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Review of the Year - 2009
2009 has been a fabulous year. And in a photographic sense, it has certainly been my busiest so far. One of the things about photography is that it should not stand still; and neither should it stand in solitude. Photography should always improve and move forward; and it should always be shared. And so in 2009, I had already made the resolution that I would improve my photography in whatever way I could. And I would share the results of this.
As it turned out, I knew that both these resolutions could be achieved by doing the second - sharing. And the best place to do that was in a camera club. Consequently, I joined the East Kilbride Camera Club and I have never looked back since.
The Club has offered me some wonderful benefits. I have met some good people who, like me, are passionate about photography and passionate about making their images better. As well as giving and receiving constructive criticism on images, I have also had the opportunity to listen to some amazing photographers talking about their work and what inspires them to create it.
Many of these were professional photographers, but the ones who inspired me the most were members of the Club. It was from these people that I learned the most important lessons. I have also made a number of good friends through the Club and in their company, I have had some wonderful adventures all over the country, some of which I have previously written about. I have visited places I might not otherwise have seen; and I have learned the beauty and magnificence of the first and last light of the day.
And I have learned how every person can see the same thing in a new and completely different way.
Thinking about this, and reading a lot through the year, I have come to realise that every photographer should seek to find and develop their own style and vision, their own way of seeing and recording images. This past year, I have tried to do that. Some of the photographs I have made will never receive artisitic plaudits, nor will they ever hang in galleries; but in spite of that, they are images with which I am happy and which speak to me. Unless they do this, then for me personally, they are worthless.
On the hardware side of things, I finally upgraded my camera from an EOS 5D to the brand new EOS 5D Mark II. The new version offered numerous benefits, although there is no doubting the pedigree of its elder sibling. I treated myself to a new tripod and this was one of my best purchases; I made a point of using it, and this slowed down my photography and allowed me to think much more about it. My other main acquisition was a new copy of Photoshop CS4, as the old version I was using was years old and now comparatively limited in what it could do. Having got it, I then determined to learn what new wonders it could offer. And I did just that.
After my best photographic year, 2010 has a lot to live up to if it is to be anywhere near as good. But as the first days of the New Year lead us gently back to normality, I am hopeful and optimistic about this year and what it will bring.
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