It feels almost surreal to think that January 1, 2024 will mark the start of year 10 of this photography website. It has been a very interesting journey to say the least. We’ve certainly grown our subscriber base over the years, and it’s now quite possible that many of our newer subscribers may not be aware of what led to the creation of this website.

This article provides some background on how this website came to be, as well as discussing our plans for year 10 and beyond.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge. Photographs have been added to serve as visual breaks.

The initial seed for this website started back in 2013 when I was using full frame camera gear and wanted a back-up camera for my client video business. Basically I stumbled into the Nikon 1 system.

The idea of using my Nikkor F-Mount lenses on a Nikon 1 V2 body though the use of the FT-1 adapter intrigued me. The crop factor when used with a Nikon 1 body meant that those lenses could add a new dimension to my video projects. So, I decided to order a Nikon 1 V2 with 10-30 mm kit lens, sight unseen, along with an FT-1 adapter.

I can still remember opening up the packaging for the V2 kit and holding the camera in my hands for the first time. I was shocked. My initial thought was, “What the heck have I done? Should I even bother keeping this thing?” I then reminded myself that this was only a back-up camera… one that intrigued me for a number of reasons. So, I decided to keep the V2 and experiment with it.

It only took a few weeks for me to realize the potential of this diminutive system. So I quickly added two 1 Nikkor prime lenses and a couple of additional zoom lenses to my kit. At that point I began to use the system with native Nikon 1 lenses, along with my full frame kit, for some client video projects. The FT-1 adapter ended up being my least used piece of Nikon 1 gear.

By 2013, sensor size bias was well entrenched in the photography market. I discovered that the more I used the Nikon 1 system, the more I came to value its flexibility and efficiency for my client work. As my experimentation increased I began to more fully realize how much the Nikon 1 system was misunderstood and significantly underestimated.

There was no shortage of criticisms and assumptions about the system. For some reason, it was a system that many people loved to hate. Even if they had never even held a Nikon 1 body in their hands or shot a single image with the system.

I began to post comments on Nikon 1 related articles that were published on Photography Life, which was my favourite photography website at the time. I thought it was important to share my experiences with the system, and to help dispel some of the assumptions and falsehoods about Nikon 1 equipment.

Out-of-the-blue in the fall of 2013, I received an email from Nasim Mansurov, the founder of Photography Life, asking me if I could do a review of the Nikon 1 V2 for his website. I agreed, and my first article on Photography Life appeared on November 16, 2013. It garnered numerous comments and positive reaction from some of Nasim’s readers.

My wife and I visited New Zealand in late 2013, and I asked Nasim if he’d like me to do a related travel photography article for Photography Life. That article appeared in January 2014 and the majority of the images in it were captured with a Nikon D800 and Nikkor F-Mount full frame lenses.

A week or two later I was in my home office when the phone rang. It was Nasim calling to ask me to join the writing team at Photography Life. We chatted for a couple of hours and I eventually agreed.

During 2014 and throughout 2015 I wrote regularly for Photography Life. As time went on, a growing number of my articles featured images captured with Nikon 1 gear. My full frame equipment was starting to collect dust as it sat idle on a more frequent basis.  Although not intended, I became referred to as “that Nikon 1 guy” in some photography chatrooms.

During the two years that I worked with Nasim, Photography Life published over 150 of my articles. It was a great personal relationship that continues. As a natural progression, I decided to start my own photography blog which launched on January 1, 2015. About 2 dozen intrepid Photography Life readers initially subscribed to my new website.

The easy part about having a photography blog is initially deciding to do it. The hard part is making strategic decisions about content. Target audience. Reader environment. And of course creating a business plan.

Those are the key decisions that enable a website to last for more than just a few months… or not be a site that only posts original content a few times per year.

I knew that my first decision… about content… would have a negative effect and limit my potential audience size. That decision was not to create yet other camera gear review site. The internet was chock-a-block full of such information.

Almost all of the popular photography websites had a focus on reporting on, and testing, new camera gear. That was something I had no interest in doing. Sharing photographs, information and experiences (both good and bad) was my objective. I needed to have faith that at least some photographers would enjoy that type of content.

My second decision was target audience. I wanted to attract a select number of readers who had a love for photography… but were not fixated on gear. And, were not expecting regular camera equipment reviews. Folks who would enjoy hands-on, practical content… and appreciate not being continually encouraged to buy camera gear that they likely didn’t need… so the website could make click-through sales commissions.

Creating a safe and welcoming reader environment was critically important to me. Many photography websites at the time were like the wild west without any control of reader comments and the vitriol that often ensues. From day one, I made a commitment to my readers that they would never be subjected to attacks on my website.

To ensure a safe and welcoming website I decided to pre-screen and approve each and every comment before they would be posted on my website. This practice continues today and will be in effect for as long as this website is published. Over the past nine years only a very few  reader comments ever needed to be eliminated. That speaks volumes about the photographers who visit this website.

I was pleased to see most photography websites adopt some kind of policy about abusive online behaviour.

My purchase of the 1 Nikkor 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom was the straw that broke that camel’s back in terms of my continued use of full frame gear. By July 2015 I had sold all of my full frame equipment, and I was shooting exclusively with my Nikon 1 kit for both my client work, and on a personal basis.

