Photography and mental health

2018 has been a difficult year. Back in February, my mother passed away following years of decline. She was diagnosed with a rare condition known as Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). Once MSA sets in, the body rapidly declines. Within six years my mother went from relatively healthy to being unable to move virtually a single muscle in her body. She went from difficulties walking, to being incapable of getting out of bed unaided to being unable to feed herself to barely being able to speak. My sister and I saw her the weekend before she passed away and it was a very distressing sight. We knew that she didn't have long left.

Our mother passed on to both of us a love of photography. Both my sister and I have a long had an interest in it. I've had cameras for long as I can remember. Mainly point and click auto focus cameras, I have particular fond memories of an Olympus Mju II that I fell in love with many years ago. I was never a "serious" photographer, but I was always interested in experimenting with different composures, trying to get photos that are a little different than the usual. Eventually, after dipping my toes in the water with a couple of digital compact cameras (an Olympus digital followed by a Lumix with a Leica lens), I decided to get an entry level DSLR (which I still use now) - a Nikon D3200

It took me a little while to take full control, sticking rigidly to taking photos in automatic mode, always intending to learn, but never quite finding the time. Then, eventually, a free online course cropped up, a signed up and here I am, still learning, but also confidently taking images in full manual mode. I got there.

I used to play football on a regular basis until I was no longer able to due to change in jobs making it too difficult to get from work to home to football on a week night. Football was a great stress reliever for me. It helped to keep me balanced, to provide an outlet for my frustrations. Since putting the football shoes away, I've lacked that certain something. I threw myself into a lot of things, got involved in way too many things, and didn't have an outlet to release the building pressure. Photography has given me an excuse to go out and about, forcing me to put on a pair of shoes and go out into the countryside for some relaxation and quiet reflection. Never has this been more important than during the past seven months.

These last two weeks I've been signed off from work due to my mental health. And over those two weeks I honestly don't know what I would have done without my camera. There were days I stayed in bed all morning, unable to get up. But there were days where I resolved to get up earlier, go out and enjoy nature at sunrise. In a way the camera gave me the motivation to do something. To go out. To get fresh air. Even to talk to people. Funnily enough, as I was mulling over writing this post, I watched this video by Simon Baxter which really, for me, encapsulates the impact photography has on me (although I'm a long way off going professional - if that's ever even something I'd be interested in doing).

So yeah, photography has been a massive help in terms of my mental health. Regardless of the quality of the photos I take, I certainly feel that going out with my camera, getting out in nature and spending some time alone to reflect, has made a big difference in terms of my mental wellbeing. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to realise how important that is.

A New Stuff Post

I'm not habit of spending lots of money all the time on photography stuff (we have two children so disposable income is often nothing more than a pipe dream). But from time to time I manage to have a little splurge. This week was one of those (rare) weeks. And today was one of those even rarer days where two things arrive on the same day, one obviously photohgraphy related, one less so (yet something I've come to realise I really needed - you know, as much as you need 'stuff').

Just before we went away to Spain (and I thought I'd blogged about this but it seems not!), I bought some Cokin gradual nd filters and a filter system. I had some money burning in my pocket from my birthday and, after chatting to the folks in my local camera shop, decided that that money was best invested in a filter system. Money burnt, I excitedly packed them for our trip to Spain, looking forward to trialling them out. One thing I recognised early on is that the packaging wasn't great for protecting the filters. Each filter was in a plastic sleeve, but the box it came in wasn't the most secure. So I decided to stump up for a proper carry case for them, which fortunately Cokin also make. At least now the filters should be kept in good shape and hopefully won't get damaged when out and about.

The other thing I stumped up for was something I never thought I'd be getting with photography in mind: hiking boots. I've been spending most of my time concentrating on landscape photography this past year and it became clear last winter that I didn't really have the footwear for traipsing around the country in the snow and mud. So it seemed that, as summer makes its way out the door (can't believe I am writing that in August), it maybe might be a good idea to invest in some proper boots.

