BOPB: What drew you into photography in the first place, and at what point in time did it become a more serious hobby?
Jasper: I always wanted to take pictures and create stuff. The whole analog shooting thing never got to me though. I bought my first digital cam for way to much money back in 2002, A 2-megapixel Sony DSC-S50, and started to experiment with it. Mostly long exposure stuff. I was too lazy to carry it around all the time, but I often saw shots I wanted to make. I took part in a small shooting competition on a Dutch tech forum and enjoyed the search for the best photo to enter with. I decided I wanted to really get into photography and started looking for ways to really push myself to keep shooting. The result was ‘the birth’ of my photoblog in 2004! I pushed myself to post one new photo every day. This way I had to go out and shoot! Pretty soon after that I got into the whole DSLR-thang and started spending way too much money on this hobby

What is the one piece of equipment that’s currently in your bag that you couldn’t live without?
That would have to be my Canon 5D. Although it is pretty boring without any lenses. I try to work with all my lenses, so I usually choose one I will work with that day, so I have no real liker. You can find a Sigma 15mm fisheye, Canon 17-40L, Tamron 28-75, Canon 50mm 1.8 and Canon 70-200L f/4 in my bag. Oh yeah, and a modified Holga lens with Canon mount.

What platform does your photoblog currently run on? Why did you choose it over the other options?
I never really researched for off the shelve photoblog software, so I forced myself into building it myself. My blog is built upon a custom CMS built by the company I work for, so I only (mostly) had to worry about the way my blog looks. Later I started expanding the software with Google Maps, Tagclouds, CoolIris support, RSS feeds, etc. My colleague Maarten over at Talkin.nl took over all development and really made the software to what it is today. Thank him for that!

If you were able to give one single piece of advice to another photographer who was considering setting up a photoblog of their own, what would it be?
Do it for yourself! I think that is the most important thing. Every once in a while I take some time and browse through my images and enjoy the whole documentation of my life there! I tend not to include people in my shots, but they are there when I shoot! This brings back good memories.

What do you think has been the biggest benefit associated with running your own photoblog?
The ability to test out new features is nice. Although you have to be a bit into coding and tweaking. I introduced my photomap some years ago after Google released their Maps API. Nowadays I don’t add much new functions, I just tweak the layout once in a while. I think this is my 6th of 7th makeover Oh yeah, I just redesigned my archive page.

While browsing your site for questions I noticed on one of your posts, that you have posted 1750 entries, if you have stuck to the “one a day” that’s roughly 5 years, first congratulations and second what would be your advice to other photographers who are struggling with “staying inspired”?
Yup, I started about 5 years ago, so I missed a few days unfortunately. I think my main advice is to not post what you think will work and score a lot of replies, but just post the images you like. As I said earlier, run the blog for yourself. I just celebrated my 5th birthday, which makes for 1840 photos already!

I really love the polariod style shots on your site, what was your inspiration behind creating those?
Thanks! Most of the shots are taking with the Polarize iPhone app. I don’t carry around my 5D where ever I go, but I do carry my phone around. The Polarize app processes the photo Polaroid style and puts the border around it. There are some amazing photo apps on the iPhone which I tend to use like Polarize and ColorTaste. You can also find a time lapse movie on my blog which was also done using an iPhone app. It is a very enjoyable app that me and my girlfriend use a lot when walking around somewhere

You seem to have a real passion for landscape photography, what was it that drew you into this type of photography?
I have no idea really. I think it is mainly because those are the photos I really liked to watch on forums and blogs. Maybe I was inspired by my dad who makes etchings of landscapes. Shooting a beautiful landscape in beautiful light appeals more to me than setting up lights to shoot a portrait series. I enjoy portraits in a way, but am to scared to approach people on the streets. I am pretty jealous of Jessyel at Dailysnap.com and Benoit Paille for their amazing portraits. My goal is to do portraits of strangers in the street. So keep checking my blog for that (and kick my ass if you don’t see any of them over the next couple of weeks ).

Would you mind telling us about two other photoblogs who you really enjoy and why?
Of course DDOI was a real inspiration for me as this is one of the longest running photoblogs around (I think) and one I have been following since I learned about those things called photoblogs. Nowadays his shots are less appealing somehow. I do follow Jessyel at Dailysnap.com and many other blogs through my RSS reader. I also follow a lot of wonderful artists on Flickr, which also show up in my reader. If there are two blogs I visit daily, it is my girlfriend’s and my dad’s. My dad started blogging about 6 months after I started. He was taking shots everyday and collecting them in a book. Publishing them online has been very enjoyable for both of us.

Since I talk about monetizing your photoblog I need to ask the Blurb book you have self published.  How successful has it been?
Well, not very much I sold one copy, which was bought by my father. I still haven’t ordered it myself The problem with trying to make money of your blog is that your group of visitors is simply too small. I think many amateur bloggers do shoot work that has commercial value and I do have some ideas on helping these people sell the images. I can’t tell much about it, but I will definitely keep you posted!

(ED: Don’t let Jasper’s experience be a deterrent. I still feel that self-publishing is going to become even more important in the not-so-distant future!)

Would you recommend self-publishing a photo book as a way to help with offline promotion?
I don’t think so. I think if you want to succeed as a photographer, so have to do a lot more than that. Getting featured in the local paper, try to get a little exhibition in the local coffee joint, etc. etc. If you see how many photobooks are already being promoted in bookshops, it would be hard to get yours noticed.

(ED: I love the local coffee shop idea, if you’ve had any experience with this type of promotion why not let us know how it went)

What have you found to be the most effective method of attracting new visitors to your photoblog?
When I first started blogging, I tend to reply a lot on other blogs just to get people to visit mine. For the last three or so years I simply do not have the time to do that. If a shot is really special I tend to comment though Sites like VFXY do help to promote your blog.

How do you see photoblogs evolving over the next few years?
Pfew, that is a good one. I haven’t thought about that one yet. I do think that running your own blog has its advantages, so I think people will continue to blog on their own sites.

Finally, where do you see your photoblog in the next 3-5 years?
I hope it is still running 10 years of photoblogging would be very special, wouldn’t it? On the short term, I hope to post more portraits as mentioned earlier. But on the long run I simply want to keep it running and keep posting everyday

I really enjoyed this profile, Brad’s candid responses really show his personality, couple that with the work he allows us to see on his photoblog and you get a really great picture…

Enjoy the profile and make sure you visit Wasted Photos, maybe we can all help break Brad out of his rut!

BOPB:What drew you into photography in the first place, and at what point in time did it become more serious?
Brad: I’m not sure exactly what drew me into photography. In college my dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said a digital camera, but not to get me one because I’d want a good one and that would be too much money… so he goes and gets me some Kodak point and click deally.. now mind you this was in 2000 so digital camera’s were still in there infancy. So I take this camera he got me, returned it to Best Buy and got a Sony S85. I would play around a lot with it.. mostly trying to do some night shots, but I really started having fun with photography when I found out a buddy of mine was interested in going out and taking photos too — so we started going out on weekends just shooting whatever we saw and had a blast doing it.. then I discovered how processing in Photoshop could help even more and it was like .. whoa… big boner time with my camera.

