Best of 2010 – Our Favorite Photo Blog Posts of the Year

It’s been a busy blogging year for the photography world. I don’t know about you, but I spend so much time deep into blogs (writing for the PhotoShelter blog, as well as reading/learning from so many others) that my wife is expecting that I’m going to end up in a TRON-like blogging situation at any moment now.

What better way to pay tribute to the web’s best photo blog posts of 2010 then to write a blog post honoring them?

To assemble a well-rounded “best-of” list, I asked the PhotoShelter staff (all 17 of us) and many of our favorite bloggers to contribute suggestions from stories that captured their attention during the year. The result, a list broken down into 9 different categories, is a collection of useful, inspirational, funny, smart, creative and simply brilliant posts that make us all a little bit smarter, and a lot more motivated to keep seeing, shooting, and sharing.

Thanks for a really great year, and thanks to PhotoShelter staff member Michelle Seekamp for working so hard to keep track of all these links.

Best of 2010 – Our Favorite Photo Blog Posts of the Year

1) Photo Marketing

photo by Allen Murabayashi

• Using an iPad as a Photo Portfolio | Allen Murabayashi, A Picture’s Worth
• Cool Photographer Promo Lands Serious Interest from Clients |  APhotoEditor
• STEAL MY PHOTOS PLEASE! | Thomas Hawk
• 3 Tips for Publishing A Photobook | Miki Johnson, Miki Johnson.com
• Selling Yourself: 10 Traits of the Master Marketers | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth
• 505 Marketing Ideas | Rosh Sillars for New Media Photographer
• Steal These Marketing Ideas | Andrew Fingerman, A Picture’s Worth
• 14 Superb Portfolio and Photoblog WordPress Themes (Free) | Bill Jones, The Photo Argus
• 4 Photographers Describe Their “Social Media Workflow” | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth

2) Photo Business

• How Much Should I Charge | Syv Rich, Foto-Biz
• 12 Excuses for Shooting Photos for Free — and Why They’re Bogus | John Harrington via BlackStar Rising
• You Know How Sometimes Businesses Like to Go On Flickr Trying to Score Photos for Free? | Thomas Hawk
  
• When New Photography Businesses Go Wrong | Photopreneur

• Cheap Photographers Only Kill Themselves, Not The Industry | Zack Arias
  
  
• I AM PRO | Jack Hollingsworth, Jack Hollingsworth.com
• Learning /Teaching | Selina Maitreya, One View
• Making a living as a photographer | Rosh Sillars, New Media Photographer
• Surviving The Death of Stock Photography | Photopreneur
• The modern photographer | Rosh Sillars, New Media Photographer
• Photographers Reveal The Details Behind Their First Sales | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth
• 5 Steps to Success! | Selina Maitreya, One View
• I AM TRIBAL  | Jack Hollingsworth, JackHollingsworth.com
• Real World Estimates (series) | APhotoEditor

• Watermarks: Protecting Your Images, or Damaging Your Business? | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth
• Newsweek Sells for $1 – What’s Next? | Stella Kramer, Stellazine
• Approaching Modeling Agencies | fashionphotographyblog.com
• Grow Your Wedding Photography Business with Referrals — From Your Competitors | Photopreneur Editors via BlackStar Rising

3) Photo Technique

• Peter Hurley Exposes The Perfect Headshot | Fstoppers
• Dispatches | Joe McNally
• Helpful Photography Cheat Sheets to Make Your Life Easier | Bill Jones, The Photo Argus
• Five Things Music Can Teach Us About Lighting | David Hobby, Strobist
• Lighting it up in Austin with Robert Seale | Allen Murabayashi, A Picture’s Worth
• REDUX Photographers (video introductions) | REDUX via Vimeo
• Five Years With Aperture | Scott Bourne, PhotoFocus
• The Best DIY Beauty Dish | Todd Owyoung, I Shoot Shows
• What’s Old is New: Return to Weddings | Daniel Milnor, SmogRanch
• How I Use Speedlights | Melissa Rodwell
• Creating Images That Brand — Pushing Toward the Icon | Don Giannatti, Lighting Essentials

4) Gear Reviews

• Review: Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S – One of Nikon’s Best Primes | Todd Owyoung, ishootshows.com

• Nikon D7000 Hands-on Review | Kai W via DigitalRev

• Digital Point-and-Shoot Cameras Used By Pro Photographers | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth
• PLM umbrellas offer sweet combo of efficiency and softness | Rob Galbraith

