Street photography is a very popular genre of photography yet I have been reluctant to do street photography for a few reasons, not least of which is the fear of invading people’s privacy. Unlike other forms of photography, street photography, or candid photography, involves taking photographs of people, usually without their knowledge or consent. I have been slow to do that, possibly because of fear of doing something wrong. To try and overcome this fear, I enrolled in a street photography workshop in my local city and this certainly allayed most of my fears and it also gave me a love of this type of photography. There is something special about taking photographs of candid moments and natural interactions that motivates me to want to do more candid photography. I have always admired street photography images. In the past they were often black and white images that seemed to capture a subject in a particular moment in time, depict a particular emotion or give a glimpse of a special relationship or human interaction. I admired the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson before I realised that he was a master in this particular genre of photography, and have recently become familiar with the work of Fan Ho, who has been dubbed “the Cartier-Bresson of the East”. https://erickimphotography.com/blog/fan-ho/ I also love to experience different cultures, different values, different ways of life. It is the diversity of human existence that makes the world go round, and this is the very content of street photography. There is so much to see in the world, so many ways to explore human existence, so much to learn about the world and its people that we should never be short of subject matter and inspiring content for street photography. Some of the best street photographers have left us with iconic images of past times which give us a glimpse of a world we haven’t experienced first-hand. Now that I have had my appetite for street photography well and truly whetted, have got out into the streets a number of times and have taken on board the suggestions made on my workshop, I have come up with some ‘Dos and Don’ts’ for anyone considering doing street photography for the first time. Do: Wear comfortable footwear This might seem obvious, but for me it's top of the list. I was surprised at how far I walked on my first few outings and realised the importance of not having to worry about getting sore or tired feet because of the wrong footwear. Talk to people. While street photography is usually done candidly, that is, without permission and without the knowledge of the subject, I think it does make a difference, if people notice me taking photographs, to smile, say hello and tell them what I am doing. While I try not to take people’s photographs too close up without their permission, it is often hard not to be noticed and I don’t want to appear sneaky, as if I am doing something wrong. In these photographs I asked the people involved if I could take their picture and they were only too happy to oblige. Some people would call these street portraits rather than street photography; however, I think talking to people does help you to feel connected to the environment you are in and makes taking candid pictures that much easier. Look for something out of the ordinary – an unusual angle, an interesting encounter, a candid moment, a gesture - something which will capture the attention of the viewer. Have a purpose for your shot. While street photography has to be fast in order to capture a fleeting moment, there are still some ‘rules’ that should be adhered to. Just pointing a camera at something in the street and taking a picture can’t be termed street photography. There has to be a purpose for taking the picture – a subject, a moment, an emotion, a ‘story’, so that the viewer will stop and wonder. We also need to make some decisions about composition ‘on the fly’, for example, giving consideration to how much of a scene to include, waiting for the right person or people to enter a scene, looking for the right angle from which to compose the shot, or just being drawn to what we see, as I was below. Take lots of pictures. The ‘father’ of street photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson, talked of taking at least 20 photos of a single scene then choosing afterwards the ones he considered to be the best. By doing this he tried to catch what he called ‘the decisive moment’. The decisive moment may be different for different people and each person has to know what the decisive moment is for them. With our digital photography it is easy to take lots of pictures on a shoot. Just be sure to bring a spare battery! 'Street' photography doesn't have to happen on the streets, it describes any type of candid photography. On a recent holiday I took lots of photos of these teenagers jumping into the water, but this was the only one which caught the moment where the girl could be clearly seen in action. To me it spoke of energy, courage, commitment and achievement. Unfortunately, I wasn’t close enough to capture the facial expression and emotion of the moment. Look for emotion. Streets are full of people and people are full of emotion. Emotion can be seen in the street through body language, gestures and expressions. in my opinion, trying to capture emotion is one of the most interesting aspects of street photography. I took a number of photographs of these two people chatting, and picked out the ones that I thought best expressed some emotion I think these two images do capture the candid nature of street photography At times, go for ‘less is more’. In street photography you don’t have to capture a full scene. At times I like to focus on feet, hands, hats, umbrellas, colours and shapes rather than on full body images. In the streets the only limit is your imagination! Don’t: Don’t be afraid of rejection – it happens to everyone! The best lesson I learned on that score was when I was participating in a workshop with an accomplished street photographer. He was sharing some tips with me when he spotted an interestingly dressed young man sitting on a bench. He approached the man, told him he was a street photographer and asked if he would mind if he took his photograph. The man immediately refused and the photographer politely thanked him and walked on. I realised that refusals happen to everyone and that if they happen to me, it’s nothing personal! Don’t be afraid to experiment, be creative and to find ways to make the ordinary look extraordinary! That’s what street photography is all about! "You don’t take pictures, the good ones happen to you." ~Ernst Haas

Let yourself be Inspired! I have always been interested in photography. Ever since I got my first camera at the age of ten I have loved going out and taking photographs. Yet at every stage of my photography journey I have found myself losing interest and lacking motivation to continue. I have recently discovered why this kept happening - I felt that I wasn’t good enough as a photographer, so why bother? This time it’s been different. I have been doing photography consistently now for almost four years and my love for it has grown. I love to go out at all times of day, in all weathers, to try and capture some images. When I am feeling stressed or low I go out with my camera and I immediately feel better. When I am excited about something or some place I want to take a picture of it. When I have missed a day or two of photography I feel an urge to get back out there and see what I can find to shoot. When I have my camera in my hand and I’m out in nature I feel more alive, more connected to all that is around me, more content with the world. I feel better able to forget my worries and cares, if only for a short while. So what has changed since all the other times when I thought photography would be a lifelong pursuit only to discover it wasn’t? This time I am taking photographs for me. That critical voice in my head that told me I wasn’t good enough has been largely silenced. I am no longer concerned about whether someone else likes my images or whether I am ‘good enough’ as a photographer. I am now the judge of my own images. I decide what I like and what needs improvement. I now allow myself to go out and be drawn to an image that I want to take. I allow myself to be inspired by where I am and what is around me, and my photography experience has changed completely. So if I could give just one piece of advice to a new photographer it would be this… let yourself be inspired! Be inspired to get up early and photograph in the early morning stillness. Be inspired to walk on a deserted beach at dusk to capture a beautiful sunset. Be inspired to look for interesting trees in a woodland, unusual rocks on a lakeshore or intriguing patterns in the sand. Be inspired to watch and listen and wait until your subject presents itself to you. Be inspired to immerse yourself in your surroundings so that you are part of the scene that you want to capture. Be inspired to capture images that you love, in places that you love and in ways that are right for you. Be inspired to grow with your photography, to keep moving on, to enjoy the process as well as, or more than, the results. Be inspired to experiment, to discover, to be creative, to learn from your mistakes and to have fun making them. Be inspired to capture images that you love, in places that you love and in ways that are right for you. Be inspired to appreciate where you are and where photography has brought you. Let yourself be inspired and you will be rewarded by experiencing joy and fulfilment and a sense of well-being every time you go out with your camera. Why not go out, with your camera or your phone, and be inspired!

