No but yeah but no but¹… It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that I’m on Cara’s side, for similar reasons (even though I don’t quite see the elite aspect). I personally would like to add some of my thoughts to this complex.

First of all, I can’t remember a time when the photography blog scene was more active and diverse than it is now. It escapes me how one could find that “boring” or “lame” - actually, it’s quite the opposite. Now, there exists a plethora of blogs, covering more or less all aspects of photography I can think of - thus providing a forum for almost anyone. I think that is a tremendous addition to the photography scene, especially given the interaction between photographers and photography enthusiasts that can and does result from that.

Second, there are basically two ways to approach the blog scene, if you’re unhappy with what is being offered. You can either complain and dismiss blogging (typically done anonymously, which makes it all the more unproductive), or you can start your own blog to cover whatever it is that you think is missing. A blog is merely a format for something, and it’s easy and straightforward to give a blog your own, personal voice (even though it can prove to be a lot of hard work).

But then you also might find out that blogging is not what you want to do. If you want to do it regularly, it is a lot of work (even though it doesn’t look like it), and it might get in the way of other things, such as taking photos. To give it up is a personal decision to make, and I think we all have to realize that quitting a blog does not necessarily imply a rejection of the format.

¹ If you don’t know this reference (which is actually completely unrelated to blogging), here’s a clip. Note the “Vogue” fashion shot - spot the photographer (or wait until the end of the clip). At around 1:32 there’s the “Yeah but no”.