Why Begin Blogging Photography?

Whether you’re a professional photographer or an amateur, there are many ways to blog about your photography. While a picture is worth a thousand words, you can also share the stories behind your photographs. It can be as much or as little as you like. Many people begin blogs to show their growth over a specific period of time. You can use it to catalogue your progress from amateur to professional, or you can use it to start your own business. The reasons for blogging are as varied as the people who pick up a camera.

So sit back and grad a coffee, we’ll teach you how to start your photography blog…

Blogging Calendar – What to Blog About?

The Photographs

Blogging experts suggest that your blog be centered around a theme. Fortunately, the photoblog itself is a theme. You’re blogging about photography in general or your pictures specifically, so you can center your photographs around landscapes, portraits, street photography or car photography. The purpose of your blog is to show off your photography skills. Choose a topic that interests you. You might decide to post a photograph per day, or pick a week where you photography nothing except micro shots of insects. You’re only limited by your imagination.

Behind the Scenes

While you can let the photographs speak for themselves, there might be times that you want to include commentary or blog posts that give information to your audience. It could be lists of vendors you like working with on projects, behind the scenes of your next photo shoot or ideas of locations you’d like to try next.

Before and After Shots

Potential clients like to see the before and after shots, so they can assess your skills as well as your style to find whether you’ll be a good fit for their event or project. When you are able to show potential clients how you’ve taken a shot from good to magical, they’ll feel they absolutely need you for their next event.

Photo Blogging with WordPress

Domain Name and Hosting

You’ll need to choose a web address for your blogging platform. You could use your name as a dot com, or you can express your creative side with the type of photography that you do. Make sure the name is easy to pronounce and spell. You don’t want clients to fumble with the spelling of your website.

After brainstorming name ideas, you’ll have to make sure the address is available for purchase. You can buy your address from a site like GreenGeeks.com. This is also where you’ll host your site – this where we host this very site you’re reading now; you can read this GreenGeeks review to find out why.

The process of buying your domain name and hosting your site is different. First, you’ll need to purchase the domain or, to be technically correct, register the domain name. After purchasing, you’ll need to set up the hosting, which is where the domain is parked. If you use GreenGeeks, they’ll walk you through the steps to do both – domain name registration and web hosting – at the same time.

GreenGeeks.com – this is the web host we use for our site and that we recommend for your photography blog. We respect their renewable energy commitment. With these guys, not only do you get a %20 discount on your hosting price, you will also be able to get a free domain name with your hosting account. Yay!

WordPress Setup

Once you’ve set up the hosting aspect of the domain, you’ll need to set up your WordPress site. If you use GreenGeeks or a similar web host, you will be able to log into cPanel (GreenGeeks, or the host you’ve chosen, will send you an email explaining how to do it). From there, you can go into a program called Softaculous.

In Softaculous, you’ll need to choose WordPress and follow the directions for setup. After the setup is complete, you can log into your WordPress dashboard to start tweaking your site. Your dashboard will be located at yourdomainname.com/wp-login/ where you need to change yourdomainname.com for your own domain address. This is where you’ll add plugins, widgets, blog posts and pages.

Themes, Plugins and Widgets

The plugins and widgets are what set your website apart from everyone else’s site. In your dashboard, you’ll need to click on Appearance then Themes. You need to add new themes from the marketplace. Many of these themes are completely free, and there’s an option to pick themes that are specifically created for photoblogging.

If you want to go with something more unique, we recommend the guys and gals at StudioPress. We use one of their themes for this site. Their WordPress theme Expose is particularly well suited for starting a photography blog.

Many themes can be personalized and customized to fit the intentions of your blog. After you’ve chosen your theme, you can add plugins to increase functionality within your site. They provide custom features and functions based on what you need them to do. Plugins like Soliloquy showcase your photos in slideshows for visitors, and it will help your photos load quickly.

Promotion – How to promote your photography blog

Setting up your blog, uploading pictures and creating content is just the first step when creating your photoblog. You’ll want people to be able to find your site. Once you hit publish on your posts, people won’t flock to your site. There are millions of websites created each week on the web. You have to stand out among all those sites.

