GoSh…How dId that happen!!!

So another year draws to an end (it went even quicker than the last one). I had started to receive the hints days ago, as social media started its annual roundup of yearly photo drops including “favourite of the year”, “most liked photo of the year”, “my year in photos” and the now famous “my top 9”. I’m not really into going with the traditional end of year posts mentioned above, people have suffered enough lol. However it did get me thinking into how mine would look and so I went into Lightroom and decided I’d look through the months to see what I had taken over the year and I was pleasantly shocked that I felt that my photography did get better as the months went by. I have had some howlers throughout 2022 and some edits I had to slap myself and ask “what were you thinking Winston” but I can proudly tell myself that I did produce some lovely photos that caught exactly what I saw and what I was feeling at the moment I pressed the shutter. Photographers have discussed in the past that if you get 12 -15 absolutely bang on photos from the thousands you have taken over the year then it’s a good year. Now I don’t think I’m quite there yet but it does give me motivation to start the New Year with great enthusiasm to continue to get out and take photos.

I hope 2023 finds you well and keeps you safe, wherever you are.

Its about the Opportunities

That went well… NOT. Last blog post hinted at me hoping to get time to get out and take some photos but who was i trying to kid. Between storms and snow and work and life, things just add up don’t they and after budgeting my time where its needed most and then nature taking over I think I was in negative time equity which in reality looks like camera still in the case and resting, always in the car in anticipation of being set free.

So it was with great delight that Karens birthday was coming up and what better way to spend it with her than a good wee walk up the North Coast. Cue the Annual leave booked, Grandparents booked and weather checked (not that I’m into checking weather for taking photos…it was more that we would actually be able to get out of the car). Luckily for me Karen loves the North Coast and... and… and she is my biggest fan and encourages me no end to take photos. So where did we end up in the North Coast, yep thats right, back to Mussenden and Castlerock beach. We just love it there. We only had limited time and we know exactly what we are in for when we are there, fresh air and space. (yes that space thing again which is so important).

So the shot accompanying this blog is from Castlerock Beach at the far end towards Portstewart strand (please don’t try to swim across the gap). I love watching the waves and when we eventually reached the point where I took this shot we just stood and watched, completely mesmerised by the waves hitting the little pier, and what is it about big waves hitting the shore that you just want to get closer and closer, especially with a camera that has a short focal length on the lens.

Then boom and reality hit, or rather our stomachs cried out and we were on our way for food. Heres hoping March gives me a call about the… opportunities.

I hope you are doing alright, wherever you may be.

Winston

Time to get out

Why is it when you think you can get time to do what you wanna do and you try to make a point of making time to do what you wanna do…you can’t seem to do what you wanna do. Things have a habit of taking over don’t they. So since the start of the year (ok admittedly only 2 weeks ago) my plan was to make time to get out more often to take some photos, try new locations, return to familiar ones and maybe even try the dreaded portrait shots, however the usual then took over me. Family commitments (rightly so), work and that fear of going out in public with a camera and drawing notice to myself (more on this one in a later blog).

Not all was lost so far this month though. You will notice from my latest uploads in the gallery and the shop off course that I had the chance to return to one of my favourite places to visit, not just for photos but for the views…Mussenden Temple and Downhill Beach on the North Coast of Northern Ireland. A little time available while in the area on a day where it was quiet and nice enough weather helped me to get out of the car and take the camera. I had the photos in mind cause I uploaded a phone camera one from the same spot a few weeks before on instagram and I wanted to get them with “the good camera” for printing purposes but imagine my horror when I rounded the corner to get the photo and there was a lovely Massey Ferguson and white van man right in front of the Temple, so my visit turned into a walk with a couple of photos thrown in, which was fine as I had time to enjoy the moment of solitude, breath in the sea air and savour the open space, outwardly and inwardly. Here’s hoping the rest of the month affords me… time to get out.

I hope you are doing alright, wherever you may be.

Winston

Everyone needs a blog... apparently

So I have this photography site and all the research I’ve done to try and direct traffic say I need a blog. What even is a blog and how does someone even begin to write one especially someone who doesn’t even like talking in the first place or struggles to write an instagram or facebook post. I’ll happily take the time to post loads of photos and arrange them in some kind of order (mine on here aren’t by the way) but to put a few words together about any subject and put it into the world wide web is surely nearly a fate worse than death, except for those who are articulate enough to string some words together and make it sound interesting.

However I am prepared to give it a go but don’t expect some fancy expert advice about taking photos or my thoughts on using the latest gear or for me to remember all my settings for each photo. I’ll happily talk about how I feel when taking a photo or how a photo came about or actually just my feelings about all things photography related and I’ll even try not to bore you (You’ll have to tell me though or I’ll keep going).

If you have anything you’d like me to try and put words down about let me know in the comments.

In the mean time thanks for reading and I’ll see you here soon…apparently