Mindful photography is an opportunity to "open yourself up to new perceptions and to understand your own vision." 21 Days of Mindful Photography Alexandria Searls (2019) Many of us today are looking for ways to slow down, to become less stressed, to live a healthier lifestyle and to form more healthy habits. If you are one of those people and you also like photography, you may be interested in exploring mindful photography. I have written some blog posts in which I have considered some aspects of mindful photography and suggested some of the benefits which this practice can bring to our lives. Mindful photography is not about getting a technically perfect shot, it is not about getting lots of likes on social media, it is not about comparing ourselves to other photographers or always needing to capture an image. Mindful photography is about being, it is about slowing down and becoming more aware of what is around us, it is about observing more closely. Mindful photography is about bringing a consciousness to our practice; it is about watching and waiting, not frantically trying to grab the next shot. So, how do you become a more mindful photographer? Here are some suggestions: Cultivate a habit of being more mindful in everyday activities, whether it is cooking, eating, walking or even driving. This will help you to slow down a little and lessen your stress. Taking time to become more aware of your breathing is also an effective technique to encourage a more mindful approach to living. You might like to download the free app Breathing which can alert you to stop and deepen your breathing, particularly if you are not used to doing this. Take more purposeful mindfulness walks. Walk slowly, feel the sun on your face, the breeze in your hair (or on your head if you don't have hair). Listen to the sounds around you, especially the nature sounds. Take in the scent of flowers, newly mown grass, vegetation after the rain. Taste the salt in the sea air; touch something and feel its texture. Don’t rush - take time to see, feel, hear and smell. Resist the temptation to always take a photo. It is even said that when we are mindfully aware of our surroundings, we are doing photography, even when we don’t have a camera with us. The more time you spend without using a camera the more you’ll begin to really see, and your photographs will improve as you sharpen your powers of observation. “I’m always mentally photographing everything as practice” ~ Minor White* When you do go out to take photographs don’t always look for a finished product. Look for shape, texture, form. Look for light and shade and the mingling of the two. Take lots of images just for you. Walk in the woods, in the forest, by the sea, near a river. Climb a mountain or hill, overlook a town or city. Look up at the trees, at the sky, at the moving clouds. Look down, find something tiny, something you haven’t noticed before. Look at something ordinary, something mundane, and see the beauty there. Experiment, discover, ‘be’ with your camera and allow each subject to speak to you and call you to make an image. Make your image as technically perfect as you can, but don’t feel pressured. If it’s not perfect, don’t worry. It is as it’s meant to be. Enjoy the journey, savour the experience. This is an image of an old door handle. But it is more than that. It is a way into a room. It is worn, well-used, full of fingerprints that cannot be seen, a teller of numerous stories. “One should not only photograph things for what they are but for what else they are” ~ Minor White Does 'gear' matter? Most serious photographers will favour a dedicated camera for all types of photography rather than a phone camera, and I agree that the versatility of a camera, with its choice of lenses and myriad of settings to achieve different results, means it is generally preferable to a phone camera which is essentially a ‘point and shoot’ camera, albeit an ever improving one. I do not wish to suggest that mindful photography is not serious photography, but this is an area where the saying, ‘the best camera is the one you have with you’, really does apply. We can of course do mindful photography on a planned photography shoot, when the focus is on perfecting technique and getting the best image, since practising photography mindfully is a mindset which we can use at any time. Yet much of mindful photography is spontaneous, it is often a result of something catching our eye, drawing us, speaking to us as we walk along, and it is at this time that the camera in our pocket, the phone camera, has a role to play. We become more mindful photographers when 'gear' is less important than connecting with our subject. Photographer Paul Sanders, who is passionate about becoming more mindful in his photography, urges us not to think of our subject in terms of a photo, just to enjoy the simple beauty presented. "Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field." -Peter Adams (Commercial photographer) Follow where your inspiration leads you At its very heart, mindful photography is spontaneous. Allow yourself time to notice the beauty that is around you. Open yourself to possibilities and opportunities. Connect with your subject, notice how you feel and be aware of what is drawing your eye. Experiment, follow where your inspiration leads you and above all enjoy the wonderful experience that is mindful photography. *** This is one in a series of blog posts relating to mindful photography. If you are interested in this topic, you might like to read some of my previous blogs How Trying Mindful Photography Really Changed My Perspective Does Photography Support A Mindfulness Experience Or Take From It How Embracing Mindful Photography Has The Power To Transform Your Life 3 Powerful Reasons To Embrace MIndful Photography How Can We Harness the Power of Gratitude Through Photography? 10 Benefits of Taking a Mindful Approach To Photography If you know anyone who might enjoy this post, please feel free to share the link. *** FOOTNOTE *Minor White (1908-1976) was an American photographer whose interest in Zen philosophy and mysticism influenced his photography. Before becoming a serious photographer, White studied botany and, later, poetry. He became a serious photographer in 1937 and through his mystical approach to photography he became one of the most influential photographers in the mid twentieth century.

The Fire Challenge is the third challenge posed by Kim Grant on her YouTube channel, Visualising Scotland. The aim of these challenges is not to just take a regular photograph of the topic, but rather to think around the subject, use the subject as a springboard for something different, something creative and interesting. Kim constantly reminds her viewers that the aim of the challenges is to get people to go out with their camera and to see the world in a different way. With all of this in mind I began to think of the latest challenge – Fire. I don’t have a fire in my house, which might have given me the option of photographing a real flame, so I tried to think around the subject and decided to use colour and shape to simulate fire, and to use intentional camera movement and abstract photography to create some fire effects. Autumn provided an abundance of reds, oranges and yellows so I went out with my camera to see what I could create. Theses are some of the results. The creeping plant, with it's autumn colours of red, orange and yellow, gives the impression of flames creeping up a wall. This was a hanging branch. I rotated it to give the impression of flames jumping up. Autumn leaves sufficiently blurred to represent the colours of fire. Intentional Camera Movement gives the image a wavy feel, like flames dancing in a fire. This abstract image, with its strong red and yellow and hint of blue, suggests the intensity of fire. In post-processing I was able to change the colour of these grasses to fire colours. I live near Marlay Park, an area in which I do a lot of my photography. On a recent walk on a cold November morning I came across a pile of fire logs ready to be used in the log fires of the 18th century Marlay House. They provided an ideal subject for my fire photography challenge! Why not take the challenge? The Fire challenge is not an easy challenge. I was tempted to photograph a real flame but I felt that it would defeat the purpose of a creative challenge. Finding ways to represent fire or create images associated with fire provided a welcome opportunity to do something different with my camera. If you would like to try out some creative images on the theme of fire, why not take part in the challenge for yourself. There are no winners or losers, just an opportunity to see some creative thinking among photographers and a chance to pick up some useful ideas for your own photography.

