As I mentioned in a recent post, I live close to a large urban park and woodland and this is the location in which I do a lot of my photography. While I like to do street and urban photography when I get the opportunity, and I love coastal photography, I am always drawn back to this woodland to walk in nature, to recharge my batteries and to take advantage of the abundance of opportunities which this location offers. I know that if I really want to create something with my camera this location won't let me down, and it's a location for all seasons. If you have a park or woodland near you why not try some photography there. Parks and woodlands provide abundant opportunities for different genres of photography, for practising your photography skills and just for having fun being out with your camera. Enjoy.

I love all seasons for photography. Each season has it’s own beauty and it’s own potential to yield beautiful images. But I suspect that I may have agreement among many photographers in saying that autumn (or fall) has that something extra that other seasons don’t offer in the same way, and that is abundance and vibrance of colour. YouTube is currently full of videos from photographers offering tips and ideas for getting the best out of your autumn photography, and I'm grateful for these as I always pick up something new to add to my own photography practice. But the truth is, even with all these ideas under your belt, when you go out with your camera, and are faced with colour and beauty all around you, it’s hard to know where to start, how to turn this abundance of colour into a worthwhile photograph, how to capture an image that truly showcases the beauty of this wonderful season. Over the last few weeks I have been getting out as much as possible to photograph autumn. And it feels different this year. It feels as though I really do want to showcase the beauty of the season, not just have a few photographs to say I photographed in autumn. Now that I have a bank of images that I quite like, I want to share what I have learned this season and share 3 tips, tips that are not just for making better autumn photographs, but which are also ways to use your photography to showcase the abundance of beauty which this season brings. PREPARE As the season began to turn from summer to autumn, I decided to pay attention to the changes that were happening around me. I watched for subtle signs of the approach of autumn in the woodland, in the countryside, and in the urban parks. I noticed how the summer flowers, many times my macro subjects, were dying away, while fungi were appearing in abundance on fallen tree stumps and along the edges of paths. Being an explorer of the in-coming season gave me a greater appreciation for potential autumn subjects, a greater readiness for the season to come and a greater connection to my resulting photographs. DIVERSIFY Often in the past when I was ‘photographing autumn’ I tended to focus on the wider landscape of colourful trees and leaves, frequently believing that a pretty scene would translate into a beautiful image. Walking along a tree lined street or a path covered with a multitude of different coloured leaves, may provide a feast of autumn colour for the eyes but an image of such a scene is often a disappointment. The problem is that although these scenes are beautiful to see they are just too ‘busy’ for a decent composition. This year I have taken a different approach. I have looked for more intimate autumnal scenes, or I have tried to pick out small details in bigger scenes, such as examples of vivid colours in the midst of dull browns and greens. I have also visited several locations and used a variety of focal lengths to gain a range of perspectives. I have experimented with wide-angle shots, used a macro lens for close-up work and taken a standard zoom lens on walkabout down country lanes, exploring the hedgerows as I walked. I have attempted to use natural light to my advantage, preferring it’s effect to that of an artificial light source, but given the generally dull conditions experienced this season I did try (unsuccessfully) to make some images using a  portable light. I have much to learn in this area! Another option I used was to get out early for my autumn photography. All autumn subjects benefit from the soft light which is available just after sunrise and just before sunset. This light gives a soft,  more painterly image, which I like. The low-angle sun can enhance textures and the long shadows it creates add drama to an image. Alternatively, I used the sun to backlight my subject to create different effects. Misty autumn mornings are great for capturing dewdrops or frosty spiderwebs, while going out after a rain shower will present you with beautiful raindrops to photograph. They may not be the conventional autumn images that you see but these conditions are a natural part of the season and are worth documenting too. Taking a range of different viewpoints can help you see more of the autumn scenery that exists all around us. You can get down low, get close with a macro lens, or shoot from a creative angle to get a different perspective. Often a phone camera can be used to create interesting viewpoints that are not normally seen. Finally, since autumn will be all around you for a short while, why not try to bring the autumn theme into your images and interpret the autumn season in your own way. Having chosen to diversify with the autumn theme this year I now have a diverse set of images showcasing this season. KEEP IT SIMPLE Autumn photography often comprises colourful wide-angle images photographed with powerful lenses which can maximise the beauty of the scene. For those of us with lesser equipment it can be a better option to keep our compositions simple and try to capture some of the more accessible features of the autumn landscape. Fungi make for a great subject and can provide a range of potential images ranging from individual mushrooms to groups of fungi in a miniature landscape. Groups of trees or individual interesting trees in a woodland can be used to create simple yet compelling autumn compositions, which can be enhanced by the use of leading lines or by using overhanging branches as a natural frame. Autumn foliage on walls or old buildings can provide colourful abstract images or serve as subjects for ICM (intentional camera movement) photography. And if you really want to include some of those colourful leaves on pathways, why not use them as foreground interest for a subject such as a bridge or tree. Ferns can be a difficult subject to photograph in an interesting way but with some creative thinking you can produce some simple, captivating images. They are in abundance in autumn, and it can be a mistake to ignore their potential. For those starting out in photography, those with less experience or less expensive equipment, keeping images simple is a great way to showcase the beauty of autumn while still having some very satisfying images to show for your efforts. FINALLY... Autumn is beautiful, it’s photogenic and it offers a rewarding experience for photographers. But it’s also short and one day or night of strong wind can strip away much of the colour, so why not get out while you can and showcase the beauty of this wonderful season.

