Seven or eight months ago when I was thinking about starting a blog, the idea of illustrating it with photos or other images didn’t enter my mind. I’d write things, I thought, little essays. Wasn’t that what blogging was all about?
Well … not exclusively. After cruising the blogosphere, I found that I often enjoyed a story more when the blogger used pictures. The image drew my attention to the story and stayed with me, hovering, ghost-like after I clicked away to another site.
Kate on Views and Mews starts each of her humorous essays with a gorgeous banner photo of one of her beautiful cats. The clarity of her photos makes it easy to imagine a cat on my lap, purring to be petted.
On chinaelevatorstories, R showcases her own original illustrations as she shares conversations she’s had or overheard in Chinese elevators, taxis, trains and buses.
Marilyn on Serendipity is an accomplished photographer who can lure you down an ordinary woodsy path with the beauty of her photos.
On speakingofchina, Jocelyn Eikenburg’s photos invite us into the life she shares with her Chinese husband.
One post I loved recently on bottledworder didn’t have a single image until the very end. A dried leaf, nothing more. And yet, the post was so well written that that was all she needed. I can still see that little yellow-brown leaf.
Images on my blog
Finding images for my blog hasn’t been easy. I’ve combed through my old photo albums and carefully (or not so carefully) removed faded family photos and scanned them. I’ve asked strangers, friends, and my daughter and sister for photos. I’ve bought images and found others online that were free as long as I gave the photographer credit and followed certain rules.
When I wanted to take pictures myself, I had two options: use my iPod or buy a roll of film, pull out my decades old point-and-shoot, take 24 pictures, and then run to the nearby drugstore to get them developed. Neither was a great choice. It took too long to finish a roll of film. And since the iPod was only an iPod after all, the pictures weren’t as clear as I wanted.
Soooo … going on the theory that bloggers also need to be photographers, I ordered my first digital camera: a Canon PowerShot 170 IS. A red one, just for fun.
A new reason to take pictures
I used to take a fair number of pictures. When my kids were young and adorable and constantly changing, they were my ever-present subjects. Then they grew up and left home, and my picture-taking became far less frequent. At some point, I started throwing photos into boxes instead of putting them in albums. That’s when I lost interest and almost stopped taking pictures altogether.
It was time for a change. And going digital was only a minor part of it. What I needed was a new purpose for picture-taking.
And now I have one: my blog.
So what kind of photos can you expect to see here? I don’t know yet, but I expect this will be a different kind of photography for me, one that requires attention to the world around me, an artist’s eye, and an appreciation for ordinary things. At least, that’s the way I envision it. We’ll see.
It should be fun. Stay tuned to see what I end up capturing with my new red camera.
What do you like to photograph? Have your subjects and cameras changed over the years? Do you have on-line albums? boxes full of old photos?
I didn’t realize how many photos I took until I started blogging. It’s been wonderful to be able to comb through photos I took years ago, when my husband and I first met.
It’s also been fun throwing in new photos as life progresses, so people can see life changing.
Every time I’m out and about in Japan and come across a “blogging” moment, I’m glad I remembered my camera (but I often forget to charge it, so it dies halfway through snapping shots of a festival or flowers)
You’ve taken some excellent photos, Grace. The pictures in your post on “The Hardest Part of a Long Distance Relationship…” are cute and funny and poignant.
Good for you. I think you’re going to enjoy the world of digital photography. Have fun.
My first lesson with the new camera: Keep the battery charged. Last Sunday (after taking pictures the week before) we visited the Washington Park Arboretum, and after four or five pictures my battery needed recharging. A great opportunity missed.
I don’t know about other bloggers, but the photos or illustrations in my posts help me a lot. I often wonder if it was my readers or I who need them more! 😀
The images help me to stay in the story/ topic.
They also remind me of things/ facts that I should mention in the post (even though I always end up forgetting a lot! L-O-L!).
You use wonderful photos and illustrations for your posts. How do you do your illustrations? Are they watercolors?
In the beginning I did not think at all about taking pictures just for the blog. However now, over half year into blogging I often feel that my article lacks something when I do not have any pictures prepared (as in my last few articles).
In my opinion pictures can help to make an article more appealing for the reader as well as it may help to understand the topic better.
I always try to have something prepared but more often than not I really do not know at all what picture/s might be suitable for the topic of the article.
It’s definitely a challenge to think of a suitable picture for certain articles, and then finding it can sometimes take almost as long as writing the article.
Have fun with your camera, Nicki. The best thing about digital is that you can take a great number of shots as “experiments” and delete any that don’t suit.
Thanks for the mention Nicki! Indeed, there is something incredibly powerful when you match photos and words. BTW, I love your red camera, it does look like a lot of fun!
Your recent post about gathering and cooking wild plants is an excellent example of the power of matching photos with words.
Your post is beautiful and inspirational. Unless I am writing for my travel blog, I usually use creative common drawings because I am not a great photographer. You are blessed with two gifts: writing and photographer. The two make great synergy.
Thank you, Jane. But I don’t think I’m a very good photographer. I’m not interested enough in the technical aspects. Fortunately my camera has an automatic setting.
Thanks for linking to my blog. I have a lot of photos I took with my analogue camera while traveling around and living in China and although I like them a lot, I don’t really have a place to put them. Also, today I use my camera less and less (it’s just easier to take my phone with me and use it for taking pictures). With the illustrations it’s different, I make them especially for the posts – and I enjoy making them just for fun, but if I don’t have enough time on my hands, there are also no illustrations that can be shown with the posts.
I particularly like the old photos you post with your articles – those are some real treasures.
I like your illustrations a lot. Even though it takes time to make them, it’s a special treat when you’re able to include one.
I also like including old photos in my posts when I can find something that fits.
You are right about the power of photos or at least their role to break up a long post, for example. We live in a very visual world and we expect photos to illustrate or simply separate paragraphs. I follow a few of the blogs you mention and the quality of their pictures is outstanding. A good camera is a great idea. I use one or simply my phone for quick snapshots if I’m inside.
BTW I enjoy your blog very much. As it is.
I must admit I am remiss in taking photos since my childrtenm grew up. I appreciate the time and detail you share through your photos. I’m inspired to get busy and see what I can find to support my blog.
You have the soul of an artist, Paddy–(and a writer and a teacher). I enjoy your blog with or without photos.
I’d had a camera since I was about seven years old but, after cupboards full of prints and boxes of slides, I’d kind of lost interest in photography, despite having a digital camera – and even, at one point, an underwater camera. Yet, as with you, blogging has revived my interest as at last I have somewhere to put them. I’m not a great photographer, and, as a writer, I think the words are far more important, but I do like illustrating my posts with my snaps. It’s another form of creativity I thought I’d left behind, a bit like a child making a scrapbook!
Like you, Anne, I intend to continue concentrating on writing, not photography. But it’s nice to have a reason to take a photo now and then. An underwater camera! That must have been exciting.
My blog awakened my love of photography too. I, too, had lost interest over the years. Sometimes it’s easier to use your own shots to illustrate your blog than to try to find one and figure out the requirements. I used one that was listed as “free” only to have the author request that I link to his website (which I did). I had given him credit as required but he wanted a link. Now my biggest problem is that I still don’t take enough photos. I will write about something after the fact and realize I never took pictures! Thanks for the link to my blog!
I’ve had various cats over the years, but I’m cat-less now. So it always pleases me to see a photo of one of your cats when I come to your blog. Your photos are so clear and alive.
I see what you mean about remembering to take pictures. Now that I have the camera, I still haven’t developed the habit of using it.