What is your least favourite type of photography? I haven’t much interest in food photography and documentary photography is a genre I haven’t really tried. I haven’t tried fashion photography either, and I don’t think I’ll be doing it anytime soon. There are two types of photography that interest me but in which I haven’t yet made much progress. One is portrait photography, and the other is architectural photography. Initially when I started photography, I steered away from portrait photography as I felt that it was a difficult area to get right. Also, I didn’t know where I would get subjects who would pose to have their portrait taken. Then my first grandchild was born and suddenly I was into baby portraits with a ‘willing’ subject. As she has grown, I have had many opportunities to photograph candid images of a child at play, and her little sister now obliges for the baby portraits! That leaves architectural photography. I happened to discover a few YouTube channels which gave some tips on how to get interesting images in architectural photography, so I decided to give this form of photography a try, for three main reasons: (a) I think it will provide me with a new challenge, which will benefit my overall progress in photography. (b) It is a good winter photography activity. (c) It will give me an opportunity to learn new skills and techniques. As in all types of photography, it is not always easy to capture a good image in architectural photography. It's not simply a matter of going out and snapping buildings. That might give us images, but it won’t give us images that are pleasing to the human eye and that, after all, is always our aim in photography. How we compose our images is a key element in successful architectural photography. Architects design buildings in a certain way for a reason so if we can make the most of these design elements in our compositions, we have a good chance of capturing a good photograph. Composition is central to all types of photography. Some of the main elements of photography, such as shape, line, texture, form, scale and pattern are dominant elements in architecture. If we concentrate on working with the geometry of buildings, it will give us something definite to work with. Symmetry, and indeed asymmetry, are also found in abundance in the built environment and they offer opportunities to create pleasing images. One of the most fascinating aspects of architectural photography is the sheer diversity of buildings we find in our towns and cities. This diversity is also evident between cities and between city and countryside. There are buildings representative of different eras and made up of the many influences of the people who lived in the place and their design preferences. As part of this delve into architectural photography, I was led into doing some research on the key architectural influences in my own city and country, which proved to be a very interesting activity. Below are some of my initial images in this genre of photography.

What type of photos do you take with your phone camera? Many people use their phone camera for posting on social media, taking photographs of family and friends, and for other types of casual photography. Many would not consider their phone camera to be an option for serious photography. Sure, it will take a great sunrise or sunset shot and these don’t always appear when you have your ‘real’ camera with you, but to get the best out of photography most people tend to reach for a bigger camera than the one their phone offers. In many ways I agree that a phone camera is not ideal for serious photography. It doesn’t provide the real photography experience that many budding or serious photographers look for, which comes with using a dedicated camera. When I think of going out for an enjoyable time with my camera it is my Nikon that I’m thinking of, not my phone! As well as lacking the ‘real photography’ feel, phone cameras are often lacking in terms of image quality too. Colours can be overly saturated and have that phone camera look that many photographers dislike. However, there is one area of photography in which I would argue that the phone camera can hold its own and that is in street/urban photography. When photographers give advice about the best type of camera for street photography they usually advise using a small camera that will be easy to carry around and will be inconspicuous. Also recommended would be the use of a fixed focal length lens or a short zoom. Compact cameras such as Ricoh and Leica, although expensive, have been favourites for street photography, and Fujifilm cameras are popular with modern day street photographers. I have a small Olympus micro four thirds camera which I pair with a 14-42mm pancake lens for street shooting, although it’s a bit too big to carry all the time. It is for that reason that I don’t dismiss my phone camera for street photography. I have it with me all the time, always at the ready so that I don’t miss that candid shot. Given the specs of the best street cameras, I am not suggesting that phone cameras are on a par with dedicated cameras, nor that the fact that we always have them with us is all we need. Successful street photography is about more than just snapping images in the street. But I do believe that phone cameras can provide most of the requirements of a good street photograph. On a technical level they can produce sharp images, and most mid and high-end phones now house multi lens cameras in a compact package. They slip into a bag or pocket and are easy to access, so taking a photograph couldn’t be easier. On a creative level phone cameras also have much to offer to street/urban photography. We can shoot from different perspectives, take a wide angle shot, get close-up and blur the background, use different camera modes such as motion or portrait mode, or take a panorama shot. And all without changing lenses or fiddling with camera settings. * Street photography is about being there, in the moment, ready to make an image when the conditions are right. A good street image will have an interesting subject, a simple composition and be a documentary of everyday life in a place. It will require good observation skills and a keen eye for what will make a decent image. A good street image will tell a narrative of a people, a time and a place. It will reveal the character of a place through its buildings or features. And it is the photographer whose skill is required, regardless of the choice of equipment. On recent street photography/urban photography outings I have deliberately gone out with just my phone camera to see if I am at a disadvantage for not having my real camera with me. I also attempted to experiment with different urban photography techniques. In each of the examples I describe what I was looking for and you can decide