Autumn has arrived in my part of the world and every year I see photographers on YouTube getting out into the woodland to photograph fungi. Since this was a new experience for me, I was excited to get out over recent days to discover the appeal of this type of photography. I have to say first of all that I do like macro and close-up photography, and I have enjoyed several sessions of flower and insect photography over the summer months. This left me fairly confident that I would also enjoy fungi photography, yet I was unprepared for the difficulties that I encountered. My first outing was a photographic disaster! Most of my images were blurry or badly composed. But I learned three lessons from this outing: ·      Fungi photography cannot successfully be accomplished while hand-holding a camera. ·      Fungi images need to be composed carefully if they are to look appealing. ·      Light, and the direction of light, are important considerations in this type of photography. On my next outing I made some adjustments. I brought my mini tripod, although at times it was not suitable for photographing tiny mushrooms that were close to the ground. For some images I found a stable position on a log or on the ground close to the subject and adjusted the camera position to suit. The second change I made was to spend time with each subject, focusing on different parts of the composition to find the most appealing way to frame the individual subjects or small group of fungi, using the available light to the best advantage. I also paid attention to the background elements and tried to ensure that tiny twigs, leaves, or pieces of tree bark didn’t distract from the main subjects. In some cases I had to gently move objects aside while being carefully not to damage any plants. I love autumn colours in general landscape photography so in this miniature world I attempted to use colour to add a rustic, autumnal feel to my images. While these changes did help to give me more well composed and in-focus images, I did have a few blurry offerings because I still had to press the shutter button by hand, so my final ‘note to self’ is – use the camera's self timer or, even better, purchase a remote shutter release! If you are interested in trying fungi photography I hope that some of these tips will be useful.

Photographs Are Everywhere Mike Chudley is a UK photographer who normally shoots on the busy streets of London. In a recent video he visits his home town in the north of England and tries to prove his view that photography is interesting wherever you go. He sets about exploring what many might consider to be a 'boring location' to see if he can get creative with his photography. In the video Mike Chudley makes the point that if you have your camera with you and spend some time just noticing things and seeing what you can find then unexpected things will show up. The video resonates with me because I have the same belief. When I go out with my camera and remain open to photographing anything that catches my eye I discover lots of compositions. To quote what Mike Chudley says in the video, 'You can still have fun looking for things, observing things, just trying to find the little nuances of each location.' That's what I have done on many photography outings in my local area, which many people would dismiss as uninteresting for photography. Yet I have found that photographs are everywhere, you just have to find them. You can check out Mike Chudley's video below: How to Photograph Boring Places

