Blog Notes: Blog Birthday

Item: Dang, I missed our birthday! The Online Photographer turned 15 a few weeks ago, on November 22nd. When I started this in 2005, my ambition was to try to keep it going for ONE WHOLE YEAR. That goal seemed unlikely. And here we are, 15 years (and a few days) later, still spluttering along. Pretty amazing. It's like starting an OC/OL/OY with dubious prospects, entirely unsure if you can make it, and then finding yourself still shooting with that same camera and lens fifteen years later.

Item: We had a lovely snowfall last night. Nine inches where I am, a medium powder.

Item: I'm going to be taking Christmas week off this year (I normally take three days). I'll be gone starting Mon. Dec. 22 and return on Sunday Dec. 27th. Hopefully before I go I'll post some links to some gems from the archives for those who want to go exploring.

Item: Two days from now, on Saturday, it will be the one-year anniversary of my latest diet experiment, and I'll post an update. During the past year I've been practicing time-restricted eating, plus I've been following a mainly plant-based diet. I'm trying to keep the size of the post down to something less than book-length! It's been an interesting experiment.

Item: I believe the recent "What Do You Shoot With These Days?" post received the second-highest number of comments in TOP's now 15-year history: 293 as of this morning. The all-time record is 701 comments, and it was to a question very similar to this one back in 2014—I asked about "Your Favorite Digital Camera." The Nikon D700 won the contest at that time.

Item: We didn't have any Print Sales this year, turns out. An idea for the next one is a-stirring in my brain. I have something a little different in mind. Because the last few sales have sold between 50 and 100 prints, I thought I'd collect a limited number of prints from each of several photographers, get them all boxed up and ready to go in advance, then offer them to you, first come first served. There are reasons for such a plan, one of which is that it sounds like fun to me.

As ever, I shall keep you posted.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Jay Salisbury: "I’ve been here for all those years though I never comment. Have enjoyed your blog even though I’m not even real serious about photography anymore. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks!"

Mike replies: Well, I'm glad you finally spoke up! And you are welcome.

Roger Bradbury: "Happy birthday, TOP man! I think I started here about fourteen years ago, and have been chipping in with comments ever since. Since I enjoyed the blog so much, early on I went back right to the beginning and went through all your old posts; first on the old site, then here. It's a nice place to be, which is why I keep coming back."

Caleb Courteau: "I forget how I found you Mike. I think it may have been through the Sunday Morning Photographer at the Luminous Landscape. I was in my early twenties then and am now thirty-five years old. At this point reading your writing has been a part of my weekly routine for a large fraction of my life. Jobs, girlfriends, and cameras have come and gone while reading your blog. I bought my first house, got married, and started a new career, but The Online Photographer has been a steady companion throughout."

Mike replies: That's humbling, Caleb, thank you. I'm honored!

Comments

[Richard Parkin]

Congratulations on your 15th anniversary! And thanks :-)

[MarkB]

Congratulations on a wonderful 15 years in this little corner of cyberspace! On the internet, that makes you an elder statesman. (People like Tim Berners-Lee are considered "the ancients.")

[James]

The Good, The Bad, and The Lovely....

"Hopefully before I go I'll post some links to some gems from the archives" Helps with the lockdown blues.

"Dang, I missed our birthday! " Happy Belated anyway.

"a lovely snowfall last night. Nine inches where I am," How about a pic or two? Maybe experiment with exposure compensation to retain texture in the snow surface?

[Eolake Stobblehouse]

I remember way back in the beginning when Michael Reichman announced your blog. I think mine had just started.
It's the only blog I have followed ever since.

merry Xmas.

Eolake

[John Krill]

Monday is the 21st not the 22nd. I hope that's a typo and not a major screw up.

Merry Christmas to all.

[Rob White]

Mike;
Congratulations on 15 years and hopes for at least 15 more. Of the many photo sites I've checked out over the last 11 years yours is the only one I'm still with from the beginning of my discovering you.
Thanks for many years of insight,inspiration, awesome information, thoughtful articles and much entertainment. May you be blessed in 2021 and beyond.

[Hil]

Congratulations! I've been reading you since The 37th Frame. I've got them somewhere around here...

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Congratulations on reaching a laudable, and rare, milestone, Mike. In a world where the great majority of blogs are abandoned within the first few years (or months) TOP has survived and maintained a devoted following,

[Sylvain G.]

The featured post reminded me to say "thanks" !

Thanks very much indeed, for 15 years of free infatiguable quality content. I'm probably in my tenth year or so reading it.

