Bagging It

How's this for coincidence: I had just finished a lengthy article this morning on how to choose the right camera bag for travel and I was about to post it when, lo and behold, I discovered that another photo blog, The Online Photographer, had posted an article on the exact same topic.I could still post my article, of course, but I won't. There's enough overlap between their readership and mine that my article is now redundant, if not pointless.

I'm not upset about it though. There are only so many photography-related topics to write about. With hundreds of photo blogs to choose from these days, it's inevitable that there will be some overlap. It does make me wonder, though, what value Shutterfinger offers in this crowded space. Is there anything I can say that hasn't been said before; anything I can do that hasn't been done before?

Forgive me for answering my own questions, but yes. I recently signed a contract with Rocky Nook to write a how-to book on street photography. Although there are many books that feature collections of street photography, I haven't seen any that are about the whys and hows of it. That means mine will be the first. It's going to take several months of writing, over and above the 40 hours of writing I do every week. Fortunately, I have over 30 years of photos to draw from, not including examples from other street photographers.

That may mean even less frequent posts. It may mean no posts at all; I'm just not sure. What I am sure of is that I appreciate the support I've received over the years and the fabulous photographers I've met, if only through your comments. This is not necessarily goodbye, just me explaining why you may be seeing a lot less of me. In the meantime, here are a few more photos from the growing Shutterfinger archives. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed shooting them.

Comments

[Syed]

Congratulations! Looking forward to your street photography book. Rooky Nook has always beeon one of my favorite photography book publishers. I would like to suggest "teaser" updates of the book in progress, including some (not all, obviously) photographs, just to generate interest and as a way to get additional feedback (if you think that would be useful at all). Assuming the publisher allows this, of course. They can be framed as case studies, for lack of a better term, showing how each photograph was designed and composed, showing compositional variations, what worked and didn't, and what you think could have been improved. A bit like some of the David du Chemin or Michael Freeman series. Do please continue writing - I have been a silent reader but have defnitely learnt a lot from your ideas and thought processes. Thanks.

[Andrew Kirk]

You've said good-bye before, yet here you are still. I'll buy your book, natch. But I predict that somebody else publishes a similar tome first.

[John]

Hi Gordon,

I will miss your blogs, which are, somehow, different and more useful than the run of the mill. Plus, you and Mike at TOP are two photographers that can also write.

Put me down for a copy of the book!

[Tim McGowan]

Gordon, 2 Things: I'd be interested in your camera bag impressions. #2: Street Photog-you may want to check out
jackwyoung.blogspot.com . I don't know him but a friend of his referred me to his Blog. Jack does street photography in New York City. Lots of it. He puts his compilations to music. For me quite addictive. To me his work is a cut above. I would suggest April 1st 2013, March 25th & 30th 2011, March 2nd 2012 & Feb 27 2013. I am told that Jack is a camera man for a net work show that airs from NY.
Good Luck on your book. Looking forward to it.

[Lesley]

Hi Gordon,
I'd also be interested in reading your take on camera bags; my guess is that you and John Camp would approach the financial aspect of buying bags a bit differently, and you always seem to have a very practical outlook on equipment.
I do hope that you don't decide to "bag it" completely - I agree with John's comment that you and Mike are two photographers who can write, and I would certainly miss reading your posts.
And finally, congratulations on the book! With that task ahead of you, and in spite of my statement about hoping you keep up the blog to some extent, it would certainly be unrealistic to expect that you could keep up the number of posts we have become accustomed to. How many hours are there in a day?

[Jim Meeks]

Hi Gordon,

I tend to be hit or miss with your blog, but have been more hit as of late. Sorry to hear you'll be cutting back, but I definitely look forward to buying your book.

Jim

[Karl Storck]

I am in the process of buying a camera-bag for hiking and was looking for all the input I could get. I sure had been happy if you had posted.

Karl

[Stephen S. Mack]

Gordon:

The best, cheapest and most waterproof camera bag I know of goes by the name of Ziplock (gallon size). ;< )

With best regards,

Stephen