whether the phone camera was able to deliver. Exploring shapes Looking for examples of symmetry or near symmetry Experimenting with capturing images through glass Although most photographers would not use their phone camera as their go-to camera for serious photography I would argue that we shouldn't dismiss our phone camera for doing street or urban photography, either close to home or when travelling. A phone camera is convenient, easy to fire up when a photo opportunity presents itself, it has several lenses for different shooting options, it makes a decent image and it allows us to experiment, discover what is around us and document our surroundings at every opportunity. Why not take your phone camera out to your nearest town or city and enjoy discovering what it can do? You might also enjoy... Getting Better Photographs From Your Phone Camera by Sean Tucker. I believe that a photographer who really sees, but has a cheap camera; will produce better images than a photographer with the best gear, but no vision... every time. Sean Tucker

This might seem to be an impossible question to answer as surely the best location will depend on the type of photography you are doing? Well…yes and no. Certainly, iconic locations like Iceland are great for landscape photography and major cities will provide the best opportunities for urban/street photography, but notwithstanding that, I would suggest that no matter which genre of photography you do, the best location is the one you know best. Whether it is an urban setting, a classic landscape environment, a coastal region or a woodland area, I believe that you will make the most of a location that you know well. This will be a location that you can visit often, in different seasons, even different times of day. It will be a location where you have taken lots of photographs. It will be a location that has enough features to offer plenty of photographic potential. I have three main reasons for my belief. 1. When you are new to a location, or visiting an iconic location, you need to spend a lot of time getting to know the place, studying the light, searching for compositions, often to discover that the conditions are not right or the composition you thought you would find isn’t there. When you are familiar with all that a location has to offer you will know the best times to visit, you will be familiar with how the light behaves, you will be able to find compositions that others might miss, and you will be able to return often if a composition alludes you on one visit. 2. When you are familiar with a location you will set out with an area in mind to suit your photography plan. It might be a wooded area one day, a waterfall or riverbank on another occasion, a village close by where people gather or even an isolated spot with easy access. You can practise different types of photography on different occasions knowing that you have many opportunities for experimentation. You can easily scout the area for photographic opportunities, with or without a camera, with the intention of returning when conditions might be more favourable. One of the best ways to improve at photography is to practice; to get out with your camera and take lots of photographs; to think like a photographer wherever you happen to be. While being in an iconic location, especially if you are there with a tutor, will definitely give you some additional skills, nothing beats having the opportunity to keep getting out and taking pictures. 3. Being familiar with a location and visiting often may sound as though it will become boring and that soon there will be no more images to be found. However, this can be an incentive to increase your creativity as you attempt to find more original compositions. Instead of shooting a wide scene you might concentrate on a more intimate shot. You might make an image when there is good light and again when the conditions are dark and moody. You might go out with a theme or challenge in mind and try to find images to suit that theme in your location. For example, you might set yourself the task of making a minimalist image or trying abstract photography. In a familiar location that you can visit often it’s easier to take on a project such as photographing the same tree in every season, or it may lend itself to a storytelling project. A familiar location is well suited to mindful photography, if that’s your thing, as you won’t have the stress of travelling too far and you won’t be anxious about coming back with that great image that you might not have a chance to capture again. You can be relaxed take your photography easy, which is often when you will make your best images. * I have two main photography locations that I know well, can visit often and from which I have many photographs. The first is a local woodland on a large estate. It is close to my home and offers potential for different types of images. In my last post described how I used this location to approach storytelling through photography. I can visit for sunrise or sunset, I can visit in all seasons, I can make woodland images, wide vistas or images at one of a number of waterfalls. I can make close-up images, visit the walled garden to do flower photography, or even try event photography at one of the many special events throughout the year. I can wander down pathways or along the riverbank and discover an abundance of wildlife and other elements of nature. I can stroll among the hundreds of native trees and always find an image waiting for me. I can visit often and use the location for experimentation and to develop new skills. I can try to become more creative; I can take on a challenge, do abstract photography or find numerous opportunities to do ICM. I can make mistakes and use them as learning opportunities knowing that I can easily go back and try again. Many times I go on a photography outing to this location feeling that there is nothing left to photograph, and these are the occasions that have given me some of my best images. No matter when I visit this location, I find something to capture with my camera. Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin Mullaghmore My second familiar location is an area in the west of Ireland to which I am a frequent visitor. It is a coastal location with a busy harbour, stunning scenery, a bustling village during summer months, great cliff walks and sea swimming. The weather is changeable, even in summer, every tide brings something different to the landscape and there is always something to photograph. To sum up: What do we want from a location? · Potential for good images · Variety of different compositions · Opportunities to use a range of focal lengths and different types of shots · A place that will help us to improve as photographers What is the best location for photography? The location that we know best.

