Which camera feature do I use the most?

The compensation dial is the feature I use the most on my camera - in fact I use it pretty much every time I take a shot. It enables me to ensure that the subject of the image has the correct exposure, irrespective of the surrounding light. 

In the below images, taken on a light box, I exposed exclusively for the tulips, allowing me to best showcase their fine details, thus demonstrating how the exposure dial is a useful tool for controlling artistic choices. Here with the tulips, this was a classic situation where the camera would likely have over-exposed the them. Likewise, had they been on a dark background the camera would probably have made them too light. I often use a black background for my macro work and so the exposure dial is essential to me in ensuring my subjects are correctly exposed.  But even when I am shooting landscapes, street photography or portraits I find the dial a super handy tool. And it’s useful to know that a positive setting works well to make snow beautifully white. 

For those of you familiar with the exposure dial you will know that its positive values add light and the negative values darken the exposure.  Controlling the exposure in this way is a much better system than working on the image with post production which is time consuming. How many stops you need to dial up or down comes intuitively in time and the process is helped by keeping an eye in the histogram which shows the brightness of each pixel: if this slides to the left you need to add light and conversely, if the histogram clips to the right the compensation dial needs to be turned towards the negative values.

It is worth noting that whilst most cameras have an exposure compensation dial it is unlikely to function when the camera is set to an automatic mode. 

If you don’t already use the compensation dial, have a go - it’s also a great tool to make you ever more aware of light: essential to successful images.

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Avoiding mistakes in macro photography

We all make mistakes - I know that there are some people who never slip up (haha) but the key issue is whether or not we learn from the mistakes. 

I was watching a photography competition on the television recently. One of the contestants wasn’t receptive to the constructive criticism he was receiving and could see nothing wrong with his image. First of all, he failed to appreciate that he was in the privileged position of receiving the best advice from top photographers and secondly - who’s perfect?? No one is above criticism and no one is perfect. But if we are closed to external criticism and even worse, don't even critique our own work, what chance is there of progress? 

When entering certain photographic competitions I have asked for a critique post judging. These critiques have helped me enormously. First, the positive comments come, and then, at the end, the negatives arrive! Sometimes it’s a tough pill to swallow but, as with most pills - they make us better!

Why am I writing about mistakes? Because I made a mistake with the below photo. I had a shallow depth of field. I made the creative decision to position the flower front on, and so should have made sure that all that I wanted to be in focus with on the same plane. But I obviously didn’t get the lens square at 90 degrees to the subject and consequently not all of the flower is in focus - mental note to self: slow down and do better next time Alison !

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Satisfy your soul and not that of the audience with your photography

I posted the below image of a soft, pale pink rose on Instagram yesterday. I received some super kind comments but I also sensed a reserved response to the image. I accept the photo is the complete antithesis to my normal trend for sharp images - I shot it at f 1.6 which was very brave for me!! It was even (light heartedly) suggested that it wasn’t in focus: no, no, no……I had just chosen how much focus I wanted and where I wanted to place it. I felt the rose lent itself to a soft approach and it was with this artistic intent that I chose the wide aperture. I love the image, it is exactly what I envisaged when I pressed the shutter, and thankfully I have reached the point where I no longer seek validation or approval. It is very liberating to aim to satisfy simply one’s own inner creativity. 

I could deliver crisp macro shots pretty much every time I take my camera out. But wouldn’t that be rather dull if I was so predictable? Dull not only for you - but for me also. 

I realise I talk a lot about one’s growth but I talk about it because it is essential to our overall journey. Growth comes from challenging ourselves, from stepping out of our comfort zone, from reading books, from watching endless YouTube tutorial videos - way past bedtime! Growth comes from changing our approach from time to time, so that we continue to produce images which come from our soul, but which demonstrate our creative evolution - avoiding complacency and predictability. Then we apply all that we’ve learnt, to approach the subject, in the way we feel best befits it. 

So, in effect, I am saying that part of one’s growth should be to learn to identify how best to approach a flower, a landscape, a portrait and to connect with it to create our unique vision, just as I did here, with this soft rose.

