Part one in a two part series, The Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Photoblog will show you how to choose the best photoblogging platform, detail how to begin using it and help you promote it to fans.
So, what is a photoblog? The vague answer is a combination of pictures and text in a blog like setup. In reality, a photoblog is whatever you choose to make it. From sharing your latest photos to highlighting past shoots with lots of interesting details and tidbits, photoblogs are a great way to connect with fans and help create an audience for your work.
Photoblog Overview
Photoblogs can be anything you make them, from a simple one picture display to entries with lots of detail that help educate people on taking similar shots.
The most basic photoblogs need to include the following things:
Photos
This one’s a no-brainer, you must have photos of some kind to have a photoblog.
RSS Feed
Blogs usually have an RSS feed. This allows people to subscribe to your blog and allows them to see updates in their favorite feed reader.
Basic Photo Information
While this is not a real must, readers usually want more than just a pretty photo. Basic information, such as a caption, will help explain the photo. You can also become very detailed and include meta and EXIF data from the photo itself, showing your exact camera settings so readers can possibly duplicate the shot or learn more.
Commenting
This is a good feature to have enabled to allow feedback from readers. Make sure the platform you decide to use has a good spam filter.
Archiving
Some platforms have archives that are hard to navigate. Make sure readers can quickly see past photos.
From here a photoblog can add many more features, depending on how much you want included.
Platform Options
There are many options available for starting a photoblog depending on your time and budget. As with anything, each platform has pros and cons. Listed below are a few basic differences:
Pixelpost
The simplest of the bunch, Pixelpost was built from the ground up with photographers in mind. Adding pictures is easy; you just login and upload and add basic details. Pixelpost also supports custom theming through HTML files and has many predesigned themes available on its Web site. A wide array of plugins are also available that improve SEO, commenting and more. The main downside to Pixelpost is you are limited to one photo per entry. Other platforms allow multiple photos per entry.
WordPress
One of the leaders in blogging software, WordPress allows endless possibilities for a photoblog. Many themes are now available that make it simple to create a great photoblog. WordPress also allows multiple pictures in a single entry. WordPress, though, is harder to create custom themes for. Another downside with WordPress is it’s more suited for writing than photography.
WordPress with Photoblogging Plugin
Yet Another Photoblog transforms a standard WordPress install into a photoblogging platform. Once installed, YAPB transforms WordPress’s backend into a specialized photoblogging system. YAPB supports more than six themes for WordPress that have been tailored to work with the plugin, and of course, you can customize your own. This is a good solution if you want the functionality of Pixelpost but want a solution with a larger developer base and support forums.
Free Blogging Sites
You can always use a free blogging site, such as blogger.com or wordpress.com, to create a photoblog, but this is not recommended. It’s always better to have your blog connected to a Web site so it helps your brand.
Squarespace
A relative newcomer, Squarespace is a great tool for photographers who need to set something up fast and don’t want to worry with coding and “the details” of doing a site. Squarespace is a hosted service and has a monthly fee starting around $10 US. Squarespace has many professional users who swear by it and has great uptime, but does leave something to be desired if you want total control.
Tumblr
Another free option, Tumblr is a very popular way to quickly blog photos. Tumblr is not a standalone photoblogging platform, but is more like WordPress. It allows text, videos, photos and more. One cool feature with Tumblr is it will automatically create a slideshow for you if multiple photos are uploaded.
Benefits of Photoblogging
Photoblogs are more than just a way to post current work for others to see and comment on, it also helps with SEO, builds followings and helps raise awareness.
SEO Benefits
Just like a blog, photoblogs can help your search engine optimization. If your keep your content fresh, potential clients and followers will be able to find you faster.
Photoblogs create a easy news section for your site that Google will find and index, helping push you higher in the rankings. Make your posts keyword rich to help your rankings even more.
Increase Awareness of Your Brand
Photoblogs are like newsletters and mailers of the past, they help raise awareness for your brand. People can now find out what’s going on quickly.
Your brand is an important part of your marketing effort and your photoblog can help be an extension of your brand. Post great work and tell readers how you produced it. Give them something for coming and help turn them into a future client.
Update your Portfolio
Many photographers use photoblogs as a way to supplement their Web site portfolios with more recent examples.
When you’re out in the field you have little time to update your site, but a photoblog can easily be updated through a simple backend or even from your iPhone! Now sharing your latest work is simple.
Common Questions
Do I need another domain?
Many people wonder if they need another domain name for their photoblog, it really depends on how you’re using it. If your photoblog is an extension of your photography brand then use a subdomain or directory of the same domain. For example, direct visitors to www.mysite.com/blog or blog.mysite.com.
If you’re starting a photoblog to just show off some cool pictures, and it doesn’t relate to a business, then consider getting a separate domain.
How often should I update?
Like any blog, a photoblog should be updated at least weekly if possible with fresh content. Google will see all of this content and it will help your overall site ranking.
But, it’s up to you! A photoblog can be a powerful tool for a photographer if used correctly.
Should I stick with just photos or add text too?
This depends on what you want to accomplish. If your photoblog is just showing cool photos then maybe not, but if it’s promoting wedding photography you’ve done then probably so. You don’t have to write pages; just a few sentences that help give context to the pictures and help set the scene.
Resources
These sites showcase some great photoblogs and also provide some great tips, tricks and information on starting a photoblog.
http://www.photoblogdirectory.net/
http://www.coolphotoblogs.com/
http://www.ilovephotoblogs.com/
Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Photoblog where we’ll go over how to install Pixelpost, how to promote your photoblog and show you some great examples.
Enjoyed this Post?
Subscribe to our RSS Feed, Follow us on Twitter or simply recommend us to friends and colleagues!
