Post 13- Only eye-catching subjects.

Since listening to Paul Sanders at Patchings I have concentrated on choosing subjects that catch my eye, passing by the many possible ones that I see. First and foremost I am trying to take pictures for my own pleasure and try to be less concerned about what others will think of them. My long term aim is still to produce arresting images and I think I can only do this if I choose subject matter that grabs my attention as I walk along or visit a location. If a subject does not catch my eye it is very unlikely to be of interest to my viewers.
I have been trying this approach for a couple of weeks now and have found it very enjoyable. I have taken shots of things that I would not normally have included like wild flowers and even a horse.

Why did I take the horse? Because I liked the way the sun reflected off its coat. The colour reminded me of chestnuts.
Unfortunately I still cannot stop looking for the number of "likes" my images get when I post them on Facebook. I still have some way to go in this respect.

Post 12-Paul Sanders-What an inspiration!

Moy and I attended the Connected Exhibition at Patchings Arts Centre yesterday and listened to an inspirational talk by photographer Paul Sanders.

Paul started as an 18 year old taking Glamour shots, then moved into local newspapers and, eventually became Picture Editor of the Sunday Times. He found this job very stressful and resigned his post with the intention of imitating Joe Cornish and becoming a Landscape Photographer. He developed anxiety and depression and both his business and his marriage failed. He went to Beachy Head with the intention of committing suicide. Here he was befriended by one of the pastoral team who talked to him about his feelings and convinced him to change his mind. The pastors save the lives of 17 men each week and suggested he stop taking photographs to please other people and start taking photographs to please himself. After a long period of therapy he is much happier.
He went on to  suggest that we all consider fundamentally changing our approach to photography,  using it as a way of expressing ourselves and our feelings about the subjects we choose. We should take more time to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of a place and avoid an obsession with good light or bad light and the technical aspects of image making. He suggests we should only make images of subjects that catch our eye and make us happy. If we feel nothing when we make the image the viewer is likely to feel nothing. We should not be concerned with the number of "Likes" our images get but see positive comments as a bonus.
During his talk Paul showed us a large number of his photographs, most of which were in Black and White but, most unusually for a photographic presentation, almost never talked about his choice of camera or settings.

Paul's approach is very different to my own and I am struggling to decide how many of his suggestions to take on board. I have already embraced the idea of creating images that please me and not worry about other people's views. Despite this I am still keen to post them on social media to see if others like them as well. I will try to focus less on the techniques and camera settings and more on trying to recreate the atmosphere of the subject that caught my eye. I anticipate that I will find this very difficult but hope it will lead me to take images that I find more satisfying.

Following the presentation we walked around the grounds and tried to capture the atmosphere of an area inspired by Monet's garden. Here are two images I took that please me.

Post 11- Which is best? In Camera or Post Processed.

There are at least two ways to merge images together to get interesting effects. Two images can be merged together in Photoshop or Lightroom and adjustments can be used to give a wide range of end results. It is not possible to predict how the merged images will look when they are taken. Alternatively it is possible to take two images and merge them together in the camera and view the merged version on the small screen on the back of the camera.
Which one is best????
I have a natural tendency towards the more technological approach so am comfortable with blending in Photoshop. Others prefer to achieve there end product "in camera". I will pursue both approaches to start with and see which method delivers the best results.
I have been reading the blog of Charlotte Bellamy who is a Master Craftsman in the Guild of Photographers and specialises in ICM and Merged images. She often uses images taken on her mobile phone and uses Photoshop to blend them together. Her images are very inspiring and her blog includes many tips about her techniques.
I have done a number of experiments blending woodland scenes together in Photoshop and have produced some very weird effects. I am pleased with these but am not sure how they will be received by others. (Perhaps that does not matter!!!)
I have attached a few here.

I have also continued to do conventional ICM work and am pleased with images produced by rotating the camera whilst keeping it pointed at the subject. This works well with trees.

Post 10 A new Mentor and a softer approach

We have been taking advantage of the emergence of blossoms on the trees. Following a trip to Shipley Park I was struck by the massive difference in the pictures I took compared to those taken by my wife Moy.

I have decided try and use her as a mentor and when we went to visit National Trust Stoneywell I tried a much softer approach. I found the new approach very challenging but am pleased with the results and will try to refine this approach on future visits. I have initially tried double exposures combining an out of focus base image with a sharper image on top.

Part 9. Ilam Revisited-a different view.

It has been interesting to visit places I have been before and try a fresh approach. We went to National Trust Ilam, a place we have been to many times, and I took a number of very different images using ICM and Double exposure.
Below are a few examples.

I am quite pleased with this set of images which is very different from those taken on previous visits.

Part 8. Rules of Composition.

I had an opportunity to take some pictures in Derbyshire. On two occasions the weather improved for an hour having been very wet and windy for three days. I took my time during a short walk in the Longshaw Estate to take a few shots of the scenery and tried to think of the rules of composition.
I was conscious of the rule of thirds, leading lines and frames when composing the images. Moy, my wife, looked at them and commented that my composition was getting better. I value her opinion as she is much better at this side of image making than I am.
These are some of the images.

We were also able to do some moving water shots at Yorkshire Bridge. Using a slow shutter speed I was able to blur the water in a pleasing way.

All in all, a good few days in Derbyshire.

Post Script.
The Format 19 displays I was able to see very very disappointing. I did not find any of them really "arresting". I am not sure whether they were not very "good" or because my visual literacy is not yet up to an adequate level to understand them.  Only time will tell.
The one thing that is clear to me is that I do not yet have the vocabulary to describe my reaction (or lack of it) to these sets of images and I need to learn more about how to critique images.

Part 7 Learning from others.

I am fortunate to be a member of two photography groups, Ockbrook Photography Club and the"Friends"Facebook Group. Both of them contain members of a wide range of abilities from beginner to professional.
I have very much enjoyed the social interactions and learned a lot from seeing how others approach photographic locations.  It is evident that a group of photographers spending a few hours together at a venue will generate images that are very different from each other. Each one has a different "eye" and a different set of skills and interests and this leads to a wide range of differing interpretations of the subject matter or location.
I had the opportunity to do some portrait work with a few "Friends". I rarely do this type of shot and was able to learn a lot from the others and produce shots I was pleased with. I even managed to use Photoshop to add some cherry blossom to one of the images.

Both Clubs have monthly challenges designed to expand the range of subjects and situations we are asked to capture. This is an excellent way of expanding my skills by taking me outside of my "comfort zone". Google and You Tube are  invaluable resources here.
Living in Derby I am fortunate enough to be able to attend the "Format Festival" which, on an annual basis, brings together photographers from all over the world for Exhibitions and Seminars. I will approach Format 19 with renewed enthusiasm for gaining an appreciation of the "art of photography" rather than concentrating on purely representational images. The event starts in 10 days time so I am looking forward to it. I hope to gain inspiration from the events and displays.