Wanted: conversation with YOU

I'm a slow starter.

It's almost an annual ritual. While many kick off every new year in high gear, it seems to take me a while to get my bearings and get rolling. At the end of January, I'm moaning and groaning, wondering why I haven't shot many, or any, pictures worth much discussion.

I could say the same thing about my blog. I follow many blogs and have several friends who write blogs, and most of them have been furiously posting since the new year was ushered in. Me? I'm recharging. Refocusing. Searching for topics and stories worth sharing with the Herald audience.

Also, for the first time in three years, I'm not teaching the Spring Intro to Photojournalism course at Georgia Southern University. And that's something I have mixed feelings about. It's a huge commitment – constantly updating lesson plans and refining teaching techniques to give college students a base of knowledge in order to discuss and practice visual journalism. It takes up almost all of my free time when I'm not on the job for the Herald.

Then again, it's kept me sharp and focused about what I do for a living. More plugged-in to a constantly changing profession. And I've really enjoyed the exchange of knowledge and discourse with students.

To fill that void, I'm tossing out an invitation for conversation to Herald readers, and anyone else who follows. That's the real reason I started this blog, in the first place.

So, what do you want to talk about? Almost anything is fair game. Do you have questions or want tips to help you take better pictures? Are you curious about what goes on behind the scenes when I cover news events? Questions about the news business, it's practice, and the ethics involved? Any suggestions about how I can better cover our community?

All of my posts are open to comments, but I'd love to hear your thoughts now. So toss out those questions and make suggestions. I can always write about my experiences and share relevant links. I'd like to take your ideas, though, and make them the subjects of my blog posts.

Ball's in your court ...