I'm particularly pleased with the ones I got as they also seem to be perfect for the snow. Although down in the south east we don't tend to get too much snow, my little corner is pretty high up and can get hit fairly bad when the snow does hit (we've had several occasions where driving was out of the question). So these boots should be perfect. And better than trying to stomp through the snow with a trainers on.

That's probably my lot for a while (although I have my eye on a big stopper for my Cokin system), right now I'm mainly looking forward to autumn colours and great sunsets. Not long to go now... (must stop wishing the summer away!)

YouTube channels that have helped me progress

One of the things that I’ve found really helpful in the past year as I’ve been learning the ropes about photography are photography YouTube channels. These have been invaluable for me in terms of getting me to think about my photography more, particularly in terms of composition and technique. Something I have been keen to do since taking a Shaw Academy basic photography course is to keep progressing and learning, vlogs have been really helpful in this process. (I’ve also become a regular buyer of Digital Camera magazine, but there’s something about vlogs that I find particularly helpful.)

Given I’ve found these vlogs useful (and given I’m trying to get back into the habit of blogging!), I thought I’d share a list of the vlogs I’ve subscribed to. Do let me know in the comments if there are others you have found useful!

1.     The Art of Photography – This is the first vlog that I subscribed to on YouTube…albeit in a weird way. I’d subscribed to the channel via iTunes as a podcast and, after a while, thought it was a bit weird it was rarely update and yet Ted often talked about stuff that seemed to have happened previously that I was completely unaware of. Eventually I twigged that what I should subscribe to is his YouTube channel, and it has been an invaluable source of information. Ted’s channel is exceptionally well produced (many times looking like a professional documentary, particularly when out in the field) and his passion and enthusiasm are infectious.  He’s got me thinking a lot about composition as well as about ensuring that I never lose sight of the love of photography, that I don’t fall into it being a routine or something that causes anxiety. As part of his channel, Ted also does a series of interviews with respected photographers. I admit I’ve not really checked into these yet, but it’s something I intend to start doing as I feel engaging with the styles and approaches of respected professionals can only aid my development. If you haven’t already, I’d definitely recommend checking out Ted’s channel.

2.     Nigel Danson – Nigel is a landscape photographer, one that not long ago gave up his career to be a professional. As someone interested in landscape photography myself, I have found Nigel’s videos to be essential to my development and understanding of great landscape photography (although I have a way to go until I get close to his quality!). Nigel covers everything from his spectacular field trips (he even uses a drone to produce his films which produces breath-taking results) to tips about equipment. I’ve got to admit, I often watch his videos with awe and a degree of nervousness (I’m scared of heights and often his ‘standing on the edge of a mountain looking down’ viewpoints fill me with dread…and cause me to doubt the extent to which I can take great landscapes). But I have learnt a lot about style, technique and composition from his films and, like Ted, his enthusiasm and passion can’t help but make you want to go out and experiment.

3.     Jamie Windsor – Jamie has a very different style to Ted and Nigel, but he is no less passionate and engaging. Jamie takes a rather relaxed, offbeat look at photography, primarily focusing on techniques rather than kit. He also produces some challenging videos that really encourage you to critically reflect on your photography (eg “Why BAD Photographers THINK They’re Good”, “You’re NOT as TALENTED as you think” and “Why WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY is BORING (and how to change that)”). I particularly enjoyed his video on approaching strangers for portraits (something that he, as I am, was very nervous and reticent about doing), it gave me plenty to think about in terms of how I would approach street portraiture (although I’ve still not done it yet!). If you want something a bit more informal, yet still inspiring, I’d definitely recommend Jamie’s channel.

4.     Mike Browne – Mike is someone I think of as the kind of traditional idea of a photographer (although that doesn’t mean his photography is old fashioned by any stretch). Mike shoots his videos in a very professional way, but they still have the feel of someone who isn’t a polished performer, which is great, it feels much more natural than some other photography channels. Mike makes mistakes, he sometimes writes notes that he refers to during his videos, but none of this detracts from the videos he makes, if anything it enhances them. He recently ran a chat on growing confidence (I missed it but caught up on the chat afterwards) and it really got me thinking about my own photography, my own issues with confidence and some of the ways I need to think about overcoming my fears and taking my photography on a level. Mike’s revelations about his own fears and lack of confidence certainly helped to make him appear a much more natural presenter than some others you find online. And, well, that’s quite refreshing when polished performance is seen as an essential component of a good video, when the reality is that good information makes a good video.

