Well, it has been a month since I committed to doing a Photo a Day and I’m still at it. I didn’t know for sure, but I am able to pull it off. I’m still not happy with my content; as I look at the artist offerings of others, I’m confirmed daily that I’m not an artist. Others seems to be able to get that special angle or context that just looks artistic. I seem to just take pictures of “stuff” that meet the photography requirement for the day. I know that you’re supposed to post to Twitter what you’re doing on a regular basis but I just don’t feel that I’m at that level yet. I think I took a couple that were worth sharing last month and I did post notices about them.
I’m hoping that just because I recognize my limitations, over time it will make me become better. I have noticed that committing to this has changed the way that I’m approaching just being out and about. I now feel naked if I go somewhere and don’t have my camera or cell phone. Having never done this before, I hope that it’s a first step. It’s at those times that I have those “wow, that would be a great opportunity for photo” moments. I never used to have those so I’m hoping that’s good.
One of the good things, though, that have come from this is using the Tumblr service. I’ve used WordPress for a while now for this blog and Posterous to collect media and especially infographics from here and there. Tumblr presents another opportunity for me to experiment with a blogging platform.
Like good platforms, it allows for entry via the web and supports portable devices as well. I can call in and email entries in addition to direct posting. It’s very flexible and I can understand how people consider Tumblr to be on the same playing ground as Posterous. At this point in my learning, it doesn’t seem to have all of the features that a WordPress has. But, it has just enough to do exactly what I need it to do. I’ve only had one moment when the service was unavailable which I understand has been an issue in the past.
Customization is available though your dashboard and a number of themes are available for choosing like a good platform might well have. I’ve chosen what I think to be a nice theme although it does say “Doug”. It’s functional and great in design but not nearly as off the wall artistic as some of the others. That might be another step in my quest to become more artistic. I don’t know.
Regardless, one month in, the experience has been a good one for me. I’m now experimenting a little more than I would ever have. I don’t drop to the ground and roll over to get the perfect angle like my artistic son does but that may come. The biggest thing so far has been getting to know Tumblr. I’m starting to think that a platform like this or Posterous may be a better choice for the beginning blogger. It’s simpler and lets you get directly to the point.
If you’re interested in my photography efforts so far, it’s available at http://dougpete.tumblr.com.
doug -- off the record 
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