I recently spent some time on the Sligo/Donegal coast on the north west of Ireland. This particular stretch of the Wild Atlantic Coastline is one of my favourite places to visit. While staying in the quiet village of Mullaghmore, I had on my doorstep an amazing clifftop walk along the Wild Atlantic Way, which can indeed be very wild. I was surrounded by numerous vast sandy beaches, overlooked by several mountain ranges and situated in the centre of a bustling harbour famous for it’s water sports and pier diving. Weather is no obstacle in this part of the country as locals gather every morning for an early sea swim and visitors mingle with residents as they sit to watch, and maybe photograph, regular stunning sunsets. I visit this area every year and enjoy the temperate climate of early autumn. In my morning photo walks I am often fortunate to see the mountains covered in early morning mists or to capture some amazing sunrises. Mullaghmore Pier Mullaghmore - A Village by the Sea Cliff Road around Mullaghmore Headland View through the harbour wall A moment of solitude by the sea Classiebawn Castle, Mullaghmore Sea spray Pick up point for daily boat tours Morning view from the pier A wider view of the village and harbour The Atlantic in a calmer moment This location offers something for every photographer, from stunning wide angle landscape shots to opportunities to capture intimate, creative images. I have photographed here for many seasons and have never exhausted the possibilities. If you live near a coastal area, or have the opportunity to visit such a location, I hope these images will give you some inspiration.

I am fortunate to live close to a beautiful urban park and woodland and it is where I go to do most of my photography. In this location I have done woodland photography in all seasons, I have discovered a love for macro and found great subjects for ICM photography. I have been to this park for early morning light and to catch a sunset. I have taken photos of wide vistas and of small, intimate scenes. I have photographed a range of subjects through all seasons including people, ancient trees, flowing waterfalls, graceful swans, colourful plants and tiny insects. Marlay Park is a vast, secluded location where there is always something to photograph and where the sights and sounds of nature are your constant companions. Displayed below are some of my recent images.   Do you have a go-to place for daily photography?

I spent a few hours in this small village on the south coast of Ireland. I had my Olympus OM-D E-M 10 ii and one lens so I made the best of the limited choice. Here are some images from my visit. These are not necessarily images that I will keep but I did enjoy wandering around this coastal village, camera in hand, and making images of anything that caught my attention.

As part of my desire to explore all types of photography I experimented with street and urban photography, and I soon discovered a strong interest in these genres. Yet despite this interest I continued to shy away from photographing at big events such as carnivals, festivals or street parades. My belief was that it would be difficult to single out interesting images during the confusion of such events. But I was wrong in my thinking, and as I took tentative steps towards photographing at large events I realised that they provide a wealth of photographic opportunities, and that if you apply some of the normal tips for getting good photographs you can get some decent results as well as having a very enjoyable experience. Here are my 7 tips for creating better images at street events. 1. TRY TO CAPTURE THE REAL ESSENCE OF THE EVENT   Consider the type of event that is taking place by asking yourself: What is the purpose of the event and how is that portrayed by the participants? Is it a fun event or a serious protest? Is it a formal parade or a community gathering? How is the purpose of the event conveyed to the audience? Try to convey that same sense of purpose through your photographs. While a protest event may not have many light-hearted moments, a community event will usually have many examples of people having fun, enjoying the entertainment and sampling the variety of events on offer. 2. LOOK OUT FOR THINGS THAT CATCH YOUR EYE AMONG ALL THE ACTIVITY You won’t be able to capture every moment of a big event. They often last for hours and consist of many diverse activities. However, you can look for moments that speak to you and try to create your own set of images that represent the event for you. 3. LOOK FOR EMOTION   Whatever type of event it may be, there will be a range of emotion on display on the faces of the people attending. There may be awe and appreciation for what they see, expressions of solidarity at a serious event or joy at a fun event. Try to capture a range of these emotions in your images - a smile, a look passing between two people, a gesture, interaction between people, and so on. These fleeting moments may not be captured in quite the same way by anyone else so you will have your own unique images of the day. 4. CAPTURE SOME STREET PORTRAITS Street portraits, that is photographs that are posed rather than candid, are easy to capture at street events, particularly if the event has a carnival atmosphere. Most of the participants will be happy to pose for photographs and they will often provide you with wonderful colourful subjects. Unfortunately, sometimes many cameras compete for attention! 5. GET AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN As I mentioned in the last point, participants at street events expect to have their photographs taken so these events are an ideal opportunity to get closer to your subjects than you might normally do. Why not seize the opportunity to get great close-up images! 6. SCAN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE EVENT FOR INTEREST Big events are often surrounded by peripheral activities which can provide extra opportunities for catching a unique moment. There might be a food market, children’s activities and other ‘fringe’ events worth exploring. Sometimes preparations before, or the aftermath of the main event, can be worth observing to see if anything of interest emerges. And finally... 7. TELL THE STORY OF THE EVENT THROUGH THE MOMENTS YOU CHOOSE TO DOCUMENT Stories are everywhere at big events, all you have to do is be observant and alert to all that is unfolding around you. Capture small, fleeting moments that no-one else notices. Capture people immersed in what they are doing; capture their costumes, activities and interactions. Capture interesting movements, gestures or expressions that won’t be repeated. These things are what tell the story of the event. They show involvement and emotion and are completely candid and unrehearsed. By carefully choosing to capture a mix of formal and informal moments you can build a complete picture of an event as well as immersing yourself in the diversity of activities, sampling the excellent food and enjoying a day of photography. *** I took the images above at the annual celebration of the founding of the city of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal. Vila Real de Santo Antonio was a new settlement commissioned by Joseph 1 of Portugal in 1776 following the great earthquake of 1755. Residents are preparing to celebrate the 250th anniversary of their city in 2026! This year marked 248 years since the building of the city. A parade of local people in period costume opened a week long historical festival comprising of music, dance, drama, street games, roasting pig, street vendors and artists. The city produced a week of culture, colour and celebration as the streets came alive with re-enactments of life in 1776. It was a special holiday bonus to be a visitor for this wonderful celebration.