On June 29th, 2007 the first iPhone was released. Apple’s slogan at the time was, "Apple reinvents the phone." And so it did. It’s now fifteen years since the iPhone first appeared on the market and it is certainly true that it’s release changed the way we would use our phones, and it is probably also true to say that this event marked the true beginning of mobile photography. Certainly, there were cameras in phones before the advent of the iPhone, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1550622.stm from companies such as Sony, Samsung and the popular Nokia, but once the Apple smartphone hit the market, despite not having the best camera, everything changed in terms of phone use, and although the first iPhones didn’t focus on the camera so much as the smartphone aspect, they had the effect of overshadowing the basic camera phones. It wasn’t long before other companies followed Apple’s lead and smartphones became the norm. However, phone companies soon realised that you could actually have smartphones that were also good camera phones and the seemingly never-ending quest to come up with a more and more advanced camera housed within a smartphone began. As each latest phone from the major phone companies comes on stream, the cameras on these phones are becoming more and more sophisticated, to the extent that sales of dedicated cameras have dropped. Despite all this advanced mobile phone camera technology it is still the case that many people don’t take phone photography seriously. They consider it to be an inferior type of photography, only useful for posting shots on social media or sharing among family and friends. Mobile photography is often considered to be simply snapshot photography rather than serious photography. This opinion prevails even though there are dedicated phone photography courses, magazines and websites solely aimed at mobile photography, prestigious prizes given for images taken with a mobile device and sections on many photography websites focusing on mobile photography. (Links) Sometimes I can be guilty of not taking phone photography as seriously as I might take photography with my camera. Camera photography by its very nature tends to be slow and intentional, while mobile photography tends to be more immediate. Since there are no real settings, lenses and filters to deal with, and we usually work without a tripod, taking a photograph can happen much more quickly with a phone camera. Yet this can be a problem with mobile photography. One of the things I tend to do wrong when doing mobile photography is not spending enough time taking each photo, not using all the lenses my phone camera can offer, not utilising all the features that could enhance my images. Instead, I get to my chosen location, decide on my subject and where I’ll place it, take the photo and move on to the next one. If most people do this, it is understandable that mobile photography is not highly rated. Thankfully, this is not always the case and I have learned a lot from those who take mobile photography seriously. That best lesson I have learned is a simple one - if I spend some more time with each photo, and at each location, I will get better results. My images will be: · Better composed · More interesting · More unique. If you want to take your phone photography beyond the level of snapshot my one piece of advice would be - spend time in each location and take your time with each photo. Treat your phone camera like your big camera and it will reward you with images that may be indistinguishable from those taken with a DSLR or mirrorless camera. So, what does taking time with each photo mean in practice? I recently did a photo shoot with just my phone camera to help me understand the potential of mobile photography. While travelling, I stopped at the site of an old church situated in an historic graveyard, with views of the ruins of an ancient abbey. Normally I might have taken a couple of photos of the church from a regular standing position and moved on, but on this occasion I spent time with my phone camera trying to capture different perspectives, placing my subject in various positions in the frame, getting the right amount of foreground, choosing between prioritizing sky or land, and looking for composition techniques to use by asking myself questions such as, Is there a leading line? Is there symmetry in the scene? Is there a way to use natural framing? Can I fill the frame? Can I use different perspectives? Below are some examples. Conclusion I love the feel of a camera in my hand, a feeling that is not matched by holding a phone. Yet, despite this, I do not want to ignore the benefits of having an ever-present decent phone in my pocket. For me, the photography experience is about more than the camera. It is about arriving at a location, observing the surroundings, choosing a subject, deciding on a composition, focusing, framing the picture, capturing the image, bringing it home to examine on a larger screen, and possibly doing some editing. Photography is a multi-faceted process and one which can work just as well with a phone camera as with a DSLR or mirrorless camera if we have the right intention. After all, it is the process, not the outcome, which provides the real joy of photography.