Anyway, they’re the main channels I follow, what about you? Are there great photography channels on YouTube that you find useful? Do you have a channel, or thinking of starting one? I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments below!

Upcoming trips, new gear and challenging myself

Those of you who know me personally will know this year has been a difficult year. It’s also been pretty full on in a work context for a variety of reasons. With that in mind, I’m very much looking forward to a break and, thankfully, one is not too far off in the distance and rapidly coming into view. And where there are breaks and holidays, there are opportunities to take my camera out and get shooting.

If you follow me on Instagram (*coughs* instagram.com/captureyield *coughs*) you may notice that I indicate my location as being Canterbury/London/Spain. Canterbury is where I live. London is where I work. Spain is, predominantly where I holiday. So why a holiday destination as my location? Well, my wife is Spanish and consequently, we tend to head there to visit the family a few times a year (although obviously not as much as we’d like thanks to school holidays and limited childcare options). Not only is she from Spain, she’s also from Sevilla, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe (ok, there may be a little bias creeping in there).

Sevilla is one of those places that you can never tire of. I’ve been lucky to have spent many holidays there over the sixteen years we have been together, and I always want to spend time in the centre, checking out the amazing buildings and grabbing a few photos. Well, ok, more than a few…a lot. But I also like to travel around and see more of Spain. Over the years we’ve done trips to Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Galicia and the Basque Country, as well as a number of towns and cities across Andalucia (my personal favourite being Cadiz, which I absolutely love).

This year we’ve booked a couple of hotels for just the two of us to stay in (thanks the in-laws!), one in Ronda and one in a beautiful little town called Zahara de la Sierra. The former for a bit of touristy wandering around, the latter for some scenic country chill out time. Both places we’ve been to before. Ronda about thirteen years ago, Zahara about three years ago. The latter we discovered when having a look around for little known places to visit in the south, and I was pretty blown away by the scenary when we arrived. I’ve wanted to go back for so long with my camera, and I can’t wait to try to capture the scene again. Well, as well as to chill out, read a book and chill out with my wife of course!

I’m not sure whether I will get to use it on this trip, but I do have one new addition to the camera bag that I am hoping to try out soon. For a few weeks I’ve had some money burning in my pocket, mulling over what I should get next. After a lot of mulling (other things that were considered included: extension rings, big stoppers for my wide-angle lens, a 35mm lens…) I finally plumped for a ND gradient filter kit. I had been unsure about getting one for a while, not least because you can achieve the effect in Photoshop/Lightroom, however, I’m getting to think that maybe it’s best to get stuff sorted in camera first, to minimise the time spent editing post-production. So I picked one up care of my local camera shop, a great place that has put me straight on a few things over the years and made sure I had all the bits I needed to make use of the ND filter kit (because of course you don’t just need a box with everything in it, you need the filters, the holder and the adapter for your lens).

At the time of writing I’ve not yet given them a run out, but I aim to do so soon. Maybe on the trip, but then again, you often find cloudless blue skies for days on end, so not sure it will help me that much, but I’ll take them with me regardless just in case. I want to keep pushing myself further so I figured getting an ND filter kit would be a step towards further developing my skills. Talking of which, there’s another thing I’m going to attempt to do when we are away…

Over the course of the past year or so, I’ve mainly been focused (I’ve got to stop using that word in this context!) on landscape photography. It’s something I’m comfortable with because I don’t feel any pressure in capturing the scenery. If it works, great. If not, it’s slightly frustrating, but not the end of the world. The one thing I have steered clear of is portraits. Particularly portraits of people on the street. But this is something I am aiming to fix. I’m going to be brave and try asking people if I can take their photo.

My Moo business cards...we'll see if I actually use them...

