#874. Monday Post (08/08/2019) – This is DearSusan, do not readjust your screen.

So, that’s it. I broke DS … and this is how it feels.

 

 

This may just be a hobby website, it’s still been a big part of my life over the past few years and, up to recently, plain … sailing.

Also, the update process is not what I’d prefer. If this was a pro website, I’d duplicate it, work on it then release the new version once finalized. But I don’t have the time to do this within reasonable delays, and the down time would be a major pain.

So, instead, DS has been stripped to its minimum vital elements and we will rebuild features from this point over the rest of the summer 🙂

 

 

What’s the upside ?

There are many.

First of all, thank you for all the kind words of support some of you have sent over the past few days. I have learned that you actually prefer the manual messages rather than the automated ones, so we will continue this way.

You have already asked for specific features (image upload in comments, dynamic maps of the locations, we discuss …) and I will try to incorporate as many as possible in the new version.

   

You have offered financial support, which is extra kind of you. So I will set up a donate button. But, I feel it would be more interesting to give something in return for any donation, so I’ll try to set up some sort of e-shop for guides, photographs, possibly stuff such as calendars of our best pics … which you can purchase to help us cover costs if you ever wish to.

Several of you asked me to never put advertising on DS. And we won’t. Or crappy advertorials. That’s not who we are or where we want to take the website.

Also, over the years, we have mainly written for advanced photographers and may have lost a less erudite audience, which is a shame. While articles will not be dumbed down, I’d like to publish tutorials, FAQs and how-to articles for those who’d like to climb the ladder faster.

   

Also positive : since we are rebuilding from bare minimums, this is a good time for you to tell us what you would like to see stop, continue or change on the website. Would you like to see new topics covered? More expensive gear, more cheap gear, more travel, more technique, more humour, more behind the scenes, more challenges, more tutorials, more composition, more printing, more colour theory, more exhibitions and art world news, more interviews, more longform articles, more short form quick posts, a forum, more workshops, more meetups, more quizzes, more flash photography, more alternative processes, more online news summaries, more market analysis, more photo galleries, more discussion …

Also, let me reiterate something : we are always looking for new contributors. DS was a collaborative blog from day 1. And it’s my privilege to discuss with a lot of you outside DS so I know just how much you have to contribute to others. If you feel like posting your own articles, on whatever topic you find most interesting, you are very welcome. Posts can vary range from a few pics with a few lines of text to a long essay on a specific topic such as those written by our regular contributor Adrian. Whatever you fancy 🙂 Variety is what makes life interesting. And lady togs are especially welcome. It would be great to hear feminine points of view in this male dominated world of ours!

   

I had a dream, and there’s ladies in it 😉 That dream is for some of you to ask for information on a specific topic and for others to raise their hands and say “Hey, I’m an expert at that, here’s how it works” (more on this very soon). A collaborative platform for collaborative creative-photography.

 

 

So, that’s it.

The tumbling down it done. Time to rebuild upwards. Please share and reach out now to let us know how you’d like us to use this opportunity. Be seeing you 🙂

 

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