Kirk's Take (Kirk Tuck #1)

Series Introduction: Photographer, photo book author, and once and future photography blogger Kirk Tuck will be writing a regular column on TOP that will appear on the last Saturday of every month. That's the plan, at any rate. Welcome, Kirk. —Mike

What I learned when I stopped writing a photo blog

By Kirk Tuck

I’m a slow learner. I started writing a blog about photography back in the early part of 2009 and I didn’t do the business school routine of "establishing metrics" or "laying out a concise framework of goals and concepts of monetization." I really started writing the blog because I was bored, felt isolated and got tired of reading so much really bad information about photography on the web. I thought it would be fun to write honest and sometimes self-deprecating but true articles about the fun and the folly of actually being a professional photographer.

After writing a few posts about the business or about inspiration I learned that it takes time to build an audience. Lots of time. But I also learned that you can accelerate the process by doing exactly what most readers say they do not want you to do. In the case of a photo blog the mantra of the typical reader is that they prefer articles of substance that feed their souls and help them to understand why photography seems so vital to their own lives. In reality, when I wrote articles about why I shoot in the streets or, why I like to do portraits without an audience in tow, the silence in the virtual reading room was startling; depressing. You could hear pins drop and I got the distinct impression that I could drop dumpsters full of cymbals and no one would hear.

But I mentioned above that you could accelerate the number of readers your blog garners with a secret technique. Give your readers what they say they don’t want to read. I started writing equipment reviews of the cameras, lenses and lights that I was interested in. Then the camera brand tribes would come out from their villages and go to war. Everyone had an opinion about the performance of the Olympus EPL2 and its relevance in the hierarchy of current gear. Volumes of vitriol were tossed like gasoline onto the "red dots" cover-up. The review of that seemingly benign camera is still the single most popular blog I have written to date. And every time a wave of brand "true believers" came washing up on to the Visual Science Lab shores a percentage of the wave liked what they read around the edges of the article that had originally drawn them and they stayed on and became loyal readers. And that’s how VLS finally found its momentum and its place on the web.

But as Mike and the one or two other good bloggers on the web will tell you, writing once a week won’t keep them coming back. Just like the coffee and newspaper I consumed this morning, readers want a routine. They want a morning ritual. And that ups the ante for the writer. You start looking around to try and find more relevant content to feed the machine. In my case I wrote every word and took every photograph. I was truly invested in the site and it came to consume as much of my time as my regular photo work. Why? Probably because I grew up with the idea that "If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well." The idea of cranking out something half-assed grated against generations of puritanical upbringing. Doing things halfway was antithetical to the way I learned to make images.

No filters
But there's a dark side to being a blogger. Especially in a field where everyone is an "expert" and most of your readers are in technical fields that require quantifiable measures. To many of the blog readers I seemed to be an anonymous corporation putting out content in exchange for eyeballs. And people seem to have no filters when they communicate with corporate entities. I got some comments that had enough venom in them to take down a mastodon. A large number of ad hominem attacks came barreling into the comments box over "issues" that I would carefully classify as "opinions."

But the worse part of all was the idea that the angry reader had permission to track down my e-mail address and send me their hate mail "off-line." So I did a little experiment and I wrote about a new camera announcement. I wrote it as a "gauntlet toss" and stood back to watch. It got tons of page views. Then I wrote something that I really cared about, in the genre that my commenters claimed they wanted, and the page views dropped like bank stocks. While the gear article garnered dozens of comments in twenty four hours the essay on the reason we photograph managed to cobble together only three or four comments over the space of a week.

My takeaway lesson was that I'd spent two years building a blog for nothing. If readers just wanted information about the gear they could go to the "big daddy" of gear sites and grammatically nightmarish, full-contact forums: DPReview. There they could dissect every camera down to its measurable essence and then argue about the composition of the screws that hold the camera together. I was done. I didn't want to be a camera reviewer; I wanted to write about something different. So I made the announcement that I would stop.

