I haven’t posted much since the end of July because I have been busy with ‘other stuff’ and thinking through where I’m going with this website among other things. These kinds of periods are not unusual, as with any project there comes a time to reassess what you are doing and over the years I have posted on this blog going back to November 2007, roughly every 2 or 3 years I go for a complete redesign, total rehash of content and start over.
These past couple of years since my last rehash have been very interesting, I’ve actually got to do various new things with photography, tried different experiments not all of which have worked out but overall had a number of stimulating experiences. But what has emerged from all this has been several unexpected things that seem to have come out of the blue, I have started writing a book that is sort of biographical and not photographically centred plus also rediscovered drawing which might well be used in some way to illustrate that book as it eventually emerges.
Oddly but at this time just a broad idea, if I can develop the first book, there are several related ideas and further books that may spring from that if it seems successful and very definitely involve photography, we shall see.
This Site
One of the key lessons that have emerged is that I need to do less and focus more on fewer things. Always the ever curious child, at 77 coming on 78 I have been spreading my time and whatever talents I have far too thinly so time to restrict myself and concentrate so that I can achieve something in terms of an outcome !
Over the years I have collected a back catalogue of thousands of photographs that I’ve taken and whilst I cull them regularly, given my age and stage, much more is required. A lot more is required so I’m going to work through them all posting galleries on this site and deleting the majority of images not used in this way. Some images I will manipulate quite a lot to likely produce ‘images’ rather than just ‘photographs’. As a side issue, because those displayed on the web by its very nature are scaled down in both quality and size, I will produce printed out photographic books of these same galleries and themes, much easier for my children to deal with as they wind up my estate in due time.
So Next ?
Nothing much will happen for a month or so as I do a complete redesign of this website using a block theme and select my first few galleries to publish upon it. The galleries on the website are likely to be smaller in content than the photo books they are drawn from because there will be pictures that work well as high resolution prints on paper but just don’t work at all when compressed to a web compatible resolution.
In fact the key factor that will decide my rate of progress will be how I approach making a ‘gallery’ collection. I archive my pictures on a year by year basis but should I make galleries on a subject and theme basis too ? Right now I don’t know and may well just replicate all the years I have as a duplicate archive and then go through them culling as I go ruthlessly and then organize and work with what I have left.
I will still be adding images from my morning bike rides as I go simply because I love the whole process of photography which is part of my daily routine but even so, high time for a grand tidy up anyway !
