Kirk Elliott Finally Joins Instagram

It’s been nearly a year since my last blog post and it seems like an eternity.  Wasn’t that I had nothing to say but rather that I had reached a point where when I looked in the mirror I simply couldn’t tell myself why exactly I should continue posting to my blog.  And who was my posting benefiting anyway?! And then I discovered Instagram

Well all of that changed two days ago as I have finally found my purpose for blogging and I believe from henceforth going forward I’ll be blogging forevermore!

So what happened two days ago that resulted in this epiphany?  Well it’s a most interesting story but more on that a little later…
Before going there you must understand what has happened over the last year of my not blogging for you to truly appreciate my new found blogging passion.  And if you own a camera – even a camera in your phone … well I have a really special treat in store for you

So about a year ago I received a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor and I couldn’t have been happier.
Well not quite…

You see despite the joy of Trip Advisor’s recognition of the St Lucia Photo Tour I had failed one of my guests and he had posted a bad review about my service and now more than ever with Trip Advisor’s accolade the fact that I had failed Richard troubled me more even though the error that had occurred had been a genuine mistake, albeit a mistake that was all to blame on me.
So I reached out to Richard and said something like:

“Hey Richard I recently received a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor, however instead of being over the moon I write you today with a heavy heart because this award makes the fact that I failed both you and Janet so miserably all the more painful for me.”

So I’d like to let you know that when next you are in St Lucia I would like to invite you to join me on the Photo Tour as my all expenses paid VIP guests since you never managed to enjoy the experience last time you were in town.”

You see I had booked a bus load of photographers in error when Richard had signed up for a private tour and that really pissed him off!

Imagine my surprise when Richard wrote back thanking me for my offer and then took down his bad review, explaining that seeing a business go to great lengths to fix mistakes always earns the business high marks in his books.

It Is Better To Give Than To Receive

The really big lesson I took away from this experience is why it is truly better to give than to receive.  You see in reaching out and giving Richard the opportunity to come back and experience the photo tour I got an immense pleasure out of giving and out of doing the right thing … and this kind of pleasure is truly priceless.

Which takes me back to what exactly rekindled my passion for blogging and why this time it’s here to stay.

So about 4 days ago I received an email from Clint of TripHackr fame.  He was gonna be in St Lucia for a day and wondered if he could come hang with me on one of my photo tours as a special guest.

Well after an initial reservation … and a bit of online due diligence, I decided – Why Not … and the rest as they say is history.

I spent a wonderful day with Clint serving him up just about all that he could take in on the way I create photography and ways that I thought my approach could help him create more compelling photography for his travel blog.

Well Clint in turn shared his passion for travel and blogging with me and when I asked him about Instagram and how I could use it in my photography it was his turn to give me a huge social media lesson.

Suddenly I started having ideas about using Instagram to share my favorite Photo Tips with even more people than just those who come do the St Lucia Photo Tour.

The next day I called my good friend Stixx ( he’s the drummer in Stephen Marley’s band … Yes that’s Bob Marley’s son!) and Stixx then spent the next hour or so teaching me the power of Instagram to reach the world and I knew right there and then that my blogging days were back – and this time to stay…

Welcome to My Photo World

About once a week or so I will share a Photo Tip.  My tips are mostly geared at folks with a fancy digital camera and who mostly shoot in Auto or Program Mode.  However if that isn’t you don’t let that stop you hanging out with me as this ride is for everyone who loves photography regardless of which camera you have.

…And I’m getting the feeling that I’ll be sharing so much more than just photography – but let’s wait and see…

So why don’t you drop me a line and share your thoughts about this post… and while you’re at it I’d love to know what’s your 3 Most Burning Questions about Travel/Vacation Photography

…Heck make that about any kind of photography at all!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon

And as always ~*~*~  May The Light Be With You!

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