Monday, January 26, 2015

The Evolution of a Blog


From Sue S.: Did you start a blog to have some place for your wonderful photos or did writing the blog motivate you to get out and take pictures and find stories? You do a lot of research so was the blog a natural outlet for all that information? This blog reader thanks you for that info as it has helped me many times. 

I started the blog on a whim after bringing Emma home to be a safe, easy companion for Tessa.  Just goes to show, you never can tell how things are gonna turn out:)

I had no real plan or goal in mind for the blog.  Mostly, it was a way to play around with a different, less formal, less boring writing style than the dry scientific stuff I had always had to adhere to.  It was an easy creative outlet that I had few expectations of. 

While I have always had a mild interest in photography, it wasn’t until a friend gave me a digital camera as a gift that I really paid much attention to it.  I really love the immediacy and guilt-free ease of digital photography.  Still, it was the blog that actually got me out taking pictures.  Up to that point, I kept the camera in its little padded case and only got it out for special occasions.  The few pictures I took with it were crap.  The blog motivated me to get out and really use the thing.   

I’ve learned a tremendous amount about photography by carrying the camera with me in my pocket all the time and taking several thousand pictures, most of which were also crap.  I think I have taken at least a hundred bad shots for every decent one, although I like to think that ratio is improving.  The blog and the photography have evolved together and seem inseparable in my mind.  It’s hard to say where one begins and the other ends and I am not sure one would survive without the other.

I never intended for the blog to be an outlet for any of the research that I do, but that too has evolved.  I am, by nature and training, a researcher, an observer and a scientist.  There is a lot of stuff crammed into my head that I think others might be interested in.  However, I also have a hard time knowing how much people really want to hear.  Being one of those socially inept geeks who can go on and on about the mineral content of hay and how it’s linked to soil quality and hoof health, I am all too familiar with the glassy-eyed, glazed stare of people who desperately wish they’d never asked.  I try to share some of the info that I think might be useful without boring everyone to tears.  I would be happy to share more of my observations if anyone is interested, but I am wary of that glazed stare:)

10 comments:

  1. Please don't ever be afraid to share! I don't have any horses or donkeys, but many of your readers do. I'm sure they would appreciate the knowledge you have being shared with them. What's nice with a blog, if there is something posted I am not interested in or doesn't pertain to me, I can skip that post and you don't have to see my eyes glaze over. :-) A good example of your sharing what you think might be boring is your post on your career. I am not into science, I have always struggled with it, but I found that post rather fascinating. It was well-written and didn't bore or confuse me. Too bad I never had a science teacher like you. You would have made it more tolerable.

    Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ignore any and all glassy-eyed stares. The info you post is very interesting, and we know it is accurate. I used to forward posts that had to do with hooves to a friend who has a son who is a farrier. And they grow hay. Now they both look at your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love your new header photo and thanks for answering my comment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a subject that I've been thinking about a lot lately, as the horsey side of my life is just not what it used to be...

    My motto is take a millions pictures and your bound to get a couple good ones! The beauty of digital photography!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ha, your blogs are never boring. My blog is a whim. Be it art, photography, riding, mules, dogs, whatever seems to catch my fancy for the day.
    I love yours!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your blog, your observations are why I like and keep reading to always learn more.... that's what makes life interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You are a true photographer then. Everyone takes 100s for one good one!!! You just only SEE the good ones usually. Love your blog and I too find it helps the creative side - even tho mine has been lacking there for a while.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Whatever the reason for its creation, your blog is a joy to read! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love your blog Kris and all the photos! Share everything!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Aww, you underestimate yourself. I know my own look of concentration and wonder is often mistaken for glass-eyed desperation, for instance. ;) Just remember, your readers have already self-selected for an appreciation of your writing and style, so carry on.

    ReplyDelete