Changing thoughts
Well in a few short weeks things moved from what am I doing?, to WOW! , although I have forgotten to keep on top of the blog, something am addressing now.
Before going live with the website I had a major period of doubt around should I do this and what if I am not actually any good at this, can I justify spending money on a mid-life crisis/passion after finishing work earlier then planned. But family would not let it rest and whilst physical violence was not threatened it was very clear I had to push on with this idea.
During this period of doubt I was very lucky to have a portfolio review with a wonderful individual, Charlie Waite who is a renowned landscape photographer, as part of a prize I received when entering a calendar competition. Charlie reviewed around 15 of my images in the time we had giving subtle but excellent feedback on improvements coupled with how angles can change the composition and interpretation of the image by the viewer. This hour of critique was one of the most influential sessions of feedback received not just of my images but a lesson that many managers could learn from as to how feedback even when stating something could/should be better can be delivered in a positive way.
So with the comments from Charlie bouncing around in my head I went on an 8 day trip to Iceland something I had booked almost a year previously. The trip was an experience of a life time, seeing the biggest bucket list item of them all the Northern Lights. Photographing in temperatures of -23 degrees C, being exfoliated by black volcanic sand and eating fermented shark (I'm sure it's an acquired taste) are memories I will never be without. The words spoken by Charlie though were with me for the whole trip and I found myself taking small steps to the left/right to adjust composition, lower or higher angles of shooting coupled with a constant review of light , it must have looked like a very poor session of line dancing as I moved around hoping for the shot I envisaged.
Each evening I would review my days work and found I became increasingly critical of what not too long ago would have been shots I approved of. These evening session resulted in me pushing myself to get better shots than the day before, get shots I thought were different to those I had seen others take, ultimately making me smile with the outcome. In 8 days Iceland captivated me, it is a stunning country sparsely populated, wonders at the roadside, things you will see nowhere else and weather that tests the best technical clothing and camera technology you can have, but ultimately it shows you the beauty of the world around us.
I returned after the trip expecting to have the post holiday blues as you generally do after fantastic holidays, but no, I came back buzzing, wanting to take more images, wanting to push myself further to improve, but still having this nagging doubt of am I good enough to share my images, then I had an email that threw me in to a spin.
Through the company Charlie is a tutor/guide for I was asked if I wanted to exhibit images at the Mall Gallery in London in September 2024 , immediate reaction was no chance I'm not good enough. I avoided the email actually deleting it because if it's not in the inbox it doesn't exist. The second one arrived inviting me to an online session explaining all about the exhibition and how to participate. I left this one and mentioned it over food one evening to hear , "wow that's great what images are you using?" my reply of " not doing it " was soon ripped apart by the female house occupants and I sat through the first online session. Still not convinced I just carried on editing Iceland images and participating in a studio photo session. When the 3rd email arrived talking about the printing of your images for the exhibition and giving more detail of the event I sat and thought again should I do it, well its a bit like this website, what do I have to lose!. So I sat through the next online event (avoided watching Call the Midwife with family) and have finally decided that I will take part. So September 2nd - 7th I had some images in a gallery in London. Me a hobbyist photographer from the depths of the Forest of Dean being hung in a posh gallery alongside the likes of Charlie Waite, pinch me!!
