These 28 FREE blog post ideas for portrait photographers will keep your blogging on track. Impress old clients, get new clients, and earn great SEO results! (Featuring: GARDENHOUSE FILMS, LUKE AND ASHLEY PHOTOGRAPHY, MEGAPIXELS MEDIA, MIA ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY)
Blog every day for a month – or spread these posts out over a year!
Our list of blog post ideas for portrait photographers is tailor-made for your gorgeous work, whether you’re a newborn photographer, family photographer, senior photographer, or sweet l’il puppy dog photographer.
Using the “list post” format, you’ll have no shortage of quality content to attract more people and make your current clients smile.
Read on, and start blogging!
General Photography Blog Ideas
Use these blog post ideas to keep your blog humming year-round. Showcase your best work and your clients’ most memorable moments to build a blog that’s beautiful to look at and fun to read!
Best of…
If you take a lot of photos, you can write a “best of” post every month! If you’re a light shooter, publish a “best of” series quarterly or yearly.
Create a gallery exhibiting your best poses for a portrait session or the best wedding detail shots. Showcase your “best of” babies, seniors, couples, pets…or all of the above!
Popular Props
If you provide props for your photos sessions, show them off and inspire future clients. Besides your in-studio props, you can list other things people can bring from their homes, or what accessories to buy to enhance a setup.
Not a props person? That’s okay! Think of the various “natural props” you love to use in your photos: trees and fences, hats and scarves, families on bicycles, gigantic mural backdrops. Think of the things that add flavor to your photos, and highlight them in a props post!
Happiest Smiles
Inspire your clients to show their teeth and “smile real” with a blog post featuring the happiest smiles you’ve ever documented. Include a few pointers on staying relaxed and getting great giggles from the kids, too! You can also write an article complete with tricks and sample shots to help subjects practice smiling before a portrait session.
On the other hand, some of the best photos come from unplanned moments of silliness and sappiness. Remind clients that everything doesn’t have to be perfectly planned to get wonderful photographs!
Product Showcase
When it’s time to order prints and albums, do your clients get overwhelmed? Prep them to pick their perfect products with a blog post that shows off your professional prints, albums, and other fun goodies.
If your business has a system from ordering to delivering, dedicate a post detailing a step-by-step process on how customers can browse products, place their orders, and receive items.
Anatomy of a Portrait Session
Put some time into this blog post that breaks down the portrait experience, from awesome outfits to staying stress-free to picking the perfect prints for the home.
Behind-the-Scenes
Give your clients a tour of your studio or home office in a sneak peek blog post that goes behind-the-scenes. They have no idea what it’s like to be you — so show them!
You can also create a series of “a day in the life of a [portrait, wedding] photographer” to showcase how you get things started. Let viewers see you in action even before they book you. In this way, they can get a glimpse of how you manage a project from start to finish.
Before-and-After
If you’ve ever been asked, “Can you retouch this scar?” you know how concerned clients can be about how they’ll look in their finished photos. Exhibit a series of your best before-and-after photos so they’ll understand how your editing can turn a nice picture into a truly professional portrait.
Client Quotes
Reach out to past clients for their thoughts on their photography experience. Ask them to write their own tips, offer a sweet testimonial, or simply describe their favorite photo–which you can then share!
Another way is to ask your clients to send pictures of your photos hanging in their homes! It’s okay if they aren’t pro quality. The point is to show off tons of gorgeous prints and albums in real life spaces.
Gallery Tour
Before your clients get their own ShootProof gallery, show them what to expect with an article dedicated to the gallery experience!
Do you offer packages? Demonstrate how to build their own! Do you know your most-popular product? Share a photo of that item in a shopping cart! Clients will love the personalized tour with your brand front-and-center.
“Whoops” Moments
Everyone loves a good outtake – and we know you have plenty of them! Collect those “whoops” moments into a fun article sure to give your clients a good chuckle.
You can even turn your embarrassing situations into inspirational lessons. Share how other photographers can prevent shooting mishaps, as well as how clients enjoy amid unplanned moments. These are behind the scenes moments that others love seeing!
Awesome Action Shots
Perfectly still poses are great on a holiday card or in a frame, but what about your awesome action shots? Encourage your readers to snuggle close, tickle, laugh, and run around with this series of terrific movement-focused images.
“The Sweet Light” Examples
Clients often don’t “get” why you don’t want to photograph at high noon. Show them your most magical photos taken in the sweet light of morning or evening, and make it easier to convince them to book their session at the “right” time of day.
Photography Trends
What wonderful and wacky photography trends have you experienced over the past year? Subjects in flower crowns? Brick wall backdrop requests? Whatever your clients seem to love, highlight it in an article celebrating your trend-setting subjects.
