Happy 2012!

Another year in the books and looking back I have to say that it was a pretty good year.  Of course, there is always room for improvement, but I'm quite happy with how the year played out.  My kids are all healthy and growing, my job is still very satisfying and keeps me more than busy, and my wife and I are a couple short weeks away from celebrating 7 years of marriage.  As my dad often tells me, "It sure beats the alternatives!" and he's absolutely correct.

I did mention the need for improvement and I have several things that I want to work on looking forward into 2012.  I'm very critical of myself (always have been) and I know I'm not perfect.  I assume I'm not the only person on earth who feels this way, but it does seem that more and more people are fine with accepting mediocrity and I simply refuse to do the same.  However, I don't want to sound like I have this huge list of resolutions for the new year because, in all honesty, I think New Year's resolutions are silly.  I mean, why should we only set goals at the beginning of each new year?

I won't go into all the gritty details on all the areas I think I need to make improvements, but I want to touch on a few that affect this blog and my photography.  First, after going back and reviewing old posts, I realize that I wasn't a very active blogger in 2011.  I think I averaged about two blog posts each month which, to be blunt, is pretty lame.  So, right away I'm going to strive to increase my activity.  What's the point of having a blog if it gets neglected?  If I'm going to do it, then I should do it right!  This leads into a question I've been asked a couple times in the past, "What do I want to accomplish with my photography?"  I really don't have a good answer.  I've explained that this is a hobby but there are times when it feels like more because I truly love taking pictures and sharing them with people.  Right now I'm content with continuing with what I've been doing because it's a lot of fun.  Hopefully, I continue to gain an audience and, with a little luck, maybe some greater exposure.

Concerning my photography, again, I never want to settle on telling myself, "that's good enough."  I continue to learn with each outing and I don't ever plan to stop learning.  I post a very small percentage of all the photos I take because I only want to post those that I feel are worth sharing.  As I look back over my last 5 years of photos I can definitely see improvement and I hope that trend continues.

Happy New Year!