I follow a lot of professional photographers on YouTube and most of them report feeling pressurised to go out, even when they don’t want to, to make videos for their channel. The pressure comes from the fact that the YouTube algorithm works in such a way that the success of a channel depends on consistency of output as well as on ‘likes’ and number of subscribers. In some ways it’s a vicious circle, as these success markers tend to be inter-dependant. For a professional photographer who has chosen this method of getting his or her work known it can be a disheartening prospect having to make a video each week, even when motivation is low, to ‘feed the machine’ that is YouTube. However, the alternative can be equally daunting as YouTube is one of the most successful ways for photographers to promote their work. A photography website will not sell prints if no-one knows of its existence! But to be successful on YouTube requires a lot of hard work and not everyone is able to stick the pace. For photographers, as well as being under pressure to produce videos there is also pressure to produce good images, to make the video interesting and entertaining, to encourage viewers with a captivating title and thumbnail and then to promote the video on various social media networks. Some have tried other options such as sponsorship, selling prints or books, or having a separate members channel offering additional material for a membership fee. Professional photographers often have to work hard to enjoy the experience of photography amid all this pressure. The photographers who appeal most to me are those who are upfront about this dilemma and who recognise it as a ‘necessary evil’ while trying to strike a balance between satisfying the demands of YouTube and being true to their own vision for photography. All of these photographers encourage others to enjoy the photography process instead of focusing on the results. As an amateur photographer I am in the fortunate position of being able to enjoy the freedom to take photographs for myself. I go out when I want to and follow my own desires. I am privileged to live near a great parkland which offers countless photography opportunities in all seasons. Marlay Park is approximately 300 acres of parkland, consisting of mature woodland, lawns and walkways. It includes Marlay house, built in 1794, which replaced an earlier 17th century house. The house overlooks Marlay demesne, with its Victorian cottage (Laurelmere), waterfalls, lakes and boathouse with viewing platform. There are numerous buildings dating back to 18th and early 19th century. Laurelmere Cottage framed by trees. I regularly walk in Marlay park with my camera and I always find something to shoot. On a recent dull June morning I went out early to the park and since there was poor light for photography I used the opportunity to concentrate on two things – natural framing and leading lines – two aspects of composition that I find very helpful to my images. Marlay Park provided me with lots of subjects for my exploration of these composition techniques. Below are some of the results. My images may not be great but I enjoyed making them, they helped me improve my composition techniques and, best of all, I spent this time with my camera because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to. As a photography enthusiast my time is my own and I get a chance to explore and discover new things without feeling under any pressure to produce a certain image, and that's what I love about photography. ******* You might like: Two well respected photographers recently produced videos on the difficulty of making a living on YouTube while still managing to enjoy the experience of photography. Thomas Heaton and Alex Armitage, working in two different countries, face similar issues. The End of the Channel? Alex Armitage Taking my Van to the Forest, Camping and Landscape Photography Thomas Heaton

Mastering photography is difficult. There is a lot to learn and always a new challenge to overcome. I have made many mistakes while learning photography. Many of these are mistakes that are made by most novice photographers and, for me, these are the mistakes that have led to the greatest learning opportunities. I’d like to share 4 of the most common mistakes I have made and what they taught me. Mistake # 1. Not keeping it simple. In other words, I often ended up with a cluttered image, one in which there was no clear subject and which had too much going on in the frame, as in the image below. When the image has too many elements they compete for the viewer’s attention resulting in no definite place for the eye to look. The obvious answer to this mistake is to try and simplify the image, although this is not always easy to do. There are many questions to answer, such as, where do we position ourselves to eliminate unnecessary elements in the scene and what do we include and exclude? At the location where the above image was taken, I also took some images which were not as cluttered and which had more definite subjects. These images are more pleasing to the eye. In this image I wanted to frame the tree in the background with the two trees in the foreground so I moved closer to exclude some of the surrounding trees from the frame. Paying attention to depth of field can also have a bearing on reducing clutter in an image. In this example I chose one flower to concentrate on and used a narrow depth of field to blur the background, resulting in a simplified image. With a simplified image it is easy to apply a radial filter in Lightroom and invert to darken the background. Making this mistake has helped me to start to think differently. It has encouraged me to try to ignore the larger vista and concentrate on individual elements within a scene. It has introduced me to photographing more intimate landscapes and to paying attention to how I compose my image rather than just quickly taking a shot. It has helped me to simplify. Mistake #2. Poor composition This is one of the more serious mistakes we make as learner photographers. As I said above, I had a tendency to take my shots quickly, without taking time to compose the elements correctly in the frame. They were usually snapshots rather than photographs. The result was images that I didn't like and that I didn't want to show to anyone else. The reality is that a badly composed image will not be pleasing to the eye so it is not likely to attract viewers. For this reason it is vital that we pay attention to how we compose our images. I have put a lot of effort into improving composition, and even though there is a lot more to learn I have grasped some of the essential concepts. I try to incorporate the use of leading lines, natural framing, rule of thirds and include foreground, middle ground and background in big vista images where appropriate. I also take more time with each photograph and I am more mindful about how I arrange elements in the frame. Using a leading line adds a sense of depth to the image. In this image, rather than simply take a snapshot of Marlay house, which is close to my home, I tried to incorporate some of the elements of composition. I used the trees to frame the house and moved to the left to ensure that the trees would not obscure part of the house. I also included the stream and flowers in the foreground to give context to where the house is situated. Another simple composition technique is to ensure that a person (or animal) is moving into the frame rather than moving out of the frame as the latter draws the viewer's eye out of the frame too. Something moving into the frame (right) is considered to be better than having something moving out of the frame (left). Here the swan is gliding right into the frame, which gives a pleasing composition. The heron is looking into the frame rather than out of the frame. I previously wrote a post outlining some of the essential aspects of composition which I have worked on. https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/simple-composition-techniques-that-could-vastly-improve-your-photography-plus-a-bonus-video I am aware that there are many other layers of composition which I have not yet mastered. Some of these are quite complicated and will need time and practice if I am to master them and improve at composition. However, despite the fact that I still make some basic composition mistakes, I do find that I am gradually training my eye to intuitively know what makes a more pleasing image. Mistake # 3. Not paying attention to light It goes without saying that light is of vital importance in photography. Often I have no choice but to photograph in flat light and I must accept this. The mistake is made when there is light and I don't know how to make the best use of that light. It's a part of photography that I struggle with and many of my photographs have been spoiled by not positioning the light source correctly in relation to my subject. For a photograph to succeed it must resonate with the viewer. It needs to evoke some emotion in the viewer and nothing does this so effectively as the way in which light is used. What I have learned from making mistakes with light is simple - I need to master light if I want to master photography. I need to use the qualities of brightness, contrast and direction of light to complement my subject and to convey emotion and mood in my images. I need to fully understand light and the effect it has on my images. I have experimented to some extent with light. I enjoy making images where the absence of light in part of the image conceals information and conveys a sense of mystery in the image. If I want to reveal the beauty of early morning, light shining through the trees can do this well. (Unfortunately, my struggle with using light is obvious here and requires more learning. A smaller aperture could have produced a sun star!) Contrast between light and dark can be more effective in an image than the same