Thoughts and Doubts.

Once in a while I'll set myself a little photography challenge, or at least try to get out of my comfort zone, just to see what I can come up with.

This morning, for no particular reason, I opted to only crop square "in camera", and only in monochrome. (Well, when I got home I changed the camera back to "Faithful", hence the one of Nell.) 

These are some of the results, and overall I'm pretty happy with them, and would probably think about getting one or two printed & mounted.

Camera: Canon 760D. 
Lens: EFS 10-18mm IS
Location: Yateholme Woods, near Holmfirth.
10th July '21

I know there are some obvious clichés here, but if you're walking around the forestry, and reservoirs, they're not easy to avoid, and anyway, sometimes there isn't anything wrong with "cliché" it just depends how it's executed really. If 100 people are drawn to the same view/subject/angle then it must have something about it, which doesn't automatically make it "bad" or "cheap" in my opinion.....   

This was entirely a "chance" shot, as I was driving home, and Robert just appeared around a corner. If it had been 5 minutes earlier, or later, then there wouldn't have been any sort of background worth using, and I think the angles of the buildings really bring this one to life, well, as well as the handsome pairing of man & horse of course. But the adage about "always take your camera" fits here too. No camera, no shot. Better to take it and not use it, rather than not take it and wish.

As models go, Nell is very hit and miss! Every time you think you've got a potentially interesting image, the chances of her looking in to the camera are no better than 50:50.........

Don't suppose it really matters, as un-posed, candid shots often carry more of a story, or interest than posed ones.....
  

Then the times that you accidentally press the shutter.......!

Even though I have no idea who this couple are, I much prefer this picture to the previous one, which is devoid of life. They chit-chatted happily as they caught me up, and never stopped. They seemed so happy with each other, and were hand in hand, which was lovely to see.  

This only sort of worked with the flash. I took another without, and the Foxglove melded into the background. Here the flash lowers the surrounding shadows, while filling in, and highlighting the flowers. I realise it's not really all that, but it did make me look at things a little differently, which was kind of the point of trying different things, and challenging myself.

 I haven't written much for months now, and want to try to get back into it all again. It's what should have been our local Art Festival, and while there are some "fringe" things going on, two or three of which I managed to go and have a look at. If nothing else, it did make me realise that the only barriers to creativity are your own internal blocks. Just put pen to paper, or whatever your medium might be. What could go wrong?

My problem is that it's been such an awful, soul destroying time, since May last year, that anything I have written has just been pretty nihilistic, and dark, mournful, morose, and even if the process of writing might have helped a little cathartically, the end result(s) were just too bleak to keep. 

Having said that, my most creative times have usually been when I've been in a low place, when it's all going swimmingly, its hard to find the inspiration to be all upbeat and jolly, there must be a happy medium somewhere.

So this is one of my rarer posts which don't have any poetry, or creative prose at all, just photos.

Will try harder!

Stay safe out there.