This is quite a big deal for me. I’m not the most outgoing of people, and I am particularly bad at talking to people I don’t know. But I’m going to give it a try. To help me, I recently bought some business cards with my photography links on it, with the aim of demonstrating that I’m (sort of) a photographer and you will be able to see your photo on this site. Hopefully that might help. Who knows. The cards, by the way, I’m really pleased with. Produced by Moo they are made from t-shirt off-cuts (no, really). They look great, and I hope they further reassure people that I’m asking for their photo for good reasons!

Anyway, not long to go now…let’s see how I get on and hopefully I’ll be able to post some interesting results in the coming weeks. Hopefully I will have plucked up the courage to take some portrait photos. If not, hopefully I will at least have some nice landscape photos to share!

Follow my trip on Twitter and Instagram at @captureyield.

Dungeness and Rye

A couple of weeks back I took myself off to Dungeness and Rye with my camera gear for a birthday meander around the “only desert in the UK” (spoiler: this is disputed!) and then onto one of my favourite summer destinations. Well, the family were working or at school/nursery so I figured a little jaunt with my camera gear was in order.

I’ve been to Dungeness a couple of times over the years. The first time as part of a small trip that myself and a couple of friends had to organise for ourselves as part of our BTEC course (a fun trip that involved riding on the back of a stranger’s pickup truck on the way to Dungeness power station…). The second time was more recently, following a trip to the local nature reserve with the family. On the second occasion, I had packed my camera gear and intended to take a few shots of the scenery on the beach. I managed to fire a few off, but I was conscious my wife and kids were in the car patiently waiting for me to finish so we could head home. As a result, I wasn’t overly happy with the results so resolved to head back at some point and do a “proper photography trip”.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard or read many stories about Dungeness being a weird place with a strange and unique feel. It’s become almost a cliché about the landscape. However, no matter how cynical you are (trust me, I am very cynical), this sense of strangeness really does ring true when you visit. There is no denying it has a weird feel about it. Perhaps this was helped by my visit being during school term so I was virtually the only person on the beach. The lack of people and the eerie apocalyptic landscape came together to form a strange, other-worldly feel to the place. Well, it was either that or the nuclear power station…

A familiar sight at Dungeness...

I’d packed a few lenses with me, but mainly resolved to mainly rely on my recently purchased Sigma 10-20mm ultra wide angle lens. I’ve been quite happy with the results of this lens over the past few months, although I have found the auto-focus a little bit iffy at times – to the extent that I have almost permanently switched to manual focus. With Dungeness’ wide-open expanse filled with interesting objects, wide-angle seemed to be the best option to capture that sense of space punctured by decay and abandonment.

I think many of the photos I took on the trip are pretty standard Dungeness scenes. There weren’t any new or alternative takes on the landscape, however my main aim on this occasion was simply to compose some good shots and capture the scene as it is. Yes, this has been done many times before by many enthusiastic photographers across Kent, but I was really unhappy with the shots from my last trip so I wanted to “do it properly” this time around.

I was fortunate in that, as I mentioned above, there were few people around and I managed to get some shots of scenery without people in shot so it really helped to emphasise that apocalyptic landscape. I was also lucky in that although it was a hot and sunny day, the sky was broken up with cloud which really helped add texture and interest to the images. Clear blue skies, or flat grey skies really wouldn’t have helped. The sky needed some drama too to help with the composition.

I did have one minor annoyance on the trip to Dungeness. Whilst wandering around between scenes, I heard some movement in the shingle off in the distance. I looked, and a ridiculously large hare suddenly appeared and sat up, surveying the landscape. I had my wide-angle lens attached so reached to get the zoom lens from my bag. No sooner had I put my hands on it, than the hare decided it was time to explore. The moment had passed. I can see now why people take a “spare” camera (although I don’t see any sign of me adding a second camera any time soon).

After a couple of hours in Dungeness, I made my way to picturesque Rye. I’ve been going to Rye for some time now for short day trips. I’m not a collector of antiques (or tat to be honest) but Rye has so many little shops selling all kinds of interesting items, you easily get sucked into checking your wallet and seeing if you could maybe buy that weird item sitting on the glass cabinet. Then there are the cobbled streets lined with Tudor-framed buildings, Rye is the very definition of a charming little town.

