There was a time when people weren’t so interested in transparency, when the web was principally used to send email and the idea of keeping interior monologues interior was key. That was before blogs.
Blogs have become useful in lots of ways, especially to photographers.
Blogs are useful because they can help prospective clients see what your interior monologue looks (or even sounds) like. You can use your blog as a place to put your photographic experiments. Sometimes projects have happy accidents and those are useful fodder. Sometimes, things go terribly awry. You have to be a good judge of what’s “overshare” and what’s interesting. Putting these things on your blog gives you a comfortable place to “talk it out” about the things that you experienced. An added bonus of creating a blog is having a place to come back to see what you were thinking previously.
Photographers have lately needed to become experts in all sorts of fields rather than just making images. Many have had to learn how to bid for projects, how to understand search engine optimization, and finally create and update websites. Having a blog is a way to cut down on website content changes and keep your work fresh. Putting up work from recently completed jobs gives prospective clients a chance to see your range. It allows you to showcase whatever newest image (or set of images) you’ve made that strikes your fancy.
Value-added extras, like behind-the-scenes videos and photos, can also fit well on your blog. Often, people like to see what went into making a particular image as much as they like seeing the actual image itself. More than that, some ADs are interested in knowing more about who you are, so keeping your personal projects on your blog can humanize you. Telling stories about your images aids in this. It helps clients gauge how you might integrate with the creative teams they’ve assembled.
What’s important is to keep a regular posting schedule because in the digital world, attention spans are fickle. A blog that’s a hit today can be a dud tomorrow because of a lack of posts. It might be good to keep the following things in mind as you enter the world of blogging:
(1) As a photographer, it’s always good to put a photograph in each of your posts.
(2) Post on a regular schedule so that your readers can know when to expect new content.
(3) Enjoy yourself! Your blog should be about your work, but it’s about you, too.