One handed photographers...

... seem to be everywhere! What is it with people who think that they can get a nice sharp clear image whilst holding their camera or phonecam in their outstretched hand? Sure the pic may look ok on the screen on the back of the device, but if or when they view it larger, or dare I say it ... PRINT it... I think they will be very disappointed with their efforts. In my opinion the single most important thing that you can do to improve your photographs is to hold the camera steady - that means TWO hands, and keeping still while you shoot. I have been taking photographs for over 50 years and still need to focus on stillness under some lighting conditions, and would NEVER dream of using a one handed shot unless I was using a 1/1000 of a sec, or less and I doubt that compacts and phone cams are that fast! It was so noticeable in Venice recently, where hundreds of people were on holidays and just walking up to a scene, raising the camera, taking one shot and walking away!!! Will they have memories or just blurry recollections???

Gee... it's a G10!

I tried out my e-bay acquired G10 on Friday after getting the Land Rover through it's MoT... and the camera seemed to pass its tests too! It took a little getting used to the size and silence of this little box of tricks after the 5D Mk11, and there were plenty of shots that I was not pleased with... but then I am picky!

After a bit of trial and error in Princethorpe Woods, I found the sweet spot and I was delighted with the results. It will never replace a DSLR for quality, but for convenience and portability there doesn't seem anything to touch Canon's little "sure Shot" model, although nimble finger tips are needed for some of the adjustments

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

... with a heavy snowfall in Northamptonshire last night. The timing was perfect as I am currently working on my third book, A Winter's Tale - The Countryside between Harvest and Easter, and needed some new snowy landscape shots. Pity that the sky wasn't blue, but you can't have everything!

It's always nice to see your work valued by others and I was pleased to see that one of my old pictures (above) was chosen as a runner up in the Killeen House Photographic Competition. This was shot of Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh, and was taken with my little Sony T7 compact camera - it just goes to show that you don't always need expensive equipment to get a prizewinning shot in the bag!

Here comes the rain again

... as the old song went... it does seem to be wet every day now. This has been going on for most of November and December is starting out in the same way. The people who live on rivers, such as the folk at Tewkesbury where I was last week, must live in a constant state of nervous anticipation - but not ina good way!
I have just been commissioned to start a new book, based around activities and scenes in the county during the period from harvest to Easter;the publishers are hoping for lots of Christmas card snow scenes, no doubt... well, there will be some but I suspect that they will be from my archive unless the temperature drops significantly to allow a good fall of snow to settle. Otherwise it may be a tale of wet leaves and shiny cottage roof tops!
Folk who live in a true urban environment, like can't ever appreciate the disruption that bad weather brings to the countryside. Although I do live in a suburban area, my love of the country means that I try to get out into the fields and lanes as often as possible, and that is when you notice the sodden ground and full ditches which threaten to cause problems later in the winter. Farmers will have planted winter wheat and barley which is now sitting in a paddy field like environment... perhaps rice might have been a better crop!

I had a dream...

... and today it came true! I think it must be every photographer's dream to see their work on a gallery wall, but imagine how good it is to see the gallery walls with ONLY your work hanging there.

Today,the Artie Fartie Gallery in Wellingborough re-opened its doors and I was given carte blanche to hang my pix wherever I wanted. The gallery is in a great location, with ample free parking and a really nice little organic coffee shop just along the way, and to make it all even better it's in an old gasworks, with authentic Victorian buildings that create a good atmosphere.

Most of the morning was spent on a spruce up session, with much dust leaving the building by the huge double doors at the front. Then the hanging began and I hit on a theme of local views on one side and international pictures on the other, which lets customers focus on the type of thing that they are looking for without being confused by a jumble sale effect of disparate subjects all mixed together

As the gallery has been closed for several weeks, I think it will take a while for shoppers to realise that it is now open for business again, but none the less, there were 4 "serious browsers" today who all had ideas about what they wanted, and asked me to search my library of images for suitable subjetcs for them to consider

Friday 13th!

So it's Friday the 13th eh???

I think it will be a good day, because I have a dear friend coming to stay - my old mate Paul Blest who is over here from Tasmania will be spending the night with us and no doubt we will visit a nice pub !
I received the proofs of my seconfd book today - they are looking ok, and just need a few minor typos correcting. This is not due out until next March so it's good to see my publishers getting on with it so early - the book is called A Boot up Shropshire Hills and it contains 10 different walks in the county. Great for popping in the car for those spur of the moment "what can we do?" moments. I had great pleasure when I was photographing this area, as I have fond memories of my youth walking around Long Mynd and Stiperstones, and more recently have discovered many friends in the county - it gives me an opportunity to catch up with them too! Although it won't be in the book, Ironbridge is a favourite place. I used to go there before it became the tourist honeypot that it is nowadays;there was a little cafe that had a great pinball machine and good cappucino, right by the bridge. The shop is still there but now it is a made over "olde worlde" affair. The bridge remains a marvel of the Industrial Revolution - cast and constructed down the river in Coalbrookdale, it truly changed the way that the world was heading. I'm happy though that only the birth of the Revolution took place here, and developments quickly moved to the South Staffordshire coal fields, otherwise the pastoral county of Shropshire may have been very different.

I have tried to post a picture of the Ironbridge that shows it differently to the thousands that must exist already - I like the way that this shows the contrast between the rich woodland and the harsh grey iron-strangely enough, the quantity of iron needed was only possible because of the trees being turned into charcoal for smelting the ore. Man is ever inventive!

Signing Books again!

Tomorrow I will be at Waterstone's book store in Kettering, Northants, as part of the first Kettering Book Week, where I will be signing copies of my first book of photographs and local interest, Northamptonshire - The Glorious County - published by Halsgrove at £14.99. This book would make a great gift for anyone who knows Northamptonshire or who used to live in the county and would like to be reminded of home. BBC Radio Northampton's John Griff described the book as "evocative" and informative

First thoughts

As this is my first blog entry I will keep it simple - hello! I will be updating frequently with news about my recovery from cancer and my entryinto the photographic world, my books, my gallery and my occasional radio appearances!