Sometimes others won’t like the results, sometimes I won’t like the results, but my personal evolution on the journey, will ultimately take me to somewhere where, creatively speaking, I will be comfortable. And I will always be satisfied knowing that I challenged myself, and, most importantly - I will be content in the knowledge that I created for my soul and not to satisfy anyone else’s soul. 

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. If you are already subscribed maybe recommend the blog to a friend. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.

Where to place my slither of focus?

Every year we learn, every year we grow.

So where has my own growth been so far this year? My biggest change, in terms of my photography, has been related to my aperture. I used to consistently shoot with a narrow aperture - I often went to f22 as I endeavoured to have all elements of my subject in focus. Lately I have been shooting at the other end of the spectrum: f3.5 which sees the sharpness dropping off from around the chosen point of focus. Neither approach is preferable to the other - it’s simply an artistic choice and it’s good for us as artists to do things differently now and again. 

I was this week photographing a bird of prey flower from my garden. I had waited months for her to open up, There she was and I had to decide how to capture her. When I actually studied her, there were several possibilities, and I realised that if we had a line-up of 10 photographers they would likely each have a unique approach.  And indeed I myself selected several areas of focus, each producing a slightly different look, and below you can see my image of choice.

It’s great how our focus on one genre of photography and our subsequent progress can transcend into other areas of our work. I find the personal growth exciting. My son will soon be home for the summer. Just as I have recently been approaching my macro shots somewhat differently, so I want to photograph my son with different lenses and different apertures. I photograph him every time he’s home and he kindly indulges me in this respect! I am really looking forward to seeing how I can create different portraits of him this summer. 

As long as  we challenge ourselves  and we enjoy what we’re doing we will keep growing and that, I find, is very exhilarating!

Make new acquaintances with your camera.

As well as enjoying macro photography I get a real buzz from action sports photography. As the official photographer for Céret’s hosting of the national swimming competition: La Coupe de France, catching the speed of the athletes with my camera, was almost a sport in itself.

Street photography is another love of mine and it is a real luxury, when I have the time, to just go out with my camera, people watching, observing the light. I don’t find street photography easy though, and I am definitely ‘work in progress’. But if you want to see street work from someone who does create wonderful images, visit www.mariasciandra.com.  Maria’s work is colourful and thoughtful and I love the detail which catches her eye and how she makes the  mundane beautiful. When I first came across her website I kept it open on my desktop for days, I derived so much pleasure from revisiting her photos. 

Travel work is always exciting. Maria is based in central Mexico, and a favourite place for me for photography, is Dubai. When I used to live there, some mornings, after dropping my son off at school, I would go out to the desert to mingle with the camel trainers. The atmosphere was great and the jockeys would be actively requesting, almost begging, that their photo be taken. The same was true at the vegetable market and I would often return back to deliver the printed photos for them to keep. Their distribution would cause quite a commotion! In both of these situations my camera was a means for me to connect with people with whom I would never otherwise have interacted - and they were the most warm hearted  welcoming people you could wish to meet. It wasn’t unusual for me to be offered a refreshing slice of water melon as I laughed and joked with the traders. 

Last week at the local market here in France, a trader told me I should always ask permission when taking photos, even when just taking general shots of the stalls. He was very direct in his opinion but was also very  pleasant, so I took his advice, and for the rest of the morning I asked every time before pressing the shutter. In truth, I was rewarded with some very pleasant conversations and people were generally very gracious - whether I was wanting to photograph them or their garlic! This week I fell off the rails and when photographing some carrots on a stall, without first asking, I was literally screamed at by the trader and told to stop! So I will revert back to requesting permission, even for the carrots!

For the below photograph I would have preferred to have a caught a more candid image. However, by making contact with the people we had a delightful exchange. They were curious to know WHY I would want to take their picture. I explained that I wanted to document how, during the 6 months’ of café closures, due to the pandemic, people would buy take-away coffees and then sit on walls and window sills with their friends in a quest for some social interaction.

This photo taken in front of La Mairie, the Town Hall, is far from being technically perfect but it is one of my favourite photos because  it totally encapsulates this difficult period we are living through and emphasises our innate need to connect with others. 

I am not great at street photography, I’ll make progress and meantime it offers me some wonderful encounters with people. And there is something rather pleasurable about observing people, all the while watching how and where the light falls. So it’s not all about perfection, it's about making memories, enjoying our cameras and having great conversations with strangers. And it’s about not letting ourselves be pigeon holed. Stepping out of our comfort zone teaches us to react quickly to changing light, adapting focus for moving subjects etc. all of which can be applied to our other styles of photography.

