LearningPhotography|www.wildwillowways.com

7 min

Why photography is good for your wellbeing

During times of difficulty and turmoil it can be hard to keep doing the things that are good for our health and easy to allow ourselves to slip into bad habits. The constant bombardment of negativity that currently seems to be all around us can leave us feeling disheartened and wondering what is the point of it all? This is the time when we need to be more vigilant about our mental health and take steps, even small steps, to keep ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally

Why I think trees make a great photography subject

WildWillowWays

3 min

Why I think trees make a great photography subject

Trees are an essential part of our human existence. It is true that trees can live without humans, but humans can’t live without trees. In his book, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, author Peter Wohlleben ’draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggli

How to add interest to your images by using split toning/colour grading

WildWillowWays

3 min

How to add interest to your images by using split toning/colour grading

Colour Grading adds a little creativity to our black and white images One of the great advantages of post processing is that it allows us to really get creative with our images. I have often found that I like the composition of an image yet I didn’t get the exposure right, or I got the right exposure but the subject wasn’t very interesting. These are the times that I have tried to become creative with my images rather than discard them, and colour grading is an easy way to do

A quick look at the new Colour Grading panel in Lightroom CLassic

WildWillowWays

1 min

A quick look at the new Colour Grading panel in Lightroom CLassic

In October 2020 Adobe officially released Lightroom Classic 10.0, a Lightroom Classic upgrade which removed the familiar Split Toning panel and replaced it with a new panel called Colour Grading. Instead of the familiar sliders which allowed you to add tones to the highlight and shadow areas of your images, you now have colour wheels which allow you to color the tone of shadows, highlights and, additionally, midtones, independently. The Colour Grading tool also has controls f

Black and white photography made easy – Part 2

WildWillowWays

4 min

Black and white photography made easy – Part 2

How do we create the best possible black and white version of our image? In part 1 of this article I looked at some of the considerations involved in deciding which photographs would look better in black and white than colour. Variables such as the amount of contrast between the darks and lights, the variety of grey tones, whether it has strong shapes and textures and whether black and white or colour suits the composition best are all things to consider. Although the foregro

WildWillowWays is a personal blog to track my journey into photography and to explore how we can use photography to enhance our wellbeing. Over the last number of years I have been involved in promoting health and wellbeing and have undertaken mindfulness training. I see a strong connection between photography and wellbeing and intend to explore this further by delving more deeply into the many and varied aspects of photography. I realise that this is the hobby that will help me to slow down a little, to become more observant, more attuned to what is going on around me, more attentive in life. Through my exploration of photography and wellbeing I would like to help others to discover how we can use photography to improve our physical and mental wellbeing. Feel free to contact me with any comments or suggestions. © I hope you enjoy the blog. Mary