico CA photographer” for some reason I come up. They loved the work and are flying me out. Fantastic. I heart Google. I also love that you can pay to have more space if needed.
- Michelle Ellis (WordPress): OK, I have to let you know…I LOVE my blog. I love it more than my website. It’s like my own special place on the web where I can have a voice go with the images. Letting people get to know ME and personalize my work. I love that the address is a branch from my own domain. I love the control I have over all the input and design. I also love the REALLY big photos I can show. 900px wide baby!
- Ed Pingol (Blogger): For the most part… It’s FREE. Also, we update our blog about 3-4 times a week to keep things fresh for our “stalkers”.
- Sakura Photography (WordPress): I have full control over it- my blog template, header, colors, etc..
- Pascale Wowak (Typepad): I have had ZERO problems with Typepad and their customer service has always been super helpful and prompt. The system is easy to figure out and affordable. I absolutely love it and have no complaints.
- Leo Patrone (Blogger): It’s really easy to use and you don’t have to pay a penny for it.
ME: What would you change about your blog service?
- Michael and Anna Costa (Big Folio/Blogger): For Big Folio - I would change the method of leaving comments. Since they are going for style and design, the comment links are really small and they are also repeat for every image post - even if it’s within the same over all post. It make creating a conversation type atmosphere a little more challenging For Blogger - If you customize your URL away from the standard “blogspot” they make it a lot more difficult for you to customize the blog. I can see why they do this, but it’s still sort of annoying!
- Pascale Wowak (Typepad): I’d love for a search feature to type in a name of a client and have their post show up, but I’m sure there is probably a way to do that and I just haven’t figured it out yet! I’m not computer savvy so I just stick to the basic stuff :)
- Jasmine Star (Custom): Well, in the broadest sense, I would love to change the design more often. When you pay for something custom…it’s, well…custom. Using Blogger or Wordpress offers customization options and changes that are quite alluring…
- Leo Patrone (Blogger): I wish I could customize it a little bit more.
- Sakura Photography (Wordpress): More spam protection.
- Ed Pingol (Blogger): Nothing really.
- Michelle Ellis (WordPress): Nothing. I’m so in love.
- Jonathan Canlas (Blogger): A bit more common knowledge about customizing the blog. More options of templates etc, or the option to pay them or someone to make a custom one for you (CUSTOM, do you see a pattern here?).
Ultimately, as you can see from the varying opinions above, it just comes down to finding a service that meets your particular needs. You have to find the shoe that’s right for you and then wear it with pride!
Well boys and girls, there’s the 411, the skinny, the haps. A special thanks to my photog friends for sharing the love. May it come full circle as it always dose. I hope you’ll be sure to hop on over to the DPS forum where we’ll continue this discussion on blogging/blog service. I’ll be sure to come around to answer questions and just plain old chit chat about whatever your little hearts desire.
Happy Shooting and Happy Blogging!
Natalie Norton lives and shoots on the North Shore of Oahu, HI with her husband Richie and her 3 crazy boys. You can check out her blog at natalienortonphoto.com.
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May 7th, 2008 at 12:36 am
I believe the worst blogsite is live.spaces.
It loads dramatically slow, I have been posting since 2 years,
and even though u use seo tools and software, there is no tags that show up in google or elsewhere.
IT has no META enablement, u cannot add it in.
Complaining to them made no difference,
moving to wordpress does.
Heinz Rainer
http://mindwanderer.wordpress.com
http://heinzspages.stumbleupon.com
May 7th, 2008 at 3:00 am
I use Wordpress on mine without any problems, plus a neat little plugin called Thumbnail Viewer. Theme is Unwakeable by Tyler Longren. Clean and easy, at least in my opinion.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:15 am
This is the part of the series I’ve been waiting to read. I’ve been thinking about setting up a blog, but wasn’t certain which services had which features. It is good to see several points of view like this from various photographers. BTW, you didn’t answer your own questions ;) What has been your experience with your blog services?
May 7th, 2008 at 3:20 am
And if you don’t find it, you just create your own! Time consuming, but worth it, in my opinion.
— Klaidas
http://www.klaidas.lt
May 7th, 2008 at 3:42 am
I use Live Journal (LJ), http://www.livejournal.com.
I can use different levels of protection on each entry, like open to all, friends only, custom groups (only certain friends can see), and private (only I can see). The comment areas are built for easy conversation. I can use my icon to display my favorite photos.
Also, LJ works with Photobucket for easier image posting. LJ has a TON of layout templates and encourages custom designs. I can change it up frequently, or tweak one I like so it’s *just* the way I want it.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:44 am
Oh, and LJ allows you to embed the journal in your Web site for a seamless look.
May 7th, 2008 at 4:20 am
Basically I’m running a self-hosted wordpress
May 7th, 2008 at 4:34 am
Natalie…just a reminder: you rock my world. the end. :)
May 7th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Hey Natalie! I second the recommendation for that $99 template that Michelle bought. It it worth its weight in gold! Well, I guess it doesn’t weigh anything so that’s not a very meaningful sentence. But you get what I mean :) It is very professional looking, and is certainly the template I would use if I was still looking for one.
Great article!
May 7th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Oh, that was a great article yet again! This series was incredibly helpful in every way. It really takes the mystery of all of those questions that have been my stumbling blocks to starting my blog. Thank you!
May 7th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Anyone who wants to host their own blog needs to check out PixelPost. It is by far the best photoblogging application out there.
