It’s a Sunday morning in April. A combination of family commitments and very wet weather have meant that it has been more than a week since I have been out with my camera. The forecast promised a dry morning with some sunshine, but the rain has continued overnight and the morning is dull and misty, although at least it’s dry. I had hoped for some early morning sunshine to get my photography up and running again but as I prepared to go out my expectations, and my spirits, were low. However, I decided that, for the sake of my photography mental health, I needed to go out. At least I would get a walk, even if I didn’t come back with any images. I wasn’t sure where to go on this dull morning. Would I go to the local shopping area and try some urban landscape, maybe get some black and white images? Would I make the most of the aftermath of rain and opt for my local park? I could try for some close-up images of raindrops on flowers or photograph some spring colours glistening after the rain. In the end, the pull of nature won out and I headed off to the park, still without much idea of what I would photograph. I brought two lenses with me, my 35mm 1.8 and my 18-200mm general telephoto lens. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning, as I always do despite my initial reservations, and I even came home with a few images. Granted, I may not have got any keepers, but I had fun experimenting - using the monochrome setting, getting some close-ups with my 35mm lens and capturing some of the beauty of nature after the rain. How do we beat the photography blues? Just get out there with your camera and see what you can find. Here are some images of the day. ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) I was glad I got out with my camera on this Sunday morning. I enjoyed experimenting, trying out different techniques and challenging myself to come home with some images on this dull morning. I had a very enjoyable hour - I was out in nature, breathing fresh air, taking exercise and immersing myself in the peace and stillness of the morning. These are just some of the benefits I gain through doing photography. All I have to do is show up!

I love landscape photography. Whether it is a rural landscape, coastal landscape or woodland landscape, the pull of nature has been a strong feature in influencing the direction of my photography. Until recently, I didn’t consider that urban locations might be considered in the genre of landscape photography. For me, towns and cities provided occasional opportunities for street photography, which I enjoy, but that was as far as it went. Recently I have started to explore urban areas near my home as potential locations for urban landscape photography and I have been pleasantly surprised by the results. I have discovered a love for this type of photography and after many outings to different urban locations with my camera I have discovered ways to enhance my enjoyment of urban photography. If you think you would like to try urban landscape photography here are 7 ways to help you explore this genre to see if it is for you. Enjoy. 1. Experiment with different types of shot One of the most surprising aspects of this type of photography is the number of photographic opportunities you can find just by looking up. Many of the best and most interesting architectural features are on top of buildings and there is an abundance of different shapes, lines, patterns and unusual features just above our heads. Looking down, too, can offer many surprises as we find a similar abundance of design features. Why not try a unique angle? Shoot through glass, or bars, get close to your subject, find a ready-made frame to shoot through, include a foreground interest. I often walk past on street level without looking down. With my camera I discovered a different scene below ground level You don’t need to just shoot from standing height; get creative and you’ll make more interesting and unique images. Urban photography offers us opportunities to capture wide-angle shots taking in a wide vista, close-up shots of patterns, shapes and colour, and everything in between. Urban landscapes are not all about buildings. Including people in their natural environment helps to tell the story of the urban location 2. Explore shape Exploring shape is one of the most interesting aspects of urban photography, simply because of the sheer diversity of shapes that we find. Vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines compete with or complement curves; triangles vie with squares, rectangles and circles for design dominance. There are sleek modern designs existing alongside traditional structures. Designs from various architectural eras often co-exist with the most up to date design ideas bringing character and diversity to cities and towns. 3. Use reflections Reflections are a great compositional technique in all genres of photography and they can be found in abundance in urban settings. Rain puddles often yield great reflections, as do wet streets. Glass in shop fronts are a way to experiment with reflections and are always readily available. The model in the window appears to be watching what's going on in the street. 4. Experiment with light Light and shade can play an important role in urban photography. Sun shining on buildings can throw up shadow areas providing a contrast with the light and providing opportunities to capture interesting shadows. 5. Explore black and white Urban photography is a natural candidate for colour photography given the amount of colour we find in urban settings. Yet it is well worth experimenting with black and white urban photography as it can yield some compelling images. I like to use the monochrome setting on my camera while shooting as it helps with the composition of black and white images. However, sometimes I notice that a certain image would look good in black and white so I try converting in Lightroom. A good idea is to try a black and white urban landscape project of an area near you. 6. Include a human element It’s not quite street photography, yet adding a human element to our urban photography can give a sense of place and tell the story of the location in a special way. It can be worthwhile to keep a look out for ‘characters’ who inhabit the place or people who are doing something interesting or are dressed in a particular way. While this may stray into the realm of street photography, I believe it is a valid way to depict the entirety of an urban landscape. After all, what is an urban landscape without its people? 7. Try capturing the city at night A night-time urban landscape will yield different images than those offered by the same landscape during the day. Street lights, neon lights, flashing lights, reflections, light trails from cars, people captured under the city lights will give a totally different picture of the location and will add to the story of the place. *** I hope these tips encourage you to try out urban landscape photography for yourself. It may open up a whole new set of photographic opportunities for you to enjoy. If you have your own tips for urban landscape photography, please do share them. If you try out some of the tips mentioned above, I’d love to know how you get on.