I went for a photography walk in my favourite location (Marlay Park and Demesne, Dublin) on a bright frosty morning in early February. The sky was clear blue with no dramatic clouds and as I walked along I began to wonder if my belief that there is always something interesting to shoot in this location might in fact be wishful thinking. Then a few minutes later I turned a corner and saw Laurelmere Cottage. I thought of a loose plan I had to do storytelling through photography and decided that this would be a perfect subject. Background Laurelmere Cottage is located in the heart of Marlay Park in South County Dublin. It is the last surviving gate lodge on the 247 acre Marlay Demense which, after lying unoccupied since the mid-1970s, has recently been restored. The house was originally built in the 18th century as a thatched cottage for the La Touche family, the original owners of Marlay House, an 18th century Georgian house on Marley estate. The cottage was in use by subsequent owners until it was acquired by Dublin County Council in 1972. Abandoned for years, Laurelmere was restored by the council in 2014 for the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland. How do I tell the story of Laurelmere through photography? Put simply, storytelling in photography refers to the creation of a series of photographs about a specific place, event or people. Storytelling through photography helps you to think about more than capturing one photo in isolation; it encourages you to form the story in your mind as you are making the images and to think of the story behind the images. One of my first attempts at storytelling through photography was at a triathlon event in a small coastal village in the west of Ireland. On that occasion I took several photos that I thought would reveal the main story to the viewer, but I didn’t really use a plan. Recently I have done some research to find out if there are accepted guidelines for storytelling through photography. As in all aspects of photography, these are not rules but guidance on how to make images, or a series of images, more appealing to the viewer, so it is worth my while to pay attention to them. An approach to storytelling through photography There are three main types of shot necessary to establish a good series of photos. 1. Establishing Shot Firstly, you need a subject, then you take an establishing shot. This is usually a wide-angle shot showing the subject in the context of its environment. Usually, one establishing shot is all that you need. I chose this shot as my establishing shot. It shows the front of Laurelmere Cottage set within its surroundings. 2. Telling the story shots The second style of shot tells the story of the scene, filling the frame with your subject. These are often medium angle shots with a simple composition. Some of the photos may give additional aspects that contribute to the overall story. Two or three of these types of shots are the norm. These shots show some of the features of the cottage. 3. Close-up shots These shots show close-up details of the subject to give a fuller picture to the viewer. Loved by birds Home to many species of trees and plants Conclusion While it is possible to tell a story using just one image, storytelling through using a series of images has several advantages. It allows you to bring a place or scene to the attention of the viewer by using carefully chosen images. It helps you to think beyond just capturing single images. It adds interest to your photography. By using five or seven images based on the headings above you can create a compelling story that will capture the interest of your viewers. If you are interested in telling a story through your photography you might like to read these posts. How Storytelling Can Change Your Photography Why I Decided to Try a Street Photography Mini Project

As a follow-up to my last post, here are 10 ideas I have used to help challenge myself in photography, in an attempt to move my photography to the ‘next level’. I hope some of them work for you. 1. Try a different genre of photography Do you take landscape photographs to the exclusion of everything else? Do you concentrate only on street photography? Is portrait photography your only photography genre? As a beginner, if you concentrate exclusively on one area of photography you might consider trying something different as a challenge. For example, if you photograph natural landscapes only, why not try some architectural photography? If you normally shoot scenes exactly as you see them, why not give abstract photography a try? Trying something different challenges you to think differently, to employ different skills and to discover new ways of working at your craft. There are lots of features in the built environment that make for interesting images. 2. If you shoot in colour, try black and white In my opinion, shooting in black and white gives a completely new dimension to your photography. Try setting your camera to monochrome and notice how you take photographs. You will automatically look for strong structure and good contrast, pay close attention to composition and have a definite vision about your final image. Eliminating colour strips your image down to bare basics and getting the image right will take a different approach than when you rely on colour for the success of your image. The lack of colour here adds to the wintry feel of the image. 3. Go to new places This may seem obvious but going somewhere different can really help us find a new enthusiasm. This can be a photography trip to another country or just to an unfamiliar place with new photographic opportunities. I recently shared some images from a park that I hadn’t visited before. It wasn't easy to find good compositions and the images I made weren’t spectacular but they were memorable in that I had to think about my approach and use some composition tips to get anything worthwhile. I tried to find a leading line to lead the viewer through the image. This S-bend worked well and I also like the way the trees lean over the path. 4. Try a project or assignment We can challenge ourselves by taking on a personal project or assignment. I was recently given a book which simply invited me to take 200 short photography challenges, each based on a prompt such as, capture a rough texture, try out some minimalist photography, capture something in the wild , and so on. The idea is to print them and add them to the book which will become a record of my progress in photography, of my interpretation of each of the challenges and of my developing creativity. I included this image as an example of minimalist photography. 