image taken in flat, uniform light. Sometimes I am attracted to soft, diffused light, which is common on an overcast day. It can suit a quiet, gentle landscape. On this particular evening I was attracted to the shaft of light beaming down. On this day in the bluebell woods I got a lot of flat images because there was no light. And then the sun came out! There are a lot of ways in which light makes a difference to our photographs. The direction of light is an important consideration. Experimenting with the direction of light will produce different results and convey different moods in our images. We can have side-lighting, overhead lighting, front lighting and backlighting. Since there is so much to master in relation to light, and since it is such a vital element in successful photography, my learning about using light is ongoing. Sadly, so also are my mistakes. Mistake # 4. Including distractions in the frame This is a common mistake, and one which I made frequently, but with a bit of care it is easy to correct. In this image I failed to notice the van and small tree at the right of the image. While it was possible to eliminate them somewhat by cropping the image, it wasn't ideal as it left the tree on the right too close to the edge of the frame. It is preferable to get this right in camera. What I have learned from making this mistake is the importance of checking the edges of the frame before I take the photograph. It is always better to remove distractions by moving slightly at the time of making the image rather than trying to remove them in post processing. Leaving unwanted elements in the frame speaks amateur more loudly than anything else. Sometimes it's hard to know if something is a distraction or if it actually adds to the image. When I was taking the image below I was concentrating on the man with the red jacket and his reflection in the water, particularly since he was starting to move out of the scene. I didn't notice the boat coming into the frame. I could remove the boat in Photoshop but my gut feeling is to leave it there as it was part of the scene when I took the image. Making the mistake of having distractions in the frame has a simple solution - pay more attention when capturing the image! A simple solution that can be difficult to remember! I hope that, by pointing out some of the common mistakes I make in my photography and how to avoid them, it will help you to make better pictures. Is there one simple mistake that you commonly make? Tell us about it below.

You have spent ages working on your blog, agonising over content and images, getting the length exactly right, checking your spelling and grammar, changing a word or a sentence here or there. You have reached the stage where you just want to hit that publish button, send your latest blog live and move on. Sound familiar? I am sure it does to most of us, but is there something we can do before we hit that button that will improve our blog and pay dividends in the long run? What if there was a checklist we could run through before we post so we would know we have covered every angle and could avoid hitting the button then thinking, “Oh, no! I should have done xyz before I posted!” That has happened to me more than once. As part of my blogging journey, I spent some time investigating the art of blogging. I realised that I had much to learn to improve my blogging technique, to generate ideas for meaningful content and to get the most out of the blogging experience. While there are a number of sites giving advice on blogging, one of the best that I have come across is www.problogger.com, a site created in 2004 by Darren Rowse, where bloggers worldwide go to get advice and information on enhancing their blog. Problogger is home to a very prolific blog, a resource section, a jobs board, published eBooks and available courses (some free) as well as a podcast section where Darren has hosted hundreds of podcasts on blogging-related topics, with such useful titles as, What can you write about when all the good ideas are already taken? There is also a library available to subscribers with access to a range of resources. Darren’s advice is solid and covers all aspects of blogging, if slightly slanted towards making money from blogging which is not what I require. For those who do want to monetise their blog, however, there is some good advice. That said, if you are blogging for pleasure or because you are passionate about your topic, there is still much to learn about blogging well and this site has a lot to offer. For those who would love that checklist of things to do before you post here it is! This free Facebook live session entitled, 23 Questions to Ask Before Publishing Your Next Blog which gives a comprehensive outline of the types of questions we should consider before pressing the publish button and letting our blog go live. Some pieces of advice are common sense, such as proofreading our blogs, checking spelling and grammar, and ensuring that we have made the point we intended to make. Darren covers such topics as the importance of our blog title, of writing compelling opening lines and of ensuring that our post is easy to read. Ways to promote our blog are also given consideration and I must admit that, although I don’t want to make money from my blog, I would like to have more readers, as I’m sure every blogger does, so knowing how to promote my blog is useful. However, in my opinion, the real strength of this contribution to the art of blogging is that Darren’s ethos clearly comes across and that is what makes his advice so compelling. He views blogging first and foremost as providing a service to our readers and asks bloggers to keep the reader in mind by asking ourselves questions such as, What do my readers want to know? Is my blog useful to my readers? How can I be of service to my readers? He urges us to always try to connect with our readers and to provide genuine, honest content which is uniquely ours. I am happy to share Darren’s training session because I have gained so much from his insights and would like to pass that knowledge on to others who might similarly benefit (also, 1.5k viewers in the first 2 days can’t be wrong!). If it is something you require, a simple subscription to the Problogger email list will bring a wealth of invaluable information to your inbox on a regular basis. 5 questions to ask yourself before hitting publish on a blog post If I were to condense Darren’s list of 23 questions into the 5 questions that are most valuable to me at the present time, those questions would be: Do I have an interesting title? Since our blog title is what will initially draw readers to our blog from among the many hundreds of other blogs they could read, our title becomes important. It is said that the blog title may be the only part of a blog that many people will read, so our job is to entice them to read further, to read our first line, to become curious as to what the blog is about and want to read on. I underestimated the importance of the blog title in my early blogs, but I am now beginning to take note and trying to spend some time working on my blog title. It could be time well spent! Is my content well written? If I manage to encourage people to read my blog, I owe it to those readers to ensure that the content relates to the title, that I make my point well without repeating myself, that it is properly laid out and that it is easy to read. If many people just take a cursory glance through the blog it is important that their eye stops at certain main parts for a few seconds longer so that their interest is piqued. By adding headings, images, embedded content or quotes I break up the main body of the text and hopefully make it easier for the reader to find what they want to read while also encouraging them to read further. Have I proofread my content? Before I began writing my blog, in my previous career I often had to produce content that had to go out to the public domain. I always believed in proofreading what I wrote, especially since the word processor doesn’t catch every mistake. I don’t like to read writing that has spelling or grammar mistakes so I assume no-one else does either, therefore I need to respect those who might read my writing by checking everything before I hit publish. Is my content useful to my potential readers? There can be several reasons why people read a blog post. They might want to learn something or get ideas for a project they are undertaking; they might want to be entertained or they might want to identify with someone else who may be going through the same thing as they are experiencing. I have read lots of blogposts on learning different photography techniques, but I also like reading book review blogs, ideas for living more sustainably and blogs that provide thoughts on wellbeing, travel blogs and interesting personal stories, among others. If I question myself as to whether the content that I am writing will be useful to others I can answer by asking myself whether I would find it useful, and if I don’t think I would find it useful I can go back and adjust my content so that I can hopefully answer yes to the question. How will I promote my blog? To be truthful, this is an area in which I need to do more work. While I do promote my blogs to some degree on social media, it is not something I have put enough effort into, therefore I don’t reap the benefits of having lots of readers. My first step towards action in this area has been reading advice such as that given on problogger but I must confess, I am still mystified as to how some blogs get so many readers! The main advice I have read is, keep writing good content, pay attention to title and keywords, and give it time! Read the original 23 Questions to Ask Before Publishing Your Next Blog below http://problogger.com/checklist Further reading https://problogger.com/blog-post-titles/ If you find the ideas in this post useful, please share them.