I ask this question because I really don’t know the answer. I am interested in street photography, I have taken street photographs in many different places, but I have yet to capture what I would call a good street image. To my eye, most of my street images are boring; they are mainly images of random people in random locations doing nothing. In some ways I know what doesn’t make a good street image; it is harder to know when a street photograph succeeds. I have studied many street photographers, and success still eludes me. I know when an image appeals to me, when it has that something extra that makes it stand out from the crowd. But that something extra is hard to achieve. So, what makes a good street photography image? I have come up with some possibilities. A moment – I think that capturing the perfect moment is key to successful street photography. It might be a look, an expression, an interaction or an action that encourages the viewer to look at the image, ask a question, wonder what is happening or what is being said, or guess at what might happen next. This moment captured on camera will encourage the viewer to engage with the image for a while, rather than just give it a fleeting glance. An interesting play on words - An interesting play on words is often found on signs in the street. This can provide an interesting subject for a photograph especially if it is something uncommon. This is one I just spotted in Dublin when I got off a train - a Chinese take away called Wok On Inn. It was difficult to capture without being knocked down by an oncoming bicycle! Something out of place, funny or incongruous - like this pedestrian sign and nowhere to walk. or reading something without a comma Something just screaming to be photographed - like this row of pink buses! Or a question mark in the street. An event – something out of the ordinary, where people are gathered for a single purpose or there is some sort of action going on. An interesting juxtaposition - A girl selling newspapers and magazines who is more interested in reading her phone! A story – A story image invites questions - Who are they? Where are they? What are they doing? or even Where have they gone? A humorous incident – Seagulls crossing Street photography is not easy. I don't have many examples of photographs in each of the categories above. But there is something to aim for in this genre. In future I will try not to go out and just capture random images. I will try to keep the points above in mind and hopefully will return from each street photography outing with more interesting and effective street images. ****** Although I am always trying to improve at photography and take better images no matter what type of photography I am doing, my overall priority is to enjoy my photography. Coming home with some good images helps but sometimes it's the experience of just being out taking shots that gives us joy. And if that's the case for you, then just ignore what I've said above and go out and shoot. If you find a gem among your images, great. If not, at least you'll have had some fun doing what you love.

During summer 2022 I found myself being drawn back to urban/street photography. There are a few reasons for this. 1. It is difficult to do landscape photography in harsh light so this summer's long hot spell, plus a visit to Portugal and Spain, which were both experiencing a heatwave while I was there, meant that the best option for photography was street and urban photography. 2. I have been doing landscape photography over the last 9-10 months, trying out woodland photography through the changing seasons, experimenting with ICM and abstract photography as well as doing general landscape photography. By way of change and keeping things fresh I have been concentrating on street photography and coastal photography over the summer months. Although street photography is different in many ways to landscape photography, being a faster, more spontaneous way of shooting, it has nevertheless taught me a few lessons that I can apply to landscape photography, and indeed to many other types of photography. Here are the 5 most relevant lessons that I have learned from doing street photography this summer. #1 To be curious Street photography is all about expecting the unexpected. We can’t plan what we will shoot due to the candid nature of this type of photography. We don’t know who will be on the street, what they’ll be doing or what activities and interactions we will come across. We need to have an open mind and a curiosity to seek out good images, to wander along streets and down alleyways, to amble through markets and other places that people gather, to watch and wait for that perfect moment to capture on camera. It is only by being curious, by keeping a constant lookout for images, that we will recognise those moments when they come along. I shot this from a distance with my phone so the image is grainy, but I like the moment when the dog peeped out from behind the pole and took the place of the man's head. #2 To experiment I have watched some YouTube videos made by photographers who are skilled in the art of street photography. They differ in style but one thing they all advocate is that we get out there with our camera and experiment. It is by experimenting that we will find the things that we like to shoot, and it is by experimenting that we will come to know and develop our own unique style. Recently I began experimenting with shooting through glass. I haven’t got any good images yet but I know from others’ work that it is possible to get them so I will keep trying, keep experimenting. #3 To be patient Sometimes we might stand on a street corner with a perfect contrast of light and shade and realise that there is no subject. It is then that we wait, and wait, and wait for the perfect subject to come along and then try to capture that subject in just the right position. Sometimes a burst of colour will brighten up a scene, on other occasions it might be something unusual happening in the right place at the right time. Often I waited in what I thought was a good location and I still missed the shot! On this occasion I was in the right place to capture this young man delighted with his catch! #4 To grab opportunities when they present themselves No photograph is perfect. There will always be conditions that are not quite right. With landscape photography we can always return to our composition at another time when conditions are better and the scene will still be there. With street photography it’s often a case of shoot now or lose the opportunity forever. The chances of the same people or interactions lining up again are slim so we need to take our opportunities when they arise. I still have images in my head that I should have taken and didn’t so the lesson I have learned is to grab these opportunities when they come along. Even if the image is not perfect, it will be better than no image at all. Every image we capture is a learning opportunity, a stepping stone on our photography journey. If an image is not worth keeping, it is worth learning from. The images we don’t capture teach us nothing. In this image I have good light on an interesting corner of the building. But there is nothing of interest to see. There is no subject, nothing to tell a story. Yet keeping the image is a reminder that I need to watch and wait for something interesting to happen or a good subject to walk into the frame if I want to make a decent street image. #5 To seek good light Every photography teacher stresses the importance of good light. Having the right kind of light can make the difference between a mediocre image and a good image, or even between a good image and a great one. Summer time in a city or town gives great contrasts of light and shade and if we seek out these conditions we will improve our images immensely. This is a snapshot of a day in Vila Real, Portugal. The image itself is a bit cluttered but I do like the light. Seeing how light improves my street images has taught me a valuable lesson about the primacy of good light in photography, regardless of what type of photography we do, and this is a lesson I will try to apply in all situations. Now I just need to add a good subject and composition! To Sum Up I once read a comment by a photographer who said he had no interest in doing street photography because he didn’t want photos of random people he didn’t know clogging up his photo library. I guess he has a point. It is probably preferable to have a library full of rather nice landscapes even if they don’t translate into good photographs. On the other hand, who wouldn’t do street photography if they thought they could one day capture that one iconic image - the next Behind the Gare Saint Lazare! We can but dream… …and keep improving our photography so that one day that dream may come true. I don't believe I have succeeded at street photography. My images are not by any means good examples of the genre. But I do love taking candid images in the street and they are everlasting reminders of the places I've been. In my next post I will try to discover what it is that makes a good street photography image.