(BOPB: Having a friend who is also addicted to photography is an awesome way to break out of a rut, or discover photography)

What’s the one piece of equipment currently in your camera bag that you just couldn’t live without?
Considering I don’t have much equipment in my “camera bag” I’d say all of it. I have my Canon 30D, a 16-35L, a 580 EX2 and a 50mm 1.8 … so there’s really only one piece of equipment I CAN live without .. and that’s the 50/1.8 … or, I could live without all of them… I mean, it’s just camera equipment. What a silly question… THIS INTERVIEW IS OVER!

Why a photoblog?  What made you decide to invest to time and energy to get the site up and running?
Ok, I decided I’d keep answering your questions. (thanks Brad) So, I was out taking photos on a regular basis alone or with some friends and I had compiled a pretty decent collection of pretty decent photos… nothing amazing, but stuff I was happy with… and I started asking myself “What’s the point?” … I had all of these photos and they were just…. “going to waste” (Ehh .. ehh .. see where this is going?)… I threw together a small little site for myself and really liked doing it …and I’ve shown very few people this so feel special… a lot of those photos ended up on wastedphotos.com once that got started…. but back to the story … eventually I stumbled upon ddoi and something about the whole ‘picture a day’ experience really attracted me.. and once I saw thinsite’s photos, write-ups and the general genius that is attila I saw the direction I could really take things. Attila and I emailed back and forth a few times and he gave me some great pointers on getting started and was a regularly nice guy about it all and I figured I could try it out and see if it was fun or not.. and it was.

What platform is your photoblog currently running on and why did you choose it over the others?
I’m actually running my own software… I’m not sure why, but I’m a programmer during the day so to me it seemed like “well, I need a blog, lets code one up”… it’s also nice knowing how everything works so that when something breaks I know where to go fix it.. of course you could argue that with some packaged software (pixelpost) that things don’t break…..

I liked your post about how you started out with a bang in 2008, but you felt “flat” by July, just how hard is it keep a photoblog fresh?
It’s super hard. I have had days where I’ll go out for 5-6 hours and come home with just a few photos I can maybe use. Then there are the days where I come home with a ton.. the problem is that I HATE repeating myself.. If I have a picture of a cow today I don’t want to do another one for a few months. Variety keeps people interested and that, unfortunatley, means you have to constantly be out shooting…. and I dont have time for that… I’ve got money to make and kids to feed (not really… thank god). So, the short answer — it’s VERY hard.

If you were able to give a single piece of advice to a photographer who is considering setting up their own photoblog, what would it be?
The same advice that Atttila originally gave to me… and that is, if you’re going to do it, just have fun with it.. post the things that YOU want to and don’t ever try to make people happy. Granted, I will often hold back on photos that I don’t expect will get a good response, but I’ve really taken his advice to heart when it comes to my write ups. I know that a lot of what I write can offend people or might be gross, but it makes me laugh (usually) so I don’t care. I think of the whole thing as a website for me that other people can see.. not a website for everyone else. Maybe I’m selfish.

I always like to “categorize” the blogs that I enjoy, but I haven’t been able to do that with yours..If you had to categorize your work what would you call it?
If I HAD to categorize my blog? “Crap” maybe? I’m not sure. Wasted Photos is definately part of a small group of photos blogs category wise… only half of the site’s focus is on the photo — the other half is my write up (and that’s the harder part by FAR)… there are so many wayyyy better photographers out there, but their sites are SO BORING because they get all uppidity and pretencious about their work… “This is a photo of a sunset and I took it because it represented the color of my soul” …or people who always refer to their “portrait” shots… that’s boring to read.. so I try to make it interesting. thinsite did it, and a few others — like Jeff Ambrose’s openroadimagery … although he’s been slacking lately with the jokes — Jeff, get on it!

Do you mind telling us a little about your typical post-processing?
Well, first it’s into the Adobe Raw converter and I take the lazy way and usually just hit Auto. I have a tendency to over process things so there’s always TONS of layers going on in my photoshop files, but I more often than not add in a Colorized Hue/Saturation layer.. and I scroll through the blending effects until I find something I like. I always sharpen last then add a little vignetting through a PS action I setup. I used to give away my PSD’s on the site, but people were just taking them and not saying thank you so I stopped.

When you run into a “rut”, when even thinking about getting behind the camera, how do you work past that?
What a timely question… seeing how I haven’t posted a photo in over 2 weeks… and until now I had never missed a day in 2.5 years. I really don’t know how to work past ruts. I have wayyyy too many hobbies as is so if I’m not into my camera I have plenty of other things to go do. Photography is much more of a warm weather thing for me — I usually post from my archives once the weather dips below 50.

I noticed that you offer prints of all of the work on your site, how successful has that been?
I don’t know if I should lie and say it’s been great to make it seem like my photos are a hot commodity or be honest .. and since I guess I just let the cat out of the bag I guess I’ll just be honest. I’ve sold like 2 or 3 prints ever. Well, maybe more than that — but a lot of time I sell them to friends at cost.. I mean, how can I charge my friends for some photos I took while dicking around? That doesn’t seem fair.

What have you found to be the most effective method of attracting new visitors to your photoblog?
I have no idea how to attract visitors to my site. Maybe word of mouth? I don’t know who most of my visitors are so I don’t know how they found me… although it did seem like I had a lot more traffic when thinsite was running… so maybe everyone funnelled through him? I should really stop mentioning his site on here… this is about me… not mr I-don’t-post anymore..

Do you engage in any offline-promotion of your photoblog?
I got a tattoo with my URL on my schlong if that counts… wait, no I don’t. So, no… no offline promotion.

Would you mind telling us about two other photographers who you find to be especially inspiring?
Well, since I already talked about thinsite we won’t count him… Kenny over at moodaholic is great. I’d love to know his post-processing techniques. Martin Andreasen at WhatTheHeck also has unbelievable post work. I feel like post-processing is a make-or-break it type of thing for any photo and those guys blow me away. I also want to go on record and say that, although once an inspiration, I hate-hate-HATE ddoi… the photos are boring and repetative.

Finally, where do you see your photoblog and photography in say 3-5 years time?
Hopefully the blog will still be running… but given how things have gone for me lately who knows… hopefully I’ll be a better photographer by then. My girlfriend just got me my first set of umbrellas and some stands so I’ll be playing around with them and maybe getting better. Maybe I’ll be a drunk by then and will have sold my camera for a sixer and some cheese — I don’t know.

(BOPB: I would hate to see the last option happen – unless of course the cheese is a nice gouda, if this happens, make sure you let me know!)

Enjoy Sven’s profile and here’s to a great 2009!

BOPB: When did you first discover photography and at what point did it become more serious?
Sven: I re-discovered photography little less than two years ago, when I got my first “real” digital camera, a Canon 20D. During my youth I was kind-of interested, but never really had a chance to get into it, due to the lack of equipment. It changed with the 20D and I was very interested to learn how to handle the camera, learned about exposure etc.

What is the one piece of equipment in your bag that you couldnít live without and why?
Besides my camera of course I would say it’s my Lee Filter set. I use them all the time, already before I went full frame. First I got me what is called the starter pack, and after my first successful shots with them, I got totally hooked and expanded my collection of GND filters. I just like how they enable me to get the shots that I want without adding too much Photoshop wizardry. I have the feeling that since then my photography has developed quiet much and I got much more serious about it.