Join Groups about Photography

There are plenty of photography groups on sites like Facebook or Flickr. You can easily join groups where people share their photography sites and blogs. It’ll help you gain traffic, which is great for search engine ranking.

Pinterest and Instagram

These platforms are great for sharing images. Make sure your photographs are watermarked and begin sharing them. While you should definitely share your own images, you should pin and share other images too.

Examples of Popular Blogs

Many photographers set up their blogs to add images, share with customers and garner the attention of potential customers. Whether you’re an amateur photographer or a professional trying to promote your business, there are a few photoblogs that you can use as inspiration.

Rose Hardy

This teenager became a sensation when the music group Maroon 5 contacted her about using her picture on their album. She leveraged her Flickr stream to garner attention for herself and her work.

Stuck in Customs

This photographer, Trey Ratcliff, turned his travels into a photography blog where he talks about his favorite gear, free photography tips and tutorials as well as providing workshops and eBooks to others.

Nowadays, it’s easy to have a website online – if you’re a photographer, you have no excuses for not having your own photo blog. Start now!

Photo credits:

• Annie Spratt
• Galymzhan Abdugalimov

What Kind of Camera Buyer are You?

There are basically three different kinds of camera buyers. First there are professionals. They demand the highest performance and the best picture quality that they can get for their money. Their livelihood depends on having a reliable and versatile DSLR that will get the perfect shot every time. When they look for a camera, they go over all the specs and may even visit a dozen camera stores looking for the perfect fit. A professional like this will most likely invest in an industry leading DSLR like the Canon 5D Mark IV.

Next you have a group you may call the aspiring camera enthusiasts. These people love taking pictures of everything, all of the time. They take photos of their families and use the software that came with their camera to turn their family photos into Christmas cards that they have professionally printed. Or they take incredible nature shots that they have matted and framed and hung all around the house. These people are willing to spend a little more on a good quality DSLR, but they are probably not going to have a professional grade camera. Someone like this will find a DSLR like the Nikon D750 to be a great fit.

The last category, which most of us fall into, can be summed up with a single question — why bother with a DSLR when my iPhone takes such nice pictures? If you fall into that category — and you are certainly not alone — odds are that most DSLR cameras are just too much camera for you. However, there are some types of mirror-less interchangeable lens cameras, like the Sony Alpha NEX or the Nikon 1 J5 that will provide you with much better photos and movies than your phone will take and they will fit into most family budgets as well.

Is a DSLR Too Much for Camera?

A DSLR represents a serious investment for professional photographers as well as your average camera enthusiast. A DSLR with lenses, external flash and other accessories can run over a thousand dollars, and the top DSLR cameras, like the Canon 5D Mark IV may run you as much as $3,000. The good news is that there are plenty of good DSLR cameras geared toward the consumer market that offer a variety of automatic features for far less than $1,000, and the mirror-less DSLR cameras mentioned above, like the Sony Alpha NEX series and the Nikon J series, that offer beginners advanced features like interchangeable lenses, shutter speed priority, aperture priority and superior performance for as little as $500.

Odds are, if you are looking for a DSLR at all, you fall into the camera enthusiast category. Camera enthusiasts love to learn more about how they can use the settings on their camera to improve the pictures that they take. Point-and-shoot cameras simply do not have the versatility to manipulate settings like aperture, shutter speed and focal length in a meaningful way. If you are looking to take the next step in your photography, then one of these picks among the three best DSLR choices will be the perfect fit for you.

Choosing the Best DSLR for Your Needs

Canon 5D Mark IV

For years, the Canon 5D series have been the highest rated and most popular DSLR cameras among professional photographers due to their superior performance and incredible image quality. The latest in the Canon 5D line, the Canon 5D Mark IV is probably their most technologically advanced DSLR to date. Canon is on the cutting edge of digital image capture technology, pioneering CMOS sensors and incredibly fast imagine processing chips (in this case the DIGIC 6+ processor). It is this top-of-the-line DIGIC 6+ image processing chip that allows you to shoot an amazing 7 frames per second. No matter if you are shooting landscapes, portraits, sporting events or fireworks you will be able to get professional quality results from the Canon 5D Mark IV.

