It has been two years since I started ShootTokyo. Happy 2nd Birthday ShootTokyo! I feel like it has been much longer but I checked - 2 years. Happy Birthday ShootTokyo! I feel like I have been writing this blog for a much longer part of my life. ShootTokyo is a great outlet for me to escape 'life' and work on my photography and share it with the world. I love having this blog as a place for me (and all of you). I am also proud that I have been able to keep it free from the 'noise' that can often fill up websites with mindless debate and arguments. For those of you that visit regularly thanks for helping to keep it a place that we all want to come back to. Lets have a look at some of my favorite posts over the past year. Let me know if you have favorites that I have missed...

I wrapped up my 2011 year in photography with a video of all of my shots and travels around the world. If you haven't had a chance to watch grab a coffee, beer or glass of wine and sit back and enjoy the pictures and music.

I shared my thoughts on why you should never leave home without your camera, regardless of how busy you are. I still believe this to today...I always capture my best shots walking around and not 'going to find them'.

After many requests and writing many long emails explaining to people where to go shooting in Tokyo I wrote my Guide to Shooting Tokyo. This is my Tokyo...the way I shoot it.

ShootTokyo got a lot more mobile this year for those on the go when it was picked up by Flipboard and Google Currents. When you first start a blog you really don't think about all of the different ways you can 'distribute' your blog. The immediate ones like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ come to mind. I didn't know anything about RSS feeds when I started or how people used them. I set up an RSS feed for ShootTokyo. When Google asked me if they could publish my RSS feed to Google Currents I said 'sure'. I have gained almost 30,000 subscribers through currents alone! I have no idea how many I have through Flipboard as they do not provide me any reporting.

think photowalks are a great way to meet like minded people and share you knowledge and passion. I try to do these as I travel around. It is always interesting that I end up introducing many photographers who live in the same city to each other.

I was honored to be able to write Chapter 7 in Guy Kawasaki's latest book on Social Media 'What the Plus?'...If you don't know guy he is a marketing legend so it was a pretty big honor.

I wrote my guide to Shooting the Cherry Blossoms...You won't believe how many emails I get in the beginning of the spring asking how and where to shoot them.

I took a moment to stop and remember the impact that 3.11.2011 had on Japan and the fearful days that followed 2:46PM.

Through several trips to Cambodia I helped to document the work of Tabitha Foundation. Their work is truly inspirational.

Since my trips I have been looking for ways to continue to support Tabitha with fund raising. I have picked up a project called $10 Head Shots for Charity that I have been doing at work as a way to help raise money for Tabitha. A few photographers have also picked up the concept and are using it to raise funds for charities they support.

Recently I was asked to donate a few prints to an auction raising money for Tabitha. I donated the following three images and was amazed they sold for $5,000 USD!

I had a great trip to Hong Kong with my brother Mark for a few days in May... That isn't Mark below (just for clarity).

After a lot of practice I begin to find my groove with Shooting Film. Film has become an interesting new medium for me and something I am enjoying continuing to explore.