What made you decide to start a photoblog in the first place?
When it came to share my images, or better show them to the public, I looked at the available options. Of course there are sharing sites like Flickr where I also had and still have an account, but somehow this really didn’t appeal to me too much. I already subsribed to a few photoblogs in my reader, and was much more interested into this kind of publishing. The images are presented much nicer and the sites have a much more personal feeling to it. On some blogs you can actually see how much work and passion the photographer has put into the content, the presentation and the design. I totally apreciate that, and this is of much greater value to me.

Why run your photoblog through PixyBlog rather than hosting your own?
When I decided to start a photoblog on my own, I was looking at a lot of options, and tried several of them and then I got invited to the beta of PixyBlog where I then found what I was looking for. What I wanted was a reliable service where I have the possibility to customize the design to my liking, maybe add some code to like analytics or whatever, and a place with a nice community and good support. Whith PixyBlog I have just found that and couldn’t be happier about that. The feature set has been expanding and continues to.

If you were able to give one piece of advice to a fellow photographer who is in the process of starting their own photoblog, what would it be and why?
I would recommend to stay within one’s own limits and choose an option which he or she can enjoy work with and identify with. I mean, setting up a self-hosted may be too complicated for some, and might take away too much energy from the actual purpose, the photography. So look around, take your time to evaluate the best possible option.

(BOPB: Sven makes an excellent point, setting up/maintaing your own hosted blog can be quite a bit of work.  When making your decision to move forward with your own photoblog, consider whether you would like to spend time behind the camera, or updating your website)

You mention on your photoblog that you´re currently interested in mostly landscape and outdoor related subjects, what drew your into landscape photography in the first place?
First I enjoy to be outside, and I’m lucky that there’s so much nature around me here in Finland. Almost all of the images on my blog are taken somewhere around here. Usually I go everywhere with my bike, so the places are not too far away.

Also it’s such a nice feeling to be out at for example a nice lake at sunrise or sunset, and there’s absolute silence around you and you can just enjoy a beautiful morning or evening. And getting a great shot from such a scene is just a great reward.

What has been the most effective method you have found to attract new visitors to your site?
I have never really thought about that, but of course being honest and personal about the own work pays off. I mean, on my blog I of course post images that I personally like and I try to arrange the images as interesting as possible. Additionally I’m also sharing how I did something and sometimes post the unprocessed RAW-image, so that the visitor can get an idea what I did to an image.
I don’t do this with the purpose to get more visitors, I just would like to create a site, which is nice to visit. I have the feeling that people like this, subsribe, come back and also take their time to bookmark my blog on Photoblogs.org, Coolphotoblogs and VFXY-Photos where I have the site registered, or other sharing sites like Delicious, Stumble and so on, which then leads to new visitors. But this of course takes time.

Due to that, I got into the Photoblogs “Hall of Fame” and into the finals of the Photoblog Awards. Which both makes me very happy and proud.

Another important part is of course the networking aspect and getting connected to other bloggers by visiting their sites and commenting on their work. I usually try to reply to every comment personally, maybe not always right away, but I try to. Also Twitter has proven to be very effective to get connected with other photographers.
I never have met (even if only virtually) so many like-minded people, than since I’m running this photoblog, which is very nice.

In your opinion just how important is it for photographers to have a photoblog nowadays?
I think it rather important, and you see more and more photographers doing that. I think a blog is such a nice tool to not only show your work, but also to get in touch.

How has digital photography changed the way you look at photography, where do you see photography heading in the future?
Digital photography has made is possible for me at all to actually do it. I like that you can return home after the shoot and immediately (well almost) see the images on the screen. Also it makes the learning process a lot faster, because it’s possible to make as many mistakes as you want.  We see the cameras are getting better and better so quickly and more affordable. I understand that the latest Nikon camera is already near to a large-format camera in terms of resolution, and of course Canon will answer to that. Now there’s HD-video in DSLR’s and the next thing will then be the expansion of the dynamic range I guess.

Would you mind telling us about two other photobloggers who you find inspiring and why?
Two blogs that I follow for a long time now and admire are Tristan Campbell’s Absolutely Nothing and David Bakers Milou.
I like the landscapes of England and Scotland, especially coastal images and the raw nature of Scotland. I like these images not only for their scenery, which for me is already a little exotic, also I like their processing.

(BOPB: I was lucky enough to speak with Tristan earlier about his photoblog, your can read the profile here.)

Do you have any plans on selling your work via your photoblog at some point?
Yes I have. There are plans to sell prints via the blog in the near future, which is something I’m interested in and excited about. I think this would be a nice addition.

Finally, where do you see your blog in say 3-5 years time?
My main interest is to improve my photography of course, but also I have plans to expand my horizon in terms of locations. Also I would like my text blog evolve and provide original content.

Not only is Alex an extremely talented photographer, but this profile shows he has a way with words as well. …there are some awesome insights into his photographic style, his post-processing, and why he has his own photoblog.

If you haven’t visited Detour, I suggest that you check it out now, I promise that you won’t be disappointed!

Let’s start with how you first discovered the art of photography and when did it become a more serious endeavour?
I guess like many photographers/photobloggers I’ve always had at least some interest in taking photos, going right back to my childhood – my dad’s always been quite into photography. Back in the film days I had a point and shoot, but nothing I tried to master (can you even master a point and shoot?!). So really it was in 2001 when I got my first chance to play around with a friend’s digital camera that I discovered it as an art, and something I felt I had a bit of an eye for. As for being a serious endeavour, it’s a serious hobby yes, but not a serious endeavour – not yet. I’m just having fun with it all.

What’s the one piece of equipment currently in your bag that you just couldn’t live without? Why?
Just one? Jeez, tough choice! I’d have to say my wide-angle (Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM), because I just don’t see the world in anything narrower. I believe they say 50mm is equivalent to what the human eye sees, but that’s not enough for me, I want to capture the whole expanse of a vista, I want to get the full height of a building, or get close and not be forced to crop so tightly on a subject.

Course, knowing me I’d push my luck and try to sneak my newly acquired macro lens (EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM) in under that ‘one piece’ limit. I’m loving macro and really starting to notice the difference a  good lens makes.

What platform does your photoblog currently run on and why did you choose it over another option?
I’m a big fan of Wordpress – Detour has happily run on it since my very first post. There’s just something about the attitude behind the software that I’ve always liked. Detour is served from a standard webhost and being able to install, update and generally mess with my own installation provides me with the control I want, if I want. For me that’s preferable to any  hosted blogging solution, but to each their own – some people don’t want that level of detail/headache.

I dabbled with Movable Type on another project years before Detour, but jumped ship when their licensing changed so dramatically.

(BOPB: I did the same thing when MT changed…)

What made you decide to create a photoblog in the first place?
Between 2001 and 2005 I’d accumulated about 10,000 photos, and there were some I was quite proud of. Friends and family always asked why I didn’t have a site already, so after about a year of thinking about it, a few attempts at getting a template together and all that headache, I finally got Detour up and running in Sept 2005. My initial ‘about’ page offered the explanation “to share or show off, I’m never sure which” and that’s still true. I also wanted to tell the story that went along with each image, because while I believed/believe the old saying “a picture says a 1,000 words”, I always thought the story behind the shot added an extra dimension to the image.

