Nature Blog Network

Ian Coleman blogs at Quantum Tiger Wildlife Photography. He is based in West London where he works as an IT Manager for an international relief and development charity. Ian is a keen wildlife photographer and self-confessed internet junkie. He’s at his happiest out in wild places with camera in hand or in front of a computer, building websites! His other websites include his photography site, http://www.quantumtiger.org, and http://wildlife-photography-blog.com, a community aggregator for wildlife photography blogs.

Other places you can find Ian include Twitter (QuantumTiger), Flickr (Quantum Tiger), and YouTube (TheQuantumTiger). The Wildlife Photography Blog is also on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wildlife_Photo).

Ian, why do you blog?

It started as a way of tracking progress towards a photography trip to the Falklands (back in 2007). The trip was a great success – the Falklands are a stunning wildlife destination – but the blog turned out very different from my plan!

Wildlife photography can be a fairly solitary hobby. The blog provides a way to tell the stories behind the images, and open them up to a wider community. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and blogging gives an outlet to that. It also acts as motivation to get out there and take pictures!

What do you like most and least about blogging?

I think the best thing about blogging is other bloggers. I’ve had some great conversations over the years, and come across lots of interesting photographers and birders whom I otherwise would not have encountered. What I like least is my self-imposed schedule. It acts as an encouragement to write – but when the light has been bad, or I’ve failed to get any pictures, having to come up with new posts can feel a bit of a chore.

How has blogging changed how you think about nature? or how you write?

I don’t think blogging has changed how I think about anything! However, photography definitely has. It forces me to be more observant, more involved with the subject. I’ve learned things about animal behaviour and character which I would otherwise have missed. Nothing beats getting out there and watching animals go about the process of living.

As to writing, blogging is a very concise form – that’s what I aspire to. Tightly-written blogs are much better than self-absorbed rambles. I like to write freely and then pare back to the bone, chopping words, phrases or paragraphs until it feels like the essence of what I want to say.

How do you promote your blog and attract readers?

I’m a huge fan (should that be addict?) of Twitter. It’s totally changed the way I browse the internet, and opened up a lot of new contacts. It’s my primary mechanism of promotion now.

Is there a story behind the name of your blog?

The precise origins of “Quantum Tiger” are lost in the mists of time. I wanted a name which expressed something about me and something about wildlife, yet was a bit quirky. I don’t recall my first couple of iterations, but those domain names were already taken. Despite not being first choice, Quantum Tiger seems very apt now. I studied physics (hence the quantum) and, of the big cats, tigers are definitely my favourite. I guess also there is a conservation message in there. Tigers are endangered and there is an uncertainty associated with their survival. So it combines something of the frailty of nature along with its wonder. In retrospect it’s easy to make it sound grandiose and clever, but at the time I just liked the feel of it.

Do you feel you’re part of a community with other nature bloggers?

Absolutely. I’ve made a number of new friends both through blogging and via Twitter. It’s great see people returning to blogs and commenting on different posts. Some people are much better at this than I am!

Community is a big thing for me. People are stronger when they act together – I’m a big fan of like-minded people helping each other out. Back in June I ran a short series of BlogFocus posts, looking at a number of my favourite nature photography blogs. I enjoyed doing this – but (as I’m sure you are aware with this series) it is a fair amount of effort to keep this going.

Recently I mused that it would be great if there were a single Twitter-like stream dedicated to wildlife photography. It was a short journey from there to developing wildlife-photography-blog.com. Oddly, despite its Twitter-induced origins, it took a month before I realised that Wildlife Photography Blog should not just be an RSS aggregator but should have it’s own Twitter stream. WPB is about community and it, like Nature Blog Network, is dedicated to widening the readership of all its member sites. As I say in my strap line it’s “all about connecting wildlife enthusiasts with great photography blogs.”

Any words of wisdom for new nature bloggers?

I don’t think there are any rules. People have to find their own style, but passion always shows. If we’re not nature bloggers because we love nature than we might as well not blog.

Why are you passionate about wildlife?

I grew up in the country and have always loved the outdoors, but it was only as I started trying to capture it photographically that I began to appreciate the full wonder of it. These days I’m as happy sitting watching wildlife through binoculars as I am taking pictures. There is a very deep joy which comes from being out in wild places with nothing but nature for company. I can’t help wondering if more people felt like that whether it would help break the consumerist pandemic which seems set on steadily destroying our planet.

Blogging as a form is very recent and for all we know its days could be short before the next big thing comes along and replaces it. In contrast, wildlife is all around us and is crucial to our livelihood and well-being.

Thank you, Ian.