Thousands of bright, serious people
And a funny thing happened on my way to consigning the blog to the scrap heap. I discovered my "silent majority." You’ve all heard the old saw that, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." Well, the naysayers and vicious commenters had gotten the grease. They'd shut me down because I didn't hear from the other side. To be fair, I had a handful of genuinely wonderful readers who would drop regular comments of support but they seemed, at the time, to be a tiny minority. But the day I announced my (premature) retirement my comment box was filled with hundreds and hundreds of posts. Most started with, "I am sorry I never commented before but...."

And what I found is that there were literally thousands of bright, serious people who started everyday with the same routine, almost to a person. And that routine consisted of fixing a cup of coffee, sitting in front of their computer at home or in their offices, and reading whatever I had written on the Visual Science Lab blog. Almost to a person they had just come from, or would next go to, The Online Photographer blog. That was (and is) still their ritual. They didn’t feel the need to comment, they just enjoyed the reading and the implied inclusion into a circle of people, international in composition, who enjoyed photography and knowing more about why and what other people enjoyed about the art. In the process I learned a very valuable lesson. I had never really invited them to comment and to give me feedback. I’d never come right out and asked for it.

One person was instrumental in the clicking a switch in my brain. Here is what he wrote:

Roy said...
Kirk; You may feel that you have been wasting time better spent on earning a living; not so. Most folks have a sphere of influence that is only as wide as their family and a few friends. Reading these many comments must let you know that your influence is global. Appreciate that as we have appreciated you. I am in my eighties and have just accepted your admonition to walk up to people on the street and ask if I may photograph them. It is still a nerve twister but I've found out it works. Thanks Kirk. I'll drop by now and then to see what else you can talk me into.

Roy kicked my ego-butt and made me realize that I got a value from writing the site that at least equalled my efforts. Even if it was ephemeral and karmic rather than material and measurable. When I read his response, and 250+ others in the comments and another several hundred sent directly to my e-mail, I realized that I'd hit exactly the audience I'd really hoped for when I began.

Kirk Tuck, Self Portrait

I decided to re-start the blog. And it's interesting because I feel like I've gotten permission from my readers to be more personal. To write what I want to write rather than what I think will attract bulk readers. I'm reaching down a little deeper to write things that seem, at times, bittersweet or frightening to me. I'm writing about what happens to us as we become "older" photographers. I'm writing about the "double-edged sword" of our isolation. And I hope I'll continue writing about what amazes and amuses me in my everyday life as an artist. And while this material won't garner me instant numbers growth I hope it will resonate with more and more people who are more curious about the "why" of visual art than just learning how to turn the switches and which menu items to select on their new Turboflex D1000D.

So I’m back. I intend to write a column at least once a month, here, for Mike (who has been a wonderful sounding board in my process of coming to grips with my process...) and to continue my "Chaos Theory" schedule of writing at the Visual Science Lab. While I intend to concentrate on the "whys," I still have a sweet tooth for gear so I can’t totally give up publicly pondering new equipment.

Finally, a warning. If you value what you read each day at Mike’s TOP, remember to say so, often and publicly, and not just here. While writers will write because they must, they also write for an audience. What Mike has done here is to elevate the discussions about art, literature, music and their interwoven effects on our passion for photography, high above the diatribes and mis-information that slops across the web. He reminds us that there's more to it all than just an argument about some arcane slice of techno-crud and he does so in a way that's both enjoyable and challenging. Don't assume that, because he has a few small ads tucked away on the sides of his site, he derives all he needs from the material revenue. Every writer needs the feedback of his or her readers. Let the writers you like know that they're part of your daily rituals and routine and their vision adds fuel and fun to yours. I've seen both sides and I know how important the reader is to the process. Make sure you are committed to doing your part. Let them know they influence people around the globe.

Good morning TOP. It's a beautiful day for photography!

Kirk

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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Comments

[Kerstin]

Coooool. I just bookmarked VSL. It's right there on my menu underneath TOP. Somehow I missed it until now. Lots to catch-up on. 8)

[Robert Poe]

Kirk and Mike...
I may not sy it every day, but I think it every day: Thanks for the depth and breadth of your writing skills, the application of those skills to your passions for music, art, artists, their practical and philosophical issues, historical context, and the significance of their contribution. You are the best. I feel lucky to be able to read your blogs everyday.
Thanks so much.