On my photography walks I frequently have Shoot What You See sessions where I literally shoot whatever captures my attention. I don’t aim for Instagram worthy images or for subjects that might appeal to others. I simply take pictures that I want to take, and I enjoy taking them.  Doing regular  Shoot What You See sessions has several advantages.   Firstly, they give you a great sense of freedom to do what you want to do, and to learn more about yourself as a photographer. Free from expectations, either from yourself or others, you can experiment, discover what you like, and play around with different compositions and styles of photography.  Secondly, the images you capture will not necessarily be images that you will show to others (although they might be!) but you won’t always delete the images either. As mentioned above, there may be images that will help you learn about yourself as a photographer; about the subjects you like to shoot, the focal lengths you prefer and the conditions that best suit your photography.  There may be images that you can work with in an editing program to help you refine your editing skills, or there may be images that you will save to a folder that can be revisited at a later stage when you may even discover a hidden gem!  A third advantage of doing regular Shoot What You See sessions is that you will begin to see images where you may not normally see them and you will begin to capture subjects that you would normally ignore. You can be as creative as you like as you are only pleasing yourself.  *** I recently engaged in two Shoot What You See  sessions. The first session was on a bright morning in my neighbourhood, the second was during a short break in a small coastal village. Here are some images from the two sessions with comments on why they caught my attention. I like the way the light behaves in these scenes. I think it turns a regular suburban street into something worth photographing. I came across this communal greenhouse on the edge of a housing estate. I like the idea so I took a photograph. The bright primary colours caught my attention here, as well as the contrast between light and shadow on the left of the scene. A simple image of a branch but the shape stood out for me against the green of the hedge. I just couldn't ignore this subject, especially because of how it was lit by the early morning sun. I am often drawn to shadows on walls. I like the abstract nature of the images they create. This is an image taken on while on holiday. I went for a walk with the intention of capturing anything that caught my attention. In this case it was the boy sitting in the sand. I think that the image is balanced by the people in the water who are placed at a diagonal from the boy's position. I also think the image conveys a strong story. I tend to be drawn to examples of natural framing. I usually find that there are a few examples of these from every outing. This is another image from my holiday walkabout. The image is nothing special but I tend to photograph fishermen's ropes whenever I see them. They provide a good visual example of human activity in a coastal area. Also, I like to look back on these images and be reminded of summer days. I am particularly drawn to taking photographs of huts, sheds and all kinds of interesting structures. I think the wooden shelter makes a nice foreground in this coastal image. Shooting What You See helps you to learn and improve your photography skills but it is mostly about freedom and enjoyment. Why not take your camera and try it for yourself?