5. Get out of your comfort zone Take part in a competition or challenge online, in a photography magazine or on social media, where you are required to adhere to a set of regulations, work within certain parameters and submit your images to a team of judges or to a photography group. In this instance you have to be confident about showing your work, which may require overcoming inhibitions, and this provides an ongoing challenge. I submitted this image to a recent 'Fire' Photography Challenge. The image was shown on the channel as an example of a creative interpretation of the theme. I had been reluctant to submit my image to a public forum, but I was glad that I took the risk. 6. Join a workshop or camera club While many photographers prefer to work alone, there are advantages in joining a group of like-minded people who share experiences and ideas, give suggestions and provide a sounding board for each other. I remember each workshop I have attended, whether in person or online, and in each of them I drew encouragement from discussions with other members of the group as well as from an experienced facilitator. If you find yourself needing motivation and inspiration this is a sure-fire way to re-group and add some new experiences to your photography journey. I took this image on a memorable street photography workshop, and I am proud of it, yet I know I would not have taken the image without the encouragement of the facilitator. 7. Study the work of photographers you admire and find out why you like their work We are drawn to the work of some photographers more than that of others. It helps our own photography practice to study the work of those photographers we like, whether this is in a physical photography exhibition, an online platform or in book form. It is worth asking ourselves what it is about the work of these photographers that draws us towards their images. Is it the subject matter, the colours they use, their composition style? If we like some of their images and not others, do we know why this is? By trying to answer these questions for ourselves we are discovering something about our own preferences and this in turn helps build our own profile as a developing photographer. The idea is not to compare our work to these photographers and feel that we will never reach their standards. Rather, the aim is to see what we might have in common with these photographers and learn from their approach. There are many photographers whose work is easy to access online and it is easier than ever to study and learn from good photography. Adding this to our repertoire of skills can challenge us to get out of a rut and to aim for better. https://www.youtube.com/@JamesPopsysPhoto https://www.youtube.com/@VisualisingScotland https://www.youtube.com/@TheJoshuaPeg These are some of the photographers whose work I admire. I like their photography style and their images. The topics they cover on their respective channels are accessible to all levels of photographer and they provide plenty of encouragement for growth in our photography journeys. You will easily find others whose style of photography appeals to you. 8. Try a type of photography you think you don’t like This suggestion might not appeal to everyone. You might ask, why should I spend time doing something I don’t enjoy? My answer is that sometimes we need to confront our prejudices. As an example, I used to have no interest in any type of abstract photography. I liked to look at abstract images but practising this type of photography had no appeal for me. Then I watched a talented photographer doing photography using Intentional Camera Movement (ICM). I liked the final images but didn’t think it would add to my enjoyment of photography. I tried ICM for myself and began to enjoy it as a creative outlet for my photography. I loved experimenting with movements, colours, shapes and textures, and this type of photography has now become a favourite of mine. ICM photography is simple to do and the results can be surprising. 9. Limit yourself to one lens for a while It is easy to become complacent in our use of lenses, especially if we get used to carrying a lens with a varied focal range. But it is always a good idea to limit ourselves to just one focal length for a while and see what difference it can make to our photography. Sometimes I have limited myself to a prime lens with a fixed focal length of 50mm or 35mm. Without the possibility of being able to zoom I have to focus differently and move more to get the best compositions. A prime lens will also give me a wider aperture to experiment with. On another occasion I may go out with a telephoto lens which will encourage me to pick out details in a scene rather than focus on the wider scene. Alternatively, I might spend some time with a macro lens, getting up close to my subject and seeing details not normally seen with the human eye. This will often add a new dimension to our photography. While it can be convenient to have a lens with a varied focal length why not challenge yourself to something different and see if it helps you change the way you do photography. Trying to capture a sharp image with a blurry background can be difficult to achieve but it is worth experimenting with a wide aperture to see what results 10. Print your images Often our images go no further than a folder on our computer. They remain as digital images and we miss seeing them in their best possible format – that is, in print! Printing our images presents us with an interesting process. When we decide to print an image we will spend time ensuring that it is an image we like, we edit to the best of our ability, we choose a good quality paper and we can feel proud as we hold the physical copy of the image or display it in a frame to hang on the wall. There are lots of ways of making use of the printed form of images, as well as framing them for display. We can choose a number of images to make a yearly calendar or include them in a photo book where we can add our own captions or notes. Photo books can be printed fairly cheaply or we can spend a bit more to get a more professional finish. Whether you choose to occasionally print an image to hang at home, enjoy browsing through a book of your personally chosen images or feel proud as you turn the page of your calendar each month to reveal one of your images, seeing your images in print is very worthwhile and a good way to challenge how you look at your photography. All of these ideas have the potential to help us take our photography to a new level and to give us new challenges which will contribute to our growth and developmnet as photographers. Why not pick the one the appeals to you most and give it a try?