5) Photographer Profiles

• The Stuntman | John Keatley
• The 7 Ironic Truths About Successful Wedding Photographers | Missy McLamb, A Picture’s Worth
• Sung Yeonju, South Korea | Alison Zavos, Feature Shoot
• Remembering Namir Noor-Eldeen | Michael Kamber, NYTimes Lensblog
• Robert Herman talks about “The New Yorkers” | Stella Kramer for Stellazine
• History, Rock ‘N’ Roll and The Many Lenses of Ethan Russell | Chris Owyoung, A Picture’s Worth
• A Conversation with Jason Eskenzi | James Pomerantz, aphotostudent
• Hiro Kikai a Man in the Cosmos | Eyecurious
• Jump with Phillipe! | Rachel Hulin, A Photography Blog
• Brian Ulrich | Lynn Saville, Bombsite
• Jim Fiscus: “Outwork your competitors.” | Kristina Feliciano for Stockland Martel
• In The Bag with Photographer David Burnett | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth
• Joao Silva ‘Acting Without Fear’ | Michael Kamber, NYTimes Lensblog
• Photography and Theater with Barry Underwood | Rachel Hulin, A Photography Blog
• Ruedi and Perri Hofmann on their Exclusive Photos of the Jonas Brothers | Kristina Feliciano, Stockland Martel
• Q&A: Mark Leong, Beiijing | Alison Zavos, Feature Shoot

6) Photo Essays and Projects

• The Most Memorable Exhibits of 2010 | Elizabeth Biondi, New Yorker Photo Booth
• Work Conditions and Suicides | Ryan Pyle – Documentary Photographer
• Sun City: Life After Life | Kendrick Brinson, Luceo Images
• A Moment in Time | NYTimes Lensblog
• Water polo team bares all for Art Streiber and ESPN The Magazine | Kristina Feliciano,  SMart
• A Mother and Daughter’s Recovery… | Annabel Clark, Visura Magazine
• Photographing an Erupting Volcano | Andrew Fingerman, A Picture’s Worth
• How To Take Photos of Africa | Asim Rafiqui, The Spinning Head
• Covering the Execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner, Part 6 The End | by Trent Nelson, Fly On The Wall

• Why We Must See | Joerg Colberg, Conscientus

• In American Custody | James Estrin and David Furst, NYTimes Lensblog
• Essay: A Culture in Jeopardy, Too | Steber, NYTimes Lensblog
• Ward by Ward, New Orleans Marches Back | James Estrin, NYTimes Lensblog

7) Inspiration

• Focus On Your Passion: Tim Mantoani Webinar | Allen Murabayashi, A Picture’s Worth
• Mistakes | Joe McNally, JoeMcNally.com
• Tom Lowe’s Amazing Timelapse Photography | Timescapes.org
• 5 Photo Shoot Ideas Worth Stealing | Chase Jarvis, ChaseJarvis.com

• An Open Letter To A Local Photographer | David Jackson via Seshu’s Tiffinbox

• The Most Emotional Photographs you May Ever Make | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth
• 40 Outstanding Examples of Conceptual Photography | Bill Jones, The Photo Argus
• I AM INNERMOST | Jack Hollingsworth for JackHollingsworth.com
• Photo Philanthropy goes to the dogs… and cats | Michelle Seekamp, A Picture’s Worth

• A Photographer’s Life Is A Juggling Act | Ken Jarecke via Seshu’s Tiffinbox
• Thanks, Dad! | Photoinduced.com

8) Opinion: Thoughts on the industry, the art and the future of photography

• Top 10 Ways To Piss Off A Photographer | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth
• Step Away From The Holga And No One Gets Hurt | Chip Litherland, Chip Litherland Photography
• Is Digital Post-Production Killing Photography… | Jim Goldstein, JMG-Galleries.com
• Word of the Year, Curator | Eyecurious
• Open Letter to Newspaper Photographers | Chip Litherland, ChipLitherland.com
• Pro photographers who still use film | Kristina Feliciano, Stockland Martel
• The Top 11 Things Photographers Wish They Learned in Photo School | Grover Sanschagrin, A Picture’s Worth

9) Keeping it Legal

• Photography and The Law: Know Your Rights | Photojojo
• Is a “Property Release” Required for Use of Photo… | Carolyn E. Wright, A Photo Attorney
• Lessig Defends His Controversial Ideas About Copyright | David Walker for PDN Pulse
• Street Photographer Harassed by Police for Taking Photos in Times Square | Dan Havlik, PDN Pulse
• Top 10 Misconceptions about Photography and the Law… | Martha Blanchfield w. Carolyn E. Wright, WPPI Online
• Protect your photo rights online | Carolyn E. Wright, Macworld
• LA Photographer Cleared of Criminal Charges | PDN Pulse

What blog posts inspired you, taught you something, opened your eyes, made you laugh, made you cry, or made a difference in 2010? Please help us expand this list by adding a link below.