And so off I pottered, wandering the streets, taking a few shots. Typically, as it’s Rye, there were plenty of people meandering around the little art and craft shops around the main centre. Unfortunately, one of the main streets of interest (Mermaid Street) was also spoilt by scaffolding around one of the beautiful old buildings that line the street. It’s hard to be too grumpy, the buildings aren’t merely there to look nice in photos after all, but it was a little bit disappointing that I wasn’t quite able to get the shots I wanted. Nonetheless, I got a few shots I was quite happy with before pottering off home.

I really enjoyed and valued the time alone to wander around with my camera and think a bit more about the shots I was taking. I still feel like I crammed in a bit too much (Dungeness alone would have been fine), but I felt that the time alone was valuable in terms of thinking about composition a bit more. One thing I am increasingly conscious of is that now I have a wide-angle lens, there is a tendency to shoot all landscapes using it to capture the full scene. What I need to think more about is capturing specific parts of the scenery to make for more unique takes on the landscape. After all, anyone can capture a whole scene, picking particular elements of interest is far more subjective and, potentially, far more unique.

Post-processing with the 13" MacBook Pro

This year my mission was to take my photography a bit further, to take what I have learnt so far and improve the quality of the photos I have taken. One of the things I was most conscious of was my ability to process images. And yes, as you might have noticed, I bought a shiny new thing to help me.

For a while now I’ve not really been happy with my post-processing options. I felt like I was taking reasonably good photos (although I’ve still got much to learn), but the post-processing element was letting me down. Up until now, my workflow has been as follows:

1. Import photos into Photoshop Elements 11.
2. Run some autofixes.
3. Upload photos to Flickr.
4. Download favourites onto my iPad.
5. Process using VSCO.
6. Re-add to Flickr.
7. Post some of the processed photos to Instagram.

Much as I like VSCO (enough to pay for VSCO X), the problem with this process was that it led to compressed files. Processing on VSCO on the iPad would turn a 12mb file into a 2-3mb file. Sure, it would look great on social media (and even in The Guardian!), but if I wanted better resolution images to blow up (or, indeed, sell at some point in the future), this process wasn’t going to cut it. I needed something that would be easy to use and produce high quality images.

My issue for a while has been that although my desktop is pretty good, I had hesitations around using it for intensive processing. For a long time, I had been thinking what I actually needed was a more powerful machine dedicated to photo processing. So, I started looking at investing in something that could help take my photography faster.

Alongside power, a key need for me was portability. I often go to Spain with my Spanish partner to visit her family, and these trips are also often opportunities for me to get out and about in Andalucia (and beyond) taking photos. As a result, rather than chucking everything on a hard-drive and process a huge number of photos when I get home, it would be much better to do be able to process photos as I go along. It seemed to me that a compact laptop I can pack on the plane would be a perfect option. So I started investigating the options and ultimately plumped for the MacBook Pro 13” model with touch bar.

Initially I had a reluctance to go for the Apple option. I have an iPad and an iPhone, but my desktop is a PC and generally I am quite happy with PCs for my day-to-day stuff. However, I knew that in terms of getting something powerful that can really help with my photography, an Apple laptop would be a serious contender. I also took a serious look at the Dell X13. It too is a powerful laptop and, hardly a surprise, significantly cheaper than the MacBook Pro. But after weighing up the two, I leaned slightly more towards the MacBook Pro – mainly after watching dozens upon dozens of YouTube review clips and reading numerous articles. Why? I guess the two factors that stood out were the screen quality and, brace yourselves, the touch bar.

Wait. The touch bar?

Er, yeah.

One of the things that I liked about processing on my iPad was the use of touch and sliders to edit my photos. I much preferred this to my other option of sitting down on Photoshop Elements and using a mouse to navigate around. Touch sliders (for me anyway) make life a whole lot easier. The realisation that the touch bar was already integrated into Photoshop was a big plus for me. Sure, the touch bar is only small and it’s not the same as using an iPad, but nonetheless it is better than not having the option at all.

