So you took a break from blogging.  Okay…maybe you didn’t, I did.

Maybe it was planned for just a week or two off and then…life happens.  Life, you know…the real world, gets in the way from all of this online marketing stuff.

It probably happens to you in art and photography as well.

Artist’s block.

Writer’s block.

Whatever.

It’s a block and you have to overcome this hurdle because while you’re not online, marketing your photography, others are and they’re gonna pass you by.

It’s similar to working out.  Mondays are the hardest days to work out for most folks.  If you get your week started in the gym on Monday then chances are you’ll finish off the week in the gym as well.

Excuses come easy.

Sometimes you just need to start typing.  You can always edit it before you hit publish.  It’s like photography…sometimes you just have to get your camera out and start clicking away at something, anything, just to get those creative juices flowing.

By the way.  That’s how I started this particular post.  Only…I’m not going to edit it for you because I think it’s good for you to see that a free flow of ideas can actually lead to something.  It’s possible this could be the WORST blog post in the history of blog posts.  It won’t be though.  Because this blog post will get me back to blogging about marketing photography online again.

So expect that because I broke the cycle this week I should have no problems getting a new post out to you next week.  More focused.  Ideas in hand.  Ready.

Only…you’ll have to come back next week to see if this “Monday” workout will lead to an easier time getting to the gym on “Tuesday”.

What do you do when you hit a creativity or productivity block?

Last week we talked about why it’s a good idea for photographers to guest post.

This week I’ve searched high and low looking for photography blogs that currently accept or have accepted guest bloggers in the past.

You’ll want to bookmark this page.  It’ll get updated.

Here you go.

17 Photography Blogs Accepting Guest Posts

Your Photo Tips – Your Photo Tips is a blog dedicated to helping new and advanced photographers learn how to take better pictures.  Always accepting guest bloggers.

Digital Photography School – A community of photographers of all experience levels who come together to learn, share and grow in our understanding of photography.  Tons of guest bloggers find success from this very popular blog on photography.

Beyond Megapixels – “A digital photography guide for the rest of us.”

Photocritic – Have you got a passion for photography? Do you like to browse about and find quirky things to do with photography? In that case, you’ve got what it takes to be a guest blogger on Photocritic?

Epic Edits – Do you know something about photography? Would you like to share that knowledge with others? Or maybe you have your own photography website or blog and you’d like to promote it to other photographers and get your name out there? Then how about a guest-post on the Epic Edits Weblog?

Towner Jones Photography – Photos, features, and commentary from the photographers.

All Day I Dream About Photography (ADIDAP) – Your daily dose of photography.

Weekly Photo Tips – dedicated to all photographers with the purpose of exposing you to cool and informative resources that could help make you a better photographer.

Jason D. Moore – Have some thoughts about a certain topic, program, or service? Put together an article and email me! I am always welcoming of guest bloggers with interesting perspectives to offer.

DIYPhotography.net – If you are interested, have links to share, concerns to raise, questions, comment, tips, or if you are just up at 1am looking for something fun to do DIYPhotography.net is interested in your guest post.

MCP Actions This one’s for all you Photoshop masters.

Shutter Sisters – Shutter Sisters is one of the top photography blogs on the Internet.  This one’s for the ladies.  I’m not sure if they would accept a guest post from a male photographer.  I suppose it would not hurt to ask?

The Online Photographer – TOP will continue to publish a variety of divergent viewpoints from a variety of guest authors and readers.

Photodoto – Photodoto wants you to send in your photography tips.

Mark S. Johnson Photography – While you’re there, you have the opportunity to teach Photoshop and photography in an uncommonly fun, encouraging, and creative environment.

Light Stalking – “We appreciate beautiful photography and our intent is to spread the word about the awesome photographers who produce it.”

Kim Pace Photography – Kim does a “What the heck?” post every Friday.  She would welcome photography tutorials I’m betting.  I did one.

I’ll update the list as needed in order to keep it fresh.

Social Photo Talk – Aaron has invited photographers interested in guest posts that relate to photography and social media or online marketing.

Michael Palmer Photographer – Just informed that Michael Palmer is accepting guest bloggers as well.

