A Good Crop - 2018-Q1

Over the past several years, I've done a year end photo review, based on the old Ansel Adams quote "Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop."...

Well, this year, I decided to take the 1/4 pole and see how the year is going.

I had a couple of personal goals for the year:

• Use my DSLR.  I've gotten lazy, or perhaps complacent with the generally good quality of my Compact Digital and iPhone 7.  But I want to be more "intentional", and also not settle for "generally good" as easily.
• Focus on Photography...  but NOT stress about photo-a-day.  Plan photo excursions and go crazy.  I'm still posting the best (or favorite) at 365project, but over several albums, and backdating....

So, how's that going, and what do I have to say for myself?

• I'm taking a lot more photos.  Just based on what I'm posting at 365project, I've presented 56% more photos than 2017Q1.  
• I'm using (and enjoying) my DSLR.  It represents 44% of the posted photos this quarter, vs only 11% in 2017Q1.  That works out to a 500% increase based on posted images!
• My ratio's of "popular" and "trending" photos is double the first quarter last year, Which is some measure of success.  And I have a lot more photos that I'm really pleased with.
• I've started posting selected photos to Facebook from my photo outings.  And have had several people give good feedback (face to face and in posted comments).  That's pretty cool.  I've also started cross posting some of those to one of the facebook photography groups I'm on.

A couple of interesting things, maybe negatives, maybe just things:

• I find that I'm not participating in as many challenges at 365project as before.  Rather than thinking about an "assignment", I'm going where happenstance leads me.Probably a bit of good and bad to that.  And I missed the WorldWidePhotoMinute last month, which ticked me off.
• I feel like haven't really been posting that much here on the blog..  But counting says I've dropped from 28 over Q1 last year to 21 this year.  So not too bad a percentage drop, but still far from active.  Adding in Happenstance, and the numbers tell a different story.  My posting there is way UP, 38 images over Q1 this year, vs only 14 last year.  So maybe I'm just crazy.  Still 59 posts over 90 days, split between 2 blogs?  Not setting the world on fire.

Anyway, I feel like it is a godd start, and I'm hoping I can keep it up.  Still looking for new venues / photo-communities.   Any suggestions?