I wrote this post almost two years ago and since there are constant advancements in the world of blogging I am updating it to include some additional information which you might like to read before making a decision regarding your choice of blogging platform. ***** When I started my journey into developing my photography skills I didn't consider becoming a blogger. What I wanted was a place to share my photos and my learning, a kind of online diary, although I knew that would essentially be a blog of sorts. Given that I had a specific idea in mind for what I wanted, the first thing I had to do was some research into blogging platforms on which to host my site. I had some limited experience with writing a work related blog and had worked on the dashboard of a Wordpress site, but I had limited knowledge of the workings of the site and felt that to become proficient in using Wordpress might be a steep learning curve. So I had to ask myself a few questions and face a few realities, such as my lack of technical expertise, before I chose the site that would best suit my blogging needs. 1. What is my priority? This had to be my first question. If building a website had been a priority, and a challenge which I would relish, then Wordpress would be the most obvious choice. But I realised that my priority would be creating content on my blog and having a space to showcase my photographs as I progressed on my journey. For this reason, I required a website or blogging site that would be easy to set up and intuitive to use in terms of adding new content, and I wanted a simple theme that would suit my purpose – to upload my photos and share my learning, my challenges and my discoveries in the study of photography. 2. What were the options? A Google search brought up a number of options, chiefly a range of website builders such as Wix, Weebly, Squarespace and Blogger, which offered a user friendly experience to get a blog up and running and required no maintenance or worries about securities or technical updates. They each, albeit with different main features, provided an easy platform on which to start my blogging journey. The alternative to one of these website builders was what is arguably the most popular blogging platform, Wordpress. My previous experience in using Wordpress was through writing a blog as a channel of communication with a school community on a school website, but I was not involved in setting up or maintaining the website. I was interested in checking out Wordpress as I believed it offered the most in terms of flexibility, ownership of data and overall control over my website. However, this came at the price of having to do a lot of research into setting up and running the blog since it was not as user friendly as the drag and drop system which the website builders had to offer, particularly for someone with no experience in website design. In the end, after much research and deliberation, I opted for Wix. Some of the extra features that helped me make my decision were the large choice of templates, which have specific layouts for different ‘niches’ (for example, there was a good selection of photography related templates) as well as the option to create a photo gallery on the blog. Having a good range of templates meant that I could pick the one I liked and simply add my own text and images. Using the Free Trial revealed how easy it was to create and upload content and images, and a comment from one reviewer in the website ToolTester https://www.websitetooltester.com/en/best-website-builder/ recommended Wix, ‘if you are a photographer and want to showcase your images in stunning galleries’. Wix has recently been revealed as Tooltester Top Pick Website Builder of 2022 (June 24). Notwithstanding its disadvantages, Wix seemed to be the platform that might best cater for what I wanted, namely, a blog and a place to showcase my photography. However, as well as advantages there are also some disadvantages to choosing a website builder like Wix. If you would like some help in choosing which is right for you, check out the following link: https://digital.com/how-to-create-a-website/ I have a lot of images as I progress on my photography journey, so I need somewhere to showcase these images as well as sharing my learning. My Wix blog is a perfect platform from which to do this. 3. Am I happy with my choice? Ultimately, this platform does what it says it does. It is a drag and drop site builder which is easy to update with new content, is mobile friendly and is largely intuitive to use. There is a good bank of information and advice on which to draw if I run into difficulties, and so far I have had no technical issues to speak of. My needs have changed slightly since I started my blog. I still need a space in which to display my photography and an outlet to consider what I am learning as I progress. However, I have developed a strong interest in blogging itself and have found myself branching out into related topics that spark my interest. I want to continue to do this and see where it leads me. Time will tell whether this blogging platform will provide all that I want and need. The fact that it doesn’t offer the flexibility that Wordpress offers and that I don’t have full ownership of my site may prove to be drawbacks in the future but for now I am happy to continue as I am. One of the advantages of my Wix site is the gallery option. I can vary the contents and keep the gallery updated. See some of my current gallery photos here Update, June 2022 If you are interested in starting your own blog or website, there are various other options available which you might wish to consider. Checkout https://digital.com/best-website-builders/ where you can view website builder reviews which, according to the site, 'are the result of over 40 hours of research on 135+ website builder companies from across the web.' Digital.com also gives lots of information on building your own website, it has reviews of the best web hosting providers of 2022 and it provides in-depth guides on topics such as How To Start a Blog, How To Create a Website and How to Start an Online Business. These guides take you through a step-by-step process and give you all the information you need to know on each topic. I would have welcomed the How To Start a Blog guide when starting my own blog as I might have avoided some of the mistakes I made and the time I spent figuring out details for myself. If you are interested in starting a blog, creating a website, or if you are looking for the right hosting provider that will make your site easier to manage, digital.com might be just what you need.