I have done a lot of coastal photography over the last few months, and tried to improve at street photography, but autumn draws me back to the woodland. Woodland photography is not an easy genre of photography in which to succeed. By their very nature woodlands and forests are messy and chaotic, often with masses of tangled branches, too many trees growing together blocking a clear view of any of them, and fallen trees or branches scattered over the ground. In these circumstances a photograph can become difficult to compose and you can be frustrated and disappointed with your efforts. Yet if you are interested in woodland photography you will want to overcome these challenges and find some ways to compose a pleasing image. To do this you will need to find some order in the chaos, some way of looking at the woodland so that instead of seeing chaos you see potential. How do you do this? As this has been my personal challenge since starting woodland photography I will outline some of the solutions I have found. They may not have resulted in amazing images, but they do help me to improve at woodland photography and to feel less frustrated with this photography genre. EXPLORE One of the first suggestions I offer is to get out and explore your local woodland area. Go often and get to know the area well. This will make it easier to find subjects that pique your interest. Get to know the trees and how they relate to each other; get to know the unusual features of the woods; discover the little things that make this woodland special and unique. As you visit a woodland often you will get to know its mood at different times and in different seasons and you will become familiar with all the possibilities it offers for photography. SIMPLIFY THE SCENE As in any type of photography, the way you choose to compose your image is important in woodland photography, if a little more challenging. What you don’t want is a shot of a great subject that is undistinguishable from a cluttered background. To make order out of the chaos in a woodland scene you need to simplify the scene in some way and isolate your subject so that it becomes prominent in the image. Shooting when there is fog or mist is one obvious way of doing this and these weather conditions are ideal for separating elements in a scene. Unfortunately, we are not always lucky enough to have misty conditions, so we must work with what we have. One of the problems I have encountered is that when I try to isolate my subject my eye tends to filter out the background, but the camera does not. When I look at my image on the computer it is then that I see the cluttered background. I have learned that in the woodland I have to see differently. Since it is difficult to single out an individual tree, one thing I have tried is to photograph a group of trees together, often where I see a connection among the trees in the group. This can also create a story in the image. An alternative is to try to pick out an unusual feature of a tree or to use a telephoto lens to focus on a small part of a tree, for example a pattern in its branches or an interesting trunk. A shallow depth of field can also serve to separate a subject from the background and give it some prominence in the image. It can be done by focusing on smaller details. While a shallow depth of field does allow us to exclude the clutter in the background it is not suitable for every photograph. But a sense of depth can be achieved in other ways. USE COMPOSITIONAL RULES Leading lines T he compositional technique of using leading lines is relatively easy to use in a woodland and this can help to avoid the chaotic woodland landscapes to some degree. Leading lines serve to create depth in your image and add a sense of mystery but the technique cannot be overused or your images will appear repetitive and lacking in creativity. Pathways are relatively easy to find in most woodlands and they can create a sense of depth in the image. Another way to achieve a sense of depth in your image is to get down low and include some foreground. This can create the effect of looking into the distant forest, into the unknown. Rule of Thirds Using the Rule of Thirds can also be an effective technique to give prominence to your subject in a woodland scene. By moving the subject to one side you can include some background to show context but still be clear about what is the main subject. Natural Framing This compositional tool also has a place in woodland photography. Shooting between trees can achieve this effect, as well as using the myriad of over-reaching branches as natural frames. Use contrast Normally in photography you will want to draw as much attention as possible to your subject. If the subject is to attract the eye of the viewer it needs to stand out from its surroundings. This can be difficult to achieve in a messy woodland scene. One way to help the subject stand out is to provide as much contrast as possible between the subject and background. Use colour, shape and pattern to provide contrast in the image. Sometimes the sun will play its part! As well as employing a range of compositional techniques to help you achieve captivating images in a busy woodland environment, there are some compositional mistakes to watch out for. Including a lot of sky in your image can provide too much contrast, while unintentional overlapping of trees is not pleasing to the eye. Distractions in the frame can also be an issue. In a woodland it is very easy to come away with an image that has unwanted twigs or branches protruding from the edges so it is important to check the edges of the frame as you compose your image and move your camera to produce the cleanest possible image. FOCUS ON THE SMALL WOODLAND WORLD A woodland or forest is more than just large trees. It has a whole world going on at our feet, with potential for macro or close-up images. You can focus on these tiny details using a macro lens, make a composition using a telephoto lens or focus in on a leaf or forest vegetation. BE ADVENTUROUS Veer off the beaten path to find new compositions. Look for unique details, things that stand out; for example, a red leaf among greens or a splash of bright colour in a dark environment. Seek out a little pool or waterfall and experiment with different shutter speeds. Look up and capture some gnarly branches. Find interesting places to stand, such as in the middle of a pool or under a bridge. Get down low to include more interesting foreground elements. INCLUDE A HUMAN ELEMENT Sometimes including people in your images gives a sense of scale to the image, provides an element of story or adds interest to an otherwise boring scene. Often if you stay in one spot and wait you can capture a person walking past and position them in the frame in exactly the way you want. I like to capture the person walking into the frame, rather than out of the frame, or capture a spontaneous moment. Not everyone likes to include a human element in a landscape image - its ultimately a matter of personal choice. GET CREATIVE There are countless opportunities to discover patterns around us in woodlands. You can find patterns in trees, leaves and plants, patterns created by the sunlight shining through the trees, or you can create your own abstract patterns from the woodland elements. Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) is a technique that can be readily applied in a woodland setting with interesting results. *** These are just a few ideas to help you overcome the difficulty of getting a good image in a chaotic and busy woodland setting. Composition in photography is a complex issue, comprising of many dos and don'ts. Yet composition is what makes the difference between a good and a bad image, and this is no different in woodland photography. So pay attention to composition. Compose intentionally to accentuate your woodland subjects, find as many unique ways to compose as you can, and you will come away with images to be proud of. CONCLUSION Woodland photography can be tricky and challenging. It may be difficult to get a good composition amid the chaos that is a typical woodland. But woodland photography is a type of photography like no other. Being in a woodland is relaxing and enjoyable as you connect with the elements of nature all around you. Photography in a woodland is exciting and hugely rewarding, and with a bit of effort you can capture great images in a busy woodland environment. All that is needed is a bit of extra thought and a little imagination!