(BOPB: Alex makes a hugely important point here, the story matters! both to your fans, and search engines!)

If you were able to give one piece of advice to a photographer who is currently considering setting up a photoblog of their own, what would it be?
Again with the one piece! LOL. I guess it’d be something I come across both on my site and others’; one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. You can post something that’s quite incidental to you, a nothing shot you don’t pay much attention to but post because you need something to post… and someone else will love it. So don’t be afraid to try.

Also, stick with it. If I didn’t have my photoblog I wouldn’t force myself to get out and about, and if I didn’t get out and about I wouldn’t have some of the shots that I love, that really satisfy me, amaze me and ultimately bring a smile to my face.

Oh, and have fun. Three pieces, can I get away with three pieces?

(BOPB: All great points, so I’ll let you away with three this time..)

You seem to enjoy taking night shots of brightly coloured (and sometime spinning) objects.  What drew you to this type of photography, what equipment do you use?
Yeah, I’m a bit of a light junkie. Long exposures have always been a love of mine, and were probably the first technique I sought to master in my photography. It was just one those things where I wondered “how’d they do that?” and then figured out the rest.

But there’s not much to them really, apart from the one essential piece of gear: a tripod! Anyone worth their salt should have a tripod. Doesn’t have to be anything particularly fancy, heck my first one was a cheap $40 piece of crap, just something to give you that stationery point. Even pocket or table-top tripods are better than trying to hand-hold anything slower than 1/10 sec. So get a good tripod people, and go forth into the night!

Do you feel that you spend more time than the average person in amusement parks?
Ha ha! No, we had the annual fair come to town in September so I spent three nights there before I was satisfied I’d gotten all the shots I wanted. So while my recent archive is pretty full of those shots there aren’t all that many from before then. Course, if I had the opportunity to go to more amusement parks or fairs… yeah, I would!

I love the calendar idea on your site; do you have a way to measure how popular they are with your fans?
Thanks. Yeah, I was curious on how popular they’d be so I use the Wordpress plugin Download Counter to track things. I’m averaging about the mid-teens each month. Though that’s not in the thousands or hundreds, that’s just, you know, 15 individual downloads. But September was busy, that got up to 17!

Ah, the calendar isn’t anything big, it’s my way of trying to give something back. I’ve been making my own desk calendars for a few years (why should I stare at some crappy merchandising calendar when I can pop my own shots on there!) so I just thought others might appreciate it too.

Do you track visitors to your site?  If so, what do you use, and if you don’t why not?
I do and I don’t. My webhost provides AWStats, I have Google Analytics enabled, and Feedburner gives me feedreader stats, but to be honest I’m not too worried about any of that. I seem to average about 1,500 unique views a month but basically I look at it this way: some people visit my site, some leave comments, some don’t and at the end of the day I just enjoy keeping the site updated – that’s enough for me. I’m not trying to be super popular in the photoblogosphere, I’m just doing my thing and if even one other person enjoys it, then that’s cool.

(BOPB: Alex has a great attitude, just “doing my thing” – it’s an awesome attitude for a photoblog, enjoy your passion, and hope that someone else does as well!)

Do you mind telling us a little about your typical post-processing?
Sure. First off I shoot in RAW, browse all the shots in Bridge, then select the good ones and bring them in to Lightroom. Once in Lightroom I have a broad set of presets that I use as a starting point for processing. These 100+ presets  I found on the web at various sites over time, and since each shot it different I just try different presets out til I find one that works with the shot.

Then I usually add some of my own custom tweaking: I’ll bump up the contrast, because digital is often  a bit washed out and nothing really pops. I’ll brighten up the exposure a pinch, darken the blacks and top it all off with a bit vignetting to help focus attention. Then I bring the shot into Photoshop where I add some unsharp mask (20,50,0), a linear contrast layer and boom, the shot is ready.

Final step is a custom Photoshop action to flatten, resize, and save for web a large and thumbnail image.

Could you share two other photographers whose work you admire and why?
A long-time favourite of mine is Thinsite but unfortunately he’s kind of dropped out of photoblogging. Shame really, he has/had some good stuff and I’m always hoping he’ll get back into it again. Why Thinsite? Mainly because the work speaks for itself, but also because he comes across as being a pretty decent guy, quite personable and funny. Mainly though, it’s that he takes the kind of shots I wish I could take. Hard to explain beyond that.

Another site I like is Wasted Photos. Of the 20+ photoblog feeds I’m subscribed to I’d say his is the most entertaining. But more than that, I like his work because he takes photos of stuff I probably wouldn’t, and comes away with some great shots. He also comes across as being a pretty down to earth guy, and isn’t afraid of poking fun at himself.

What has been the most effective method of attracting new visitors to your site?
VFXY has been good in bring people to my site. Posting comments on other photoblogs also not bad. And in the past I used to submit entries to the various daily/weekly photo ‘contest’ sites, which got me some new visitors. But these days I seem to have a bunch of people that follow me, and I’m cool with that. I’m not trying to make money from my site so I’m not stressing about increasing numbers.

In your opinion, how important is it nowadays for photographers to have a photoblog?
These days I think it’s essential for every business to have a website, and photographers are no different. Professionals should have at least a portfolio site for people to judge whether they’re the photographer for them. But that’s different from a photoblog which should be updated more frequently. Does every photographer need a photoblog? No, probably not.

How has the introduction of digital technologies changed the art of photography?
Not having dabbled in the film end of artistic photography I’m not speaking from experience on this one, but I think it’s obvious to say digital has opened up the artistic side of photography to many people who otherwise wouldn’t have tried it, or wouldn’t have continued beyond initial attempts. These days it’s all so accessible, just as digital advancements have changed movie making and music production. New technology it’s good for everyone!

Finally, where do you see your photoblog in 3-5 years time?
Hopefully still going strong! Possibly something I am making some money from, perhaps with more visitors and more comments, but at the very least still going. Like I said, it’s forced/encouraged me to keep at my hobby, and if the hobby every transitioned into  an artistic profession, I’d be cool with that. Hey, who knows what the future holds?!

I think that Rob’s photoblog neverhappen.com sums up what a photoblog is all about – it’s about dedication to your love of photography – it’s about growing as an artist through your photoblogs, and it’s about perfecting the art of photography (in and outside of camera) by committing yourself to an on-going project.

BOPB: Could you tell us a little about how you first discovered photography, and at what point did it become more serious?
Rob: Actually it was my bother interested in photography and not me. Back at school he had an SLR and used to develop film, this never even remotely interested me.

I did not become interested in photography until around 5 years ago, picking up a Canon EOS 300D.

Thinking back I am not exactly sure what made me decide to purchase that camera and other than the cost of gear, I am glad I have. The world around me is documented and it is fantastic to look back at people, places and events that otherwise would simply be memories.

It is nice to see my photography improve too. Some of the early images make me cringe.

BOPB: What was your very first camera and what are you currently using?
Rob: It was not until the advent of digital I even picked up a point and shoot. In a trip to Hong Kong around 10 years ago I purchased a FujiFilm MX-700. It was a staggering 1,0 megapixel. This camera lasted until finally giving up in 2003.

