Facebook, Instagram, a Blog: What’s the Point?

Europe was great!  So many pictures and wishes that I had made more. Mexico on the other hand didn’t happen. Disappointing for sure but there has been a silver lining. ‘Time found’.  It’s time that I’ve devoted to my on going photography projects at home.

At this time of year I look for inclement weather conditions to provide atmosphere and mood for the landscapes I want to create. The images I’ve included below were made under such condition in the Kelowna area, near Victoria and in Michigan. Some of those made in Kelowna were made a year ago in conditions that were extreme with temperatures reaching -19 degrees Celsius.

For the most part this year the conditions here in Kelowna have been calm and not very dramatic.  So my time  has been devoted to reviewing my image library, examining my presence on social media, planning for revisions to my blog and trying to answer these questions: Why am I doing this? What’s the point?  Is it time well spent?

Of the few social media platforms I’ve joined Google+ was my favourite. It rendered images so well and its defined photography communities were awesome. I loved participating in the Landscapes and Black and White communities. Sadly, Google decided to scrap its social media platform.

Initially, I thought Facebook would be an effective  avenue to show off my photography and communicate with other photographers and  friends. I dove right in!

I enjoyed posting my photographs and  interacting with friends on Facebook. In time though, I learned that there was a downside. Some of my friends were hacked which meant that I had to constantly be on guard to prevent the same thing happening to me. And then I became concerned about Facebook’s volume of mindless clutter and advertising that buried the content that I wanted to share. A solution though emerged. 

Until recently, Instagram has been on the back burner. I couldn’t determine how to include it into my workflow. This platform seems to be ideal for posting photographs. All posted content is readily available on the ‘home’ page. This was a game  once I figured out that Instagram could easily be connected with Facebook.The combination of Instagram and Facebook has given my the social media vehicle I’ve been searching for to properly share my images.

Geezer with a Camera, my blog, has been active since June of 2013. I’ve published close to 200 articles. Based on a WordPress platform I just love the way it renders photography. Images are so clear and sharp. And I love to write.  I’ve made countless modifications  to give my blog and website their current look. But to me they look a bit tired and in need of refreshing. New content and a new look is badly needed. So, in the next week or so my website will go ‘under construction’ while I tend to that work. Once that is done I will tackle my blog. 

I’m not sure how long the reconstruction process will take. Hopefully not long. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what I can create.