Most of us nowadays lead busy lives. We may be spending our time juggling the considerable demands of family and work, but even if these are not major issues for us, we are still spending a lot of time glued to our phones, checking emails and texts, or being bombarded by the latest social media trends. It is hard to take time for ourselves, to do what we want to do; to take time to just ‘be’. Yet many of us do yearn for more quality time in our lives, time to notice what is around us, to see the beauty that is everywhere, to be more present in each moment. Many of us would like to slow down and reconnect with ourselves. Mindful photography may be just what you need to help you do this. Even if you are not a photographer, chances are you do take some photographs, and possibly share them with friends or on social media every now and then. But have you ever thought that instead of just snapping the occasional image when you are out and about, you could begin to photograph more mindfully; you could purposefully go out to observe more, be more attentive, be more present in the moment, and that this practice would bring major benefits to your physical and mental health? In an upcoming series of blogs, I am going to delve into the subject of mindful photography, suggesting why you should begin to practice this art, how you can get started, and what exactly are the benefits of this type of photography. Through the series I will outline all the benefits that have come to my life by embracing mindful photography. Mindful photography encourages you to take the time to pause and reconnect with the world and beauty around you. Paul Sanders There is an argument that by taking a photo we spoil the moment; that the act of pressing the shutter takes us away from being mindfully present and aware. I would contend that by engaging in mindful photography we enhance the moment, and in the first blog of this series, called Does Photography Support a Mindfulness Experience, Or Take From It? I will explain why I believe this is so. As an introduction, you might like to read my last post How Photography Can Help Us To Appreciate Life’s Precious Moments

It is early morning in the second week of April. I have come out to take some photographs, but I have less than an hour to spend this morning. There is no sunrise, just a dull morning with no real light. I am heading to my local woodland area as it’s the shortest distance to travel. I want to make the most of the short time I have today, so I have a plan. I'm going to shoot woodland ‘characters’ and name them. The Intruder The Horse's Head Gathering of Friends The Chaser The Elephant Dancers Laid Back The Teacher My inspiration for this shoot was a video from Jamie Overland I often find that I need a plan for my early morning shoots. If I had hours to spare, I could spend time wandering, observing, looking out for great compositions. I can often do this later in the day but in the mornings my time can sometimes be limited, and these are the occasions on which I need a definite plan. Planning to make the most of a limited-time shoot can be difficult. There is the issue of which lens or lenses to take to minimise the amount of time you spend changing lenses yet ensure you have what you need. You must plan your location so that you don’t spend a lot of time driving to get there or walking a long distance when you arrive. You need to plan what you will shoot as not knowing what you want to shoot will result in wasting time looking for a composition or frustration when a good subject proves elusive. I find that when I stick to the mantra Keep It Simple I have more chance of making the most of a short photography shoot. Sticking to one aspect of photography rather than trying to do too much helps ensure that I make the best use of limited time. As well as planning to shoot some woodland characters, my other recent outings included a morning of intentional camera movement (ICM) photography in the woodland and a morning when I concentrated on finding a minimalist composition. ICM images Simplicity A simple or minimalist style of photography is not easy to achieve in a woodland setting but one morning I spent some time looking for a scene that might produce a minimalist image. I didn't quite find the right composition for minimalist photography, but I did find this scene where I could capture a more simple image than I usually find in my woodland. Another suggestion which I found in this video from Chris Sale is to stop in one place and stand or set your tripod there. Using the focal lengths marked on the barrel of your lens, take a photograph at each focal length, in landscape format, then take the same images in portrait orientation. You will have a set of very different images without spending time searching or having to walk too far. Images from 18mm to 200mm, landscape orientation. While the images aren't great, the exercise did give me a taste of what is possible to achieve using this approach. I enjoy experimenting and learning more than returning with just one decent image. Conclusion Unless you are a professional photographer you will likely have many demands on your time and many of your chances to get out with your camera will be short outings. I hope these suggestions will help you to get the best out of the time you do spend with your camera and help you to really enjoy that time. If you like this post, please share it.

So, you’ve hit a slump in your photography. You promised yourself when you bought your new camera that it wouldn’t sit idly on a shelf, gathering dust. And where is it now? Sitting idly on a shelf, gathering dust. It happens to us all from time to time. We have great intentions but life just gets in the way. Unless you are a professional photographer who relies on photography to make a living, or a very disciplined person, you probably know what I mean. So if you happen to be in a slump right now maybe it’s time to do something about it before it really takes hold and that expensive camera that you really do love ends up on eBay because you know you’re just not going to use it. When I started photography in a serious way several years ago I was sure this would be my lifelong hobby and I started going out regularly with my newly acquired SLR camera. I learned the basics and enjoyed making images around my local Lakeland area. Unfortunately, personal circumstances and life in general intervened and the gaps between my photography trips became longer until my camera ended up forgotten on a shelf. By the time I was ready to return to photography the phone camera had become popular, and I just couldn’t get motivated to use my SLR again. Fast forward to three years ago and a decision to re-ignite what I knew had been a real passion, and my latest photography journey began. This time I am determined not to become de-motivated or to allow my carefully built-up camera gear to become just another waste of money. More importantly, I don’t want to allow myself to lose a pastime that I truly love. Having said that, it can be difficult to continually keep momentum going and I do experience an occasional slump in motivation. Sometimes I feel as though there is nothing new to capture, sometimes I am disillusioned by the results of my photography trips and sometimes I just don’t try to get out and do something new. I can blame the weather at times as it can be hard to feel motivated in cold, wet conditions, and on other occasions I allow life’s pressures to get in the way. Yet I firmly believe that photography is good for my mental health, as well as being thoroughly enjoyable and a great way to switch off from the worries of life for a while, so I am determined to try and keep myself motivated. When I do experience a slump, I believe that the secret is to act quickly to get back on track and I have picked up a few tips which help me to do this. Here are some of them, you might be able to add more. 1. LOOK BACK AT YOUR OLDER PHOTOS I can think of at least three reasons why this is a good idea and can help you become unstuck. First, having a look at your earlier work gives you a chance to realise how far you have come with your photography as you compare today’s photos with earlier images in terms of subject matter, composition, use of light and so on. Second, you can notice the mistakes you used to make, that you don’t make anymore, and this can be a great confidence booster. And if you do still make these mistakes occasionally, seeing them in your older work will help to highlight them and encourage you to want to keep improving. The third reason why looking at earlier work can help to re-motivate you is that you will often see a photograph that you really like and had forgotten about. This might be the opportunity to save it into a current folder, maybe share it again or bring it into Lightroom for some renewed editing. I often discover that giving old images a makeover is all it takes to motivate me to get out and start taking photographs again. This was one of my earliest images. I was still using Auto setting. I was drawn to the reflection but I didn't know much about composition. The image is too cluttered and doesn't have a definite subject. I have learned a lot from looking at earlier images like this one. 2. SPICE UP YOUR EDITING TECHNIQUES At times we can become repetitive in our approach to editing, resulting in a feeling that we are not creating anything new. We can get into a habit of moving the sliders in a certain way for all our images, but what if you change that? What if you add warmer tones or cooler tones? What about bringing down the exposure slider and bringing up the whites to add some luminosity? What about experimenting with the HSL panel? What about using the colour grading wheels to create something different? Even minor tweaks will produce different results and will give us a new way to view our familiar images. Nothing ensures that we will become unmotivated in our photography so much as becoming stale in our approach, both to our choice of subjects and our editing. Changing things around a bit can help kick-start our motivation once more. Experimenting with presets can add a new interest to our photos. I experimented with adding a frame and watermark to my image. 