Thoughts On Relative Fame And Success
As I write this, I’m sat on a train, heading back from a shoot in London. I always prefer to take the train rather than driving, because it gives me the chance to stop and think about things, to catch up on emails and get some thoughts down for various photography/writing projects.
As I got on the London-bound train this morning, a couple sat in the seats opposite commented on the case I had with me – a Peli 1510. I asked whether they were photographers, musicians, engineers or similar, as such folk often use these solid cases to protect their valuable kit.
Turns out they weren’t, but the gentleman was a keen photographer. Well, I’ll spare you the details of our lengthy conversation, but one intriguing remark did prick up my ears…
The lady happened to ask my name, which I duly told her. Fair enough, she didn’t recognise it, but when I asked her partner “Have you heard of The Active Photographer?”, the answer was a resounding ‘yes.’
“Well… that’s me!” I said.
Regular followers will know that I’m pretty passionate about photography and the outdoors, and that I love sharing what I do and helping others wherever I can. No surprises there. That’s how The Active Photographer podcast[ link] and website initially came about, actually.
I’m well aware that the website has grown in popularity from its humble beginnings over the years. Yet I’m still taken aback when I speak to people in the ‘real world,’ who give me their positive feedback.
I’ve said it before, but it’s true – I find it very humbling.
This year has seen a real progression in the way I’ve put myself in front of people – both on- and offline. In case you missed it, I gave an update back in April.
Since then, all sorts has happened. Too much to go into if I want to keep this post short, but my Simply Hike Blogger Award was a very nice marker by which to gauge the site’s growth.
But do you know what? For all of this great feedback, I’m still not happy. Ok, so that’s not strictly true – I am very happy, of course, but I’m not satisfied… purely because I know The Active Photographer can deliver so much more.
A continual frustration of mine is not getting the amount of content out there as planned. I’ve suffered with this for a long time. To get around the problem, I’ve thought and re-thought the situation many times and my plans have often the thwarted by circumstances out of my control. Life happens, as they say.
So…
I plan to make the final part of this year a really productive one. Yes, I intend to build on the profile I have built up within the photography and outdoor communities – but more importantly, I intend ramp-up the amount and variety of content I deliver and which I know you enjoy.
I’m in the process of re-evaluating a number of factors at the moment. I’ll spare you the details, but crucially I’m looking into the type of content (Test/Reviews, Q&A500s, location photography write-ups etc) and also the way in which I deliver these (via videos, podcasts, written pieces etc).
Christmas is my target. Multiple will have been made at various stages before then.
If you have any thoughts and ideas in the meantime, please do let me know!
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