Introducing EDP

Inside Salisbury Cathedral - a place that always stirs my emotions

So, I think I'd like to coin a phrase. How does one go about this I wonder? 

In the olden days, I suspect that a man would travel through the streets calling, "Bring out your phrases!". 

Whereas now, I probably have to pop the phrase in a handy prepaid envelope to a company in Dartford who will weigh it and offer me an undervalued rate of return. They will then melt the phrase down and reassemble the words into something more useful.

But anyway...

In today's wonderful world of the internet, there are a billion and one (no wait, I just refreshed my computer and it's a billion and two now) articles giving technical advice on how to take a good photograph.

Of course, having a sound understanding of the basic principles of photography, including exposure, composition and how your camera works, is a vital foundation. As is true for pretty much any endeavour you want to become good at.

But when it comes to actually taking photographs, you kind of need to forget all of that. Not flush it from your mind completely, causing you to become all stupid (where for example, you try to eat your camera) but just pushed to your subconscious so it's not actively at the forefront of your thought process. It needs to become second nature.

When you're actually in the field taking your pictures, analysis can get in the way of your enjoyment and more importantly, great pictures. Magical opportunities can be missed because you're umming and arring about a technical point whilst there's that split second break in the clouds offering the perfect illumination of the landscape.

So, what I've found myself doing when I get the pictures that I'm most satisfied with, is to let my emotions drive my photography. 

And that's my phrase *COINING SOUND* - "Emotion Driven Photography (tm)". Let's be really funky and call it EDP.

When you encounter a scene that really moves you, I guarantee that it will also stir others and make a great picture. Technical competence doesn't equate to technical perfection, so get the shot, however you can. Whilst not encouraging sloppiness, post processing can fix many flaws in your technique if needs be, the key is to capture that emotional trigger.

My experience is that my heart will skip and I may even gasp quietly when I see something that, for want of a phrase that describes the indescribable, touches my soul. A sunrise, amazing architecture, a child jumping in a puddle, newborn fluffy things, an abandoned but characteristic building - all of these and anything else can connect deeply with us.

When you're out taking photographs, try and listen out for this inner feeling. When you notice it start to tingle like Spiderman's Spidey Sense (which turned out just to be a bad case of pins and needles in his case), you know that a good picture is around here somewhere.

The more you get used to paying attention to the dance of your heart, the more finely tuned your senses will become at detecting the potential for beautiful pictures. Sometimes it will scream out at you! But it can also be very subtle. What it always is, is very enjoyable, nourishing something deep within.

Visiting places that resonate with you is always a good idea. I love old churches and cathedrals and living in Salisbury, feel very lucky to have one of the finest examples of gothic architecture on my doorstep (just past the milk bottles and old Betterware catalogue). It really does take my breath away, no matter how many times I visit.

So my tip for today is to let your photography become a more intuitive process, driven by your emotions, rather than instruction manuals.

Sharing and Not Caring

rolling countryside beneath broken clouds

Hello blog fan!

First an apology. I've been like one of those parents who leaves their small children home alone for a fortnight with nothing but cold pizza and a gallon of Sunny Delight for company, whilst they enjoy an all inclusive bargain holiday in the Med.

Yes, I have neglected you dreadfully. Yes, I have been pursuing my own selfish interests. Yes, there are some microwave meals in the fridge and a list of instructions of what to do if Social Services come calling. 

But don't imagine for one minute that I haven't been thinking of you all this time. I promise to try to be a better and more consistent blogger from now on. Let's have a big hug and pretend that none of this ever happened. Then we'll sort out your burns and soiled clothes.

Anyway!

Today's post is about the marvel that is the internet. More specifically, social media and the effects it can have on your photography. 

Now, some of you youngsters who have grown up in the digital age might not have known anything different, but to people of my generation and beyond, being able to share your pictures with other people, most of which you have never & will never meet, is mind blowing.

The opportunity to share pictures and have them critiqued or adored or any other reaction, is something that still amazes my tiny mind. 

I love the idea that I can be out walking, capture a beautiful landscape and in a very short while, that image is also seen by people all over the world. Somebody living in New York City or Tokyo has the opportunity to feel the same surge of happy emotion that I felt when stumbling across the scene originally. Or they may feel revolted and disgusted - but my days of naked selfies are generally behind me now.

Yesterday I shared the image at the top of this post on Twitter and after several retweets, it was favourited by a Canadian pornstar. Now, I can't imagine many connections that her and I may have otherwise had. But I love the idea that although we inhabit very different worlds, she has seen and enjoyed something from mine.

But the real point of this post is to urge you to stay true to your vision and not seek complete validation from the opinions of other people. 

Don't get me wrong - I bloody love getting retweets, likes and favourites for the pictures I post. And sometimes people say some very lovely things which genuinely warm my heart. 

But there are also times when I post pictures that get little or no reaction. Does this make them any less valid? To my mind, of course not! 

I only post pictures that I'm happy with. And that really is the key here - I'm happy with them. If they resonate with other people, great! But if they fall on deaf ears, (or blind eyes, or any other disability of your choice), that's absolutely fine too. I'm still happy with what I've produced. To me, the picture is still an expression of something lovely that I've seen and feel is worth sharing.

So, please don't be disillusioned if you don't get the kind of reception that you'd hoped for. It doesn't make your picture rubbish! 

The downside to this digital age is the overwhelming quantity of information that is being thrown at us all the time. The chances are, sometimes your picture is going to get overlooked because somebody else has just posted an image of a kitten riding a bicycle or something. 

Stand proudly by your work and don't change your mind about it because the world (or your perception of it) appears to think differently about it. 

And of course, this is true for any creative activity you may care to share - poetry, painting, intermittent-and-well-meaning-but-all-too-often-pointless-and-meandering-blog-posts-with-frankly-ridiculous-multiply-hyphenated-words - they all come from the heart in the hope that we might be a little better understood. 

When you're misunderstood, it's a reflection of communication, rather than the quality of your work. The world would be such a boring place if we all spoke the same language.

Please, stay true to your vision and keep taking, sharing and most importantly, enjoying your photography and other creative pursuits!