Since Dot Editions is new to the wild world of blogging, I decided to get some ideas from the pros last night at the APA event, “Photographers who Blog,” featuring Amy Stein and Andrew Heatherington. They’ve both been blogging for several years, and over time have crafted sites that have become constant resources for many photographers.

I’ve followed Amy’s work for a while, but hearing her talk about the evolution of it opened up the work to me in a deeper way. As for her blog, she looks at it as a visual diary, to not only promote her own work, but her friends’ work as well. It’s a place to log inspirations and resources, as she interviews photographers, posts photos that blow her mind, battle photos, and updates her fans on what she’s up to.

Andrew Heatherington has been avidly blogging about his life in editorial photography for two years. In the olden days, Andrew found his photography community at Print Space, where he could meet other photographers and talk about their work in progress. As the digital age dispersed the need for community darkrooms, he filled that desire for community interaction on the internet.

I used to see blogs pretty much as vanity projects, but now I understand that for the lonely photographer struggling to keep his/her creative vision alive in a complicated industry, the blogisphere is useful as a tool to keep a sense of inspiration and connectedness, as well as a place to share frustrations and successes with the profession.