If we are serious about our pursuit of photography, we will want it to be a fulfilling pastime for ourselves, yet we will also want our photography to connect with others. If we hope to produce images that will engage others we need to make them interesting. When I find an image interesting and worthy of a second look it is always because I feel something. The image speaks to me in some way, touches an emotional chord even at a subconscious level. I have referred in other posts to the importance of being in the moment while doing photography and I believe that mindful photography gives us the opportunity to respond emotionally to our external subject and our surroundings as well as becoming more aware of our inner emotional landscape. Being aware of this emotional connection as we do photography gives us the best chance of making interesting images that elicit an emotional response in others. Recently, while reading about mindful photography, I came across an approach called the P.A.U.S.E approach. While I have used the headings originally suggested in this approach, the explanation of each heading is my own, as it applies to my photography. P Be Present. Be present in the moment; be mindful. When we take time not just to look, but to really see, not just to listen but to really hear all that is around us, we will immediately elevate our photography to a different plane. It is by being in the moment that we connect with our subject on a deeper level and allow ourselves to feel an emotional response to our subject. Recently, when photographing another subject, I felt drawn to this scene. When I asked myself why I felt drawn to it I realised that the earthy colours, the muddy lane, the bare trees and stone wall reminded me of childhood winters growing up in the countryside. That connection has given me a love for this image, even though the image itself may not be great. A Be Aware Be aware of how you are feeling as you shoot. Sometimes it is not until afterwards, when I look at the day’s images back at home, that I consider why I was drawn to certain subjects. I am slowly learning to be more aware, as I am taking my photographs, of what I like, of what appeals to me in terms of subjects, and of how I like to frame these images. I become more aware by constantly observing, looking for potential images around me even when I don’t have a camera and framing pictures in my mind. This has helped me to become more emotionally engaged when I am at a scene with my camera. U Understand Understand why you have chosen this subject, in this location. As I progress in my photography my understanding of what I stop to photograph, and why, is developing. In my earlier photography days I would have walked past a stone wall without seeing it as something worth photographing. After all, it was just a wall. Now I see and understand differently. When I look closely at a stone wall, I see colours and patterns, shape and texture. It can be a boundary wall built as protection; it can be a leading line. An old stone wall has history and human influence hidden in every crevice. Rather than dismiss it as just a wall, I can highlight it’s features, tell part of its story in my images. When I deepen my understanding, I deepen my potential for good photography. S Shift perspective How can you show your subject to its best potential? Do you need to get higher and shoot down, or get lower and shoot up? Do you need to show just part of the subject or frame it with something else? What length of lens will you use; will you go close up or take a wide-angle shot? I took shots of this church from different perspectives to try to best capture what I was feeling at the time – a sense of the importance of this place, both now and down through many generations past. E Be Engaged Enjoy what you are doing at a deep level. Let it envelop you, move you, change you. If you are engaged with your subject you will be engaged with the way in which you represent it in your image. Let the subject speak to you, guide you as to how to best take the photograph. I come to this location often in the early morning. On this occasion I wanted to capture the beautiful morning sky behind the building and trees. Yet I felt that the image lacked something so I waited until some birds flew into the scene. I think it was the scene itself that suggested what was needed to complete the image! I hope that using the P.A.U.S.E approach will help you to add something extra to your images.

