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My four (not so) noble truths

Sometimes life circumstances and events are so challenging, so not what you want that the desire to just sail away to another place, another world, another version of your life is overwhelming. The literal reality is that this is probably not…
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What has abstract photography ever done for me?

There was a time when I just did not get abstract photography. What was its point? Pretty patterns, shifty shapes and creative colour all looked OK, but what did it mean? I was more of the literal photographic field, telling tales of human life.…

Shattered

Sometimes events arrive in our world and all that we know is shattered. Even if we know that nothing is forever we sometimes imagine that it is. Then in a flash it is gone. Loss, often in the form of death, is one such shattering experience…

Relieved

Are you relieved to see a bit of sunshine? If you are UK based then you're probably expressing delight or misery, dependent upon whether you're enjoying some well earned rest or working in the heat. It is very warm for the UK. And boy do we…

The last act of your life

“Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations I'm not sure where I first came across this, I tend to jot down quotes I like for future reference in a little notebook. This was…
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3 steps to letting go of the outcome

It’s got to be great! There you are, setting out on a little activity. It could be a photography job. It might be a DIY task or a children’s birthday party. Whatever it is you will have at the front of your mind an idea of what the outcome…

Beginnings

As one door closes another opens. You are familiar with this phrase. Of course often it's a sop to comfort you when the change was unexpected. Sometimes though it is you who exits and closes the door. That is how it is with me right now. Yesterday…
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10 Tips to Survive a Photo Marathon

Having completed a few Photo Marathons now, I thought I would share a few tips to surviving (and thriving) at a Photo Marathon. I'll be explaining what a Photo Marathon is, why you should try one and illustrating this post with the photos from…
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External Reality Internal Resonance

I have recently changed my camera system. After more than ten years as a Canon DSLR gunslinger I have traded everything in for a Fuji mirrorless system. What's all that about then? Why choose to make any change? And why choose that change? I…
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Why mindfulness is relevant to photography

My refocusing of my photography business as an online service that offers self development and enquiry through photography, with Mindful Photography at its heart, has encouraged me to reflect on why I have applied mindfulness to photography.…
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Is vulnerability a strength?

Vulnerability In our fast moving, success orientated world it may seem that vulnerability is a weakness. Having worked in the vibrant hospitality industry and the results orientated education industry I am familiar with that perception. My…
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Get Creative – Impose Limitations

On the 25th March I am running a Photography Walkshop titled 'Creative Limitations' in Swansea. This post explores a little of the ground that this idea sprung from! If it interests you why not book on, there are still a few places left and…
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Life and Photography

“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.” – Ansel Adams I was looking for inspiration…
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Guest Post – Kim Manley Ort

Photography and the Web of Connection I spent the summer of 1976 living with my Dad in Windsor, Ontario (Canada), a place I’d never lived before. He’d moved there a few months earlier and was able to get me a job where he worked. My…
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Boredom

Boredom is an experience that is avoided. The distractions available are numerous: smartphone, TV, work, household chores and friends are but a few. But how would it be to experience boredom by choice? I wrote this post whilst I was on what…
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Patience

I am currently recovering from a cold. Nothing unusual about that, but as a consequence my mind is foggy and writing a blog post is challenging. Patience is the word that lept to mind. Patience Lee, it will all return. Then I had a simple idea.…
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Balance

Balance is not only a key part of photographic composition it is a key element in life. How do you keep your life in balance whilst the world appears to be going a little crazy? How do you stop it all from becoming a little bit overwhelming?…
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New Year Reboot

Now that we are four days in I feel I must ask you: how are the New Year Resolutions going? I hope that you are still filled with the enthusiasm (or guilt!) that gripped you a few days ago. If not perhaps this will inspire you. I am going to…
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The camera with you

In these smartphone days the camera we always have with us is usually the most pocketable one. I do have a high end compact phone and a brick of a DSLR. Sometimes I do have one of them with me. But I always have my smartphone camera. I get…
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The Photographic Flâneur

I have long been interested in the concept of a flâneur as it has a relationship to my mindful approach to photography. Whilst the dictionary definition of it as an “idler or a lounger” is of interest, Charles Baudelaire’s interpretation…
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Fragile

I was reminded today of the fragility of life. You would think that after a few life experiences that have demonstrated that it is a truth, I would have it at the forefront of my mind. But the idea that we are immortal is tenacious. We carry…