Another area in which Canon is an undisputed leader is in movie capture modes. DSLR cameras like the Canon 5D Mark IV offer an industry leading movie mode that produces such high-quality results that Saturday Night Live actually used an earlier version of the 5D to film a live sketch back in 2009. Reliable enough for network television, but easy enough for your average photography enthusiast to use.

Here are the specifications that put the 5D Mark IV at the top of the heap:

• 30 Megapixel max resolution
• Fully manual, allowing photographers complete control of image capture
• Continuous maximum frame rate of 7 frames per second (fps).
• Ridiculous ISO range of 50-102,400
• Patented dual pixel 61-point auto focus system
• Optical viewfinder
• Auto focus and face detection technology that works continuously whether you are taking photos or shooting movies
• WiFi connectivity for instant uploads to social media

Nikon D750

Nikon has been a leader in lenses technology for nearly a century now, and it was Nikon that first solved the problem of marrying digital SLR focal length to image sensor size. Today, leading DSLR cameras, like the Nikon 750, have full size sensors. In the past, the image sensor, which is the electronic device that replaces the film in a digital camera, was smaller than a postage stamp, which is why digital camera image quality never quite matched 35mm. DSLR cameras with full sized sensors, like the Nikon D750 and superior Nikon lens technology give you the incredibly sharp and steady images that Nikon VR lens technology is famous for.

The Nikon D750 is the latest in the line of Nikon DSLR’s featuring full size image sensors and professional grade VR lenses that offer users incredible image quality. The one area where Nikon has made strides recently is in camera performance. The Nikon D750 shoots full resolution images at a rate of 6.5 frames per second, which is nearly as fast as the Canon 5D. This is a significant improvement over previous models.

Though the Nikon D750 costs nearly half as much as the Canon, it has specifications that are comparable in many ways, making it the perfect fit for many camera enthusiasts:

• 25 Megapixels max resolution
• Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) FX Format CMOS image sensor
• Expeed 4 image processor
• ISO range 50 – 51,200
• Fully functional optical viewfinder
• 51 point auto focusing system with face detection technology
• WiFi connectivity allows instant upload of images to devices and social media sites

Sony Alpha 7R

Sony is a serious player in the DSLR market. Though Nikon and Canon have been in the high-end camera industry for longer, Sony is an elite consumer electronics company that has made a serious push into the DSLR market with the Alpha 7 series. The Sony Alpha 7R is at the high end of the same series of mirror-less DSLR cameras that brought us an entire line of Alpha NEX cameras that have revolutionized interchangeable lens cameras.

Unlike the Canon 5D or the Nikon D750, the Sony Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R cameras are fully functional full frame interchangeable lens cameras that are approximately the size of a point and shoot. Being mirror-less, the Sony Alpha line of cameras are not technically SLR (single lens reflex) cameras, but somehow Sony has been able to create reasonably sized interchangeable lens cameras will full frame sensors that can shoot amazing photos at a rate of 10 fps.

The specs on the Sony Alpha 7 series cameras are comparable to both the Nikon D750 and the Canon 5D series cameras. The Sony Alpha 7 specs include:

• 3 megapixel maximum resolution
• Full frame CMOS sensor
• Bionz X image processor
• Hybrid Auto Focus system with 117 detection points
• Sealed alloy and composite body
• Multi-Interface Shoe 3-inch tilting LCD
• HDMI output
• Wi-Fi capability and down-loadable apps

Choosing Your DSLR Camera

For most of us, budget is the main limiting factor when it comes to buying a DSLR camera. While many camera enthusiasts would like to jump up to the latest version of the Canon 5D, it must be realized that there are many good DSLR cameras available for about half the price. However, if price is not an issue, the Canon 5D Mark IV would be well worth the investment.

If you are thinking of scaling down, the are many options available to you. DSLR cameras like the Nikon D750 offer you competitive functionality and comparable picture quality for almost half as much as you would spend on the Canon 5D. For most camera enthusiasts, Nikon DSLR cameras like the D750, with their sharp, VR (vibration reduction) lenses are the perfect solution to the features vs. cost dilemma.

