Images by John 'K'

 

As an amateur photographer who takes pictures for enjoyment, there is nothing that helps maintain an interest in the hobby more than words of praise and encouragement from people who see and appreciate and enjoy your images.

Well actually that’s not entirely true. What really strokes my ego and makes me want to keep taking pictures and sharing them with the world is the chance that someone will see one of my shots and want to use it in a cool and unusual way, and if it happens to be in support of a cause or organization that fits with my beliefs that’s even better.

I never take photos with the intent of trying to get them published – I take them for my enjoyment, and I like to share them with others in the hope that they might enjoy them too. The fact that someone has seen a picture of mine and has wanted to use it is really the icing on the cake for me, and I’ll happily support anyone who wants to use a shot of mine if they are kind enough to ask. I don’t want money (although it would be nice!) – all I ask for is photographer’s credit, and if the work is to be printed, I ask for a copy of the finished piece to add to a slowly growing collection of such works.

The latest shot to join the collection in the form of an open-out brochure is this panorama that I stitched from some shots I took while hiking on Mount Diablo in California in 2009. The image was seen on Flickr by someone looking to put together a brochure about some of the wildlife seen in the Mount Diablo State Park that would be given out to park visitors. As we are frequent users of the park and have had more enjoyment from the park than the entrance fee pays for, I was more than happy to donate this image to be used by them.

They asked about 4 months ago and we went through all the formalities for me to give my consent soon after, and I had all but forgotten about this, until a copy of the finished brochure arrived in the mail today accompanied by a very nice “thank you” letter. The brochure is now available from the summit visitors center in Mount Diablo State Park, is titled “Common Mammals of Mount Diablo State Park”, and features the work of a number of talented photographers who have given images for use by the authors.

It’s occasional rewards like this that truly make me want to keep shooting.