When looking to go for the MacBook Pro I was also very conscious of the specs. We all know what Apple are like in terms of upgrading equipment, so it was important to buy the most powerful spec I could afford. So, alongside the touch bar option, I also went for the fastest processor available on the 13” (the i7 processor) and 16gb of RAM. In terms of storage space, I went with 256gb because I’m only intending on using the laptop for processing photos before moving to external storage. I didn’t see the point in upping the capacity on the laptop as ultimately, I would still need to eventually move stuff onto an external drive or another storage option. 256gb is plenty for the amount of processing I am likely to do, as well as giving me space for some other stuff I might want to use it for.

All that said, it took me a long time to stump up for it. I wasn’t wholly convinced the MacBook would comfortably handle Photoshop. I was concerned that I would fork out a significant amount of money, only to find myself disappointed. As well as watching video reviews of the MacBook Pro and the X13 in general, I hunted high and low for hints at how the 13” would perform handling Photoshop. Some of the reviews I read were not promising. One article I read basically argued that the 13” was not suitable for photo processing. I put this down to the fact it was using the base model, rather than the one I was looking at. Nonetheless, I was very nervous about a substantial outlay without really knowing if it was the right option.

How is it working out so far? Well, pretty good. Around the same time as I bought the MacBook, I also started a subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud photography package (which includes Lightroom and Photoshop – I’ll blog on my experiences with these at a later date). I also made the switch from RAW+JPEG to RAW only – the big leap. Now I’ll be working on photos from scratch. I would have the image in its unprocessed state and work from there.

In terms of handling the processing of the images, the MacBook has had no problems whatsoever. Processing has been quick and painless, with no lag whatsoever, even when chucking dozens of RAW images at it at a time. It’s also been easy to get great looking images thanks to the clarity of the MacBook screen.

The flipsides? Well, although the Toolbar integrates with Photoshop, it doesn’t as yet integrate with Lightroom (I hope that’s to come – particularly as most of my editing will be in Lightroom).

The other main drawback? Battery. I guess this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Photoshop is pretty intensive on the processor, so I guess it follows that it would use up a lot of juice pretty quickly. So far it has not been unusual for around 50% of the battery to disappear after about an hour of photo processing. However, that was a pretty intensive session of processing many photos in one go and I suspect in future I will take fewer photos and be more prepared to delete images I’m not totally happy with from the camera (as well as resisting the urge to take a dozen photos of exactly the same scene – my main current vice).

It’s early days yet, but I’m pretty pleased with the investment and I already notice the difference in quality by processing from RAW rather than JPEG (especially the difference when compared with those processed on my iPad). I feel already this will make a massive difference to the quality of my photos and help me to take that step further on from last year when I got to grips with manual. I’ll keep you posted!

Reflecting on 2017

As we come to the end of 2017, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on my photography and how it’s developed (hah!) over the course of the year. I feel that this year I have really pushed on and I felt it would be worth my while just contemplating what I feel I have achieved and what I feel I still need to focus on.

I guess one of the key developments for me this year has been the move away from Auto and towards full manual. For a long time I have relied on the auto function, and relied on my composition to deliver good photos. I guess therein has been the problem, good composition in auto mode has delivered good photos, but not very good (or dare I say, “great”) photos.

Taking a free online course (via Shaw Academy) at the start of the year made a big difference. I got to start thinking about apertures and shutter speeds and how playing around with these can help with the composition of the photos. Since doing the course I’ve felt more confident in using my camera and particularly experimenting with new techniques.