For those of us who are looking for an interchangeable lens camera that is smaller and easier carry, then a mirror-less DSLR like those in the Sony Alpha 7 series may be the perfect solution. One trend among professionals is having a scaled down, mirror-less interchangeable lens camera on-hand because they are easy to carry and provide them with image quality and functionality that is comparable to their high end DSLR.

Whether you are a professional photographer, a camera enthusiast, or a beginner looking for a camera that can take far better pictures and videos than your phone, you are sure to find one of these DSLR cameras, or a similar model in another price range, that will provide you with the image quality and functionality that you want for a price that will work for your budget.

You may think selling your photography online means low profits, but most sites let you set your own pricing. If you’re ready to start making sales, then you need to check out these five great sites for selling photos online.

1. SmugMug

SmugMug lets you sell numerous photos in a sleek and profession portfolio-style view. You can sell digital downloads, prints and even greeting cards. This site allows you to get more creative with your photos.

This website lets you set your own rates and even earn a royalty of 85 percent. There is both a free version and a “pro” version. While the free version itself is a great tool, the “pro” version has even more features. You can create your own storefront, incorporate galleries and even enable single-click shopping. SmugMug is the perfect website if you want a lot of flexibility in your pricing and royalties.

2. Dreamstime

Dreamstime is different in that the pay works on a sliding scale based on how many downloads a photograph receives. Better selling photos have a higher price tag while less popular photos are cheaper. In the end, the photographer gets 50 to 60 percent of the total sale price.

Dreamstime is one of the best to use for beginners because it is easier to meet requirements. You will have to submit sample photographs for the website to review, much like with other websites. Oftentimes these reviews are paired with constructive criticism to help you improve and boost your sales.

3. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is basically a digital marketplace where you can display your photography. Photos are displayed much like in the style of a portfolio. Visitors to the website can view all of the pieces you are selling, and purchase what they want. Shutterstock also has the advantage of being a well-known website, meaning more traffic and even more buyers.

In most cases, you keep up to 30 percent of the sale price as profit. On the downside, typical payout ranges from less than a dollar to $28, depending on the price of your photograph. However, a benefit to this website is that you get to keep the copyright of the photograph, a feature some other sites don’t offer.

4.iStockphoto

If you want a well-known website with a good history behind it, then iStockphoto is one to keep in mind. It’s been around since 2007, and it considered one of the best for selling photography. This website is easily one of the best options for selling photography online. Not only does this website get more visitors than most others, but it also has a high purchase rate.

This site will ask you to send in three samples and complete a quick quiz before registration. The process may seem like a hassle compared to other market websites, but the benefits are worth it. In the end, you will keep 20 to 40 percent of profits from all downloads received.

5. Fotolia

If royalties are the deciding factor on which website to use, then Fotolia deserves a look. The website gives photographers 64 percent of sales. The site is also known for accepting numerous photographs and having a wide audience.

Fotolia is a little different in that it consists of different subscription plans. If this is ultimately the site you choose, you can decide which subscription level works best for your needs. Each level comes with different features and accessories.

If you’re ready to start selling your photography online, these five websites are the best place to start. Not only is selling online extremely simple, it saves you time. Some professional photographers even utilize online websites as their sole markets.

6. Bonus – Your Own Website

If you’re thinking one of using any of the above websites, I assume that you already have your own site. If not, wait no longer, and create your own website to sell your photos. The advantages of having your own site include:

• Control on the price of your photos;
• Online portfolio that you control;
• Easy to reference anyone to your own website;
• No competition from other photographers.

Whether you’re just a novice or a working professional, online websites are a great place to reach a wider market and make more money.

The prices of these Zeikos accessories is much lower than the Nikon or Canon alternatives. I cannot attest to the quality but at that price they’re worth a buy for anyone hesitating because of the high price. Many of the prices are comparable to the Craigslist or eBay used prices on similar camera accessories used.