So a really mixed bag for this blog this time - and I hope you will enjoy Maria Sciandra’s photos as much as I have.

Instagram: swimming.in.focus.

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Discovering my softer side with a Lensbaby!

I spoke in my last blog about the Lensbaby lenses which give the potential to achieve beautiful soft effects. For someone like me though, who historically has aimed for tack sharp images, the transition to soft doesn’t come easy!

Interestingly, since working with the lenses, I realise more and more that being selective with the point of focus is what is important here. And it can even make for a more interesting image, drawing the eye in. Furthermore, adapting to a different lens is an enriching experience. Initially, I hit a frustrating, might solid brick wall, but thanks to perseverance, unexpectedly the moment arrives when I see that I am starting to develop a process with the lens that works for me, in my own style - but in my own new style!

Exiting my comfort zone helps me to grow! Life was never meant to be a smooth road :)

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Who did I go on a blind date with?

You find yourself in a rut. So, someone kindly sets you up on a blind date. They tell you how wonderful this person is and how you simply just have to meet him/her. You’re excited and eagerly await the moment of meeting.

The day arrives - he/she looks super cool and things are great for a few moments, but then the excitement abates and you feel uncomfortable. You hadn’t realised how settled you were in your old routine and meeting someone new is definitely testing that comfort zone. Things aren’t familiar, you’re having to think out of the box, things aren’t ‘connecting’ as you thought they would be but hey, he/she does seem nice so, stiff upper lip and let’s keep trying. 

Several meetings later things are falling into place. The uncomfortable is becoming comfortable and the challenge, which you almost walked away from, is rewarding you with positivity. 

So who was this blind date with? It was with a Lensbaby Sol 45!!

For months I had been feeling that whilst things, photographically, were running smoothly I wanted desperately to shake things up! I needed to be challenged, to see things differently and I didn’t know quite what my next step should be. I even considered walking away from macro and trying a different genre. I didn’t know what I wanted but I knew I didn’t want ‘safe’ and I wanted to rouse my creativity again.

Let me tell you that the Lensbaby lenses certainly make me see things differently! There’s no autofocus - it’s all manual. To be honest this doesn’t bother me as all of my macro work is manually focused. What was a change for me though, was to go from using narrow apertures to a fixed 3.5. This forced me to chose a small area on which to focus and to allow the focus to drop off elsewhere. For someone who likes things tack sharp this was quite a barrier for me to cross. The other area offering potential for experimentation is the option to add macro filters to the lens, thus magnifying the subject. The fixed aperture Lensbaby lens behaves very differently to my macro lens and responds differently to light so it really shook up my creative thought process. In fact for a period of time I was producing really average shots (at best!) and I was hugely frustrated. I didn’t even associate this phase with the change of lens but felt I had completely lost my mojo! 

But now I am seeing which flowers and plants are, to my mind, ideal subject matter for the Sol 45. I am looking even closer, identifying the the most beautiful detail on which to place my focus. I am playing with the macro filters, choosing how close I want to get. So many new decisions! It is still early days but my Lensbaby and I are starting to form a strong creative bond!

What I haven’t yet mentioned is that the Sol 45 has 2 bokeh blades directly in front of the lens. They look a little like windscreen wipers and can have their position adjusted to play with available light, creating soft bokeh around the subject. Oh, and the lens tilts! So you can move the lens’ aim directly at your point of focus. Can you see now why the blind date felt a little dodgy and out of my comfort zone at first?!!

Now that I am slowly getting to grips with the lens I am really looking forward to using the Sol 45 for portrait photography and it’s a perfect lens for newborn work. It would be great for street images too - must try that. 

If after reading the above you are wondering if I have any affiliation with Lensbaby I can assure you that I do not. I am just another Lensbaby customer who has fallen in love! We are not talking marriage yet, but things are going well.

The courtship with my Sol 45 will surely have a happy ending.

A quick release mount makes life easier!

