Most of you might know already, but photoblogs.org is in trouble. See how you can help Brandon to continue his fantastic portal and source of inspiration.

I recently posted eight new photo themes at Lalaland. So go ahead, flex those finger joints, dust of the tripod and unwrap that roll of 120mm that has been refrigerating for months. I expect great things.
http://www.credodesigninc.com/lalaland/themes.shtml

Lala

I got this email the other day and I thought I would share it here.

I figured it's probably a question asked by a lot of people who are looking to set up a photoblog for the first time. My response to the email follows and I think I touched on a few basic points which I thought I would share. Of course this is a very basic primer, for people deciding if they want to start a photoblog and what things they should consider. It is not an indepth analysis of blogging software. Ultimately you need to find which one is the best match for you.

Hi Rannie, I was turned onto your website by Chris Klugman and would like to get more information on how the site works and how to get my own photo blog. I've been taking photos for years and now interested in showing my work to others and hopefully, one day, to sell my work. Any information or assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks

My reply

Okay basically most photoblogs run on some sort of Content Management System (CMS). Some of the popular ones include blogger, movable type, typepad, my-expressions, wordpress, pixelpost.

These can be broken down into two categories.

Systems that run on your own server space or services that run on someone elses server space.

Blogger, typepad and my expressions are all service that you can sign up for, with a minimal fee (blogger is free) and you can start posting right away.

http://www.blogger.com
http://www.typepad.com
http://www.my-expressions.com

Movable type, wordpress and pixelpost you need to install on your own server, a daunting task if you are not that website savvy. But this is always a good choice as it is much more flexible once you have everything set up.

http://movabletype.org
http://wordpress.org
http://www.pixelpost.org

http://www.photojunkie.ca (my site) runs on movable type and is a very popular choice among photobloggers, but that doesn't mean it is right for you.

There is no right or wrong solution, it all really depends on your situation and what you want to do and how much you want to spend. It also depends on your ability to install, or get someone to install, the CMS on your own server. Please note that there are a slew of other CMS options for blogging and photoblogging, the six listed above are just a sampling of the more popular options.

Here are things to consider.
- How much do you want to spend?
- What features are important to you?
- How much customization do you want to do?
- Hosted on your own server or hosted elsewhere?

All the software listed above can basically do the same thing, but there are advantages and disadvantages to each CMS. Check out the links provided for more detailed info on features and costs.

I would also suggest surfing around on http://www.photoblogs.org and checking out the various photoblogs online. Take note of aspects that you like and dislike about each site (not necessarily the quality of the images, but based on site usability and features). Also take note of what CMS they are using. It usually isn't that hard to figure out as
most people include that information at the bottom of their site or on their "about" page. If you know your really want a site like "X" chances are the CMS they are using may be right for you.

That aside, once you have your CMS set up, publishing to your site is fairly easy. Basically you upload your photo and input and accompanying text, titles and categories (if applicable)and hit publish. If everything is set up properly, then the CMS will update your website placing your newest photo on the main page and create the appropriate archive pages for that photo.

Most photoblogs are set up with a one image a day format, only showing the most recent image on the many page with navigation buttons available for you to surf backwards to see older photos.

There are also sites that feature more than one image on the main page, often showcasing several images from the past few days for your visitors enjoyment.

My question to you is the following? Are you looking to create a regular portfolio site? or do you want your site to be more fluid, showcasing new work all the time. Both methods showcase yourphotos, but in a very different manner...

Of course there is so much more I can get into here. but this is a short primer to get you thinking about how you want to set up your own photoblog.

Once you have decided exactly what you want and how much time effort and money you want to spend, I can point you in a more clear direction.

Cheers
Rannie

http://www.makingroom.com

I'm proud to announce the launch of MakingRoom, a new photo and image-arts magazine.

MakingRoom is a magazine about the process, intention and results of image-making. MakingRoom is at heart an “Art Magazine” and will be open to the discussion of film, video, painting, and more. It’s our hope to comfortably view and examine the range of individual processes that lead to powerful visuals. We plan to talk fairly plainly but with depth to artists at all stages of their practice.

