So, the plan to get active on this site again didn’t come to fruition. I realized that reviewing gear really isn’t my thing. I had no desire to thoroughly test stuff for issues I personally don’t care about. Really, nowadays, it’s all good. There are pros and cons to everything, but like cars, all cameras and lenses do the basic job quite well and are better than most of us are as photographers. We’re the weak link.
I also lost interest in most new gear. I sold all my Sony gear and no longer care what Sony comes out with unless they introduce an ergonomically attractive body. I no longer care about new DSLRs, planning to make my 1DX the last one I own. The new mirrorless cameras from Canon and Nikon aren’t quite there yet and we’ll have to see what Panasonic comes up with. I am curious about the new Olympus, because if it’s indeed the allround monster the rumors tell us, I might be able to ditch my Canon and Nikon gear and go full in with just Olympus and Panasonic. But that’s it.
I also lost the site, and several other ones, last year when the server they resided on was hacked into. Unlike my other sites, this one was backed up and I could bring it back to life, though some things were broken. I’m now moving to a new platform so I no longer have to deal with server issues and other technical details. It’s a bit more expensive, but subscribing to all the extra services and templates for the old platform started to add up as well.
Originally, I planned to launch an app and site to help photographers with finding and navigating locations. When I first came up with the idea, those apps didn’t exist. This site was meant to kind of test the waters and do something daily with photography as I was working on the longer-term plans. I dropped the idea when I realized a few things. One is that many photographers aren’t exactly generous with sharing really useful information about places they know well. There were other considerations as well, but the key one was that I didn’t think it could make enough money. I actually discussed my idea with a large company to see if we could partner and that company, with all its reach, didn’t think it was worthwhile pursuing.
In the meantime, several apps like the one I had in mind have launched and it seems they either died a quiet death or are only marginally successful. And none that I have seen is actually really helpful to a dedicated photographer.
To be honest, I don’t really get it. Many photo hobbyists gladly pay thousands of dollars for a workshop with a pro, but they would be hesitant to pay $20 for a really good digital guide about the same location.
Anyway, I’ve deleted a bunch of old posts I didn’t consider worthwhile anymore and I’m cleaning up loose ends. I’ve deleted my affiliate links, so this now a non-commercial site and merely a place where I share tips and thoughts about photography as I feel like it. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
By John van Rosendaal