If there was a set of ingredients that we could use to make our photographs interesting and appealing to others, we would all be creating amazing images all the time. Unfortunately, there is no such set of ingredients. There are suggestions, guidelines, ideas and pointers that we can follow, but how to put these together in the frame, and end up with an image that will be interesting to those who look at it, is not an easy task. Despite studying the work of great photographers, taking photography classes and spending many hours in the field making images, we often find it difficult to end up with anything that will be appealing to a viewer. So, how do make our images more interesting and engaging for others? What is it that makes an image powerful? What will make our images stand out from the crowd? If you think of some images that produce an emotional reaction in you, what has the photographer done to produce this reaction? Finding the answer to that question might help you to do the same in your own images. Is it down to subject, light, viewpoint, composition, relationship between elements in the frame or a combination of these? Subject is undoubtedly an important element in every image, so, as a photographer, it is important to consider why you are drawn to the subject you have chosen. If you are serious about your photography you will avoid shooting randomly without giving much thought to what you are shooting. Instead, you will begin to feel drawn to certain subjects and these will become important elements in your work. Maybe you like capturing beautiful things, or you might prefer finding beauty in the ordinary and revealing this to the viewer. You might be drawn to natural elements such as rocks, sea or mountains, or maybe you like to include a human element in your images. You might be drawn to capturing trees, but not just any trees. Maybe you like trees that grow in a certain way or that relate to the trees around them through the shape they create. Strong patterns, shapes, colours and tones might feature prominently in your photography. Whatever your preference is, it is your preference and it is so for a reason, so it is worth being aware of that preference when making your images. I don't know why, but I love including stones in my images. Composition refers to how you arrange all the elements in the scene to make a pleasing image. Learning how to properly compose your photos will help you to drawn attention to your subject. This will involve careful use of well-established composition techniques and strategies rather than simply looking and quickly capturing what you see. With practice you will begin to develop an eye for good composition, which will in turn strengthen your images. Natural framing and using leading lines are two effective composition techniques. Including a human subject, or subjects, can elevate the image to more than just an empty landscape and help to tell a story. Mood refers to the feeling you want to convey in your image. Do you want a bright sunny image or a dark brooding one? Do you want to capture and reflect the external conditions on the day so that the viewer will get a sense of what you experienced? Do you want your image to reflect how you were feeling when you took the photograph? Do you want to capture how the subject made you feel? The mood of the image will be determined by how you make use of light in the image, the perspective you choose, how you use the weather conditions to sum up the mood you wish to convey and by the location you are in. By creating mood and atmosphere you can draw the viewer in and help them to connect with your image. Identifying with the mood of the image may evoke feelings in the viewer such as awe, joy, sadness or loneliness or bring back forgotten memories. When you create connection between viewer and photograph you can consider that your image is successful. This connection between viewer and image is not easy to achieve. Before you can even attempt to achieve it, I believe that you must feel for yourself that connection with your subject. There is another important ingredient which plays a part in achieving a worthwhile image. That is the emotional impact of the image. Emotional reaction is when external conditions have an internal impact. Sometimes this might be a simple reaction such as liking the earthy colours in a winter scene or responding emotionally to beauty in a landscape. It might be a deeper reaction such as evoking a childhood memory. Sometimes, the subject might provoke a strong emotional reaction, which can be either positive or negative. Often this reaction may be at an unconscious or gut level rather than a conscious level. However these feeling arise when we are photographing a subject, if we can harness them, work them into our composition and reflect them in our final image, we have a good chance of creating a more powerful image, an image that speaks to others and makes them want to stop and ponder what they are seeing. In my next post I will outline one approach to photography that can help us to harness this emotional reaction, achieve a connection with our subject and make our images stand out from the crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKTZo1vvjcA When I watched this latest video from Thomas Heaton - How I Handle a Terrible Day of Photography in the Field - it immediately resonated with me. Thomas Heaton is a professional landscape photographer based in the UK who has a very successful YouTube photography channel. He is inspirational, supportive and encouraging of photographers at every level and his videos are always entertaining. From his latest video I felt encouraged to make the most of photography in poor weather conditions, even on days when, as Heaton says, photography should have been a write off! With the exception of two weeks in December, when we had crisp, frosty days making for beautiful photography conditions, the weather in this part of the world has been wet, windy and grey for most of the winter so far. Skies are dull, the light is flat and there are no beautiful sunrises or sunsets. In these conditions it can be difficult to make any