365 to 42

 Two online meeting today before 10am, thats around 3 hours of work and the day has not really started yet. Thanks to zoom I did not have to travel so could attend both, and good as they were it is still not as good as meeting in person, I am missing seeing people. The picture is from Grindon moor, Caz dragged me out of the house at sunset to capture this view for one of her projects, and I thought I might as well snap it too. Now to sort out a presentation for tomorrows breakfast meet, all good fun.

 Not really feeling it to day, trying to get some work done but cannot focus on anything. Picture from the storm this past weekend. So now I've at least done something this morning even if it is only a blog post.

I was a very good amateur photographer, by that I mean I did what the stereotype would do, I joined and then ran a camera club, I did model nights, I knew all about the latest kit and would bore people with my photos of very boring things. As an amateur I would shoot or work on photos about a 100 days a year, and would only shoot what I liked.   Then along came the idea to do a daily photo blog. What happen next was not planned, but in a little over 2 years my hobby became my full time employment and blogging was the reason.   As soon as I had committed to doing a daily photo blog I had made the decision to do an extra 265 day more photography a year, but in reality I had increased my work load by a lot more than that.   The 100 days as an amateur, would result in a small number of good images maybe around 20 that were worth exhibiting a year, I was now aiming on doing 365 good images, and at my amateur work rate of 1 good picture every 5 days I was lo...

 In the week running up to the first lock down we were away with a group of friends in the Lake district, little did we know that this would be the last week of total freedom that we would have for over a year ( I can not see the world returning to normal for quite a while yet). We spent the week walking, going to the pub, sharing hot tubs and doing what we wanted, when we wanted, it was great. On the last full day it was planned that the group would do a longish walk and stop at a pub for lunch, the only problem was me, I had picked up an injury and could not walk very far. The solution was simple, I would take the group to the start of the walk, make my own plans for the morning and meet them at the pub at the end of the walk to take them home. This picture was taken that morning, and then I headed to the pub and got my pint in while waiting for them. This was the first point in which I got a look at what was to be the new normal, the pub had social distancing, temperature checks...

 With the days slowly getting longer the evening dog walk will soon be done in day light, which means I will miss out on the sunsets, but also if I want to walk the dogs in the light, I have to finish work early so later nights leads to long working days. This was shot on a dog walk a few weeks ago, life has changed during lock down, I now do longer dog walks in the evening which has kept me fitter and mentally fitter as well.

 A daughter of a close friend is studying at uni, and ask if I would model for her, so being bored out of my mind I said yes. She then went on to issue detailed instructions on what to do and asked if I could send her the photos!  So, not only model but photographer and stylist as well. I don't really mind as it gave me a chance to used my light gear, work with green screen and background replacement, all of which skills get rusty if you don't keep using them. I'm not sure if this is what she had in mind but I quite like it and the jacket still fits after 30 years. Technical stuff, shot in our living room with one large flash and a 120cm softbox and a green screen. Background picture from the big mill in Leek a couple of years ago. Clothing and guitar models own.

 It feels strange to be back writing on my blog after so long, just like the first time I am not really publishing that I am doing it, just seeing what happens. So I'm not putting any pressure on myself to post with any set pattern, I can post old photos, new photos or even with no photos, this is for the time being just my space to do with as I please. Many years ago I had a note book that I would write in every now and then, little letters to the future me to remind me who I was then and where I would like to be. I would like this blog to be a little like that, a window on the now so I don't forget. Today's picture is of Tunnel pool near Leek, in fact it is almost the view from my bedroom window, it was taken in the resent snowstorm we had and sums up what I like in photography. Its a panoramic image made up of a number of shots, something I do a lot and really like. Its a shot of a place I love, like a lot of my images are and it is taken in conditions that most photogra...

 I had a comment to my last post, from one of the very first blogs I started to follow all those years ago, and one of the blogs that I had visited yesterday that lead me to post in the first place. Its a very small world at times. Today I had my first breakfast meeting of 2021, via Zoom of course, when I started off full time I had no idea that they were even a thing and today I have just delivered my 25th 10 minute presentation, these come up about 3 or 4 times a year normally. It feels strange that at 8.45am I have done nearly 2 hours work and met with 16 people and have yet to leave the house. I feel that I should post on here more often, I had 12K visitors last year but had not posted anything for 6 years!

 Well 7 years on and I'm still here, I'm a full time professional photographer, working very hard to keep going during a third lock down. I've arrived here by accident, just passing through and thought I would check up on all the old blogs I used to follow back in the day, to find just like mine they have for the most part vanished and just post once in a few years. Having read all those old blogs I wanted to know if they made it this far, and thought that some of them may pass by here and think the same. So I'm still here and hope you are too.