If you keep up to date with my shenanigans regularly, perhaps via the RSS feed or Twitter, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been rather quiet of late. And there’s a very good reason for that.
Quite simply, ‘life’ has got completely in the way for a number of months, to the exclusion of many work commitments (and, by default, activities surrounding The Active Photographer). I’m not going to go into specifics, but there has been a lot of disruption to deal with – including family health matters. It’s a no-brainer, but at times like these, you have to do the right thing and prioritise.
I’m glad to say, though, that everything has settled down considerably now, and I’m at the point where I can get back in the saddle and crack on again. Aside from photo shoots, video- and writing commissions which are currently underway, I’m also going to be playing catch-up over the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, some of my personal projects have had to be scrapped (at least for the time being). For example, I had planned to head out into the bluebell woodlands in order to film a short wild camping video. It would have been great – but sadly, those lovely little plants, along with the opportunity to capture their breathtaking vibrancy, have now disappeared for another year. Not to worry.
Because I wasn’t able to head into the great outdoors due to commitments at home, the Test/Review side of things also had to be put on hold. I’ve been sitting on kit here which I’m just dying to put through its paces – multiple items ranging from tents to tripods and everything in between. Finally, it looks like I am about to get the ball rolling!
I’m very thankful to those manufacturers who have been so patient in waiting for my write-ups of their products, some of which should have been published by now. Time to re-jig the publishing schedule. In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye my Instagram feed, where I’ll be sharing glimpses of these things with you.
One of my priorities for this year – and the summer in particular – is to spend as much time outdoors as I can. Okay, so this might sound obvious coming from someone who works in the industry, but in order to make it happen, I have to keep my ideas fresh. As you can imagine, my notebook is now bulging with ideas for videos, collaborative photo shoots, feature articles etc – I just need to keep the momentum going.
The more time I spend out and about, sharing what I do with you and receiving your feedback, the more I’m inspired to do more of the same. I love the creative process and the interactions I have with my followers along the way – so here’s to fun times ahead!
Also on the cards is a re-evaluation of my personal fitness. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not unfit, I’m just not as fit as I would like to be. The cause of my loss of condition is obvious – recent events have taken their toll – but hey ho, no excuses, just chin up and move on. I could elaborate on the self-set exercise/nutrition programme I’ll be following, but I won’t; if you’re interested in all that sort of stuff, drop me a line and I’ll be happy to tell you about it.
So that, in a nutshell, is a brief update of where I’m at right now. If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been so quiet… well, you’ve got your answer.
Thanks for hanging in there, for being patient whilst I get things back on track, and I can’t wait to bring you more updates very soon.