[Jerry Stachowski]

Thanks Kirk---

I've added you to my reading list.

And commenting about TOP, I tend to find Mike's comments on books interesting which leads to purchases.

[Jeff Shultz]

This why you want to check out GoogleAnalytics or similar - they show you who your silent audience is, even when they don't speak up.

[Ricardo Cordeiro]

I didn't know VSL too, one more blog to check in my end-of-the-day routine.

In Portugal there's not a good quality photography blog in the same molds as TOP and VSL that I know of. The idea of starting a portuguese photo-blog has been growing in my mind recently. I must confess that reading this post made my idea a bit scary, but I'm willing to try it anyway.

I guess I will take te approach of "doing it for myself hoping it will resonate with someone" as I feel the need to write some of my thoughts so they become more organized and eloquent.

Like Kirk, I too feel bored and isolated in the portuguese photography scene. In my view the foruns, galleries and blogs that exist now are only equipment and commercial focused, self-promotional or, in another extreme, artistic/elitist.

Recently, in the most famous portuguese photo-forum, I've read a revealing post where someone inquired the forum users who they favourite photographers were. The responses where mostly shocking and depressing as almost no one mentioned any of the major photographers in history, mostly refering commercial studio photographers or other forum members. I think this was a revelation of the current state of the portuguese photo-scene as it is divided in two extremes: the technic-obcessed but historical/artistically ignorant and the ellitist photo-connaisseurs who don't participate in anything out of their closed community.

Inspired on the good work that is being made here on TOP and some other blogs, I'm thinking of volunteering to try to fill the gap between this two extremes while, hopefully, have some fun. Thinking about it now an adaptation of this comment might be a good way to start the blog :)

[Sam]

wow... that's why TOP is the FIRST site I visit everyday; Articles like this!

Thank you Kirk and Mike for allowing us to read your writings.

[Jan]

The learning from your experiment is quite valuable for all of those that blog.

There are the silent 99% (sic!) who enjoy a high quality blog of thoughtful discourse, even though it's about as one-way a communication as the good old paper. And then there's the 1% which tends to make everything about them and their needs.

Glad you've decided to continue on, and allow some of us to occupy your blog to demonstrate that we do care :-)

[Peter Baenziger]

I've been reading and enjoying Mike's musings for a long time. As many before have said, I now will add Kirk Tuck's site to my reading list.

Kirk's essay on TOP on the need for photographers to work alone to avoid peer pressure really spoke to me. I'm a retired professional photographer - cameraman - editor - manager who was so sick of photography when I retired that I didn't own a camera for almost ten years. I still don't own a video camera (or a TV).

Anyway, a few years ago I took up photography again, along with hiking. I soon realized that I needed to hike by myself if I was serious about taking pictures, so I obviously agree with Kirk.

However, I noticed another insidious pressure influencing my photography, limiting my choices: since I manage to sell a few of my pictures and since I also know by now which photographs sell, I've caught myself self-censoring myself, not shooting a shot that I knew it wouldn't sell.

External pressure - influences is only one limit. I think internal limits (and I'm sure there are others, in addition to "what the customer wants" limit} are equally harmful to creative growth.

[Nigel]

>So I’m back.<

Huzzah !

>I intend to write a column at least once a month, here, for Mike (who has been a wonderful sounding board in my process of coming to grips with my process...) and to continue my "Chaos Theory" schedule of writing at the Visual Science Lab.<

Huzzah !

>While I intend to concentrate on the "whys," I still have a sweet tooth for gear so I can’t totally give up publicly pondering new equipment.<

Huzzah !

>Finally, a warning. If you value what you read each day at Mike’s TOP, remember to say so, often and publicly, and not just here.<

We love you, Mike !

[Craig McMaster]

Welcome back Kirk.
I'm guilty of being one of the silent majority of readers that didn't comment.
I was quite disappointed when you announced your "retirement", and I'm glad you're back. I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on the Nikon one, I hear it's an outstanding little camera.

[M]

So glad you are back Kirk and that Mike invited you here, too.

As several have said , it is hard writing a non-trite comment. I loved Mike's article on Naturalism but can't articulate all the reasons why.