I have talked in the past how I like to use an L-Bracket on my tripod, which greatly facilitates changing from landscape to portrait mode. But nonetheless  there are times when I know I am going to be shooting in landscape mode only, and I want the freedom to switch quickly and easily between tripod and handheld. Changing between the two options can be a nuisance and I have, on occasions, thought that I’d properly inserted my camera and mount securely back into the tripod but in fact it hadn’t quite caught and I have narrowly avoided having my cameral fall out - a scary thought!

Now I have a solution - Andycine asked me to try their quick release mount and asked only that I give honest feedback.

My QR plates slide into my tripod from the side or front to back and as I mention above, I risk mishaps if I don’t install them properly and they’re fiddly to attach or release. The Andycine mount, with its 1/4 and 3/8 screw threads fits securely to standard tripod mounts and its quick release does exactly that - so when you want to go hand held you need only to squeeze the 2 red lugs and the upper section is released - with the base of the mount remaining on the tripod. The release is really simple and then, when you’re done with hand held shooting, you just click the camera back onto the mount base which had remained secure on the tripod. It makes the switch from tripod to handheld so very simple.

Incidentally, there’s a lock on one of the side lugs to prevent the mount from disengaging randomly. At first I couldn’t get this to slide across but then realised that I hadn’t properly engaged the mount’s top section. Once I had, the lock worked perfectly.  

What’s more, the mount can be used for projectors, for additional lighting, monitors or microphones: making it really versatile. It’s super sturdy, durable and compact. The built-in rubber ring makes your device more stable. Andycine suggest the maximum payload is up to 50kgs. I’ve read online comments that a combination of a heavy DSLR and chunky lens can be too much for the release mount. I haven’t had any problems in this respect.

The mount looks good, feels good and for me it’s been a great addition to my kit! If only we could have a similar system for an L-mount!

And below, an Iris photographed this week.

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LensBaby Sol 45

I’ve been shooting with my LensBaby Sol 45 this past week. I felt a need to shake things up a  bit! As you will no doubt have observed, I like to achieve tack sharp focus so the 3.5 fixed aperture of this lens kind of gets me panicking - in a good way!! To get up close I add a macro filter - choosing between +1, +2, +4 or +10 so there’s a lot of experimenting going on! Once the filter is attached to my lens, the creative part starts. With the 3.5 aperture I am going to have a very shallow depth of field so I have to decide where, in the image, I want my sharpness. I was still at my desk until 8pm last night making up for the good hour in the middle of the day when I had been playing with the lens and the filter options!

There’s no technical message here - just the recommendation that from time to time we exit our comfort zone and experiment. It is amazing how, by challenging ourselves, we produce refreshing, creative images and - technically, by observing the results of the choices we make, we simultaneously fine tune our craft and those essential observation skills!

Here’s an Iris from my garden which patiently sat as my subject yesterday! I chose the uppermost point of the Iris as my focal point.

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Macro photography without a tripod

As you know, I often like to use a tripod but what about those days when we don’t want to - or it is not practicable to do so?  How do we still achieve crisp shots?

A solution is to set your camera on ‘burst’ mode which means it will take a sequence of fast shots. It’s used a lot with sports photography with fast-moving action. Stand with your feet apart in such a way that you feel really solid and stable, maybe even lean against a wall or a tree. Get your image in your viewfinder with the focus looking pretty good and then slowly, and really gently, move tentatively forwards and backwards. Effectively you are adjusting the focus point with your gentle motion. Some of your shots won’t be sharp, but many will be. And if you’re like me, you’ll realise that you haven’t breathed whilst you’ve been focusing (in every sense) so intently! 

It takes practice but with time you should get some fabulous results.

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Take control of your creativity with macro photography or indeed any genre of photography

If you love photography I hope you are using your camera as a creative tool and using its functions to create your art. A go-to for me is my exposure compensation dial. I use it almost every time I take a photo. If I had allowed my camera to make all the setting decisions when photographing the below anemone, sitting on my lightbox, we would have had a dark subject with little, if any detail visible. Even if I’d used spot metering I wouldn’t have achieved the result I was after. Instead I took control and metered for the light on the anemone. I wanted the anemone’s centre to be the star of the show and for the petals to become washed out - it was a creative decision. Before I pressed the shutter I visualised what I wanted to create and I thought through how to achieve this result.