I have recently read a lot of views about the difference between taking and making a photograph. Opinions are divided, even among professional photographers, many of whom insist they ‘take’ a photograph despite the fact that a lot of work goes into achieving the final result. Personally, when I look at the work of many talented photographers, I believe that their images are created, or made, rather than just taken. The work of Simon Booth is one case in point. In a recent video he shows the process involved in creating a beautiful image of a simple flower, and I believe that this process is more than just 'taking a photograph.' I have no doubt that this argument will continually surface from time to time. There is also considerable debate about what actually constitutes a photograph and how it differs from a snapshot. If we go out with the intention of taking photographs, and pay attention to composition, subject, light and focal length, this does differentiate out images from shots captured randomly just because we happen to see something we like. Yet it is still hard to know when a shot becomes a photograph rather than a snapshot. One thing that helps me see my shots as photographs is when I try to tell a story through my images. My recent visit to an abandoned folk park is an example of this. The former tourist attraction was a huge draw to the South East of Ireland in the past with features such as a working windmill, herbal walk and an animal corner with some rare animal breeds. This place was once a hive of activity, showcasing farming methods over 200 years and giving a taste of the history, geology and culture of the surrounding area. Among the other attractions was a restored farmhouse with authentic open fire, an abundance of flora and fauna walks, an original schoolhouse, a tiny four-pew church and a genealogy centre. Also on the site are the remains of a forge and a thatched cottage. Due to a number of factors the exhibition has been closed for several years and after suffering some fire damage following a blaze in 2019 it has fallen into disrepair. The former exhibition site is open to the public for walks and there are allotments in use by local residents. My walk took me through the nature trails, along gurgling streams, past the remains of thatched buildings and up to the ruined windmill. All of my photos tell the story of this place - the perennial beauty of nature, tales of bygone days and a sense of nostalgia for something that could have remained as a reminder of our past but due to a combination of unfortunate events, financial and otherwise, is likely to remain permanently closed. In my view, storytelling through photography gives a purpose to our images and changes them from being simple snapshots to being intentional photographs. When storytelling through photography, there will be a desire to choose relevant subjects, to compose well and to show the subjects to their best advantage. On this occasion I was hampered by poor light but since I was just visiting the area for a short time I made the best of conditions. Although it is certainly possible to tell a story with just one image, I like to create a story through a set of related images, even if these images may vary greatly in their look. There is an added interest and purpose to a storytelling photography shoot which I enjoy. *** YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE This video is from well-known photographer Mads Peter Iversen in which he asks the question Do You Take or Make a Photograph? and offers some interesting views on the topic. https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/do-you-take-a-photograph-or-make-a-photograph

It is a question that is regularly discussed in photography circles. It seems to be the most natural thing to say that we take a photograph, but is it the most accurate? Recently two professional YouTube photographers had a discussion on their separate channels on this very question. And they disagreed on their conclusions. James Popsys suggests that using the term ‘make a photograph’ rather than ‘take a photograph’ is a sign of insecurity on the part of photographers, who may be worried that people don’t credit their skill enough. In his view, these photographers feel that people assume that if they produce a good photograph they must have an excellent camera, and that no credit is given to all the effort that goes into producing a compelling image. By using the term ‘make’ these photographers are encouraging others to acknowledge the considerable effort involved in creating an image – planning, making decisions on subject, perspective, composition, camera settings, focal length, exposure and post-processing. It also acknowledges the amount of time involved in producing an image – possibly waiting for long periods or returning to a location multiple times to shoot in optimal light. For Popsys it's an argument that doesn't warrant the time spent on it. He is happy (and confident enough!) to simply say that he takes a photograph, and leave it at that. There were several comments in response to this video, giving a wide variety of views on the topic. As always in these types of photography debates, there is a lot of difference of opinion. In a separate video, photographer Thomas Heaton discusses the same question. His take on the argument is that it is all about being intentional with your photography, it is about really thinking about all the different elements of your composition. In Heaton’s view, spending time making decisions so that you get the composition you are looking for does suggest that you are ‘making’ an image rather than just ‘taking’ one. In the final analysis I would suggest that, while I wouldn’t argue the toss with anyone over which word to use, ‘make’ does sit best with me. I think using the term ‘make a photograph’ gives credit to the creative brain of the professional photographer; it acknowledges creativity and the role that this plays in determining the decisions involved in creating a captivating photograph. In that sense the photographer does more than take the photograph – he or she does really create or ‘make’ the photograph. In my own case, as an amateur, I do try to be intentional with my photography, I try to spend time making decisions to get a good composition, I strive to make my photographs rather than simply take them. I have waited a long time to get this close-up of the heron who regularly visits my garden. On this occasion I spent almost an hour trying to make a somewhat decent image (including waiting for the little bird to perch on the wire!). On other occasions I felt that I did take a photograph of the heron but none did justice to my subject. Here I did try to make a final image by waiting, and watching and trying different angles. I came away with at least six images that I felt were worth bringing into Lightroom. With this image, again I worked for a long time to get an image I was pleased with. I eventually concluded that I will need to return to this location with a different lens! I have numerous variations of the image which, to me, serves to point to the fact that effort does go into making an image, even if it does not go as planned. On the occasion below, I was travelling home when I noticed the sun going down over this lake. I could have got out of my car and taken a few photographs, but I did not feel that I had the best light so I waited around and took photographs from many different vantage points and in variations of light as the sun moved across the sky and disappeared behind the mountain. While I say that I took photographs I do feel that it would be more accurate to say that I spent some time at the location, and later in Lightroom, making the images. I used different lenses and focal lengths, smartphone as well as camera, and came away with more than thirty images. In Lightroom I experimented with enhancing the colours and playing with the shadows to create silhouettes, which I love. All this effort went towards achieving a look that I liked. To me, this process really is about making an image, but I won't argue with anyone who says I take photographs! Related posts – Why We Should Be More Intentional About Our Photography Is There a Difference Between a Snapshot and a Photograph? What is your view? Do you take a photograph or make a photograph? Leave a comment below.

