Blog

Mostly concerning photography

All opinions were my own at the time of writing, but I can’t vouch for them now. 

Hemmingway Bridge in Photography

I just got back from a trip to Coigach and Assynt and I have unfinished business. I didn’t feel this after my 2021 trip to

LPOTY 2022

I am very pleased to announce that my image of Glastonbury Tor, Storm and Fire, has been highly commended in the UK Landscape Photographer of

Printing at Home

This weekend, I had a couple of things on my to-do list: eBay some old tech and frame some recent images. eBay was a necessary

Photography in Cornwall

I just came back from staying with friends in Cornwall. It was exhausting—staying in Cornwall always is. Though I should be sensible, I’m an early

Blog

Mostly concerning photography

All opinions were my own at the time of writing, but I can’t vouch for them now. 

Hemmingway Bridge in Photography

I just got back from a trip to Coigach and Assynt and I have unfinished business. I didn’t feel this after my 2021 trip to Scotland when I visited Glencoe, Skye, Harris and Lewis. So what’s different? Well, I came home a few days early—that’s part of it. I was camping in my car, and though Scotland is well set up for vehicle campers when the rain came in earnest,

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LPOTY 2022

I am very pleased to announce that my image of Glastonbury Tor, Storm and Fire, has been highly commended in the UK Landscape Photographer of the Year awards. This was my first time entering the competition, and I am really pleased to be recognised by the judges. Some of the people who most inspire me have placed in this competition in the past or are otherwise involved in the judging

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Using ‘Texture’ and ‘Dehaze’ to Edit in Lightroom

I have written before about my love of soft, indirect light. This preference has only grown in the past eighteen months. There are a few reasons I prefer soft light. They are all practical: (1) while direct sunlight largely determines a composition for us, flatter light allows one to bring mood and story to an image during the editing process; (2) cloudy, overcast days give more time to explore and

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The Permissible and the Prohibited: Image Manipulation in Landscape Photography

Not long after first taking up a camera, you will discover the rules of photography—someone will feel duty-bound to tell you. We don’t need an exhaustive list here, but look for the verb in the imperative form: “always fill the frame,” “remember the rule of thirds,” and “look for odd numbers.” These are all common edicts. However, no matter how firmly stated, rarely are these directions essential to creating a

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Printing at Home

This weekend, I had a couple of things on my to-do list: eBay some old tech and frame some recent images. eBay was a necessary evil, but I was looking forward to printing my work. I had the romantic vision of a slow Sunday proofing and perfecting my images, cup of tea in hand. However, in the end, my expectations were reversed. Listing items on eBay wasn’t as clunky as

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Photography in Cornwall

I just came back from staying with friends in Cornwall. It was exhausting—staying in Cornwall always is. Though I should be sensible, I’m an early riser, and I’m out on the beaches taking photos for several hours before anyone else wakes. With full days exploring and late evenings socialising, after a few nights away, I start to feel thinly drawn. I like to think that if I lived in Cornwall,

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Is Instagram Dead for Photographers?

4 things Instagram taught me A few months ago, l wrote about quitting social media. I was unsuccessful. An active Instagram group chat drew me back, and addiction kept me there. Nevertheless, despite still spending some time on Instagram, I have progressed with my goals for leaving. During a few days of annual leave, I redesigned my website, and I am working on my search engine presence. I will do more of that

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A Somerset Landscape Photography Guide

What is there for a landscape photographer in Somerset? With rare birds in the wetland marshes and red deer roaming the hills, wildlife is perhaps the most natural draw in our county. Yet, despite lacking charismatic mountains and rugged coastline, after watching light rays through the mist of the Levels, rambling over purple moorland and standing on the edge of a brutal gorge, you too will agree – there is

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Stop Chasing Sunrises

I’m an early riser. I naturally wake between 4 and 6 and a lie in sees me up no later than 7.30. As a landscape photographer, this can be a strategic advantage. However it can also be exhausting. For a few weeks each year, the sun rises so that from a clearing on the Polden Hills you can use a telephoto lens and it forms a halo behind Glastonbury Tor. In

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The Motorway to Pen y Fan

Last week I had the pleasure of walking up Pen y Fan with a couple of fellow Bristol photographers. Oddly, although over the last year I have explored the Brecons a fair amount, this was the first time I have summited Pen y Fan. I think a mountain looks better from lower down than from the top, but last week’s expedition changed my mind. As I say, this was the

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Scared of Direct Light?

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

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Contrast is Relative

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%

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How Much Should You Edit Your Photos?

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

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Quitting Social Media

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

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Using Notion as a Photography Planner

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

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