If you want to consistently take good photos, using your camera on automatic and choosing the best shot of the bunch is not the way to learn and to make progress. Even before you press the shutter, think what you want to achieve, think how you want your subject to look - be it a flower, a mountain or a family portrait and use the camera to achieve the desired effect. Additionally, consider the angle, the lighting, any distractions behind etc.

Many years ago I took a photograph of two camels and their owner in the desert. I was out driving in Dubai and hadn’t expected to come across the scene. I pulled my car over and asked if I could take the photograph. I hastily took the shot, a little embarrassed at the guy having to stand there waiting for me in the heat. I loved the photo but at the time I didn’t know how/why it had turned out that way! Basically, with my then limited knowledge I had allowed my camera to make the decisions, the camera had read the light which was seriously bright Dubai sunshine reflecting off pale sand. As it happened, I liked the result (it has been manipulated a little since) but it was a fluke. 

Thankfully since then, I have learnt a great deal - it takes time: reading books, watching YouTube videos and practicing with the camera again and again and again. But it all pays off and you start to become a master of your craft.

So take ownership of your art - get to know your camera. Practice regularly so that the camera becomes an extension of you and you take control of your creativity. With every mistake you make, you are one photograph closer to taking that great shot!

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.

Become mindful of your light when taking photographs

Something which has a tendency to stop a good photo from becoming a great photo is strong light. Contrast in a macro image is great, adding depth - but too much light and shade can be very harsh and unattractive. This is just as true with portrait photography. 

To help with light, I use a diffuser. It can be an inexpensive diffuser purchased from a camera store or online but also effective are packing materials, a white tea towel and, I read the other day, of someone who keeps a sheet of white paper and another of wax paper in his camera bag to act as diffusers when he’s out and about.  The diffuser makes the light falling on your subject so much softer. So, whether you shoot outdoors or indoors there are very inexpensive and lightweight options. 

Without your camera, take a suitable material as suggested above, and experiment to see how the light is diffused, watching your subject carefully to monitor the difference. Once you’ve spent some time observing the effects of the diffuser you can start to apply this process to your photography.

Becoming mindful of the light is an essential step towards creating beautiful images. Have fun!

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.

Keep your camera steady in portrait mode when shooting on a tripod

I have  mentioned before that I favour using a tripod for my macro work. Sometimes  I break away, either because I want to be liberated (!!) or because I am looking for a softer look which I can achieve hand held. But, in the main, I want tack sharp detail and, as I often use slow shutter speeds, not wanting my ISO to go above 200, a tripod is essential. Something which used to drive me crazy was when I went into portrait view and, despite how hard I thought i’d screwed my tripod plate into the bottom of the camera, it would wriggle free and the camera would begin to droop down. 

I don’t have that problem any more, because about a year ago I purchased an L-Bracket - what a difference it has made! They are not expensive and don’t inhibit you - if you want to take the camera off the tripod and shoot hand held you still can. There’s no need to remove the  L -Bracket. The only inconvenience is the negligible additional weight.  Obviously though, you need to select the correct L-Bracket for your make/model of camera. The images below illustrate how the bracket attaches to the camera, followed by an image which I took this week with my camera secured super steady.

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Would I be able to retrieve my lost images from my reformatted SD card?

I am scrupulously careful about backing up my photos onto 3 hard drives and I make a point of not keeping all the HDs in one place - just in case there’s a fire. So I feel pretty smug that i’m so organised and have good practices!! Well, my smug smile soon disappeared last week, when I discovered that I had lost nearly all my recent pastel anemone shots - they weren’t on any of the hard drives. I can only think that when I was transferring the images I somehow deleted them from the base HD and so they weren’t there to transfer over. And worse - knowing I had backed up to all my hard drives I had formatted both of the SD cards in my camera! So the option of returning to the SD card wasn’t even there. I felt I was under a grey cloud for a few days as I tried to come to terms with the loss of these photos, which of course represent loss of potential income! 

A few days later I emerged from the grey cloud and decided to try to approach the situation more positively and maybe even to find a solution. I looked for software which might help me to retrieve the photos but quite honestly, even though I am normally optimistic by nature, I had very little hope. I found a software programme which promised to help me but it was quite expensive and, as I didn’t even have faith it would work, I passed. But then I came across Stellar Photo Recovery and for approximately 35 Euros I could have an annual subscription (useful if I mess up again!) and I decided to go for it. I downloaded the software, inserted the said formatted SD card into my computer and went to make a cup of tea, whilst the software scanned the card. 

