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How to Start a Photography Blog
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How to Start a Photography Blog

Do you have all these awesome photos and want to share them with the world or your family and friends?

Do you want to start a photography project but need a place to store all your images?

Do you want to have your own corner of the internet to post your images with the stories to go with them?

It’s time to start a photography blog.

I know it may seem overwhelming to launch your own website but honestly, it isn’t as scary as it seems and it can be done in a matter of minutes. Yup, minutes.

*Some of the links below are affiliate links. I have used these products and love them.

4 Easy steps on how to start a photography blog

How to start a photography blog via Click it Up a Notch

Step one: Pick a domain name.

This is one of the more challenging parts. If you have a name, then rock on. However, if you are like me, you may have an idea but struggle to come up with the name. I put it out on Facebook and asked for help. My mom and dad sent me a list of 30 ideas and as soon as I saw Click it Up a Notch, I knew that was it. So thanks Mom for naming my site.

You want to own your website name which means you need to buy your domain name which will end with a dot com instead of something like yourblogname.wordpress.com or yourblogname.blogspot.com. Keep it clean and easy to remember.

If in doubt, consider using your name.

How to start a photography blog via Click it Up a Notch-6

Head over to Bluehost to check the availability of your domain name and purchase it.

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how to start a photography blog

Step two: Hosting your site

Once you buy your domain name you need to have it hosted. I highly suggest hosting with Bluehost. Their customer service has been amazing. Open 24/7 and the phones are answered by real people who don’t talk down to you when you don’t understand the computer terminology. I can’t tell you how many times I have called them to get their help. Amazing.

Fill out your information.
How to start a photography blog via Click it Up a Notch

Choose one of the plans.
How to start a photography blog via Click it Up a Notch

Step three: Set up your WordPress site

You are only a few clicks away from publishing your blog/website. Whoo hoo!

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Or

Watch this quick and easy to follow video.

If this terrifies you, which it shouldn’t, you can always call Bluehost to have them walk you through it. I may or may not have done that myself. ha

Step four: Make it yours

One of the cool things about photography blogs is they are so unique and different. You want to choose a theme that will showcase your images how you want as well as help you accomplish what you want out of your site. There are lots of free templates out there but I have found great success with these paid templates.

Genesis Themes (Studio Press) – My site is currently designed by using a Genesis theme. It has been tweaked by a designer but there is a wide variety of themes to choose from. So many amazing clean and fresh looks.

Pro Photo Themes – I have purchased Pro Photo and was so impressed with how easy it is to customize. If you don’t want to customize there are some wonderful out of the box themes. These themes really know how to showcase your images. Plus, you have access to all sorts of ways to make your site look unique. I have been so impressed with their customer service and so many how-to videos. Use the code: CSLA3515 to get $10 off.

Now that you’ve got your blog down, help your children create one too so they can have a place to share their photography with family and friends. Read More: Photography for Kids

46 Comments
  • April 17, 2014 at 3:24 AM

    I’ve been hoping for more blog tips and tricks that tie into photography. I was just thinking that maybe even Clickin’ Moms forum should have a topic designated to blogging. Will definitely be looking out for more blog related posts. I’m always learning so much from your site! Thank you (yet again)!

    • April 17, 2014 at 4:37 PM

      Hey Jamie,
      I love hearing feedback like that. Each year on my blog birthday I write blogging tips but maybe I will do more through out the year if there is an interest. Here are some – http://clickitupanotch.com/category/blogging/

    • April 24, 2014 at 3:29 PM

      Hi Jamie! Although the site isn’t photo-specific, Amy Andrews has the most amazing posts about getting started blogging: http://amylynnandrews.com/ (note: I am not affiliated to/with her in any way). I use her resources a lot as I work on my own sites.

      Good luck!

  • julia
    April 17, 2014 at 4:06 PM

    HI Courtney! thank you so much for the great post, I’ve been thinking of creating a blog for a while but was busy with studying photography online and looking after our 8 months old baby boy :) In general thought that creating it from the scratch is a bit scary and I would need help but you make it sound really easy :) Here’s a dumb question – does it matter which country the website that hosts your blog belongs to? I live in the UK, can I use an American site?

    • April 17, 2014 at 4:37 PM

      That isn’t a dumb question, that is a great question! I wish I had the answer. I don’t think it matters but if I were you I would contact BlueHost. They have amazing customer support and would be able to help you.

    • April 17, 2014 at 4:38 PM

      P.S. I’d love to know the answer if you find out :)

      • julia
        April 19, 2014 at 2:03 PM

        Thanks Courtney! If I find the info, i’ll let you know :)

  • Heather Wilson
    April 17, 2014 at 9:58 PM

    Thanks so much for the video and info. I set up a WordPress blog and the guy in the video said that the next video would teach more on the blog itself. Can you tell me how to find that video? Thx

    • April 18, 2014 at 2:32 PM

      If you click on the title of the video it will take you to the YouTube channel where you can view more videos :)

  • julia
    April 19, 2014 at 2:16 PM

    Great video :) another question – if I were to use BlueHost to host my site and then install WordPress on my account, would I have to pay a fee for using both of them or just BlueHost?

