Photography, Drawing, Gardening: Looking Forward to a Busy 2022!

Starting a blog is the beginning of an open-ended journey. One never knows what path it will take and where/when it might end. Looking back, some things have turned out well; others are still just plans. For example, I expected that by now, the fourth year of the blog, I would have reviewed and written posts for all of my cameras and lenses. Well, I haven’t even come close because producing a post takes far more effort than expected. Also, I have been able to acquire gear I never expected to have. Four years ago, it was inconceivable that I might own an MC Rokkor 58mm f1.2 or a Maxxum, so there are more items worth reviewing–I’m explaining, not complaining. With the added gear, I now realize that getting reviews done requires a firm schedule and a realistic assessment of the time required.

On average, the total amount of time from taking a camera or lens off the shelf to a final edited review is about three weeks. Reviews for camera bodies run 1700-2000 words, and those for lenses, about 800-1000. Also, each review requires background research along with shooting, developing, and scanning. In other words, I can’t casually decide one day to do a review and have it ready the next. Going forward, I will be more realistic about the time I have and allocating how to use it. Regarding gear reviews, I have decided that the most efficient approach is to shoot one camera and two lenses each month. That allows plenty of time for background research, shooting, writing, and editing.

Minolta XTsi with BP-100 battery pack. The BP-100 makes the cameras easier to hold, and it is rare–I have only seen two in the last four years,

My topic mix has been an issue as well. The pandemic cut into my ability to shoot away from home more than expected. As a result, many of the topics I hoped to write about have not been possible. My trip to Little Five Points was the only “around the city” post I managed to do this past year. I have a pretty long list to work through, and perhaps 2022 will be better. To get back on track, “around the city” projects will be once each month, and some of those shots will be used for gear reviews. Ultimately, this approach requires more planning but hopefully will be more efficient in terms of producing posts.

I jumped into photography in early February 2019 while everything in the garden was still dead. Well, as my photography has progressed, so have my gardening ambitions. Doing both, especially during gardening season–March until October–is proving to be a challenge. The gardening has to be done, so the photography has to wait. And I have added more gardening projects each year. Weeding/trimming/deadheading, which now takes a few hours, comes up every two weeks, and I’ve added backyard plots to the mix. In 2022, these activities will require more time. So, it seems photography will be more of a fall/winter activity—except for garden shots, of course. However, if I keep a well-thought-out project queue, I’ll be ready to shoot when free time appears.

Alongside gardening and photography, drawing and studio experiments have also begun to take up time. So, while I had plenty of free time in 2019, these days, I have a full roster of activities —and I enjoy them all equally! Drawing (online class) will be every Saturday (and probably developing film).

I’m looking forward to 2022 and hoping it will be better than the last two years. Overall, I’m good, and I’m grateful for how things have turned out for the blog and life in general.

A Happy New Year to you all!!!

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