For some time now, I have been wanting to make a trip to Hamilton, Ontario to take pictures. A couple of weeks ago, the opportunity presented itself and off I went with two other photographer friends to capture all that the blue-collar town has to offer. To most people, Hamilton is the city you never visit twice, with its countless abandonded buildings and an even greater number of demolished or partially demolished industrial sites. In fact, even the buildings that are still in use have a decaying quality that only a photographer could love. These are the very things that drew me to the place.

We spent a fair bit of time driving around the city trying to decide where to begin, before settling into the industrial playground that rests its head on the shoulder of lake ontario. All of the big names are down there: Stelco, Dofasco, Union Gas, Lakeshore Sand ... we could barely contain our drool at the thought of getting inside some of these places, but we knew that the best we could do was to get close - and that is just what we did.

Through fences we shot densified metals packed into perfectly shaped cubes; we shot pyramids of sand set against a backdrop of grey skies and blue buildings; and we shot the blue and yellow pipework of a factory set outdoors, and that is where the story gets interesting. While getting ready to shoot the wonderful colours through the fence, I noticed a woman had come outside for a cigarette so I said hello. She proceeded to tell me that I needed permission to take pictures on their property. It took a great deal of strength for me to resist the urge to move my tripod two feet back where I would have been on a public street, but in the end I managed to refrain. Afterall, I had already snapped what I wanted and my friends were waiting in the car. So, I wished her a happy new year and said goodbye.

All of this happened less than two weeks ago. I received a phone call tonight from my friend who did the driving that day, informing me of the visit by Hamilton Wentworth police to his home tonight. It seems the busy-body smoker-lady called them and said that an east indian terrorist had been taking photos of their factory.

First off, not every person with brown skin is a terrorist. Second, I AM A WHITE GUY WITH RED HAIR! Perhaps my appearance was marred by the cloud of smoke in front of her face. There are so many levels on which this story saddens me. It is truly upsetting that photographers are increasingly finding themselves the subject of such harassment and in a growing number of cases - banishment from places like the NYC subway and most recently Wal-Mart. Even though I have never had any desire to take photos anywhere near a Wal-Mart store, I was still disturbed by their treatment of people with cameras.

I really think it is time for North Americans to get some real problems to concern themselves with. Let's face it - our biggest concerns include the rising price of gasoline and whether or not we can fit two bicycles in the back of our SUV when we head up to Muskoka for the weekend. Lighten up people. If we keep going down this road, the world will have no more art of any kind and people like the smoking lady of Hamilton will have suceeded in supressing every bit of creative expression in existence.

My apologies to the cops from Hamilton who had to make the drive to Toronto for this - I sincerely hope that no real crimes were comitted in your absence. On the other hand, maybe you should be thanking us for getting you out for a few hours of fresh air.

Hey everyone, sorry for the short notice, but if you are on the TAP discussion mailing list, you would have gotten some heads up on this back in December.

We will be having our first Get Together of 2005 tomorrow along the Queen Street West strip.

The Bishop and the Belcher
361 Queen W Toronto
between Peter and John st.
at 2pm.

a photography site with a twist; from the author's description:

"Floating Logos' is a working title for this project. The images are inspired by signs perched high atop very tall poles in order for people to view them from a very long distance. The poles are digitally removed from the image in order to give the illusion that the signs are disconnected from the ground as they ominously float above us."

i like these kinds of projects. similar to the one from a few years back, where all of the logos/text were digitally removed from street signs, illustrating how many signs we see in urban life everyday, perhaps without being fully aware of them all.

i only wish the authors of "Floating Logos" would open it up to contributions. still, a fun viewing.

Floating Logos Project

Does anyone know what happened to the Day in the Life project? On the New Year's Eve I started taking pictures as I did last year, but later that day I also dicovered the project was dead. There is another website that used to be called the same, but the concept is different. I completed my project anyway, without rules and without a project. Nothing should stop us from having fun!

A Day in the Life - New Year's Eve 2004

I decided to host my own "Day in the Life Project" this year, so stay tuned! But first I need to find another name for it... oh, copyright, when you make our life impossible!

Happy New Year!
Irina

i chose my strongest images, and organized them into sets.

inconduit.com - sets