I joined Flickr in 2009 right after I bought my first SLR. It was the cheapest entry level camera in the range at the time, as I was still unsure of my capabilities despite having spent ages deciding - which involved monitoring my interest in taking photos with a standard digital camera, testing the reception of the photos I took with my Facebook audience, etc.

(I'm the sort that refuses staunchly to spend any huge sums of money unless I'm actually sure that I will use what I invest in to the best of my advantage.)

I posted in groups in Flickr, getting positive responses for a portion of the shots I posted up - mostly shot with my kit lens, the only lens I had at the time. In 2010, I upgraded to my first lens purchase - a 50mm f1.8 prime, which was and still remains my favourite lens in my kit. Lightweight, brilliant for low light, and producing bokeh? Yes please!


One of my first shots with my kit lens



From then on, I began participating in multiple unpaid shoots - mostly for my close friends, but other notable ones include a fashion shoot for Cherwell, the Oxford independent student newspaper, and a yukata-themed shoot for a handful of friends. Many of the photos, though, came out of pure boredom :P

Now, two years and 115 images on, two exciting milestones are being forged!

The first is with the infamous Getty Images, something I'm really ecstatic about given that I've been hoping for a Getty break ever since I found the Getty partnership search in Flickr. They've finally spotted my photostream after ages :) Interestingly, the selected photos are mostly shots I've taken with my 50mm and do not follow any particular theme - they range from conceptual shots of chillies and clothes pegs to portraits from the yukata shoot and a night landscape of Japan's Odaiba Bridge (long exposure, shot not with a tripod but the railing of a staircase. Hee.). I've got my foot in the door - now to open it up a bit wider! :3




The second is a partnership with Artflakes.com, a European online provider of high quality prints and greeting cards with art from photographers and artists. Apparently they spotted my deviantART portfolio (I have multiple scattered around the place) and emailed me a direct invitation. Unlike Getty, it's on a non-exclusive basis, and I'm free to market my photos on other platforms as well as theirs. As far as I can see, it's an opportunity to expand my reach to different regions targeting different audiences - Getty for stock photography and Artflakes for artistic visions. :)

Here's to more fun shoots ahead! :D