3. ASK YOURSELF, WILL NEW GEAR HELP? While I don’t often advocate buying new lenses or any other type of camera gear to overcome a temporary slump in motivation, there might be times when this could be necessary. I heard a photographer recently remark, “Gear is not everything, but it is something,” and I tend to agree with his comment. When I had used my kit lens for over a year, I realised that if I wanted to progress I would have to buy some more lenses with different focal lengths otherwise I would limit myself as to what I could achieve. Now, if I find that I am using one lens too often, a change can bring renewed impetus to my photography. When I bought some new lenses, I left my kit lens out of my camera bag for several months. Recently I returned to using it and discovered its value all over again. I reveal my thoughts on returning to my kit lens here. 4. ONLY FOLLOW PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO INSPIRE YOU When we lack motivation in our own photography, following other photographers whom we admire can help us regain our mojo. But this can be a double-edged sword if we compare ourselves to others or follow photographers who set standards too high for beginners. The result can be disillusionment and de-motivation. There are numerous ‘experts’ online purporting to give us tips, hints and techniques for improving our photography. Some of these approaches will resonate with us, some won’t. It’s important to discover photography teachers whose approach we like - those who really inspire us to be the best photographer we can be - and to stick with them. I like to follow those whose passion for photography is clear to see, who are not afraid to admit that they get things wrong from time to time and who admit to feeling de-motivated and frustrated with their photography on occasion. Yet their images never fail to inspire, and when I watch them, I feel inspired too. 5. SHARE YOUR IMAGES One sure way to lose interest in photography is if no one sees your images. When I got my very first camera, many years ago now, I remember the excitement I felt when I went to collect my prints. I immediately wanted to show them to family and friends. There was often disappointment when some of them didn’t turn out well, but there were always a few pleasant surprises too. Now when I take photographs they can often stay on my phone, seen only by myself. Yet we are more likely to want to improve if we feel that others are viewing our images, so sharing our work can increase our motivation to keep moving on in our photography journey. We can share images privately with family and friends using a shared cloud folder, we can choose to share privately or more publicly on social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram, we can use an image hosting site like Flickr, or we can even create our own website to host our images. The main thing is to replicate what we did when we physically held our pack of images in our hand – show them to others. When we make a commitment to do this consistently, we will be less likely to allow ourselves to stay in a rut and more likely to quickly get back to doing what we love – taking photos and sharing them with others. 6. TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT One of the best ways I have found to bring some excitement back to my photography is to try something different. If you normally shoot landscapes, try some street photography. If you shoot wide vistas, have a go at close-up or more intimate photography. If you like images that have lots of detail in them, you might not think of doing minimalist photography. Why not try it and see if it appeals to you. I love to try minimalist photography from time to time. I find it challenging but very rewarding. An ongoing project that you can return to when you need some diversion from your everyday photography can be a good idea to keep you motivated. Some time ago I took an interest in photographing interesting signs. Wherever I went I looked around to see if there was an old or unique sign that I could photograph. This quickly became a fascinating aspect of my photography as I was intrigued by all the different places in which to find signs or humorous sayings. Now, when I need some motivation, I think of a new location to go to where I might be likely to see some signs and I head off with my camera. Focusing on a project like this gives me a reason to choose a location and find an interest when I get there. BONUS TIP – JUST DO IT! Normally I love to get up early in the morning and go out for a photography walk around my local area. I do this two or three times a week but recently I have been having difficulty in finding the enthusiasm and motivation to get out early. Each morning I tell myself, ‘I’ll go tomorrow’, then I am annoyed and frustrated with myself for not making the effort. So, as I was writing this post, I decided to set my alarm for the next morning and just do it! The feeling on returning from a morning walk is always the same. I feel refreshed and invigorated and ready to face the day. I feel that I have done a morning meditation by being present in nature, and even if I don’t return with any decent images, I still call it a wonderful morning as I have made an effort to get away from the realities of life for a while. It truly is a restorative practice. CONCLUSION Becoming frustrated and lacking in motivation happens to everyone from time to time. This can be a good thing as it could be a precursor to change, but if we allow the slump to continue for too long it may lead to a permanent neglect of our photography. Acting quickly when we find ourselves in this position can make the difference to how long our slump will last. I have suggested 6 (or7!) ways that could help you to quickly get your motivation back. You might think of other ways that have worked for you. If so, please share them in the comments. Related posts How Do You Get Out Of a Temporary Creative Rut? 6 Ways To Re-ignite Your Creative Spark

Photography is an expensive business. First, we have to invest in a camera, then a range of lenses because unfortunately there is not a one-size-fits-all lens option. Then of course we begin to feel we have outgrown our first lenses so there comes a temptation to look for sharper or more versatile or more specialised lenses, and it can become a never-ending pursuit of better gear so that we can make better pictures. I constantly come back to the situation where I feel that my photography has come to a standstill, I am not able to make images that I like, and I become frustrated with my progress at improving my photography. Like many people I am initially tempted to blame my camera gear, thinking that if I had a better camera or some new lenses it would make a difference. I have on occasion bought a new lens for this reason, and of course it didn’t work! I now have all the lenses I need (some bought second-hand from my local camera shop) and I am certain that a new one will not improve my photography in any way, despite all the advertisements telling me that I must have this new lens or that new lens! The next thing I often think about to improve my photography is to take another photography course. I might decide that a landscape photography course or a street photography course will give me a new perspective. It might well do so, but I have taken some courses and while they have been helpful, they are expensive and best reserved for a time when I know I can really benefit from the type of course on offer. So, how do we improve our photography without spending money that may be in scarce supply or needed for other things? I have found a few solutions to this question. 1. Try something different When I started in photography, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to shoot so I took a mixture of different types of photographs, mostly items of interest that I saw around me. I progressed to street photography, a genre I really enjoyed, but with the pandemic restrictions I was forced to abandon my trips around crowded streets capturing candid shots. I enjoy taking candid shots and look forward to doing more of this type of photography. When travel was permitted after the Covid lockdowns, I revisited my interest in landscape photography from years ago and found that, although I didn’t have most of the lenses required for good landscape photography, I enjoyed it and I made the most of the equipment I did have. As expected though, I did find that my landscape photography was hampered by not having the correct lenses, tripod and filters which seemed to be requirements for this type of photography. I decided that, rather than shell out huge sums of money for lenses and other equipment for landscape photography, and since there were still some travel restrictions, I would try my hand at woodland photography as there are several woodlands near my home. As I mentioned in another post , I had been reluctant to do woodland photography because I wasn’t sure how to compose an image in a chaotic woodland scene, and my first images almost made me give up in despair. I was unable to pick out anything interesting and I felt that my liking for minimalist photography was really challenged. I started to follow woodland photographers such as Mads Peter Iversen and Simon Baxter on YouTube and began to learn some composition techniques and some ways to simplify images, even amidst the busy woodland landscape. I now enjoy this type of photography and I feel it has much more to teach me as each season offers something different and unique for the photographer. While most of my photography is now landscape of one type or another, I find that when I alternate between large vistas, woodland and seascape I don’t allow myself to get bored with any of them and I find that there is enough learning to do using the camera and lenses that I have. 2. Get creative Along with landscape photography I have discovered an interest in abstract photography and ICM (intentional camera movement). These can be practised in the woods, by the sea, in a garden, along a riverbank; in fact, abstract images can be created almost anywhere. One of the most enjoyable aspects of doing abstract photography is that it allows you to express yourself in a creative way. There are no rules and there are ample opportunities to experiment, discover new possibilities and get creative with your camera. These images were made in my garden with a basic DSLR camera and kit lens and simply involved turning the lens during exposure. This image was created from a stone and some surrounding bracken, using Slow Shutter Cam app on my phone. Abstract photography needs no special equipment therefore there are no additional costs. It can become a passion on its own, or it can be an extra aspect to your regular portfolio images. 