decent images, or even to enjoy photography, but in this video Thomas Heaton gives some tips on how to do just that. I kept this video in mind as I made a two hour journey to visit my daughter. I often stop on the way at a lake or woodland area to capture some images but as I started out there was heavy rain and wind so I doubted if I would make any photography stops. However, as Heaton urges in his video, I did keep a lookout for potential images and for places that might prove to be good stopping places on another occasion. As I neared my destination there was a break in the cloud so I decided to stop close to an old church to see if there might be a photo to save the day. Although the light was poor I did see a composition or two that I liked and I made these images. I did'nt try to brighten the images as I felt that the dull colours reflect the cold winter conditions. * The next day we took advantage of a dry spell to take a walk along a local canal bank. Although the light was poor I did see some nice reflections in the water and they have prompted me to return in more favourable conditions. * I had a similar challenge a few weeks ago when I took a short walk with my camera and I made a detour through a small park that I had not previously visited. While I was there, I had a look around for some photo opportunities. The day was dull and the location didn't offer many good compositions so I started off by shooting in black and white and then, as the sun began to make an appearance, I captured some shadows. Later I tried out some compositions using leading lines to see if I could turn a relatively dull scene into some worthwhile images. Although none of these images were taken in ideal photography conditions, I did have some memorable moments, and although I didn't come back with any winning images, I enjoyed being out with my camera and taking on the winter challenge. I hope you will enjoy watching the video from Thomas Heaton as he urges us not to rely on great weather or epic locations but just to get out with our camera, get creative and grow as photographers through overcoming less than ideal consitions. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKTZo1vvjcA

In landscape photography we try to communicate our vision through the images we create. Using the changing seasons is a popular means of visual storytelling, but telling a story through our photography is not simply reflecting what we see. Storytelling is an attempt to communicate our connection to the elements of the landscape. It is personal; an emotional response to what we see. In most seasons we create our story by the locations we go to, the scenes we choose to photograph and the way in which we compose our images. We can choose to go out in early morning or late evening and we usually have weather conditions conducive to creating worthy images. At the very least, our photography is usually not hampered by weather. In winter it can be different. Weather conditions are very unpredictable, and consequently so also is travel. Many days can be bitterly cold or very wet, which don’t entice us to get out with our cameras, especially if they are not weather sealed. And the shorter days give us less time to wait for a change in conditions. Yet the many variations of this season can bring its own joy for photographers, as I think winter is the season that creates it’s own story and it is up to us, as photographers, to get out, witness that story being told and bring it to others. The winter story is a tale of many variations Crisp mornings Amazing sunsets Frost Snowy days Ice Still, frosty air Frozen ponds Beautiful afternoon sun streaming through the trees Cold, moonlit nights Bare trees Dramatic skies These are some of the variations in weather that winter creates. There are also short, dark days where photography seems impossible, yet they too tell their story. The winter story is all around us. All we have to do is tell it.

It has now been four years since I started my blog site and I believe that 2022 has been my most successful year so far. Why do I say this? There has been an increase in readership this year, but it is only a marginal increase and there is still a lot of room for improvement so this is not the main reason that I feel the blog has been successful. During this year I made some links with organisations that reached out to me because of a certain post. This helped me increase my reach and encouraged me to believe that the algorithm is working away in the background. However, these types of ‘successes' will fluctuate so I don’t want to build the future of my blog on things that are outside my control. Also, to pin my success on getting contacts from random companies, most of whom are looking to promote themselves, would not fit with my aim for my blog, which is essentially to chart my own progress and share my learning and insights with my readers. The real success of the blog for me has been down to the fact that I am enjoying it more than ever; it has become a real outlet for sharing my photography journey as well as my images, and it has given me an opportunity to explore different photography related topics which might be of interest to others. I have identified 3 main reasons why 2022 has been my most successful blogging year to date. 1. Consistency For the first few years of my blog, I posted quite randomly. I tried to publish more than one post a week but ended up posting on different days of the week and there was no pattern to my timing of posts. As a result, I put myself under pressure to get posts published on time, yet I was working to a schedule that was entirely in my head. Since the beginning of this year, I have been posting once a week and always on the same day. Regular posting works for me because I can plan ahead and have a degree of discipline in my week. I don’t feel stressed as I always have a post ready to upload and a few saved in drafts so that I know what I am doing for the next few weeks. Posting weekly has been very motivating for me; it has helped me to stay on task, to honour my own commitment, and the pace feels just right. I initially chose my blogging time by checking google analytics to find out when most of my readers were reading but this can vary so I will stick with my original time of Sunday morning for now. I think that consistency of posting might be more relevant than the day or time, but I’m open to change if that becomes necessary. 