2012: A Year in Review
When I started this blog a year ago, I committed to taking and sharing a photo a day to improve my photography skills. Thanks to your feedback and encouragement, I feel I’ve come a really long way. I took hundreds of photos this year, including a ridiculous number of shots of bicycles, bridges, castles, cows, flowers, and other everyday things. I also had a chance to travel quite a bit in 2012 and shared photos from Dallas, Miami, New Orleans, Kentucky, Montana, Phoenix, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Maastricht, and the Loire Valley among other places.
But I would be nowhere in this adventure without you…
I loved following and learning from my fellow photobloggers. I saw the gorgeous photos you took and tried to emulate them. I noticed the points of view, composition, and lighting that you used to create your masterpieces. I followed the blogs of other photobloggers who inspired you and grew my “network” of inspiration to hundreds of talented folks from around the world.
At the same time, the 30,000 views of my posts and 4,000 comments left by visitors from more than 90 countries around the world were also important in helping me improve my skills. I want to give a quick shout out to a few of my most regular and vocal visitors to my 365+1 photography blog in 2012 (in alphabetical order).
Alastair’s Blog. Alastair hails from “across the pond” and shares more than photography through his blog in the United Kingdom. In addition to regular photo, music, and poetry posts, Alastair seems to be the first to comment on nearly every post I put up. Maybe that six hour time difference is key? Since it was his sister who got him started with a photo a day, I feel I owe her a thank you, too.
Ingaphotography. From the beautiful country of Norway, Inga has shared some gorgeous photos throughout 2012. From photos of her two adorable boys to scenes of life in Norway, from everyday items like flowers on her birthday or delicious meals prepared by her husband to scenes from vacations throughout Europe, I’ve really appreciated following her blog as well as the comments and feedback she’s given me.
Photographic Rhodes. From right here Somewhere-in-the-Middle-of-the-USA, Lindy was there for me at the very, very beginning. I came across her Top 11 Photos from 2011 Post early in my 365+1 year and knew at that point, without a doubt, that I wanted to make this year’s challenge work. I started following her blog, and Lindy visited and “liked” nearly every one of my posts in 2012, including the ones from January 2012 when I was just getting going and no one else was really following my efforts. While she’s reduced the number of photos she has shared in 2012 to be weekly rather than daily, her photos remain amazing and her posts inspiring. Behind the camera, Lindy has a heart of gold. Just one example is her recent volunteer trip to Haiti. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read her posts and see the photos that she took on her trip. Lindy reminds me of the quote, “be the change you want to see in the world.” Both as a photographer and a fellow inhabitant of our beautiful planet, Lindy is someone I admire very, very much.
Photos from the Loonybin. Cindy, who I affectionately call Loony, shoots and blogs from north of me in Canada. I feel like she and I have so much in common — a house full of kids, an endless list of paid and unpaid jobs to accomplish, and other demands that make it hard to fit in photography. It’s been wonderful to have a kindred spirit to encourage me and keep me going this past year.
Wanna Be Photographer 87. Amanda lives in the Pacific Northwest and has a Canon named “Frank.” I think she has viewed and commented on every photo I’ve posted this year since the first time she stumbled across my blog, something I appreciate more than I have the words to express. She hates bugs, especially spiders (don’t click that link, Wanna Be), but was brave enough to even leave a comment about those shots! Her Southern California and ocean shots bring automatic warmth to me as I sit and type this from the snowy cold of the Midwest. While her “handle” is “Wanna Be” she is already a very talented REAL photographer.
I also want to give a special shout out to two more folks…
BehindtheLens Photography. In addition to serving our country and raising three boys with his lovely wife, Kevin gave me a special shout out in his Behind the Bloggers post back in June that meant a lot to me. He said that my blog helped him learn to focus on the ordinary, every day things that surround him. Throughout this past year, I’ve often felt that the sheer act of carrying a camera with you everywhere heightens your sense of the world and photo ops around you, so Kevin’s statement really meant a lot to me!
Emily Luxton. I also want to thank Emily Luxton for featuring some of my Paris photos in her Postcard from… feature. It was the first time I’d been asked to be a guest blogger or that someone had asked to use my photography on another site, and it was a highlight of my year!
Again, these are just a few of the many, many folks who shaped my year as I snapped and shared a photo a day. Please check out this page to see a more complete list of those who helped and inspired me. Thank you, and Happy New Year!
What about you? What “take aways” do you have from 2012?
You Might Also Enjoy:
ShutterbugSage.com 
Thank you. I do enjoy your blog. I love looking at your photos. Thanks for the shout out 🙂
Thanks, Alastair! Happy New Year!
More power and have a fun and creative blogging year ahead. Happy New Year!
Thank you, Rommel! Happy New Year! 2013 is full of endless possibilities! 🙂
My oh My!! Thank you so much for mentioning my blog. I meant what I said. I have to remind myself that there are so many ordinary things around us that can be made into beautiful photographic artwork. Thank you for doing just that.
I hope I don’t disappoint in 2013! Happy New Year to you and your family. As cold and snowy as it is here, I’m a bit jealous of the weather you might be experiencing in the southeast right now!
Awww, thanks for the kind words – we really do have a lot in common don’t we? I’m so glad that I found your blog! You know, it’s funny. My youngest son commented one day about how much his online friends mean to him, and now I understand what he was talking about. We really are kindred spirits :), and blogging has changed my life. Here’s to continued friendships in 2013!!
Backatcha, Loony! If only your boys lived closer to my son so he had more testosterone in his life! 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’ve really enjoyed following your blog over the past year. You’re such a dedicated blogger … much better than me!
I’ve found it’s much easier to be a regular blogger than an accomplished photographer! 🙂
Congratulations on completing your 365+1 project! And wishing the best of everything to you in 2013.
Thanks, Sheila! Happy New Year!
Thanks so much for the kind words about me and my blog. I’m touched and honoured that you mentioned me. And there are some other of the blogs mentioned that I haven’t visited before, so I will check them out. 🙂
Thanks so much for your regular visits to my site and your constant encouragement in 2012. I’m glad you’re back for 2013! 🙂
*Gasp* This is the sweetest!!! Thank you so much for the shout out 😀 You’re just an amazing person and I feel incredibly honored to have you following me! If it wasn’t for you pushing me and encouraging me, I wouldn’t have lasted this long on wordpress.com lol! I’ve always felt like I was silly for starting a photo blog, I didn’t think my photos were unique enough to stand out or that I was even interesting enough as a person. I look up to you, you’re photographs are right up my alley! I hope to be as great as you are someday 😀 Thanks again!
Awww! That is so nice! I hope to get out to Oregon some day to meet you in person, take photos of the waterfalls you have out there, and check out the wine bar you shot a while back! 🙂
HAHA Yes please! I’m totally up for that 🙂