Monday, August 21, 2006

Blog education

I'm trying to learn about blogging. I spend an inordinate amount of time reading other blogs and trying to figure out what makes a good blog or a popular blog, recognizing that the two are not necessarily synonymous. I have bookmarked quite a few blogs that I enjoy reading and check back frequently and am trying to analyze them to see what makes them so appealing.

One thing that I have found is that many of my favorite blogs have great photographs. So I'm spending much more time outside with my FO's and WIP's and the camera, trying to get good pictures. For instance, my Flying Purple Widdershins were photographed while I was flat on my back with my foot in the air against the tree (flying, tree, up in air - get it?). My neighbors must have thought I was crazy (I haven't mentioned to them that I blog yet) as I moved my little rug around the tree and repeatedly repositioned myself, looking for the perfect spot where the shade/sun combination would work the best. All of a sudden, taking a picture of my feet in the office where I'm typing isn't good enough and I'm ranging all over the yard with my camera and knitting bag, with one sock on, looking for the ideal spot to take a photo.

As a side note, I think I need to make a big sign or t-shirt or hard hat that says, "Caution - Blog under construction" or something similar, so no one calls the men in white jackets to haul me off to rubber clad rooms, while I search for those unique photo angles. Come to think of it, what was I wearing while my leg was up in the air yesterday? I hope my dainties weren't showing. Yikes!

Then there is the whole editing process on the computer. I love digital photos because it meets that instant gratification side of my personality. I pop my little card in the computer and all my pictures are there and ready to go. But I need to edit them. Not being able to get the stupid date/time stamp off the camera means that I need to leave extra margins on my photos (easy enough to remember when snapping photos) and then I just crop it out. I'm also taking extra shots, with and without flash, close up and far away, and with different angles, so I can pick the best of the best for my blog. No extra prints to throw away. A click of the mouse and bad photos just vanish.

However, before I consign some of my bad photos, I am tempted to post a few of them, just for laughs. After visiting Stitchy McYarnPants blog, there is something to be said for humorous pictures. Then again, my pictures might just be bad, not funny. And nothing is more pathetic than people trying to be funny and just being . . . well, not funny. Hmmmmm. Are the bad angles that make my big feet look even bigger really funny? The photo with the saggy sock ankles humorous or just a reminder of how scattered and forgetful I am about pulling up my socks before snapping a photo? Is the cockeyed Flying Purple Widdershin picture funny to me because I know I sneezed while taking it or would it just look crooked to everyone else? Am I just over-analyzing everything because I have no new knitting progress to show because I was tired of knitting last night and just watched episode after episode of Law and Order, Criminal Intent, just vegging out and being a bum?

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