The Most Popular Photo Blog Posts on ShaneMcDonald.me

My Most Popular Photo Blog Posts

Since my photo blog was up for a Bloggie at this week’s Blog Awards Ireland, I decided that I would take a quick look at my analytics. I wanted to see what was The most Popular Photo Blog Posts on the Photo Blog. So in this post, not only have I found the most popular photo blog post, but I have listed the Top 5 posts of the last 3 years (nearly 4 now) with the number of website visitors who read those posts.

The subject matter of the Top 5 Popular Photo Blog Posts include Waterford, Cork, Canada, Wildlife and a photo tip. So let’s start…

The Samson, Ardmore – Photo of the Week

This blog post was uploaded on January 7th 2011 and even in 2015 and onwards this blog post was getting consistent traffic. This has been one of the Popular Photo Blog Posts on a consistent basis since it was first posted.

The blog post outlines how I found the Samson on the first time I walked the Ardmore Cliff Walk. If you haven’t seen the Samson Crane you must check out the blog post and some of the subsequent posts which show the sad rusting and erosion of this amazing feat of engineering.

There are a few other photo blog posts on this site which have The Samson mentioned, if you wish to view these you can access the site search by clicking this link – Samson Crane Search

Photo Blog Link : Samson Crane 

The Samson

The Samson Crane - Blog Views since 2015

How to blur backgrounds using the aperture

This photo tip blog post was uploaded on April 9th 2011 and this was the second most popular blog post on the site since 2015.

This post shows you how to blur the background of a photo by shooting in manual or aperture priority and setting the aperture as low as your lens will allow. I think this blog post is popular because of the fact that it is a ‘how to’ post which solves a problem amateur photographers might have. It’s no wonder this is one of the most Popular Photo Blog Posts on the site.

Photo Blog Link : How to blur backgrounds using the aperture 

Blur Backgrounds with Aperture

How to Blur Backgrounds using the Aperture - Blog Views since 2015

Cobh, Co. Cork

This photoblog post from Cobh was uploaded on March 31st 2012. The reason for the date was that the 100 Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic was in April 2012. It just happened that I was in Cobh in March so the timing was right.

I ventured onto one of the publicly accessible piers and took a shot of the harbourside of Cobh including the dominant and impressive cathedral on the top of the hill. This was part of the Project 52 which I did in 2012. If you don’t know, Project 52 means you have to take 1 photo per week and post it on your blog, it is a great way to get out and about with your camera.

Photo Blog Link : Cobh, Co. Cork 

Photo of Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland

Cobh, Co. Cork - Blog Views since 2015

Grey Squirrel with a Red Head

This is a blog post from the grounds of Kilkenny Castle which was uploaded in February 2012. During a walk around the amazing Castle Grounds I was lucky enough to get a photo of a small grey squirrel, which I spotted in a tree.

Again this was one of the Project 52 images which I uploaded in 2012. I think the Project52 tag and concept drew in a lot of visitors to the site as it was a regular weekly blog post. One of the things I have learned about blogging is that visitors and subscribers to a blog enjoy a well scheduled site which has regularity when it comes to blog posting.

Photo Blog Link : Grey Squirrel 

Grey Squirrel

Grey Squirrel in Kilkenny Castle - Blog Views since 2015

Montreal Evening Street Scene

This is a blog post from back in December 2012. The photo is from Montreal in Canada. This was actually a photo which I originally shot but didn’t like. The re-edited photo was one I came to like very much.

The photo was taken with a wide angle lens, and it is interesting to note that Montreal was one of the places where I used the wide angle lens more than the telephoto (which is one of my favourite lenses)

Photo Blog Link : Montreal Evening Street Scene 

MONTREAL, EVENING STREET SCENE

Montreal Street Scene - Blog Views since 2015

 

The number of visitors quoted is traffic from Jan 1st 2015 to October 10th 2018

The Best Photo Blog Posts – Conclusion

I would have thought that there were certain blog posts which did better than others. I can see why there is a photo tip in the Top 5 photo blog posts but the other images are quite inconsequential, however, they must have resonated with website visitors in order to be so high on traffic. There were some re-designs of the website and site improvements in 2012 so this may have impacted the traffic but to see consistent traffic on these posts is interesting to say the least. I must re-do this blog post for this year 2018 and see what findings come from that.

I have included a map of these blog posts below for your interest. If you have any comments please feel free to leave them below.

Photo Blog Map Locations

The Samson

The Samson

Cobh, Co. Cork

Cobh, Co. Cork

Squirrel in Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, Ireland

Squirrel in Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, Ireland

Montreal Street Scene

Montreal Street Scene
I hope to add some new posts to the website very soon, as I recently did some food photography for Arcane chocolates in Dublin who make some of the Best Irish Chocolates.