300 posts. Major landmark and time to think about what comes next.
Every 50 posts, we stop to think about what’s been good, what hasn’t. What we are thankful for and what we’re not. What goes on and what to stop.
The Good
More readers, more feedback. Thank you guys and gals! We don’t have traffic goals, but there have been roughly twice as many of you on the website than during the same period last year so we thought we’d let you now. Thanks again and continue to share the love.
A new contributor. Stephen Goulden has sent us a first article on the Byzantine churches of the mani peninsula in Greece. Steven has more in stock and it’s just my fault that they haven’t appeared on the site yet. Thanks Stephen! A note to readers : New contributors are always welcome ! If you’re passionate about photography as a form of self-expression (not a way to record memories) we want you ! You have a great portfolio but no website of your own, or very little traffic to your site ? Join us !
Growing interest in our Insight Guides (travel guides made specifically for photographers, describing self-guiding walks in interesting areas). Launching these was a lot of work and a lot of fun. And the first few rings of the bell when real customers placed orders was a thrilling experience. Today, many more are in preparation (Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Cambridge, Oxford, more of London, Marseilles, Villages of Provence …) and, while Lonely Planet need not worry just yet, the rhythm at which these are going has picked up tremendously ! Thanks to all who took a chance, and their early feedback, we’ve been able improve a ton of details (timing the walks, subject description, better maps …) We’re very grateful for your trust !
Plenty of great photo opportunities for the DS team, including one where we all met up in Paris (a rare occasion since we don’t even live in the same continents)
Great gear rumors and releases. For me, it was the Zeiss Loxia 50/2 that made the past few months. It’s stunning lens in every possible way. Philippe also fell for it and has a 16-35 on the way. While Paul chose to abide by all the best practises of travel photography and bought a new camera from a new brand just a day prior to leaving to a month-long visit to Tokyo (yes, you guessed it, shooting for the upcoming InSight Guide). Being resourceful, he mastered the beast in a few days and has been pouring amazing photographs into my inbox ever since. So welcome to the superb Fuji X100t. The future looks interesting, too. If rumours are correct, a potentially game-changing camera could be released by Sony in just a couple of months …
The Bad
Work, work, work. Transitioning from my old job to being self-employed has reduced my DS time over the past month or so. And both Paul and Philippe have been pretty swamped as well. Still, no tunnel is so long that there isn’t light at the end of it. And we can see it 🙂
The weather! Oh my goodness. Come to Provence, they said. Balmy, gentle Provence. From 100mph gales last winter to floods this autumn and the coldest, wettest summer in recorded memory, the weather in this part of the world has been terrible. There are 32 olive trees in my garden. We didn’t have a single olive this year. Vineyards have been destroyed. People died. 2014 has certainly been a good year not to be in France, weather-wise 😉 Still, I shouldn’t complain, clouds always make for interesting opportunities.
The Future
Mice, men, plans …
It was my intention to insert a survey here. Right here. Turns out the free version of WordPress provides a survey tool but when you pay thousands on your blog, you’re no longer entitled to that feature. Who’d have thought.
Ah well, just leave us a comment if you have a request. Or drop us a line in the contact page.
What would you like to see in these pages in the future ?
Locations
Gear
Tips and techniques
Interviews
Freebies
News about photography (exhibitions, …)
Portfolios
Something else ?
And since we have this whole InSight Guide adventure rolling, what cities and areas would you most like to see us cover ?
Speak up, we’re listening 🙂 And again : Thanks a lot !
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One thing; you missed InSight: Singapore which will be done by March/April next year.
BTW, I’m only in Tokyo for a couple of weeks 🙁 I
t really is an extraordinary city – the InSight Guide is taking shape as I’m writing it as I go along – at my age, the memory isn’t always what it should be.
Just two weeks? Lame! (says me, so envious)
True, I had forgotten Singapore. And KL / Melaka are stong contenders, as is Perth. My my, my memory’s gone to pot 😉
Hi Pascal – nice piece.
One thing; you missed InSight: Singapore which will be done by March/April next year.
BTW, I’m only in Tokyo for a couple of weeks 🙁 I
t really is an extraordinary city – the InSight Guide is taking shape as I’m writing it as I go along – at my age, the memory isn’t always what it should be.
Just two weeks? Lame! (says me, so envious)
True, I had forgotten Singapore. And KL / Melaka are stong contenders, as is Perth. My my, my memory’s gone to pot 😉
Congratulations! I look forward to reading the 300 next posts and seeing more great pictures.
Thanks Benoit. That’s very kind of you. We look forward to it, and to more contact with readers and more contributors 🙂