3. Be inspired Inspiration comes in many ways and from many different people and, with technology at our disposal we can choose what we want, when we want, and view most of it for free. I have found that watching professional photographers on their YouTube channels is a terrific way to discover which photographers appeal to you in terms of their outlook, presentation style and the images they produce. There are photographers who share their expertise, those who share their enthusiasm, those who provide guidance, and those who just invite you along to watch them at work. There are many photographers working on YouTube who gear their videos to those of us who want to improve in certain genres, and they do provide worthwhile, inspirational content. When you make a start with one photographer you will quickly discover others. Some will appeal to you, some won’t. But watching is free so you have nothing to lose. Another way of improving photography through inspiration is reading about, or viewing in book form, the work of past or contemporary photographers whose photography appeals to you. Exhibitions (often free) or online viewing platforms allow you to learn from the masters. I find that when I view good photography my eye subconsciously becomes attuned to strong composition and pleasing images and gives me the incentive to try to emulate that in my own work. 4. Use your phone camera Although watching ads for the newest and best smartphone cameras might tempt us into believing that we need them, there really is no need to have the latest and greatest phone to get decent photos. Many times, I have been convinced by the sales hype and rave reviews that a better phone will give me better pictures. Yet every time I have upgraded to a phone with its better camera, I have discovered that if my ability to compose a good photograph has not improved, then the latest phone camera will not do that for me. I have started to hold back until my phone battery has deteriorated until I upgrade, not because I want a ‘better’ camera. Your phone camera will help you improve your photography as it allows you to take advantage of the many photo opportunities that come along every day. I love to capture tranquil scenes such as this one and I'm glad that the iPhone works well in low light. There are also several apps, that can be downloaded free or for a minimal cost, that allow you to do many of the things that you can do with your camera, such as change shutter speed and ISO. ProCamera 2 and Slow Shutter Cam are two such apps that have been around for a while, and a new app called Reeflex has been getting some good reviews. With all the upgrades in terms of apps, and more coming on stream all the time, you really do have a great camera in your pocket without needing to upgrade to the latest expensive phone. This post outlines 6 resources that I have found useful for improving my phone photography. 5. Take a photo every day One of the easiest ways to become disillusioned by your photography output is when there isn’t enough of it. I was sporadic in my photography outings until I discovered that I missed going out with my camera on the days that I didn’t go out, and that I felt much better mentally on the days I did. Which left me with a clear solution – get out every day and take at least one photo. Even if it’s a photo you will later delete, even if it’s a photo taken with your phone - take a photo every day. Capture different subjects, from different perspectives. Capture things you never thought of capturing before. Don’t worry about sharing them, just capture the things you love. Experiment with composition, light, atmosphere, mood, weather, location and time of day. Then go back to the computer and try out some different editing techniques. Take a photo every day and you will realise that your photography is improving, and it has cost you nothing except shoe leather! Conclusion Photography is undoubtedly an expensive pursuit. It can seem that to improve at photography we need to spend a lot of money to have the latest ‘gear’. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Through regular practise, challenging ourselves to look at alternative ways of doing things, constantly experimenting and learning from those who do photography best, we can use the equipment that we have at our disposal to increase our skill set, become more creative and to grow as photographers, without needing to spend a lot of money to do so. YOU MIGHT LIKE TO WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwgDUm2VIAI In this YouTube video photographer James Popsys shows how to make the best of a photography shoot with an Instax film camera and just 10 shots!

Have you ever found yourself in a creative rut? Have you experienced times when nothing you create excites you, when your creative energy is low or even non-existent? I have found this state creep into my life a few times over the last few months, which is probably not surprising, given the circumstances we are living through. But there is a way out of this rut. First of all, it's important to see where we are right now. With photography I find myself in a creative rut when I feel I have taken all the photos I can take, from every possible angle, when I still feel I’m not making much progress but am asking what is left to do? There are no opportunities for travel, to visit new locations or seek new opportunities. Sometimes it feels as though there are just no more places to go within 5km of home. In photography it is important that we stay motivated and inspired for the sake of our long-term growth as photographers. Without motivation our expensive equipment will gather dust as we find excuses not to go out taking photographs. But even if there is no expensive equipment at stake, we need to stay motivated for the sake of our personal growth as creators, whether we are artists, dancers, sculptors, writers or belong to any one of the numerous other creative groups. In my blogging life I can hit that creative rut when I feel that I have nothing interesting to write or I’m asking myself, who is interested anyway? At those times I feel that I have said everything already and people aren’t really engaging with me. I compare my blogs to those with hundreds or thousands of readers and get dis-heartened. These are the times I need inspiration, the times when I need to remember why I’m doing this and know that when I write something that is meaningful to me it might also be meaningful to someone else. In reality, if only one person reads what I write and finds it useful then that’s a success, but there are times when I am far from looking at it like that. So, how do I get out of that state and back to a rhythm where I am excited by what I produce? State of flow It is my belief that whatever we do in the area of creativity we need to get into a state of flow – we need to give ourselves fully to the task, be fully absorbed by what we do, be totally immersed in the activity and in the moment. One of the main characteristics of a flow activity is that it is an activity that gives us a challenge which is just outside our comfort zone but is possible to achieve. Previously I wrote a blog called Photography and Flow, where I considered the importance of being in a state of flow and how this can benefit our wellbeing. I quoted some research on the topic which indicates that people who experience flow on a regular basis have lower levels of depression and anxiety. During my research I discovered that Italian-born psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who was the first to recognise and name the psychological concept of ‘flow’, defined the concept after interviews with artists who reported that they would get so immersed in their work that they would forget about everything around them, even eating, sleeping and showering. Given that in this state people experience lower levels of depression and anxiety it makes sense that it is a state we might like to aim for. It appears to be the opposite to being in a creative rut. So, how do we get from creative rut to a state of flow? Moving from creative rut to flow One answer to that question that has worked for me is to take some action. It might be just a small action but if we take some action it can make the difference. One artist talks of ‘contributing daily to the thing that gives me life.’ During times of turbulence (both inner and outer) that can be difficult, so recently I sat down and made a list of some practical things I can do to reawaken the creative spirit and get back into flow. Getting ourselves into the right state of mind When the COVID-19 pandemic began I struggled with anxiety and fear of the unknown and noticed that I had little interest in taking out my camera. As I settled into the new pattern of living I found myself adopting strategies to help with relaxation, such as daily meditation and listening to music, and these in turn helped me to become motivated to go outside each day, even to my own garden, and take some photographs. This was a valuable learning time and even though I can now travel again for photography I know that being in a relaxed state of mind is a pre-requisite for spending quality time with my camera, wherever that might be, so the relaxation practices continue. Try something new Nothing ensures getting ourselves out of a rut so much as mixing things up, doing something different. I have turned to YouTube for inspiration, listened to podcasts, read some enlightening articles, all of which have given a new impetus to my creativity. At times I have taken on the role of beginner and re-learned something from scratch to improve my understanding, at other times I have pursued a different slant to generate new ideas. For example, while there may not always be opportunities to develop landscape photography techniques, I still found this video useful as it provides some techniques that can be practiced in a wooded area of my local park with a phone camera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11oUhdBuiIk Go somewhere different I often find that going to a new place can change my energy. This can apply to many types of artist and can have a motivating effect, but it is a particularly good technique for photographers. Often, when I hit a creative rut and feel that I have exhausted the possibilities for photography near my home, I get into my car and drive – into the country, to the coast, to a new town – wherever the drive takes me as long as it is somewhere different. This action engages my creative spirit in two ways. Firstly, I find something new to photograph. Even small things in a new environment excite me. Secondly, it helps to rediscover possibilities within driving distance of my home which I may have overlooked, because possibilities are always there! During the Covid lockdown period getting into the car and driving somewhere different was not possible so to compensate I stayed within my 5 km limit but went in a different direction at different times and ended up at 5.30am overlooking Dublin Bay watching the sun come up and grabbing a few shots into the bargain. Reach out There is a vibrant creative community out there which can help, even when they don’t realise it. Not everyone hits a creative rut at the same time, so reading a blog or article, listening to a podcast, watching a video or joining one of the many online live sessions which are now available can sometimes be all we need to get our creative juices flowing again. We can also comment on other blogs and photographs (constructively!) rather than simply giving likes. Helpful comments build engagement with others and help us refine our own thoughts and preferences. We can also invite others’ comments on our work. Being part of a creative community on social media provides opportunities for this type of engagement and it can be a positive experience provided we stick with communities that are aligned with our own values. Challenge yourself No matter what our creative area might be we won’t get into flow creatively when tasks are too easy and we are not stretching ourselves beyond what we know. It is important that we challenge ourselves to get out of our comfort zone, in more ways than one! We can give ourselves a challenge to do one thing each day to enhance our creativity, which might be enough to get us out of the creative rut initially. We can go further and challenge ourselves to master something that will improve our practice but about which we may have previously said, “I couldn’t do that!” We can challenge ourselves to come up with new, fresh ideas to reinvigorate our craft. Our challenges should be just out of reach but possible to achieve, just outside our comfort zone, but not too far outside. This will ensure that we are not challenged beyond our capabilities and prompted to give up, but rather that our minds are stimulated enough to be fully engaged with our task and to reach a state of flow. My own photography challenge is to learn more about light in photography and discover how to find the best light for capturing good images. This will not come from reading but from taking my camera out and about in different lighting conditions to see what works best. Because I am currently engaged in this challenge, I got out of bed at 4.30 am to capture the early morning light with my phone camera. “I am forever chasing light. Light turns the ordinary into the magical.” – Trent Parke The value of walking We all understand the importance of walking for our physical and mental health, yet when we lack motivation in other areas it can even be hard to motivate ourselves to go out walking. For many people, walking aimlessly holds no attraction but what about a purposeful walk? What about taking your camera and one lens, or even your phone camera, and taking a photo walk? I have found this to be very therapeutic as well as a great motivator for getting stated again with my photography after a lean period. A photo walk involves being attentive to our surroundings, observing, being on the lookout for photo opportunities, and making the most of chances to practise our photography skills. I recently wrote a blog post on the topic which you can read here. On a recent walk I did some experimenting with leading lines. Most of us experience a slump in creativity from time to time. I hope some of these suggestions will help you climb out of the creative rut and find some joy in a 'flow' activity, whatever that might be for you. If you found this post useful, please share it on social media. Related post: What is Positive Psychology and How Could It Change Your Life? FIrst published May 2020 Updated March 2021

Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” With all the ‘busyness’ of our modern lives, with work, family and social commitments taking up a large amount of our time, it is hard to get time to think let alone be creative and artistic. I know this was certainly true for myself over the last few years. Everything seemed to be running at excessive speed and there didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to do all I wanted to do. For those of you who find yourself in this category, who are juggling so many demands and commitments, ‘being creative’ must seem like a luxury. On the other hand, lack of time might not be the problem. It could be a lack of motivation, a loss of the joy of creating that we once had. The quote from Pablo Picasso above is probably truer than we realise. Most of us spend more time ‘consuming’ than we spend creating. We are consuming media, whether it is TV, Netflix, YouTube videos, internet, podcasts or social media. Yet this is not all bad. It is by consuming ideas that we spark our own creativity. Maybe we just need to light that spark more often. These tips that I have put together are designed to do just that, to help you put a light to the spark of your creative energy and to get in touch with your inner artist again. 1. Stop aiming for perfection Salvador Dali said, “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.” I think this is a good motto with which to start a creative pursuit. One of my biggest mistakes has been not settling for less than perfection. I have often come back from a photography outing, looked at my photos, felt they weren’t good enough, and told myself I’m never going to make a photographer so why should I bother trying? If I listened to that voice all the time I wouldn’t keep trying, so my first tip would be, keep trying, even when the results are not perfect or even as good as we would have liked. It is only then that we realise that what we have created is uniquely ours, that it comes from our unique eye, that we have created something that only we could create. Sometime last summer I was travelling away from home. Approaching lunchtime, I spotted a sign for a lakeside restaurant which was situated in a picturesque setting next to a mooring of small cruisers. This was the first photo I took. I tried to take in the scene that had materialised in front of me as I approached the restaurant. Then I tried something else. I walked around, took photos from different angles, looked for different perspectives from which to shoot. I tried to make the scene my own, to take pictures that are not normally taken. They may not be great photographs, but they are my unique creations and they are what gives me motivation, what fuels my quest to make my own unique images in my own way. For me, creativity is about the process, not the finished product. It's about doing something in the way we want to do it. To be called an artist may require having a good finished product, and many, many creators are indeed artists, but to claim the term creator is to be someone who imagines, who experiments, and, well, creates! As comic strip creator Scott Adams says, “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” 2. Open the door to creativity We may be so overwhelmed with the demands of life that our door to creativity is well and truly shut. How do we open that door? Maybe, as the Nike slogan says, we need to ‘Just Do It.’ We need to overcome the resistance within us, the voice that tells us we don’t have time to create, or we don’t have the talent to create, or whatever that voice tells us. Vincent Van Gogh famously said, “If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”. All we need is the willingness to start. Willingness appears to be the key that can open a door that seemed to be locked and bolted. Let children be our models – they know how to create. I love to watch small children creating. They don’t hold out for perfection, they try, fail, begin again, compromise, improvise and accept what they finally create as being exactly what they wanted. They have lessons for us all! Small children enjoy the process rather than worry about the finished product! 3. Clear a physical space It can be difficult in a busy household to create a space for ourselves, but I think it is an important part of kickstarting our creativity. Some creative pursuits might just require having a space where we can go and be alone to sing, dance or write, others might involve having a studio to which we can escape to work. For my photography, I had to find a dedicated space to store my camera and equipment and set up a workstation where I have a computer for writing, transferring photographs and working on Lightroom. I located two beautiful notebooks, a gift from a dear friend, and dedicated them to my photography and blogging notes, a further proof of my commitment to myself to continue what I had started – these notebooks were always meant to be used for something special! I often find that when I hand write notes, rather than compose on the computer, my thoughts flow more freely. By taking the time to create my own space I was reinforcing the message that I was serious about my pursuit and wanted to give myself every possible chance to succeed. Sometimes, if we clear a space physically, we may also be clearing a mental space for creativity to begin. Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try. Dr. Seuss 4. Clear a mental space I find that another great way to create a mental space in which creativity can flourish is to do daily exercise. For some people that may be a morning run, a visit to the gym, maybe a swim. For me it is a daily walk. Some of my best ideas have come during my morning walk when I least expected them. Reading articles, listening to interviews or podcasts by other creative people or viewing their work are all ways that help to spark the imagination and get ideas flowing. Creative ideas will come but we do have to put some effort into the process. To quote Picasso again, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” It's hard to find subjects for photography during this time of lockdown but if we look hard enough we can find them, right outside our door. And sometimes a super moon appears! 5. Look back for encouragement Not in the mood to create? When I am in a creative rut, dissatisfied with my work or believe that I am not making any progress I look back at my previous photographs and I never fail to find a hidden gem, something that I previously rejected that I now believe is worth a second look. The same is true for my writing. It is then that I realise that all my previous work, the good and the not so good, is part of the journey. Sometimes, looking at my past photography will help me realise how much I have learned since then and will help spur me on to new learning. No matter what your creative area is, looking back to previous creations can help us say, ‘I did this before, I can do it again.’ 6. Embrace the creative block A creative block may not necessarily be a negative thing. If we embrace this time it may give us a much-needed opportunity to re-group, to reassess, to make a new plan and to empower ourselves in new ways to continue our creative journey. It is worth persevering in times of difficulty, when motivation is flagging, because creative expression can enrich our lives in numerous ways. It can bring a great sense of satisfaction; it can lighten our mood and bring us immense pleasure. Creative expression can enhance self-esteem and happiness. It can spark our imagination, help us see the world more clearly and open the door to new opportunities. When we share our art, it can bring us into a whole new community of like-minded people, helping us connect to others in ways that are mutually rewarding. I wrote the following two blogs during the beginning of the Covid crisis. They may be of interest. https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/creativity-challenges https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/can-creativity-help-in-a-time-of-crisis-and-uncertainty It is true that we can’t all be great artists in the strictest sense of the word, but we can be artists in the broad sense – we can all be creators. We create all the time - we create meals, beautiful gardens or window boxes; we create flower arrangements or room designs; we create magical stories for our children and Instagram stories for our followers. Many of the things we do naturally are creative, without us naming them as such. The world needs your creations so why not rediscover your creative self and ask, what can I do today, or this week, to create? This quotation sums up for me why we all need to unleash our inner artist: “To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more dance to it.” Osho (Indian public speaker known for spirituality and mysticism) Sir Ken Robinson is a New York Times best selling author, a TED speaker, an education and creativity expert. Check out his extremely popular TED Talk here, which, although published in 2006, is still relevant today. “If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” Sir Ken Robinson Re-published May 2021

If you have read some of my previous blog posts, you will know that I love to photograph seascapes. I take any chance that I can to take a trip to the coast and to bring my camera with me. Sometimes I don’t get photographs that are worth showing to anyone, but these trips are always a good opportunity to re-connect with the mood and atmosphere that I find close to the sea. I have always loved the sea. As a child I loved to spend time by the coast, especially in winter when the landscape was wild, unpredictable and ever-changing. I loved to sit and watch the sea crash against the rocks or walk along the rugged coastline listening to the sound of the waves. I loved the dark foreboding skies that were often a feature of winter coastal landscapes. Today it's no different and even in summer I prefer to visit the coast on days when there are no crowds, the sea is rough and the beach is more suited to walking than sunbathing. Over the last few weeks, I was delighted to make a few visits to the coast on the south-east of Ireland. The coastline here is very different to the Atlantic coast, with which I am more familiar. It is less rugged and not as dramatic, but I still loved to be there. Since my trips were rather unexpected, I didn’t have my camera at the ready, but I did have my phone camera and I love that it allows me to always have some way of recording images. Although the images are not very good, it was still a great experience, and it definitely whetted my appetite for more coastal photography to come this year. I hope to experiment with long exposure and learn more about how best to use it, and the coast is a great place to do that. I want to share a few of the images that I did take and explain why I include them. The weather was dull on this day but I managed to grab a brief spell by the sea when the rain cleared. I loved the colours on the rocks in the foreground and wanted to include them in the image. Because it was 'in between showers' there was some interest in the sky. I like the way the wet sand and the rock pool make leading lines in this image. These groynes look like people watching from the shoreline. I added some luminosity to the image. I used the Slow Shutter Cam app to make these two ICM (intentional camera movement) images. The main focus in this image was on the footprint in the sand, with the sea merely providing the backdrop. It represents all the people who walk the beach throughout the colder seasons. The following three images were taken on a different occasion when I had my camera and kit lens with me. I like the way the sea makes a curved line in the sand, leading to the person standing on the edge of the rocks. The image may have looked better without the second person with a dog in the centre of the curve, but they were there at the time so I left them in the picture. A friend's father worked on putting down these groynes as part of the effort to avoid erosion of the coastline. I like to take a photograph of them every time I visit. These are some of the first seascape images of the year. They give me a longing to go back there soon. Do you like seascape photography, or shooting near water? If so, you might enjoy this post: https://www.wildwillowways.com/post/here-s-why-i-love-doing-photography-near-water

