All Blogs

Mostly photography, but sometimes tea and other thoughts

All opinions held herein are subject to revision and might already have been revised. If you find any of what you read useful and want to hear up-to-date ideas, please consider subscribing to my mailing list at the foot of this page.

Scared of Direct Light?

October 30, 2021

Early after first picking up a camera, photographers learn to recognise of good light. As landscape photographers we wake up early and stay out past sunset in search of the perfect golden hour light. I used to return to locations again and again to understand how the light interacts with my subject. This was good training. It taught me anticipation and adaptation. However, more and more. I like it when the light is subdued. I prefer now to shoot in indirect

Contrast is Relative

October 7, 2021

I used to think that for a image to have strong contrast, the histogram needs to looks like this: That is, good portions of pixels must inhabit both the black and the white zones. But images like this have changed my mind: Here the blacks are dark (solid black, in fact) but the brightest portions of this image – the white of his eye – is only at about 70% brightness. In short, I’ve started thinking about contrast in much more

How Much Should You Edit Your Photos?

August 13, 2021

Debate about how much you should edit your photos can get heated. This conversation is common within the photography community, but I have found the aversion to overediting is perhaps even stronger from those who do not take photos on any serious level. I can sympathise with both sides of the argument. Photography seems – on the surface a realist’s medium, so you can feel betrayed when you find out a photograph is lying to you. But fairly early in its

Quitting Social Media

April 24, 2021

A landscape photographer’s perspective on Instagram and your art and business I love social media and – out of all the time sinks out there – Instagram is my favourite. In my early days of taking photos, IG was where I got feedback. Through comments and likes I could see how my photography was going and, as I have evolved as a photographer and I have made some good friends through social media. I have been lucky to meet many of

Using Notion as a Photography Planner

April 5, 2021

Preamble I’m 34 years old and I’m just starting a vlog. Restarting a vlog, I should say. I did a couple of travel style vlogs back in 2017 and then life happened. My wife and I moved back to the UK and various projects have distracted us for the last four years. During this time, we got married, bought a house, I joined my family’s business and started an osteopathy course. Two of those projects are going well, one of them

The Problems Faced by an Organic Tea Farm

July 2, 2017

My friend Russ and I started a tea company – hurrah! Living Leaf Tea addresses a problem I’ve had. Since moving back to Europe from Asia, it is difficult to get hold of good-quality Chinese tea. Working in the speciality tea industry after graduating from university made me realise even more how much of a problem this is: tea is either overpriced, tastes awful or is grown with noxious chemicals. We source Living Leaf’s tea directly from one farmer – a

Is There Only Darkness and Confusion Without Tea?

December 11, 2016

As anyone who knows me is aware, I love tea. Some may think this love is disproportional to tea’s merits, but I don’t think that way.  Tea is the first thing I think about when I wake and I have to remind myself not to drink it late at night when the temptation is strong and the threat of insomnia is real. I owe this little herb a lot. Tea helped me to master the Chinese language and propelled me into,

Ripped Jeans and Mocha Lattes

December 9, 2016

When I was younger I used to spend a lot of time outside. My friend Rich and I roamed around the Somerset countryside, playing commandos. We’d smear our faces with grease and creep through the woods, making as little sound as possible, stopping only to carve sticks or shoot at things. We climbed fences and vaulted stiles, and barbed wire snagged our clothes and tore at our skin.  I used to come home muddy, scratched, and elated. My mum didn’t feel

Living With Matcha

November 10, 2016

What not to do when starting a business and what to do with a shit-ton of matcha. Last year my friend, Russ, approached me with a business proposition. He wanted to know what I took from my experience in the tea industry: was tea a viable e-commerce product, and would I join him in a tea venture of our own? I hadn’t really considered it. Up to that point I filed my brief time working at Canton Tea Company under “negative

Lost

October 22, 2016

Recently I felt lost and at sea. The funny thing is, I spend much of my time in this state, at least in some sense. When I travel, I rarely have more than a vague itinerary. In writing (a blog for example), structure and purpose come after hours of rambling mess. I’ve become happy in the space. Some of the best things I’ve done have come when moments of muddle crystallise to clarity. As an example, last summer, with the intention

Seven Life Lessons from Surfing

October 22, 2016

This time yesterday I was surfing off the North African coast. A twelve-hour journey, a dreamless five-hour sleep, and a few thousand kilometres later, I’m home (south-west England). But when I close my eyes I can still see the water. Sitting at the kitchen table, in my chest, I feel the draw and swell of the ocean behind me, building in volume ready for the next set of waves. You can rationalise the ocean. Break its action down into measurable rules.

Oblique Objectives

October 22, 2016

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” It never fails to impress me how some fulfil their objectives. After setting a goal, achievers seem to march blinkered until they reach their destination. They don’t stop and they refuse to be sidetracked by distractions. There’s a part of me that’s envious. In a way, I wish I worked like this. But I don’t. I make plans, of course. Who doesn’t? From mundane day-to-day targets, to more grandiose