Half an Anniversary

Today marks exactly 6 months since I launched my Photoblog and sat back and wondered whether anyone would actually find it, and if they found it, would they think there was something worth seeing and reading.

Dawn from the Matterhorn - click to enlarge

Well apparently it has been found and some of you quite like it. The stats amaze me. So far: 80 posts involving 300 images. Over 5,500 visits and 550 comments.  But numbers only tell a fraction of the story. I have received so much encouragement and learnt a lot, from so many of you, in a wide variety of ways. Mentions and re-Tweets on Twitter. Those who ‘Like’ one of my posts, and especially those of you who take the time to make a comment. Those who now ‘follow’ my blog. Those who spread the word in ways that are invisible to me. And finally the generous, big-hearted Toad who has included me on a number of occasions in his weekly round-up of Posts on Light Stalking.

And finally I must say a big ‘thank-you’ to my wife who puts up with the ‘Man with the camera’ who ruins good walks, and spends too much time staring at a computer screen. I’m working on my work flow to reduce the blog ‘housekeeping’ time. Thank you all so much, you know who you all are, you are a genuinely welcoming and tremendously supportive crowd of people. That means so much to new bloggers like me.

You’ll be pleased to know that I am enjoying the experience although at times it is inclined to feel like a runaway train whose brakes have failed! For many years I had hoped to find an opportunity to write creatively and with this blog I find myself able to combine my photography with writing a ‘column’ – contributing to what at times feels like a world-wide magazine. And the best bit is that no-one tells me what I have to write about today! I make my own choices. Isn’t that great?

And so to today’s gallery of images. Choices! I thought a re-cap was appropriate for today and so (after much difficulty) I have selected 7 images, one from each month from last Sept thro’ to March. These images try to cover my areas of interest – but really that’s an impossible task in only 7 images.

September’s image was easy to choose. It had to be the very first image I posted in ‘In the Beginning’ – the image you see higher up in today’s post. The inspiration behind my photography has always been, first and foremost, the extraordinary views that are the reward for climbing high, or just being in the high mountains in winter or summer. And this image (and the climb it was associated with) was one among several major influences that established my love of photography.

October’s image: sometimes I write ‘illustrative articles’ about memorable experiences in my life, and Climbing Kilimanjaro a few years ago will always be close to the top of that list.

Descending towards Stella Point - click to enlarge

This image taken on the descent from Kili’s summit was posted in ‘On the Roof of Africa’; the first of 3 posts about climbing Kili. The other two posts following on in December and are linked from the first.

November is the month of Autumn, and along with Spring these are my two favourite seasons. A time when I find myself captivated by the colours and translucency of the foliage.

Sweet Chestnut leaves (1) - click to enlarge

And also a time of the year when my Mirror Lens gets the most use shooting images like this one posted in ‘Last Leaves of Autumn’.

December’s image is one among many that I’ve posted that result from my policy of never leaving home without a camera.

Staircase - click to enlarge

You will find a number of posts in the category ‘Seen on the Street’ – see the sidebar – that result solely from this determination and that includes this one posted in ‘Glass Houses’ that caught my eye as dusk approached as I walked towards Euston Station.

January’s image was a combination of pure happenstance and lateral thinking.

Sundown on the Beacon_3 - click to enlarge

A visit to Ivinghoe Beacon, one of our favourite local small ‘hills’, was a dead loss from the point of view of the landscape I hoped to discover, but a total joy when I realized the potential in something completely different. A day when people made the picture – a rare event for me – and resulted in the post ‘Sundown over Ivinghoe Beacon‘.

February was a skiers paradise. Two weeks in the Alps in one of the best seasons for a generation yielded well over 400 images and quite a barrage of posts (sorry non-skiers). An almost impossible task to select just one from so many but the image I’ve chosen sums up the thrill of skiing.

Rush hour on 'White Hare' - click to enlarge

Taken in Zermatt on a superb Red run called ‘White Hare’ it appeared in ‘On the Piste in Black and White’.

March is not quite over yet and Spring this year seems oddly disorganized. In some aspects far advanced, and yet in other areas behind that of previous years.

Snowdrops 2010 - click to enlarge

But Snowdrops are reliable and this image is perhaps my favourite image of a pretty bulb, posted in ‘Snowdrops – Harbingers of Spring’, again shot with a Mirror Lens.

Do explore the links in these entries to find the posts from which these images are taken.

Thank you again for your support. I feel privileged to be able to share my photography with you all, and each day I look forward to receiving and viewing a new gallery of your work on my desktop. Do keep visiting; I’m always interested to know what you think and don’t be afraid to make constructive suggestions for improvement.