alan frost photography

After 12 years is this blog a chicken or an egg?

By alan frost on July 29, 2024

Back in June 2012 when I first launched this blog I don’t think it ever occurred to me that 12 years later I would still be making photographs and writing about my photographic thoughts and experiences. Surely it would just be a fun thing to do for a while? The initial enthusiasm would wear thin, the commitment and inspiration would slowly die and I would move on and do something else with my time wouldn’t I? Well no, otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting at my keyboard today!

(Please note – I have illustrated this post with a few images which have appeared over the years, with links in the caption to the relevant entry)

It’s been a very long time since I checked the statistics provided by WordPress so I thought I would take a quick look. This will be post number 460 and to date I have written just over 180,000 words. These may or may not be significant numbers compared to other blogs but when you think that a 300 page novel contains on average about 82,500 words I am now in the early stages of my third book. I can’t tell you the total number of images without counting them all but I would guess that I average a minimum of 3 images per post, so that’s approximately 1,500 pictures. Ignoring figures I am proud of the fact that I have shared my images and thoughts over this time and I hope that a few regular readers and new visitors have enjoyed and benefitted in some small way from the content.

Things have inevitably changed over this period and I am fully aware that I am not as prolific as I was in the first few years. In fact for the first five years on average I would post once a week, even though back then I was working full time. Since 2020 it’s more like once a month even though I am now retired and should in theory have more time, but other hobbies and interests somehow get in the way.

I am very aware that my enthusiasm for photography has waned in more recent times, we have moved house and Covid and the associated lock-downs unquestionably changed thinking and behaviour.

Photography for me has become a more solitary pursuit. In those early years I was a competitive member of a camera club; I took part in exhibitions; I worked hard to achieve both Licentiateship and Associateship distinctions of the Royal Photographic Society. I attended a number of photographic workshops and for a few years I gave talks about my photography to camera clubs. These incentives to participate and make new work no longer apply – my own choice entirely, although changing circumstances have played their part.

So what about the future direction of my photography and more specifically this blog?

This blog is for me akin to a journal or online diary. In fact when blogs first appeared on the internet back in 1994 that’s exactly how they were described. In 1997 the term ‘Weblog’ was used but this was shortened to ‘Blog’ two years later. In the early 2000’s blogging really took off and WordPress was formed in 2003. Social Media, vlogging and the rise of AI and ChatGPT have all changed the world. They have all influenced how we react to events and communicate with one another, and will continue to do so.

The question therefore arises – ‘Does my humble blog and website still have any relevance?’ Absolutely is my answer and let me explain why.

I think my blog can be likened in some ways to the chicken and the egg conundrum. Which comes first – the content; i.e. photographs which inspire me to compose another blog entry; or the blog itself which encourages me to go out and make content which I can then write about?

To my mind both explanations have a degree of truth. Photography is an art, a form of creativity but so is writing a blog post. Ideas, consideration and sometimes research is required before typing any words. I enjoy being creative, making images and then writing about my photography. I can share both the pictures and what I have to say with others. The whole process gets me thinking and that in itself is a form of creativity. If I do have photographs or thoughts I wish to share then this is an ideal platform for me to go about it. After I have been out with my camera and return home, I download the files, process the images and choose the ones which bring me the most pleasure – it’s then a natural conclusion to finish the work flow by writing a post and hitting ‘publish’. It’s another chapter in the ‘book’ completed before I move on and start working towards the next one. Likes and preferably comments are of course always welcome but as I have already stated, this hobby of mine is a rather solitary pursuit and irrespective of the feedback I will carry on with what I have been doing for the past 12 years simply for my own personal pleasure and satisfaction.

So what about the future. If there is some truth in the notion that this blog motivates me to be more creative then I do need to be more productive. I don’t want to make content just for the sake of it as I would like to maintain or even enhance the quality of that content. However throughout my working life I was expected to work towards a set of targets. My pay and reward depended upon it. That is no longer the case thank goodness, but having a goal or something that provides a focus is no bad thing. Over the coming months I intend to publish an average of two posts a month. If I exceed this number all well and good but I consider this to be an achievable aim.

Whether the chicken or egg comes first I neither know nor mind!