Happy New Year!

SORRY! If there are no photos with this email, it's because our website is down and the webmaster has locked up everything - read on!

The reason for this email is to let you know our websites are currently offline. We had a problem with the International Aerial Photographer of the Year site and our hosting service has now quarantined all five of our sites - so Better Photography, Better Photography Education, Better Photography Photo Comp and the International Landscape Photographer of the Year.

As I am discovering, the 24/7 promised service seems to be on hold and I am not hopeful for a quick resolution over the new year holidays - hence this email. (In theory, I have already sent all active subscribers an email, but I'm not sure I have been so successful, so apologies if you have received multiple emails.)

And the photograph? (If you can see it!! It's a coastal scene with lots of tiny coloured houses.) This is Uummannaq, a tiny island settlement off the west Greenland coast. I think I've told this story before, but the colourful houses are not because of the owners' occupation (e.g. red for baker, green for fisherman). In fact, I believe it has to do with government provided paint supplies, but don't let that get in the way of a good story. A local in another Greenland settlement explained it this way: If we celebrate a little too much on New Years Eve, we need to know what colour our house is so we can stumble home!

Happy new year!