Today’s Post by Joe Farace
plural noun: ruminations
1. a deep or considered thought about something.
I have always tried to be honest with my readers about my opinions of the pros and cons of any of the cameras, lenses and techniques that I used or tested. It doesn’t matter to me whether any of these approaches to photography was done for therapy (like this and my other blog can be for me) or for publication because I feel that not doing so honestly would be doing all my readers a disservice.
That’s why you should know that no manufacturer, their representatives or agencies has ever paid me in money or merchandise to say what they wanted me to write; to say anything other than what I believe in my heart to be true. This approach to photographic ethics has, as I’ve found to my chagrin over the past forty years, had an adverse affect on my income and visibility as a writer.
As the photo magazine scene and photo book publishing industries imploded removing a traditional outlet for me to reach out to photographers, I wanted an uncensored and creative outlet for my writing but more importantly wanted to let my original book and magazine readers know that I was still alive, had images to share and something to say about this pursuit that we all love.This and all my previous blogs have accomplished part of that goal.
While this blog remains free to access, it’s not free to produce. There are costs associated with producing it from the cost of domain renewals, server space and software that both runs and protects the site. My Webmaster must be paid to keep this and my photography how-to Blog up and running and unencumbered by the inevitable software and security issues that plague all on-line activity.
Yes, there are a few sponsors here but they don’t begin to cover the cost of operating this blog. I also don’t have the kind of personal sponsors that many manufacturer-paid bloggers have that are paying them to write and do presentations saying favorable things about their gear and helping these companies sell their products. The sponsors you see here are companies owned and run by people who respect what I do and my ethical approach to photographic writing. The current, and all of my former sponsors, never tell/told me what to write and what to say about their products or their competitor’s products.