Photo Selection for Blog Posts

A reader notes:  Craig, just got your latest blog post.  What a way to boost circulation, a barefoot girl in her garden.

I know, right? 🙂  Seriously, as long as you brought it up, here’s my thinking on photo selection.  Unless I’m in a hurry, I try to do something nice for the reader with every picture I choose.  I try to:

Add impact.  4000 people died from air pollution in China today.  Show it, and do your best to make the reader feel it.

Explicate.  Tell the reader what the post’s about.

Make some sort of joke.  I hope my occasional attempts at humor make someone out there chuckle once in a while.

(If none of the three above seems possible, or if I’m rushing) Offer the reader something pretty to look at.  As you noted, I try to use attractive people, majestic scenes, and images that evoke positive emotions.