“Landscape photography is so much more than just making a pretty photograph; it heals us, encourages us, supports us and inspires us.” Alister Benn After a long, hard day dealing with the problems of everyday life; after a day when nothing seems to go right and we encounter one difficulty after another; after a day when we feel stressed and tired; we all need some form of relaxation and a way to unwind. We need a way to de-stress and re-energise. For some people an evening run or walk with the dog will help, for others it might be a visit to the gym or a chat with a friend or family member. For me, going out into nature with my camera is what helps me unwind and re-vitalise after a hard day. This is what helps me to slow down and be aware of what is going on around me. I love to do photography at any time, and I enjoy many different types of photography, but when I am feeling particularly stressed landscape photography enables me to connect with nature and with the landscape and it helps me to re-focus and find some inner calm. I can take a step away from the stresses of the day and feel alive and empowered as I interact with nature. Even in winter or late at night there are possibilities for landscape photography and shooting at these times can help us appreciate the changing weather and different light. By going out into nature I can absorb the changing light and the mood of the evening, and this in turn informs how I feel and how I make my images. In summer I often drive to a location that I like, to reflect and enjoy taking some photographs. I love coastal areas and seascapes and I am lucky to have a coastline close to home. How does landscape photography help us beat stress? There is a difference between going out for a planned photography shoot and just taking a stroll with my camera at the end of the day. The former involves being intentional in choosing my location, packing certain lenses and giving myself a dedicated period of time to capture the images that I have in mind. My evening stroll around my local area with my camera, or just my phone camera, is often unplanned and its primary aim is to spend time in my local landscape connecting with nature. It involves observing the environment around me and noticing the changes that happen as the season unfolds. It involves hearing the sounds of nature and being aware of the feelings evoked by the evening. One of the things I have become fascinated with since starting photography is coming to appreciate the ever changing sky that is an integral part of our landscape - 9 Ways to Get Better Skyscape Images . Previously I might have agreed with the commonly held belief that the only skies we get in Ireland are grey skies. But I have discovered that this certainly is a misconception. There are grey skies of course, but there are also clear blue skies and dappled skies; skies with wispy clouds, skies with fluffy white clouds and skies with ominous dark clouds. There are dramatic fiery sunrises and gentle pink sunsets. There are skies that change every few minutes while we take a photograph and skies that bring our photographs to life. As I go out on my photography walks I love to notice and appreciate the colours, shapes and patterns in the sky and feel part of the circle of nature. Photography walks do not always mean returning with images, but even if I don’t end up with any photographs, I am keeping an eye out for compositions, noticing what is catching my eye, seeing where the light is falling with a view to returning if I need to. I am seeing images in my mind’s eye which often inform another photography shoot. Mostly on an outing like this the images I take are images of things I like, subjects that speak to me in some way and that I connect with emotionally. Often my outing leads to discovering something new to photograph but mostly it is about appreciating nature just as it presents itself on that day. But a photography outing like this also gives me the opportunity to immerse myself in the photographic process - maybe by doing a project, perfecting a technique or simply practising a skill that needs more practise. While I am doing this, I can leave the problems of the day behind and come home re-vitalised and renewed, ready to face another day. On these occasions I may not get an image that I am pleased with, but I will see and experience things that I would otherwise have missed, and that is the real value of doing landscape photography. Conclusion For me, my evening photography outing is therapeutic and grounding and I would highly recommend photography, especially landscape photography, as a way to shake off the stresses of the day. You can begin gently, maybe incorporating one or two photographs into your evening walk. When you begin to do this on a regular basis you might find that you have discovered the perfect stress buster. Related posts Why I Love Landscape Photography - A Personal Journey How Photography Can Help Us To Appreciate Life's Precious Moments What Makes Landscape Photography So Fascinating?

I don’t know about you, but I love sky watching. I love beautiful sunrises and sunsets, I love watching storm clouds gather, I love lying in the sun and watching soft fluffy clouds drift past. I love calm skies and angry skies. I love the ever-changing nature of the sky and the fact that there is always something happening above us. Even in a country like Ireland, which is well known for its grey skies, there are still wonders to behold when we begin to really look at the sky. And what better subject for photography than something that constantly challenges you to find its beauty, which it then reveals in a dramatic way? A deep blue sky makes a nice backdrop for many subjects, but it can be rather dull by itself, as can a completely grey sky. A few fluffy white clouds will add more interest, but this is just the start of how interesting skyscape photography can become. What is skyscape photography? Skyscape photography is when an image depicts a section of the sky, sometimes including part of the horizon, that can be seen from a single viewpoint. I have been drawn to photograph skies for some time and have many images in my collection. Through a process of trial and error, learning what works and what doesn’t work, I have compiled some tips which you may find useful if you are interested in skyscape photography, or just simply capturing some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. 1. Pay attention to the weather forecast This is particularly important if you are going to get up early to capture that beautifully coloured sky at daybreak. If you are fairly sure that you will waken up to a fabulous sunrise, it's a good idea to be prepared. The sunrise doesn't wait for anyone so you need to get up in time, have your camera ready and get yourself to your chosen location so as not to miss the amazing natural display of colour. I find that during a dry spell, regardless of the season, the sky is different every morning and we just need to be there at the right time to observe this beautiful natural phenomenon and hopefully capture a few images. During the day you can keep an eye out for light in the sky which might promise a nice sunset. A storm forecast will also be of interest to photographers as it can herald interesting and dramatic skies. I have captured some beautiful sunrises from my own back garden 2. Pay attention to the light Light is important in skyscape images, in fact, the main objective of skyscape photography is to capture light as accurately as we can. A grey dull day will not yield interesting skies and while the approach of storm clouds can be dramatic, we will need to catch the sun peeping out and backlighting the clouds to capture that drama. The ‘golden hour’, the first or last hour of sunlight, is usually a time that will give the most vivid sky colours and underexposing the scene will give more saturated colours, although we need to be careful not to over saturate. When the sun peeps out from behind dark clouds it adds drama to the image 3. Have a few different locations While the sky itself will provide some variety, being in the same location every morning to capture a sunrise will become boring. It is worth scouting out a few different locations, maybe hilltops or forest locations, a park or an open space with a good view of the skyline and capturing sky images from these viewpoints. Travelling presents opportunities for skyscape photography; when travelling the sunrises and sunsets you may capture in countries which you visit may be very different to those at home. Even travelling to other locations in your own country, such as going to the west if you live in the east, or travelling to the coast if you live inland, will enhance your experience of skyscape photography. No matter where you are it is often worth spending time without a camera, observing, so that you will know the best locations to visit to get your images when a good sunrise is promised. My most recent holiday was to Lake Garda, where I captured some amazing sunsets, often just with my phone camera Sometimes the sky just fills the frame with colour 4. Pay attention to composition Composition is important in all types of photography and equally so in skyscape photography. Including foreground detail will serve to lead the viewer into the image, while having a far-off element can bring balance to the composition. Positioning of the horizon line is also important. It is generally advised not to place the horizon exactly in the centre of the image, and if we want to accentuate the sky then giving it more space in the frame is a good idea. Two thirds of the frame given to the sky versus one third to the land will give the sky prominence in the image. If other elements in our frame are placed according to the ‘rule of thirds’ we will add visual balance to our image. 5. Use silhouettes of added elements to enhance your sky image When the sun is low, or you use a tree or building to partially block it, then you can create silhouettes by underexposing subjects until they are dark but still distinguishable. This can accentuate the dramatic sky colour. Sunrise and sunset can allow us to get creative with our sky images 6. Capture sky reflections in water On a clear day, and you are close to a body of water, you will often see the sky reflected in the water. By trying to capture both the sky and its reflection you can get a mirror shot of the sky. 7. Experiment with white balance The camera sees the colour in a certain way but if we experiment with different white balance, or use the ‘wrong’ white balance, we can create more interesting skies and create different moods or hues. 8. Try out some Presets To add a little bit of creativity to your sky images why not try out a few presets. We can find these on most image editing programmes. Here are a few to start with: Vintage Vivid Cool shadows and warm highlights 9. Try different camera settings and lenses It is recommended to use an aperture of around F/32 to get a good sharp image. I have also seen a recommendation to use an ultra wide angle lens for skyscape photography, and while I don’t have such a lens on my camera, I have taken some sky pictures with the ultra wide angle lens on my phone. Skies are also great for doing panoramic shots, and again your phone camera will come into its own if you don’t have a super wide angle lens. I don't have powerful camera equipment so night sky photography is not really possible, although I did make an attempt at capturing the super moon earlier in the year, using a 70-300mm telephoto lens. To sum up Great sky images require patience and waiting for the perfect moment to capture that amazing colour or that fantastic cloud formation can be difficult. At times, the beauty is so fleeting that we can easily miss it, but no need to worry, it will all come again soon. Skyscape photography is a long-term project, one which we can go back to anytime that the conditions are right. Constant observation is key, and when you learn to read the sky, you’ll eventually capture some great sky images. Why not give it a try. Further Reading For more professional tips on capturing stunning sunrises and sunsets, check out this post: https://digital-photography-school.com/8-simple-guidelines-capturing-spectacular-sunrise-sunset-images/

