For anyone who isn't familiar with the term Herping, it's the act of seeking out reptile and amphibians. I love all animals, but reptiles and amphibians are my absolute favorite. I've been fascinated by them since early childhood. Now that I'm geared up with a camera, I combine the two interests and seek out reptiles and amphibians to photograph (although this year has been the worst year for me so far as that goes).
The Girl's Guide to Herping is going to basically be a resource for women and girls interested in learning more about the hobby. Earlier this year I was doing a bit of research and came across more than a few herping websites and began to browse through them. Most of them (but not all), were primarily written by men, featured men in the posts, and seemed to be marketed to men in general. I will admit that this hobby is dominated by dudes, but there are tons of girls out there who love it as well, and I immediately wanted to make something for them. Here's a peek at what the site looks like right now as I'm putting it together:
As it's still a work in progress, and I don't plan on launching until February, there will be a few changes here and there and a lot more added in. The Species Library has proven to be the largest section to tackle. I'll be listing all North American species, with links to a photo and resource on each one. While doing my research, that was the one problem I kept running into. The herping sites I checked out either didn't have a species library, or it was incomplete. I wanted to find something that had EVERYTHING listed, and the only thing I found for that was a published list from the Society of the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Once I get the Species Library set up, it's going to be pretty amazing :)
The guide will also feature "chapters" that will go over different aspects of herping such as safety, gear, tips, when and where to find certain types of animals, etc. I'm still working on coming up with chapters so if you have any ideas let me know!
The shop section will have a variety of items including buttons and magnets that I press myself, fun printables, and a link to a Society6 shop that I'm planning in conjunction with this.
The blog is going to be a lot of fun too! I'm planning on having tons of guest posts from other women and girls who want to share their photos and experiences. I want it to be a fun, inviting, and engaging place for females in this hobby.
I'll periodically share my progress on the project, and I'm really excited to finally let you all in on what the secret side project is all about :)
Post a Comment