Well… it took eleven years… but this posting represents the milestone of creating and publishing article 1500 on this website. Time is a very strange thing. On one hand it feels like ages ago when my first article on this website was published back in January 2015. On the other hand, I find it incredulous that eleven years have passed. I think I must have blinked more than a few times as the years slipped by.

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The seeds for this website were planted years ago. In late 2013 and early 2014, I wrote a couple of articles for Photography Life. A review of the Nikon 1 V2, and an article about travel photography in New Zealand. Both pieces got good reader feedback and Nasim Mansurov, the founder of Photography Life, was happy with what I had created.

That was back in my full frame days when I was shooting with a Nikon D800… and just starting to seriously dabble with the Nikon 1 system. Shortly after my second article on Photography Life appeared, Nasim called me at home one evening in February 2014, asking me to join the writing team at Photography Life. After a two hour conversation I agreed.

When I went downstairs to let my wife know what I had done… she was concerned about the commitment. She wondered out loud how I’d find the time to fit creating a series of ongoing articles for Nasim into my already busy schedule.

It turned out to be a great decision, and I enjoyed my time working with Nasim for a few years. I ended up writing about 150 articles for Photography Life, many of which are still on the website today.

As 2015 approached I decided to create my own photography website. I wanted to take a different approach than what the majority of photography websites were doing at the time.

Rather than focus on gear reviews, I decided that I’d create a broader range of original content. I’d allow my creative spirit to take the website into whatever direction seemed to make sense. The idea of an unscripted creative journey that I could share, appealed to me.

I thought that sharing real photographic experiences with readers may resonate with some people. To me, photography was about a lot more than just camera equipment. I decided that I would never accept any advertising or paid placement editorials.

By July 2015 my flirtation with full frame equipment had ended. I sold all of that gear, and I began using Nikon 1 exclusively for all of my personal pursuits, as well as for the needs of my industrial safety video clients.

In retrospect, that was also a great decision. For whatever reason, using the Nikon 1 system unlocked a lot of pent up creativity. I was driven to really experiment with my camera gear… and push myself as well.

After a while I began to be known as a ‘Nikon 1 guy’ in various photography chatrooms. I didn’t really like being pigeon-holed in that manner… but there really wasn’t anything I could do about it. Being defined by the cameras we use has existed in photography for a long time.

I continued to experiment and added more bodies and lenses to my Nikon 1 kit. Soon I found myself strongly attracted to bird photography and doing some close up photography with extension tubes. The next several years flew by as I kept pushing my Nikon 1 boundaries.

Another major shift happened in early 2019 when some industrial safety video clients started asking if I could do 4K video productions. That wasn’t possible with my Nikon 1 gear so I did some research. I ended up borrowing some gear from Olympus for a couple of months, after the company permitted me to participate in their Pro Loaner program.

The computational photography technology, IBIS performance, weather sealing, optical performance of the lenses, wonderful ergonomics, and being able to shoot 4K video handheld without the need to use various camera supports, had me sold. I returned the loaner gear ahead of schedule so other photographers could experience it.

I bought into the Olympus M4/3 system and initially invested more money than I had originally planned to do. We purchased an E-M1X, the trio of PRO f/2.8 zoom lenses, a macro lens, and a teleconverter. There’s no question that moving over to the Olympus M4/3 system was another great decision.

The Olympus system unleashed more of my creativity. Using  computational photography technologies was like adding a turbocharger to my camera. I relished experimenting with it. That led to me pushing myself and my gear even harder.

I bought another E-M1X as a back-up body, and added some additional M.Zuiko lenses, another teleconverter, and a couple of flashes to my kit. And, we bought an E-M1 Mark III and some lenses for my wife.

Computational photography technologies like Bird Detection AI Subject Tracking, Pro Capture, Live ND, Handheld Hi Res, and In-Camera Focus Stacking became everyday photographic necessities for me.

Six and a half years later I simply cannot imagine using anything else. My pair of E-M1X bodies still feel like my ‘new’ cameras. They never get in the way of what I’m trying to accomplish… but rather enable it. Shooting with an E-M1X is a Zen-like experience for me.

I feel energized and creative whenever I have one in hand. I have no need to replace or update any of my Olympus/OM gear in the foreseeable future.

And, that could be a potential problem. So much of the photography market is skewed towards gear reviews and hype about new equipment, There are times when I wonder if the work that I do on this website with ‘older gear’ will remain relevant. We are still gaining subscribers which I interpret as a positive.

My interests have been converging around bird and macro photography. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy pursuing other photographic genres… but these other topical areas are not as well represented in my current work as they once were.

I must admit that I really love the challenge of bird photography and pushing my boundaries with handheld macro photography. No doubt these two areas will continue to represent a significant portion of my future work.

Even though I’m well into my retirement years I still feel mentally sharp and more than physically capable to continue experimenting with photography. And, pushing myself further…. so I can find out what boundaries I still may be able to cross.

Over the past decade I’ve written and published nine eBooks. My tenth eBook is in the final production stage, and barring unforeseen events, will be published in the very near future. I have at least one more new eBook inside me, that is calling for my creative attention. After that… I’m not sure.

With article 1500 now completed with this posting, I find myself in an interesting, retrospective position. Back in January 2015 when this adventure started, I wondered how long I could produce content for this photography blog.

Especially since I had no interest in doing gear reviews on equipment I didn’t actually own and use. Could this photography blog last for ten years? Could I actually write and publish 1500 articles? Those questions have now been answered.

I’ve always been someone who has been committed to personal growth and meeting the challenges ahead. Both those that the Universe puts before me… and the ones that I create for myself.

I still feel creative and engaged when out in the field with my camera gear. I still enjoy creating content for my readers. This website remains self-sustaining through reader donations and purchases of my eBooks. That is another objective that has been met on an ongoing basis for many years.

I have been doing more presentations for camera clubs the past few years… and thoroughly enjoy sharing images and experiences with club members. I can’t make camera clubs hire me… but I can be at the ready to give them my best when they do.

So, the questions about keeping this photography blog active and moving for ten years, and creating 1500 articles, have been answered in the affirmative.

What does the future hold if I continue to chart a course through the ever challenging world of photography? How long can I ride my wave of inspiration and creativity as it moves ever closer to its end point, and risks crashing on shore? Does it make sense to set new goals? Or, is it better to cherish the dawn of each new day… and celebrate each as a gift to be lived?

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from RAW files or out-of-camera jpeg files using my standard process in post. This is the 1,500 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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