Woodland photography can be difficult. Woodlands and forests are chaotic places, and it is hard for a novice photographer to make sense of this chaos and make a pleasing image. We can get confused by the tangle of branches, trunks, leaves and undergrowth and fail to find a good composition. For the very reasons mentioned above, I was not immediately drawn to woodland photography, even though I love to wander through woodlands, exploring, taking in all the sights and sounds and letting the beauty of these chaotic places work their magic. During the recent global restrictions on movement, I found myself in my local woodland area often and I began to take an interest in what it might offer in terms of photography. I must admit, even though woodland photography came to me by default, I have begun to enjoy this type of photography and am interested in improving my skill in this area. Although I am not by any means an experienced woodland photographer, I have picked up some tips that have helped me to enjoy the experience of doing this type of photography. I would like to share some of them. 1. Go often and spend time there Observe, notice, take notes, keep an eye out for compositions. I often go out without my camera, just to stroll through the woodlands, but I am always keeping a lookout for potential images. I might take a quick photo with my phone camera to remind myself of the location, with the intention of coming back on another occasion with my camera. Even when I don’t take any pictures I am inspired just by being in nature and soaking up the woodland atmosphere. 2. Go at different times and seasons Woodlands change according to the time of day and the season, and they give us something different to shoot no matter when we visit. Some people will prefer to capture images early in the morning, others love the soft evening light. Autumn is the optimal season for some woodland photographers while the dull, drab conditions of winter provide others with more atmospheric images. 3. Go in all weathers Experience your woodland in all weather conditions. Go when the sun is streaming through the trees, when fog gives you a pleasing separating between your subject and the background or when the whole woodland is dripping after the rain. Go when the trees are dressed in their autumn beauty or when snow has changed the vista into a winter wonderland. In this ever-changing landscape there is no end to the photography opportunities provided. 4. Explore off the beaten track Look up, look down; look for anything strange or unusual. I love to find unusual trees or groups of trees, trees that seem to have a character of their own or that relate in some way to the trees around them. If you look closely enough, you’ll find trees that talk to each other, trees that dance, trees that stand to attention. You’ll find old trees that are bent over with age and young sprightly trees that seem to want to skip away and play. You’ll find trees with faces and trees that resemble something else. There is no end to the possibilities once you begin to explore the woodland environment. 5. Try close-up photography Fungi, flowers, leaves, twigs all make great subjects for close-up photography. Sometimes it is good to give ourselves a challenge such as a ‘24 steps challenge’. In this scenario you only allow yourself to take photos within a radius of 24 steps. This encourages you to look up, look down, look on the ground, look in the hedges, and it gives you a world of new opportunities for different shots. I particularly love to use a wide aperture and blur the background, giving greater emphasis to my subject. 6. Vary your compositions This might seem to be difficult to do in an area that is busy and cluttered and where everything almost looks the same. But on closer examination we discover that there are countless different compositions to be seen, even in a small area. There are variations in how branches are positioned, different heights and perspectives that we can shoot from, and different ‘stories’ to be told through how we choose to compose our woodland scene. When we begin to look out for interesting compositions as we walk through woodland areas, they become easier to spot and add a sense of curiosity and challenge to our photography. 7. Use variety of lenses There is potential to use a variety of lenses in a woodland environment. A telephoto lens can be used to pick out a composition in a hard to access area and will compress and tighten the composition. A fast prime lens will allow you to get a shallow depth of field which can increase the sense of depth in your image and give greater aesthetic value. A wide-angle lens gives a wider view, resulting in a more expansive feel to your image. You can also get creative with your wide-angle lens by shooting up to create converging lines and make treetops look far away. I have a Sigma 17-50mm standard zoom lens which is a versatile lens for woodland photography, and I also make good use of my 18-55mm kit lens . The 18mm end is good for taking wider landscapes while the 55mm end, as a short telephoto lens, is ideal for closing in on smaller details. 8. Experiment Woodland is a great place to experiment with various focal lengths and effects. Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), above, works well in a woodland. I find that there is plenty of potential to practise this technique given the range and diversity of colour and texture in the woodland. An added bonus is the fact that you can shoot ICM images in the flat light often created by the woodland canopy. There are often waterfalls or fast flowing streams where a range of shutter speeds may be needed, and moving birds, either in the air or on the water, also require that we vary our shutter speed. Aperture priority might be used to vary depth of field in images. 9. Shoot whatever catches your eye A path acting as a leading line, sun lines on the woodland floor, a distinctive looking tree or plant; big things, small things, the choice is yours. There is always something new to learn, a new image to capture, a new sight to see. Conclusion Shooting in a woodland or forest can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience for a photographer. Granted, shooting in woodlands will most likely not enable you to produce iconic images as would, for instance, shooting in epic locations, but it will help you capture unique images. After all, not many people will stop in the same spot in your woodland and choose to capture the same image as you do. Apart from unique images, a woodland offers countless opportunities to capture a wide diversity of images. The woodland has so much to offer that you can visit numerous times and still find something new to photograph. With a bit of interest, curiosity and a sense of adventure you can begin what could be an exciting and interesting journey – the journey into woodland photography. You might also like to read my previous post on woodland photography: 7 Good Reasons to Try Woodland Photography

"If there is one thing that unites photographers, regardless of experience or genre, it is the desire to improve." - Chris Sale I think there is a lot of truth in this statement from photographer Chris Sale. Of course it is possible to take good photographs without knowing all the technical stuff, but for those of us who see photography as a serious hobby it is not enough to rely on luck and we want to have some technical knowledge so that we can know how to improve. Learning photography is not easy. Photography is a hobby that takes a lot of time and practice. I find that it takes a lot of practice to embed new learning and use it automatically 'in the field'. For me, lessons don't stick until I go out often with my camera and use what I've learned in making my own photos. I like to use many different sources of learning and recently much of my photography learning comes from watching YouTube videos of professional photographers. These are not specifically teaching videos, but often they do include tips and techniques that are useful to novice photographers. I always enjoy these videos that talk us through how the photographer composed the image, but there are so many variables that these are often not transferable to my own situation. Firstly, my locations are not as interesting and don’t offer the same potential for creating a good composition as the locations which these photographers visit. Secondly, I don’t have the same lens choice or variety of filters which professional photographers can use to enhance their compositions. However, one tip which I did pick up in a recent video was to ‘change one thing’ . In this video from last year, Chris Sale shares his top tip for improving our landscape photography. This is advice that will work in all locations, with all types of cameras and lenses, in any weather conditions. In fact, this tip will work whenever we take a photograph. It simply requires us to take a moment after capturing our image to look at the image on the back of the camera and ask ourselves the question – what one thing would I change if I was taking the image again? I have been using this tip for a while and I can say that it has helped me to improve my images. For me it works in two ways: 1. It helps me to slow down, be more intentional about my photography, consider each image more carefully and not just go away with the first image I take and later regret that I didn’t move closer, compose differently or use a different lens. The advice to ‘change one thing’ helps me to evaluate my own images when there is still an opportunity to make changes. Often, when I capture a lot of images without checking them in-camera I am disappointed when I see them on the larger computer screen. This technique gives me the best chance to avoid disappointment, to make any changes that I feel need to be made, and to know that I have done my best in the field. 