Thanks!
First and foremost, Thank YOU. Without y'all visiting, this blog is nothing more than a depository for thoughts and images.
I'd also like to thank the folks who regularly comment and help me keep my info on track. I'd also like to thank everyone who has e-mailed questions. Many of the posts are answers to theses questions. I may be slow in forming the answers into a semi-coherent post, but I do try to answer quickly and briefly when asked a specific question.
Many thanks and my admiration go to all the award-winning shooters who've given their time and knowledge through extremely long interviews. Thanks also go out to all the assignment subjects who've allowed me make images and document moments of their lives.
Reflections
I started this blog to convince Fayrouz to start one. Blogs and the war in Iraq were news then. I felt it was important for her to let people know about her native country and its people.
Fay, in turn, supported my blogging efforts. Her continuing support is essential to the longevity of this blog (so click on her link). ;-}
When we both started blogging, we couldn't post images. So, this blog started as a text-only description about a middle-of-the-road PJ's life. It's still about a middle-of-the-road PJ's life. But, I'm a relatively happy middle-of-the-road PJ.
Somehow, y'all decided to let this blog grow. I'm still surprised about its acceptance. The blog has taken on a life of its own and has won a few awards by itself.
Next steps
So what's next? I honestly don't know. However, I do have some ideas about what I'd like to try.
After I wrote enough posts, I thought a book deal would be a cool idea. However, I don't wish to pull the content from this site to increase book sales. So a book deal probably won't happen unless I self-publish. It could happen, but I won't hold my breath until then.
Meanwhile, I'm working to arrange some interviews and, as always, I have epic-length posts in the works offline. Expect to see more posts about sports, legal issues, business issues, some how-to posts and more biographies about former and contemporary photographers.
No matter what happens with the text, I'll continue to post a photo or essay each day (unless I'm on a distant assignment). They might not be the best images, but s/he who dies after making the most images wins ... or something like that. :-)
For those new to the biz
Local readers might also consider a peek at the Beaumont Events blog. Since we like Beaumont and plan to stay here, it's being updated more regularly than immediately after Hurricane Rita. For PJs who regularly read this blog, I'll let y'all in on a secret: The events blog also lists major photo contest deadline dates as they're nailed down.
Enough for now,
5 comments:
Way to go on 500,000!
Ken
Congratulations, Mark. And thank you for offering a great resource for photojournalists.
Every time I want to give up, every time I start getting that snobby PJ-attitude (you know, the one that says, "REAL PJs aren't bloggers, blahblahblah) I come here and remember that real PJs are whatever they want to be, disseminating information and images in whatever way seems most relevant at the moment. Though I don't post my own PJ work very often, I still remain humble that you include me among your links. When I'm blah, down, or otherwise uninspired, I can usually find something here to remind me why I pick up my camera each day. Thanks for all you do.
Carmen,
You are an inspiration. The battles you have already won are significant. I'm honored to link to you. :-)
Awww. That was a nice thing to say. See? I was having a cruddy day, and you made me smile. :-)
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