    • April 21, 2014 at 11:21 AM

      You would not need to pay to install WordPress. Once you have Bluehost set up, your WordPress site is included :)

      • julia
        April 22, 2014 at 6:53 AM

        Great! thank you Courtney :)

  • Kiy
    April 23, 2014 at 4:41 PM

    I started my blog a few years ago, and honestly I enjoy blogging as much as I enjoy photography! To me, they kind of go hand in hand! It’s easy and relaxing to me. We travel just about full time, with four kids, it’s not always easy to find time to keep up with it, but I try to post at least once a week. It’s a great way for our family to keep up with our kiddos!

    Thanks for sharing so much info with us! Facebook was getting boring until I found you! lol

    • April 25, 2014 at 2:38 PM

      I agree! I would never have imagined I would love blogging as much as I love photography. Glad I could perk up your FB feed ;)

  • August 27, 2014 at 4:33 AM

    Hey I know this is off topic bbut I was wondering if you knew of
    any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newesst twitter
    updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like thijs for quite some time annd was
    hopiung maybe you would hhave some experience with something like this.
    Please let me know iif you run into anything. I ttruly enoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  • September 3, 2014 at 7:32 PM

    Great tips. I would certainly suggest using wordpress as it’s simply the best when it comes to theming and customizing. Usually us photographers have pretty interesting requirements.

  • jasminelilovesphotos
    April 20, 2015 at 12:36 PM

    These are great tips. I see way too many people using photo hosting services as their main blog. It’s a good idea to keep your photo hosting separate from your website because a wordpress site is much more customizable. I have several sites one for blogging, one for photography and one for hosting. Like so, Jasmine LI Blog

  • Brian
    May 14, 2015 at 8:09 AM

    While the tech side can be intimidating, I think most folks find it more diffuclt to make the time to take the photos for the blog and keep the posts up once your wordpress site is up. I know that I am having a good month if I can get 3 to 4 posts up that I am happy with.

    • May 21, 2015 at 1:25 PM

      Yes, finding the time and posting is challenge but if you create a great system it seems less daunting :)

  • Diane
    May 20, 2015 at 3:19 PM

    I have one free Weebly blog. Can I just use that for my 365 photo postings? I’m not sure I’m ready to pay monthly fees, etc.

  • Diane
    May 20, 2015 at 3:22 PM

    Should the photos I post be edited first? I assume so…just don’t know how much editing is expected. I am very new to this.
    Also, the edits I do on my iphone 5S do not get saved when I upload the photos to my computer. This is fairly new and very frustrating!

    • May 21, 2015 at 1:14 PM

      It is completely up to you if you want to edit them first. I edit all my images prior to uploading them onto my website. If you want the edits you do on an iPhone in an editing app to be saved when you upload to your computer be sure to save them on your phone with the edits :)

  • Monica Galvan
    June 2, 2015 at 6:44 PM

    Ah the joy of starting a photography blog, I don’t know what I would do without mine :)

  • Nicole
    June 4, 2015 at 10:50 PM

    A few years ago I did a 365 project, and just kept it on Google’s Picasa site. I just started a new blog, and i’m trying the same type of thing but just uploading whenever I want, and i’m trying my hand at blogging. if anyone has any tips, feel free to mozy on over and let me know what I should change or how to improve: https://unearthanddiscover.wordpress.com/

  • skt
    September 8, 2015 at 7:58 AM

    It was really informative.

  • Alex
    September 10, 2015 at 11:11 AM

    Thank you for your informative post..

  • Ashfaq
    September 10, 2015 at 2:01 PM

    That’s a great tutorial about a photography blog!
    In reality, the main elements of the photography blog is the actual quality of the photo. If you can collect or capture good photos, in then you have a nice blog. A perfect photo can change your business or blog for the better. I think you will see even more ideas about photography /product photography from:
    http://braiindums.photography/product-photography

  • Ashfaq Ahmed
    September 10, 2015 at 2:02 PM

    That’s a great tutorial about a photography blog!
    In reality, the main elements of the photography blog is the actual quality of the photo. If you can collect or capture good photos, in then you have a nice blog. A perfect photo can change your business or blog for the better. I think you will see even more ideas about photography /product photography from:
    http://braindums.photography/product-photography

  • Ashfaq Ahmed
    September 10, 2015 at 2:04 PM

    That’s a great tutorial about a photography blog!
    In reality, the main elements of the photography blog is the actual quality of the photo. If you can collect or capture good photos, in then you have a nice blog. A perfect photo can change your business or blog for the better. I think you will see even more ideas about photography /product photography from:
    http://briandums.photography/product-photography

  • Ashfaq Ahmed
    September 10, 2015 at 2:06 PM

    That’s a great tutorial about a photography blog!
    In reality, the main elements of the photography blog is the actual quality of the photo. If you can collect or capture good photos, in then you have a nice blog. A perfect photo can change your business or blog for the better. I think you will see even more ideas about photography /product photography from:
    http://briandumas.photography/product-photography

  • Pepe
    September 11, 2015 at 12:37 PM

    How difficult is to customize a WordPress site for a newbie???

  • Joepet Macariola
    March 30, 2016 at 12:17 AM

    Thank you for sharing this information.

  • Shamim
    May 18, 2016 at 4:28 AM

    Great article on how to start photography blog. I have my own photo business, this will help me a lot to start my own blog, but my concern is what plug ins to add in order to increase visibility on search engine. Thanks again.

  • Dan
    September 22, 2016 at 4:20 PM

    Thank you for this great post

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