More than that, this is a great chance to unleash your creativity by accomplishing a summer bucket list or a photography blog challenge. You can even get readers to participate and win prizes.
Top Photographers
Boldly share a blog post spotlighting your favorite photographers! You don’t have to focus on your local competition, either. Introduce your clients to amazing artists from around the world and through the decades. Why do this? Well, when you create a blog post announcing Mary’s Magical Memories & Moments as one of your favorite photographers, they’re bound to like and share it with their own followers! By celebrating your favorite photographers, you’ll broaden your community and highlight your big heart for the art.
Business Guide
You’re not the only one who wants to earn while doing what you love. However, there are people who don’t know how to manage a business, let alone start one. Using your experience, share topics on photography that focus on the planning and operational stages of managing a photography business.
For some post ideas, teach people about the importance of formulating a business plan and determining startup costs. Recall how you bought the best gear or developed your pricing as a new photographer. You can also guide other photographers on building a website and how to create marketing collaterals that reflect their branding.
Equipment Reviews
For more topics related to photography, come up with post ideas focused around photography gear. When you write blog posts based on facts and first-hand experience, you’ll establish yourself as a trustworthy subject matter expert.
You can start by writing a list of budget-friendly beginner cameras or the best studio lights for a portrait session. Maybe you can share ideas and secrets on handy pieces of gear that make the life of a portrait photographer easier? There are lots of ideas you can take advantage of!
Locations
It’s no secret that pulling off a photo session doesn’t end at creating a shot list. One of the trickiest parts of planning is choosing locations appropriate to your client’s theme or interests.
Perfect Portrait Locations for Every Season
Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall: inspire your clients with examples of all your treasured photo spots in every season. Better yet, create a separate blog post for each season’s top portrait locations, complete with plenty of your gorgeous photos. That’s four ideas in one!
Photo-Ready Homes
At-home photos are a great idea, until you show up to a royal mess! Help people get their homes photo-ready with post ideas filled with guidelines on straightening up, which rooms work best, and why a windowless den is probably not their best bet.
The Wardrobe Dilemma
“What should my family wear?”
“Can my baby wear this costume?”
“What should I NOT wear?”
If you haven’t yet, you’ll definitely hear these types of questions throughout your career as a professional photographer. To save you time during a session, assist your readers by writing different posts regarding wardrobe, makeup, and hairstyling.
Outstanding Outfits
You work hard to help people choose the perfect outfits for their photographs. Showcase the best color combos and style choices you can share over and over with clients who need ideas.
Hair and Makeup Ideas
“Should I wear extra makeup?” Reassure your clients that they don’t need to get crazy with the concealer to look great in their portraits! Present stunning hair and makeup looks from real clients, and offer a few stylist recommendations for those who want to feel a bit pampered pre-shoot.
Portrait Prep Ideas
Getting ready for portraits means more than putting on a pretty outfit and dabbing on lipstick. Remind your clients to nap and feed their kiddos, themselves, and their furry friends. And maybe use this post to link to some of your favorite prep tools, like smile-friendly lip balm and calming (or energizing!) playlists.
Weather
The weather may sometimes be on your side, yet it can also pose problems while you’re shooting. To prepare for weather-related issues, you can write blog post ideas of things to bring or what to do.
Rainy Day Solutions
Sometimes you can reschedule a session when the weather goes sour, but when you can’t, it’s good to have some alternatives on-hand. Show readers what can be accomplished with a clean home, a park pavilion, or a covered bridge, and they’ll be reassured that you’ll make great portraits for them–icky weather notwithstanding.
Cold Weather Tips
Snowy-day photos can look glamorous, but they’re no good if everyone’s nose is running and their fingers are frozen. Guide your clients toward smart clothing choices so they’ll stay toasty when they’re out on that Christmas tree farm getting photographed.
Angles and Composition
While some people can easily pose in front of the camera, others need guidance on how to work their angles. You can write a shot list or a simple guide showing the following:
- Epic Scenes: Bust out those wide-angle lens shots to showcase your most epic portrait locations. Add a few guidelines for choosing a delightfully dramatic wardrobe, and your clients will be begging for more full-length frames!
- Cute Close-Ups: Spotlight up-close-and-personal portraits you love the most. Clients will love seeing these gorgeous examples of your terrific skin retouching and flattering composition.
Photography Blog Concepts for Photographers With Specialties
Focusing on a niche is an excellent way to write about all things related to your business. This lets you explore several ideas for a photography blog while highlighting your specialty.
Creative Family Photo Ideas
Furry Family Members
“Is it okay if we bring our dog?” Families love photos with their fur-babies, so it would be helpful to give your best examples of pictures with pets.
You can explain how to calm or make pets more active during a session. Create a quick guide on things to bring like dog treats, toys, and clothes.