I am often asked this question and I have difficulty in giving a correct answer. I could say that I like all types of landscape photography yet I also enjoy making abstract images and doing ICM photography. I could say that I enjoy street photography, but it might be more accurate to call it urban photography, and I have enjoyed experimenting with architectural imagery too. I could say that I like to photograph flowers and making close-up images in nature, and that I really love minimalist photography. I could say that my favourite subject to shoot is trees, but I could also say that I love photographing boats and bridges and walls and gates, and even houses and other buildings, particularly old buildings. So, it’s not easy to give a quick answer to the question... I have discovered that the best, and most accurate, answer I can give is to say that I love to experiment in photography. I don't want to confine myself to one or two genres, and I hope to continue diversifying and discovering new photography passions. Here are some recent images that are characteristic of my photography. Do you ever ask yourself what sort of photography you do? You might be interested in your answer.

We often hear the saying, ‘The only time we have is now’. Even if we are not always able to live in the present moment there is no doubting the truth of this statement. We might regret things we did or didn’t do in the past, and continually focus on them, or we might be a person who is constantly living for some future event. However, the reality is that the past is gone, never to be repeated, and the future has not happened yet, and may never happen the way we envisage it, so all we have is now, this moment. This truth was brought into stark reality for me last week when I had made great plans for the day and the upcoming weekend, only to unexpectedly twist my ankle. I spent the next two days with my foot elevated, applying ice on a regular basis, and all plans went by the wayside. It was a salutary lesson because I tend to live in the future more than I should. I constantly think about what I’ll do tomorrow, or next week, or when I’m on holiday. It’s a bad habit since I am not guaranteed a future. So, I have been making a conscious effort to stay in the moment as much as possible. How does photography help us to live in the present moment? I would say that of all the activities I do, photography is the one that keeps me most focused on the present moment. When I am out with my camera making an image, I am intent on getting the right settings, lining up a good composition, checking the edges of my frame for distractions, watching what the light is doing and concentrating on what is going on in the moment of capturing my image. All other thoughts leave my mind. The stresses of the day just past, or the worries of the day to come, are temporarily left behind as I focus on this photograph. When I go out with my camera on a regular basis, I build a habit of being present in the moment and it becomes my place of solitude, the place where I most want to be, the place where I can forget everything else and just be present. I love to take images that reflect this reality, images that are uncluttered and that capture this moment in time that will not come again. These images add to the serenity of the moment and help keep me grounded in the present. Next time you want to escape the stresses of daily living, take a walk with your camera. Spend time in your chosen location. Engage all your senses. Don’t just take a snapshot, be intentional about your image, about the subject, the composition, the settings. Take your time, be patient, be present and photography will teach you to live in the moment.

