Grid Locked

On my revisit to Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences I was hoping to get something different, something better, something that I didn’t get the first time around. It’s so easy to turn up to a location you have been before and head straight towards the spot you took that photo you were very pleased with last time, and just take the same photo. I’m sure we have all done it. While I still want to shoot the amazing architecture and take shots close to those I took last time, I really wanted to get something new.

Calatrava’s

Photographers are often creatures of habit, often shooting the same locations time and time again. This may be because that location is close to them or they feel that it’s a place they get their best photographs. It may just be as simple as they really like the place. I shoot London more often than anywhere for all of the above reasons. It’s a big city though with many things to see and an ever-changing skyline so I’m not often taking the same photographs. I do really enjoy visiting other cities too, and try to do so as often as I can. There isn’t one city that I’ve been to take photographs that I’ve said I’ll never revisit, yet here I am questioning that very statement. Next week I revisit one of the best locations I’ve ever been to, Valencia. More specifically Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences. So if it’s one of the best, why am I questioning my revisit?

The Wall

As summer comes to an end and gloom starts settling in around Britain there’s a group of people who start to become happier, photographers.

Squares and Triangles

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to be able to go on two very different back to back trips.
The first was a photography trip to the north of Norway and the Lofoten Islands, with their mountain peaks and Artic fjords. Then less than 24 hours after returning to London, I was flying out again. This time to Germany, to photograph the skyscrapers and urbanscapes of Frankfurt. The two trips couldn’t have been any more different, yet both very enjoyable.

The Love Rain

I’ve finally got round to updating my website. I’m sure it’s not only me that lacks motivation to update their sites. Like most, I’d rather be out taking photographs. It’s been a few years since I’ve added anything new to the main galleries on here, so this update was long over due.

Travelling for me is a big part of photography, it was in fact travelling that first gave me the idea to take up the hobby. Having been places like Australia and Peru, but having no memorable photos just “snaps”, I decided to get myself a DSLR. Most travellers will own a camera but wouldn’t call themselves photographers and most photographers will go travelling. Yet most won’t come back with what they class as “keepers” or fantastic photos. The travellers will be happy with their selfies and the snaps of all the landmarks. While the photographers will normally be disappointed with what they have come back with. This isn’t due to lack of ability or setting their standards too high, it’s simply due to lack of time. The weather conditions you get for that hour you spend at The Eiffel Tower are the conditions, there’s no waiting for better light or a clearer sky. You want to wait and see if the conditions improve but your list of places to visit for the day is long and time is already running out.

I’ve noticed over the last year or so that finding a photograph on social media that makes you stop and really have a second look is getting less frequent.
I’m sure that those special photographs are still being posted yet the amount of mediocre photographs we have to trawl through is growing at a far faster rate.

The popular WexMondays kicks off again next week. Love it or loathe it, your twitter feed is about to get busy. Filled with some very nice photographs from some very talented photographers on the Monday, followed by the controversial shortlist on the Tuesday.

Amateur Photographer Magazine have done two features on the EISA Awards both showing my portfolio shots.

Having never been a fan of Street Photography I never thought I’d be entering a competition on that subject, yet here I am writing about not only entering but then having great success. Amateur Photographer Magazine runs the UK part of the EISA awards every year, with a different theme set by the EISA committee. This year the theme was Street Photography. Its not a single entry competition but a portfolio of 6-8 images. This for me is much more of a challenge, to have a strong portfolio of 8 images all at a high standard isn’t an easy thing to do. It was tough picking 8 images, for someone that wouldn’t call himself a street photographer it was surprising how may photographs I have that could be classed as street. I say classed as street as for me most “street” photos are pictures of people sitting in coffee shops or outside an office having a fag break. These images are why I’m not a fan of most street photographs in general.