Yesterday

Yesterday

Weather for photography

Photographers in general love all of the weather conditions that nature has to offer, when out and about with your camera and looking for that perfect photograph you’ll be best to pack a good rain coat (and do make sure it’s warm too!!)

So whether you’re out in town snapping some candid portrait photos or in the countryside getting some landscape shots it’s best to be prepared, as long as you take care (with both camera equipment and yourself) you can get some great work. The weather should not dictate as to when you can be creative with photography.

As long as you adopt that approach (and happen to be in the UK) you’ll be just fine!!!

Photography in the morning

A colder weekend and a cold start to today, it still won’t ever put me off getting out there with my camera though. The main tip for today is :- invest in a good hat and some fingerless gloves (you can still operate your camera without freezing your fingers off!!!!) that said, the weather isn’t that bad and it is February after all.

So, we will eventually hit spring and then the photography takes on another edge as new colour starts to adorn the landscape. It is interesting that as a photographer and especially one who also completes ‘wall-art’ & landscape photography how you really become aware of the nature that surrounds you.

Walking on Blackdown

Out in the Somerset country side taking more photographs for the business, when you get up on the Blackdown Hills (which if you aren’t aware are just up from Burrington Combe), you get a real sense of freedom. It is more exposed to the elements up there and a good rain coat is always advised, but that said, even on an overcast day the area lends itself so very well to the camera.

Being in a location such as this gives you a great opportunity to reflect upon the past few days, it’s a wonderful way of de-cluttering the mind and an even better way to mull over up and coming projects. There is a lot to be said for walking in the country, you may not get the chance to get out and do it each every day, but when you can, get out there and enjoy it.

More than just training………

A new schedule system trialled and now put in place for the business, with efficiency being an obvious must, the new system lives up to its desired objective and I’m really pleased with it.

It’s when you ‘re scrutinizing  these systems that sometimes you can look at applying them to other areas both in business and in one’s personal life too. These tools and applications can have a positive impact upon a wider environment other than just the work place.

It always reminds me of a five day business seminar I was lucky enough to attend several years ago, its primary focus was on improving bottom line profit but done in a way which instigated a ‘mind-shift’ in the individual. This ‘mind-shift’ was focused on a more efficient and productive approach to attitudes within business and as a result greater productivity. When applied to life outside the working environment it can have the effect of making the individual a happier and more contented person.

So when you give thought to any study to help you meet career aspirations, pause and think for a while of the wide picture, what can you take into your personal life too? Any form of study can and should have a positive impact on ALL aspects of your life, but of course, it’s up to you as to what you take out of it.

A walk in the country

So the weather has ensured that many have had a longer weekend as the snow gives us all an unexpected bank holiday.  A time for updating websites, dealing with emails and reworking some images, I was also able to get out into the surrounding country side with my camera (on foot as the car was going nowhere).

Wrapping up in the winter layers and setting off down the middle of what is normally a very busy road, it is noticeably quiet, most others (unless 4×4/SUV owners) have decided to keep off of the road and so there is a silence to the morning which adds to the beauty of the snow covered scene.

This morning’s walk covers a distance of about six miles and because of the depth of snow in places it takes far longer than it would normally. This said, it was still the perfect way to start the day and one I’d recommend to most people, you even find yourself chatting to complete strangers you meet on the walk (something about adverse weather that brings out more of a community spirit in us all, maybe it should snow more often).

A new year

So it’s now nine days in to the New Year of 2013 and as with so many things we’re all hopeful as we look to the year ahead of us. Changes and new opportunities are always just around the corner so it’s best to be prepared for them, the past three weeks has seen me update my skills in Photoshop and also launch a new wing to one of my other web sites.

The ‘dark-room’ is vastly different to what it was years ago, the chemical baths are no longer needed and the possibilities for creation have moved on to a point where the only real limitation is you. However, to truly make the most of those leaps and bounds in technology you need to understand the software fully and make sure you keep on top of that knowledge too.

The other great step forward has been the launch of the new book cover design section to my Urban Faced website, a great link and work with JD&J book designs too, where there are now examples of my work on display (see – www.urbanfaced.co.uk)

Christmas day

So here it is merry Christmas everybody’s having fun……….as the song goes, I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a wonderful new year.

Urban photography

The urban landscape to me is one of many contrasts, its face can be beautiful, powerful and a visualisation of success, but, it can also change very quickly. Scratch through its veneer in places and you’ll see a darker side, a raw and less forgiving environment where its wounds are stark. It’s in those areas which hide such beauty, these same places that we all walk past without giving a second glance, keeping our eyes fixed to the smart phone in our hands instead.

Both drama and art are found in those unexpected places, but again we choose not to look and miss what is right in front of us. There is beauty to be found upon every street, in every corner and in every alley way, it may not be to everyone’s taste and to some degree that’s a good thing, because art will always divide opinion and very rightly it should challenge.  But it is there, in the architecture and in its people just waiting to be found, it is ever changing and constantly surprising us.

And this is what draws me to urban photography, the process of finding a shot in a location of least expectation from others, where your imagination and creativity of looking deeper into the scene before you is the key.  The good news is you really don’t need to travel very far to get good photographic art either, all you need to do is to step out of your front door with your eyes wide open, when you open your eyes completely you’ll find that the city in all of its ugliness can be so very beautiful.

Driving upon the Mendips

The darker evenings are drawing in now, summer (all one day of it) seems a long time ago and the chill in the air underlines it. So the thicker coats come out and the hats are pulled down firm over ears to ward off the cold. Darker mornings and shorter days still have their advantage though, night time shots can be done earlier and to capture the sunrise doesn’t require getting up after just four hours sleep.

And then there’s the snow and the frost of winter to look forward to, as a photographer the winter months can offer some stunning scenery & subjects to shoot, everything takes on such a different hue when shrouded in white.

So it’s time to dig out the thermos flask, scarf, gloves and hat and start shooting!!