I’ve just noticed a little milestone has come and gone. On the 9th May 2011 – i.e. ten years ago – I posted my first ever 365 photo, which was (I think aptly enough) a signpost: Since then I have posted 2,006 photos (so picture 2,000 was another milestone I guess), clearly not 365 a year (more like 200), but still pretty good going I reckon. I really enjoyed the Lent Challenge, with a word to inspire every day, and I am now doing an ABC challenge, where each week is inspired by a different letter of the alphabet. I […]

My “365” project has had a fresh lease of life recently, since I started almost entirely using my phone camera. It hugely simplifies the workflow (as the photos are auto uploaded from the phone), and also means I’m not lugging around my DSLR. It does mean that the photos are more like snapshots, and perhaps less considered, but I’m quite enjoying the freedom of not really having many options around aperture, shutter, etc. It’s kind of the instagram philosophy I guess.

My new “rules” for the 365 have had the opposite of my intended effect! I had hoped they would spur me on to take more photos, but actually there have been two times already when I haven’t taken a photo because I alreeady have “today’s”, and at least one time when I haven’t taken on Saturday just because it was Saturday. I think partly as a result I haven’t taken one at all for two weeks! So I am abandoning the new rules, and going back to my old rules, which is as many as I fancy a week, and […]

As one of my resolutions/intentions this year is to take more photos, I’ve decided to resurrect my 365 to a limited extent. I’m aiming for 6 photos a week, with one day off (Saturdays), and I will probably use the camera in my phone at a lot more. As per the original project, it has to be a photo I have taken, and it must be taken on the date it’s posted – but if it takes me a week or to to upload them I’m not too stressed about that. So here’s to 300+ photos in 2020!

I lit up Darth Vader’s lightsaber with a laser pointer – think it worked pretty well. And I also had a stab at BB8.

I seem to be in a bit of a macro phase at the moment – my 100mm macro lens is a permanent fixture on my camera! I love how you can draw out both intricacy and abstraction by getting that close in, especially with flowers and plants (as you may have noticed). Head on over to the 365 to see what I mean.

It is now just over 3 years since my 365 project turned into more of a “100” project, and I’ve been looking back over some of the photos I’ve taken, and reflecting on the fact that I actually really miss doing it. If you needed any further persuasion as to why it’s a good undertaking, this is what I got out of doing it, and what I miss about not doing it. 1) It made me look at the world. And I mean really look. Since stopping taking a photograph everyday, I’ve drifted back into a sort of haze again […]

Just a quick shout out to LightReaders (www.lightreaders.com) who sent me a lovely e-mail, asking for permission to use this photo of mine (right) in their advertising this year. They “have presented Christian music with Biblical storytelling to numerous churches and organizations in Ohio for the past twelve years. We present for the Audience of One, only accepting freewill donations, often presenting free of charge, and operate on a shoestring budget.” Very nice to be asked! They even asked if they had to pay (to which I answered no). In general, I’m very happy for people to use my photos […]

And in the spirit of ambition (and possibly inspiration) these are some of the photos/themes I hope to capture this year. PP Camera School Modules Light spirals Coffee beans Smoke trails Flash-freeze I intend to continue with abstracts, selfies, macros, and I may even dust off good ‘ol Danbo again!

Well, the Practical Photography Photo School is over (although the next one has started straight away), so I thought that I would collate my 6 homework assignments in one place! Module 1: Landscapes Bridge over Ure Taken in Ripon, just after sunset. Tripod, 50mm lens. Grade: Bronze Comments: Image is underexposed Image isn’t sharp enough Composition needs more attention Module 2: Portraits A Selfie?! With the homework deadline looming, I could only find one willing model who’d put up with my endless experimentation – me! Taken at 9.30pm(!), ISO 400, 50mm lens at f/4.0, 1/25s fired with a remote shutter […]