Please, both keep up the outstanding work!
M

[William Walker]

Mike
TOP is part of my morning ritual. Thank you!

William

[Bryce Lee in Burlington, Ontario Canada, eh?]

"Just like the coffee and newspaper I consumed this morning, readers want a routine."

Ah, why would you "consume" a newspaper, are you lacking fibre in your diet? If so may I suggest rather than a newspaper (which are becoming very thin these days) may I suggest a regular helping of blogging. Helps clear the system, makes one more aware of bearded bloggers from wisconsin,who seemingly want to avoid at least one Sunday morning posting.

At the rate Mike's giving up weekend blogings, he may well become a M-F/9-5
employee with very little to say. Nah, ain't
going to happen...Mike's patter is well and truly blessed and organized.

From the country to the north which doesn't always fall into an accepted pattern of
behaviour, I remain as myself affected by the comments of certain erstwhile experienced
commentators.

[Peter Hughes]

Well I just read TOP on a dialy basis, bot no comments, I can barely do a family snap. So now I have something else to read :o) Good work guys

[Robert Roaldi]

Photography aside, Mike and Kirk, it's just so pleasurable reading intelligent articles.

But what terrible "metrics" that the web gives rise to. In the old days, the "silent majority" who liked reading your articles would have to subscribe to a magazine, so even if they didn't send you comments, you knew they were there, sort of. This blog/interweb world isn't like that. We got something, but we gave up something.

[steve]

Billy Connolly once said he was a huge fan of Frank Zappa. He lived close to Frank and would pass his house often while walking his dog. Never once did he stop to knock on the door and say hi. After Frank died he found out Frank was a fan of Billy's and he regrets never taking the step to knock on the door.

Humans are like that though. Taking the first step is difficult, especially for those of us who are really not worthy. I enjoy TOP but have only commented a couple of times. I don't have the skills and the depth of knowledge that the writers have and I don't have suitable comments that will enrich the blog with wisdom, rather than dilute it with my ignorance.

I do enjoy much of the posts (not all), overall the site helps to show me other points of view and frames of reference on my journey into photography. I appreciate the writers, but I will continue my silence...my ignorant posts can only contribute to take TOP down to the level of DPReview.

[Mike Johnston]

I don't know, Steve...I'd never heard that story about Bill Connolly and Frank Zappa before, and that was a good comment. You're actually quite welcome to remain silent--commenting isn't a requirement for visiting here as far as I'm concerned--but don't sell yourself short.

Mike

[Radu Pencea]

Dear Kirk, thank you for resuming writing on your blog! As I mentioned in my comment on your post called "End of the road.", I followed your blog from the very beginning and loved it, even if I rarely commented. This mostly came from thinking that I have nothing valuable to add to great posts. I bought two of your books (the first and the fourth) and I loved them both. Since you restarted writing I made a habbit of clicking the Like button in Google reader or clicking through to the site and marking the "cool" or "interesting" boxes there, so you will get feedback from your readers. Thank you for continuing to write and I'm glad to also find you here, on TOP.

Dear Mike, Kirk raised an important point: thank you for maintaining such a great blog and for creating one of the most interesting places to read about and exchange opinions! I follow TOP for many years now and have read many of your articles on Luminous Landscape; it is here that I learned first about Kirk, his first book and his blog.

Thank you both and continue to maintain TOP and VSL - they are some of the best photo (and life!) related blogs!

[JJNJ]

I'm here often though i never say much.

[Vincent Ismail]

When Kirk decided to turn off his blog. In sadness I deleted VSB bookmark on my browser.

Later I experienced that Kirk start to write again from Mike's site. So you writers and we readers are somehow interconnected.
Now Visual Science Blog comes back in my bookmark list.

PS: I group my bookmarks under several disciplines and go through each morning with my coffee whenever I have time. The list is synched with the firefox server so I can find the same bookmark list on any computer I use.

[Jeremy]

I am a long-time fan of both blogs; I read them everyday for inspiration and enjoyment. Thanks for all the time and effort you guys put in, I for one really appreciate it.

