I’ve been attempting to put together a new blog for a while now but every time I put pen to paper I hit a brick wall and it never really gets beyond the first paragraph. I do like to share my thoughts but writing is something that doesn’t come naturally to me although plenty have told me that they enjoy my ramblings, I think they are just being kind but their words give me the confidence to at least attempt to finish one of these things. There’s one thing that I promised myself before writing my first blog and that was not to go down the preaching route, there’s plenty of guides and how to’s out there and there’s no real right or wrong to photography once we get past the basics of camera settings and the understanding of the exposure triangle, everything else is massively subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
It was around about a year ago when I first stepped into a woodland with the intention of photographing it, a gorgeously atmospheric morning was spent in my local wood without any real idea of what I was doing or looking for. I had mainly been photographing local landmarks and popular locations around the Peak District and Snowdonia but I wasn’t getting enough from them creatively and from a well being perspective to really find them enjoyable, the time spent waiting for light just allowed my mind to wander back to more negative times. That first morning in the woods was a revelation and four hours passed without me noticing, just me, my dog, my camera and so much going on visually that I really found my mind distracted from everything else in the world, I was very much free to just point my camera at whatever caught my eye.
I was hooked from this moment forward but much like my writing it didn’t come naturally, I’ve invested a great deal of myself into the woods this year and the more time I have spent exploring, practicing composition and failing the more my connection and love for woodland photography and it’s benefits have grown. I never come away thinking of a trip as a failure even if the camera stays in it’s bag, it’s always enjoyable and enriching in way’s far greater than the images I create ever will be. I feel progress has been made in my photography over this year developing an understanding of what I like in my images and what I don’t but I still find myself questioning my own abilities regularly and self doubt creeps in constantly. I don’t see this being a bad thing in general and being self critical is an important element in all walks of life but particularly in photography and the creative world, we are all just people with a camera sharing our interpretation of the world and I’ve got plenty of room to improve and grow.
It’s been a great first year and I’m excited for the cold and frosty mornings that lie ahead, a few recent images from some wonderful autumnal mornings.
Thanks
Marc
