One car too many

The last time I posted something - a real one-off, I had a few "hello, you're back" comments, then promptly disappeared. This time I'm hoping to make a go of Blipfoto again although I realise this (and probably many more to come) is a back blip and I can't see me managing a daily output. So what's going on? It's a long long story and not very interesting so I'll keep things brief.

What did for my Blipping also did for my photography and it was a combination of things. Firstly, there was the whole management change thing, though I'm as thankful as anyone for the intervention of those stalwarts who stepped up to the plate and kept it together. I didn't cough up the membership fee, however, and, even though I know it's OK to post without being a member, I didn't feel too comfortable in doing so, so I'll rectify that. I'd found the daily posts too much anyway, a lot of "for the sake of it" pics, even though I appreciate that daily photography certainly sharpens your skills.

Another thing was the constant struggle with software changes. I'm not a techie but in my Blipping days I had managed to get the hang of switching NEF images to DNG for processing with a fairly early version of Photoshop. Then I got a new computer and Photoshop wouldn't work on that. I hate the way computer and software manufacturers work to constantly squeeze money out of users and I was determined to avoid paying a subscription for software usage ( a pattern emerging here? Yup, ever the screwy Yorkshireman). Besides, you no sooner get comfortable with a piece of software than a new operating system makes it obsolete, or vice versa. So this was a problem.

Then it was the kit. As I'm getting older, I find that lugging around all that SLR kit is increasingly burdensome. Couple that with the strides in image quality achieved by smartphones and I find myself asking: why bother? I know, of course, that you can still get cracking results from an SLR but I suspect that many here today are finding great ways to use their smart phones too.

We moved house, work drifted in to retirement, and my new displacement activity for photography was gardening. It's what I do now, most of the time. We moved to a village in Hampshire. Anyone who has done so will know how difficult it is to integrate in to village life, especially for introverts, especially when the pub has closed and when you don't go to church. Then came the pandemic and all community life shut up shop for a while. I'd only just joined the bell ringers when the bells fell silent.

So what's changed? Well I've joined the board of governors at the local primary school, I've started writing articles for the parish magazine, including pics such as the one above (I compared the two cars) and now I"m trying to revive the Horticultural Society. 

I can't tell you how difficult it was, processing the above. Part of the problem was that I'd never updated the firmware in the camera (didn't know what it was, now I do). I did, and now the camera "speaks" to the computer. The next thing is (haven't achieved this yet) to get to grips with Capture One, a nice piece of software, I believe, once you get the hang of it. I never did get the hang of Lightroom.

Whether I'll ever get back my photography mojo, I don't know. I'm not sure how much I want to. These days I don't feel the need to poke my camera at everyone who walks through the door. The world is so awash with imagery, selfies, and Instagram everything. Maybe I've metamorphosed completely in to the old fart that had to emerge at some stage.

Anyway, let's see how it goes. I hope to be around a bit more in future, though not every day. Of course, this could be just another flash in the pan, will have to wait and see. So too early to say "I'm back" but hello, nevertheless, to all my old blipmates. May your shutters keep a clicking!

By the way, the magazine piece is a comparison between the Land Rover Defender and the INEOS Grenadier.