sam i am's blog

Just putting a screen shot of my flickr albums on here 'cos, in 5 days, my pro account runs out (as i'm reminded of every time i go on there lately!) and only 3 albums will be visible, rather than 40+

Just realised that all other links to my flickr pics will no longer work, which is a bit annoying, so will maybe have to (eventually) renew the pro account or else i'll not see over 5000 of my pics again! :(

P.S.

Oh...as all pics'll be going and i'm not a fan of this avatar i have at the mo', please feel free to look at a several hundred pics of an ugly mug and decide which pic they should use instead...if you can be bothered, which you won't...and who can blame you, after all, i can't be bothered to do it!

Has any-one else noticed the semi occasional appearance of the pro sign next to some of their comments, even if they're not a pro?

It first came to my attention a few weeks ago, then it seemed to have stopped, but now, today, i've seen the 'pro' prefix next to my name whenever i've posted a comment

Just wondered, really, why it happens? - for a second i got quite excited*, thought some kind yet foolish person'd paid me up to be a pro ;)

(*well, as excited as a cynical 30 year old can get, hehe)

I first started taking photos* when i was on sick leave from work (about three years ago or so) and it became such an obsession that i got myself a panasonic lumix, in the vain attempt to make things look better.

* not strictly true as i recently found some photos of ducklings i took when i was about 10 ;)

For a while, probably over a year, i'd take over 20/30 shots a day, mainly of things i saw whilst out walking the dog, but nothing ever particularly arty or decent as it was just for fun...and i just didn't have the talent, but (and this is the factor i forgot, until recently) i really enjoyed trying to bridge the difference between what my eyes saw and what the camera captured, just had fun with discovering it all

I continued in much the same enthusiastic, eager-to-learn way, putting photos on flickr nearly every day, hunting out unusual things to take snapshots of, et.c., until about August last year, when the lumix finally refused to focus. I duely went out and purchased another, much cheaper, slightly inferior camera but, to be honest, it just wasn 't the same. It's kind of like being a child and riding around on one of your friend's bikes - doesn't feel quite right but you can't explain why

bionicle eye

I had come across my old lumix, just sitting in its bag, feeling sorry for itself, a few days before and plugged the battery in to start charging, though wasn't too hopeful anything'd happen as i knew even if the battery charged-up, there'd still be the faults on the camera that it had before...or so i thought! Like a giddy toddler after too many e numbers, i found, to my extreme delight, that old lumix, old faithful, old pal, had restored my faith and fun in photography and was actually working

Bit of a rant about nothing, but (and this is very rare!) i'm quite excited by the prospect of getting out there with my lumix and rediscovering a lost passion again...and also quite confused as to why the lumix decided to stop working all those months ago - maybe to make me appreciate it properly (à la 'you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone'), or maybe, just maybe, 'cos it's the laziest camera in the world?

It's actually quite hard to confuse me, believe it or not, but i have to admit defeat in one thing - i can't work out how to add a photo to the 'about me' part on the home page!

I'm no html virgin, but can not seem to fathom out how everybody else's page has a little photo underneath their info, yet mine doesn't

If anyone knows how to do this, which i'm sure you do!, please help a simple fool by telling them how :)

Ooh, not done this blog malarky for quite some time...kinda forgot what you're supposed to write!

Anyway, my name's Sam, i live near Manchester in the UK with lots of lovely housemates and my gorgeous pooch, Luca

I'm majorly into music, play the bass, bit of guitar, love listening to a variety of stuff too. I also like taking photos, though it's just a hobby, so i don't get too hung-up on my lack of talent!

Thought i'd join here as i'd been asked by a couple of friends, though my 'main' web space is at flickr