Three tips on writing as a photographer

These days, we are all writers whether we want to be or not. As photographers who put our work out there into the world, we are expected to include some text with our images.

Yes, an image should speak for itself and a picture is worth a thousand words, but, there are the stories that go with them as well. The locations, the tips and tricks, the how you got the shot and more.

Lately, I find I’m spending more time writing than I am out taking photographs. It can be overwhelming at times especially when I’m writing for others. It is one way you can earn a bit of extra money as well and it helps me supplement my income from photography.

A few tips on writing

I wanted to share three tips on writing as a photographer. I hope they will help you a bit in your own writing.

Be yourself

I tend to write as if I’m speaking with my audience. By doing that the words flow out easier and they feel a whole lot less forced. Don’t alienate your readers by trying to sound like someone you are not.

Write what you know

When I was asked to be an author at Photofocus my response was, “I’m a photographer, not a writer.” I was nervous at first and had a huge helping of the impostor syndrome weighing down my brain.

The thing is, we all have something we can teach. We all have our own way of doing things and we all have things we’ve learned along the way that we can pass along to others. Same as number one — if you start writing about things you don’t know about, haven’t researched or haven’t backed up what you’re saying, readers will see through this. You’ll lose any sort of credibility.

Be honest

I don’t claim to be any sort of technical expert. Anyone who knows me knows this because before I answer a question or write about something on the technical side of things, I let my readers know.

That said, it doesn’t mean I can’t write about something technical from a non-technical point of view (right Rich?). Because not all photographers are gear heads, or software geeks.

Whether you’re writing a blog post, social media post, an article for an online magazine or creating captions to go with your photos in a photo album or scrapbook, brushing up on your writing skills is never a bad thing.

In fact, Photofocus is always on the lookout for new authors. Here is more information if you are interested.