I’ve been blogging for two and a half years. When I started I didn’t have a plan. I was sending random words and thoughts into the blogging abyss. There’s nothing wrong with that but if you have clearly defined goals and a desire to be a successful blogger planning is essential.

One important element of blogging I neglected was photography. At the time I wasn’t interested in doing much more than sharing funny stories about my life in Vermont. Once I reevaluated my writing and blogging goals I set out to improve my photography skills and increase the visual appeal of my site. It’s paid off tremendously.

One of my first blog photos. Yikes!

Incredible opportunities have come my way thanks to my blog photography. I’ve worked as a blog ambassador for a well-known photography forum and community, reviewed top of the line gear, and photographed a private event at a blog conference. Whatever your goals are if you’re using your blog as a platform to reach them -  visual appeal is important.

Blog photography matters because it makes your reader slow down and pay closer attention to what you’re saying. A photo can be used to illustrate a point, tell a story, sell a product or all three. Think of a nice photo as a rest stop for your eyes. Taking a break and letting your eyes linger at a nice looking image gives you time to process the content you’ve read.

Think about the message you want your blog to convey and choose photos accordingly. My blog is about my life as an Ivy League MBA wife and inspiring women to document their children’s lives with photography. The photos one sees on my site are happy, fun, vibrant, pretty and sweet. That is how I see my life so those are the kinds of photos I share. Keep the rest of your visual branding in mind when making choices about which photos to post.

The art of photography is intimidating. There is a mountain of information to learn and at times it seems impossible to keep up. Start small and set goals for yourself. Think of where you want your blog to be a year from now and how improving your photography can help with that. Do you want to increase traffic? Build a larger community? Create content that is curated by top bloggers?

Make a plan and get shooting. Practice is the best teacher. I’ll be back next month with tips on how choosing the right aperture sets the mood of your photos and improves your photography.

GUEST COLUMNIST / VERONICA ARMSTRONG

Veronica Armstrong is an Ithaca, New York based writer and photographer who blogs at VeronicaArmstrong.com. She writes for the Advice column.