I am currently taking part in a photography challenge, the second of four being presented by photographer Kim Grant. The challenges are based on the four elements, this one being Earth. The criteria for participation in the challenge are: (1) The image must have something to do with earth. (2) The image should be as creative as possible. In the first challenge, Water, I visited three locations – a seashore, a lakeshore and a riverbank – and in each of the locations I had a look for compositions that might make for a creative image. Since earth is such a huge topic, and open to interpretation in many ways, I decided to take a different approach with this challenge. I opted to concentrate on the creative aspect of the challenge, and I divided my topic into four creative themes: · Abstract · Close-up · Ancient earth · ICM Another consideration is how to define ‘earth’ in the context of the challenge. While earth may be all around us, it’s not the same as landscape or environment as these can both include human-made elements. For the purposes of the challenge, I am choosing to define earth as purely naturally occurring elements such as stone, trees, grass, sand, rock, soil, plants, hedges, mud, in fact anything that occurs in nature and is not made or built by human hand. The real challenge was to use these earth elements to produce a creative image, so I set out to capture some images under each of the headings above. Abstract Close-up Ancient earth ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) The Earth Challenge is open until October 18th and all details are available on Kim Grant's YouTube channel.

I recently took part in a photography challenge posed by photographer Kim Grant on her YouTube channel. The challenge was the first of four challenges based on each of the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, beginning with Water. The task was to take a photograph that relates to water, with an emphasis on creativity. Those who participated in the challenge were not pitted against each other; images shown on the channel were not necessarily the best but rather were examples of a creative interpretation of the theme. To support her viewers, Kim Grant published four videos showing how she interpreted the challenge and providing inspirational footage of her thought process as she created some stunning images. I took part in the challenge and submitted some of the images shown below. I do not consider them to be among my best images, but I do feel that I learned a lot from taking the challenge as it helped me to think differently about my photography. I realised that to some extent I have become used to shooting in a certain, predictable way and this challenge opened my mind to new ways of interpreting a theme. I was also very pleased that one of my images was chosen for the slide show of images which Kim felt were examples of a creative response to the challenge. ICM Water Image Below are 6 ways I found the photo challenge to be beneficial to my photography. You might think of more. A photo challenge encourages you to: Observe By stepping outside my comfort zone, I was challenged to observe more closely to produce a creative image, as per the brief. I made observations along a water’s edge, watching the movement of the water in and out from the shore and seeing the foam patterns left by the retreating water. I observed a riverbed with the aid of a polariser. I saw reeds that made interesting shapes in the water and created minimalist images. I saw ‘faces’ by the seashore and observed opportunities for abstract images. The challenge forced me to go deeper with my photography, to go beyond the obvious and really begin to see different and unique photographic opportunities all around me. Focus A photo challenge can provide a short-term focus for your photography. When I have a specific purpose for my photography I tend to be more focused, planning my outings to places where I think I will get appropriate images to suit the challenge. I am also less likely to get distracted or become frustrated by not knowing what to shoot. The challenge brief is a great guide and helps me to be clear-headed and focused on the task. During a recent visit to the coast I was focused on looking for images to complete the challenge. Learn something new It is easy to find ourselves stuck in a rut with our photography. Capturing the same type of images or using the same style all the time can lead to lack of motivation. When we take on a photography challenge it can force us to think differently, and to learn and use new techniques and skills. This can only benefit our photography. Experiment By its very nature a challenge is something out of the ordinary, a way of working that takes us away from our usual style, even if just briefly. It involves a different way of thinking and provides an opportunity to experiment with composition, focal length, subject and location. When I look at the images I took as a result of the water challenge I know that many of them are experimental. Many of the experiments didn’t quite work, but that’s ok, they were still valuable learning experiences and gave me useful information for future shots. Get creative The most rewarding aspect of doing a challenge is that it encourages our creativity. Being creative with our photography is what separates taking a photograph from simply taking a snapshot. It involves more than just varying our composition, it also involves seeing differently, looking beyond what is immediately obvious to what might be there at a deeper level. Take a risk While my first response to a water photography challenge might normally be to photograph a seascape or a river or lake view, I felt that participating in this particular challenge necessitated ‘thinking outside the box’ and becoming more creative with my images. The next step was to submit my images, which would mean that they would be seen by a professional photographer, and I initially felt anxious about doing this as I felt that others’ images would be much better. But I took the risk and was delighted that I did, and I was rewarded by having one image included in the slideshow. ***** If all of these benefits of a photography challenge are true, and in my opinion they are, then it is something to be encouraged as a part of our photography journey. Finding a photography challenge is not difficult. Digital Photography School poses a weekly challenge online, while magazines such as Digital Camera ( www.facebook.com/digitalcamera ) have a monthly challenge with a small prize for the winner, as well as a section where readers are invited to send in their shots to star in the photo gallery and regular Shootout invitations. If you would like to take part in one of Kim Grant’s challenges you can subscribe to her channel by following this link . Kim has now posed her next challenge, which is EARTH. The task is to capture an image that has something to do with earth (interpreted in any way you choose), and images should be as creative as possible. Have you taken part in a good photography challenge that others might be interested in? If so, why not tell us about it in the comments below.

