Please look the other way...

Can you find what speaks to you in a world that seeks conformity

Gwelva, Marazion. This is an image I have thinking about for weeks, it is the boat landing stage for St Michael’s Mount. For this to work for me I needed rain, lots of rain to block out Penzance and Newlyn, thankfully on Saturday I was gifted more rain than I knew what to do with! With the use of a 90 second exposure I have taken the chop and waves out of the water to create the sense of stillness I needed and isolate the steps that fascinate me.

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The Stillness of Summer online workshop

Over the next few days I will be launching a new online workshop for the summer called ‘The Stillness of Summer’ It will be on my website by the end of the week.

Limited to 20 places only running fortnightly from 7 July - 22 September

The Stillness of Summer is an online photography workshop designed to help you find the quiet pulse of the season. Running from the high heat of July through to the softening light of September, this journey is a sanctuary. Whether you have practised with me before, have my book Still on your bedside table, or are picking up a camera for the very first time, you are welcome here.

Together, we will explore the concept of stillness in the midst of the heat, learning to lean into the shifting moods of the season. We will find that summer is not just one long, bright day, but a collection of subtle atmospheres. There is a specific quietude in the heavy, humid air before a storm, a sense of deep relief in the scent of rain on parched pavement, and a gentle invitation in the cool, dew-heavy mists of an early August morning. Each shift in weather invites a shift in how we feel, and how we see.

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Hi,

I hope you are well?

At school - long ago in the 1970’s and 80’s I was always told to copy from the board, copy this and read it, memorise it and you will be fine. We weren’t taught to think for ourselves, even in art - my favourite subject because I had a crush on our teacher - the message was the same ‘here’s a picture copy it’. We were never allowed to express or interpret things. In a way we were taught to follow not to lead.

The idea of following is a common theme now, we follow people on instagram, X, Facebook and numerous, we are all followers of someone or something.

In this queue of where do we look for inspiration? How do we find our own way?

I am lucky enough to share a gallery space in Marazion, Cornwall opposite St Michael’s Mount - it is probably the most photographed place in Cornwall, Goggle it and see what comes up.

Countless people stand on this causeway and make the same photographs - it is a beautiful image to make because it gives a sense of place.

Here’s mine from this morning, where I dutifully stood waiting for my turn behind a very large group of German photographers. Because I needed to have this image for my newsletter. Made with my phone using the Reeheld app.

But it holds nothing for me, I felt like I was wearing someone else’s shoes making that image today - which I did because when I was here on Saturday someone told me I had my camera pointing in the wrong direction. I posted a reel over the weekend on my Instagram feed showing my camera pointing the wrong way too.

I have wanted to make the image at the top of the page - the steps at the Gwelva boat launch - for some time - although I am sure I am not the first person to do this.

I had set up my equipment when a man, who had been watching with fascination, said to me that I was looking the wrong way, and he pointed the Mount out to me.

When I explained what I was doing to the man he was quite fascinated as I explained to him that that recently I had been struggling with anxiety and a very noisy head and for me the steps were a metaphor, an aspiration of climbing out of the overwhelm to a calmer place.

To be fair to him I think I freaked him out by sharing!

I want an image that reflects me, how I feel, how I see, I want an image that is led by my curiosity, not necessarily an image that will be liked by others. I really want to make pictures of the things in my life that speak to me, that hold my attention or ask me questions, not that conform to other people’s expectations of a location.

I am not saying we shouldn’t make the obvious images when we go to a place that is popular, what I am saying is that it is ok to ‘take’ that image but then explore with an open mind and ‘receive’ an image that is offered to you.

Although we are taught to follow at school, we are, as adults, free to lead our own lives exploring our unique connection with the world while not being frightened to express and interpret those subjects in a way that makes our soul sing.

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A Small Assignment:

Here’s an image of mine - don’t copy it but can you make a still life image inspired by this?

These are quince, photographed using available light only, so nothing fancy needed to complete this assignment only a few bits of fruit or veg.

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I have written an essay for Nature Vision magazine, Issue 12 is out now - link below

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Still: A Mindful Practice for Photographers

Back in Stock

My first book “Still - a mindful practice for photographers” has been on sale for a couple of months now and is listed as a bestseller on Amazon - which I still can’t believe. The feedback has been incredible, I am so grateful to everyone who has ordered a copy. If you don’t have a copy yet it is on sale in most good bookshops and via numerous online book retailers too.

“More than a photography book, Still is a must-have guide for anyone seeking calm and clarity in their creative life.”

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