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I am excited to announce that I will be attending The Photography Show in London 2025 from 8th-11th March! You can catch me on the Vanguard and KASE stands throughout the show, and I will be presenting on the creator stage on the 8th with my 'Stepping into Youtube: Creating a rewarding channel' talk. Can't wait to see you there!
'Vibrant' Goals:
A big Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
2024 has been quite a challenge, both within and outside of my photography, however, it has also given me plenty of time to reflect and figure out exactly where I want to be. And so, I have chosen 'Vibrant' to be my word of 2025, with my main goal to find vibrancy of life in all areas, and especially in my photography. I am bursting with ideas and will be using the holiday season to build up the energy needed to get those ideas rolling. I can't promise exceptional content next year ha, but I can promise that I will continue to share my real journey as a photographer, building a world of wonder image by image and growing through experiences in nature.
I do want to thank you all for your wonderful support this year! I appreciate the time you take to view my images, watch my videos and send me messages. Whatever may draw you to my work, whether it is inspiration, entertainment or knowledge, I hope that next year I can continue to provide you with something valuable and that we can continue to connect within the photographic community. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, and an abundant 2025.
To the right are two fungi images from Autumn that I only recently got around to editing. These were taken on my Nikon D850 with a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 lens, and photo stacked with around 30-50 images. (I can't remember exactly how many ha, but something like that!)
'I love the groups of fungi that sprout tall enough to peer around the leaf strewn floor. They look as though they're watchmen on the look out!'
'The Two Dancers. Don't they look as though they're wearing furry boots?'
What's next on Youtube?
In my latest video, I put the OM System Live ND Filter to the test and experiment with my shutter speeds while photographing waterfalls. This was a video I have wanted to do for a while, and it almost didn't happen! I really chose my moment to attempt to film this, in between some very bad weather ha and so I did not end up doing as much photography as I originally hoped. However, I found the experimentation with shutter speeds insightful, and was impressed by the ND filter feature of the OM-1 Mark II.
So, what is next?
Well that's it for 2024, it's now time to rest, have some Christmas fun and get ready for future projects. I'm hesitant to say what my plans are, in case I am not able to follow through on ideas for one reason or another (as 2024 has seen this happen many times) but you will see a return to landscape photography for certain. I admit to loosing the landscape love and found myself focusing on macro photography predominately this year. I am determined to rekindle that passion and explore some new locations. Of course, I will still continue with my macro photography, and try to step outside my comfort zone with some other smaller projects. Regardless of where my creative journey takes me, I can't wait to share it with you!
Shutter speed experimentation, 1/50th to 5 seconds
Weekly Fungi Hunt:
This week has taken a boring turn with far too much office work and admit to catch up on. The forest will certainly see some oysterling growth at the moment, after a couple of days of wet weather and fairly mild temperatures, however, I have not taken time to go and see for myself. So, instead, I leave with you one of my favourite fungi finds of 2024. These porcelain mushrooms grow on dead beech tree branches, and I have only found a couple of trees in the forest where I may find them. Plenty of luck is involved here, weather, timing and as to whether I can reach them! Luckily this branch was hanging low down and so I had no problems framing up this beautiful scene.
OTHER NEWS:
I joined the Pubcast Podcast for an evening, chatting about things from photography to Christmas traditions! It was great fun! If you're looking for a chilled podcast with some great banter then check them out!
Now, this is a different one because it's not a camera I even own!!
I have had the opportunity to loan a couple of OM System camera bodies and lenses over the past month or so, specifically the OM1 and OM1 Mark II paired with macro lenses and standard zoom lenses. I'm not really much of a 'techie' photographer, I don't really get caught up in latest releases or gear talk (or at least I try not to). The reality is for the work I do, most modern cameras will do the job. However, a camera must be comfortable to use and easy to navigate so I can focus on creativity rather than trying to figure out 'how to do this or that' in the camera settings.
I have found the OM1 a fantastic camera to not only have in my hand, but to use for my photography too. It is such a powerful little set up (especially for macro photography) and the compact size is perfect for a long day out doing photography. The IBIS on the OM system is boast worthy from my experience, and the live ND filter feature that I recently tested for the first time amazed me! These cameras are designed to have most things you may need for outdoor photography, in a small, lightweight package. Every time I have to give these cameras back, I feel a little sad ha!
Gear of the Month:
If you have any questions, recommendations or comments, you are welcome to contact me via social media or email. I love hearing from you, although my inbox can get a little hectic, so please be patient in waiting for your response. I will aim to get back to you as quickly as I can!
Thanks and take care.