I’ll preface this blog post by saying the obvious – without a smart phone or digital camera, my suggestions will be (mostly) meaningless to you. (Whew! I’m glad we’ve gotten that technicality out of the way.) Let’s proceed to the many ways you can add pieces of flair to your (for fun or business) blog by capturing your own images…
Every Time You Travel, Blog Photo Opps Await You: I’ve had my smart phone for approximately one year. In that time, I’ve taken some amazing and eclectic photos via Legoland Florida, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and National Aquarium, New York City, Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, PA, New Paltz, NY, and Austin, TX.
When visiting a public place, your blogging photo opportunities are limited only by your (sometimes twisted) imagination. I’m not ashamed to admit that sometimes, I’m so enchanted with a specific image from my travels that I build a blog post around it!
Shopping Isn’t Just for Fashionistas – It’s Also for Blog Photographers: Scurrying around after work or on weekends to complete those errands you can’t get done otherwise isn’t fun. But if you have your camera handy, many blog photo resources are available right in your neighborhood.
Need a clean “beauty shot” of a consumer packaged good? Head on over to Target or Walmart – late at night is best. Need an image of stacks and stacks of one solitary item? That photo is as close as your local shoe outlet, beauty supply shop, clothing store, or mall.
Books Are More Than Friends; They’re Emergency Blog Photos: Looking for a hard-to-find object that complements your latest blog post perfectly? Visit a bookstore or your local library – taking a photo of a book or a grouping of books is no crime. If you venture within a book’s pages, then give proper credit. Many times, I rummage through my home library for book covers that mesh well with upcoming blog entries.
Kid book covers can add personality to blog posts because they’re so colorful and capable of grabbing “eyeballs” online. Don’t believe me? Check out The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Giving Tree, or Go, Dog. Go!
Got Kids? Do They Color, Create, and Own? Then You’ve Got…: Children, if you happen to have any, are another great source of blog post imagery. Since starting my blog, I’ve taken advantage of my son’s Lego Minifigures, Star Wars bobbleheads, Rock’em Sock’em Robots, and even his Angry Birds. Kids are natural creativity generators, so don’t be afraid to ask your child or grandchild to draw a picture suitable for (blog) posting!
If you’re a blogger, how do you source your blog post images? If you take your own photos, where did you capture some of your most inspiring snapshots? What photographic suggestions do you have for other bloggers? If you’re willing, please share…
Lori Shapiro is the owner of By All Writes LLC, a business writing, editing, and research company in Marlton, New Jersey. She revels in shielding her clients from the pain of writing their own print and web marketing copy. Call her (856-810-9764) or email her (lori@byallwrites.biz) for a no-obligation project quote today!
Great post! I personally think my five-year-old’s hand-ink prints (thoughtfully created with washable ink on paper instead of our living room walls) would make a cool photo for any number of blog topics.
Hi Pam: Thanks for stopping by – this was a really fun post to write! I agree with you; kids create art that is perfect for blogging use. If only my son knew how much of his “stuff” has appeared online in various blog posts, he’d probably ask for a monetary kickback…
Regards,
Lori