How important are photoblogs?

[oblivi]

I was looking through a number of sites as well as blogs and wondered how important are blogs? If you have a site that you update regularly my thinking is that you do not need to update a blog as often or for that matter have one at all. Many sites now have a link to a blog that will lead you to their blog connected to the site while others have separate blogs on entirely different site. I would like to hear from those who have blogs, sites or both to chime in with regards to their effectiveness.

BTW I have a blog that is very general especially for music but will be incorporating the photography side of my life SOON!

Depends on who you ask.

[sk66]

I generally dislike them. I particularly dislike them when used as a "professional" photographers site. They are usually entirely "unprofessional".

Some potential clients might find it makes you seem more "human", but I doubt it, and you have as much chance putting someone off as yo do "convincing" them...

They can be good to help "force" motivation. They are fine as a "share site" for friends/family/websurfers. They are entirely unrequired.

[fletch]

If you mean for a profesional it depends what you do and who your target audience is.

I think it is a great idea, it helps people see your personality and see more pictures to judge your style. The recent nature of a blog also shows a photogrpaher can keep producing great pictures rather than just relying on an achive of 20-30 great shots to promote their business.

A blog promoting your business should be clean and free from adverts, have a style and appearance closely linked to your main site so it is associated and have a link back to your static site on every page. It should also be updated regularly.

[dakwegmo]

Fletch makes some good points. It can be a pretty valuable marketing tool, if used correctly. They're a great way to present your work and to give an idea of your style and personality. Also, to show potential clients what sorts of projects you have been working on. A well written blog, with good content, can give you good exposure that could lead to opportunities that might not otherwise be available to you.

However, a professional blog should be on topic and avoid non-business related subjects. If you want to have a blog to discuss your personal interests, then keep it separate from your professional site. If your shoot weddings and family portraits, then it's probably not going to help you much to talk about music on your professional blog. If you shoot concerts, though, it can show that you really follow the music scene and know what you're talking about when it comes to shooting bands.

As for effectiveness, right now my only web presence for my photography is my photoblog. I'm not actively trying to sell my photography work at the moment, but I get frequent requests for prints or portrait shoots. Many more than if I were only showing my photos on Flickr, or another photo sharing site.

[jdepould]

A good way to use a blog as a professional is to announce new projects and content. That way, people can see what you've done recently, even if you decide you don't want to use it on the portfolio side of your site.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by dakwegmo

As for effectiveness, right now my only web presence for my photography is my photoblog. I'm not actively trying to sell my photography work at the moment, but I get frequent requests for prints or portrait shoots. Many more than if I were only showing my photos on Flickr, or another photo sharing site.

Am I missing something? I went to your blog site, but I didn't see any "blogging".....

My problem with blogs is they tend to be "frilly" and "emotional" and filled with "extraneous chatter".....but that's just me and my personality factors in.

[dakwegmo]

Originally Posted by sk66

Am I missing something? I went to your blog site, but I didn't see any "blogging".....

There's a difference between a blog and a photoblog. Photoblogs are primarily about the image, there can be text that accompany the image, but the photo is most prominent. Most people misapply the term photoblog to any blog that focuses on photography. These are still just blogs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoblog

Originally Posted by sk66

My problem with blogs is they tend to be "frilly" and "emotional" and filled with "extraneous chatter".....but that's just me and my personality factors in.

I currently subscribe to nearly 150 blogs and not one of them is what I would describe as frilly or emotional. Every single one of them is on point (the DPS blogs are a good example of this). Originally, they were probably a lot more self centered, "this is what I did today" type things, but people have figured out they are useful for spreading all kinds of information, and have moved into the professional realm.

Here's a sample of the blogs I read.
http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/
http://www.scottkelby.com/
http://jasondmoore.com/ (I actually wrote an article for this one last Friday).
http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/
http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/
http://www.zarias.com/

Check them out. I think after seeing these you're likely to change your mind about blogs.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by dakwegmo

There's a difference between a blog and a photoblog. Photoblogs are primarily about the image, there can be text that accompany the image, but the photo is most prominent. Most people misapply the term photoblog to any blog that focuses on photography. These are still just blogs.

This is probably my problem, and "misapplication" in practice would be the sites I think of....

When I see sites that are "on point" with "articles" related to the topic, I don't think "BLOG" I think "website". It doesn't matter "how" the site is created or if it uses a blog engine/template for content creation, in my mind it's a website and not a blog. (I know "website" isn't an adequate/accurate term, but I think you can understand the difference I'm trying to relate.)

I guess I'll have to correct my terminology and be more specific when these discussions come up.

[fletch]

Scott Kelby's blog is a great example of someone using it as a platform to promote his personality and connect with people whist all the time plugging what he is doing and building links within the industry.

His key business is selling books about photography and photoshop but the blog very rarely includes any instructional info or how to guides. It is more of an insight into the Kelby world with a lot of plugs, both for things he himself is plugging and giving the oportunity for other people to plug via 'news stories' or guest spots.

If I were a pro photographer I would use this a a template, but obviously on a much smaller scale.

If you want to learn more about using blogging in a professional context you should visit Darren Rowse's other big site - Problogger - loads of usefull information. Although it does make you feel like your just a guinea pig in his blooging experiment by being a reader of DPS and a contributer to the forum. You can also find out how much blooming money he makes out of all of us!