I was doing some cleanup of my blogs and noticed that I hadn’t posted on my photography blog since October.

It’s not that I haven’t been taking pictures, or doing other photography related things. I had been reading other blogs, listening to the podcasts, and doing some shooting myself. But what started off as a really strong year for photographic inspiration really fizzled towards the end. The podcasts that I usually listen to had a severe drop in quality and relevant content. The photographer blogs that were once filled with inspiration turned in to more self promotion than creative content, more selling iPhone apps than talking about their art.

I’m not sure what happened. The technology that enabled photographers to share their craft with the world also allowed them to branch out and stop being photographers and to start being something else. And that something else was really disappointing.

So I’ve been on a hiatus from the social media world of photography. I’ve silenced the noise of the popular photography blogs and podcasts that, in the end, aren’t geared towards who I am and where I am with my photography. My inspirations shifted from the online world to that of books, and of the world around me. My shooting has been much more personal, centering around my friends and my family, focusing on where my heart is instead of what the current trendy technique is.

And I’ve never been happier to call myself a photographer.