In August 2005 I purchased my first SLR being a Canon EOS 300D. At the time I was so scared to change any settings on the camera leaving it permanently in green mode shooting jpg. Even the occasional switch to aperture priority meant immediately switching back to whatever the “factory setting” might have been f5.6 or whatever.

Currently I am shooting with a Canon EOS 5D which was purchased in 2006.

BOPB: What’s the one piece of equipment currently in your bag, that you just couldn’t live without?
Rob: Other than the camera of course, and let me stretch in the bag a little, it’s my tripod. A tripod is essential for night images, macros and generally improving images.

BOPB: What platform does your photoblog currently run on and why did you decide to use it over something else?
Rob: The neverhappen.com site runs on PixelPost.

PixelPost just seemed the easiest out of the box platform. From start to finish it required little effort and it now hums along in the background. Little maintenance is needed and there is a good community to provide support if ever required.

The fact that PixelPost is open source also appeals.

(BOPB: My blog also runs on Pixelpost, and I chose it for many of the same reasons that Rob did..although sometimes I feel myself longing for WP, Pixelpost is an awesome purpose-built photoblog platform!)

BOPB: If you were able to give one single piece of advice to a photographer who is currently considering starting their own photoblog, what would it be?
Rob: Start. Stop thinking about it and start. Do not underestimate the addictive nature of the exercise though. I have many more than once said “I have nothing to post for tomorrow” and then head out with the camera.

Having a photoblog certainly contributed to my photography improving as it forced me to shoot.

Incidentally I have not missed a day posting in now over 1200 days.

(BOPB: Short and to the point.  This is some excellent advice – just do it!  Congratulations on 1200 days!  That’s quite an accomplishment!)

BOPB: You mention on your blog that landscape photography is probably your most favourite type of photography. Why is that? What drew you into landscape photography in the first place?
Rob: Living in Australia and in particular southern Queensland the great outdoors is really part of our lifestyle. Weekends are spent outdoors and so it’s probably just natural.

Within an hour of home there are beaches, mountains and rainforest so accessibility to landscape scenes is never an issue.

Landscapes too do not complain if I want to wait for light, recompose the shot, come back later to improve on an image.

In addition I have travelled extensively with work so I wanted to record some of the trips.

Recently I have been shooting more portraits. Part of that documenting life theme too I suppose. More recently I shot a wedding, while extremely stressful I had a great assistant which ensured I got all the “must have” shots. It was great fun and maybe something I would like persure some more.

Photography though is a sideline and I want it to remain a component of my relaxation and fun.

BOPB: What has been the most effective method that you have found to attract new visitors to your photoblog?
Rob: Entering memes and probably visiting other photobloggers sites.

Unfortunately that is someting I rarely have time for anymore.

Comments on my site have definitely assisted in improving my photography. Some people out there are quite generous in their critique and suggestions. Of course I would love to drive more traffic to the site. I have ideas of writing a “what I have learned” section of the site. Drafting is currently underway.

BOPB: Do you use any analytics software to track visitors to your site? If so, what package are you currently using?
Rob: Have tried a few including Google Analytics, Site Meter, etc but I do not get too caught up on the statistics. Of cause I am interested in people visiting, and want to see trend lines travel northward but it’s not an obsession.

PixelPost also provides some rudimentary information including Referrers which is actually sometimes quite surprising.

Cpanel is exclusively used now.

BOPB: In your opinion just how important is it for photographers to have photoblogs nowadays?
Rob: Photoblogs are being used in all kinds of different ways.

Some pro photographers are using their photblogs are a section of out-takes, others to display their non commercial work.

Given that photographer sites are often static and at times quite a bore, the dynamic nature of phtoblog gets people visiting, and that is what it’s all about.

BOPB: How has digital photography changed the way you look at photography, where do you see it heading in the future?
Rob: Have never really lived in photography other than digital so I cannot really comment here.

Recently I did though purchase a Canon film camera with a view to shooting star trails. Digital sensors just get too hot and subsequently resulting in unwanted noise.

BOPB: Would you mind telling us about one or two other photographers who’s photoblogs you enjoying visiting and why?
Rob: The most popular are not the most popular for no reason. Although there are some strange exceptions to the rule…

Most days I stop by to see the work of Sam at ddoi.ca and Miles from mute.rigent.com

There are others of cause, but for anyone wanting to get a look in on long standing, high quality sites, visit these two.

Sam as he often pulls the proverbial rabbit out of a hat with the likes of stitched video, or a new technique and Miles as there are really just some very unique images.

(BOPB: I was fortunate enough to get Miles to answer some questions earlier on, check out my profile of Miles Storey)

BOPB: Finally, what are your long-term goals with regards to your photoblog?
Rob: A photo daily. From Australia, New Zealand and sometimes elsewhere.

I’ve been following nissou*’s photoblog for quite awhile now and knew that I needed to profile her photoblog on the site.

I think that really makes this photoblog stand out from the rest of the crowd is nissou*’s ability to create images which make an emotional connection with their viewers, but retain a really nice commerical feel to them.

Recently, I am noticing that quite a few photoblogs out there are getting more and more complicated (mine included) and it’s nice to see a simply laid out photoblog which really draws your attention to the images!  Check out nissou* photography today!

BOPB: Could you tell us a little about how your first got started in photography, and at what point in time did the art of photography become more serious?
nissou*: I started playing with a camera when I was 17 years old. I guess it was a hobby like all teenagers girls can have… but my passion became more and more serious as time goes by. I decided to attend some evening classes and I spent most of my free time taking pictures. I also had the opportunity to have a darkroom in my parent’s house where I spent a lot of time. I think that when you find a way to express yourself, you can’t stop it.

About 2 years ago, I decided to start my photoblog. It was at the beginning just a way to share my pictures with people I know. It was really a surprise when I discovered that people from the other side of the world came to see my work and gave me their feedback. It gave me more confidence in my work. Thanks to my blog, I even started being contacted by people who wanted to hire me for a session. And that’s how all started

BOPB: What is the one piece of equipment currently in your camera bag that you just couldn’t live without?
nissou*: My favorite lense, a 50 mm.

BOPB: What platform does your photoblog currently run on? And why did you choose it over the other options?
nissou*: I wanted something really simple. My photoblog is hosted by My Expressions which offers a lot of layout possibilities. I chose a simple white template. I just wanted an easy way to navigate and a layout where the picture is emphasized. The presentation of my pictures is really important and I don’t want anything else that can disturb the first page.

BOPB: If you were able to give one single piece of advice to a photographer who is currently considering setting up a photoblog, what would it be?
nissou*: Have fun. Feel free to express something you want. Don’t focus on the number of visitors or comments. Post only the pictures you want to and not the ones that people expect to see. And… visit a lot of other photoblogs, this network is really inspiring!
BOPB: I just love the fact that you add text to your images, I think that it really helps to convey a message to the viewer. Could you tell us about how you came up with the idea?
nissou*: I’ve always been convinced that a picture needs a title. It’s like a painting. A title gives something more to an image, it helps people to understand it the way you want to. I really like to work on the presentation: to play with colors, texts and typography.

Sometimes I leave the picture the way it is, just because I want to focus on the image itself. Sometimes I feel that more design gives more “fresh” feelings to the image (especially with kids). Since I started this, I’m addicted

BOPB: The addition of text gives your images a real commercial feel, was this intended or just a nice little side benefit?
nissou*: Not really intended, but that’s funny because you’re not the first one to tell me this. Maybe it’s because I’ve studied marketing and I worked in this environment. I love design and visual art. And I guess I’m unconsciously inspired by all what is around me, advertising, magazines, etc.

