A belated congratulations to OPF (the 5th anniversary which went unnoticed)

I was planning to create a post on the 14th of May 2011 to celebrate the 5th anniversary of OPF. I then got swamped with work and neglected to do just that. Now I want to make up for this omission, albeit 3.5 months later. Well, better late than never, eh?

As far as I can see, the earliest thread in OPF was posted on the 14th of May 2006. Therefore it must be the official birthday of our beloved forum.

I remember joining OPF after a forum friend from elsewhere (Dierk Haasis) has brought it to my attention. It was the 14th of June, so OPF was just one month old. But even then, I was the 639th member of OPF! The initial rush to membership was incredible. We now have 9706 registered members, but we have also banned an equal number of spammers, if not more.

My relationship with OPF has been an intimate one and as such relationships go, one with the usual ups and the occasional downs (which resulted in a couple of extended leaves from OPF). I have been given the honor of becoming a moderator on the 13th of November 2006; a task I have executed to the best of my abilities till the 20th of March 2011 (almost 4.5 years). But even now, I feel responsible for what goes on in OPF. The old habits die hard it seems.

Anyway, I just want to congratulate and thank Asher, Nicolas and all of you with our 5th+ anniversary. I am glad to have met you -as Asher says- on the yellow tour bus of OPF.

Cheers,

Cem,

OPF is indeed a "yellow tour bus", gathering together folk who are fascinated by image making. We work on the assumption that each of us has a separate journey, but that we can help and encourage each other as we find our respective paths. Perhaps all we really do is share our trophies and then, occasionally illuminate the signposts and remind each other of where we are and where we are heading!

Thanks for your kind remarks and for all the effort by so many especially Nicolas Claris and Michael Tapes, without whom, the construction, format and realization would have been so much harder to achieve. Your own contributions and the devoted work of so many others make OPF live. We're all rewarded as we experience the new work, rediscover old favorites and enjoy humor, camaraderie and even friendship.

OPF has grown in breadth in that stitched, panoramic, HDR and film photography are regularly sown and discussed. I myself am returning to film for my larger images, but digital processing is already infused in my blood. We've a challenge to attract and keep photographers with good skills and their own vision.

Vision is iterative. One can plan beforehand to express some need and then the very task of materializing one's ideas creates a dynamic evolving form, where the product modulates the intent of the task! Thus OPF has evolved from a rebellion to censorship to a quest for individual paths of expression.

Our goal now is to build on the progress seen with a number of photographers here. We now want to further identify and promote nascent collections of work, each informed or governed by a particular common idea or motif. We'd hope to witness these reaching publication quality and build galleries in OPF just for that.

For us to succeed, every time one posts an image, one needs to look for other pictures that move us and then comment. This tour bus is certainly eclectic. Let's share more of what we've done and be challenged by each other's ideas and success.

Asher

Hi, Asher and all,

Indeed, let me add my congratulations on the five plus years this institution has been in operation. It is a wondrous thing indeed.

And I never realized that its skin was yellow (metaphorically speaking, of course). Does this conflate the concepts of a school bus and a bus that is a school?

Best regards,

Doug

Happy Birthday OPF.

Congratulations OPF, and thanks for the ride!

Ruben

Thanks for helping think, before and after the shutter is released!

I didn't realize it had been that long. Thanks to all, and especially Asher for the enrichment of my photo-life.

Congratulations indeed!