Mission Bay sunrise

Today, being a Sunday, as well as the end of the fourth 365 days since I started with Blipfoto, I thought I would try for a photo of the sunrise to keep the current series (for 2014) going. This will be the 37th Sunday Sunrise for the year. Unfortunately, recording the moment of the sunrise was not possible due to the cloud bank thickening and darkening in the ten minutes after this photo.

Mission Bay, on the edge of the Hauraki Gulf (just outside the Waitemata Harbour), is on Tamaki Drive, a wonderful waterfront drive, cycle, run or walk. The Auckland Marathon (held last weekend) requires the marathoners to do a half marathon to get from Devonport via the Harbour Bridge to the start of Tamaki Drive and then run to and from St Heliers Bay (next bay on from here) twice. Its flat, so can be fast, unless there is a strong wind (not uncommon).

Only a few early birds out this morning when I arrived to do a shortish run along the footpath next to the sea wall. The avian ones were also rather sparse.

When Tsuken persuaded me to join, I did not anticipate doing it for very long. Although almost a daily runner, I deliberately chose my Journal name to give me an out for not posting a photo, and also a quiet way to withdraw. Little did I know (then) that this is a wonderful community, and that I would virtually, and actually meet some wonderful people through blip.

People who have an interest in using a camera to record what they see and/or do. Also people who use their camera to give pictorial power to the message that is on that person's mind for that day/week/month/year. People who will make strong points, powerfully, and with respect for others. People who care. People whom I am confident I will recognise in the flesh when/if we meet. Not from the self portraits, but from the exposure of self in their journals.

I have gone through a number of phases. The initial one of just posting a blip, quickly shifted to a focus on the photo being "worth" posting. Not many days after I started, the only photo I got "while on my run" was blurred and boring. I replaced it with another photo specifically taken for the purpose of blipping.

Currently I take many more photos than I did at the beginning (although still I am constrained by many years of using film, and I feel somehow guilty of I've taken 20 or 30 photos on a single run). My judgement of my own photos is possibly a little sterner than it was. That is balanced by having become relaxed again about not needing the blip to be a perfect photo. Occasionally, I have not posted my choice of the "best" photo, because another one is more relevant for me.

Joe and the team have made a fantastic place for us (me) to interact with like minded others. And even occasionally with non like minded others. Diversity is accepted, even welcomed in this community. My heartfelt thanks that this site exists, is run well, and is continuing.

I remain almost unbelieving about the quality of this site, what we can do with it (and I am sure that I merely scratch the surface), and we can have all this for the non-princely sum of GBP25 per year. I can't see me stopping any time soon.

My thanks to all those who have looked at and commented on my photos, and who have allowed me to see something of them in their journals, and with whom I have had the opportunity to interact. At times my day job (and the extras!) overwhelms me and I go quiet. Even then I am able to enjoy the looking.