It's Published!

Some time in the mid 1980s I became interested in computers. Soon after this happened, the internet was born and I became interested in that. I had a bunch of free sites (anyone remember Tripod?) and a variety of domains where I kept a text blog. I did chat rooms and forums and message boards, first from a 300BPS dial-up and lately from a high speed broadband connection.

All very standard and boring, I know. A bunch of us have the exact same story. In the mid-nineties two things of note happened and they happened within a few days of one another.

The first thing was the introduction of a digital camera to the market. I read about it in the newspaper and thought to myself, "that's pretty cool". Not owning a camera or being into photography but being very into the visual arts, I was interested. The second thing was a trip to the doctor where I was diagnosed with one of those universally fatal diseases. The prognosis was not so very good. My children were both minors at the time and it was not certain whether I would, in fact, get to see them graduate or grow up.

On the way home from the doctor's office I stopped at an electronics store and bought myself one of those cameras. I didn't have a specific plan. I didn't have a reason, per se. Somewhere between the delivery of the hard evidence that I was, indeed, mortal and the corner of St. James and whatever it is, I decided I didn't want to be forgotten. Or something. I doubt I could explain it with words.

Shortly thereafter the camera infected me with a new thing. I never did and still don't take many family pictures or pictures of myself ... I'm pretty sure the people that count won't forget me. Truthfully, I became more interested in documenting life. Death? Dying? Pfft. That's a thing for people without cameras.

I started a new blog. With pictures! And another one after that. And perhaps another one ... it's hard to keep track. At some point I settled on catherinejamieson.com and Utata. I took tens of thousands of photographs over the years. Just stuff. Stuff around my life and my home. Then some people hired me to do a few photography things. People came to my site and bought prints and made donations to camera funds. Someone hung a picture on a gallery wall. I went through camera model after camera model and my doctor declared me a "freak of nature" and "obscenely healthy".

Then, in 2004 the people at Forbes Magazine selected my site as one of the top 5 photo blogs on the internet and shortly after that Wiley Publishing contacted me and asked if I was interested in writing a book on Photo Blogging. Was I? You-bet-your-bippy I was! Needless to say, I think the ability to personally and artistically express oneself with a camera and little web real estate can be a life changing experience.

So. I wrote the book. It was really hard work and took a long time but with the help of many, many people (who are listed here) and the community at large, all the great people at Utata (the community site), the good people at Wiley and the grace of the gods - it got done. It's like all first books, one imagines ... there are things I would change, things I wish I could redo (just a little) ... but all in all, I'm proud of it and I'm pleased to have my name on it.

And of course, I want you all to buy it. Yes, I really do.

And yes, those pesky children are both past the age of majority, graduated and safely enrolled in university. I have pictures to prove it!

Like, I say, I really don't know why I stopped the car that day and walked into that store as calm-as-you-please and asked to see this new digital camera I kept hearing about. I have no idea why. I don't know if that has anything to do with my health. I'm just glad I did.

Note: The book is currently available only on Amazon. It will be in all major bookstores on April 10.