Find it at http://www.pixelpost.org/
May 7th, 2008 at 6:45 am
What a GREAT way to talk about what blog to choose. Thanks for sharing what the pros use. This helps me to now go see what is the best fit for me. You are AWESOME Natalie! THANK YOU!
May 7th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Self hosted Pixelpost blog. So far, I think it does the job well.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Nice way to go about writing an article when you didn’t know what to write about - ask others. I guess it’s just dumb luck that only one of them was designed to be a photoblog.
I have seen excellent things done with Blogger and Wordpress, but for something that behaves like a photoblog right out of the box, I agree with Marcus, you need to look at Pixelpost.
I also found Zenphoto (http://www.zenphoto.org/) at some point, which looks kinda cool. Haven’t tried it though.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:51 am
I used to use blogger, but am in the process of switching to WordPress because it rocks! There are so many widgets that one can add it’s amazing. The future address for this wedding photography blog is Furious Photographers Blog.com. Yay for WordPress!
May 7th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Pixel post is pretty good, I agree, good digital photography applications.
http://www.digitalphotojob.com
May 7th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Another vote for Pixelpost (www.pixelpost.org). A good framework for custom photoblogs with a good development and design community.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Wordpress users…
The best spam protection plugin I’ve seen is WP-SpamFree (http://www.hybrid6.com/webgeek/plugins/wp-spamfree) without the Captchas (type the word in this image) or math problems. Best yet…seems to work pretty well. I haven’t seen any spam on my site, but those who want to comment still get through.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Self hosted pixelpost and after trying wordpress, I don’t like it for photo blogging, now text blogs, WP is it!!
Pixelpost does take some time to tweak, but man it is sweet.
My 2 pennies,
Dennis
May 7th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I use WP, the Grain theme & ‘Yet Another Photoblog’ plug-in. I rent some space on a server and am good to go. If you use an Apple dont go the .Mac route. It is far too restrictive on bandwidth (if you get some traffic the costs go up) and site design.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Just want to say you’re the awesomest!!!
May 7th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I used to use pixelpost for my very old photoblog of travel photography http://www.camereye.com/, but most portrait/wedding photobloggers like to tell a story with their photos they post, so wordpress does actually seem to work better this way than pixelpost (ie- I post about a wedding and show 10+ images down the page to portray the feeling of the day, or perhaps another post is just some news- like “Portrait Sale this week”- no photos involved.).
…Pixelpost vs wordpress- I guess it depends if you are photoblogging one-off photos (pixelpost), or photoblogging stories from sessions for your potential portrait/wedding clients (wordpress, blogger, etc..).
May 7th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Leslie brings up a good point. You’ll each have to think that out on your own. I definitely feel that my words add value to my posts. . . I keep it simple, but I do use text for nearly every post. I have another photog friend, Jonathan Canals, who definitely leans toward letting the photos speak for themselves, and it’s powerful. So pixelpost or wordpress or __________ I guess to each his own. You just have to know what you’re looking for.
Thanks Leslie for bringing that up!
Happy Blogging!
xoxo,
Nat
May 7th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
I guess I’m lucky because I have a fair amount of php/web design knowledge attached to my experience in photography. I’ve put together — in my opinion– a rather strong photoblog using wordpress. I haven’t seen any blog with the same feautres that I’ve implemented. I have the ability to nicely attach just one picture, an entire gallery, or no pictures to a post. well. Come by and take a look: http://aaronsnyder.net If you are interested in how I did it just shoot me an email– listed on my website. I hope I was of some help because I agonized for a long time how I was going to setup my photoblog…..
May 7th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Good points Leslie and Natalie.
Pixelpost can have accompanying text, but WordPress is a bit more flexible for that. Also, I just remembered that WordPress 2.5 might be much better for photographers than previous versions because the upload and gallery features have been massively improved. I guess what’s needed is more good themes for photobloggers who aren’t familiar with the languages or don’t have enough time to make their own. There’s a lot of good WP themes, but few photo-centred ones.
You have a unique and effective site there Aaron.
May 8th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Thanks Kristarella-
I’ve really put quite a bit of effort into my website. There are still a few tweaks I’d like to make but for now I’m very content with how it runs. For me the toughest decision was how to handle posts that would only have one picture vs. full galleries of shots. Also, I wanted to have the ability to include lengthy text because it’s the text that google sees and helps to pull users onto the website. I may be packaging up the theme once I make it a little more userfriendly and optimized. If anyone needs help figuring out how to make wordpress an effective blog let me know– I’d be glad to help out another photographer.
As I’m about to start the next round of tweaks to the theme I’d really appreciate as much critiques on the blog as possible.
-Aaron Snyder
May 8th, 2008 at 3:31 am
pixelpost, pixelpost, pixelpost…..
Easy templates, good plugins and free.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:19 am
Thanks for the always invaluable 411. I’m thinking of changing my blog host now. When are you going to write a book?
May 9th, 2008 at 5:09 am
I use Wordpress on my site. I installed the flashfader plugin and use it for the header to show off some photos. I love flashfader, and I think it adds tremendously to my site.
Justin
–
http://www.1kphoto.com
May 9th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Great post!
For simple, one photo a day type things, I’m liking http://www.aminus3.com/
May 10th, 2008 at 5:36 am
I used Blogger when I first started out but then I moved to wordpress, simply because it is completely customizable (if that is a word)
And I’m very happy with it.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Photoblogs.org has a great list of photoblog hosting/services on their wiki page.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I use Expressions for my photoblog and have been very happy with them.
http://my-expressions.com/