The fact that I am writing about my drama, and my attempt to retrieve the photos, has probably suggested to you that the story ended well. And if that was your guess you would be right! To my complete amazement and delight I retrieved my lost photos! It was slightly confusing because the retrieved photos had different reference numbers assigned to them but that was a mighty small inconvenience which I can live with, whilst I enjoy the glory of having my pastel anemone images back.

So the moral of the story is don’t just back up your photos but make sure they are all present and correct, ready to be backed up!!

And below are some of the photos which I am so happy to have back in my life! Little things make me happy :)

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In Fine Art Photography, the attention to detail pays off.

I took a  photograph of a tulip flower and its leaf recently  - it turned out great, I liked the sateen lustre of the tulip’s petals, I gave it four stars in my Lightroom catalogue and I posted it on instagram. However, it bugged me that a small area of the tulip flower was obscured by the leaf! I revisited the photo - the light was  good, the colour of the tulip flower was accurate and it had a lovely sheen plus the focus was  spot on - hmmmm, it still bugged me about the conflict with the leaf!! So, a couple of days later, with another tulip from the same bunch I tried again. As before, I was happy with the light, the colour and the clarity but this time I also had the leaf under control! 

Did the fact that the leaf slightly obscured the tulip flower matter? After all it was just a tiny bit over, and all the other elements of the photo were good?

It is true that I am my harshest critic but it is this approach which has me taking photos every day, challenging myself, using my camera so instinctively that it is as if it is my right hand and little by little, through identifying the flaws in my work, I make progress and then……once in a while, I pat myself on the back!  

And to answer the question I ask above: if you want to enter a competition, if you aim to sell your work, or perhaps you want to use your image to make a greetings card for  someone - perfection pays. And certainly, in the two former examples, if you are competing against an image which is equally sharp in focus, also with great colour and lighting - and yours has the leaf in the way, and theirs doesn’t …. which image will be selected?

As you travel on your own journey with your photography, or indeed with any skill of your choice, the challenge and the satisfaction of progress is what will take you to where you want to be. And it could even be, that the pride you derive from your craft, is what gives you the self belief and the confidence to pursue a totally unrelated goal. 

Enjoy your craft, challenge yourself and savour the journey. 

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.

The image where the tulip petals were slightly obscured by the leaf

Now there is no conflict with the leaf - and I’m feeling happier!

So many beauties and not enough time!

Things were feeling a bit critical - for  two weeks my favourite flower stall at the Saturday market was absent - the third week I was all psyched to go down, sure that they would be back, and …….I was snowed in and couldn’t go anywhere! 

Consequently, you may have seen my images of the ranunculus and tulips saved from being relegated to the bin - saved because I had no other flowers to photograph! 

I tried again on week four and I fell lucky . Although my favourite flower stall was once again absent, another stall had the most amazing pastel anemones: a bargain at 4 Euros per bunch. I headed home, buying a scrumptious round of camembert and a baguette on the way back to my car. 

So, with an easy cheese lunch sorted, to which I added some home made fig chutney, I set about making my acquaintance with the anemones. I was spoilt for choice, there were so many beauties and I had only a limited amount of time to  capture them. I even placed them in a dark cupboard to hope they wouldn’t all open too soon! I am not sure it made any difference, so Sunday morning I got up early to take as many shots as possible and I’m excited to share with you some of the beauties.

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.

Nature teaches us another of life's lessons

The weekend didn’t unfold as I planned: we were snowed in, we experienced numerous power cuts and the road down into town was too treacherous for me to contemplate my Saturday morning visit to the market flower stall. For me that was a huge disappointment! The previous evening I had gathered together the week’s flowers which were destined for the bin but fortunately, the power cuts had meant that they hadn’t actually made their way into the bin! So with no new flowers I re-examined those I had, and found, to my shame, that they still had a lot to offer. 

I turned the ranunculus to show her best side to the lens and she glowed. Amongst my withered tulips, I found the most beautiful to be those which were the most aged - they offered character and texture, still retained their beautiful lustre and it could be said, that they almost bared their souls. 