Cheap Zeikos dSLR Battery Grips

• Effectively doubles your shooting time
• Lithium-ion rechargeable battery in the grip or 8 AA cartridge plate
• Improves stability & has vertical firing release with lock
• Zeikos battery grips for Nikon Cameras
• Zeikos battery grips for Canon Cameras

Cheap Off Camera Cable (TTL)

• The Zeikos Off-Camera Flash Cord maintains all on-camera flash functions, including TTL, for one Speedlight used off-camera.
• Zeikos off Camera Cable for Nikon or Canon

Cheap Wireless and Wired SLR Remotes

• The Zeikos  Remote remote switch with or without a cable which replicates all functions of the camera’s shutter release button.
• Handy for taking pictures of subjects that are difficult to approach, or to minimize vibration for close-ups and time exposure.
• Zeikos cheap remotes
• Cheap Zeikos wired remotes
• Cheap Zeikos wireless remotes

Zeikos Cheap Off Camera Flash

Featuring an automatic and manual power zoom, a swivel flash head with 30, 45, 60 and 75° tilt movements, and provides 7 different power ratio levels.

• Digital LCD Display
• Cheap Flash for Canon EOS Cameras
• More Zeikos Flashes

Download the Cinema Orange/Teal Color Grading Action Photoshop Action

It’s very versatile and works beautifully with portraits as well as architecture and landscapes, enjoy! Post links to any photos you use this preset in, I’d love to see them!

Cloudy Glow Portrait Preset

I call this preset cloudy glow because of the way it brightens the skin to a soft glow with a bright white “cumulus” look about it. Okay or I was just being a little dramatic with my naming but I thought it flowed well.

Download the Cloudy Glow Lightroom Preset for Portraits
Need help installing? DPS has a good article for you on how to install Lightroom presets

It’s very versatile and works beautifully with head shots and portraits. Hope you enjoy! Post links to any photos you use this preset in, I’d love to see them!

When using a point and shoot camera you are usually a slave to it’s built in intelligence and capabilities. It makes technical decisions like ISO, shutter speed, fstop and whether the flash should fire. Sometimes you can’t even override these decisions.

This is part of what makes consumer digi-cams or digital point and shoot cameras so appealing, it takes the work out the technical behind photography and believe this: sometimes I’d rather use a little pocket camera rather than my DSLR.

So what can you do if you are not a photographer and you want to photograph something on a dark color, maybe even in a light tent. All of the photos in his post were taken with my $200 Canon pocket digital point and shoot camera using the Impact medium light tent kit from B&H Photo.

You get close and you end up with this:

Try this trick: hold a white side of an index card or the back of a recent pizza delivery slip at the same distance and near the subject or object. Have the camera auto focus (where you push the shutter half way and depending on the camera you’ll see a box try to find the face or focal point of the picture and will focus in on that point.

Pull the paper away (while still partially pushing the button) and then finish pressing the button and voila!

Tech Notes

Why does this work? Because the camera detects faces and the focal point based on the contrast between colors. By having both black and white (the two ends of a spectrum) the camera has to allow for all colors from black to white to be covered instead of just the darker colors where it tried to lighten the picture to make lightest part it could find white.
Kind-of like when you increase the brightness on your computer screen.

Upgrade to Semi-Pro Equipment

If you want to use a technique like this infront of clients you may want to consider upgrading your white card to something like a White Balance Card Set for under $25. Then you will also have a pure black card to use when trying to shoot light colored objects on light background. Remember the key to the trick here is the range of contrast from black to white no matter what color the subject or background is, it’s about range!

There’s apps with pictures of sexy girls (not photography IMHO) and apps for editing and post processing photos on or taken by the iPhone and then there’s some great photographer tool style apps.
That latter group is my favorite and also where the Strobox app fits in. An app for photographers.

Strobox is a free app by Janis Lanka (@janislanka) and it helps you create quick lighting diagrams. Whether you are jotting down notes about a lighting setup for a photo to share with others or to use again later this is a great app to have on your device.

There are currently 25+ pieces of lighting equipment that you can move, rotate and place on your diagram including backgrounds, strobes, soft boxes, umbrellas and more.

The app saves your setups for future reference or generated a PNG that you can easily email to someone (or yourself.) I’ve used it multiple times to take note of lighting setups I’ve used in specific photos and ideas for lighting setups that might produce a cool effect. Here’s an example of a PNG I just created through Strobox.