[Stan Semuskie]

Kirk, thanks for coming back, I too am one of the silent majority. I am sitting here in my loft with cat on my lap, wife is sleeping in the BR and I am getting my last photography fix for the day.

I saw your posting and had to respond as I too am an isolated pro and spent so much time doing the down and dirty work that I need a regular pick-me-up from either you or Mike.

I have replied on your site a few times, read all your books and hit Mikes site once a day at least. I probably reply a few times a year but you guys need to know how much we appreciate your being here.

Thanks,

Stan

[Redza]

I agree with what Chris Donovan posted in his comment regarding having a like button on each post. I'm one of those who read articles on the Online Photographer (and other sites) every morning, but I don't comment because I usually don't have anything clever to say and even if I do there are usually others who have said it first. On other sites I'll usually just click the "like" button to show my appreciation.

[Steve Smith]

This morning's essay is a fail.

Aaaghh!!! Another verb being turned into a noun!

[Lesley]

That's a wake-up call, I'm so sorry. I'm a regular reader who has enjoyed and never commented. I think in my case, though, it's out of a lack of feeling of entitlement, since what I come here for is the aura of expertise and professionalism and I think of myself as no more than an enthusiastic amateur. I'm on Flickr for instance, and learning stuff there, and I know what you all feel about that ... Yes, so maybe daunted is the word I'm looking for. Thanks for all you do Mike, I appreciate it and will make more effort, and I'm subscribing to VSL now, too.

[Brent]

Another one of the silent majority reading both TOP and VSL over coffee each morning. I'm in my mid 30's and working hard in a job unfortunately far from photography. Your words inspire, and amuse, and challenge. Thank you!

[Richard]

Hi Mike and Kirk, I too am one of the silent majority. TOP has been in my Favourites list for a couple of years. Kirk I had not heard of until Mike wrote about him. I don't always understand what Mike is writing and I certainly get lost with some of Ctein's writing but that does not spoil my enjoyment of reading their writings! Kirk, another author of interesting articles rather than technical reviews is always welcome. I too am an author, by trade rather than vocation, and spend my working life writing technical manuals for the oil and gas industry. Your writings for me are light relief from a morass of technical documents. The language you use sometimes confuses me as well, being English I recognise that you write in English but not always using the same words as I do! Keep up the good work.

[Keith I.]

I have written a few times, and will continue to do so. My morning routine is Online Photographer, Luminous Landscape, and now VSL as well. Don't worry, I like to mix up the order to not show favoritism!

[Frank Field]

What an interesting post (and one that I can certainly empathize with from my (tiny) experience in trying to start a (tiny) blog)! Kirk, I now look forward to your monthly post here and will surely subscribe to VSL. I suspect I will enjoy working through the "back issues."

[Jeff Hartge]

I think you guys (KT-VLS and MJ-TOP) should get together (along with some other photo blog sites) and make a photo blog portal. You could charge for access to the portal. Once inside readers can then access VLS, TOP, etc., etc.

No one blog would have to feel responsible for putting up content 24/7. However, there would be enough material between all of the blogs, that charging a "general access" fee would be viewed as "fair" to nearly all users.

Advertising would still stay with the individual sites but the "admission" would be for the collective (and would pay for all of the hosting costs, page designs, etc.).

Though it might be easier if all parties under the "Photo Portal" shared similar philosophies, there is no reason why they should and it could be a much more interesting place if all parties were of vastly differing positions.

Being connected via a portal would "force" a little more interaction between all of the various photo sites. There could be common weekly topics for all to write about. Could you imagine MR, TH, KT, MJ, etc. each sounding off with their own take on the same subject during the same week, etc. Obviously, things could be very heated with various camera releases but in the end, we would all be the beneficiaries.

[ann peterson]

I read Mike's blog most days but don't comment very often...doesn't mean I don't appreciate him, I do, very much. Now I will be reading Kirk's blog as well...great...thanks to both of you.....Ann

[Mike Johnston]

"This morning's essay is a fail. Aaaghh!!! Another verb being turned into a noun!"

Steve,
It's just "slang," which is a real word.

Mike

[Clyde Rogers]

Another thank-you to both Mike and Kirk from someone who avoids "me too" comments (perhaps to a fault).