Super Siblings and Extended Family
Sibling photos can be sweet, silly, and downright ridiculous. Share your favorite siblings photos in a series of articles that’s sure to draw happy tears.
Aside from that, highlight the best of aunties and uncles, nanas and papas, and cousins galore. You’ll remind your clients that extended family is always welcome for a photo session, and might inspire them to pick up the phone and give grandma a ring.
Engagement Photography Blogging Ideas
Engagement Session Locations
Help soon-to-be-married couples reduce wedding planning stress by sharing picture-perfect blog post ideas for a pre-wedding photo session.
- Theme: Do they like an industrial or rustic vibe? Where can they find the appropriate background and visuals that match their interests?
- Personality: Explain why it would be better to choose a location representing who they are as a couple. For instance, if they love nature, maybe they can pick a park, garden, or mountain for their photo session.
- Time: There are some things that most people don’t understand in terms of photography, and choosing the right time is one of them. Use sample photos to show what it’s like to shoot in one location at different seasons or times of the day.
- Logistics: Some locations won’t let you simply show up. There are venues that require permits or fees. Others have restrictions about hours, props, and the number of people.
Importance of Hiring an Engagement Photographer
There are couples who need a little push or convincing about hiring a professional photographer for engagement shoots. You can tackle this in various ways. One way is to share how an engagement session allows the couple to get comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding day.
On your photography blog, you can also write blog articles focused on how there are several different ways to use your engagement photos after the session. An engagement shoot is a great way for clients to get updated photos of themselves to use on social media, for wall prints, and for holiday cards!
Topics for Newborn and Maternity Photography Blog
Practical Guides
Motherhood is among the most magical moments in life, and what better way to capture it than by giving parents a keepsake. Whether you’re an emerging or seasoned photographer, you can dedicate a section of your website to photoshoot essentials and basics.
List the practical aspects of a shoot, like how to prepare an outdoor setup or give advice on the best lighting equipment for a newborn session. Likewise, you can add tutorial videos showing the best ways to pose an expecting mother.
Maternity Dress Hunting
Does your potential client need to find a maternity dress? If you have a rack full of maternity clothes, you can create a collage of past customers glowing in your in-house garments and accessories. Or you can simply make recommendations for online shops that specialize in flattering maternity wear!
Emphasize how maternity dresses can affect the feel and look of the pictures. If you have a side shop or a business partner for dresses, you can also add links for mothers to purchase.
Headshot and Portrait Photography Blog Topics
Reach a wider audience by letting the world see how you accomplish things for a portrait shoot.
Success Stories
People love heartwarming stories that inspire them to do something. Gather testimonials from past clients about how your headshots helped them stand out in recruitment, dating sites, or talent agencies.
Write about how a company’s branding improved after using your portraits. You can also explain how your headshots landed you a collaboration project with other creatives or media outlets.
Photoshoot and Editing Walk-Through
One of the best things about creating a photography blog is that you can show off your skills in a subtle way. Write a step-by-step guide on the process of completing a client’s requested shot list. Additionally, you can incorporate an in-depth tutorial of adjusting presets on Lightroom.
These kinds of articles give people a preview of how you manage a photo session. Consequently, readers see that you genuinely know what you’re doing. It’s like helping them understand the value of your work, giving them more reasons to hire you.
Frequently Answered Questions
Have you noticed an increase in FAQs sent to your email? There’s a chance you may get the same questions in the future. While you can respond to them directly, another way to answer is by dedicating a post for FAQs.
You can write brief or in-depth articles to explain things like dressing up for a headshot session or the cost of shooting professional portraits. Who knows, your next client may be checking on your FAQ posts, getting convinced that you’re the right person for the job!
PRO TIPS: How to Make a Great List Post
- How long should a blog post be? There’s no hard, fast rule about how long your article needs to be, but aim for about 600 to 1000 words to maximize your post’s SEO potential. What matters most, though, is that you keep your readers engaged!
- Link to other sites. Include helpful links in every post to help boost your SEO and inspire folks to share.
- Make your photos the priority. Every one of your blog posts should include tons of your amazing photographs – after all, photography is what you’re selling! Remember: your ultimate goal is attract new clients and make your current clients super-duper happy!
- Link back to your own blog posts. Link your “best of” posts to your “outfits” post, your “outfits” post to your “locations” post, and so on and so forth. This will keep people moving from one article to the next, and add SEO power to your content.
What are your blog post ideas for portrait photographers?
Share your suggestions in the comments below!
Written by ANNE SIMONE | Featuring GARDENHOUSE FILMS, LUKE AND ASHLEY PHOTOGRAPHY, MEGAPIXELS MEDIA, MIA ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY