Lost in the woods

Forests are a place that I feel a deep connection with, its why so many of my photos focus on trees and woodland. The sights, the sounds and the colours of nature are what inspire alot of my pictures.

With these photos I hoped to capture and convey the essential beauty, feel and power of the Welsh woodlands.

Beauty in the strangest places

 When I do photography I love to find details in ordinary objects that can be photographed for (hopefully) spectacular effect. Whether it be reflections in puddles, the light from street lamps, or leaves on a road way i''m of the opinion that beauty can be found in some pretty strange places, you just have to look for it.

Such was the case with these photos, where drizzle, water droplets and frost turn car roofs and windscreens into scenes from a sci-fi movie.

Photography: Its stuck in a rut

Type into any search bar on the internet the word photography and browse the results and I'll predict what you will find:

Sunset or sunrise beach scene with blurred and misty water, arty black and white shot of couple/child/old people (probably just after its rained), blurred out green field with central object/person as focus point, mountain and or forest scene at sunrise or sunset (with heightened colours due to polarizing lense), amazing star trail with focal object in front.

Even the shots that are breaking the mold such as travel shots look like they could be used interchangeably without anyone noticing; cue earnest asian person shot in traditional dress, tribal/traditional person in bright colours, breath taking view with stunned hikers in front, metropolitan scene with bright light skyscrapper.

Its all remarkably meticulous, well composed, very skilled and most of all utterly, utterly dull. In short modern photography would seem to me to be stuck in a rut.

Blame stock photography websites, blame what is 'traditionally' done in photography, blame appealing to the photography judges, blame mainstream and bland appeal or just say fuck that.

I'm not pretending i'm particularly skilled as a photographer (I haven't even studied it to college level) but surely there should be more to this art form then taking the same picture as everyone else. Why not experiment? Just because the best light may be at sunset or sunrise doesn't mean you won't get good shots at other times of day. Take you camera off the tripod when shooting at night and get blurry as fuck images, break the golden rule deliberately, get warped reflections, get your hands in the shot, tell a subject to run away or toward you in fear or hatred when taking portraiture shots or throw (soft) things at them when taking the shot, take a picture of the trash can next to the amazing mountain.

None of these might be good ideas or even that original but at least they won't be the same as every other bland shot, because art is meant to be about personal expression and what is expressive about taking the same shot as everyone else?

October nights

I love autumn for the simple fact that as a photographer the colours and effects you get at night can be simply stunning.

For example I have developed an obsession with shadows recently and the effects and portraits you can create with them. With the adding of leaves on the ground and a bit of experiment with shutter speed while zooming and walking I was able to create the effect of one of these pictures.

Other pictures I took simply by keeping an eye open for details that might lend themselves for using a low shutter speed and by experimenting with taking pictures on the move.

An artistic blur

One of my favourite techniques which I've experimented with when taking pictures recently has revolved around zooming in on a subject while setting the camera on a low shutter speed. The feeling of speed and the abstract patterns produced create quite a wonderful effect. While this technique may be hit and miss when it does work the effect is spectacular.

These pieces once again show my fascination with the idea creating a piece of photography that could be seen almost as a piece of abstract and impressionistic art.

The art of impressionism

If there has been one form of art that has inspired my photography more then any other its impressionism. The idea that you can take an everyday object and somehow convey its essence in a way that is abstract and impressionist is one that is extremely attractive to me.

Especially when you consider that photography to a certain extent is the art of capturing in excate detail what is before your eyes.

The other quality of impressionist photography that I am attracted to is just how beautiful it makes the world. With a lower shutter speed and a spin or turn of the camera the world can be turned into a whirl of colour or a flash of the gold from passing leaves.

Nottingham

This weekend I got to explore the historic city of Nottingham, its an intriguing city filled with nocks, crannies, caves, ghosts and caverns. The beauty of this trip came from finding the gift of unexpected photographic surprises from the innocuous and seemingly ordinary. It was also a chance to flex my photographic muscles in different ways such as still life and in portraiture work. Something that I love to do but don't often get the chance to. Hope you enjoy.
 

Spirituality in Art

I was pleased recently to have been invited to take part in a gallery displaying images of spiritual in art. My photography and art has always been heavily inspired by my unorthodox approach to the divine. As such I felt I could take part and (hopefully) add something meaningful to this event.

I have included a quote and one of my pictures that will be used as part of my display which I hope gives a bit more insight into my art and how I see the world.:

"For me one of the main things that is so attractive about photography is just how beautiful the world is. And in seeing that beauty one can't help but to feel a sense of awe, a sensation of touching something greater and more wonderful then can be understood by the rational senses. In other words for me to take a picture of something truly beautiful is in some way for me to reach out to God and find myself immersed in His/Her great beauty. For me all these pictures represent moments when I have somehow touched or found that moment in life when one connects for a moment with the divine."

And here is a link to the actual event itself:

https://www.facebook.com/events/211070629060412/?fref=ts

Our changing world

This month I entered the Our Changing World competition with the National Geographic, its focus to have photos submitted that explored this subject matter.

To the side is one such picture I entered from a local park, the spot is quite simply magical but the atmosphere is definitely marred by the effects of pollution. I thought this image best exposed the way something beautiful can be tainted and changed by the thoughtless effects of man on our environment.

Please find my link to the national geographic and if you like what you see give my photos a like.

http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/308298/

Autumn photos

Welcome to my new blog, I'm a photographer based in newport and cardiff and I wanted to share my art with the world. These are new autumnal shots I've taken.

Autumn for me is a time when the world changes and is in transition, its not quite one thing or the other and in that moment of transition you can find both beauty, warmth and a profound sense of loss. I like to think my photos reflection that and speak about the beauty of the natural world during this time.

 

To create these images I use alot of close ups or long exposures, I think this helps to create images that, like autumn itself, are transient, in motion or capture a moment in time that might at any moment become lost.