In my last post I outlined some ways in which I have found a photography challenge to be beneficial to my photography. Here are 5 of my most recent challenges, all of which have helped to inspire me and encouraged me to get out with my camera to discover new ways of shooting. The first two challenges were posted in Digital Camera magazine, when two photographers were challenged to 'exercise their creative muscles'. I decided to take up the challenges. Challenge 1: Capture an image that contains abstract content. An everyday household object, shot from an unusual angle. Challenge 2: Capture an image where contrast is the content. Light and shadow, rough and smooth, straight and curved. Challenge 3: The third challenge was posed by Kim Grant on her YouTube channel. The Water Challenge asked viewers to capture an image that involved or related to water, but the challenge was to look for different, more creative images than normal. ICM - The River Bed. If you wish to take part in one of Kim Grant's challenges, the next challenge EARTH is open until mid October. Challenge 4: This challenge was inspired by James R Burns who challenged himself to shoot monochrome street images in square format. Challenge 5: The Big One - GuruShots describes itself as 'The World's Greatest Photo Game', where you receive a daily challenge along with millions of photographers worldwide. The challenges are voted on by the GuruShots community and you get the chance to move up the ranks according to the votes you receive. There is a new challenge every day, one of the recent being Mostly White . Some photographers enjoy taking part online while others simply use the suggestions as inspiration for their own personal challenges. The main aim in taking a challenge is to improve our photography by getting creative with our shots. This will involve experimenting and encountering lots of failures as well as successes. Each challenge encourages us to think outside our comfort zone and to look for different ways of capturing an image based on the topic or theme of the challenge. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of challenge ideas published online and even if some of them do not appeal to you, or suit your photography style, there will be many that will present you with interesting and motivating challenges. Why not take on a challenge today?

I’ll always remember the feeling of having my first camera in my hand. I was 11 years old and it was something I had set my heart on getting. The idea of taking pictures of people and places, then waiting in anticipation to have the film developed, held a fascination for me. Two years ago, when I bought my first digital SLR, the feeling was not quite the same, but not far off. I was looking forward to embarking on a new chapter in my life and this camera was going to be my companion on the journey. This was one of my first photos on my first photography 'shoot'. I didn't know anything about composition and worked on instinct, but I enjoyed the experience immensely. Without realising it, my eye was drawn to the symmetry of the scene, a commonly used composition technique It is now 2 years on in my photography journey. My second purchase was a more portable Olympus mirrorless camera, which is also an interchangeable lens camera. I have also taken an interest in mobile phone photography and in recent weeks I have been investigating the potential of the smartphone camera as a tool for real photography and have shared some of the images taken with my phone camera. Many people will argue that a phone camera can take images that will rival those of a dedicated camera and that they are becoming all that we need for real photography. Others will say that a phone camera will never compete with a dedicated camera and I tend to agree with this latter view. I will say that I do see some compelling reasons to ‘ditch’ the big cameras and use the phone camera for all my photography. It is convenient, it is portable due to having no extra lenses to carry around, and the images it produces are as good as I need. Yet, despite this, and while I enjoy doing mobile photography, I do accept that it has its limitations and I am not yet willing to give up my dedicated camera in favour of a smartphone camera. Here are some reasons why. Image quality is better Due to the size of the sensor in dedicated cameras compared to that of a smartphone camera, it is understandable that image quality will be better in the dedicated camera as the larger sensor allows in more light. While I do find that the images produced by my phone camera are sufficient for my needs, I think that those produced by the camera, even my entry level camera, are sharper and look better when printed. While phone cameras are improving all the time, so too is camera technology, and the fact that these cameras will always have larger sensors will mean that images taken with a good dedicated camera will inevitably surpass the images from a smartphone camera. While I am not obsessed with getting razor sharp images, I do like the quality of the images produced by my camera. At a recent family gathering some comments were made about the clarity of images captured on my camera compared to those from phone cameras. While other factors do come into play, such as managing to get people to stand still more easily when you have a ‘big’ camera in your hand, I do believe that the camera gave better overall results in terms of image quality. Low light images are more superior when taken with a dedicated camera. Until recently, phone cameras could not cope with low light conditions and this is still only possible with more advanced phone cameras. You get greater flexibility for different styles of photography Phone cameras tend to be a ‘one size fits all’ type of camera, albeit with some flexibility in terms of lenses, while in the world of real cameras there are specific cameras and lenses for different types of photography. I am somewhat limited by my current entry level camera and lens set-up, but I do still get to choose between my cameras and various lenses depending on what I want to shoot. On a recent trip to the west coast of Ireland I used my Nikon D3400 with Sigma 17-50 mm lens for landscape photography and my Nikon 70-300mm zoom lens to pick out some more distant subjects, as well as my Olympus 40-150 mm. I like the variety of images from the different lenses. For nature photography I often use my 50mm fixed lens which achieves a pleasing bokeh. When doing