It has been five wonderful years

I don’t know where all these years have gone, but they have been wondrous. 233 posts, at least 2000 photographs… Happy Blogoversary to me! 🙂

2014

The beginning was shocking. I got the WAMP and wrote a bunch of articles related to the family photography since this blog was meant to be a portfolio. I launched the blog in February, but to my horror, it got a close attention from various adult websites, and I  had to delete all my articles and children photographs.

My Blogger Friends, I would quit right there if it wasn’t for your support.

I started from scratch in March.

Please, click on the photos and it will open the pages.

I wrote about myself, shared my memories and adventures. I also wrote about my friends. That year I started my annual Saltee Islands series.

 

I went to many street festivals, like the Durrow Scarecrow festival.

I also started Pat Gibbons and his Foxes series.

It was a great year, I blogged twice a week.

2015

I started getting more feedback. It was wonderful. People asked questions, commissioned photographs. That year I wrote about Clonmel photographer William Despard Hemphill, and what a rewarding surprise it was to get this email:

Just a quick Thank you for your excellent blog on Clonmel and William Hemphill. I am his great great grandson and my dad has all his books and helped produce the book about his pics. His mum lived in Oakville, Dr Hemphill’s house in Clonmel and I went there once before it was demolished and the supermarket car park built. When I left school (1976) I cycled round the area taking pictures also based on Dr Hemphills… 

…Thanks again for the blog. I’ll be showing it to my dad (93 on Tuesday) and he will be thrilled. Born in Carick-On-Suir he has incredible recall of the area, and your pics will bring them back again.

R… E…

That year I also wrote about my travels, and as always, about birds and animals.

I didn’t forget to visit Pat and his foxes.

I did some street photography. This is Cian Finn.

He sings about life, and I wholeheartedly agree with him.

I also started Waterford Walls series that summer. In October I went to Donegal to attend Elena Shumilova’s first international workshop, and the trip resulted in four blog posts.

2016

That year I started Anne Valley series and wrote three blog posts. Since then I regularly visit the trail.

I started Clonegam series.

I wrote about myself, and shared my opinions 🙂

 

I met two journeymen, and after a month, got a feedback from a fellow blogger on their further travels in Ireland.

2017

I started Comeragh and Knockmealdown, Greenway, Mount Congreve and Curraghmore House series.

The blog posts about Pat and his foxes were the most popular. Many websites around the world translated the story into different languages, and some of them actually asked permission. There were also some who removed my logo 🙂 It doesn’t matter to me, because the sole purpose of my blog was to spread a word. I was so delighted when my friend told me that Bored Panda website used my pictures along with the story from the Irish Examiner :). Anyway, I am happy that Pat and his foxes are getting so much attention.

I continued with the street festivals-related posts: Waterford Walls, Harvest Festival, St Patrick’s Parade, Spraoi.

2018

I didn’t blog much last year.

I started, and will continue Follow The Vikings series, and Kerry series. 

Puffins and foxes surely took all the limelight, as always 🙂 Amazing Poet Rummager Rose Perez wrote a charming haiku inspired by the tiny puffin

Wings

I have wings to fly

They never are really used

‘Til I see your smile

Another lovely feedback was received last year in response to my post The Last Butler of Curraghmore.

… I am Basil Croeser’s daughter, living in Montreal, Canada. My brother… sent the link to your blog post entitled The Last Butler of Curraghmore and I just wanted to thank you so much for your lovely words and photos.  
…They were really chuffed and surprised and I think it made their week!…
Thanks again and best regards,
K…
What you won’t find in my blog:
– ANY sort of radicalism and also lies, defamation, hate, envy
What I want to ask:
– Please, link your Gravatar picture to your current page so that every blogger could easily visit your blog ♥
– Use Calendar and Archives widgets so that your visitors could access your earlier blog posts. You deserve to be heard.

I don’t know how long I will blog, but I think that all my efforts throughout these five years were worth it 🙂

Thank you so much for all the inspiration and support! ♥

With love

www.inesemjphotography.com

173 comments

  2. Congratulations on 5 years blogging – wow!

    Sorry to hear about your first experience, how awful but so glad you decided to carry on and share your great stories and beautiful photos. I love the double-exposure (?old terminology) of inside the female’s head looking through the cave – it’s gorgeous! 🙂

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    Reply

  4. Congratulations, Inese, for your Blog-anniversary! Five years of sharing amazing photos and beautiful stories that go with the photos. Wow! That’s really something!
    Wishing you lots of inspiration for future photos and blog posts and thank you for the beauty that you bring into the blogosphere and into the world.
    Have a beautiful and blessed day!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. Heartfelt congratulations Inese, that’s quite an achievement in the blogosphere. You are immensely popular and so inspiring to us all. I know you have your resentments, but I do hope to see lots more of wonderful work in the future. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. My dear friend Inese ❤
    Many congratulations and many thanks for sharing your beautiful work & experiences with us. Although I'm often very concerned about privacy when it comes to online presence, I too have learned through "Wordpress" that – if used properly & with respect – blogs can be a wonderful tool to connect with amazing people from all over the world. And, a platform to share our work and to learn from each other…

    I am so happy that our paths can cross through photography, and sincerely look forward to seeing more of your amazing photography and stories 🙂

    Best wishes always,
    Takami

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, dear Friend! ❤ You are such an inspiration! Your birds are exactly
      my idea of bird photography – to show a character and a story.
      You have a good reason to be concerned about security. I have spent hours blocking and removing human trafficking blogs which have 'followed'me, and the blogs with adult content who 'liked' my children photography posts. It is why there are so little portraits in my blog – I either removed these posts, or made them Private. I don't know what to do with the posts 'reblogged' by the human traffickers.. I have no control over them. It is all very sad, and I still consider leaving WordPress some day. They have no moral standards, only money matters.
      Blogs like yours are a breath of fresh air 🙂 Thank you again for your kindness, and best wishes for the future to you! ❤

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Thank you for your reply, my friend.
        Yes, I completely understand the concerns about security. Like you, when I first began blogging, I initially put some children and street-portrait photos on line. But was horrified when it these attracted some terrible sites. As you say, it was a shocking experience and I too, even now, consider if I should leave WordPress. (As you say, about the lack of moral standards, and how there really is no control even if others “steal” images, etc)

        So, I feel the same as you in many ways 🙂 ❤

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. I am so sorry to hear that, Takami. And isn’t it a shame? WordPress keep these ‘blogs’ because they pay the lousy annual fee! Then one day WordPress puts you on Discover so that even more fake and illegal blogs can tie to your page by following it! I am deleting all these so-called followers every day. And you are the first person who too sees it as a problem ❤

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          1. I am sorry you had to go through such experiences too 😦 😦 I am relieved to know that I am not alone. I believe there are also others who do recognize this problem. Unfortunately, it seems “money talks” and it’s frustrating for all creative people…

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

  15. Congratulations! It’s hard to keep blogging for such a long time and I think you’re doing such a wonderful job. I am a fan of your photography. I also enjoy your posts on our planet and it’s inhabitants (not always human). 🙂 Very few bloggers want to talk about preserving it. So thank you! And here’s to the next 5 (and more) years of blogging! xoxoxo

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    Reply

  19. Congratulations on five amazing years of blogging … I see I’ve missed a lot – this post gives a fantastic flavour of the wonders you’ve encountered and shared here on the blogosphere. Best of luck for the future and hopefully you will have time to return to WP now and then.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

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