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If photography is your passion and you’ve been wondering how you can expand the services you can provide; then writing about the subject is a fantastic way to further your understanding of the artform as well as potentially earning a handy side income.
You can use the income that you make from your photography writing to buy equipment, such as lenses, tripods and even a new camera, or simply to help cover your daily expenses.
Alternatively, you may not be a practicing photographer but have an absolute passion for the topic and would love to write about it. Either way, if it’s something you’ve been thinking about then read on!
Writing About Photography – A Unique Artform.
Writing about photography is not the same as being a good photographer because many of the best photographers do not have great writing skills; although if this applies to you, then you can still learn the required skills with practise and hard work.
Including interesting, engaging and informative articles on your photography website or blog is also an excellent way to increase your reach, grow your organic traffic and develop a more rounded experience for your site’s visitors; but you may be asking what you should even be writing about!
What Subjects Should You Write About As A Photography Writer?
You can write about almost any aspect of photography although it’s wise to choose subjects that you can research or are already passionate and knowledgeable about. Choosing the right subject for your articles is important for several reasons:
- Firstly, selecting the right title, subject and keywords can help to drive traffic to the website or the publication you are writing for. Search engines use the titles of articles as a guide to what is contained within it, and so if you choose a subject that lots of people are searching for then you can expect plenty of organic traffic to be directed to your writing.
- Secondly, choosing subjects which your audience is interested in learning more about will keep them engaged and loyal to your website and writing.
- When you choose a subject matter which you are passionate about it will make the process of writing the articles much more fun! You don’t want writing to be a chore, and so when you work on topics that genuinely interest you your authentic voice will shine through for your readers to see!
There’s plenty of areas of photography that you can write about and which will interest audiences and readers, wherever it’s published!
Some of the most popular subjects in the photography genre that you can write about include, but are by no means limited to:
Reviews Of Photography Equipment And Gear.
You can write reviews about new cameras that come onto the market, as well as tripods, lenses and other accessories. These reviews can be valuable sources of information for people who are considering making a new purchase while also giving you the opportunity to sell affiliate camera products on your website which you have reviewed for your readers.
There are always new items being produced by companies around the world so you’ll never run out of photography equipment to review. You can choose to support a particular company, such as Canon or Nikon, or do comparative reviews of competing cameras or accessories.
Tips, Tricks And Photographic Techniques.
One of the best loved subjects to write about, for both writers and readers, are the whole range of tips and tricks that your audience can use to improve their practical photography skills!
You can explain any aspect of photography that you have knowledge of and use a little extra research to bolster any areas you’re not so sure about. For example, why not write a series of articles that explain to your readers how they can make the best use of the manual mode on their cameras or how to shoot great photos in poorly lit conditions?
There’s no limit to the tips and advice you can give and when your readers find that your articles are helping them to become better photographers you’ll find yourself with a loyal fan base of readers!
The Different Genres Of Photography.
If you want to explore the whole gambit of photography then you can write articles about the various genres that make up the total field of the artform. There are plenty to choose from including fashion, travel, architectural, real estate, wildlife, landscape, abstract, minimalist, street photography and much more besides!
You can sum the main aspects of these genres and then give your readers tips on how to make the most of the opportunities in the genre.
Alternatively, you can choose to focus your efforts on one genre of photography and really become a leading authority in the field. For instance, you can become a fashion photography writer and work for fashion blogs, websites and magazines; or become a travel photography writer and put all your work into that genre!
When trying to decide what genre you should work in, be honest with yourself and follow your authentic interests because you may well be writing about the subject for many years to come!
Inspirational Pieces.
There’s always times when photographers, both professional and amateur, find themselves running short of inspiration and turn to articles and blogs to get their creative juices flowing again. This means that you can write inspirational photography articles that help other creators to get back into the swing of their work with a new found vigor!
News Updates.
If you’re a natural news hound and love to stay up to date with photography related news you can specialize in providing the most important current stories to your readers. You can give your audience all the latest news on competitions and their winners, trends in the industry and news about the major companies, businesses and even other websites!
How Do You Get Inspiration For Your Photography Writing?
Writer’s block is the bane of creators in every genre of writing and, unfortunately, photography is not different! There will always be times when you feel like you can’t think of what to write or even whether you want to write at all anymore!
However, there are some practical ways that you can overcome this problem whenever it strikes.
