I received a mail from Amateur Photographer Magazine’s editor Oliver Atwell today, stating that my picture “Stripes” was selected to be picture of the week and will be published in the July 18 issue along with some additional background issue from yours truly. What a welcome and pleasant surprise. It’s always a good feeling to get this kind of recognition. Since the magazine is a UK publication, I don’t know it but it rightfully boasts a rich tradition and history. Here’s what the magazine’s FlickR group has to say:

Based in London, UK, Amateur Photographer was founded in 1884 and is the world’s oldest consumer photography magazine. Every week AP publishes a broad mix of news, interview features, practical techniques, product reviews and reader portfolios for the discerning photography enthusiast. Past columnists include George Bernard Shaw, David Bailey, and Frans Lanting.

Talking about the group’s FlickR group, I think that this whole thing proves several things:

• FlickR is not dead. It’s still meaningful and can be useful for its users in many ways, regardless of what several renowned photographers or FlickR’s competition keeps saying again and again.
• Sharing your images is not useless. As you can see, opportunities can arise from image sharing. The logic behind this thought is not very complicated: If you don’t show your work to anybody, then nobody will see and love it. It’s as simple as that.

So, with this being said, keep making a difference – and keep sharing.