Day dot

Yesterday, in an effort to waste some more of my limited, precious time on earth, I was looking for opinion pieces about a camera that I don't need and could never justify - the Leica M240. Google led me to Edward Chang's write-up on the subject (a great read), and Edward Chang led me to Joon Rho's project, Welcome to 30. Their first post in the series, Turning 30, was immediately relatable and eye-opening. I knew in that moment what I had to do - rip the concept off, and start to document my work in this style.

If you've somehow stumbled upon this blog (or you're a friend/family member with the patience of a saint), welcome! I'm using this post to outline my goals, my no-gos, and my inevitabilities. If it's the future, and I've actually maintained my span of interest in this project beyond a week, I hope you enjoy what you find.

From a recent trip to South Korea. I wish I'd had the confidence to get a little closer, but I like the textures around our little hidden subject, so I guess it worked out for the best.

What do I want to achieve?

At its core, this blog should be an ongoing reflection of my progress as a photographer, and as a writer. What I'd like to achieve is the following:

A better place to showcase my work. I was using Instagram for this purpose, but I hate being on Instagram, so why would I want it to be my only online presence?
An excuse to take more photos. With my aforementioned Instagram posting gone, I don't have an avenue beyond group chats to share my photos. This blog will be my little online gallery. Even if no one stops by to take a look, I'll just be happy that it's there.
A way to dump my thoughts without having to trouble my fiancée. She has to deal with enough inane, incessant rambling from me, so hopefully this will be a more constructive outlet than just talking at her about whatever's on my mind.
An excuse to write. While I write a bit in my day-to-day, it's all function over form - technical documentation, how-tos, emails, etc. I've always considered myself a good writer, but that was by grade 12 standards, and I don't actually write anymore, so what's there to be proud of? Hopefully, writing here will give me the chance to regain some of that skill I've left to languish for years.
A corpus of work that can become something tangible. In my continued lifting of Joon's ideas, I want to turn my work into something physical (maybe zines) at arbitrary points in time (I'll invent some milestones eventually). I wish I could have a more original idea here, but it's just too good.
More experience with self-hosting a public-facing platform. Outside of photography, I'm a sysadmin by trade, and a sysadmin at home as well (a true glutton for punishment). I've spent the last six months trying to self-host a lot more of the software in my life (chalk it up to paranoia), and a blog is just the next extension of this obsession.

I felt obliged to keep to my self-imposed animals-only theme for some reason. Expect lots of pictures like this every Easter!

What do I want to avoid?

Gear reviews. I have zero issues with gear reviewers, but if my great big project of self-reflection and artistic development becomes a series of posts about what new camera or lens I've bought this week, then I've shot myself in the foot. As an easily bored office worker who is stuck at his desk for at least 90% of the working day, online window-shopping has become my stand-in for photography. This overlap has caused thinking about photography
The discipline of Joon Rho's work. The conceit of their project - to use a single camera until it dies or they turn 40 (whatever comes first) - is an incredible idea, with a level of self-restraint that I admire deeply. However, I'll be impressed if I make it to 40 posts, let alone their planned 10 years of posting (not that I'm currently 30, but you get the idea). I also currently own two mirrorless cameras that I love, not one, and occasionally dabble in film photography (a mandatory hobby for all terminally online elder gen-Z individuals who want to look cool). The only solution would be to do what Joon did - buy a new camera for this blog - but that would go against all of my efforts to stop accumulating more gear.
Analytics, and the side-work that feeds them. I'm well aware that the internet does not need another blog from an amateur photographer, let alone one who (currently) has nothing to add on the state of the art form. I do not want to fight to boost my voice in an overcrowded market. I have no desire to push for clicks, to optimise for SEO, to link a blog post to an Instagram gallery to a YouTube video of my last photowalk's POV. For the sake of my mental health, there are no comments, and there are no website analytics. This blog is purely for me. It just happens to be public as well. These thoughts also bleed directly into how I feel about...
Monetisation. One of my guiding philosophies as a photographer is that, for me, it's a hobby (or, when I want to sound like a wanker, an avenue for artistic expression), not a profession. I know I'm not shedding light on any hidden knowledge when I say this, but there is an expectation in our society that all hobbies that can generate income should generate income. I'm routinely asked by family members if I want to take this passion of mine, the one art form where (I like to think) I'm above average, and if I want to ruin all enjoyment of it by turning it into a career. I already like what I do, and, for when I don't, photography is an escape - why ruin a good thing?

This kookaburra was so calm, despite how close I was getting. I was amazed that it didn't fly away.

What's the inevitable outcome?

Rambling. Not to repeat myself, but tangents are likely. I want to prioritise talking about my work, but I see a reality where an entire post or two will end up on some other line of thought about a completely unrelated hobby. Hopefully, I'll find a way to tag anything non-photography for the sake of my zero readers that need to organise their feeds.
Maybe a little bit of gear talk... The next post will likely be a "here's what I shoot with" while I take some new photos to share, and I've got some serious gushing to do, so I might as well get it out right at the start.
- I can't remember where I saw this, or who said it - knowing me, probably a comment on a DPreview article - but I read a comment that suggested falling back in love with your existing gear as a reliable remedy for GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). Their advice was to read old reviews and other blogs, but I hope that writing about what I already own will serve a similar function.
- There's also an above-zero chance that I fail in my anti-GAS mission (or stumble my way into something cheap and fun). If that happens, I don't want to outright ban myself from talking about it. It won't be a review, and it'll hopefully be more about the experience than the specs.
Some little street photography assignments for myself! Last Christmas, along with a copy of Magnum Streetwise, I received 52 Assignments: Street Photography by Brian Lloyd Duckett. I keep meaning to give it a shot, but something's held me back. Having this blog should be the last push I need to cross that line and finally crack into it.
Retrospectives. I've taken so many photos that don't yet have an ideal home, and I'd love to use this blog to share them in weeks where I've been slack. Hopefully, my memory will be strong enough to fill in the gaps around whatever fractured story they may tell.