How many have you got?
When I started this caper, a few months after Dave and Lee had started going out and about with their cameras before inviting me to the party, there was Flickr. I joined Flickr as instructed so that we could see each other's images, and began to post, sometimes producing a glut of output from one outing and entering it into hundreds of groups at will. There was something called 500px, but from what I could see, unless you were Joe Cornish you might as well not bother - it looked like a place for the bigger boys and girls in the playground. You know, the ones who knew what focus stacking and bracketing meant and had learned that the funny graph on the back of their camera actually had a purpose.
So, I stayed on Flickr alone as far as the photography community was concerned, gradually building a small following as I began to learn about the mysterious things that my two colleagues kept jabbering on about endlessly. I also posted on Facebook, because none of your non clacking friends are ever going to start setting up accounts on Flickr or 500px are they? Of course, the reaction from my personal friends was rather more rapturous than that of you more discerning types, but then again, I'll bet many of us have been through that experience, haven't we? "What's Flickr?" I'd be asked if I ever mentioned it. "Well it's a bit like Facebook, but for photographers," I'd reply as I tried to explain our community to outsiders.
And then there was Instagram, which I was urged to get involved in by friends who were also photographers. I found many of you were also Instagrammers, but by no means all. Add to that the plethora of excellent photographers I found there who had never bothered with Flickr, and the personal friends who refused to do Facebook, but liked the fact that Instagram was a bit less rowdy, and there was another community that I suddenly felt engaged in. I like the instant accessibility, and it's a place where I'm slightly less discerning about what I post there - almost daily in fact. My Flickr stories need a lot more effort and I do like to try and present an image that passes muster here with you. The trouble was, that on that platform, we were forever competing with an endless wave of garbage. It's no surprise of course to learn that a phone snap of a pretty young lady in front of Kirkjufell or Skogafoss garnered a huge amount more interest than the compositions that you and I agonised over. Of course, that's not why we do this, and of course I'm not bitter. No, scratch that, I'm definitely bitter - why wasn't I endowed with chisel like features to capture a thousand faves by looking enigmatic in front of a camera?
And there you have the issue that many Instagrammers began to complain about. No longer was it a place where serious photographers could display their work - especially those who were trying to earn some money from photography, which thank goodness I'm not. Suddenly the platform was awash with endless videos, and accusations were levelled that it had turned into another TikTok. I didn't know whether it had turned into another TikTok, because I'm too old to know what that is. And then there are the restrictions on format. If you really want a picture to stand out, you need to be thinking 5 by 4 in portrait mode, so you end up having to take shots twice, or you need to see a crop within your frame to make things work. But still, I persevered with Instagram because of the virtual friendships I'd made there. Two platforms were enough, quite frankly.
But then Vero came along, swinging its fists like the new kid on the block who wanted to get some attention quickly. For I while, one or two of you were kind enough to message me relentlessly, telling me how good the new platform was, almost rejoicing the fact there were no adverts and the only thing that appeared in their feed were posts from the people they chose to follow. A number of togs had moved lock stock and barrel from Instagram, citing their irritations at the TikTok thing. I didn't want to lose contact with them, and none of them were active over on Flickr, so it seemed I'd have to join the new platform, but not the exodus. After all, how would my personal friends, many of whom are so supportive (including financially on occasion), see my work? After a good deal of faffing, all of which surrounded the fact that Vero don't trust the manufacturer of my mobile phone and therefore won't let me have the mobile app, I joined the throng - just a few days before heading for Iceland. I quite like Vero - it's full of work by very good photographers, including some of you of course - but I am struggling to maintain a presence on all three platforms. It's like being a circus juggler, especially frustrating at a time when I have an enormous backlog of photos to work on.
And there's the thing - three platforms on the go because of all of these virtual relationships. Goodness knows how people who have extra marital affairs manage. But Flickr remains the number one for me personally at any rate. This is where I will always post and share stories, for as long as I'm able to, and that's mostly because of the interaction and feedback I receive here. So sorry about that - you'll have to put up with me. But if you are on Vero (or Instagram) and we've somehow missed one another, do look me up.
As for this image - well I'd already told the story in my previous post, but I'd come away from the lakeside with three or four shots throughout the sunset period that I really liked. You can always read that one again if this tale sent you to sleep. This one has grown on me rather a lot since I edited it.
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend, whatever you have planned. I'm going to see my new-born granddaughter for the first time. How did I get old enough for my children to have their own offspring? She entered the world on Sunday night - my first grandchild. She's beautiful - but of course I would think that wouldn't I? Needless to say, I'm very excited. I'm taking her a present from Iceland, even though I'm not sure she's ready to say thank you just yet.
