A view from SNP (that’s Scottish Nationalist Photographer)

IT WAS a pledge from a politician which actually looks like being fully honoured.

Education secretary Michael Russell will today take his final photograph documenting 2011 after making his last New Year’s resolution to post online a new picture for every day of the year.

The MSP for Argyll and Bute is among the users of social media site Blipfoto, which was started by Edinburgh photographer Joe Tree in 2004 and is used by tens of thousands of people worldwide.

Mr Russell, a keen photographer, has spent the last year sharing his images on the site as well as with followers on Twitter.

Yesterday, he posted his 365th successive image – having begun on 31 December last year – but he will publish another today to round off the calendar year.

Many are of the Scottish countryside, but there are others documenting this year’s election campaign as well as ministerial visits to India and Malaysia. Others were taken during a family holiday and there are a number of the family’s cats.

Mr Russell said: “I know some people like my journal because it provides behind the scenes insight both of the daily business of government and the daily work of an MSP. But I also keep the journal for personal reasons and I think it reflects that too.

“Looking back, I hope that my year in pictures reflects the past 365 days well. It’s been busy, and in terms of my political experience, the best year yet. I hope in some small part I reflect the excitement of being involved at this precise moment in Scotland’s story.”

The MSP had been using Blipfoto since 2009, but resolved last Hogmanay to try to do one “Blip” a day.

Asked if he was worried the pictures might seem as odds with his persona as a politician, he said: “Not at all – this a journal, not a piece of propaganda. It reflects my thoughts and feelings to friends as well as constituents.

“I have one or two colleagues who regularly comment on my journal and who seem to enjoy it. I would encourage others to do the same – Blipfoto is a great place to build one’s photographic skills and find out a lot about the world.”

Blipfoto encourages people to take a daily picture to chart their thoughts and experiences.

Users can subscribe to each others’ journals and comment on others’ images.