I’ve talked to several photographers who have expressed a similar thought: “I know that I should blog… but what should I blog about?” There’s not a single right answer to that question, but there are a couple general options for a photographer who blogs: either blog for your clients, or blog for your peers.
Blogging for your Photography Clients
A client-focused blog is a great way to show off your recent work and highlight your services. By highlighting some of your recent photography, you’ll help your potential clients understand your style and portfolio as well as be able to keep fresh images on your website. Another nice aspect of blogging about recent client photoshoots is that your clients will often get a kick out of seeing their photos on your site. They’ll tell their friends and family to check out their picture on your blog, driving traffic to your site and exposing your internet presence to a larger audience. For a couple great examples of client-focused blogs, see the work of Gabriel Boone Photography and Sara Gray Photography.
Blogging for Photography Peers
A photography blog that’s aimed at photographers probably won’t lead to a direct increase in client business, but it can be a great way to discuss and share technique as well as engage in a dialog with others who are in similar situations. If you’re going to blog for peers, be sure to offer a combination of explanation plus examples. The blog can cover all sorts of topics or it can be focused on a particular thing for which you have an expertise to share. Remember however that you don’t need to be an expert to blog… blogging your learning experiences can be beneficial both as a learning tool as well as something that other photographers can use as reference. Examples of blogs aimed at fellow photographers would be Digital ProTalk and this very site you’re reading.
Which Should You Do?
It’s up to you. If you’re looking to share your client work and directly reach your existing and potential client base, then a client-focused blog is the way to go. If you’d rather reach out to other photographers and expand the breadth of your reach amongst peers, then a blog aimed at the photographer audience is a way to publicize your voice. I’d caution against mixing the two types of blogs, as photographer-facing posts might confuse or bore your clients, while example after example of client work might not always attract the interest of your peers. Splitting up blog topics was one of the key reasons behind the formation of this site, providing a venue for my photographer and social-oriented posts which previously resided on my client-facing website.
There’s no single right way to blog, but your blog should have a focus of your own choosing. If you currently blog (or are thinking of starting), what’s your focus? Who do you blog for?
Photo by striatic, used under Creative Commons licensing
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