Once again, nature teaches me a lesson in life: beauty is not superficial, it comes from deep within. Life’s experiences render us increasingly more interesting, with more to impart with the passing of time - for those who are curious enough to listen and to behold our inner beauty.

Amongst my personal favourites from my fine art photographs are images which confirm that age does indeed bring its own form of beauty.

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.

Nozomi brings us hope for 2021

We are super fortunate in this age to be able to share our work with others worldwide on social media platforms, and it is equally fabulous that we encounter the work of others which we otherwise wouldn’t have seen. 

I am active on Instagram. I find it a great platform on which to both share and to discover work and I would say the latter is what gives me the most pleasure.

It was through Instagram that I discovered the work of Nozomi. In fact the truth is, that she found me! Nozomi contacted me and asked if she could draw one of my floral photographs and to then share it online. I was thrilled at the idea - and when I saw the finished work I had every reason to be excited. Nozomi’s work is not only intricate and detailed but she somehow manages to capture the soul of the flower. And yet Nozomi appears unaware of the level of her talent!

I asked Nozomi how she came to draw and she explained that when she was young, after a day at kindergarten, she would go to her parents’ office until they finished their work. Whilst waiting for them she would draw, to pass the time. She was, she tells me, a shy girl and even in her art classes at school she doubted her ability but nonetheless she derived pleasure from the activity of drawing, which she found both relaxing and a delightful form of escapism, indeed each drawing takes her about two hours to complete. Not believing in her own artistic abilities, she focussed instead on the work of others and avidly visits galleries and art exhibitions. I very recently learnt that she enjoys the work of several artists who once lived in my hometown of Céret: Picasso, Monet and  Matisse.

Then Covid arrived. For many of us, our daily routines changed, and some of us even benefitted from having spare time to pursue interests. And this was the case for Nozomi who decided to  pick up her pen again. 

She has very kindly agreed to me sharing her work which you can see below. To see more, visit her page on Instagram @pen_and_flowers

Nozomi’s name means hope  - it seems hugely appropriate, as we step out of  2020, a challenging year, to share Nozomi’s wonderful work and to enter 2021 with Hope.

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.

Every year will be colourful on my watch!

Even I have ‘wobbled’ at the end of this tumultuous year, and I am determined to enter 2021 with positive thoughts. But today I thank you, really sincerely, for connecting with me and in doing so easing the path through to the end of 2020. I am so looking forward to sharing more ideas and yes, more colour, with you in 2021.

Happy Holidays to you all!

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.

Photography Is My Zen!

I’ve had a crazy few weeks treading a bumpy road, so much so, that it’s been difficult to keep my mojo! So this week I am not going to talk to you about photography per se - certainly nothing technical but I want to highlight the fact that behind the façade of online perfection, behind all the glossy marketing, we are all, at the end of the day: human! None of us is exempt from the highs and lows of life, alongside which - running a business or even a family for that matter, can be challenging. 

My passion for photography serves as my personal zen! I look through my viewfinder, down the nose of my lens and I find that the chaos of life fades into oblivion! I think we all need an avenue down which to escape and I find that the escapism often converts into a very positive energy in the chosen field of interest. In my case, it isn’t just the act of taking the photography which is calming, but also sitting in front of the computer with a cup of freshly brewed (milky!) tea, editing images on Lightroom is extraordinarily relaxing. The process is every bit as rewarding as the finished image and if we walk away with a good image, feeling calmer, it’s a win win.

Another point worth noting, all artists - whatever their trade: photography, music, cuisine, couture - whatever…. benefit from ups and downs. If life was an even plateau we wouldn’t experience the spectrum of emotions and our work would be as bland as our average lives!

So whatever comes your way today, embrace it and convert your experiences into life’s treasures!

And I thank you for joining me here on this page because our connection adds a very welcome dimension to my life. if you think your friends would enjoy this page, feel free to recommend.

In the meantime, I offer a ray of sunshine below which came from a ‘grey’ day :)

Don’t forget that if you want to be notified of new blog posts, all you need to do is go to my contact page and write BLOG in the message section, click send, and I will add you to my circulation list. Thank you for your interest and let’s see what we can learn together.