It seems to me that there are two main camps when it comes to phone photography. There are those who are firmly in the ‘phone photography is not real photography’ camp and those who believe that our mobile cameras can produce images that are often as good as, if not better than, some DSLR or mirrorless cameras. I don’t fit myself firmly into either camp. I love the feel of the ‘real’ camera; I love its grip in my hand, I love changing lenses and getting different perspectives on my images and I love editing the raw images. Yet I don’t dismiss my phone camera. It is there when the big camera gets left behind, it has the ability to capture decent images, and it ensures that I can do photography at any time and in any place. On a recent walk in the countryside I discovered just how valuable this phone in my pocket can be. *** On a sunny Saturday morning I found myself with a 45 minute timeslot to fill while waiting for a friend. I decided to take a walk and explore the surrounding countryside. I set off down a pedestrian path along a main road but soon discovered a more interesting by-road, which I began to follow. As soon as I turned onto this road my senses were assaulted by the smells and sights of early summer – wild garlic, hedge blossom and meadows full of buttercups. I was immediately transported back to childhood days and I knew that, as well as enjoying the experience and the sensory walk, I would have to take some photos. I was very glad to have a reliable camera in my bag – namely, my phone camera. In my opinion, it can be a mistake to believe that all you can do with a phone camera is to grab some shots from the regular standing position, as this is so far from the truth. On this occasion, being able to use my phone for photography brought 5 main advantages: I didn’t lose an opportunity to capture some images in an unexpected location. There can always be an opportunity to do some editing afterwards. In this image I reduced the clarity and vibrancy for a more muted look. I could be spontaneous - I turned a corner and this tunnel of trees was in front of me. I love the way the light shone through. I was able to follow the light. I like the way half of this image is in shadow and half is in light. I had a chance to experiment and learn. In this image I shot the buttercup from below, a perspective not usually seen. Getting down low and shooting through the foreground gives a more unique perspective than shooting from the position of a standing adult. By using portrait mode I was able to blur the background. I had a memorable photography experience as well as having a memorable country walk. The abundance of green caught in the sunlight meant that there were images everywhere. My conclusion as to whether phone photography is real photography is this: if the phone camera helps you enjoy photography and capture images you might not otherwise capture, then it's real photography and that's good enough for me. What do you think?

Everyone makes mistakes. Even those who are taking photographs for years make mistakes occasionally, but to my mind there are a few mistakes that are so basic that I know I shouldn’t be making them. If you are serious about phone photography these are mistakes you won’t want to make either. I hope that writing them out will help me to be more aware of these common errors and that reading about them will help you if you are making the same mistakes. I love to have my phone for those unexpected photo opportunities but I need to be serious about phone photography just as with camera photography, and avoid making common mistakes 1. Not checking the horizon This mistake is so basic that I can't allow myself any excuses for continuing to make it. Unfortunately though, sometimes if I rush the shot, or if I am concentrating on some other part of the image, I totally fail to notice that my horizon is slanted. The best solution is obviously to take more care and make it a priority to check that my horizon is straight before I take the shot. To help with this I can turn on the grid in camera settings. Luckily, if I don’t manage to get it right in-camera, it is easy to straighten a horizon with any editing tool, and I need to remember to do this before I share my image. The other issue with capturing images that include a horizon is that there is general agreement among photographers that the best placing of the horizon is on one of the horizontal lines either a third of the way up from the bottom of the frame or a third of the way down from the top. This gives a more pleasing image than placing the horizon in the centre of the frame. It is an easy technique to get right, and having the grid overlay will help here also, but you need to look carefully at your landscape images and take your time to compose properly in order to ensure you get this basic principle correct. In the first image the horizon is slanted In this image the horizon looks better, though it is still too central in the frame By cropping slightly I have placed the horizon closer to the top of the image, which is more appealing to the eye In this image I placed the horizon closer to the bottom of the frame. There is a lot of negative space in the sky but I like the graduation in colour as the pink sunset creeps up into the blue sky, so for me it works 2. Not having a clearly defined subject I have been guilty of arriving at a location, seeing a beautiful scene in front of me, and just taking a picture. Rarely does this succeed. It might make for a good snapshot that will be admired by friends, but it will not make a good image in photography terms. In an image like this there will be nothing to draw the viewer’s eye, no subject to pull the viewer into the frame. Having learned this lesson from so many failures, now when I get to a location I scout around for a suitable subject on which to focus. This could be something in the foreground of my frame, something in the centre or something in the background, but if I know what my subject is, I will then begin to assess the supporting elements. Generally it is good to have one main subject with other elements in the scene supporting that subject, or, if you wish, you can concentrate on having just the subject in the frame and using either negative space or blurring the background (possible on some phones) to avoid unnecessary distractions. All these techniques will produce a better image than a photograph where all the elements are given equal weight, and nothing stands out as the main subject. The highest mountain was my subject here but I waited until the cloud tipped off the peak before I took the image. I think the viewer's eye is drawn to the mountain peak and the foreground helps draw the eye through the image In these images I made the element in the foreground my subject but it is only of interest placed alongside the supporting elements I made the hanging branches in the foreground of the image the subject here, although I used it to also draw attention to the beautiful winding river The flowers in the foreground were my subject here while the distant mountain, the clouds and the rocks in the sea are supporting elements In this image the person walking serves as the subject while the beach and clouds also provide interesting elements. The image may have looked empty without a specific subject The stone is my subject in this image, supported by the foam of the incoming waves 3. Not setting focus While we may have a subject in mind, it is also important to place the focus on that subject so that it becomes the most prominent element in the frame. On the smartphone camera we do this by pressing on the screen where we want the focus of our image to be. In the two examples below, I placed focus on the flower in the foreground in the first image, while in the second image I placed the focus on the background so that the background became sharp rather than the flower in the foreground. By getting used to setting focus like this we can ensure that our chosen subject is the sharpest part of our image. For purposes of demonstration I took these two images. It is easy to see how setting focus makes a difference. In the first image I set focus on the flower, while in the second image the background is in focus while the flower is