As I mentioned in a recent post , I like to do a daily walk with my camera. This is not just for photography reasons; it's also because getting out frequently with my camera has enormous benefits for my physical and mental wellbeing. However, I do like to take some photos when I’m out. After all, this is why I take a camera along. The difficulty is that I have become very familiar with my local surroundings so I can struggle to find something to photograph. To combat this, I have recently tried a new approach. As well as my usual subjects I have been taking photos of subjects that I might normally have passed without noticing. I have been looking for images in places that I might otherwise have dismissed, or I have tried to find interest or even beauty in the mundane and ordinary. On my morning walks with my camera I look for small scenes and challenge myself to look more deeply and observe. Sometimes I have attempted to make some abstract images, although I need a lot of practice to get something worthwhile. I don’t want to take pictures for the sake of taking pictures. I want to enjoy taking pictures. I want to be inspired by the subjects I find, or by the light, or by shapes and patterns. I want to take pictures of subjects and scenes that challenge me to discover them, subjects that others may not bother with but which speak to me in some way. Taking an approach like this has given my photography a new impetus and I am discovering that there are photographs to be found everywhere. I just have to be open to looking more closely and allowing these hidden gems to reveal themselves to me.   Photography is not about looking for 'Instagramable' images, nor is it about being overly influenced by others and only taking images of popular or common subjects. After all, it's hard to get an original sunrise! No, photography is about enjoying the journey, following your own unique path, finding and capturing images that catch your attention and spark your interest. The images above will not win any photography awards but they are the result of many hours of enjoyable time with my camera discovering my own hidden gems. What about heading out and having fun discovering your own hidden gems?

I have just arrived home from a morning walk in my local park/woodland on a crisp, dry November morning. I brought my camera with me and took a few photographs. I didn’t do any chimping, so I don’t know if the images are any good. But that doesn’t really matter as I was involved in the process of photography and I had a great time on my photography shoot. The title of this blog, Is Process or Product More Important in Photography? asks a question which might have a different answer depending on the type of photographer you ask. A professional photographer who depends on good results to make a living will undoubtedly say product is most important, but for those of us who are amateur photographers the answer might not be as simple. Sure, we will want to see success in our photography in terms of good images, otherwise we may become disheartened and believe that we are not good enough. But do we need good images every time we go out with our camera? Could we measure success in another way? On my morning outing I stopped in a part of the woods that I had scouted on a previous occasion with my phone camera. Google Pixel 7 Pro Nikon D5600 I enjoyed looking for a strong subject, finding the best position from which to shoot based on light and composition, adjusting my camera settings, and capturing multiple images in a small area. While there, I got to listen to bird song, see the early morning sun stream through the trees, admire the vibrant autumn colours and feel the chilly air of an early November morning. I had an opportunity to get some exercise, to find solitude surrounded by the beauty of nature and to clear my head before the busy day began. I felt grateful to be alive and privileged to be able to enjoy the abundance of nature. On my walk home I thought about the hour I had just spent and I had no doubts that for me process is what is most important in photography as it involves so much more than just coming home with a good image. For me, photography is an antidote to the stress and pressures of life. Photography is about enjoyment, relaxation, and being creative. It’s about being out in nature, capturing what draws my eye, connecting with people or the natural world around me. Next time you go out with your camera ask yourself whether process or product is more important in your photography. And if the final product is what is most important you might try prioritising the process to see if that brings more enjoyment. When I finally looked at my images I was pleased with some of them. And the others? As always, they provided me with new learning experiences! Is process or product more important in photography? What do you think? You might like to check out this video Why Process Beats Results in Street Photography by street photographer Tim Jamieson in which he discusses a similar theme.