The Mark of a Good Blog…
By digiMa on Nov 22, 2009 in Internet
…is the quality of pictures the blogger has. Pictures add a visual aspect that makes it easier for readers to get something out of your blog. Online readers are notorious for skimming rather than reading something in detail, and pictures often make this easier to do.
There are a lot of different ways to get good pictures for you blog. If you just need standards photos to illustrate a point, stock photos are often a good way to go. You can usually find stock photos for fairly inexpensive (blogger-affordable) prices, or you can use photos that are in the public domain.
Despite what many people think, not everything that appears online is in the public domain. The public domain is essentially everything that is not restricted by copyright — either because it’s too old, or because the copyright holder (usually the photographer or artist) has voluntarily given up their rights to the work. There are plenty of websites where you can get copyright free images, but if you are not sure, it is always safer to ask the artist or photographer.
Sometimes the better and safer way to get images is to take them yourself. If you blog about something such as your pets or your current craft projects, this will be fairly easy to do — and make more sense than using someone else’s images, anyway. But you can also take this approach if you plan your blog posts out ahead of time.
You don’t need a fancy camera — just a little point and shoot will do. Speaking from experience, do be sure that you have a good protective camera case. Good camera bags offer padding as protection from the camera getting dropped or bumped when you carry it around. Since you will get the best pictures if you keep your camera with you at all times, to always have it if you happen to spot a good shot, it is important to ensure your camera is protected.
Taking pictures for your blog can be a lot of work, but you’ll find that it’s rewarding and the pictures make your blog more interesting. Good luck!