Happy Birthday TOP

[Mark O]

Congratulations. Been following since the Photo Techniques days. Really enjoy your unique approach to this blog.

[Scott Marriott]

Thanks, Michael, for all your efforts. You have stayed here for us through thick and thin. You have a special kind of fortitude. I hope you can carry on for many more years. If I manage to do the same, I will be here.

[Graeme Scott]

Happy Anniversary & Happy Xmas. All the best for 2021.

[Andrew]

Mike,

Congratulations on 15 years of TOP! Here's to 15 more.

I look forward to at least one print offer in 2021. I'm sure they are a massive headache for you, but I'm always intrigued. If I turn to my left, I see a lovely dye transfer print that I wouldn't have but for your print offer.

Season's greetings,

Andrew

[robert mckeen]

Congratulations, Not a big poster though I look forward to T.O.P. posts, they always sound like the voice of sense in the vast wilderness of posts done by people with microscopes for picture critique!

Anyway enjoy your Christmas break and lets hope we can all look forward to a better safer 2021.
Regards
Rob

[Nigli]

I started taking photographs and discovered your blog at the same time. To say you've been a major influence would be an understatement. Thanks Mike.

[Eric Rose]

Well done Mike. I hope you have fleshed out a plan to keep going for the next 15 years.

Eric

[Rob Spring]

Mike,

It's been a great run Mike. Just keep being you and we'll keep coming back.

[Peter]

Happy holidays

[Herman Krieger]

Smile Mike!

[Cateto]

I think I discovered TOP around 2006, and since then it is the main photography resource I have been following. Yours is one of the few sites I check daily, and I thank you very much for the interesting, entertaining, insightful, often funny, and always intelligent content you post in TOP. Here you have another reader for many years!

[Eliott James]

Congrats and thank you for all you've shared.

[Rob Campbell]

Congrats on the longevity; on the diet: just say no to too much intake, and keep that a firm commitment, just like you have with the blog.

Dropping anything like overeating is not a major deal: it just takes the realisation of the harm that not getting real does one. The more you build it up in your mind as some terrible tragedy, a sacrifice of sorts that you have to make, the more out of proportion you make it appear to your mind, and consequently, the more difficult.

Like smoking, there are no ways to quit other than to quit: playing games of "just" one in the morning and one at night simply makes the entire act of smoking seem exciting and worthwhile, a pleasure you are giving up, whereas the truth is that it's a disgusting form of attempted suicide with collateral damage that can drag others near one down into the same unwelcomed pit.

Sermon over. Have a great holiday, and season's greetings to you and all your readers!

Rob

[Ilkka]

Thank you. I have followed you since the 37th frame and Luminous Landscape times. I have followed a few photography blogs almost daily, but have given up on all of them, except one, because they all turned boring, abusive, or silly, sometimes all three. TOP is the only one that has stayed relevant, respectful and interesting throughout the years. Thank you and really hoping you can keep it up.

[Rob Griffin]

Mike,

Happy birthday to TOP. From the bottom of my heart, thanks for persevering and keeping TOP rolling along. Checking in with you and TOP has been a part of my everyday life since you started your blog. I am very grateful for that. I enjoy your writing very much.

The photography posts are great, of course, and the OT posts are always interesting, even if I don't play pool or eat as healthy as I should. I hope you are able to keep TOP going for as long as you enjoy doing it.

Rob

[Hélcio J. Tagliolatto]

15 years is a lot, in these Internet times.

But I miss printed 37th Frame....

[robert e]

Enjoy your well-deserved vacation, Mike. Thank you. And Happy Birthday TOP!

[Dave Karp]

Congratulations Mike. And thank you for sharing all these years.

[Rod S.]

Congratulations on the 15 years, Mike. Your thoughtful musing, coupled with your unique curated commentariat, has deepened my understanding of various perspectives over these many years.

[Masrcelo Guarini]

Happy birthday TOP. I hope and wish you continue with "The Online Photographer" for many years to come Mike. I have been following you since Camera and Darkroom Magazine, then PHOTO Technique Magazine, then ... .

[Stephen S.]

Congratulations! I can't believe it's been 15 years. I started off reading The Sunday Morning Photographer, which I believe started at the same time I started working at a camera store. 2002, right? 18 years... over that time we've seen the rise of digital, the death of film, and then its rebirth. Quit a remarkable journey. I'm glad to have had you and the community of readers as guides along the way.

[Yoram Nevo]

Happy birthday TOP and many greetings to you Michael. It is always a pleasure to read you on any topic.
Best Regards for the new year.
Yoram

[Chester Williams]

Happy anniversary..and thanks for everything you have done...