The First Post of Many More I Hope..
My thoughts and deepest sympathy go to the families of those who lost their lives in the latest terrorist atrocity in Paris. As mature, liberal democracies in the West, we stand, for the most part, for freedom and tolerance. People may face discrimination but they do not live in fear because of what they believe, what they might say, or who they are. If we lose sight of this tolerance, the terrorists win. I don’t know the answers, I just try to focus on the beauty I find all around me and wonder why…
Happy Birthday Cornwall Photographic
I used a title very similar to the title of this blog 3 years ago today when I wrote my first ever blog post. I did so at the suggestion and encouragement of a good friend and fellow blogger Marina. As it’s turned out, my hopes expressed in that first post have been realised. I have now written 377 posts and counting. I never imagined for one moment when I started this blog that anyone would actually look at it, but on one day alone last year I had 1,481 views, over 105,000 views in total now.
I bought myself a DSLR camera for Christmas 2012, the blog came along in the new year as a place I could post the pictures I had started to take. Up until this point, I’d taken nothing but snaps at family gatherings and on annual holidays with a basic point and shoot. I’d been interested in photography in my early teens. My parents gave me a Zenit SLR. No auto settings of course and I learned the principles of exposure using a hand-held light meter. But, my initial interest in photography gave way to bikes and cars and the usual stuff. Determined to find something I could do despite my illness, I’d decided to take up photography again, reigniting that early interest. Both the photography and the blog have been a godsend.
I knew that I was embarking on a journey with my new DSLR hence the blog’s title. I didn’t realise at that time however, what an amazing journey it would be.
I’ve posted a lot of pictures in the last three years. Some I’m very proud of, more than a few not so much to say the least but good, bad or indifferent, they are all an important part of the story and the journey.
This last year has been incredible. From my first tentative steps with a DSLR three years ago, I’ve been shortlisted in a couple of major international photography competitions. I became a Licentiate and then an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society. I’ve been published in magazines, the latest being the February edition of Classic Boat, my images have been used in national and global advertising campaigns and one of my photographs has just been selected to join 99 others (chosen from more than 3.500 entries) to tour the country in a Royal Photographic Society Exhibition this year. I’m really not sure any of this would have happened without the support and encouragement of the WordPress blogging community. Having somewhere I could share what I was trying to do and to get such positive feedback, I have no doubt is what’s kept me moving forward.
I’ve made some very good friends here in the last three years and hope to make many more in the coming years. I would like to thank everyone who has looked at, followed and commented on my blog. This is, as I’ve said, a wonderful community of supportive, encouraging people. I’m now looking forward to many more posts as the journey continues..
These are a few of my favourite photographs from the past 3 years, some because I like the pictures, others for their associations. This is the beauty of photography, we capture a moment and we have it to hold for ever..
Click on any of the images for a sharper, clearer view. This will open a slide show :-)
Cornwall Photographic 