2. This advice gives me the opportunity to utilise the gear I have with me. Sometimes I will check the photo and realise that I could use a zoom lens and zoom closer to isolate the subject and get a better composition. Sometimes I will realise that a wider-angle lens will produce a more pleasing image. If I am out with just one lens, or with my phone, I can take the same image with a different aperture or shutter speed. Sometimes, all I need to do is move a little to the right or left, move closer or further away or simply position the subject differently in the frame. In this location I started with this view. I decided to try a closer view. I then changed the composition to move the subject to the other side of the frame and show some of the coastline of the small island. With this image I started with the whole building. I then moved closer to include just part of the building. My third attempt was to move further away to include some foreground and give some context to the location. I liked these two trees standing together but the image had a distracting background. The next image was closer but a third tree also proved to be a distraction in the frame. By moving slightly I managed to get rid of the distracting tree although the two trees now overlap slightly. Trial and error! I took this tree from a variety of different perspectives. After each shot I changed one thing. Conclusion There are many techniques that will help us improve our images, but I often find that I don’t bring them to mind at the right time, which is obviously the main distinction between a novice photographer and a professional. However, remembering to ask myself what I would change if I was taking the image again is one piece of advice that has become engrained in my mind as I have found it so useful. It means that I continually experiment, discover new ways of seeing and composing, and hopefully improve my photography as I go. Do you have a particular tip that has helped you improve your photography? Share it in the comments below.

I love my local woodland area . It’s a place I visit often to wander among the trees, listen to the birds singing, notice tiny creatures that scurry around under the woodland canopy, experience an ever-changing natural environment and simply be close to nature. I have taken many photographs in this woodland; photographs of trees or flowers, photographs of bridges or streams, photographs of leaves or forest carpet, and it is a place where I have had opportunities to practise some of my photography skills, yet I haven’t considered that I might be doing woodland photography. To me woodland photography is something different; something difficult, more specialised. I think I have shied away from doing woodland photography when I have compared the tangled mess which my attempts have produced with the amazing images produced by woodland photographers such as Nigel Danson, Mads Peter Iversen and Simon Baxter, which seem to be taken in similar places. However. The joy that I feel when walking in woodlands and my desire to make images wherever I go has ignited my interest and I have been learning some techniques through videos from the master woodland photographers. There are good reasons to try to improve at woodland photography, apart from the fact that it is so accessible since many of us will have at least some small, wooded area close to home. You feel close to nature. This is a big bonus that comes with woodland photography. While wider landscapes can fill us with awe at their vast beauty, it is the small sounds, the littlest creatures, the wonderful diversity of colour, the gradual changes from season to season that are noticeable in a woodland. Simon Baxter, a well-known UK woodland photographer, uses his YouTube channel to stress the benefits of having an emotional connection to the landscape and the joy of spending time in the outdoors with a camera (and a dog!) https://www.instagram.com/baxter.photos/ Woodlands really are nature’s stage; they show off nature at its best. Being close to nature, becoming so familiar with the woodland landscape that you are almost at one with nature, has a calming effect on mind and body. It is a soothing balm that can lift our spirits as we wander around breathing in all that mother nature has to offer. There is great diversity in a woodland landscape. Woodlands and forests are an important part of our landscape and indeed our whole ecosystem. For anyone interested in nature photography they provide an amazing abundance of opportunities to capture life at its fullest in all seasons. For those who want to create woodland images, even at the most basic level woodlands provide a rich tapestry of colour, texture, shape and form, all building blocks of a good image. Woodlands provide an abundance of photo opportunities. It may be due to my excitement on becoming a recent convert to woodland photography, but I continually find an abundance of opportunities to make images in woodlands and forests. This might seem to be a strange claim since forests and woods are just full of trees, yet when you truly observe the environment around you in a forest there are countless opportunities to frame an image. You just need some know-how. Dag Ole Nordhaug is a landscape photographer who excels at forest photography. He says, “Many think of landscapes as static subjects, but I find that a scene rarely is the same from one day to another. Light, shadow, seasons, moon-phase and tide are all dynamic processes continuously altering the character of a place. I often visit the same location again and again, always searching for new light and compositions.” https://www.instagram.com/dag.ole.nordhaug/ Woodlands vary with the seasons. Whether you like to photograph when the natural world has taken on the reds, browns and oranges of autumn, when fog gives you a beautiful backdrop to your images and provides a natural separation between elements in what can be a chaotic woodland scene, when trees hold their branches in lacy patterns against the sky or when snow turns your favourite woodland into a winter wonderland, you will have all these opportunities and more as the woodland reveals the secrets of each season. Woodlands give opportunities for using all types of techniques . While being a training ground for learner photographers is not the primary purpose of woodland photography, it does present us, as photographers, with a chance to use a range of techniques to enhance our images. Using a shallow depth of field to create a blurry background, a slow shutter speed to create a long exposure, shooting upwards or getting down low to shoot will all help us create more unique images and to develop as photographers. Woodlands provide opportunities to refine composition skills. A woodland often appears to be a chaotic, messy environment, where branches are tangled together, and trees overlap in their quest for space to grow. Finding a good composition in the midst of this chaos can prove challenging, but it is in taking up this challenge that we will improve our composition techniques and grow as photographers. In a woodland we must try to isolate a main subject, something that will stand out for the viewer and provide an interesting focal point. Our image will also need to have a sense of balance. Complementary colours will add to the impact of the scene and other composition techniques, such as use of a leading line or natural framing, could also be used to accentuate the chosen subject. You will usually find a woodland close to home. As I mentioned in my introduction, one of the main reasons that I have been taking photos in my local woodland area is because it is close to my home, and I can visit often. While for many of us a suitable coastal landscape or a location with epic vistas may be a few hours’ drive away, we often have wooded areas right on our doorstep. I am lucky to have a choice of woodlands and forests near my home but even for those who don’t there are often wooded areas in local parks or places where groups of trees grow together, ideal for getting started and practising some woodland photography techniques. * I hope I have whetted your appetite for trying some woodland photography and that you will join me on this exciting new departure. A good starting point might be the YouTube videos of Mads Peter Iversen https://www.instagram.com/madspeteriversen_photography/ . Iversen is a woodland photographer who provides inspiration and tips to help viewers progress through their own woodland photography.