BOPB: I noticed that you have a photoblog and a more business-styled website, why did you decide to separate the two, and how do you think having the blog has helped your photography business?
nissou*: As I said before, I started first with my photoblog. I’ve launched my photography business afterwards thanks to the feedback I received and the interest of people for my blog. For me it was really important to have a more professional website, a clean presentation of my work with a limited numbers of pictures. In my opinion, a photoblog is more for people who love photography; professional website is more for people who want to hire a photograph. The way they visit the site is different. I guess people who want me to do the pictures of their wedding are not really interested to see all the pictures of my blog. Furthermore, my blog is more “personal”, it’s a place where I have more freedom, I can work with series, show different styles and try some experimental things.

BOPB: You have such a wide range of work on your site, is there any one type of photography that you enjoy more than the others, and if so why?
nissou*: Kids, definitely! Sessions with kids is what I prefer. They are so natural and surprising. It can sometimes be difficult, they can be shy, tired or simply bored of me with my camera. But when I’m doing a session, I spent several hours with them at home. We play together, they show me their bedroom and toys, and then they get more comfortable. That’s best way to have natural expressions.

BOPB: Would you mind telling us about one or two other photographers who’s photoblogs you enjoy visiting and why?
nissou*: One French photoblogger: Kea. I love the simplicity of his work, mostly pictures of his kids and daily life. An Australian one: Boudist. His concert pictures are amazing! This is something I would like to be able to do – I’m really no good in show pictures.It’s difficult to choose actually. I visit several blogs daily…!

BOPB: What has been the most effective method of attracting new visitors to your photoblog?
nissou*: It wasn’t really a method but I had a lot of new visitors when my photoblog was selected by photoblogs awards last year.

BOPB: Do you use any software tool to track the number of visitors to your photoblog and how they found your site? If so, what package are you currently using?
nissou*: I’m using a free tool named Statcounter. Very easy to use and I get the information I want: the numbers of visitors, where they come from and if they are coming back. Most of my visitors found my blog via My Expressions or via links on other photoblogs.

BOPB: In your opinion how important is it for photographers to have photoblogs nowadays?
nissou*: I think that it’s the easiest way for a photographer to share his work with other people. It’s cool, we can see pictures of people all around the world with one click. But I can understand that some photographers don’t like to share their work via a screen. Photography is totally different if you see it on paper, in a book or behind your screen. In my case, my photoblog was really an important step for me. My style has really evolved since I started it. It represents a lot of work but I hope I will be able to keep it for a long time.

BOPB: How has digital photography changed to art of photography?
nissou*: As everyone, it gave me so much more possibilities. You can try different things and take more risks. And, for me, the digital is the best way to photograph children with natural expressions! It also changed my way to present my pictures, as I said, with colors, texts and design. On the other hand, I started with an analogical camera, and I like to use it from time to time and go back to the essential. I also have a polaroid camera which is really fun and I would love to own an old 6×6 camera in the future.
BOPB: Finally, what’s your goal in regards to your photoblog, and where do you see it in say 3-5 years time from now?
nissou*: I hope it will keep evolving. Maybe time will not allow me anymore to post every day like I’m doing now, but I would love to still update it. I have a ton of ideas I want to realize, new series and new ways to mix my images with typography. Unfortunately, as everyone, I miss time! But what is really motivating is the positive messages I can get, and the critics that push me to do better. And who knows, maybe one day I will post pictures of my own kids?

I think what drew me to her work in the first place was the the emotion her imagery was able to conjure up, it just made me feel happy!  The soft tones and the desaturation just seem to work and really help to set a mood in her work.

Her simple photo blog layout is refeshing and really draws your eye directly to the photography rather than the surrounding site design – more folks should build their photoblogs in this manner.

Amanda recently took some time to answer some questions for me.  I hope that you enjoy the interview and I strongly suggest that you check out her work on Monmarte, and her great Flickr feed!

BOPB: When did you first discover photography and at what point did it become more serious?
Amanda: Oh I’ve loved it since I was a little girl and always wanted to be on the newspaper team in high school. I noticed senior girls with SLRs walking around my school campus and wanted to be like them when I grew up. I got serious about it when I got my first film SLR in my early 20s.

What was your first camera, and what do you currently shoot with?
My first camera was a long, skinny Kodak point and shoot when I was about 9. It was hot pink and I loved it!
I currently shoot with a Canon 40D, Nikon FM3A, Yashica Mat 124 and a Polaroid SX 70.

What’s the one piece of equipment that you could not live without?
Polaroid film. Unfortunately I am going to have to very soon.

(BOPB: Although I have almost entirely switched to digital, the day this happens will really be a shame.  I still feel guilty waking by my Mamiya RB67!)

What made you decide to start a photo blog in the first place?
Oh it was many years ago now. I think I discovered photoblogs like Chicago Uncommon and wanted to share my work in the same way.  I wanted it to help me develop as a photographer and it truly did.

What platform does your blog currently run on and why did you choose that platform over others?
I have finally moved it over to Wordpress. I originally used Moveable Type, then migrated to Pixelpost but have recently changed it over. I have had a wordpress blog for many years and just much prefer the ease of posting with that software.  The only reason I didn’t use Wordpress long ago was because the templates were never designed for photoblogs. That has all changed now and I’m very happy!

If you were able to give one single piece of advice to a photographer who was considering starting their own blog what would it be?
Shoot when you want to and shoot for meaning. I started out as a daily blog and it became a chore. Its great to shoot as often as you can but once you put limits and deadlines on your art, it becomes tiresome.
Photography should never be like that.

I noticed that you recently purchased a Yashica Mat 124, what lured you back to film?
Oh I never swayed away from it. I started out with film long ago and have never given it away. I do love the ease of digital and I think I have become a much better photographer through playing around with digital however to me, film is what its all about. I love the imperfection, the light that is captured, the tones and saturations.  A lot of people say you can create the look of film in photoshop. I don’t really agree yet. Believe me, I try.  It may be a little more costly, but to me there is something magical about film, about waiting to see what you captured on a roll and most importantly, we take more care with film.
I don’t want it to ever die but I’m very scared it will.

Why a Flickr account as well as your blog?
I debated this myself for a long time when I started a Flickr account.  Flickr is far more community oriented than a blog. I put my favourite work on my blog and use it to showcase my ‘best’, I guess. Flickr is fun, addictive and I have access to lots of photographs and people. Its a community of like minded people. I love that.

What has been your most effective method of attracting new visitors to your blog?
I honestly don’t try too much but I do get a lot of people coming to my site through photoblogs.org. I made it into their Hall of Fame, so that sends a fair bit of traffic my way.  If you actively want to seek out visitors, it pays to comment on other people’s work and get your site listed in photoblog directories like VFXY and Cool Photoblogs.