By Dak Dillon
How to Take Great Photos
Whether you've got a simple point-and-shoot, or a professional camera, you'll learn the basics of what every photographer needs to know to make their shots count!
Join our newsletter!
U-Design WordPress Theme only $35.00 
Modernize - Flexibility of W ... only $35.00 
Tinkerbell portrait retouching - More
Photo Basix
Just getting started? Start with our basix tutorials on the fundamentals. View All Basix Tutorials
Create a Tutorial, Get Paid!
Have something to teach the world? Want to earn money doing it? Tutorials, screencasts, and articles published here on Phototuts+ are largely contributed by readers just like you! We'll pay you great money for good content. Find Out More
If you got photos to share – Start a photoblog!
By the way, I have found a way to combine Blogger as my main publishing platform and Tumblr as an ‘archiving’ /Gallery option – Just click ‘Gallery’ link on the upper right section of my photoblog.
http://www.ilanbresler.com/
As another resource – New photobloggers can also use vfxy.com for publishing their galleries.
P.S
I couldn’t find a link to the ‘RAW SHOOTER’ tumblr seen in the article. I’m interested to find out about the theme used there.
Thanks!
The ‘Raw Shooter’ photoblog is offline for some reason now, if it comes back online I’ll post a link in the comments.
Many of the photoblogs I featured used WordPress or Pixelpost. Tumblr is another great alternative, especially when you don’t want to get down and dirty into the setup.
I think this a great idea for not only professional photographers but amateurs like myself who see it as more of a hobby.
It’s just a good way of getting exposure and keeping active with the camera.
Photobloging is always a great idea for furthering ones hobby or career as an amateur photographer. However, one thing I would suggest for those who have it, is to create a simple website using a mobile me account. For those who pay for an apple mobile me account, you are allowed to create a website using iWeb and put photos, videos, different pages, etc. and it is very very easy to construct and publish the site. An RSS feed can be applied to the site, and one can even allow the download and sharing of the images.
Dak…Thanks for the love! … At ILovePhotoBlogs, we try to stay true to showcasing user-submitted photoblogs and hope we provide a useful service to all photographers.
Your article provides several great tips…a couple of which really stand out for me. After viewing numerous photoblogs, you quickly realize that there is a ton of great photography..To really standout, the photoblog must be unique. For me, this can be an original style of photography, but in most cases, it is the writing that draws me back. Writing is the single most easy way to improve most photoblogs. If you don’t feel like writing posts, you must have an ABOUT page.. Not the default, but a few paragraphs that tell the viewer something substantial about your work or yourself…it’s a great hook to garner interest.
Another great point you made was related to how often to post. If you only update your blog every 3 months, why have a blog? I recommend updating at least once a week…minimum..A great example is From The Upper Deck…one image every day like clockwork…I’m addicted to their daily feed.
Thanks again and keep up the great work!
I have used pixelpost for a long time. It is very simple and easy to use but I think it deserves more attention from developers and the code isn’t that great. However; it is very easy to create custom templates and it does not provide lots of junkie, unnecessary add-ons. It does what it supposed to do, not more not less.
If you are serious on your photography I will have only one suggestion for you: whichever platform you use, use your own domain name,and brand yourself starting from day 1.
I used to use Pixel post also, but had gotten away from it years ago. Good to see that it’s still alive and well. I like WP because of its ease of use and plugin availability.
Thanks for the tips! I must note here a slight problem with Tumblr, for example.. Reading the terms of service:
“Subscriber shall own all Subscriber Content that Subscriber contributes to the Site, but hereby grants and agrees to grant Tumblr a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable right and license (with the right to sublicense), to use, copy, cache, publish, display, distribute, modify, create derivative works and store such Subscriber Content and to allow others to do so (“Content License”) in order to provide the Services.”
Does this mean that Tumblr can sell the images uploaded royalty-free??
Then this would definetly not be an alternative for a serious photographer, is it?
That is a very pesky agreement. I personally know many people using it and I bet they didn’t realize they agreed that that.
But, I would assume a service like Blogger (Blogspot), which many photographers use to host their blogs, would also have a similar clause.
I’d say you should be adding http://multiply.com to the list.
I’d recommend people also look at Pixyblog. It is a hosted photoblog service and I find it very polished. For me, someone who does not really know anything about website code, it is worth the money. http://www.pixyblog.com
I’ve been photoblogingg in one form or another for 5 years. I definitely recommend it as a way to share your photos. It isn’t for everyone. You have to take care of your blog and be willing to give it some of your time, but for me it is satisfying to have a little piece of the internet that is mine.
Can FaceBook pages serve as a photoblog?
I appreciate the tips on beginner photoblogs. I have recently started one and some of the links on here really helped. Thanks again
You might want to check out my company, FotoJournal (http://myfotojournal.com). It’s a simple, hosted blogging service built specifically for photographers.
Nice article. I had a bunch of pics lying on my hard disk. Decided to start a blog after reading this article.(http://clicksforfun.blogspot.com/)
Θα πρέπει να εξετάσει θέμα μέσα σε μια σημαντική πρόκληση για ένα από όλα από τις πιο ευεργετικές τοποθεσίες blog για το σύνολο του καθαρού. Εγώ πραγματικά να δείχνουν ότι η ιστοσελίδα!
Köszönjük az értelmes kritika. Me & my szomszédja éppen arra készül, hogy némi kutatást ezzel kapcsolatban. Van egy ragadd meg a könyvet a helyi könyvtárban, de azt hiszem, tanultam többet ezen a poszton. Nagyon örülök, hogy ilyen nagy információt megosztott szabadon odakint.
it is idiotic
photo.tutsplus.com : http://www.aksyanovaluduvom.blogspot.соm