These lilies were collected by Beci from her parent’s garden (at least they get to appreciate them now from the comfort of their Spanish computer). I thought I would try and create some photos that celebrated the lilies flamboyance and delicacy. For those who are interested in these things: I used a 50mm lens with […]
This week I have mostly been reading “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari. It is a swashbuckling blast through the relatively brief history of Homo sapiens, the branch of the Homo (Human) genus that we belong to. It sets out to explain how we have managed to be so dominant on […]
Today I have escaped to my in law’s cottage in Mumbles for a ‘retreat’. Normally, when I go on retreat I am avoiding all technological contact, sitting quietly a lot, walking and photographing. I usually stay at a retreat centre in the Brecon Beacons, but they were full. My intention this time is similar but […]
It is all quiet in the house. Beci has taken the hound, Monty, out for his morning walk. Taylor (no.1 son) is off to college and India (no.1 daughter) is asleep in bed, practicing being a teenager who has finished college for the year already. (Ah, the benefits of choosing to study all art based […]
The Activity This photography activity is inspired by my friend Mel’s ‘Walk/Listen/Respond Project’. I have taken Mel’s base rules and adapted then for my needs! My rules are: [1] Plan an album length walk. [2] Choose an album to match your mood/weather/walk/whatever. [3] Walk. [4] Respond to the music intuitively. Let it play through you. […]
We are beset from all sides. All media streams, from the traditional newspapers to the ground breaking social media streams, are awash with General Election stuff. Opinions, rants and justifications abound. Some of it is entertaining. Some of it is balanced. Much of it is sensationalised or heavily influenced by those who control the message. […]
Change This week I have chosen to reflect on change as I have been both buffeted by the winds of change and I am also making changes to key aspects of my life. It is not coincidental that I used a weather metaphor to describe change. As I started to write this I was considering […]
Mindful Photography is mindfulness applied to the process of creating a photograph It starts with seeing and extends through the technical and compositional choices towards an encouragement to align one’s eye, one’s mind and one’s heart whilst one is completely present in the moment. There is a lot to unpack in that definition, so let’s […]
I use photography as a practice for mindfulness. As mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment, creating a photograph can provide many practices that enable us to connect with what we can see, what the camera can see and what we feel or a feeling that we wish to convey. Recently, I have not […]
Here are my favourite photos from a 1 hour mindful photography practice in London last weekend. The anchor I returned to when my mind got busy was ‘seeing colour’. Looking at the photos today I am reminded of how I felt when I was there. The traffic noise, constant movement and speed, merged with iconic […]
I do like visual metaphors. During a recent mindful photography practice I was walking from home to Mumbles (a three mile+ stroll) when I took the first photograph in the selection below. At the time I was drawn by the change of tone and texture and chose to represent this (in my mind) in black […]
The moment you pick up a camera there are decisions to be made. As a photographer you spend minutes, hours and years learning the basics, developing your experience and finding your voice. Throughout this process decision making is central and yet often our favourite photos are taken instinctively, when the decision to press the shutter […]
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