Urban landscape photography was not a photography genre that I paid much attention to until recently. I considered landscape photography to involve mainly natural elements such as mountains, rolling hills, lakes, trees and sky or a coastal environment such as sea and cliffs. Alternatively, in my mind, there was street photography in urban locations. During the last few weeks, I have found that opportunities for traditional landscape photography have been scarce. The weather in my part of the world has been dull and grey, with flat light and very little sunshine. In such conditions there is nothing to bring a landscape image alive. However, I have wanted to get out with my camera and since I don’t live close to a busy street area, I decided to try urban landscape photography, rather than street photography, by attempting to document aspects of the human made environment. There are a few advantages to this type of photography: (a) Although good light, or shafts of light among the shadows, does enhance any image, this type of photography can also work in dull, or even wet, conditions. (b) It doesn’t require expensive equipment and can work well using just one or two lenses. (c) It can help us to practise different skills and get creative in new ways. (d) Urban landscape photography encompasses aspects of street photography and aspects of architectural photography but it is broader and not as restrictive in nature. It therefore gives more scope for regular photography outings in an urban setting. Urban landscape photographs are often wide-angle shots, taking in more than one subject. They can include busy streets, often shot from an elevated viewpoint, skylines, or cities at night. But they can also focus on single subjects, such as interesting structures, or even parts of subjects; the small details that make up the bigger picture. While traditional landscape photography involves finding appropriate locations which are conducive to good compositions, urban landscapes can be easier places in which to compose images since they are designed by people who specialise in working with shape, form, line, scale and pattern. In fact, the main elements of photography are also dominant elements in architecture and design, so working with the geometry of buildings can produce some pleasing images. I have had difficulty in recognising geometrical patterns in rural landscapes so studying shape, line and pattern in urban landscapes should have a knock-on effect in developing my skills in this area. I have come to realise that regardless of the type of photography we do, it is all about exploration. We explore the wider world in landscape photography, we explore the small world in macro photography. In street photography we explore the nooks and crannies of the street environment we find ourselves in, while in urban photography we can take that even further to explore buildings, structures, busy streets and all that makes up a bustling urban environment and the people who inhabit that environment. In an urban environment there is a lot happening, above us as well as around us, so it offers us unique opportunities to practise our observational skills and to capture images of subjects that others may not notice. We can make use of different perspectives, use leading lines, look for interesting patterns and repetition, explore shapes and unusual features. Sometimes, disrupting a pattern can add emphasis to our image! We can shoot from a single focal length, emphasise texture, shape and pattern by shooting in black and white, get out during a rain shower or photograph at night to see the city through different eyes. *** As always, it is worthwhile to look for guidance from professional or semi-professional photographers who are producing work in this area. I have been watching the urban landscape photography of James R. Burns on his YouTube channel. James works in areas such as Halifax and Bradford and he produces some interesting urban photography images making use of the shapes and patterns he sees around him in these urban settings. He will often limit himself to one lens or photograph entirely in black and white for a more formal study of the urban landscape. Conclusion Urban landscape photography is a fascinating type of photography once you begin to immerse yourself in all that it entails. Urban landscape photography is about structures and buildings, but it is not solely about structures and buildings. Urban landscapes include shop windows, buses, cars, bicycles, crowded streets. They include street signs, graffiti, litter, advertisements and umbrellas! They include colour, creativity and drama. We can include all these elements in our exploration and try to find ways to turn them into interesting images. By seeing the urban landscape in the same way as we see the traditional landscape, and by being open to exploring all that we find there, we are opening ourselves up to a whole new world of photographic opportunities. Why not try some urban landscape photography for yourself.

