Wild  Willow   Ways 

BACKGROUND I live close to a large suburban parkland which is home to a beautifully restored 18th century house. The house, which was originally a 17th century house called 'The Grange', was purchased in 1764 by David La Touche, a French Huguenot and first governor of the then newly established Bank of Ireland. La Touche refurbished and extended the house and renamed it Marlay House after his wife Elizabeth Marlay. After changing hands numerous times, the house and demesne wa

What’s the purpose of a photography project? A photography project is frequently recommended as a means to enhance our creativity, spark our interest, offer motivation, and give our photography a clear direction. Engaging in a project can push us beyond our comfort zone, thus improving our skills, and achieving a tangible result, like a photo book or exhibition, can give us a sense of fulfillment. A project can help move you out of your comfort zone and try new techniques. Wh

Although I enjoy photography at all times of day, and I try to make the most of all weather conditions, I still get the most enjoyment from photography when I have some good light producing light and shadow effects. This kind of light isn't limited to golden hour or blue hour, although at other times, particularly when the light is harsh, we might need to work with the available light and adapt it to meet our photographic needs. During this photo session, I had some free time

It has been a winter of almost incessant rain, grey skies, flat light and dull, dreary conditions. It’s no surprise that these conditions have not been conducive to getting out with a (non weather sealed) camera. On this morning it seemed as though it was going to be more of the same. Seeing the overcast sky and sensing imminent rain showers, I went for a quick morning walk in the woodland without my camera. Unexpectedly, the clouds gave way to some sunshine so I decided to m

Finding the motivation to go out with your camera can be challenging. Poor weather, a busy schedule, the difficulty of leaving the house, or uncertainty about what to photograph are common obstacles. However, we all know that when we do make the effort to venture out with our camera, we rarely regret it. So, how can you increase your motivation and get out more often to do photography? A recent video by UK-based photographer Andrew Banner, Nothing To Photograph? Just ONE WORD

I have come to believe that a way to help improve my photography is to ask myself the question, why did I take this photograph? Sometimes, the answer to this question is easy to see. It might be the way the light is falling on the subject... It might be that the subject itself is interesting... It might be weather conditions that we don't see often... Or it might be that the scene tells a story... Sometimes, I am simply drawn to the aesthetics of the scene or subject and want

Photography is probably more popular today than ever before. It is said that approximately 5 billion photos are taken worldwide every day, and 90% of these are taken with smartphones. For most people, these photos will be mainly snapshots of family and friends, places they visit and photos of special occasions. Of those that are more traditional photography images, many will be of beautiful vistas in epic locations, often taken during golden hour. Most ‘casual’ photographers

This question was posed recently on a YouTube video. I thought it was an interesting one to consider. As a question, it is linked to the answer to, Why did you start taking photographs in the first place?   or even, How would you feel if you couldn’t take photographs for a month? The question is asking about the essence of photography; what it means to each of us and how we would be if it wasn’t in our lives. My answer to the question, Would you still take photographs if no-o

Photo walks are often a good opportunity to capture some images but they can also prove disappointing when we come home with nothing special. I used to believe that just going out with my camera should result in decent images every time. All I needed was to have my camera at the ready and the photographic opportunities would present themselves. But that is not the case, especially when my photo walk takes me to places with which I am very familiar and it can be difficult to k

Recently, the weather here in Ireland has not been very conducive to photography. Each day has had heavy rain, wind, cold and very little light. But not getting out to do photography has given me the opportunity to consume some photography content from books, podcasts and YouTube videos. As well as visiting the channels of photographers I know and whose content I enjoy, I have also had time to discover new channels. One such channel is that of Simon Burn, photographer and sta