Michelle Rago – “In order to bring a broad range of fresh voices to the blog, we will periodically feature a variety of guest bloggers to share thier unique perspectives on weddings, destinations, venues, and just life in general.”

Digital Photo Buzz – Would love any guest bloggers!

Fuel Your Photography – Fuel Your Photography is always on the lookout for great guest writers who also happen to be kick-butt photographers.

The Decisive Moment – If you have a passion for photography and a flair for writing then the fine folks at The Decisive Moment want to hear from you. They’re always on the look out for contributors.

If you have a photography blog and you accept, or want to accept, guest posts from photographers let me know.  Use the contact form or leave a comment.

Your homework is the same as your promotional opportunity this week.  Put contact these blogs and put in a guest post.  There’s nothing more powerful than building relationships on the Internet with some of the biggest movers and shakers in your industry.

Truthfully almost any blog on photography would accept a guest post.  All you have to do is ask.  What’s it gonna hurt?

One of the most successful ways to build your brand as a photographer online is to do guest posts on other photography blogs.

Guest posting will benefit your promotional strategy by:

1. Building incoming links to your blog or website
2. Increase your authority as a photographer in the online community

This is a good time to remind you that Google places weight on related links from related websites inside a niche.  Basically, when photography blogs point to photography websites or other photography blogs Google counts them as highly relevant.  This pushes your website or blog higher up the Google ranks.

Build Links

Almost every blog that accepts guest posts allows you to put in author’s bio and many will also allow you to links inside the body of the post.  If they don’t allow any links at all don’t bother.

Control Links

It’s nice to get incoming links from photography blogs but they’re most likely pointing to your homepage and may not be using the contextual anchor text that you would prefer.  Now, you get to control this.  You get to point to where you want readers and web surfers to land.

Good Neighborhood

There’s a term in SEO called “good neighborhood”.  It’s complicated so here’s my attempt to put it simply.  Google divides the web into many different types of websites and communities.  Two of those classifications are “good neighborhoods” and “spammers/bad neighborhoods”.  This helps Google keep spam communities at bay and allows real or natural content to eventually surface to the top.  You want to avoid getting links from spammy websites and you want to avoid linking to spammy websites in order to avoid being seen as a spammy website yourself.  It’s guilt by association.  So doing guest posts on authority and trusted blogs helps keep you out of “bad neighborhoods” by ensuring you’re getting links from the good guys.  Make sense?

Traffic

This should go without saying, but you’ll get traffic to your website or blog by doing guest posts.  This comes from the inbound links that readers of that blog will click as well as the higher rankings you’ll get in search results.

Build Relationships

Every time you do a guest post for another photography blog you’re building relationships.  You’re building relationships with their readers and you’re building relationships with the blogger as well.  While there is no “rule of thumb” I find that most bloggers are more willing to refer to other photographers online that they have built relationships with in one form or another.  This could lead to more links down the road.

Bonus Tip:

If you’re a photographer who doesn’t yet have a blog, or thinks they don’t have time to regularly keep up a blog, then guest posting on photography blogs is even more important.  If you don’t have a blog you have nothing for Google or Bing to regularly index.  You’re website or gallery is only as relevant to them as you’re latest update.  But if you have incoming links then they’ll treat those links as a renewed and increased interest in your website and it will push it higher in search results.

Next week I’ll be putting together a post listing out photography blogs that accept guest posts.

If you have a photography blog and accept guest posts email me or use the contact form to ensure that your site doesn’t get left out.  Also, if you know of a photography blog that accepts guest posts let me know.

You’re weekly Promo Opportunity

Every week I’ll search the Internet for you and find a promo opportunity that may peak your interest.

New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery has a call for entries for the show  FOUR by FIVE with juror Steve Simmons from View Camera Magazine

Entry open from December 15- February 1st
Exhibit opens April 3, 2010

NOPA Gallery seeks contemporary imagery from photographers using large format view cameras. For this exhibit, juror will choose four images each from five photographers; images will also be published in a future edition of View Camera Magazine.

For more details click here.

Until next week.  Keep shooting and keep promoting your photography!