The original idea for Blipfoto was conceived by Joe Tree purely for his own use. It was born on October 21st, 2004, a humble beginning for a site that now has contributors from over 170 different countries. Joe set himself the challenge to take and share a photo every day of his life. He found the process to be captivating, as did the friends and family who tuned in every day to see his journal entry.

A few people began to ask if they could use his site in order to be able to post in a similar way. In July of 2006, with the help of a few colleagues, he opened up the website to other people, initially inviting 15 others to join in. Each person could set up a journal of their own, upload a single photograph each day, write some words and, perhaps most importantly, comment on each other’s entries. It was a very basic version of the site as we see it now, but all the key elements were there. It soon began to assume a life of its own, news spreading mostly by word of mouth. It struck a chord with people.

Blipfoto won a BAFTA Scotland for best website in 2009. At that time it was still not much more than a hobby for Joe and the few people he’d got involved, but following the success of that award the decision was made to pursue some funding so that the team could give up their day jobs and try to turn Blipfoto into a proper business. It was growing so fast there was really no alternative. Joe had a vision and huge ambition.