Three years of Flickering Around ~ Celebration time

Call it a double happiness phenomenon. hehe.

It is a joy to record what I get to see in everyday life.
By means of a photo of course.

Through Flickr I have found out that others love to see my photos too. Photos of Maldives scenes and people in everyday life. Albeit a bit faked. :p

With my stream views closing on a million and a reverse contact list of 5,000 .. I must admit I have a devoted fan base.

I also find it amusing when people refer to me by a photographers title. I design stuff. And most of the time it is people with knowledge, gear and experience that supply photos for my projects.

Hence a close triangular relationship with client, me and pro photographer.

My design education at Lassale Singapore helps a lot because I know what differentiates a good from a bad photo. Though I hated photo taking during my study time, I also ended up cutting classes and flunked badly at exams.

Things took a turn.

I was lucky to have used the most beautiful camera of the time. The D1, back in 2000. I broke it, too bad.
But didn't have the money or courage to buy a new one.

And was too snobbish to use the Finepix, the prosumers and other shit stuff out there.

Instead I shot with the PowerShot.
But found out I get noticed more easily because I could do well with the pocket cam.

- - - - - - - -

Fans.

Thanks to all my friends who visit and comment repeatedly.
Making me more guilty all the time, because I couldn't return visit or comment.

I spend an average of about 20 minutes per day online!
That was true for the last Three years. Uploading, reading comments, visiting nude sites and checking mails.

Not Flickr mail, mind you.
I stopped opening that a long time back.
Somehow I can't delete them from my box, because they have served quite useful at times of

confrontation.

This happened with Obo and ssh. And Liquids too.

- - - - - - - -

Next is what?

It is indeed a difficult decision to give up my design career to pursue a life in pro photography.

So the question is what is photography?

This year will see my photos (from my small cam) displayed in 8 exhibitions .. most of them abroad.
There is also a daily stream of inquiries for photo related jobs and projects, most of which I turn down for various reasons.

And publications and tourism ads.


But, who knows. One of these days I might even get the right cam and tripod that will make me a pro too.

Conclusion.
1. Expensive camera gear = Pro photographer
2. A pro photographer need not have a Flickr account.
(I can list a dozen pros!) Either because theirs is too good to show or hey, maybe so bad they are afraid of the consequent humiliation.

I love Flickr. I write too long.





A screenshot of the Explore page during the Gamma stage.





Many publications have run stories about my photo stream.


I felt overwhelmed by some of the positive comments made on my photos



The folks at Digg love me. I have been featured around 4 times. Each time generating thousands of hits

for my stream.