Do you mind sharing some tips on your digital workflow with us?
I am a fan of low saturated tones and subtle colours. I play around a lot with the saturation and curves tools.
I really do like to create a film look to my shots but they often don’t come out that way.  Having sharp photos is your biggest help. I use the smart sharpen tool in photoshop as it is quite subtle. I have a few bought actions that I play with but no photograph is ever the same. If I use actions, I will run them and then tweak them to my own liking. I never use them as they were supposed to be used.  It all takes practice and playing around with a style that you like. I actually need some lessons as I’m hitting a wall with my skills!

Where do you see your photoblog in say 3-5 years from now?
Oh goodness, hopefully evolved in some way. I’ve had it for probably 5 yrs now and it has gone through so many changes already. I don’t see the photoblog itself taking on any new direction, but I would hope that my photography has. I want to do a lot more portrait work in the coming couple of years.  I get a lot of people asking me to shoot their weddings through them finding my photoblog. It was a music blog there for a while, so I’m constantly changing. I hope it will just show a photographer who has grown and experienced new things. That’s what photography is all about to me.

Well, I am finally getting back into the groove of things after a couple of very busy weeks, and I can’t think of a better way to kick things off with a profile of the amazing photographic work of Austin Mann.  When I came across Austin’s work for the first time, I knew that I needed to profile him on the site.  I am sure that you’ll find the insight Austin provides extremely helpful.

BOPB: When did you first discover photography and at what point in time did it become a more serious endeavor?
Austin: My dad was a photographer so I kind of grew up around cameras but I didn’t really get into until the first semester of my sophomore year in college (about two and a half years ago.) I got my hands on a 70-200 f/2.8L in exchange for selling some equipment for a professional photographer on eBay, a very generous exchange on his part, and that’s all I shot with for about a year. I got hooked my Spring semester of my sophomore year and next thing I knew God had me in Africa on a missions trip shooting over there.

BOPB: What was your first camera, and what are you currently using?
Austin:The first camera that was my very own I got for high school graduation and it was Canon’s first flag ship DSLR, the Canon D30 (3.25MP.) I got it used and years after its initial release but it was a great camera.  From the start, I really liked the long night exposures and can remember how disappointed I was with the noise in the images… Now I shoot with a Canon 1Ds Mark III and it blows me away on every level, including noise. I can have my set ISO set all the way up to 800 before I even can see any noise at all… and as far as long exposures go, I shot a 70 minute exposure last time I was in Africa of the stars and I could barely see any noise in the image at all… an amazing piece of technology.

BOPB: What’s the one piece of equipment in your bag that you couldn’t live without?
Austin: My RocketAir! I use it to blow off and clean all my equipment, not just externally but also internally as well. It does an excellent job cleaning sensors and any surface of equipment that you want to avoid scratches.

BOPB: If you were able to give one single piece of advice to a photographer who is considering starting their own photoblog, what would it be?
Austin: Maintain your own style — shoot for what YOU want to shoot for. After starting a photoblog, it’s easy to start catering to the photoblog viewing crowd and conform to another style. It’s important to stay strong to you are passionate about and to stick to the style of art you want to produce, even if what your shooting isn’t boosting your page loads or publicity.

BOPB: What has been the most effective method of attracting new visitors to your photoblog?
Austin: I have listed myself on VFXY and coolphotoblogs but for one reason or another it has never seemed to take off at either site. I think a lot of my hits are just from word of mouth and I also get messages from time to time from people that have found my business card in the local coffee shop.

BOPB: Do you collect stats on visitors to your photoblog, and if so, what tool do you use to collect these stats?
Austin: My host is GoDaddy and I use their traffic facts for general visitor information on my host (austinmann.com) and any domains on it, which include my blog. For specific blog tracking, I use the Image-Stats addon in PixelPost, I think it works great.

BOPB: Would you mind telling us about one photoblogger who you feel really stands out from the crowd and why?
Austin: I really enjoy the photo blog of Miles over at http://mute.rigent.com/. His imagery isn’t super-processed like some photo blog and offers a unique perspective on not only every day slice-of-life kinds of images but also beautiful landscapes.

BOPB: Great mind things alike, check out my interview with Mute’s Miles Storey.

BOPB: Mind telling us a little bit about your current workflow?
Austin: I shot in RAW and Small JPEG and I have four SanDisk Extreme III 8 GB cards and a 5D as my secondary with two SanDisk Extreme III 4 GB cards. When I’m traveling, I always try to dump my images to my MacBook Air at the end of the night and back them up on one of my 160GB LaCie Rugged drives. That way I can clear the cards and be ready for another full day of shooting.

BOPB: I always like to ask my guests about the future of photography, where do you see the future of photography?
Austin: The future of photography is a tricky one. With the massive distribution of digital cameras that do everything for you, photography has already changed radically in the last few years. I think it will grow more and more difficult for professional photographers to set themselves apart from the rest as equipment continues to get smarter which equalizes everyone.

BOPB: Do you see a point in time where you will be selling your work online, or do you see your photoblog as more of just a creative outlet?
Austin: I actually do sell my work online. I used a service called Zenfolio and have been thrilled with not only it’s simple and easy-to-use interface but also it’s outstanding print labs, both in print quality and speed.

BOPB: Finally, where do you see your photoblog in say 3-5 years?
Austin: I’ve had my photo blog for just over 2 years now and its roughly the same as it was when I started it. I just strive to create imagery that directs glory to my Creator and I think that will always stay the same. The only thing I’d really like to see change is is increased visitor count and more traffic.

BOPB: Tell us how you got started in photography, and at what point did it become more serious?
Sean: I’ve always been intrigued by what makes a good photo. How photographers could capture the emotion of an intimate moment or a breath-taking landscape scene was always captivating to me. I would bring my camera along on trips and to family events, and while I took quite a few shots, I was never impressed with the results.
Three years ago I decided to improve my skills by taking an introductory photography class at a local community college. The instructor taught us the principles of photography and how to best utilize your camera. I had a simple point and shoot camera, nothing special. I never thought too much of my photos, but during the class, I received a lot of positive feedback. What I liked most were the assignments. They gave me the focus I needed and clued me in to the notion that there’s a multitude of interesting things out there. It really helped to keep an open mind. I finished the class feeling more confident and thought that starting a photoblog would be the motivation I needed to start taking photos.

BOPB: What camera did you start out with, and what are you currently using?
Sean: My first camera was an Olympus Stylus, a compact 35mm, bought in the early 90s. I’ve had several cameras since then, and I’m currently using a Canon Digital Rebel XT.

BOPB: What’s the one piece of equipment currently in your bag that you couldn’t live without?
Sean: Well, there’s only 1 piece of equipment in my bag. I don’t have much of an arsenal. While I have a 50mm f/1.8 lens, I mainly use the kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6) that I bought with the camera.

BOPB: If you were able to give one piece of advice to a photographer who is considering starting their own photoblog, what would it be?
Sean: This is your opportunity to shine, so make the most of it. The photos you post should be an extension of yourself. Remember to post often. It doesn’t have to be daily, but you don’t want to lose your audience. Most importantly, have fun and truly enjoy what you do.

BOPB: What has been the most effective method you have used to attract new visitors to your photoblog?
Sean: Visiting other photoblogs, leaving comments and becoming part of the community have worked well for me. People enjoy the feedback and I’ve made some friends along the way.