Some of the things that I’ve been trying out over the course of the year since completing the course:

• Polarising filters: Using a polarising filter to deepen the colours in the sky and to diminish reflections in windows and in water.
• Long exposures: Using a tripod to take some long exposure photos at night.
• Sunrise and sunsets: Playing around with the white balance settings to enhance sunset/sunrise shots.
• Neutral density filters: Learning how to use ND filters to take photos a step further, slowing down the shutter speeds, particularly during the day. First using a 6 stop filter to familiarise myself with how to use them, before going for a 10 stop to really slow down the shot.
• Intentional Camera Movement: Either handheld or using the tripod to create more abstract, artistic images. I’ve particularly used trees as the subject matter in this area because they produce interesting shapes and patterns when you move the camera during the exposure. However, have also experiments with this technique on simpler scenes, for example seascapes.
• Photo trips: I’ve tried to get into the habit of going out on my own with my camera so that I can focus on the scenery and the techniques I want to use without distraction. As a result, (and given I have a family to think about!) I’ve done a fair few early morning trips where I’ve got out of bed at 5:30am just so I can take some photos. I never thought I’d be doing that!
• Taking it slow: I’ve tried to use each trip out to focus on particular elements of my photography. Rather than trying to do everything on each trip, I focus on a particular thing I want to improve and concentrate on that. I feel this has really helped my development enormously.

As well as developing my skills I’ve also had some quite positive results from sharing my photos online.

• Photos selected on Instagram: I’ve now had two photos selected by the Kent Instagram account as their “photo of the day”. One of these photos went into the final six to be judged for that month’s entry in an upcoming Kent Instagram calendar. It didn’t win, but I was very pleased it made it that far.
• Journal cover: I’ve had a request for one of my photos to be used on the cover of a journal. It’s not exactly one of my best images, being one of a poster outside the V&A, but nonetheless I was pleased to receive the request.
• Website: I received a request from one major tourist attraction in Kent to use one of my photos on their website. It’s now going to be used in an article they are putting together for local tourism.
• UN Women UK: Some photos I took of the London Eye were used by the UK’s arm of UN Women to promote their #drawaline campaign against violence towards women. The photos were used on their Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Pages. I was particularly pleased to have my images associated with such an important campaign.

In terms of taking my photography forwards there are a few things I’d like to work on over the coming year:

• Post-processing: At present I use VSCO a lot for photo editing. The drawback with that? It’s designed for editing photos to be shared on social media. As a result, there’s a fair amount of file compression. The images look great on social media (and as my desktop background), but I couldn’t have them printed in any large format. I have Photoshop Elements 11, but it’s a little outdated now and doesn’t offer the kind of things I would like to be doing. Consequently, when I am in a position to do so, I intend to upgrade my post-processing options and try to improve this side of my photography.
• Hosting: Obviously at present I post a selection of my photos right here on WordPress (hi!), but I keep mulling over switching over to a hosted platform to share my images. WordPress dot com is great for getting started with a quick and easy website, but if I want something more flexible then I’ll need to look at paid options. I’m not quite sure yet what direction I will go in, but it’s definitely something I need to consider in 2018.
• Establishing a “style”: I’m conscious of the fact I’m very much at a stage where I don’t have a style. I’ve focused very much over the course of this year on learning the ropes and getting a handle on all the things I outlined above. I think I take good pictures, but I also think I take pictures that any other good photographer would take. I’m not much of an artist, and generally I envy those with an artistic eye, but I think considering my approach and reflect on going beyond simply taking good pictures that are well composed might help me go to another level.

I feel like I have come a long way over the course of this year, but I still have much more to learn and to improve on. More than anything else though, the one thing that I’ve really noticed is in terms of my well being.

People I know have pointed out to me that since I started focusing (lol) on my photography I’ve seemed much calmer and happier. I certainly have felt more balanced than I had done before. I still care passionately about all the things I have always cared about, and I’m still prepared to stand up for those beliefs, but I feel like I have something else that can act as an outlet. For many years it was football that kept me on an even keel. As my commitments at home have grown, the time I have to go and play football every week has diminished. Although in terms of time photography make take up more time, I can pick and choose my times. And, on occasion, these are times when I can go out for a walk, alone, and have some time to myself. This has made such a difference, and I feel so much better for it. It’s easy to forget about your own well being when events around you take over your life, but sometimes you just need to step back and reflect on the damage being done to yourself, and to others. I certainly feel it has helped me to do so.

Let’s see where 2018 takes us…

Best wishes for the festive season, catch you in the new year.