I love to travel and when I visit new places, I enjoy doing street photography. Street photography is very different from landscape photography in that subjects are often moving rather than static, moments can be fleeting, photographs often have to be taken quickly with very little time to think and plan. But it is also exciting, meaningful and rewarding. Sometimes when doing street photography I just have my phone camera with me, rather than a dedicated camera, but it does the job because I am not looking for amazing compositions or pin-sharp images. I just want to find interesting subjects, compose well, capture the small moments and document everyday life in a place that is different from my place. There is something uniquely compelling about street photography, something that draws me back again and again. What exactly does street photography entail? There are many views on the topic. For some photographers, street photography must include people; to others that is street portraiture. Some photographers believe that including buildings is best called urban photography, while many others give a narrow definition of street photography and believe that what is known as street photography could be more accurately termed travel photography. James Maher, writing in The Ultimate Guide to Street Photography defines street photography broadly, as ‘candidly photographing life and human nature.’ Maher says that people don’t need to be present in a street photograph nor does it need to be taken in a city. He believes that street photography can be taken anywhere as long as it is a candid image, not something that is posed or manipulated. It is a topic to which I have given some thought and I find all the conflicting definitions very confusing. For my purposes I agree with James Maher’s definition and recommend reading his ultimate guide. In my opinion, street photography is candid photography, which may or may not include people, and it either captures a particular moment of everyday life in the place or it captures the essence of the place - its buildings, distinctive features, iconic landmarks, alleyways, markets, squares, meeting places, shops, cafes, as well as the people who frequent the place and the objects they may use there. The main word here is essence . We want to find out what the place looks like, what it sounds like, what people do there, how they interact with each other and with their environment; essentially, we want to discover what makes the place tick. Then we want to try to convey this essence through our images. What is it that makes street photography so compelling? Street photography is about life, it is about story, it is about giving people cause to feel a certain way about what they see. Street photography is also about self-expression; it is about showing others what we value, sharing our view of what is important to us. Some people would argue that a building or part of a building does not constitute street photography, but for me, if it draws my attention it is telling me something about the place, about the influences on the place over generations, so it is a valid subject. When I am in a place that is different from where I live, I often find characteristics that are distinctive of that place, and these have meaning for me. If that is more accurately called urban photography, that's ok with me. It's the feeling, the experience of capturing this essence of a place that is important to me. When shooting people, I don’t just want to see faces, I want to see expressions, interactions, people talking or laughing or engrossed in what they are doing. I want to see images that I relate to, that resonate with me in some way. The focus for me is on capturing people in relationship to other people or places, capturing man-made objects that have a human connection and capturing scenes that tell a story, that bring the place alive. Some of the best street photographs are produced when the images give a real sense of what it’s like to live and work in the place. I also believe that having a definite subject makes for a better street image. A subject adds interest and helps to tell the story of the place. The subject can be anything. An interaction between people is always a winner but it can also be an interesting building which is characteristic of the place, or it can be an object such as a bicycle, motor bike, cart or boat placed strategically. An interesting stall can make for a good subject, so too can a street corner or alleyway, especially when bathed in good light. A subject can be something that seems incongruous or out of place, it can be a pattern or shape that gives a flavour of the place, in fact anything that catches the eye can become your subject. The importance of composition By its very nature street photography is fast moving photography. It is often quick and spontaneous. We don’t set up a tripod or spend time composing the scene in a certain way. We often have to take our shot before the moment passes, which is all the more reason to have a good grasp of the principles of composition. If we need to shoot on the run, we need to know how to compose on the run also. It would be easy to just keep snapping and end up with nothing worthwhile, but with a little attention to our range of composition tools we can create images that look somewhat more aesthetically pleasing. To sum up Although I was reluctant to start street photography (see an earlier post, What Everyone Should Know About Starting Street Photography ) , it is a genre that I have grown to love. I might spend months doing landscape photography yet I am eventually called back to this candid photography on a street or in a town or anywhere that people gather. I find this type of photography uplifting and life affirming. Street images can capture real life human behaviour and human interaction and also show human influence on the built environment. Street photography provides visual stimulation, hustle and bustle, colour, texture, pattern, variety of human poses and expressions. In street photography I tend to be more spontaneous. I love to wander around, finding things to photograph. I go out with an open mind without any preconceived notions about what I want to shoot, and I allow my curiosity to lead me. It might lead me down an alleyway or following a shaft of light. It might lead me to experiment with reflections in shop windows or prompt me to look up to see what is overhead. Curiosity might encourage me to wait at a certain spot to see who or what comes along or it may keep me moving - checking out different streets in an area to find different scenes and different potential images. I believe that street photography captures the essence of what it is to be alive. It encourages us as photographers to be curious and to be fully engaged in the moments as we capture the fullness of life around us, and this is what I find so compelling about this type of photography. * In a few weeks I will be returning to Portugal. I will take my Olympus O-M10 and 14-42mm pancake lens with me for organised street/urban photography outings and my phone will serve as my second camera for those spontaneous moments that can crop up at any time. I am looking forward to the opportunity to capture the essence of the places I visit through my photography. If you enjoy street photography and would like some tips on improving your skills in this genre you might like to check out this article by Brandon Ballweg, photographer and founder of ComposeClick , which is described as ' a resource and community by and for photographers.' https://composeclick.com/street-photography-tips/ Updated Feb 23

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.