blog vs website vs both?

<p>So after shooting for sometime I wanted to display my work and so I created a cargo collective (portfolio website) as my "website" but then since I kept updating it, a blog made more sense.<br /><br />After going through wordpress and blogspot I've pretty much settled with tumblr as a photo blog but then the thought of a static website seemed a little redundant since I don't sell prints or services.<br /><br />Any thoughts, opinions, and advice?<br /><br />For my specific case: I've been shooting for almost a year and have done 20-25 portraits because that is my primary interest. I have some landscape, street, and other genres of photography but I wouldn't really display them outside of flickr or forum galleries because I don't put much effort there. They are more snapshots, I'd say. My blog is only portraits and my flickr is random. <br /><br />I'm just trying to figure out how to effectively display my work over the internet. Too many websites/social networks seems very redundant.</p>

<p>Unlike what seems to be everyone with a camera on the Internet, I don't sell anything, and I'm sure nobody would want to buy anyway, but in my experience, you can use both an actual website and a blog. The thing with just a blog is that almost nobody bothers to look at anything but the last posting. It's like an extreme case of being only as good as your last photo. Even so, there are so many blogs out there that few draw any attention at all if not by an already well-known photographer/blogger.<br /> Ultimately, you can use static pages for a selected portfolio of the best shots you have over the lifetime of your photography, and you can use the blog for on-going current photos you take. But, I suppose it depends on how many photos you have. In my case, I have some snapshot aesthetic kind of stuff that dates back to 1969. Even if they aren't "good photography", some of them might be interesting if only because of the vintage patina they have acquired.<br /> There are several ways to do this, but a single Wordpress installation can easily be set up both for static website pages and a blog. Personally, I use a separate static website (with dedicated photo website software), and I use a social media type blog because that's more likely to get views than a standalone personal blog does. Both Blogger and Tumblr work well for this purpose, but Tumblr gets your photos individually "liked" and shared by reblogging, as you know. Of course, a pro might not want to have his or her photos shared like this. Me, I don't mind, because they would otherwise just remain undisturbed in a virtual shoebox that nobody ever sees, and the blog does generate some referrals back to my website.<br /> I can't emphasize enough how much I despise sites like Flickr, and even more so since the redesign, but on the other hand, there is probably no website/blog that will get you as many views as you can get on Flickr. Really, since I'm not a pro and I never will be, my now-deleted Flickr photostream would have sufficed, if not that I'm someone who likes to do things my way.<br /> I've used Wordpress extensively by the way, but I don't really like it for an image-intensive type of site. I mean, anything can be adapted, but they didn't call it "wordpress" for nothing. Keeping your themes and all the necessary plugins working smoothly together through never-ending updates can become a bit of a headache. I eventually settled on a self-hosted website (on a virtual host), and a blog on Tumblr which uses a custom subdomain (same domain as the website). By using my own subdomain, I can switch to another platform anytime without the URL changing.</p>

<p>It's as much about the tools as the display. A few quick comments:</p>

 

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<p>The thing with just a blog is that almost nobody bothers to look at anything but the last posting.</p>

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<p> <br>

The thing with just a blog is the RSS feed that makes sure it's easy to access and likely to be seen. Doing a blog with providing an RSS feed doesn't make sense.<br>

</p>

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<p>I can't emphasize enough how much I despise sites like Flickr, and even more so since the redesign, but on the other hand, there is probably no website/blog that will get you as many views as you can get on Flickr.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

The biggest value of Flickr is the tags. Tags allow search,view and retrieval very simply, and Flickr has always encouraged tags. I regularly get inquiries from people who have found me through tags.</p>

<p>Tumblr is now owned by Yahoo, so can expect changes with their TOS for images, and Tumblr is notorious for reblogging images losing the original post and owner (it varys with the blog style). I only post images I don't mind being reblogged or even taken.</p>

<p>If you have the time or resources, your own Website gives you the flexibility with your images, and it's your terms and not some Website host and/or owner. You can better control the presentation. I also like blogs to add to photographs, but with these and Website, remember to keep the load times reasonable for visitors.</p>

<p>I don't sell any photographs through my website, but have it to present my best work. I also have a blog that I haven't updated in years. Ideally I would have a personalized website to show samples of your best work. Use a blog for keeping folks updated on your latest projects.</p>

<p>Have a look at my website. For the moment I have combined gallery and blog in one page.<br />Maybe not the perfect solution but at least a try.. :)<br />www.niclasforsberg.com<br />Best regards Niclas</p>

<p>I would do a regular website with a portfolio section and a blog section. If a part of the approach fails you don't have to relocate or start over. Just shut down what ever does not work and concentrate on optimizing the rest.<br>

<br />Tagging of images and articles is something you can do yourself. Besides submitting your website to be indexed, you can also specifically index your images. Here's a nice link about google image indexing:<br />

<br />There is a lot you can do to become 'visible' but sound choices of means and focus depend on answers to <em>why</em> and<em> for</em> <em>what audiences</em> you want "to effectively display my work over the internet." <br>

<br />Perhaps read a bit about Seo too befor you decide. A little time on the basics of this subject can go a long way if you want to know what you can do to make a/your web site more effective in one way or another.<br>

<br />Good luck with your projects and best regards,<br>

<br />M</p>