One year ago today, I started Now Developing. I can’t say for sure that everything I accomplished over the past year revolved around this blog, but I can definitely say that a good chunk of my experiences regarding photography over the past year in some shape or form definitely was either directly or indirectly due to the work or motivation that stemmed from this project.
In my very first post, I stated that this was something that was going to reinvigorate my creative spirit; and that my mind was starting to overflow with ideas of what the blog could be, become, and contain. What I don’t think I anticipated was how putting my reflective journey through written discourse and capturing images up to the public of the internet could open up various windows of opportunity, amplify my desire to continue to create, and connect me with so many rad people across the globe.
Before I jump into the things I am most happy about from the past year, I would like to take a moment to just list out some of the objective data the website has amassed in just 365 days:
- 42 Published Posts
- 6,866 Views
- 4,559 Visitors
I remember when the blog reach 1,000 hits. I was ecstatic. Needless to say, I am extremely honored that at the end of one year the numbers are what they are. It’s just so…neat. I know that in the grand scheme of internet traffic, I’m not pulling in millions of hits, nor am I making any monetary gain with this venture. However, that was never the point. As the blurb on my About & Contact page says:
I made this blog in order to record my thoughts, learning, experiences, and reflections as I continue to shoot film and develop images by hand. In a sense, the images I create and share are a literal and figurative reflection of who I am and who I continue to become.
But this has been anything but a solo venture. As I stated earlier, I have come in contact with some pretty amazing people. People that I believe have now become a part of the Now Developing narrative that I respect, admire, and call friends. Their support and the inspiration that they impart on me cannot be appreciated enough. From simple chats, to camera talk, to mailed packages, to making my blog’s logo, it is all appreciated the same at a heartfelt level. To avoid the risk of forgetting some integral people, I would simply like to say you know who you are and I thank you endlessly. My gratitude cannot be truly verbalized.
I have accomplished quite a bit over the past year, and I can truly say that I am proud of the work I have done. Again, I don’t think I can say I did any of this without the help of others. I think creating goals is important, however, I think it is just as important to recognize when you achieve them. So, without sounding too overzealous, I would simply like to list out the things I found noteworthy from the past year:
- Self published my first book under the Now Developing imprint, twenty seven, twenty eight
- Started printing work digitally
- Built a darkroom for me and my students to start enlarging our negatives
- Working with the Film Photography Project continuously to provide a better photographic education for my students
- Partnering with Shoot Film Co. to put some really cool things into the hands of my students to assist them in securing their identities as film photographers
- Able to be a part of the greater artist community in the Tampa Area, participating in displaying works at three different local locations
- Held two exhibitions outside of the US, both taking place in South Korea
- Traveled to Japan, and subsequently got to meet, hang out, and share a cup of tea with Bellamy, Japan Camera Hunter
- Featured on Japan Camera Hunter, highlighting how shooting photos helped me cope with the loss of my father
- Was interviewed on Analog Talk Podcast about photography as a hobby and passion
- Provided a platform for other self-developing photographers to share their stories, featuring ten photographers thus far
While this list fills me with a large sense accomplishment, it is not without a secondary list; a list of goals for the upcoming year to strive for:
- Host a solo photographic exhibition
- Host a collective art exhibition
- Publish two more publications of my own highlighting my time Korea and Japan
- Publish a collective zine for the Part of the Process featurettes
- Attempt a Now Developing Youtube channel
- Travel to meet, shoot, and collaborate with people I have met over the past year
- Recruit others to share their experiences through contributions on Now Developing
Overall, I couldn’t be happier just 365 days from my decision to start this blog. In this past year alone, I truly think I have made my best photographic work to date.
I’m elated, to put it simple. I am filled with ambition and motivation to not only shoot more, but to share more. To share both my images and my experiences as someone who records individual moments of time. As always though, the process continues. To me, nothing is ever quite perfect, both in my work and through the course of self-actualization. As cliche as it sounds, it’s not about the result, it’s always about the process. If you’re willing to take a risk, there’s always a chance for an equal reward. I feel lucky enough to have obtained that reward.
Whether you’ve read something here, given feedback, provided content, given me motivation, inspired me, or interacted with me in anyway because of this page, I just want to say thank you.
dylan barnes | blog 