TOP is 19!

Louisa Matthíasdóttir, Two Horses in Landscape, c. 1990. The Icelandic artist Louisa Matthíasdóttir was one of the very first artists I wrote about back in 2005.

The Online Photographer, a.k.a. TOP, the biggest little photography site on the Web, officially turns 19 today. My first-ever blog post (see below) appeared on November 28th, 2005. Since then, including this one, there have been 10,670 more posts and about 290,000 comments (tough to say exactly because I don't have a way to count the comments on our first 1,549 posts, which were on a different host and aren't online any more).

If you want to buy me and TOP a birthday present, all you have to do is click here and go get something nice for yourself! Don't you deserve it? I say you deserve it. Wink.

But you're here, and don't think I'm not grateful. This little enterprise continues because of you.

The first-ever post on TOP, 19 years ago today

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I probably ought to plan some sort of gala celebration for a year from now, wouldn't you say?

Sincere thanks to you, for everything.

—Mike, TOP's man of many hats

Original contents copyright 2024 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 or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Comments

[Grant]

Congratulations on 19 years of TOP. After reading your Insidious Relativism post I have discovered that for 19 years I have been reading the musings of a photographic fraudster! Oh well, after all this time I guess that it is just water, I mean speedboat, under the bridge.

Nineteen more please.

[Josh Hawkins]

Is this the longest you’ve ever had the same job “job”?

[Not THAT Ross Cameron]

Congratulations Mike, and happy birthday TOP.

And to think, TOP has almost completed its adolescence years ;~)

[Inkphot]

HBD2U HBD2U HBDDTOP HBD2U.
Truly, congratulations on your superb effort over the last 19years. I came to TOP via the British Black+White magazine. I very much enjoyed the articles you penned for that magazine and was disappointed when you stopped. I was however delighted to find your blog site in late 2005. I think it was around December of that year. I have read your blog every day since then and consider you an essential part of my life. I always follow you down the rabbit holes and digressions that you take, places I would probably not go to of my own volition. TOP is so much more than merely a blog about things photographic.
Again a very heartfelt congratulations from a long time reader, very rare commenter and a grateful Patreon contributor.

[Gary Nylander]

Congratulations, Mike! I have been reading your blog for years and it's one of the best for anything photography-related, your off-topic writing is always interesting. I look forward to the 20th-year celebration!
PS: I very much enjoy the painting by Louisa Matthíasdóttir, Two Horses in Landscape, c. 1990.

[Rachel Turnley]

Happy 19th Birthday to The Online Photographer! Congratulations!!!
Rachel Turnley

[Lars Jansen]

Darn, 19 already. They grow up so quickly...

Congratulations!

[Ben]

Congrats Mike! Happy Birthday to your baby!!!

It’s quite a task to keep something going-on your own-for so long. Kudos to you!

My business turned 20 this fall, and we had a wonderful celebration. Amazing how time flies, isn’t it… you just keep doing what you do! Day by day, and then all of a sudden two decades have passed. Yowza.

[Bob G.]

Mike, congratulations on your anniversary. Writing and producing your long form blog is very much appreciated every day, on whatever you feel is notable.

[Neil Swanson]

I'm an early adopter. I used to get your paper (was it ever on paper?) 37th frame letter. I hav 5 B&W images I printed on my old Epson 2200 printer with the Black Ink Only method I read of on blog. I'm still here

[robert e]

Happy Birthday, TOP! Congratulations, Mike! Lucky us! More, please!

[Dan Khong]

Congratulations to TOP and a special thank you for your dedication, perseverance and "never say die" attitude.

It is said that once a regular activity goes past a certain number of years, the rest is like in an automode. Writers who don't write suddenly can develop withdrawal symptoms, so they keep going.

Keep it up Mike.

[Hi Dan, My tolerance for not writing is about as long as my tolerance for not listening to music: about four days. If I have written nothing for that long I get a sort of pent-up hunger to do it, and it's the same with music--no music for four days and I feel that same pent-up hunger for it. --Mike]

[Lisa s. Gorrell]

Congrats on your blogiversary! I followed your link and gifted me a new ipad.

[David Drake]

Congrats and Happy Birthday Mike!
I have been visiting and enjoying TOP for a long time; it has been a consistency in my life. I really appreciate that you are here! I was trying to think how long and so I did a search through old emails, and I came across one from 2010 which I recommended a friend to one of your posts “The most expensive Leica Ever” Jim is a dedicated Leica shooter. So I’ve been frequenting TOP since before that. Happy Birthday and thanks for creating a place for photo enthusiasts to gather as community. Cheers!

[Cateeto/Jose]

Congratulations Mike! I think you have plenty of reasons to feel proud of your work at TOP. I don't exactly remember when I discovered TOP, but it had to be around 2006/2007, when I was looking for information about digital cameras in the net, and I found it. Since then I have very much enjoyed your writing, both about photography and any other topic, and I hope you will keep on posting for many years to come.

And yeah, definitely you should do a big online party in 2025 to celebrate the 20 years of TOP!!