street photography I have begun to use my Olympus E-M10 11 as it is quite small and unobtrusive, yet the 14-42 mm lens has decent zoom capabilities. Olympus E-M10 11 40-150 mm lens Nikon D3400, Sigma 17-50 mm lens Nikon 70-300 mm zoom lens Nikon 50 mm fixed lens Using Aperture Priority mode you can almost block out the background if you want to do that I recently came across the following article, which illustrates my point, even though I am not exactly in that league of photographer! https://iso.500px.com/top-cameras-lenses-different-styles-photography/ Since DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are interchangeable lens cameras they give you the facility to adjust your lens to suit your requirements. The lenses on the smartphone camera are built in, which, when compared to the interchangeable lens of the real camera, reduces their functionality. Although many of the latest smartphone cameras have at least a dual, if not a triple lens setup, these still have their limitations in terms of how far they can reach. If my subject is far in the distance, for example a small cottage across a lake, it will appear tiny on a phone camera image. Digital zoom is a poor option since the quality of the images reduces as we zoom. With a dedicated camera and optical zoom lens I can choose my focal length or use a range of focal lengths to show a variety of perspectives. With a smartphone camera it is not possible to zoom very far. It was not possible to take this image of the moon with my phone camera. You can experiment with manual controls Cameras have a range of settings and controls with which to work to enable us to achieve all sorts of photography results. I must admit that I have not investigated many of these although I have given lots of time to learning the shooting modes and am becoming more confident in using each of these. I now never shoot in auto mode, although I am still learning about each of the other modes. I regularly watch or read tutorials on aperture priority mode and experiment to see what outcomes I can produce. Shutter speed Experimenting with shutter speed to either freeze or capture motion is a great advantage of using a dedicated camera, particularly in the area of sports photography but also if we want to capture that creamy waterfall, a silky wave in a seascape image, or a light trail in a town or city at night. I spent a long time experimenting with shutter speed to achieve the milky waterfall effect. There is a lot of trial and error and a great deal of satisfaction when you achieve something that is close to what you are looking for Aperture Depth of field has become possible through iPhone’s use of portrait mode, or live mode on android phones, but this feature is limited on a phone camera and does not compare to the depth of field effects that are possible to obtain by experimenting with different apertures on a dedicated camera. It is an area of photography that I enjoy experimenting with, particularly when photographing people or flowers and plants. You have the ability to shoot in RAW If you are interested in working with the raw data of your files and making the most of your images, you will want to shoot in RAW and improve your files in post processing. All decent dedicated cameras allow us to shoot in RAW or a combination of RAW and jPEG. While there is some potential for working on a smartphone jpeg image, most of the data is already processed in camera so we basically have very little raw data to work with. Some phone cameras do allow you to shoot in RAW (using Pro mode) but I’m not sure that this function is very commonly used. Personally I have not found it very user friendly and prefer to stick to auto on my phone. This does limit you in terms of creativity compared to working with manual mode on the dedicated camera. While I have done some post-processing work in Lightroom I feel that I have merely scratched the surface of what this program has to offer, so there is more learning to come. I keep my Nikon camera set to shoot in RAW as well as jPEG which forces me to develop my creativity at times, and I consider this to be a valuable added component to the whole art of photography. You get more battery life, meaning more time for shooting This is a valid practical consideration. I could spend hours shooting with my Nikon camera and not fear draining the battery. When travelling last year, I chose to bring a small mirrorless camera with an extra battery for my everyday photography as I wanted to know that wherever I was I would have a camera at the ready. I could not ensure that my smartphone would retain its battery life for a full day’s photography in addition to all the other activities that drain a phone battery. Best of all, you get the real photography experience From my point of view, something that is more important than the other considerations is that doing photography with a dedicated camera is about getting the experience of photography; it is about relishing the feeling you get when you take your camera out of its bag, choose a lens appropriate to the location, make decisions about the best composition, put the viewfinder to your eye, move around to get the best light, change lenses to get a different perspective and a different photographic experience, arrive home with a memory card full of shots to transfer onto your pc to examine, assess, touch up in post-processing and make choices about what to share, what to discard, what to save for another time. It’s a slower, more deliberate process, an experience to savour and enjoy, and in my view this experience which we get from the ‘real’ camera cannot be rivaled by the convenience of the smartphone. While I am not against smartphone photography, and have written in praise of my smartphone camera on different occasions, it is the feeling that holding the dedicated camera gives me of being connected to life in a tangible way that I would be afraid of losing if I went completely to using a smartphone camera for photography. Even the slower pace of dedicated camera photography, the time taken to choose and change lenses and adjust dials, has its joys, allowing me to be totally present to my surroundings and completely awake to the moment as I try to capture that perfect shot. And there's nothing wrong with having both camera and phone, to get the best of both worlds! Further reading I previously wrote a post asking whether smartphones are destroying photography, which you can read here What's your opinion?

