This is the 500th post since I started this blog back in 2011. At that time I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted to do with it: “it seemed like a good idea at the time”. I’d been running blogs as part of my work for some time so it seemed reasonable to have a personal blog. Probably because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do I updated the blog infrequently.

After I retired in April 2012 things started to pick up. After a moratorium of a number of years I had started to get interested in “all things photographic” in 2010. I say “all things photographic” rather than “photography” because it wasn’t just the taking of pictures that interested me. I also started to collect old cameras; study the history of photography; read about famous photographers etc. As my interest in photography took off – so did the blog.

By the end of 2012 I had come to some conclusions regarding why I was using the blog. The main reason was to keep me taking photographs. I’d spoken to other photographers and they had all recommeded getting out frequently and taking lots of photos. My problem was that I am fundamentally lazy. Given a choice between lying comfortably in bed on a cold day and getting up early to go and take pictures I’d tend to chose the former. I’d hoped that maintaining the blog would help me get past this. And it has. I now get out more and take many more pictures than I had before.

It’s also helped me clarify what I like to take pictures of. I’d been taking pictures of all kinds of things: people; landscapes; still life etc. Gradually as I used the blog I came to understand that what I really like is taking pictures of old things: primarily buildings. And if they’re old, creaky and falling apart at the seams then so much the better. I like nothing more than finding an old building; taking some pictures of it; then doing some research on its background and history and finally posting the lot to the blog.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m just feeding the blog. Am I taking pictures just so that I can keep the blog up to date – i.e. am I just taking pictures for the sake of it rather than thinking through why I’m taking the picture? I also enjoy the post production part and from time to time wonder if I’m more of an ‘editor’ than I am a ‘photographer’. Am I just taking snapshots and then slightly improving them in post-production? Maybe time will tell.

For the moment I’m enjoying maintaining this blog and intend to continue. I’m largely doing it for myself. I don’t check to see who is reading it (if anyone). I’ve achieved my primary purpose and will continue at least until the fun goes out of it.