BOPB: You mention on your site that although you’ve always had an “interest” in photography, you have only recently decided to start a photoblog, why the change in direction?
Sean: Well, I needed a place where I could display my photos and hopefully get some feedback on what I was doing. Also, I wanted a challenge and posting a new photo every couple of days meant that I needed to take photos more often. I felt this would be one way for my work to improve.

BOPB: Would you mind telling us about one photoblogger who you feel really stands out from the crowd and why?
Sean: There are so many photobloggers out there who have outstanding work, it’s difficult to pick just one. Here are a few that I enjoy on a regular basis. Ruben Frosali has a way with color and a processing technique that I can’t get enough of. There’s something special about Anissa El Gariani’s portraits. Her work is so upbeat and cheerful, it always puts a smile on my face. David Dillon constantly amazes me with his industrial shots. He breathes fresh air into places that are long forgotten.

BOPB: Digital workflow is a tremendously important part of digital photography, would you mind telling us how you manage your workflow?
Sean: I shoot all my photos in RAW. Right now I’m using Picasa to help me sort through my photos. Post processing is done in Adobe Photoshop CS3. Depending on what I want to accomplish with the shot, I’ll add several adjustment layers (curves, color balance, etc.). Once that’s complete, I’ll resize for the blog, convert the color profile to sRGB and save as JPG.

BOPB:Digital photography has really changed the game, if you were able to gaze into a crystal ball and see the future of photography, what would it look like?
Sean: For me, the idea of picking up a film SLR was too intimidating to consider. With digital, however, I could snap away without the fear of wasting film. If I don’t like what I had done, I could delete. There’s also the instant feedback. I can tell right then and there whether the shot turned out as expected. This flexibility will continue to allow anyone with the slightest interest to pick up a camera and document their lives.

BOPB: I noticed that you’re doing a 365 day photo project, how has this affected your photography?
Sean: It’s been both frustrating and rewarding. I’m really glad I decided to do it and pleased with the outcome. Back in January when I started it, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that accepting this challenge meant that I would need to venture outside my comfort level and take more time to explore my surroundings. I can quite honestly say that I believe my photography has improved over the past few months. I have found that I’m constantly looking for photo ops and composing different shots in my head. I’ve learned that not every shot needs to look like a postcard. There’s beauty in the mundane and you just need to be receptive to it.

BOPB: Do you have any intentions of commercializing your photoblog? By this I mean selling images, etc.
Sean: While it would be great if my photography improved to the point where people were interested in purchasing my work, I don’t foresee selling my work in the near future. However, if I start receiving requests for prints, I would certainly reconsider.

BOPB: Finally, where do you see your blog and your photography in say 3-5 years from now?
Sean: I would hope that it stays close to what you see today. I don’t know if I’d do another 365 project, but I would like to continue posting on a daily basis. One area I feel my work is lacking is portraits. It would be nice if I were able to get some more of those under my belt.

BOPB: When did you first discover photography, and at one point did it become more serious?
Uwe: I was a typical point and shoot holiday snap guy for about 20 years. Photography became more serious about 3 years ago, at the time where I initially discovered the wonderful world of photoblogs and a digital SLR camera became affordable for a hobbyist.

BOPB: What was your first camera and what are currently using?
Uwe: My very first camera (besides of some disposable ones) was a Voigtlaender Vito B, which was an inheritance from my grandfather. Build in 1958, this thing is rock solid and still works today without any problems. Nowadays I’m using a Canon EOS 5D.

BOPB: What’s the one piece of equipment currently in your bag that you couldn’t do without?
Uwe: Well, at least my camera? . No kidding. I would be heavy-hearted without my Canon EF 85/f1.8. The technical results of that lens on the 5D are simply outstanding. It’s fast, supersharp and has such a nice and homogenous bokeh. There are only a view images on my blog taken with that lens. But I’m using it a whole lot for pictures (my family f.ex.) which I don’t post at my blog.

BOPB: If you were able to give one piece of advice to a photographer who is considering setting up their own photoblog, what would it be?
Uwe: I would consider to keep the blogs environment simple, tidy and focused on the photo and maybe the story behind it. It’s no problem to build in some nice bells and whistles, but these should support the artwork, and should not divert from it. For the software, my first choice is the Pixelpost framework. Good support, easy to setup and nicely extendable.

BOPB: What have you found to be the most effective method of attracting new visitors to your photoblog?
Uwe: The most effcient method I guess is to comment on other blogs and get in touch with other bloggers. The more, the better. While leaving your blogs address in the comment forms, there is a good chance that other readers will visit your blog, and maybe a comment. With a bit of luck, others will subscribe your RSS feed and so they become regular visitors. Second is to participate in some blog communitys, though the so called voting-thing on most of these blog-directorys should not be overrated.

BOPB: Whats your long-term goal for your photography and your photoblog?
Uwe: For my photography, my long-term goal is learning to get better. Putting the conceptual idea and the technique together for a flawless result, that would be a real pleasure, somedays. For my blog, we’ll see how the web technology evolves. I guess we’ll discover some great usability- and design-enhancements in the future.

BOPB: Your landscape imagery is quite impressive, what drew you into landscape photography?
Uwe: My luck is that (while talking about landscape and nature) I’m living in a really nice agrarian-oriented area of Germany, though I must admit that I didn’t realize the loveliness of the ambience before I engaged in the photography hobby. My job is pretty stressful, and so I really love to walk thru the fields with my camera. Maybe it sounds a bit ridiculous, but for me it’s just relaxing to listen to the whoosh-sound of a wind-generator on a secluded barrow, or to the crackling of a wheat-field on a hot summerday. Trying to visually capture these moments with a camera is simply a part of my recreation.

BOPB: Having an efficient digital workflow is important, could you tell us a little about your workflow?
Uwe: My workflow is quite simple. I’m solely shooting in RAW, importing my photos in Adobe Lightroom (I’m still incertain between Apple Aperture and LR, but actually LR is my favourite) for some slight adjustments and archiving. Then I develop the photo as a 16bit TIFF to Photoshop CS3 for further processing. I always have three copys of a photo which in my opinion seems to be worth to be processed. The RAW file, one 16bit TIFF image saved with the processing layers and a smaller JPEG for my blog. I don’t use any batch processing or fixed receipts and yes, I’m also very lazy in keywording.

BOPB: Everyone suffers from periods where they lack inspiration, how do you deal with these times?
Uwe: That’s a very good but painful question. Unfortunately I have these periods frequently, and my only two remedies against these anxious days are,
a) Leaving the camera at home, as a matter of fact. Doing a few longish walks without the camera equipment often brings back the open mind. At least for me. And after a few days, the enjoyment to take photos returns by itself
b) Getting inspiration. In an uninspired phase it’s often very helpful to stray thru other blogs or photo-communitys. There are so many excellent photographers out there, and slowly but surely an evil enviousness creeps in my mind . Sooner or later I’m forced to go out shooting again, just to determine that, for gods sake, my envy thoughts are fully entitled .

BOPB: What’s the one thing that keeps you blogging?
Uwe: The girls and guys of the community out there. I have met (though virtually) so many nice and talented people from all over the world in the last two years, it’s simply awesome.

BOPB: Finally, where do you see your photoblog is say 3-5 years from now?
Uwe: I hope it is basically the same as now: part of a nice community. Maybe I can advance my skills, as described in question 6, maybe not. However I hope the pleasure in blogging photos will remain.