not. By the simple act of pressing on the screen we can ensure that the part of the image which we want to have in focus will be in focus. A simple but effective technique 4. Using digital zoom This mistake was the easiest for me to remedy. I made this mistake all the time before I started to study photography. When I wanted to capture something in the distance I pinched the screen to zoom in on the subject, not realising that I was losing quality in the image by doing this. Now I just don’t use the digital zoom and if I want to capture something far away I either try to get closer, use the optical zoom or accept the limitations of the mobile camera and crop afterwards to bring my subject closer. The latest Samsung Galaxy offers 10x optical zoom on one of its telephoto lenses, while the latest iPhone gives 3x, so optical zoom is improving all the time on mobile phone cameras. The telephoto (2x) lens does allow us to get a closer image, with greater detail. It is even possible to see some detail on the cliff in the background This is the same image taken with the wide angle and telephoto lenses. The telephoto lens is a real alternative to digital zoom without loss of image quality 5. Blurred images Blurred images are often a result of taking a shot too quickly or not holding the camera steady. Many people hold the phone by the corners and extend their arms when taking a photo. From this position you often have to hold the phone with one hand while pressing the shutter button with the other, so the potential to take blurry images is high. Using a tripod is one solution to this but for most people carrying a tripod is not a realistic option so you can compromise by holding the phone so that it is gripped tightly, by keeping your elbows held close to your side when taking the shot, or by leaning against something such as a wall to steady yourself. Sometimes I place the phone on a solid surface to help avoid unintentional movement. After ruining a few shots, I began to take this mistake seriously so now I seldom have blurred images. One option for holding the phone is to turn it so that the left hand (if you are right-handed) holds the phone tightly on the opposite side to the lens. The right hand can then be used to press the shutter. Alternatively, you can use the volume up or down buttons to take the picture, which gives a real camera feel, although you need to take care not to cover the lens. This shot shows one option for holding the phone so you can avoid blurred images. For those who are right-handed, hold the phone in your left hand with two middle fingers firmly on the back of the phone while fore finger and thumb support from top of the phone. The little finger supports the bottom of the phone. The right hand is placed under the left and the thumb used to press the shutter. Alternatively, as mentioned above, the volume button can also be used from this position as a shutter button. This does not appear to be an intuitive way to hold the phone but when you use it for a while it gets easier to remember and it does improve the steadiness of the phone camera. 6. Taking the photo from the point of view of a standing adult This is probably not so much a mistake as a personal preference, although I have read so much about shooting from different viewpoints that I almost feel that it is a mistake to just stand and shoot. Regardless of how we view this issue, there is no doubt that to vary our viewpoint and position is a good composition guideline in any type of photography. So I am going to count it among the mistakes I might make and try to vary my shooting position as much as possible. Capturing a shot of this wildlife garden from a low angle gives a different feeling than taking the shot from a standing position *** I hope these tips will help you avoid some of the most common smartphone camera mistakes and improve your mobile photography. If you would like to take your phone photography further you might be interested in some resources which I have found useful: https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/6-go-to-resources-that-have-enhanced-my-smartphone-photography

I recently spent four days on the Connemara coast in the West of Ireland. It was partly a photography trip as I wanted to spend some time immersing myself in the beautiful coastal landscape that we find here. There are already hundreds of photos taken along this western seaboard, taken with expensive photographic equipment, and used for tourism brochures, advertisements, exhibitions or for private sale. I am not trying to reach anything near those standards. My aim was to go down to the coast each day, at different times and regardless of weather conditions, and simply photograph what caught my eye, what drew my attention, what seemed to speak to me. This is the type of photography that appeals to me. I like all types of landscape photography but there is something about the coast and being by the sea that I love, and that is what makes coastal landscapes my favourite for photography. Being by the sea really encourages me to observe, to explore, to connect with my environment and to take all kinds of photographs. While I do take wide vistas at the coast occasionally, I am more drawn to intimate scenes – close-ups of rocks, sand patterns and the ebb and flow of the sea all hold an attraction for me. Since I live on the eastern side of Ireland, where the sea is calm and quiet, I love to travel to the wild Atlantic coast whenever I can. On this occasion I stayed in Barna, a coastal village situated close to Galway along the coast road heading west. The village acts as a gateway to the Irish speaking Connemara Gaeltacht. Connemara is an area where modern meets traditional, where stone walls co-exist with contemporary buildings, where sheep graze on the roadside close to a village boasting an award-winning restaurant. The pace of life is slow. Drivers are courteous even though the volume of traffic has increased considerably over the last few years. These are some of the images I captured. *** While not exclusive to a coastal area, it was the juxtaposition of traditional and modern that drew my attention to this ruined cottage. It sits on the side of the road, sandwiched between modern apartments and a new housing development. It looks totally out of place today, yet it has a story to tell, a story of different times when life was simpler, if not easier, and of the people who lived out their lives under its thatched roof. As I struggled to get a picture of the whole cottage from across the street, due to the endless stream of traffic blocking a clear view, I was transported to a bygone era. I imagined the residents of the cottage over the years having no difficulty crossing the road, and wondered what the advent of cars meant for their lives. I’m sure they saw advantages and disadvantages in this modern development! A visit to Kylemore Abbey This is a slight diversion from the coastal landscape but while visiting Connemara we decided to take a trip inland to Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine Abbey founded in 1920 in the beautiful Kylemore Castle. The castle itself was built in 1868. Kylemore Abbey is considered to be one of the most romantic castles in Ireland and there are many iconic images to be found on brochures and web pages. I just had to get my own pictures of this fairytale castle! After a return journey through the Connemara mountains it was back to the coast for my final images. *** On our last day we were treated to the spectacle of an incoming Atlantic storm. The sea went from relative calm to stormy in the space of a few minutes as the tide came roaring in. I tried to capture some of the incoming waves as they splashed on the rocks, and at times I did manage to capture the sea spray. While my images don’t do justice to what I saw, it was a great experience to watch as the waves jumped higher and higher before crashing on the rocks. Sometimes just watching is also an important part of photography, and viewing my images at home transports me back to that place and allows me to re-live the experience. Hopefully some of these images will give you an idea of why I love to photograph on the west coast of Ireland. I am already looking forward to my return.