- Firstly, a great tip to overcome writer’s block is to keep a small notebook with you at all times that you scribble ideas down in. So, every time you have an idea for an article just make a quick note of it! That means that when you do find yourself running low on inspiration you can refer back to your notebook of ideas for inspiration!
- Another way to keep yourself inspired is to keep up to date with what other writers in your genre are doing. You can get plenty of ideas from the work of others and although you should certainly never copy their work you can still get loads of inspiration from the best articles of those in the same field as you. You should also keep up to date with the latest photography videos and Vloggers as well as reading the work of other writers.
- The third way to keep yourself inspired is a practical technique that is used by freelancers in all genres of writing. When you are working on your writing try to break it up into high intensity sessions lasting a few hours at the most. Then, after a few hours take a 20-30 minute break and go for a walk outside, play a musical instrument, have a bite to eat or even do a little house work! Giving your mind a chance to rest between writing sessions will keep your workflow efficient and your inspiration flowing.
Always Do Your Research!
When you are approaching a new topic to write about you should always do your due diligence before you get started and get plenty of research done. As you are researching an article you should be making notes, taking care to include all the pertinent points you want to make in your article.
There are many great free resources that you can use online but you can also build up a collection of photography books to use as references in your research.
After you’ve done your research you can start to structure your article in a logical way that makes it easy for your readers to follow your arguments and pick up the information you’re trying to convey.
Selecting The Right Photos For Your Articles.
One of the most powerful ways to make your articles more engaging for your readers is to include exciting and relevant photos within the text. Nobody likes to read huge long tracts of texts without a break and using pictures is the perfect way to illustrate your points and split up the blocks of texts into easier to read sections.
You can also use graphs, infographics and other illustrations to help explain a complicated point, like how the camera’s aperture works, and convey complex information and facts in an easy to understand way.
The pictures that you use in your articles should naturally be relevant to the text but they should also add depth to your piece. You readers will appreciate the time you have taken to find the images and your articles will look more attractive on the page.
How Long Should Your Articles Be?
It’s one of the perennial questions of aspiring writers who perpetually wonder how long their articles should be! There is, unfortunately, no simple answer to this question because it all depends on the context of your writing and the nature of the publication or website you are writing for.
The average article online is somewhere between 500 and 1500 words and takes between 5 and 10 minutes to read. However, if you’re writing a more detailed article on a complex topic you may well want to write between 1500 and 3000 words in order to be able to convey the information you need to.
If you’re writing for a publication or website you can either ask the editor or use other articles on the platform to give you some guidance. Generally speaking though, you’re going to have to use your common sense and gauge the requirements of the platform or publication.
How Should Your Articles Be Organized?
Every story has a beginning, middle and end; and your articles should usually be ordered in a similar fashion! However, when you write an article you should think more in terms of an introduction, main body of the text and a conclusion that sums up the text.
There are several main ways that you can organize an article beyond simply having a catchy introduction, an information rich and engaging main body and a snappy conclusion.
You can also use other techniques to order and organize your article; the 3 most common of which include:
- Logical organization; where your points and arguments develop in a clear, logical fashion.
- Chronological organization; where the article follows events in the order that they occurred.
- Climax organization; where you finish on a high with the most exciting content at the end.
What Style Of Writing Should You Use?
The internet has transformed the world of writing and whereas 50 to 100 years ago articles were written in a very formal tone the modern article is far more friendly, chatty and less formal in general.
Using a friendly style of writing can often engage your audience more than if you use a formal tone but it also lets your personality shine through for your audience to appreciate.
Of course, there are occasions when a more formal tone is required but usually, even in major magazines and publications, a more chatty tone is becoming the norm. If you are unsure though, and are writing for a client or website, you can always ask for clarification on this issue.
If You’re An Aspiring Photographer There’s Never Been A Better Time To Get Started.
There are more opportunities for photography writers than ever before with new websites, blogs, magazines and publications entering the market; adding to the diversity of available information and formats as well as giving aspiring writers the chance to be read by growing audiences.
To get started you should be reading the work of other accomplished writers on a regular basis, keeping up to date with industry trends and making sure that you are working in a genre of photography writing that you genuinely enjoy!
Working as a photography writer is a highly satisfying pursuit, and even if you work as an amateur on your own website or blog, it’s a personally fulfilling way to communicate with and grow your audience.
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