[John Willard]

Another frequent reader, rare commentor. Usually, anything I would want to say has been said, probably better than I would say it. And I am not going to send a "Nice post." comment, it feels like one of those "Nice shot." comments on photo critique sites.

But, I should say thank you, I love the site and visit everyday.

I would also like to thank Marcus Newey for the whoville reference, I really did LOL.

[Richard]

Hi Kirk!

I am glad to hear that you will be posting on TOP on a recurring basis.

Thanks and I look forward to continuing to read your column.

Richard

[NinaM]

Hi Kirk, you got me writing a comment, I don't do it often. I'm one of those who go almost every day to read VSL and Online Photographer, because I don't seem to find other places where I can read intelligence, fun, reflection, interest and some notches over the usual comments. I'm not even a good photographer but I love photography for the artistic side of it,the passionate side and the geek side of it. I'm happy to read you again, you and Mike and all the others here and on VSL... keep on trucking, you're all very much appreciated.

[Matthew Allen]

This reminds me, I need to renew my TOP subscription because Paypal cancelled it when my card expired.

Thank you to Mike and the other tireless scribes of the intertubes that entertain, amuse and confound me for so little in return.

[Phil T]

Slightly late in the day, but I want to add my appreciation for this blog. I haven't commented before, mostly for the reasons other people have given of not really feeling I have anything to add. The other reason is that I always seem to be at least two days behind on TOP. I catch up occasionally, but then something happens, I don't get to read it for a couple of days, and then I'm behind again. It does mean I get to read most of the comments other people have left, as most people seem to have commented by the time I get round to reading the posts, so it does have that bonus.

[Shotslot]

Hoorah! Glad you're back...I'll shut up now...

Seriously though, as another blogger it's really interesting to hear about your experiences. I think it's important to focus on what you're doing it for, and not the numbers. As a blog follower, I might not say much, or even be able to call in any day, I just want to read something interesting!

[George Vlachos]

Wonderful first article! I wasn't aware of your blog until Mike announced that it was discontinued. I am happy to see that not only you would continue to write there (I've already subscribed to its RSS feed in my Google Reader) but there will be an extra series of articles here in TOP! I am one of the silent readers mostly enjoying the philosophical rather than the technical side of photography at the moment so I am very happy to find that now there are two great blogs to have a look at!

[John Dawson]

I'll throw my hat in the ring and comment on this post, as well as on "THE ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHER". I have been reading TOP for at least 4 years, but have yet to comment. It has been my first stop on the internet for the last 3 years. I want to say that I really appreciate Mike's blog, and really admire his guest posters, Ctein in particular. I just started reading Kirk's blog in the last month when Mike mentioned it. Another top spot in my schedule.

Really, this is just a big thank you to all who have worked so hard to furnish such good and basic information and inspiration.

For my own self, I had a Spotmatic with a 55mm Super Takumar f1.8 that I took to Africa in 1969, but I didn't use it much after that. In 2007, I bought a Pentax K10D and have been hooked ever since. I consider photography my prime hobby, and I don't expect to make a living from it, so my age really doesn't slow me down.

John

[Juan Rizzo]

Thanks Kirk for such an enlighting post. And thanks Mike for the new addition to the writing staff. As I work night shifts, waking up at about 11 PM, I guess you could say TOP is my daily "morning reading". Because of the time difference, though, it happens to sync nicelly with almost every update.
To be fair, I must confess I first found out about it trough Tom Hogan's excellent but more 'gear oriented" bythom.com. I wish I could make time to comment more often, but you have such an interesting and diverse group of readers that most of the time I end up finding someone already posted exactly what I had in mind. Most bloggers can't (or shouldn't) brag about their comments, but TOP is a good read through and through.
On top of everything, you guys managed to got me hooked on VSL, and my "morning" is just not long enough to keep up with everything...
PS: Please excuse my English. Feel free not to post this comment. In any case, just try not forget about all the people who really appreciate what you got going here.

[Fredrik Persson]

Great article Kirk!

Really eye opening.I Usualy read your articles a couple a times o mounth. I am too being guilty of being one of the silent majority.From now on i will comment more often!

/Fredrik
Sweden