Archive for Make Better Photographs – Page 14

A Photographer’s Diary, A Rollercoaster Ride

After the Majesty

So then, after writing last week about having lots of new things planned for 2012 how is January going for me so far? Well these last seven days have seen a rollercoaster of emotions. At the end of last week I discovered a new centre where I can run the Healing with Photography courses through.

The exciting part is that instead of trekking the miles each week, if I convince them to undertake a 3 day course, I can stay at local hotel that is doing a stay one night get another one for the price of breakfast. Fee wise it would be cheaper than putting the petrol on for a 6 week course and it spreads my reach quite dramatically across the region.

Then what goes up must come down, there was a real low in my personal life, and instead of pushing ahead with all my plans, I’ve just taken some time this week to start the healing process and find an easier way to move forward. I resisted the temptation to bury myself in work and rush ahead making probably lots of dodgy decisions based on the need to be busy and stop feeling. So a massage to move sad energies out of my chakras started the week and that has been combined with a lot of work with different healers that I work with and have mentioned in my previous incarnation, ‘Starting a Photography Business.’ I’ve taken some of my own medicine and I feel so much better and stronger for it. Read More→

Scenic Outlook – Brief Moments

What with one thing and another I’ve not had as much time over recent weeks to get out with the camera, but on this particular December weekend I have an empty slot on a Sunday morning. Friday’s weather report says that Saturday will be rainy all day but that Sunday will be cloudy with sunny intervals. Right then, decision made my cousin Steve and I make arrangements Friday afternoon to meet up early Sunday morning at Winchelsea beach. Saturday comes and goes with not a drop of rain all day, I look at the weather report on my HTC…Sunday=rain. Oh well, I decide that I’ll go out anyway however the weather should turn out. I text Steve to see if he’s still up for a meet and a moment later he replies to say that he too is up for getting out whatever the weather. Sunrise is about 7.40am so I decide to set my alarm for 6am.

5.35am my phone rings. ” Are you up Dave” says an all too alert sounding Steve. “I am now” I reply, trying to open my eyes. “I woke up early so I got up and now I’m about to head out the door” Steve said, “OK, I’ll meet you there” I say, fumbling about trying to find my things. Right, I’d better get a move on.

6 seconds iso200 @f22, ND4 filter, Grey Grad

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A Photographer’s Diary, In with a Flurry

Mirror Image

This last week saw the end of the holidays and now it’s time to start in earnest with my business plans for this coming year. So I’m having a look over the ideas I had for the business going forward at the AGM in December in extending the main healing with Photography course to three hours for each session. So that needs writing.

And I’m also looking at how best to set these courses out, whether to do them in three and half days or to keep to the format that worked well with the MIND centre of half a day every week. When the idea of HWP first came to me, I realised that what I was developing will work particularly well in a professional area of which I have personal knowledge of from previous jobs. People in this industry can be unable to work through injury and illness for long periods of time from many months to a year or more. Depression and anxiety during their treatment and recovery kicks in pretty quickly, particularly if time is the only healer of bones or tissue.

It’s because I have knowledge and I the contacts here, I’m seriously thinking of going back to this area and offering my expertise in a field that is slowly opening up to the advantages of more holistic approaches. From experiencing them to understanding them to gradually accepting that there are other ways forward other than purely medical treatment when looking after a person’s well-being. This field could lead on to a much wider area of similar jobs and similar problems and hopefully through word of mouth, I will be able to help more people. Read More→

A Photographer’s Diary, Have You Made Your List?

Defenceless Against Snow

The wind down to Christmas started the weekend before with a weekend away.  And I didn’t realise until I was sitting in a sun lounger by the pool at the hotel, after being in the steam room, just how hard it is to actually stop and enjoy doing nothing, particularly as I’ve never been someone who will lie on a beach and sunbathe all day long, as I like to be off doing things. A lady who I was talking to, when I was working in Italy in October, said we have a real problem don’t we in sitting down and do nothing and not feeling guilty for it.

And her words came back to me as I was sitting in the chair absolutely enjoying the heat in the room and being in the moment and doing nothing. The Christmas week in the lead up was quite busy with last minute cooking and dashing here and there so Christmas was a complete wind down. It was time to just sit down, watch some movies and have fun. And it was lovely, to sit down and know a large part of the world was also on stop.

I thoroughly enjoyed the rest, and having given myself the week off until the first proper full week of the New Year I thought it was time to create a mental list of things that I like doing, just as I teach in my Healing with Photography course. And so as I drove past a favourite pub the other day which serves my favourite Italian coffee brand, Lavazza, I thought I could just drive in there for an espresso. Instead I continued on my way and into town and headed straight into a monumental queue of traffic just to get a retail park. Read More→

Scenic Outlook – The Early Bird

It’s 4:30am and my alarm clock has just gone off, it’s still dark out but as I look out of the window I can see both cloud and starlight. This could potentially be a good morning for photography. I had already planned for a trip out today so everything was already packed up and ready to go. All I had to do was drag myself out of bed, throw on some clothes, grab my gear, get in the car and go.

For today’s shoot I had planned to go to Bodiam Castle, not a half hours drive from my house I knew that I could get there well before sunrise. When I arrived it was still pitch black and the gates to the car park were closed. No worries, I just parked in front of the gates. I would be at home with coffee and breakfast by the time staff arrived to open up. With my hat and gloves on, I grabbed my gear and set off up the path towards the castle.

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A Photographer’s Diary, The AGM

Red and White

After the celebration of the Christmas party, yes I had one and there was a lot to celebrate. The virtual completion of the Healing with Photography course and an invite by the manager at the MIND centre to return in the New Year with a new selection of courses for their group.

Now it was time to sit down and assess the success of the course, where tweaks could be made and decide on the future development of business. So with that in mind and the need to concentrate without interruption of people, phones and emails, I created an inaugural day session dedicated to the well-being of Healing with Photography.

A location was needed where I wouldn’t be disturbed, yet where I could have food and drink on tap whilst being warm and comfortable. As winter has finally arrived in the UK that ruled out an outside rural location or sitting outside a café.

I considered hiring a hotel room though I was certain for a bit of background noise I would switch on the television and end up getting caught up in a programme and bang would go my productivity. In the end, a café at local garden nursery was the best idea, surrounded by beautiful fauna and sat right next to the heater. Read More→