In the summer of 2018 the Nikon 1 system was discontinued by Nikon. Obviously for someone referred to as “that Nikon 1 guy” that corporate decision had significant consequences for both my client business and my photography blog. Subsequently we decided to make the move to Olympus M4/3 equipment so we could continue to reliably serve our clients in the future.

It was also necessary to reposition this photography website as the thorny issue of sensor size bias was becoming even more pronounced and ingrained in the photography market.

We decided to tackle the issue head on by renaming this website Small Sensor Photography, and removing almost all of the previously published articles that featured images captured with full frame gear. That affected over 160 articles with their removal from this website. It was important for us to let potential readers know upfront what kind of content that they would find here.

In terms of our business plan we decided to let this website live or die based on direct reader support. From the inception of this website we never accepted adverting or paid product mentions/articles. During the first year we absorbed all of our operating costs to help the website get established. In 2016 we added a donation function. Since that time this website has been self sustaining thanks to direct support from our readers.

I can remember back in the fall of 2014 when we were preparing to launch this website, wondering how long it would exist. And, how many articles and images we would share with readers. For some reason two numbers popped into my head… 10 and 1,500. I wondered if we’d last for 10 years, and publish 1,500 articles.

In January 2024 we will start year 10, and with this posting we will have published 1,333 original articles. We’ve also shared well over 13,000 original photographs with our readers.  So, those two numbers that popped into my head back in late 2014 aren’t too far off from reality.

What about the future?

Over the past number of years we’re created a selection of eBooks that are available for purchase and download from this website. At this point we have eight eBooks available, seven of which are photography related. We have two additional titles under active development, with another three in the concept stage. We anticipate publishing at least two new eBooks in 2024. Obviously our eBook revenues help to support this website.

We have no plans to buy or replace any of our existing camera gear. Our three Olympus camera bodies and nine M.Zuiko lenses are doing an outstanding job for us. We’ll do our best to continue to create, experiment, and find some inspiration to share with you next year… and hopefully for years after that.

Will we create 167 new articles by the end of next year and hit that 1,500 number? I doubt it. Even creating 100 new articles per year is challenging. So far this year we’ve published 97 new postings.

As a person ‘maturing in age’, it is important for me to stay active and to keep pushing my creative envelope. I’ve been contemplating resurrecting our YouTube channel… but I’m not convinced that would be a good use of my time. That platform seems to be increasingly glutted with sensationalized, and in some cases nonsensical, content.

Depending on how one looks at the situation it could represent an interesting opportunity… or not. If you have any thoughts in this regard please share them with me. Resurrecting our YouTube presence would likely reduce the amount of content I could produce on this website.

In terms of new articles we will continue to photograph birds on a regular basis. There will likely be a bit more emphasis on handheld macro photography as we need to do more field work for a potential handheld macro photography eBook that is in the concept stage.

I’m sure my fascination with all living things that fly will continue. You’ll likely see future articles on insects in flight including dragonflies, butterflies, bees and wasps… and anything else I can find.

Hopefully nothing like COVID 19 will surface as I missed the opportunity to do landscape photography for a few years. I’d like to experiment with more landscape photography by using in-camera focus stacking, Live ND, Handheld Hi Res, and HDR1/HDR2 technologies.

I remain intrigued with the potential use of the Digital Teleconverter capability in our Olympus camera bodies. So, I anticipate more field work in this regard and potentially identifying some of the more promising subject matter and shooting conditions where this technology can be effectively utilized.

Both my wife and I very much enjoy flower photography, and we’ll no doubt be spending time with this subject matter. I anticipate doing more experimentation with in-camera focus stacking, Handheld Hi Res, and HDR in-camera technologies with this subject matter.

Like all photographers, I need to keep an eye open for new opportunities and approaches that can be used to expand my capabilities. As I find them… I’ll be sharing them with all of you.

Please accept my sincere thanks for all of your support over the past nine years. This website would not still be in operation without you. Hopefully year 10 will prove enjoyable, inspiring, and rewarding for all of us.

 Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. Most images were produced from RAW files using my standard process in post. Some photographs that utilized in-camera focus stacking or a digital teleconverter were created from out-of-camera jpegs. This is the 1,333 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

How you can help keep this site advertising free

My intent is to keep this photography blog advertising free. If you enjoyed this article and/or my website and would like to support my work, you can purchase an eBook, or make a donation through PayPal. Both are most appreciated.

Our eBooks…

The Finding Visual Expression eBook is designed to provide readers with some photographic inspiration and composition ideas. The Little Camera That Could details our extensive experience using the Nikon 1 system. Our eBooks also include a number of travel photography publications including Images of Ireland, New Zealand Tip-to-Tip, Desert & Mountain Memories, Images of Greece, and Nova Scotia Photography Tour. We also have a business leadership parable… Balancing Eggs.

Donations support this website…

If you click on the Donate button below you will find that there are three donation options: $7.50, $10.00 and $20.00. All are in Canadian funds. Plus, you can choose a different amount if you want. You can also increase your donation amount to help offset our costs associated with accepting your donation through PayPal. An ongoing, monthly contribution to support our work can also be done through the PayPal Donate button below.

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Article is Copyright 2023 Thomas Stirr. All images are Copyright 2013-2023 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Posting comments on offending websites and calling out individuals who steal intellectual property is always appreciated!