2. Continuity By continuity I mean that I have stayed with my original purpose for my blog – sharing my journey as a photographer in training – and I have not branched off into other unrelated topics. Having said that, my journey has taken me in many different directions, but these are part of the (sometimes steep) photography learning curve. In all my posts I hope I have come across as a learner, not an expert, and that I have stuck with my original basic theme, that of sharing my journey, my progress, my learning and insights, and my personal development along the way. 3. Variety The fact that I have continued with my original purpose for my blog does not mean that I have continually covered the same ground. Learning photography is a multi-faceted, lifelong process and one field of learning regularly leads to another. I have followed photography teachers online who have introduced me to aspects of photography that I knew nothing about, as well as those who reinforce my attitude and outlook on life in general as they find meaning and purpose for themselves through creating with a camera. I have come across photographers who have been controversial, photographers who have posed interesting questions that I have tried to answer for myself and photographers whose philosophy of life simply resonates with me, and I love to follow their journey. These virtual trips via internet have given me food for thought, prompted me to respond and have also provided encouragement, challenge, growth and inspiration for my own journey. It is in responding in my own way to information provided by others, as well as forming my own insights through constantly getting out with my camera and putting my learning into practice, that I receive inspiration for my posts, and I believe that this is an ever-evolving process which can continue for as long as I want it to. In this way there'll be no end to variety in terms of blogging topics. ☆☆☆ Consistency, Continuity and Variety are the key aspects of my workflow that I have identified as contributing to the success of my blog this year. For several months after I started writing online, I actively tried to promote my blog in an effort to increase readership. I participated in a blogging start up course with Problogger and learned a lot about blogging that has been a great help to me. But, essentially, I discovered that it is not the art of blogging that is important to me, rather it is the content that I produce, and the honesty with which I share my journey, that means the most. I don’t obsess over the best titles to use or engage in ‘click bait’; I try to write what comes naturally. I try to write from the heart and allow my readership to grow organically. This way of working sits well with me. It gives me freedom to progress at my own pace, to write what I want to write and to enjoy what I am doing rather than feeling pressurised by the perceived expectations of others. Having come to terms with my own way of working, and by producing content that is true to my aims, varied in theme and posted regularly, I have had a successful blogging year and I hope to build on these successes in the coming year. Thank you to all my readers who have supported my site during the year. Whether you have read some of my posts, shared my link or reached out to me by email, I really appreciate each one of you and hope you will continue to visit my site and share my photography journey into the future. HAPPY NEW YEAR

The final element, the final challenge. Having tackled 'Water', 'Earth' and 'Fire' we are left with 'Air' in Kim Grant's Elements Photography Challenge. Air does not immediately offer as many possibilities as the other three elements did. There is the possibility of capturing some birds in flight, an action which obviously needs air. Otherwise it is a case of doing some creative thinking. The 'rules' of these challenges are simple. The images should be as creative as possible while in some way incorporating the theme. Firstly, some brainstorming was called for. There were a few possibilities for capturing images of birds: I could use an interesting foreground or background and wait for a bird to fly into the scene. I could watch for a dramatic sky and capture some birds in flight. I could shoot at sunrise or sunset and capture bird silhouettes. I could try a minimalist image. There are also other options for depicting air in photography. As well as photographing flight, there's: Stillness Gentle breeze Frosty air (since it's winter) The next step was to think about getting creative. In this challenge there didn't seem to be many opportunities to get creative in-camera so I thought about creative processing of my rather ordinary images. Here are some of the final images. The images submitted to this challenge are not judged on their merit as photographs but rather they are chosen for display on Kim Grant's channel based on how the theme is interpreted. If you have a favourite from this set of images I'd love to hear about it. Please let me know in the comments. Why not join in the Air Photography Challenge which will be running until Sunday January 8th. This challenge will give you a reason to get out with your camera and get you thinking creatively. You really will begin to see the world in a new way and you may discover, as I did, a whole new appreciation for the air that we breathe!

A big thank you to all who have taken the time to read my blog and view my images during the past year. Your support is really appreciated. Thanks also to those who have reached out to me with supportive comments. Your feedback is very valuable to me and helps me improve my content. If you have any thoughts for future blogging topics, that might help you in your own photography journey, please let me know in the comments below. I wish all my readers a very productive and creative 2023.