Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Compelled to Blog


I've been delinquent. I've been neglectful. But mostly, I've been extremely busy. However, after last night's meeting of the Coalition of Photographic Arts (CoPA), I realized that I need to add a post before this whole blogging experiment falls apart.

You see, the seminar session last evening was all about blogging. What is it, how do you do it, the tools (such as Blogger) and some do's and don'ts. Of course, rule number one is the commitment to post! The last thing anyone wants to see are long lapses between blog postings. It kind of defeats the purpose of a weblog (the official name).

CoPA member, Mel Tritten (CigarettesandPurity) gave a wonderful overview of blogging and how it fits into photography. Being new to blogging and being unsure of my intent, I was able to relate to the thought process she provided in starting and maintaining a blog whether for photography or any subject matter. Right of the bat, I felt like I violate a cardinal rule by not posting enough (hence my title for today). However, having set up this site, I had some experiences already that I could relate to in her discussion. The most prominent is how easy this really is to blog, whether I'm getting hits, or even want hits at this early stage. Clearly, I need to find my blogging purpose first.

Mel provided some other photographic blog sites that are on top of the photoblogging world. They include 16:9, The Online Photographer and Conscientious. The each have their place and are extremely popular. I didn't even know they existed but now have them bookmarked. I can't wait to read them through.

Today's image I pulled from the archives. Taken in 2005, it's the front entrance of the Milwaukee Art Museum, a city landmark due to it's striking architecture. I came upon it as I am moving images from PC to Mac but that's another story. I seem to gravitate to images that show symmetry. It's a balance thing. In this case, the image is taken from the far side of the footbridge that leads to the front entrance. At this angle, the image becomes a bit more abstract but the symmetry is obvious.

3 comments:

Mel Trittin said...

Congratulations! Keep it up, you'll be amazed at how just the exercise of writing about your work and what you are seeing can help you focus. Not just your lens but your thinking.

Richard Bublitz said...

Hi Bob... I'm just checking through the CoPA members blogs to get my mind rolling. I've always enjoyed the stories behind the images, and you do it very well. Thanks for that. Mel said not to tell anyone when one first sets up their blog - I did mine this morning.

Richard

Bob Israel said...

Mel - Thanks and thanks again for the overview. I thought you did a great job.