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
Photo by Tim Mantoani
- 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.
Can I add one of my own? 😉 A before and after retouching comparison using only Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: http://www.3songsnoflash.co.uk/blog/2010/10/12/lightroom-photo-retouching-luchadora-before-and-after/
For Keeping it Legal: The Correct Copyright Notice on a Photographer’s Website. http://www.digitaltechparis.com/2010/10/the-correct-copyright-notice-on-a-photographers-website
Wonderful list. Thank you for including a few of my posts. Now I have some work ahead of me to get through all the other great links. Rosh
AWESOME list – thanks!!
Awesome! Santa’s list if he were a photographer.. If you don’t mind, I’m adding two posts that proved very popular this year. Thanks Grover! http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/assignment-chicago/2010/05/7-mistakes-to-avoid-as-a-photographer.html http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/assignment-chicago/2010/05/7-key-traits-of-winning-photojournalists.html
Thanks for putting this together guys, and a special thanks for including me on the list. I’ll be sharing this around, of course 🙂 (One quick request, I’d suggest making all the links “target_blank” links so they open in a new tab and people can keep coming back and checking more links on the list!) Happy Holidays.
“UK Digital Economy Bill Turns To Ashes” by Jeremy Nicholl at the Russian Photos Blog blew such a hole in the British government’s attempt to introduce Orphan Works in the UK that it was quoted in Parliament by MPs opposing the OW clause. The attempt was defeated and quotes from the blog are immortalised in Hansard, the official record of parliamentary debates. http://www.jeremynicholl.com/blog/2010/04/05/uk-digital-economy-bill-turns-to-ashes/
Not to toot my own horn too much, but… I had two posts this past year which were great resources for photographers. The first was Portfolio Review Do’s and Don’ts: http://jasminedefoore.com/portfolio-review-dos-and-donts/ The second was a three part series about what creatives like (and hate) when it comes to all of the promo pieces they receive. I interviewed 15 hiring creatives from magazines, ad agencies, book publishers, record labels and broadcast. The posts include lots of pictures of the best promos, links to photographers’ sites and info on who designed them and where they were printed. http://jasminedefoore.com/self-promo-part1/ – Editorial http://jasminedefoore.com/self-promo-part2/ – Entertainment Industry http://jasminedefoore.com/self-promo-part3/ – Advertising Agencies Thanks for the wrap up and here’s to a peaceful and productive 2011. Jasmine
Thanks for adding more posts guys. These are great. And there’s nothing wrong with some personal horn tooting…go right ahead and share your own personal best posts of the year too! We’d be delighted to see more…
Well, since you’re asking for more, here’s another of mine that I wrote as a guest blogger for PhotoCritic/Pixiq… http://www.pixiq.com/article/lightroom-gradient This one’s about using Lightroom’s Graduated Filter for portrait photography. Thanks, Jamie.
Because it’s the end of the year and we usually make some New Year’s resolutions, it might be a good idea to also look back on your photo archive… Take some time to re-evaluate it, you might be surprised! Here are my 11 reasons to do so: http://www.alexandruvita.com/blog/2010/07/29/11-reasons-to-re-evaluate-all-your-photo-archive/
Tahnks for this amazing list.
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Nice… Fantastic list..