3 Reasons Why I Continue to Blog I began my blogging journey almost four years ago, at a time when I committed to learning photography properly. I had been interested in photography on and off for a long time, but on each occasion that I came back to photography as a hobby I allowed something to get in the way of my progress and so my hobby went on the back burner. Four years ago, I was determined that would change as I set about getting serious about photography once again. To aid my progress I decided to chart my journey in a series of blog posts. I had no idea how many posts I would write, or how often I would post them, or indeed what I would write about, but I reckoned nothing ventured, nothing gained, so in September 2018 my first post was published. I often cringe when I look at my early posts, yet they serve as a reminder of where I started and I can now look over my blog, 184 posts later, and see where my journey has taken me. I have often remarked in my blog that photography has opened many doors for me apart from the obvious ones. It has encouraged me to slow down and led me into becoming more purposeful and mindful about what I do. It has brought me down a path of self-discovery, it has introduced me to the work of some wonderful creatives in many different fields, it has given meaning to my life in a new way through the appreciation of nature and the beauty of the world around me. All these bonuses have been reinforced for me as I reflect on them in my blog. Photography has given me a new appreciation of the world around me. My blog has gone through several different phases. It started simply as an online diary of a new photographer that I hoped might help someone else starting out on a similar journey. It progressed to an appreciation of photography as a life-enhancing journey of discovery which has spun off in many different directions. I have followed the directions in which I have been led without too much analysis or over thinking. I am not trying to monetise my blog or aiming for thousands of viewers (although a few more would be good). I am not interested in SEO or email campaigns or capitalising on this or that trend. So, why do I continue blogging four years on? I think there are three main reasons: 1. It reinforces my learning My original purpose in starting my blog is still relevant. By writing down my thoughts, my learning about photography, my discoveries and experiences, I am reinforcing what I am learning, both about photography and about myself. Many of the photographers working today, whose work I admire, tend to weave their photography into their philosophy of life. Far from being a means to an end, these photographers see their craft as an avenue to becoming more appreciative of life and of the world around them and they share this appreciation in the context of their work. All are willing to give generously of their knowledge and experience and acknowledge the contribution that their viewers make to their successes. I have discovered many different types of photographers, all with something unique to offer. Often, I am led to a new photographer through the channel of another and I enjoy reading the comments in the supportive communities that subscribe to and follow these photographers. There is always something new to learn, a new approach to take, a new direction to follow. By having my own blog I have the opportunity to experiment, to change my display whenever I want to and to be answerable only to myself. 2. It provides an outlet for displaying my images My second reason for continuing my blog site is that it gives me an outlet to display my images. While I do have a social media presence on Instagram, it’s not my favourite way to show my images. It is true that I don’t use Instagram to its full potential, but I find that the simplicity of using my own blog to write about my images, what they mean to me and how they fit into the current stage of my journey, has more personal meaning. When I visit an interesting location and capture some images it is good to have a space to display those I like. 3. It (hopefully) offers something to my readers I’m always delighted when I look at my statistics and discover that I have had some views on my latest posts. For a while I became obsessed with increasing my readership. It felt like failure if I was writing and no one was reading. I took an online course on how to start a blog, I studied how to write catchy headlines, I researched what successful bloggers were doing to gain their thousands of readers. I wondered what I was doing wrong and why no-one was reading my blog. I began to think that people were just not interested in what I was writing. But that was never the case. I always had some readers; not hundreds but there were always some people who wanted to read what I was writing and I began to realise that if I stayed true to myself, if I wrote about what was meaningful to me, at least I was being authentic. I’m no longer obsessed with the number of readers I have. I value and appreciate those who do take the time to read. I want to continue to share my experiences with those who want to read them. I want to pass on advice that I find useful, share information that may benefit others, pass on articles or video clips that have meaning for me in the hope that they will have meaning for others. It is the readers who keep me writing online. ***** Of the three reasons for continuing to blog, one stands out above the others. My first reason for blogging, that it reinforces my learning, is not confined to an online blog. I could achieve the same result writing about my progress in a private diary or journal. My second reason, that it provides an outlet for displaying my images, is relevant to this blog but the same result could be achieved by finding other sharing platforms, some of which might expose my images to a wider audience. But it is the third reason that is the real reason for continuing to blog. To those who enjoy reading about my journey, or who have been helped in any way by what I write, I want to keep on giving. So thank you, my readers. I really do appreciate that you take the time to read my blog and I hope I can continue to provide some value in exchange for the time you spend reading. As always, if you would like to leave a comment, I’d love to read it and if you think someone else would like something I have written, please feel free to share.

I love doing photography with a ‘real’ camera and I’m not one of those people who only uses a phone camera for photography. I love the feeling of a real camera in my hand, the process of choosing the right lens for the occasion and the experimentation with different settings that makes photography exciting and always interesting. But on some occasions I do believe that my phone camera really is the best camera for the job. I recently visited Portugal and Spain. My trip was primarily a holiday with family, but I did intend taking some photographs while I was there. I didn’t intend to go out to improve my photography by practising certain skills; my intention was just to enjoy myself. I considered taking my camera, but on this occasion I decided that my phone camera was all I needed. Here are some of the reasons why I left my camera at home on this trip: #1 I have a good camera on my phone When travelling I like to spend time photographing the area I am visiting. This is when I like to capture interesting places and candid moments, and street photography lends itself well to this. I want to be spontaneous, capture what I see as I stroll around. There’s no time for picking out the right lens. Granted, a fixed focal length can do this but with a camera I always feel I could get a better picture with a different lens whereas with my phone camera I have my range of lenses ready to use as required and I have to work within those limitations. My phone is not a latest, top-of-the-range model, but it does have a regular wide-angle lens, an ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2x telephoto lens. This means I can vary my perspectives, get as close as I need to get without intruding on people’s privacy and be sure of a relatively sharp picture as I quickly move around a scene. An example of where the phone camera is very useful is when taking photographs in a street market, where there is lots of activity and there are plenty of scenes to choose from. I don’t have to worry about whether I have the best aperture or shutter speed to ensure a sharp image. I can be confident that my phone camera is taking care of those details while I concentrate on getting the best composition or capturing a candid moment or interaction. #2 I don’t want to carry camera and lenses to areas where they may be damaged My DSLR camera, and more specifically my lenses, are precious as I have built up my collection over time and don’t want to risk damaging any of them. Often, on holiday, it can be difficult to take care of everything while travelling around an area, getting on and off buses or trains, or indeed while walking. A phone camera can be tucked away discreetly and taken out only when needed. On this occasion I travelled to a sandy area in 33°C heat, and I was glad not to have a large camera bag on my back with camera and lenses to take care of. #3 A camera can be intrusive for travelling companions When I travel abroad it is usually for a family holiday rather than a dedicated photography trip. On this occasion I travelled with my partner and some other family members so I felt that it would be disrespectful to make the trip all about photography. That is not to say that anyone had an issue with me taking photographs, but with a phone camera the process is more casual. I didn’t have to ask people to wait around while I set up a shot or stopped to change lenses. My photos were mainly of street scenes, markets and interesting buildings or features in the environment so I could capture a lot without being absent from my companions. I could have brought a small camera with me, and there are many dedicated travel cameras available (https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/buying-advice/the-best-travel-cameras-available-now-164198), but on an occasion where pin sharp images were not the priority, I just decided to enjoy the freedom of shooting what caught my eye without too much thought about the photography gear. #4 It is easier to blend in with a phone camera The best street photographs are those that capture a moment in time. These moments are happening all the time; we just need to watch out for them and be quick enough to capture them. In my opinion, we do this best if we are not self-conscious about being watched. It is good to be able to move around inconspicuously, discreetly capturing what we see. At one point when I was out photographing, I looked around and realised that there were dozens of others taking photographs with their phones, and nobody was taking any notice of them. It is easy to blend in when using a phone camera. Some countries have specific regulations regarding street photography and many street photographers will approach a subject and ask if they would be happy having their photo taken. As I am not in this league of photographer, I am content to stay in the background and do my best to enjoy shooting a range of images that capture the essence of the place I am visiting. #5 My phone camera is always with me, even when going to the shops Probably one of the most used sayings in photography circles is that the best camera is the one you have with you. I’m not sure if this was in usage before phone cameras became so popular but today it is almost certainly used to refer to the phone camera in our pocket. Regardless of the type of phone we have it will probably have a decent camera, always at the ready to give us a travel memory that we might otherwise have missed. I often find that it is on my way to the supermarket, when I wouldn’t ordinarily be taking a camera with me, that I spot something interesting that I just have to shoot, or an effect that I want to experiment with, as in the images below. To Sum Up I love travelling to new places, seeing people in their own environment, becoming part of the daily life of a community (if only for a short while) and capturing candid moments and interesting scenes. It is this experience that is most important to me, rather than being concerned with settings and focal lengths and pin sharp images. A small travel camera would meet my requirements but, for the reasons mentioned above, my phone camera has many advantages over carrying an extra camera and, on this occasion, it was exactly the camera I needed.

