Enigmatic: mysterious and difficult to understand. Energy centres: yet another challenging subject to write about and aim to portray with the photographic image!
Read moreReturning to the Tor...
I’m only too aware my last blog was posted in February! There have been a number of reasons impacting this, with three primary causes:
Read moreHibernation...
By way of explanation…
This is my first blog since August 2023 and I’ve waited in anticipation for this moment to arrive. The extended gap hasn’t been caused by a loss of motivation or interest in photography, a lessening of my shamanic beliefs/practice, or any diminution in the desire to be creative. The third period of December to January has naturally become the subject for this blog, and the sixth in this shamanic series: my annual hibernation…
Read moreEmbracing the shadow...
This is the fifth in the series of key elements of shamanic healing and how they can be reflected in photographic expression. These now start to delve into areas which are foreign to many peoples’ everyday experiences and which they might rather not explore. This is OK and if you feel this, read no further but simply appreciate the images for what they are. They’re certainly more challenging to write about in ways that make sense in the context of the theme – but here goes!
Read moreA welcome break...
This blog is a departure from the current series. It reflects a very welcome holiday in Corfu, reconnecting with the quaint little Greek town of Agios Gordios after a break of nearly four years due to Covid. I was able to focus some time on my photography and you’ll find some of my favourite images below.
Read moreMeditation and journeying...
IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog has been written with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence: Chat GPT on 31st May 2023. Passages that appear in italics are drawn from the AI short essay created, and some are more poetic than I might normally write: however, they challenge me to express my inner feelings and help overcome any vulnerability that I might otherwise feel. I’ve written the rest as I normally write, integrating relevant AI passages where appropriate.
Read moreRecognising the rhythms...
An important facet of shamanic healing is recognising that there are various natural rhythms and patterns throughout the year, all with links to different aspects of the natural world. Before human habitation, Earth had been developing for over 4.5 billion years. Homo sapiens appeared ‘only’ @ 190,000 years ago and so it’s not surprising that particularly in the early days of the hunter-gatherers, this environment not only determined the success of their existence, but also became the source of their developing understanding and questioning of the world around them.
Read moreHonouring the ancestors...
Most people will have an understanding of who their immediate ancestors are, probably most typically parents, grandparents and maybe even great-grandparents. Some are moved to research their family trees: indeed, members of my own family have researched back as far as 1701 on my paternal side and 1796 on my maternal side. These can give one a sense of one’s place in history and how/why/where at least some of one’s own experience, beliefs and values originated.
Read moreShamanic practice briefly explained...
Following my last blog, I have reflected to further explore my third theme for 2023: ‘I’ll explore the connection between my photography subjects and my shamanic practice more explicitly, seeking a deeper and more integrated understanding of both…’, which in past months has slowly grown in significance for me in relation to my photography…
Read moreNew Year - New Themes...
Entering a New Year offers the opportunity to consider which areas to grow and develop. I was never much one for new year resolutions - too specific, detailed, and open to avoidance or procrastination, with the consequent knock to self esteem or worse, a feeling of failure! I much prefer to think in terms of a few broad themes and, ensuring they stay uppermost in my mind, allow ideas to flow, opportunities to arise, and creativity to blossom.
Read more2022 Review...
It’s the time of year to review the year’s efforts and achievements. I’ve written a lot this year. This review of some of my favourite images from 2022 blogs is simple: no thinking, no theory, no analysis. Just visual appreciation. I hope you enjoy them too. Season’s Greetings and I’m already looking forward to what 2023 might bring creatively!
Read moreConnection...
To summarise the last 5 months’ Blogs: I’ve reviewed Alister Benn’s construct for impactful images - Luminosity; Contrast; Geometry: Colour; and Atmosphere. When I first discovered this, it resonated strongly with my intuitive approach - hence I adopted it as an invaluable checklist to integrate the key elements of any image both in the field and during processing. As he suggests, not all images contain all five, but aiming to combine at least two or three in any image potentially raises the level of impactfulness of one’s images considerably.
Read moreAtmosphere...
The fifth and last of Alister Benn’s triggers of stimulating photography is Atmosphere. Dictionary definitions of atmosphere include: “the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or creative work”; “the quality of the setting around us which evokes our emotions”; “a surrounding influence or environment”; “the overall aesthetic effect of a work of art”; and terms such as “ambience; aura; climate; and/or mood” can summarise the concept neatly. Photographically, Alister Benn suggests that including such elements as clouds, flowing water, mist, fog, snow, rain, or diffused areas can help to amplify the atmosphere of an image - but these are not a requirement. So as with other elements, attempting to evoke atmosphere in an image that says something to the viewer can be challenging.
Read moreColour...
Colour, or the choice to use black and white, is possibly the most over-riding factor in a successful image. However, with so many variables that make up what constitutes colour, it can become the most challenging element to master as a photographer, both in taking images in the field and in post-processing.
Read moreGeometry...
Geometry is the third of the six elements of sound photography that I’m following these days. The first two, Luminosity and Contrast, have been explored in my last two Blogs. A definition of Geometry suggests it is the branch of mathematics that deals with angles, dimensions and relative sizes of things we see in everyday life. One also learns about many things such as lines, symmetries and similarities including shapes such as triangles, parallelograms, circles, squares and rectangles.
Read moreContrast...
Contrast is the second element of the six-element makeup of Luminosity; Contrast; Geometry; Colour; Atmosphere; and Connection that comprise any image.
“The greater the contrast, the greater the potential. Great energy only comes from a correspondingly great tension of opposites.” Carl Jung
Read moreLuminosity… (Copy)
In November, I posted the first of a series of blogs to focus on each element of my newly-found approach: Luminosity; Contrast; Geometry; Colour; Atmosphere; and Connection. Due to my unexpected sabbatical it went no further, so I’ve decided to start again and repeat that blog.
Read moreEnforced sabbatical...
This is the first blog I’ve posted since November 2021. Briefly, an underlying health condition diagnosed four years ago reappeared that month giving me symptoms not unlike long Covid - easily fatigued, breathless and not able to walk more than about 2km and experiencing what I can only describe as “brain fog” – difficulty in concentrating for any length off time. This is not ideal for pursuing a creative past-time requiring energy and concentration in the field, and considerable focus while processing in Lightroom! However, the good news is that two planned trips were able to go ahead in February and March which I’ve used as the subject for this blog while “getting back in the saddle”, or photographically “getting back behind the tripod”.
Read moreLuminosity…
Having adopted an entirely new approach to both my field photography and processing (see my October Blog), this next series of Blogs will each be focusing on one element of this approach: Luminosity; Contrast; Geometry; Colour; Atmosphere; and Connection.
Read moreA new beginning ...
Intriguing entrance…
This is the start of a new beginning. During the summer, I was increasingly feeling that my creativity was waning, my Blog and Instagram processes were efficient but increasingly uninspiring, and I needed some kind of “re-boot”. Photography was still my passion; however I needed to get to the next level of challenge, focus and process. Five things coelesced over three months to enable me to know that I now see myself as a “landscape photographer, looking for the deeper meaning”.
Read more