Visit the Strobox Website or download Strobox through the iTunes Music Store.
Strobox graphics are from http://app.strobox.com/ and used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License

Most rental retailers deal primarily with Nikon and Canon equipment but some places rent Olympus, Sony, AlienBees and much more!
Here’s a list and details on reputable lens and equipment rental companies that do online/shipping for rental equipment across the US.


Borrowed Lenses is a great place to rent camera bodies, lenses, accessories, portable studio equipment and even camera bags!

Borrowed lenses

They carry:

• Canon Camera Bodies
• Canon Lenses
• Nikon Camera Bodies
• Nikon Lenses
• Tripods & Heads
• Lightmeters
• Tripods & Heads
• Lighting
• Camera Bags
• And More!

They’re located in San Mateo, CA and do local 3day (pick-up only) rentals. Otherwise they do rentals for 1-4 weeks (listed on the website) at really good prices. Renting a camera or lens is a great idea for an important shoot where you would benefit from more quality than you usual camera or to test drive some new equipment before you buy it. See their great (***** five star) Yelp reviews!

They also do sensor cleaning for only $45!!

Glass and Gear

Glass and Gear is located in Amherst, NH and do 3 day rentals locally through Hunt’s Photo in Manchester NH. Their website says they are planning to expand to rent through other Hunt’s locations (there are a number in the New England area!)

They rent:

• Canon Cameras & Lenses
• Nikon Cameras & Lenses
• Lighting
• And More!

Rent Glass

Rent Glass does rentals for 1-3 weeks at a time although their selection seems much smaller than borrowed lenses and Glass and gear.

They rent and ship:

• Nikon Camera, Lens and Flashes
• Canon Cameras, Lenses and Flashes

You can follow them on Twitter @rentglass.  They now operate out of Kansas City, KS (previously Orlando FL) and do allow for pickup but don’t list a special 3 day pickup rental period like most of the other lens and equipment rental places listed.

Lens Rentals

Lens Rentals is one of the few rental places that lists more than just Nikon and Canon.  They list some other great camera manufacturers.

They Rent:

• Canon
• Four Thirds (Olympus)
• Leica
• Nikon
• Sony
• Video Equipment
• Lighting
• Support
• Macro/Specialty

They are also the only rental place that I’ve seen that has a dedicated iPhone app (a lovely and well organized looking app too!). They’re bassed out of Memphis, TN and while they offer local pickup the shortest rental period they offer at this time is 1 week.

Pro Photo Rentals

Pro Photo Rentals is based out of Boulder, CO and they offer a 4+ day rental options.  They don’t force you into weeks – you can rent a lens for however long you like (4 day minimum.) They do offer a local pickup for you Boulder Colorado local folks!

They Rent:

• Canon Cameras, Lenses & Accessories
• Nikon Cameras, Lenses & Accessories
• Olympus Cameras, Lenses & Accessories

You can find Pro Photo Rental on both Twitter @prophotorental and Flickr.

Aperture Rent

Aperturent is our last camera and lens rental service. They are run out of the Atlanta GA area and do offer 3 day local pick-up only rental terms.  Otherwise their rental time frames are between 7 – 30 days (weekly.)

They Rent:

• Nikon & Canon Lenses
• Nikon & Canon Cameras
• Nikon, Canon & Alienbee Lighting
• Accessories

You can find Aperturent on Twitter @aperturent on flickr or facebook.

This awesome Rosco Strobist 55-Piece Filter Kit is great for both color correcting your flash head to match your surroundings: fluorescent, tungsten and daylight. All of under $10! The kit includes the following:

• 46 color correcting gels
• 9 fun, colored gels, to play with
• See a list of all the gels included here

I also recommend picking up this adapter to hold your gels. It’s Velcro enabled so if you have Velcro on your flash head already it’s great – if not try the Honl Velcro Flash Strap also under $10.

It’s perfect for your Strobist 55 set gel kit – and handy for any other use of gels on your strobe – should you want to test some sample colors from the sample packs or cut down full sheets once you find a color you are crazy about! Well worth the $15 to add a professional look to your use of gels – duck tape and non-wind resistance doesn’t always cut it in the real world!