Coastal photography has always been a popular form of landscape photography, particularly among those with easy access to stunning coastlines. This form of photography can offer dramatic scenes of crashing waves, with majestic cliff tops overlooking magnificent sea spray or it can yield quiet, tranquil images of gently rolling seas, colourful seaweed and interesting sand patterns. Some photographers specialise in coastal photography and photographing seascapes while others see it as a part of their overall landscape photography work. Equally, there are some landscape photographers who rarely do coastal photography. Some may not have easy access to a coastline from where they live while others are just not motivated to do this type of photography. While I can’t say that I find coastal photography easy, it has always been one of my favourite types of photography, mainly because I love to go to the coast for any reason and to take my camera with me is a bonus. However, for those who find coastal photography difficult or who lack the motivation to do coastal photography, here are 5 reasons why I think it is worth giving this type of photography a try. 1. It provides lots of opportunities to grow and develop as a photographer No two photography outings will be the same at the coast. Conditions are constantly changing, sometimes by the minute. Different seasons will obviously yield different results and each of these will need a particular approach. For example, storm conditions will require careful attention to camera settings but even on relatively calm days there will be constant movement in the water which makes for more difficult shooting conditions than might be required for a serene inland landscape scene. Conditions like these stretch our photography skills and force us to learn and develop new skills to help us handle challenging conditions. Being able to do a long exposure would have improved this image but mastering that skill is something I haven't achieved yet. 2. It offers a challenge Many photographers might suggest that seascapes can be boring, that they have just sea and sand and not much else, but this is far from the truth. Apart from the ever-changing nature of a seascape there are also the peripheral subjects that exist near the coast. There are varieties of rock shapes and sizes, coastal vegetation and seaweeds, possibly a pier or marina with interesting boats, even a coastal village to explore with our camera. In fact, a coastal landscape often has more variables than other landscapes so some planning in terms of equipment might be necessary as well as numerous decisions to be made. Far from being boring, coastal landscapes present a variety of welcome photography challenges. 3. It encourages the use of different lenses and filters It is often the case that we can go out to our regular landscape locations and confine ourselves to using one or two lenses. With coastal photography, to make the most of the experience, a variety of lenses and filters is often necessary. Neutral Density filters are required for long exposures of moving waves, while polarising filters serve to reduce reflections on water or boost colour saturation in bright sunlight if you are shooting during the day. An all-purpose wide-angle lens might be the go-to lens while a standard telephoto lens is useful for shooting down from a clifftop or other height or picking out a distant object. A phone camera also offers variety in that we can use its available lenses to full advantage to gain different perspectives, use live photos to focus on a foreground image and blur the background or use an app to slow shutter speed and experiment with different effects. 4. It gives us an opportunity to experiment Coastal landscapes are great for providing opportunities to experiment. We can discover the effect of shooting in different light conditions, play around with different shutter speeds, look for unique compositions, including the use of leading lines or adding interesting foregrounds. We can explore shapes, textures and colours, we can look for abstract images or experiment with the effect of intentional camera movement (ICM). We can shoot from the coastline or get into the sea and immerse ourselves more fully in the experience. Coastal landscapes can provide interesting angles and perspectives from which to shoot; they can encourage us to shoot close-up images rather than big vistas, drawing us to capture more intimate images using shape, form, colour and texture. The opportunities for exploration and experimentation are endless and no matter how many times we visit, the coastline always has something new to offer. 5. It gives us the chance to capture some dramatic and dynamic images which may not always be possible in other settings The coast is a constantly changing environment as the basic coastal elements of sea, land, sky and weather come together to produce dynamic conditions for photography. Although we do get opportunities to make dramatic images inland, the combination of these elements make spectacular images almost inevitable at the coast. An incoming storm at sea, a foreboding sky, crashing waves or sea spray lashing against a sea wall can present us with drama and excitement in our images. All we need is the skill to take full advantage of what nature has to offer. Conclusion I like all types of landscape photography but there is something special about being by the sea that makes a coastal landscape one of my favourite photography locations. Coastal landscapes offer space and conditions that help us to grow as photographers; they offer a place to feel challenged, a place to explore and discover, a place to create unique and powerful images. When I am in a coastal location I feel compelled to observe, to explore, to experiment, to connect with my environment and to take many kinds of photographs. When I am in a coastal location I also feel compelled to sit still, to breathe in the fresh sea air, to marvel at the power of nature and to enjoy my surroundings whatever the weather. Coastal photography offers me the excuse to get away to the coast often to soak in the wonders to be found there.