Photographer Kirk Tuck has been writing a blog since 2007 on gear, the industry, and inspiration.

He’s got over 700 entries and sees 12,000 pageviews a day, which is pretty darn good for a one-man shop.

But he’s calling it quits. He says:

I should have been on the phone continuing to make calls to prospective clients. I should have been working on the two book projects I have in front of me. I should have been swimming or running. But instead I was writing a piece about a $499 camera that will be obsolete in a few months and lost to nearly everyone’s memory in a year.

Sure, there’s an ego reward that goes along with putting out a blog…My name recognition among photographers is currently strong. If I liked doing workshops that would be a good thing. If I had products to sell to other photographers that would be a good thing. But the time spent here is time stolen from things that are more important for me….I’m done spending time creating content for free.

If Tuck’s viewpoint spreads, this has troubling implications for the Huffington Posts of the world. Here’s a guy who was doing everything right according to the laws of the new media economy: give something away for free in order to build a brand, then sell your work. If it wasn’t working to Tuck’s satisfaction—if blogging doesn’t help you sell photos—then there are suddenly a lot fewer reasons to do it.